Author's Note: Hey guys! :) A longer chapter here for you to enjoy. Things are sappy and slightly out-of-character as usual. I can't help it. I love the touchy-feely stuff way too much, so I probably put way too much into my stories, but it makes me happy. Hopefully some of you love this kind of stuff too! :) Enjoy! Thanks for the kind reviews. They mean so much! 3

Chapter 10: Shadow

The feeling of someone's hand running soothingly up and down my back woke me. I was lying on a soft bed, my face turned away and towards the wall. The sound of soft murmurs met my ears; my brothers talking to each other quietly. "She's been asleep for so long, Sammy," Dean's voice was right beside me.

"She got kidnapped and locked in a closet dude," Sam said, his voice coming from a few feet away. "It's a lot for anybody to handle, let alone someone so young."

The memories of the crazy family and my kidnapping came back, and I stiffened, alerting my brothers that I was awake. "Lexi?" Dean's voice said softly, his hand reaching up to move the hair away from my face. I rolled over to face him, wincing when my other cheek met the pillow. Gingerly, I reached up to touch my cheek when I sat up. Something white caught my eye, and I noticed my right hand was wrapped up in a tensor bandage. "Easy sweetheart. It's not broken, but you did sprain it badly."

Sam stood up and grabbed a tray of food from the table and placed it in front of me. "You need to eat something," he said quietly. I looked down and smiled at the array of food. There was sliced toast, some strawberries, and M&M's, which must have been Dean's touch.

"Thank you," I replied, taking a strawberry and popping it into my mouth. The two stared at me, making me a little self-conscious. I knew they wanted to speak about my leaving, but I was nervous. Still, they were obviously waiting for me to say something. "I'm sorry I left."

"Why did you?" Sam asked. Dean was sitting next to Sam on the opposite bed.

I kept my gaze locked on the tray of food. "You guys don't need me," my voice was so quiet, I would be surprised if they heard me. "I'm not as good as mom wanted me to be. I get scared too easily, I'm not as brave as I should be, and I get in your guys' way on hunts, or I get you hurt!" My voice was getting louder, and neither of them said anything. They knew I needed to get this off my chest.

"I have to stay behind when you interview people, which I understand because I'm too young to go undercover. You guys don't need me when you're hunting. You do better when I'm not around, and I know you're both happier when I'm not following you both around. It wasn't fair of dad to stick me on you, and I'm sorry he did-"

"That's bullshit and you know it, Alexandra," Dean snapped, posture tense as he looked at me.

Sam put a hand on Dean's shoulder, and the tension began to leave Dean's frame. "Honey, we love having you here. You keep things fun and entertaining, you're the happiness that we were missing. Our hunting party feels complete with you here."

"We want you here with us, Lexi. Don't you dare ever leave again, especially like that," Dean looked aged as he said it, and I realized then how truly worried they had both been. "Do you realize what could have happened to you? We're lucky we got to you this time. You're safe with us, it's our job to keep you safe, and it's your job to keep me and Sammy in line. We're a family, and family sticks together."

A lone happy tear slipped down my cheek, and I moved my tray aside. Turning, I flung myself onto the other bed and into Dean's awaiting arms, hugging him tightly. He pressed a kiss to the crown of my head, before I moved over and was in another bone-crushing hug from Sam. "Thank you," I murmured into his neck. He responded by squeezing me tighter.

"You know we love you, right Lexi?" I jolted when the words left Dean's mouth, and I looked up at him wide eyed. That was the first time I'd heard those words from anyone but mom and dad. My mouth gaped open like a fish, and new tears began to sting my eyes.

"I love you guys, too," I squeaked out.

"Well, that's enough chick-flick moments for now," Dean said, breaking the tense moment. I chuckled and climbed off of Sam.

I noticed I was still wearing the dirty clothes and Sam's sweater from the kidnapping. "I'm going to go shower," I said, moving to grab my bag.

"Hang on," Sam said. He grabbed my injured hand gently, and unwound the bandage. I winced when the pressure was released, and looked down at my black and purple knuckles.

