Thank you so much for the kind reviews mb64 and lilliannaelizabeth! You guys are the best :)
Well, without further ado, here's the next chapter!

xxxxx

Where am I going again? I ask myself.

Doesn't matter, something inside me tells me. Keep going. You're getting close.

I can feel that I'm getting close even without that strange voice in me telling me. Each step I take forward releases me from my human chains. All my worries float away, and a feeling of longing to unite with this other part of me emerges. I have been broken this whole time. Now I will be free.

xxxxxx

"Dean, we should probably tell Arya what we found out," Sam said.

"Heck no. I'm not dragging her into this Chaos crap! She's 15, she doesn't need to know."

"But Dean, from what Cas told us, Chaos is pretty damn cunning. What if he's been watching her since she picked up his venom from the crime scene?"

Dean stopped walking, and then he shook the milk carton they had just bought in frustration. "Son of a bitch!" he yelled. "You're right… Sam?" he trailed off, gazing at Sam. His eyes were far away, and Dean got the feeling that he wasn't listening.

He flicked his finger and Cas exploded… Then with a twist of his wrist, Bobby's neck snapped…

"Sam?" Sam was brought back by Dean's voice, and he shook his head to clear his thoughts.

"Traces of the… the venom," Sam muttered.

Dean nodded, but his gut clenched with concern. He barely touched the crap and he's suffering this much, Dean thought. What if there had been more… No. Don't think like that. "You ok now?" Dean asked.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Really," Sam said defensively.

"Alright then." Dean stared at him for a while, and then said, "Let's go check in on her. But just check in. Let's keep her out of this as much as possible. Ok?"

"Dean, I'm not trying to get her into this!" Sam replied, annoyed. "I just want to make sure she's safe."

Dean nodded with approval. "Ok. Let's go."

20 minutes later, they were sitting in the midst of a forest-like park filled with trees. A circle of trees surrounded them and enclosed the space, forming a sort of hidden cave that provided excellent cover from nosy others.

"Hey guys, got your text," Arya said as she slid between a gap in the trees and sat down in their little hiding place. "Glad you found your way here."

"This is almost as great as the batcave!" Dean exclaimed, looking around. "Our HQ," he added when Arya raised her eyebrows.

"Yeah, well, it's great because it's a secret local place to camp out and clear your head," Arya muttered offhandedly while checking around to make sure no kids were nearby. "So, what did you guys figure out?"

"Well, for starters, this is where you stop being interested," Sam stated seriously. "This isn't just a supernatural creature; it's an entity more powerful than God, and it's called Chaos, which kinda gives you an idea of how friendly it is."

Arya stared at them, unfazed. "Where the heck did you find that out?" she asked. "That's not in any book." Sam frowned. She almost sounded suspicious.

"Not a book. Just an angel," Dean explained.

"Cas?" Arya blurted, and then turned red as they stared at her in astonishment.

"How the heck do you know Cas?" Dean questioned.

Arya shifted her gaze from Dean to the ground and stammered, "Um… Like I said, lots of time on my hands. I… I researched a lot about angels, and… I heard a lot of hunters say his name in conversation whenever they came here," she said hurriedly.

Dean was not convinced. "And these hunters were randomly saying Cas' name because…"

"I don't know why hunters do what they do, ask them, not me," she snapped. Sam heard a slight quaver in her voice and glanced at Dean. Both knew she wasn't telling the truth, but they were not going to get anywhere if they tried to ask her more questions. "So anyway," Arya said, trying to change the subject. "Cas knew all this stuff?"

"Yeah," Sam mentioned, deciding to go with the conversation. "All things powerful are pretty much programmed into his head. He said this Chaos can… well, create chaos. Oh, and that black substance you found was his venom, which I'm really glad you didn't touch because it causes you to… go through pain."

