"Say something Nora? What happened?" Grace asked for the fifth time. They were already on their way back to Bobby's, Nora speeding down the highway. Grace felt the panic sitting on her chest and thought she might be sick. Her breaths were fast and shallow and her head was spinning. She wiped at the hot tears springing from her eyes. Why did everything have to be so confusing? She didn't know what was real anymore. Her whole life she thought one thing and every time she learned something new, she immediately wished she hadn't.

Grace shook her head, unable to speak.

Nora felt helpless, "Should I call Dean? Or Bobby."

"No. Please, just drive." Grace said shakily.

"Emma and I wanted to have a baby for a long time."

"What?" Grace's head snapped up.

"I'm trying to tell you that-"

"No." Grace bit out.

She had never fled a room so fast. She had knocked the chair over that she had been sitting in and hadn't said another word to Peter Noland. The history of her family life was so convoluted and messy. It read more like a soap opera than anything else. She had always thought she had two parents that were possessed by demons and the rest was history. But there was so much more and she wasn't sure she wanted to know anything else. Each time she dug into the past, it only hurt her.

"Drive where?" Nora cautiously asked.

"Home." Grace still felt nauseated.

OoOoOo

The drive passed slowly in terse silence. A day and a half completely wasted. Grace climbed out of the Jeep, while Nora grabbed her bag. The Impala was no longer parked outside of Bobby's and Grace's heart sank. She of course knew they would be gone as Dean had texted her that they were headed to Cicero, Indiana.

Grace held the door open for Nora and slammed it shut. Bobby cursed loudly from the other room and came running into the hallway, his pistol aimed and ready. He instantly lowered it when he saw the two of them standing there. Relief crossed his features, "Damn it, you two could have called. What are you doing back already?" Bobby sternly asked them.

Nora dropped the bag on the floor, "It didn't exactly go as planned."

"What does that mean?" Bobby questioned.

Grace took a breath and squared off with Bobby, "Did you know about Peter?"

"The guy in Lawrence? What about him?" Bobby was convincing at least to Grace. She wasn't sad or disappointed anymore, she was angry. Her fists clenched at her sides, she glared at Bobby.

Grace huffed, "Henry Bradley apparently isn't my father. Peter Noland is."

"What?" Nora and Bobby said simultaneously, both shocked.

"Did you know?" Grace asked again.

Bobby frowned, "If I knew that you had a parent out there, you think I woulda kept you from them?"

Grace immediately regretted the accusation in her voice. The anger dissipated as quickly as it had appeared. Bobby had done nothing but protect her and take care of her. He'd been more of a parent to her than anyone else.

She hung her head.

Bobby cleared his throat, "I know it's late, but let me cook ya up some dinner."

"It's eleven." Grace whispered and laughed.

"We're starving." Nora cut in, tying to be polite.

Bobby turned, leaving Grace and Nora in the front hallway. Grace sat on the bottom step of the staircase and rested her head on her hands. Nora leant against the wall and watched her friend. Grace was not sure what her next move was. They were back to square one and it seemed it was going to stay that way.

"So you'll leave tomorrow?" Grace asked, knowing the answer.

Nora smiled sadly, "Chase thinks he found a place and it's a long drive back. But, I can stay."

Grace shook her head vehemently, "No. No you, have to go. I can't keep dragging you into all of this shit."

"It's not shit. You're my best friend." Nora countered as she came to sit beside her. Nora rested her head on Grace's shoulder. Grace smiled at the familiar scent of her coconut shampoo and relaxed.

"I know and you're mine, but our lives are going in completely opposite directions." Grace tried to explain. While things were building into something for Nora, everything was crumbling around her.

"So what?" Nora exclaimed.

"So," Grace began, "You've got a life outside of this."

"Grace, just because-"

"It's because of everything and I can see how happy you are. I want you to go home to Chase and find your home with him. I'm going to be okay." Grace's voice was stronger.

The two of them sat in silence as they each thought about what the words they were exchanging.

"I feel like we're breaking up." Nora finally said and they both chuckled.

Grace couldn't help but grin, "We're not. We're best friends. That's why I'm saying all of this."

"Promise you'll still call me if you need anything?" Nora finally said.