"Thanks," I murmured, moving into the bathroom. I shed my dirt clothes, and climbed into the shower. Turning on the hot water, I felt all the tension leave my body. It was difficult to scrub the blood from the small bump on the back of my head with a sprained hand, but I managed to get myself and my hair clean.

Once I dried off, I caught my reflection in the mirror. My cheek, from where the guy had struck me, was a deep purple spreading from the corners of my lips up to the bottom of my eye. My eyes were sunken, and I had deep bags underlining my lower eyelids. I looked a lot older than a nine-year-old, while at the same time, I looked young and extremely fragile. There had been so much stress over the last week and it had taken its toll on my body.

Sighing, I brushed my teeth and got dressed in some sweat pants and a baggy hoodie. My wet hair I left hanging loose over my shoulders to air-dry, as I walked back out into the hotel room. It was still mid-morning, and Sam was sitting at the table on the laptop, while Dean was cleaning a gun on the bed. I smiled softly when I realized it was my gun.

"You didn't have to do that," I said, walking over to stand next to him, watching as he cleaned the interior of my handgun.

He smirked up at me. "Gives me something to do," he shrugged.

Sam appeared beside me with a new tensor bandage. I sat down next to Dean and offered him my injured hand as he reapplied the support wrap. I winced at the pressure. "Sorry," he murmured, catching my wince. "It's gonna be sore for at least a few weeks."

"What's our next case?" I asked as Sam finished my wrap.

"We're going to check out an animal-like attack in Chicago," he replied, moving to start packing his bag. "We should head out now if we want to make good time. Do you feel up to travelling?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I'm good," I replied, moving to throw my things together. Dean had finished my gun and passed it to me with a smile. "Thanks."

"No worries, sweetheart," he smirked, ruffling my hair before he moved to grab his bags.

Within twenty minutes, we hit the road, listening to Dean belting out AC/DC songs.

xxx

We pulled up out front of an apartment building couple days later. We parked across the street and climbed out. Dean and Sam were dressed as employees of an alarm system company. I asked if I needed to stay behind, but the assured me that they had a good reason for why they'd have a kid with them. Dean grabbed a toolbox from the trunk of the car, and we moved towards the apartment.

"All right, this is the place," Sam said.

"You know, I've gotta say Dad and me did just fine without these stupid costumes," Dean replied, looking down at his outfit is disgust. "I feel like a high school drama dork. What was that play you did? What was it - Our Town. Yeah, you good, it was cute."

"Look, you wanna pull this off or not?" Sam snapped back impatiently.

"I'm just sayin', these outfits cost hard-earned money, okay?"

"Whose?"

"Ours. You think credit card fraud is easy?" I chuckled at Dean's reply.

We went into the apartment and spoke with the landlady. Dean informed her that I was his daughter, and it was "bring-your-kid-to-work" day. I had applied a generous amount of make-up to my face to cover the bruise.

"Thanks for letting us look around," Sam said to her.

"Well, the police said they were done with the place, so..." she trailed off and looked at me. "Are you sure she's ok to see what's in there?"

Dean nodded. "She's a tough kid, she plans on being a cop one day, so here's some exposure."

We moved into the apartment room, and Dean shut the apartment door behind us. In the living room, spots of blood covered the carpet. "You guys said you were with the alarm company?" she asked my brothers.

"That's right," Dean replied, lying easily.

"Well, no offense, but your alarm's about as useful as boobs on a man." I snorted at that, earning a look from my brothers.

"Well, that's why we're here. To see what went wrong and stop it from happening again."

"Now, ma'am, you found the body?" Sam inquired. I stayed on the sidelines, looking around the room.

"Yeah," the landlady responded. Her eyes taking on a far-off look.

"Right after it happened?"

"No. Few days later. Meredith's work called - she hadn't shown up. I knocked on the door. That's when I noticed the smell." I wrinkled my nose at that.

"Any windows open? Any sign of a break-in?" Dean asked.

"No, windows were locked, front door was bolted. Chain was on the door, we had to cut it just to get in."

"And the alarm was still on?"

"Like I said, bang-up job your company's doin'."

"Mmhmm. You see any overturned furniture, broken glass, signs of struggle?"

The landlady shook her head. "Everything was in perfect condition - except Meredith."

