The fire rose high into the night's sky as we stood in the woods, watching Dad's body on the pyre burn. I stood between Sam and Dean. I didn't looked at my brothers. I couldn't. I felt guilty after I realized that Dad sold his soul for me.
He saved my life.
I heard, that normally, 10 years is a given for a deal, Dad didn't even have an hour. He took that deal for me. And I didn't even knew that before. I didn't tell my brothers or anyone about that, I couldn't say that.
"Before he . . . before, did he say anything to you? About anything?" Sam asked, breaking the silence. His voice was small and filled with emotion. "No. Nothing," Dean said, not looking at him. I just continued to stare at the fire, not saying a word.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~One Week Later~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After everything that was happening, we decided to stay for a little while at Bobby's house. I sat down at the couch, sighing and then looked up when I heard footsteps walking down the stairs.
Sam looked at me and gave a small smile, "Hey, you want to come with me to check up on Dean?" He asked. I shook my head, "No, thanks. Butter let him work on the Impala alone," I pointed out.
He looked at me for a moment before giving a small nod and walked outside. I sighed again and looked away. For a week I wasn't talking much with my brothers or Bobby. I just felt like I wanted to be alone but part of me didn't.
Sam and Bobby keep trying to talk to me more then just a few words, they know I was mourning just like any of them but I tried my best to show that I was okay. Dean, on the other hand, didn't spoke to me since I got out of the hospital and I didn't blame him. He probably realized that Dad sacrificed his life for me and he was angry or he was just mourning in his own way.
I took a deep breath and stood up from the couch. I walked outside to the junkyard where Sam and Dean were. I saw them arguing and standing close to the Impala. "Say something, all right? Hell, say anything! Aren't you angry? Don't you want revenge? But all you do is sit out here all day long buried underneath this damn car," Sam said.
"Revenge, huh?" Dean asked. "Yeah," Sam said. "Sounds good," Dean said. "You got any leads on where the demon is? Making heads or tails of any of Dad's research? Because I sure ain't. But you know, if we do finally find it -- oh. No, wait, like you said. The Colt's gone. But I'm sure you've figured out another way to kill it. We've got nothing, Sam. Nothing, okay? So you know the only thing I can do? Is I can work on the car."
With that he crouched by the car, getting back to work. "Well, we've got something, all right?" Sam said as I walked over and I stood beside him, "Hey," I said, making both my brothers to look at me.
Sam gave me a small smile but Dean just glanced up at me and then looked back at the car as Sam pulled out a cell phone. "It's what I came by here to tell you. This is one of dad's old phones. Took me a while, but I cracked his voicemail code. Listen to this," Sam said. Dean stand up as Sam put the phone on speaker.
"John, it's Ellen. Again. Look, don't be stubborn, you know I can help you. Call me."
I frowned. "That message is four months old," Sam said. "Dad saved that chick's message for four months?" Dean asked. "Yeah," Sam replied. "Well, who's Ellen? Any mention of her in Dad's journal?" I asked, crossing my arms. "No. But I ran a trace on her phone number and I got an address," Sam replied. Dean gave a small nod, "Ask Bobby if we can use one of his cars."
...................
The only car that Bobby had working was a beat-up, poorly maintained minivan so we had to take that. We stopped outside a place called 'Roadhouse Saloon'. "This is humiliating," Dean snapped and we all climbed out. "I feel like a friggin' soccer mom!"
"It's the only car Bobby had running," Sam pointed out and we started to look around the front of the saloon. "Hello?" I called. "Anybody here?" Sam called. "Hey. You bring the, uh --" Dean asked Sam, clicking his fingers. "Of course," Sam said, throwing a lock-pick kit to Dean and he caught it.
He picked locked the lock on the door and swing it opened. We walked inside, the place was empty and silent, a buzzing of flies the only sound we could hear. A light bold blew out and we looked at it before we continued to walk.
