A/N: I realized I forgot to mention in the introduction that the story will follow the general timeline and some of the events of the 12th season minus Mary Winchester. I won't have her brought back to life in this story. We'll eventually venture into 13th season and throw Jack into the mix as well :)

Title Credit: Lyric from the Rolling Stone's song: Before they make me run (Album: Some Girls, 1978)


Dean held the last empty bottle of beer in his hand and looked at it with an annoyed expression, as if expecting he could glare at it to the point of refilling simply to appease him. After a few seconds, he threw it away somewhere to his left, not bothering to look if anyone was passing by. So close to four in the morning he doubted anyone would stroll into a motel 's dark parking lot. He was seated on his baby's hood. As he lazily reclined on the windshield, he glanced on the night sky. He could see a few stars since the motel was in one of the city's suburbs, but still not even close to what the night sky without any light pollution held. When a dark-haired head popped out of nowhere and blocked his line of vision, Dean gasped and all but fell from the car in his reflexive attempt to protect himself from an onslaught.

"Damn it, Cas!" He mumbled angrily, when he realized to whom the head belonged to. It was unbelievable how even without his ability to teleport the angel could still sneak up so stealthily to anyone. "How many times do I have to tell you to clear your throat or something!"

Tilting his head to the side and eyes squinting the angel asked perplexed, "Why and how would I clear my throat?"

"So, you know Pink, but not throat-clearing etiquette? Nice work, pal," Dean shook his head as his heart-beat slowly eased back to its normal pace.

Cas' sole answer consisted of, "I'll look it up." After another second he went on, "She lives in an old abandoned house. I managed to manipulate the electromagnetic sequence of her cell phone in order to hear what was going on inside. There was a man with her there too. She had him find yours and Sam's pictures online. It appears she is your sister and she knows it, although she only knew your names before today, not your faces."

Dean felt overwhelmed by all the information. "A man? She knew about us?" he asked lamely.

"Yes, she did. Maybe the word man is not an accurate description. He looked young like her. She called him Ty. They seemed close. He left when she went to sleep."

Feeling a weird sense of relief at the last bit of information, he rubbed two hands over his face as he walked a few steps away from the car, trying to grasp the implications of what Castiel had just told him. They had a sister. A younger, underage sister, who lives alone in an abandoned house and works as a singer at a bar.

"Holly crap," Dean mumbled, suddenly feeling exhausted. Shaking his head lightly as if the mere movement would clear his thoughts, he started moving towards their room. Sam's light snoring did not stop him from turning on the room's light, before sitting on the ugly, beige sofa that rested in the middle of the small space between the kitchenette and the beds.

When Sam's eyes remained closed and the sleeping sounds did not seize sounding, Dean grabbed a throw pillow and threw it forcefully on his brother's head.

Sam jumped in a sitting position with a hoarse "what?" and looked around him bewildered. "What the hell, Dean?" He asked in a frustrated voice when he spotted his brother looking at him with an annoyed expression.

"How the hell can you be sleeping right now?" Dean asked incredulously.

"What do you want me to do? What could we possibly do tonight?" Sam countered incredulously.

"You were right," Dean informed him.

"About?"

"Her being family. Our sister."

Last traces of sleepiness vanishing from his face, Sam slowly stood and walked to sit next to his brother. "What? How…"

"Cas. He went over doing his creepy angel stalking thing. She had a friend search us and apparently admitted we are her brothers," Dean supplied.

Castiel's voice sounded next, making the brothers jump slightly, "She seemed to know of your existence for a while now. Mentioned that her mother had warned her to stay away from you and your father."

"Why would her mother ask her something like that?" Sam asked lamely.

"That was not mentioned," came the angel's dry clarification.

"That's it, I'm going over there first thing this morning," Dean said gruffly.

"Dean, no. If she was warned to stay away from us, she might freak out if we force our presence. You can't just storm over there and demand answers," Sam tried to reason.

"The hell I can't! She is our sister, Sammy! She is young, working in a bar and lives in a fucking abandoned shit-hole. Like hell, I'm not going over there. The sooner I get her to listen the sooner we can…"

Sam's eyes looked at him questioningly. "We can what?"

