A/N – Chapter title from the song of the same name by Aerosmith.

Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural, but I have Kripke'd Kripke back with this one. Take that, Eric! If you think the SPN staff doesn't read fanfic, better think again.

Part 3 – back in the saddle again

Being Death wasn't a bad gig at first.

Damn. Never thought I'd hear myself say that.

Me and Tessa reaped Merle Hawkins, the guy who tried to rob that store. Seeing him point that gun at that kid and his father really pissed me off, so I took my time with him after the store owner busted a cap in his ass.

Hawkins looked surprised that he was the one who died instead. For a weird moment I had the feeling that he actually thought he was headed upstairs. Didn't break my heart any to tell him otherwise.

"Enjoy the ride down, pal. Trust me - sauna gets hot."

Tessa rolled her eyes at me. Samirah just stood there with her ears pricked, staring at me. I wanted to ask her how whatsisname rolled when he was Death, but I didn't. Maybe I didn't want to hear her answer: "Oh, he's way better than you are, OneDay."

I thought about Sam with his soul back in place instead. I kept my end of the bargain and I did the damn job.

The walking heart attack was next. He told me if he had to do it all over again, he'd eat the same way again. Dude didn't seem that broken up as he walked off with Tessa. I heard him ask her if there was going to be any food where he was going.

Samirah stood beside me. She shook her head from side to side. "Humans. I'll never understand them."

Maybe I shouldn't have opened my damn mouth, but I had to ask. "So, uh...there's a Sam Winchester where you come from?"

Samirah nodded. "Sure. He's Bitchface."

"Bitchface?"

"Uh huh. He's the Bitchface of the Apocalypse. There's War, Death, Famine, Pestilence, and Bitchface."

"Huh. Three guesses who named him..."

I could hear laughter in her voice. "And you don't even need one."

"Sweet." That made me laugh, and she pricked her ears at the sound of my voice. "Does your Sam have a soul?"

"I'm pretty sure he does. He was dead for a while, too."

"He was what?"

She tossed her head just as Tessa came back. "Long story."

Holy Innocents Hospital. That was where it all went south.

Tessa crossed her arms in front of her chest and glared at me. If looks could kill...well, you know the rest. I wasn't having any of it. The young girl in the hospital bed looked weak and pale. She had this faraway look in her eyes.

I could hear the heart monitor beep. I hate that sound.

Samirah stood quietly by the bed. The kid smiled at her and tried to raise her hand off the bed. I guess she wanted to pet Samirah. That's what it looked like, anyway.

I knew her name was Hilary, and she was only twelve years old, for God's sake. She had a heart condition. That's a hell of a thing to put on anybody, much less a kid. The more I thought about it, the more pissed off I became. "She's twelve. I'm Death. And she's not dying today."

Samirah snorted. Tessa looked even more pissed off than she did before. "You made a deal with Death, Dean. In exchange for your brother's soul. Have you forgotten that? You have a job to do, and your shift isn't over yet."

I shook my head. "I'm not doing it. I'm not killing her, y'hear me?"

Tessa stepped right into my personal space. "There's a natural order to things. This is her destiny. And yours."

I rolled my eyes at that one. "Give me a friggin' break. I've spent my whole life fighting against that crap. I don't believe it. That's just something the Powers That Be use to frighten everybody into making nice. I'm in charge of this, right here, right now, and I say the little girl lives."

Tessa huffed. "The sad thing is you don't believe a word you're saying." She looked at the little girl and shook her head. "You have no idea what you've done. You changed things, Dean. Hilary won't live a normal life. You think she will, but she won't. Death and chaos will follow her for the rest of her life. There's a ripple effect to what you did."

Samirah nodded silently.

I didn't pay any attention to what Tessa said. The beeping of the heart monitor got stronger. Hilary's color was better.

That was the first domino down, and I didn't even know it. Yet.