Arya narrowed her eyes at Sam, making him feel like he was being x-rayed by this slightly intimidating teenager. He watched in amazement as he saw her brain working at rapid speed, until their eyes locked and she looked at him and conveyed so much understanding and comfort that it felt like he had been friends with her for a long time. Suddenly, Sam felt a lot better. Why had he been troubled by the effects of the venom the past day? Those were just some bad memories. There were plenty of other happy ones that came easily to him now.

"Anyway," Dean continued, oblivious to what had just happened. "This Chaos mofo is the worst we've come upon, and that's saying something. Look," Dean said, and he smiled at Arya while looking her straight in the eyes. "You're a good kid," he said sincerely. "Pretty darn impressive. You managed to get us here to this point and… you're better than any other teenager I've ever known. So thanks, Arya, for all your help, but now just go home and enjoy your happy, ordinary life. Ok?"

Arya stared back at him. "Riiight. And how are you two brilliant minds going to find Chaos?" she asked.

"We'll find a way," Sam reassured her.

"Well I already did," Arya told him happily, enjoying the look of surprise on his face. "While you two were honeymooning with your angel, I hacked into all the street cameras in town and saw a creepy dark thing moving through the videos. I tracked it down and found where it's camped out. I'm assuming it's Chaos. His wonderful features certainly fit the name."

"You… you were able to hack into all the street cameras?" Dean stammered.

"Yes…" She looked disappointed when she saw the puzzlement on the brothers' faces. "I can't tell if it's gender discrimination or age discrimination, but every time you guys act all surprised that I can actually do something, it pisses me off," she huffed, causing both Sam and Dean to chuckle.

"Sorry," Sam said, still smiling. "You're just… you remind us of someone."

"Who, Charlie?" she asked easily, causing both brothers to start and stare at her confusedly.

"So you know Charlie too?" Sam asked her.

"Of course," she replied smoothly. "First thing I did once I taught myself how to code and hack was to look up other hackers. You know, find a support group, that kind of thing. Charlie was the only person who was part of Roman's company – yes, I know he was a Leviathon – so I figured she knew about the supernatural stuff too. I got in touch with her. She's helped me learn a lot," Arya claimed happily.

"Oh." Dean said. "So is there anyone we know that you don't?"

"I wouldn't be able to tell you that, would I?" she replied mischievously. "Let's just say that I hear a lot of things. So… when do you guys wanna leave to find our little creeper?"

"Woah, woah, woah," Dean exclaimed. "'We' are not going anywhere. You're going home. You're gonna give us his location, forget all about this, and live a happy life. And do yourself a favor, just stop learning about this supernatural crap. Trust me," he told her, his eyes haunted, "you don't want in to this life."

"I trust you, Dean," she said softly, causing him to feel a little honored that this independent girl would keep her trust in him. "You're a good guy. So's Sam. But I'm already in. I wanna see this through. Chaos," – she pronounced the name bitterly – "killed two of my good friends in those car crashes." Sam and Dean looked up at her, stunned that she had known those two vics. "So I'm coming. And," she said louder, holding up her hand to stop the brothers from protesting, "I'm not giving you the location unless I come with you."

There was a very pregnant pause.

"Come on, Arya. You're smarter than this!" Dean exclaimed.

"No, apparently I'm not," Arya replied stubbornly.

"Arya…" Sam looked at her until she returned his gaze. "We just want to keep you safe. It's all great to research, but when it comes down to actual hunting… People die. We've seen it happen to people we've failed to protect." Sam's voice broke a little. "For your own sake, give us the address and stay home," he said gently.

Arya smiled the kindest smile Sam had ever seen and said softly, "I know you'll protect me. You're Sam Winchester. And I," she continued as she got up and headed towards the opening in the trees, "am a stubborn teenager who'll be waiting here at 10 tonight to go kill this thing with you guys." And with that, she whipped her hair around and disappeared.

Sam and Dean gave each other exasperated looks. "Why do we always end up with the stubborn ones?" Dean complained.

"The really smart, but really stubborn ones," Sam agreed.

xxxxxx

So that's it for now! This is a rather short chapter without much action... but it'll pick up! I promise. :D
Til then, please review and tell me what you think!