Chapter 6- Dead Man's Blood

Sam, Dean and I were sitting inside a diner, having breakfast. Just one typical scenario. Sam on the laptop; Dean and I, scanning the newspapers.

"Alright guys," Dean spoke. "None of these lead to anything. What do you got?"

"Well, it's got Wyoming, Colorado, South Dakota." Sam responded. "Here, A woman in Iowa fell ten thousand feet from an airplane and survived." He read.

"Sounds more like 'That's Incredible' than 'Twilight zone'." Dean replied.

"What about this, 'Husband stabbed his wife thirty-three times in the head." I suggested. "That's crazy."

"Huh." Dean puffed. "Hey, you know, we could just go to New York, Upstate. Stop by and see Sarah again." He turned to Sam. That wasn't exactly a bad idea though. It can give us a few more chances to rest. "What do you say?" He finally asked.

"I don't know, man. Maybe someday." Sam replied. "In the meantime, we've got a lot of work to do."

Dean rolled his eyes. "So what else do you got?"

"Manning, Colorado. A local man by the name Daniel Elkins, said he was found mauled in his home."

"Elkins, I know that name." Dean muttered.

"You do?" I asked.

"It doesn't ring a bell." Sam said. Dean took out Dad's journal from his bag. "Sounds like the police don't know what to think. First, they said he was attacked by a bear and now, they found signs of robbery." Sam continued.

"If that's our kind of crap, why would any supernatural being rob him?" I asked.

"I don't know. There are others out there who are possessive." Sam replied.

Dean was scanning Dad's journal, then he spoke, "Here, look at this."

Elkins's number was written on Dad's journal, along with others.

"You think it's the same Elkins?" I asked him.

"It's the Colorado Area Code." He replied.

We all stared at each other for a while and we decided to check it out.

"Do you think he and Dad know each other?" I asked.

"Maybe." Sam replied. "He clearly had his number written on Dad's journal."

As we reached Elkins's cabin, Sam picked the lock and we entered. His house was a mess. A great one.

"Looks like the maid didn't come today." Dean joked.

We looked around for anything out of the ordinary.

"Hey!" Sam called our attention. "There's salt over here, right beside the door."

"You mean 'protection against demon salt' or 'whoops, I spilled the popcorn' salt?" Dean inquired as we approached Sam.

"That's clearly a ring of salt." I said.

"Do you think this guy, Elkins, was a player?" Sam asked.

"Definitely." Dean replied. He stood beside a desk, scanning pages from a journal.

"That looks a hell of a lot like Dad's." Sam commented.

"Yes. Except this dates back to the 60's."

"Obviously, he's older than Dad." I said.

We continued to search the cabin. Clearly, it showed signs of forced entry and robbery.

"You got something?" Sam asked as Dean crouched on the floor.

"I dunno. Some scratches on the floor."

"Death throes, maybe?" Sam asked. Dean grabbed a sheet of paper. It was a page from a notebook and placed it over the marks as he rubbed a pencil over it to get engravings.

"Or maybe a message." Dean spoke. He handed the paper over to Sam. "Look familiar?"

"Three letters, six-digits. A location and combination of a post office box. It's a mail drop." Sam answered.

"Just the way Dad does it." Dean replied.

"That is so cool." I remarked.

We made our way into the post office that same night. Dean found the post office box and opened it. Inside the box was a letter. We stared at each other for a second before we decided to look at the envelope and its content.

Dean suggested that we open it inside the Impala.

"J.W. You think? John Winchester?" Sam asked, even though we know what the answer may be.

"I don't know." Dean said, a bit nervous. "Should we open it?"

"I guess so." I said. Out of nowhere, a knock on Dean's window startled us. He looked outside and I was surprised by the word that came out from his mouth.

"Dad?" He said. Then, the backseat door on my left opened, revealing the one and only John Winchester standing outside. I scooted a little to give him space as he sank into the backseat beside me.

"Dad, what are you doing here? Are you alright?" Sam asked.

"Where have you been, Dad? We've been worrying about you. Bigtime." I told him. He gave us a quick smile and spoke, "Yeah, I'm okay. I read the news about Daniel, I got here as fast as I could. I saw you three at his place."

