I don't own Supernatural or any references to anything else you may recognize.

I bounced my leg up and down impatiently, staring at the clock for what must have been the millionth time in five minutes. Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up! I thought desperately. Goddammit, Dean! You're the most reckless driver I know! What the fuck is taking you so long? I picked absentmindedly at a loose seam on the couch, then stopped when I realized how pissed Ella would be if I tore up her furniture.

I heard a groan and my gaze shifted to the three girls on the floor. Devon stretched her arms and yawned, opening her eyes slowly. She caught sight of me and grinned sleepily, muttering a soft, "Morning."

"It's one in the afternoon," I told her, allowing a small smile of my own.

"Your point?" she replied groggily. She pushed herself into a sitting position against the couch and yawned again.

"You're so lucky! I don't think I've ever slept late in my life."

"Not even when you were little?"

My grin faded as I thought of my childhood. I shook my head. "Not even then."

"Sucks for you!" Devon looked around for a minute, then asked, "So where's Ella?"

"Um…" I had thought of a countless number of excuses as to why Ella was gone, but as I started to answer Devon, all of them seemed stupid. Finally, I decided I had only one option: I had to tell Dev the truth. She deserved to know after what our job had put her through. And besides, she already suspects something. She's a smart girl; she'll figure it out eventually.

"Come with me," I said at last, getting up from my spot on the couch. She stood slowly, giving me a confused look, but followed me into the guest room all the same. "Devon, how much do you know about what we do?" I asked once I shut the door.

"Ella said that you guys owned this business together and you had to travel a lot…" the teen said slowly.

"And did you believe her?"

"No, not at all."

"Smart girl," I praised. "So… what do you think we do?"

She opened her mouth, then closed it, suddenly shy. "It—it's stupid. It's not possible and I know it. Just 'cause I want something to be real doesn't mean it is."

"Unless you're trying to conjure a tulpa," I said with a grin.

Her eyes grew wide and she beamed. "So it is real?" she gasped. "The Supernatural books—Sam and Dean—it's all true?" I nodded. "So… so those guys that came after us… they were djinn, right?" I nodded again. "Sweet Lord of the Rings!" she exclaimed. "That's just amazing!"

"Well—"

"I mean, it's not amazing," she quickly corrected herself. "Monsters are real, which sucks, but wow! Sam and Dean are the Sam and Dean! Does Sam really have demon blood? Did Dean really go to Hell?"

"Yeah, Dev," I replied. "It's all true."

"But how did Dean get out?"

"Castiel."

"Who?"

"An angel," I explained. "Cas saved Dean and helps us out from time to time." Whoa, I haven't seen Cas in over a year… I wonder how he's doing as the new sheriff in town.

"If angels are real…" Devon began, "does that mean God is, too?"

I shrugged. "I dunno. Some angels believe in Him, some don't. Some say He's dead. Some say He's just stopped caring."

"What do you say?"

"Personally, I don't care," I answered honestly. "If He's dead, well, there's nothing we can do about it. If He's alive, I want nothing to do with Him. He's—" I stopped abruptly, not about to lay my religious issues on a seventeen year old girl.

Devon nodded, understanding my hesitation. "That's how I feel, too," she said. "So, um… D'you know where Ella is?"

"Yeah, I do. She's gone after a werewolf."

"But… I don't get it," the teen said, her eyebrows scrunching in confusion. "Why'd she just leave? She's got a family now—didn't she quit?"

I sighed. "Yeah. She did quit. But werewolves have a special place in Hell to her."

"Why? What's so special about—?" She froze, her mouth hanging open. "Camilla…" she said slowly. I nodded. "Oh."

"Yeah, so is there anyone around here who could keep the babies?" I asked in an attempt to change the subject. "I dunno how long we're gonna be gone."

"We?"

"I've gotta go after her," I said. "She gets irrational around werewolves. She's too desperate to avenge Camilla."

"Oh."

"Sam and Dean should be here by now," I mumbled, and Devon immediately perked up.

"Sam's coming?" she said excitedly.

"Yeah."

A wide grin spread across the girl's face. Wonder if she's gonna notice how different he is. "Wait," she said, her grin fading a little. "You and Sam are together, aren't you? Why d'you seem so unhappy?"

"No. We're not together." I tried to keep the resentment and animosity out of my voice, but I'm not sure how well it worked.

"Oh, what—?" She was cut off as the doorbell rang, and the grin reappeared on her face. "They're here!" she squealed. Normally, I would've found her enthusiasm amusing, but today it was just annoying. Plus, I couldn't help but worry about how disappointed she'd be at the changes in Sam.

