Sioux Falls University

Flying through the air was one of her many pastime since she joined the Squad at 18. Now she was a senior and almost finished her last Semester at the University. Training was crucial as her Team the Cougars where making themselves ready for the Nationals.

"Right lets hit that from the top," came the call from Sierra, Captain of the team.

Charlee grabbed her bases hand, letting him swing her between his legs, before allowing him to throw her into the air. The stunt was called Superman, and Charlee couldn't help but smile at the irony in this name. She pulled the stunt off, smiling all the way.

"Great going, Char." Came from Sierra an hour later. "I think we're good for nationals."

"You think?" replied Charlee, rubbing her face with a towel and smiling.

"Yeah, you keep pulling off those Supermen like you are doing, and then no one will be able to beat us."

Charlee smirked slightly, and pulled her long brown hair into a ponytail. She knew she was good; she was one of the best flyers on the squad and had been up for the Captain bars, if Sierra hadn't joined the squad. But there was no bad blood between them, as Sierra had moved the Team along so that they were in the final round of Nationals and Charlee didn't want to complain about that.

She walked out of the locker room and out of the gym, going through her movements in her head. She didn't even notice she was being watched until she had reached the parking lot. Her green eyes cleared from any thought and she noticed at once the Impala parked next to her Harley.

An annoyed sigh escaped her lips as she reached the two vehicles, "What do you want, Dean?"

"Do you really call that move Superman?" Dean Winchester looked down up at his sister as she loaded her school stuff in the bad attached to her Harley Davidson Chopper.

"You've been spying on me?" Charlee snapped.

"A bunch of hot girls, in short skirts? Come on, Char, I'm a guy after all." Dean replied, holding his arms up to protect himself as she smacked him.

"You're a pervert, Dean." Charlee rolled her eyes at him and pulled her SFU Jacket tighter round her tiny body. "What do you want?"

"Well for one, for my sister to start wearing clothing…" came from Dean, his tone a little disapproving.

"Dean!" annoyed and aching she glared at him.

"Dads missing."

"So he's gone on a hunt on his own, no big deal, Dean." Charlee just shrugged and grabbed her helmet.

"He hasn't come back."

"Dean, seriously. Dads fine." She dismissed him and pulled her helmet on her head. "He can look after himself."

"Charlee Mary Winchester, you are not blowing me off here!" Dean snapped.

"See ya, Dean." Was the only reply he got before she started her Bike and raced of the school grounds.

Dean wasn't far behind, tearing up the pavement as he pulled to a halt behind Charlee's Bike when he reached Bobby's scrap yard. He threw his door open and raced after her, as she walked into the house.

"Charlee!"

Bobby looked around the door and smiled when he saw Dean, "Hey Dean."

"Bobby." Dean nodded towards the man who looked after his baby sister. "Charlee, if you don't get your ass down here, I'm gonna come up there and kick it down."

He hadn't even finished yelling after her, and she had turned her music up to a deafening height. Dean shook his head, majorly pissed off with his baby sister and marched up the stairs. Reaching what was Charlee's room; he hammered on the door, and carried on yelling until she opened the door. Only to soak him with a bucket full of water.

"You cooled your heels yet?" she snapped at him.

"You did not just do that?" Dean snapped back, wiping water out of his face and glaring at her.

"I can do it again, if you want a replay." She offered, sneering at him.

"ENOUGH!" Bobby yelled, making both of the Winchesters look at him. "Charlee, you should know better than treating Dean like this, and Dean you don't just barge in my house and yell at your sister like that!" the older man added. "Now both of you tidy this mess up and get your butts downstairs!"

Ten minutes of stony silence past, as both of the Winchester cleared up the water and walked downstairs. Bobby tossed Dean a towel and nodded at him to sit down. Charlee dropped down onto the settee next to Bobby and folded her arms in front of her chest.

"I take it you have a good reason for turning up here out of the blue, Dean." Bobby spoke, getting both of the Siblings to look at him.

"Dads missing."

