okay, please please review :D i'm really proud of this chapter.

0o0o0o0o

Chapter 34: Shadow Part 3

"Sam! Is that you? Oh, my God!" Sam was looking at her puzzled and I shifted from foot to foot wondering why Dean and I hadn't met her before. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm just in town, visiting friends. You're from Chicago?"

She shook her head. "No, Massachusetts—Andover. Gosh, Sam, what are the odds we'd run into each other?"

I always wanted to go to Massachusetts. Basically just the Salem part though. I wanted to take one of those tours that led you through the Salem Witch trials. Stuff like that always fascinated me; the time period, the witchcraft. I had read up on it ever since I was a little girl.

"Yeah, I know, I thought I'd never see you again." He seemed happy to see her but then again there was something in his voice. Something that I recognized; he wasn't comfortable about what was going on. Maybe it was just me, maybe he liked her.

Dean cleared his throat, obviously bothered that we weren't being introduced. Meg noticed us behind Sam and rolled her eyes. "Dude, cover your mouth." Dean looked surprised and Sam smiled a little.

He turned so that he facing Meg and us. "Yeah, um, I'm sorry, Meg. This is, uh—this is my brother, Dean and his girlfriend Andy. She's a family friend."

"This is Dean and Andy?"

"You've heard of us I take it?" Dean asked.

"Oh, yeah. I've heard of you two. Nice—the way you treat Sam like luggage."

I definitely heard her wrong. "Sorry?"

"And you, he told me all about you. The way you two used to be best friends. And now since you're sleeping with him," She pointed at Dean, "you can't even hear Sam out to agree with him."

I'm pretty sure my mouth dropped open. "What?"

Sam shook his head, looking at me sympathetically. "Meg, it's all right."

Dean whistled slowly and I crossed my arms over my chest. "Okay, awkward."

"I need a drink."

Dean nodded. "I second that."

"Who the hell was that?" I asked Dean as we headed outside to the Impala, skipping the drinks all together. Like more booze would help when driving back to the motel.

He shrugged, opening the door for me. "Someone close enough that we can be bitched about to."

We got to the car and I stopped for a minute, Dean almost running into me. "I'm not biased am I?"

Dean hesitated for a moment. "I don't think so."

"You don't know what biased means do you?"

He looked at me insulted. "I'm not an idiot Andy, I'm just thinking. I don't think you are, but maybe that's because you end up agreeing with me."

"I was only swayed once! You threatened me with 'you'll have to sleep in the tub'!"

"Yeah well, seeing as how this conversation might go," I saw Sam come out of the bar, "Sam might be given that offer."

"Who the hell was she?" I asked as Sam approached us.

Sam shrugged. It was a movement that seemed to upset Dean. Like that whole conversation in there and what she had said to us was alright. "I don't really know. I only met her once. Meeting up with her again? I don't know, man, it's weird."

"And what was she saying? We treat you like luggage? What, were you bitchin' about us to some chick?" Dean asked, stepping back from the car.

"Look, I'm sorry." It was the second time I got an apology from him today. One day he'd start to run out. "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 asked. "Do I not have a mind of my own? Can't I make decisions without being swayed?"

"No, of course not. Look, I was upset when I told her all that. I'm sorry, now would you listen?" There was an edge that cut through me and it obviously annoyed Dean as well. We wanted to talk about what was said and Sam kept changing the topic.

Sam spelled aggravation sometimes. "What?"

"I think there's somethin' strange going on here, guys."

"Yeah, tell me about it. She wasn't even that into me." Dean said, cocking his head to see my reaction. When I rolled my eyes and didn't really give one he smiled and put an arm around my waist.

"No, man, I mean like our kind of strange."

"Why do you say that?" I asked.

"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?" Sam put his hands in his pockets and shrugged. "Look, I could be wrong, I'm just sayin' that there's something about this girl that I can't quite put my finger on."

Dean smirked. "Well, I bet you'd like to. I mean, maybe she's not a suspect, maybe you've got a thing for her, huh?" Sam rolled his eyes and laughed slightly.

I nodded. "Maybe you're thinkin' a little too much with your upstairs brain, huh?"

Sam wasn't amused. I figured it was payback for being such a bitch in the bar. "Do me a favor. Check and see if there's really a Meg Masters from Andover, Massachusetts, and see if you can dig anything up on that symbol on Meredith's floor."

