Summary: After a long hunt, Rachel and Kate arrive at the Roadhouse only to find themselves dragged into the fight against the Apocalypse. Scars from their pasts, however, prove to be a weakness, in particular, one involving a certain Winchester. Please R&R!

Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or its characters. I only own my OCs.

A/N: Woo! Just so there's no confusion, in this story, Ash never died in Season 2 and the Roadhouse never burned down. Let's face it, I love Dr. Badass, and I love the Roadhouse just as much. Don't know where abouts in Season 4 that this starts, I was planning for it to begin in between 4x05 and 4x06.

Thorns in Our Eyes

Chapter One: Going Home

1996

The shouting, the violence, having to run out to buy her mother's drugs had become way too much to deal with. Thirteen year old Kate Daniels had absolutely had enough. The killer had been when their mother had turned to Rachel, who would be twelve the following week, and hit her so hard across the face the poor girl had fallen to the floor. Shaking with anger while Rachel quaked with fear, Kate threw things together in their bags, the girls taking the few possessions they had while Kate decided to take the money her mother had given her to buy drugs with, as well as the other money her mother had in the house. That woman didn't deserve it.

"Let me look at that mark, Rach..." Kate whispered, sitting by her baby sister and brushing the brown curls out of the way, revealing a bruise that looked angry and sore, almost haloed in a red glow, "Keep your ice on it."

Rachel pressed the ice to her head and winced, Kate slinging their bags over her shoulders and taking her sister's hand, her misty-blue eyes meeting her sister's tearful dark blue ones.

"It'll be okay, Rachel." She said quietly, "I promise."

The girls managed to sneak downstairs and out of the door, both breaking into a run as they headed for the train station. From North Dakota they would travel to their Uncle Bobby's in South Dakota, and both hoped that their uncle, who they wished was their father, would take them in. Their bastard of a father had left them when Rachel was just a baby. Neither of them could remember much about him, but then their mother had started to drink and take drugs, and everything went downhill from there. Kate had sole responsibility of Rachel, which including cooking her food, cleaning up after them, and also taking beatings for her.

At eleven-thirty-five on a cold Thursday night, two children curled up together in a cold train station, trying to find any possible way to start a new life.

2008

Kate staggered through the motel room door, her straight, dark brown, collar-length locks stained with bits of gunk that also covered her five-foot-nine frame. Her dark grey sweat jacket was covered in blood and bits of gunk as her dark blue tank top was, her jeans ripped at the knees and her boots stained with blood, grass and mud.

Rachel entered after, nowhere near as messy as Kate, her thick brown curls barely containing any zombie parts and her clothes a little muddy, her jacket pristine, green shirt and white tank top also as clean. All that Rachel had on her was a little mud on her boots and a couple of spots of blood here and there.

"Well..." She began, sitting on the bed and taking her boots off before placing her bag of weapons on the floor, "That was fun."

Kate turned and glared at her, Rachel smirking in response. As much as Kate could've throttled her sister there and then, she couldn't bring herself to hold the glare for too long. The silence was broken by the sounds of Metallica blaring out from Kate's phone, the young hunter going to answer it while Rachel began to sneak some clothes out of her bag. If she was quiet enough she could take a shower first, then Kate would have plenty of time to relax and clean herself of the disgusting chunks that were stuck to her body. Kate smiled when she saw the caller ID, happy to answer the call from the woman she considered a surrogate mother.

"Ellen, hi..."

"Hey, sweetie," Ellen replied, "How are you and Rachel?"

"Well, to be honest, Ellen, we just got back from hunting some zombies up here in Woodbury County, Iowa," Kate began, "I'm tired, I'm covered in gunk and I smell like a drain."

She turned and watched Rachel race into the bathroom, a sigh escaping her lips as she knew she'd have to be dirty and stink for the next ten minutes.

"And Rachel just stole the shower." She finished, "How are things with you. Is Ash missing Rachel yet?"

