"I'm bored GG," the young girl whined, rolling onto her back and shutting her eyes with a sigh of dejection. "I can't get even one bar out here." She handed her tablet to her grandmother as if to demonstrate her lack of service. Her grandmother examined the tablet carefully and handed it back to the girl.

"Sorry dear, there's not much to do out here."

"I know, that's why I'm bored." The little girl rolled over onto her stomach and observed her grandmother with wide blue eyes.

"What did you do when you were little and you didn't have service?"

"Well, I didn't have a tablet at your age, I played with toys, but when I didn't have any toys my dad would tell me stories."

"What kind of stories?"

"Mostly about his mother, my grandmother."

"Why?"

"Well she lived an...interesting life shall we say, a special life."

"Really? Can you tell me about her?"

The girl's grandmother paused, thinking.

"I don't know dear, most of the stories aren't happy. They're real stories, not fairy tales. There's heartbreak, and loss, there's hurt and violence and not everyone get's a happy ending. There is however, love and light and courage."

"I want to listen. Beside's GG, I'm not a baby anymore, I'm a big girl."

"You're right,you're getting older now... so I guess it's time you learned your heritage."

Her grandmother thought for a moment, and then smiled softly.

"Our story begins a long time ago, when my grandmother was still a young girl. She was graduating high school. Next year she would be going to Stanford collage to get her medical degree. She was a kind girl, a popular girl, and on this fateful night she was getting picked up from cheerleading practice by her older sister Michelle, my great aunt. It seemed like an ordinary fall night, little did she know everything was about to change."

The night was utterly silent, still. A warm breeze stirred dried leaves on the ground. They made a rustling whisper sound as they blew across the ground. The single figure walking through an abandoned parking lot of Chapsville High School shuddered, despite the warm air. The silence was foreboding, ominous as she hurried towards a red pickup parked towards a group of trees. She glanced over her shoulder uneasily. It felt as if, as if she were being followed. She rushed forward, reaching the truck, and swinging herself into the passenger seat.

"Oh gosh you stink," The driver moaned as the girl, Meadow, clambered into the passenger side. Meadow rolled her eyes closing the car door with a squeak.

"Shut up," Meadow replied slowly cranking the A.C up and turning the vent towards her. She closed her eyes as the cool air wafted over her sweaty face.

"Sorry just stating the facts," The driver, Meadow's sister, a twenty two year old girl named Michelle replied pulling out of the parking lot of Meadow's high school.

"Yeah well I'll take a shower when I get home."

"Cool, how was practice?"

Meadow groaned and rested her head against the back of the seat.

"Fantastic, coach worked us sooo hard I'm pretty sure I've never sweated so much in my life!"

"Awesome." Michelle parked the car in front of a small apartment building, slightly run down but still inhabitable. The two sisters climbed out of their beat up pick up truck, closing the doors and locking them. Michelle rang the doorbell and waited patiently. The door was opened by a short slightly chubby African American woman wearing a pink nightgown and bunny slippers.

"Ahh Michelle come on in," the woman said sweetly opening the door wider Michelle squeezed past her, followed by Meadow.

"Thanks Ms. Marsha," Meadow said softly smiling at the woman as she closed the door and locked it.

"You're welcome Meadow, oh and Michelle I forgot to tell you two, wifi's down." Michelle groaned from the staircase and Meadow giggled softly.

"I'm going to go take a shower," announced Meadow when she had entered the apartment. Michelle grunted her approval and flopped onto the couch. Meadow smiled fondly before stepping into the tiny bathroom the two girls shared. After her shower, clean, warm and in a good mood, Meadow strolled into the kitchen with the purpose of asking Michelle if she wanted to bake cookies. Michelle had her back to Meadow, she was murmuring quietly to someone on the phone.

"She's just...so annoying. I never wanted to take care of her I practically got guilt tripped into it. She acts like this little angel but she's really soooo annoying."

Meadow's heart deflated. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Michelle turned around, saw her and quickly said "hold on real quick," She pressed the phone against her chest. The two sisters stared at each other for a long time.

"I'm not feeling so well," said Meadow after a long moment. "I'm going to bed."

Michelle stared at her with concern.

"Okay, if you start to feel too bad come and get me okay?"

