A/N: Well, well, well…We meet again, friends. It's been quite some time since I ended "A Family Forged in Fire". If you haven't read it yet, this isn't going to make a lick of sense to you, so I suggest you do that real quick. It's 29 chapters long. A little over 87,000 words. It's good fun mixed with moments that will tear your heart out. This is going to get posts every Thursday once January hits and I'm done with my usual Thursday updates. So, please, friends. Enjoy this little prologue to hold you over until then.

I felt awful about leaving my baby at a storage unit in Lebanon, but if I got caught driving my Mustang, there's no doubt Sam and Dean would take me home right away. Instead, I left my credit card in the glove box and took what little cash I had left to buy a bus ticket. The first thing those two would do after turning on my GPS would be to check my credit cards. Sorry, boys. I love you, but if I don't want to be found, I'm going to stay missing.

Unfortunately, my funds started running low once I hit a small town in Missouri. I didn't even realize we were headed east. Not that I'm complaining. This place had maybe three hundred people on a good day and I had about thirty bucks to my name. Not quite enough for a motel or another bus, but I could at least get some hot food in my stomach before I hustle pool for a bed. If being with Sam and Dean taught me anything, it was an appreciation for diner food. And this place had promise. Good vibe, good pastry case. I'm in.

"What can I get for you, sweetie?" an older woman came up to my spot at the counter.

"Um," I checked over the menu real quick, "A cheeseburger and a sweet tea please."

"Sure," she stuck my order on the line in the window and got my drink, "Forgive me if I'm crossing a line here, but isn't it a little late for a girl your age to be out? I'm sure your parents are worried."

"Actually," I took a long drink from my tea. This may have been my extreme thirst talking, but this could quite possibly be the best sweet tea I've ever had in my life, "My parents died when I was a baby. And I'm twenty-two years old."

"I'm so sorry, honey," my waitress took my hands, "Somebody out there has to care about you."

"Nope," I lied, "It's just me."

"There's no way you're twenty-two," she looked me over.

"Yeah, I am," I got defensive, taking one of my IDs out, "Says so right here."

"Annie Wilson," she read the name, "And you're twenty-two?"

"Yep."

"Says you're twenty-six on here," she saw through me, "Fake ID?'

"Dammit," I grumbled under my breath, "So are you calling cops on me?"

"No," she shook her head, "I was your age once. I understand. You're not local, are you, Annie?"

"No."

"And if you don't mind me asking," she grabbed my burger out of the window, "How old are you really?"

"Fifteen," my eyes stayed affixed to my food, but I could feel her pity from a mile away.

"Let me get this straight," she sorted things out, "You're a fifteen-year-old orphan passing through town all by yourself with multiple fake IDs?"

"When you put it that way..." I winced.

"And you're coming to a diner at ten o'clock at night?" she went on.

"I get it," I got defensive, "I'm a little miscreant. You sound like the nuns."

"I'm not judging, sweetie."

"You're definitely a first," I was still trying to suppress the very first.

"Look, Annie," she began, "If that even is your real name."

"It's not," I might have given hunting up, but that didn't mean I was stupid. I kept my voice down, "Christo..."

Nothing...Good, "What was that?"

"It's Lena," I told her. Pretty sure she's not a demon.

"Well, Lena," she continued, "I've done some things I'm not proud of. But you know what? I got out of it. This diner helped with that."

"How?" I wondered, "Are you in good with the owner or something?"

"It's nothing like that."

"Oh," I popped a fry in my mouth.

"Because I'm the owner," she clarified, "Things can get better for you, too."

I doubt she ever got held captive in Hell by Lucifer himself, but my waitress seemed like she knew what she was talking about. In a way, she was like the hug my spirit needed. I wish there was a word for angels like there was for demons. Maybe she's got wings and a halo. Although, I remember Dean saying most angels were dicks.

"Thank you," I smiled a bit, finishing my food, "How much do I owe you?"

"On the house," she waved, "By the way, honey, if you need somewhere to crash tonight, talk to Vivian."

"And where's Vivian?"

"I'm Vivian," she introduced herself, "Where are you staying?"

"Is there a motel in town?" I asked. Not sure how long I'll be able to stay in one...

"A couple," Vivian nodded, "Look, Lena, you're a little girl down on her luck. You can stay with me if you want. I promise I'm not a serial killer."

"What?" I gasped, "Vivian, no. I couldn't impose like that. First you pay for my food and now this? I can't..."

"Oh, hush," she scolded, "Like I said, I'm not a serial killer. And if it makes you feel any better, you're not staying for free."

"Alright," I felt a little better, "How much?"

"Work it off here," Vivian bargained, "I'm sure you can take people's orders, can't you?"

"Well, yeah," I said, "A monkey could do that, but..."

"No buts," she stopped me, "Let me close the diner and we'll go home."

"Ok," Vivian reminded me a little bit of Jody. It wouldn't surprise me if Jody's done the same thing. She always had a thing about keeping an eye out for the broken ones and would never turn away any kind of stray. I would've went up to her, but it'd be the first place the boys would look. Not to mention, she'd probably call and tell them where I was.