Charlee scoffed slightly, causing both Bobby and Dean to glare at her. "What do you mean, Johns missing?"

"He went on a hunt, three weeks ago and didn't come back."

That didn't sound like John at all. Not since he had been in Sioux Falls a week ago. But Charlee didn't want to mention it to Dean, or even think about it. It was a very painful memory for her, because her dad didn't come to see her, but come to hunt yellow eyes, but only managed to piss him off and make him kill her boyfriend Eric. Dean was watching his sister closely and could see past the anger in her eyes.

"Dad was here wasn't he?"

Charlee blinked and looked away but Bobby nodded, "About a week ago. He said he had a lead on that demon you all were hunting. He managed to piss this thing off though."

Charlee fought back the tears that were threating to come to her eyes and stood up. She walked to the window and stared out of it.

"Piss it off?" Dean looked confused.

"Yeah, Dean. Dad pissed it off so much it killed my boyfriend." Charlee snapped, whirling around to look at her brother. "And then guess what dad did? He locked me in the basement and took off!"

"He did what?"

Bobby nodded, "He locked her in the basement, so she wouldn't follow him hunting the demon."

"Like he would have let me anyway!" Charlee snapped.

"Too right, Char. If it wasn't for the fact dad was missing then I wouldn't even be here to get you." Dean replied. It was clear he didn't like the fact he was here asking his little sister for help.

"You want me to go with you? What drugs you on Dean?" Charlee stared at her brother. "Since when do you break dad's rules?"

"Look, Char, I don't like this anymore then dad would. But I need you and I need Sam! If dad has a lead on yellow eyes then he will need our help!"

"Yeah, like that`ll make much difference, when he drags me back here and locks me in the basement, Dean!" Charlee was pissed at her brother. For one a phone call would have done it and she would have met him at Sam's, giving their little brother a warning, but no Dean had to jump her and she was pretty sure, he was planning on jumping Sam as well.

"I ain`t kidding here, Char!" Dean stood up. "We need to find dad, and then we need to kick yellow eyes ass!"

"Like Dads gonna let me join you!"

Dean walked up to his sister and grabbed her arms, "Listen here, Charlee Mary Winchester! We are going to find dad, then he won't have much chance but to let you hunt, understood?"

Charlee glared at her older brother, "Let go of me, Dean!"

Dean glared at her, before letting go of her wrists, "Look, I'm worried ok? If dad traced yellow eyes here, then he could go to Sam next."

Charlee looked towards the ground before sighing, "That's a low blow, Deano." She looked back up towards him and carried on, "I swear, Dean. If dad sends me back here, then I'm gonna be the one to rip you into little pieces. Never mind whatever Demon wants a piece of you."

Dean laughed and moved to one side, as his sister pushed past to gather her things. He looked at Bobby, who was staring at him disapprovingly. "I know you don't like the idea, Bobby."

"Damn right I don't, Dean. Your dad would be furious when he finds out your taking Char on a trip to find him. What if something happens to her?"

Dean shook his head and answered, "I don't like this either. But I need her head, her mind works way better than mine will ever and she's the only person I know who could convince Sam to come along."

"You could do this on your own you know?"

"Yeah, well I don't want to." With that Dean walked out of the house towards his car, where he waited for Charlee to finish packing.

It didn't take Charlee long to pick up her stuff, after all they couldn't transport much in the Impala. One bag was all she took, along with her credit cards, her knifes and of course her most trusted 1911 Colt. As she raced back downstairs she saw Bobby glaring out of the window towards Dean.

"I`ll be fine, Bobby." She spoke quietly as she walked up to him, placing her bag on the floor.

"You don't know that, Char." Bobby's voice was gruff, like he was upset that Charlee was leaving him.

"We`ll find dad, then I'll come home. You don't really think dad needs my help do you?" Charlee laughed quietly.

Bobby shrugged his shoulders, "If he thinks you would help him in the fight against yellow eyes then maybe he will let you stay."

"I`ll be fine, Bobby." Charlee reassured, resting her hand on his shoulder, "I`ll call every day."

