Title: Calls Me Home

Summary: A journey through seven seasons of Supernatural through the eyes of two Winchesters and a Singer.

Characters: Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester, Ruby Singer, Bobby Singer, John Winchester, and a whole ton of others.

Disclaimer: Everything you see here belongs to Eric Kripke and Co. The title belongs to the song "Calls Me Home" by Shannon LaBrie.

Author's Note: I would just like to say that the timeline is so screwed up at some points. It's almost mind boggling.

Chapter Twelve

Sam could feel the underlying tension in the air between his brother and Ruby. it drove him crazy how stubborn they could both be sometimes. Shaking his head, he focused on the map in front of him. They were looking for the optimal route to Pennsylvania for their next hunt. One that would let them bypass the road construction. He tapped the map when he found what he was looking for.

"Alright, I think I found the best route to Pennsylvania and by the looks of it, it should even get us there a bit faster." Sam announced and glanced over at Dean to see what he thought.

"Don't need it. We're, uh, not going to Pennsylvania." He cleared his throat after hanging up his phone.

Ruby tilted her head studying him for a moment. "What do you mean we're not going?"

"An old friend of mine just called. She, uh, needs our help. Look, she would never ever call me in a million years unless she really truly needed our help." Dean explained walking around to the driver's side of the Impala.

"What?" Sam looked at him confused.

"Her father was killed last night. She thinks it might be our kind of thing." He sighed getting into the car.

The blonde rolled her eyes then got into the car as well. "Then we go. A hunt's a hunt."

"So where we heading then?" Sam asked as he got in the car and they took off.

"Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Cassie's hometown. Local police believe her dad's death was simply a car accident. Lost control. Cassie has reason to believe otherwise." Dean shrugged as he drove down the road.

"An old friend that just happens to be a girl." He couldn't help pointing out.

Ruby sighed from the backseat. "Cassie Robinson. She's his ex girlfriend. Aka his first love."

"Wait, how does Ruby know this and I don't?" Sam raised his eyebrows looking slightly offended while Dean just looked uncomfortable.

She leaned forward ruffling his hair playfully. "Because you were off in college getting even smarter."

"Right. So he actually dated somebody for more than one night?"

"Dad and I were working a job in Ohio in the same town Cassie went to college in. We were only together for a couple of weeks." Dean shrugged his shoulders.

The blonde scoffed from the back seat. "Excuse you. I was working the job with them, Sam. It was just after my dad and I made up after fighting over the fact that I wanted to hunt. John left halfway through the job. Said he had a possible lead on what killed your mom and told us to stay there to finish the job. Long story short, lover boy over here was distracted with his girlfriend and I tried to finish the job myself."

"Which was a stupid thing to do since you nearly got killed." The older Winchester brother rolled his eyes.

Ruby kicked at his seat. "Yeah well if you focused with the head on your shoulders instead of the one in your pants then we would have finished the job faster."

"Guys, please. Wait, how would Cassie know to call you about... You told her? You told her! The one thing we don't tell anyone and you told your girlfriend of a few weeks? I was with Jessica for over a year and had to lie to her about it. Are you kidding me?" Sam intervened and then looked over at Dean in shock.

"Yeah I guess I did." It was all he said before focusing on the drive again.

It wasn't long after they left the house when another victim was discovered. Jimmy Anderson, the editor of the local paper, had been killed in the exact same way that Cassie's father and Clayton had been killed. The hunters split up to investigate with the Winchesters asking around about Jimmy while Ruby stayed behind to talk to Cassie again. Dean wasn't sure if he was comfortable at the idea of the two women being alone together, but there was nothing that he could really do about it. The two women sat down in a little cafe in town. The blonde had to admit that she was impressed with how well the dark haired woman was holding herself together.

"So this is really happening huh? My father was killed by a ghost." Her voice cracked as she spoke softly.

Ruby sighed nodding her head in understanding. "Yeah it is. What can you tell me about Jimmy Anderson?"

"Jimmy? He.. he was a good guy. For years, this family named the Dorians owned the local paper. Practically owned most of the town actually. They had a whites only policy. After they sold the paper, Jimmy became the first black reporter for that paper. He worked so hard and didn't stop until they promoted him all the way to editor. He..uh.. taught me everything I know about journalism." She recalled shaking her head.

She reached out squeezing the other woman's hand reassuringly. "We're going to stop it. I promise. It's what we do."

"I.. thank you. I just never thought Dean could actually be telling the truth, you know?" Cassie's brown eyes widened a bit.

