The orange flames lit up the twilight and Dean knew it was only a matter of time before the fire department was called. With a pop and a groan, the trunk flipped open and Dean reached underneath the carpet where his fingers felt a latch. He pushed a button and it sprang open and Chuck Masters saw countless knives, guns, wooden stakes and flasks.

"I have to say," Chuck smiled at Dean who was covered in head to toe with dirt and soot, "This is a gorgeous car."

Dean hoisted the shovel from his shoulder and beamed with pride at the fellow hunter. "Thanks man," Dean bent down and placed the shovel on top of several shot guns and shut the lid and patted the metal. He then extended his hand and placed it between him and Chuck. "Thanks again Chuck."

Chuck Masters was a pro at what he did, turning Supernatural crime scenes into an ordinary occurrence. He was in high demand for his skills and when a Winchester called you, you jumped at the chance. The older Winchester and his father were sloppy when they came to their kills, Chuck always having to clean up after them.

"Always a pleasure." He glanced into the backseat and noticed the dark haired girl asleep in the passenger seat. "She gonna be OK?"

Dean glanced into the rear glass to see Skylar asleep, her body angled towards the windshield, her head placed on the seat and her hands cupping her face. "Yeah.." He patted Chuck on the shoulder and walked to the driver's side door. He slowly opened the door and grimaced when it groaned against the rusty hinges.

Skylar stirred and opened her eyes to see Dean slid into the driver's seat. "Hey.."

"Let's hit the road. Go as far as we can before we can stop for the night."

Chuck watched as the tail lights disappeared around the corner and took out his cell phone that was inside the pocket of his faded jeans jacket. He placed the phone to his ear as a grin covered his weathered face. "Troy..hey..Dean Winchester has the bitch. Going North on 70."

Haley watched as Sam Winchester paced back and forth on the creaky wood floors, nervously biting the tip of her nail. She had been sitting here for the past hour watching the younger Winchester and the older hunter hash out over what they were dealing with when it came to Skylar.

"There is something you should know." Haley finally broke the tension. She looked up from the floor to see that Sam had stopped pacing and was now looking at her, confusion etched on his handsome face. His brows knitted together as he turned his head to look at Bobby, who was not looking at either of them.

"Bobby?"

Bobby sighed and moved off the desk and gripped a bottle of scotch in his hands and lowered his truckers cap low over his eyes. "This is on you, Haley..if you want to tell him, than it's your funeral."

Haley let out a sigh and pointed to the couch. 'Sit down Sam...I think it's time I fill you in about Skylar."

The rumble of the engine and the soft guitar riffs coming from the radio was the only way Dean knew how to relax. He turned his head from the inky black road to see Skylar still asleep. At some point a few hours ago, her head had fallen on Dean's shoulder and he wasn't in a rush to move it anytime soon.

He had good intentions to go back to Bobby's, but he didn't want Skylar walking into the lion's den. Something inside of Dean told him that they were all wrong about her. There was no way she could have killed those people, that wasn't the Skylar he fell in love with.

Skylar felt the car slow down and was jolted awake as the tires hit some gravel. She sat up and winced at the crick in her neck as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

"A..are we there yet?" She was looking forward to a nice soft bed underneath her body, a nice hot shower and a good meal. Her stomach rumbled at the thought of having some food. It reminded her how long it had been since she had her last meal. Then the thought of that man torn to shreds in her room, turned her stomach.

Dean slammed the car into park and opened the driver's door. "Get out of the car."

Skylar felt the icy gripes of fear take hold of her stomach as she looked out the window to see that they were in the middle of nowhere. "Dean?"

"Get out of the car!" Dean barked as he slammed the door shut and walked to the trunk of the Impala.

She fumbled for the handle as her hands began to shake and she slowly walked behind the trunk to see it was now open. Dean lifted up from the trunk and she took several steps back as she noticed he was holding a colt in his hand. He looked at her as he cocked it back and pointed it at her.

Skylar closed her eyes wondering if she would feel the kill shot, knowing how good an aim was, she knew she couldn't take off running. She knew it would come down to this, Dean was a hunter after all and she was an animal that needed to be put down. When the shot never came, she opened her eyes to see that Dean had the gun pointed to the ground. He placed the butt of the gun into her shaking hands.

"Show me what I taught you."

Skylar looked down at the gun to see the ivory handle covered in silver etching. "Dean..."

"Load the gun!" Dean barked. "What ever is out there is coming for you Skylar. You need to show me you can shoot a gun."

She felt hot tears prick her eyes and then she got angry at Dean for being so short with her. "You don't need to be an ass."

"Listen Sweetheart," Dean growled, "This is serious business, OK? They will not sit around and wait to be shot at. You have to let go of everything," He took his hand and gently turned her away from him, leaned down into her, his mouth against her ear. "And I mean everything."

It was just a medium sized book that had seen better days. The cover had once been leather, but it was now cracked in places with the worst being along the spine. From the cracked spine and the dark drops of blood along the top, it was a book that had been used often.

A page was flipped open towards the end and one word stood out from the tattered pages. Witches. Sam let out a huff and pushed away from the table trying to get as far away from the book as possible. There was no way in hell this is what they were dealing with. Hell, Sam was hoping and wishing that it was a hell hound, but none of the slain men had made any deals.

