Dean stayed in the car with Penny while Sam, Bobby, and Cas checked out the bar. He hadn't been this stumped by a case since Penny's. Ferrah was still trying to reach them through the radio, a part of him wanted to be angry she was still contacting his daughter but another part, one that has grown bigger, was urging him to intervene and help her. After they ice this bitch, he was going to have a talk with Cas. Dean tapped his phone anxiously in his lap. Sam said he'd call once he got inside but he hasn't yet. Penny looked bored out of her mind. She picked up her empty sandwich bag and placed it delicately on top of her head.

"Bored?" He asked through the rearview mirror

"I have to be careful." She said with a concentrated gaze into nowhere. What he would do for just a glimpse into that insanely random mind of hers. His phone vibrated.

"Sam? What's happening?"

"There are dead bodies everywhere. You got to see this"

"How, Sam?" He asked irritably

"Looks like Bobby found a vamp. Whoa, it has a spike coming out of its wrist"

"Like a wraith?"

"Yeah"

"So Eve's making hybrids now?"

"That's what it looks like"

"But why? What does she want with the—what do you call them?"

"Dunno. Bobby's never seen them before either"

Dean smiled "I got it. Jefferson Starships. Huh? Because they're horrible, and hard to kill"

"Right. Well, it looks like the whole bar has been turned into these-"

"-Jefferson Starships"

"Fine. But why are all the... Starships dead? What? Burned up how? Like the Flu?" Sam asked Bobby

"What the hell's going on here? Does every monster in this town have the motaba virus?"

Dean asked right as he saw two cop cars appear at the side of the road. "Guys. We got company. Move!"

But it was too late; a group of cops ran into the bar.

"Hands where I can see 'em!" He heard one of them shout from Sam's phone

"Damn" Dean started the car and moved a few streets over. He'd trail them back to the station.

"Daddy! You forgot Uncle Sam and Uncle Bobby!" Penny screeched in terror

"I didn't forget them baby, they're just going for a ride and we're going to follow them"

"Are they in trouble with the police?" She asked, her face was plastered against the rear windshield

"No. Don't worry. Come sit up front with Daddy okay?"

Penny climbed over the seat and dropped herself down next to him.

"I'm scared, Daddy" She whimpered

"It's okay" He said and stroked her hair back as he watched his brother, Bobby, and Cas get loaded up in the cars. How was he supposed to swing a breakout with Penny here? He couldn't leave her in the car and he couldn't take her inside. Dean ran a hand down his face and tapped the steering wheel with his thumbs. The cars passed his; he waited a few seconds and followed.

"Daddy, I'm scared! I want to go home!"

"I'm sorry." He said helplessly. He didn't know what to do. The part that was lying dormant in him began tear at him, you need Ferrah to protect her while you do your job! It shouted at him. He stopped a block from the station and shut off the engine.

"Penny, I want you to listen very close to me right now. What I'm about to say is very important and I need you to do exactly as I say exactly the way I say it"

Penny nodded sadly.

"First off, no more crying okay? Wipe your eyes"

She rubbed her sleeves harshly against her eyes and dropped them to her sides.

"We are both going to go into the station and get Sam, Bobby, and Cas. I need you to stay very low to the ground when we get inside, like hide and seek, so they can't see you. When the right time comes, I will point for a space for you to hide in and when I do, I want you to run into it as fast as you can"

"Like a game?"

"Yes baby, exactly like a game. Now here's what I need you to do next and it's tricky. Once you're hiding, I want you to do earmuffs and blindfolds."

"But Daddy, I only have two hands"

"Use your hands as earmuffs, and shut your eyes really tight. No peeking, okay?"

"Okay"

"Show me"

Penny clasped her hands over her ears and shut her lids so hard that they wrinkled from top to bottom; her nose was scrunched in for extra measure.

He had her repeat the plan twice before he grabbed a machete from the trunk and led her from the car quietly and snuck inside the station.

