Disclaimer: Sam, Dean, Bobby, and any original canon belong to Eric Kripke and the CW. Lines from episode 3x1: "The Magnificent Seven" belong to writer Eric Kripke. The lyrics to "Seven Devils" belong to Florence Welch and Paul Epworth.

Tawny belongs to me.

Holy water cannot help you now
See I've come to burn your kingdom down
And no rivers and no lakes can put the fire out
I'm gonna raise the stakes, I'm gonna smoke you out

Seven devils all around me
Seven devils in my house
See they were there when I woke up this morning
I'll be dead before the day is done

One week. Seven days. One hundred sixty-eight hours. Ten thousand eighty minutes. Six hundred and four thousand, eight hundred seconds.

That's how long it took Tawny to finally cave and let Bobby call Sam. Since the Devil's Gate was opened, Tawny's spent almost every waking moment tracking demonic omens. The number of unexplained cattle deaths and freak electrical storms over the past week has skyrocketed, which isn't a good sign. Then, six hours ago, Tawny had stumbled upon a story about a town suddenly overcome with locusts, had six electrical storms in two days, and a total of thirty-four local dairy cows had died sudden and mysterious deaths. She and Bobby piled into his old Chevelle a few minutes later. An hour out, Bobby started talking about how they could "really use the boys' help on this one", and after two and half hours of him mentioning it, Tawny looks up, snapping at him.

"Fine, dad. Call Sam. But I'm warning you, if Dean pisses me off, I'll shoot him."

Tawny turns her flashlight back down to the map in her lap, brushing through her hair absently with her free hand. She's a bit surprised when she gets to the ends, still not used to the fact that she'd cut off about ten inches of it. Now it falls just past her chin, looking darker than ever in the absence of the sun-lightened ends. She glances up at Bobby when she hears Sam pick up.

"Hey, Sam… watcha doin'?... You buried in that book again? Sam, you wanna break Dean free'a that demon deal, you ain't gonna find the answer in no book… Kid, I wish I knew. So, where's your brother?...What?... Well, you boys better pack it up. Tawny thinks she finally found somethin'… Tawny? Oh, she's fine, just a little…different than the last time you saw her… Alright, head for Lincoln and we'll call y'all when we get there… 'kay, kiddo. Bye."

Bobby hangs up, dropping his phone in the cup holder before he glances over at Tawny, who's been staring at him through the whole conversation.

"You want somethin', kid?" he asks, looking back out at the road. Tawny lowers her flashlight, trying not to sound too angry.

"You called Sam and didn't tell me," she says more than asks. Bobby looks at her out of the corner of his eye. "Little girl, I do a lotta things without tellin' you," he replies, and Tawny scoffs.

"Yeah, like what?"

"Two weeks ago I made myself a grilled cheese and didn't tell you." Tawny scoffs, folding up the map in her lap. "'s not the same, dad," she says, not caring that she sounds like a whiney teenager. "Why'd you call him?"

Bobby sighs, shifting in his seat. "Just to check up on them, make sure that –"

"What?" Tawny cuts in, glaring over at him. "To make sure that poor little Dean is okay? He's going to Hell, dad. I wouldn't really expect him to be throwing a party. And why were you calling to check up on him when you haven't even asked if I'm okay?"

Bobby glances over at Tawny again before he slows the car, pulling off to the shoulder. He puts it into park before turning to face Tawny. "Are you okay, sugarbee?" he asks softly, and Tawny shrugs. She'd planned to make some smart-ass remark, but that was before she knew he was actually going to pull over. Finally, she shakes her head.

"No, not really," she says softly, and Bobby reaches out and tucks her hair behind her ear. "You wanna talk about it?" he asks, and Tawny shakes her head again, looking at her lap. She tries to will her tears away, but when Bobby runs his hand over the top of her head, she feels one slip away.

"You know," he says quietly, and she can still feel his gaze on her. "I do understand what you're goin' through, sugarbee. When your momma died –"

Tawny looks up, shaking her head furiously. "Dean's not dead yet, dad," she says hopefully, and she smiles faintly when he does.

"I know, baby girl. 's just, the thoughta you hatin' Dean, no matter how much of an idjit that boy is, is just –" he starts but Tawny cuts him off.

"I don't hate him!" she presses, shaking her head, her eyes going wide. "I just… I just need to be mad at him for a little while."