"Okay," whispered Meadow, voice small. She turned and hurried down the hall to her tiny bedroom. Michelle pressed the back to her ear.

"Yeah sorry 'bout that my little sister isn't feeling bad, yeah I know she's such a sweetheart, I love her...but I really hate the woman's cat...soooo annoying..."

Meadow's bedroom had been an office when they had first bought the apartment, but Michelle had renovated it. As soon as the door had closed Meadow flung herself onto her bed and burst into tears. The ache in her heart was incredibly intense. She closed her eyes, tears squeezing out between the cracks and tangling her lashes together. Meadow buried her head in her pillow and cried. Suddenly, she woke up. The room was dark, moonlight streaming in from the open window. Warm air blew the curtain away from the wall. Meadow, confused, glanced at the clock. It was two o'clock am.

"I must have fallen asleep," she muttered. Her room, which normally brought her comfort and serenity, now was eerily silent. Something creaked loudly, and Meadow's heart jumped to her throat. It's nothing, she thought nervously, you're just tired. Meadow took a deep breath and practically choked. A thick sour rotting smell filled the room. Meadow gagged and when her mouth opened something flew in. At first she thought it was water, or mist, but it was thicker, tasted horrible, and it felt as if it was choking her. Meadow thrashed wildly and tried to close her mouth but found that she couldn't. Finally the strange smoke stopped coming. Then everything faded to black.

...

When Meadow came to her head was pounding, and her legs ached. She struggled to pull open her eyes, screwing them up at the weak light that practically blinded her. She gazed dizzily around the room. It was not her room. Fear clouded Meadow's heart as her eyes widened. A dingy, old smell pervaded her nostrils, the smell of mothballs and rot. Meadow knew she needed to get out of here, wherever here was. She tried to drag herself from the bed she was laid on and found her hands were bound the the bedposts with rope and her legs were far too heavy to move. Confused, and frightened Meadow let her gaze fall to her legs. She gasped. Both her legs were encased in bright pink casts. Her tiny toes, painted pink, stuck out from the edge of the casts. Meadow wiggled the toes on one of her feet.

"What?" she choked.

"Oh uh...you're awake," said a nervous voice. Meadow glanced around frantically. She didn't recognize the voice and she began to panic.

"Who're you? Where am I?" she squeaked.

"Don't worry, you're alright I won't hurt you," the voice replied and then a man peeked around the corner. He was young, maybe twenty five and handsome. He had beautiful green eyes and freckles, his hair was dark blonde and short. He looked vaguely familiar, but Meadow couldn't place him.

"Hey, do you want some water?" he asked. Meadow nodded frantically, she was incredibly thirsty but she hadn't even realized it. The man uncorked a water bottle and pressed it to her lips. Meadow would have been embarrassed but she was so thirsty she didn't care. She chugged the water hurriedly, some of it spilling out and staining her shirt.

"Hey, hey easy, don't make yourself sick," the man scolded pulling the bottle away from Meadow. Meadow whined quietly at the loss.

"Who are you?" She croaked again and the man put the bottle on the bedside table. She pulled weakly at her restraints.

"I'm Dean," the man said getting something from the bedside table. When he turned around to face Meadow she saw he was holding a long wickedly sharp knife.

Meadow screamed.

"Hey! Hey! It's okay look see! I won't hurt you!" Dean cried frantically holding his hands up in what he thought was a placating gesture. Meadow continued to scream. Suddenly there was the sound of a door opening and a pair of heavy footfalls headed towards them. A young man, tall with long shaggy brown hair and kind hazel eyes hurried into the room. Meadow quieted.

"Sam?" she whimpered voice laced with betrayal.

"Shhh, it's alright Meadow, we won't hurt you, I swear," he said gently. Meadow relaxed slightly.

"Here, we're just going to cut the ropes," he continued in a soothing tone. He slowly took the knife from Dean, and kneeling on the bed next to Meadow cut the ropes. Meadow hissed quietly as the feeling flooded back into her hands.

"There, it's alright just take it easy."

Meadow regarded Sam suspiciously as she rubbed her wrists.

"What am I doing here Sam? Who's he? And what happened to my legs?"

Sam sighed quietly.

