chapter four

daniel and the bimbo

♰

    CORDELIA SWALLOWED ROUGHLY as she walked away from her family. It was Jess' funeral and possibly one of the last times she would speak to her Aunt and Uncle for months, with hunting she liked to be concentrated — finding the thing that killed Jess was the first thing on her mind.

   Cordelia walked besides Sam as they headed to Jess' gravestone, the brunette looked down at all the gifts placed in front of it with teary eyes. Her gaze glued onto the white bear that rested against the stone — a small smile graced her lips as the memories of hers and Jess' childhood flooded her mind.

    Cordelia looked at Sam and back down to the gravestone, he held flowers in his hand — glancing down to his feet. Cordelia sighed as she walked away — taking a seat on a nearby bench. She ruffled around in her purse before pulling a flask out, tilting her head back she poured the contents in her mouth.

    Cordelia's eyes brimmed with tears — this was her fault. Maybe if she hadn't done that case Jess would've been fine. If she had just left it like she asked, she would still be here. Sam warily sat down next to his best friend, she looked over to him as he pulled his own flask out — offering it to the Moore.

    She took it with a small smile as he began to speak. "Sooo ... you're a hunter?"

    Cordelia stared ahead, "I was — Jess and her parents got me out, put me through school."

    "So Jess knew? Did she, uh, know about me?"

   "She knew about the supernatural world, yes ... you? No," Cordelia answered him, taking a sip from the flask.

    Sam nodded, still shocked that his ( former ) girlfriend knew about the supernatural world. "How did you, uh, know? About me?"

    A small scoff left Cordelia's lips, "Everyone knows who you Winchesters are. I remember Jess got suspicious once ... can't remember why, but I had to convince her you were sweet little Sammy Winchester with a shitty home life."

    "Why didn't you say anything?" Sam frowned, feeling slightly betrayed.

    "Why didn't you?" She retorted before sighing. "I figured if you wanted us to know you'd tell us yourself," she answered simply. "I didn't tell you about me because there's nothing to tell, I am — was done with hunting."

    Sam nodded his head after a reluctant minute.

    "So ... this thing, it killed your mom?" Cordelia asked carefully.

    "Uh — yeah, that's how we got into hunting," Sam told her, she nodded her head. Cordelia pursed her lips as she already knew the next question. "What about you, your family? How'd you get into it?"

    "I had a brother," Cordelia told him quietly. Sam winced at the word had — already knowing what she meant. "Demon got to him."

    "I'm sorry," Sam spoke sincerely, grabbing his friend's hand in his own as they sat and mourned their loved ones.

♰

    Cordelia could feel eyes on her as she sat in the backseat of the Impala, she lifted her head that was rested against the window and locked eyes with Dean. She and Dean hadn't really spoken, only small talk as the brunette was still in shock. Whilst Sam was being checked out by a paramedic the night of Jess' death, Dean had taken Cordelia to her apartment to get some clothes — he brought her some food as he noticed in the week she had been with them she had barely eaten — though he had seen her drink, a lot.

    The brunette knew deep down that he didn't want her there. No matter how attractive he thought she was he didn't trust other hunters, especially ones who were secretive. She could tell by the subtle glares he would send her way her presence annoyed him, no matter how hard he tried to swallow it down for Sam. It did make Cordelia question whether she wanted to stay with them or not, but there it was again; the fear of being alone.

     Sam was all she had now, it was a win, win situation — find whatever killed Jess and stay with Sam whilst doing so. The younger Winchester had a better lead than her — his father, whilst she had nothing.

    Cordelia was pulled out of her thoughts when Sam shot up from the passenger seat, her tired eyes found his — silently asking if he was okay, he nodded in response.

    "You okay?" Dean asked his brother. Cordelia's eyes flickered to Dean before they filtered back to Sam.

    "Yeah," Sam swallowed roughly. "I'm fine."

    "Nightmare?" Cordelia guessed, voice hoarse, startling Sam and Dean slightly — that was the first time the brunette had spoken since the funeral — and that was days ago. Sam cleared his throat, turning his head to look out of the window, Cordelia sighed but left it. She knew what he was going through, all she could see when she closed her eyes was Jess. Whether it be good memories or bad memories it always circled back to Jess. That's why she never closed her eyes, the darkness ... the coldness, it was too much for her.

    "Want to drive for a while?" Dean questioned his brother after a moment of silence. A small, barely there smile fell on Cordelia's lips, Dean and Sam's relationship reminded her of hers and Jess'. Just as quick as the smile graced her lips it left, she pressed her head against the glass window again — silently listening to the brothers.

    "Dean, your whole life, you've never once asked me that," Sam replied with a slight chuckle.

    "Just thought you might want to," Dean responded defensively. "Never mind."

    "Look, man," Sam sighed. "You're worried about me, I get it," his eyes flickered to Cordelia through the rear-view-mirror. "And thank you, but I'm perfectly okay."

    "Mhm," Dean hummed, not convinced. The brunette didn't blame him, she wasn't convinced either.

    "Alright, where are we?"

    "Just outside the grand junction," Dean answered, glancing over to his brother.

    "Maybe we shouldn't have left Stanford so soon," Sam sighed heavily. Cordelia shifted uncomfortably, she had to disagree — staying in Stanford would've been too hard for her. All the good memories of her and Jess were there, staying would've been a constant reminder of her cousin and she was already being plagued with memories of the blonde every time she shut her eyes.

     "Sam, we dug around there for a week. We came up with nothing, if you wanna find that thing that killed Jessica-"

    "We've gotta find dad first," Sam finished in defeat. His eyes caught sight of Cordelia in the rear-view-mirror, he was worried about her, she was quiet, wasn't sleeping or eating. She simply wasn't Cordelia anymore. "You okay?"

    Cordelia blinked after a moment of silence, she gulped roughly under the uncomfortable stare of the Winchester brothers. "I'm fine, Sammy," she forced a smile — the youngest Winchester nodded and hesitantly looked away but Dean narrowed his eyes at her in distrust, he scoffed slightly and rolled his eyes — focusing on the road. Of course he felt sympathy for her, he wasn't heartless — but it didn't change the fact that he didn't trust her.

