Title: Calls Me Home

Summary: A journey through fifteen 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:

Chapter Thirty Six

It was about three days later when the Winchesters found another case and got ready to head out. Bobby gave them each a chain with a charm on it meant to protect them from getting possessed by a demon. Ruby opted to stay home. She was still a bit shaken up after the whole Meg thing and just wanted to stay a little longer with her father. The guys understood promising to keep in touch while they were gone. Of course it wasn't long before both Bobby and Ruby received calls from the Winchester brothers complaining about each other. Ruby knew something was off the moment she heard Dean say that Sam messed with the Impala. Aside from screwing with the radio stations during their last prank war, she knew full well that Sam would never actually mess with the beloved car beyond that. The Singers prepared for a hunt then headed out to meet up with Sam and Dean who were staying in a motel not far from a local college campus. When they arrived, Ruby was relieved to see that the Winchesters were still okay.

She couldn't help eyeing them curiously though. "Alright so what's got you two bickering like an old married couple? I thought things were good with you guys."

"Things are good with us. It's just this case. It's unlike anything we've ever seen. That's why we called you guys." Dean admitted sheepishly.

Bobby sighed nodding at the two brothers. "Well let's take it from the beginning. Tell us about the case from the start."

"It all started when we came across this obit. A professor took a dive from a fourth story window. It was his office at the college in the Crawford Hall building. There's a campus legend that the building was haunted. So of course we investigated." Sam explained to them. "We went to this bar near campus and met up with two students from the college. According to them, a co-ed was having an affair with a professor and jumped out the window of room 669 after he broke it off. She's been haunting the building ever since. So then I go over to Dean who is sitting at the bar drinking these shots that I think were called Purple Nurples. There was this curvy girl named Starla with a lot of make up on that he was flirting with and called a feisty little wildcat. She put her arms around his neck and suddenly..."

"Whoa whoa whoa, that is not what happened." Dean cut in from his spot on one of the beds.

"So you didn't have a few shots of Purple Nurple?" Sam raised his brows at his brother.

"Well yeah, okay maybe, but I never would have said things like feisty little wildcat and her name wasn't Starla." He defended.

"Then what was it?"

"I don't know. She was a classic chick. She was a grad student. Anthropology and folklore. We were discussing local ghost stories." Dean shrugged his shoulders.

The elder Winchester brother then told his version of events which sounded just as odd as Sam's version. Ruby rolled her eyes at him and sighed as the two brothers began bickering again. Thankfully her father interjected and got things a bit more calmed down.

Ruby eyed them both then shook her head. "A four story building wouldn't have a room 669. Also your stories don't sound like either of you. So what else do you got?"

"We spoke with a janitor who saw the professor go into the building the night he died and was also the one who found his body. He said that the professor went into the building with a woman, but that he never saw her leave. The professor was married with a family and had a successful book. Janitor said that it wasn't unusual to see a girl going into the building with the professor. So it could still potentially be a haunting. The history of the building is clean though." Dean filled them in. "It gets weirder though."

"Yeah there was another story going around so we went back to the bar and that is where we found Curtis, one of the students we had spoken to about the haunting. Apparently he was walking by Crawford Hall when he heard a noise. He looked up and got abducted by a spaceship. Curtis said aliens probed him repeatedly and then.. made him slow dance with one of them." The younger Winchester recalled.

The blonde eyed him skeptically. "Aliens?"

"I know right? We didn't believe it either, but sure enough there was a circular pattern in the grass. We talked to a pledge for the same frat that Curtis is in. Sam comforted him with a hug and said he was too precious for this world."

"I did not!" Sam glared at his brother. "Anyway he said that Curtis was the pledgemaster and had been really hard on the pledges this semester. Then we came back here and I couldn't find my laptop because Dean hid it."

"I didn't hide it. The only connection we had to go on was that both of the victims were dicks. There was one more, but again we didn't see it happen. A research scientist who did testing on animals. Again, a dick which fits the pattern." Dean pointed out.