"Why didn't you come in, Dad?" Sam wondered.

"I had to make sure you weren't followed... by anyone or anything." He stated. "Nice job covering your tracks by the way."

"Yeah, we learned from the best." Dean said proudly.

"So, you came all the way out here for this Elkins guy?" Sam asked.

"I think he's a friend of yours, Dad." I said. "Is he?"

"Yeah. He was... he was a good man." Dad explained. "He taught me a hell of a lot about hunting."

"You never mentioned him to us." Sam said.

"We had a..." Dad trailed off, stopping for a while then continued, "We had kind of falling out. I hadn't seen him in years." He gestured at the envelope Dean was holding.

"I should look at that." Dean gave it to him and he opened it and started reading. "'If you're reading this, I'm already dead... that son of a bitch."

"What is it?" I asked him, searching answers on his face.

"He had it the whole time."

"Dad, what?" Sam pressed.

"When you searched the place, did you see a gun. An antique, a colt revolver, did you see it?" He asked us.

"Ah, there was an old case but it was empty." Dean answered.

"Dad, the whole place was a mess. Whoever trespassed inside may have it." I told him.

"They have it." He muttered.

"You mean whatever killed Elkins?" Dean asked, confused.

Dad started to get out of the car as he told us, "We gotta pick up the trail."

"Whoa, Dad. Slow down a bit." I said, trying to ease off the tension.

"Wait, you want us to come with you?" Sam asked him.

"If Elkins was telling the truth, then we gotta find this gun." He replied.

"The gun," Sam said. "Why?"

"Because that's important, that's why." He remarked.

"Dad, we don't even know what these things are yet." Sam spoke.

"They were what Daniel Elkins killed best." He explained. "Vampires."

"Vampires?" Dean and I spoke at the same time.

"Like Kiefer Sutherland Vampire or Dracula Vampire?" I asked.

"I thought there was no such thing?" Dean wondered.

"You never mentioned them Dad." Sam said.

"I thought they were extinct." He explained. "I thought Elkins and the others had wiped them out. I was wrong."

Dad, then, gave us a crash course about Vampires. He told us that most vampire lores are crap. He explained that crucifix won't repel them and that they won't be killed by sunlight, and neither a stake to the heart. He said that the blood lust that they feel is the only part that is true. I've heard of vampires before but, of course, I never believed in their existence. Not until I engaged into this kind of lifestyle that I started questioning the mere possibility that every creature or monster I feared when I was child could exist.

After our Vampire 101 lecture from Dad, we stopped in a nearby motel to crash. After a few hours of sleep, I felt someone slapping my leg.

"Ughh." I moaned.

"Sam, Dean, Charley. Let's go." Dad spoke. I sat up, and rubbed my eyes.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I picked up a police call." He said.

"What happened?" Sam asked.

"A couple called 911, found a body in the street. Cops got there everyone was missing. It's the vampires." He explained.

"How do you know?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, Dad? How?" I asked him. "Did you even try to get some sleep?"

"Just follow me, okay?" He said, leaving the room. We immediately grabbed our bags and followed.

"Huh, Vampires." Dean chuckled, still half-asleep. "Get's funnier everytime I hear it."

"Come on, man." I grabbed him and led him outside.

We drove to a crime scene and once we got out the car, Dad talked to the police officers while the three of us hang out far from the commotion. Turned out that the police had received a 911 call from a couple, who reported that they saw a man lying in the middle of the road, unsure whether he was still alive.

"I don't see why we couldn't have gone over with him." Sam said.

"Oh, don't tell me it's already starting." Dean rolled his eyes.

"What's starting?" Sam asked him, I already knew what Dean meant by that.

Just then, Dad walked back towards us.

"What do you got?" Dean asked.

"It was them alright," Dad answered. "Looks like they're heading west."

"How can you be so sure?" Sam asked him. He still had his doubts about the case that Dad was leading us into.

"Sam." Dean warned him.

"I just want to know that we're heading in the right direction." He defended.

I just kept my mouth shut, but I can see the tension rising between Sam and Dad.

"We are." Dad replied.

"How do you know?" Sam pressed.

"I found this." Dad took something out of his pocket. I took a peek and saw that it was a sharp white stone. Oh, wait... No, it was a canine tooth, a fang maybe?