Bobby nodded and watched as she picked up her bag and walked outside towards her brother. He waved at her as she looked back, worry was written all over his face as he watched the older Winchester siblings drive away in Deans Impala.

"So tell everything. " Charlee said as they sped down the Highway on the way to Stanford. Dean reaches for the glove compartment and pulls out a folder.

"Dad was checking out this two-lane blacktop just outside of Jericho, California. About a month ago, this guy." He pointed at the newspaper clipping, "They found his car, but he vanished. Completely MIA. It's this stretch of two-lane blacktop, just outside Jericho, California... few hours from Stanford, actually. Anyway, these drivers. They just vanish. No bodies, nothing. It's like Interstate Bermuda Triangle. Dad went to check it out three weeks ago, haven't heard from him since."

"Why didn't you go with him? " Charlee asked reading the folder.

"I was working my own trip in New Orleans."

Surprised Charlee looked up from the folder at her older brother, "Dad let you go on a hunting trip by yourself?"

"I am 26, Missy." Dean shot back, making Charlee smirk at him.

"Not emotionally. Anyway…It's only been a week since I last saw him. Maybe he's

on radio silence. "

"You know him. Not for this long." Dean replied.

"So. What's your plan?" Charlee had to agree that she was a bit worried too, but she didn't need to tell Dean this.

Dean was slightly taken aback by what she asked, "Our plan is that we shag ass to Jericho, California and find Dad."

Charlee's emotions bubbled and roiled beneath the surface. But for now, she would keep them to herself. "Look, whatever's going on here, Dad can handle it. He eats this kind of thing with his Wheaties. "

"Um. What don't you understand? We have to find him. You have to help. "

Charlee didn't quite believe what Dean was saying, she kind of had the feeling there was something else going on underneath the Macho part of what he was saying. "why do you need our help?"

"He's your father. You're his daughter. What more do you need? We're supposed to be family here—"

Charlee laughed before she interrupted what Dean was saying, "News to me—"

"No way you're bringing that up now."

Charlee snapped at Dean, "Oh the hell I am! He tossed me out on my ass. And

you practically locked the door behind me—"

"I seem to remember a few choice phrases coming out of your mouth that night-

"-and I haven't heard word one from you in, what, a year? That sound like family to you?"

Dean smacks his hands to the steering wheel, "You know. You're even more of a selfish, stuck-up, cheerleading Bitch than I remember. "

"Oh. Am I?"

Dean sighed, "Yeah. I mean, I know things have been rocky lately, but still... he's Dad. And after everything he's done for you..."

Now Charlee snapped, her anger coming at in full flow, "Everything he's done for me?"

"Yes—"

She didn't even let him finish what he was saying, "All he's done for me, us, is set the land speed record for fucked up childhoods!"

"Don't be overdramatic—" Dean snapped back at his little sister.

"Overdramatic? I could kick your ass any day of the week, but dad makes me stay behind with Bobby while you go hunt! But you know, no getting overdramatic here!"

"Charlee, should I be prepping for a point here anytime soon?"

"The point is... I never asked for it. The occult homework. And melting the silver into bullets. And the family road trips- hunting down all those freaky-ass things. I never wanted any of it... but when I did, you all locked me up a chucked the key in the trash can."

"You can't pick your family."

"No, but I can live my own life. And all our gory dysfunction—I swore it that I would leave Bobby's once this year was over and hunt the bastard that killed mum myself."

"You know as well as I do. Dad would have found out and came looking for you."

"Does Sam even have any idea that you're coming to get him?" Changing the subject Charlee asked.

Dean shook his head, "He hasn't spoke to me in two years, Char. I'm kinda hoping having you with me, will convince him to join us."

Charlee laughed quietly, "Yeah like that's gonna happen."

Dean smirked a little, "Oh come on, Lee. You ain't gonna make me convince Sammy alone are you?"

"I just might do that, Dean. You`d deserve it after all."