Ruby stiffened a little and then shook her head. "For Dean to tell you that.. was a pretty big deal. Hunters, that's what we're called, tend to keep what they do close to the chest for one reason or another."

"Oh, I see. Wow. Are..are you guys together now?" She eyed the blonde hunter curiously.

Ruby made a face and then laughed softly. "No. No, we're not. He and his brother are my best friends."

"Right. Oh I should probably get going and check on my mother." Cassie smiled lightly at her and stood up leaving the cafe.

Sighing, Ruby waited a few moments before leaving as well. She made her way down to the local library to do some research on the paper's former owners. The Winchesters wrapped up their questioning then headed back to the motel. They changed out of their suits and back into their regular clothes. Dean knew that all of the victims had a connection to Cassie and her family. They just couldn't see what it was just yet. So Dean took it upon himself to go question Cassie.

"Alright, so what brings you here? Where's Sam and Ruby?" She looked up at him curiously.

"Trying to find a connection between these three victims. Uh, they're working on this case too. Just elsewhere. Why? Is it easier not being alone together?" Dean raised his eyebrows at her.

"No, it's not easier. Listen, I.."

"Nah, forget it. It's fine. We'll keep it strictly professional." He turned away from her.

"I forgot you do that. Whenever we get... close.. or whatever. Anywhere close to emotional vulnerability, you back off or crack a joke. Find any way to shut the door on me." Cassie folded her arms across the chest.

"Hah, that's rich. I'm not the one who ended it between us." Dean barked out a laugh. "I was totally up front with you back then and you nailed me for it."

"How was I supposed to know it was the truth? You tell me out of the blue that you pop ghosts for a living and that you needed to leave to go work with your dad."

"It was the truth, Cass, and it didn't sound too insane the minute you thought I could help." He stared at her.

"I thought you wanted to leave me back then. Now.. now I was just desperate to get some answers to what happened to my father." She frowned.

"You're the one that dumped me." Dean huffed.

"Yeah well I didn't mean to hurt you." Cassie returned his gaze.

"Well you did."

"I'm sorry."

"Yeah well so am I."

The former couple locked eyes just then. It was only seconds later that they began to kiss. Hands began to roam and the kissing turned to making out. Then her back hit her bed as they became caught up in the passion.

Ruby sighed trying to ignore the elephant in the room. "So what did you guys find out?"

"Well, back in the 60's, there were a string of deaths. Black men. Word goes that they all disappeared in a big black truck. They never found the guy who did it." Sam filled her in.

She sat down on one of the bed connecting the dots in her mind. "So that truck could be what Cassie's father saw. We really are dealing with a ghost truck, huh?"

"Yeah, I suppose we are. You alright, Ruby?"

Ruby smiled at him though it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Sam, I'm fine."

"Ruby..." He trailed off giving her a knowing look.

She bit her lip glancing down. "He's not coming back tonight, is he?"

"No, I don't think so. I'm really sorry." Sam reached out placing his hand on her shoulder gently.

The blonde sighed pushing her hair away from her face. "Don't be. It's not your fault. I..I should have known better. That's all."

"You want to talk about it?" He offered staring at her with his puppy dog eyes.

Ruby shook her head smiling slightly at him. "Thanks, but I think I'm alright. It's getting late, Sam. We should probably get some shut eye if we want to be alert enough to finish this hunt."

"Ruby, it's just me. I won't judge. I promise."

She sighed glancing down at the floor. "I just thought that he was starting to change his mind about the whole no distractions thing. Guess I was wrong. Probably better off this way anyway. Distractions.. make things more complicated, you know?"

"Sometimes the distractions are worth it, you know? When I was at Stanford, I was content with doing my work and maybe making friends. Enjoy being a normal college kid. Yeah I noticed the girls, but I never really seriously considered dating until I saw Jess for the first time. Even then I was terrified. Dean and I never wanted to be like dad. The women we love dying just like mom. Too late for me, but you know how stubborn Dean can be." His tone was gentle as he spoke to her.

Ruby gave him a hug and then pulled away. "Oh Sam. I really am sorry about her. I'm glad you got to experience a sense of normalcy and got to see what love is like. Dean and I.. we're just complicated. There's things that you don't even know."

"Yeah? Try me."

She sighed crawling into her bed for the night hugging a pillow to her chest. "Well, you've always been like a little brother to me. Dean and I never really had that sibling like relationship. It was always different with us. That flight where we had to exorcise that demon? Yeah well when you were trying to grab the journal to finish the exorcism, the turbulence pinned Dean against a wall in the back and I went flying toward him. We kissed. The next time we were at my dad's, we talked about it and he said that he couldn't afford any distractions because his priority was finding your dad so that you guys could get rid of this thing that your dad's been hunting your whole lives. I totally understand that yet it hasn't stopped us from kissing a few more times since then."