"Take her with us, Sam, what else?"

"Don't you think that's something she gets a say in?"

"No. Not if I'm right about her age and her living situation. I won't have my little sister roaming about unprotected and alone," came Dean's resolute answer.

Not really able -or willing - to counter that Sam only added, "Agreed, but just popping over there is not the way to go about this. Let's give her some time, we can go see her in the bar again tomorrow."

"What if she freaks out and runs away till tomorrow?" Dean asked his tone laced with worry and exasperation.

"She won't," Sam answered immediately, but his voice did not hold the certainty of his words.

Shaking his head Dean got to his feet and made a purposeful track to the door.

"Dean, where are you going?" Sam asked demandingly getting to his feet as well.

"To get some air," Dean answered curtly.

"Promise me you won't go there today! She is my sister too! I won't have you scare her away!" Sam told his older brother warningly.

"Fine, Sam! Fine," Dean answered angrily and slammed the door on his way out of the motel room.


The two men stood side by side in a companionable silence for more than a minute. The rain-coat adorned figure glanced over at his friend every few seconds as if expecting him to say or do something sudden.

Dean's eyes remained glued to the two-story, rundown house. All the windows facing the street were painted over with dark red paint, offering no view of the interior. There was no front yard. Only a couple of steps that led to the front door. A large, old, door made of dark wood. An old-fashioned letterbox was attached to lower section of the door's surface, while an even more old-fashioned, bronze, hand-shaped door-knocker was placed on the center of it. Putting his hands inside his worn leather jacket's pockets, the older Winchester turned to the angel.

"I'm going in, Cas," he felt the need to inform him.

"I don't think Sam will like this," came the angel's even answer.

Dean shrugged one shoulder. "He'll get over it," he answered as he took the first step to cross the low-traffic street that stood between him and his sister.

Amber was sitting in her favorite armchair with a steaming mug of coffee cradled between her palms. She was glaring at the messy room around her, when the loud knock on her door broke the silence. Smirking she got to her feet and slowly walked to the door calling out in a sing-song tone, "Someone's gonna help me clean up!"

When the door revealed not her best friend but another entirely unexpected face, though, her smile vanished and she took an instinctive step back.

"I don't mind if I do," came Dean's awkward answer as he looked at her with a pensive expression from the doorframe.

"What the hell do you want here?" Amber asked, loathing how her voice trembled slightly. "How did you find me?"

"You're not that hard to spot, kid," Dean answered. Not waiting for an invitation he took a step inside and closed the door behind him.

"I want you to leave!" Amber said as she backed up a few steps. "I'll call the police if you don't!"

Dean looked at her with a serious expression before speaking in a calm tone, "No you won't. If you did, you'd be taken into the system before you even knew it. Underage girl leaving on her own in a house that is not hers won't sit too well with the police. And you've tried hard to cover your tracks in terms of age and identity haven't you? Plus, I'm not here to hurt you. I'm your God-damn brother, I'd never hurt you."

Amber kept her guard up, but couldn't deny that her gut told her Dean was being honest. "Dude, for the last time, I don't have any brothers! Now, what do you want?"

Dean walked to the sofa and sat in it as his eyes traveled around the living space. The red paint on the windows created a gloomy atmosphere in the interior. The furniture were old and most of them damaged. Pizza boxes, beer bottles, and soda cans were thrown around and the floor was dusty. "I just wanted a word with you. Understand why you're so afraid of getting to know us."

The girl sat in the armchair she had only a minute ago vacated scoffing. "Because you're two creepy stalkers who followed me to my home and won't leave me alone?" She asked him in a mock-sweet tone as she sipped her coffee.

"Amber, cut the crap. I know you know about us," Dean said in a more curt tone now.

"How many times do I have to t…"

Amber never got the chance to finish her sentence as Dean's voice drowned her own with, "My brother is a hacker too. We know you got someone to search for us last night. We also listened in on your conversation with Ty," That was a lie, but he didn't think that having her know their friendly angel was sent to spy on her last night was the best idea. Chances were she had no idea about the supernatural world anyway.

