I do not own Supernatural!

All other characters are mine :)

(Amber)

My feet hit the pavement in a way they never had before.

Two small feet, a trillion blistering tears, nothing but the wind at my back to keep me company.

The street was dark, but for me that was okay; I didn't need anyone to witness me now. My chest heaved at the idea of anyone, anyone seeing me as I fell apart.

My jeans were torn in three places, I was missing a shoe.

I knew that the left strap on my tank top was shredded to bits, but the right one was holding up fine.

The street lights overhead were dim.

I swiped a hand over my face, wincing at the sight of my own blood as it's ruby red color dripped from my palm.

Looking in either direction I knew that no matter which way I chose to go, I would never, never go back to the home I'd just vacated.

Never, ever.

I could hear the distant sounds of sirens, and my feet hit the pavement even harder than before. My blonde hair fanned out around me as I rounded a bend, falling into the beam of two bright headlights. I gasped as the car ahead of me screeched to a stop, the sound of Zeppelin seeping from the open windows.

Both doors opened and two tall men stepped out into the darkness. The headlights blinded me, but when they rounded that halogen halo, I could see they were both watching me with concern.

The taller one, who had dark hair and bright hazel eyes, stepped towards me with his hands held out.

"Are you alright?," He asked me gently.

He's handsome.

I fell back onto my hands, shaking my head as he neared me.

"Don't- don't touch me," I whispered.

I sounded weak and I hated it; after what I'd survived, I should have been stronger.

Don't say a fucking wor-

"Miss? Let me help you up," The shorter one said.

I turned to look at him then, pausing when his face came into focus.

He's beautiful.

His green eyes were narrowed in on me like I was a math equation, but I just shook my head.

"Come on, darlin'. You're bleeding. Let me help you up," He murmured.

His gaze never left my face as he studied me silently, sitting back on his haunches with his right hand extended.

I wanted to take it.

"We won't hurt you," The taller one said.

I slowly moved to stand on my own two feet and held my own hands out to ward off their touch.

"I'm fine," I answered shakily.

The green eyed man nodded slowly as the taller one stepped even closer.

"Do you want us to take you somewhere? You should really get that nose checked out," He said.

I once again reached up to feel my face, wincing when more tears fell. I could feel the split on the bridge of my nose, the swelling around my eye.

"I'm fine."

The taller one cleared his throat and peeked over at his friend.

They shared a glance, speaking without even opening their mouths, and I stepped back from both of them.

"No offense, sweetheart, but you look like somebody beat the crap out of you."

I closed my eyes at the memories that flooded to the surface, the images that bombarded me, the echoes of a past I just needed to escape.

"Where are you guys headed?"

Asking them that was completely out of character; who in their right mind would get into the car with two strangers, and leave with them?

Someone desperate to start over.

Someone desperate to survive.

"Kansas."

I glanced back towards the end of street, towards the flashing blue and red lights.

"Take me with you. To Kansas," I breathed.

Stranger one looked at stranger two and I hissed between my teeth when they stuttered.

"Please."

"Get in, darlin'."

I stepped around the green eyed stranger watching me like he knew me, and I sighed with relief when the scent of clean leather hit my nose.

"My name is Amber."

The taller one leaned over the back of the seat and smiled at me.

"I'm Sam. That's my brother, Dean."

I tried to smile in return, but my face hurt too badly.

"Look, we've had our fair share of bumps and bruises...I can set that nose for you," Sam offered.

I nodded eagerly, aware of the fact that the pain wouldn't lessen until he did so.

He climbed over the seat, sitting beside me with one leg bent beneath him.

"This is gonna hurt."

"I know," I said truthfully.

In that moment Sam knew that I had been through this before, and his expression darkened.

In that moment, both men knew just how weak I really was.

In that moment I was so grateful that they'd taken me with them I would have done anything they wanted.

With an easy grip, he pressed the break of my nose between his fingers and told me to inhale deeply. As I slowly exhaled he snapped my nose back into place and I cried out, startling Dean in the front seat.

My eyes watered involuntarily, tears catching on his hands as he pulled them away.

"Thank you," I said.

He smiled at me, gesturing to my face.

"What happened?"

I tried to tug my shirt further up on my chest, tried to hide the shame on my face.

"I fell."

Dean scoffed from the front seat and I winced at the sound.

"Try again."

His voice was husky, deep, rough like the underside of a piece of sandpaper.

It grated across my skin like a stiff breeze, causing goosebumps.

