A/N This story came from an idea that has been floating around in my brain for a while. I have always been dissatisfied by how Emma and Adam's individual storylines were ended, and I have yet to read a good Adam story that is not AU. Then Sam left the door to hell open in Taxi Driver, and this fic kind of took off. It fits in with the canon of season 8, and will probably turn into a season nine story as well.

A/N2 I took the title of this from what Pamela said to Dean in Lazarus Rising. "Out of the fire and back in the frying pan, huh?" I figured that it fit pretty well.

Disclaimer: Nothing. Belongs. To. Me.

Out of the Fire

Chapter 1

Emma did not know what to expect as she cautiously approached the dark vortex between the rocks. She had never seen it before, and Purgatory had taught her to distrust the unknown. But this dark chasm at the river's edge seemed harmless enough. She had heard whispers that it led to hell, but she was not sure she believed that. She had only spent one day on earth, the rest of her existence carved out in this eternal cagefight that was Purgatory. She knew very little of the heaven or hell that some of her victims had spoken of; only that they were reserved for human souls and that hell was supposedly worse even than this place.

Emma was leaning in closer to the portal by the water when she saw a grimy hand begin to emerge from the inky depths. Her instincts, born of a life of combat, propelled her into action. She swung the crude axe that she had removed from the dead hand of one of her first victims. The filthy limb that she had been aiming at was snatched hastily away, and Emma's axe clashed against the rock of the gateway.

Suddenly the body that the hand belonged to came shooting out of the gaping chasm. The young man slammed into Emma, knocking her backwards into the dirt of the riverbank. She swung her weapon again, but her opponent ducked out of the way incredibly fast. He brought his arm up to meet hers, and she felt the crack of her bones. She let out a gasp that was too proud to become a scream as the axe dropped from her numb fingers.

The sweat-soaked and hell-worn young man snatched up the fallen weapon, holding it to Emma's throat before she had the chance to attack him again. The young Amazon grew still.

"Look," said the man, barely even breathing hard. "I have seen way too much crap lately, way too many bodies ripped apart. I don't want to kill you."

He stared at her for a long moment. Emma was seething, furious that a mere man had taken her out so easily. She had no intention of letting him live after this offence. Her opponent could clearly see this fact in her eyes. He sighed.

"Look," he said again. "The way I see it, I have no reason to fight you, you have no reason to fight me. That seems like it should add up to us not fighting."

When Emma continued to glower at him belligerently, he sighed once again in frustration, running his free hand through his short dirty blond hair.

"Fine. How about we start with names? Mine's Adam. Adam Milligan. I grew up in Michigan until I got eaten by ghouls, resurrected, possessed by an archangel, and pulled into the deepest corner of hell. You?"

Emma's hatred was temporarily forgotten in the midst of her disbelief.

"You have got to be kidding," she said.

Adam gave the ghost of a smile, pleased that he had finally coaxed some words from her.

"I wish I were kidding," he said ruefully. "My life, death, whatever, would have been a lot easier; but no, I am completely serious."

"So angels, hell, heaven; all that really exists?" asked Emma, curious despite herself.

Confusion flashed across the man's features.

"You don't know about hell?" he asked uncertainly. "I just assumed that you were guarding the exit; and that's why you attacked me. I don't think I was supposed to get out."

"No, I was just in the area and there was talk about a new portal, so naturally I thought I'd check it out; see if it led to earth. Apparently it goes somewhere much worse than here."

Emma did not realize how much hope had risen in her chest at the prospect of a way out. But the pain of realizing that she had only found the doorway to another cage, not freedom, told her just how foolishly optimistic she had been.

"What do you mean, a portal to earth?" Emma had almost forgotten about the man who was still holding an axe to her throat. "Aren't we there now?"

Emma snorted.

"I wish, buddy," she said, with less derision than she had intended. "I'm afraid you've just landed your ass in Purgatory. Welcome, and all that. Just so you know, everyone here will try to kill you."

She finally remembered that fact herself. The pain in her arm flared up, and her anger along with it. But Adam still had her pinned. And…She considered him briefly. He looked tough; he had clearly seen his fair share of action and come out the other side. Hell, he had taken her out in fifteen seconds flat, despite the superhuman strength that she possessed. Her last partner had been killed two weeks ago, and she had been forced to be even more vigilant since then. This man might make a useful ally.

Of course, if he was going to help her, he would have to catch up first.

"I'm sorry, but what's Purgatory?" he asked.

"You know about monsters, right?" Emma began. She had only given this talk once, but it had not been to a human. "You must; you said you were eaten by a ghoul."

Adam winced at the memory, but nodded.

"Well every soul goes somewhere after death. Human souls on the nice list get sent upstairs to heaven. But humans on the naughty list, or who manage to piss off someone with pull, get the hell treatment instead."