"This is my brother, Dean. Dean, this is Meadow, she's..." Sam seemed to suddenly choke on his words. He took a deep breath before continuing. "She's Jess's best friend."

"Nice to meet you," Dean said gravely.

Meadow glanced at Dean, then turned her attention back to Sam.

"What am I doing here and what happened to my legs?"

Sam took another deep breath.

"It's a long story..."

"I've got plenty of time to listen."

"Well...let's start with your legs. We don't know exactly what happened but our best guess is that you jumped out a window."

"What?"

"The brakes looked like, to the doctors at least, injuries sustained from a high fall, a window where you most likely fell from."

Meadow opened her mouth and closed it again.

"But-but I don't remember...I couldn't have...I didn't."

"That leads us to the second part of your question," Dean replied. "What are you doing here? And how did you get here?"

Meadow stared at him blankly.

"Alright, let's see...I never know how to go about explaining this to people...alright. Right before you blacked out, there was probably a strange smell right, it would be like rotten eggs, and then a cloud of black smoke shoved its way down your throat. Right?"

Meadow raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"H-how did you know?"

"Because you're not the first person it's happened to."

"What was...it?" Meadow whispered.

Dean took a huge breath.

"You were possessed...by a demon."

Meadow opened and closed her mouth.

"You're crazy," she spluttered after a moment of silence. "You're absolutely insane."

"We're not crazy. We know it's a lot to digest but it's the truth. How do you think we knew about the smoke and the smell? We've seen this before," Sam soothed. Meadow shook her head frantically.

"But...I couldn't have! I'm a good person! I've never done anything really bad in my life!"

"I know, but that doesn't make any difference. Demons don't care what kind of a person you are, they just need a vessel."

There was silence for a minute.

"Why?" Meadow finally choked out. "Why did it posses me?" Sam paled slightly.

"To...to kill Jessica."

All of Meadow's color drained away and her eyes widened.

"What?" she breathed.

"You went to their apartment, and killed Jessica, and then set the apartment on fire." Dean explained softly.

"I...I...no...it can't be...I..." before she could say anything else Meadow's eyes rolled back in her head and she fainted against the pillows.

...

When Meadow woke up her head was resting on something soft and she was covered with a blanket. It was dark, wherever she was and Meadow felt sleepy and sort of numb. She could hear the quiet sounds of people talking, music playing and...cars.

Meadow was in a car.

Very slowly Meadow sat up, looking around wildly. She noticed for the first time, that she was not wearing the clothes she had been wearing the night she had been possessed. Now she was wearing a pair of huge sweatpants. The ends of the sweatpants went way past her feet and the only reason they were staying on her hips was that a thin piece of cord was wrapped around her waist four times and tied. She was wearing a dark colored t-shirt that was way too big on her and smelled slightly spicy like cologne. On top of the s-shirt she was wearing a hoody that was so large on her that it hung down to her knees. Overall she was warm and comfortable.

"Morning sleepy head," Dean said from the front seat. Meadow didn't say anything, just looked around.

"How are you feeling?" Sam asked twisting around in the passenger seat to face Meadow. Meadow shrugged a little.

"Where am I?" she croaked.

"You're in the best car in the world...my baby," Dean said obvious pride in his voice.

"How did I get here?"

"After you fainted we packed up and loaded you into the car."

"Where are you going?"

"You mean where are we going, you're coming with us." Dean answered.

"Why can't you just take me home?"

"Well...the demon chose you for a reason. We don't know why, or what that reason was but it picked you specifically. We want to keep an eye on you and make sure it doesn't come back for you. It'll just be for a little while."

Meadow settled back down onto the backseat with a dejected sigh. She had a feeling that it wasn't just going to be for a little while.

"Where are we going?" The was the sound of shuffling papers.

"Uhhh... Blackwater Ridge Colorado."

"Why?"

"Someone disappeared in the woods, we think it might be a wendigo."

"What?"

"A wendigo, it's a creature that used to be human...they eat people."

"So this is what you do? You hunt monsters?"

"Pretty much."

"Sam...I thought you were a lawyer."

"I was going to be...but then Jess."

"I...I didn't...I didn't mean to."

"We know, we know."

