Secrets Will Kill You

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That night we wrapped John’s body in a giant sheet and brought him to some woods and set him on some wood and then set it all on fire. The four of us stood back a few fire just staring into the fire. Brit and I were standing on the ends with Dean next to me and Sam was in the middle of him and Brit. Brit and I stayed quiet…almost like we were out of place.

“Before…before he…” Sam tried to speak but he couldn’t find the words. “Did he say anything to you two? About anything?” he asked Dean and I but the two of us just kept our eyes on the fire, staying silent.

“No. Nothing” Dean finally spoke. “Nothing at all” I added and even though Dean was lying through his teeth, I was pretty much telling the truth.

He told me some random crap but he didn’t say what was going on with him. I felt a tear slide down my cheek but I wiped it away quickly. But, Dean…he didn’t wipe his tear away. He let it slip away slowly…

~~~

One Week Later

We’ve been at Bobby’s place so Dean could fix up his car and I could fix up my truck. Brit was inside with Bobby and Sam doing I don’t even know what. I got out from under the truck and I was still going back and forth on whether or not I should go over there. I kept glancing over, seeing him under the Impala at work. I wanted to be doing the same but my mind was clouded with wondering what to do about Dean. Do I go over and talk to him? And if I go over, what do I start talking about? I never had this problem before. I was always so confident when it came to guys…why was he any different? I took a deep breath and started walking over to him. I leaned on the car, playing with the rag in my hands, wiping at the liquid on my hands.

“How’s it coming?” I asked.

“Slow…how about you?”

“Slow”

We were silent after that. The passed week or so…we both haven’t said much…not to each other anyway. “Ya know…I kind of miss our little relationship when we first met…officially I guess you could say…”

He laughed lightly. “When we hated each other?” he questioned.

“I never hated you really…but I’m still not a big fan of yours, I just miss you calling me bitch” I joked and he laughed.

"Sweetheart, you and I both know you’re my number one fan”

“No, just in your dreams” I commented, smirking as he came out from under the car. He looked at me, before laughing a little. “What?” I asked.

“You got some oil on your face”

I laughed too as I wiped it off. “Okay…we were trying to make it work for Brittney and Sammy…but if you want me too, I’ll go back to calling you bitch” he stared down at me.

“Good. Now I can go back to calling you an arrogant jerk” I said.

“Call me something else. It’s kind of Sam’s job to call me jerk”

“Fine. You’ll be dickhead then” I smiled and started walking away.

“You cant use me as a punching bag though!” he called after me.

“No promises!” I called back, not even turning around.

I heard him chuckle and I glanced over my shoulder to see him looking down, shaking his head. I turned my head back ahead to look at my truck. I walked over to it, looking in the tool box in front of me and I looked over at Dean, smirking and he grinned.

But, then I saw Sam come out and walk over to Dean. So, I got back under the truck as Dean got back under the Impala. I didn’t want to eavesdrop but I couldn’t help it…my truck and I were a good twenty feet away…but I heard them with ease.

“How’s the car comin’ along?” Sam started a conversation.

“Slow” Dean replied in a much more miserable tone.

“Yeah? Need any help?”

“What, you under a hood? I’ll pass. I think I’ll just ask Mel for help if I need it”

I smirked to myself a little. “Need anything else then?”

Dean didn’t reply right away. As I laid under my truck, acting like I was fixing something, I took a look over at the boys and watched Dean get out from under the car and he walked over to a tool box three feet away.

“Stop it, Sam”

“Stop what?”

“Stop askin’ if I need anything, stop askin’ if I’m okay. I’m okay. Really. I promise” he said and I could tell he was just pretending to look for a tool, avoiding Sam’s face.

“Alright. Dean, it’s just…we’ve been at Bobby’s for over a week now and you haven’t brought up Dad once”

Dean faced him. “You know what, you’re right. Come here. I’m gonna lay my head gently on your shoulder. Maybe we can cry, hug, maybe even slow dance” he quipped and I let out a small laugh, rolling my eyes.

“Don’t patronize me, Dean, Dad is dead! The Colt is gone, and it seems pretty damn likely that the demon is behind all of this, and you’re actin’ like nothin’ happened” Sam said, agitated.

“What do you want me to say?”

“Say something, alright? 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!"

“Revenge, huh?”

“Yeah”

“Sounds good. You got any leads on where the demon is? Are you makin’ heads or tails of any of Dad’s research? ‘Cause I sure ain’t. But you know what, when 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 nothin’, Sam. Nothin’, okay? So you know what? The only thing I can do is I can work on the car”

They both stayed silent after that. But, then Brit came walking out. “Well we’ve got something now. Mel come over here!” she yelled. I went to shoot to my feet but hit my head on a pipe.

“Ow! Shit!” I cursed. “Coming!” I added, crawling out from under and I walked over to all of them.

“It’s one of your Dad’s old phones. It took me a while, but with Sam’s help, we cracked his voicemail code. Listen to this” she instructed.

“John, it’s Ellen…again. Look, don’t be stubborn. You know I can help you. Call me” Ellen’s voice came through the phone.

“That message is four months old” Sam stated. “Dad saved that chick’s message for four months?” Dean asked.

“Yeah”

“I say we pay her a visit” I said, monotonously. “You still owe me a bike ride” Dean mentioned.

“You’ll get your bike ride…maybe tomorrow, maybe next week, maybe next month…just not today” I smirked.

Brit just shrugged as we both went over to my beautiful bike that Brit cleaned for me. Thank goodness it wasn’t in the wreck. “Ask Bobby if we can use one of his cars” Dean sighed. I snickered.