"It's not like I'm saying we should never talk again."

Nora sighed, "I know."

OoOoOo

In the days after Nora left, Grace puttered around the house. She ignored three calls from Peter and the two subsequent voicemails. Bobby kept his distance, which was smart. She was irritable and needed some time to process everything. Apart from the lack of success in stopping Dean's inevitable death, she apparently had a father after all. Alive. Then who was Henry? When did her mother have a baby with Peter and then marry Henry? Did Lynn know?

Grace sat on the back porch, her fingers tracing the intricate label on a bottle of red wine while the crickets chirped around her. While not a very big drinker, tonight she felt the urge to relax. Bobby kept a few bottles of wine that nobody ever drank. In fact the bottles had collected dust.

Her mind wandered to Dean. He and Sam were hunting a changeling. His texts were short and they hadn't spoken on the phone, but to be fair, both of them were being distant. She had told Dean that the meeting with Peter didn't bring anything to fruition, but left out the fatherhood part. He mentioned they would talk more after the case. Sam hadn't responded to any of her texts. She was already feeling the loneliness sinking in. If she wasn't on the road in pursuit of a hunt, what was she doing?

"Well this is just depressing." The mysterious savior from Lincoln stood just outside the screen door. The porch light illuminated her face and she was smiling at Grace.

Grace jumped and spilt the glass of wine all over the table. Her heart was racing as she scrambled to clean it up. "What the hell are you doing here?" Grace bit out as she frantically wiped up the spill.

"Shhh, we don't want to wake Bobby." The girl opened the screen door and came to sit at the table. How does she even know who he is?

Still standing Grace clenched her jaw, "Sure, make yourself comfortable."

She smiled sweetly in return, "Well sit back down, and enjoy your wine. I'm just here to talk."

Grace crossed her arms and remained silent.

Dramatically, the stranger sighed, "I'm here to help you, okay?"

"Who even are you?" Grace was exasperated.

"Sit." She paused, "And I'll tell you."

Begrudgingly, Grace weighed her options. She didn't think the girl was there to hurt her or she would have already. With baited breath, Grace sat down. She watched as the stranger poured her another glass of wine and pushed it towards her.

"A peace offering."

Grace raised her eyebrow and took a drink, the initial dryness making her mouth water. Her newfound "friend" for the evening seemed satisfied as she relaxed.

"Any time you want to start explaining yourself, I'm ready to hear it. I don't even know your name. Are you a hunter?" Grace thought back to that blade she wielded and couldn't think of anyone else who could possibly have such a weapon. However, once she let out a barking laugh Grace knew that her thought was wrong.

"First of all, my name is Ruby. And secondly, I'm not a hunter." Ruby told her pointedly.

"Okay."

"I know that your meeting with Peter didn't go quite as planned and I want to help." Ruby told her.

"How could you know about that? Did Sam tell you?" Grace felt the hair on the back of her neck begin to stand up. She felt momentarily betrayed by Sam, thinking he actually divulged information about Dean's deal or her meeting with this stranger.

Ruby rolled her eyes, "No. And I just know things."

"Yeah, how?"

Ruby huffed, "If I told you, I don't think there would be very much trust between us."

"There isn't any trust between us now." Grace retorted.

"Oooh, ouch." Ruby seemed entertained.

"Look, either tell me the truth or leave." Grace took another drink.

Ruby licked her lips and then she blinked. But her eyes weren't how they had been; now they were black. Ruby quickly blinked and she was back to normal. Grace stiffened, wishing she had some holy water or maybe the knife that killed demons. She was a sitting duck. She was no match for a demon, not while she was unarmed. Maybe she could fend her off long enough to wake up Bobby and hopefully arm herself?

Grace looked inside the house and back towards Ruby.

"Don't." Ruby demanded.

Grace cocked her head to the side.

"I'm here to help you. I don't want to hurt you." Ruby spoke softly.

"You're a demon." Grace muttered.

"Well you don't have to be rude. I'm assuming you have questions about Peter…your family? Don't you want answers?" Ruby tried.

Grace sighed, "Whatever you know can't change anything. None of it matters anyway." Playing the family card would have worked any day before yesterday. Now Grace's interest was lost.