"Sweetheart, he ain't got much time left," Bobby says softly, and Tawny nods, looking back at her hands. "I know," she replies softly. Tears sting her eyes and she blinks quickly a few times to will them away.

"I need this, though. I need him to know that I can only help him if he wants it. I need him to know that even if I do love him – completely and unconditionally – and that even if it meant bringing back Sam, I don't agree with what he did. I don't just need him to want me back, dad. I need him to need me."

Bobby and Tawny stare at each other in silence for a few seconds before Bobby finally nods. "Okay," he says, turning back to face the road. He puts the car into drive and they make their way to Lincoln.

Bobby and Tawny get to the house about ten minutes before Dean pulls up, and when he does he seems surprised to see how much she's changed in the week that they haven't been together. Even with the fact that she'd cut her hair, Tawny's changed a lot. She's started wearing make-up and traded the baggy shirts she always used to wear for tank-tops. On her left shoulderblade is a tattoo, the same protective symbol she wears on a black ribbon around her neck, now carved into her skin with a needle. She got it two days ago, and it still stings a bit. When she jumps down from the trunk of the Chevelle, the dull thud of her mother's old locket, the one with her parent's wedding picture and a snapshot of Tawny as a baby, is dulled by the beating of her heart.

"So, we're eatin' bacon cheeseburgers for breakfast, are we?" Bobby says, walking over to Dean. When Tawny gets closer she sees that, in fact, that's exactly what he has clutched in his fist. His eyes flicker to hers for a second before looking back at Bobby.

"Well," he says through a mouthful, his hand rubbing over his chin. "Sold my soul. Got a year to live. I ain't sweatin' the cholesterol."

Tawny swallows, trying to keep herself from crying or hitting Dean, maybe both. Instead, she shoves her hands in her pockets. "So Tawny, what d'you think?" Sam asks, looking at Tawny. "We got a biblical plague here or what?"

She shrugs. "Dunno yet. But it looks like this is the swarms ground zero, so let's find out," she says. She takes a couple steps towards the house, but when she hears Dean take another bite she snaps, turning around and striding over to him. She grabs the burger out of his hand, throwing it on the ground.

"Hey! I was eating that!" he protests, and Tawny rolls her eyes. "We're working, jackass," she shoots at him, ignoring his glare as they make their way onto the porch. Tawny and Sam turn, staring out over the lawn as Dean and Bobby walk over to the door. Sam lifts a hand, running it lightly through her hair. She looks up at him to see he's smiling softly.

"I like it," he murmurs, and Tawny smiles in return. Her smile quickly turns into a look of annoyance directed at Dean, however, when he knocks loudly on the door and yells 'Candygram!'. The only response, though, is the chirping of the cicadas and suddenly Tawny feels uneasy. She, Sam and Bobby all pull out guns at the same time, and the weight of her Colt in her hands soothes Tawny a little. Dean picks the lock quickly and Tawny instantly regrets standing behind him.

The smell of rotting flesh hits Tawny like a wall, turning her stomach and nearly making her lose the small breakfast she ate. "That's awful," Sam points out, and Tawny watches as Dean pulls out his own gun. "That so can't be a good sign," Dean says. Tawny would agree, but it's a very good possibility she's going to throw up if she opens her mouth, so she just follows Bobby.

They duck into a bedroom, then into the kitchen and find nothing. They both make their way to where they hear Sam and Dean shuffling around, and Tawny can't help the "What the hell?" that escapes her lips when she sees the rotting corpses on the couch. She crosses the room quickly, tucking her gun into the back of her jeans before wrenching a window open. She stands as close to the mesh in it as possible, letting her eyes fall shut and taking in huge gulps of fresh air to calm her rolling stomach.

"Bobby, what the hell happened here?" Sam asks. She hears Bobby take a deep breath before answering "I dunno". Tawny jumps when she feels a gun calloused hand on the small of her back where her tank top has ridden up, and she turns to see Dean looking at her, concern in his eyes.

"You okay, b – Tawny?" he asks softly, and Tawny feels a clench in her stomach that has nothing to do with the human jerky sitting on the couch. She nods, though, straightening and pulling away from him. "Yeah. 'm fine," she says. He nods once, looking at her cautiously. She's just starting to feel like he's trying to read her mind when his eyes flicker over her shoulder. He leans closer, his chest nearly brushing hers, but just when she can feel the warmth radiating off of his body he turns, whistling at Bobby and Sam and cocking his head towards the window.