She had never really believed that, but Adam was living proof that both places existed. She glanced over him again, noting the sunken cheeks, hollow and washed out blue eyes, and faint map of scars stretching across every inch of exposed skin. He had probably been attractive once, but whatever torment he had gone through had pared him down into a shadow.

"I guess you're familiar with that one," she added softly.

Adam just gave another tight nod.

"Anyway, heaven and hell are for human souls. Purgatory is for all of the non-human souls. We get sent here, regardless of our deeds. And it's basically a 24-7 deathmatch. You with me so far?"

"I think so," said Adam slowly. "So you're a dead monster?"

Emma bristled, but then let out a dry chuckle.

"Yeah, I guess I am," she said ruefully. "I'm an Amazon. And yes, we do exist. All of the newer souls give me crap because they thought we were just a legend. So I rip them to pieces to show them just how real I am."

Adam raised an eyebrow.

"So who got you then, if you're so tough?" he asked.

Emma glowered at him.

"I was only a day old at the time," she said defensively. "Amazons reach maturity within 36 hours of birth, but we're not truly part of the sisterhood until we complete our first task; which is to kill our father."

"Nice," interrupted Adam sarcastically. There was no real judgment in his face though. He had seen too much, done too much for that.

"It was all I knew," said Emma softly. "Anyway, my father was a hunter; the supernatural kind that goes after monsters, not the kind that shoots woodland creatures for sport, so I knew that it would be tough. But he knew who I was too. He didn't want to kill his own daughter, even though he thought I was a monster. He wanted to let me go, but I wanted to complete my mission. I'll never know who would have won that fight though, because my father's brother came in and shot me before I could try to talk to him too. So I ended up here."

She shrugged.

"I was shunned by the other Amazons because I never completed my initiation, so I wasn't technically part of the sisterhood. I had to figure everything out on my own, and fast. So…I did. I seem to have pretty good instincts and reflexes; courtesy of my father, I guess."

Adam was staring at her in silence as she finished speaking. He seemed to be speculating about something.

"Your dad and his brother were hunters?" he asked at last.

"Yeah, why?"

"Do you know their names?" he ignored her question.

"My father was Dean Winchester, and I was killed by his brother, Sam. My name's Emma, by the way."

She did not understand the strange look that Adam was giving her, so she ignored it.

"Look, I'm going to lay it out for you," she said. "I lost my backup, and you seem like you would be good in a fight. I could use you. And good fighter or not, you'll get torn to shreds out there without my help. You're human; you weren't built for this place. It'll eat you alive unless you have someone like me to show you the ropes and watch your back."

"So you want to work together?" Adam clarified.

"Yeah."

"Don't Amazons hate men?"

Emma let out a surprised laugh.

"Yeah, I guess they do," she said. "But you know what? I don't care what the other Amazons think. They sent me to my death unprepared, and then disowned and abandoned me in the afterlife. I want no part of them. So even though I still think that men are weaker, if you're useful to me, I don't care that you pee standing up."

"Wow, touching, thanks," said Adam dryly.

"Do you want to work together or not?" Emma asked impatiently.

Adam stared at her for a long moment, considering. Then he slowly removed the axe blade from her throat and helped her to her feet by her good arm. He maintained his grip on her hand, looking her firmly in the eyes.

"I'll work with you," he said. "I will watch your back, keep you safe, and do my share of whatever the hell else needs to be done around here. But I want two things from you in return. Firstly, I want you to do the same thing for me."

He paused, waiting for her confirmation. Emma nodded; that was the kind of truce she'd had in mind anyway. Adam continued.

"And I want you to help me find a way out of here, back to earth."

Emma stared at him with surprise and pity.

"It's not possible," she said, not unkindly.

"I didn't think that getting out of hell was possible," said Adam. "And yet here I am. So what's it gonna be? Will you help me look for a way out, or would you rather fend for yourself?"

The two locked gazes for a long moment. Emma could not deny that the prospect of getting out, however unlikely, was extremely appealing, and she found herself surprisingly reluctant to lose Adam. She silently shook the hand that was still holding her own. Adam grinned for the first time in centuries.

ooooooooooooooooo

"You should let me look at that," said Adam.

The two of them were huddled at the base of two trees at the edge of a small clearing. They had walked away from the river, trying to put as much distance as possible between them and the portal that was sure to become a popular spot for curious creatures. Emma clutched the broken arm that she had been cradling closer to her chest.

"What would you know about fixing it?" she asked distrustfully.

She was used to treating her own injuries, although she was not sure how she was going to splint this break one-handed. She healed faster than humans, but that would do her no good if the bone was not in the proper position when it healed itself.

"Well, I was pre-med before I died," said Adam. "I was also EMT certified. I think I can handle setting one broken bone."

