"Okay the rules for this week, repeat them for me." Nora glanced over at Grace. They were laying poolside soaking up the sun's rays. Implanted palm trees adorned the patio. Drunken college kids were goofing off in the pool. Alcohol flowed freely. It felt like a television show. Grace was a world away from hunting, and she had the suntan to prove it. It had been a little over a week.

When Nora told Bobby they were going to Vegas, all he said was "good". They all knew he was desperate for Grace to return to normal. Grace had pushed down John's death, Dean's stinging rejection, and anything else that had gone wrong in her life. She was effectively numb and keeping a small buzz from the alcohol.

Grace took a sip of a long island ice tea, ordered by Nora. "One, no hunting. Two, no Winchesters. Three, specifically no Dean Winchester. And rule number four is have fun." Grace repeated obediently, a smile plastered on her face neatly adorned with makeup.

Nora seemed pensive then said, "And maybe rule 5 should be to swipe your V-card?"

Grace laughed, "Oh why not?"

Nora squealed. Grace rolled her eyes, "And how is losing my virginity supposed to help me feel better?" Two guys, both shirtless and incredibly buff stopped in the middle of their step to look at Grace.

Nora tilted her sunglasses down, "No, no not you. Keep moving."

Grace smiled.

"It's not supposed to make you feel better. It's supposed to be fun and relax you." Nora explained like Grace was completely missing the point.

"Is that what he told you?" Grace laughed. Nora swatted her arm and her cheeks flushed.

"Shut up."

Grace took a drink and closed her eyes, the warmth of the sun spreading over her.

Maybe Nora was right after all.

OoOoOo

Grace sat on the sink in the bathroom of their hotel. Nora had of course used a fake credit card to rent out a ridiculously large and expensive suite for just the two of them. Not to mention the clothes, food, alcohol, and gambling. Yeah, the credit card schemes were proving to be more and more resourceful.

Grace left one leg to dangle as she listened to her cellphone ring. While there was a rule that stated no Winchesters, if Nora didn't know it wouldn't hurt her. After Grace had hastily packed up two suitcases and left Bobby's, Sam had called her. He apologized on behalf of Dean and told her to keep in touch. Grace did not realize at the time how sweet and much needed that offer was.

"Grace, hey how are you?" Sam picked up, his voice nearly a whisper.

Grace smiled at hearing a familiar voice, "I'm good. Hiding in the bathroom from Nora. How are you?"

Sam laughed, "I'm, you know, getting through it. How is Nora doing?"

"Good. I swear she never slows down."

Silence settled between them as the topic they were not supposed to discuss became a reality. Grace finally said, "How is he?"

Sam sighed, "You aren't going to tell me what happened between the two of you are you?"

Grace flushed, "I don't think so Sam."

He cleared his throat, "Well, we actually are in Montana. Ran into another hunter. Gotta be honest, I'm a little worried about Dean. He killed a vampire tonight and it was…gruesome."

Grace's stomach tightened. Dean was not okay. "Are you at a motel or what?" Grace asked.

"At a bar actually. I left the table when I saw you were calling." Sam told her.

"Whose the other hunter?" Grace asked as her curiosity piqued.

"His name's Gordon. You ever heard of him?" Sam asked.

Grace let out a breath, "Sam, he's bad news."

"Really?"

"Yeah. He's takes hunting beyond extreme and he's violent."

"Yeah, I figured. Listen Grace, I want to see you again. I know Dean does too."

Grace sighed. She heard the door to the room slam shut and she hopped off the counter, "I'll talk to you soon Sam. And really, ditch Gordon." Grace ended the call and went to greet Nora.

OoOoOo

Grace laid on her belly on the gigantic king sized bed. Nora was trying on more outfits for tonight. So far she had tried on a silky mini dress, a gold beaded halter dress, and some type of pantsuit. Grace clucked her tongue.

"You don't like it?" Nora asked defeated.

Grace shrugged, "What's this for exactly?"

"We're going out with Chase." Nora didn't look at Grace as she spoke.

Grace cocked her head to the side, "What are we doing with Chase that requires us to dress like this?"

"He's been hunting. And whatever it is hangs out at this club. We have to look the part, so uh take your pick." Nora motioned to the countless outfits that were strewn across the room.

"Are we going to see your uncle at all?" Grace muttered while she began to sift through the expensive materials.

Nora scoffed, "Please Uncle Bradford and the missus have hit the road."

"Where to?"

