Daughter of the Legend: A Supernatural Fanfiction (WATTY AWARDS WINNER 2013)

Chapter Six: Learning The Basics

Around 6 that morning we were up and going again. Cas was still sitting in the same chair he had been in earlier. I leaned over and asked Dean,"Does he ever sleep?" Dean, in return, shook his head. I looked over at Cas. It was weird to think my dad was friends with an angel. In fact, it was weird that there was an actual angel here at all.

Sam decided we should go get doughnuts for breakfast and asked if I wanted to come with him, I did. Mostly because if there was a Maple Bar, it was mine. Dean and Cas stayed back at the motel to research. As Sam drove us into town we started talking.

"Did you ever believe in this stuff before you knew about it?" He asked. I nodded my head.

"Yeah, actually," I told him, "I believed in ghosts and monsters since the first time I watched an episode of Scooby-Doo." Sam laughed at the idea of it, but then he became very quiet and serious then looked at me.

"I'm sorry Rachel," his eyes seemed sad.

"Why? It was just one of those silly things we do as kids," I said with a smile.

"No, that's not what I'm talking about. I'm sorry about your mom."

"Oh...yeah... me too..."

"I know what it's like."

"You do?"

"Yeah. My mom was killed by a demon when I was 6 months old. I didn't even get to know her. Its what got our dad into hunting." His eyes were glassy with remembrance.

"I'm so sorry Sam..." I said looking at my uncle. I can't imagine losing my mom at that age. But then again I did grow up thinking Dean was dead, so in a way I got it.

"He's scared you know," said Sam looking over at me again.

"Who's scared? Dean?" I asked him.

Sam nodded his head, "He's afraid he is going to end up treating you like our dad did to us. Ruining your life with hunting."

"Why?" This was news to me, but in a way it explained why Dean had been acting the way he was. Distant and reserved.

"You have to understand that we were raised into hunting when our mom died. Our dad was obsessed with killing Azazel, the demon that killed her, and this obsession was passed onto us. Dean was always the one keeping the peace between my dad and me, and that ripped him apart most of the time. Dean was always listening to Dad, even though sometimes he disagreed and didn't want too, he did." Sam paused. "Our Dad was a great man, don't get me wrong, but he made a lot of mistakes with us, and Dean is terrified to do the same thing to you. Even though we love our dad, sometimes we really hated him. You haven't been in each others lives at all and now you are. He just doesn't want to hurt you."

"Really?" I asked. Sam nodded his head.

"We were talking about it last night, mostly when you were asleep." Sam looked at me waiting for my response.

"Sam? Will you tell Dean that the only way any of that will happen is if he shuts me out. I don't do well with that and now you and him are all I have left. An open relationship is all I want, with both of you actually. I've never had a dad or father figure in my whole life, its always been my mom and me, and I don't want my real dad to have a bad relationship with me. Not now, not ever."

Sam nodded in understanding, "I'll tell him."

"And Sam?"

"Yeah Rachel?"

"How do I act around Castiel?" Sam began to laugh.

"Just be normal. There is nothing you could do to surprise him...actually I take that back there is, but don't do that, okay?" I nodded with a grin.

After we got breakfast and returned to the motel Sam and Dean decided it would be best if I learned the basics for hunting before we went on in our trip. We drove out into the desert and set up a target range. I had only shot guns once in my life and that was because my mom's best friend had invited us to go.

We started out small with Dean's colt 1911 a1 .45 caliber semi-automatic. We had set up a number of cans and bottles for me to practice on.

"Finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot." said Dean before we started, "And never aim at anything you are not prepared to destroy." I did fairly well. After shooting that one for a while, Sam made me practice with his rock salt gun, a sawed-off, double-barreled shotgun. When I was done with this gun I used a Winchester model 1897 pump action shotgun, 12 gauge with 6 rounds. I then had to use a crossbow. I struggled a little with it but figured out how to shoot it safely.

"B. R. A. S. S. - Breathe, relax, aim, slack, squeeze. - That's how the Marines taught Dad to shoot, and that's how he taught us." explained Sam "No jerk and flinch, no turning the gun sideways and , no spray-and-pray. BRASS." I remembered each and every little piece of advice that they gave me. They seemed pretty satisfied with my efforts for the day. I still needed tons of practice but not bad for my first real time shooting.

The guys explained that silver bullets were hard to come by because the extreme effort it takes to make them, because of their melting point, and that they used those in very rare occasions. If things went south with this job it was their second option. I understood very clearly what was going to possibly go down. I felt unsettled but I knew this would be the way my life was headed now, at least I wasn't doing this on my own. Sam told me we'd train with the other stuff like the knives and other weaponry later.

We were on the road again around 4 p.m. Our destination was Eagle Nest, New Mexico. Apparently there had been strange disappearances and two body's found mutilated a couple of miles from town, with their hearts missing. Cas was still with us and eventually I couldn't take his strange silence anymore, so I started talking to him. Granted it was a very monotone and slightly one sided conversation but it was better than his silence. Eventually I ended up sleeping again and had my head resting on Castiel's shoulder, making him rather uncomfortable but not wanting to wake me he put up with it. Dean and Sam thought it was hilarious how awkward Cas had been and had taken pictures with their cell phone and shown me when I had woken up again, that's the only reason I had known.

When we did reach Eagle Nest, it was around 9 at night. The guys decided it would be best to start fresh in the morning so they could gather reports and piece together the puzzle. We stopped and ate dinner in a small pizzeria then set up shop in the room. After about an hour of scanning news paper clippings and the internet, I went to bed, the events of the day playing tag through my head.