A/N: I keep thinking that if I keep writing Kripke will allow me partial ownership but nothing so far... *sigh*

It had been a week since the incident with the Devil's Gate. A lot had happened and yet, a lot hadn't. Dean had finally told Sam the truth about what happened to him. His brother, quite rightfully, was not thrilled to hear that Dean had traded his own soul for the chance to have him back. He, like Tessa, was determined to find a way to get Dean out of this deal.

Bobby, Ellen and the boys had gone their separate ways. They were all expecting backlash from the massive number of demons that had escaped through the Gate but so far things had been quiet. This in itself was troubling. They all knew the demons were out there and they were all on edge waiting to see where they would strike first. The plan was to spread out and try to cover as much ground as possible until something finally broke.

She would have liked to have spent more time with Dean but she had something more important that she had to look into. Besides, she knew that the brothers were going to need some alone time to come to terms with everything that had happened. She remembered reading about an Indian tribe in Michigan that had some interesting rituals which she thought might be a lead on how to break Dean's deal. After scouring through Bobby's books she found the reference she was looking for and set off for Detroit.

She got into town late in the evening and knew there was nothing she could do until morning so she found a motel to crash for the night. After grabbing some take-out from a local diner she headed back to her room to do some research. She and Dean had promised to keep in touch so she wasn't surprised when her cell vibrated to signal she had a new text message.

T. Sam & I met up w/Bobby in IL. Where r u? May need bkup – Will let u know. D.

She tapped out a quick reply hoping that they could handle the job in Illinois so she wouldn't have to put off her meeting.

D. In MI on a lead. Can b there in 4-5 hrs if needed. What's job? T.

She plugged in the laptop while she waited for Dean's reply. Pulling up the search engine she typed in a request for information on the Fox Indian Tribe. According to the book she read the tribe still had ties to the Detroit area and the current Chief was a medicine man with great power. She was hoping that she could get in touch with him in the morning. Her cell vibrated again as she was reading through the information she had found on her search.

T. Not sure. Bobby thinks 7 Deadly Sins! Ran into hunters here. Not sure if good or bad. Lead promising? D.

Hunters? That could either be a great help to them or a huge hindrance. She was hoping for the former. The job sounded like it was going to be enough of a handful without fighting with another group of hunters. Seven deadly sins? Really? They were actually demons? Damn, if that was the case then God only knows what else they had to look forward to.

D. Not sure. Will fill u in l8r. Call if u need me. Heading to bed. T.

Having located the information she would need to get in touch with the Chief in the morning she decided to try to get some sleep. If the boys did end up needing her she wanted to be rested. Grabbing her overnight case she headed for the bathroom to grab a quick shower before bed.

The shower felt wonderful after the long drive and she took her time, wallowing in the feel of the hot water on her tense muscles. When she was done she wrapped a towel around her hair and headed back into the bedroom. She wasn't surprised to see she had a text waiting.

T. Will do. B Safe. Gnight. Still Yes. D.

She couldn't help the smile that came as she read his message. "Still yes" was Dean-code for "I love you". They hadn't yet gotten a chance to tell Sam or Bobby about their relationship and this was his way of reminding her that he would keep it that way until she was ready. She rather thought he enjoyed the ability to "get mushy" without actually having to say the words. With that message fresh in her head she flipped off the light and drifted off to sleep.

The dream started the way it always did. She knew that it was a dream. It was all too familiar. She prayed she would wake up but knew that until the dream had run its course she was stuck. Her parents were fighting, which was strange because they never fought, and she was hiding under the kitchen table. She wanted to run into the living room and stop them but she was frozen there. She could see them arguing but couldn't really hear the words. The words weren't important. What was important was how her mother was screaming and hitting her father.

Her father was just standing there, letting her hit him. He looked so afraid and helpless, another thing she wasn't used to. Her mother stalked into the kitchen and picked up a bowl from the counter. Before she realized what was happening she saw her mother throw the bowl across the room, narrowly missing her father's head. It was then that her mother turned and she got a good look at her face.