"What is it? A vampire fang?" Dean wondered, holding the tooth.

"No fangs, teeth." Dad pointed out. "The second set descends when they attack."

"So vamps have another set of teeth?" I wondered aloud. "All this time I thought their canines just become elongated or whatever."

"Anymore questions?" Dad asked us, Sam in particular. Nobody spoke. "Alright, let's get out of here, we're losing daylight." He ordered.

"And, Dean, why don't you touch up your car, before you get rust?" Dad told Dean. "I wouldn't have given you the damn thing, if I thought you were gonna ruin it."

Just then, Sam and I chuckled, and slid inside the Impala.

"Vampires nest in groups of 8 to 10." Dean explained to us. Sam was driving and I was in my usual space, the backseat. We're following after Dad's car. "Smaller packs are sent out to hunt for food. Victims are taken to the nest where the pack keeps them alive, bleeding them for days or weeks. I wonder if that's what happened to that 911 couple."

"Man, that's brutal." I commented. "Hey, did you ever hunt werewolves?"

"I don't even know if they actually exist." Dean said.

"Apparently, Vampires do." I reminded him. "Fat chance that they exist."

"What's the connection?" He asked me.

"Ever heard of Underworld?" Seriously, have they been living under a rock? "You know, Kate Beckinsale... Vampires versus Werewolves..."

He shook his head.

"Oh my god." I laughed.

"Shut it, guys." Sam scolded. "You know, that's probably what Dad's thinking." And now, we're back to the topic.

"Of course, it would be nice if he just told us what he thinks." Sam continued, muttering.

"Still having some trust issues?" I asked him, but I was answered by silence.

"So it is starting." Dean said.

"What?" Sam asked innocently. And here we go.

"Sam, we've been looking for Dad all year. Now we're not with him for more than a couple of hours and there's static already." He noted. I nodded.

"No." Sam assured. "Look, I'm happy he's okay, all right, and I'm happy that we're all working together."

"Good." Dean commented.

"It's like the way he treats us like we're children." Sam started to whine, well not really whine, but I could see that he's frustrated.

"We are his children." I pointed out.

"Yeah, but we're not kids anymore. We're legally aged-"

"Good for you." I cut him off.

"Oh, God." I heard Dean mutter.

"He barks order at us, he expects us to follow him without any questions asked." Despite our eye-rolling, Sam continued anyway. "He keeps us in some crap need-to-know deal."

"He does what he does for a reason." Dean defended Dad.

"What reason?" Sam asked him, almost yelling.

"Our job!" Dean pointed out. "There's no time to argue, there's no margin for error, alright? It's just the way the old man runs things."

"Yeah, well, maybe that worked when we were kids, but not anymore alright?" Sam said. "Not after everything you and I went together, Dean. Are you telling me you're cool with just falling into line and letting him run the whole show?"

"I could be." I muttered. Sam looked at me in the rearview mirror. Answering his questioning glare, I answered, "At least I get to spend some time with him."

"If that's what it takes." I heard Dean answer Sam's question. Sam shook his head in disgust.

After hours and hours spent on driving, Dad finally called. He said he'd closed in our target and ordered us to follow through.

"Pull off the next exit." Dean told Sam.

"Why?" Sam retorted.

"Cause Dad thinks we got the vampire's trail." He replied.

"How?" Sam asked again. Seriously, why the twenty questions? Oh, right, because he's Sam Winchester.

"I don't know, he didn't say."

Sam pressed the gas pedal then immediately we shoot off forward.

"Sam! What the hell!" I screamed.

Then, just as we had overtaken Dad's truck, Sam blocked Dad and pulled over.

"Holy shit!" I cursed as Sam pulled the car over so damn hard I hit my head in the window.

"Oh, crap. Here we go." Dean muttered. "Charley, you okay?"

"Yep, except for the fact that I pretty much slammed my head in the window." I told him. "Come along, Dean. Let's watch this show.." I slid off the backseat. Dean followed me.

"Or we could stop them before they end up killing each other." He rolled his eyes. "Sam!" Dean called at him but he and Dad were already walking towards each other.

"What the hell was that?" Dad demanded. I could see that he was furious.