Tawny pulls her gun out again, following Sam and Bobby around to the kitchen door as Dean goes out through the front. When they get to the front of the porch, Tawny's heart leaps.

"Isaac! Tamara!" she yells, completely ignoring Dean lying on the ground as she practically runs over and embraces Tamara. "What the hell are you doing here?" Tamara asks, her accent strong, and Tawny laughs as she pulls away.

"I could ask the same," she jests, turning to Isaac. She throws her arms around his shoulders, laughing as he wraps and arm around her waist, hugging her tight enough that her feet come off of the ground. She turns to see Bobby hugging Tamara and leans away enough for Bobby to shake Isaac's hand. They're all laughing when Dean's hand shoots up, smacking against Tawny's thigh.

"Helloooo…" he says, and Tawny looks down at him, an eyebrow raised. "Bleeding here."

She throws a leg over his torso, crouching down so her rear is almost touching his chest. She reaches down, grasping his chin and turning his head. She prods gently at his nose, a little relieved when she sees there isn't any serious damage.

"Well, his nose isn't broken," she says, standing and looking over at Isaac. "Next time, hit him harder."

Tawny's in the kitchen of the house Isaac and Tamara were holed up in until Isaac's little outburst when Dean finds her. He leans against the doorframe and watches as she sets down two paper bags full of fast food and opens them, pulling a burger out and peeking in the wrapping. He's about to head towards her when she holds the burger up, not even turning around.

"Double bacon cheeseburger, no mayo, extra onion," she says and he has to stifle the chuckle at how she knew he was there. She turns around when he starts walking towards her, her brown eyes meeting his as he walks up to her, taking the food she offers him. He's about to ask how she knew he was there when she rolls her eyes.

"You aren't quite the ninja you think you are, Dean."

He smiles faintly, looking down at the sandwich before looking back up at Tawny. He feels a lump in his throat when he recognizes the look on her face. It's the same one she had after Sam left for Stanford, and Dean hates that look. Normally Tawny looks strong and, even considering the life they live, happy; but when she looks at him like that he sees that she's broken and hurting and no matter how badly he wants to take it all away he can't. He can't because he's the one who put it there. He's the one who ripped her heart out and stomped on it before shooting it with his 12-guage and then running it over with the Impala.

The night she told him that she was done, that she wanted him to walk away, he didn't want to. Dean Winchester, the king of walking out on women, couldn't move. He couldn't find the strength to pick up his feet and walk away from her. The moment she collapsed his first instinct was to go to her, to pull her into his chest and run his hand through her hair and whisper to her that everything would be okay. But a little voice in his head, one that sounded exactly like his father, strangely enough, said something that will always haunt him, probably even in Hell.

You did that to her, Dean. You made her hate you. That's right. She hates you. She WANTS you to burn in Hell. She's better off without you, Dean. She deserves more than you. She deserves more than a selfish LIAR.

Dean's pulled from his thoughts when Tawny snaps her fingers just under his nose. "Huh?" he says brilliantly, and Tawny raises her eyebrows. "Coke or Sprite?" she asks, grabbing two cups and holding them up. He grabs the Coke, only realizing after he's holding it that he did it on autopilot. He knows that Tawny prefers Sprite.

"Hey, Tawny?" he suddenly says quietly, setting the burger and drink down on the counter next to her. She hums, going back to digging in the bags.

"I'm sorry."

Dean feels something clench in his chest when Tawny stills, her shoulders drawing up the way a dog might bristle just before an attack. He moves toward her, but Tawny flinches away just as his hand is about to touch her shoulder. She takes a step to the side, standing with her right hip pressed against the counter.

"Dean, don't," she says quietly, crossing her arms over her chest and looking away. He steps towards her, though, reaching out, and when she takes a step back he feels tears prickle in his eyes. In all the time he's known her, she's always let him come to her, let him hold her, and now that she won't even let him touch her, it puts a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Tawny, c'mon. Talk to me," he pleads, not even the least bit concerned that his voice cracks on her name. At this point it may even help him out. But Tawny shakes her head, finally letting her eyes meet his, and he has to press his lips together hard to keep from crying when he sees the tears swimming in her eyes.

"I can't," she whispers, leaning against the counter. He watches her for a moment, watching her tears finally fall when her eyes flicker between his own, and suddenly hates himself for doing this to the only woman he's ever loved besides his own mother. He reaches up to wipe her tears away before he realizes what he's even doing, and when Tawny doesn't move away from him the tension in his chest eases a bit.