Meadow had thought that hunting was going to be exciting but it wasn't. Well at least for her it wasn't. Meadow was an invalid. She understood that Dean and Sam couldn't carry her everywhere, but that didn't lessen the boredom and slight resentment she felt at being left behind at the motel every time the boys had a hunt to attend to. All there was for her to do was watch boring day time television and think. Sometimes Dean would show up at the motel with a crate of library books. When Meadow would ask Dean where he had gotten them from he would never reply, just shoot her a mischievous grin.

Meadow didn't know how to feel about Dean. On one hand she appreciated how he took care of her, on the other he was the thing keeping her from returning home to Michelle...

Michelle.

Meadow missed Michelle terribly. Sometimes at night she would get so lonely she would just cry. Meadow wondered if Michelle missed her as much as she missed Michelle, but then she remembered Michelle's words on the telephone.

Michelle must be glad that I'm gone, thought Meadow sadly one day as she laid on the motel couch and crocheted. She had taught herself to crochet one day during a fit of boredom and had taken to it like a duck to water. Right now she was crocheting a blanket for Sam. She squeezed her eyes together and shook her head, trying to stop herself from crying, something she had been doing a lot of lately.

The door was thrown open violently and a blast of freezing air made Meadow shudder. It was December now and they were investigating a plane that had mysteriously crashed. Meadow glanced at the door and frowned. Sam was nearly dragging a limp Dean inside. Dean was deathly pale and Meadow noticed a huge puke stain across the front of Sam's pants. The second they were through the door Dean darted to the bathroom where Meadow could hear him throwing up loudly.

"What happened?" she asked Sam anxiously. "Did everything go alright?"

Sam nodded a little. His face was rather pinched, like he almost wanted to puke himself.

"We got the demon alright, but it turns out Dean hates, planes."

There was the sound of the sink running and Dean spitting something out.

"Awww Dean," Meadow cooed when Dean stumbled out of the bathroom. "Come here."

It was a testimony to how out of it Dean was that he didn't protest, instead he stumbled over to Meadow and flopped down on the bed next to her.

"Poor baby," murmured Meadow.

"Don't patronize me," Dean muttered. Meadow reached over and raked a hand through Dean's hair and then began rubbing small circles on his tummy. Dean shot Meadow an alarmed look.

"What are you doing?"

"Don't worry this will make you feel better. My sister always did this for me when I felt unwell."

Dean's eyes began to slowly slide to a half mast position.

"You have'a sister?"

"Mhmm," Meadow replied continuing her ministrations. "Her name's Michelle, she's twenty two and she's going to be an mechanical engineer."

"Hmm," Dean hummed softly eyes sliding.

"She also hates me," Sam added sitting down on the bed next to Meadow. Meadow laughed softly.

"Yeah, she's not a real people person and she's very protective of me."

Dean didn't reply, he was asleep.

...

Meadow was jolted awake by the sounds of police sirens. She sat up eyes wide, heart beating frantically in her chest.

"Sam?" she croaked. "What's happening?"

"Don't worry Meadow," Sam soothed from the front seat. "They're not after us, some guy got pulled over, just relax and try and go back to sleep."

Meadow slumped up against the pillows piled against the door and sighed. She had been incredibly jumpy and tense ever since the shifter. Before she had always thought that the police knew what they were doing, but now she wasn't so sure.

"Sam," she whispered softly. "I don't feel good."

"I know Meadow, just try and get some sleep."

Meadow nodded silently and closed her eyes.

She had been feeling off all day. Cold and achy and very irritable. She had snapped at Dean during breakfast, something she had regretted later, and now she was feeling rather grouchy. Her head felt like it was stuffed full of cotton and she could hardly breath through her nose.

"She's awful quiet," she heard Dean murmur.

"I think she's asleep."

"I don't like her color, she seems a little pale don't you think?"

"I don't know Dean, I've never taken care of a sick person before!"

"Well I have."

There was a strange sound and the car came to a stop.

Meadow was suddenly blasted with cold air. She shuddered and tried to wrap the blankets around her more. A cold hand pressed against her forehead, startling her.

"Meadow, wake up," Dean commanded. Meadow peeled her eyes open and squinted at Dean.

"Hi," Meadow said quietly.