The girl looked back at him taken aback. She bit her lower lip once not at all expecting what she had just heard. Trying desperately to gain some time and decide how she'd play this out, she brought the mug to her lips and drank a little more of her morning coffee. When she swallowed she turned her gaze to meet Dean's who was studying her intently. "Fine, I know who you are," she finally admitted. "But the fact that we share some guy's DNA does not make us family. I don't know you, you don't know me and I can't say I'm comfortable with the fact that you're here, or spying on me for that matter. I know you're wanted by the FBI and considered dead."

Now it was Dean's turn to look surprised. "We're not killers," he said after a few silent seconds.

Snorting the young girl rolled her green eyes impressively, "Right, if you say so…"

"Hey! I mean it! I can't explain this now, but I will if you give me the chance."

Amber hated the feeling of uncertainty inside her. Her self-preservation told her to not risk further contact with him or Sam. Her intuition told her she'd be safe with them. She'd belong. Her mind felt fogged and a headache started forming. Feeling overwhelmed she suddenly threw her mug across the room and it smashed across a wall.

Dean gasped surprised and remained shocked into silence as she all but screamed, "What the hell do you expect, Dean? That you'll show up here, we'll hug and become a nice happy family? Move to a cozy apartment, eat breakfast every morning? Maybe you get me to go back to school, hm?"

Feeling his own temper rising a bit Dean struggled to keep his tone in check, "That doesn't so bad, does it?" He countered. "Beats living in this shithole!"

Jumping to her feet, her eyes glaring daggers at him she said in a dangerous tone, "This shithole, is my home! The only home, I've ever had! So watch, your fucking mouth!"

Dean opened his mouth to answer but a loud emphatic knock on the door made them both turn simultaneously to the door.

Amber walked briskly to it and opened it only to meet the second Winchester for the day standing at her doorstep. "You've got to be kidding me," she said incredulously.

Sam forced a smile to aim at the girl before promptly turning stormy eyes to his brother, "What the hell are you doing here, Dean?"

"Trying to talk to little miss sunshine here," Dean said indicating with an exasperated finger the girl.

"Screw you! You don't get to come to my house uninvited and insult me! Get the hell out of here! Now!" Amber yelled at Dean.

"See, dude? That's why I f…bloody told you to give her some time! Now you've ruined everything!" Sam said in an accusatory tone as he stepped inside the house as well.

"Sam, not now!" Dean growled in what could pass as a warning tone.

"No, now! You always do this shit! Completely ignoring me, doing whatever the hell you want and then I have to clean up your fucking mess," Sam yelled angrily, not able to catch himself and not swear in front of the girl.

"Oh, you wanna talk about cleaning up messes, Sammy?" Dean countered in a confronting tone, "Cause if you do, I can recall quite a few I had to clean up for you from the recent years!"

The impressive thundering of "Will you both SHUT UP?" followed by a loud crashing sound, made both men jump and turn to look at the girl who stood in the middle of the room, seething. The boys' eyes traveled right behind her, where a mirror that was hanging on one of the walls had fallen off and crushed at the crescendo of her scream. Sam and Dean looked at each other surprised trying to comprehend what had just happened.

Amber clutched her chest as she felt it warming up. Cursing under her breath she turned her back to them and pretended to run hands through her hair, as she made sure her bangs covered her forehead. It was happening more often than ever over the last few months. Whenever her emotions went haywire, her marks would warm up and swollen slightly, like that time when she was thirteen and learned of her true nature.

When a hand gently touched her shoulder she immediately shrugged it off and turned to face the boys, hiding her hands in her hoodie's pockets to avoid drawing attention to her wrist marks.

Sam was the one who had approached her. His eyes were concerned and he gently tugged her away from the shuttered mirror's pieces that laid on the floor behind her. "You ok?" he asked in a quiet tone.

"Yeah…" Amber answered in the same manner. She felt a bit lightheaded and walked to her armchair once again collapsing into it.

Dean sat back down to the couch as well, Sam following suit. When the older Winchester spoke, his voice was gruff but calm. "I think we'd better start things over. Amber, we really only want to get to know you. Do we wanna offer you a helluva more than that? Yeah, we do, but that can wait.."

Amber answered in a tired tone, "And what can't wait, then?"

"How about getting to know each other a bit?" Sam said.

