ᴺᴼᵂ ᴾᴸᴬᵞᴵᴺᴳ: "But if you shoot me, you best not miss."
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SAM RETURNED FROM A FOOD RUN empty-handed and bearing bad news the following morning.

"So, I think it's safe to say we can rule out Nessie," Sam stomped into the hotel room.

"What do you mean?" Dean asked.

Venus walked out of the bathroom using a towel to dry her hair. Sensing the mood shift in the room, she quickly sat on the edge of her bed across from Dean. "What's going on?" she asked Sam.

"I just drove past the Carlton house, there was an ambulance there," Sam informed them, "Will Carlton is dead."

Venus' eyes widened. "Shit."

"He drowned?" Dean raised a brow.

"Yep. In the sink," Sam elaborated.

Venus furrowed her brows as Dean let out a "What the hell?" at the new piece of information.

"Okay so obviously this isn't some creature," Venus began, "We're dealing with something else."

"Yeah, but what?" wondered Sam.

"I don't know. A water wraith maybe?" Dean began to spitball, "Some kind of demon? I mean something that controls water..." he paused in thought, "...water that comes from the same source."

"The lake," Venus and Sam agreed.

"Yeah."

"Which would explain why it's upping the body count," Sam added.

Venus scoffed. "Buddy's got a deadline since the lake's gonna be dry in a few months," she realized.

"And if it can get through the pipes, it can get to anyone, almost anywhere," Dean stands up, "This is gonna happen again, soon."

Sam nodded. "And we do know one other thing for sure. We know that this has something to do with Bill Carlton."

"Yeah, it took both his kids."

"I've been asking around. Lucas' dad, Chris? Bill Carlton's godson."

Venus quickly finished drying her hair and pulled on her black utility jacket over her Pinocchio tee shirt.

"Let's go pay Mr Carlton a visit," she said.

-ˋˏ [   ] ˎˊ-

A short drive later, Venus, Dean, and Sam arrived at the Carlton home.

They made their way to the back of the house, spotting a broken Bill Carlton sitting by the lake.

"Mr. Carlton?" Sam softly called out to him, "We'd like to ask you a few questions if you don't mind."

He looked up at them for a moment and Venus could see the tears threatening to spill from his eyes.

"We're from the department—"

Bill cut Dean off, "I don't care who you're with. I've answered enough questions today."

"Sir," Venus decided to give it a try, "Your son said he saw something in that lake. What about you? You ever see anything out there?" she gently questioned.

"Mr. Carlton, Sophie's drowning and Will's death," Sam spoke, "We think there might be a connection to you or your family."

"My children are gone," Bill cried, "It's worse than dying," he turned to face them.

The three nodded in understanding, allowing a beat of silence to pass between them.

"Go away, please," Bill begged.

With a sigh Venus and the rest relented and walked back to the parked Impala.

"What do you think?" Sam turned to Venus, knowing she was better at reading people than both he and his brother combined.

She came to a stop by the car and gently leaned against it, deep in thought, "He's definitely not telling us something. He looked guilty."

"So now what?" asked Dean who then looked over at the house, his stare lingering for longer than it should've.

Venus followed his eyes and examined the house as well before it clicked. "The drawing," she muttered.

Dean pulled out the folded-up drawing from his leather jacket pocket, "Maybe Bill's not the only one who knows something."

-ˋˏ [     ] ˎˊ-

"I'm sorry but I don't think it's a good idea."

They were now standing in the living room of Andrea Barr's home hoping to talk to Lucas about his drawing.

"Please, we just want to talk to him for a few minutes," Venus pleaded.

Andrea sighed, "He won't say anything. What good's it gonna do?"

 "A lot more than you think," Venus replied.

"Andrea," Sam tried, "We think more people might get hurt. We think something's happening out there."

"My husband, the others—they drowned. That's it," Andrea insisted.

Dean piped up, "If that's what you really believe, then we'll go. But if you think there's even a possibility that something else could be going on here, please let us talk to your son."

That seemed to be all the convincing Andrea needed.

The woman escorted them up the stairs to Lucas' room. Venus and Dean walked in side by side, seeing the young boy seated on the ground with crayons, army men, and pieces of paper scattered all around him.

"Hey, Lucas. Remember us?" Dean greeted as he and Venus stooped down closer to the child.