Sam tilted my face to the side with the tips of his fingers, assessing the damage with a bright flash light.

"Someone hurt you. You don't have to worry about that with us, Amber. You're safe."

Those words caused a quake inside of me that was both scary and necessary all at the same time.

I was still moved from the sound of Dean's voice, I was still shaking from the traumatic events of my evening. I was still afraid that I was making a big mistake in leaving with complete strangers.

Yet the steady sound of the engine lulled me into a more relaxed state. The heady tunes of Zeppelin eased some of my heart ache.

The fact that I was covered in my own blood and bruises seemed to settle a little less viciously as Sam sat back against the seat beside me and kept a watchful eye on me.

"You can sleep if you want, Amber. We'll make sure you're safe."

Sam's words were simple, but they sounded so heavy.

To me, a woman who was often used and abused, his words formed a bond between us that no one-no one- could ever break.

(Dean)

She was a tiny little thing. Looked barely legal, but she had a defiant tilt to her chin that told me she was a little warrior. Scuffed, scraped, and bruised, she was a gorgeous woman. Her wide unusual eyes were like those of a wounded doe and I wanted to help her.

I couldn't help but notice that perfect mouth of hers. When she'd practically begged to come with us, Sammy and I both realized that the case we'd just caught had nothing to do with the supernatural. No, today the monsters we fought were none other than human, and Sammy and I knew better than anyone that humans could be the worst kind of evil.

It was obvious that Amber had been through this before-whatever this was- and she wasn't giving us a damn clue as to how to help her.

She'd fallen asleep against Sammy's shoulder two hours earlier with her torn shirt still clutched in her tight grip.

Sam cleared his throat.

"Someone may come looking for her."

"Let 'em."

He smiled at me in that way that told he wouldn't mind if they did.

"She's roughed up real bad, Dean."

"I know."

"She's bleeding through her jeans," He said with a glance in her direction.

"What do you mean?," I asked, looking at him through the rear view mirror.

"I mean, I don't think they stopped with just her face," Sam said.

It dawned on me then, when he looked pointedly at the crotch of her jeans.

"You think somebody raped her?"

Sam sighed and nodded, running his hands through his long hair.

I swore under my breath, wondering who the hell could hurt such a...small creature?

Anyone who wanted what she wouldn't give.

Truth was a hard pill to swallow as I peeked at her myself and saw what Sam was referring to.

"There's a reason she was willing to get into the car with two strangers and leave just like that," Sam commented.

"I know. I just don't think either one of us is ready for the answer to that question."

"I don't think either one of us is capable or, well, trained in that area of help," Sam said.

He was right, too.

Give me a djinn, genie, or a ghoul and I can handle them all in the same day.

Hand me a battered woman?

May as well hand me a baby.

I had no idea how to help a woman who'd obviously gone through what she just had. Sammy was more sensitive to these things, he'd be able to help her far better than I ever could.

Amber jerked awake all of a sudden, her wide unusual eyes blinking furiously to clear the last seconds of slumber from them.

"I'm safe."

Her words were whispered more to herself than anything else and they made me wince.

"You're safe," I replied.

Her gaze shot to mine, and it didn't waver.

She watched me like a hawk until I looked back up at her.

From here I could see her chest expanding with her quick breaths, I could practically feel the air vibrate with her quick pulse.

She was still terrified.

"Hey, it's okay. We're getting ready to stop for the night. Are you hungry?," Sam asked.

Amber finally looked away from me and turned to Sam.

"I don't have any money."

He frowned before he smiled at her, obviously trying to ease her mind.

"Don't worry about it. We've been driving all day and we're starving. We had planned on stopping anyways, right?"

Sam's question was directed at me so I nodded.

"Okay," Amber said as she dipped her head once.

Her long blonde hair was tinged pink with her blood as she tucked it behind her ear. She had one green eye and one blue eye. The blue one was ringed with deep black bruising, almost swollen shut.

"Why don't we stop and grab a motel room first? That way Amber can shower, change her clothes. There's a place right off the interstate we can stop at, remember Sam? It's got the Wal-Mart right next to that twenty-four hour diner. We can grab her a few things while we wait for our food," I suggested.

He looked surprised by my suggestion but he nodded and Amber shook her head.

"I don't want to inconvenience you."

"If you were, I wouldn't offer." I said this with a smile, and she seemed to relax slightly before she nodded again.

"Okay. Thank you."

As Dean turned off of the interstate and ambled towards an old motel with a sign that read 'two roms available,' I sucked in a deep breath and finally accepted the fact that I was gone.