"And what condition was Meredith in?" Sam asked.

"Meredith was all over. In pieces. The guy who killed her must have been some kind of a whackjob. But I tell you, if I didn't know any better, I'd have said a wild animal did it." I noticed my brothers sharing a look.

"Ma'am, do you mind if we take some time? Give this place a once-over?"

"Oh, well, go right ahead. Knock yourself out."

Once she had left, Dean opened his toolbox and removed the EMF meter. "So, a killer walks in and out of the apartment - no weapons, no prints, nothin'."

"I'm telling you, the minute I found that article, I knew this was our kind of gig," Sam said. The EMF meter began to beep frantically, and I jumped a little as I turned to Dean.

"I think I agree with you," Dean replied.

"So, you talked to the cops?" Sam asked, indicating to when Dean had stopped off at the police station earlier that day.

"Uh, yeah," Dean smirked. I lifted a brow at his funny expression. "I spoke to Amy, a, uh... charming, perky officer of the law."

"Yeah? What'd you find out?" Sam asked.

Dean got a dreamy look in his eyes. "Well, she's a Sagittarius. She loves tequila, I mean - wow. Oh, and she's got this little tattoo-"

"Dean!" Sam snapped and I burst out laughing, earning a look from Dean.

"What? Yeah. Uh, nothin' we don't already know. Except for one thing they're keeping out of the papers."

"Hm?"

"Meredith's heart was missing."

"Her heart?" I squeaked.

"Yeah," Dean answered.

"What would do that?" I asked, looking up at them with wide eyes.

"Well, the landlady said it looked like an animal attack. Maybe it was - werewolf?" Dean mused.

"No, no werewolf, the lunar cycle's not right," Sam replied. "Plus, if it was a creature, it would've left some kind of trace. It's probably a spirit."

Dean looked at the blood on the carpet with an interesting look. He reached into the toolbox and pulled out some masking tape. Sam and I watched in confusion as he began connecting each pool of blood, until it had formed an unusual symbol.

"Ever see that symbol before?" Sam asked.

"Never," Dean replied, and I shook my head.

"Me neither." We all exchanged a look.

xxx

We walked into a bar late that night, only to be stopped by a young blonde woman. "Excuse me, we don't allow kids in here," she said, pointing at me.

"Hey sweetheart," Dean winked at her, taking a step towards the busty woman. "We're taking our sister on a road trip, and we really wanted to hit up at least one bar. We'll keep a close eye on her."

"Well..." the woman raked her eyes up and down Dean's form. "As long as one of you keeps an eye on her." Dean took the hint and winked at us, before using a hand to guide her to the bar counter.

Sam rolled his eyes, and put his hand on my back as we went to one of the corner tables. Sam began to sift through Dad's journal while I looked around.

Loud music was blaring through the speakers, and there were a few sleazy looking guys by the counter doing shots. Some half naked girl was grinding on a pole on a small stage, and she was wearing the most ridiculously high heels I'd ever seen. "How does she not break an ankle?" I asked out loud.

Sam moved his gaze to what I was looking at, and he instantly reached out and turned my cheek so that I was looking at him. "You don't need to see that," he said, not answering my question. I shrugged and looked down at the journal he was sifting through.

Dean came back after a few minutes. "I talked to the bartender," he said, taking a seat next to us.

"Did you get anything? Besides her number?" Sam smirked.

"Dude, I'm a professional. I'm offended that you would think that," Dean responded, feigning offence. I scoffed while Sam just gave him a look. "All right, yeah." He waved a napkin with the bartender's phone number on it.

"You mind doin' a little bit of thinking with your upstairs brain, Dean?"

"What's that mean?" I asked, looking between them both. Dean burst out laughing, while Sam blushed a deep read.

"You said it, dude," Dean barked a laugh.

"Never mind," Sam said to me, and I rolled my eyes.

"Look, there's nothing to find out. I mean, Meredith worked here, she waited tables, everyone here was her friend. Everybody said she was normal. She didn't do or say anything weird before she died, so - what about that symbol, you find anything?"

"Nope, nothing," Sam responded. "I just have to dig a little deeper, I guess."

