In Which Seth is a Bad Baby-Sitter
It was a few days after Christmas, and there was still snow on the ground. She was starting to think that the jeans she had picked to wear weren’t the best in the world, given the wear patterns and holes in the knees. It was just enough to let the cold start to slip in, but that didn’t matter to her much. She shoved her hands into the pocket of her winter coat and leaned back against the car seat, watching as the world whipped past them the faster they drove.
It had been a good Christmas. It had been good to see her family again, after being separated from them for so long, and she felt like she had eaten enough to last her a week, but she was ready to bail. She had places to go, people to see, and once she had convinced Mama that she would eat well and be back to visit as soon as she could, she found herself packing her things and arranging a ride with Seth, since he and Roxanne were on their way out to hunt some kind of ghoul out in the opposite direction. She was kind of hoping to swing up Ben’s way and see how things were going with his dad, but beggars couldn’t be choosers. She would have to make due with what she had, and maybe somewhere along the way she would bump into a friend who was heading in the right direction.
They had just crossed the Colorado border when Seth said that he needed to pull over for gas and other essentials, and they made their way to a rest stop just off the highway. The place was a bit of a dump, but they had what they needed, so that meant that it was good enough to stop. Seth went to pump the gas, Roxanne headed in to check out the food, and Anna was starting to wander when she heard Seth’s gruff voice over her shoulder.
“Fifteen minutes, kid. I don’t want to get a late start.”
Anna gave him an eye roll and a nod before making her way around to the other side of the building, pulling out her phone as she went. She had people she wanted to call, but she wasn’t going to do it while Seth was around. He eavesdropped. Anna didn’t want him eavesdropping on this.
She hadn’t heard from Ben in a few days, and she had yet to decide if that was a good thing. When he got in touch with her again, things were better. And that was good-better was always good. But she hadn’t heard from him since, and while giving him family time was good, she was starting to get a little nervous that something happened. Because they were Winchesters after all-apparently things were always happening. Leaning back against the side wall of the building, she placed the phone to her ear and waited for it to ring, frowning slightly when she wound up with Ben’s voicemail.
“Hey, Ben, it’s Anna. I was just calling to check in. I hit the road not to long ago, so I figured we might be able to cross paths or something somewhere along the-way-” Her voice cut off slightly when a man stepped in front of her, staring her down. Something about him tugged at the feeling in the pit of her stomach, and she frowned, before going back to her phone call. “-so give me a call and let me know. I’ll-talk to you soon.”
After a moment, she hung up, and just gave the guy a look. He was continuing to stare at her attentively, in a way that was really, really starting to give her the creeps. Raising an eyebrow slightly, she leaned back more against the wall, feeling her own, natural defense instincts kick in. “Can I help you with something?” She tried to be as loud as she could, trying to get Seth’s attention, but it seemed to be no use. Seth’s ears were good, but it was hard to be that loud when you were trying to pretend you weren’t scared.
He just continued to stare at her for a moment, and then suddenly he moved. He moved faster than she was able to comprehend, and the next thing she knows he’s got her pinned to the wall behind her, one hand against her stomach in a way that might be considered gentle if she wasn’t scared to death, and the other across her mouth.
“Don’t scream.”
Her eyes widened in fear, panic rising against the back of her throat, but she didn’t scream. She just stared back at him. His eyes were almost empty, soulless, but at the same time, she could almost be deluded into thinking that there was some kind of sympathy or something there. It was a comfort of some kind, and she didn’t know why it was there, but she wasn’t going to push her luck. He moved his hand after a moment, and when she still didn’t scream, he spoke again, his voice flat with almost no inflection.
“I’m sorry.”
After that there was a flash of pain and then nothing but back.
***
Fifteen minutes had turned into twenty-five, and Seth was starting to get a little pissed. They were supposed to be on the road ten minutes ago, and Anna had yet to reappear from wherever she had wandered off to. Seth didn’t like that he was delayed. Seth liked schedules. Even more than that, he liked keeping his schedules. This was leaving Roxanne to deal with a not too pleased hunter-slash-werewolf, and she was starting to get a little annoyed. Seth could hear it in her voice, but frankly-he really didn’t fucking care.
“You know,” she said, snapping her gum as she sucked the popped bubble back into her mouth. “You could go and actually look for her, instead of standing here sulking and waiting.”
Seth shot her a glare over her shoulder, before stalking off in the direction that Anna had headed in, muttering as he went. “Shouldn’t have to go off looking for her. Stupid kid was supposed to be back ten fucking minutes ago, but of course she’s not, so now I have to go and find her sorry ass and-”
He stopped dead in his tracks when he rounded the corner of the building. There was something in the air that made his ears prick up, that set him on edge in a way that only something supernatural could. He slowed slightly, glancing to the sides before he caught the scent of blood, and his stomach dropped out from under him. His eyes started to scan the area in front of him, and it was only a few minutes before he saw the splash of red against the white wall of the building, and the silver glint of something sitting in the snow. He moved closer, crouching down next to the wall and picking it up. A cell phone. Anna’s cell phone. And as he got closer, the stronger scent of blood was underlined by the much more subtle cut of sulfur, and Seth knew exactly what he was dealing with.
