In the Beginning

"Now listen here ya idjits," Bobby said, arms crossed, standing before the boys as they finished loading up the trunk of the Impala with their stuff and Michelle's, the girl in question in the house choosing books to bring with her, "I don't wanna hear any shit from either of you about Michelle going back to hunting with you."

The boys were silent as the man glared at them. Dean had no problems with this, but, looking at his brother, he could see the younger man was conflicted. His anger at Michelle seemed to have ebbed away the moment she took out the ghosts and defended them, but the anger at himself for letting that go so easily would just lead him to lash out at the girl and Dean wasn't sure she'd outlast his brother's temper tantrum. He could tell his brother was struggling between strangling the girl and wanting to bear hug her and never let her go, and the fact that he felt that second emotion was only going to fuel the anger of the first.

"You don't know what she's been through," Bobby continued, "She had to hitch rides from Kentucky just to get here in time to help..."

Dean frowned, "What was she doing in Kentucky?"

Bobby rolled his eyes, "Not the point," he wasn't about to tell them that the angels had a hand in her appearance, that that 'holy tax accountant' Castiel had told her the boys were in danger, "Point is, you DON'T know where she's been or what she's been doing these past few months..."

"And you do?" Sam asked darkly.

"Damn right I do! And I don't want you two poking into her business. If she wants to tell you, she will."

"Got it," Dean nodded, promising for himself and his brother.

Bobby glanced back at the house, seeing Michelle standing up in his office, about to leave, before turning back to the boys, "I'm warning the both of ya, if I hear one negative word out of that girl's mouth about you boys, I will be on your ass like a hemorrhoid. I will hunt you down and give you the biggest ass whooping of your lives."

The boys swallowed at that, Bobby was an intimidating force to be reckoned with.

Just then Michelle walked up to them, "Are you sure you're ok with keeping some of my stuff here Bobby?" she asked, her voice still a bit hoarse.

"Ain't no problem at all," he reassured her, giving her a hug before sending her off with the boys. He watched as she hesitated on which side to get into the car on, usually getting in on Sam's side but now not so sure. Dean seemed to notice and nodded her over to his side. She smiled gratefully and got in quickly.

~8~

They drove for a few hours, tense, no one speaking much as Dean's music played over the speakers. It wasn't until night had fallen that the first words were spoken.

"I don't know about you two," Dean said, pulling up to a motel, "But I'm about ready to keel over."

"Me too," Sam yawned.

Michelle nodded, getting out on Dean's side as he parked the car.

"I'll go get the rooms," Sam continued, "You can get the stuff out."

"I uh…" Michelle started, but hesitated when the brothers turned to look at her, she looked down, "I think I'll get another room."

"What?" Dean asked, looking at her.

She looked up and glanced at Sam before turning back to Dean.

He nodded slowly, understanding what she was saying. She and Sam usually shared a bed, fat chance now. And he didn't think Sam would react too nicely to her sharing a bed with Dean. But that still left the couch…

Sam nodded and walked off towards the main office to get a room for him and his brother, leaving Michelle and Dean alone, "You uh, don't want the couch?" Dean asked.

She frowned, "It's hard enough being in a car with Sam for hours on end, I don't think he'd like me being in the same room too."

"Mickey…" Dean began, shaking his head.

"And anyway," she continued, looking around the parking lot so as not to look at him, missing his frown at how she hadn't commented on or hit him for using that nickname, "I've, uh, been having nightmares recently…don't want to wake you guys up."

"Nightmares?" his brows furrowed. It didn't look like she'd slept all that much and he knew from experience with Sam that she was probably not going to sleep at all to try and avoid them.

She nodded, before walking off towards the main office. He followed her path to see Sam walking back towards him, though Sam's head turned to watch her, his steps slowing till he was standing in the middle of the parking lot, looking after her.

Dean sighed, this was going to be a long trip.

~8~

Michelle was sitting in the dark, on top of the bed, just staring down at the comforter in thought. She'd told Bobby everything, where she'd been, what she'd done, why she'd come back, everything that had happened. She hadn't had any time to really absorb what had happened to her until Bobby had taken her guns from her after putting the witnesses to rest and led her from the room. She'd gotten a good cry that night and Bobby had done his best to comfort her until she could speak without sobbing.

It had been...nice...to have someone worry about her like that. Ever since her parents had died, oh, going on six years now, she'd been alone, and then she'd found the Winchesters last year, and then she'd lost them. Bobby had always been like a pseudo-father to her, and now she knew he really cared about her. She felt like she was safe enough in his house to start processing what had happened, much like she was doing now, just sorting through memories and sensations.

She heard a door shut next to her. Knowing the next room over was Sam and Dean, she got up and walked over to the window. She pulled the curtains away just enough to see Sam walking towards the parking lot and getting in a car with a brunette demon, one she recognized as Ruby.

She swallowed hard, she could just imagine how deeply Ruby had sunk her claws into Sam since she and Dean had been gone. It was her largest regret.

She looked up, hearing a high-pitched note ring out from the radio clock by the bed and turned around to see Castiel standing there. She took a breath and let it out, walking over to him. He held out his hand, a silently plea for her trust, and she took it, appearing moments later with him in Dean's room. She walked over to Dean's bedside and leaned over, shaking him awake. He sat up quickly, his leather jacket falling to his lap at the movement.

"Oh God Michelle!" Dean shouted, seeing it was her, he let out a breath, "How'd you get here?"

"Hello Dean," Castiel called, answering the question.

Dean turned to see Castiel standing at the foot of his bed, "What, do you get your freak on by watching other people sleep?" he glared at the angel, "What do you want?"