"Well, there was a first victim, right? Before Meredith?"

"Right, yeah," Sam said, pulling out the newspaper clipping regarding the first death. "His name was, uh- his name was Ben Swardstrom. Last month he was found mutilated in his town house. Sam deal - the door was locked, the alarm was on."

"Is there a connection between both of them?" I asked.

"Not that I can tell - I mean, not yet, at least," Sam replied, brows furrowed together. "They never met, never knew anyone in common - they were practically from different worlds."

"So, to recap, the only successful intel we've scored so far is the bartender's phone number," Dean smirked. Sam noticed something on the other side of the room. "Sam?" Sam stood up and walked away to another table, where a short blonde-haired woman was seated with her back to them. I jolted when I realized I recognized that woman.

"Meg," Sam said.

"Sam! Is that you? Oh, my God!" she exclaimed. She stood up and they hugged, Sam looking puzzled. "What are you doing here?"

I couldn't hear their conversation, but I was lost in thought anyways. Meg knew Sam. Was it a coincidence then that she'd also given me a ride to Hibbing? Something wasn't right about her, and I was going to find out what. Dean went to walk over to her, but I stopped him. "I have to go to the bathroom," I lied, not wanting Meg to see me.

"Go ahead, Sweetheart," he said, pointing to the bathroom on the other side of the room. Smiling at him, I turned and darted into the bathroom.

I locked the stall door and leaned against it. Meg was here, where we were looking for a new case. She knew Sam, and had given me a drive not long ago. That was way too big of a coincidence. What was I going to do? Do I tell my brothers, or wait a little and see if it maybe is just a massive coincidence?

After a few minutes, Dean's voice came through the bathroom. "Lexi? Everything alright, sweetheart?"

"Yup, coming!" I said, darting out of the bathroom. We walked back towards the car in silence, before Dean stopped Sam.

"Who the hell was she?" Dean asked.

"I don't really know. I only met her once. Meeting up with her again? I don't know, man, it's weird," Sam replied.

"And what was she saying? I treat you like luggage? What, were you bitchin' about me to some chick?" Dean exclaimed, sounding angry.

"Look, I'm sorry, Dean. It was when we had that huge fight when I was in that bus stop in Indiana. But that's not important, just listen -"

"Well, is there any truth to what she's saying? I mean, am I keeping you against your will, Sam?" I bit my lip as they argued.

"No, of course not. Now, would you listen?"

"What?"

"I think there's something strange going on here, Dean."

"Yeah, tell me about it. She wasn't even that into me."

"No, man, I mean like our kind of strange. Like, maybe even a lead," Sam replied, looking concerned.

"Why do you say that?"

"I met Meg weeks ago, literally on the side of the road. And now, I run into her in some random Chicago bar? I mean, the same bar where a waitress was slaughtered by something supernatural? You don't think that's a little weird?" I continued gnawing on my lip, wondering if I should speak up.

"I don't know, random coincidence. It happens."

"Guys," I murmured quietly. They both turned to look at me instantly, and they frowned when they saw the look on my face.

"Is everything ok, honey?" Sam asked, looking down at me worriedly.

"When I ran away, I hitchhiked to get away..." I replied, then looked at them with wide blue eyes. "Meg was the one who drove me to Hibbing."

Dean looked shell-shocked, as he rocked back on his heels. Sam stiffened, and his brows furrowed. "You got a car with a stranger?" Dean asked after a minute. Really?! That's what he was worried about! "Lexi, do you understand how dangerous that is?"

Even Sam looked surprised by Dean's poorly-timed mother-hen mode. "Dean, now is not the time. We need to figure out who, or what she is, and what she wants," Sam said. "Do me a favor. Check and see if there's really a Meg Masters from Andover, Massachusetts, and see if you can't dig up anything on that symbol on Meredith's floor."

"What are you gonna do?" Dean asked.

"I'm gonna watch Meg."

"Yeah, you are," Dean laughed. I rolled my eyes.

"I just want to see what's what. Better safe than sorry," he replied. "She had our little sis in close quarters. I want to make sure she's not dangerous."