~~~~

Brit and I got to the Roadhouse and when we got off the motorcycle, we took off our helmets and saw a very old warn out minivan pull it…Dean and Sam were in the front seats. Brit and I looked at each other and we were both grinning, holding back laughter.

“This is humiliating. I feel like a friggin’ soccer mom!” Dean claimed, getting out and that was when Brit and I burst out laughing. “It’s the only car Bobby had running” Sam explained.

“Well it suits you both very well” Brit laughed and they both just shook their heads at us as we continued to laugh.

I walked over to the door and picked the lock. “Ladies first” I step to the side, allowing Dean and Sam to walk in.

“Funny Mel, I’m really laughing on the inside” Dean commented, glaring at me and walking inside with Sam behind him.

“Yea I try” I shrugged, grinning. I was about to walk in as well but Brit stopped me. I turned to look at her. “What’s wrong?” I asked.

“So are you going to tell him?” she asked.

“Tell who what?”

“Tell Dean that you want to have hot steamy sex with him” she mocked.

I glared. “No, no one will tell him such a thing because it is not true and I never said that” I pointed my finger at her. She laughed. “I will hurt you Brit”

“Oh I have no doubt of that…”

“Hey girls! Can you come in here…now?!” Dean yelled and we rushed inside.

Dean was holding his face in pain while both Jo and Ellen had their guns pointed at them. “Jo, Ellen” I sighed.

“Melissa?” Ellen questioned.

“Brittney?” Jo added.

“Dean and Sam” Dean finished, gesturing to himself and Sam.

“Winchester? Your John’s boys?” Ellen asked.

“Yep they are and Ellen, we’d really appreciate it if you don’t shoot them…no matter how much they may deserve it” I said, smiling.

“Son of a bitch” she commented. “Mom, you know these guys?” Jo asked. Ellen laughed and lowered her gun so Jo did as well.

“Yeah, I think these are John Winchester’s boys. Hey, I’m Ellen. That’s my daughter, Jo”

“Hey”

“You’re not gonna hit me again, are you?” Dean asked Jo. But then Ellen hugged me and Brit, then Jo hugged Brit as we just shared looks. Well, this is awkward.