"Listen to me, you have to stop it."

"Stop what?" Dean asked, raising an eyebrow.

Castiel raised his right hand and put two fingers on Dean's forehead. The next thing he knew, he was laying down on a bench in a park during the day.

"Move it buddy, you can't sleep here," a police officer ordered, waving his baton around.

"Understood officer," Michelle answered. Dean jumped up, seeing her sitting next to him on the bench.

The officer nodded and walked away. Dean looked around, slowly getting up and reaching into his jacket where his father's journal was stashed. He pulled out his cell phone and tried to make a call.

"It won't work," Michelle commented, watching him from the bench.

"Perfect," he snapped the phone shut, seeing he was getting no signal, and turned to face her, "Where are we?"

She just shrugged, "Castiel doesn't really give away a lot does he?"

Dean rolled his eyes, when a classic car drove by with southern rock music coming from the speakers. Dean eyed it curiously and held out a hand to help Michelle up, leading her across the street to 'Jay Bird's Diner.'

They walked in just as 'Ramblin' Man' by the Allman Brothers began to play. Dean looked around for a moment before taking a seat at the counter, next to a young, dark-haired man, Michelle sitting next to him.

"Hey," Dean leaned over to the man, "Where the hell am I?"

"Jay Bird's Diner," the man replied, eyeing Dean as though he were insane.

"Sorry," Michelle leaned forward so the man could see her on the other side of Dean, "We've been driving for a while and just pulled in here on a whim, didn't even notice what city we're in."

The young man smiled, nodding his head in understanding, "Lawrence, Kansas."

"Thank you," Michelle gave a small smile back.

"Lawrence…" Dean trailed, looking away, in shock. This was his hometown!

"Hey, you ok buddy?" the man asked, looking concerned.

"Yeah, tough night," Dean nodded, "Like she said, been driving a while."

"Hey, uh, coffee here Reg," the man called to the man behind the bar.

"Ok, coming right up," Reg replied.

Dean pulled out his cell phone and flipped it open, "Can you, uh, tell me where I can get reception on this thing?" he asked the young man.

The man chucked, "The U.S.S. Enterprise?"

Dean raised an eyebrow as Michelle began to look around. Reg walked over, dressed in 70s garb, and placed two coffees before Dean and Michelle.

"Thanks...nice threads," Dean eyed him, "You know Sonny and Cher broke up right?"

"Sonny and Cher broke up?" the young man looked confused.

"Dean," Michelle called softly, drawing his attention. She slid a newspaper that was lying on the counter over to him and pointed to the date, "April 30, 1973."

Dean's eyes widened at that bit of information, just when someone shouted, "Hey Winchester!"

Dean was about to turn and see who had called him, when Michelle reached out and grabbed his shoulder, stopping him.

Surprisingly, the man next to Dean turned around and shook hands with the man who had called out.

"Son of a bitch, how you doing Corporal?" the man asked.

"Hey Mr. D." the young Winchester replied.

"I heard you were back."

"Yeah, a little while now."

"Good to have you home John, damn good," Mr. D. patted him on the back.

Dean looked stunned and, had it not been for Michelle's hand on his shoulder, he was sure he would have fallen off the stool. There, sitting right next to him, was his father, at age 19.

"Dad…" he whispered quietly to himself, he glanced over at Michelle, who was smiling slightly, before looking back at his father, still talking with Mr. D.

"Well, say hello to your old man for me," Mr. D. continued, walking off.

"You got it, Mr. D!" John called after him, turning back to his paper, not noticing Dean staring blankly at him. A moment later he looked up at Dean, "Do we know each other?"

Dean swallowed, looking nervously back at Michelle, who shook her head, "I guess not."

John looked at them a second while Dean sipped his coffee, before shrugging and getting up, "Take it easy."

"Yeah," Dean nodded, watching him.

"You too," Michelle added.

The two watched him over their shoulders, looking back at their coffees when John turned to glance at them a moment at the door. Michelle subtly looked over to see John squinting as though he might come back over, but instead turned and left.

Dean waited a beat before getting up and following after his father, Michelle at his side. They saw him walking down the street and began to follow, trying not to do so too closely, to avoid suspicion. Just as they turned a corner, they ran straight into Castiel.

"What is this?" Dean demanded.

"What does it look like?" Castiel cocked his head to the side.

"Is it real?"

"Very."

"Ok, so what?" Dean said, getting frustrated, "Angels got their hands on some Deloreans? How did we get here?"

"Time is fluid Dean," Castiel said, as though it explained everything.

Dean looked at Michelle for a better explanation, she seemed to know a little something about angels.

Michelle sighed, "It's not easy but, on occasion, angels can bend time."

Dean turned to Castiel, "Well bend it back or tell me what the hell we're doing here!"

"I told you, you have to stop it," Castiel stated.

"Stop what?" Michelle eyed the man.

"What, is there something nasty after my dad?" Dean assumed. A car horn blared and Dean turned around to check it out, but when he turned back around Castiel was gone, "Oh, come on! What are you, allergic to straight answers you son of a bitch?"

"Dean," Michelle reached up and placed a hand on his shoulder. He felt a bit calmer, but not by much.

~8~

They managed to find John talking to a car salesman a few minutes later, thankful that he hadn't gotten that far, "A fine young man like yourself, just starting out? How about I take off another 250?"

John seemed to be considering the VW Van he was standing beside, "Let's do it."

Michelle almost laughed at the sight of Dean blanching at the thought.

"I'll get the paperwork," the salesman walked off.

John walked over to the front of the van and started looking at it, rubbing the headlights.

"That's not the one you want," Dean called, walking over to lean on a 1967 Black Chevy Impala with Michelle.

