Chapter 10- These Violent Delights Have Violent Ends

It had been almost two months since Max and Elliott Anders had left Bobby's house. Sam and Elliott kept in touch though. At first it was just after one or the other had finished a hunt, but it soon escalated. Now they were at the point of daily texts and calls. They talked about everything. From their exciting hunts to the mundane of what they had eaten that day. Max could obviously see there was something going on between his little sister and the tall Winchester, but let it be. After what Elliott had been through with the yellow eyed demon, he just wanted her to be happy.

"Looks like we're going to Nebraska again." Max threw the Omaha World Herold at his sister sitting across from him. They were at a small dinner in the middle of nowhere just fueling up after their latest case.

"Animal attack leaves two college students' dead. The bodies were found just off the local college Wayne State's campus. Nebraska Wildlife Officials are only able to speculate this was the work of a mountain lion. Though Nebraska has had mountain lion attacks in the past it is rarely seen so far from the state border-" Elliott read out loud with little interest. "Could just be an animal attack? She didn't want to go back to Nebraska. That was where the demons had held her captive, and she wasn't in a hurry to go back to the cornhusker state.

"Or, could be a werewolf." Max stated flatly before taking a rather large bite out of his bacon cheeseburger. She gave him a pointed look and waited for him to swallow the large mouth full. "It's a full moon. We only have two days before it moves on or we'd lose it."

"Alright. Let's go." Elliott sighed standing from the booth to leave. She stretched and cracked her back, still sore from the salt and burn they had just finished last night. Grave digging wasn't good for anyone's back.

Wayne Nebraska wasn't too far, just a short four hour drive. Elliott laid on her back, head on the empty middle seat while she let her bare feet dangle out the open window. She was almost asleep when their song came on the radio. Max smiled wide and glanced down to her quickly before looking back to the road. Reaching over he turned up the volume, the Beatles, Here Comes the Sun played through The Beast's speakers. Max and Elliott had heard this song a hundred times over. Their Dad had always said it was their mother's favorite.

"Little darling, it's been a long cold lonely winter," Max sung a large smile on his face thinking back to when he used to sing this for Elliott as a baby. She always zonk out before he could finish the song.

"Little darling it feels like years since it's been here. Here comes the sun," Elliott joined in. Her singing like it always had been was completely off key, no matter how hard she tried.

"Here comes the sun, and I say, it's alright." They sung together. Elliott didn't move from her position but looked up and gave her brother a smile as they continued to sing. "Sun, sun, sun here it comes. Sun, sun, sun here it comes. Sun, sun, sun here it comes. -"

They went on singing finishing the short song off key and smiling. Elliott sent a quick text to Sam about her brother being a sentimental dweeb before they arrived. That would be the last text she would send him in days.

The town was very small almost everything besides housing was on one main street. They pulled into the itty bitty police department and hopped out of the pickup. An older grey haired lady sat at the little wooden desk in the front, typing slowly on an old computer.

"I'll be with you in just a moment." Max coughed to hide his laughter at the old woman as she typed very at a snail's pace. Elliott rolled her eyes at him and gave him a pointed look. Although she also found it funny that the woman was just poking at the keys with just her pointer fingers, Elliott had manners and knew better then to laugh. "Alrighty what can I help you two with today?" The woman smiled sweetly greeting them happily.

"We're agents Gaiman and Pratchett," Elliott answered holding up her fake badge for the older woman to see. "We're with Nebraska Wildlife Services."

"We're here to examine the bodies of the recent animal attacks." Max explained badge in hand giving the old woman an alluring grin.

"Oh, what a tragedy. Those poor girls." The grey haired woman sighed sadly. The 'agents' nodded their heads in agreement. "Officer Dwyer should be able to help you out." The woman got up her little heels tapping on the tile as she disappeared behind the main doorway. When she returned, she was with an officer they presumed as Dwyer. Officer Dwyer was young probably around Max's age. The officer was tall but to Elliott everyone was tall, had scruffy dirty blonde hair that matched his unshaven face, and was displaying a small beer gut.

"I thought wildlife service's just left." The man furrowed his brow. Confused eyes narrowing on the agents.

"We are team B, actually." Elliott lied.

"Yep, we do a second report to make sure everything matches, and nothing gets missed. To rule out everything we can." Max added on to the lie smoothly.

