Melody's nightmares finally went away when she was around twelve years old. This didn't mean they were gone for forever, it just meant they weren't as constant, but certain things always triggered them. Her family quickly learned what things triggered her and were very cautious when they came close. For example, no one spoke about her past, ever. No questions, no mentions, they didn't know anything about her from before she was seven, but they had long since given up. The assumption from everyone was abuse, she did show up in the orphanage with many scars and bruises plaguing her features, so it didn't seem to hard to figure out. Of course, everyone just assumed when she said "demons" or "vampire" that her stories were a coping method, rather than real life occurrences. Likewise to this trigger, was seeing something that reminded her of her past. Sam and Dean were damn good reminders. So, when she woke up screaming, Shawn wasn't surprised, even if he didn't know exactly who the FBI agents were.
"I'm fine, Shawn, I'm not a kid anymore, I can handle a nightmare," Melody batted her older brother away as she raided the freezer for ice-cream. Shawn was unconvinced and in 'serious Shawn mode'.
"You and I both know that was more than just a 'nightmare'," he insisted. She did. It was a memory and, just like he said, he knew that.
"Doesn't matter, I can handle it," she said, pulling out the carton of mint chocolate chip blue bell ice cream, a flavor Shawn hated but kept on hand seeing as it was her favorite.
"Melody, come on," he pleaded, now following her into the living room where she ate straight out of the carton.
"Wanna watch a rom com with me?" she asked, ignoring him. He sighed but sat next to her, knowing she was asking because she didn't want to be alone. They sat next to each other as she slowly drifted off into sleep again, her head falling on Shawn's shoulder.
Meanwhile:
"It was her, Bobby, I swear it," the phone was pressed up to Dean Winchester's ear as he paced the motel room, Sam sat on the bed, watching him.
"Should we leave? Get different hunters down here?" Dean questioned. Just then Castiel appeared.
"Dean, we need to speak. It's important," he said. Dean glanced at him, ready to tell him to screw off, but by Castiel's expression he could tell it was bad.
"I'll call you later, Bobby," he hung up the phone and tossed it on the bed. "What is it, Cas? We've kind of got other problems right now," he snapped.
"It's about your sister, she's in danger," he said. This perked the brothers interest.
"What do you mean?" Sam asked, standing.
"The Angels, they want her. As do the demons." he explained.
"I'm sorry, what? What do they want with our little sister?!" Dean asked.
"Being a descendent of John Winchester, and the issues she clearly has with you two, it has been decided she would work as a vessel just as well as either of you. They want her as backup or ransom. Kidnap her to get you to say yes or make her say yes," Castiel sighed and the boys clenched their jaws.
"Hold on, how come this is just now happening? The same day we see her again, that doesn't sound fishy to you guys?" he asked. Castiel shook his head.
"When you saw her a signal went off, reminding everyone of her presence.
You need to protect her," Castiel explained, the brothers sighed.
"So what should we do? Go and interrupt her life and take her back on the road?" Sam asked, clearly against that idea.
"Sounds like we have too," Dean said.
"She's not gonna come. She's not going to want anything to do with us," Sam said.
"Are you sure she even remembers us? Her reaction was… Weird. It seemed as if she was only half sure we were real." Dean said. Sam shrugged.
"It's entirely possible she blocked her past out, but I don't know. I don't think she did, I think she remembers," he said. Cas shook his head.
"None of this matters. You need to get to her as soon as possible, she's in grave danger," he said.
"Yeah, we get that, Cas." Dean glared at the angel. He was clearly on edge.
"It's one in the morning, there's nothing we can do right now," Sam sighed, running a hand down his face.
"She'll be at the police station at seven tomorrow, you should rest and meet her then, " Cas said. The men nodded and shared a knowing glance.
"Alright Sammy, you heard the man, let's get some restless sleep,"
"You'll have to forgive us for last night's craziness, it's been a rough week," the chief sighed as she spoke with the Winchesters the next morning. It was six thirty as neither of men could get any sleep and decided to go early.
"Understandable. Tell me about the victims, any connections?" Dean asked, sitting down in the chair across from the woman's desk, the case file in his hands. Chief Vick sighed and fell into her own chair.
"None so far. Different genders, ethnicities, live on opposite sides of town, no similar schedules or mutual friends found, no connections what so ever," she explained.
"What about blood types?" Sam asked.
