6. "This Is a Risk I Have To Take."

I make an irritated hiss through my teeth as I sit up on the couch. Another bad dream. More like another bad memory that's dangling over my head and won't leave me alone. I rub my face with one hand. This has got to stop.

I stretch out, and that's how I realize Henry Winchester isn't on the other end. As I comb my hair with my fingers, I sit up and stretch out my back. I look towards the bathroom. The door's open, and the room is empty. Frowning slightly, I force myself up off the couch and see Sam and Dean are still knocked out in jeans and t-shirts. I tilt my head. It's perhaps the first time they've looked at peace. Sleep looks to make them seem younger too.

I don't call Henry's name in case I wake up the brothers. Something on the table catches my eye: a notepad. I pick it up and almost drop it once I finish reading the message. Well, it explains why Henry is nowhere to be found this morning. I grit my teeth and read the message again. "Fix everything"? How in the hell is he gonna do that? What does that even mean? My head pounds slightly.

I look to Sam and Dean. I groan through my throat. None of us are gonna be happy about this awakening. So, I wake Sam first. I'm not gentle either; I'm pushing on him as hard as I can.

"Sam, get up!" I snarl low in his ear. "Hey, your grandfather decided to leave us hanging! Get the hell up!"

Sam has the audacity to swat at me. A little pissed off, I move onto the next Winchester. This is putting my life in his hands, which terrifies me. But it's worth the risk. If I try and figure out where Henry went on my own, I won't get very far. If I try and it requires taking the car, I'll definitely be shot by Dean.

"Hey, hey!" I shove against Dean's shoulder. "Come on, I'll let Sam get away with this because he's been nice to me, but you-" Just like Sam, Dean swats at me. I drop my mouth open in annoyance. "All right, I bet you if anyone else woke you two up you wouldn't do this."

I debate pulling Dean off the bed by his legs, but I don't think I'm that strong. So I go for the next best option: I hit him on the face with the notepad.

I should have gone for his legs.

I scream as I'm grabbed and hauled over Dean, with his green eyes wide and alert. He's got a forearm against my neck and the other arm has got mine that's holding the notepad hostage.

"The hell?" I squeak in a high voice. "Do you do this every time somebody tries to wake you up?!"

"You brought it on yourself." He squints. "Were you trying to get the keys again?"

"No, dumbass! I hit you with this." I jiggle the notepad in my hand as much as I can. "We have an issue. Your grandfather decided to fly the coop. He's gone, Dean. I woke up, and he wasn't here."

"Crap. Sam, get up!"

From the corner of my eye, I see Sam stir. I roll my eyes.

"What's going on?" he asks through a yawn. "Um...do I even want to ask?"

I turn my head to Sam. "Henry's gone. He left a note saying he was going to fix everything."

"Yeah, or screw it up," Dean mutters.

"Can I not be a hostage now?" I complain. Dean lets me up and first thing heads out the door. I rub my throat as I stare down at the notepad again. Henry Winchester is one sly bastard, sneaking off doing God-knows-what. We have to find him before he does something that will blow up in his face.

"You sleep any, Natasha?" Sam asks me.

I shake my head. "A little, but for the most part, no." I yawn obnoxiously. "But at least the couch was nice."

"We need to figure out a plan for you once this whole situation gets solved."

"Don't worry, I know," I tell him neutrally. "I'm just not what the plan is just yet. Hell, there might not be a plan if I don't survive this."

"Don't say that." Sam jumps off his bed. "You've been doing something right if you're still here."

I snort. "If you say so." I'm off the bed now and look out the window. "Well, Henry wasn't smart enough to take the car." I see Dean's got the trunk open. "If he'd seen what Dean did to me when I tried to steal it, it's actually smarter than he didn't take it. Hey, if you don't need the shower, Sam, I'll use it for a few minutes."

"Go ahead."

I take a rather short shower in case Dean comes back with some idea as to why Henry decided to leave. Just as I hear the room door open, I'm out of the bathroom, feeling cleaner than I have in years.

"Now we know what he meant by 'fix everything,'" Dean says.

"What?" Sam and I pipe.

"He broke into the trunk, stole an angel feather. I'm guessing he's gonna whip up another one of those blood spells and Marty McFly himself back to the nineteen fifties."

"To do what?" I ask. "Stop Abaddon before she strikes?"

"Or grab Dad and haul ass. Look, point is he's doing it."

"How?" Sam takes his turn. "He still needs two ingredients for the spell. Unless...unless there's some place nearby that sells real hoodoo." Sam heads for the table and opens up the laptop.

"I'll call Garth." Dean's already got his phone out. I'm hovering near Sam, fist pressed against my mouth as he opens an application on his laptop.

"All units, possible homicide at Astro Comics. Location-"

"The comic store?" I mumble against my mouth.

"Hey," Sam calls to Dean.

"Hmm?"

"It just hit the wires-one dead at Astro Comics."

Dean's hovering over Sam's other shoulder. "Abaddon?"

"Yeah, has to be."

"Okay, so she's close. I'll go find Henry. You find Larry. Figure out how to kill this chick."

"Whoa, wait, wait, am I staying here?" I ask Dean as he's halfway to the door.

"You better take her with you, Dean," Sam tells him.

"We don't have time to argue about where she's gonna be!" Dean fumes.

"Listen, maybe Henry will listen to me too," I propose.

"Look, I don't need you trying to make a move on him-"

I growl. "Excuse me, asshole, but I'm trying to lend you my help! Yes, your grandfather is strangely attractive, but I'm only saying to take me along because you might need the extra help."