"You following me?" John joked, walking over to them.

"No, no, I was just passing by," he glanced at Michelle and nodded towards her, "She wanted to thank you for that cup of coffee this morning and I wanted to apologize, I was a little out of it."

"More than a little," John smiled.

"He was driving all night," Michelle shook her head, playing along with their previous lie, "I kept telling him to let me drive but, you know boys and their toys."

"Boy do I," John laughed.

Dean smiled, "Let me make it up to you," he tapped the hood of the Impala, "This is the one you want."

"Oh yeah?" John looked at it, "You…you know something about cars?"

Dean nodded, looking nostalgically at John, "Yeah...yeah, my dad taught me everything I know..."

John started to look a bit uncomfortable with Dean's gaze so Michelle turned and shook his shoulder, "Dean…"

He shook himself out of it, "And this…this is a great car," he opened the hood and leaned in, inviting Michelle and John to do the same, "327 four barrel, 275 horses. A little TLC this thing is cherry."

John seemed to be considering it, and slowly started nodding, "You know man, you're right."

Dean looked up and nodded at the van, "Then what are you buying that thing for?"

John actually seemed to be almost blushing, "I kinda promised someone I would."

"Over a '67 Chevy?" Dean's eyes widened, "I mean, come on, this is the car of a lifetime. Trust me, this thing's still gonna be badass when it's 40."

John smiled, now definitely considering it, "John Winchester, thanks," he held out a hand for Dean and Michelle.

"Dean Van Halen," Dean smiled, shaking his hand as well, "And this is…"

"Your lovely girlfriend?" John smirked, taking Michelle's hand as well.

Michelle's smile became a bit sad, "No, I'm just a friend. Uh, Michelle…Mitchells."

"Sorry," John smiled embarrassedly but Michelle just shook it off.

"Uh…I was in pretty rough shape this morning, huh?" Dean asked, trying to change the awkward topic.

"No kidding," John remarked, as thankful for the change as Michelle was.

"Like Michelle said, I was real tired, couldn't really rest though, I was getting chills in that diner," Dean shook his head, "You didn't feel any of those cold spots did you?"

"Dean…" Michelle began.

"Nope," John answered.

Dean shook his head, trying to be casual about his questions, "I swore I smelled something weird too you know? Like…like rotten eggs...you didn't happen to smell any sulfur by chance?"

"Dean," Michelle tried again.

"No," John shook his head.

"No...there been any cattle mutilations in town recentl…"

"Dean!" Michelle half-shouted, only to be cut off by John.

"Ok, mister!" John stepped back, "Stop it."

Honestly, what was with Winchester men not listening to her when she tried to tell them something. Clearly this man knew nothing about hunting.

"Yeah, if only I knew what to stop," Dean muttered to himself, "Listen...uh, watch out for yourself ok?"

John looked at Dean, confused, but nodded slowly, if only to placate him, "Yeah, sure."

Dean pointed to the Impala and tapped the hood before walking off with Michelle, John just watching them as they left.

~8~

If John thought he'd gotten rid of Dean, he was sorely mistaken as Dean and Michelle followed behind him in another car, watching as John pulled up to a house in his new Impala. A moment later a blonde girl came out of the house and ran across the lawn to John as he got out of the car to greet her.

All Dean needed was to hear John call her 'Mary' before his jaw dropped open, "Mom?"

After that, Dean was not about to let either one of them out of his sight, especially Mary. They followed the couple to a diner.

"Because this isn't creepy or suspicious at all," Michelle commented as they lurked outside, watching Mary and John sitting in a booth.

"Shh!" Dean hissed at her before muttering to himself, "Sammy, wherever you are, mom is a babe...I'm going to Hell...again."

Michelle shook her head as they watched the couple discuss something before Mary excused herself. Dean's eyes widened as John pulled out a small, red, velvet box with an engagement ring inside.

"Oh my God," Dean breathed, staring. He turned around and walked towards the car to lean on it.

"Dean," Michelle hissed, nodding towards the very angry Mary walking towards them.

"Why are you following us?" she demanded, not even waiting for an answer before kneeing Dean in the stomach and throwing him against a metal fence next to the building behind them.

"Are you crazy?" Dean groaned.

She went to punch him but Michelle reached out and twisted her around, ducking the next punch. Dean reached out and grabbed Mary's arms, trying to get her to stop fighting.

"You've been trailing us since my house!" she shouted, pulling away.

"I don't know what you're talking about…" Dean began.

"Really?" Mary glared, kneeing him in the stomach again and moving to punch him once more. Michelle sighed and twisted the woman's arm behind her back, pressing her into the fence behind them.

"Ok, how about we talk about this, huh?" Dean gasped, trying to get his breath back.

"Let me go!" Mary struggled as Dean came over to them.

"Dean," Michelle said suddenly, holding up Mary's charm bracelet in her hand.

"Give that back!" Mary shouted, shoving Michelle back and turning to face them.

Michelle looked down at the bracelet, seeing the protective markings on it, and tossed it to Dean, who looked at it, stunned, "Are you a Hunter?" he asked, shocked.

Mary just looked him up and down, confused, before looking at Michelle, Dean still in shock.

~8~

Mary had given them her address and told them to meet her outside of her house while she went back to John. They did as she said, hiding behind a bush while the couple said goodnight. As soon as the man drove off, they popped out, both smiling at Mary's love-struck smile when she watched John turn the corner.

"Dean right?" she glanced at them, "And Michelle?" they nodded, "I'm not sure you should come in…"

"You can trust us," Michelle promised.

"I mean, come on, we're all Hunters right?" Dean asked, desperate to see his mother's family, "I mean, we're…we're practically family."