    The Moore huffed, uninterested, she didn't care for the glares Dean would send her way. The sooner they found John Winchester the closer she would be to finding Jess' killer — then she could leave and go see Jess' parents. Don't get me wrong, she loved Sam to bits but his brother did make her uncomfortable and extremely irritable.

     "First dad disappearing now this thing popping up again after twenty years," Dean ran his tongue across his teeth. "It's no coincidence. Dad will have answers, he'll know what to do."

    Sam inhaled deeply, cautiously turning back to his best friend, "Have you ... have you heard anything from your dad?" It was a long shot but he figured maybe her dad knew something.

    Cordelia looked up, anxiously pulling on her jacket — all eyes on her again. Yay. "Uh — no, we haven't spoken in years."

    "Why's that?" The older Winchester questioned gruffly, his deep voice sounded demanding. Cordelia cocked her eyebrow at him.

    "Dean!" Sam scolded lowly, sending his brother a look to which he responded with a shrug of his shoulders.

    "Cause he's a dick," Cordelia spoke, a false smile sat on her lips before she dropped it. "Not like it's any of your business," her voice was calm though her eyes shone with hatred, Dean clenched his jaw in annoyance — if he didn't trust her before he definitely didn't trust her now.

    "These co-ordinates dad sent us," Sam started, changing the subject and ending Cordelia and Dean's little glaring contest. "This ... Blackwater Ridge."

    "What about it?" Dean asked with a frown, his eyes flickered over to his brother.

    "There's nothing there," Cordelia murmured as she looked over Sam's shoulder at the map. She pursed her lips and let her attention drift to her surroundings.

    "Why would he send us to the middle of nowhere?" Sam asked.

    "Only one way to find out, Sammy," Cordelia answered grimly.

♰

   Cordelia stared at herself in the mirror of the restroom, after the trio had arrived at the station the Moore woman had ran off — leaving the brothers to talk to a Ranger so she could go to the toilet.

    She ran her fingers through her hair, attempting to smoothen it down as it looked a mess. All in all, she looked a mess, not just her hair. Her tanned complexion had paled over the lack of food and water. The dark bags that sat under her eyes practically begged for her to rest but she ignored them as she pulled some makeup out from her bra.

    Yes, her bra. It was a wonder how many things she could fit in it.

     She sighed as she finished making herself look semi-decent and forced on a fake smile, she found it strange how good she was at faking her emotions. Showing everyone what they wanted to see, how they wanted her to feel rather than what she really felt.

    A small scoff escaped her lips, and she pushed her thoughts aside. She flicked her hair over her shoulder and ruffled around in her pockets. Pulling her hand from her jacket pocket a small tube of Amphetamines sat in her palm. She popped the lid open and dropped some onto her bandaged hand before she threw them in her mouth.

    Cordelia pushed the restroom door open, a small, fake smile on her face. She made her way through the station, flashing a grin and a hello to any passing officers. Her eyes fell upon Sam and Dean talking to a ranger, her body tensed as she approached the three.

    "Recycle man." Was the first thing Cordelia heard as she made her way over to them, she shot Sam a confused look as she came to his side — her eyes narrowed on Dean as he weakly thrusted his fist in the air, feigning enthusiasm.

    "Bull," the ranger who Sam and Dean were speaking to announced, eyes flickering between the three sceptically. "You're friends with that Hailey girl, right?"

    Dean's face scrunched up before he nodded. "Yes," he answered. "Yes we are, Ranger ... " his eyes darted down to the nametag on the officer's shirt. "Wilkinson."

    "Well, I'll tell ya exactly what I told her," the man began with a sigh, nearing the three. "Her brother filled out a back country permit saying he wouldn't be back from Blackwater until the twenty-fourth, so it's not exactly a missing persons, now is it?"

     Cordelia pursed her lips and shook her head.

    "Tell that girl to quit worrying," the ranger told them, shaking his head. "I'm sure her brother's just fine."

    "I'll be sure to tell her that," Cordelia told him, just as Dean spoke up once again.

    "Well, that Hailey girl's quite a pistol, huh?" Dean remarked with a grin.

    Cordelia scoffed under her breath and turned away. "That is putting it mildly." The ranger huffed, eyes not so subtly landing on Cordelia

    The Moore internally gagged. Not her type, he was a little too close to his departure date for her taste. But, while she had his attention, she'd work her magic. "You know what might help, Mr. Ranger?" Cordelia put on the most bimbo-ish voice she could muster up and popped out her hip. "If I could show Hailey a copy of that backcountry permit, so, like, she can see her brother's return date."

   Dean's eyes widened, in slight fear and discomfort. It was the most he had heard her talk in a week and he was already disturbed. Sam just sighed at her actions, this was how she got them all free drinks whenever they went somewhere.

Activating: Bimbo Cordelia.

   Wilkinson, the ranger, pursed his lips, placing his hands on his hips as his greying moustache scrunched, "Follow me, little lady."

    Dean and Sam shared a look, turning to Cordelia with raised eyebrows.

    The Moore merely lifted her finger and prodded it towards her open mouth in a gagging motion.

♰

    Cordelia had a smile on her face, a triumphant laugh left her lips as she, followed by the Winchesters, exited the lodge.

   "Why's she so giddy?" Dean murmured to his brother under his breath, "I could've easily done that."

    "So why didn't you?" Cordelia retorted as she turned back to glance at the dirty blond.

    Dean sent her a glare, poking the side of his cheek with his tongue, "Cause your loud mouth started speaking before I could even get a word in, Hell, before I could frickin' think."

    "Maybe you not being able to think has nothing to do with me," Cordelia hummed. "Maybe it's got something to do with this," she tapped the side of her head, gesturing towards her brain. "Or lack of."

    "Alright, you little bit-"

  "What're you doing, Cordy?" Sam asked. "You cruising for a hook up or something?"