One time, when we were kids, Sammy and I found a box of dominos up in the attic of Pastor Jim's house in Blue Earth. Sam was nine, Dad was off on a hunt, and I was laid up with a broken arm. We spent the weekend playing with the damn things. Laid them down on the floor in all these patterns, straight lines, curved lines. Tickled the hell out us to set 'em up, and then make 'em fall down. Just a touch. That was all it took.

This was different, but the same. I didn't touch Hilary. She got better, and everything else went to hell.

Ten minutes later I stood in the ER staring down at the surgeon's nurse. Her name was Jolene. She had dark hair and a nice smile.

She'd gotten off early because I didn't kill Hilary. There was a car accident. A bad one. Jolene was covered in blood, and she was dying. Because of me.

Less than a minute later I touched Jolene, and Tessa reaped her. "Decades early," Tessa said.

Two more dominos down, and the sonsabitches kept right on falling.

My time sense was all screwed up. Things seemed to slow down, and speed up. The next thing I knew Samirah and I stood on this sidewalk somewhere, and I watched Jolene's husband stagger to his car. Dude was drunk, wasted. He had a bottle in one hand and his car keys in the other.

I knew he was going to drive drunk. Suicide by car.

And I knew he was going to take a busload of people with him.

The names ran through my head (Gerald Smith, Kathy Doughtery, Clara Ames...). I saw their faces, knew their ages, and I couldn't take it anymore. I'd fucked up. Big time. I heard the roar of the engine as Scott started the car up.

I did it without thinking, and damn it, I should have known better. It was the only thing I could think of to do.

I jumped on Samirah's back, grabbed a handful of her mane, and kicked her in both sides with my boots. "Yehahhh!"

Right then and then I knew I'd made the biggest mistake of my life.

Samirah froze. Her ears went up. She turned her head slowly and gave me the evil eye, and those copper eyes of hers were blazing. I swear she was breathing smoke and fire. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

I gestured at the car. "Uh...well...he's getting away?" I said weakly.

She shook her head sideways, looked at the speeding car and then back at me. "Do you ride?"

"Um...I...uh..."

"Horses. Do you ride horses?"

"Uh...no..."

"I never would have guessed. You kick me again, OneDayDean, and I'll sit on you."

All I could do was nod.

"All right then," Samirah rumbled. I looked down and saw this weird blue light flash over her coat. Next thing I knew I was sitting on a black leather saddle. Hadn't been there before. Didn't look like any Western gear I'd ever seen in the movies, either. Samirah was wearing this halter too.

No, wait a minute. I think they call it a bridle.

She nodded. "Pick up the reins."

"The what?"

"The long leather straps. They're right in front of you. Come on."

I wound them around my hands once and then pulled back on them. Hell, that was stupid. I don't know why I did that. She tossed her head. "Too tight. Just hold them, don't yank on them."

She pawed the ground with her right leg while I did. By this time Scott turned the corner nearly on two wheels. He was driving way too fast. "He's getting away-"

"Oh, please." Samirah snorted as she shook her head sideways. "My son Nahele could outrun that thing when he was a foal. We have time. Put your feet in the stirrups."

"The what?"

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "The silver things below the saddle." I had the feeling she was dumbing things down so I'd understand. Should have pissed me off, but it didn't. What I know about horses you could put inside a thimble."Slip your feet through them."

After I did that she nodded again.

"One last thing." I felt something grab my ass and pull me down onto the saddle. I heard a click. Felt like my ass and the insides of my legs was superglued to the saddle. I couldn't move.

"What the hell was that?"

"Just wanted to make sure you don't fall off. Don't kick me again. And don't pull on the reins." Samirah took a couple of dancing steps sideways, and then we took off.

Damn. She ran faster than my girl could, faster than anything I've ever driven or ridden in.

I liked it, but it scared the hell out of me.

I don't think I screamed.

Much.

We caught up with the car just past the turn at the corner. The bus was at the intersection less than half a block away.

OneDay? Samirah thought at me. Think fast.

Everything around me went copper colored. I wasn't on her back anymore. I was in the car, in the front seat. Scott had his foot jammed on the gas pedal.