Dean looked at me confused as Sam turned to walk away. "What are you gonna do?"

"I'm gonna watch Meg."

It took me and Dean at least a half a minute to stop laughing. "Yeah, you are."

Sam cleared his throat and rolled his eyes. "You two are children. I just wanna see what's what. Better safe than sorry."

Dean opened the car door for me and leaned over the frame to yell to Sam. "Hey, don't get caught! I'll have to lend you my restraining order!"

I laughed, looking out the driver window to see Sam flip Dean off. Oh yeah, he was definitely into her.

0o0o0o0o

"Okay, so what exactly are we looking for?" I asked, coming out of the bathroom. Dean was sitting in a chair and reading something off the laptop.

He looked up at me as I dried my hair and placed the towel on Sam's bed. "Damn it, Andy." He sounded angry and I put my hair behind my ear, trying to figure out what I did wrong.

"What?"

"You can't look like that after a shower. We have work to do."

I smiled and looked down at myself for a moment. I was wearing small black mini shorts and one of Dean's white t-shirts. Apparently the shorts were persuading him. I rolled my eyes; damn horn dog.

"Fine, then I won't come near you." I said grabbing some books and flopping down on his bed. I opened the book on the pillow and laid down on my stomach to read it. I didn't hear him get up from the chair but suddenly he was right next to me, turning me over. He laid down on top of me, leaving kisses along my cheek and jugular.

"I thought we were supposed to work."

He grunted. "This is an expedition."

I smiled. "Right, I forgot that symbol must be somewhere on my body." Like uncharted territory…I must have been greatly intriguing.

He leaned down and started pulling my shirt up. "One way to find out." His eyes darted to mine and smiled as he kissed my navel. He started to circle my belly button with his lips and I closed my eyes for a moment; trying to think of a reason he should stop. Nothing was rushing to my mind.

"You could have taken a shower with me." I said, sitting up. He let his hands rest on my legs and shrugged.

"Could have, but why clean up now when you fully intend on being dirty later?"

I pushed him playfully and reached back to get the book. "Come on. Work."

"Can I sit over here mom?" he asked, mocking my forceful tone.

I nodded and rubbed his shoulder. "If you can behave."

He leaned in close to me and brushed his lips against mine. He knew what this was doing to me and he loved the tease that he was being. "Is this behaving?" he whispered.

I put down the book and threw my arms around his neck, pushing my lips against his. He responded, wrapping his arms tightly around my small waist. He leaned back on the bed and kissed back just as fast, pushing his tongue against mine.

Crap, he was good at persuasion. No wonder Dean and I could never be trusted to look stuff up. I pushed myself up, pressing my hands against his chest. "You're a jerk."

He smiled, cocking his head to the side. "I'm the best persuasive jerk you know."

"Okay, jerk still being the main point of that sentence." I got up and went to sit at the laptop. I moved my finger over the touch pad to bring the screen out of the moving screensaver.

A page popped up that I wasn't sure what to feel about. I looked to Dean and he sat up on the bed, looking at me then at the floor. I swallowed looking back at the internet page.

"Funeral processions?"

Dean nodded and came to stand next to me. "I was looking up Meredith's funeral date and I found that."

"Jason's funeral?" I wasn't sure what else to say but that.

"I was thinking you'd want to know when it was in case you wanted to go. For closure or something."

I nodded and scrolled down the page. There was a picture of Jason and his brother at the bottom of the page. "Right, closure." I said quietly.

Dean squeezed my shoulder. "You okay?"

"Mmhmm." I got up and headed for the bathroom. "I'm gonna go the bathroom."

Dean was looking at me concerned as I closed the door but I closed it anyways. I took a deep breath and turned the water on and splashed some over my face. I wondered if I would have enough courage to go to the funeral. I wanted to go, I mean Dean was right. This would prove to be closure and I could finally work on being alright. It would be hard to handle. I couldn't imagine just standing there among his friends and family knowing what I know. Knowing I was there when he died and that I could have done something.

I shook my head angrily, shooing away the tears filling my eyelids. The funeral was in a week. I wondered if I could mentally prepare myself by then. I wondered if I could cry the tears out now to be completely dry when I stood there; watching him being lowered into the ground.

Just like my father and mother had been. I hadn't cried at their funerals either.