"Excuse me?" Vick asked, eyebrows raised.
"Have you compared their blood types?" Dean asked.
"I mean- no… Is there a reason I should?" she asked.
"You'd be surprised how helpful it could be. You mind having someone check it out?" Dean asked.
"I guess so," Vick replied. Dean nodded and handed her a card.
"If you could give us a call when you have the results, we'd appreciate it," Dean flashed her a smile and she nodded.
"Of course,"
"Do you know anything else?" Sam asked.
"Well, I should be giving a debrief soon if you boys would like to stick around." she offered. They nodded and she led them out of her office. Among the other officers, the brothers noticed the detectives from before, all but Melody were there.
"Hi," Dean walked over, his hand heald out. The older man seemed to scowl but took his hand anyways.
"Hello, Detective West, we never got to formally meet last night, I'm Head Detective Lassiter," the man introduced himself.
"Or Lassie as we like to call him. I'm Shawn Spencer, head psychic and this is my partner James Bond," the brunette who had taken their sister home the night before said, introducing the black man. The men raised their eyebrows. Psychic? James Bond? These men were clearly idiots.
"Juliet O'Hara," the woman gave the two a tight smile.
"How's Melody?" the chief asked, concern laced in her voice.
"She's alright, we decided to let her sleep some. This case has really taken a toll on her," Juliet frowned.
"I understand. Shawn, you can handle this right?" Vick asked the man.
"Of course, Chief,"
Half way through the debrief the doors to the police station were thrown open and in stormed a raging blonde. Sam and Dean tried to step back, out of her line of vision, observing the scene. Their little sisters blue eyes that were an exact replica of their mothers were burdened by dark circles underneath them. Her hair whipped behind her as she stomped over to the 'psychic'.
"Shawn! Why didn't you wake me up!" she asked, throwing her hands in the air.
"Because you're mean when you're tired. Plus, you're adorable when you're sleeping," Shawn replied casually. At the mention of her sleeping the boys shared a glance. Was this man her boyfriend.
"Shawn, I'm going to kill you," she growled, rubbing at her temples.
"I'll help you," Lassiter replied.
"Mr and Ms Spencer if you two are quite finished I was wondering if I could continue this meeting?" Chief Vick's words were sharp.
"Yes ma'am," the two replied. This caused Dean's mind to wonder even more. Were they married?
At the end of the rather unhelpful debrief Shawn and Melody began to speak again. The brothers watched.
"Okay, the truth now. Why didn't you wake me up?" she demanded.
"Melody, you're wearing yourself out enough already and last night you had a nightmare worse than you have in a while. I'm worried about you," Shawn replied, Dean thought this was the first time he had truly heard the man act serious. He frowned upon hearing about the nightmare.
"Look, Shawn, I get that you care, and I appreciate it, but I'm not a scared eight year old anymore. I can take care of myself," she replied, much calmer. Okay, so they had a history.
"You're my little sister, it's my job to take care of you," Shawn replied. The Winchesters shared a confused glance that only grew more lost as she seemed to melt. Any trace of anger vanished and she almost seemed like she was going to cry.
"That's not fair. You can't pull the big brother card! I'll take away your rights," she teased. Shawn gasped.
"You wouldn't do that to the best big brother ever!" he exclaimed. She chuckled and rolled her eyes.
"Who says that?" she asked.
"You have. A few times actually. I think you cried while saying it once," he grinned. She lightly punched his shoulder.
"You swore never to talk about that!" she shouted.
"Well maybe i-"
"Guys, maybe we should get to work," the man whose name they learned was actually Gus and not James Bond, cut in.
"Right! We need to speak with the feds about my werewolf theory!" Shawn explained. The other two groaned as he skipped over to the Winchesters. They watched as Melody cautiously followed.
"Detective West and Allen, meet my other partner and sister, Melody," Shawn introduced. The buys were surprised when she grinned and stuck out her hand.
"Nice to meet you!" she exclaimed.
"You too," Sam eyed her suspiciously as he took it.
"Brother and sister, huh? You don't look alike," Dean commented as they shook hands. Shawn gasped and put his hands over her ears.
"Shh, she doesn't know she was adopted," he hissed. The girl swatted him away.
"Yeah, we're siblings through adoption," she replied.
"Ah, you know your birth family?" Dean asked. Melody scanned him before answered.