"Oh?" Officer Dwyer scratched his head absently running his fingers through his dirty blonde locks unsure of the two, but not knowing any better.

"Yep, mostly just fact checking. We'll be out of your way in no time. Promise." Elliott gave him a soft smile and met his dark green eyes innocently.

He blinked at Elliott for a second before shaking his head. "Alright, yeah." He cleared his throat. "The town's morg is down the stairs. Connected to the station being such a small town and all." Officer Dwyer shrugged.

"Thank you, Officer Dwyer." Elliott offered politely. "We're sorry for any inconvenience."

"Just call me Andy. We're too small town for formalities, and no it's okay. Sorry if I seem unwelcoming. Just not use to this kind of thing." Officer Andy sighed. "-but I'm sure you see this all the time agents-" Andy hesitated waiting for their names.

"Maxwell Pratchett," Max answered then nodded to Elliott. "-and Agent Elliott Gaimen." Andy gave them both a nod showing them to the stairs.

"This is where I leave you to it. If you don't mind, I have a mountain of paperwork and terrified civilians to calm down." Officer Andy bid them farewell before leaving the way they came.

"He seem a little out of it or what?" Max quipped when he was out of ear shot.

"I'd be too if I were in his shoes. Officer of a ho-bunk town where nothing happens and not one, but two students turn up dead?" Elliott led the way down the stairs to the wall of metal.

"Well my money's on werewolf. Hearts the only thing that's missing." Max stated after their thorough examination of the two victims. He peeled off the latex gloves and disposed of them in a little trash bin.

"Looks like both girls were found just out on the edge of town, one near a public park the other behind the movie theater." Elliott informed Max reading off the clipboard in her hands.

"Okay. We still have some daylight lets interview families, then start a stake out." Max planned.

Interviewing the families turned out to be pointless. Nothing helpful whatsoever. The only thing they knew about the girls is that they were both students at Wayne State College. The girls had different majors, different friends, and had nothing in common. Unfortunately, the stake out didn't go much better. They took turns sleeping while the other kept an eye out. Max had to wake Elliott from her nightmares more than once. She was thankful he didn't mention it. It was embarrassing enough without having to talk about it. The sun came up and the two finally called it, driving to the nearest diner for a much needed breakfast.

"Well that was a total bust." Max complained staring sleepily at his syrup drowned waffles.

"-and we only have one more night of the full moon. If we don't get this right tonight, it's over." Elliott grumbled, she felt extra sleep deprived, because of the stupid nightmares. She only got maybe two hours of sleep all together.

"We got this Ellie. Just need to think this through." Max sighed watching his sister push her barely eaten biscuits and gravy away. Not in the mood to eat, she rubbed her temple to alleviate the growing headache.

"Okay." Elliott took a large sip of her coffee. "We know the theater didn't have any activity. That leaves the public park."

"-and the school." Max threw some cash down to the table for their uneaten meals before they started towards the door.

"You think the wolf is luring students straight off of campus?"

"Unless you got a better idea, it's out only lead." The moment they stepped out of the diner Max held his hand out expectantly. Elliott rolled her eyes before digging through her jacket pocket for the carton. She handed him a cigarette and pulled one out for herself.

"Last one I am sharing with you, ya mooch." She teased handing over her Elvis lighter, but not before she lit her own. Max almost never bought his own pack, finding it much more convenient to steal hers.

"Oh, come on Ellie. You know I am always losing mine."

It was a little afternoon when they pulled up to the college campus. Already knowing the two victims weren't in any classes together they just wandered around campus for clues. Both stopped when they came across a photo collage of both deceased students. Flowers and little LED candles set around it to pay respect to the girls. A laminated paper sat above it read 'In loving memory.'

A student not much younger than Elliott walked past them sniffling. She set down the purple-blueish stalked flowers that Elliott recognized as monkshood. After setting the flowers down the red headed student took a small step back, her watery eyes taking in the memorial.

"I'm sorry for your loss." Max spoke quietly, moving his hand to her shoulder. Elliott gave the pretty red head a sad smile in comfort as well. The girl just nodded and kept her gaze on the ground.

"Thank you." She sighed. "They were both such nice girls."

"You knew both of them?" Elliott questioned surprised, because according to their interviews the other day they didn't have friends in common.

"Yea. They both were part of the school's hiking club."