A creak in the floorboards made Sam turn his head and watched as Bobby walked to the desk, grab a silver flask, twist off the cap and take a healthy sip. He wiped his lips and replaced the cap, then motioned it towards Sam.

Sam looked down at the floor, disbelief etched on his face as he took the flask into his hands. Drinking was more of Dean's thing, Sam only having a few beers. But the deeper he read into his father's journal, the more he needed the liquid courage to soldier on and face this thing.

"It's all true?" Sam moved his eyes up from the floor and locked eyes with the seasoned hunter. "Skylar..killed those men? She...she's a witch?"

"I wish it where that simple. Your daddy stumbled onto Jack Banks a few years before Skylar was born. John was searching for Jack to kill him."

Sam walked to the journal and picked it up with his large hands as he traced the fine penmanship of his father, to see the paragraph were Skylar is mentioned. "I was under the impression that all witches got their powers from making deals."

"That's why your daddy was hunting Jack. The Banks family originated in Salem Massachusetts. Back then, witches got their powers naturally. Each generation a baby girl is chosen for the powers."

"And let me guess," Sam leaned up against the desk and crossed his ankles. "Skylar was that girl."

"How your daddy knew, he won't say. It's been a secret for some time, but he was so convincing. So, I helped him. It took us 10 years to find him. We finally tracked him and his family to Greely."

"What happened that night Bobby?" Sam turned his head to look through the screen door where he saw Haley pacing back and forth in the yard. The setting sun was against her back so all Sam could make out was her silhouette. She was calling every hunter in Bobby's phone to see if they knew anything about Skylar.

"We ran into a problem." Bobby huffed. He took off his battered truckers cap, scratched the top of his head and placed the cap back on the thinning brown hair. "John failed to do any kind of research. He wasn't prepared for what happened. As we were confronting Jack, we heard this scream coming from upstairs." Bobby paused as he yanked the flask from Sam's hands and took a long pull from the flask. "We never intended Katherine..." Bobby stopped for just a second as he glanced over to a picture that was on the fireplace. "There was nothing we could do for her. She had died trying to protect her daughter."

"From what?"

"Skylar is a natural witch. They are very rare and are threatened to extinction for their powers. The family was nearly wiped out in the witch trials except for one. She was pregnant with Skylar's great, great grandfather and through that lineage, the family grew. When their numbers grew, so did a band of hunters. They formed a group of self-proclaimed witch hunters. Those men that Skylar is accused of killing? They were witch hunters."

"So that's good right?"

The front door banged open, along with a shout from Haley. When she came into the living room, her face was paled as she gripped the phone tight in her hands. "We need to get a hold of Dean. Skylar is in trouble."

"Haley," Bobby grabbed her by the shoulders and lightly shook her, trying to get her to focus. "What's wrong?"

"They are being hunted..at this moment. Hunters...found her.." Haley began to sob as she buried her face into Bobby's chest. "They are going to kill the wrong person!"

"What makes you say that Haley?" Sam looked at her as his forehead creased into a confused look. "What haven't you told me?"

Haley let out a sob as she raised her head and looked at Sam, seeing the anger on his face. "She's not the wolf Sam...I...I am..."

Sam looked at Bobby in the hopes that he would answer, but instead, the old hunter shamefully took his eyes off the younger Winchester. "Bobby..what..what is she talking about?"

Haley placed her hand on her uncle's chest, met his eyes and gave him a slight nod. "I am what they call a familiar. We are sent to protect the natural witch. Like Skylar, I am the last of my kind." She noticed Sam's face fall as he struggled to comprehended what was even being told. She watched his features screw up in such anguish, it tore at her heart. "Sam..I couldn't say anything..."

"Like hell you couldn't!" Sam finally let out his frustration of the whole situation. "You put my brother in danger...you put Skylar in danger..this whole thing has been pinned on her! Don't you think you could have said something?"

"Now don't be yelling at her son!" Bobby finally broke the tension as both Haley and Sam turned to look at him. "I was the one who told her not to say anything. "

"Sam," Haley reached out and touched her arm, but let out a startled gasp as he violently yanked his arm away from her touch. "Sam!" Her body began to shake as the room began to pitch and swim. She let out a scream as she felt her body snapping and twisting, her feet and hands morphing into a pair of huge, black paws.

"IT's too late!" Haley screamed, "They have her!"

Sam quickly took several steps backwards as he watched Haley morph into the huge black wolf. Her lips curled up into a snarl and the hair on the back was standing on end as a growl came from within her throat. Amber eyes stared him down and Sam slid his hand into the inner pocket of his jacket and felt the handle of the gun. Before he could brandish the weapon, the huge wolf bounded past him and int a giant leap, smashed through the pane glass window and disappeared into the inky blackness.

She was sitting up in the bed, her arms wrapped around her chest, tucked underneath her arm pits. Her hair was drying from the shower she had just taken and she was deep in thought, her mouth twisted into a frown. After a very tension filled shooting session that left them both feeling very awkward, they had drove for as long as they could and Dean finally opted for a motel room that was tucked off the beaten path.