"Who knows? I don't think about it." Nora twirled in front of the mirror and flashed herself a smile.

Grace felt her mind drift off to Dean and Sam. She hoped they would be okay.

OoOoOo

Chase looked between a lumberjack and a tattoo artist. He had full sleeves of black ink and symbols Grace had never seen before. He had a bushy brown beard and a full head of slicked back hair. Nora immediately latched onto him, her smile reaching her eyes. Chase put his arms around Nora and kissed her forehead. Both of them looked completely smitten, but Grace wasn't sure.

"Chase, this is Grace." Nora introduced them.

Chase smiled, "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you."

They were in some club that was barely lit with flashing neon lights illuminating the building. Everyone seemed to be drunk or high, it didn't seem like anyone was picky. Chase handed Nora a cocktail. He tried to offer Grace one but she refused. If they were helping on the hunt, which in fact did break one of Nora's rules, Grace wanted to be alert.

"Well Chase, why don't you fill us in?" Grace asked casually.

Nora took a sip, "Maybe we could chat a little longer?"

Grace shrugged, "Or we could wait until after we leave and we can actually hear each other?"

Chase chuckled, "Alright, well I've been hunting. I got a call about two weeks ago about bodies popping up. They were all missing organs; summoning rituals were done at the scene the bodies were found. And they're all women who were last seen at this club."

"How old?" Grace asked.

"Nineteen through about twenty-four." Nora answered.

"And what's doing this?" Grace asked.

"My best idea is witches." Chase responded.

Grace nodded. She hated dealing with witches. Magic just gave them an advantage.

"Well let's get started." Grace grabbed the drink Chase was still holding just to keep up appearances.

OoOoOo

She knew he wasn't human the moment she saw him. She couldn't exactly explain why or what he was, but she was going to find out. It was a perfect setting. Nora was dancing with Chase; the room was dark except for the multicolored strobe lights. Grace had watched him watch the others. She suddenly felt an urge to take on this hunt.

With Nora distracted, Grace moved towards the man. He was older, his hair a silvery grey with dark streaks. He looked like he had money; maybe he was a lawyer or a stockbroker or something. But there was something distinctly off about him.

Grace approached him confidently. His eyes met hers and he smiled. Grace raised her eyebrow, but returned the grin. She stopped in front of him, almost touching him. He towered over her, but she didn't let that shake her.

"Want to dance?" Grace asked.

The man didn't answer verbally; instead he put his arm around her waist and pulled her close to him. Normally, that would've shaken her, but she didn't care in this moment. He was muscular, definitely in shape. He smelt like whiskey and cologne. It didn't make her feel comforted or attracted to him in any sense of the word.

It felt like they were dancing in slow motion. His face was shadowed unless one of the strobe lights hit his face. Grace kept her eyes closed and let herself forget where she was. She knew if he were going to do anything he wouldn't do it in a crowded room like this. She ignored the way his fingertips grasped his waist or how he put his lips on her neck.

"Let's get out of here." The man murmured against her ear.

Grace raised an eyebrow at him but nodded nonetheless. There was a plan floating around in her mind, nothing set in stone. Even though she was in a skimpy black dress, she had a blade attached to her upper thigh. They headed towards a back exit bypassing everyone who crossed their path. Grace glanced back and saw that Nora was still dancing and laughing.

Once they got outside he led Grace down the alley. She almost laughed at how typical this was. How many cases had she worked where the girl gets attacked in the alley outside a club? Countless. And she was walking into it.

"What's your name?" Grace asked.

"Lucas." He responded.

Grace wasn't going to share her name, but she was amused he didn't even ask. Lucas turned towards Grace and tilted her head up to force eye contact. He advanced until her back was pressed against the cool brick wall. In her head she was telling herself to get ready, yet she didn't move to. He pushed her air behind her ears and ran his finger over her lower lip. His finger trailed down her chin and neck, then down between her breasts.

"You want me?" Lucas asked.

Grace said nothing.

"You know for a hunter…you are very stupid." A grin formed as he spoke.

"Yeah, maybe." Grace whispered. The urge to fight barely ignited her to move. She reached for the blade and stabbed him in the thigh with such speed and dexterity he didn't have time to stop her. He yelled out and slapped Grace across the face. The pain stung and spread across her skin. He pulled out the blade and tossed it aside far out of her reach.

Grace licked her lip and tasted blood. She kneed him in the stomach and threw a punch. She heard a bone crack and she couldn't tell if it was from her or him. Lucas threw back his head and laughed. His eyes turned black as he picked Grace up by her upper arms and slammed her into the wall. Her ears rang as her head collided with the brick. She dropped to her knees and began to violently cough.