"Hiking club?" Elliott blurted out not even trying to hide the confusion on her face. How did she not think to investigate clubs and activities? The red head gave Elliott a warry look not sure what to say.

"Sorry." Max jumped in again. "Elliott's a new transfer student, I'm showing around campus."

"Oh." The girl smiled at both of them. "I'm Jennette, freshmen. Education major." She boasted.

"Elliott, sophomore. History major." Elliott quickly responded. "This is Max, my tour guide." Elliott noticed that Jennette's eyes were now dry.

"When they finally kill this mountain lion you should really consider joining the hiking club. We find all kinds of interesting wildlife and flowers. That's where I got these." She gestured to the monkshood flowers she had laid down at the memorial.

"You know I think Elliott would love that." Max gave the ginger a flirty grin. "You don't happen to have a card or a pamphlet for her, do you?"

"I, uhm-" Jannette licked her lower lip before nibbling on it. "I might have a pamphlet in my dorm..."

Max's flirtatious grin curled even more. "Perfect. Lead the way sweetheart." Jennette giggled and rose a brow suggestively.

Elliott opted to find a restroom while her brother followed the freshman to her dorm room. As annoyed as she was being ditched for her brother's flirty side quest, she wasn't all that bothered. Max and his 'not girlfriend' were so on and off lately she felt bad. Max may act like a man-whore, but he never finished the deal unless he really liked the girl and he wasn't in a relationship. Elliott also knew he and Jo had recently broken up, but she had seen them break up and get back together so many times she had lost count. Elliott had no faith in their current break up lasting. This latest break up had been over a fight, Max had been furious with Jo for hunting on her own. No matter who he tried to distract himself with he was obviously hung up on Jo.

Since it was such a small campus Elliott was done exploring and looking for any other clues in no time. She ended up waiting for Max to 'get the pamphlet' in the truck bed. About an hour latter Max strolled up to his pickup. Smirk on his face and hair disheveled, he handed her a pamphlet.

"There really was a pamphlet?" Elliott huffed jumping out of the bed of the truck.

"Hey, don't look at me like that. I'm just working the job." Her big brother smirked getting into the driver's seat as Elliott got in the passenger's side.

"Oh, yes. Doing the college chick is definitely working the job." She rolled her eyes. "There are faster ways to learn about the school clubs and activities." She wiggled her phone in his face. Batting the phone away he snorted and started the truck.

"Faster ain't always better." Max winked and Elliott's nose wrinkled in disgust. She didn't need to hear about her brother's sex life.

"Just reaping the benefits of the job." He chuckled as they drove.

"So according to this." Elliott flipped through the pamphlet trying to move on from the current topic. "Hiking club meets just outside that park we talked about."

"Also, Jen told me some of the hikers didn't stop doing the trails until the last attack. So hopefully the park will be empty." Max added while keeping his focus on the road.

"Oh, she's Jen now?" Elliott taunted.

"Shut up." Max snapped back only making her snicker.

They pulled up into the deserted parking lot next to the park and hiking trails. Elliott jumped out and slammed the door shut. The two made their way around to the bed of the truck. Lifting the latch to pull down the heavy door to the bed. Elliott gave Max a wide smile before pulling up plastic bed liner to reveal the hidden compartment. Their dad had custom made it himself. The original truck bed had been gutted and dismantled. Only to be put back together with the flat bed raised higher allowing the one foot deep hidden compartment. The Beast was a hunter's truck through and through. Both siblings smiled at the hidden arsenal before digging through it.

"Good thing there is no one around." Elliott observed before grabbing her glock.

"We can thank the paranoid towns people for that." Max let out an amused huff before checking the magazine of his own gun. "Jen- Uh Jennette- said the whole town has been scared to death after the last kill."

She couldn't help the way her lips curled up when he used the freshman's nickname. Before she could comment though Max had tossed her the small box of silver coated bullets. She rolled her eyes and loaded her mag.

The Anders family had quickly learned some important things about silver bullets. It wasn't like the old movies Elliott loved so much. The first time Max and their father had to use silver bullets they had melted silver they had gotten from a shitty pawn shop in Little Rock. Good think their dad was smart enough to fire a couple test rounds. He had discovered that pure silver was too soft of a metal to create a functional bullet. The pure silver bullets had little to no accuracy or worse had messed up the firing chamber. After a few more experiments Max had hypothesized that the bullet only needed to be coated in the silver to have the desired effect. This not only gave the bullets better accuracy but was a Hell of a lot cheaper as well.