"That's where you're wrong."

Her interest was piqued, "What do you mean?"

"Listen, I don't mean to sound vague or redundant, but trust me. I can't just tell you what I know, there are bigger things at play here, but if you found the answers mostly on your own…well that would be good for you." Ruby explained.

Grace furrowed her brow. "Good for me?" She repeated.

"And maybe Dean. Maybe." Ruby shrugged.

She knew she was being manipulated and it wasn't trust urging her to find out more. Dean was her weakness and Ruby knew it. Yes, she was a demon and probably lying. But, Grace couldn't squish the hope that was rising once more. The aspect about her family didn't seem nearly as important as the idea of finding a way to help Dean.

"Tell me." Grace couldn't hide her resentment at the fact that she folded so easily.

Ruby grinned triumphantly.

"You'll need the Malleus Maleficarum." Ruby told her evenly.

Grace wrinkled her nose, "The book about witch hunts?"

Ruby nodded, "First published in Germany in 1487, basically a handbook about witches with a nice touch of demonology."

"I'm assuming you don't just carry around a copy with you." Grace said flatly, not nearly as amused as Ruby appeared to be.

"That would be too easy, you'll need the original. But lucky for you, I know where to find it." Ruby announced.

"Do you enjoy me asking you an endless amount of questions or what?" Grace huffed.

Ruby let out a short laugh, "Bela Talbot can help you."

Grace tensed.

"No. Absolutely not." Grace replied without a second thought.

Bela Talbot was not a hunter by any stretch; she was more of a procurer of all things supernatural. Grace wasn't sure was surprised when her name came from Ruby's lips. Something as obscure as the Malleus Malleficarum would be in her possession. While Grace had never personally met Bela, she knew enough from Bobby. She was just a cutthroat as any hunter would be, maybe even more so.

"Okay then, nice chatting with you." Ruby stood up and was almost out the door before Grace stopped her. What if this was the only chance she had?

"I don't even know how to get into contact with her." Grace blurted.

Ruby stopped dead in her tracks, her back to Grace. She could only imagine the shit eating grin on Ruby's face before she turned back to face her. Ruby reached into her pocket and handed Grace a folded piece of paper. Grace reluctantly took it and saw a phone number scribbled onto the page.

"Good luck." Ruby told her.

"Wait!" Grace called out before Ruby was out the door.

"What?"
"If you know anything about Bela she's going to want something in return for this book. I don't have anything to offer her." Grace was trying to think ahead and come up with a plan.

Ruby nodded and gave Grace a look of approval, "Here, she'll trade." Ruby took off a chain that had been around her neck. Dangling in the middle was a deep blue gem outlined in black stone.

"What is this?" Grace was naturally curious.

"Don't worry about it," she hesitated, "Just don't lose it."

Ruby left after that, leaving Grace alone with her thoughts. Even though Grace knew what she would ultimately end up doing, she stared at the phone number wondering if it was really the best decision.

But, if it could save Dean, ultimately it was.

OoOoOo

The drive would take about two days with stops and that was being generous. Plus she had wasted an extra three days at Bobby's trying to come up with a plan and work through the logistics. She had researched more about the Malleus Malleficarum and couldn't really understand what it was going to do, but she knew she had to do. Grace had written a short note to Bobby:

I'm headed out, I'll call. Don't worry, I'm safe.

Grace

She knew he'd be angry when he awoke to the note. But if she had told him where she was going he would have pushed her to stay. As Grace sped down a back road she thought about her phone call with Bela. She was angry at first, questioning how Grace had gotten her number in the first place, but when Grace told her about the amulet she held, Bela was placated. Grace still had no idea what it was or how much it was worth, but she knew it must be priceless. Now she was driving to Queens, to an address she didn't recognize, hoping that everything would go smoothly. She had thought of telling Sam and Dean where she was headed, but she didn't know if they were still working their case and she didn't want to distract them.

The plan was to get the book and take it back to Bobby's. The two of them together should be able to make some headway.

OoOoOo

Grace stretched and let out a loud groan. She was just outside of New York and was hoping Bela would still be there. Grace was behind schedule due to traffic and if her reputation was to be believed, Bela didn't like to be kept waiting.