"Police didn't release a cause of death because they really had no idea. So we broke into the morgue. All that was left of the guy was an arm, leg, and some guts. Also a belly scale from an alligator. They were still able to identify the guy as a research scientist whose office was in, you guessed it, Crawford Hall. We checked out the sewers, but didn't find anything." He sighed.

"Oh but I found something alright. Sam's money clip beside the tires of the Impala that someone let air out of and I know he did it. Then you guys showed up an hour later." Dean huffed.

Ruby rolled her eyes at them. "You're both idiots. Sam would never let the air out of the Impala's tires like that. The victims being dicks isn't the only connection. Obviously it has something to do with Crawford Hall despite its history being clean."

Bobby smiled slightly at his daughter. "She's right. Sam, Dean didn't hide your computer. And Dean, Sam did not touch the car. If you two stopped for a minute and pulled your heads out of your asses, you'd know what you were dealing with here."

"I got nothing." Dean admitted.

"Me either." Sam sighed.

The older man shook his head. "You're dealing with a Trickster here."

Ruby frowned at that. "Dad, they've never hunted a Trickster. How can you expect them to know?"

Bobby sighed relenting a bit. "You guys were the biggest clue. These things make chaos and mischief as easy as breathing. It's got you boys so turned around that you can't even think straight. It knows you're onto it and it's been playing you boys like fiddles."

"So what is it? A demon? A spirit?" Dean asked.

He shook his head again. "Neither. It's more of a demi god really. There's dozens of them. They're immortal and they can create things out of thin air. Things as real as you and me."

"Things like an angry spirit, an alien, or an alligator." Sam pointed out.

Bobby sat down. "The victims fit the MO too. Tricksters target the high and mighty. They like to knock em down a peg. Usually with a sense of humor. Deadly pranks and things like that."

Ruby nodded her head. "So what do they look like and how do we stop them?"

He looked over at his daughter. "Tricksters look like lots of things, but human mostly. To stop them, you have to stake them."

"And what human do we know that's been around all three crime scenes?" Dean looked over at Sam.

"The janitor."

"I just don't think that is a good idea. We're doing this our way." Dean watched as Ruby put the finishing touches to her outfit.

The blonde scoffed as she added a bit of lip gloss to her lips. "I'm not going in there to stake the guy. He knows you two are onto him. If it is the janitor then who is to say that he won't distract you two with bickering again or worse?"

He shook his head and left the room. it was only a few minutes later that Ruby left the room. Her blonde locks were up in a ponytail. She easily blended in with the other co-eds on campus. Inside Crawford Hall, Dean distracted the janitor while Sam looked through his locker downstairs. The blonde walked past the Winchesters bickering again a short while later. She stopped by the building directory on the wall looking it over appearing lost.

"Oh can I help you?" A male voice caught her attention.

She turned to see the janitor checking her out and smiled. "Actually yes, that would be great. Thank you."

"Well I don't believe I've seen you around here before. Where you headed?"

Ruby smiled a bit more at him. "Oh well I'm usually holed up in the library. I was looking for the theatre."

"Then you're in the right place. Come on, I'll show you the way." He smirked leading her further into the building.

She followed him into the theatre grinning softly. "Thank you."

"So what do you need the theatre for anyway, if you don't mind me asking?"

The blonde smirked playfully at him. "It's kind of silly. The talent show is coming up and my boyfriend thinks I don't know that he is cheating on me. So I plan on humiliating him while also having fun."

"Devious. I love it. So what's your talent going to be?" The janitor smirked at her.

Ruby giggled softly at him. "Singing."

"I'm betting you sound really good too."

Her shoulders shrugged as she smiled. "Maybe. I just wanted to get a feel for the stage today."

"Well the stage is right over here." The janitor led her over to the stage.

Ruby climbed onto the stage doing a playful twirl. "It feels great."

