The baby giggled in her arms as she spun it around in the air, cooing and smiling back at her. The hem of her skirt caught the edge of the countertop, nearly sending a jar of flour toppling over onto the blue tiled floor before two large hands snatched it in midair, followed by deep laughter.

"Ashley, you and the booger are gonna tear down the entire house if you keep that up."

"But he loves dancing, Thomas! Don't you? Don't you?"

The woman sat the baby down on the counter, tickling him as her husband stepped behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and placing his head on her shoulder. His warmth spread through her like the sun on a summer day and she nuzzled his cheek with her own.

"He is so perfect," Thomas replied, gently tracing the outer edges of ink that wrapped itself in vines around her left arm.

"Completely."

She pulled herself away, tucking the baby in her arms before stepping up to kiss him gently, when they both stepped back, startled.

"What was that?" She pulled the child more tightly to her chest, staring at the back door.

"I have no idea. Sounded like a trash can falling over or something."

He pushed his wife behind him, stepping slowly towards to the door. His body tensed up, every hair on his neck standing on edge.

"There it is again. A raccoon maybe?"

"Maybe."

But neither of them really believed it. They had heard the raccoons a thousand times. This was much louder, much bigger. And while they wanted to convince themselves that it sounded like a trash can falling over, what it really sounded like something, or someone, scratching at the base of door and messing with the rain gutters, trying to find a lose bolt or a crack on the molding.

Thomas grabbed a knife, not really knowing what he planned to do with it, but he figured that if nothing else, he would look threatening. And when someone was breaking into your house, that was all that mattered, right?

Each step he took towards the door felt heavier than the last. Standing tall, though shaking, he threw open the door, knife extended.

"Hello? Who's there? What do you want?"

His voice was loud, deep, and threatening, by the sheer nature of the fact that he was over six feet tall. But it still shook with the uncertainty of someone entirely unsure of their ability to respond if there was actually an answer.

He held his breath, waiting. Nothing.

Just as he seemed satisfied in the raccoon theory, he heard his wife's shaking voice behind him.

"Honey."

He turned around quickly, stopping dead in his tracks. In front of the fridge stood a tall, dark-haired man with a knife against his wife's throat. She held the baby tight, inhaling deeply with closed eyes. Muscles bulged out of the man's arm as the sharp blade hovered centimeters from the nape of her neck. His eyes, as dark as his hair, stared intently at Thomas who slowly dropped the knife at his feet and raised both hands innocently in the air.

"Listen, I don't know what you want…"

"Silence," the man barked, pushing Ashley forward. "Take the kid."

Thomas obeyed, quickly snatching the child away from his mother, causing him to erupt in a horrifying bout of crying. Ashley's arms dropped limply to her sides as the man turned her around, pushing her against the fridge. He raised the knife to the base of her chin.

"Shut it up. Now," he growled at Thomas, who started shushing and kissing the screaming baby, all the while keeping his eyes focused intently on his wife.

Ashley shook as she tried to brace herself against the fridge doors. Her eyes darted up and down the man, trying to find a weak. She noticed a long black snake creeping up his right arm. Its eyes were bright yellow, and streaks of red and green intertwining along its back, emphasizing each and every blood vessel as it threatened to burst through his skin.

She considered kicking him, but decided the reflex from the pain would result in the knife gashing her juglar. She also thought about throwing all of her weight against him, but decided against that as well, for the very same reason.

"I don't know what you want," she stammered, trying hard to keep her voice level. "We don't have a lot, but it's yours. The flat screen, the PS4…I've got some jewelry in my bedroom, in the box on top of the dresser…"

"Stop," the man snarled. The icy blade burned her throat as he pushed it further into her neck. "If you shut up and cooperate, will make this as painless as possible."

"No!" Thomas shouted, stepping forward, his arms shielding the baby's head. "Please. Just leave her alone. We'll give you anything. Kill me, I don't care. Just don't…"

"You imbecile. Humans, so single minded."

He threw up his free hand, angrily. Thomas flew up against the wall, slamming the back door shut as he collided with it and slid to the floor. The baby started screaming again as the man held it tighter, staring up at his wife in anguish.

"Thomas!" without even thinking, Ashley threw herself forward, instinctively reaching for her husband and child. Almost instantly, the man shoved her backwards, sending her reeling across the floor. She collided with the base of the countertop, sending flour and apples showering down around her. Her fingers were warm with blood as she traced the line on her cheek where the man's knife had barely missed the tip of her ear. Gasping in horror, she allowed herself to be pulled to her feet and pushed against the countertop. The man was so close to her that she could smell his breath, a strange mixture of sewage and strawberries. Fear was the only thing that kept her from gagging.

"Why do you have to be so difficult? It's not even that hard! Just…"

"Come now, brother. Did you really expect capturing the Winchester sister to be that easy?" A third voice cooed.

Another man stepped out from the doorway that led to the living room, this one much shorter, with hair just as dark. He wore a black striped suit and shiny loafers that noisily scratched her newly mopped tiles. He walked towards them, smiling and extending a hand to gently wipe away the blood dripping down her chin. Her captor stepped backwards, bowing his head slightly as he released her. Ashley nearly fell, grasping the edge of the counter to steady herself at the last minute.

"I'm so sorry about that, dear. Really. No harm was supposed to come to you, as of yet. Really, though," he was talking to the first man now. His voice rose as he spoke. "Is that the best you can do? You come in here with that stupid knife and corner her like you're trying to break into her house? Have I not trained you any better?"

"My liege, please."

The short one lifted his left hand, twisting it in the air as the tall man cowered, clutching his chest and clawing at it frantically. His face began to turn purple before there was suddenly a loud burst, like the sound of a shotgun, and he fell to the floor, a ball. Blood splattered everywhere, covering the kitchen counters and floors. Ashley heaved, coughing into the sink behind her as she wiped the man's blood from her face and neck as it began to mix with her own.

"There, there. That's not the last of that you'll be seeing, I'm afraid."

"What are you?" she managed in between coughs, turning around to see the frozen face of her husband cradling their only child against his chest. She wordlessly willed him to stay quiet, hoping that the man would forget he was there. If anything, at least they could avoid whatever fate awaited her.

"Oh, don't worry, darling. I have no use for them. And honestly, killing wouldn't benefit me either, so you're in luck."

"You…how did you?"

The man laughed, grabbing her wrist and pulling her against him.

"Say bye, bye."

As she opened her mouth, the last thing she saw was the terrified look on her husband's face as a massive pressure pushed itself down on her and everything around her went black.