Emma studied his face carefully, reading only confidence and concern there. She slowly extended the wounded limb towards him. The young man was surprisingly gentle as he set the break, binding it to a sturdy stick with strips torn from the hem of his ragged shirt. Having her arm set still hurt like a bitch though, so Emma talked to her newfound ally to take her mind off of the pain.

"So," she began. "Hell."

Adam's fingers paused in their work for a moment, before he resumed with a sigh.

"Yeah. Hell." He was silent for a long moment before he continued. "I don't remember all of it, to be honest. I remember the beginning; falling down into the Cage, and the raw fury of the angels…"

He trailed off, staring at a memory that only he could see.

"Those first decades were the worst. My older brother was down there with me, and the things they did to us…You honestly wouldn't believe me if I told you. I wouldn't want you to believe me. My brother tried to protect me from the worst of it, but there was only so much he could do. The angels were pissed, creative, and had nothing better to do than vent their frustrations on us. The next several decades sort of blend together in my mind after that. It's like my brain just deleted or compressed the information that it couldn't handle.

"But then something changed. My brother disappeared. I don't really know what happened, but there was this presence. I've never felt anything so powerful, and I had just spent almost two centuries locked up with a couple of archangels. Anyway, whatever it was, it took my brother. That's part of the reason I want to get out of here so badly; I'm pretty sure that he was brought back to earth, and I need to find him, to make sure he's okay."

"You two are close then?" asked Emma, engrossed in the story.

"Honestly? Before hell, I hated him, and our other brother. I didn't even know about them until after I died, and the angels found me in heaven so that they could manipulate me. They told me that my brothers only cared about themselves and each other, and that everything else, including the world, was expendable.

"Then they kidnapped me to stop me from letting myself get possessed by an angel, and I resented them for that. I resented them for growing up with my father when I couldn't; I resented them for letting me get killed; I resented them for treating me like a kid.

"But then they came for me." Adam let out a humorless chuckle. "It turns out that angels lie, in case you were wondering. I was an idiot, and told the angels where I was so that they could take me to do my job. But they were only using me as bait, and my brothers knew it, but they came for me anyway. They still couldn't stop me from being possessed, but they tried their hardest. They treated me like family.

"And then there was hell. Like I told you, my brother tried to protect me from whatever he could. He would distract the angels when they were about to start torturing me, so that they would go to town on him instead. He would throw himself in front of me when the angels set hellhounds on us, so that they would get to him first. I had never been anything but a whiny jerk to him, but he still took blow after blow for me, even when he knew it was useless.

"I was relieved when he was gone, because he didn't deserve that place, and watching him sacrifice himself for me again and again…I think the angels let him do it because they knew that it was torture for me too. So when he got out, they could only torture me physically, not mentally."

He paused, staring into space again. He had finished splinting Emma's arm, but the Amazon was afraid to move, not wanting to break the spell that had fallen over them.

"I guess they did still torture me mentally," Adam continued at last. "Angels can create reality from nothing, and they can make themselves look like anyone. They put on the faces of people I care about; my parents, my brothers, my girlfriend…They tortured me while wearing those faces and it…"

He looked up at Emma's face and seemed to shake himself out of the memory.

"I'm sorry," he said, releasing the arm that he was still holding. "I won't make you listen to this."

"I don't mind," said Emma softly.

She was astonished when she realized that it was true, that she actually cared about this tortured young man. Not just for his safety, but his feelings. She had never experienced that before, that sense of kinship with another person, especially a human man.

"I mind," said Adam firmly. "Besides, you haven't told me much about yourself."

"Not much to tell, really," said Emma with a shrug. "Like I said, I was only a day old when I died, so the rest of my life I've spent in here. It's only been a little over a year."

"Okay, but you must-" Adam broke off suddenly, confusion spreading across his features. "Wait, what do you mean you're only a year old? What year is it?"

"I think it's 2013," Emma replied. "I mean, it's kind of hard to keep track of time here, but I'm pretty sure. Why? What year was it when you went to hell?"

"It was 2010," said Adam slowly. "But hell…it felt like centuries. I mean, my brother told me that time runs differently down there, but I still thought that it would have been more than three years on earth."

He was silent for a moment before realization began to creep across his features.

"You were killed by Sam Winchester in 2012?" he asked urgently.

"Yeah…" said Emma, unsure of why that was significant. "Why?"

Adam's face slowly split into a grin.

"What?" asked Emma impatiently.

"It's only been three years," said Adam, ignoring her question about Sam. "Just three years! Everyone I know, my brothers, my friends, they won't be ancient or dead from old age."