"No, I don't remember much." she said. Shawn looked at her, puzzled, but quickly covered up his surprise. He knew it was a lie but if his sister was lying, it was for a good reason.
"Well, if you'll excuse us we have some investigating to do!" Shawn explained, preparing to pull the blonde away.
"I'll go with you, Allen can go with the other two detectives," Detective West insisted. Melody grimaced but knew she had to keep her cover.
"Alright," she turned to her partners, "Blueberry or Oreo?" she asked. Dean raised an eyebrow.
"Blueberry!" Shawn shouted at the same moment Gus shouted-
"Oreo!"
The two men turned to each other.
"No, Shawn! No! We are not using my car again, I only just got it fixed!" Gus insisted.
"Awww, Gus, don't be soggy curly fries!" Shawn whined.
"It's a company car, Shawn!" Melody rolled her eyes at the two's banter.
"Alright, break it up losers, we'll take The Oreo," she claimed, not wishing for a response as she walked out of the building.
Dean, upon seeing Melody's car, smirked. 1967 Chevrolet Camaro. It was almost as beautiful as his own baby. His little sister unlocked her car and climbed in the driver's seat. Naturally, Dean climbed in shot gun.
"Woah, sorry detective, my big brother has permanent shot gun rights," she said.
"Yeah, man," Shawn pouted at the door. Dean raised his hands, flinching when she said 'big brother' as if he wasn't. He moved out of the car and awkwardly climbed in the back next to Gus.
Melody sighed glancing in the rear view mirror. She couldn't wait to get this case over with… Or at least for Sam and Dean to get it over with, so they would leave. She wanted her past out of Santa Barbara to never be seen again. She turned up the radio a little bit, letting classic rock float through the speakers and began to drive. She could do this. She was strong.
"So this is how you do things?" Dean asked later, "you race to see who solves the case first? Seems like it would get done a lot faster if you just worked together," he said. Melody scoffed.
"Lassie and Shawn couldn't work together if they tried," she claimed, waving him off.
"Could too! We've done it several times!" Shawn exclaimed.
"Uh-huh," Melody smirked as they approached the porch and knocked on the door. They had arrived at the most recent victim, Carly Mayfield's, house. Her husband opened the door, his eyes bloodshot and puffy. Melody began talking before either of her insensitive brothers could.
"Hello, Mr. Mayfield, my name is Melody Spencer these are my partners, we work for the SBPD, we were wondering if you would be up to answering a few questions about your wife?" she asked, her voice gentle.
"Of course, anything to help the investigation," he said, moving from the doorway. She nodded and they walked in, sitting in the seats he was gesturing to.
"Tell us about Carly, did she have any enemies?" she asked. Dean watched her carefully. She wasn't a hunter, but he assumed she would have to 'talking to the locals' part down considering she was a detective. Melody… A detective. He couldn't really believe it, he never could have seen her becoming a detective. She had always been so soft hearted, so willing to see the good in people- and monsters- even when no one else did. The closest he would have seen her to the law would be a lawyer, defending the innocent.
"Not that I know of. Carly was sweet, everyone loved her for the most part." he said.
"Was she acting weird at all before she passed?" Gus asked.
"No. She was preparing to go on her daily run and the next thing I know I'm getting a call saying they found her dead in the woods," his voice was shaky. Melody nodded, sympathetic.
"Does she normally run through the woods?" she asked. He shook his head.
"No, no where near it, actually, she runs in the neighborhood, that woods is by a park several miles away," he said. Melody nodded, she was aware of the location but she didn't bother telling him.
"Is there anything you could tell us that might help?" she asked.
"I'm sorry, I don't think so." he frowned. She nodded and they all stood.
"Actually-" they all turned "I doubt this would help but she- she was pregnant," this was when he finally began to cry. Melody knelt down to the chair he was sitting in.
"Mr. Mayfield, I am so sorry for your loss. I promise you the SBPD are doing everything in their power to find out who's doing this," she squeezed his hand before standing and walking out with the other three.
"See anything?" she asked Shawn as they walked to her car. He shook his head.
"Nothing usually there's some kind of cl-" he stopped remembering the fed was still there "vision, but I got nothing this time," he said. Melody let her eyes close for a second, they were glossy when she opened them again.
"I wish we could just end this," she whispered. Shawn put his arm around his little sister.
"We will, okay? I promise," he reassured her. Dean watched in envy. That was supposed to be him. The supporting big brother whom made her feel safe. Their dad ruined that.