"We need to talk." Sam stated.

"About what?" Dad snarled at him. They were standing almost chin to chin.

"About everything." Sam snarled back. "Where are we going, Dad? What's the big deal about this gun?"

"Sam, come on." I tried to pry him away from Dad, but he threw my arms away.

"Sammy, come on! We can Q & A after we kill the vampires." Dean spoke.

"Your brother's right." Dad told Sam. "We don't have time for this."

"Last time we saw you, you said it was too dangerous to be together." Sam almost yelled at his face. I could see his anger, they way he lashed it out on Dad's face. "Now, out of the blue you need our help!"

"Sam, please." I begged him to stop. "We could do this afterwards. Come on, someone out there might be dying and we ought to help them."

He ignored me anyways. "Obviously something big's going down, and we want to know what!" He demanded.

"Get back in the car." Dad spoke, his face stone hard.

"No."

"I said get back in the damn car."

"Yeah, and I said no."

"Alright, you made your point, tough guy." Dean said. "Look, we're all tired. We could talk about this later."

He grabbed Sam towards the car. "Sammy, I mean it. Come on."

"This is why you left me in the first place." He muttered.

"What did you say?" Dad asked him, taunting.

"You heard me." Sam answered back.

"Dad, please stop." I put my hand on his shoulder. He just looked at me, then right back at Sam.

"Yeah, you left." He said. "Your brother and me, we needed you. You walked away, Sam. You walked away!" He yelled at his face.

"Stop it both of you!" Dean shouted.

"You're the one who said, 'don't come back', Dad." Sam accused him. "You were the one who closed that door, not me! You were just pissed off you couldn't control me anymore!"

"Stop it, stop it." Dean placed himself between them. "Stop it! That's enough!"

The three of them were panting, catching their breaths. I just stood there, feeling a sudden wave of emotions, emotions I couldn't explain, crash through me. I don't know, whether to sob, cry or laugh. I feel the sudden urge to run away, away from all of this. Away from this friggin' life. I moved, walking slowly, with nowhere to go. I just needed to move away, to breathe some air. The middle of the road was too suffocating for me and the four of us. I could feel the tears building up in my eyes. I closed my eyes and let the tears fall down. Then, I started to run.

"Charley!" I heard someone call. I'm not sure whether it was Dean or Sam or Dad. I ignored it. I just need some minute of solitude, to contemplate, to breathe. After a few minutes, I stopped, clutching my chest. I could feel my lungs burning because of the lack of air. I slowly drew my breath, then I collapsed to the ground. I closed my eyes and I inhaled. Exhaled. I did that for a few seconds. I opened my eyes, then I continued to cry.

"Charley." It was Dean. I sensed that he was behind me. "Sweetie, come on." He gathered me in his arms. Then I cried harder. I never have cried so much in my whole life.

"Shhhh. It's okay, baby." He ran his palms up and down my back, calming me down.

"I'm sorry." I muttered. "Your shirt's wet."

"You ready?" He asked. "We gotta hit the road now."

I nodded.

"We'll talk later, okay?"

I smiled at him.

It was around 6 in the morning when we arrived to the vampire's nesting grounds. We settled behind some trees as we observed them from a far.

"Son of a bitch." Dean cursed. "So they're really not afraid of the sun?"

"Nah, direct sunlight hurts like a nasty sunburn." Dad explained. "The only way to kill them is by beheading."

"And yeah, they sleep during the day." He continued. "It doesn't mean they won't wake up."

"So I guess walking right in is not our best option." Dean replied.

"Actually, that's the plan." Dad stated.

"Whoa, wait a sec." I was caught off guard. "That's suicide. I mean, what if they wake up?"

"We fight." Dad said calmly. "You wanna come or not?" He asked me.

"I'll go." I told him.

We made our way back to our cars and we made ourselves ready. Dean and Sam immediately headed to the trunk of the Impala, so did Dad with his car.

"So tell me, what kind of weapon do we exactly need?" I asked them.

"This." Dean showed me a sword. "Hey Dad, I have an extra machete, if you need one."

Oh. Machete, cool.

"Think I'm okay. Thanks." He said, showing us his.

"Wow." It was the only word Dean could come up with.