Emma smiled in response to his enthusiasm. She was glad that she had been able to give him his first piece of good news in hundreds of years. She marveled again at the strange connection that she felt to this Adam Milligan. She felt the compulsive desire to trust him, when she had never trusted anyone since the Amazons who brainwashed her.

"All the more reason to get out, I guess," she said.

"Yeah."

Adam was thoughtful for a moment.

"What would you do, if you got out of here?" he asked. "Would you keep trying to kill your dad; see if you could rejoin the Amazons?"

Emma sensed the weight of his question, and was surprised by the readiness of her answer, although she had not given the matter much thought. She still did not really believe that either of them had a chance of making it out, but she was willing to play along, to dream with him.

"No," she said. "Like I told you, I'm not loyal to them anymore. They sent me to my death. And my father, he never did anything to me. Hell, he tried to help me; he would have taken care of me if I'd let him. So no, I figure his life as a hunter is hard enough without his dead daughter coming back to kill him. I would leave him alone."

"And his brother?" asked Adam. "The one who killed you; would you go looking for revenge?

Emma had to consider that question more carefully. Was she still angry at Sam Winchester? He had sent her to this horrific place, but what choice had she given him?

She held her father's gaze, calmly ignoring the gun that he was pointing at her. She knew that he did not want to use it; he had been pleading with her to just go, to walk away. But she did not want his help or pity. She wanted his blood, wanted to take her rightful place in the ranks of her sisterhood, away from the taint of men. She tightened her grip on the dagger in her hand, waiting for her moment to spring.

Before either of them could move, the door exploded inward with a crash, another armed hunter standing behind it. She did not see the hesitation in his eyes that was so clearly present in her father's, so she did the only thing that she could. She turned to her dad with a desperate plea, before facing the more threatening hunter once more. She caught a glimpse of deep sadness within him before she heard the deafening crack of a gunshot, and looked down to see the crimson stain spreading across her chest before she tumbled into the darkness that had risen up around her.

"Nah," said Emma at last. "I understand why he did it. And honestly, the Winchesters were more of a family to me than the Amazons ever were. I think, if we ever make it out, I'll just use it as a fresh start. I'll pretend that it's my first day on earth instead of the second. I would probably just travel; see places that aren't full of monsters out for my blood. My last partner told me about the ocean once. I think I'd like to see that."

Adam nodded, looking thoughtful again. It seemed to be a primary aspect of his personality.

"What about you?" asked Emma, eager to take the attention away from herself. "You spent all those centuries in hell, then got spat into Purgatory; what will you do when you finally get back?"

"I just want to find my brothers. Their lives are pretty dangerous, and even though it's only been three years for them, I have no idea what could have happened to them in that time. And I want to make sure that my brother really did get back from hell alright. But after I make sure that they're okay? Who knows? Once upon a time, I wanted to be a doctor. I can't really imagine going back to that old life that I had, but maybe I can. Maybe after all this, I'll finally get to have that back."

Emma smiled. She could tell that he did not really believe that, but she would not be the one to call him out on his lie to himself.

"I hope you do," she said earnestly. "And I hope that you find your brothers."

"Yeah, about that-" Adam began.

Whatever he had been about to say was cut off when Emma threw her good hand into the air to quiet him. The silence was complete and deafening for a moment as the two companions listened carefully for whatever had tripped Emma's superhumanly sharp senses. Adam recoiled slightly when he noticed the change that had overtaken the Amazon's face, changing the color of her eyes and the skin around them. Emma gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile, but did not have time to explain her unique physiology while she was still on red alert.

Suddenly, the quiet stillness was shattered as four creatures burst out of the foliage surrounding Adam and Emma. The pair jumped into motion, Emma swinging at the closest attacker with the axe that she had hastily grabbed in her good hand. The monster dropped instantly with a cleanly severed head. Adam dove for the stone weapon that it had dropped, stabbing upward wildly as two of the creatures bore down on him. He nicked one in the leg, which only seemed to infuriate her more. She and her companion pounced onto the human.

Emma, though locked in ferocious combat with the man who appeared to be the leader of the group, noticed her partner's predicament. She had promised to watch his back, and she already cared more about him than she had anyone else in her short life. So she threw out her foot in a kick that shattered the kneecap of her opponent, before burying her axe in his gut. She lunged at one of Adam's attackers, wrenching her back so hard by the arm that the shoulder popped out of place. The creature screamed, and Adam used the distraction to plunge his stolen stone blade into the other monster's chest before pivoting neatly and decapitating the one that was currently trying to tear Emma to shreds one-handed.

The young Amazon looked up at him, breathing hard, her face splattered with blood. She gave Adam a wry grin.

"Welcome to Purgatory."

A/N Thanks for reading! Please leave a review and tell me what you think. If there are any specific characters that you would like to see in this story, let me know and I will see what I can do. The next chapter should be up in a few days.