Disclaimer: All characters belong to Mark Schwahn and Eric Kripke.

Author's Note: I've spent the last couple of weeks re-reading this story and while I am happy with most of it, there a couple of chapters, like this one and chapter ten that I'm completely unhappy with so I've decided to rewrite them. As well, there will be some plot points that will change, namely the Haley/Sam pseudo-relationship. I've finally decided the direction I want this story to go and as a result there will be some things that are drastically different from what happened in season one.

You Found Me: Chapter One

When Dean pulled into their parking space at the motel and saw Haley waiting outside their room, he let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. After everything that had happened on this hunt he was more than happy to see her and after turning the car off and ignoring Sam's question as to whether he was okay when a groan escaped him as he leaned forward to pull the keys from the ignition, he opened the door and eased himself out of the Impala, willing himself to ignore the pain the action caused his abused ribs.

"Dean?"

His initial reaction was to lash out verbally and limp into the motel room so that he could lick his wounds, both physical and emotional, in private. Then he heard his name again and felt a warm, smooth hand on his arm. Haley. She was here. She'd left school so she could grieve for Jess and had chosen to join he and Sam. With everything that had happened on this hunt, he'd almost forgotten, but she was here now and it was enough to distract him for the moment. "How long have you been here?" He didn't like the thought of her by herself unprotected for any amount of time, especially when they were on a hunt.

"A couple of hours, but I've only been at the motel for about ten minutes. Dean, what happened?" she asked as they slowly made their way inside, Sam behind them with their bags. When Dean didn't reply, Haley couldn't help the frustrated sigh that escaped her. She should have expected his trademark stoic silence, but she'd been hoping that he would at least tell her how he'd gotten hurt.

"Shotgun loaded with rock salt," Sam replied, his voice rough with more than one emotion as put the bags down on the far bed.

Haley turned to look at him, noting the guilt and regret etched on his face. "And judging by the look on your face and the tone of your voice, I'm guessing you're the one that pulled the trigger."

"It was this weird possession thing. All the victims were amped up on supernatural anger and compelled to tell the truth."

She nodded as the pieces fell into place and turned back to Dean, seeing the hurt in his eyes that was barely masked by the physical pain of his injuries. It was obvious that both brothers had been shaken by the events of their latest hunt, but right now her focus was on Dean because he always played his emotions close to the vest and she didn't want this to shut him down completely. "Come on, let's go patch you up."

"I can do it myself," he growled, snatching the small bag that contained the first aid kit off the bed.

Haley rolled her eyes at his stubbornness and took the bag from him. "Humor me and let me see for myself that you're okay."

"Fine," he snapped, moving angrily toward the bathroom.

She gave Sam's shoulder a reassuring squeeze and then followed Dean, shutting and locking the door behind her. "Dean, what–"

"Don't."

"Hey, I am not going to let you do this. I'm here and I'm not going anywhere no matter how hard you push. Now stop being a stubborn bastard and take your shirt off."

"Yes, ma'am," Dean murmured, unbuttoning his over shirt and carefully sliding it down his arms before letting it fall carelessly to the floor.

Haley watched him in the mirror as she opened the first aid kit and made sure she had the supplies she would need. "How close was Sam standing?"

Instead of replying, Dean slowly pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it to the floor as well.

She breathed in sharply as she turned to face him. His skin was an angry red and she could already see ugly bruises forming. "God, Dean. Maybe you should go to the hospital."

"No. Just do what you can." He lowered himself onto the side of the bathtub and looked down, focusing on the floor design.

She sighed and picked up the first aid kit, moving over to him and kneeling on the floor in front of him. "Don't shut me out, Dean. I'm not asking you to share everything because I know better than that, but don't lie to me."

Dean leaned forward, resting his forehead on her shoulder. "I'm not fine." He breathed in her signature scent of strawberries and champagne and felt himself relax. "It hurts."