We saw a man was lead across the pool table, passed out with his back to us. "Hey, buddy?" Sam called but there was no response. "I'm guessing that isn't Ellen."
"Yeah," Dean agreed while I nodded. "He could be a sleep or dead," I mumbled and Sam smirked before walking into the back room while Dean and I stayed in the bar area.
I walked across the room, looking around. "Oh god, please let that be a rifle," Dean suddenly said. I turned and quickly hid around the corner when I saw an attractive blond woman standing behind Dean, pointing a gun on his back.
I slowly started pulling out my gun as she cocked the gun, "No, I'm just real happy to see you. Don't move," She ordered. "Not moving, copy that," Dean said, holding his hands up. "You know, you should know something, miss. When you put a rifle on someone, you don't want to put it right against their back. Because it makes it real easy to do . . ." He turned fluidly, grabbing the rifle and cocking it. "That."
The woman punched him in the face and took back the rifle. Dean doubled over, clutching his nose. "Sam! Scarlett! Need some help in here," He called. "I can't see, I can't even see."
The back door opened to reveal Sam, both hands on his head and he entered slowly ,"Sorry, Dean, I can't right now. I'm a . . . little tied up."
He nodded his head, indicating a older woman, who was behind him with a handgun pointed at his head. I showed myself, pointing my gun at the younger woman, "I'm not." They all looked at me. "Drop the guns," I ordered as Dean smirked.
"Scarlett? Sam? Dean? Winchester?" The older woman asked, looking at each of us. "Yeah," Me and my brothers conformed at the same time.
"Son of a bitch," She said quietly. "Mom, you know these guys?" The younger woman asked. "Yeah, I think these are John Winchester's kids," The older woman replied. The three of us looked at her shocked as I lowered my gun slowly. How did she knew that? Or Dad?
She lowered the gun, laughing. "Hey, I'm Ellen. This is my daughter Jo," She introduced. The younger woman, Jo lowered the rifle. "Hey," She said. "You're not gonna hit me again, are you?" Dean joked.
After the little introducing, we all sat down in front of the counter. Ellen handed Dean a small towel filled with ice. "Here you go," She said.
"Thanks," He said as he took it. "You called our dad, said you could help. Help with what?" I asked. "Well, the demon, of course. I heard he was closing in on it," She replied. I shared a look with my brothers.
"What, was there an article in the Demon Hunters Quarterly that I missed? I mean, who, who are you? How do you know about all this?" Dean asked.
"Hey, I just run a saloon. But hunters have been known to pass through now and again. Including your dad a long time ago. John was like family once," Ellen explained.
"Oh yeah? How come he never mentioned you before?" I asked. "You'd have to ask him that," She said and I tensed. I glanced at each of my brothers before looking away.
"So why exactly do we need your help?" Dean asked, changing the topic. "Hey, don't do me any favors. Look, if you don't want my help, fine. Don't let the door smack your ass on the way out. But John wouldn't have sent you if . . ." Ellen stopped talking when she looked at each of our faces. "He didn't send you."
I looked down, then I glanced at Dean and then Sam. "He's all right, isn't he?" She asked. "No. No, he isn't. It was the demon, we think. It, um, it just got him before he got it, I guess," Sam said.
I looked away, fighting my tears back so I cleared my throat. Ellen looked at each of us with a sad look, "I'm so sorry."
"It's okay. We're all right," Dean said. "Really? I know how close you and your dad were," She said. "Really, lady, we're fine," I snapped. She stared at me, studied my face. Her eyes were much more soften when I felt my tears coming back but I looked away from her, fighting the damn tears again.
"So look, if you can help, we could use all the help we can get," Sam said, making Ellen to look at him. "Well, we can't. But Ash will," She said as I looked back. "Who's Ash?" Sam asked.
"Ash!" Ellen called. Suddenly, me and my brothers turned around when we heard noises. The man that was passed out on the pool table, jerked awake and sat up, flailing.
