(1) The Devil's Hybrid (D. Winchester)

Chapter Fifty-Three

Erika sits at the bar with the account book open in front of her, a glass of whiskey at her side. This is the most boring part of owning a business and whilst her family might just compel their way through it, she likes to do the whole thing the way it was meant to, even if it means having to suffer maths. She grabs her cell phone as it rings and smiles at the caller Id before answering.

"Hey" Dean greets.

"Hey yourself, love" she greets back leaning away from the book.

"Busy?" he asks.

"No, just...doing the books, you?"

"Driving" he answers. "You know I would swing by..."

"As much as I would love that," she tells him. "I've got suppliers turning up all day and I promised I'd have dinner with Elijah" she sighs. "I'm sorry, love"

"Hey, no, don't worry about it, I know how much your bar means to you and Elijah is family....just.."

"Quiet without Sam?" she asks, he chuckles weakly.

"Yeah" he admits. "And without you" he adds.

"When you spend so much time with someone; suddenly deciding to quit them is like losing a part of yourself" she offers. "It's okay to miss him, love, he's your brother, you should miss him"

"I know, I do...."

"But you're too stubborn to tell him" she teases, Dean chuckles. "I know, love, the bloody pair of you are as bad as each other" Erika then looks up and across the bar. "Hey!" She shouts at the delivery guy who's just almost dropped a crate of whiskey.

"Eri" Dean complains.

"That whiskey's worth more than your bloody life, love, you better be careful with it" Erika shouts, Dean chuckles into the phone.

"I love it when you get angry" Dean tells her. "You get all British on people"

"I am an American" she argues back.

"You are more than a thousand years old, Eri, I'm pretty sure that it doesn't matter either way any more....." Erika smiles warmly.

"Perhaps" she admits.

"Anyway didn't you say your parents were Norwegian?" he asks.

"True, they were, but they came over her before I was even born, my real father was..."

"A werewolf" Dean points out. Erika chuckles

"Fair enough, love" she sits up and touches the accounts before sighing. "I should probably get back to the books"

"Yeah" Dean agrees softly. "I'll see you soon?" he states, but it comes out more of a question, Erika smiles.

"You know you will" She answers. "Take care of yourself, Dean," she tells him.

"You too" he responds, they both hang up, Erika takes a breath and sets her phone down.

..................

A religious man stands outside the hotel with a handful of pamphlets. He addresses a passer-by while the Impala drives up.

"Hi. Good evening, brother. Is your soul rapture-ready?" The passer-by ignores him. "Thank you, sir. God bless" The religious man addresses two passer-bys while the Impala stops in front of the hotel. "Good evening, folks. Is your soul rapture-ready? Because what I'd like to do is just show you exactly what God's love is for you" The two passer-bys ignore him. "Okay, God bless" Dean gets out of the Impala and heads for the hotel. The religious man addresses him. "Excuse me, friend, but have you taken time out to think about God's plan for you?" Dean stops and looks at him.