Haley knew he wasn't just talking about the rock salt although she could imagine that it hurt like hell. She wanted to say something, try to comfort him any way she could, but she knew any wrong move, any wrong word would have Dean shutting down so fast they'd both get whiplash. So she settled for the safe route and just held him. He would talk when and if he was ready and until then she would be there for him any way he would let her.

He pulled back to look at her, unshed tears glistening in his hazel eyes. Dean rarely cried and he let other people see him cry even less, but it was Haley and she'd always broken all the rules that the Winchester's lived by. "I never wanted this life for Sam. I know he thinks different. That I dragged him back and that it's my fault Jess is dead."

"Dean, he doesn't–"

"You weren't here, Haley. You didn't hear him. You didn't see the look in his eyes. He resents me for dragging him back into this life."

"Sam doesn't resent you. He just needs to time to adjust to this life again. He hasn't been on a hunt in four years and now he's grieving for Jess. It's going to take time, Dean. For all of us."

"I know. It's just, for eighteen years I took care of Sammy. I raised him and I knew him better than anyone. Now I don't know who he is. He's this whole different person and I don't know how to handle him."

"You'll learn. You both will. Right now we need to clean you up. Do you want anything for the pain?"

"No."

Haley rolled her eyes at his persistent stubbornness. Still, she reached into the kit and took out a bottle of Naproxen. "At least take a couple of these to help with the swelling." When Dean opened his mouth to argue, Haley reached and pressed her first into his chest, grimacing when he hissed sharply. She hated causing him more pain, but it helped her argument. "Please?"

Dean wanted to refuse. He hated taking anything that might dull his senses and even though the Naproxen wasn't a painkiller, he didn't want to chance it. But the look in Haley's eyes told him that he wasn't getting out of that bathroom without taking something even if she had to force it down his throat. Deciding that it would be better for his pride in the long run if he took the graceful way out, Dean took the orange prescription bottle from her, twisted the top off and shook out two pills then replaced the top and tossed the bottle back into the first-aid kit.

He tossed the pills into his mouth, dry swallowing them as he watched Haley silently assess his wounds, her brown eyes moving over his toned chest. "See something you like?"

"That didn't take long, did it?"

When Dean spoke again, he purposely lowered his voice an octave. "What can I say, sweetheart? I bounce back first."

Haley forced herself to ignore the way her body reacted to his rough voice and the heated look in his eyes and focus on the task at hand. "I've noticed," she replied as she picked up the hydrogen peroxide.

"How is he?" Sam asked when Haley joined him outside.

"He's okay. He'll be sore for a while, but he'll live."

"No thanks to me."

Goody. Round two of the Winchester guilt trip. She hated when they did this. It was a trait all three of the Winchester men shared and it was impossible to talk them out of their guilt-ridden moods. Most times it was better to just let them ride out the waves of guilt on their own, but this was too big and Haley could see how much it was weighing on Sam. "Look, you and Dean have some issues you need to work through, but you are not responsible for everything that happened in that asylum."

"Haley, I–"

"No, Sam. I know you. Supernatural truth serum or not you would never shoot your brother. I know that and so do you. Dean knows that, too, he just needs some time to get past what happened."

Sam sighed as he reached for her hand and threaded their fingers together. "I'm glad you're here. I missed you."

"I missed you, too."

"Is that why you left school?"

"No." She laid her head on his shoulder as she drew circles on the back of his hand with her thumb. "I just couldn't do it anymore. I was going to class and doing the work, but I wasn't really there. My mind was always on Jess. I kept expecting her to show up after my second class and take me to lunch so she could be sure I was eating or call before a major test to see if I was okay. I felt like I was drowning so when I saw a way out I took it."

"And you chose this?" Sam asked incredulously.

"No. I chose you and Dean. And John when we find him."

"Why would you choose this life, Haley? You know what it's like. How hard it is. That we never stay in one place long enough to learn anyone's name. And I know you. You crave stability. A solid, safe lifestyle and a family. Hunting is the polar opposite of the life you've always wanted."