Mary looked at him curiously, but shook her head, "Yeah, thing is, my dad, he's a little um..."

"Oh, I gotta meet him," Dean smirked.

"You've heard of him?" Mary raised an eyebrow.

"Clearly not enough."

Mary sighed and led them into the house and over to her father sitting in a chair, not even looking up when his daughter told him they were Hunters.

"So, you're a Hunter?" Samuel, Dean's grandfather, asked, "Well, tell me something, you kill vampires with wooden stakes or silver."

Dean chuckled, "Neither, you cut their heads off."

Mary smiled, knowing what her father was trying to do, test them to make sure.

"So, did I pass your test?" Dean smirked.

Samuel put his book down and glanced at them, frowning, "Demons," he continued, "Dislike holy water and what?"

"Salt," Michelle answered, "And they flinch at the invocation of God, but only if it's used in the original Latin, Christo."

Samuel raised an eyebrow, mildly impressed, "You passed," he shut the book, tossed it on the table next to his chair, and glared at them, "Now get out of my house, I don't…"

"Dad!" Mary shouted.

"I don't trust other Hunters. Don't want their help, don't want them around my family."

Dean's grandmother, Deana, chose that moment to interrupt, "Knock it off Samuel!" she called as she set the table.

"They're Hunters," Samuel said, as though it explained his behavior.

"Who passed your little pop quiz, and now I am inviting them to dinner," Deana replied, walking into the room and smiling at the duo, "Are you two kids hungry?"

"Starving," Dean smiled.

Deana stepped forward to shake their hands, "Good, I'm Deana, you've met my husband, Samuel."

"Dean Van Halen," Dean introduced himself, taking her hand.

"Michelle Mitchells," Michelle smiled.

"Michelle," Deana commented, "That's a lovely name for a lovely girl. Was your mother a 'Michelle' too?"

"Thank you ma'am. I was actually named after my father."

"Your father?" Dean eyed her.

"His father was French," she explained, rolling her eyes, "His middle name was Michelle."

"My mother was half-French," Dean remarked offhandedly, "Now wash up for dinner."

"Thank you ma'am," Michelle said politely as the woman went back to setting the table. Noticing the names of Mary's parents, she turned to Dean, "Samuel and Deana?"

"Time to eat!" Deana called, motioning for Dean and Michelle to join them in the dining room. They walked over, being given seats next to each other on one side of the table, Mary across from them with Samuel and Deana on either end, Samuel by Dean.

"First time in Lawrence?" Deana smiled at them as they settled down to eat.

"Well, it's been a while," Dean smiled at her, "Things sure have changed...I think."

"You working a job?" Samuel asked.

Dean glanced at Michelle, "Yeah, maybe."

"What's that mean?" Samuel's eyes narrowed.

"It means I don't trust other Hunters either, Samuel," Dean remarked.

"Hey, so why were you following me and John?" Mary asked Michelle, sensing that she might be able to relieve the tension.

"We thought something was after your boyfriend," Michelle answered without hesitation, only Dean knew she was lying, and if he hadn't known the truth already he probably would have believed her too, "But we're not too sure about that."

"John Winchester mixing it up with spirits, can you imagine?" Deana chuckled.

Dean raised an eyebrow, he was still trying to understand how his mom was from a family of Hunters while his dad wasn't, yet his dad was a kickass Hunter later in life.

"I saw that," Mary said suddenly, glaring at her father.

"What?" Samuel asked.

"That sour lemon look."

"Now hold on, John's a really...really...nice...naive civilian."

"So what?" Mary nodded at Dean, growing frustrated, "You'd rather me be with a guy like this?"

Dean's eyebrows shot up into his hairline, becoming very, very uncomfortable, "What? No, no, no. No!"

"Mary, of course not, it's just I…" Samuel tried.

"That's enough, both of you, we have company," Deana said firmly.

"So what about you Samuel," Michelle changed the topic, "You working a job?"

"Might be," Samuel replied, a bit more polite than his terse responses with Dean.

"He's working a job on the Whitshire Farm," Mary sighed.

Samuel gave her a hard look as Dean cleared his throat, he was clearly not expecting his mother's family to be quite this serious or suspicious.

"Whitshire, why does…why does that name sound familiar to me?" Dean asked himself.

"Well, it's been all over the papers," Samuel explained, "Tom Whitshire got tangled up in a combine a few towns over."

"That kind of thing happens," Dean shrugged.

"So why was he on it in the first place when his crops are all dead?"

"Demonic omens," Michelle answered.

"That's what I gotta find out."

"What about the rest of the town?"

"Did you find anything on the web?" Dean tried to help.

"1973," Michelle leaned over and hissed quickly.

"...of information that you have assembled," Dean corrected, remembering the internet hadn't been invented.

"Electrical storms maybe, the weather service graphs should be here on Friday," Deana answered.

"By mail?" Dean raised an eyebrow.

"No, we hired a jet liner to fly 'em to us overnight," Samuel rolled his eyes.

"1973," Michelle repeated quietly to him.

Dean laughed, trying to cover up for himself, "You know, it sounds to me like we might be hunting the same thing. You know if we go in there in numbers, we could take care of this thing real quick."

"What part of 'we work alone' do you not understand son?" Samuel gave him a hard look.

~8~

"Where's your friend?" Mary asked the next day as she led Dean away from young Charlie Whitshire, Tom's son, who claimed a mysterious stranger had come to the farm the day his father had died.

"She's checking out the machinery for any sign of spirits at work," Dean answered, looking up as Michelle came walking over to them quickly.

"No signs of spirit activity," she told them, "I wish we had an EMF to be sure."

