Episode: Season 7 - Time After Time Pt. 1

I needed to do anything to get my mind off it. But no matter what I did, his face flashed in my mind. And I felt like dirt for not being here when it happened. Dean and Sam weren't angry with me but I was with myself. I loathed myself for not being there for him... Bobby had needed me there.

Gosh, Sam had even admitted that he'd - in his slightly delirious state - searched for my face when the brothers walked into that hospital room for the very last time. And just...knowing the man who'd I'd grown to see as a father was gone...it made me feel like I couldn't breathe. Like someone had squeezed my lungs in their fist until it felt like my insides would burst in agony. And agony...agony was the best word to describe the loss of Bobby. But it wasn't the time for mourning. No, I'd do that afterward.

First? First came revenge. It was my job as a hunter to avenge Bobby - all three of us. I sighed slightly before taking another bite of McChicken sandwich from where I was situated in the backseat of Baby, pitch-black darkness enveloping me completely as I ate. We were in Canton, Ohio now - hunting again.

It was supposed to be just a run-of-the-mill case. And it was - in most respects. This time there was a mysterious man who was "aging" people to death. Literally. And seemingly, a lot of bodies had been dropping all around town since 1928 due to these bizarre happenings. Sam found a news article though involving one of these victims...including the woman who had found the body that still lived somewhere in town. Thunder crashed overhead just then as the rain kept coming down, drops of clear liquid rolling down the smudged windows of the Impala in the torrential downpour.

"So, what exactly is this thing? Some sort of vampire who got too sucky?" Dean piped up suddenly from the front seat, breaking the silence - apart from the sounds of chewing, that is - that had formed between all of us.

Sam shook his head solemnly, disproving his brother's suggestion, "No. Coroner's reports said there was blood in both bodies. Three-hundred-year-old blood, but blood,"

Dean arched his eyebrows briefly, saying nothing as we all resumed our watch of the house ahead. Once finding out that this was the supposed house of our mysterious killer, we decided to stake it out - follow him if ever chose to leave the confines of his home. But what good what that do the dead now? I thought to myself gloomily, letting the sadness from losing Bobby consume me once more as I stared down at my half-eaten sandwich. Did any of this really matter anymore without him here? Suddenly, I lost my appetite and pushed the sandwich back into its wrapper before throwing it back in the brown Mickey D's paper bag on the seat beside me.

"Dude, dude," Dean said suddenly, frantically gesturing towards the house as he set down his drink back into the cupholder, "A fedora dude!"

Sam and I glanced up to see what he was going on about and our eyes connected to that of a trench-coat clad figure. My heart ached at the sight, suddenly reminded of Cas. It had been months since he passed and still, I missed him, too. All of my friends were gone... But those thoughts were shaken loose from my head as Dean fumbled with the car keys, ready to rev up the engine in pursuit.

"Whoa, whoa! What's the plan here exactly?" Sam asked, stopping his brother's actions momentarily.

Dean shrugged nonchalantly in response, "Don't die."

A scoff escaped my mouth and I rolled my eyes as I followed the brothers out of the Impala, climbing over the backseat and out into the night, "Great advice as usual, Dean-o."

We caught up to him easily, the man's long legs still striding away down the street as we watched him from a safe distance.

"He's heading downtown. Alright, you take the street, I'll take the alley. Meet you in the middle," Dean gave orders to his younger brother and before his head swiveled around to me, "You're with him, short-stack."

I rolled my eyes at the nickname as the three of us split up, my combat boots thudding on the cracked pavement as I followed my best friend down the dark alley. It was endearing now but at times still annoying to be called that. We were almost to the very end of the alley, ready to meet up with Dean again when the sounds of running feet met my ears. My head snapped to the sound and I shared a brief glance of concern with Sam before we both took off back the way we'd come. Sliding around the corner with ease, the sight before us made my stomach turn. Our mystery man knelt on the ground at the other end of the alley, hovering over yet another dead body.

But that wasn't what made me queasy. It was the image of Dean racing towards him at full-speed, ready to charge the killer. Glancing up at Sam, I noticed the warning look on his face - knew exactly what it meant. We didn't know anything about this man - or what he could do. This was dangerous and stupid! What was wrong with him?!

"Sammy, do something!" I urged him, panic filling my voice.

He called out to his brother to stop but Dean didn't heed him, just kept running. All of a sudden, Dean's body made impact with the stranger's and before Sam nor I could protest, the bright red glow of a portal lit up the dark alley. My eyes widened just as Dean and the man slid through, disappearing entirely. A scream of terror ripped free from my throat and I bolted towards the quickly shrinking portal, feeling my heart clench in my chest from fear. Sam made a grab for me, to hold me back but I wrestled my arm free of his grasp and kept on running, putting on a burst of speed. I got closer and closer, heart pounding like a jackhammer from the exertion.

Sam's shouts rang in my ears, the sounds of his feet racing after me right as my body collided with the portal before it winked out of existence entirely.