Don't Go Eating My Heart

Hunting Things

This chapter takes place during Season 7 Episode 1. I am not responsible for spoilers in the comments.

She spent a few days running around the Rocky Mountains before she started heading east. She didn't stop running, not to eat, not to sleep, not even to take a breather. For the first time in almost 2 years, she had no orders, no clue what she was supposed to do. Finally she collapsed, her body giving in to fatigue, her muscles screaming out at her, and her stomach eating away at her muscles.

As she lay panting on her side, her brain finally came to focus on the question running through her mind- what was she supposed to do? She knew what she wanted to do, she wanted to kill something. The last thing she had killed was Lisa, but with Winchester luck, she wouldn't be surprised if somehow the woman was still alive. So the last time she had killed was... 12 days ago. Had it really been that long? Man she was off her game.

As she continued lying there, catching her breath, her mind wandered to a possibility she hadn't considered. She had spent all this time waiting for Crowley to summon her, for him to give her some indication of where he was so that she could go to him. But he didn't. And maybe he never would. Maybe he was afraid of Castiel... the idea confused her, but she chalked it up to demons and angels being mortal enemies and maybe there was something for each other to fear between them. Regardless, if he was out of the picture, the next best thing that was an option on the table, was Sam.

And that, is how she found herself standing in Bobby's junkyard, across from a very confused moose. She had considered calling ahead, but ultimately decided it didn't matter. Either they'd shoot her on sight, or she'd live long enough to propose her idea, didn't matter to her.

"You want me to what?"

"Look you don't need to make this a whole thing, okay? I just need you to give me orders and then I'll go kill some monsters. It's a win all around. Except for the monsters, but, ya know." Marley stood about 20 feet across from him, a wide empty space between them.

"I-I don't to think that's such a good idea. Maybe you should just take some time to recalibrate." He took a step towards her, palms open and facing her, approaching her like a wild animal. "You've been with Crowley for a long time, maybe it's just time for a break."

Marley frowned. "I haven't seen him in a week, I've had a break. And now," Marley stressed, "I need a job."

A deep sigh escaped Sam and he scratched the back of his head. "We love you Marley, you know that, you're family. But right now, Dean... it's just best if you two don't see each other."

Marley rolled her eyes, but her response changed as her nose began to twitch, a scent catching her attention. "Can't say I disagree. So how about you give me a job and I'll be out before he even knows I was here."

"You know how to hunt, you don't need us." Sam's tone was pleading her to leave, but it also held confusion. "So why are you here?"

"I told you." Now it was Marley's turn to start closing the distance between them. "I need a job."

His brow furrowed, concern filling his eyes as he spoke with a genuine tone. "Which part of that am I not understanding?"

He watched as her expression flickered for a moment, changing from the hard annoyed expression she had had since she got there, to one of borderline desperation. He took a step towards her, the familiar urge to make sure she was okay, overwhelming him. The urge he thought was due to the fact that she was family because family doesn't end in blood. But he was wrong, this had everything to do with blood. Because of their blood, he needed to make sure she was always running at peak performance, and she needed to protect him.