"EMF?" Mary eyed them. They just shook their heads at her. Mary sighed and glanced back at Charlie, "What do you think?"

"I think he just pimped his soul to a demon and doesn't even know it," Dean replied.

"Crossroads Demon?" Michelle asked him, but Dean could only shrug.

Mary turned and headed back to Charlie, Dean and Michelle following after her, "Charlie, do you remember what this stranger looked like?"

"Yeah, he was about 5'10", white, normal looking really," Charlie answered.

"Anything else?" Michelle asked.

"There was one thing…"

"What?" Dean knelt down.

"It's just…the light hit his eyes in a weird way and...for a moment I coulda sworn…" Charlie shook his head.

"What?"

"That they were black?" Mary asked.

"Or red maybe?" Michelle continued.

He eyed them strangely, "No, they were yellow, pale yellow."

Mary looked at Michelle and Dean as they stiffened considerably, fear evident in their eyes.

~8~

Dean hadn't taken 'no' for an answer when he insisted they all head back to Mary's house after hearing that Azazel might be in the area. Samuel hadn't been too keen to be ordered about but when Michelle quietly asked him to listen to Dean...there was something about the girl that made him listen.

Dean slammed a map down on the dining room table as Deana chopped up bananas in the kitchen and Samuel paced back and forth with Mary in another room, Michelle sitting at the table, looking at the map.

"What do you say we just slow down and talk this thing through," Samuel suggested.

"There's nothing to talk about," Dean nearly growled.

"Except you're saying it's a demon. None of us has ever heard of a demon with yellow eyes."

"And barely any Hunters have heard of a Tatzlwurm," Michelle countered, looking up at him, "But it doesn't mean it doesn't exist."

"It doesn't," Samuel argued, never having even heard of the creature before.

Michelle scoffed, "You ever lose a child in the Alpine mountains of Bavaria?" he didn't answer, "Were you ever the child that was lost?" she sighed, that had been a lesson and a half, never wander too far away from your parents without a gun, "I've heard of this demon, so has Dean."

"This thing killed my family," Dean told them.

"And it tried to kill mine."

"Look, both of you need to calm down," Samuel instructed.

"You don't get it do you?" Dean shouted at the man, "You are in danger, we are all in danger. In fact, you need to get yourself someplace safe."

"Not until we know what we're dealing with here."

"Sam's right, Dean," Deana argued, bringing in a bowl of fruit, "It could be a demon, it could be a shape shifter, it could be any number of things…"

"But it's not," Michelle insisted, "It's Azazel and he won't stop until he's killed. You don't know what he's capable of."

"I do," Dean admitted, "And I'm gonna kill it, that's all the talking I need to do."

"You're gonna kill a demon?" Samuel raised an eyebrow, "How?"

"Powerful exorcisms," Michelle listed, "Special knives and other weapons designed to kill demons."

Dean nodded, "There's a Hunter named Daniel Elkins, he lives in Colorado, he has Colt's gun. The Colt."

"Yeah, I heard about the Colt, used to tell it to Mary as a bedtime story," Samuel nodded.

"Well, it's real."

Michelle saw Samuel shoot Deana a look, they clearly didn't know what to think, "Alright, say that it is," Samuel supposed, "You got some kind of crystal ball telling you where this demon's gonna be?"

"Yeah, maybe I do," Dean remarked, pulling out his father's journal and flipping it open to the pages about Azazel.

"What's this?" Samuel leaned over to look at it.

"It's a list."

"Of what?"

"My dad wrote down anyone he thought ever came in contact with the yellow-eyed demon, who, where, and when."

"Why?"

"You don't know how many lives Azazel will destroy," Michelle commented, before closing her eyes and rubbing her head, "How many he'll continue to destroy even after he's dead."

"The more he could learn about the son of a bitch, the more he could figure out why it killed my mom," Dean added, flipping a page or two, "Look…Whitshire farm. I told you that name sounded familiar."

"Whitshire farm, that was two days ago, how the hell is that on your dad's list?" Samuel was a bit startled.

"Dean's dad was a gifted psychic," Michelle answered, coming up with a plausible excuse for their line of life, "His visions of the future were damn near accurate almost all the time."

Dean nodded, smiling at her gratefully for the cover story, before pointing down at a passage, "Looks at this, it says he's gonna hit here, tomorrow night."

"Liddy Walsh," Samuel read.

"Haleyville, that's close."

"I mean, yeah, it's about three miles, but..." Samuel shook his head, looking back at his wife. She shook her head at the whole story, they were still very skeptical.

"I know it sounds crazy," Michelle began, catching their looks, "But we're all Hunters, somewhere in your gut you know it's a demon, and if there's any way we're going to stop it, we'll need your help."

"I know where this bastard's gonna be," Dean closed the journal and picked up his stuff, "And I'm gonna stop it, once and for all, with or without you."

Michelle got up and left the room with Dean, shooting the couple an apologetic smile.

She didn't have to get far before she saw Dean standing in a doorway, watching Mary. She stepped up to him, taking his hand and squeezing it for reassurance. He looked down at her, feeling a bit better, and cleared his throat.

Mary looked up, smiling when she saw who it was.

"I uh, we…we're shoving off," Dean told her, "Just wanted to say bye."

"Really?" she stood up, walking over to them, not sure how she felt about that or why, "So soon?"

"Job to do," Michelle answered.

"Hey, I wanted to…tell you, you know for what it's worth," Dean said after a moment, "Um...it doesn't matter what your dad thinks, I like that John kid."

Michelle smiled softly at the happy look that came on to Mary's face and the subtle tears that just barely appeared in Dean's eyes.