Elliott loaded the mag into her glock took off the safety tucking it into her waistband. She felt her phone vibrate with a text notification. Knowing it was most likely Sam because she hadn't contacted him since the day before. It was very unusual for them, normally it was a constant back and forth texting even during busy hunts, to the point that it got on her brother's nerves. She was just tired and couldn't focus on the case and Sam right now. Telling herself that she would text him when they got back to their motel after putting down the werewolf, she ignored the message for now.

"I'll be bait." Max announced kneeling to hide his silver coated blade in his boot.

"No Max. You're not." Elliott stated matter of factly. She could almost hear her brother's eyes roll.

"Ellie, I get that you are a capable hunter. I do. Trust me I remember that ghoul from New Orleans." He chuckled before continuing. "-but I'm the oldest, which means I'm in charge." Her jaw ticked in irritation.

"Max." Elliott argued. "This bastard has been going after young women-" She paused pointing to herself. "-who are by themselves. I know you want to go all protective big brother on me, but this is the last full moon for another month. We don't have another choice. This is our last chance and it's not worth more bodies piling up."

The brunette groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose at his little sister's logic. "Why do you always have to be right?"

"One of us has to be." Elliott smiled triumphantly up at him teasing lightly and gave his shoulder a pat. "For real we've done this so many times before. It's a milk run. Don't worry so much, you'll get wrinkles."

"Ha, ha." He feigned laughter. "Let's just get this over with Bug."

The sun was starting to set, casting an ugly cat puke orange-pink across the horizon. Elliott set off on the trail camera in hand glock tucked in her waistband hidden from sight like the silver blade in her inner jacket. Trying to look like a student out taking photos of nature. She couldn't pose as a jogger because the work out clothing would have done very little to conceal her weapons not to mention she wasn't exactly comfortable wearing shorts anymore with her burn scars. Alone on the hiking path that weaved through thick trees, she couldn't even hear Max but knew he was following at a distance.

Time dragged on. It had been more than a few hours of wandering pointlessly snapping photos and the sun had gone down a while ago. She was worrying that they might have gotten it wrong and missed there shot when something caught her eye.

The small screen on the digital camera displayed the photo of the patch of monkshood she had snapped a photo of. She was admiring the color contrast when she noticed the two glowing dots in the background of the photo. It kicked her instincts into gear, senesces now on high alert.

Setting the camera down slowly Elliott kneeled in the dirt path pretending to lace up her boot. Barely hearing its approach, she readied herself. The werewolf lunged out of the darkness, but she was quick. Blade from her boot was gripped tightly in hand as she slashed out at it. The werewolf whimpered with wide eyes, pupils' in slits. It was a man she did not recognize. He looked down at the burning slash along his forearm in surprise before turning back to her, fangs bared and snarling.

The werewolf charged abruptly. Claws swung at her, but she avoided them easily. He howled in frustration when she slashed at him again. Slicing into his flesh a few more times before he heard Max quickly approaching. Elliott took the moment to stab the thing, but he turned last second and she missed. The silver blade now buried to the hilt in its shoulder. It let out a strangled shrieking howl before running off.

Elliott swore and chased after the wounded creature. Glock at the ready, now that her blade was in the beast's shoulder as he ran away from her. Not waiting for Max to catch up, needing to gank the werewolf before it could get away and slaughter anyone else. So, when Max called for her, she refused to slow down, needing to stay on its trail.

There was a small blood trail that led to a storage shed the size of a two car garage. Elliott followed it running in not even noticing her silver blade that lay in the dirt only a few feet away from the entrance. The blade that only moments ago had been lodged into the wolf's shoulder.

A single but bright bulb lit up the small storage building. Deflated beach balls, hula hoops, volleyball nets, and other objects used for outdoor recreation lined the walls. Before Elliott even knew what hit her, she was thrown into the opposite wall. A snap echoed in the shed as she slammed into the wall hard, her left arm and head taking the brunt of the force. Elliott's vision flashed white and pain radiated off her left forearm that now hung at an awkward angle. She cried out cradling her arm to her chest, but quickly looked up hearing the predatory growl from the other side of the room. The werewolf's lips curled up in a sneer displaying its large fangs.