"And now he's with Cassie." Sam nodded in her understanding.

Ruby shrugged her shoulders. "Yeah I guess. I'm not mad at that because I get it. She's his first love. I wouldn't blame them if feelings came back and they gave into them. I'm just mad that he said I was distraction yet here he is being distracted... by someone who isn't me."

"Ruby.."

She shook her head. "It's okay, Sam. It would have just been awkward if things didn't work out between us and the last thing I am doing is jeopardizing our friendship."

"Hey, no, you'll always be one of my best friends and like a big sister to me. Whether you end up dating Dean or not, nothing could ever change that. I promise." He assured her with a smile.

Ruby smiled warmly at him. "Aww Sammy. You're going to make me cry. Alright, now it's time for bed. Good night, Sam."

"Night, Ruby."

The next day, it was snowing when Dean finally showed up at the new crime scene. Ruby was talking to the construction worker who had been the one to find the crime scene in the first place while Sam was talking to a cop. He put his badge away gesturing to Dean letting the cop know that he was with him. Dean glanced around grimacing when he saw the victim. Sam shot him a look as the cop walked away.

"So what happened here?" Dean asked gesturing toward what was left of the body.

Ruby walked over to them just then and cleared her throat. "This is the late Mayor Todd, the mayor of this town. This is his property as of a few weeks ago. According to the construction worker, Mayor Todd was having his home built on the property. It wasn't unusual for him to show up to survey the progress. The construction worker showed up today to double check that everything was secure because of the weather and that's when he found the victim."

"The cops are all stumped. It's like something ran him over. Every bone was crushed and his internal organs were turned to pudding." Sam added.

"Something like a truck?" Dean raised his eyebrow.

She nodded her head in agreement. "Yeah and no tracks that we can see. Makes no sense though. He's white and it doesn't fit the pattern. The killing didn't happen over on the same road either so that doesn't fit as well."

A pang of guilt struck Dean as Ruby avoided him with her gaze. They finished up at the scene and then split off again only to meet back up not too long after at the motel. Ruby shivered draping a blanket around herself as she sorted through the research with Sam. Dean sat down across from them and sighed watching her.

"So the town records show that the Mayor and his wife purchased what was deemed abandoned property a few weeks ago. They tore down the house and are in the process of putting up a new one. The original home and property were owned by the Dorian family for over 150 years." He filled them in on his findings.

Ruby's brows furrowed at that revelation. "Wait, did you say Dorian? Cassie said they owned the paper. Jimmy didn't start working there until after they sold it. They owned most of the town according to the town history. Actually there was one article that caught my attention. There was a Cyrus Dorian who vanished in April of '63. It was investigated, but the cops never found him nor knew where he went. It was around the same time that string of murders happened back then."

"When did the mayor bulldoze the property?" Dean asked curiously.

"Uhh, the third of last month. Hit the front page of the paper. It was a big deal because it was one of the oldest houses left in town." Sam recalled from his research.

"The first death happened the next day. So maybe it's not just the truck. Maybe it's the truck and this Cyrus guy." He pointed out.

"We don't even know if he is dead though." Sam countered only for Dean's cell phone to ring.

It was Cassie and she was panicking because she saw the truck. The three of them piled into the Impala and drove over to the Robinson home. Cassie was sitting inside trembling when they walked in. Her mother handed her a cup of tea to calm her nerves. They sat down and she told them what happened. The truck had appeared to her and just as fast it was gone. She didn't seem to see a driver either.

"Whoever was controlling the truck wanted you afraid first." Dean sighed at the thought.

"Mrs. Robinson, Cassie said your husband saw the truck before he died." Sam brought up gently.

The older woman shook a bit. "Martin was under a lot of stress. You can't be sure what he was seeing."

Ruby sat up a bit straighter. "With all due respect, we can be reasonably sure that he saw a truck. You and your daughter were marked tonight. Your daughter could very well die. So please, if you know something that can help us, you really need to let us know."

Mrs. Robinson sighed shaking her head. "Yes, yes, he saw a truck. He.. he thought he knew who was driving it. Cyrus. A man named Cyrus."

"Is this Cyrus?" Dean pulled out a newspaper article showing her the photo of the man.

She looked at him skeptically. "Cyrus died more than 40 years ago."

Ruby looked at her in a bit of surprise. "The papers said he went missing. No one ever declared him dead. So how do you know he died?"