"You do?" Mary looked, hopeful.

"I think you two are meant to be," Michelle added.

"I'm depending on it," Dean muttered to himself. Michelle elbowed him in the stomach, earning a confused look from Mary, "Can I ask you a question?" Dean said suddenly, trying to cover for himself. Mary nodded. "What's he like? John."

"Why do you ask?" Mary tilted her head.

"Just curious," Dean shrugged.

"I don't know, um...he's sweet, kind," she smiled, getting lost in her thoughts, "Even after the war, after everything, he still believes in happily ever after you know? He's everything a Hunter isn't," her eyes widened as she realized she was talking to two Hunters, "No offense."

"None taken," Dean smirked as Michelle waved her off.

Mary sighed, "Can I tell you something?" he nodded and she looked around for her father before excitement took over, "He's gonna ask me to marry him. Tomorrow I think!"

"Yeah?" Dean smiled.

"That's wonderful," Michelle reached out and hugged the woman for a moment.

"Oh, dad's gonna explode," Mary continued, pulling away from the hug, "But I don't care. I'll run away if I have to, I just…I love John and..."

"And what?" Dean asked as she trailed off.

"I wanna get out. This job, this life, I hate it," Dean's eyes widened at the information, "I want a family, I wanna be safe."

Michelle squeezed Dean's hand again, seeing the tears welling in his eyes.

"You know the worst thing I can think of?" Mary continued, not noticing how emotional Dean was getting, "The very worst thing? Is for my children to be raised into this like I was."

"Really?" Michelle asked, thoughtful, "I would love for my kids to be raised as Hunters."

"To give up their whole lives, to nearly die every other night?" Mary argued with her, not even allowing Michelle a word in otherwise, "No, I won't let it happen."

Dean nodded, blinking back tears, "Yeah..."

"Hey, are you ok?" Mary eyed him, concerned.

"Yeah, no I'm…I'm fine," Dean took a breath, "Hey, uh, Mary, can I tell you something?"

"Sure."

"Even if this sounds really weird…will you promise me that you will remember?"

"Ok," she promised.

"Dean…" Michelle began.

"No, it's ok," Dean turned to her, before looking back at his mother, "On November 2nd, 1983, don't get out of bed," Mary looked confused, especially when Dean barely managed to hold back his tears, "No matter what you hear, or what you see..." the tears began to fall, "Promise me you won't get out of bed."

Dean was so shaken up at this point that he wasn't able to say another word. Michelle reached out and put an arm around him, offering as much support as she could.

"Ok," Mary agreed, nodding at his plea, confusing as it was.

Dean let out a breath, wiping his face of tears and smiling at her, before he allowed Michelle to lead him out of the house.

"Sam just got the best of both worlds, didn't he?" Michelle asked, trying to lighten the mood a bit, hating seeing Dean in so much pain. Having to confront his mother, knowing she would die in the future, that Azazel would kill her...it had to be hard.

"What do you mean?" Dean glanced at her.

"He's got your dad's hunting skills and your mom's desire to be normal," she smiled at him, seeing him realizing the same thing and laughed.

~8~

Seeing how upset Dean was, Michelle insisted on driving that night. He'd refused wholeheartedly, but when he realized she'd pick pocketed the keys off him, he couldn't really argue. So he found himself sitting in the passenger's seat while Michelle drove the car down the road.

Dean was looking around, out the window, before turning to look at Michelle, when something caught his eye and he jumped, seeing Castiel in the backseat.

"Hey Cas," Michelle greeted, not even flinching at the sudden appearance.

Dean put a hand over his heart, trying to slow it down, "So what? God's our backseat driver in this?" Castiel just looked at him, not understanding the reference, "Well, you're a regular Chatty Kathy. Tell me something, Sam would have wanted in on this, why not bring him back too?"

"You had to do this alone, Dean," Castiel answered.

"Et hem?" Michelle cleared her throat.

"You had to do this without Sam, Dean," Castiel corrected.

"And you don't care that he's tearing up the future looking for us right now?" Dean asked.

"You, maybe," Michelle said quietly, though Dean could hear the hurt in her voice.

"Sam's not looking for you," Castiel informed him, "Either of you."

"Alright, if I do this, then the family curse breaks right?" Dean changed the subject, "Mom and dad live happily ever after, and…and…Sam and I grow up playing little league and chasing tail?"

"You realize, if you do alter the future, your father, you, Sam, you'll never become Hunters," Castiel responded.

"And all those people you saved," Michelle shook her head in understanding, "They'll die."

"I realize," Dean swallowed thickly.

"And you don't care?" Castiel tilted his head.

"Oh, I care," Dean told him, "I care a lot, but these are my parents, I'm not gonna let them die again. I can't, no, not if I can stop it," he looked over at Castiel to see that he had disappeared.

~8~

Michelle was more than a little peeved at not going with Dean to get the Colt, he'd made her stay in the car, saying that if he got shot or something, she'd need to get the Colt instead. He'd come back with it, looking a bit pleased with himself that he was able to pull it off, and they were off.

They pulled up to the Walsh's residence, only to see Samuel's car in the driveway, meaning he, and probably Mary, were already inside.

"Shit!" Dean shouted, getting out of the car and running towards the house.

"Dean!" Michelle called, pointing towards the back of the house, Dean nodded and they split up.

He kicked the front door open and ran inside, the Colt drawn. He was about to check the first room he came to when he heard something shatter upstairs. He raced up it and saw a light on in a room down the hall.

"Mary!" he heard Samuel yell, that was all he needed to kick in the door.