Venus' eyes landed on two drawings of a red bicycle in his pile. She made sure to memorize the image in case it came up sometime later.

Dean pulled out the drawing from the previous day, "I wanted to thank you for this last drawing. But the thing is, we need your help again."

He slowly slid the drawing over to the boy, "How did you know to draw this?" Dean's voice lowered to a whisper, "Did you know something bad was gonna happen? Maybe you could nod yes or no for us?"

Venus frowned at the boy's lack of response, "You're scared, aren't you," she noted, "But that's okay, Dean and I, we understand," she touched one of the plastic army men figurines, "When we were little we both saw something happen to our moms. And me, I didn't feel like talking at first. I used to cry all the time actually because I thought that the thing that took my mom was gonna find me and take me and my uncle too," she paused and sniffled, feeling Dean's stare burning against the side of her head, "But my mom, and his mom, they were warriors," she smiled briefly and turned to look at Dean, "I know for a fact that they would want us to be brave. So we remember that every day and we try our hardest to be brave for them," she ended, swallowing the sob that threatened to break free.

Dean reached over and intertwined his hand with hers, giving her a meaningful squeeze, "Maybe your dad wants you to be brave too," he addressed Lucas.

The young boy paused his drawing and looked up for the first time, locking eyes with Venus and then Dean before looking over at his mother.

Venus wiped her tears and scoffed happily as she watched Lucas dig through his pile of drawings and hand one to Dean.

"Thanks, Lucas," the older Winchester sent the boy a smile and stood to his feet.

Venus followed behind but sent Lucas one last wave which she could've sworn he returned.

-ˋˏ [     ] ˎˊ-

An hour passed. Which now saw them standing in front of a church that matched the one in Lucas' drawing, and after a short glance to their right, they located the two-story yellow house detailed in the picture as well.

"We're sorry to bother you, ma'am," Dean politely addressed the old woman living in the house. She had let them in seconds earlier, bringing them over to what looked like a boy's old room, "But does a little boy live here by chance? He might wear a blue ball cap, has a red bicycle."

The woman looked down sadly, "No, sir," she shook her head, "Not for a long time...Peter's been gone thirty-five years now."

Venus suddenly felt horrible about bothering the poor woman and dredging up memories of her dead son.

The woman looked over at a framed picture of a young boy, "The police never—I never— had any idea what happened. He just disappeared. It's..." she paused, choked up, "It's worse than dying."

Sam tugged on the sleeve of Venus' jacket, effectively getting her attention, before gesturing over to a mantle where a few plastic green army men, like the ones Lucas had, stood.

"Did he disappear from here? From this house?" Dean gently questioned the older woman.

"He was supposed to ride his bike straight home after school, and he never showed up," she explained, tearing up.

Venus turned to face the mirror and spotted a picture tucked into the glass. She carefully plucked it out and showed it to Dean who turned it around to read, "Peter Sweeney and Billy Carlton, 1970."

"Hmm," Venus hummed, slowly coming to a conclusion. She turned to the elderly woman and offered her a polite smile, "Thank you for letting us into your home ma'am."

The boys offered their goodbyes as well and followed the girl back to the Impala, "We need to go see Bill again. Maybe he'll tell us the truth once we mention Peter."

"What truth?" asked Sam.

Venus turned to face the Winchesters, "That he killed that kid thirty-five years ago."

-ˋˏ [    ] ˎˊ-

Venus quickly explained her theory to the boys on the drive there.

"It's possible," Dean said as they made their way to Bill Carlton's door.

"It's not just possible, it's a fact," Venus confidently stated, banging on the door, "Mr Carlton!"

"Hey, check it out," Dean called for her attention.

She quickly turned around to see him and Sam gesturing to where Bill was speeding out on the water in his boat.

Venus took off first, with the boys struggling to keep up behind her, in the direction of the dock at the edge of the lake.

"Mr Carlton! You need to come back!" screamed Dean at the top of his lungs.

Bill looked back at them, tears glistening in his eyes. He was clearly on a mission.

"Doing this won't bring them back, Bill!" Venus shouted.

"Turn the boat around! You need to come out of the water!" the Winchester boys continued to scream behind her.

But their screams did nothing to convince the man. They could only stand there and watch as his boat shot up 20 feet in the air out of the water, before flipping over and seemingly sinking to the bottom of the lake.