    "Uh — no?" Cordelia frowned as she turned to the Winchester fully.

    "The coordinates point to Blackwater Ridge, so what are we waiting for? Let's just go find Dad," his volume rose slightly as he turned to Dean, waiting on him to agree with him. "I mean, why even talk to this girl?"

    "We need to know what we're gonna walk into, Sam," Cordelia told him as she gripped onto the handle of the car door. "I don't wanna die before I even get a chance to look for Jess' killer."

    "As much as I hate to say this," Dean started, earning an eyeroll from the Moore. "And I really do hate to say this, but she's right. Maybe we should know what we're walking into before we actually walk into it."

    Cordelia pursed her lips at the awkward silence that fell upon the three and placed her forearms atop the car as she stared at Sam, who stood on the opposite side to herself and Dean.

    "Hands," Dean snapped, shoving her arms off of the Impala, Cordelia clenched her jaw in annoyance, but kept her mouth shut as Dean's eyes glazed over to his brother. "Since when're you shoot first, ask questions later, anyway?"

    "Since now," Sam simply stated, pulling open the car door and taking a seat in the passenger seat, leaving Dean and Cordelia who shared a look before grimacing at the fact they were left alone.

    The two pulled open their car doors and hurriedly took a seat, without sparing the other another glance.

♰

   Cordelia and the Winchesters reached the Collins' house, the brunette raced up the stairs before the other two even had chance to clamber out of the car — and she was already knocking at the door.

    It was only a few seconds later when a young woman, shorter than Cordelia, answered the door. "You must be Hailey," Cordelia said, plastering a false smile on her dry, plumped lips. "I'm Cordelia and that's Sam," Cordelia introduced. Dean cleared his throat loudly, kicking the heel of her foot, causing the brunette to grimace. "And that's Daniel — sorry, I mean Dean."

     Dean shot her a look as he shoved passed her and sent Hailey a playful grin. "Ah, sorry about her, she's new. Not so good with names, y'know?" He coughed smoothly, clasping his hands together as a cocky, yet charming, smile pulled at his lips, "We're rangers with the Park Service. Ranger Wilkinson sent us over. He wanted us to ask a few questions about your brother, Tommy."

    Hailey's eyes skimmed over the three quickly. From Cordelia's strained smile as her hip rested against the pillar that held up the porch, to Dean's boyish grin, to, finally; Sam's adorable, ( yet fake ) puppy smile.

    "Lemme see some ID," Hailey demanded.

   Cordelia boredly reached down to the waistband of her jeans and unclipped the yellow card, holding it up to the screen. Hailey glanced between the three shortly before she pulled open the screen door, "Come on in."

    "Thanks," Dean nodded as he and Cordelia went to walk in at the same time. The brunette shot the Winchester a look before he sarcastically gestured for her to go, a stiff smile on his lips.

    Cordelia sent him a smug smile and made her way inside, soon followed by an amused Sam. "So, how do you know Tommy's missing?" Cordelia asked Hailey as she looked around the room. "I mean, I went over the-"

     "We," Dean coughed out.

     Cordelia sucked on her teeth and inhaled deeply, "We. We went over the backcountry permit your brother signed before he left. He's not due back for a while now."

     Hailey placed a bowl down on the table in front of her younger brother, whose eyes followed the hunters as they waltzed around his main room. "He checks in everyday by cell," Hailey told Cordelia. "He emails photos, stupid little videos — we haven't heard anything in over three days now."

    "Well, maybe he can't get any cell reception," Sam offered.

    "He's got a satellite phone, too," Hailey shook her head, firmly holding onto the idea that her brother was missing.

    "Could it be he's just having fun and forgot to check in?" Dean suggested.

    "He wouldn't do that," the younger brother on the table snapped, Dean pursed his lips and nodded slowly at the sudden outburst. O-kay then ...

    "Our parents are gone. It's just my two brothers and me. We all keep pretty close tabs on each other," Hailey explained.

    "Can I see the pictures he sent you?" Sam asked earning a small yeah and a nod from Hailey. The brunette pulled a small laptop from a counter and set it out on the table.

    Soon after, she pulled open a video. "That's Tommy," she pointed to the young, dark haired man in the video.

    "Hey, Hailey. Day six — we're still out near Blackwater Ridge. We're fine, keeping safe, so don't worry, okay? Talk to you tomorrow."

    Cordelia's foot shot out, kicking Sam in the heel. The youngest Winchester met her eye, she nodded to the video in a silent question, did you see that? Sam nodded lightly.

     "Well, we'll find your brother," Dean assured her. "We're heading out to Blackwater Ridge first thing."

    "Then maybe I'll see you there," Hailey spoke, moving away from the computer.

     "Sorry, what?" Cordelia asked with raised brows, voicing the brothers' thoughts.

    "Look," Hailey sighed. "I can't sit around here anymore. So, I hired a guy. I'm heading out in the morning, and I'm gonna find Tommy myself."

    "I think I know how you feel," Dean mumbled under his breath, shooting Sam a quick look. Hailey sent him a small smile.

    "Hey, do you mind forwarding these to me?" Sam asked her with a courteous smile sitting on his lips.

    "Sure."

♰

    Sam sighed in agitation as he followed Dean's eyeline, finding his brother glaring at Cordelia. "Can you not?" Sam asked as his eyes flickered back to the laptop screen in front of him.

    "What?" Dean asked gruffly, turning to his brother with raised brows.

    "She won't melt or explode, y'know, if you stare at her too long," Sam murmured, eyes flicking up to check on the brunette as she stood by the bar, boredly waiting on their beers.

    "Worth a try," Dean's lips curved.

    Sam rolled his eyes. "Can you at least pretend to like her? I think I'll shoot myself if I have to listen to you two argue anymore."

    "She starts it," Dean grumbled, shooting the brunette a look as she made her way over to the table with three beers in her hands.

    Cordelia placed one down in front of Sam and one in front of her own seat, next to Sam, her eyes flickered between Dean and the last beer bottle she held. She pursed her lips.