Dean shook his head slightly, "Ah come on, Charlee, you can't stay pissed at me forever."

"Considering the fact that you basically left me with Bobby on Dads orders, yeah I can." Charlee laughed now. "Beside, being pissed means I work better. And Sam won't join us without a fight, you know that right?"

Even if she was with Dean, there was little chance Sam would come quietly.

Stanford University/ California

Halloween. The worst holiday in the whole world. If it was for Sam he wouldn't even have left the flat he rented with his girlfriend, Jessica. Until a few moments ago he was fast asleep, only waking because he heard the smashing of the kitchen window. It wasn't much of a noise, a tiny shatter, but it was enough to wake the former hunter. He crept along the hallway, knife in hand. Sure enough the kitchen window was open, and someone was creeping around inside the flat. He followed the person into the living room, and attacked. Only to be surprised that the person could fight just as well as he could.

Charlee had followed Dean into the flat of Sam and Jessica, letting him think she was making him do this on his own. But upon entry she could hear her brothers fighting in the room next to the kitchen. It was still pitch black inside the flat, she was tired and grouchy but she couldn't help but smile when she heard Dean speak.

"Whoa, easy, tiger."

Sam looked towards his brother, who had pinned him to the floor. Confused and surprised Sam asked, "Dean?"

Dean just laughs at his brother, "Hey Sammy. How's things? How's

law school treating you?"

Sam shook his head slightly; his breathing was heavy as he spoke again. "You scared the crap out of me."
"That's because you're out of practice."
Of course Sam couldn't let Dean get one up on him and flips their positions, pinning Dean on the floor, now Charlee laughs slightly as she walks over to her brothers. Sam looks up towards her and she lays a hand on his shoulder. Still laughing she speaks, "Or not. Get off him, Sammy."

"Char?" Sam was more than surprised now; he helped Dean to his feet and shook his head. "What the hell are you two doing here?"
"I was looking for a beer." Dean smirked as he looked at his little brother. He laid an arm around Charlee's shoulders.
Sam looked at his sister knowing that Dean wanted something, or else she wouldn't be there with him. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Charlee shrugged away from Dean's arm and looked up at Sam, being small certainly sucked at times. "Okay, alright. Dean's gotta talk to you."
" Um...the phone?"
Dean smirked again, "If I had called, would you have picked up?"

Sam looked away, giving Dean and Charlee the impression that he wouldn't have picked up. Charlee also know that he would have put the phone down on her if she mentioned the fact that Dean needed their help. He always got edgy when she mentioned Dean on the phone, when they spoke every other day. It was kinda like Sam was checking she was still at Bobby's and hadn't done a runner yet.

"Sam...?" A voice asks into the dark, as Jessica switched the light on. She looks at her boyfriend, slightly confused as in what was going on. "Sam is everything alright?"

Dean smiled his winning smile, causing Charlee to smack him on the back of his head. "Au!" he hissed at her, throwing her a dirty look.

"Down, Dean." She muttered back.

He just turned back to Jessica in her tiny smurfs T-shirt and pants. "I love the smurfs. Au!"

Again Charlee smacked his head. Sam stepped forward, "Jess, hey, sorry to wake you. This is... this is Dean. And you remember my sister, Charlee?"

Jessica smiled at Charlee before looking towards Dean, "Your BROTHER Dean?"

Charlee smirked as Dean walked over to her, "I've gotta tell you, you are completely out of my brothers league."

Charlee and Sam exchange a look. Jess rolls her eyes at her boyfriend's brother, "Just let me put something on."
" No, no, no, I wouldn't dream of it... seriously. Anyway, nice meeting you but we need to kidnap your brother friend for a moment."

"Oh, alright." Jess turns to leave, but Sam takes her hand and makes her stay. She looks up to him, frowning.

"No, whatever you wanna say, you can say it in front of her."

Charlee smirks and shakes her head slightly, before looking towards Dean, who just shrugs. "Um. Okay. Dad hasn't been home in a week."

