-1The storm had passed. The Winchesters survived, yet the war had just begun. There was no time to celebrate. The yellow-eyed demon was dead, but hundreds more were released and the Winchester boys were working with a time limit. Dean Winchester only had one year. One year to protect his brother, then Sam would be on his own. The thought terrified Dean. What scared him more was the fact that Sam seemed convinced that he could save Dean. Dean pretended to have hope, only for his brother's sake. Sam needed to think that he could save Dean. Dean was not about to tell Sam about what the demon said. The demon had said that if DEAN tried to find his way out of it. She said nothing about if SAM or BOBBY tried to find a way. Still, Dean worried that if they tried something he would lose Sam. That had always been Dean's biggest fear, losing his brother.

Now he was not worried about that, though it would always be in the back of Dean's mind. Now, they sat in the Impala, letting everything sink in. They were leaving the cemetery. Bobby and Ellen had left ahead of the boys and were out of sight by now on the dark dirt road. The only sound was the purr of the Impala's engine. Neither man spoke. Sam was angry, though he tried to hide it. He had a right to be. Dean was ashamed and guilty, afraid to speak to his brother so he remained silent. Nothing was said until they turned a corner, still on the dirt road, and Sam shouted. "DEAN!"

"Son of a bitch," Dean muttered as he slammed on the brakes. For a second, standing in front of the car was a young woman. She did not remain standing for long. As soon as Dean turned the car off she dropped to the ground. Sam searched the backseat for a blanket while Dean pulled out his gun. He was always cautious, especially around naked women that show up in front of his car in the middle of the woods in Wyoming. The brothers slowly climbed out of the car. Sam knelt next to the young woman, a blanket in his hands. She was conscious, but barely, and attempting to stand up once more.

He wrapped the blanket around her as she looked up at him. Sam looked up at Dean, who was standing, gun drawn and ready to shoot. "Dean, put it down." Dean was reluctant, he had no trust in this girl. Sam seemed to though and for him, at the moment, that was enough. He lowered his gun and sighed loudly. Sam picked up the girl and carried her to the car. He placed her in the back seat and sat down next to her. "I'm Sam," he said quietly.

The young woman looked frightened, confused. She shared the look that Dean had seen on several faces after a long possession. It was as if she had no idea where she was or how she got there. Dean thought for a moment maybe she had been possessed, but then wondered where her clothes went. She was covered in small cuts from trees, as though she had been running. Her skin was beaded with water, or possibly sweat, Dean was unsure. She was covered in dirt as well. The woman had long brown hair that stuck to her skin and her brown eyes darted back and forth between the brothers. "This is Dean," Sam said softly, pointing to his brother.

The woman seemed frightened, cowering away from Sam of all people and she jumped when Dean started the car. The back passenger door was still open as Sam was leaning in the car, so Dean did not take off just yet. She looked around, between the two of them as if she feared an imminent attack. "It's okay," Sam assured her, though it did nothing to calm the woman. "We're not going to hurt you." Even Sam's puppy eyes had no affect on her.

Sam sighed and finally gave up for the moment. He climbed into the front seat and allowed Dean to take off down the road. It was quiet for a few moments before Dean spoke. "I got a bad feelin' about this Sammy," he muttered without taking his eyes off the road.

"What's the worst she could do right now Dean?"

"Kill the both of us with her mind for all I know Sam," the oldest Winchester snapped. "I say we drop her off at the nearest hospital and let them deal with her."

"Dean, it can't be a coincidence that we found her here of all places and right after the gate was opened. She has to be connected some how."

"All the more reason to ditch her," Dean countered. He had absolutely no trust in this frightened woman. To Dean Winchester, this was just some game she was playing and he was not about to join in.

"So she can kill everyone at whatever random hospital we leave her at?"

"Better them than us."

"Would you be able to live with that?"

"I will if you will," Dean answered. "Besides, we don't have time Sammy. Remember that demon army that was unleashed."

Sam rolled his eyes. "Maybe she could help us in locating them."

"Yeah or maybe she's one of them!"

"Dean, I highly doubt she's possessed," Sam said quickly.

Dean looked over at his little brother. Sam was smiling as if he knew something that Dean did not. "What makes you so sure?"

"We'll for starters, why would a demon possess some girl and have her run around naked."

"Trick us into helping her," Dean said simply. "Which I'm convinced she's doing."