"I can't do this alone," he says softly, and suddenly Tawny's gaze sharpens. She huffs a little as she pulls away from him, her face flushing with what he immediately recognizes as anger.

"You aren't alone, Dean. You made sure of that when you decided to bring Sammy back. So don't you dare feed me that line of crap," she says harshly, and Dean's left speechless as she turns and storms out of the room. He watches her go, and cringes when he hears the sound of her boots loud on the steps before a door slams.

June 12, 1990 – 11:54 PM

Tawny was starting to get tired. When she got down to the kitchen this morning for breakfast, Daddy had a plate of scrambled eggs and toast waiting for her, and when she was done eating he took her plate and told her that Uncle John had called and that Sam and Dean were spending the week with them. He'd told Tawny that they wouldn't be there til late, so she'd done her best to stay up. But now, as she sat on the couch with her Dr. Seuss books spread out along the couch, her eyes started to droop.

She hadn't realized that she'd fallen asleep until she hears Charger, their watch dog, barking at the rumble that Tawny recognizes as the Impala. She shoots off of the couch, ignoring the books toppling to the ground as she runs over to the door.

"They're here, daddy!" she shouts into the kitchen, where Daddy's probably fallen asleep at his desk, before yanking the door open. Uncle John has the Impala parked in front of the porch, and he smiles when he sees Tawny.

"Uncle John!" she shouts, and he laughs as she comes running at him, scooping her up in a hug. "Hey Tawny Bear. How're you doin'?" he asks, and when Tawny pouts he mimics her.

"Bored!" she says, exasperatedly, and she crosses her arms over her chest as best she can while he's holding her. "Why'd you take so long?!"

Uncle John chuckles. "Sorry, sweetheart. But you get a whole week with the boys. Is that okay?" he asks, and Tawny purses her lips, considering it for a moment. Finally, she nods, a grin breaking out on her face. He kisses her cheek, the beard he let grow out tickling her skin, before he sets her down.

Dean is the first one out of the car, and Tawny can tell he's been sleeping. His eyes are puffy and red, and one of his cheeks is pressed red, probably from leaning on the door. But his green eyes brighten when he sees her. He turned eleven this past January and Tawny thinks he's gonna be as handsome as Uncle John someday.

"Hey, shortstack," he chides, the corner of his mouth turning up in a smirk. Tawny glares and pushes at his shoulder when he's close enough. "That's not my name!" she protests, and does her best to look mad when he tries to hug her, but he manages to wrestle his arms around her and Tawny finally gives in. She's smiling again by the time Sam climbs out of the back seat. He looks like he's been sleeping, too, but he's smiling widely when he sees her.

He turned seven in May, and Tawny was glad that Uncle John called from Sioux City and they got to meet at a McDonalds for Sammy's birthday. She was starting to miss him.

"Hey, Tawny," he says, and she grins at him, looping her arm with his as they walk into the house.

"Alright, detective. Thanks for letting us speak to her."

Tawny smiles briefly at the uniformed officer and walks over to her father, who's talking to the sergeant.

"Ready when you are, counselor," she says, and Bobby turns to smile at her.

"I think I've got all the information we need," he replies, and turns back to the sergeant. "Someone from our office will be in contact."

Tawny doesn't look at anyone as they walk out of the station, still trying to sort out everything in her mind, climbing into Bobby's car on autopilot. She can still feel a sort of nagging at her subconscious, like she knows what's going on but doesn't realize it. She's seen a lot, but for an entire family to die of starvation and dehydration with a fully stocked kitchen, then, in less than twenty-four hours, to hear of a girl attacked and murdered in broad daylight over a pair of shoes…

"You comin'? Or are you gonna sit there all day thinkin'?" Bobby says, and Tawny looks over at him. She rolls her eyes after a moment, and climbs out of the Chevelle. Tawny spots Sam and Dean as soon as they walk into the store.

"Whoa…" Dean says, whistling as he looks both of them over. "Lookin' spiffy. What were you? G-men?"

"Attorneys for the DA's office," Bobby corrects, adjusting his tie in the mirror behind Dean. Tawny catches Dean's eye and he smiles faintly at her, but she ignores it. She pulls uncomfortably at her skirt. "Just spoke to the suspect," Bobby continues.

"Yeah?" Sam asks, looking between them. "So, what d'you think? Is she possessed or what?"