    Dean scoffed and reached for it, only for her to pull it away, "The Hell?"

    "Apologise and you can have it," she told him firmly.

    "Apologise?" Dean asked, blinking rapidly. "For what?"

    "Being an ass," she shrugged. "Irritating the fuck outta me. I could name a few reasons if you'd like?"

    "No," he smiled tightly.

    Cordelia lifted a shoulder. "Fair enough," she took a seat next to Sam, the youngest at the table sighed and snatched the bottle from Cordelia's hand, placing it down in front of Dean.

    As the Winchester went back to typing on the keyboard he side-eyed his brother, sighing once again as Dean stared down at the beer with narrowed eyes.

    "What now?"

    Dean clicked his tongue, "She coulda' poisoned it."

    "Pft. I wish I thought of that," Cordelia spoke, Dean glared at her. "Has anyone ever told you you're not very trusting?"

    "Yep," Dean simply said before he reached forward and swapped his own beer for Cordelia's.

    "How do you know I haven't poisoned that one?" She rose a brow.

    "Cause it's yours," he told her, as though it was obvious.

    "Yeah, but what if I knew you'd do that," she said. "Or maybe I poisoned both mine and yours. Yours cause I don't like you and want you to choke and mine just in case I don't succeed in poisoning you and, sadly, would have to be around you."

     "What are you? Some Wicked Witch of the West or something-?"

    "No," Sam interrupted. "Shut up. Stop talking. Case, remember?" He gestured to the laptop in front of him.

    "Right. Whatcha' got, Sammy?"

    "So, Blackwater Ridge doesn't get a lot of traffic. Local campers, mostly. But still, this past April, two hikers went missing out there. They were never found," Sam revealed as he pulled open his dad's journal.

    "Any before that?" Cordelia asked as she lifted her beer bottle to her lips, Dean watched with narrowed eyes, she was in fact — fine! No poison at all ... at least not yet.

   "Yeah," Sam nodded in answer, pulling out a newspaper article to show his brother and best friend. "In nineteen-eighty-two, eight different people all vanished in the same year. Authorities said it was a grizzly attack."

   "And again in 'fifty-nine," Cordelia trailed off as she pulled Sam's laptop closer to herself as the words on the screen caught her eye. "And 'thirty-six. Every twenty-three years. Like frickin' clockwork."

   "Just like clockwork," Sam nodded before he pulled the laptop back to himself. "Check this out."

    Sam pulled up the video footage he had gotten Hailey to send him of her brother. "Do it again," Dean told his brother. Sam nodded silently, hitting backwards.

    "That's three frames," Sam explained. "That's a fraction of a second. Whatever that thing is, it can move."

    "Aha!" Cordelia exclaimed. "What did I tell you, Samuel? There is something going on."

    "Yeah," Sam breathed out, shutting the laptop. "I got one more thing and don't call me that."

    The brunette man held out another article between the two. Dean and Cordelia met one another's eye before they rushed out to grab it. A victorious grin pulled at Cordelia's lips, as Dean, yet again, narrowed his eyes at her. "In 'fifty-nine a camper survived this grizzly attack. Only a kid. Crawled out the woods looking a damn mess."

    "Got a name?"

♰

   After the three hunters went and visited the man who survived the grizzly attack, Shaw, they returned back to the motel.

    Of course, the second they got there Dean threw himself down onto the uncomfortable bed, soon falling asleep before Sam followed and spread across the bed opposite his brother.

  Cordelia, on the other hand, shoved a few more Amphetamines down her throat, chasing them with a beer as she sat on the gritty porch of the motel, staring into the parking lot.

  Her hands itched and she tried to stop herself from drumming her fingers across her thighs anxiously, instead she pulled her jacket closer to her body. The, not so, soft breeze of the air finally caught up to her.

   Though it was only a little while later when she heard the motel-room door open, not even a second later a blanket was thrown at her, landing on her head. The brunette huffed and gnawed on her bottom lip to stop a thankful smile.

   Dean Winchester would not make her smile! She'd have to be dying for that to happen.

   Anyway, a little while later and Cordelia finally made her way into the motel-room. Finding the two Winchesters sock on asleep. Keeping herself occupied she downloaded movies on Sam's laptop and took herself on a walk to a diner when finally morning reached.

   "And you're hiking out in biker boots and jeans?" A voice snapped Cordelia out of a daydream as she followed after Sam and Dean.

   Cordelia sent Dean a smug look as the Winchester glanced down at his jean clad legs with pressed lips before his eyes glazed over to the Moore's long, long tanned legs. "Well, sweetheart, I don't do shorts," he told Hailey, following after Cordelia.

   Cordelia went to laugh at the mere image of Dean wearing shorts but clamped her mouth shut. You don't laugh at Dean. He's an ass. So, she silently found her way over to Sam, a delicate smile laced her lips as she looked up at him, "How you holding up, Sammy?"

   "As expected," he murmured, looking down at her as he watched her twirl the necklace Jess gave her around her fingers. "You?"

   "As expected," she echoed, she would've lied but Sam was her person. He understood her — he was that brother she didn't want, yet so desperately needed.

    "So, Roy," Dean said slowly, speaking up for the first time as he watched with sceptical eyes as Roy trudged to the front. "You said you did a little hunting."

    "Yeah," Roy answered gruffly. "More than a little."

    "Ooh," Cordelia whistled in false curiosity. "Like what?"

    "Mostly buck," Roy stated proudly. If it was a cartoon Cordelia was sure his chest would be puffed out by now. "Sometimes bear."

    "Sometimes bear," Cordelia echoed, feigning enthusiasm. "Tell me, Baloo ever hunt you back? Y'know, bring you back to Mowgli as a present?"

     Sam's eyes amusedly flickered over to Cordelia's as Roy suddenly gripped onto the brunette's shoulder — holding her tightly in place. Cordelia rolled her lips into her mouth with raised eyebrows and the Winchesters stopped in place, careful eyes watching along.