I'd done the impossible; I'd gotten away, I'd survived that motherfucker and everything he'd done to me.

The truth was a heady thing, a heartbreaking thing, and it made me want to sit down with my head buried in my knees while I cried.

Sam seemed to sense my unease, because he patted my shoulder like an older brother would.

"I'll go grab us a room," Dean said quietly as he slid out of the Impala with an ease I envied.

I saw the gun on his hip glint in the moonlight and I stiffened.

With a glance at Sam I could see he too held one; and that wasn't weird for Texas. In fact I would have been surprised if they hadn't been carrying weapons, but it still startled me to be so close to one...two guns.

"Are you alright?"

"You have a gun," I blurted out.

Sam smiled.

"Don't worry. We won't pull them out unless we warn you first, okay?"

"That's a real sweet offer, but they don't scare me. I was just surprised."

He nodded as Dean opened the car door and gestured towards the shady line of rooms behind him.

"Got us the last room. Come on."

He closed his door and made his way over to mine, opening it and holding it ajar as I struggled to stand.

I hadn't said a word about the injuries beneath my bloody denim, and I was in a lot of pain as I struggled to stand straight.

Dean's gaze fell to my jeans, now soaked through with dried blood around the crotch, and I closed my eyes in mortification.

Yet he didn't say a word, no, his green eyes simply watched me a banked heat that threatened to be volatile.

"Thank you," I whispered when I was finally out of the seat and walking away.

The car door closed behind me, and then there was a hand on the small of my back helping me stay upright.

I didn't tell him, but it meant the world to me that he hadn't said a word.

It meant everything that he let me keep my pain inside, to myself, instead of asking me a million questions I didn't ever want to answer.

That strong grip held me until we were inside the motel room that smelled of mildew and dust. It was quaint, with a small kitchenette and two queen sized beds. The door to the bathroom was ajar and I rushed for it, slamming it closed in an effort to gain some privacy, some quiet.

If either man wanted inside they could kick the door in no problem, but they hadn't harmed me yet and they could have many a time. I had a gut feeling they wouldn't ever harm me, and I was a pretty good judge of that.

I could hear them shuffling outside of the door and I started the shower, inhaling the clean scent of bleach as the steam rose in the air around me.

The hot water was scalding when I painstakingly peeled my clothes off and looked at my body in the long mirror above the sink.

I was black and blue across the most sensitive parts of myself; my breasts were angry and red. The blood between my legs was broken up by deep scratches that angled over my thighs like bloody angel wings.

This is me.

This is my life.

I wanted to crawl out of my skin as the memories threatened to surface, but I didn't say a word. Tears of shame blurred my vision as I took a step backwards and turned to see the damage done to my back.

Thin, jagged, hateful marks lined my back. Criss-crossing this way and that, it looked like someone had done a tic-tac-toe board across my spine.

I winced as one of the wounds began to weep red.

With a disgusted sigh at the sight of my hideous body, I climbed into the shower and hissed at the sting of the water.

My palms flattened against the tiled wall as the events of the past twenty-four hours came to light in my head. I began to shake so hard my teeth chattered.

I clenched my eyes closed, tried to ignore the pain, but it came crashing through me like a tidal wave. My mouth fell open as a guttural sound slipped from my throat, some heart-wrenching sound that I tried to convince myself wasn't from me.

I slammed my palms on the walls, angry with myself, angry with him for what happened. My cries mixed in with the hot water, a loud throbbing sound that echoed around me like a bass drum.

The water was pink as I scrubbed my skin to the point of being raw.

Red rivulets screamed across my body as the water hit my back, creating a sickeningly sweet myriad of color around the drain.

I was hopeless in my grief when I turned off the water.

My eyes burned, my body ached, my heart was broken.

I was still shaking when my feet hit the cold tile, when I wrapped a bright white towel around my skinny frame.

Wiping the steam from the mirror, I hoped deep down the reflection staring back at me would be different, but it wasn't.

It wouldn't ever be.

I wrenched the door open, expecting to be alone, but I was surprised when I saw Dean sitting on the bed farthest from me, his hands in his lap.

His head was back against the headboard, and his legs were crossed at the ankle.

His head turned towards me then, his green eyes falling on me.

I bit my bottom lip, mortified at the thought of him hearing my break down, at the thought of him hearing me cry.

"What are you still doing here?," I heard myself whisper.