"I don't think so," Tawny says when Bobby looks at her, and Sam furrows his brows. "There's none of the usual signs – y'know, blackouts, loss of control. Completely lucid and aware of her actions. She just really wanted those shoes. "

She pauses when she meets Dean's eye again, and she has to look away when she sees his lips are pursed in that way that makes her heart flip uncomfortably.

"Daddy spilled a glass of Holy water on her just to be sure," she finishes, shrugging. "Nothin'."

"Well," Dean says, looking pointedly at one of the sales women as she walks by, and Tawny has to resist the urge to smack him. "Maybe she's just some random wackjob."

Tawny rolls her eyes. "Well, if it had been an isolated incident, maybe. But, first the family, now this?" she says through gritted teeth, and Bobby cuts in.

"I taught this girl to believe in a lotta things… Coincidence ain't one of 'em. Did you boys find anything around here?"

"No sulfer, nothin'," Sam says, and Tawny sighs, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Well, maybe somethin'," Dean suddenly says, looking over at them. When Tawny looks up he turns and glances pointedly at a security camera in the back. He looks at Sam, a smirk on his lips.

"See? I'm workin'."

Five minutes later, after Tawny sweet talked the store's male owner into letting them see the security footage, the four of them are crowded in the back office. Sam and Bobby immediately sit down and watch as Sam rewinds the footage, and Tawny walks over to a file cabinet in the back corner. She feels Dean walk up behind her and she tenses, knowing he's going to bring up the night before. Sure enough, he takes a breath and takes a step to stand next to her.

"So, about last night – " he starts at a whisper, but Tawny turns away from him.

"Drop it, Dean," she grinds out. Bobby glances at her when she walks up behind him, and she shoots him a small smile before leaning over Sam's shoulder to watch the tape. She smiles faintly when she inhales and smells the familiar soap-cotton-Sammy scent she's missed, and she has a flash of him lying on a cot, pale and cold. She swallows around a lump in her throat and moves her head a little closer, their cheeks almost brushing. She can feel him lean into it until they are, and they catch each other's eye.

"Anything interesting?" Dean asks, walking up behind them. Tawny straightens, keeping her eyes on the screen despite the overwhelming urge to glance over her shoulder. Dean's standing close enough that she can feel the heat pouring off of his chest.

"I dunno yet," Sam says, and Tawny clenches her jaw when Dean puts a hand on her back and leans around her to see the screen better. "Might just be a guy," Sam continues, oblivious. "Or it could be our guy."

They all watch the screen as "their guy" touches the girl's shoulder and looks suggestively at the victim, and this time, when Tawny and Dean lock eyes, they finally have the same expression.

June 13, 1990 – 2:46 AM

Tawny's trembling when she wakes up. She glances down at the sleeping bags on her bedroom floor, first at Sammy, who's still asleep, then at Dean. He's awake; she can see his eyes glimmering from the light shining through her window from outside. She reaches up and rubs at her eyes, not particularly surprised to find tears staining her cheeks. It's what she usually finds when she has nightmares about the night The Demon killed Mommy.

Tawny looks over and meets Dean's gaze again, and this time he waves her over. She smiles faintly, throwing back the covers and climbing out of bed. She pads softly across the room, being careful not to make the floorboards creak as she circles around Sammy's head. Dean's holding the sleeping bag open for her when she gets to him, and she climbs in.

"Did you have a nightmare?" Dean asks her in a whisper as she worms her way in, snuggling against him. She nods her head once he's settled. His eyebrows furrow, his tired eyes filling with concern. "Wanna talk about it?"

Tawny shakes her head, laying down fully, pressed into his side.

"Thank you, Dean," she whispers back, and he kisses her head before resting his chin on top of it.

Tawny's just drifted off when she hears a loud bang on the roof of the car and she jolts awake, sighing in relief when she sees it's only Sam. He grins at Dean through the window, laughing as he pulls the door open.

"That's not funny," Dean complains, then grunts uncomfortably when Sam shoves his seat forward.

"Yeah, uh, all right, so –" he starts quickly, climbing into the back seat. "John Doe's name is Walter Rosen. He's from Oak Park, just west of Chicago. Went missing about a week ago."

"The night the Devil's Gate opened?" Dean asks, glancing back. Sam tugs Tawny to his side and she feels how cold his hands are, so she grabs them and holds them in her own, rubbing them warm. He leans against her, resting his cheek on her head.

"Yeah."

"So you think he's possessed?" Dean asks, and Sam looks down at Tawny.