Dean and I parted from Sam, and made our way back to the motel room. Once there, I flopped down on the bed while Dean pulled up the laptop and began researching Meg and the symbol. I was just starting to doze off, when Dean spoke. "Let me guess. You're lurking outside that poor girl's apartment, aren't you?" Dean said. I looked up and saw that he was on the phone. Sitting up, I pushed the hair back from my face.

"You've got a funny way of showin' your affection," Dean chuckled. He was silent for a moment as Sam spoke. "Sorry, man, she checks out. There is a Meg Masters in the Andover phonebook. I even pulled up her high school photo. Now, look, why don't you go knock on her door and, uh, invite her to a poetry reading, or whatever it is you do, huh?"

So, Meg checked out. Maybe it all was just some massively huge coincidence then.

"Yeah, that I did have some luck with. It's, uh - turns out it's Zoroastrian. Very, very old school, like two thousand years before Christ. It's a sigil for a Daeva." I tilted my head a little at that. I'd never heard of a Daeva before. "It translates to 'demon of darkness'. Zoroastrian demons, and they're savage, animalistic, you know, nasty attitudes - kind of like, uh, demonic pit bulls."

Sam said something into the phone, before Dean spoke again. "Give me some credit, man. You don't have a corner on paper chasin' around here. No, I called Dad's friend, Caleb. He told me, alright?"

I realized I must have actually fallen asleep at some point, because I couldn't remember Dean speaking to Caleb. I was more tired than I thought. "Anyway, here's the thing - these Daevas, they have to be summoned, conjured... Yeah, that's what I'm saying. And, from what I gather, it's pretty risky business, too. These suckers tend to bite the hand that feeds them. And, uh, the arms, and torsos."

After a moment, Dean spoke again. "Well, nobody knows, but nobody's seen 'em for a couple millennia. I mean, summoning a demon that ancient? Someone really knows their stuff. I think we've got a major player in town. Now, why don't you go give that girl a private strip-o-gram? No, bite her. Don't leave teeth marks though- Sam? Are you-? Bastard hung up on me."

I chuckled, and Dean turned to give me a look, but I caught the smirk on his face.

Sam came bursting into the apartment over an hour later. "Dude, I gotta talk to you," Sam said, rushing forward to speak with Dean. I tilted my head and walked closer, interested in what he had found out.

xxx

"So, hot little Meg is summoning the Daeva?" Dean smirked after Sam finished explaining what he had seen.

"Looks like she was using that black altar to control the thing," Sam explained.

"So, Sammy's got a thing for the bad girl," Dean chuckled. Sam and I both rolled our eyes. "And what's the deal with that bowl again?"

"She was talking into it. The way witches used to scry into crystal balls or animal entrails. She was communicating with someone."

"With the Daeva?" I asked.

"No, those things are savages. No, this was someone different. Someone who's giving her orders. Someone who's comin' to that warehouse."

Dean looked pensive for a moment, before he looked at the files on the table. Moving over to it, he quickly sifted through them. "Holy crap," he murmured.

"What?" Sam and I said at the same time.

"What I was gonna tell you earlier - I pulled a favor with my... friend, Amy, over at the police department. The complete records of the two victims - we missed something the first time." We moved closer to look at the files. "The first victim, the old man - he spent his whole life in Chicago, but he wasn't born here. Look where he was born."

"Lawrence, Kansas," Sam read quietly.

"Mmhmm," Dean agreed, picking up the second file. "Meredith, second victim - turns out she was adopted. And guess where she's from." The paper clearly read 'Lawrence, Kansas.' Sam and I sat down across from Dean, shell shocked at the news.

"Holy crap," Sam said after a long moment. "I mean, it is where the demon killed Mom. That's where everything started. So, you think Meg's tied up with the demon?"

"I think it's a definite possibility," Dean replied.

"But what's the significance?" I asked. "Where does the Daeva fit into this?"

"Beats me. But I say we trash that black altar, grab Meg, and have ourselves a friendly little interrogation."

"No, we can't," Sam interjected. "We shouldn't tip her off. We've gotta stake out that warehouse. We've gotta see who, or what, is showin' up to meet her."