"Oh my God," Venus mumbled in horror. She turned to face the others who stood looking out on the lake in shock.

"Well don't just stand there, call the damn sheriff!"

-ˋˏ [    ] ˎˊ-

Lucas looked distressed.

That's the very first thing Venus noticed upon walking into the sheriff's station.

She barely returned Andrea's greeting and tuned out her conversation with the sheriff, focusing on how Lucas was rocking back and forth in his chair, whimpering as if in pain.

The young boy seemed to feel Venus' eyes on him and suddenly looked up to meet her worried eyes, holding her stare as if trying to send a silent message.

Venus didn't even need her 3/4 of a psychology degree to see that the message was 'Help Me.'

Once the sheriff suggested that he and his mother go home, Lucas shot up from his seat and went to tug on Dean and Venus' jackets with his hands.

"Lucas, hey what is it?" Dean leaned down, also growing concerned.

Venus wished she could read minds at that moment. She felt so helpless she could cry. "I can't understand you, buddy, you gotta talk to me," she took his hand from her coat and held it in her palms, staring into his panicked eyes.

"It's not finished," an adolescent voice shouted in her mind. Venus' stomach dropped once she realized that the voice hadn't come from Lucas' lips. That wasn't possible...right?

"What the hell?" she whispered, feeling Andrea snatch Lucas from her grasp before she could hear anything else.

Lucas and Andrea exited the station moments later. But Lucas kept glancing back, catching Venus' eye with a distressed look on his face. She eventually felt herself being pulled to the office by Sam.

"Okay just so I'm clear," Sheriff Devins began as they took their seats in front of his table, "You see...something attack Bill's boat, sending Bill—who is a very good swimmer by the way—into the drink. and you never see him again?"

"Yeah, that about sums it up," Dean confirmed with a glance over at his brother. Venus sat between them looking down at her hands in her lap thinking about what had just happened.

"And I'm supposed to believe this even though I've already sonar-swept that entire lake, and what you're describing is impossible, and you're not really wildlife service."

Venus' head slowly lifted at his last statement. She locked eyes with the boys for a brief moment.

"That's right I checked, the department's never even heard of you," the sheriff said.

"We're always on the road so we haven't made a lot of friends around the office, y'know how it goes," Venus lied smoothly.

"Enough," Devins stopped her.

Venus narrowed her eyes at the older man. Here it comes.

"The only reason you're breathing free air is one of Bill's neighbors saw him steering out that boat just before you did," he explained, "So, we have a couple of options here. I can arrest you for impersonating government officials and hold you as material witnesses to Bill Carlton's disappearance. Or, we can chalk this all up to a bad day, you get into your car, you put this town in your rearview mirror and you don't ever darken my doorstep again."

Venus matched his enraged stare with an unbothered one, clenching her jaw. She opened her mouth to tell him to grab his handcuffs but was stopped by Sam's voice.

"Door number two sounds good."

She turned to look at the younger Winchester with wide eyes. This case was so not over.

"That's the one I'd pick," taunted the sheriff.

"Ummm," she attempted to protest, only to feel a pinch in her side from Dean, "Motherf—"

Planning to follow through on skipping town, they made their way back to the motel, grabbed their things, and hopped in the Impala. Though Venus had to be forced into the vehicle which she didn't keep quiet about.

"Dean, for the last time, turn the car around or I'll come up there and do it myself," she shouted from the backseat as he pulled up to a red light, "I know you're thinking what I'm thinking too."

She couldn't just ignore the fact that she heard Lucas say it wasn't finished, even if it was in her mind.

"Venus, what are we going back there for?" Sam turned to face her, trying to calm her down, "The job is finished. If Bill murdered Peter Sweeney and Peter's spirit got its revenge, case closed. The spirit should be at rest."

"No, Sam, you said it yourself Lucas could have some kind of psychic connection to the spirit or the lake. I mean, he even led us to Peter's house. So the way he was acting earlier? Something else is up, it's not finished," she ended with his words from before.

Sam took a deep breath and looked away.

"If we leave now and something happens, or that boy gets hurt?" she paused, "I'd never forgive myself."

Dean remained silent throughout the argument, deep in thought, until now, "She's right," he took a right turn at the light going back into town instead of the one leading to the interstate.

"Why would you think that?" Sam asked his older brother.