Demon.
“Shit.”
It had been a good Christmas. It had been good to see her family again, after being separated from them for so long, and she felt like she had eaten enough to last her a week, but she was ready to bail. She had places to go, people to see, and once she had convinced Mama that she would eat well and be back to visit as soon as she could, she found herself packing her things and arranging a ride with Seth, since he and Roxanne were on their way out to hunt some kind of ghoul out in the opposite direction. She was kind of hoping to swing up Ben’s way and see how things were going with his dad, but beggars couldn’t be choosers. She would have to make due with what she had, and maybe somewhere along the way she would bump into a friend who was heading in the right direction.
They had just crossed the Colorado border when Seth said that he needed to pull over for gas and other essentials, and they made their way to a rest stop just off the highway. The place was a bit of a dump, but they had what they needed, so that meant that it was good enough to stop. Seth went to pump the gas, Roxanne headed in to check out the food, and Anna was starting to wander when she heard Seth’s gruff voice over her shoulder.
“Fifteen minutes, kid. I don’t want to get a late start.”
Anna gave him an eye roll and a nod before making her way around to the other side of the building, pulling out her phone as she went. She had people she wanted to call, but she wasn’t going to do it while Seth was around. He eavesdropped. Anna didn’t want him eavesdropping on this.
She hadn’t heard from Ben in a few days, and she had yet to decide if that was a good thing. When he got in touch with her again, things were better. And that was good-better was always good. But she hadn’t heard from him since, and while giving him family time was good, she was starting to get a little nervous that something happened. Because they were Winchesters after all-apparently things were always happening. Leaning back against the side wall of the building, she placed the phone to her ear and waited for it to ring, frowning slightly when she wound up with Ben’s voicemail.
“Hey, Ben, it’s Anna. I was just calling to check in. I hit the road not to long ago, so I figured we might be able to cross paths or something somewhere along the-way-” Her voice cut off slightly when a man stepped in front of her, staring her down. Something about him tugged at the feeling in the pit of her stomach, and she frowned, before going back to her phone call. “-so give me a call and let me know. I’ll-talk to you soon.”
After a moment, she hung up, and just gave the guy a look. He was continuing to stare at her attentively, in a way that was really, really starting to give her the creeps. Raising an eyebrow slightly, she leaned back more against the wall, feeling her own, natural defense instincts kick in. “Can I help you with something?” She tried to be as loud as she could, trying to get Seth’s attention, but it seemed to be no use. Seth’s ears were good, but it was hard to be that loud when you were trying to pretend you weren’t scared.
He just continued to stare at her for a moment, and then suddenly he moved. He moved faster than she was able to comprehend, and the next thing she knows he’s got her pinned to the wall behind her, one hand against her stomach in a way that might be considered gentle if she wasn’t scared to death, and the other across her mouth.
“Don’t scream.”
Her eyes widened in fear, panic rising against the back of her throat, but she didn’t scream. She just stared back at him. His eyes were almost empty, soulless, but at the same time, she could almost be deluded into thinking that there was some kind of sympathy or something there. It was a comfort of some kind, and she didn’t know why it was there, but she wasn’t going to push her luck. He moved his hand after a moment, and when she still didn’t scream, he spoke again, his voice flat with almost no inflection.
“I’m sorry.”
After that there was a flash of pain and then nothing but back.
***
Fifteen minutes had turned into twenty-five, and Seth was starting to get a little pissed. They were supposed to be on the road ten minutes ago, and Anna had yet to reappear from wherever she had wandered off to. Seth didn’t like that he was delayed. Seth liked schedules. Even more than that, he liked keeping his schedules. This was leaving Roxanne to deal with a not too pleased hunter-slash-werewolf, and she was starting to get a little annoyed. Seth could hear it in her voice, but frankly-he really didn’t fucking care.
“You know,” she said, snapping her gum as she sucked the popped bubble back into her mouth. “You could go and actually look for her, instead of standing here sulking and waiting.”
Seth shot her a glare over her shoulder, before stalking off in the direction that Anna had headed in, muttering as he went. “Shouldn’t have to go off looking for her. Stupid kid was supposed to be back ten fucking minutes ago, but of course she’s not, so now I have to go and find her sorry ass and-”
He stopped dead in his tracks when he rounded the corner of the building. There was something in the air that made his ears prick up, that set him on edge in a way that only something supernatural could. He slowed slightly, glancing to the sides before he caught the scent of blood, and his stomach dropped out from under him. His eyes started to scan the area in front of him, and it was only a few minutes before he saw the splash of red against the white wall of the building, and the silver glint of something sitting in the snow. He moved closer, crouching down next to the wall and picking it up. A cell phone. Anna’s cell phone. And as he got closer, the stronger scent of blood was underlined by the much more subtle cut of sulfur, and Seth knew exactly what he was dealing with.
Demon.
“Shit.”