0o0o0o0o

After a few minutes Dean was knocking on the door. "Andy? Hey babe, you okay?"

Second time he'd asked me that and the bullshit answer was the same. I opened the door and nodded. "Mhmm. Did you find out that symbol while I was sulking?" I asked walking out of the bathroom.

Dean smiled. "I flipped through a few pages while leaning against the bathroom door."

"And?"

"And nothing. I'm gonna have to call Caleb, one of my dad's friends."

I nodded and walked over to the journal to hand it to him. "Look him up and give him a call. I'll look up on Meg."

Dean nodded and gave me a kiss on the head. I looked at the floor as he pulled away and head over to the computer. Focus on the work and not the page that I was clicking out of. I shut down the computer and took out the phonebook, looking for Andover or Meg Masters. She checked out and I motioned to Dean that she did. He was pacing while on the phone and he nodded, catching my wave.

I sat on the bed and leaned against the headboard. I turned the TV on and started flipping through the fuzzy channels. Dean plopped himself next to me and took the remote to turn the volume down as he called Sam.

"Let me guess. You're lurkin' outside that poor girl's apartment, aren't you?" I looked to Dean and he was smiling. He waited for a response and then rolled his eyes. "You've got a funny way of showin' your affection pal."

A few more minutes and he looked to me. I'm guessing he wanted the phonebook so I handed it to him. He nodded in thanks and looked at the page. "Yeah, Andy found her. Sorry, man, she checks out. There is a Meg Masters in the Andover phonebook."

Dean handed the phone to me. I looked at him confused and I rolled my eyes. He wanted full control over the remote while I was talking with Sam. "The symbol? Turned out it's Zoroastrian. Very, very old school, like two thousand years before Christ. It's a sigil for a Daeva."

I put Sam on speaker and Dean glared at me apparently finding a good channel. "Basically demonic pit bulls." I answered Sam.

"So, someone's controlling it?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, that's what I'm sayin'. 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…" I placed a hand over Dean's mouth and interrupted before the rambling got even worse.

"And nobody knows what they look like, nobody recorded it. I mean, summoning a demon that ancient? Someone really knows their stuff."

He poked me in the side, causing me jerk. He raised his eyebrows at me; apparently he hadn't known I was ticklish.

"I think we've got a major player in town." Dean said, shaking my hand off. He continued to look at me like he planned to do something and took the phone from my hand. "Now, why don't you go give that girl a private strip-o-gram?" he asked Sam.

I heard Sam grunt. "Bite me."

Dean smiled. "Sorry pal, my teeth are busy at the moment." I rolled my eyes. His teeth would be no where near my skin tonight.

He hung up the phone and wrapped an arm around my waist. I tried to struggle from his grasp but he was stronger and all in all I enjoyed being pulled close to him. "Now, is someone ticklish?" he asked me.

He started to tickle my sides with his hands and I burst out laughing trying to wrench free of him. "Dean! Stop, please!"

"Sorry, I can't hear you, TV's too loud." He laughed right along with me, most likely enjoying my body bucking against his. Like I said: horn dog.

I managed to wiggle free but only because he let me and I leaned my head down on his chest. I was breathing heavily and he started to run his fingers through my hair.

"Jerk."

I could feel him smile. "Bitch."

"You can't call me that. You call Sam that." I said shifting on the bed. He leaned up and pulled the covers over me, continuing to stroke my hair as he sat back.

"Demonic Pit bull?" he asked and I slapped his stomach.

"Very funny."

"Fine, I'll go with brat."

"How original." I grabbed the remote from him, trying to find another channel that wasn't the news or sports.

"It's either brat or pit bull." Knew I had no choice there.

"Fine." I said with a yawn, giving him back the remote. "You find something."

He sighed, switching hands for a moment to change the channel. He found a soap opera, that I'm pretty sure was in Spanish, and left it on. Not much to choose from in a motel room.

"What do they call these?" he asked me.

"Telenovelas." I answered, another yawn following. "Spanish language suds."

He continued to run his hand through my hair and I wrapped one arm around his waist, laying my head back down on him. He rubbed my shoulder then and I shook my head. "That's not fair."

"What?" Like he didn't know what he was doing.

"That puts me right to sleep." I said drowsily. I closed my eyes and felt him lean down to give me a small kiss on the lips.