"So, you guys," Dad started to speak. "You really want to know about this colt?"

"Yes, sir." Sam replied.

Then, he stated to tell us everything he knew about the colt. He said that it was Samuel Colt who made the gun back in 1835. They said he made it specifically for a hunter, like us. Samuel Colt made 13 bullets, and that he used it for half a dozen times. Dad said he couldn't believe the existence of the gun until he read Daniel Elkins's letter.

"They say, this gun could kill anything." He finished.

"Kill anything, like supernatural anything?" Dean asked.

"Like the demon." Sam spoke.

"Yeah, the demon." Dad affirmed. "Ever since, I picked up its trail, I've been looking for a way to destroy that thing. Find the gun... we may have it."

The three of us looked at each other, not knowing what to say. However, we knew what to do.

Walking slowly towards the target place, which looked like an old barn anyways, Dad was the first one to go, followed by Sam, then me. Dean was the last one in the line. We made our entrance through a window. We walked inside as slowly and quietly as possible. The vamps were sleeping, thank God for that. Dad went in a different direction, he planned to take the gun, which left the three of us there. Easing our way inside, we tiptoed. Then, I heard a sound and turned towards it. It was Dean, I gave him a sharp look. He held his finger near his lips then he signaled me to walk further. I followed Sam, then we discovered a woman tied into a pole, with blood in her clothes.

"Oh my god." I whispered.

"Dean." Sam whispered aloud. I gestured for him to come closer. He walked towards us, then we heard a crashing noise. I looked around to see if any of the vamps have awakened, but there were none.

"There's more." Dean muttered.

Sam and I untied the woman, as Dean jammed the padlock from the cage to free the others. After a few seconds, I saw the woman stir.

"Hey," Sam whispered. "We're here to help you,"

"Shh, it's okay. We're not going to hurt you." I told her, but then I was surprised as she let out a growl. The vampires have awakened, leaving the three of us in trouble.

"Shit." I cursed, clutching my machete.

"Guys, run!" I heard Dad yell.

"Dad!" We called him as we shot off running. The vampires were behind us. I'm not sure if they got some super speed abilities or something but I was hoping they don't. We ran off the woods, heading towards the car, then I realized Dad wasn't following us.

"Where's Dad?" I asked.

"Dad?!" Dean called. "Dad?" Then after a few minutes, we saw him running towards us.

"They won't follow." He told us. "They'll wait till tonight. Once a vampire get's your scent, it's for life."

"Incredible." I muttered.

"What the hell do we do now?" Dean asked.

"You got to find the nearest funeral home, that's what." He said and we shot him a questioning look.

Dean decided to look for the funeral home while the three of us stayed back in the motel room. I told him I'd help him but he disagreed and told me to take some rest.

"It's taking so long. I should have been there to help." Sam said after a few hours of waiting.

"Dean's got it." Dad assured him. The reason why I wanted to go with Dean was because I really don't want to witness another testosterone battle between Sam and Dad. Sam was pacing the room while Dad was on the desk along with his paper works. I was standing in the kitchen, leaning on the sink, watching them.

"Sammy." Dad called him. Here we go.

"Yeah?" Sam stopped pacing and faced him.

"I don't think I ever told you this, but the day you were born, you know what I did?"

"No." He said.

"I put 100 bucks into a savings account for you." He replied. "I did the same thing for your brother. You too, Charley." He addressed at me. "It was a college fund. And every month, I'd put in another hundred dollars until..."

"Anyway, my point is, Sam," Dad continued. "That, this is never the life that I wanted for you."

"Then why'd you get so mad when I left?"

"You got to understand something. After your mother passed, all I saw was evil, everywhere." Dad explained. "And all I cared about was keeping you boys alive."

"Ouch." I muttered. Am I invisible? Does my father only care about his sons?

"Sorry, Charley." He said. "That was before you were born."

"Anyway," He looked back at Sam. "I wanted you prepared. Ready. So somewhere along the line, I, uh... stopped being your father. And I became your drill sergeant. So when you said you wanted to go away to school, all I could think about, my only thought, was that you were gonna be alone..."