Haley lifted her head from Sam's shoulder so that she could look at him. "A lot's changed in the last year, Sam." She bumped his shoulder with hers and smiled up at him. "Come on, take me to breakfast and I'll tell you why I chose to come with you and Dean."

They wound up at an all night diner and settled into one of the teal cracked vinyl booths in the back. Sam watched as Haley looked out the window at the early morning sky which was just starting to turn from a deep, velvet midnight blue to a lighter shade. It was obvious the last five months hadn't been easy for her and he felt guilty for leaving her, but he'd needed to do it then. Much as Haley did now.

Her silent reverie was broken as the waitress came over with her pen and order pad ready. "Early start?"

"Late night," Sam replied easily.

The older woman smiled kindly. "Can I start you off with something to drink?"

"I'll have coffee."

"And for you, young lady?"

"Orange juice," Haley replied, her eyes drifting back to the window.

Sam frowned at Haley's uncharacteristic rudeness as their waitress went back to the counter. In the almost eleven years that he'd known Haley, he'd never seen her be deliberately rude to anyone who didn't deserve it. "Haley? Is everything okay?"

"Sorry. I was just thinking about that weekend I came to visit right after you met Jess. You were so nervous. We stayed up all night talking and then we watched the sunrise and the sky looked almost exactly like this."

"I remember. I also remember that you two wound up in my bed sharing stories about bad dates while I slept on the couch."

Haley's smile reached her eyes as she plucked one of the menus from behind the condiments. "I had to make sure she passed the test."

Sam raised an eyebrow at her statement, wondering what exactly had happened in his bedroom two years ago. "And what test would that be?"

"The little sister seal of approval test."

He laughed as he picked up a menu of his own and began looking over it. "Obviously she passed. So is that all you two talked about?"

"That night. I didn't start telling her all your embarrassing moments until you'd been dating for a while."

"Oh, thank you," he replied, amusement coloring his voice. He reached across the table and tapped her menu. "Why are you looking at that? We both know what you're going to order."

"And what would that be?"

"Blueberry pancakes."

Haley couldn't hide her smile as she placed her menu back behind the condiments. "Don't make fun of my favorite food."

"I wouldn't dare. Besides, it's better than Dean's love affair with his pie."

"I can't argue with that."

The waitress appeared with their drinks then and placed two paper wrapped straws in the center of the table before extracting her pad and pen from the pocket of her apron. "Are you ready to order or do you need a few more minutes?"

"We're ready to order," Sam said as he placed his menu behind Haley's. "I'll have an egg sandwich over easy and a side of fried apples."

"And for you, young lady?"

"I'll have blueberry pancakes."

"You sure that's all you want, honey? You could stand to gain a few pounds."

"I'm sure," Haley replied.

The waitress took down Haley's order then walked away with a parting smile.

"So, you promised to explain why you decided to join Dean and me on our insane family road trip," Sam prompted.

Haley nodded as she peeled the wrapper from her straw and stuck it in her juice then took a deep sip. "After Jess died and you left, I tried to stick it out and I did for a while. I was dealing with the sympathetic stares and whispers and even the fake sympathy from the people who had no idea who we were, but had heard about what happened. And then one day I realized it wasn't getting any easier. If anything it was getting harder. My grades were slipping and I didn't care. I was letting friendships slide and it didn't bother me."

"I noticed, but every time I reached out you would pull further away. Dean was worried about you, too."

"I know and I wanted to tell him that I was okay, but I couldn't lie to him. Not when I knew just how far from okay I really was."

"When did you realize how bad things were?"

"When Brooke came to visit for spring break. She commented on un-Haley like I was acting. I withdrew the day after she left and I was thinking about where to go when Dean called and asked me to meet you in Lawrence."

Their waitress appeared then and unloaded their plates as well as a decanter of maple syrup for Haley. "Can I get you anything else?"

