There are a few different directions I can see this story going, but I'm not sure which ones to choose. What would you guys like to see happen? Let me know in reviews!

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Supernatural or Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but God I wish I did! I only own Erin and this plot line. I also do not own the song for which this story was named for—Runnin' by Adam Lambert. The song was rumored to have a cover by Jensen Ackles, but was really just a doctored version of the original, which is quite good and now has a home on my iPod. Admittedly, I like to pretend it's Jensen.


Chapter 1: Renegade

Los Angeles, 1998

The sound of bare feet slapping the pavement and labored breathing thundered in her sensitive ears. She barely even noticed the usual sounds of city life around her as she ran from the alley. She didn't care where she went, as long as it was away. When she had run a few blocks, she stopped to take a breath and compose herself. She stayed to the shadows as she looked around. Everything was bright and loud—completely the opposite of what she was used to.

Normally, the demons didn't take children as slaves. What could children possibly be good for? There was a short time, however, when they'd decided to experiment; they thought it might be easier to break people at a younger age.

That's how Erin ended up a slave. The demons had been collecting children under the guise of an orphanage. When children were about four or five they were taken to another dimension to be slaves. A man named Ken would come around asking about any "lost" or "unruly" children, claiming to work for a place that helped troubled youngsters. After that, the children were taken to a secluded building with only one room, which contained a pool of dark water in the middle of the floor. They would be dressed in white sack-like clothes and pushed into the pool, falling into a demon dimension.

Erin was taken shortly after her fifth birthday. She had no idea what month it was, only that she had been a slave for thirteen long years. Everything she knew was left behind in that place; left behind when the mysterious blonde girl—Buffy, she thought she'd heard her call herself—came in today and rescued everyone.

Erin shivered in the night air. The slave clothes weren't very warm. It occurred to her that she didn't even know what she looked like; her hair was long, dark red-brown and her skin was pale, but those were the only things she could see.

Catherine. My name is Catherine. That one thought repeated itself in her mind over and over. She had held onto it for thirteen years; she had refused to forget who she was.

At first, when the demons asked her who she was, she would respond with her name. Even after she knew they would beat her for the response, she'd still responded with her name. Erin had learned, however, that if she were to ever make it out alive that she would need to seem compliant. She had marked every day that passed on the wall of her cell with a tally and she repeated her name to herself constantly, until it was nearly the only thought she had left.

Erin looked around again, though she wasn't sure what she was looking for. She had nowhere to go. Hell, she didn't even know where she should try to go. How much had the world changed since she'd been gone? Living in darkness for so long had given her sensitive eyes and the synthetic lighting of the city was already giving her a headache. Rubbing her temples, she decided that the only thing she could do was walk until she found something…anything.

So she did. She walked aimlessly until she ran into a young woman. Not having any real concept of age, Erin could only guess at how old this lady was, but she looked about the same age as the blonde rescuer.

"Oh my God! Are you okay? Do you need some help?" the stranger asked frantically, visibly upset by Erin's appearance.

Erin tilted her head to the side and appraised her. The woman was a small thing, not very muscular, and looked to be similar in size to Erin herself. Without so much as a thought, she rammed the girl's head into the wall of the building next to them, knocking her out cold. She leaned down and listened. Satisfied when she heard a heartbeat, Erin got to work dragging her into the nearest alley.

She stripped the girl of her outer clothes, discarding her slave sack and putting them on. The clothes were too tight around the hips, upper arms, and chest, but it would do until Erin could find something better. She slid on the shoes—sandals of some kind—and was thankful that they fit decently. She picked up a little square thing that had fallen out of the girl's pocket. It felt leathery and unfolded to reveal a picture of the girl with a name on it and other information that Erin didn't understand. In another fold of the square was something she did recognize: money. She had seen it before she'd been taken. Surprisingly, this stranger seemed to have a lot of it. She pocketed the money and left the leather square and the rest of its contents with its owner.

Erin exited the alley and starting walking towards the busier parts of the city. With money, she could buy food, and maybe some clothes that fit. It should be easy to figure out, right?

I guess I'll find out.