    "Whatcha' doing, Roy?" Dean asked, narrowing his eyes slightly as Roy grabbed a stick, poking the ground — directly into the mouth of a steel bear trap.

    Cordelia rose an uninterested brow. "Ouch."

    "You should watch where you're stepping. Ranger."

    "Will do." Cordelia whistled, blowing a strand of brunette hair from her face in the process as she turned to Sam and Dean. "Got anything to eat?"

    Sam shook his head in amusement as Dean grumbled under his breath. The former walked toward her and grabbed her arm, dragging her away from Dean as Hailey slowly made her way toward him.

   "I'm hungry," Cordelia sang through gritted teeth, pulling her arm from Sam's hold.

    "I already fed you, dumbass," Sam told her, patting her on the head before he nudged her forward, encouraging her to continue walking.

    "I'm not a dog Sam and two burgers isn't enough-"

    "This is it. Blackwater Ridge," Roy interrupted, bringing the group to a halt.

    "What coordinates are we at?" Sam questioned.

    Roy pulled out a GPS, "Thirty-five and minus one-eleven."

    "You hear that?" Cordelia asked, glancing up at Sam as Dean came to a stand beside them.

    "Nothing," Sam murmured. "Not even crickets."

    Cordelia pursed her lips as her eyes found the packet of M&M's in Dean's hands. Her M&M's. Her eyes narrowed as the Winchester grinned and held his hand out, pouring a handful in his palm before he tossed them in his mouth.

    "You shitting little bitch-"

     "Please don't start," Sam groaned.

    "Sam," Cordelia protested, pulling a face as she gestured to the M&M's in Dean's hand. "He stole my food, c'mon."

    Sam sighed, turning he snatched the packet from his brother earning a grumble from Dean. "Happy?" He rose a brow.

    "Very," Cordelia hummed in satisfaction before she shot Dean a glare.

    "I'm gonna go take a look around," Roy said.

    "Do you, like, watch no horror movies at all?" Cordelia asked, throwing a handful of M&M's into her mouth. Roy turned to her with an expectant raised brow. "The one who goes off by themselves always dies, it's like the law in scary movies. I swear."

    "Right," Roy nodded dryly. "That's sweet, you tryna' warn me. Don't worry about me, darlin'."

    "I never said I was worried, just stating a fact," Cordelia muttered under her breath.

    And with that he walked off into the depths of the woods, disappearing into the forest. "Alright, everybody stays together. Let's go," Dean called out, catching the remaining five's attention.

   As the sun slowly, slowly began to set Cordelia grew more agitated by the minute. Whether it be because she was getting attacked by mosquito's, she was hungry or the fact that she had to listen to Dean flirt with Hailey for the majority of the afternoon.

    I mean, seriously, dude? He sounded like a broken record. They were helping her find her missing brother, literally, there couldn't be a worse time.

   "Hailey! Over here!"

   Cordelia shot up, quickly running after Hailey as the brunette jumped up from her feet at the sound of Roy's calls.

    "Oh my God."

    Cordelia came to a rough stop. Her cheeks puffed with air as her eyes raked over the bloodied campsite; the tent was shredded, blood splattered up and along the tree bark.

   "Looks like a grizzly," Roy huffed.

    "Tommy?" Hailey wailed. "Tommy!"

    "Shut up," Cordelia hissed, yet her voice remained low.

   "Tommy!"

    "Oh my God," she internally pulled at her hair. "Shhhh," Cordelia sent the brunette a sharp look.

    "Why?"

    "Something might still be out there," Sam explained.

    "Sam!" Dean called out, gesturing for his brother to come to him.

    Though, as Dean and Sam talked Cordelia's eyes skimmed the surrounding area. When suddenly ...

    "Helpppp!"

    Sam had never seen Cordelia run so fast. Other than the time she had smashed up her ex's car, or when the doorbell rang after she'd ordered food. Other than that? He didn't know she could run, she moved like she was in a superhero movie or something.

    Then ... the cries stopped.

    Cordelia held a hand out as Hailey looked at her in confusion, the brunette took a slow, quiet step back, pulling the girl with her, "Back to camp. Now."

    "Go!" Sam ushered. As the group ventured back to camp, Cordelia walked besides Sam, huffing and puffing to herself as she did so. Sam side-eyed his best friend and rose his eyebrows. "What?"

    "I'm all for a good hunt, really, I am." Her voice laced sarcasm as she spoke. "But the Goddamn woods, really? Who the Hell do you think I am, Tarzan? I'm not gonna start swinging tree to tree, you know? I hate the fuckin' woods, it's just dirt and things covered in dirt."

    Sam rolled his eyes playfully, "You know, I wouldn't know you was a hunter by just looking at you, you're too-"

    "-Prissy." Dean cut in, appearing at the other side of Cordelia, leaving her stuck between the two brothers. "You're a brat. Annoying. Irritating as Hell. Stuck up. Not seeing much of a hunter in you, to be honest."

    "I could show you how good of a hunter I am, if you'd like?" Cordelia smiled bitterly up at Dean as she stopped in front of him, the Winchester stiffened as he felt her gun press down against his crotch. "I've been told I have great aim, or do you need me to prove it to you?"

    Dean swallowed roughly and looked up at the sky. "Nah. I'm good. You're good."

    "Thought so." Cordelia hummed and ventured off to the rest of the group.

    Dean huffed out and turned to his brother with raised eyebrows, "Dude, I don't know if I'm pissed or turned on."

    Sam scoffed, grabbing Dean by his jacket, he tugged him forward, "Come on, man."

    As they finally made it back to camp Cordelia slowed in place, an annoyed look coaxing her features. Hailey gasped in shock. "Our packs!" She voiced in annoyance.

    "So much for my GPS and my satellite phone." Roy grunted in irritation, glancing around the emptied area.

    "Okay! What the Hell is going on?" Hailey asked, turning to face the three hunters with raised eyebrows.

    None of them bothered to acknowledge her, instead, Sam turned to his best friend and brother. "It's smart." He told them. "It wants to cut us off so we can't call for help."