I tuned them out. My god! I was alone, for twelve long years I was alone, in the orphanage with no one but my friends to lean on. Miss Farrow was my only parent figure back there. I held on to myself for years, I forced myself to be strong, for me, for Dustin, for Amy, and all other people back there who trusts me, who counted on me for reasons that I don't even know. I was there, wondering what happened to my family, whether I have one and if they wanted to see me because I do. I wanted to see them badly. And here they are. Here I am with them, still I'm not satisfied. I wanted my father to see me as his own child, not an extra. I wanted him to treat me like Sam and Dean. I realized, after Sam resolved his issues with him, I was the one who was having issues now. And I hated it. I slowly crept my way outside, while they were busy having reconciliations. I sat on the stairs on the porch and contemplated, but I was startled when a pair of legs suddenly came into my vision.

"Hey, everything okay?" It was Dean, he sat down beside me.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I assured him, wiping some of my tears. "You got the blood?" I asked him.

"Sure." He said. "We're going to have that talk, Charley. After the case."

"After the case." I nodded at him. Gee, I can't wait.

"Where are they?" He asked, referring to Dad and Sam.

"They're inside, making some reconciliations." I told him. "Stay here for a while, they're probably in tears."

"As if you're not." He chuckled.

"Am not."

"You wanna talk about it now?" He asked me and I faced him. I saw the sincerity and eagerness in his eyes.

"After the case." I said.

"Alright." He nodded. We stayed quiet for a moment, as we tried to sense what's going on inside the room between Dad and Sam. I leaned on his shoulder and sighed. Dean, noticing my gesture, put an arm around me and patted my back. I held his hand for a moment and squeezed it. He squeezed back signaling for reassurance. With that simple gesture of affection from my brother, I remembered that I have a family, one who loves me.

"We should probably head back inside." He said. He helped me stand up and we made our way inside. Sam and Dad were sitting together smiling at each other.

"Whoo!" Dean tried to play it cool. "Man there are some heavy security to protect a bunch of dead guys."

"Did you get it?" Dad asked. Dean produced a jar of dead man's blood from his pocket.

"I didn't know you got a whole jar of them." I said. "Man, that is so gross."

They laughed at me. Dad held the jar at us and said, "You know what to do."

So here was our plan. Dean will pretend to have some car trouble to draw the vampires in while the three of us will be waiting far behind until they come close. Then, the party shall start.

We watched as one vampire walked towards Dean. Holding a crossbow, I loaded it with an arrow dipped in dead man's blood. I aimed it carefully towards the vampire. I saw the vampire slapped Dean on the face.

"Watch it, bitch." I muttered, aiming for her heart.

"Chill out, Charley." Dad whispered. "Not yet."

"I know, Dad." I assured him, without taking my eyes off my target. "I know." I continued to watch them. Another vampire came, he was a big man. The woman was clutching Dean's face then she kissed him. Shit, that was so gross. My brother was damned for life. I aimed at her, then pulled the trigger of the crossbow, just as soon as Sam shoot the man. We walked towards them. Sam held the other guy up.

I heard her say, "Damn it. Barely even stings." I just gave her a wicked smile.

"Does it?" I held a vial of dead man's blood to show it to her.

"Give it time , sweetheart."Dad told her reassuringly. "The arrow's soaked in dead man's blood. It's like poison to you, ain't it?"

Then she collapsed. Dean caught her and Dad ordered us to load up as he took care of the other one. After he killed the vampire, he led us into the woods. I tied the vampire bitch down a tree. Sam and Dean tossed some saffron, skunks, cabbage and trillium on the fire we made. The idea was to block our scents from the vampires. Dad was sure that they'll come after our hostage.

"Vampires mate for life. She means more to the leader than the gun." He explained to us. "But the blood sickness is gonna wear off so you don't have a lot of time."

"I still have one shot." I told Dad. "Should I give it to her?"

"Save it." He told me.

"Half-hour ought to do it." Sam stated.

"And then I want you out of the area as fast as you can." Dad said.

"But-" Sam started saying.

"Dad, you can't take care of them all yourself." Dean told him.

"I'll have her, and the colt." He said with confidence.

"But after, we're gonna meet up, right?" Sam said.

Of course we're not, I thought.

"Use the gun together, right?" Sam continued. Dean looked at him and Dad then at me. I shook my head. Dad didn't answer.

