Chapter 3: Trust

Sam sighed inwardly. It had been a long day. They had stuck around Montana for some time. Sam tried to convince a stubborn Dean to stay, and even though he agreed, the reluctance was obvious. Sam just had the feeling that they needed to stay, but he could not explain it. So Dean being hot-headed and foolish because he did not want to stay in Montana, tried to convince Sam to help him steal the files on Ray Hatfield's case.

"Come on Dean, I thought we were over this?" Sam remembered arguing one day when Dean brought up the subject.

"We dropped the case, it's over, end of story," Sam added.

"Fine, killjoy," Dean replied haughtily. Sam sighed.

"They why are we staying?" Dean added.

"Because Dean— I… I want to," Sam answered. Dean thought a moment.

"…You got it in for the doctor," he said.

"What?!" Sam cried, trying to sounds disgusted.

"Oh c'mon Sammy, I know you too well," Dean said smirking.

"I don't even know her," Sam replied truthfully.

"Yeahhh… and that's gonna stop you right?" Dean replied, taking a swig from his beer.

Sam shook his head out of the memory. Sometimes Dean just frustrated him. The two of them were seated in a small bar in the small town. Sam finally agreed to leave later that day after constant reluctance and frustration from his brother. Though Sam still felt as if something needed to be done…

Dean sighed, leaning casually back in his seat. He was watching a woman on the other side of the bar. Sam was patiently reading a book on hexes and witches. They had been there for some time, and Sam was surprised that Dean had not put up a fuss on leaving. Neither looked up as the door to the bar opened and rang the tiny bell at the entrance.

"Hey Charlie. It's Charlie right?" a woman said to the bartender.

"Yeah, what can I get you Steph?" the bartender asked kindly as he cleaned a glass. Dean and Sam both looked over to see a tall, thin, dark-haired woman walk in.

"Water. For now," she said. Dean furrowed his brow as if thinking. The woman looked familiar…

"Doctor?" Dean asked suddenly. The woman didn't look up. She fingered her glass, distracted by some unknown thought. Dean let his reclined chair fall back to the floor.

"Doctor Stephanie Layner?" Dean asked again. Finally the woman looked up. Leah's icy blue eyes blinked as she recognized the two young men.

"Ah. The two nosy Feds," she said bitterly. Her eyes were not bright and cheery like they were the day before. Sam noted this. Leah leaned back in her chair.

"Still here are you?" she asked.

"Yup, still on business," Dean replied, flashing a smile. Leah stared a moment, then turned back to her water.

"Thanks Charlie," she said suddenly, and then swiftly she was up and going out the door of the bar. Sam looked over at Dean. He nodded after Leah, and Dean nodded. They got up quietly also.

Outside, Leah swiftly walked over to a random car, crouching behind it. Sure enough, the two young men came out of the bar. Both looked around the parking lot. The taller one, supposedly "Agent O'Connor," said something to the other, then they headed to the nearest car, a black 1967 Chevy Impala. Leah raised her eyebrows at the shiny car.

"Nice…" she whispered. Leah emerged from her hiding place, and headed toward the two men. Just in earshot she called out,
"Hey!"

Sam turned to see the woman walking behind them. Dean turned as well.

"Yes Doctor?" he asked. Leah sighed.

"Look…" I know what you are," she said. The taller one put on a look of confusion.
"Excuse me?" Sam replied. The woman shook her head.

"I know you're hunters."

Dean glanced at Sam a second.

"Well, we're um, not one's to exclaim it—" he started, but she cut him off.

"Don't play dumb," Leah said. Before the two men could reply, she passed them and walked over to the trunk of their car.

"Hey!" Dean said, rehashing out to stop her. But Leah was too quick. She wrenched open the trunk, then pulled on the trap door inside. It opened, revealing lines of weapons just like her old car. Dean and Sam gaped.

"Have you been following us?" Dean asked, dumbstruck.

"No, that was actually a lucky guess," Leah replied. "But I can tell fake FBI agents when I see them. And no one has asked about Ray Hatfield before…" Both men were silent.