"As a matter of fact, yes, and we're all okay, thanks." Ellen replied, "I'd like to see you girls again. See if Ash can fix you up another hunt. You wanna come down here? We miss you."

"Thanks, Ellen, we were planning on stopping by." Kate said softly, "I reckon if we leave early morning we'll get there by late evening at a push, maybe even the next day. You know what Rachel's like with being late and her pie fetish."

"Just let us know when you're in town, sweetie." Ellen said, Kate able to imagine her smile.

"Okay. See you tomorrow, Ellen...hopefully."

The two hung up and Kate found herself some clean clothes, barely able to contain her excitement at being rid of zombie guts and that horrible reek at any time soon.

"Dude!" She called, "We leave for Nebraska in the morning."

"Roadhouse?" Rachel called back, Kate grinning in response.

"We're goin' home, honey."

"Next exit." Rachel said, Kate shaking her head.

Thank God, they'd actually set off on time that morning, which was a surprise for Kate to say the least. Rachel was rarely on time, yet that morning she'd been early. It must've been the excitement of seeing Ash and going back to that familiar saloon.

"Gotta stop at Sandy's." She replied, "I gotta get a new .45."

Sandy had been one of the first hunters that Rachel and Kate had ever met, and he'd provided them with their first guns in their arsenal of weapons which was concealed in a small compartment at the back of the pick-up truck their Uncle Bobby had built for Kate's sixteenth birthday. It was midnight blue with plenty of dust and dirt on it, which Kate hated more than anything. Perhaps Sandy would let them give it a hose down when they stopped by his place. They'd affectionately named the truck Jeremiah from one of their favourite songs, Joy to the World.

"You wanna pick up some more ammo while we're there? Ask him if Uncle Bobby's been by?" Rachel asked, Kate nodding in response.

"We can do."

Upon arrival at the gas station that Sandy owned, they parked up the truck and headed around the back, knocking on the door only to hear a gruff voice from the other side.

"Who is it?"

"Jack Daniels." Kate replied, the door opening for the two to slip inside, their bags over their shoulders.

Sandy was in his usual green overall, his grey hair curly and out of place as it always was. His beard had been trimmed, thank God, and his hairy chest on display to the world. The girls smiled affectionately at him, Rachel closing the door as Kate approached him, looking for her new gun.

"How are you, ladies?" He asked, the girls nodding in response, "You heard from your Uncle Bobby?"

"No, have you heard from him by any chance?" Kate replied, Sandy shaking his head.

"Not for a few weeks."

"How are things with you?" Kate asked, Sandy sighing and nodding.

"They're okay, I suppose. It's nice to see you both though." He said with a warm smile, "What can I do for you?"

"Just need a new .45." Kate replied, "And Rachel's grabbing the ammo."

"Hmm. What happened to the old .45?" He asked, Kate sighing in response.

"Rachel managed to bury it along with a skeleton we burned three weeks ago." She said, Sandy chuckling in response as Rachel placed the boxes of ammo on the counter.

She looked around as Sandy and Kate found a decent .45, amazed at how there were people who were clueless about this gun store he had within the walls of this crappy little gas station.

"Where are you girls headed?" He asked, Rachel smiling in response.

"Nebraska." She replied.

"Harvelle's?" Sandy asked, earning a nod, "Give my regards to Ellen."

The girls paid for their items and said their goodbyes, heading out of the door and back to the truck before setting off towards their second home. To them, Bobby Singer's would always be home. That was where they learned to hunt and they actually were loved and cared for, for the first time in their lives. Their happy memories all lingered there, with their Uncle Bobby. They both wondered from time to time about what had become of their mother. She'd never tried to find them or get them back. It seemed she'd never cared. But the girls still couldn't help but hope and pray that she was alright.

As they drove towards that familiar saloon, they listened to their music, talked and made one another laugh, stopping at most of the bakeries they came across for Rachel to try their pie. Kate was right. It seemed they'd be late getting home.

-TBC-

Hope you enjoyed!

Thanks for reading so far!

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