Grace's phone rang and she answered it quickly, trying to ignore the fact that all she could hear was everyone honking their car horns.

"Grace, darling, please tell me you're not standing me up." Bela's feminine voice rang through the other line, her British accent heavy.

"No, I'm on the way. I don't know how anyone makes it on time in this city. I should be there soon." Grace was tired after a night of horrible sleep, she had camped out in the backseat of her truck. Not to mention, she was irritated with this whole situation.

Bela huffed, "I'm a very busy woman and kind of in the middle of something myself."

"Okay, I'll just hold onto this necklace or whatever. Talk to you later." Grace acted like she was going to get off the phone, but she heard Bela's gasp.

"Wait, wait. I'm only teasing. I'll see you soon."

The two of them hung up at the same time.

OoOoOo

The address she was given brought her to a quaint little coffee shop away from the bustle of city. Grace had ordered a small black coffee and a bagel while she waited for Bela. She wasn't even sure what she looked like, but had the distinct feeling she would know her once she arrived.

"I'll take that," Bela was standing before her and she swiped the paper bag holding the amulet, "And in exchange, here you are."

Bela handed Grace a small chest. Grace stared at the woman for a moment. She looked so normal, her hair was styled in loose waves and her makeup was done almost expertly. She wore a black business suit and was carrying a small briefcase.

Slowly, Grace opened the chest and saw the old, torn cover of the Malleficarum. She lifted the cover of the book and realized how fragile the pages were, the ink was disappearing, as were the images throughout. Translating it would have been difficult enough, but when you added the current condition of the text, the translation would be nearly impossible.

"You look disappointed. Are my wares not up to your standards?" Bela asked sarcastically.

Grace shook her head, "No this is it."

Bela stood up, "Perfect. Until next time."

And just like that, she was out the door.

Apparently Bela was not one for small talk.

OoOoOo

Grace lay on the queen sized bed and sighed. The book rested beside her as Grace stared at it, wondering what secrets they held. She wished she weren't in another motel, but at least it was outside of the city. Grace was more suited for small towns anyways.

Her phone vibrated on the nightstand and she saw Dean's name appear on the tiny screen.

"Hey Dean." She was secretly relieved that he was finally calling her. "You still in New York?" Dean asked quickly. So much for greetings.

"How did you know I was in New York?" Grace's tone switched to suspicious as she twisted to sit onto the edge of the bed.

"Seems like we have a mutual friend. Bela?" Dean sounded angry.

Fucking Bela. She felt like a little kid getting caught by their parent.

Grace let out a breath, "I'm still here. Where are you?"

"Well if you're close by, we'll be there. Up for doing a patch job?" Dean propositioned her.

Grace gave them the address of the motel and waited.

OoOoOo

"I can't believe she shot you. I also can't believe you had a rabbits foot." Grace muttered as she sewed another stitch through Sam's skin. Really, since he was cursed, he should be considering himself lucky.

Dean stood watching Grace suture his brother's shoulder, his mouth in a grim line. He had a bad feeling, worse than what he had been carrying around with him. Grace hadn't really said much to him and she was avoiding his eye contact. Sam inhaled sharply as she tugged the needle through one last time.

"All done." Grace stood and smiled triumphantly.

"Thank you. And it was dad's. I guess we shouldn't be too surprised." Sam looked down and inspected her medical prowess.

"I didn't realize you and Bela knew each other." Dean finally said flatly.

Grace chanced looking at him. He was pissed. The way he looked at her, already so disproving before she had even said anything.

"We knew of each other. This was the first time I've met her." Grace defended herself.

Dean nodded slowly, "So why did you meet with her?"

Grace didn't like the direction this was going and she hadn't exactly worked out what she wanted to tell Dean. Either way he would be upset, but she wanted to avoid a fight if possible.

"It's not important." Grace copped out, her mind still racing with ideas of what to say.

"I think it is. This chick only deals with priceless, rare items. So did she have something you wanted or was it the other way around?" Dean's voice began to raise.

Sam cut in, "Dude, lay off."

