𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐄𝐆𝐈𝐍𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆

『1.7』

      Riley rubs her head in pain as she sits in the backseat of the car. In her lap in the letter from John. She tried to wait, but she has no patience. She quietly rips it open as Sam looks at a map trying to figure out where the coordinates John gave Dean lead.

      Riley's squints in the dark to see what the letter says.

(xxx) xxx-xxxx
I am trusting you not to tell them
-J

      Riley stares at her grandfather's handwriting and the number he wrote down. She glances at her father, tempted to tell him about the note, but John is trusting her not to tell them. There is a big difference between trust and orders when it comes to John Winchester.

      Riley takes out her phone and plugs the number in saving it as 'Sergeant'. "Here's where dad went. It's called Blackbottle Ridge, Colorado." Riley glances at Sam then opens a text to the number.

Riley:
Blackbottle? What's there?

      She closes her phone, not expecting an immediate response. Riley leans between the two older Winchesters. "Sounds charming. How far." Riley looks at the map and sees it's mostly terraneous mountain and forest. "About 600 miles." Dean makes a face. "If we shag ass, we can make it by morning."

      Riley looks at Sam. She knows he is going to say no. "Dean, um..." Riley watches as the smile on her face is replaced by sadness. "You're not going." She rests her chin on the seat in front of her. "The interview's in 10 hours. I got to be there." Dean looks away from Sam and nods. He's hiding it but Riley knows her father. He's sad. He misses his brother.

      "Yeah. Yeah, whatever. I'll take you home." Sam looks at Riley and she meets his eyes. She is fine with him going. They are on good terms, but she is going to miss him. Sam turns his flashlight off and Riley sits back in her seat. Her phone buzzes and she pulls it out.

Sergeant:
A hunt.

      Riley frowns at the message. Only John Winchester can manage to make a text sound annoyed.

Riley:
And I guessing not you.

Sergeant:
No. I'm getting close Riley, but I need to do it alone.
For now.

      Riley sighs as she reads the message. Damn Winchesters and their need to feel as the whole damn universe rests on their shoulders.

Riley:
Fine.
I love you.

Sergeant:
I love you too kiddo

      Riley slides her phone into her pocket and leans back in the seat, her mind racing with questions. Dean turns the radio on and for a moment it is the news. Sam frowns. "Wait, go back." Dean goes back to the news. 'Search and Rescue have arrived in New York in the aftermath of Loki's alien invasion.'

      Riley perks up. She heard about this. 'Our new team of heroes, the Avengers have apprehended him. We are yet to have a statement from any of them, but Captain America has been spotted in the streets helping civilians' A smile spreads on Dean's lips. Captain America has always been his favorite.

      "That's so freakin' cool." Dean comments. He gestures to the radio. "I mean, all of them in one place. I'd kill to meet the Captain." Riley smirks. "I know. Your collection of vintage trading cards seems to support your statement." Riley leans back in her seat and shrugs.

      "I think they're overrated. Those robots though..." RIley nods. "Those guys are cool." It had been two years ago when the autobots arrived on Earth and stopped Megatron in Chicago. The CIA is trying to cover it up, but RIley and Dean had been in Chicago at the time on a case. While they were getting out of the city one of them saved them. Riley thinks his name was Bumblebee.

      "You kidding? The Avengers literally stopped an alien invasion." Riley raises an eyebrow at her father. "The autobots are aliens dad. They stopped that Megatron guy from doing whatever it was he was trying to do."

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      Dean pulls the car to a stop outside Sam's apartment building. Riley leans forward so her head is in the front seat as Sam steps out. He leans into the window. "You'll call me if you find him?" Dean nods and Riley looks down. Sam sees this. "Maybe I can meet up with you later, huh?"

      Riley looks at her uncle and smiles. She'd like that. "Yeah, all right." Dean says nodding. Sam taps the car and starts walking away. Dean starts the engine and looks at Sam. "Sam." Sam turns around and Dean smiles. "You know, we made one hell of a team back there." Sam nods with a laugh. "Yeah."

      Dean pulls the car away from the curb and Riley scrambles into the front seat. Dean looks at her and the bruise around her neck. "How you feeling?" He noticed she wasn't staring at Sam like her next meal, so clearly something happened between them. "Better." Riley nods. She cringes and touches her neck.

      "My neck still hurts though." She raises her eyebrows. "And my arm." She nods. "And my head." Dean chuckles and plugs a cassette tape in. 'Young Forever' by Alphaville begins playing. Riley smiles. She loves this song.

      "Ugh, Alphaville? Really?" Riley gives her father a playful look as she sings. "At least I don't like that modern crap." Riley reasons. Dean nods. "That's fair. Fine, listen to it, but after this we're listening to Bon Jovi."

      Suddenly the radio begins to crackle. Dean frowns and tries to fix it. Riley stares at it wide eyed. "Dad... Do you hear that?" Dean pauses for a moment. It's Sam. They can hear his shouting through the radio.

      Dean turns the car around and speeds towards Sam's apartement. "Stay in the car!" He demands as he runs out. Riley is about to follow, but the window that looks into Sam's apartment bursts into flames. Riley's eyes widened. "Sam! Dad!" The doors burst open and Dean runs out dragging Sam along. The apartment explodes and Riley shields her eyes from the flare of light.

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      Dean and Riley glance at Sam as he silently loads a rifle. He looks at Dean and Riley sees the tears in his eyes. Sam looks down and sniffles, tossing the rifle into the trunk. 

      "We got work to do."

- author's notes -

it's so fun writing this. I know exactly what is in store for all the Winchesters and writing in little hints to their future is so fun

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