"I'll tell you one thing. I don't think we should do this alone," Dean added. Sam and I agreed, so Dean picked up the phone and dialed Dad's cell. Sam went out to the Impala to sort through their weapons.

After a few moments, Dean spoke up. "We think we've got a serious lead on the thing that killed Mom. So, uh, this warehouse - it's 1435 West Erie. Dad, if you get this, get to Chicago as soon as you can."

"Voicemail?" Sam asked as he walked in carrying bags of weapons. My eyes widened at the vast amount of weapons he was surely carrying.

"Yeah," Dean replied, before gesturing to the bags. "Jesus, what'd you get?"

"I ransacked the trunk. Holy water, every weapon that I could think of, exorcism rituals from about half-a-dozen religions. I'm not sure what to expect, so I guess we should just expect everything."

I moved over to the bed and helped them sort through and load up all the weapons. There were all sorts of knives, different varieties of bullets, long swords, pistols, sawed-off shot guns, canisters of holy water... everything that hunters should have and more was here.

"Big night," Dean murmured, looking down at me. "Would you stay behind if I asked you too?"

"Depends on why you want me to stay behind," I replied honestly, loading up another weapon with pure silver bullets. I looked up at Dean, biting my lip self-consciously. Did they not want me around because it was their mom and not mine?

"It's going to be dangerous," Dean sighed, running a hand over his face. "I don't want to see you in such a risky situation. We have no idea what's gonna be in there. It feels wrong to bring my baby-sis in there with us." Sam nodded in agreement, but said nothing.

"If that's why, then I'm definitely coming. You're going to need all the help you can get, and I promise I won't get in the way. I might even be of use!" I put on the puppy dog eyes, making them big and round.

"Those eyes aren't fair," Dean exclaimed. "Sammy did you teach her how to do that?"

Sam looked down at me and laughed, and I couldn't help but crack a smile. "Nope," he replied.

"I learned all on my own," I grinned. "Does this mean I can come?"

A loud and long sigh came from Dean. "Fine, but you stick with me or Sam like glue, alright?"

I moved close to Sam and leaned against his leg and hip. "Like glue," I replied, and we all chuckled.

xxx

In the warehouse, we came to an elevator gate that we were going to have to climb up. Before I could even object, Dean scooped me up and tucked me against his chest. "Keep your legs and arms tight, do not let go," he said, as he started to climb. I clung to him like a spider monkey, closing my eyes as he slowly climbed up. I could hear his heart pounding from the exertion, and I felt bad that he had to lug me up here.

When we reached the top, we could see Meg standing at the altar, speaking in an ancient language. We all drew our guns, and quietly moved to the other side of the room to hide behind some crates.

"Guys," Meg said. We all looked at each other stunned. "Hiding's a little bit childish, don't you think?"

"Well, that didn't work out like I planned," Dean said as Meg turned around to face us. Dean reached down and pulled me into his side and slightly behind him. I rolled my eyes, but accepted it.

"Why don't you come out?" she said. We moved away from the crates. "Sam, I have to say, this puts a real crimp in our relationship."

"Yeah, tell me about it," Sam scoffed, keeping his shotgun pointed at her.

"So, where's your little Daeva friend?" Dean asked, his gun raised to Meg's face.

"Around," she smirked. "You know, that shotgun's not gonna do much good."

"Oh, don't worry, sweetheart. The shotgun's not for the demon."

"So, who is it, Meg? Who's coming? Who are you waiting for?"

"You," Meg answered. I stiffened as a shadow began to form on the wall. Sam suddenly groaned in pain as he flew back into the wall, a large scratch marring up his face. Before I could move to help him, I was ripped away from Dean and I let out a scream as I was thrown into the opposite wall of Sam.

"Lexi!" Dean shouted, before he too was tossed into the stack of crates. Then everything went black.

xxx

I groaned as I came too. Blood was dripping down my face in thin rivets, from a large scratch along my temple. The russet smell made me a little nauseous and the room was spinning from where I'd hit my head on the wall. I went to move my hands, only to find that they were bound tightly around a post behind my back. Panicking, I struggled on them, looking around wildly.

"Lexi, try to relax sweetheart," Dean's soothing voice said, and I looked over to see him and Sam also tied to posts, and Meg staring at us with a grin. "Hey, Sam. Don't take this the wrong way, but your girlfriend... is a bitch."