Right, he didn't know what he was doing at all.

0o0o0o0o

I slowly woke up to someone shaking me. Not hard, just a slight push to wake me up. "Andy? Sam's back babe. I'd let you sleep but he has information to tell us." Dean said apologetically.

I sat up slowly, rubbing sleep from my eyes. "Its okay, I'm up."

Sam sat across from us on his bed and Dean pulled me to sit on his lap. Guess that was the easiest way to hold me up so I wouldn't fall back asleep.

"What'd you find out?" I asked, enjoying the rubbing of Dean's hands against my waist.

"I followed Meg to a warehouse, looks like she was using that black altar to control the Daeva."

"So, Sammy's got a thing for the bad girl." Dean chuckled and Sam rolled his 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 who? With the Daeva?" I asked.

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

Dean cleared his throat, motioning to the laptop. It was now open and Dean must have done some research after I had fallen asleep. "You'll never believe what I found. The first victim, the old man—he spent his whole life in Chicago, but he wasn't born here."

"Where was he born?" Sam asked, not catching on.

"Lawrence, Kansas."

Dean nodded. "Mmhmm. Meredith, second victim—turns out she was adopted. And guess where she's from."

"Lawrence, Kansas." I filled in.

Sam looked shocked. "Holy crap. I mean, it is where the demon killed Mom. That's where everything started. So, you think Meg's tied up with the demon?" Sam asked, looking directly at Dean.

"I think it's a definite possibility."

I looked at them confused. "But I don't understand. What's the significance of Lawrence? And how do these Daeva things fit in?"

Dean sighed and I felt his chest push me up and down, right along with his breathing. "Beats me. But I say we trash that black altar, grab Meg, and have ourselves a friendly little interrogation."

Sam shook his head. "No, we can't. 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." I looked at him questioningly. But when I looked at Sam and saw he understood, Dean could only be talking about one person. Their dad.

0o0o0o

"God, could you imagine if we actually found that damn thing? That demon?" Sam asked Dean as we loaded all the weapons we could find. Sam basically ransacked the damn trunk, bringing everything into the motel room to see if it worked properly.

Dean loaded a gun. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves, all right?"

I looked to Sam, trying to eye him to shut up. He either saw me and ignored it or just kept on going. "I know. I'm just sayin', what if we did? What if this whole thing was over tonight? Man, I'd sleep for a month. Go back to school—be a person again."

Wrong way to say that sentence. I looked at Dean who stopped loading the weapon. Sam shouldn't have mentioned that school would make him a person. So what were me and Dean? Animals? Just because we hadn't gone to college like him?

Dean hadn't picked it up that way. He was more focused on, "You wanna go back to school?"

Sam nodded, running rag over a dagger. It reminded me of the one Sam had gotten me. I wish I still had it. "Yeah, once we're done huntin' the thing." Dean said nothing. Just grunted and continued to clean and load the guns. "I mean, what are you gonna do when it's all over?" He looked at both me and Dean now.

I sighed, not wanting to say this but knowing it was true. Knowing it was exactly what Dean was thinking. "It's never gonna be over."

Dean nodded, agreeing. "There's gonna be others. There's always gonna be somethin' to hunt."

"But there's got to be somethin' that you want for yourself, for both of you?"

I knew what he was implying. With the damn demon gone, our lives could be a bit normal. Sam could go back to school and Dean and I could get an apartment together, have a life. But he didn't understand one thing. That other demons and spirits, they'd still ruin people's lives and it was our job to protect and help them if we could. It wasn't our job to save everyone, but we couldn't risk the few lives that we could save for a normal life. The scales didn't tip that way.

Suddenly Dean dropped the weapon on the bed. "Yeah, I don't want you to leave the second this thing's over, Sam." He walked over to the dresser.

Sam looked at Dean and then at me, like all of a sudden because I was dating Dean I was psychic and knew why he did the things he did. "Dude, what's your problem?"

"Why do you think I drag you everywhere? Huh? I mean, why do you think I came and got you at Stanford in the first place?"

"Cause Dad was in trouble. Cause you and Andy wanted to find the thing that killed our Mom's. You needed my help."

Dean sighed, running hand over his face. "Yes, that, but it's more than that, man." This was more emotional than I've ever seen him. You and me and Dad—I mean, I want us….I want us to be together again. I want us to be a family again."