There was Azazel, holding Mary in front of him as a shield, "You let her go," Dean demanded. Azazel looked at the gun Dean was holding, actually looking scared at that, all cockiness that had been on his face moments ago disappearing.

"Where'd you get that gun?" Azazel snarled.

Dean cocked it and pointed it at the demon, who only chuckled at the fact that he couldn't be shot, not with Mary in front of him. Dean was looking around, trying to find a way to get Mary out of the demon's arms, when something caught his eye out of the window. He could see Michelle climbing onto the back balcony, the doors broken open from the previous fight. He saw her pull her knife and nodded at her.

Suddenly she surged forward, stabbing Azazel in the back, forcing him to throw Mary aside. Unfortunately, he was aware that he was now in firing range for the Colt and immediately fled out of his host in a large black cloud, flying into the vent in the ceiling.

Michelle went to Mary's side and helped her up as Dean dropped his arm, "Damn…" he muttered.

~8~

Samuel and Michelle were coming out of the house just as Dean and Mary were having a conversation on the Walsh's front lawn.

"Liddy's strong," Michelle placed a hand on Mary's shoulder, knowing she was worried for her friend, "She'll be fine."

"Are you ok?" Samuel turned to Mary.

"No, dad, I'm pretty far from ok, can we go?" she asked, turning to walk towards their truck, very upset.

Dean watched her go, concern etched on his face.

"Nice job in there," Samuel complimented.

"I missed the shot," Dean sighed.

"Take the compliment son, I'm saying that I was wrong about you."

Dean looked at him and then at Mary and back, "We need to talk, alone."

"I'll look after her," Michelle said, walking towards the truck so the other two could take the rental.

~8~

Michelle was beyond pissed at herself.

Mary had requested they stop at Jay Bird's Diner, something about their coffee being the best thing that calmed her nerves. Understanding how freaked she was, Michelle had agreed. She parked the truck and went to the diner with the woman to get a coffee for both of them. Mary had seen John there and went to go talk to him, to check that the demon hadn't gone after him while Michelle ordered the coffee. Just as she turned back around she saw Mary pulling John out the door. She dropped a five on the counter and ran out after them, only to see them driving away in John's car.

She ran to the truck but lost them.

Freaking out a bit at how Dean would take this, she hightailed it back to Mary's house where she knew Dean and Samuel were talking, probably about Azazel and Mary in the future.

She ran into the house, hearing voices coming from the kitchen, "Right here, the list," she heard Dean say.

"And with the Colt?" Samuel asked.

She could hear a thump on the table where Dean must have put the gun down, "Yeah."

"Here, let me see it," Samuel requested.

She turned the corner just as she saw Dean move his hand towards his father's journal.

"NO!" she shouted, rushing forward and grabbing the journal away, "It's him!"

Dean stood up quickly and reached for the Colt but before he could grab it, Azazel, his eyes flashing yellow in Samuel's body, flung out his hand, sending Dean flying back into the next room and into a bookshelf, pinning him there. Michelle lurched forward and the demon did the same to her.

"Future kids huh?" Azazel asked them

"You told him?" Michelle demanded.

"He wasn't a demon when we left the Walsh's was he?" Dean defended, "How was I supposed to know?"

Azazel stood up and walked over to them, "I only know one thing that's got the juice to swing something like that. You must have friends in high places. So, I kill your mommy? That's why you came all the way here? To see little old me?"

"Oh, I came here to kill you," Dean glared.

"Hey, wait a minute, if that slut Mary's your mommy, are you...are you one of my psychic kids?" Azazel's eyes widened in curiosity as he leaned forward to sniff around Dean's face and ear. Dean turned his face away, disgusted, "No, not you…" he turned to eye Michelle, sniffing her as well, before taking a step back, "Not you either. Maybe you got a sis, or a bro…" Dean turned back to glare at him, earning a smirk from the demon, "That's terrific, means it all worked out. After all, it's why I'm here."

"So that's what this is about, these deals you're making, you don't want these people's souls."

"No, I just want their children. I'm here to choose the perfect parents, like your mommy."

"Why her?" Dean asked, glancing at Michelle out of the corner of his eye, even though she'd been targeted by Azazel, the demon's own words confirmed a theory Michelle's parents had had, her powers were completely her own, probably just triggered by the demon blood Azazel had tried to feed her, "Why any of them?"

"Because they're strong," Azazel explained. Michelle glanced away to see Deana peek around the corner to see what was happening, looking around frantically to try and make a plan, "They're pure, and they eat their Wheaties. My own little Master Race, they're ideal breeders," Dean grimaced at that, "Oh, get your mind out of the gutter no one's breeding with me. Though, Mary? Man, I'd like to make an exception, so far, she's my favorite."

Dean tried to struggle more at the mention of his mother.

"So why make deals?" Michelle interrupted, trying to keep Azazel's attention on them and not on Deana. Dean looked at Michelle before following her gaze to see his grandmother in the doorway. He looked at Azazel, eyeing Michelle at the moment, and turned to his grandmother, nodding towards the table where the Colt was still sitting.

"I need permission," Azazel sighed, "I need to be invited, into their houses, I know, I know, the…the red tape'll drive you nuts, but in ten short years, it'll all be worth it. 'Cause you know what I'm gonna do to your sibling? I'm gonna stand over their crib and I'm gonna bleed into their mouth. Demon blood is better than Ovaltine, vitamins, minerals, it makes you big and strong."

"Right," Michelle scoffed, the demon blood he'd tried to feed her nearly killed her.

"Strong enough for what?" Dean continued, "So they can lead your discount demon army? Is that your big plan?"

"Please, my end game's a hell of a lot bigger than that kid," Azazel rolled his eyes.