~~

We all sat at the bar as Jo got us beers and Ellen got Dean an ice pack. “Here you go”

“Thanks. You called our dad and said you could help…help with what?”

“Well…the demon, of course. I heard he was closing in on it”

“Was there an article in The Demon Hunter’s Quarterly that I missed? I mean, who are you? How do you know about all this?”

“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”

“Oh, yeah? How come he’s never mentioned you before?”

“You’d have to ask him that” she replied and I could see she was a little hurt.

“So why exactly do we need your help?”

“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…” Then she paused, as if realizing something.

“He didn’t send you” she stated and Sam and Dean looked down in a depressing way. “He is all right, isn’t he?”

Sam and Dean stayed silent. “No…no, he isn’t” I spoke. “It was the demon, we think. It umm…just got to him before he got it I guess” Sam said.

“I’m so sorry”

“It’s okay. We’re all right” Dean said.

“Really. I know how close you and your dad…”

“Really, lady, I’m fine” he snapped.

She looked at Brit and I and we shook our heads. “What about you ladies? How do you all know each other?” Sam asked.

“Melissa’s dad was well known by everyone. He was a close family friend though…”

“And what’s up with those two?” Dean asked, gesturing to me and Jo. “Shut up Dean” I said, staring him down as he smirked smugly and I felt Jo was eyeing me.

“So, look, if you can help…we could use all the help we can get” Sam changed the subject.

“Well, we can’t. But Ash will”

“Who’s Ash?” Sam asked.

“Where is Ash?” Brit asked.

“Ash!” Ellen called and a thump was heard as we all looked over at the pool table and saw Ash shoot off of it.

“What? Closin time?” he asked, disoriented. He turned. “Melissa, Brittney! My darlings” he cooed.

“Hey Ash” we both laughed a little.

He hugged me first, grabbed my ass and then he hugged Brit, groping her a little.

“That’s Ash?” Sam asked.

“Mm-hmm. He’s a bit of a perve...but a genius” Jo replied.

A few minutes later, Ellen explained everything to Ash and he joined us at the bar as Dean placed a thick folder in front of us. “You’ve gotta be kiddin’ me. This guy’s no genius. He’s a Lynyrd Skynyrd roadie” Dean commented.

Ash chuckled. “I like you” he stated.

“Thanks”

“Just give him a chance” I said.

“He really is a genius” Jo added.

Dean sighed. “Alright. This stuff’s about a year’s worth of our dad’s work, so, uh…let’s see what you make of it”

“Come on. This crap ain’t real. Ain’t nobody can track a demon like this”

Sam and Dean exchanged a look. “Our dad could” Sam stated and Ash paused before he continued.

“These are nonparametric statistical overviews, cross-spectrum correlations. I mean…damn. They’re signs…omens. If you can track ‘em, you can track this demon…you know, like crop failures, electrical storms. You ever been struck by lightning? It ain’t fun”

“Can you track it or not?” Sam asked.

“Yeah, with this, I think so. But it’s gonna take time. Uh, give me…fifty-one hours” he gathered up all the research and started walking away. I saw that Sam and Dean were just stunned.

“Hey, man” Dean spoke up, stopping Ash.

“Yeah?”

“By the way, I, uh…I dig the haircut”

I snickered as Ash tossed his mullet over his shoulder. “All business up front, party in the back” he said and walked out of view as Dean chuckled.

As Dean got up to walk over to Jo who was wiping down a table, Sam and Brittney started to engage in conversation with Ellen but I couldn’t help but listen to Dean and Jo’s conversation. I perked up my ears and listened carefully.

“How’d your mom get into this stuff, anyway?” Dean asked.

“My dad. He was a hunter. He passed away”

“I’m sorry”

“It was a long time ago. I was just a kid. Sorry to hear about your dad”

“Yeah…” He paused. “So, I guess I got fifty-one hours to waste. Maybe tonight, we should, uh…” I rolled my eyes and shook my head, just looking down at my drink. "…no, you know what, never mind” he finished I waited for him to continue.