Mrs. Robinson frowned at that. "It was so long ago. We were all so young. I was dating Cyrus, but.. I was also dating Martin. I couldn't help how I felt, you know? Inter-racial couples didn't go over so well back then. I finally broke it off with Cyrus, but he found out about Martin anyway. He.. I don't know.. Cyrus changed. So much hatred. His hatred was frightening."

"He was behind the murders." Sam stated.

Her voice sounded upset as she continued. "It was a terrifying time. There were rumors going around town about people of color disappearing into some kind of truck. Martin and I were going to be married in that little church near here. Last minute we decided to elope instead as we didn't want the attention. The day.. the day we set for the wedding was the day someone set fire to the church. There was a children's choir inside rehearsing. They.. all died."

"Mom, did the attacks stop after that?" Cassie asked softly.

Mrs. Robinson shook her head sobbing. "That truck came for Martin one night. Cyrus beat him something terrible. But then Martin got free. He started fighting back. He kept hitting Cyrus and hitting him. It was forty years ago. The cops would have believed Cyrus over Martin. So Martin called on his friends for help. Clayton Soames and Jimmy Anderson. They put Cyrus' body into the truck and rolled it into the swamp at the end of his land. All three kept that secret all of these years."

Ruby frowned in thought. "And now all three of them are dead. That doesn't explain Mayor Todd though."

She wiped her eyes. "He was a good man. At the time, Harold Todd was a young deputy investigating the disappearance of Cyrus. He figured out what Martin and the others had done. He.. He did nothing about it though because he knew what Cyrus had done."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Cassie frowned.

Mrs. Robinson cried again. "I thought I was protecting them and now there's no one left to protect."

"Yes there is." Dean said and they all looked at Cassie

"You know we're going to have to dredge that swamp, right?" Sam pointed out only for Dean to smile.

Ruby wrinkled her nose at the thought. "Ew."

"Hey. She's asleep. Now what?" Cassie stepped out of the house interrupting them.

"Don't leave the house. You should stay inside and look after your mom." Dean looked at her.

"Don't go getting all authoritative on me. I hate it." She smiled at him oblivious to Ruby rolling her eyes.

"Don't leave the house... please?" He mumbled sheepishly.

Cassie looked up at him and then leaned up pressing a kiss to his lips. Ruby swallowed hard turning away climbing into the Impala slamming the door shut which made the pair jump apart startled. Sam shrugged his shoulders at Dean and followed the blonde into the car. After another moment, Dean got in as well and drove them out to the Dorian property. He parked the car once he was there and hopped onto a nearby tractor driving it toward the swamp. The boys attacked it to the truck and Dean backed the tractor up pulling the truck from the water. Sam shouted instructions while Ruby simply leaned against the Impala. When the truck was out of the water, Dean turned off the tractor and jumped down. He walked over to the Impala where Ruby handed him the things he needed from the trunk. She walked with him and Sam to the truck stopping at the driver's side door. Dean opened it and a decayed body fell out. Ruby wrinkled her nose at the smell then they got to work salting and burning the body. As it burns, headlights come on and an engine could be heard revving. They turn around only to see the ghost truck.

"So burning the body did nothing to get rid of the truck, huh?" Sam appeared confused as he tried to figure out where they went wrong.

"Guess not." Dean stared over at the truck.

"But Cyrus' ghost is gone, right?"

Ruby huffed pushing her hair away from her face and snatched the keys running toward the Impala. "Apparently not the part that's fused with the truck."

"Whoa, what do you think you are doing?" Dean looked alarmed following her.

She rolled her eyes getting into the driver's seat starting the car. "What does it look like I'm doing? Go burn the truck."

"Sam, go burn the truck." He tossed the bag of supplies toward him and climbed into the passenger's seat.

"How the hell am I going to burn a truck?" He watched them helplessly.

Ruby put the Impala in reverse and took off. The ghost truck roared following them. She maneuvered the car around the misty back roads ignoring Dean's pleas for her to be careful. It wasn't long before he pulled out his phone and called Sam who promptly hung up on him. Sam called Cassie for information and then called Dean back as a plan formed in his head.

"I need to know exactly where you are." Sam said as Dean put him on speaker.

The Impala roared past a sign just then and Ruby spoke up. "Decatur Road. Just about two miles off the highway."

"Okay. Headed East?" He asked with a hopeful tone of voice.

"Yeah, East." Dean confirmed only to swear when the truck backended the Impala causing the car to go sliding all over the road before Ruby was able to regain traction.

"Okay. Uh, up ahead. Turn right. Turn right!"