Once Vivian locked the front door, she and I got into a pale blue Oldsmobile and took off. This town was pretty cute. Small, quaint...Kind of like Hartford. Maybe I could squat here for a while. When we pulled up to Vivian's house, I thought of a gingerbread house. This place looked like it could be a gingerbread house. Cute and quaint. Just like the rest of the town. At least until I got enough money to leave again.

"Here, sweetheart," Vivian led me inside and down the hall to an empty bedroom, "You can stay in here as long as you need to."

"Thank you, Vivian," I threw my bag on the bed, "I really appreciate it."

"No need to thank me, Lena," she insisted, "it's called having a conscience. You know, I always wanted a daughter."

"If you don't mind me asking," I treaded lightly, "Why didn't you?"

"My husband didn't want kids," Vivian and I sat on the bed, "I did. Tried everything to get pregnant, but I found out he was slipping me Plan B or birth control of some kind."

"Sounds like a dick," I gasped, "Where is he now?"

"Frying in Hell," she sighed, "Or at least I hope so. Abusive son of a bitch."

"Tell us how you really feel," I chuckled a bit, "How did he die?"

"An angel was looking out for me," Vivian smiled, "He got into a car accident coming home from the bar."

It made me wonder if the angel on my shoulder was still keeping an eye out for me. If Cas were to find me, would he tell Sam and Dean? No doubt. I'm sure he knew the angel looking out for her. I kicked my shoes off, "Really, Vivian. Thank you for letting me stay here."

"You're welcome, sweetie," she grabbed the quilt off the rocking chair in the corner and covered me up, "Get some sleep, ok? You got a big day tomorrow."

"I will."

Vivian kissed my forehead and killed the lights on the way out, "Good night, Lena."

"Good night." It might have been a lot more mellow than I was used to, but maybe I could stick around here for a while. Once I get on my feet again anyway.

Especially if things were going to be like this. When I woke up, the smell of pancakes hung in the air. I never got breakfast in the bunker, let alone pancakes. The smell was intoxicating. I got out of bed and went into the kitchen. Vivian stood at her stove, flipping the source of the sweet aroma hugging my soul.

"Well," she chimed, "Good morning, sleepyhead. How was your first night? Sleep ok?"

"Yeah," I rubbed my eyes, "Oddly enough."

I hadn't gotten a decent night's sleep since I left the bunker. Even when I was there, sleep was sketchy. That bed felt like laying on a marshmallow and I loved it. Although, I'd have to do a little renovation before I go to sleep. I was off the radar and I wanted to stay that way, but that didn't mean I was going to let my windowsill go unsalted. Or that I was going to leave my room unwarded. All in all, I could get used to this.

"Go ahead and have a seat," Vivian offered, "What do you want on yours?"

"Oh," I got a cup from the cabinet, "I'm good. Thank you, though."

"No," she put her foot down, "You need breakfast, too. Now, what do you want on them?"

"More sundae than pancake," I told her, "But first, I'm going to go outside for a second."

"Getting a dose of vitamin D right away, are we?" Vivian guessed, taking another pancake off the stove.

"No," I grabbed my lighter, "I'm going to go out for a cigarette. Something tells me I can't smoke in the house."

"You shouldn't be smoking period," she scolded me, "They're no good for you."

"Yeah, I know," I poured myself a cup of coffee, "My brother tried getting me to quit a while back, but it didn't work out."

"Lena," Vivian's voice dripped with disappointment, "You have such porcelain skin. You don't need to be smoking."

"Like I told my brother," I let out a heavy sigh, "I can quit them, but they can't quit me."

"You know," she stepped out with me, "I didn't know you had family, sweetie."

"Well..." I lit my cigarette.

"Oh," Vivian caught herself, "I see I hit a touchy subject."

"It's fine," I brushed her off, "I have a brother. Two of them, actually. They're good dudes, but they'd take a bullet for me when they don't need to."

"That's called family, hon," she gave me a little nudge, "What happened?"

"I couldn't be their damsel in distress anymore," I vented, "I love them. Damn, do I love them. But I can't be their burden. So, I took off. I don't even know if they're looking for me."

"Something tells me they are," Vivian thought, "I know we haven't known each other long, Lena, but you don't strike me as the type to turn away family. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go have breakfast."

I hated that she had me pegged already, but she's right. Was I really that predictable? I liked to think I wasn't. Maybe she had a point. Of course Sam and Dean were looking for me. They're martyrs like that. They didn't know how to leave not so well enough along. I did miss my boys, though. But they didn't need me to be their burden. They had enough on their plate. Sam and Dean didn't need to deal with me on top of it.

It was weird having a cigarette by myself. I'd usually have one with Cas here. I'm sure if I prayed for him to come, he'd be here. Then again, he'd probably take Sam and Dean with him. Or at least tell them where I am. I didn't want to be found. I didn't need to be rescued. I was a big girl that could take care of herself. It's not like I didn't take precautions.