Sam shifted on his feet and I suddenly felt very uncomfortable standing there hearing this. "Dean, we are a family. I'd do anything for you. But things will never be the way they were before."

Dean looked heartbroken and he looked at me sadly. "Could be." That was for Sam, but I was pretty sure he couldn't look at him without shedding small tears.

"I don't want them to be. I'm not gonna live this life forever. Dean, when this is all over, you're gonna have to let me go my own way." Sam said quietly. "I'm gonna put this back in the trunk."

Sam picked up the weapons bag and left to put it in the Impala. Dean was standing against the dresser looking at the spot where Sam had left. I approached him slowly and put a hand on his arm.

"Hey…you okay?" Soft and gentle words that were hopefully comforting and not babying. He'd use them for me. He nodded but didn't say anything. I cupped his cheek and forced his eyes to meet mine. I stroked his cheek as a single tear fell from his eye. "I'll always be here with you, you know that?"

He nodded, trying to give me a smile. "I know."

"Because if I leave…I'm gonna have to take that car with me."

He chuckled and I smiled, happy to hear the sound. He brought his hand up and stroked the one I had on his cheek. "Thank you." It was barely above a whisper, but I heard it.

I kissed him on the lips. "No need to thank me. I wasn't saying that for you. It was the truth."

"I'm glad you're so blunt then." There was the old Dean. His rough voice wasn't soft and hurt like it had been before. I stroked his cheek a few more times before letting go.

"You should shave." I said making him smile.

"I liked you better when you lied to me about my rugged good features."

"You have good features?" I looked at him shocked.

He pulled me close and kissed me gently. "I have great features…and so do you."

I smiled, pushing myself against him. "Well, I already knew that."

"Brat."

I pulled away and picked up my jacket. "Jerk."

0o0o0o0

We reached the warehouse and climbed through the elevator gate, like I'm guessing Sam had done before. From what I could see, Dean's head being the main blockage of the view, Meg was standing at an altar. She was speaking in an ancient language and we quietly squeezed through the space between the gate and wall. We moved quickly and softly, trying not to alert Meg of our presence. We hid behind some crates and drew our guns.

"Guys." Meg suddenly said. We all looked at each other stunned; I knew this was too damn easy. "Hiding's a little bit childish, don't you think? Why don't you come out?"

We came out from behind the boxes, weapons at the ready in case anything jumped out of nowhere. "So, where's your little Daeva friend?" Dean asked.

Meg smiled. "Around. You know, that shotgun's not gonna do much good."

Dean cocked the gun. "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?" Sam demanded.

Meg's smile grew wider and I noticed that some of the shadows on the walls…weren't ours. "You."

One knocked Sam to the ground and threw Dean back into the crates. I tried moving but I was thrown back against a pole. It felt like my spinal cord was being ripped from my body. Scratches started to form on my face and I cried out in pain. The room went black, Meg's laughter the last thing I heard.

0o0o0o0o

I think Dean and Sam had been awake for a lot longer than I had been. I shook my head, leaning back. I was tied around the same freakin pole that had knocked me out. Ironic.

"Andy you alright?" Sam asked me.

"We were sure worried about you sweetheart." Meg cooed and I glared at her. Blood was dripping from the cuts on my face onto the faded jeans I had on.

"Hey, Sam? Don't take this the wrong way, but your girlfriend..." He grunted turning to look at Meg. "Is a bitch."

Sam shook his head, clearly pissed. "This, the whole thing, was a trap. Running into you at the bar, following you here, hearin' what you had to say. It was all a set-up, wasn't it?"

I looked to Dean as Sam was talking. He mouthed if I was okay and I shrugged. Obviously could have been better. "You killed those two people for nothing." I said disgusted as I caught the last part of Sam's sentence.

Meg really liked the smiling. I guess she had a lot to smile about. She had us hog tied to poles. We were basically sitting ducks for her and for her demons. "Baby, I've killed a lot more for a lot less."

"You trapped us. Good for you. It's Miller time." Dean spat and then smiled. "But why don't you kill us already?"

"Okay, Dean. Not the smartest thing." I said angrily.

"Girlfriends right. Not very quick on the uptake, are we?" She crouched down and leaned close into Dean. "This trap isn't for you."

Dean looked puzzled and it clicked in my head. "Your dad. It's a trap for your Dad."