"You're leaving again, aren't you?" Sam accused. I saw that one coming. "You still want to go after the demon alone?"

Well of course he would. I wonder why my brothers never saw that one.

"You know I don't get you." Sam started to speak again. "You can't treat us like this."

"Like what?" He retorted.

"Like children."

"You are my children. I'm trying to keep you safe."

"Dad, all due respect, but that's a bunch of crap." Dean, of all people, said finally. Wow, I never thought he'd have the nerve to go against Dad.

"Excuse me?" He said, surprised.

"You heard him." I spoke. This time, it's my turn. "Dad, that's all you tell us. You want to keep us safe, but the truth is we are not. As soon as we lived this kind of lifestyle, there is no such word as safe."

"You know what Sammy, and I have been hunting?" Dean spoke again. "Hell, you sent us on a few hunting trips yourself, including that one that involved Charley. You can't be that worried about keeping us safe."

"It's not the same thing, Dean."

"Then what is it?" He demanded. "Why do you want us out of the big fight?"

"This demon... it's a bad son of a bitch." He explained.

"Tell us something we don't already know." I whispered. Dad sent me a sharp look.

"Watch it, young lady." He said. "I'm going to talk to you later."

"Why don't you talk to me now, Dad?" I spat back.

"Charley." Dean warned. I shoot him a glare. He glared back.

"I can't make the same moves if I'm worried about keeping you alive." Dad continued to explain.

"You mean, you can't be as reckless." Dean threw at him.

"Look, I don't expect to make it out of the fight in one piece. Your mother's death... It almost killed me."

"I can't watch my children die too." He finally said. "I won't"

"What happens if you die?" Dean asked him. "Dad, what happens if you die and we could've done something about it?"

"Don't you think it won't kill us too?" I asked him, but he didn't answer.

"You know, I've been thinking. I think that Sammy might have been right on this one. I think we should do this together."

"If that was the same demon who killed my mother, I gotta be a part of this fight too."

"But it's not." Dad told me. Then I remembered when he told me that he sent back the demon who killed my mother back to hell.

"Then I don't care. This demon has caused so much. And he's still a demon, his kind killed the people that we care about. People we love."

"We're stronger as a family, Dad. We just are. You know it." Dean added.

"We're running out of time." Dad spoke. "You do your job, and you get out of the area. That's an order." Then he walked away. "Charley, you get in my truck." He called back.

As soon I loaded the vampire into his truck, I sat in the back, waiting for him. Feeling a bit nervous, I played with my hair and watched my brothers clean up our things from where we stopped. After a few minutes, I saw Sam walk towards the truck and knocked on the window. I rolled it down.

"You okay?" He asked me.

"I don't know how to answer your question." I told him honestly.

"It'll be fine." He assured me.

"What will be?" I asked him. "The case, or the talk?"

"I was hoping both." He smiled at me.

"Yeah, you and me both." I smiled back.

"Sam, let's go!" Dean called.

"See you later." He kissed me on the forehead which surprised me. If this was God's way of telling me that I am not alone anymore then I'm sure as hell I'm getting it. I closed the window just as Dad climbed into the driver's seat and started the engine.

"Charley-" Dad started to say.

"Dad, I'm sorry for the way I acted out there but you left me, us, with no choice." I spoke. "I'm trying not to question every single thing that you tell us to do, but that last one... Dad, you can't expect us to leave you right here after everything that has happened."

"I'm just trying not to get you killed."

"Well, heads up, Father dear! Death is natural." I told him. "Dad, look. My brothers, they are in legal age, and I'm going to be legal in two years time. Don't treat us like we're little kids. Men should be treated like men, because if they weren't, they won't like it. I mean, if you were in their place, you'd probably feel the same way."

"Can we not talk about your brothers?" He asked me. "I want to talk about you."

"Okay, talk."

"Charley, I know you feel inferior of your brothers. You would probably think that I love them more than you." He said. "But I assure you, that is not true. In my eyes, the three of you are equal."

"Did it kill you too?" I asked him.

"What?"

"When my mother died?"

"Yes." He spoke quietly. "Look, sweetie, I know I'm not the best father in the world, but at least let me try to be one for you. You spent your whole life away from me, from us, your family."