Vivian thought I was weird when I asked her for the salt and put it in my windowsill. For the next few weeks, everything seemed so odd. Was this what normalcy felt like? Vivian took me in like I was one of her own and gave me a mildly well-paying job all out of the goodness of her heart. Maybe she was secretly an angel and reported to Cas. I doubt it, though. I'm sure Cas would've popped up by now.

One day, I woke up and realized I had a routine. I had boring and mundane for the first time in my life and I loved it. No monsters. No demons. No dealing with the supernatural. I was a simple girl that worked a simple diner. It was weird, but I'd take this new weird over my old normal any day of the week.

"Lena!" Vivian called for me, "Order!"

"Thank you!" I went to the pick-up window to get an order from Boomer, the usual cook in the back. He was a good dude. If any customers got weird with me, they met Boomer in the alley. I brought everyone's order to their respective tables in hopes of a nice tip.

"Hey," Vivian gave me a nudge around the usual breakfast rush, "You're welcome."

"Thank you?" I gave her a look, "Why am I thanking you?"

"A couple of beautiful boys just walked in," she pointed out, "I sat them in your section. They look like feds, though, so behave yourself."

I looked over at their booth and my stomach dropped. Crap. Not good. Immediately, I sat on the floor behind the counter, hoping to God they didn't see me, "Nope. I'll pass."

"Seriously?" Vivian gasped, "Why not?"

"I just..." I gagged, "I can't, Vivian. I appreciate the effort, but no."

"Why?" she got down next to me, "Lena, sweetie, you're not on the run, are you?"

"Only from them," I clarified, "Please, Vivian. You have to take them. I can't..."

"Hold on," Vivian thought for a minute, "Honey, are those your brothers?"

"Yeah..."

"I'll take care of it," she got me. Vivian knew I was on the run. She knew I wanted to stay that way. Vivian went back to the boys' table, "Sorry for keeping you waiting, gentlemen. My usual waitress went on break. What can I get for you?"

"Two coffees please," Sam ordered.

"No problem," Vivian didn't even need to write it down, "Anything else?"

"Actually," Dean asked, "We're working a missing persons case and there's a chance she might be here. Have you seen a girl, about 5'2", blonde, blue eyes, walks around with a chip on her shoulder?"

What the hell? I don't have a chip on my shoulder. Relax, Lena. If you freak out too much, you might as well put a flashing neon arrow pointing to yourself. Although, he did have me pegged, as much as I didn't want to admit it. I was really starting to think I was just predictable.

"No," Vivian lied, taking a look at the picture of me on Dean's phone, "I haven't seen her. If the FBI is looking for her, does that mean she's dangerous?"

"She wouldn't hurt a fly," Sam assured, fully aware of how many monster bodies I've dropped, "Her family just really wants her home."

"I'm sorry, sweetie," she put two cups on the table, "I wish there was something I could do for you."

"Call us if you see her," Dean begged, "She's a very special little girl."

"I'm sure she is," Vivian agreed, "Can I get you some breakfast, boys? On the house?"

"Thank you so much," Sam flashed her a smile that was enough to give anyone diabetes, "That sounds great."

"Anything specific or you want me to surprise you?" she offered.

"Two specials," Dean ordered, "Thank you."

"No need to thank me, sweetie," Vivian awed, "Anything for a couple of boys in blue. I'll have it out as soon as I can, ok?"

"Thank you."

Vivian came back to the counter where I was hiding, "Boomer, go ahead and take your break."

"Thanks, Viv," Boomer chimed from the pick-up window.

"You, young lady," she pulled me onto my feet, making sure the boys weren't watching and dragged me into the kitchen, "You start cooking. I need two specials."

"I don't cook, Vivian," I pointed out, "I take orders."

"Can you cook?"

"Yeah."

"Then, get to it," Vivian smiled, "Make me proud."

"But Vivian..."

"Unless you want to be out there," she wondered, "Where your brothers are sitting and looking for you."

"Ok," Vivian was strong willed. I couldn't say no to her.

When I finished up two specials and rang the bell, she brought them out to Sam and Dean. I kept watch from the window. Those boys were suckers for my cooking. At times, I'd manage to take our piece of crap motel room's coffee pot and make a full meal on it. They always seemed surprised no matter how many times I did it. Just like when they took their first bites. My brothers turned pale.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Dean asked.

"Lena?" Sam figured.

"Tastes just like Lena's cooking."

I wonder why that was. Looks like I'm going to have to skip town again. Dammit. And I was starting to like it here, too. Leave it to Sam and Dean to ruin it for me. They were the sole reason why we couldn't have nice things most of the time, but sometimes, they were why we had nice things. Oh, well. Back to the open road, I guess.

A/N: Well? I've had that sitting on the back burner for quite some time, to be honest. Probably a couple years. And that's only the beginning. When we come back, it's going to be a few months ahead from this. Any questions, comments, concerns are always appreciated. Follows and favorites are fun, too. And I'll see you next chapter. xx