"Go ahead, then, I'm listening." Amber retorted. She wouldn't give them any information before she felt a bit more at ease around them. She wondered how much they'd share of their real lives. They couldn't know she knew they were hunters.

It was Sam that spoke first with an awkward smile on his face."We were born in Lawrence. Our mother… Uhm... She died in a fire accident when we were young. Actually, I was still a baby, never really met her. Our father… He traveled with his work a lot and he raised us alone, so we literally grew up in motel rooms and a car."

"What was his job?" Amber asked interrupting Sam.

"Military," came Dean's immediate response. "That's why we moved around a lot. Sam here got to college as well for a couple of years, but he dropped out because of a… Family emergency."

Amber watched them closely as they spoke exchanging glances. "Why didn't you go back then? After the emergency?"

Sam thought that over for a bit. When he spoke again his voice came out much quieter than it did before. "My girlfriend… She died in an accident soon after I left. It never felt right to return there."

"And why were you wanted by the FBI? Why are you listed as dead?" Amber asked again, trying to hide her amusement over their discomfort and honest attempts to hide their hunting life from her.

"That's a story for another time," Dean said decisively. "Your turn."

Amber remained silent for a few seconds. "I was given away as a newborn. Never knew my mother or father. I ran away from my last home when I was thirteen and have been living on my own ever since."

"School?" Sam asked a bit shocked with the fact she was alone for so many years.

"Couldn't attend without being forced back into the system. I enjoy reading though, and I have attended many online classes on various stuff I like." She answered vaguely.

"Like?" Dean prompted.

"Literature, visual arts, music…"

"Where did you learn to play the guitar?" Sam asked then.

"In one of my foster homes. An older kid taught me," came the simple answer.

"How did you learn about us?"

Amber thought took a few silent seconds before answering that. "My mom… She managed to hide a small note in a locket she left me. I managed to open it when I was thirteen. It mentioned my name and my… our father's. That's how I found out about you."

"How come you never reached out?" Dean pressed on.

Cocking her head to one side she answered, "The note warned me to stay away from you."

Sam's sensing tension building in his siblings quickly intervened awkwardly. "See? We can talk without screaming being involved!"

"I guess we can," Amber agreed without breaking eye contact with Dean.

"You don't work tonight, right?" Sam asked.

Turning to face the younger Winchester she asked, "No. Why?"

"I was thinking, you might want to grab a bite with us? We can come here, or take you out somewhere if you'd prefer. Talk some more, get to know each other a little better…"

Amber thought this over for a few seconds. Before she could have second thoughts she found herself nodding. "Ok, yeah. Sounds like a plan. Let's meet at the bar. I know a place close-by. It has amazing burgers and the best pie in town."

Dean's eyes jumped to hers at that, while Sam chuckled quietly.

"What?" Amber asked a bit awkwardly.

"Nothing," came Sam's answer. "It's just that Dean has a thing for pies too."

Small smile forming the girl glanced between her newfound family but remained silent. She felt overwhelmed as intense conflicting thoughts gnawed her brain. She felt happy for having the boys here, but also afraid of all the implications and risks their presence brought.

Dean clapped his hands then and got to his feet. "Ok, Sam, we need to go. We have some business to finish."

Nodding the taller brother stood as well and Amber did the same. The three of them walked to the door which the girl promptly opened for them.

After a few awkward seconds, Sam lowered and enclosed her in a brief hug before getting out of the house and down the steps.

Amber felt a sense of warmth spreading inside her at the large man's gentleness and smiled after him besides herself.

Turning to Dean she found him looking at her seriously before telling her, "Gimme your phone."

"What? Why?" Amber asked surprised.

"So that I can log our numbers in it," he answered simply.

Amber offered him her small smartphone after removing it from her hoodie's pocket. She watched him typing in his and Sam's numbers and saving them before handing it back to her. "You call us if you need anything at all, alright?" He asked her his voice gentle.

"'Kay," she answered awkwardly. "I'll text you later what time I can meet you," she added.

Dean only nodded before extending his hand and clutching her shoulder. Nodding once he turned his back and walked to his brother.

Amber quickly closed and locked her door, before leaning on it and staring at the mirror shards a few feet away.