"I'm not a doctor…" Leah said quietly. "I'm a hunter too."

"Prove it," Dean challenged. Leah shrugged pulled out a necklace with a demon-warding charm on the end of it.

"Oh yeah," Leah said, and then she opened her leather jacket and pulled out a silver flask. The cross-charm necklace wrapped around it indicated it as holy water. She took a swig after opening the flask., then put it away. She held up her finger to pause them, then rolled up her sleeve to her elbow. On the underside of her arm near her elbow was a black tattoo of a star surrounded by fire— to prevent demons from possessing her. Rolling back down her sleeve she looked up at them.

"Happy?"

Dean crossed his arms.

"Not really," he said. Leah narrowed her eyes.

"Leah Silvers," she said, sticking out her hand.

"Silvers…" Sam whispered thoughtfully, "that name sounds familiar…"

"Yeah… we did a lot of witch hunting some time ago…" Leah replied. Sam looked at her.

"Yeah!" he said. He thought a moment, then grabbed her hand to shake it.

"Sam and Dean Winchester," he said.

"Winchester? You mean the Winchesters?" Leah said, surprised.

"The ones and only," Dean replied. He still seemed unhappy. But Leah ignored him.

"Wow…" she whispered.

"So… why did you want to know if we were hunters?" Sam questioned.

"I…" Leah started. She felt slightly shamed.

"I need help."

"So…" Dean said quietly. He had finally lightened up. "All this happened yesterday?"

"Yeah…The phone call sometime after eleven o'clock," Leah replied.

"And your brother…?" Sam started.

"Um… around four in the morning."

"And you don't know what caused it?" Sam questioned.

"No. There was lights flickering, but that wasn't demons… it couldn't have been. Then we tried to leave and suddenly it just…caught on fire. More like an explosion," Leah explained.

"And the thing you saw?" Dean asked.

"Yeah… at least I think I saw something. I mean, I hit my head on a dresser, I could've been seeing things."

"I don't think you were seeing things," Sam said. Leah looked up and waited for Charlie to pass them. They were back in the bar.

"So tell me again what it looked like," Sam asked. Leah sighed.

"The first figure was defiantly a man. Tall… from what I could tell, kind of spiky hair. I think. But the second figure… it was big. And… I couldn't make out anything. It was like nothing I've ever seen," Leah explained. Dean frowned. Leah bit her lip a second.

"I think it had to be some sort of demon… It's the only logical conclusion," she said.

"But you said—" Sam started.

"I know," Leah interrupted, "but we've been dealing with a lot of demons lately, obviously. The flickering lights… the fire…"

"It's a good chance…" Sam thought out loud. All three were silent a moment.

"I think we need to talk to Bobby on this one," Sam said.

"Bobby?" Leah asked curiously.

"Bobby Singer. He's a real help with things of this sort," Sam replied. Leah nodded.

'Okay, let's go then," Dean said. Leah nodded again. When they left and got outside, Dean gestured over to their Impala.

"You can have the back," he said to Leah.

"No way," Leah said. Dean stared at her.

"What, you gonna walk?" he asked. Leah turned and headed around the opposite side of the building. They heard the rev of an engine, then quite suddenly a black motorcycle appeared. Dean raised his eyebrows.

"Nice…" he whispered.

"Where do you keep your weapons?" Sam asked curiously. Leah cut the engine and hopped off the motorcycle, then reached around the black casing near the wheels. She pulled out a metal rack full of guns and knives and salt rounds. She stared at the box that was also hidden there. Quickly she closed it back up.

"Very… er… creative," Sam said, smiling. Leah shrugged.

"It's not much… we kept most of the weapons in the Cadillac, but you know," Leah replied. She looked pained thinking about it.

"Yeah…" Sam said quietly.

"Okay, let's get moving," Leah said, starting the engine to her motorcycle again. Sam and Dean got in their Impala as well, starting the engine as well.

"Lead the way boys…" Leah whispered. She sighed as she breathed in the air of the place that she last saw her brother.

"Let's ride…"

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