"What? It closin' time?" He asked. I looked back at the mother and daughter in disbelieve, "That's Ash?" I asked, pointing behind me on the man. "Mm-hmm," Jo conformed with a small smile. "He's a genius."
Jo went on the other side of the bar, "I'm getting the drinks," She said. The man, Ash came over as Dean shook his head in disbelieve, "You kidding me," He mumbled as I got up. "Hey, kid." I turned to Ellen, who had her arms crossed as she looked at me. "I think you and I need to talk."
I raised an eyebrow and then looked at Sam and Dean, who both frowned. I looked back at Ellen and she smiled a little, "Don't worry, I won't bite." She un-crossed her arms and wrapped her arm around my shoulder before staring to pull me with her outside, "We'll be outside if anyone need us," She said.
We walked outside and went to a bench that was close to the door. "Sit," She ordered as she sat down. I sighed and sat beside her, frowning. "Want to tell me what's on your mind?" She asked.
I raised my eyebrows in confused. "I don't know --"
"Yeah, you do," She cut me off. "Look, you don't know me and I don't know you but . . . I've heard a lot from your old man about you and your brothers. So tell me; What's on your mind?"
I stared at her for a moment before looking away. I took a deep breath, "Dad died because of me," I confessed. I looked at her to see her eyes slightly grow. "Dad, me and my brothers were in a car accident after we got attached by the yellow eyes demon. I wasn't going to make it . . . So Dad." I looked away, trying my best to hold back the tears.
I felt Ellen placing her hand on my shoulder so I continued, "So Dad somehow made a deal to get me back." Finally, a tear fall down and I whipped it away quickly. "And Sam and Dean --"
"They don't know," I cut her off. "I think so, but . . ." I shook my head, "I hope so."
"Scarlett. John didn't died because of you. He died for you. A parent will do anything for their children," She said softly. "How long as it been since he died?" I looked down at the wooden floor. "One week," I replied.
"And you kept it to yourself?" She asked. "I didn't knew who to talk to," I admitted quietly, letting the tears to drop as I looked back at her. Her soften eyes stared at me for a moment before wrapping her arms around me. She gently pulled me into her arms to a hug. I rested my head on her chest as she stroked my hair softly. "You do now," She whispered.
After like ten minutes, we decided to go back inside after I calmed down. Ellen had her arm wrapped around my shoulder as we walked inside. "All business up front," Ash said, pointing at the front of his head and then flipped his hair over his shoulder, "Party in the back."
Sam gave a small chuckled as he walked away. I went to sat down beside Sam as Ellen went behind the bar. She walked over to me and handed me a glass of water.
I gave her a smile and she returned. "Hey, Ellen, what is that?" Sam asked, seeing something behind her. She glanced behind her and then looked back at him, "It's a police scanner. We keep tabs on things, we . . ."
"No, no, no, no, the, um, the folder," Sam said. I noticed Dean getting up from his chair and wandered behind us. I looked back at Ellen to see her walked towards the folder and grabbed it, "Uh, I was gonna give this to a friend of mine." She walked back towards us, "But take a look, if you want."
She handed it to Sam, "Thanks," He said. It had some newspaper clippings attached to the front, and on the front, in red marker:
COUPLE MURDERED
CHILD LEFT ALIVEMEDFORD, WISC.
I looked from behind me to see Dean and Jo talking. "Hey, Ellen," Sam started, making me to look back. "Yeah?" Ellen asked. "Do you mind if we'd check it out?" He asked about the newspaper.
She smiled, "Sure, you want it, take it," She agreed. "Thanks," I said with a smile. Sam smiled at her before looking back at Dean, "Dean, come here, check this out."
"Yeah," Dean said as he walked back to us. "A few murders, not far from here, that Ellen caught wind of. Looks to me like there might be a hunt," Sam explained.
"Yeah. So?" Dean asked. "So, I told her we'd check it out," Sam said. "Super," Dean mumbled sarcastically.