She was too young at the time to recognize the pure hatred that was etched across her mother's normally serene face. Then she saw her eyes. Her mother's usually peaceful blue eyes were black. Not just black, there was no coloring at all, no blue and no white. She was mesmerized and terrified by the sight of them.

She watched, confused and afraid, as her mother grabbed the large knife from the butcher's block on the counter. As her father came into the kitchen she wanted to yell out to him, warn him, do something to keep the scene from replaying as it had every night since that night, but she knew it was useless.

She could do nothing but watch as her mother lunged with the knife, fully meaning to bury it in her father's chest. She saw him react, grab her mother's wrist and twist the knife out of her hand. She could hear the vile words pouring from her mother's mouth and cringed as she saw the affect they had on her father. They struggled, both fighting for control of the knife. Finally, she watched again as her father, having no other choice, plunged the knife into her mother's heart.

The gut wrenching half-sob, half-scream that issued from his throat as her mother's body sagged into his arms would haunt her for the rest of her life. She was ready to wake up. This was where the dream ended, with her father crying inconsolably over her mother's body. Instead she found herself transported to a strange field.

Now she was really confused. This had never happened before. She had grown used to the repetitiveness of the nightmare. After all these years it had almost become, in a sick way, comforting. But now, this field, this was unexpected and a new ripple of fear ran through her body.

She looked around and saw that she was not alone. Dean was here. He was just ahead of her, lying alone on the grass. He looked so peaceful that she began to relax slightly. Maybe her subconscious was finally granting her a bit of relief. She took a step towards him thinking to join him among the wildflowers.

It was then that she heard the sound. It was low and quiet and she could barely make it out at first. Instinctively she was afraid. She called out to Dean, trying to get him to stand up and come to her but he didn't seem to hear her. As the noise grew louder she could make out the sound of growling dogs. Dean had to hear them too, he wasn't that far away.

She tried to run to him but found that she was unable to move. Her heartbeat sped as she heard the growling grow louder. Why wasn't he getting up? Her frustration and fear were quickly building to panic as she yelled his name over and over.

He finally sat up, appearing a bit dazed, and looked around as if trying to figure out where her voice was coming from. When he finally noticed her he smiled. That smile was everything to her, that smile sped her heart for a totally different reason. He stood up and turned towards her reaching out his hand.

She watched in horror as the front of his t-shirt was suddenly shredded as if by invisible claws. A look of shock and pain registered on his face. The growling sound became frantic as she watched him attempt to fend off his invisible attackers. Scratches appeared on his arms, then his face, as he screamed and flailed out uselessly. She could see the blood soaking into his shirt as he was thrown to the ground.

Again she tried to run to him and again she was frustrated by her inability to move. As he lay on the ground still screaming in desperation she watched the grass around him blacken. Flames began to leap out of the ground all around his body. He was calling her name, begging her to help him and she was helpless to respond.

As she watched it became a race to see which would end him first, the invisible claws of his attacker or the flames which were now licking out and catching his clothing on fire. She could do nothing but scream his name over and over, fighting against the invisible bonds that held her, as she watched him writhe in agony.

She woke up with a start, his name still screaming from her now raw throat. Tears were flowing from her eyes as she reached out to turn the light on. She needed light to chase away the last visages of her dream. She could still smell the smoke and hear him calling out her name in her head. Slowly she got herself under control. No, she thought as she wiped the last tears from her eyes, I won't let it happen. She didn't even realize she was talking aloud when she said, "I won't let him go to Hell…I won't." It was a long time before she was able to turn the light out and attempt once again to sleep.

A/N: My thanks yet again to the faithful who have decided to take this journey with me. I appreciate all of you who have put this story on favorite or alert and hope that I am keeping you entertained! Remember: Reviews are the butterflies that brighten my day!