There was a time when Riley wasn't the hero she made herself out to be. Before her father's death, and long before she met Bumblebee, she was just a kid living a normal life.
Well, as normal as life can get for a 14-year-old that hunts monster...
Riley Winchester isn't your typical 14 year old. She doesn't hang out with her friends on the weekends, go shopping at the mall, or have a steady home to come home to every night. Instead, she travels across the country with her dad, Dean Winchester.
The life Riley's grandfather brought her Dad and Uncle into isn't an easy one, and it didn't sit well with her Uncle Sam.
You see, the Winchesters have been raised into a life of hunting. No, not hunting as in deer and bear. Hunting as in monsters. The things that go bump in the night. Vampires, demons, werewolves, spirits, you name it, they've hunted it.
Sam left for University two years ago when Riley was 12. The night he left really scared her. She never thought a fight could be that terrible, but then again, the Winchesters go big or go home, and Sam was in no mood to go home.
Riley begged Sam to stay, but he didn't cave. He left with the promise to call Riley.
He never did.
And that hurt her.
So, now that she and her father are on their way to pick him up, she isn't very happy. "Ri-Ri..." Dean says, drawing out his voice. Riley turns herself so she can't see him, and watches him in the reflection of Baby's window. "C'mon, you can't ignore me forever. We've still got another 200 miles to go."
"Hmph." Riley says as she pushes her cheek against the cold window. Dean sighs behind her. "Fine." He presses a few buttons on the stereo and Riley's favorite song comes on. 'Stairway to Heaven' by Led Zeppelin has always been able to put her to sleep, so she knows what her father is trying to do.
"Get some shut eye. Maybe then you won't be such a crab ass." RIley rolls her eyes but a smile creeps on her face. She twists herself around and grabs her blanket from the backseat of the car. She drapes it over her shoulder and shivers a bit.
"You really need to get the heater fixed." She mumbles as she gets into a comfortable position. "What are you talking about? It's perfectly warm in here." Riley snorts at her father's words. "Yeah, whatever you say Mr. Freeze."
Dean glances at Riley's sleepy form. "Hey, we talked about this." He points at himself. "Batman," Then he points at Riley. "Robin." Riley rolls her eyes and uses the blanket to hide her smile. The rumble of Baby's engine and the song finally pulls her into a deep sleep.
Dean gives his daughter a long look and smiles. He reaches over and fixes the blanket over her better and leans back into his seat as he drives. He knows how upset with his brother she is. Riley always looked up to him, but when he left it hit her the hardest. She shut in on herself and it took Dean months to get her back to her normal self.
His father never spoke about Sam through the two years he's been gone. Whenever Riley brought him up the man would shut her down harshly saying he wasn't a part of the family anymore. Riley always fought him on this and he even told Riley that if she wanted Sam so badly that she should pack her bags and join him.
It's not the best thing to tell a 13 year old kid.
Still, Riley loved her Grandfather and when he went missing, she didn't hesitate to start looking for him. They searched for weeks, but with no leads they decided they needed help. Well, Dean decided. Riley only grumbled angrily.
Dean can tell she misses him, but her stubborn attitude gets in the way of showing that. She gets that from him.
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"Bug." Dean tries as he tries to wake Riley. "Buggy." He shakes her harder, but she moans in annoyance and turns over, returning to sleep. He sighs and smiled mischievously. "Fine, then. I guess I'll eat this pie myself." Riley is awake in an instant. Her still half closed eyes look around in alarm.
"Pie? Where?" Dean chuckles and sits in his seat. He shakes the bag in his hands and Riley tries to snatch it from him, but he moves it away. "Wake up first. I don't need you getting Baby dirty." Riley begins shaking her head, making a blubbering noise with her cheeks. She slaps her cheeks a bit then blinks rapidly through her messy hair.
Dean raises an eyebrow. "You good now?" Riley raises a finger and shakes her head rapidly again. She pauses for a moment then nods. Dean nods back at her and hands her the bag. Riley places it in her lap and pulls her hair up into a messy bun. "They had your favorite." Riley's eyes widen in excitement as Dean starts Baby and pulls out of the diner parking lot.
"Raspberry?" Dean nods and smiles a bit. He shoves a cassette tape into the stereo and begins bobbing his head to 'Shot in the Dark' by AC/DC. Riley pulls out her pie and begins happily eating it, bobbing her head to the music too. Both father and daughter bob their heads to the music.
"A shot in the dark. Yeah, electric sparks. A shot in the dark beats a walk in the park, yeah!" Dean begins to sing. There is a pause in the music and Riley swallows a massive bite of pie. "Blast it on the radio, breaking on the TV show! Send it out on all the wires." She sings. Dean smiles widely and nods at Riley.
They begin singing in sync. "And if I didn't know any better! Your mission is to party till the broad daylight!" Riley laughs as they sing. "You got a long night coming, and a long night going! You got the right position! The heat of transmission! A shot in the dark!" Riley takes another bite of her food and sings while chewing.
The song comes to an end and Riley finishes her slice of pie. She begins eating the crumbs out of the plastic container. "Here." Dean hands her a blue gatorade and Riley hums in thanks. It's her version of coffee. She hates the taste of the bitter drink. If she had the choice of being eaten alive or taking a single sip of coffee, well, you might as well put a sign on her saying 'eat me' and shove her into a vamp nest.
"So now that I've buttered you up," Riley glares at her father as she drinks her gatorade. "You ready to tell me why you were throwing your piss fit all week?" Riley rolls her eyes and screws the cap of her drink. "You know why." She mutters angrily.
Dean nods and glances at her as he drives. "Sam." Riley nods and looks out the window. A sign saying 'Entering Stanford' tells her how close they are. It's dark out so she must have slept through most of the day. Normally she would say she is going to have trouble sleeping, but she's her father's daughter. She'll sleep anywhere, at any time.
"Give him a chance, Bug." Riley rests her face in her wrist. "He might have a reason." Riley lets out a sharp breath. She doesn't believe that.
- author's notes -
Getting to see Riley in a new stand point is amazing. we get to see her grow up! I'm so excited to share this with you! Bye!
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