"Grace Bradley. John Winchester's protégé out and alone, throwing herself at a demon. How lucky am I?" Lucas kicked her in the ribs while she was down. The searing pain blinded her. She was sure that her not nearly healed ribs were cracked once again.

"Nothing to say? That's okay!" He kicked her again and knelt down so he was eye level with her. He was about to say something but the door to the alley opened. He shot his head back and a cloud of black smoke exited his body.

Nora came running once she saw Grace. "Grace, Grace are you okay! Oh my god, what happened, are you okay?" Nora knelt in front of her, inspecting her face. Nora looked down at the body beside them. He was dead. The demon had just used the body and now it was a corpse.

"Demon." Grace whispered.

Nora let out a shaky breath; "You're bleeding."

Grace nodded, "I could've taken him."

Nora laughed, "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Then why didn't you?" Nora asked, concern seeping into her voice. Grace tried to get to her feet but it hurt too much. Nora helped her stand. Grace felt like she had been hit by a truck. Her left eye was swelling and throbbing.

She began to walk away from Nora and Lucas's body, back to the hotel. She needed to shower and give herself a onceover. The pain from her newly healed broken ribs seared through her. Thoughts of a broken rib again came into her thoughts. She still had some leftover pain meds that might be helpful.

"Grace I'm talking to you." Nora shouted.

Grace shook her thoughts and stopped.

"Are you gonna help me get rid of the body?" Nora asked almost helplessly.

Just then the door to the alleyway swung open. A focused Chase came running out, gun drawn. He lowered his weapon when he saw Nora and Grace. His face registered Grace's injuries, but he moved in to be near Nora. He looked down at Lucas' body and frowned.

"What happened?" Chase asked.

"A demon." Nora whispered.

"I'm sure Chase can help." Grace muttered as she turned away. She could have fought harder, sure. But she didn't. Her brain was still processing why that was. She wanted to feel something besides anguish and emotional distress. The physical pain was a better substitute.

Nora couldn't take her eyes of Grace's retreating figure.

Maybe this was something she couldn't fix?

OoOoOo

The drive was silent amongst Sam and Dean. They both had thoughts about their next destination. Sam stared down at his father's dog tags. He ran his thumb over his father's name. They were going to bury them at their mother's gravesite. After everything that had happened with Gordon this seemed like something that would help bring some peace to the both of them.

Sam looked out the window. He cleared his throat, "We should tell Grace. She can meet us there. You know she'd want to be here."

Dean did not like the way he felt hearing Grace's name. He sighed, "Yeah, you're right." Whatever was happening or wasn't happening between Grace didn't seem important enough to keep her from this.

Sam pulled out his phone and dialed her number. He waited, mentally urging her to pick up. She didn't. Sam cursed under his breath.

"Don't sweat it man. She'll call back." Dean tried to cheer up Sam.

"Yeah, maybe."

OoOoOo

The light from the sunrise shone brightly off the hood of her beat down, rusted truck. Grace's hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail, her face still throbbing. She knew for sure her rib had to be broken. She used an ACE wrap and painkillers with hope that the pain would ease. Instead of running back to Bobby's she had a new destination in mind.

Leaving Vegas so abruptly hadn't been part of the plan at all. It was just the way Nora looked at her. Grace had never seen her look so dejected. She was causing more trouble than she wanted to. She had written a brief note thanking Nora for the week and telling her not to worry. Then she was out on the road. Grace had left all the clothes and exotic jewelry Nora had splurged on. While the week did help in some way, it wasn't the answer.

Her phone vibrated against her thigh. She prayed it wasn't Sam again. She wanted to answer, just in case. However she chose not to. If something were really wrong she would have gotten more than one phone call. Texts and calls would be pouring in. This time when Grace looked at the caller ID she saw Bobby's name flashing but she ended the call before even picking up. She was going to go straight to Bobby's as soon as she took care of things. She shook her head as she saw the welcome sign to Rapid City, South Dakota. After almost fifteen hours of driving she knew she needed to sleep, but it had to wait. She had not been back to this place since she was a kid. There had been no reason to return. But, just driving down the road Grace couldn't believe how familiar this all felt. She had been so young however the memories that were coming back to her seemed like she had spent a lifetime here. It was hard to believe that this was the second largest city in South Dakota. To her it had always seemed so small.