    Roy frowned, listening in on the conversation. "You mean someone," he rose his eyebrows. "Some nutjob out there just stole all our gear."

    "I need to speak with you both." Sam told his brother sternly before he turned to Cordelia. "In private."

    Cordelia huffed and followed after Sam as he begrudgingly gestured for her to follow, she shoved her compact mirror in her jacket pocket.

    "Let me see dad's journal." Sam said, nodding over to Dean, keeping his voice hushed. Dean handed it over without question, shooting Cordelia a wary look to which she rolled her eyes at. "Alright, check that out."

    The youngest Winchester pointed to a first nations style drawing of a figure.

    "Ooo!" Cordelia took the journal from Sam's hands, much to Dean's dismay. "I haven't hunted a Wendigo before."

    "Sorry to break your heart, darlin', but you ain't fighting no Wendigo," Dean snapped, taking back the journal before he turned back to his brother. "Wendigos are in the Minnesota woods or, or northern Michigan. I've never even heard of one this far west."

    "Think about it, Dean," Sam urged. "The claws, the way it can mimic a human voice."

    "Great," Dean huffed flatly, he pulled his pistol from the inside of his jacket before he grabbed Cordelia by the forearm and spun her around, pulling her gun from the back of her shorts. "These are useless." He turned back to Cordelia who glared back at him. "Least you get to hunt your Wendigo, you happy now?"

    "Why are you saying that like it's my fault?" She questioned indifferently, scowling up at him.

    "Never said that," Dean held his hands up in mock surrender. "Sammy, did I say that?"

    "Shut up," Sam rolled his eyes. "Both of you. We've gotta get these people to safety." Without giving either party time to argue, Sam strode off to the rest of the group. "Alright, listen up, it's time to go. Things have gotten ... more complicated."

    Roy scoffed at his words, shaking his head in dismay, "Kid, don't worry. Whatever's out there, I think I can handle it."

    "He never said he was worried, he said we need to leave." Cordelia voiced. "If you go out there, all guns-a-blazin' you're gonna piss it off. You piss it off, it'll kill you."

    Roy merely rolled his eyes at her words. "One, you're talking nonsense." He said, slowly approaching her in what he deemed threatening. "Two, you're in no position to give anybody orders."

    "Relax." Dean stepped in front of Cordelia, narrowing his eyes at Roy.

"We never should have let you come out here in the first place, all right? She's trying to protect you." Sam began to say, voice calm as he acted as mediator, only for Roy to side-step into Sam's face.

"You protect me?" Roy scoffed. "I was hunting these woods when your mommy was still kissing you good night."

"Yeah?" Sam rose his eyebrows. "It's a damn near perfect hunter. It's smarter than you, and it's gonna hunt you down and eat you alive unless we get your stupid, sorry ass outta here."

    A bitter laugh fell from Roy's lips. "You know you're crazy, right?"

"Yeah? You ever hunt a Wen-?"

But before Sam could go any further, Dean shoved him back, putting his words to a stop. Dean pressed his hand to his brother's chest, keeping him at arms length away from Roy. "Chill out." Dean murmured.

"Stop." Hailey demanded, eyes flitting between everyone. "Stop it. Everybody just stop. Look, Tommy might still be alive and I'm not leaving here without him."

"She's right," Cordelia butted in, sending Roy a pointed glare. "This isn't a dick measuring contest, remember why we're here, asshats."

    Even if it was a dick measuring contest Cordelia would easily win.

There was a long pause that arose around them before Dean nodded slowly in agreement. "It's getting late. This thing is a good hunter in the day, but an unbelievable hunter at night. We'll never beat it, not in the dark. We need to settle in and protect ourselves."

"How?" Hailey questioned with a frown.

♰

Cordelia kneeled in the dirt, face pulled with twinges of concentration as she drew symbols into the ground. The glow of the campfire illuminated her face, drawing her brows tighter together she pulled the stick back with a look of satisfaction.

Dean stood behind her, watching her closely just when Hailey spoke up. "One more time, that's a ..."

"Anasazi symbol. It's for protection. The Wendigo can't cross over them." Dean told her in confirmation.

Roy laughed at the, what he deemed insane, conversation, he threw his gun over his shoulder, shaking his head as he leant against a tree.

"Nobody likes a skeptic, Roy," Dean glanced back at him with a raised brow before he headed over to Sam.

Whilst Sam and Dean talked, Cordelia rose to her feet and moved to sit in front of the fire, her fingers fiddled with the bandage wrapped around her palm before she felt an itch on her neck. Her face pulled in discomfort as she gathered her hair into a ponytail and began to pull the pad off of her neck.

She looked up blankly as a twig snapped beneath someone's foot and she found Dean heading her way. Wordlessly, he crouched down in front of her and smacked her hand away as she reached for the cleaning solution.

"If you itch that thing one more Goddamn time I'll shoot myself," he grumbled under his breath, picking up the cleaning solution himself. With his free hand he locked his finger under her chin and turned her head, he pulled a face at the burn. "Oh, that's just nasty."

"You know I can do it myself, right?" She asked with an eye roll but made no move to do so.

"I know," Dean said gruffly, nodding his head as he cleared his throat. "But you've been touchin' that thing all day and it's pissing me off."

Cordelia's lips pulled into a false smile, "Even when you're being helpful you're still an asshole."

Dean reciprocated her smile, eyes solely on her neck as he began to place a new bandage on the burn. "What can I say? I have a gift."

"Hardly a gift," she muttered. "More like an irritating habit that only makes me want to punch you."

"Aren't you sweet?" Dean muttered under his breath with a fake smile painted on his lips before his rough hand patted the bandage on her neck. "There, all fixed up and pretty again."

"Suck it," Cordelia swatted his hand off of her before her face softened just the slightest. "Thanks."

Dean lifted his shoulders into a shrug before he offered her his hand, pulling her up.

But the serene silence that had enveloped camp was broken by a mere snap of a twig and a horrified scream.