Ruby swung the car in that direction making a very sharp turn much to Dean's displeasure. "We made the turn. Sam, the truck is getting violent with us. We need to move this along a little faster."

"Alright, see a road up ahead?"

She looked ahead of them and just spotted the road as the ghost truck was gaining on their left. "Yeah I do."

"Turn left."

Ruby slammed on the brakes making Dean grimace. She spun the Impala left onto the smaller road as the truck careened past them.

"Alright, now what?" Dean asked.

"You need to go seven tenths of a mile and then stop."

"Stop?" He raised his eyebrows.

"Exactly seven tenths, Dean." Sam advised him.

She eyed the speedometer and drove forward stopping exactly where Sam told them to. The Impala spinning around to face where they had come from. It sat between two posts on either side of the road and what remained of a wall that was almost completely broken down. The ghost truck reappeared facing them revving its engine. Ruby gripped the steering wheel tighter staring the truck down. It's tires spun and then it came speeding toward them. At the last moment, Dean threw himself over Ruby blocking her from some of the impact. The truck roared through them disintegrating into nothing. It's silent aside from the purring of the Impala's engine. He sits back in his seat and they look at each other in shock.

"Dean. Ruby? Are you guys still there?" He sounded a little panicked hoping they were alright.

She found her voice and spoke up. "We're here. We're fine, Sam. What the hell just happened?"

"You guys are where the church was. The one Cyrus burned down." Sam revealed to them.

"Yeah well there's not a whole lot left." Dean commented glancing around.

"Church ground is hallowed ground no matter if the church is still standing there or not. If an evil spirit crosses it, sometimes they are destroyed. So I figured maybe that would get rid of it." He shrugged though they couldn't see them.

"Maybe! What if you were wrong?"

"Huh. I hadn't considered that." Sam pondered the thought.

"Well I hadn't considered that." Dean hung up and mimicked his brother. "I'm gonna kill him."

Ruby rolled her eyes taking a deep breath as she pulled the Impala out of the church. "No, you're not."

"Look, Ruby..." He trailed off as she drove them back into town to regroup with Sam.

The blonde shook her head focusing the road ahead of them. "What? You don't have to make any excuses. I get it. She's your first love. I'm just the distraction."

"Damn it, Ruby. You're more than that. You're way more than that."

Ruby scoffed at that. "Please spare me. Actions speak louder than words, Dean."

"Okay yeah I slept with her. I admit that. It was mostly just giving in to old feelings, but I stupidly thought that it would get this thing between us to stop. Don't you get it, Ruby? I can't risk you being the next one on that ceiling. I won't risk you like that." Dean admitted sighing softly and running his hands over his face.

She froze at his words unsure of what to say to that. The rest of the drive was quiet. When they got back to Sam, Dean shoved him in the shoulder and then Ruby hugged him. Sam hugged Ruby back relieved that they were okay and that this case was over. On the way back to the motel, they stopped at the Robinson home letting a grateful Cassie know that it was over and that she was safe. The three hunters then stayed the night at the motel before checking out the next day. They were down by the docks about to leave town when Cassie approached them.

"I just wanted to thank you guys again for all you've done to help us." She smiled slightly at them.

Ruby hugged her and smiled warmly at the girl. "It's no problem. I'm glad we were able to help you figure out what happened to your dad and his friends. Don't hesitate to call if god forbid something like this happens again."

"Yeah what she said. It was nice to meet you, Cassie." Sam smiled nodding at her as Ruby moved to get into the Impala.

"You too, Sam." Cassie smiled softly and turned her attention to Dean. "It was nice while it lasted, but I'm realist. I don't see much hope in a future for us as a couple, Dean."

"I've seen stranger things happen. A hell of a lot stranger, but you're probably right." Dean smiled slightly at her.

"Goodbye, Dean." Cassie kissed his cheek and walked away.

"I'll see ya, Cassie." He got into the passenger's seat of the Impala.

"I like her." Sam said as he put the Impala into drive and began to drive them out of town.

"Yeah."

"You meet someone like her and doesn't it make you wonder if it's worth it? Putting everyone else on hold, doing what we do?" He asked glancing at Dean.

Dean glanced at Ruby and then looked at Sam for a long moment. He then grabbed his sunglasses slipping them on.

"Wake me when it's my turn to drive." Dean sighed and slouched down into his seat.

Sam and Ruby shared a glance in the rearview mirror for a moment then he focused on the road ahead of them. He drove east for a few hours then switched with Dean who drove until he stopped at a motel somewhere in Ohio. The three of them settled into a room for the night unanimously agreeing that they would look for another hunt tomorrow.