"End game?" Dean lifted an eyebrow, not expecting that, "What end game?"

"Like I'm gonna tell you, or those angels sitting on your shoulder. No, I'm gonna cover my tracks good."

"Not well enough," Michelle glared.

Azazel turned to her, a questioning look in his eyes.

"You can cover whatever the hell you want, but I'm still gonna kill you," Dean continued, not seeming to have heard Michelle.

"Right, now that, I'd like to see," Azazel smirked.

"Maybe not today, but you look into my eyes, you son of a bitch, 'cause I'm the one that kills you," Dean glared, promise in his eyes.

"So, you're gonna save everybody, is that right?" Azazel laughed, "Is that it? Well, I'll tell you one person that you're not gonna save," he took out a knife just as Deana inched her way closer to the Colt, "Your grandpappy," he plunged the knife into Samuel's body, not even flinching.

"No!" Dean shouted at the same time as Deana, the woman giving away her location by her cry.

Azazel turned around to see Deana make a lunge for the Colt and waved his hand, sending her flying over the table and onto the floor. He stormed over to her while the duo struggled to free themselves. Deana was crawling away, when Azazel kneeled over her and twisted her neck. The sound of it breaking could be heard everywhere. While Azazel's attention was solely on Deana, his grasp on Dean and Michelle slipped and they managed to free themselves. Dean ran forward and grabbed the Colt but Azazel was gone.

"Mary!" Michelle called, realizing who the demon was really after.

They ran out of the kitchen and to the car, getting in and gunning it down the road. They must have driven around the whole town before they caught sight of the Impala parked on the side of a bridge. They practically flew up there, getting out of the car, only to freeze at the sight of Mary, cradling a dead John in her arms, Azazel standing over her.

"No!" Dean shouted just as Mary kissed Azazel, sealing the deal that would bring John back to life.

"Dean!" Michelle called, tossing him the Colt as he ran towards the demon. Azazel gave him one glance before the demon smoke rushed out of Samuel's body just before he could shoot. Samuel's body fell to the ground and Dean looked at Mary, Michelle running up to them.

Mary looked at Dean, a sad look on her face, and Dean's face fell, he'd failed.

John suddenly gasped awake, drawing Mary's attention, "Mary?" he asked.

"John!" she shouted, relieved, and leaned down to hug him.

Dean's shoulders slumped as he watched, completely defeated. Michelle took a breath and placed a hand on his shoulder. He turned to look at her sympatric face, when the sound of wings rustling came to them. They turned to see Castiel standing behind them, sympathetic as well. Dean glanced at his mother for a moment before they suddenly disappeared.

Dean gasped awake, sitting up in bed, to see Michelle sitting on the end of his bed, with Castiel standing beside her. He let out a breath and turned to the side of the bed, looking sad and disappointed in himself.

"I couldn't stop any of it," he said out loud, "She still made the deal, she still died in the nursery, didn't she?"

"Don't be too hard on yourself, you couldn't have stopped it," Castiel attempted to comfort him.

Dean slowly stood and looked over at Castiel, "What?"

"Destiny can't be changed Dean, all roads lead to the same destination."

"Then why'd you send us back?"

"For the truth, now you know everything we do."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Dean raised his eyebrows at him. Castiel just nodded to the empty bed next to Dean's, "Where's Sam?"

Michelle sighed, "With Ruby."

"Ruby?" Dean demanded, outraged, Sam had said she was gone, "And you didn't stop him?"

"I didn't really have time to stop him when we were in 1973," she countered.

"We know what Azazel did to your brother," Castiel interrupted, "What we don't know is why, what his endgame is," he looked subtly at Michelle, who shook her head, a determined look on her face. He sighed, "He went to great lengths to cover that up."

"Where's Sam?" Dean demanded of the angel, wanting the exact location.

"425 Waterman."

Dean moved towards the door, grabbing his keys and jacket, and looked back at Michelle, "You coming?"

She nodded and got up, moving to join him.

"You brother is headed down a dangerous road Dean," Castiel continued, warning him, "And we're not sure where it leads, so stop it. Or we will."

Dean glared at the angel, his eyes widening in fear and disbelief, for the first time completely in the dark as to what his brother was doing or why he'd left in the middle of the night. Castiel wasn't joking around, he was dead serious, and that scared him. He quickly left the room and half-ran to the parking lot.

"Michelle," Castiel called as she moved to follow, giving her a meaningful look.

"My visions are mine alone," was all she said, before walking out the door, "I can handle it. By myself."

Castiel sighed, the only one who knew what the endgame was, was Michelle, because she had seen it when the Devil's Gate had opened but she wasn't talking. He couldn't fault her though, her resentment was well founded, they had made her a pawn in all this long before she had any right to be.

A/N: 'I will be on your ass like a hemorrhoid' lol. I had to add that line in, it's such a Bobby thing to say. I don't even know where I heard that expression, but it fit :) I'll be honest, I won't be answering as many review questions in this story as in my DW fics, I really want the suspense and mystery to continue as long as possible, you guys have a lot of good theories, and I can't wait till you find out which are right :)

More and more questions here, what WAS Michelle doing in Kentucky? And Michelle, the tough-as-nails Hunter, is having nightmares? About what? Just how well does she know Castiel? Giving him a nickname, knowing about his powers, trusting him implicitly? And what's this vision that Michelle saw? The one she told Bobby? What happened in it? Why exactly does Castiel think she is resentful of the angels and Heaven? She's a pawn? In what? Since when? What happened?!

All I have to say is...poor, poor Michelle...Dean may have promised Bobby he'd behave around Michelle but...well...Sam in the next chapter...not so much. Poor Michelle.