Dean looked at me and then to Meg. He suddenly let out a few harsh laughs. "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."

Meg nodded, running a hand over Dean's thigh. It was making me squirm and Dean looked pissed. At least I knew he wasn't enjoying it. "He is pretty good. I'll give you that." She stood for a moment but then straddled his legs. "But you see, he has one weakness."

"Oh yeah? What's that?"

"You. He lets his guard down around his boys."

"Well, I've got news for ya. It's gonna take a lot more than some….shadow to kill him." Dean said.

She sat down completely on his legs and Dean bucked his hips, trying to get her off.

She smiled, turning to look at him. "Now, now. Calm those legs down. Wouldn't want to give your girlfriend the wrong idea do you?" She stroked his legs again.

"Don't flatter yourself." He spat. Dean was biting the insides of his cheeks. It was something he did when he was furious.

"Why you doin' this, Meg? What kind of deal you got worked out here, huh? And with who?" I asked. I was just trying to grab her attention. It was making me squirm her on Dean like that. But I bet she knew that.

She turned to look at me, not thrilled I was trying to distract her. "I'm doing this for the same reasons you do what you do—loyalty. Love. Like the love you had for Mommy—and Jason."

"Leave her alone." Dean warned pulling on the rope that held his hands together around the pole.

My expression turned cold. "Go to hell."

She smiled, picking herself up off of Dean. She leaned down to whisper in my ear. "Baby, I'm already there."

I jerked my head away from her. She slid over to Sam and sat herself on him as well. "Come on, Sam. There's no need to be nasty." She cooed, basically throwing herself on him.

I gagged. "There's no way we're that bad."

Dean nodded, grimacing himself. "Get a room, you two."

"I think we both know how you really feel about me." She continued, kissing Sam's neck. "You know, I saw you watching me—changing in my apartment. Turned you on, didn't it?"

"Okay, looks like being a horn dog is a family trait." I said raising my eyebrows and Sam turned to glare at me.

Dean chuckled, despite the situation and leaned back against his pole.

"You wanna have fun?" Sam was asking her. "Go ahead then. I'm a little tied up right now."

A noise from Dean's side of the room made her stop and Dean and I froze on the spot. She got up and headed over to Dean's post, taking a knife out of Dean's hands. He smiled guiltily and she threw it across the room.

"Now, were you just trying to distract me while your brother cuts free?" Meg asked, her voice sultry.

Sam smiled and for a minute, I thought he was crazy. "No. No. That's because I have a knife of my own." Meg looked confused but then Sam broke free of his ropes and slammed his head against hers. She fell back against the floor while Sam groaned in pain.

"Sam! Get the altar." Dean yelled.

Sam rushed over to the alter and overturned it. The shadow demons appeared and grabbed Meg. She was dragged across the floor and I stared in surprise as she was thrown through the window of the warehouse. I turned my head and tried not to hear the sickening thud of her bones hitting the pavement. Sam cut Dean's ropes and Dean did the same for mine.

Dean put an arm around my waist to help me up and we all headed towards the window. I'm pretty sure none of us thought she was dead. But there she was limbs turning over others, on the ground. She had to be dead and it put me at ease.

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

Dean nodded. "Next time you wanna get laid, find a girl that's not so buckets-o'-crazy, huh?"

I smiled and turned around with Dean to walk out with him.

0o0o0o0o

"Why didn't you just leave that stuff in the car?" Dean asked Sam as we approached the room.

I laughed at Sam's face. He was such a drama queen sometimes. "I said it before, and I'll say it again—better safe than sorry."

Dean unlocked the door and turned on the light as we all went into the room. Dean stopped suddenly and I ran right into him.

"Dean what the…"

He was staring at someone in our room. If I hadn't been standing right there I wouldn't have believed it.

"Dad?" Dean asked.

John turned and smiled at us. "Hey, guys."

Dean and John walked towards each other, embracing each other in a long hug. Sam and I looked on sadly, occasionally turning to each other to smile. This is what Dean had wanted for so long. To find his dad and to know he was okay. Part of me envied him. I'd give anything to embrace my father in a hug like that one.

Dean and John pulled apart and John smiled at me. "Andy?"

I smiled, rushing into his arms. He pulled back after a moment and ran a hand through my hair. "Andy, you've gotten more beautiful. If that's even possible." I blushed in thanks and let go of him, walking over to Dean. He smiled and reached down to grab my hand tightly.