"I bet. Whoa easy there." He caught her as she fell forward off the stage knocking them both back onto one of the seats.

She pulled back a bit and gazed down at him. "Oops."

"Where'd you get that?" His gaze shifted down to the charm hanging off of her necklace.

Ruby followed his gaze then shrugged. "Oh that? It belonged to my mother. She got it at a flea market. It's supposed to protect you from evil or at least that's what my wiccan aunt seems to think."

"Huh. Right." He made a bed along with two women appear on the stage behind her.

She tried her best not to react when the two women flirted with Dean. "What's going on?"

"Just a little something I have to handle." The janitor set her on the seat beside him. "Consider them a peace offering, Dean. I know what you and your brother do. I've run into your kind before."

"Well then you know that I can't keep letting you hurt people." Dean spoke and Ruby glanced over at him.

"Yeah and those people got what was coming to them. Treat yourselves. As long as you want. Just long enough for me to move on to the next town." The janitor smiled slightly at him.

"Yeah I can't do that."

"I don't want to hurt you and you know that I can." His hand reached out grasping Ruby's wrist.

"Look man, I dig your style. I mean... and the slow dancing alien?" Both men laughed.

"One of my personal favorites." The Trickster smiled.

"Yeah, but I can't let you go."

"Too bad. Like I said, I liked you, but Sam was right. You shouldn't have come alone." The Trickster's smile dropped as he let go of Ruby.

"Well I'll agree with you there." Dean remarked as Sam and Bobby joined them in the theatre.

"That fight you guys had outside? That was all a trick?" He looked surprised while Dean pulled a wooden stake from his jacket. "Not bad. You want to see a real trick though?"

Ruby gasped as a man wielding a chainsaw appeared behind Sam. Dean tried to help him, but the women began to attack him knocking the stake out of his hands. The blonde ran forward kicking the women away from Dean. One of them then got up and threw Dean into some chairs while Bobby was helping Sam against the man with a chainsaw. The Trickster laughed and clapped his hands as the ladies stopped attacking. At that moment, both Winchesters spotted the stake.

"Dean, Dean, Dean, Dean. I didn't want to have to do this." The trickster stood up not seeing Sam toss the stake to Dean.

"Me either." He caught the stake and slammed it into the Trickster's chest.

The women, the bed, and the man with the chainsaw all disappeared Dean removed the stake and the man's body slumped down dead in a seat. He checked on Sam and the Singers then led them out of the building.

"Bobby, Ruby, thanks for coming out here and saving our asses." Sam thanked them only for the older Singer to interject.

He opened the car door and huffed. "Save it. Let's get the hell out of dodge before someone finds the body."

The four of them piled into the Impala and drove off back to the motel. Inside the hall, a man eating a chocolate bar approached the trickster's body which then vanished. The trickster smirked standing there looking very much alive.

After checking out of the motel, the Winchesters parted ways with Bobby. Ruby opted to stay with the brothers. They made their way out of town going the farthest they could before stopping for the night. The two Winchesters shared a look noticing that the blonde was uncharacteristically quiet. They got food and thankfully she ate her meal.

"Ruby, are you alright?" Sam glanced over at her with concern after they were done eating.

The blonde looked over at him and smiled softly. "I'm fine. Just.. a lot on my mind."

"Like you straddling the Trickster?" Dean snorted.

Ruby scoffed rolling her eyes. "I was not straddling him. I fell off the stage and he caught me."

"Well you didn't seem to be in a rush to get off of him."

She laughed softly at that. "Jealous much, Dean?"

"No. Maybe." He furrowed his brows at her.

A sigh fell from her lips. "He was looking at my necklace like he recognized it."

"Did he?" Sam looked curious.

Ruby shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. Dean distracted him before he could say much."

"Well Bobby wouldn't have let you wear it if it were harmful." Dean assured her.

She bit her lip. "Yeah I know. It's still going to bug me though."