"J-Jefferson Starships!" He heard Sam yell once they made it through the doorway. The fight had already begun. Penny grabbed on to his pant leg but he just jabbed at a small space behind a desk. She let go of him, ran under the desk and crunched herself into a ball with her eyes hidden by her knees and her hands tight over her ears. One of the Starships had Cas against the wall. He sliced right through its skull, splattering cherry red blood over the front of Cas's coat, then he moved to the one that had Sam pinned while Cas took care of the other one.

"Dean, wait!" Sam yelled before he brought the blade down "We can use him"

Dean removed Sam's cuffs and handed him the blade. Penny was still crunched into a ball; she looked like she was holding her breath. Dean placed a hand on her shoulder and she shrieked. Her eyes were wide with terror.

"It's okay, you can come out now"

"Daddy" She whined and threw her arms around his neck "What's happening?"

"Shh, it's okay. Can you do just one more thing for me?"

"What's happening, Daddy? Were those monsters? Were those the bad things?"

"Penny, it's okay. Everything is okay. Can you do something for me?" He held her face in his hands so until her eyes locked on his. She nodded.

"I need you to close your eyes real tight one more time until I say it's okay"

"Are they going to get us, Daddy?" She whispered. Her whole body trembled in his hands.

"Nobody is going to get us. Baby, will you please just close your eyes? You're doing such a good job. I need you to keep it up by closing your eyes."

Penny sniffled and closed her eyes again.

"Great job baby, now just keep them closed" He lifted her up in his arms. Sam, Bobby, and Cas had already escorted the sheriff out of the room, probably into an interrogation room. Dean hurried past the blood and mutilated bodies on the ground before Penny could open her eyes again.

Sam was watching from the window as Bobby questioned the silver-bound Starship at knifepoint. Cas stood guard. Dean set Penny back down and took her hand. Her eyes opened automatically but he didn't protest. At least there was nothing to see here, and she was too short to see through the window.

"Well?"

"Nothing" Sam said

Dean sighed, "Okay, I'm going to sit this one out with Penny"

"I'll come with you" Sam said and took the lead into the hallway, gun raised and ready just in case.

Penny didn't say a word, her hand just closed tighter around Dean's as they walked.

"Want to wait in one of the cells?" Sam asked as they moved towards the jail portion of the station

"You mean do I want to traumatize her anymore than I already-" He started until he saw two boys bound and gagged in one of the cells. "Sammy"

Sam looked over and saw it them too. He lowered his gun and approached them.

"You're Dr. Silver's boys"

The older of the two boys nodded his head

"Alright, don't worry. We're gonna get you out of here, okay?" Sam reached into his pocket and pulled out the sheriff's keys. Penny's grip tightened again, his fingers felt like they were stuck in a vice.

"Daddy" She whispered

" Look. We're not gonna hurt you. My name is Sam. That's my brother, Dean. Those cops, they're not coming back… Ever"

"Daddy" She tugged at his sleeve and whispered louder. Her eyes were so wide, they looked like they might pop right out of their sockets

"What's the matter sweetheart?"

She didn't answer. She just stared wide-eyed at the boy while Sam ungagged them.

"What are your names?"

"Joe. This is Ryan." The older one says

"Hey Ryan, how you doing?" Dean smiled at the small boy who just looks away shyly.

"He won't talk, not since they came for us" Joe said apologetically

"Alright, listen Joe. We're gonna get you out of those handcuffs"

"No!" Penny squeaked loudly

"Penny, it's okay"

"Is that your daughter?" Joe asked with a slight smile

"Yeah. Penny, say hi"

She shook her head no and buried her face into the side of his jeans

"She's a little shy. It's been a long day. Um, but you understand what's going on around here, don't you?"

Joe nodded.

"So first we've gotta make sure you're you"

"How you gonna do that?"