"It's a good bet," she says. Sam takes his fingers and threads them through hers, holding her hands in his lap. She's never told him, but she loves that Sam is such a cuddle bug. Sam leans away enough to look Tawny in the eyes.

"So, what? He just walks up to someone, touches them, and they go stark raving psycho?" he asks, and Tawny can here the disbelief in his voice. She shrugs.

"Those demons that got outta the gate –" Bobby cuts in, and Tawny looks up at him. "They're gonna be able to do all kinds of things we haven't seen. Sam slumps back against Tawny slightly. "You mean the demons we let out."

Tawny squeezes Sam's knee. Oddly enough, she hasn't really sat down to think about how he's taking all of this – the demon's, Dean's deal, Tawny leaving. Looking back, Tawny's starting to think that's who she should have been thinking of when she walked out. After all, the entire ordeal was completely centered around Sam.

Tawny opens her mouth to console Sam, but finds herself looking out of the windshield at Dean's soft "Guys".

Walter Rosen, or whatever's possessing him, is crossing the parking lot. "All right. Showtime," Dean says, and leans for the door. But –

"Wait a minute," Bobby says before he can even reach for the handle. Tawny glances at him and sees he's staring at the door of the bar. "What?" Dean asks, and Bobby looks at him.

"What did I just say?" he asks, and turns back to the door. "We don't know what to expect outta this guy. We should tail 'im til we know for sure."

"Oh," Dean objects, gesturing towards him. "So he kills someone and we just sit here with our junk in our hands?"

"We're no good dead!" Bobby yells, and Tawny's not sure it's just about this case. "And we're not gonna make a move until we know what the score is."

Tawny looks across the parking lot, pondering telling them to stop screaming, when she sees a familiar truck. "Dad," she warns, leaning up between the front seats and pointing in Isaac and Tamara's general direction. "I don't think that's an option."

"Dammit!" Bobby shouts, smacking the steering wheel. They watch as the couple walks through the door, and Dean turns to look at Tawny. "What d'we do?" he asks, and Tawny shrugs, but then has a horrible thought.

"They're hunters. And we can't just sit here," she says, but the three of them just look at her. She raises her eyebrows and looks between them. "We can't just sit here and let'em die, can we? I know I can't live with that."

Tawny's surprised she hasn't hit Tamara yet. Dealing with her screaming that they had to go back in the car was bad enough, but now that they're back at the house and Tamara is trying to convince them to go back, Tawny's pretty close to punching her teeth in.

"I left my husband bloody on the floor!" she screams, and Tawny grits her teeth. Sam rounds Tawny's back, and she's suddenly grateful for his ridiculous patience because, if he weren't here, Tamara would have been bloody on the floor from Tawny's fists.

"I understand that, but we can't go back," Sam says, and Tamara shoots him a look.

"Fine. Then you stay. But I'm heading back to that bar," Tamara says. Tawny opens her mouth to tell Tamara that no one is going anywhere, but before she can Dean is walking between Sam and Tamara.

"I'll go with her."

"It's suicide, Dean!" Sam yells, and Dean turns around. "So what? I'm dead already," Dean quickly counters, and Tawny sees red. She strides over and grabs Dean by the jacket, slamming him against the doorframe.

"Why d'you wanna die so bad, huh?" she yells, inches away from his face. His eyes grow wide as she stares him down. "It's like you just can't wait to get down there, can't wait to burn in a river of fire forever. What the hell did we do to you to make you hate us so much that you can't wait a motherfucking year to die?"

Tawny's seething, her knuckles almost purple where she's gripping his jacket. When he doesn't make a sound she leans back a little, her voice lower but still not quite at it's normal volume. "How're you gonna kill 'em, Dean? Can't shoot 'em, and you can't stab 'em. They're not just gonna wait in line to get exorcised!"

"I don't care!" Tamara suddenly yells, and Tawny rounds on her. "We don't even know how many of them there are!" Tawny yells, but Bobby steps in.

"Yeah, we do," he says, holding a book open. "There's seven."

And suddenly everything in Tawny's mind clicks. Seven. The family that died of starvation with a pile of food yards away; sloth. A woman willing to kill in broad daylight for a pair of shoes: envy. Isaac drinking an entire bottle of drain cleaner: gluttony.

"Oh, God," Tawny breathes, and Bobby looks up at her, nodding. "Do you have any idea who we're up against?" Bobby grinds out, looking furiously between Dean and Tamara. Dean raises his eyebrows. "No. Who?"