"I don't know, Cas, this isn't usually how angels roll, is it?" Dean asked as they all stood in the motel room. Castiel had just exposed that it was a rogue angel doing the damage.
"Not normally, but Hazel isn't in her right mind. She just lost her child," he explained.
"So she's killing people who are expecting?" Sam asked. Castiel nodded.
"That doesn't make since, not all of the victims were pregnant. They weren't all even women and the men don't have pregnant wives," Dean insisted.
"No, but they were all chosen to, at some point soon, start a family." Cas explained. Dean sighed.
"Can you find her?" he asked. Castiel nodded.
"Yes, I can kill her. You just need to focus on your sister for now," he ordered. They nodded and Cas disappeared.
"How did that go, by the way? Did she show any signs of knowing us?" Sam asked. Dean shrugged.
"I didn't see any," he sighed and fell onto his bed, "she's so… happy. We can't just come in and ruin her life again," he said.
"We can't let her die, either," Sam replied.
"I know- I know. I just- she was out, Sammy. Actually, truly, out. It's our fault she's in danger," Dean said.
"There's nothing we can do now but protect her." Sam insisted.
"How do you suggest we go about doing that?" Dean asked. Sam sighed and took a sheet of paper out of his pocket.
"Shawn Spencer's address, also where Juliet O'Hara said Melody will be staying for a few days,"
"Shawn, I'm serious, I'm fine," Melody's arms were crossed over her chest where she was glaring at her older brother.
"I think you should stay with your brother, Melody," Melody looked up to see Henry Spencer standing there.
"Dad? What are you doing here?" she asked him.
"I called for reinforcements. Gus opted to stay out of it," Shawn rolled his eyes and Melody felt like punching him.
"Oh my God, you two are ridiculous!" she threw her hands up, exasperated, and pushed passed them, out of the guest room.
"Protective is a better word," Shawn claimed, following her.
"Overbearing,"
"Caring,"
"Underestimating,"
"Frustrating,"
"Okay, you two, stop it. The point is, Melody, that we're worried about you. It's not that you need protecting, it's to give us peace of mind," Henry insisted.
"Look, I stayed with Shawn last night, this case had me stressed out and I was functioning on little sleep. I forced my crazy boss to give me time off though, taking one huge stressor of my plate giving me more time to focus all of my energy on these murders. I'm much better now that I'm not stretched thin. You don't have to worry about me," Melody sighed. Both men began to speak but a knock at the door cut them off.
"I'll get it," she said, even though they were all only a few feet away from the door. She moved swiftly, and swung it open. There stood two other frustrating men in her life. The only difference was that she actually hated the two at the door and knew the first two were only trying to protect her. She forced a smile on her face.
"Detectives, what can I do for you?" she asked.
"May we come in?" Dean asked. She glanced at her dad and brother, one waiting patiently the other- not so much.
"Nows really not a good time," she replied.
"I promise, we wouldn't be here if this wasn't important," Sam said. She sighed, peering them suspiciously, but moved to the side.
"Got news on the case?" she asked, as they entered the living room. The Spencer men watched expectantly. Juliet, who had been hiding out, trying not to butt into the family matters, came out.
"It's not about the case actually," Sam said, looking down. Melody crossed her arms and instinctively took a step back so that she was directly in between Shawn and her dad. Both men noticed her change in attitude, but didn't comment on it.
"Then what's it about?" Juliet asked.
"Melody, how much do you remember from before you were adopted?" Sam asked. Everyone's eyes were on her. Suddenly Shawn felt very protective.
"None of it," she frowned, her mind began to race, no no no no no, they couldn't recognize her. They couldn't know who she was. They couldn't be back now. They couldn't try to enter her life again she didn't want that. She felt her anxiety flare up and pushed closer to Shawn.
"Why are you asking?" Shawn asked, his jaw tight. The men glanced at each other.
"Really? You don't remember anything?" Dean asked, ignoring Shawn, disbelief laced in his words.
"No," she bit out.
"Come on, Canary, you really expect us to believe that?" Dean has sensed it since the beginning. Certain things she would say. Movements she would make. She knew. She had to know. At least a little. Shawn felt it sister flinch against him at the nickname and stepped forward.
"Who are you?" he and his father asked at the same time.
"Well, Mr. Spencer," Dean stepped forward "we're her real older brothers,"