As she dried her hair with the towel she could hear the rumble of the trucks on the near by freeway. Dean had paid for two rooms, giving her own room, but she was wishing he was in here with her. She was still amped up from the past four days and she was afraid she wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight. Part of it was from the situation at the bar and motel. The second thing distracting her from the land of nod, is the way Dean felt as he stood behind her, holding one hand with his and the other hand on her hip. Gun oil, leather and musk washed over her as he slowly whispered instructions to her. She knew the basics, but she couldn't say no.

She was brushing out her hair, her eyes glued to the TV, when she heard a light knock on the door. She placed the brush on the bed and lightly strode to the window. She pulled back the curtain just an inch, allowing her to see who was at the door. Dean was holding a sack in his hand and a six pack in the other.

She smoothed down her hair, took a breath and slid back the chain, opening it up just a crack. "Hi."

Dean held up the sack that was in his right hand. "Got some food.' He held up the six pack. "And some beer. Want some company?"

"I would love some." She shut the door and slid the chain all the way out, letting Dean into the room.

He brushed past her, getting a quick sniff of her body splash. She smelled of Lavender and Vanilla. He was kinda glad they found a pharmacy in this town and let her shop for some toiletries. He placed the fast food sack on the table and took out a burger. "Not sure if your a burger gal..or salad gal..so I took a chance." He walked over and handed her the burger.

Despite herself and what she had just been through, she managed a smile. The first smile that had been on her face in weeks. "You guessed right." Dean grabbed a beer, popped the top off and handed it to her. She moved over just a bit, letting him sit next to her and she thoughtfully took a bite of her burger. She rolled her eyes. "Oh my god..that's a damn good burger." She said around mouthfuls.

Dean laughed and took a sip of his beer. "My comfort food. Burgers and beers...good for the soul." He clinked his bottle with hers and watched as she chugged hers. "And she knows how to drink."

Skylar blushed and wiped her mouth. "Sorry." She could still feel the tension between the two of them and Dean was starting to act a little differently around her.

"You need it."

It fell silent between them and she turned her head. "Thank you Dean...and Sam..both you..I don't know what would have happened to me..if you hadn't..shown up when you did. I..I could have gone to jail for killing that...that poor man."

Dean put his burger down on the wrapper and leaned in, softly kissing her lips. He hadn't meant to just go in like that, but it was beginning to feel like they were about to pick up right where the left off. When she didn't pull back or stop him, he deepened the kiss. He pulled back to see her eyes were closed, her mouth open and wet from his kiss and her cheeks flushed."Like I said before, there is no need to thank me. OK?"

"I feel like I dragged you into this." She picked at her burger, feeling awkward all of a sudden.

Dean placed his hand on hers. He leaned in and whispered in her ear. "It's going to be OK Skylar."

She pulled back, feeling shy. She took her bottle and chugged the rest of the beer, feeling the familiar buzz overcome her and she felt more relaxed. She pushed her half eaten burger to the side and dropped her head onto his shoulder.

Dean sat there, listening to her slow breathing, knowing she was awake. He gently grabbed the blanket and draped it over the both of them and snuggled down into the pillows, placing her head on his chest. He stayed awake holding her, listening to the changes in her breathing. Slow, even breaths let him know that she was finally asleep. While still holding her, he leaned over the bed and slid his hand under the mattress, feeling the cold handle of the gun. A smile came to his lips as he pulled out the colt, the street lamps glistening off the metal. He had taught her well. "Good girl," He growled as he slid the gun under the pillows, snuggle into them and finally feel asleep.

"Dean!"

The moment his eyes snapped open, he knew something was wrong. The motel room was filled with thick smoke and he instantly began to cough and gag as he stood up from the bed. His sense were disoriented and it was tough to see, the smoke was burning his eyes.

"Skylar?"

With his eyes shut tight, he slid his hand along the mattress until he felt the hand of the gun. He coughed as he slid back the muzzle and blindly aimed it in front of him. Another ear piercing scream, but this time it came from the parking lot.

"Dean! Help me! Dean!"

He braced an arm over his nose as his boots crunched over broken glass, a burning bottle spun around as he kicked it out of his way. Son of a bitch how in the hell could he have let this happen. The moment he let down his guard, something tragic happens.

The door to the motel room was locked by something on the outside and Dean was feeling the smoke begin to choke him, if he didn't get out of here soon, he would die. He took off his leather jacket, tied it around his arm and busted out the rest of the broken window. He brushed away all the glass and jumped through the window just as a large flame exploded behind him.

He lifted his body from the dirt and looked behind him to see that the motel was now in flames. He let out a groan as he picked up his battered body from the pavement and held his right ribs. He heard a noise behind him and when he did he turned just as a huge crow bar came swinging towards him. His instincts were sharp so he ducked just as the bar whizzed past his ear. He felt the sharp pain exploded behind his skull as another blow came crashing down.

As the ground came up to meet them, Dean could have sworn he heard a growl coming from somewhere in the darkness. Screams, shouts, growls and the ripping of flesh accompanied Dean was he slammed into the ground, feeling unconsciousness over take him.