"Because Lucas was really scared," he answered.

Sam scoffed, "That's what this is about?"

"I just don't wanna leave this town till I know the kid's okay."

"Who are you? And what have you done with my brother?"

Venus grinned triumphantly from the backseat. The drive back into town was fast thanks to Dean doubling the speed limit. 

Venus couldn't shake the eery feeling that hit her once they stepped on the porch of Andrea's house.

"Are you sure about this?" Sam asked, looking around, "It's pretty late."

"Better we have an angry Andrea screaming at us than a dead one," voiced Venus.

Right as Dean reached for the doorbell, the door swung open to reveal Lucas. He stood there hyperventilating and obviously in a state of panic.

"Lucas?" Venus questioned, her voice containing equal panic.

The young boy took off in the direction of the stairs, and the hunters followed.

Lucas led them to the bathroom door, where they noticed water flowing out from beneath the door.

Dean pulled the child out of the way while Venus took a step back before lifting her feet and kicking down the door, breaking it off the hinges and sending it flying into pieces on the bathroom floor.

She ran in first, seeing the bathtub overflowing with badly colored water, and ripped her coat off. Venus then reached into the tub trying to feel for Andrea's body and for a moment she came up empty. 

Until her fingers brushed a clump of hair.

"I got her!" she gasped, reaching further down until her fingers met skin. Venus wrapped her hands around the woman's shoulders and pulled upwards. Venus yelled as she used strength she didn't know she had to resist the force of the spirit pulling down Andrea's body. The woman's head broke the surface for a moment but the spirit pulled her face back in.

"Son of a bitch," Venus grunted before using another surge of strength to fully haul Andrea's body out of the bathtub. Both women panted, now on the bathroom floor, with Venus holding Andrea's naked form in a position facing away from her son and the Winchesters. "Find a towel," she beckoned to Sam who was already in the process of doing so.

"Thank you," Andrea whispered as Venus wrapped the towel around her and helped her to her feet.

She looked over at where Dean stood holding onto Lucas, and they sent each other a look, one that asked the question on their minds, 'What would've happened if they hadn't turned back?'

-ˋˏ [     ] ˎˊ-

The next morning, Andrea was up at the crack of dawn, coming down her stairs to see Sam and Dean awake and talking on her couch, while Venus was fast asleep tucked into Dean's side wearing a new outfit from her duffle bag while her previous one rested in the sheriff's dryer.

"Is she okay?" Andrea motioned to the sleeping brunette.

"Yeah, just exhausted from last night," Sam sent her a warm smile.

"How are you doing?" Dean questioned, genuinely concerned. 

Andrea took a shakey breath, "I wish I knew how to answer that question."

Both Winchesters nodded in understanding.

"We should talk," Sam spoke after a few seconds, nodding to the empty den.

"Do you have any old photo albums I can take a look at?" Dean suddenly thought aloud.

Andrea nodded and pointed to the basement door across the room before walking over to the den with Sam.

Dean carefully shifted the sleeping girl off his body and stood slowly, trying not to wake her.

He failed.

Venus' brown eyes opened with a flutter as she slowly sat upright, looking up at Dean. "What's going on?" she softly asked.

Dean fought back a smile at the rasp in her morning voice. "Go back to sleep, princess," he used a hand to playfully tousle her curly hair.

"No, no, I'm up," Venus waved his hand away and stood up, resisting the sleep she needed with a yawn.

Dean rolled his eyes, knowing there was no point in fighting her on it. "I'm going to the basement to look at some photo albums, maybe find some connection between Peter and Andrea," he explained, "You wanna come with?"

Venus nodded and followed Dean.

She flipped on the first light she found in the dark room and walked over to one of the three shelves. Venus then took down a box from the top and began flipping through its contents, only finding old pictures of Andrea and her mother.

"So," Dean began while looking through another small box, "Since when are you all...Hulk Hogan strong and shit?"

Venus peaked her head out from behind the shelf, sending Dean a look. "I work out...a lot," she half lied, wanting an answer to the question herself. She went to the gym a couple of times a week back at Stanford, but none of the workouts and exercises she had been doing could have possibly given her that much strength. 

"Hmm," was all the response that Dean gave.