"Yippee," I said sarcastically as I went to open the door. Please let Dean see me first. Maybe he can stop Sam from killing me.

"Howdy!" Sam said with false friendliness as I opened the door. I just barely noticed the dangerous look of his grin. I knew that Devon wouldn't pick up on it at all.

"How's Bobby's wall?" I asked, letting the slightest trace of venom slip through my light tone. "Didn't leave too big of a dent, did you?"

His eyes narrowed for a second, then he regained his composure. "Nope, the wall's fine. I am too, if you're wondering."

"Oh, of course! That's what I meant to ask first! Your well-being is my primary concern!"

Dean walked up just in time to stop us from throwing punches at each other. "Hey, Gari. How's it goin'?"

"Been better," I replied, losing the attitude as I turned to him. "You?"

"Yeah, me too." He frowned. "You gonna lemme in my house?"

"Sure." I stepped aside to let them in. As Sam went by, his hand reached out and grabbed my ass. I flinched and growled at him, making a silent swear that I'd get him back later. He winked and gave me that infuriating smirk, then followed Dean into the living room.

"Hi!" Devon said as she saw us. I noticed that she'd had time to brush her hair and it looked like she'd put on a little makeup. Jess and Emily were now awake, but they were propped up against each other, still looking half-asleep.

"Hey," Dean said, giving the teens a warm smile. Jess and Emily mumbled incoherent replies from their spot on the floor.

"Hi, Sam," Devon said shyly, forcing herself to look at his face.

"Hey." Sam's eyes roved over her body, taking in the short pajama bottoms and the tight tank top. Seeming pleased with what he saw, he gave her a cocky grin. "Devon, right?"

She smiled brightly and nodded. "Uh-huh!"

"You've grown," he said appreciatively, a hungry look in those cold eyes.

"Heh, thanks," she said, her cheeks flushing a deep red.

I grabbed Sam's arm and dug my fingernails in. "Can I talk to you?" I muttered, trying to keep calm. Without waiting for a reply, I dragged him after me into the kitchen.

"Ow," he said irritably as I released him. "What's your problem?"

"What are you thinking?" I yelped. I smacked his chest angrily, but I'm pretty sure it hurt me more than it hurt him. Ignoring the stinging pain in my hand, I continued ranting. "She's seventeen, for crying out loud!"

"Yeah, so?" He fixed me with that empty stare and shrugged innocently.

"So she's a kid!"

"No harm in looking," he replied with an easy grin.

"Yes!" I argued. "Yes, there is! She's already head-over-heels for you! Don't encourage her!"

"Why d'you care so much?" he asked, his eyes twinkling mischievously. "Jealous, Gari?"

I spluttered furiously, unable to form a single word. "Jealous?" I finally managed to gasp. "Jealous? You are a sick, sadistic, evil bastard! Why the fuck would I be jealous?"

"Because you still love me." My jaw dropped and he smirked, knowing he had me beat. No matter what happened, no matter how horrible he was now, I would always love him. And I hated that he knew that.

My mind went temporarily blank and his smirk grew. At that action, I regained my thoughts. "That doesn't mean I can't hate you, too!" I spat.

Before I could react, Sam grabbed me by the waist and pulled me tight against him. He forcefully pressed his lips to mine and placed his other hand behind my head so I couldn't pull away. I struggled against him to no avail as he shoved his tongue into my mouth and pulled me even closer. My powers finally gave me the strength I needed and Sam stumbled backward, a triumphant grin on his face.

"Stay the fuck away from me!" I snarled. "And stay away from Devon, too!" I spun on my heel and stormed out of the kitchen.

Dean stopped talking as I reentered the living room. "You okay?" he asked, noticing my furiously distraught expression.

"Fine," I said shortly. "We need to leave. Now." The sooner we bring Elle back, the sooner I get to go back to avoiding Sam. I turned to Devon. "So who can take the babies?"

"Jack and Carrie'll keep them," Dean answered me. "I called a minute ago. Lemme go get their stuff."

Sam sauntered back into the room and I strived to keep the disgust off my face. "I'll help," I volunteered quickly, eager to get away from the younger Winchester. I followed Dean back out of the living room and tried to ignore the grin Sam was giving me.

When I entered the nursery, Dean had Sami in his arms and she had his amulet in her mouth. I smiled and said, "Wow, I'm impressed. You actually look like a dad."

"Shut up," he snapped, but he was grinning all the same.