"Well there's a few, uh, dozen tests"

"I'll take care of it" Sam said, "You just take care of Penny"

"No! No, Uncle Sam!" Penny removed her face from Dean's leg and reached out for her Sam

"Penny, I know this is scary. But I got this okay? Don't worry" He said softly to her and stroked her cheek "It's okay"

Dean waited for Sam with Penny in the hallway, strategically placing his body in front of the blood smears on the walls so she wouldn't see them, but it hardly seemed worth the effort. She hadn't said a word since they left the cell with the boys. Her eyes were wide and glistening brightly in the reflection of the fluorescent lights on the ceiling. He couldn't make out her expression, but it was familiar. It was the same look she had when he took her home for the first time during that excruciatingly long awkward car ride, back when she hardly spoke a word and would just stare.

"How're you holding up there, kiddo?" He asked in a tone admittedly too light for their circumstance

Penny didn't answer. She just fidgeted her foot on the floor and leaned back against the wall opposite him.

"Penny for your thoughts" He smiled

She shrugged slowly and looked away from him.

"A lot happened today so far. It's a lot to take in, but you're doing a great job. I'm real proud of you"

It felt like he was talking straight through her to the wall. She slumped down and sat on the floor. Dean wanted to cross and sit next to her, but he really didn't want her to see the blood so he stood where he was.

"After this, you know what I'm gonna do?" He asked with a big grin "I'm gonna get us the biggest pie I can find and I'm gonna split it right down the middle. You take one side and I'll take the other and we'll stuff ourselves to the brim. What do you say?"

No answer

"Do you like pie?"

Nothing

"Of course you like pie" He dismissed with a wave "You're a Winchester. It's in your blood"

She said something then, it came out in a whisper.

"What was that sweetheart?"

"I don't like them" She said a bit louder but he still had to strain to hear

"Who? The boys?"

She nodded

"Honey, they're just kids like you. They may seem a little strange but they're just scared. That little boy Ryan is too scared to even say his name, that's all"

"Can we go home now?" She made eye contact with him then, her hazel eyes pleaded at him helplessly

"Soon. I promise"

"I don't like it here"

"Got a couple of hungry human boys here. C'mon guys" Dean said leading the boys back into the front of the station. Penny wasn't talking to him, but she wasn't talking to Sam either, so Dean tried not to take it personal. She held Sam's hand when they all walked out together but let go when he started talking to the boys again. Then she moved behind his legs.

"So you two never heard 'em talk... about a mother, or someone named Eve?"

"It was just me and Ryan in there." Joe said with a soft shake of the head

"And your folks?" Dean asked

"Cops said we were next. He said we were food"

"You have any other family?"

"An uncle, in Merritt"

"Merritt, what's that, like 15 miles outside of town? Okay. We'll get you there"

"Dean, can I have a word?" Cas called over to him. Dean walked over to him but his eyes were stuck on Penny hiding behind Sam. She looked so small and scared, he wanted to help, he just had no clue how.

"We need to find Eve now" Cas said urgently

"Yeah. Go." Dean said, "Me and Sam just gotta make a milk run"

"We need your help here." He pressed impatiently. Dean was taken aback, he turned his head to face his friend

"Hold your water. We'll be back in a few"

"Dean. Millions of lives are at stakes here, not just two. Stay focused"

"Are you kidding?" He asked in disbelief although by now he wasn't nearly as surprised as he wished he could be

"There's a greater purpose here"

" You know what, I'm getting a little sick and tired of the greater purposes, okay?" Dean hissed through his teeth. "It was wrong in Minnesota and it's wrong now. It's too late to fix what happened with Phoebe, but you know what? I think what I'd like to do now is save a couple of kids if you don't mind. We'll catch up." Dean glared and rejoined the group. "Okay guys, let's go" He reached out for Penny's hand "C'mon" She gripped his hand tight between both of hers and followed him outside. Sam, Joe, and Ryan came after.