Hello there everyone. well, i have a few chaps of this written so i thought, hey, why not start it. what can i say. i cant help but post ;). this is the next story in the 'Something Lost' series, and features my character Kerri. this chappy is a short intro, more to come soon. as always let me know what you all think. :)

D: as always, this is just for fun. sam, dean and the supernatural world belongs to the CW and kripke.

PAWNS

Chapter 1

Kerri Harrison sat alone in the dining room of the large house, the structure around her creaking and moaning as the late afternoon winds butted up against it. She pulled her sweater tighter around her body as she sat, the chill of the old house seeping down into her. She loved her home, she always had, but times had changed and the twenty-nine year old couldn't help but feel it. When she was young her house had always been full, always been alive, voices echoing through it at all hours. Now though, it was unbelievably silent and empty.

There were nights when she swore she could still hear them, like shadows living on long after their owners had passed through. It was nothing more than a quiet echo from a distant past, but sometimes, it was all Kerri had. Even now that Dean and Sam had returned her life, while fuller, still seemed to be lacking. She had lost her father and sister, had lost everything, and even her long time friends couldn't fill the ever growing void inside her.

A loud knock on the door pulled her from her thoughts. She glanced once more at the manila folders she had on the table before her, checking that they were all there before moving toward the basement.

"Hey, Kerri." The dark haired man at the door smiled, extending a hand to her.

"Hi, Steven." Kerri smiled, moving to the side to let the hunter pass. Even though her father had gone to great lengths to ensure the safety of the house, the number of incantations and symbols numbering into the hundreds, Kerri still held her breath when someone moved to enter. Her father had caught a demon trying to enter when she was a child, and Kerri knew it was something she never wanted to experience again.

"Thanks again for this." Steven smiled, following Kerri up the back steps. "I know it's really last minute."

"It's no trouble. The info wasn't that hard to find."

"Yeah, I didn't think it would be. I just didn't have the time to search around a library. And I know how much you love looking stuff up."

"You're laying it on pretty thick, what else do you want?" Kerri joked, opening one of the folders on the table.

"I just don't want to be on the wrong side of the researching wonder woman."

"Yeah, alright."

"So, what'd you find?"

"Basic salt and burn. Eli Harley was killed in the house, sliced into little bits by his wife's lover. Six months ago, someone bought the property and started knocking out the walls."

"And found good old Eli inside?"

"You got it. He didn't have any more family so the city buried him in a municipal lot. I've got the address and all."

"So, all I need's a can of salt and some matches."

"Hey, shopping isn't my department."

"Guess I can't ask that much of you."

"Guessed right." Kerri smiled, moving into the kitchen. She worked for a few minutes, her back to Steven, but she could still sense a presence behind her.

"Did you still need something?" she asked, turning toward him, alarmed to see how close he had moved.

"Something like that," he stated vaguely, his eyes taking on a hungry look.

"Steve," Kerri stated, relaxing slightly. She'd known the hunter for years, the slightly older man having come to her home on countless occasions. He'd always been a little awkward when it came to her, and, while she thought it was kind of cute, this new boldness was unnerving. "I'm flattered, really, but you need to go now."

"Do I?" He breathed, moving a little closer.

"Oh yeah, I'm pretty sure you do," Kerri stated, trying to move past the hunter.

"What's wrong, Ker?"

"You're creeping me out, that's what's wrong."

"You don't have to be afraid, Kerri. I just want a little taste."

Kerri's eyes grew wide with horror, her heart beginning to race when she saw a set of fangs descend over Steven's teeth, his hungry eyes boring into her. But there was no way--.

"You can't be here."

"Oh, but I am." The vampire smiled, moving closer still, Kerri's back butting up against the wall as the creature before her advanced.

Dean had checked over all the protections around the house after the Korrigan; there was no way the creature before her should have been able to get in. She shrank back when he gripped her shoulders, his nails digging into her skin, soaking her shirt and sweater with blood. She fought to remain calm as he leaned in, his lips brushing against her ear, his hot breath racing down her neck.

"You know, I would have expected more of a fight from you."

"Oh, don't worry," Kerri answered, pulling her knee up into Steven's gut with all the force she could muster. The kick distracted him for only a second, but it was enough for Kerri to slip past him.

"Ha, that's the Kerri I know," Steven grunted, his deadly eyes turning toward her once more.

The two stood a few feet apart, Steven poised for attack, Kerri, to defend herself. Every muscle in her body was tense, her heart racing as adrenaline pumped through her veins. She didn't have the strength to fight off a vampire, but if she could get to the gun Dean had insisted she keep on hand, then she could at least try to slow him down.

She moved when he did, diving to the back bookcase, and hidden gun, as he pounced. She turned the instant she felt the cold metal in her hand, pulling the trigger as the hunter landed on her. But instead of his body jerking back, it dissipated like a spirit.

"What the hell?" Kerri breathed, her voice shaking as she pushed herself to her feet. She scanned the room, gun at the ready. She had no idea what was going on. One minute the hunter before her was a vampire, the next he was a spirit. And, the last time she checked, things couldn't switch back and forth like that, especially between something that was undead and something that was, well, dead.

She moved forward cautiously, her eyes falling on the counter where her phone was laying. She knew help was probably a hundred miles away or more, but she needed to call just the same. She reached for the phone, her heart nearly stopping when it suddenly skidded out of reach.

"Give me a little credit."

Kerri spun at the voice, her blue eyes meeting Steven's cold black ones. "What the hell are you?" Kerri ground out, moving away from the hunter once more, trying to make her way to the closed parlor door. She knew the room was lined with salt, and no matter how long ago she'd laid the barrier, she was certain that whatever it was that stood before her wouldn't be able to cross it.

"I'm whatever you want me to be, Kerri."

"Alright, I want you to be gone."

"Clever, but wrong answer."

"Worth a try." Kerri forced a smirk, backing up as she spoke. Unfortunately, Steven knew exactly what she was planning.

With a wave of his hand, Kerri went flying. She crashed through the heavy parlor door, her back arching in pain as she slammed against the hard wooden floor. She stayed where she landed for several seconds, blinking back the darkness that threatening to overtake her.

She searched the room after her vision cleared, her gaze falling on Steven almost immediately. He was pacing back and forth in front of the open doorway, almost like a caged animal preparing to strike. Kerri slid back along the floor, her eyes never leaving those of the demon before her. She's lost both her cell phone and gun when she went through the door, and she was more than certain she wouldn't be able to outrun the thing in front of her, even if she did managed to get outside. No, she was trapped, but hell, at least it couldn't physically get to her now.

"Well, this is a predicament," The hunter spoke, his eyes still demon black.

"Guess so."

"You know what I love most about your kind?" Steven laughed, stopping in front of the doorway. "You believe whatever you see.

"But, Kerri, not everything is black and white. I mean, sure, salt can keep out most things; demons, spirits, hell, even some vampires. Yet, as far as you know, I'm nothing but a man."

Kerri's eyes grew wide in horror when Steven's eyes switched back to their normal hue, the man before her smiling sinisterly before stepping over the salt lines.