The two brothers arrived at the Woodpecker Bar five minutes later than expected.

Dean peaked through the window, scanning the bar's interior only tot urn and shake his head at his brother, "Not here yet."

"Good. I don't like the idea of her wandering alone until we're sure Lucifer is not around," Sam answered as he leaned on the pub's wall and scanned the street.

"Well, no lead has panned out, so I guess she's safe. At least from that douchebag," Dean mumbled.

Scoffing Sam only answered, "I can't believe I am actually glad we didn't spot him this time around."

His brother refrained from answering as he spotted the brunette girl approaching from around the corner.

Amber, dressed in a khaki parka jacket, black tights, and combat boots offered a small smile as she approached. "Sorry I stood you up. I was rehearsing and lost track of time," she said in an almost apologetic tone.

Sam shook his head, "Don't worry about it. So, where to?"

Amber motioned with her head for them to follow her as she passed the bar and continued walking along the street. Her eyes kept flying around every now and then, checking how close the boys were.

"Everything ok?" Dean asked. "You seem a bit jumpy."

"No, everything's fine," Amber answered nonchalantly, but her gaze kept scanning the street and random dark alleys intently.

Sam and Dean exchanged a look but refrained from pushing her for answers at the moment. They continued walking in a companionable silence, the only sounds around them being those from passing cars and their steps on the pavement. In less than three minutes, Amber motioned for her brothers to follow her across the street towards a small diner.

The ring of the small bell that was attached to the diner's door was almost completely drowned out by the noisy environment. As the three Winchesters entered the small interior, the strong aroma of grilled meat and fried goodies filled their nostrils.

Amber smiled and greeted with a nod the chubby, middle-aged man that worked behind the counter. The boys followed her as she walked between the store's tables until they reached an empty corner booth, large enough for the three of them.

"How do you like it?" The girl asked as she sat down unzipping her jacket and getting comfortable.

"Looks cozy," Sam answered smiling.

"Smells good," Dean supplied winking at her.

A thin woman, adorned with a dark green apron and holding a small block and three menus arrived immediately, "How's it going Amber?" she asked in a high pitched voice as she handed one menu to each of the siblings smiling.

Amber regarded her a bit surprised, "Hey, Liv! I thought Jane was working Wednesdays."

"Something came up and I had to cover her shift," the woman answered sweetly. Then her eyes turned to the two men, "Friends of yours? Haven't seen them around before!"

Dean's sharp, "Old friends catching up," cut the small-talk short immediately. "How about you start us with two beers and… What d'you wanna drink Amber?"

Raising an eyebrow at his tone the girl turned to the waitress smiling apologetically, "Three beers, Liv, thanks!"

As Liv took her leave winking at Amber, Dean clearing his throat drew the girl's eyes at him, "You could get a soda, you know," he quipped.

Rolling her eyes, Amber avoided answering, "What's with the rudeness? She was only being nice."

Her oldest brother simply shrugged, "Trust issues."

Sam's forced pleasant tone intervened with, "What's good here, Amb?"

"Anything really. I like the cheeseburger best and the chicken pot-pie," the girl answered. From the little she knew her brothers she could tell that Sam was the easier one to be around. He seemed more considerate and sweet in stark contrast to Dean's much gruffer and no-nonsense attitude.

After getting their beers and ordering their food to Liv, Amber raised her glass, filled with the golden-colored liquid, towards her brothers, "Cheers," she said pleasantly.

"To meeting you," said Sam, while Dean added "To family," as they clinked their glasses together.

"So, what kind of work did you have today?" Amber asked, her eyes flying from one man to the other.

After a few silent seconds, Dean answered with a vague, "Investigating."

"Oh? So you're cops or something?" Amber pressed on, her green eyes squinting a bit.

"More like freelancers," Sam answered unable to cover the discomfort that laced his tone.

"Hm. And what case are you working on?"

"Can't tell you that. Confidentiality and all," Dean answered easily.

"Right…" Amber only commented, her expression clearly showing she wasn't buying it. "I don't really see what we're doing here if you're not willing to share any part of your life with me. How am I supposed to trust you if you lie to me?"

"We're not lying. We just can't share stuff about our work. Not yet," Sam placated.