“What?”

“Nothin’, just, uh…wrong place, wrong time”

“You know, I thought you were gonna toss me some cheap pickup line. Most hunters come through that door think they can get in my pants with some pizza, a six-pack, and side one of Zeppelin IV” Dean scoffed.

“What a bunch of scumbags” he said, sheepishly.

“But not you?”

“I guess not…you going to tell me why you’re avoiding Melissa?” he asked and I tensed up.

“Why you so concerned?”

“Just curious. She doesn’t tell me much and if I have some kind of dirt on her, that’d be great” I could hear the smirk in his voice.

“Well…lets just say…last time we talked…it involved a lot of words and ever since, our friendship went downhill…we had a falling out…I will tell you that I’d warn Brit over there though, Mel likes to go for guys who are taken by her friends”

I shot up from my stool. “It was an accident!” I yelled at her.

Everyone was silent. Jo crossed her arms and I think she was about to give some kind of comeback but I didn’t give her the chance.
“Yes. Really. Why don’t you just leave it at that. What are you, Jo, in high school?” I snapped. “Excuse me” I said, politely to Ellen and then walked out.

I started to pace around. Brit came out seconds after me. “She doesn’t have the right!” I hissed.

“I know…” she nodded.

“Who does she think she is? Ugh!” I stopped pacing and faced the Roadhouse. “I’m going to go back in there and…” I started saying as I walked up to the door but Dean and Sam came out.

“Whoa there, killer, you can go kill Blondie later. We have a case” Dean said and I sighed.

We decided it would be best if we all rode in the minivan so the guys could explain the case to us. Ellen promised to take care of my bike…and not let Jo near it. “You’ve gotta be kiddin’ me. A killer clown?” Dean asked.

“Yeah, he left the daughter unharmed and killed the parents…ripped them to pieces, actually” Sam answered.

Brit and I leaned forward in our seats so our heads were in between Dean and Sam. “And this family was at some carnival that night?” Brit asked.

“Right, right. The Cooper carnival”

“So how do you know we’re not dealin’ with some psycho carnie in a clown suit?” I asked.

“Well, the cops have no viable leads, and all the employees were tearin’ down shop…alibis all around. Plus, the girl said she saw a clown vanish into thin air. Cops are sayin’ trauma, of course"

“I know what you’re thinkin’, Sam. ‘Why did it have to be clowns?’” Dean said smirking.

“Give me a break” Sam rolled his eyes.

“You didn’t think I’d remember, did you? I mean, come on, you still bust out cryin’ whenever you see Ronald McDonald on the television” Dean said and Brit and I started laughing.

“At least I’m not afraid of flying”

“Hey, planes crash!” both Dean and I defended.

“And apparently clowns kill” Sam countered. We stayed silent. We were defeated.

“So, these types of murders…they ever happen before?” Brit asked.

“Uh, according to the file, 1981, the Bunker Brothers circus. Same M.O….it happened three different times, three different locales"

“That’s weird, though. I mean, if it is a spirit, it’s usually bound to a specific locale…a house or a town” I considered.

“So how’s this one moving from city to city, carnival to carnival?”

“Cursed object, maybe? Spirit attaches itself to something, and the carnival carries it around with them” Dean suggested.

“Great. A paranormal scavenger hunt”

“This case was your idea. By the way, why is that? You were awfully quick to jump on this job”

“So?”

“It’s just not like you, that’s all. I thought you were hell-bent for leather on the demon hunt” Brit and I sat back.

We weren’t part of the conversation anymore. “I don’t know. I just think takin’ this job…it’s what Dad would have wanted us to do”

“What Dad would have wanted?”

“Yeah. So?”

Dean stayed silent. “Nothin’” he replied.

Then the whole minivan was quiet. No one spoke a word. Brit and I exchanged a look. We should’ve just taken my bike.