She was sitting behind the counter of the local diner when they drove into town. It was early in the morning, and the night sky was fading away slowly, going from light purple to blue. He walked into the diner, an air of nobility surrounding him. The tinkling of the bell above the door made her look up from the 'Rolling Stone' magazine that she was flipping through, to be met with chocolate brown eyes, set on a hardened face. The skin rough from the weather, and traces of the many cuts and bruises that had once been carved into the skin were fading away. The newest ones stood out, pale and healing, against his badly tanned skin. He was a large man, muscular and bulky, clad in stonewashed jeans and a leather jacket. Steel toed boots were on his feet and he wore many layers beneath his jacket.

She smiled as best as she could, although her instincts told her to bolt out the door. Just turn around and run as fast as her legs could carry her. Run until she collapsed from the pain the lack of oxygen caused in her chest, and even then she would pick herself up and run or crawl or drag herself along, just keep moving. This man frightened her, and he always would.

He placed his hand on the counter, leaning onto it. His eyes were tired, although the rest of his body was alert and cautious, the muscles in his neck tense and his jaw working away continually. His hand was inches away from hers. She wanted to jab a fork into it, maybe distract him, but instead she calmed herself and groped around the shelves beneath the counter with her other hand. A slight relief washed over her when her hand closed around the handle of a knife, just in case.

"I was wondering where the nearest gas station is" then he added "I just moved into the big Victorian house"

She knew the place. The Old Malone house. His voice was gruff and hoarse. Like he did a lot of shouting and yelling. It was also deep and rumbling, like a car's engine. It just added to the fear inspiring look he gave off. She raised a shaking finger, directing him towards a road that led away from the diner

"J-just go straight down that road. You can't m-miss it" she tried to keep her voice as calm and polite as possible. But a stutter or two had escaped from her lips. She hoped he hadn't noticed.

The stranger nodded and thanked her "Oh I need a cup of coffee too. I've been driving all night y'know" she nodded and attempted a smile.

She was sure it looked like a queasy grimace from the way she felt. He returned her smile with one of his own. If you could call it a smile that is. All he had done was curve the tips of his lips upwards, it didn't reach his eyes, it wasn't genuine. She continued smiling as she turned around and took in a deep breath to steady herself. She poured him his coffee and he was handing it to him the back of her hand brushed against his palm.

They were rough and covered with healing blisters. She could feel the calluses, the same ones her Papa had from handling his guns. The same ones she had.

"You live here long?" the stranger asked her.

"Yup. All my life" she replied.

"What can you tell me about the house I'm moving into?"

"Some say it's haunted. Personally, I think it's a load of BS, something people say just to have something to talk about" she kept her hands busy by wiping down the counter even though she already had, and adjusting the cups behind her.

"Why do they say that?" he took a sip from her coffee and looked up at her from over the tip of his mug with inquiring eyes.

She didn't know if she should tell him the whole story. She knew the local legend by heart, her brothers used to read it to her before she went to bed in an attempt to scare her. Attempts that failed miserably because she always ended up turning the tables and scaring them. This wasn't exactly hard to do since they lived right across the street from the big yellow Victorian house that brought the chills to anyone who walked past it.

Back when she actually hung out with any girls, they used to play Truth or Dare, and sometime or the other, one of the girls would dare her to break into the house, or ding dong ditch it. And she would stroll right up to the front door, her head held high, and do whatever it was they had dared to her to do. The most recent dare she had done was spend the night in one of the bedrooms which caused her to become something of a freak, and gave her the status of a social reject. That was five years ago.

Ever since then she had tended to hang out with the guys in her year, and quite a few of her older brothers' friends, which (much to her delight) annoyed them immensely. It wasn't a very difficult transition for her to make, after all she had grown up with five brothers, but she did occasionally wonder what was wrong with her whenever Jean Emers glared at her or whenever Karen Somer came up to her and asked her why she had blisters all over her hands or why she never wore any make up.

"Well, a couple years ago, I'd say about…fifty…a family lived there. The Malones. They were real weird, pale as hell, freaked the shit outta most people. And they had these black eyes, scary looking. They never ate, and they never aged. Well, at least that's what they say. Hard to tell what the truth is, y'know how things get with these stories." He nodded keeping his eyes glued to her face. To tell you the truth it frightened her, a lot. But she pressed on, regardless.

"Well anyway, they never ate so people started saying they were vampires and someone swore they saw fangs or whatever. And then they died. Well not really, they disappeared. And y'know vampires are supposed to be immortal or something. So everyone got real scared and then these bizarre deaths started turning up" her throat went dry and she had to take in a deep breath before continuing "Well anyway, ever since then people have been saying that they still live there in the cellar or the attic in coffins coming out to eat every couple of years, or their spirits still haunt the house or something. I'm not really sure"

He had stared at her intently this whole time, he seemed to be genuinely interested. "And you don't believe any of it?"

"Well, of course not!"

He nodded, still searching at her face intently from over his mug. She shifted uncomfortably and he dropped his gaze to his coffee, as if suddenly becoming aware of how uncomfortable he was making her. Then he looked up and smiled that chilling smile again

"Thank you. Well, I best be off. How much do I owe you?"

She shook her head "It's on the house"

His eyebrows pulled together "Are you sure? I really don't th-" she cut him off

"My dad owns the place. I'm sure he won't mind if I give away a cup of coffee" she smiled a small enchanting smile.

"Okay then" he said, putting away his wallet. He stood up to leave but when his hand closed around the doorknob she finally mustered the courage to call out to him.

"Hey mister, what's your name?" He turned and smiled, a genuine heartfelt smile. His eyes lit up and his whole face warmed and she dismissed her previous thoughts and fears of this man as silly. As soon as she saw him smile an actual smile all her fears went away, just like that.

"It's John. John Winchester" then he turned and drove his car away from the diner, away from her.