"Mind your own business Sam." Dean's eyes didn't leave Grace. Her jaw was set as she squared off with Dean. This wasn't how she imagined seeing Dean again would be. It had been close to two weeks since they had seen each other and they hadn't spoken much either. And now they were fighting and she didn't have the energy for it.

Without a word, Grace walked over to her duffel bag and pushed her clothes aside. She had placed the book in the bottom of her bag, hoping to conceal it until she knew what her plan was. She carefully picked it up and turned to Dean. She walked up to him, so close she could reach out and touch him. He looked down at her, his green eyes a mixture of fury and disappointment.

As aggressively as she could without damaging the text, she handed it to Dean. His eyes lingered over the print and confusion took the place of his ire. Sam cocked his head to the side so he could see.

"The Malleus Malleficarum? What is this?" Dean asked.

"The Hammer of the Witches. It was basically used for guiding the with hunts, long before Salem. Wait is that the original text?" Sam became so excited; he forgot that Dean and Grace were about to be at each other's throats. He came close to examine the book, completely in awe.

"Why did you want this? What did you give her in return?" Dean set his sights back on Grace.

Sam was in disbelief, "I mean this is priceless."

Grace shot him a glare and Sam shrunk back.

"I…" Grace paused, not wanting to lie to Dean. She wasn't sure if she could.

It occurred to Grace that Sam and Dean probably didn't even know that that the mysterious woman from Nebraska was Ruby and that she was a demon. She wasn't sure how to tell them.

"Well?" Dean pressed.

"I don't know where to start. I wanted to call you, but you were busy with that hunt." Grace tried to explain.

"I'm here now." Dean countered quickly, his voice not losing any edge.

"I went to Lawrence and met with Peter and it didn't go well." Grace began. "He…uh…he told me that he loved my mom and they wanted to have a baby together. And then I came along. It doesn't make any sense and I don't know if it's true, but I just have this gut feeling that it is."

Dean's exterior softened, "Gracie…"

Grace put her hand up, "It's fine. Once I got back to Bobby's and Nora left I was stuck trying to figure out what to do. Two nights ago the girl from Lincoln suddenly shows up."

Sam stiffened, "Ruby?"

Grace's head snapped in his direction, "How do you know her name?"

"Because they're best buds, haven't you heard?"

"That's not fair Dean." Sam bit out.

Grace looked between the two of them, "You guys already know?"

"Know what? That she's a demon?" Dean spat.

Grace looked at Sam. He gave her a final nod and Grace.

"She told you about this book?" Dean already knew the answer.

"Yes."

And then Dean laughed; the bitter noise came out gruffly as he looked at Grace like she was a complete stranger.

"You're trying to save me." He shook his head in disbelief.

"Dean-"

"What the hell is wrong with you two? Teaming up with a demon? We can't trust her. We should have killed her!" Dean yelled. Grace and Sam looked down at the ground. She wondered what she missed while they were out hunting. Was Ruby playing her and Sam?
"She implied that I would be able to find something that was beneficial for me. And you." Grace's voice was soft.

"She's manipulating you. The both of you." Dean snapped.

"Dean, it's a book. Do you know how many weeks it would take for Bobby and I to translate this thing?" Grace tried to calm him down.

"So you're going to translate it then?"

"I don't know."

Dean looked between his brother and Grace. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. His pride hurt and he felt like his trust had been betrayed. He had missed Grace and didn't want to argue with her and yet he couldn't stop.

"Well you two have fun." Dean pulled his care keys from his pocket and turned to leave.

"Where are you going? Dean?" Grace called after him.

"Out." He shot back.

Grace lightly jumped when he slammed the door. She and Sam exchanged a look; they were in it together now. Grace had a pit in her stomach knowing that she and Dean weren't on good terms at the moment.

"Looks like we have a lot to catch up on." Sam awkwardly laughed.

"We've got time." Grace muttered.

OoOoOo

I've been updating more frequently in the last two weeks. I'm finishing up a a class over the next week or so, therefore I may not be updating as quickly (still might, because I procrastinate by working on my fanfic!) Just wanted to give you a heads up :)

ALSO I'm so excited that people are still reading and adding this story to their favorites/following. If you are enjoying it or have guesses for what's going to happen, please share! I try to be as responsive as I can with PMs and reviews.

Till next time.