He swung his legs over the side of the bed, ambled towards me. I tried not to notice how soft his mouth looked or how broad his shoulders were.

He won't hurt me.

Dean lifted my chin at an angle, looked at the bruises marring my neck.

"Sam went to get food and clothes for you. He'll be back soon. I won't hurt you."

I won't hurt you.

He said it so easily, so honestly, like he wouldn't ever want to hurt me.

"Do you have a last name?"

"Do you?"

I swallowed audibly.

My throat was still sore from the night before, but I didn't want to think about why.

"Amber Bennett."

Dean quirked a small smile.

"Dean Winchester."

I smiled back at him.

"Fancy name," I commented.

He choked out a laugh, his gaze perusing my face.

"We aren't fancy men. You'll figure that out," he said.

I nodded, looking into his eyes even though I was still embarrassed.

"Do you feel better?"

His question surprised me only a little as I shook my head no.

"I understand."

He sounded sincere and if he was, I genuinely hoped that he didn't understand exactly what I'd gone through because I wouldn't wish that on anyone.

"I really hope you don't," I said.

He grimaced and glanced down where the towel ended at the tops of my thighs. He knew what had happened and I hadn't been able to hide it.

I hated that he knew.

The water dripping down my legs was the slightest shade of pink and that fact had me covering my face with my hands.

"Sit down, let me take a look at your back."

I flinched when his hands met my bare skin but he didn't tighten his grip on me. He just waited for me to sit down before his fingers slid across my skin. He hissed when he finally tugged the towel down far enough to get a good look.

"You'll need stitches on a few of these, darlin'."

I shook my head but he insisted.

When I finally agreed, he slid his long sleeved plaid shirt off to reveal a black t-shirt that was far too fitted to be comfortable.

For me.

He looked handsome, too handsome, and I bowed my head as he neared me.

His touch was precise, it reeked or practice and skill- he'd obviously done it before. As I watched him pull dental floss through a needle I cringed.

"Not to be blunt, but I don't think this will be the worst thing you've gone through tonight. Relax, Amber. I'll be gentle," Dean said.

His tone held no room for argument and I gathered there wasn't much that Dean tried to be gentle with, and if he was willing to try for me then I was going to let him.

"Okay."

His calloused fingers slid my towel down even farther as he situated me between his spread legs. The denim of his jeans was rough against me, and I wanted to lean into his warmth, but instead I settled for hesitantly placing my hands on his thighs.

Dean slid a bottle of Jack Daniels my way.

"Drink this. It'll numb the pain."

Again, I didn't argue, because for some reason I trusted him.

I opened the bottle and placed it against my mouth, holding my breath as I swallowed a few times.

It burned, but not nearly as bad as the torn skin between my thighs did.

"How old are you?"

His question surprised me.

"Eighteen."

He swore and I thought he was mad at me until he began to thread my skin back together.

"Who did this to you?"

"Just a man," I murmured.

"It's never just a man."

He sounded like he knew that from experience and maybe he did.

"It's a long story. Would you mind if I told it to you at another time?," I asked.

Dean only nodded.

His thighs were warm under my hands, the alcohol was making me feel heavy.

I felt calmer, more relaxed than I had in ages.

"Thank you for letting me come with you," I whispered.

He paused his stitching.

"Don't thank me yet."

I was about to ask why when Sam came through the door with his arms loaded down with bags.

He had a smile on his face.

"How are you doing?," He asked me.

"Better, thanks."

He nodded his head, dropping some of the bags on a bed and the rest in the table next to us.

I could feel his eyes on me, assessing me and my wounds, but he didn't say a word about them.

I appreciated it more than he would ever know.

"I got you two options; there's a burger in one box and a salad in the other," Sam said.

I smiled in thanks.

I couldn't remember the last time I smiled so much.

"Did you bring me-"

"I didn't forget the pie. You're in luck. It was the last slice of cherry."

I could tell Dean was smiling by the way that he paused.

I'm tired.

"I'm almost done. Then you can change into something more comfortable and eat some food."

I couldn't remember the last time I'd had a decent meal either and the smells wafting from the styrofoam cartons was absolutely mouthwatering.

"Thank you."

Both men nodded.

Sam motioned towards the bags on the bed.

"I grabbed you a few things. I wasn't sure if your size, but you're tiny, so I guessed a small. I hope they fit and if they don't we'll take them back," He told me kindly.

I felt like Dobby the house elf in that moment; except instead of earning my freedom, I was given something much more precious.

I was given security, safety, I was given hope.