"Then prove it, Dad." I challenged him. "Prove that you are trying. Don't make us leave. Let us come with you, Dad. Please."

As I begged him, Kate, the vampire, stirred awake. I glanced at the rear view mirror and noticed something.

"I think we're being followed." I told Dad, then he drove faster. There were two cars behind us. "Faster, Dad. Faster."

"Relax, sweetheart." He glanced at the rearview mirror, then I saw his eyes widen.

"What is it?" I asked, then I looked behind. The cars were gone. Dad drove faster but we were blocked by vampires, a lot of them.

"Crap." I muttered. I tried to relax a bit. I know I shouldn't be panicking, but I couldn't help it.

"Get out." One vampire said. He was a man, and he was wearing a leather jacket. Dad told me to stay inside and he climbed out of the driver's seat.

"Both of you." The vampire said again. I climbed out slowly, placing myself beside my father. "Who are you?"

"The name's Winchester." Dad replied.

"Where are your friends?"

"Cleaning out your nest." Dad answered coolly.

"Where's Kate?" The man asked again. Dad pulled the rope, where Kate was tied into and caught her. She was still weak from the poison we gave her. Dad placed a knife into her throat.

"Kate, you alright?" The man asked. I think he was her mate.

"Dead man's blood." She replied.

"You sons of bitches." He spat out at us.

"I want the colt. Elkins gun." Dad bargained. "Trade."

"Is that what this is all about?" He asked. "I mean you can't shoot us all right? We'll kill you."

"Oh, I don't need it for you." Dad replied.

"We're saving it for something else." I spoke.

"Now, put the colt down, or she goes first." Dad demanded.

"All right." The man walked towards us. "Just don't hurt her." He put the colt down.

"Dad, should I?" I whispered at him.

"No." He whispered back. Then he ordered the vamps to back up further. He walked towards the colt and picked it up. I clutched at the machete hanging from the side of my hip.

"That's a nice move, you almost made it." The man said, then Kate hit Dad in the face. He fell down. I withdrew the machete from the sheath and held it out for defense as I helped Dad stand up.

"The colt." He said. I tried to pick it up but Kate punched me in the gut, hard. I collapsed on the ground clutching my stomach in one hand, while the other one was still holding the machete. I stood up and charged at the other vampires, cutting their heads off. From somewhere I heard some arrows being shot. The other vampires were down on the ground. Sam and Dean came off running from the woods. I motioned towards Dad, Kate's mate was near him. Then someone charged me. It was another vampire. I fell on my back and she straddled me.

"You're dead." She said. She bared her fangs and almost bit me. I gave her a head butt. A hard one that I even felt a bit of blood from my forehead, which was not totally good because I'm dealing with a vampire.

"Yeah, I don't think so."

I ran towards my brothers but I saw that Kate's mate had Sam. Dean dropped the blade on the ground. I tried to think of a way that could save them. Then I remembered I had another vial of dead man's blood that I could use to weaken him. I picked up a crossbow and an arrow and dipped it into the vial. I moved quickly and aimed it at him. Just as I was about to pull the trigger, I heard a gunshot. It was aimed at his forehead. Dad shot him, using the colt. I ran towards my brothers again. The man fell down. He was dead.

"Luther!" Kate screamed. She started to move towards Dad but another vampire stopped her and they drove away.

We looked at each other's eyes, the three of us, then we looked at Dad. He gave us a smile.

After the debacle, I rode with my brothers again. We reached the motel first, they started packing.

"What are you doing?" I asked them.

"Packing." Sam replied.

"Geez, I know. But why?"

Then Dad came entered the room.

"So boys," he said. "You ignored a direct order back there."

"Yes sir." Sam replied.

"But we saved your ass." Dean reminded him. He looked at him sharply, waiting for a blow. Sam and I exchanged quick glances. I understood he was nervous too.

"You're right." Dad said.

"I am?" Dean asked.

"It scares the hell out of me." Dad explained. "You three are all I've got. But I guess we are stronger as a family. So... we go after this damn thing. Together."

"Yes, sir." The three of us said in unison. Then Dad gave me a wink and I mouthed, "Thank you."

A/N: In case you were wondering when the crossover will happen, it will be during the latter part.