Disclaimer: I've only seen 4 and a half seasons and it's been a really long time since I've watched Supernatural so please tell me if it's OOC. Thank you. Also like always I don't know if I like it

This is on it's own plain of existence

"So, let me get this straight." Dean started as he drove his baby down the highway of the east coast, "Crowley hasn't released any Hell hounds in this area and that he doesn't have Hell hounds unaccounted for, but he called to say that there are accounts of Hell hound attacks."

"Yeah, weird I know. Bobby's been looking for other types of things that go bump in the night that are similar to Hell hounds, but it seems that these are one of a kind." Sam checked his phone for the hundredth time hoping for an update, but nothing had changed. Dean kept driving letting his thoughts and suspicions stew in his head. Hell hounds fit the description perfectly, except for the fact that none were on the loose. Sam had told hime that the Norse equivalent Garmr and Fenrir doesn't fit since they won't show up until Ragnarok. Besides that neither of them could come up with anything, Bobby wasn't having much luck, and Crowley didn't look into it other than the fact that more souls were pouring into Hell.

"Dean, pull over. Dean, now!" Dean pulled sharply off the road at Sam's frantic encouragement, "There's a kid on the side of the high way. God, he looks like he's about to fall over. Come one, we need to help him." Dean couldn't help but to roll his eyes, this kid was probably from around here and knew how to get home, he wasn't a lost puppy. It didn't matter he pulled over anyway. Before Dean could say anything Sam was out of the car to catch the boy. Dean missed what his brother said but he didn't miss the boy's annoyed face at being talked to; he also couldn't ignore the deep bags under his eyes or the deathly pale skin even though it looked like it once was olive or how small he looked in that giant aviator jacket.

"Look, I don't want your charity. I'm fine by myself." If Dean were being generous the kid didn't look fine, if he were being honest the kid looked like death warmed over.

"We're not trying to give you charity, we just want to give you a ride into town. That's it." Sam put up placating hands, like approaching a scared animal.

"I'm not going to bite you. No need to treat me like a caged animal," He scoffed and rolled his eyes; apparently he was used to being treated this way. He crossed his arms, which looked like a difficult maneuver with the extra material from his jacket.

"Sorry," Sam put his arms down blushing slightly, "It's just that it's getting dark and we don't want you out here by yourself. There have been some grisly murders and I couldn't live with myself if you got hurt." This was Sam being honest, but he could see the suspicion in the kid's eyes.

"Fine," He drawled, "but you drop me off at the city limits, alright?"

"I'd rather see you right to your door. It's not safe," Sam looked cautiously at Dean; he had no idea what Sam wanted from him so he nodded encouragingly.

"You two from around here?" Suspicion laced his voice thickly, "'Cause those murders haven't made the news yet."

Dean looked at Sam, Sam looked at Dean. This kid was smart.

"Hey, what's your name?" Dean asked, it was his turn to be suspicious. Yeah the town was a little out of the way, but so quickly putting together that they weren't local and may have come here because of the gory demises was good.

"Why does it matter? You two are right it's getting dark I need to get going." He turned to leave, but Sam caught his shoulder. It took less than a heart beat for the kid to toss the hand off and flinch away. What was his problem?

"We don't need your name, but we do want to give you a ride home. Would that be okay?" They were still miles from the town limits and the sun was starting to kiss the horizon.

"Fine, but leave me at the town line." Grumpily he made his way back to the car; Dean gave Sam a look while they headed back to the car.

Needless to say it was a very quiet and very awkward ride to town.

"What I don't get is what it is." Sam angrily ran his fingers through his hair, "Crowley has all his Hell Hounds. It's not Ragnarok. Dando's Dogs? But they wouldn't attack women since they are hunting a man. Can't be Inugami since there wasn't any black magic performed. What am I missing?"

"That is an excellent question. You reflect on that while I go get some pie to clear my head." Dean made his way out of the room, down the hall, but stopped short at the top of the landing when he heard a familiar voice drift up the stairs.

"Well, aren't you a young one to be traveling alone." The Inn Keeper's sweet voice floated heavily, thick with charm.

"Not as young as I look," Grumpy grumpkins kept his eyes off her and on the wall away from her. The attention seemed to unsettle him. What was this kid's problem?

"You're room is up the stairs and to your left, Nico, I lock the doors at night with all these scary attacks happening. Don't worry you'll be safe here." She tried to smile warmly, but Nico paid her no heed, just signed the receipt and took his key. Dean watched as Nico picked up his bag, he hadn't noticed before. Nico seemed to scope out the room rather than just look around. This was not a normal kid.