I walked over to the playpen and picked up Johnny. He immediately latched onto my finger and gurgled happily. "They really are beautiful, Dean," I said quietly.

"Yeah, I know," he replied proudly. His brow furrowed slightly and he glanced at me from the corner of his eye. "So, um…" he began hesitantly, which I found rather odd. Dean was never hesitant. "What's with you and Sam?"

I froze. Oh, fuck. "I dunno what you mean," I lied, focusing solely on Johnny's smiling face. Dean scoffed, giving me his signature bullshit look. "Nothing's 'with us,' so stop asking!" I said agitatedly.

He smirked, my anger confirming his suspicions. He put his free hand up defensively. "All I know is you ditched him," he said. "I just wanna know why."

"We've both changed," I replied coolly. "That's all there is to it." I shifted Johnny in my arms and slung a diaper bag over my shoulder. "Just… be careful around him, Dean," I warned. "I know he was your brother, but… maybe he's not anymore."

He opened his mouth furiously, ready to defend Sam, but something stopped him. "You don't know what you're talking about," he muttered unconvincingly. Sam had obviously done something to him too; he just didn't want to accept that his baby brother could've changed so much.

"Alright." I nodded, deciding to let him continue trying to delude himself. If I thought Sam was truly dangerous to Dean, I'd force him to believe me.

"We should go," Dean said. "We still gotta track her down."

"Ahem," I coughed primly, tapping the blue-stoned amulet around my neck, just like Ella had done when they found me.

Dean chuckled. "That's one way to do it.

~Supernatural~Supernatural~Supernatural~

"I guess we should go, too," Devon said reluctantly as we walked to the door.

Dean nodded. "Lock up behind you, okay?"

"You want me to lay down a salt line and paint a pentagram under the doormat?" she asked, her hazel eyes twinkling happily. "Or have you already done that?"

His jaw dropped. "How did you—?"

"I told her," I interrupted. "She deserved to know." I looked at Devon. "Lay down a salt line. Oh, and you can tell Jess and Emily about this. But otherwise, keep it to yourself, okay?"

"Okay!" she replied excitedly. "Not like anyone else would believe me anyway!"

"That's the spirit!" I gave the teen a one-armed hug. "See you later, girl," I said. "Take care of your sister."

Jess walked up right at that moment. "Her take care of me?" she scoffed. "Obviously I'm the mature one here."

"Look!" Devon gasped, pointing over Jess's shoulder. The younger girl spun around. "What's that? I think it's your honor!" Both girls immediately fell into a fit of laughter while the guys and I stood there awkwardly. As Devon caught her breath, she said, "Yeah, you're the mature one!"

"I'll take care of them," Emily piped up from behind Jess. "I may be the shortest, but I'm definitely the most mature."

"Says the girl who watches The PowerPuff Girls religiously," Devon quipped.

"It's a very imaginative and complex show!" Emily shot back. "And at least I don't worship a twelve year old monk with air powers!"

"He is an airbender! The last airbender! And he is the Avatar!" Jess yelped, feeling the need to join the argument.

"Maybe we should leave while they're distracted," I mumbled to Dean. He grinned and started backing toward the door.

"Stop right there!" Jess ordered, and we froze guiltily.

"I gotta know right now!" Devon added in a singsong voice. "Before we go any further, do ya love—!" She stopped singing abruptly at the glare from her sister. "Heh. Um, later guys!"

"See ya!" Emily said, and the three girls waved in unison.

We turned to walk out, and as Sam stepped onto the porch, Devon called, "Bye, Sam!" He turned around and winked at her. I rolled my eyes and shoved him, forcing him to walk.

"'Bye, Sam!'" I heard Emily mock, and I smiled to myself.

"Shut up!" Devon snapped.

"Make me!"

"Bitch!"

"Jerk!"

"Filthy mudblood!"

"Michael Boobless!"

"Douchewaffle!"

"Figglenoodle!"

I heard Devon gasp and exclaim, "How could you say that? Take it back!"

"Neverrr!" Emily refused dramatically. I laughed and shook my head at the two girls' antics.

I stopped suddenly as we reached the cars—well, car. The only car there besides mine was Dean's Impala. Sam's Charger was nowhere to be found. "What happened to that piece of shit you were driving?" I asked Sam curiously.

Dean grinned gleefully and said, "Angels crushed it! It's like a sign from God!"

"Justice!" I yelped joyously, and I high-fived Dean.

Sam rolled his eyes and slid into the passenger seat of the Impala. "Can we go now?" he asked impatiently.