"And to answer your question, we're here to talk some more, decide how we're gonna do this," Dean added.

"Do what?" his sister asked back, eyes narrowing.

Dean immediately answered in a confident tone. "Us. How we'll do us. I mean, you're clearly underage, and since we're your relatives we're responsible for you…"

"You're not my relatives, not legally anyway," Amber interrupted him in a sharp tone not liking where this was heading.

"I don't give a shit about the law. We're family. You're our sister. We're responsible for you," Dean answered in an even tone. "You'll come and live with us. We can support you, protect you… You can have a life where you're not the adult, you won't have to work, you can go to school…"

"Get my GED, secure a place in a good college, find a job, a decent man, get married, make babies…" Amber tucked on sarcastically. "We're not playing in some stupid family flick, Dean. I've been alone for too long. I don't need anything from you, and I certainly don't plan to start playing house with the two of you."

"Amber, look, we're not trying to impose anything here, but you need to think this through. You can't keep living like this," Sam intervened.

"Why not?" she shot back.

Sam tried to keep his tone pleasant as he attempted to get her to see their point of view. "Because it's not safe. And it can't last. You live under a fake name, illegally working at a bar, trying to pass for an adult when anyone can easily determine you're far younger than that…"

Dean interrupted his a brother with a curt, "And just how younger? How old are you? And don't even think about lying to us!"

Eyebrows rising she asked, "Why shouldn't I, Dean? What will you do? Call the cops? I'd like to see you try. I'll kindly supply your identities and guess who will be prioritized, the runaway foster kid or the FBI's most-wanted-playing-dead dudes?"

"Amber…" Dean growled.

But Sam's calm voice stopped him from going on, "We all know you're not gonna do that. You put your name out there for a reason. I did my research, kid. I know you're not listed as a Winchester. So why start using that name now?"

"Because I was a runaway and couldn't use my own," Amber answered curtly.

"But you said your mother warned you to stay away from us," Sam countered. "Why not come up with a fake name and use that? No, Amber, let's all start being a bit more honest here, ok? You obviously chose to use our name in hopes of getting to know us."

Amber felt a bit thrown by his strong tone and serious gaze. Keeping her calm she answered, "If I wanted to meet you I could easily seek you out, Sam."

"That would be the logical thing to do, yeah. But as you said, your mother warned you against doing that. So you probably thought you'd best leave things to chance, right?" Sam asked back.

At Amber's lack of response Dean piped in, "Why did your mom tell you to stay away?"

Amber lowered her gaze to her nails and started picking on one of them. "I don't know. It was a small note, not many details."

"And that right there is a lie," Dean commented drily.

Liv's arrival made them seize their talking. As the woman placed the plates on the table she leaned in close and whispered something to the girl.

"Hey!" Came Dean's bark.

Liv turned cold eyes at him and her lips pursed into a thin line before clutching Amber's shoulder for a second and then walking away.

"What'd'she tell you?" Dean asked his sister immediately.

Amber turned stony eyes at him, her expression storming with anger. "Cut the third degree. I've known Liv for years."

"You can't trust everyone," Dean countered. "And definitely not some random waitresses."

Sam turned questioning eyes to his brother. He was more on edge than usual and that made him wonder why and worry at the same time. In a more placating tone, he turned to his sister, "Dean is just worried over your safety."

"Dean should find other things to worry over then," Amber answered curtly. She turned her gaze to her food and felt her temper rising. All the conflict and stress, that the meeting of her brothers had aroused in her, finally surfaced. As the heat in her chest started rapidly developing, she grabbed her jacket and stormed out of the diner without so much as a word or a glance back. She could hear Sam's and Dean's loud movements as they shot up to follow her, but she couldn't risk remaining in the diner causing some kind of weird damage that she could never logically explain.

She ran and turned to the closest corner that led to the store's back alley. She could hear Dean and Sam yelling her name. The intense energy that was building up inside her finally erupting caused a strong light to shoot out of her and made a couple of rubbish bins a few feet away explode.

"It seems, the rumors could be true, after all…" she heard a familiar voice. Her temples were throbbing, and she was out of breath as she turned surprised eyes to the voice's direction. A thin frame emerged from the smoke the small explosion had created.

