The One He Couldn't Save - Supernatural

Singers Salvage Yard

5 years later

I was underneath the belly of an old Dodge Charger fixing up an oil leak, my dog Whiskey laying next to me in the sunshine and the radio in the car blaring out ACDC when I heard the deep rumble of a muscle car.

It had recently become a game of mine to listen to cars as they came in, work out what type of car they were, how many cylinders and then what was wrong with it. However this car, apart from a bit of a whine, didn't appear to have anything wrong with it.

8 cylinder Chevy? I thought to myself as I wished I could turn down my music to hear it better. The the engine stopped, I heard two doors opening and shutting and then nothing.

Oh well, I thought and kept on working. The sun was getting warmer and I was starting to heat up.
Rolling out from underneath the car I shrugged my arms out of my overalls and tied the sleeves around my waist. Then I headed back to the garage to grab a drink.

Opening the little fridge I realised I'd left my water bottle inside the house. I couldn't be bothered to get it though so I grabbed a cold beer out instead.

Popping the cap off I took a long swig. Perfect.

My hair was stuck to the back of my neck so I pulled out my hair and then slicked it back into a high ponytail again.
After a couple of minutes I decided I should go back out and finish the car before it got too much warmer. So grabbing my beer I sauntered back out again.

Whiskey walked along next to me.

I had found her two years ago after she had been hit by a car.
The person had just kept on driving and she had managed to pull herself off to the side of the road where I found her.

Once she recovered we were inseparable, everywhere I went she followed. Literally everywhere, even the bathroom where she would sit outside and wait for me until I was done.

Taking one last gulp of my beer I placed it down on the ground, pulled my overalls back up over my black tank top, grabbed my spanner and rolled myself back under the car.

Clean shirt, new shoes
And I don't know where I am goin to,
Silk suit, black tie
I don't need a reason why
They come runnin just as fast as they can
Cause every girl crazy' bout a sharp dressed man

I sang along to ZZ Top from my spot under the car. Music always made my work so much more enjoyable.

All of a sudden there was a knock on the side of the car.

"Hello?" The voice called out, "Riley?"

I slide out from underneath the car, grabbed my beer and turned to face the person. I assumed it would just be another hunter asking for a car fix.

"Yeah?" I asked, and then I saw them.

It was Sam and Dean, from all those years ago. The ones who'd saved me from the hellhound. They had grown up and no longer looked like teenagers, just out of puberty. However the look of confusion on their faces led me to believe they didn't recognise me.

Good.

"Oh I'm sorry, I think we've got the wrong person" Dean said and went to turn away. "You said Riley right?" I asked.

They stopped and half turned back, "I'm Riley."

I felt like laughing, I'll bet they were expecting a boy. They better not underestimate me. "But you're a girl! Bobby said go see Riley we thought it'd be a guy" Dean said, shocked.

I laughed, I couldn't help it. "What, you think a girl can't be a mechanic?"

"No, I just..." Dean spluttered clearly not knowing what to do now.

Seeing the awkward look, on his face, I moved on. Placing my beer on the car I shrugged my overalls down again, tying the sleeves around my waist and relishing the cool breeze on my skin.

"What can I do for you boys?" I asked squinting slightly at the sun in my eyes.

"Well umm," Dean paused, looking at Sam. "My car has been playing up lately, pretty sure it needs a new timing belt but we were down here to get some help from Bobby on a case and he suggested I get you to look at it, save time you know?"

I grinned, I guess he was the one who drove in earlier in the impala.

"Yours the impala?" I asked and his face lit up. "Yep, that's my baby."

"Sure sounds like a beauty, can't wait to see her" I responded, taking another swing from my beer and absentmindedly patting whiskey who was sitting next to me.

"Wait, you knew she was an impala just from the sound?"

"Yeah" I shrugged, playing it down.

Dean turned to Sam, a massive grin stretched across his face like he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Well er she's over here" he said and walked back towards Bobby's house. Sure enough, parked out the front was a large black 67 Chevy Impala.
I resisted the urge to run my hands over the shiny body, seeing how protective Dean seemed to be about her.

The screen door opened and Bobby came out holding four beers. He offered one each to the two boys and then went to give one to me.
"Already gotten into the beers have you girl?"

I shrugged non-apologetically.

"So boys, you remember Riley don't you?" Bobby asked and I almost had a heart attack.
I didn't want them to remember, I could hardly bear looking at Dean when the accident first happened and I hardly wanted him to remember it and blame himself again.

"Bobby, can I talk to you inside for a minute?" I asked as I hurriedly ushered him back inside again.
"What's the matter with you girl?" He asked gruffly. "You look like, you've seen a ghost!"
"Or something..." He said remembering that I have seen ghosts before and have not looked like I do now.

I looked down at my hands, feeling stupid. "What is it Riley?" He asked, softer this time and with empathy in his voice.
"They don't remember me" I said, my voice gaining strength. "And I don't necessarily want them to. What Dean went through becuase of me, I don't want him to look at me like that again, like he's blaming himself for what happened."

I went quiet and bowed my head again, not knowing what Bobby's reaction would be. There was a couple of coughs and a mumble, something about there being too much dust in the room.
I looked up, Bobby was watery eyed and trying desperately to cover it up. I almost laughed, I would've done the same to avoid somebody realising I was or almost was crying.

"You remind me so much of my wife Karen" he said. He had never once mentioned his wife to me, although I knew that what happened to her was what got him into hunting.
"I won't tell them."

"Thankyou Bobby" I said and next thing I knew I was giving him a hug. He was shorter than me by a little bit but that didn't stop me from letting him go over the top as the fatherly figure.

"Now lets go sort these boys out with their car and their hunt eh?"

As we were walking out he stopped again and looked at me with a smile on his face. "I reckon that blue streak of yours wouldn't be helping them recognise you!" Bobby gave a deep laugh.

About four months ago I had decided I needed a change, I had changed my hair to be a dark brown and had then dyed a streak of it on the left side blue. I loved it, I guess it was a part of my rebellious phase I had never lived out during my teens.

With a renewed grin on my face I walked out, playing absentmindedly with my blue streak.