"No. We're good for now. Thank you," Haley said.

"Okay. Let me know if there's anything else I can do for you." With that, she left them alone again.

Haley picked up her knife and began spreading the butter that had already started to melt and slowly slide off to the side. She picked up the decanter and poured syrup over her pancakes then set it down.

They were quiet for a while as they ate, both of them thinking about how much their lives had changed in the last five months. As they ate, Haley tried to order her thoughts and find the best way to explain her state of mind when she'd made the decision to leave Stanford.

Finally, they both sat back and Sam watched Haley speculatively as he took a sip of his coffee. It wasn't the best he'd ever had, but after a lifetime on the road he was used to it even if his time at Stanford had taught him that good, strong coffee did exist. Right now, however, that was not at the top of his list of his concerns. No, Haley topped that list followed closely by Dean and their dad. He'd known that she was drowning, but he'd been so caught up in his own grief that he hadn't realized how lost she was until they met in Lawrence. "You already look better than the last time I saw you."

Haley nodded as she took a deep sip of her juice. "This is the first time I've had an appetite since you left."

Sam's brow furrowed in concern as his moss green eyes appraised her form. He hadn't paid attention before, but now, even though they were sitting down, he could see that Haley had lost some weight. "You stopped eating?"

"No. I ate because I knew I needed to, but I only ate for nutritional value. Being at that school was..." Haley trailed off and met Sam's eyes. "The second I made the decision to leave, I felt lighter and after I chose to be with you and Dean it was like I could breathe again."

"So what tipped the scale in our favor?"

"As much as I love Tree Hill and being a part of Lucas and Karen's family, I feel like I fit better in this world and when Dean called and I saw the way being in Lawrence again affected both of you, I knew where I wanted to be."

"I'm sure it helped that you're in love with Dean."

Haley groaned at Sam's teasing. "Yes, I am, but he obviously doesn't feel the same way so can we just drop it?"

"Haley, I think–"

"Sam, please?" Her brown eyes pleaded with him as she reached for her discarded straw wrapped and began folding it into tiny segments. "He'll never feel the same way about me that I feel about him because he'll always see me as the little girl he rescued from a ghost that wanted an eternal playmate."

"You're wrong, you know."

Haley's eyes sparkled with a myriad of emotions. "Prove it," she challenged as she took another bite of her pancakes.

Sam sighed as he took a sip of his coffee. He'd been trying to get Haley and his brother to see the truth for years but they were both too damn stubborn. He could easily prove that both of them were idiots, but he knew how to bide his time and now that Haley was with them, she and Dean would constantly be in close proximity. Sooner or later they would realize the truth. "Fine, you win. I'll let it go."

"Thank you."

With the exception of the mid-morning sunlight that was muted by the cheap motel curtains, the room that the Winchester brothers and Haley were sharing was otherwise dark and two of the three occupants were sleeping soundly in the bed closest to the door.

However, while Haley and Dean slept, Sam was still wide awake and staring up at the water-stained ceiling. His mind was in overdrive, replaying what had happened at the asylum as well as his conversations with Haley. He was pulled from his thoughts when Dean's cell phone rang from the night stand between the beds.

When Dean didn't immediately reach for his phone and flip it open, Sam forced himself to ignore the worry that made his stomach tighten with anxiety. Dean was a light sleeper, waking up at the slightest sound and if his phone didn't wake him up then–Sam shook his head, clearing it of those thoughts.

"Dean?"

Dean slept on and Haley showed no signs of waking up either, but that was less concerning since Sam knew that she hadn't slept much in the last few months and that she was coming off of a long flight.

"Dean."

His brother still slept and Sam sighed as the phone continued to ring. That meant it wasn't a text message, but whoever was calling was being insistent. He reached over to the night stand and checked the caller I.D. There was no name, but he still answered because it could be a case. "Hello?"

Hearing the voice on the other end of the line, Sam sat upright, shock evident on his face. "Dad?"