"Hi, Sam." John said, now looking at the tallest Winchester.

Sam placed the weapons bag on the floor and nodded. "Hey, Dad." He said softly.

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

"It's all right. I thought it might've been. 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." John said.

"Let us come with you. We'll help." Dean gave Sam a warning look.

"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. Listen, Sammy, last time we were together, we had one hell of a fight."

Sam nodded. "Yes, sir."

That night, rating among some others, was one of the worst nights of my life. I remember feeling so angry at John and Dean both. I was ready to go right along with Sam myself.

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

Sam nodded, tears falling down his cheeks. "Too long." Sam and John embraced and I could feel Dean squeeze my hand and smile at the two. A minute later they pulled apart. Suddenly John was thrown against the cabinets and Sam was thrown back as well. I was thrown into the dresser and Dean bellowed at the top of his lungs.

The perfect moment would remain ruined.

0o0o0o

It had to be the shadow demon. It was the only thing it could be. I screamed in pain as the shadow attacked my own sending harsh scratches across my arms and chest.

"Shut your eyes! These things are shadow demons, so let's light 'em up!" Sam screamed. I didn't need to be told twice and I shut my eyes. I'm guessing he lit a flare because the room erupted in a brilliant white light. The shadows howled and disappeared.

I coughed as Sam helped me off the floor and Dean helped John.

"All right, come on. We don't have much time. As soon as the flare's out, they'll be back." Sam said as he helped me lean against the car.

"Wait, wait. Sam, wait. Dad, you can't come with us." Dean said, coughing.

Sam was going to spiral downward all over again wasn't he? "What? What are you talkin' about?"

I grabbed my side and winced. "You guys are beat to hell." John observed, watching me.

"We'll be alright." I answered.

"Dean, we should stick together. We'll go after those demons—"

Dean hit his hand against the Impala angrily, making me jump. "Sam! Listen to me! We almost got Dad killed in there. Don't you understand? They're not gonna stop, they're gonna use us to get to him. Dad's vulnerable when he's with us."

Sam didn't look like he believed him and shook his head. He put hand on John's shoulder. If John left, he would lose Sam's trust all over again. "Dad, no. After everything, after all the time we spent lookin' for you—please. I gotta be a part of this fight." He was begging him and I shook my head, pulling the car door open. I winced, crawling inside. I was not looking for another tearful goodbye. Dean watched me as I got comfortable in the back and he motioned that he'd be back there in one minute.

I heard John say that the fight was just starting and that we would all have a part to play. I shook my head. To me and Dean that sounded fine. We could wait. But that wouldn't stop Sam from the way he was feeling. I saw Sam pat John's shoulder once and tried to judge his emotions as he turned and got into the driver's seat of the car. Angry, depressed, upset, fed up…so many emotions at once.

Dean and John shared one last look before John turned to get in his truck. Dean just shook his head and crawled into the back. This fight wasn't starting fast enough for any of us; and that was the part that was unsettling.

0o0o0o

Everyone was mostly quiet on the way to the other motel. I'm guessing Sam was trying to concentrate on the road instead of how angry he was and Dean was falling asleep against the car. He didn't seem too preoccupied by the fact that we were all getting blood on the leather. I'm sure he was trying to block that out, among other things.

Nobody said anything until we got up to the motel room and closed the door. Sam handed Dean the keys and he pocketed them. "Anyone want to help me cut up some gauze?"

That's what started it. How? I have no idea. It seemed like it wouldn't have taken much to set anyone off. "We shouldn't have let him go."

I shook my head no. This was not going to happen. We were all upset and hurt; no, not tonight.

But Dean took it anyway, turning slowly to look at him. He had just locked the door. He hadn't even gotten near the bed I was sitting on.

"You know we had to Sam. I don't want to do this now. I'm hurt and tired and frankly I just want a shower and sleep alright?"

Sam shook his head angrily. "Knew this is why I should have left after the first hunt." He whispered that… but not quiet enough. If I heard it, so had Dean.

He whipped around, getting close to Sam's face. "What did you say?"