They continued to look through various other boxes and photo albums for some time before Dean called Venus over to look at something he found. "This one said Jake, twelve years old," he handed her a brown photo album, "and I started thinking what if the connection was between Peter and the sheriff," she looked down at two photos of a troop of woods explorers.

Her hand brushed over one boy in the picture who vaguely looked like Peter Sweeney.

"Let's go," she handed the album back to Dean and ran upstairs.

"Do you recognize the kids in these pictures?" Dean questioned Andrea, placing the open album on the table in front of her.

She paused for a few seconds, looking at the photos with furrowed brows, "No, I mean, except that's my dad right there," she pointed out her father, "He must've been about twelve in these pictures."

Venus nodded from beside Dean, piecing it all together, "Chris Barr's drowning," she turned to Sam and Dean, "The connection wasn't to Bill Carlton."

"It must've been the sheriff," Dean completed her thoughts. 

"Bill and the sheriff, they were both involved with Peter," Sam concluded.

Venus spotted movement from her peripheral and turned to see Lucas looking out the front door. She carefully walked over to him and knelt by his side, "Lucas, what's wrong?" she gently questioned, trying to follow his gaze out the door.

The boy suddenly opened the door and walked outside, which alerted the remaining adults.

Venus and the others found themselves following Lucas outside, stopping once he stopped over a patch of dirt and grass that looked uneven.

"You and Lucas get back to the house and stay there, okay?" Dean told Andrea, his voice gentle yet firm.

She immediately listened, taking her son and moving back to the house.

Venus took a large stick nearby and stabbed the patch of dirt, watching the stick go nearly halfway through before stopping on something.

"I'll go get the shovels," she sighed.

Venus made a quick trip to the car, grabbing three shovels and returning within minutes. She took off her Stanford hoodie, not wanting to get dirt on it, and rested it on a bench nearby with Dean's jacket then grabbed a shovel and got to work.

They didn't have to dig for long before hitting something solid. Venus gripped the handle while the others moved the rest of the dirt around the item.

"Peter's bike," Sam scoffed in shock, once they fully uncovered the buried item.

Venus froze in place at the sound of a gun being cocked behind her. "Who are you?" came the sheriff's voice.

They slowly turned in his direction, putting their hands out.

"Nice of you to join us," Venus spoke first, gaining a heated look from the brothers on each of her sides.

"Put the gun down, Jake," Sam tried to bargain with the sheriff.

The older man continued to point the gun in their direction, his hands shaking. "How did you know that was there?" he seethed.

Dean's jaw clenched as he spoke, "What happened? You and Bill killed Peter, drowned him in the lake, then buried his bike?"

"You can't bury the truth, Jake," said Venus, "Nothing stays buried. Especially not this big ass bike."

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about," Jake retorted.

Venus narrowed her eyes at him, "Only guilty people point guns at people, sheriff," she bit back, "You and Bill killed Peter Sweeney thirty-five years ago."

"Dad!" Andrea's yell came from their right.

Ignoring her, Venus continued, "Now you've got a vengeful spirit on your ass. It started with Bill's family, took his kids first so he can feel a pain that's 'worse than dying' "she quoted Peter's mother and Bill, "Then it took him. So tell me what you think it's gonna do next? It already took your son-in-law."

"It's gonna take Andrea, Lucas, and everyone else you love," Sam spoke next, "It's gonna drown them and it's gonna drag their bodies God knows where, so you can feel that same pain. And then, after that, it's gonna take you and it's not gonna stop until it does."

Sheriff Devins tilted his head to the side, "Oh yeah?"

"Oh yeah," Venus repeated back, her tone stern.

"Listen to yourselves, all of you, you're insane."

"Maybe," Venus shrugged, "But the only thing that matters right now is getting rid of that spirit."

"We need to find the remains, salt them, and burn them into dust," Dean explained, "Now tell me you buried Peter somewhere, tell me you didn't just let him go in the lake."

Andrea finally spoke, "Dad is any of this true."

"No, don't listen to them. They're liars and they're dangerous."

"Says the murderer," Venus deadpanned.

"You've got quite a mouth on you, huh," Sheriff Devins points the gun directly at her head.

Both Winchesters stepped forward, panic evident on their features.

Venus stretched both hands out, stopping them in their tracks.

"You're gonna kill me? Do it," Venus spat, her tone laced with venom, "Kill me and show your daughter and your grandson just how much of a murderer you are. But if you shoot me, you best not miss," she spoke, not an ounce of fear in her voice.

