𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐄𝐆𝐈𝐍𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆

『3.1』

       Riley munches on her burger at The Lynnwood Inn. Her shoulder has healed, but it still aches a bit. Riley doodles on her napkin while Dean looks at a newspaper for their next case. A spot of red drips onto Riley's napkin. She reaches for her nose and swears under her breath and grabs her napkin and presses it to her nose.

      Ever since Riley was a kid she's gotten random bloody noses. Doctors say it's her allergies, which is strange because Riley isn't allergic to anything. Her biggest one was when a kick accidentally kicked her in the face on a playground. It looked like she had been mauled.

      "Again?" Dean asks as he hands her his napkin. The waitress walks up to Dean. "Can I get you anything else?" Sam walks over. "Just the check please." He looks at Riley who tilts her head up. "She still gets those?" Dean nods and Riley groans in annoyance. "You know, Sam, we are allowed to have fun once in a while."

         Riley clears her throat reminding her father that she is still there. Dean ignores her and points at the waitress. "That's fun." Riley hits Dean as Sam frowns. "Idiot." She mutters. "Here, take a look at this. I think I got one."

       Dean hands the newspaper to Sam and Riley peaks down from her tissues to look at it. "Lake Manitoc, Wisconsin." Riley smirks at her father. "Ah, the cheese state." Sam picks up the newspaper. "Last week Sophie Carlton, 18, walks into the lake, doesn't walk out." Sam looks at Dean. "Authorities dragged the water. Nothing. Sophie Carlton is the third Lake Manitoc drawing this year."

      Riley raises an eyebrow. "None of the other bodies were found, either. They had a funeral two days ago." Sam and Riley crease their brows. "Funeral?" Sam asks. Dean nods. "They buried an empty coffin for closure or whatever." Sam scoffs. "Closure? What closure? People don't just disappear Dean." Riley glances at Dean. She knows what this is about.

      "Other people just stop looking for them." Dean glances at Riley next to him then looks back to Sam. "Something you want to say to me?" Sam sighs. "The trail for dad- It's getting colder every day." Riley takes the tissue away from her nose. It's stopped bleeding. Finally.

       Riley hasn't spoken to John since the wendigo. She's been tempted to ask him for something- anything to go off of, but she knows he won't talk. It's just the way his stubborn ass is.

       "What are we supposed to do?" Dean asks, getting annoyed. "I don't know." Sam answers. He shakes his head. "Something. Anything." Riley fiddles with her fingers as the topic of John continues to make her feel terrible. "I'm sick of this attitude. You don't think I want to find dad as much as you do?"

        Sam shakes his head as he looks at Dean. "Me and Riley are the ones who have been with him every single day for the past two years while you've been off to college going to pep rallies." Riley glances at Sam. There's this new side to him she isn't sure she likes. He's cold. Distant. A bit of an ass. She knows he wants to find Jessica's killer, but acting like this won't get him any closer to doing that.

      "We will find dad, but until then, we're gonna kill everything bad between here and there, okay?" Dean gives Sam his classic 'we're doing what I say or there will be hell to pay' look and Sam gives in. Riley hates being on the receiving end of that look.

       The waitress walks past and Dean's eyes follow her. Riley flicks her father's head which he ignores. "Okay, Lake Manitoc." Dean doesn't listen. "Hey." Dean looks at Sam. "Huh?" Riley snorts and takes a sip from her iced tea. She finished her pie within the first minute of it being put down in front of her.

        "How far?" Sam asks.

△

        Riley blows a bubble with her gum as Dean pulls up to the Carlton residence. Dean looks back at her and she rolls her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I know." He and Sam step out of the car and up to the door to talk to Sophie's brother. Riley pulls out her sketchbook and looks around for some inspiration.

        As her eyes drift around she catches a glimpse of a little boy at the water's edge. She looks back to where she saw him, but finds nothing there. She creases her brows then shrugs. She begins drawing, her hand mostly guiding itself.

      "Come play with me."

      Riley jumps and looks around. The source of the whisper is nowhere to be found. "What the hell?" She sees Sam, Dean and Sophie's brother walk out of the house. "This is some Stephen King Pennywise shit?" Dean meets Riley's eyes, noticing her startled state. She shrugs at him and he nods turning his attention back to Will Carlton.

        Riley rubs the back of her neck and frowns. "Weird." She looks down at her drawing and sees that she's drawn a bite. She looks at it. "Huh." She's never been all that great at drawing bikes.

      Sam and Dean get back into the car and Dean turns to face her. "What's with the face?" He asks with an eyebrow raised. Riley shakes her head. "I dunno. I thought-" She shakes her head as she glances at the water. "It's nothing." Sam and Dean share a look.

△

      Riley looks up from the ground as Sam and Dean walk out of the police station with a woman. She walks to catch up with them. "So, cute kid." Dean tells the woman. Riley glances at Sam and he sighs shaking his head. Typical Dean. "Thanks." The woman says.

       "Kids are the best, huh?" Dean puts an arm around Riley. "I mean I've got a great one here." Riley rolls her eyes with a smile. She looks at the woman. "Riley." She introduces herself. The woman smiles. "Andrea."

      Andrea leads them across the street. "There it is. Like I said, two blocks." Dean nods at the Lakefront Motel. "Thanks." Andrea gives Dean a look. "Must be hard with your sense of direction." Dean shrugs, but Andrea continues. "Never being able to find your way to a decent pickup line." Riley laughs. "Ooooh. That's gotta burn."

      Andrea walks away and Riley continues to laugh. "That-" She nods. "That was awesome." Dean looks after Andrea with a frown. "Enjoy your stay." Riley looks at Dean's face and laughs harder. "'Kids are the best'?" Sam asks. "You don't even like kids." Riley nods in agreement. "I love kids." Dean defends.

       Sam raises an eyebrow. "Name three children you even know." Dean looks at Riley. "Riley doesn't count. She's 14." Dean gapes and racks his mind for an answer. Sam waves him off and walks into the hotel. Riley raises an eyebrow at her father and he makes a face. "I'm thinking!"

- author's notes -

episode three has begun!