Jessica looks up to Dean horrified, but Sam just shrugs it off, "So he's working overtime on a Miller Time shift. He'll stumble back sooner or later."

Charlee shakes her head at him, frustrated she pulls on a strand of hair, "Dad's on a hunting trip, and he hasn't been home in a week."

Sam suddenly didn't seem so smug anymore; he frowns at his big sister before looking at Jess, "Jess. Excuse us. We're gonna go talk outside."

The three siblings walk down the stairs on the way out to the car. Sam seems slightly pissed at his two older siblings for dragging him out in the middle of the night, "I mean, come on, you can't just break in, middle of the night, and expect me to hit the road with you."

Charlee rolls her eyes at Sam, causing him to throw her a dirty look. Dean looks back at his brother, "You ain't hearing me Sammy, Dads missing. We need you to help us find him."

"You remember the poltergeist in Amherst? Or the Devil's Gates in Clifton? He was missing then, too. He's always missing, and he's always fine." It was like he only just realized what Dean had said, "We? No, Dean. Dad made Charlee stay with Bobby for a reason! She shouldn't even be here right now!"

"Yeah like staying with Bobby is gonna protect me from yellow eyes, Sam!" Charlee snapped. "His already killed Eric, so yeah I think it's time you all stopped acting like I was a baby who can't protect herself!"

Sam looked at his sister in shock. He didn't know what had happened to his sister's boyfriend, even if he didn't like the guy, he was sorry for his sister. After all she was pretty much in love with the guy. "What happened?"

"Dad turned up at Bobby`s about a week ago, he managed to piss yellow eyes off so bad he took it out on Eric. And trust me; you don't need any more information than that." Charlee snapped, causing Sam to take a step back from her.

"I`m sorry, Lee." Sam muttered and looked at her.

She just smirked slightly and replied, "No ya ain't."

"Dads never been gone for this long, nor has he not told me when he had a lead on yellow eyes. Now are you gonna come with us or not?" Dean waited until his younger siblings had finished their discussion.

"I`m not."

"Why not?" Dean asked surprised.

Sam looked towards his brother and said, "I swore I was done hunting for good."

"Oh come on, it wasn't easy, but it wasn't that bad." Dean scoffed.

"Oh yeah? When I told dad I was scared of the things in my closet, he handed me a 45."

"Well, what was he supposed to do?"

"Dean, I was nine years old. He was supposed to say, "Don't be afraid of the dark."

Now Charlee couldn't help but laugh, "Don't be afraid of the dark? You're kidding right?"

Frowning Dean added, "Of course you should be scared of the dark, you know what's out the for Christ's sake!"

"Yeah, I know, but still. The way we grew up, after Mom was killed, and Dad's obsession to find the thing that killed her."

Dean glances outside, causing Charlee to frown at her little brother, like he had lost his mind.

"But we still haven't found the damn thing. So we kill everything we can find. While the thing goes about killing the people we love."

"We save a lot of people doing it, too. Even if we can't save the people we love, we save a lot of innocent people doing what we do."

For a few moments the siblings just stood there in awkward silence. Until Sam looked towards Dean and asked "You think Mom would have wanted this for us?"

Dean rolls his eyes and slams the door open, walking towards his car. Sam smirked as he saw his brothers prized Impala standing just under a lamppost. Charlee kicked him in the shin before she followed Dean. Sam frowned and after rubbing the spot Charlee kicked, he limped after them. His big sister sure had one hell of a kick to her.

"The weapon training and melting the silver into bullets? Man, Dean, we were raised like warriors."

They cross the parking lot to the Impala; Charlee opened the car door and reached across to her seat for a drink. It was gonna be easier if she kept her mouth shut and not told her two brothers to acted their ages.
"So what are you gonna do? You're just gonna live some normal, apple pie life? Is that it? "Dean snapped, angry that Sam wasn't going to up and leave like Charlee did.

Sam sighed, "No. Not normal. Safe."