"Dad! Stop it!" cried Andrea, effectively bringing her father's attention back to her. Dean and Sam immediately released a breath from behind Venus.

"Something tried to drown me and Chris died on that lake," Andrea said, "Tell me you didn't kill anyone."

Jake slowly lowered the gun, unable to meet his daughter's eyes and find the words to respond to her.

"Oh my God," she muttered in horror, realizing the truth in Venus and Dean's words.

The sheriff took a deep breath before speaking again, "Billy and I were at the lake. Peter was the smallest one, we always bullied him. But this time...it got rough. We were holding his head under the water. We didn't mean to, but we held him under too long and he drowned," he turned to the hunters, "We let the body go and it sank."

Venus closed her eyes and took a deep breath, not even bothering to listen to the rest of the sheriff's pleading. How rough do you have to be playing with a kid to accidentally drown him?

"Lucas!" the sheriff suddenly screamed, alerting Venus and the Winchesters to where the young boy was standing at the edge of the lake.

All five adults took off in his direction, their screams for him overlapping.

Venus was the first to run out onto the docks watching as a gray hand reached up and snatched Lucas off the dock and into the water.

The sheriff halted in his steps, locking eyes with the spirit of his dead childhood friend.

One by one, Venus, Dean, and Sam dove into the water with not an ounce of hesitation.

Venus opened her eyes beneath the surface of the water, searching for Lucas, only to be met with the spirit of Peter Sweeney. The brunette's eyes widened in fear, but her reflexes caused her to sucker punch the dead boy in the face.

The spirit disappeared for a moment, allowing Venus to see Lucas' body sinking deeper into the lake. She quickly swam in the boy's direction, reaching out to latch her hand on his, and yanked him upwards against the current.

Sam and Dean spotted them soon after and swam in their direction.

But before they could reach them, Peter's spirit reappeared and began pulling both Lucas and Venus further into the lake.

Trying to ignore the burning in her lungs, Venus kicked her foot being held by the spirit. She managed to get free for long enough to push Lucas to the surface, watching Sam swim over and grab him.

But Dean continued to swim in her direction, panic overtaking every fiber of his being as he watched the life slowly drain from her eyes.

Venus felt Dean grip her arm and begin pulling. He pulled even when her eyes slid closed and her body went limp. He pulled as his own chest began to burn.

Until there was no more resistance.

Peter had finally let her go, fixing his sights on the sheriff instead.

Dean moved as fast as his body would allow, securing a grip around her waist and beginning to swim upwards. He broke the surface with a gasp, filling his lungs with much-needed air before bringing Venus' body over to the dock where Sam was waiting.

Sam felt a similar dread bubble in his stomach to the one he felt seeing Jessica pinned to the ceiling once he laid eyes on Venus' body. He reached into the water and grabbed her before helping his brother up.

Both Winchesters knelt over where Venus' body lay unmoving on the wooden docks between them.

"No, not again," Sam mumbled, pressing two shakey fingers to her neck and feeling for a pulse. Only to feel nothing.

Dean's chest heaved as he rolled up his soaked sleeves to begin chest compressions, "Come on, Venus," he chanted, panic rising within him with each passing second.

"Wake up, V," Sam cried, watching Dean's CPR grow more and more forceful.

Sam frantically reached for his brother's hands, "Dean, you're hurting her!" he bellowed. 

But Dean shoved him away and continued, "I can't lose her Sammy," his voice broke and a few stray tears managed to fall from his eyes.

Sam pressed his fist against his lips, choking back a sob as he realized that he was about to lose his best friend.

But then Venus' eyes flew open.

The woman sprung upright with a gasp, choking out lake water.

Dean and Sam immediately turned her over, allowing the water to leave her lungs through her lips and onto the dock. Relief washed over both Winchesters once the girl began to breathe normally.

Venus rolled back over only to be grabbed and cradled in Dean's arms. She held onto his arms and welcomed fresh air back into her body, locking eyes with a red-eyed Sam.

"No crying, hermano," were her first words, her voice rough from coughing up water, "I'm not dying any time soon," he released a wet chuckle at her words, reaching over to hold onto her free hand.

Dean pressed a kiss to the crown of her head, his grip on her nearly painful as he tried not to think about how close he was to losing her.