"Stop the car!" I yelled at him. The bus filled up the windshield. He wasn't stopping. I yelled out again, and then it hit me that he couldn't hear me, couldn't see me.

So I yanked off the ring.

I reached out and grabbed the steering wheel, yanked it hard over to the right. Scott yelled when he saw me, but I didn't give a damn about that.

The car jerked to a stop six feet away from the bus.

Scott started yelling. "Who the hell are you? How the hell did you-"

Samirah walked up on the driver's side, lowered her head and glared at him. She was breathing fire and her eyes were bright copper.

Scott screamed like a girl.

I lost the bet.

That was all I could think of. I screwed up, big time. Death didn't have to go through with his part of the bargain, and Sam's soul would stay in the pit. I was stuck with Soulless now, and me and Bobby would have to find another way to get Sam's soul back.

I was kidding myself. I knew that. There wasn't any other way to get Sam out of the pit.

Death knew I'd fail. Hell, I knew I'd fail, from the moment I walked into that hospital room and saw that little girl.

I'd fucked up for sure, but I had to make this right.

"Hilary won't live a normal life. You think she will, but she won't. Death and chaos will follow her for the rest of her life. There's a ripple effect to what you did."

I put the ring on, and Samirah and I went back to the hospital.

I did my damn job.

I tried to apologize to Hilary, but anything I said wasn't good enough. I knew that. I felt like a total bastard as Tessa walked off with her. That left me and Samirah.

"I screwed up. I won't get my brother's soul back after this."

She looked at me and made this soft sound. "You think you're so different from Gaelen, but you two are so much alike."

I stared at her.

"Would he have done what I did?"

"In your place?" She nodded. "Yes. We followed the natural order of things for a long time. It's different now." She pricked her ears. "Maybe you didn't mess up after all."

I gently patted her on her neck. I don't know why I did it, but she didn't pull back and she didn't stomp the hell out of me. That was something, at least.

Horse-boy looked pissed.

He was dressed in black, and I couldn't help it, I snorted a little when I saw him. Dude was wearing a hoodie, for cripes sake.

He stood up straighter when he saw us. Dude definitely had his game face on.

"I'm back!" Samirah said cheerfully. She practically danced up to him. "Did you miss me?"

He stared at her for a moment. "I guess." he said gruffly. Then Gay-boy's eyes widened as he looked at her. "Wait a minute." He pointed at me. "You let him ride?"

Samirah nodded. "Yes."

"I'll be damned," he muttered. He shook his head. "Did he scream?"

"A little."

"Sweet."

That weird blue light ran over her and she had her saddle and bridle on again. He swung up into the saddle. Samirah turned and slowly walked around Tessa and me. Gay-boy sat tall in the saddle, I'll give him that, like Eastwood or McQueen.

"Tessa." He nodded at her. Tessa smiled and nodded back.

He looked at me. Another nod. "Poser."

"Hey!" I shot him a look that could blister paint. He smirked some more.

"See you around, One Day," Samirah called out as she walked away. "Hope everything works out for you."

The air around them lit up with that weird copper colored glow.

Horse-boy grunted. "So how was it?"

"I had a nice time."

He chuckled as they faded into thin air. "Good."

"Least it worked out for them."

Tessa sighed. "You're all the same. No matter what 'verse, you're all the same."

Damn, I felt tired all of a sudden. What the hell could I say? "Deal's off because I screwed up?"

Tessa gave me this sideways glance and the look on her face softened. I blinked, and found myself back at Bobby's place. The hair on the back of my neck stood up. I guess it was the ring. I still had it on.

I knew what I was going to see, even before I walked into the room: Bobby tied in a chair. Sam with a butcher knife. Didn't take a rocket scientist to figure this one out.

I put my hand on Sam's shoulder, spun him around.

He looked surprised.

"Hey, Sam. I'm back."

I put my fist in his face and dropped him like a bad habit.

Yep. Perfect end to a craptastic day. This one definitely buried the needle on the Weird-O-Meter.

-30-