Dean and I shared another giddily triumphant look, then got in the car. "Anything to please you, Sam—" I stopped myself before I could call him Sammy. He wasn't Sammy. No matter how much I wanted him to be, he wasn't my Sammy anymore.

With that miserable thought still in my mind, I slumped against the window and tried to focus on the matter at hand: getting to Ella.

~Supernatural~Supernatural~Supernatural~

"You sure this is the right place?" Dean questioned me doubtfully as we drove through a ghetto. Shady-looking guys with suspicious bulks around their waistbands stared at the Impala hungrily, and I'll admit to being a bit nervous.

"The amulet never lies," I said with false confidence. "At least, that's what Bobby said…"

"He's getting old," Sam said nonchalantly. "Maybe he's gone senile."

I let out a small gasp of shock and anger, and even Dean looked surprised. "Don't you dare talk about Bobby like that! At least he's not some emotionless freak!"

I know what you're thinking: Oh, my God! She just called Sam a freak! What an idiot! That's the worst thing you could ever call him! You better run for your life!

But I knew all of this. I clearly remembered the one time I heard Dean call him a freak. He was so enraged that he started throwing punches, and it was actually a little scary. And that was the exact reason I called him a freak. I figured that, if this was Sam—if my Sammy was still buried deep down under all of this new Sam—calling him a freak would cause a major reaction. It would cause some emotion.

Of course, that plan failed.

"What, is that supposed to be an insult?" Sam laughed and rolled his eyes. "I don't remember you being so pathetic, Gari."

It took a strict look from an awe-struck Dean and all of the self-control I had not to slam his head against the dash until he was bloody and unconscious. No, he's definitely not my Sammy…

Dean stared at his brother, still completely astonished at the lack of reaction from my insult. "What's going on?" he exclaimed finally. "You two are drivin' me crazy!"

"He's your brother," I spat. "Ask him!"

"She's the one flipping out for no reason!" Sam argued. "Ask her!"

"Oh, God, kill me now," Dean muttered, running a hand over his face.

A strained, stress-filled silence fell over the three of us until I finally saw the building we were looking for. "Stop!" I yelped. "There's the motel!"

Dean gave a distasteful glare to the building, but turned into the parking lot anyway. "Why the hell would she stay here?"

"The killings are probably happening in this area," I reasoned. "If I know anything about Elle—and I know everything about her—she's setting herself up as bait. The wolf that killed Milla generally went after young women. She fits the bill perfectly."

"Awesome," Dean said sarcastically. "That makes me feel so much better."

"Just… come on," I sighed, getting out of the car. Sam and Dean also got out and followed me to the lobby. I went straight to the concierge's desk and said, "Hey, my name's Beatrix Kiddo. I'm looking for my friend. Her name's Elle Driver." I knew instinctively that Ella would have chosen that name. She always used it for solo cases. "She supposedly got a room here last night."

"Congratulations," the woman said scathingly.

I made a low, growling noise in my throat and opened my mouth angrily, but Dean shoved me out of the way and fixed the woman with an engaging smile. "Hi… Linda," he said as he found her nametag. "Listen, Elle is my sister's friend and she goes off on these crazy party trips all the time. We're always having to chase her down. Think you could help us out?"

Linda smiled, revealing tobacco-stained teeth, and Dean tried not to show his disgust. "Of course, of course," she purred. She looked down at the logbook and said, "Elle Driver… Hm… Room 29, doll."

"Thanks, Linda," he said, giving her another charming grin. He led Sam and me out of the lobby, chuckling triumphantly. "And that's how it's done!"

"Don't let the nice lady's attention go to your head, Deano," I teased. "But I see how hard it can be for you to just forget that smoker's smile!"

"Can it, Black Mamba," he shot back, his lip quirking up in the corner.

"Room 29, right?" Sam said suddenly, and Dean and I immediately stopped bickering. I nodded. "Well, here we are." He knocked on the door and it swung inward. Something's really wrong here…

My heart dropped into my stomach as I saw the interior of the room. Debris was everywhere: bed sheets, pillows, furniture—everything was strewn across the room. And right in the middle of the destruction was a small puddle of blood. As I looked closer, I noticed that it was smeared across the carpet, stopping at the window.

I turned to Dean, panic rendering me speechless. His face had been drained of all color and he looked like he was about to be sick. My eyes flicked over to Sam, but his face was emotionless, as always.

I reluctantly turned my eyes back to the disaster in front of us. Oh, God… Ella… Where are you?

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