Venus relished the feeling of being held by Dean, not sure when she would get another chance.

"So," she met his tear-filled green eyes, "Can I drive the Impala? Seeing as I almost died and all that..." she trailed off with a cheeky grin.

Dean took a deep breath, instantly regretting his answer.

"Fine."

-ˋˏ [     ] ˎˊ-

Venus tossed her duffle bag onto the driver's seat, smirking once she turned to see Dean dangling the keys in front of her face.

"Don't make me regret this," he spoke pointedly, "Like last time."

Venus rolled her eyes at the memory, recalling how she had Dean panicking the entire time she sat behind the wheel. She grabbed the keys from his fingers and twirled them on her fingers, "No promises, Winchester."

"Sam, Dean, Venus," the three turned to where they heard a familiar voice calling their names.

Venus smiled at the sight of Andrea and Lucas approaching them holding what looked like a platter of food.

"Hey," greeted Dean.

"We're glad we caught you," Andrea grinned, "We just, uh, made you lunch for the road. Lucas insisted on making the sandwiches himself."

"Can I give it to them now?" Lucas asked his mom, gaining a wide smile from Venus.

The brunette leaned down to Lucas' height and took the platter from him, "Thank you so much, Lucas. I was actually starving, buddy, how'd you know?" Venus questioned with a playful raise of a brow.

Lucas simply smiled back in response.

Venus stood to her feet and handed the platter to Dean, reaching back to ruffle the kid's hair affectionately.

"Come on, Lucas let's go load this in the car," Dean beckoned to Lucas before taking off toward the Impala.

Venus watched them go but suddenly felt gentle arms wrap around her torso. She looked down to see Andrea hugging her and returned it instantly.

"Thank you for saving us," she spoke genuinely after releasing the hunter.

"The pleasure's all mine," Venus sent her a warm smile, "Lucas is very lucky to have you as his mother."

Andrea smiled once more before turning to Sam. Venus decided to walk back to the car, giving them a moment of privacy.

"Zepplin rules!" Venus heard Lucas exclaim as she came to stand by the passenger door.

"That's right, up high," Dean grinned and high-fived Lucas, bringing a smile to Venus' face, "Take care of your mom for me," he added after a few seconds.

Lucas nodded in understanding. He looked up to spot the female hunter and ran over to trap her in a hug.

"Aww," Venus frowned, "You're making it harder and harder for me to leave, little man."

"Maybe I don't want you to leave," Lucas looked up at her, "What am I gonna do without my guardian angel?"

Venus beamed at the notion of her being any sort of angel, "Well if I really am your guardian angel," she lowered her voice to a whisper, "then I'll come flying on over when you need me the most."

"Promise?"

"Promise." she sent him a wink.

Lucas finally let her go and moved to stand by his mother's side.

Andrea leaned over the passenger door to kiss Dean, but to everyone's surprise including Venus, Dean turned away at the last second, causing the kiss to land on his cheek.

Venus hid her smile behind her palm. Progress.

"Venus, Sam, move your asses," Dean attempted to make the moment less awkward, "We're gonna run outta daylight before we hit the road."

Venus walked over to the driver's seat and took her seat behind the wheel, feeling awfully cheery for someone who had nearly drowned mere hours ago.

She reached into her duffle bag and pulled out her two driving essentials;

Her sunglasses and her mixtape titled, "Dean's Most Hated."

"No fucking way," protested Dean as she slid the tape into the player.

Venus put the car in drive and peeled out of the motel parking lot, giggling at the way Dean's body lurched against the dashboard.

"Seatbelts on kiddos. Safety first," she shouted over the volume of the current song being played.

Sam followed her instructions, already anticipating a fun ride with her at the helm.

Dean grumbled profanities to himself and buckled his seatbelt.

Venus pressed her foot further on the gas once they hit the open road, loudly singing along to 'Lovefool,' by The Cardigans.

Sam leaned forward and patted his older brother's shoulder. "Be thankful she's actually a decent singer," he whispered with a grin.

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A/N: Double update who cheered?!

As always, votes and comments are always appreciated.

Happy reading pookies! 🫶🏽

Translations:
Hermano - Brother

EDIT 01/28/24: Lovely GIF banner up above made by the crazy talented prodigybitxhhh  

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