It took another moment before Dean realized that Nico would be coming up the stairs in just a few moments. Dean scrambled back into his room scaring Sam causing him to scatter papers.

"That kid!" Dean whisper yells across the room trying to freak out without drawing attention to their room, "That kid we picked up, he's staying here. He's name is Nico." Sam's confusion cleared as he started to get with the program.

"Creepy emo kid from down the highway-staying here? That would mean he isn't local, so what is he doing here?" Sam's question was met with silence, neither could fathom why anyone would visit a town in the middle of nowhere, "He's running from home, that's it. That has to be it."

"Woah, Sammy, we're here on Hell Hound duty, not baby sitting duty. If the kid wants to run, let him run." Dean took a seat on his bed the quest for pie forgotten.

"I'm not saying we baby sit I'm just saying maybe we should keep an eye on him, keep him safe from whatever is out there since he doesn't have anyone else." Sam gently adds to help get his point across, it wasn't fair to let Nico try to protect himself, "He's small so he probably won't get targeted, but he's small so if he is he's dead meat." Dean couldn't argue with that.

"Fine, while we are looking for the whatever we keep an eye on the kid." Sam smirked triumphantly as he went back to his research, "Man I hope we finish this fast."

The town wasn't very big to begin with so it meant that there weren't very many places a Hellhound could hide, though there was the difficulty that neither of them could see it. There wasn't really a good way to go about this. They were walking by an empty alley way when they saw Nico again. He seemed to be strolling through the trash, sweeping news paper aside with what looked like a pipe, but in the right light it looked like a sword; but nobody uses a sword in this day and age.

"Hey, Nico, what are you doing?" Sam shouted, scaring Dean more than it scared Nico. Nico barely spared them a glance before disturbing more trash.

"Don't remember introducing myself to you." Nico didn't look up from his perusal.

"Well, I'm Sam and this is my brother, Dean. There now we're even."

"Don't think I wanted to know who you are. Good day." Nico passed them intending to leave and never having to deal with them again. Dean had to make a face at Sam, 'cause who says 'Good day' in this day and age, especially from a kid.

"Wait, it's just that this town isn't really safe at the moment and we're concerned about you because we think you're running away from home." Dean had hoped his brother was capable of saying that a little better, but that wasn't going to happen. Nico stopped at the mouth of the alley turning around so slowly the Winchesters were almost convinced he was a zombie.

"Why do you care? I'm just some kid you dropped off." Nico sneered, and it was the most adult sneer to ever sneer. Damn, how old was this kid?

"Let's just say it's our job to protect people and we would like to keep you safe." Dean cut into their failed conversation, no reason to make the kid with the pipe any more angry; 'cause pipe versus rock salt probably wasn't in their favor.

"You two can go protect some damsel in distress while I leave." Apparently that wasn't good enough for Sam.

"What are you doing here?" Nico barely spared him a glance, "Why aren't you at home, in school?"

"Isn't it because I'm running away from home?" Nico rolled his eyes, this was not the time for this kid to develop a sense of humor, "If it makes you feel any better I'm just looking for my dog." He shrugged, but with the over sized aviator jacket it looked like a whole upper body movement.

"Looking, for your dog?" Dean wasn't Sam level of connecting dots where dots should be connected, but it also couldn't be a coincidence that this kid was wandering into town looking for a dog the same time they were looking for a hellhound.

"The Hellhound." Sam blurtered out, Nico's eyes widened slightly. Bingo, "You're looking for the hellhound."

"How do you know a Hellhound?" He crouched defensively. Dean and Sam look at each other without responding, "Oh, you don't. Let me get this straight. You two are looking for the hellhound that you don't know anything about. Gods, good luck with that."

Nico turned to leave again and this time they let him get farther since it seemed there was nothing else to add to that conversation. It was true, they had no idea how to track a hellhound, they couldn't see it and could only start tracking it if it decided to target one of them. Which was a bad idea to bait one in since they were vicious and they barely got away from them in the past.

"Dean, he said 'Gods' no one says 'Gods' everyone says God. And he's looking for a Hellhound? Do you think Hades took into a kid's body to look for Cerberus? 'Cause if he did we have bigger problems than the hellhound." Sam looked at Dean eyes full of concern, "If angels are hard on human bodies, how bad do you think a Greek God is?"

"I don't like how this is getting more and more complicated." Dean ran a tired hand over his face as they headed back to the hotel.