"This, the whole thing, was a trap," Sam realized out loud. "Running into you at the bar, following you here, hearing what you had to say, it was all a set-up, wasn't it? And that the victims were from Lawrence?"

"It doesn't mean anything," Meg laughed. "It was just to draw you in, that's all."

"You killed those two people for nothing," Sam accused, looking angry.

"Baby, I've killed a lot more for a lot less," she smirked. I shivered at the cold look in her eyes. This girl was dangerous, and it eluded me how I was so comfortable in a car with her for so long.

"You trapped us," Dean said. "Good for you. It's Miller time. But why don't you kill us already?"

"Not very quick on the uptake, are we?" she leaned closer to Dean. "This isn't a trap for you."

I jolted when I realized what she meant, and Sam immediately spoke up. "Dad. It's a trap for Dad."

"Oh, sweetheart - you're dumber than you look. 'Cause even if Dad was in town, which he is not, he wouldn't walk into something like this. He's too good."

"He is pretty good, I'll give you that," she said, stalking closer to Dean. She sat down, straddling his legs. "But you see, he has one weakness."

"What's that?"

"You. He lets his guard down around his boys and baby girl; lets his emotions cloud his judgment. I happen to know he is in town. And he'll come and try to save you. And then the Daevas will kill everybody - nice and slow and messy."

"Well, I've got news for ya. It's gonna take a lot more than some... shadow to kill him." I was surprised at Dean's faith in Dad. I, for one, was terrified of the Daeva. How did one fight a shadow?

"Oh, the Daevas are in the room here - they're invisible Their shadows are just the only part you can see." I shivered at that, knowing we were surrounded by invisible, dangerous monsters.

"Why are you doing this, Meg? What kind of deal you got worked out here, huh? And with who?" Sam asked. I could tell he was getting angry.

"I'm doing this for the same reasons you do what you do - loyalty. Love. Like the love you had for Mommy - and Jess."

"Go to hell," Sam growled.

"Baby, I'm already there," she slid over onto Sam. "Come on, Sam. There's no need to be nasty." She whispered something into his ear, but I couldn't make out what she had said.

"Get a room, you two," Dean snapped.

"I didn't mind. I liked that you were watching me. Come on, Sammy. You and I can still have a little dirty fun." She leaned forward and began to kiss his neck. I kept my eyes on Sam worriedly.

"You wanna have fun? Go ahead then. I'm a little tied up right now," Sam said, while Meg smiled and kept kissing him. A noise sounded from Dean's side of the room, and she froze, walking up behind Dean's post. She takes the knife away from his hands and chucks it into a corner. She smiled at Dean, who chuckled guiltily.

As she moved back over to Sam, she shook her head at him. "Now, were you just trying to distract me while your brother cuts free?"

"No. No. That's because I have a knife of my own." Meg looked confused. In a flash, Sam burst free and grabbed Meg's shoulders as leverage to bash his head against hers. She fell to the floor, while he groaned in pain.

"Sam! Get the altar," Dean shouted. Sam moved over to the altar and overturned it. A shadow demon appeared, and grabbed Meg, dragging her across the floor and crashing her through the window and to the street below.

Sam darted over to Dean and quickly cut him free, before freeing me from the post. Helping me to my feet, Sam held my hand and we went to the window, where Meg was sprawled out on the sidewalk, dead.

"So, I guess the Daevas didn't like being bossed around," Sam said.

"Yeah, I guess not. Hey, Sam?" Dean asked.

"Hm?"

"Next time you wanna get laid, find a girl that's not so buckets-o'-crazy, huh?" He smiled and I let out a few giggles.

xxx

As we walked back through the halls of the motel to get to the room, Dean spoke up. "Why didn't you just leave that stuff in the car?" He was indicating to the bags Sam carried full of weapons.

"I said it before, and I'll say it again - better safe than sorry." Dean shrugged and moved to unlock the room door. We walked in, and froze when we saw the outline of a man by the window. Instantly Dean grabbed me and shoved me between him and Sam.