"Help me! Please! Help!"

"He's trying to draw us out. Just stay cool, stay put." Dean said, though his words were of demand.

"Inside the magic circle?" Roy mocked, tightening his grip on his gun.

"Help! Help me!"

Roy lifted his gun, pointing it at the sound. "Okay, that's no grizzly."

"No shit," Cordelia muttered under her breath from besides Dean.

A shriek fell from Hailey's lips as something rushed past her. "It's here," Sam whispered lowly, just as he was about to give everyone an order to stay put, Roy began shooting at the rustling branches.

"I hit it!"

All of a sudden Roy rushed off to go see what he had hit. "Roy, no! Roy!" Dean called out after him in agitation. Dean grunted in annoyance and turned to face Hailey and Ben. "Don't move."

"Come on," Sam urged Cordelia as they followed after Dean, leaving Ben and Hailey, who held a burning stick in hand as a weapon, at the Campsite.

Cordelia, Sam and Dean chased after Roy, following his voice as he called out. "It's over here! It's in the tree!"

But before the trio could reach the man, the Wendigo reached down from the tree and a sharp crack was heard.

"Roy!"

♰

Cordelia sat next to Sam on a hollow tree stump, boredly twisting her knife between her fingers as Sam read his dad's journal.

Sam closed the book and turned to his best friend, staring at her hesitantly, opening and closing his mouth in debate.

"Ask what you wanna ask before a fly flies in your mouth, you look like a fish."

Sam's lip twitched upwards ever so slightly before he bit the bullet. "Once we find Jess' killer ... What are you gonna do?"

Cordelia sighed, gently dropping her knife to the floor. "I don't know, Sammy. Go back to my family, I guess."

"Your family ... As in your dad?"

Cordelia side-eyed him. "Fuck no. My Aunt and Uncle; Jess' parents. I guess I could stay with them for a bit until I get my shit together. What about you, huh? You gonna stay with Dean or go back to Stanford?"

"I ... I don't know what I'm doing, honestly, right now all I care about is finding that bastard."

"Yeah, I understand that," Cordelia sighed, lifting her hand to place it on his shoulder. "We'll get through it together, okay?"

"Yeah ... " Sam paused before he lifted his head, allowing his gaze to fall onto Dean, Hailey and Ben. "Come on," he rose to his feet and made his way over to them.

"Hey. So we've got half a chance in daylight," Sam announced as he and Cordelia made their way over to the three. "And I, for one, want to kill this evil son of a bitch."

Dean nodded, a ruggish look dancing in his eye. "Well, Hell, you know I'm in."

Sam nodded at his brother and turned back to face Hailey and Ben, showing them his father's journal. "Wendigo is a Cree Indian Word-"

Cordelia scrunched her brows together as she listened to him speak. "Why do you say it like that?" She asked, going off topic. "It's Wendigo, not Wendego."

"Seriously?" Sam side-eyed her and sighed deeply before facing the others with an apologetic look. "It means evil that devours."

"They're hundreds of years old," Dean told them. "Each one was once a man. Sometimes an Indian, or other times a frontiersman or a miner or hunter."

"How's a man turn into one of those things?" Hailey asked, frowning at the mere thought of a human soul becoming a monster.

"Really boring story, to be honest," Cordelia drawled before Dean could answer the question. "Guy finds himself hungry, bla bla bla, becomes a cannibal, bla bla bla, eats his friends."

Dean rolled his lips into his mouth. "To sum it up." He grunted under his breath with a stiff nod.

"Like the Donner Party." Hailey's younger brother, Ben, pitched in.

"The what?"

Ben turned to face Cordelia. "The Donner Party, they-"

"Anyway," Sam cut in, sending Cordelia a sharp look that screamed concentrate. "Cultures all over the world believe that eating human flesh gives a person certain abilities. Speed, strength, immortality."

"If you eat enough, over the years, you become this less than human thing. You're always hungry."

Like me, Cordelia thought to herself as her stomach filled with emptiness. She was so damn hungry, it was a joke.

A sombre look crossed Hailey's face. "So if that's true, how can Tommy still be alive?"

Dean gave her a look of reluctance, "You're not gonna like it."

"Tell me," she insisted.

"More than anything, a Wendigo-," Dean shot Cordelia a look to which she flashed him a thumbs up and a mocking smile. "-Knows how to last long winters without food. It hibernates for years at a time, but when it's awake it keeps its victims alive. It, uh, stores them, so it can feed whenever it wants. If your brother's alive, it's keeping him somewhere dark, hidden and safe. We gotta track it back there."

"And then how do we stop it?"

"Well, guns are useless, so are knives. Basically-"

Dean snatched the can of lighter fluid and beer bottle with a white cloth stuffed inside of it out of Cordelia's hands, earning a scowl from her.

"We gotta torch the sucker."

Cordelia sighed eccentrically. "Who doesn't love camping, am I right? Roast some marshmallows, sing Kumbaya around the fire, torch a Wendigo to teeny-tiny pieces of ash! So fun!"

♰

Cordelia trailed behind the rest of the group, playing with the lighter in her hand as she boredly sang to herself in attempt to distract her mind when Sam called out her name.

"Yes, Samuel?" She asked upon reaching him, standing besides Dean.

"Look at the trees," he stated blankly as he examined said tree.

"Uh ... okay?" She turned to look at what he was staring at. "It's a tree ... With claw marks the size of Dean's Goddamn head, big, big marks, like a melon-"

"The Hell?" The oldest Winchester asked, scoffing as he turned to look at her. "My head ain't-"

"Not what I mean," Sam grumbled under his breath, rubbing a hand across his forehead. "I was thinking, those claw prints, so clear and distinct. They were almost too easy to follow."

"Yeah, huh, almost like it wanted us right here-"

Cordelia stopped herself short as a growl erupted from somewhere around them. The three whipped around as the trees eerily rustled.