"The Seven Deadly Sins, live and in the flesh!" Bobby nearly yells, and Dean huffs. Somehow Tawny knows exactly what's coming next but before she can stop it –

"'What's in the box?!'" Dean quotes, looking directly at her, and she's never wanted to beat the crap out of him with a two-by-four more than right now. "Brad Pitt, Se7en? No?"

Bobby slams the book shut, shoving it into Dean's chest as Tawny looks at him, hoping her disapproval is clear. She figures it is when Dean shoots her a guilty look. "What's this?" he asks innocently, and when he opens it Tawny sees the cover.

"Binsfeld's Classification of Demons," she answers, and grabs the book. She flips about halfway through before handing it back to Dean. "In 1589, Binsfeld identified the Seven Deadly Sins – not just as human vices, but as actual devils."

"The family," Sam says, and Tawny looks at him. "They were touched by Sloth. And the shopper –"

"Envy," Tawny finishes, turning to nod towards the next room. "Pretty sure that's who's crashing in the livingroom. It's been bugging me all day that I couldn't figure it out," Tawny says, looking at Bobby.

"Well, I couldn't suss it out at first until Isaac. He was touched with an awful gluttony," Bobby answers, and he looks at Tamara. Tawny glances at her to see she's rubbing the back of her neck.

"I don't give a rat's ass if they're the Three Stooges or the Four Tops," she yells at Bobby, and Tawny feels her anger start to pick back up. "I'm gonna slaughter every last one of them!"

"We already did it your way!" Tawny yells, bearing down on her. "You burst in there half-cocked, no idea what you're doing, and then you're surprised when Isaac's dead?! What the hell were you thinking? And now you wanna go back? These demons haven't been topside for half a millennium! The way they think, we're talkin' Medieval, dark ages shit! No one alive has ever faced anything remotely like this! So we're going to take a breath and figure out what our next move is!"

Tawny's chest is heaving and she's glaring at Tamara, who's glaring right back, and, even though she meant everything she said, she knows Tamara's hurting. She steps closer, putting a hand on Tamara's arm.

"I'm sorry about Isaac, Tamara," Tawny continues in almost a whisper. "I know what it's like to watch the man you love walk himself into his own grave… and it sucks. But you're strong, and you will get through this."

Tamara stares at her for a second, tears shining in her eyes, before she walks away. Tawny turns, inadvertently catching Dean's gaze. She sees his eyes are shining with tears of his own. Without a word Bobby and Sam follow Tamara into the living room, leaving the two of them alone with a tension in the air thick enough to cut.

"Tawny," Dean breathes, stepping forward and holding his hand out. Tawny wants to take it. She wants to melt into his chest and hold him until the hurting stops. She wants to go back to the way things were before Sam died. She never thought that she would want to be holed up in some seedy motel room, pressed up against Dean, skin on skin, so damn bad.

It takes all of her strength to shake her head.

"I can't, Dean," she whispers, sniffling. "I'm sorry."

Sam and Dean are in the back bedroom when Tawny finds them. Dean glances briefly up at her from his spot on the floor, but she doesn't try to catch his eye. Instead, she looks at Sam and clears her throat.

"Uh, Sam, dad needs some help getting stuff upstairs ready," she says quietly, hoping that Sam gets how badly she needs to talk to Dean alone. She wasn't going to. She was perfectly fine keeping her distance until they dealt with the Seven, then sending him and Sam along their merry way. But something registered with her when Dean offered to sacrifice himself for the umpteenth time that night.

Thankfully, Sam understands and he rises, reaching out to squeeze Tawny's wrist lightly as he passes. Dean watches her curiously as she walks over to pick up the bottle and flask, bringing them over and dropping down next to Dean. She can feel his eyes on her as she starts to fill the flask.

"Finally decide to talk to me?" Dean asks roughly, loading another salt round into his favorite sawed-off. Tawny looks up, just holding eye contact with him for a moment before gently setting down the bottle and flask. She takes a deep breath, trying to will her tears back, before looking up at Dean. She sees he's set his gun aside and is giving her his full attention.

"You can stop pretending to be brave, Dean," she says, and when Dean opens his mouth to protest, Tawny shakes her head. "Don't even try to play this off as something else. 'Take Tamara and head for the hills'?" she asks, knitting her eyebrows and letting a tear fall.

"Why do you think I'm pretending?" he asks, and Tawny huffs out a laugh.