"Hi," Dean replied. "Here take these." Dean finished a zip lock baggie out of his pocket. He handed it to Meadow and grabbed a water bottle from the front.

"What are they?"

"Fever represents, you're running quite a temperature there."

"Thanks," murmured Meadow popping the pills in her mouth and swallowing them with a chug. She closed her eyes again. She was suddenly jostled, startling her and causing her to gasp. Dean had picked her up slightly and slid into the back seat.

"What are you doing?" she asked as he made himself comfortable.

"Somebody's got to make sure you don't die back here, don't take it personal."

There was the slam of the car door and Sam climbed into the driver's seat and the Impala purred as she was driven back onto the highway. Meadow awkwardly curled up against the side of the car. Despite how uncomfortable it was, she was exhausted and she quickly dropped of to sleep.

Right as Dean was about to nodd off, Sam turned a sharp corner and he ended up with a lapful of unconscious Meadow. Dean stiffened, about to push her off, but stopped when he saw how peaceful she looked. Her lips quirked up into a tiny smile and she made a gentle cooing noise.

Dean, with all his big brother instincts, could not make himself wake her up.

Eventually, blanketed by her gentle warmth and comforted by her soft breathing Dean too fell asleep.

Sam in the front seat glanced at the two sleepy heads and smiled a little to himself. All was quiet but for the sounds of the Impala and the gentle breathing of the two in the back seat.

...

Dean, Sam and Meadow were irritable and hungry. These two emotions never go well together and Meadow knew this, she had lived with Michelle her whole life.

The only way to remedy this, in her opinion, was to get substance into her boys and fast. She didn't know when she had started calling them her boys, it didn't really matter.

"The pizza will be here in about ten minutes," she said in response to Dean's groan about being 'starviiiiiinnnnng,'

In five minutes there was a knock on the door.

"That must be the pizza, they're early," said Meadow as Sam clambered up and went to get the door.

The door opened, Meadow heard Sam let out an exclamation of surprise and then, to Meadow's horror, there was the sound of a gunshot.

Dean let out a shout of "SAM!" before roughly grabbing Meadow and knocking her into the crack between the bed and the wall.

"Stay there!" he commanded before jumping up and rushing into the doorway. Meadow heard Dean and the intruder yelling and...she recognized the voice.

"Michelle?" she called.

"MEADOW!" Michelle yelled back.

"Michelle! Dean! Stop!"

There were two gun shots, almost at the same time and two loud thuds.

Meadow screamed, and mustering up her strength dragged herself out from the crack.

Dean was lying on the ground by the foot of the bed clutching his shoulder. A few feet in front of him lay Michelle, groaning as her fingers scrabbled at a bullet wound in her shoulder. At the door lay Sam moaning softly.

"Michelle! What were you thinking!?" cried Meadow dragging herself forward.

"Meadow, are you alright?" croaked Michelle twisting to try and see Meadow.

"I'm fine, it's you who's shot. Are you alright Dean? Sam?"

Dean and Sam moaned an affirmative.

"Dean, can you stand?"

Dean nodded shakily.

"Alright, I need you to go and get the first aid kit from the bathroom and towels, lots of towels."

Dean staggered to his feet with a grunt and stumbled to the bathroom. Meadow dragged herself over to Michelle and lifted Michelle's head so that it was resting on her lap.

"What are you doing here?" Meadow asked softly.

"I've come to rescue you," grunted Michelle in response, "but it didn't go as planned."

"You didn't need to rescue me, I'm fine," Meadow replied accepting the first aid kit Dean was handing her.

"So you...you ran away?"

"Not...exactly. It's really complected so I'll explain later, for now I need to fix you up."

Meadow worked for hours sewing, bandaging and pain killing. When everything was done Michelle and Meadow laid on a bed next together, knees pressed together.

"I was so worried," murmured Michelle sleepily. Michelle had dark bags under her eyes and had lost weight. Meadow stroked a hand over Michelle's head.

"Why? I thought you'd be glad that I was gone."

"What! No! You're the best thing that's ever happened to me! I live for you!" Michelle cried. Meadow soothed her gently.

"Alright, I believe you. You've definitely proved your determination. Now go to sleep, I'm right here."