"Secondly, she has a brand on her left shoulder blade."

"So?"

"It's a devil's trap. I saw it when I picked her up." Sam glanced back at the fair skinned woman. She had fallen asleep. Her drenched brown-black hair hung in front of her face, covering it from sight.

Dean sighed, glancing through the mirror at the girl. "She is cut up pretty bad, looks like she could use some food too. I guess if she was possessed the demon in her would have fixed all that." He was still against keeping this girl around for any length of time. Sam was sure she would be able to help though, and Sam's feelings were never wrong. "So what do you suggest we do?"

Sam looked over at his brother. He had not thought that far ahead. Sam was unsure of what to do. "I guess we keep her with us, at least for a day or so, until we find out more."

Dean reluctantly accepted Sam's plan and drove onward towards civilization. It was just before dawn when they pulled up to a hotel. Dean got a room and drove around to park in front of it. Sam climbed into the backseat and woke their mystery woman. She opened her eyes slowly and looked around. The woman seemed more calm than the previous night. Sam helped her out of the car and helped her walk into the room. She sat down on the edge of one of the beds for a moment but remained silent. Dean sighed loudly, in protest, as he searched through his bag for some clothes for her. He handed her a t-shirt and a pair of flannel pants, the only pair Dean owned considering he stayed in his jeans most of the time. He shoved them into the woman's arms and glared. Dean was still thoroughly convinced he could not trust this woman. After all why should he? What good ever came from picking up strange naked women out in the middle of nowhere? Sam was sure though, so Dean went along with it. Anything for his baby brother.

The woman took the clothes and walked into the bathroom. She turned on the water and dropped the blanket to the floor before climbing into the shower. The hot water pelted down on her bruised and battered skin. It was a welcomed relaxing feeling. For a few moments the water ran red and black from blood and dirt. She leaned against the wall to steady herself, her hands out in front of her on the wall. There were images, memories in her mind that did not belong to her. She was having trouble sorting through them, through what was her memories and what was not. She searched for mind for some memory of before that night but found nothing. All she had were images of people she had never met, with the exception of the two men that picked her up. Their faces littered memories in her mind. Who were these men? Why did she remember them. She knew who she was, or at least she knew her name. What was her purpose? What kind of life did she have? Why was she unable to remember? Rian. That was her name. What was her last name? Who was she? Why was she in those woods? Winchester. That was their names, the men that found her. Winchester.

Rian closed her eyes for a moment before crashing down to her knees. The sound was loud enough to bring both Sam and Dean running into the bathroom. Sam knelt down beside her, helping her out of the shower and away from the onslaught of water. "Hey," he whispered to her, surprised by the way she clung to him. "It's okay. What happened?"

Rian looked up at this young man, this Winchester. Who was he? Why did she know that name? Sam Winchester. That was his name. Did she know him? There was no way she could have known this man. He had no recollection of her from what she gathered, how could she have known him. There was this voice though, telling her his name. Samuel Winchester, youngest son of John Winchester. Sam. Sammy.

Sam looked up at his brother then back down at the young woman. "Come on, lets get you dressed," he whispered. Dean walked out of the bathroom while Sam helped the woman to her feet. He helped steady her while she put her clothes on and while she walked out to sit on one of the beds in the room, the empty one close to the door. Dean sat on the other one.

She watched the quiet one as she walked into the room. He glared at her. Why was he hostile towards her? Did he have a reason? Was she a bad person? Was she the enemy? What enemy? Dean. Dean Winchester, eldest son of John Winchester. Dean. She studied him for a moment. He protected Sam. Sam's protector, his watcher, his guardian. One year. One year for what? To live. Why? Sammy.

Sam helped her to the bed and sat down next to her. "Can you tell us your name?" He watched as the strange woman jumped at his words. She had been staring at Dean intently.

Her name? Rian. That was her name. What would it tell him about her? Something she did not know perhaps. There was so much she did no know about herself and so much she seemed to know about these boys. "Rian," she answered him. She took notice of her own voice. It was soft, yet there was a strength behind it. She had a soft voice, a quiet voice but it was not a fearful voice. She was not afraid of these boys though she felt as if she should be. She looked away from Sam and over to his brother. He fascinated her. Why would someone sell his soul? Only one year? Why? Sammy. What does that mean? Everything.