She was on the outskirts of town, but there was a section of houses that Grace knew all too well. She switched on her blinker and turned into the unit of homes. The houses were older, but each looked similar. All of them looked like they had been built in the 1970's and each one needed repairs. She pulled off to the side of the road and stared up at her old house.

The house was two stories, white paneling with a dark brown roof. The windows had freshly painted sky blue frames. The mailbox was shaped like a duck and had the last name "Weiss" on it. The yard was a little overgrown, but there were two garden gnomes playing leap frog right up by the entrance to the house. Grace took a breath and was about to drive away to her real destination when someone tapped on her window.

An older man with thin wire framed glasses smiled at her. Grace cranked the window down and returned his grin. "Hello." Grace smiled. She realized that she looked completely battered. She knew her eye was still half shut, scabbing and there was a bulging cut on her lip.

Despite this the man smiled, "Why hello there. Just wondering if you need some assistance?" The man seemed genuine enough.

Grace shook her head, "No I just got lost. Just trying to figure out where I am."

The man nodded, "Where you headed?"

Grace hesitated then said, "Lou's Safety and Storage."

Realization dawned on the man and he chuckled, "Well you gotta turn left outta here and follow the road straight until you get to Beecher and then take a right. You'll see their sign, it's kinda flashy."

Grace chuckled in knowing, "Well thank you."

The man rocked to his left side and said, "I've lived here for a long time, right in that house," he paused to point at the house neighboring Grace's old home. "Anyway, I can't help but comment and I know I may be out of line, but if you're in any trouble I can call the police."

Grace let out a breath, "I'm okay."

He frowned, "The folks who lived in that house before the Weiss' moved in…they had a little girl who kinda reminds me of you, dark hair and such."

Grace's stomach felt sick, "What happened to her?"

The man shrugged, "I never knew. Her parents died, it was pretty grisly. No one has lived in the house till now. You don't see a lot of people parked out front here. We all keep our distance since it's got such a history in the neighborhood."

Grace nodded as she turned the key in the ignition, "Well thanks a lot for your help."

The man stepped out of the way and let Grace drive off.

Grace couldn't even wipe her eyes as she sped away.

OoOoOo

John Winchester had moved certain things out of the Bradley household the night after her parent's death. Grace had never known about this until Bobby told her when she was about ten. He had said if Grace ever wanted to go look and see what was there then he would take her. But, she never wanted to. As she got older she avoided it even more. She didn't want to see. What difference would it make? But now it suddenly felt like it was going to help her in some way.

She stood with her arms crossed as she stared at the three cement walls. There were some random boxes filled with things Grace was not quite ready to look at just yet. The old kitchen table that Grace used to color on was still there, however it did not look nearly updated as Grace remembered. Some chairs to the table, a rocking chair, and two oak dressers adorned the area. Grace had not expected all this. Further more she couldn't imagine John moving everything here.

When she stepped closer to her old belongings Grace felt completely numb. Her fingers traced the edges of the old cardboard. She abruptly stopped when she noticed a white corner of an envelope sticking out from the top. Her name was written on the top in John's handwriting. Surprise and anxiety washed over her as her shaky fingers opened the envelope.

Grace,

I'm glad you are here with all of the belongings from your childhood home. I'm writing this letter when you are seventeen. At this point if you haven't come out here, I figure it might be awhile before you do. I stop by here from time to time. I want to find out what happened to your family even though I think you aren't ready yet. Anyways, I hope by now we are together and hunting as a family. Because we are a family. If you are here, I think you are trying to find the answers. I remember that night Grace. Try to find the answers you are searching for. Come to me if you ever have questions.

John

Grace hadn't realized how much her hands were shaking. Chills had gone down her spine. She had read the letter written in John's script with his voice echoing in her mind. She imagined him scribbling down his thoughts onto the paper and signing the envelope with her name. She wanted to cry, but she couldn't. It was like all the pain she felt had began to numb her and her tears had dried up.

She cleared her throat and picked up the box. With a clear head she walked over to her truck and began to load some of the boxes. She may have driven all the way here, but she wasn't sure what she was going to uncover. But at least now she would have everything there waiting for her.

OoOoOo

I went back and read over the chapters to this story. I changed some small details and fixed any errors that I found. I hope some of you are still out there reading! I'm going to post when I get the chance. I'm also really excited about the next few chapters Reviews and comments are welcome!

Quick side note: I know I didn't spend a whole lot of time in Vegas or really introducing Chase, but there's more to come with that!