I stood up from the bed slowly. When these two really got into a fight I didn't know what to do. And it wasn't like the normal bitchfits about the hunts or misplaced weapons and who picks the music. I'm talking about screaming and yelling that'll wake the neighbors. It was a tough situation to handle because I couldn't settle both down at one time; they wouldn't listen. Dean was usually the only one I could get to calm down. But that was only sometimes.

"Dean, come on. Just back off." I worked my way between them, putting my hands on Dean's chest. I tried pushing him back a bit but he was stronger than me and if he wanted to get past me to get to Sam he would. "Please, Dean?"

I was putting on the begging to sway him. It was upsetting really. Did they need to fucking fight every time when this conversation started? And it usually started the same too. Dean following orders, Sam wanting to go his own way or have people understand his point of view. Bitch, jerk; in not a playful manner, selfish bastard, good little soldier…the name calling went on forever. I pushed on Dean's chest again, not wanting him to get any closer to Sam. The whole dad thing really brought out the worst in them. Not John specifically but because they both had their own personal reasons on how to listen to him and it always brought me in the middle.

Sam didn't want to be bossed around by Dean who was just trying to follow orders and keep the peace. So honestly, it only looked like Sam was stirring the waters. And the thing about it was that I almost agreed with him. I agreed that letting John go, after all this time, was a bad idea. But I didn't want to fight about it. After all, I had always gone on Sam's side and fought about it when we were little. Like when we were teens, Sam wanted to go to this school pep rally. Which I found totally normal because hello? We were in high school. But Dean and John attacked the idea, saying that if it didn't have anything to do with hunting then it was not worth experiencing. I remember Dean making a rude question about 'how in the hell could a marching band and a bimbo cheerleader save your life?'. I remembered hating him for it too. But I knew that he made that comment because there was nothing else he could say. He knew where his place was, just like Sam and I did, even though he wanted to go just as bad and we did.

"Please?" I asked again when the name calling finally died down. My voice was reaching a desperate edge. If they physically started fighting, I wouldn't be able to stop it this time. Dean sighed and backed up a bit. Unfortunately, he was still angry as hell and stormed off into the bathroom, slamming the door. I turned to Sam, who was looking for the car keys. They just needed some time apart. "Jesus Sam, give him a break would you?"

Sam rolled his eyes, realizing that Dean must have had the keys in his pocket. "Bullshit Andy. We both know you agree with me on this one. Don't side with him because he's your boyfriend."

Here we go with that again. "You know, you have to see where he's coming from Sam. He's the oldest. He has to have all the responsibility forced on him. He had to take care of you and me when John went out on hunts." I threw my hands up in exasperation as he headed for the motel door. "He still takes care of us if you haven't noticed!" I yelled as he shut the door.

I went to lean up against the bathroom door and heard the sink running. I knocked lightly. "Dean? Can I come in?" Nothing. I sighed. "Please? I've got beer and gauze." I heard shuffling and then the door unlock. He sat back on the tub as I came in and closed the door. "Hey baby." I said tenderly, kneeling in front of him. "You okay?"

Dean sighed and shook his head no. He cracked open the beer and took a long swig, handing it to me to do the same. I took a small sip and set it on the closed toilet seat. I un-wrapped the gauze and set the tape aside. I cleared my throat and stood up to soak a few washcloths in the sink. I leaned back down and gingerly placed a hand on his back. He was still pretty upset and angry so I didn't know of he wanted to be touched right now. When he didn't flinch or move away I started rubbing his back gently.

"You didn't hear all that did you?" Although he probably did. I had been screaming, the walls were thin and Dean wasn't deaf.

Dean lifted his head and I saw tears working their way past his eyelids. He was trying hard not to let them fall so he just nodded and didn't say anything. I knew this whole thing with his dad really wrecked his emotions. It was the only time I ever saw Dean get so upset.

"I'm sorry." I said softly.

He chuckled and rubbed his hands together. "For sticking up for me?"

"No, for Sam being an ass."

Dean laughed again. It was easier than crying I guess. A few stray tears would fall but Dean would never full on cry in front of me. So he sucked it up and let me wipe away the few tears that did fall on his cheeks and grab the washcloth to clean him up.

"I love you." He said after a moment. "And I don't know what I'd do without you."

I smiled and handed him the beer. "You'd never have any beer because I'm always the one who picks it up."

He smiled slowly and leaned in to kiss me gently. Nothing else was said all night. Nothing had to be.

0o0o0o0o

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hell house :D