"And that's why you ran away." Now Charlee couldn't contain herself. Sam knew in how much danger he could be staying in one spot for too long. Dean looked towards her, cautioning her to calm down with his eyes.
Again Sam sighed, "I was just going to college. It was Dad who said if I was gonna go I should stay gone. And that's what I'm doing."

"Yeah, well, Dad's in real trouble right now. If he's not dead already. I can feel it." Charlee snapped. Her anger was reaching a boiling point, because she knew that if Sam hadn't left for college, she wouldn't have had to stay with Bobby for all these years. Nobody said a word. Once again they were all silent, but Dean cleared his throat.

"I can't do this alone."

"Yes you can." Sam replied.

Dean looks down to the ground, "Yeah, well, I don't want to."

Sam sighs and looks down, thinking, then up. "What was dad working on?" He asked once he reached the trunk of the Impala. Charlee climbed to sit on the roof of the car, causing Dean to smack her leg. She just stuck her tongue out at him before looking at Sam. After all way should she stop doing what she had always done, even as a child? Dean opened the trunk of the Impala, then the spare-tire compartment. It's an arsenal. He props the compartment open with a shotgun and digs through the clutter.

"All right, let's see, where the hell did I put that thing?" he muttered, searching for something.

Sam looked up at his sister, and they exchanged a quick glance. Dean certainly needed someone to keep things in order for him. "So when Dad left, why didn't you go with him?"

"I was working my own gig. This, uh, voodoo thing, down in New Orleans."

Sam looked surprised. "Dad let you go on a hunting trip by yourself?"

Charlee muffled a laugh and Dean looked at Sam like he was an idiot. "I'm twenty-six, dude. Anyway it's this stretch of two-lane blacktop, just outside Jericho, California... few hours from here,

actually. Anyway, these drivers. They just vanish. No bodies, no cars, nothing. It's like Interstate Bermuda Triangle." Dean explains handing Sam the folder for him to read up on what he had found out.

"So maybe he was kidnapped."

"Yeah. Well, here's another one in April." Came from the roof of the Impala. Charlee had been reading the file when she had the time to on the ride here. "Another one in December 'oh-four, 'oh-three, 'ninety-eight, 'ninety-two, ten of them over the past twenty years."

Dean took the article back from Sam and picked up the rest of the stack, putting them back in the folder, tossing them back into the trunk. "All men, all the same five-mile stretch of road. It started happening more and more, so Dad went to go dig around. That was about three weeks ago. I hadn't heard from him since, which is bad enough." he grabbed a handheld tape recorder. "Then I get this voicemail day before last."

He pressed play. The recording was static and the signal was clearly breaking up. Charlee frowned as she heard her father's voice through the bad signal. "Dean...something big is starting to happen...I need to try and figure out what's going on. It may... Be very careful, Dean. We're all in danger." John spoke out of the machine.

"You know there's EVP on that?" Sam asked, frowning.

"Not bad, Sammy. Kinda like riding a bike, isn't it?" Dean joked.

SAM shook his head.

"All right. I slowed the message down, I ran it through a gold wave, took out the hiss, and this is what I got." Dean pressed play again.

This time instead of John Winchesters voice, a woman's voice came out of the recorder, "I can never go home..."

Sam and Charlee exchanged a look. Sam repeats what the woman's says with a frown, "Never go home?"

Dean laid everything back into the trunk before shutting it. He leant against the car, looking at Sam,
"You know, in almost two years I've never bothered you, never asked you for a thing."

Charlee looks at Sam, her head tilted slightly and she smiles, causing her brother to sigh. "All right. I'll go. I'll help you find him. But I have to get back first thing Monday. Just wait here."

Sam turned to go back to the apartment. However Dean stops him being asking, "What's first thing Monday?"

"I have this...I have an interview." Sam tried to explain.

Dean frowns, "What, a job interview? Skip it."

Sam shakes his head, "It's a law school interview, and it's my whole future on a plate."

Charlee smirked at her baby brother, before turning to look at Dean, who once again spoke. "Law school?"

Sam rolls his eyes at his older brother, "So we got a deal or not?"