"Hey!" Dean hollered, as Sam turned on the light. The man turned around, and our jaws dropped. "Dad?"

"Hey, boys," he greeted. Dean walked forward and the two shared a long hug, Sam watching sadly. "Hi babygirl."

I unfroze at those words and launched myself into his arms, tears escaping my eyes as he pulled me into his safe, warm embrace. "Daddy," I sobbed out.

"It's ok, baby. I'm here," he soothed, running his hand up and down my back.

"Dad, it was a trap. I didn't know, I'm sorry," Dean rushed to apologize.

"It's all right. I thought it might've been," Dad answered, still holding onto me as I clung to him. I didn't plan on letting go anytime soon. It had been so long since I had last seen him.

"Were you there?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, I got there just in time to see the girl take the swan dive. She was the bad guy, right?"

"Yes, sir," both of my brothers answered at the same time.

"Good. Well, it doesn't surprise me. It's tried to stop me before," John sat down, moving me so I was cradled against his chest. In other circumstances, I would've hated being treated as if I was still a baby. But right now, I was too happy to have him here.

"The demon has?" Sam sounded surprised.

"It knows I'm close. It knows I'm gonna kill it. Not just exorcise it or send it back to hell - actually kill it." I shuddered inwardly at the murderous tone in his voice. It wasn't one I was used to hearing from him.

"How?" Dean inquired.

"I'm workin' on that," Dad answered, but I could hear the smile in his voice. He had a plan.

"Let us come with you, we'll help," Sam exclaimed.

"No, Sam. Not yet. Just try to understand. This demon is a scary son of a bitch. I don't want you caught in a crossfire. I don't want you hurt."

"Dad, you don't have to worry about us," Sam retorted. Dad sighed, and put me down on the bed. I whimpered at the loss, but suddenly Dean was in front of me, with a damp cloth as he wiped the blood off of my forehead from where I'd been thrown into the wall.

"Of course I do, I'm your father," Dad said. He paused for a moment. "Listen, Sammy, last time we were together, we had one hell of a fight."

"Yes, sir," Sam agreed, eyes looking suspiciously damp.

"It's good to see you again. It's been a long time."

"Too long." They each moved forward, and hugged one another. I noticed tears in both their eyes, and smiled softly.

As they separated, a large shadow appeared, and everything began to move fast. I watched in horror as Dad was thrown into a set of cabinets by the demon, and he fell to the ground. Sam fell next, tossed aside onto the ground.

A loud scream escaped me as I suddenly found myself airborne, before I slammed into the ground hard. The wind was knocked out of me, and I lay gasping for breath. "NO!" I heard Dean yell, before the sound of him hitting the ground met my ears.

I screamed as claws raked across my chest and along the side of my face. It felt like sharp fire, burning from the top to the bottom of the scratches. I could hear my family yelling and groaning in pain as they were also being torn into.

"Shut your eyes!" Sam yelled. "These things are shadow demons, so let's light them up!" I squinted my eyes shut, but still saw the bright white light that lit up the whole room. The pressure on me vanished, and I could hear the others spluttering and coughing. The demons were gone.

"Lexi! Dad!" Dean yelled from somewhere not too far away.

"Over here!" John replied. "Lexi?!"

All that came out was a groan as I closed up on myself, trying to find a way to stop the pain. The one on my face was tolerable, but my chest was aching, and I felt the blood pooling around. I heard three voices shout my name. "Dad, she's losing too much blood," Dean shouted, and I felt his hands pushing something soft onto the cuts. I yelped in pain at the pressure, trying to shift away from it. "Easy, sweetheart. We've got to stop the bleeding. You're going to be ok. You'll be ok."

"We don't have much time," Sam said, moving up to my side with Dad. "As soon as the flare's out, they'll be back."

"Wait, wait, wait! Sam, wait. Dad, you can't come with us," Dean said, pushing down on my chest hard. I felt lightheaded, and I wished they would stop shouting, but I couldn't seem to form words. My breathing felt ragged, and my limbs began to feel cold. A part of me hoped I wasn't dying, while another part just wanted the pain to end.

"What? What are you..." Sam's voice trailed off, as I slipped into a blissful, pain free abyss.