"Liv?" Amber asked bewildered.

Sam and Dean turned on the corner right on time to see the woman's eyes turning pitch black as she took a step closer to the girl.

"Liv's not around at the moment," the demon in Liv's body answered promptly.

Eyes enlarging, Amber stepped backwards on trembling feet. Her head snapped around when she felt bumping onto someone, but relief washed over her upon spotting Dean moving in front of her and Sam standing close behind her.

"Aw, isn't that cute? Your big brothers to the rescue," the demon chuckled. As the last words left her lips, three more figures emerged from the darkness behind her. "Remember, boys, we need her alive," she instructed her companions smiling.

Dean's urgent whisper of "Cas!" was barely heard.

As the demon's approached and started attacking, her brothers quickly responded. Amber remained watching shocked as they dodged the onslaught and managed to keep her out of the line of fire and away from the demons at the same time. It was a few seconds later that a raincoat adorned man jogged to them, a silver blade at the ready.

"Take her to safety," Dean yelled as the knife he was holding was forced into one of the demons' chest, causing him to flash red before falling dead on the ground.

Amber felt the man grabbing her and tugging her along as they sprinted like crazy to a nearby car. Castiel opened the passenger's door and all but shoved the girl in before getting behind the wheel and speeding off.

"What… Where are you taking me? Who are you?" She asked in a hoarse tone as she brought her arms to hug her torso.

"You're safe. Demons can't enter in this car. Don't worry," Cas answered glancing back at her.

"Demons…" Amber repeated. She knew of their existence but she had never saw one in person before. "Where are we going? Who are you?" She asked again uneasily trying to catch her breath.

Cas turned his blue eyes to her as he promptly answered, "I'm taking you to your brothers' place. We're close friends. You don't have to worry, I can protect you, I am Castiel, an angel."


Sam rubbed forcefully a wet piece of cloth trying to remove the blood stains from his face, as Dean's foot pressed on the Impala's gas pedal forcefully.

"What the hell was that? Why were they after her?" Dean asked through gritted teeth.

Sam shook his head as he answered, "Maybe we should have captured one of them, get some answers."

"No. We couldn't risk that. You heard what they said. They wanted her alive. We couldn't have any of them returning to hell or to whoever sent them," Dean countered.

"How did they know?" Sam asked.

"I'm guessing same way we did. Spotted her name. Then saw us here. Maybe even the other night at the Woodpecker…" Dean offered.

A few silent seconds passed before Sam asked hesitantly, "Do you think she blew up the bins?"

Dean gripped the steering wheel tighter, his knuckles turning white, "I doubt it. It was probably the demons' doing."

"But you remember what happened with the mirror at her place," he countered. It was not a question.

"I don't know, Sam, ok? I don't know what to guess or make out of this. And she's so damn stubborn. She's hiding something, that's for sure."

The car curved to the entrance of the motel. Dean parked it without much care and jumped out of the Impala along with Sam. They jogged to their room and burst inside, sighing relieved upon seeing the girl curled up on the edge of the couch with Cas standing close by.

Dean made it first to Amber. "You ok?"

Amber met his green eyes as she shook her head. She had decided to play it dump. She couldn't explain knowing about supernatural without raising suspicions. "What the hell happened? Who… What were these things? What the hell is going on? This creephead here tells me he's an angel… What the fuck is going on with you people?"

Dean exchanged a quick look with Sam before answering plainly, "Those things were demons. We're not regular investigators. We're hunters. We hunt creatures like those things, creatures who hurt people." He paused to gauge her reaction.

"There's no such thing… That's impossible," Amber said and let her voice tremble. She didn't find it hard to show distress. The presence of the angel behind her had her petrified with fear.

"It is the truth, Amber," Sam chimed in as he sat beside her and placed a soothing hand on her shoulder. "Demons and angels, like Cas here, and so many other things like vampires, ghosts, and werewolves are unfortunately very real."

"But… But why me?" She asked. She feared the brothers might have learned something by the demons and she needed to know how safe her secret was.

"We have no idea. We guess they saw your name and then spotted us together. We are not popular with these guys. The probably wanted to hurt you to get to us," Sam said evenly.