Hailey looked down as she felt a splash of something drop against her shirt, looking up to find where the crimson splash came from, her eyes filled with terror as a disgruntled noise left her mouth and she jumped out of the way, just in time for Roy's dead body to drop in her place.

"You okay?" Sam asked her as he approached her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You got it?"

"His-"

"His neck's broke." Cordelia cut Dean off.

"Why do you do that?" Dean grumbled with a scowl.

"Because it's fun, when you get pissed you get this massive vein in the middle of your forehead-"

But, yet again, a growl cut Cordelia off. It grew louder, as though it was getting closer. Another branch snapped from somewhere behind Cordelia, Dean grabbed a hold of her arm and tugged her forward.

"Okay, run, run, run, run, go, go, go!"

And everyone took off.

Dean, Cordelia and Hailey were in the front, leaving Sam and Ben at the back. The young boy tripped on a branch, falling to the floor — Sam hurried back to help him up, inevitably dividing the group into two.

Dean and Hailey stopped short in their place and Cordelia crashed into Hailey's back with a thump. "What the Hell-" Though she clasped her mouth shut as her gaze found the Wendigo stood in front of them. "Oh fuck."

And Hailey screamed.

Goddammit that girl could scream.

♰

"Cordy! Cordy!" A soft tap was felt on her face.

"Cordelia, so help me God I will leave your ass, wake up-"

"Dean! Not helping!"

"Can you two dick's stop shouting, I'm literally right in front of you." The woman in question grumbled, forcefully opening her eyes.

"Hey, you okay?" Sam asked as he reached up to cut the ropes that her body was held up with.

"Other than being the main course for a tall, tree looking goblin freak, I'm fine," Cordelia mumbled, stumbling on her feet with a wince before Dean reached out, grabbing her by the waist to steady her.

"You sure you're fine?" He rose an accusatory brow.

"Didn't I just say I was fine?"

"Yeah, but you sure as Hell don't look it." Dean said, wincing himself as a tinge of pain spiked through his body. "You're all pale and disgusting."

"Thanks," Cordelia stated bluntly, patting him dryly on the shoulder as she stumbled over to take a seat on the floor. "Real charmer you are, you know that? Know how to make a girl feel special."

Dean winced, gripping his side as he stumbled over to her, him, too, taking a seat on the ground. "I try."

"You sure you two are alright?" Sam asked, furrowing his brows as he watched them.

"Yeah. Yep. Where is he?"

"He's gone for now."

Hailey stumbled out of her ropes and came to a stand, spotting Tommy. Immediately, her eyes began to tear up. "Tommy ... " She whispered lowly as she reached him, touching his cheek, though a shriek left her lips as his head jerked up. "Cut him down!" She called out.

Sam rushed over to the pair and did as told.

Cordelia nudged Dean in the side and he shot her a side-eye. "Ow." He stated at a deadpan.

"Sorry," she muttered, though she didn't sound it. "Look."

Dean followed to where she gestured and got up with a pained smirk. He ruffled through the stolen supplies and picked up a flare gun.

"Check it out," he announced with a boyish grin.

"Flare guns," Sam huffed out in disbelief, smile curling at his lips. "Those'll work."

Dean laughed, twirling the gun in his hand before he threw one to Sam and another to Cordelia.

Without wasting anymore time, they headed down a tunnel, Dean, Sam and Cordelia in the lead with flare guns whilst Hailey and Ben held up a limping Tommy.

Dean stopped in place upon hearing that all too familiar growling. "Looks like someone's home for supper."

"We'll never outrun it." Hailey said, nervously nibbling on her lip.

Dean looked back at the others before he glanced between Cordelia and Sam.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"Not really, I'm not a mind reader ... "

"Alright, listen to me. Stay with Sam and Cordelia. They're gonna get you outta here."

"What are you gonna do?"

Dean merely winked and started walking in the direction of the growling. "Chow time, you freaky bastard! Yeah, that's right, bring it on, baby. I taste good!"

Cordelia huffed a laugh once Dean's words were indistinct, she turned to Sam. "Your brother's a freak."

"You're telling me," he reciprocated her amused smile before turning to the others. "Alright! Come on, hurry!"

The five continued to make their way out of the tunnel before they heard that noise Cordelia was growing annoyed with. She held up her gun.

"Get them outta here, Sammy."

"Cordelia-"

"Go! Shoo! Fuck off!"

"Come on," Sam gestured for them to follow after him, with reluctance.

Cordelia held up the flare gun once they were out of sight and slowly began walking forward. Turning her head she looked behind her, but upon seeing nothing she turned back around and the Wendigo was stood right in front of her.

"God you're an ugly bastard," she muttered before she pulled the trigger at the same time Dean did as he appeared on the other side of the Wendigo.

Both flares went off, setting the Wendigo to go up in flames. It was like some fucked up firework show. But definitely not as pretty.

Cordelia grinned as the Wendigo dropped to the floor and she looked over at Dean. "Not bad for an annoying, prissy brat, huh?"

Dean shook his head, reciprocating her smile. "Not bad."

♰

Cordelia approached Dean just as Hailey trailed off towards the ambulance her brothers were stood at. She leant against the Impala besides him.

"Thank you," she muttered.

"Huh? For what?"

"You, surprisingly, had my back, so thanks, I guess."

"You're welcome, I guess," he mocked before a lascivious smirk pulled at his lips. "You know, you could always thank me by-" he tapped his lips, smirk wide.

"Get fucked," she rolled her eyes, shoving his face away. "You have problems, you know that, right?"

"Yeahhh," Dean drawled with an even bigger smirk. "For a good cause."

"Good cause," Cordelia huffed. "Sure."

Just then, Sam approached the two.

"Man, I hate camping."

"Me too," Sam said with a sigh, leaning against the Impala.

"Sam, you know we're gonna find dad, right?"

"Yeah, I know." He nodded. "But in the meantime? I'm driving."

Dean tossed Sam his keys with a shake of his head.

"Since Sam's driving can I sit-?"

"No."

"But it's so cramped in the back-"

"No."

Author's note!
kinda love them already

what do yous wanna see??