"This is me you're talking to Dean. I know you. I know how you act when you're scared, and right now you're absolutely terrified. Do you honestly think you can trick dad and me and Sam?" she asks, and when he reaches for her hand she lets him take it. "We know you better than anyone, Dean."

Dean considers her for a moment, but then shakes his head. "You don't know me as well as you think you do, Tawny," he finally says, and pulls his hand away.

"Why are you so Goddamn bull-headed?" she asks, thoroughly frustrated. Dean smirks lightly at her and Tawny glares. "It's not funny, Dean. This is your life we're talking about."

His gaze softens a little and she sees his eyes bounce to her mouth before her leans forward. Tawny can't help the sigh that escapes her chest when his lips press against hers. His tongue brushes her bottom lip and she opens up for him, moaning into his mouth when it brushes across her teeth. It's a wonderful feeling, like coming home, when his hand comes up to tangle in her hair. She's just about to climb into his lap when she hears the static from the radio. They pull away from each other, turning to look at it, Dean's hand dropping to rest against her neck gently.

"Here we go," Dean says, and Tawny feels cold when he pulls his hand away and reaches for his gun. He tugs her to her feet, bending to hand her the flask of Holy water before walking over to the window and peeking between the slats, and Tawny shakes her head, feeling like she hasn't gotten anywhere with him.

"Well, you look like hell warmed over."

Tawny glares at Dean. "You try exorcising all damn night and see how you feel," she snaps, glancing down into the mass grave they'd dug. She knows how awful it is to think, but she's a tiny bit relieved that they don't have three more demons to exorcise. She was absolutely exhausted.

"Any survivors?" Sam asks, and Bobby answers. "Well, the pretty girl and the heavy guy, they'll make it. Lifetime'a therapy bills ahead, but, still…"

"Well, that's more than you can say for these poor bastards," Dean says, and Tawny looks at the book of matches in his hand.

"Guys, that knife – what kind of blade can kill a demon?"

Tawny glances up at Sam. To be honest, she kind of put mystery-woman and her magic knife out of her mind, focusing on saving the possessed, but now that Sam brings it up, she realizes how much it bothers her.

"Yesterday, I woulda said there was no such thing," Bobby answers, and Dean looks at Sam.

"I'm just gonna ask again," he says, looking at Sam. "Who was that masked chick? Actually, a more troubling question would be 'How come a girl can fight better than you?'"

"Hey," Tawny protests, glaring when Dean looks at her. "I can fight better than Sam."

"Yeah, but you're not a –" Dean starts, laughing, but falls short when he sees the look on her face. "I, uh – you are a woman. Not a girl, is all I –"

Tawny shakes her head, unable to smile at his backpaddling. But, naturally, Sam has to ruin the mood.

"Yeah, well, if you want a more troubling question, I got one for ya. If we let out the seven deadly sins, what else did we let out?"

Tawny leans against Bobby, wrapping her arm around his back and laying her cheek on his shoulder. "You're right," Dean agrees. "That is troubling."

He lights the matches and tosses them in, the smell of burning clothes and flesh hitting Tawny almost immediately. They stand there for a minute or two, just watching the fire, before Bobby squeezes Tawny and pulls away.

"Hey, Sam. I got somethin' I wanna show ya," he suddenly says, and Tawny can tell by his voice that he's just trying to give Tawny and Dean some alone time. He'd asked her back in the house if she was going with them, and Tawny said no. She just wasn't ready.

"Sure," Sam answers, and Tawny watches them leave.

"So," Dean says when they disappear into the house, and he turns to look at Tawny. "You all packed or do we need to go pick up some stuff for you?"

Tawny feels her chest clench when she sees the hopeful look fade from his face when he sees her expression.

"You're not coming with us?" he asks softly, and Tawny shakes her head.

"No, Dean," she answers. She glances at the flames, choosing her words carefully before looking back at him to see he's staring at his feet. She steps closer, putting a hand on his cheek and urging him to look at her.

"I love you. You know that. But I'm not ready to just go back to the way things were, baby," she says softly, watching as tears filled his eyes. "Things will never be the same again. I know you want me to say that it wasn't your fault and everything's gonna be okay, but I can't lie to you. So I'm gonna go back with dad."

She wipes away the tear that's fallen down his cheek, leaning up to press a kiss to his mouth. She leans her forehead against his, squeezing her eyes shut to keep her own tears at bay.

"Bye, Dean."