"Unless there's something else you're not sharing," Dean piped up.

"Dean!" Sam growled. "Now's not the time!"

Dean shook his head and used his index finger to turn his sister's face to look at him, "Now's the perfect time. If there is something about you that you're not sharing, now's the time to fess up. We can't protect you if we're in the dark," Dean said seriously.

"There's nothing… I… What could possibly…" Amber trailed as her eyes flew from her brothers to Cas and back again.

"Amber, we're not the enemy, love. It might've been a coincidence but we noticed the mirror breaking when you were upset this morning, the bins exploding today…" Sam tried.

She shook her head hard. "What are you talking about? How could I possibly break mirrors or make bins explode?"

"By being a witch?" Dean asked impatiently.

"A what?" Amber asked taken aback. Shaking her head she all but yelled, "I'm not a fucking witch!"

Dean glanced at Sam and then at Cas who was wearing a pensive expression.

"Right. I will trust you're honest with us, but Amber, if you're lying about this, if you risk your own safety through lying, I'm gonna go crazy-big-brother on you and trust me, you won't like that version of me!"

Amber nodded not really paying much attention to his threat. He wouldn't have much of a chance to be her older brother after all. Not with an angel hovering sround them. "So, what now?" she asked in a low voice.

"Now, we get you out of here. It's not safe. If someone else is in the know, then they'll come sniffing after you. You'll have to come with us. We can keep you safe," Dean said seriously.

Amber remained silent for a moment. She had imagined that would be their response and she had already thought of a way out. But she had to make sure they'd buy her cooperation. Turning wet, scared eyes to Dean and then glancing at Sam as well she nodded. "Fine, I guess I can lay low with you guys for a while…"

The brothers sighed in relief. "Right, we'd best hit the road, then," Dean said immediately.

"No, wait!" Amber said jumping to her feet. "I need to get home, gather my things!"

Dean shook his head, "Amber we don't have the time for that…"

"No, you don't get it! The only thing I have left from my mom is there. I'm not going anywhere without my locket and my guitar," the girl said immediately.

"Dean, come on. Grabbing her things won't take long. It will only take a few minutes and Cas will be with us," Sam told his brother before he could object.

When the oldest Winchester finally nodded his agreement, Amber felt her heart skip a beat. One step closer, she thought.


The Impala came to a slow stop in front of the house's entrance.

When Dean opened the car's door, Amber said in what she hoped passed as a worried tone, "Dean, wait. How about, you two stay here. Keep an eye out for anyone approaching, and the car running. I'll get inside with Cas. If there's trouble he can protect me."

Dean looked at Sam who shrugged in a 'why not' expression.

"Sounds like a plan," Dean granted after a few seconds of contemplation. "Go ahead, and be quick about it."

Amber shot from the car and ran to the front door with the angel following suit. She'd have a single opportunity of making her plan work and she couldn't fuck this up.

"Is it safe?" She asked Cas as they walked inside.

"Yes, we are alone," The angel answered.

Amber nodded and started up the stairs, the man following closely. She entered her room and opened her bedside drawer. She retrieved the locket and made quick moves of putting it on. She also grabbed her leather journal. Turning to the room's built-in closet she walked briskly to it and opened its door. Cas was standing at the door-frame watching. She grabbed a backpack and pretended to throw in clothes.

In a stealthy move, she retrieved the small pocket knife that was laying on the bottom of the backpack. Taking in a deep breath she made a large cut on her palm and refrained from vocalizing any pained utterances. She dipped a trembling finger in the blood and hastily drew the sigil she had memorized for over a year now on the closet's inner wall.

Castiel tilted his head and took a step closer as the girl seemed having stopped gathering things and he wondered if he should prompt her to hurry up. Seeing her crouched with her back turned to him, he hesitantly called her name as he attempted to take a second step towards her.

Before he had the chance though, Amber slapped her bleeding appendage on the freshly drawn sigil's center.

An intense light flashed in the room and when she turned her head around, the angel was gone.

The young girl closed the backpack hastily, ran back downstairs, opened the back door and sprinted away. She had made it.


A/N: Reviews are always welcome and much appreciated! Please take the time to drop a line :)