"Just take her, Dean," Sam groans.

"Fine. But if you so much as try another Grand Theft Auto-"

"You'll kill me, yeah, yeah," I snap. "Come on, we need to find your grandfather." I give him a shove towards the door. Dean looks almost tempted to hit me, the fire in his green eyes is bright.

I automatically head for the backseat until Dean grabs me and throws me towards shotgun. I give him a strange look, he doesn't give me an answer. We both slam the doors shut, and Dean revs the engine.

We tear out of the parking lot, hoping we're not too late.

* * *

Dean and I are lookouts for Henry. I bite skin off my lower lip. Henry can be anywhere in town.

"Hey, scratch anymore and you'll be raw," Dean scolds me. I look down and see my nails have been going against my skin for some time now. I bury my hands under my arms for good measure. "Nervous tick?"

"The only one people make me aware of," I grumble, tossing my blonde locks. "What kind of make and model is this?"

"Nineteen sixty-seven Chevrolet Impala."

My lips try a smile at hearing how fond Dean sounds of the car. "Pretty good condition for as old as it is."

"You into cars?"

"Nah, I was asking out of curiosity." My eyes look through the windows of stores, waiting to see the recognizable, vivid blue suit. "Although I'm guessing you would prefer the tense silence. And I'll know if you're dropping me off somewhere, I know this town."

"I know you do. You've probably been through every inch of it." He keeps his eyes mainly on the road. His words aren't harsh, but they still sting me. It's very possible that I've explored all of Normal, Illinois, during my many years being out on my own. I've definitely encountered some memorable people. They aren't memorable in the nice way. Most aren't, there are only two that are worth remembering. But just the thought of them sends my heart painful beats.

My blue eyes lock on a familiar suit.

"There!" I point. Dean jerks the car hard to the right so he can park along the sidewalk. We both tumble out and head for the store door. I'm more focused on Henry's back, his voice and the unintelligible words he's uttering, and the fact that a symbol is glowing gold on a door he's standing in front of.

"Henry, wait!" I shout.

"This is a risk I have to take," he says strongly.

"And what if you die, huh?" Dean retorts. "Who said you'll even survive a jump?"

The gold glow disappears as Henry turns to us both. "You cannot begin to understand how I felt after reading John's journal."

"Oh, I think I can. See, I've read that thing more times than you can imagine, and it hurts every time."

"Maybe so, but you didn't let him down! I did! Just like you said!"

"Well, I was wrong."

"No! No, you were right. And I'm going to go back and give him the life he deserves, not the one he was forced to live."

"And what if it's not meant to be?"

"Then it will be!"

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because it's the right thing to do! I can save him and stop Abaddon!"

"How?" I demand.

"By going back an hour before she attacks and making preparations."

"If you do that and you change the past, me and Sam might cease to exist!" Dean shouts.

"I'm aware that time is a delicate mistress, but I'm willing to bet on this being for the best."

"Listen, I understand that this is not your idea of a happy ending, okay, and that-that you're disappointed that me and Sam are mouth-breathing hunters. But you know what? We stopped the Apocalypse."

I look at Dean strangely. Oh, so now he and his brother stopped the apocalypse? Boy, will I need therapy for this, once I can afford it. If I ever can.

"If this works the way I planned, there will never be an apocalypse to stop."

My head, once again, is on the verge of unravelling. Keep it together. You're doing a decent job with Abaddon and this time travel business. It's not like you're actually in the apocalypse. Dean and Sam, apparently, stopped it.

I jump as Dean's phone goes off. I ruffle my hair as he answers.

"Sammy?" he says.

"No. Much sexier. Try again."

I feel my blood run cold.

"Abaddon."

"Good boy. Now listen up-I want to make a good, old-fashioned horse trade. Henry and the key for your brother. Or he dies." I bite down on my tongue as I see Dean close his eyes. "Am I clear?"

"Crystal."

"On the road to Larry's there's a processing plant. Don't keep me waiting."

I guess it's good that I hadn't gone with Sam, because most likely she would have killed me on the spot. What would I be to the Winchesters? Nothing. She would have seen that and killed me right in front of Sam. Maybe.

"Abaddon has Sam?" Henry asks gravely as Dean hangs up.

"She wants to trade you and the key for Sam's life."

"If I could just go back, stop this all from happening..."

"And what if you can't? I can't take that risk-not with Sammy on the hook now."

"I can't abandon my son, Dean! Not again! I need to do this. I'm sorry." Henry turns back to the symbol and begins to chant those strange words again.

"Well, I'm sorry, too." Dean launches himself onto Henry from behind. "Natasha, help me out!"

"Oh, so now you want to be civil?" I ask wisely.

"Damn it, just help me!" He grunts as Henry tries to struggle against his hold.

I jump back as Dean is knocked in the chin. Henry tries to make a break for it, but with my speed, I launch myself at his legs, taking him down. Dean is right there as Henry twists around and tries to buck me off his legs.

"What the hell!" I shout to Dean as he socks Henry across the face. "We could have just tied him up! We could have done this more peacefully."

"There's no such thing as peaceful restraint, Natasha." Dean flips Henry over as I get off his legs.

"You gonna be able to get him in the Impala?"

"I'm not you, I can carry him." He smirks as he plucks Henry up off the ground. "Oh, and I'm putting him up front with me. You can take the back."

I roll my eyes and shuffle out behind Dean as he carries his unconscious grandfather to the car and stuffs him in.