Elliott immediately went to her glock with her good hand, but nothing was there. She hissed a curse when she saw her glock sat on the dirty ground between her and the fowl creature, directly in the middle of the room. She had dropped it when it had thrown her across the room. A shot rang out and Elliott looked up to see a bloody bullet wound sizzling from the werewolf's stomach, before noticing her brother holding his own gun. A loud furious howl bellowed from the creature. It turned to the new hunter that had wounded it, letting out a fierce growl before charging. Now that Max was on it, Elliott crawled forward to her glock with her left arm held closely to her chest. She was almost there, when she met resistance. Her foot caught in the damn volleyball net. Struggling harder to reach the glock, foot so tangled in the netting she couldn't get any further.

Max aimed his pistol for another shot this time aimed close range at its heart, but the werewolf was too fast. It grabbed onto Max's arm, slamming it into the wall until Max's hand was forced to let go of the gun. His other hand went to his jacket to pull out his silver blade. The werewolf snarled and caught Max's wrist as he went out to stab the beast. It gripped so tightly on his wrist that he whimpered and dropped the silver blade as well, now weaponless.

Elliott's struggled wildly. The fucking net caught her boot in a web, completely tangled, and she could only reach out so far. The glock was just centimeters away when the unthinkable happened.

The sound of ripping flesh had Elliott lose her breath. A gut retching scream ripped through her big brother's throat. Max hardly had time to look down at his chest raggedly ripped open and bleeding profusely before it continued to dig at his insides. The creature ignored Elliott's shrieks of horror as she watched it tare into her big brother's chest. Max's eyes were unfocused but looking in his little sister's direction as he sputtered and coughed up blood. Tears streaming down her face her wild struggles finally freeing her from the net.

Two shots rang out and echoed through the room. Both the werewolf and Max fell to the dirt floor. She dropped her glock, wasting no time rushing over to her brother's side, falling to her knees next to him. His dark green eyes were empty. Void of the usual mischievous spark they normally held. Frozen in a dull lifeless gaze. Elliott let out a sorrow filled ear shattering scream that ended in wet sobbing.

"No, no, no, no-" Elliott cried hysterically. Quickly she moved his head onto her lap. "I can heal you- I can heal you, I can heal you," She squeaked repeatedly. She placed a shaky hand on his upper chest avoiding the shredded flesh that was openly flowing with deep reds and browns and focused. She put all her energy into it. When noting happened her breath stared to speed up even more. Trying again she closed her wet eyes trying to focus, she pushed down putting more pressure on her hold but that only caused more blood to spill from his open chest. She continued trying to heal him for over twenty minutes before it sank in.

"Noooooo!" She screeched at the top of her lungs wrapping her arms around her brother to hold him close. The grief stricken shock was so overwhelming she could no longer feel the pain in her broken arm. Salty tears and blood coated her face and body as Elliott started rocking back and forth with her brother's limp body in her arms.

"Max?" Elliott croaked quietly before letting out a wet sob. "Max, please! I can't- you can't leave me. Please Max don't leave me-" Her voice broke again before sobs and wails took over any possible words. She just sat there covered in his blood holding him tightly while rocking back and forth for hours, maybe longer. After some time, her sobs quieted but the tears kept coming, her throat was on fire, raw from her screams, body shaky and numb. The hunter knew she was in shock but was too numb to care. She didn't think anything could ever matter again. Max was-

She was too numb to notice her and Max's phones going off. Tears slowing but not stopping as she stared blankly ahead whimpering. Time passed without her permission, without her knowledge. Minutes, hours, Elliott wasn't sure, nor did she care. Time wasn't important nothing was. Elliott knew she had been there for a long time, but what she thought was possibly a handful of hours was much closer to twenty four, when she was disrupted from her haze.

"Oh, fuck." A familiar voice broke the silence from behind her, although it sounded much further away. Like through a long tunnel. The feeling of two hands cupping her face made her twitch, bringing her to the surface of her mind. Although looking right at the man in front of her it took Elliott a few moments to focus. Shaggy brown hair, and watery hazel eyes full of grief and concern met her unfocused puffy eyes.

"Sam?" Elliott breathed so quietly he didn't hear it.

"Hey, hey, hey, Ellie. It's me. It's Sam." Sam comforted softly. His thumbs stoked her wet streaked cheeks gently wiping some of the tears away.

"I tried-" Elliott croaked brokenly. She pleaded as she clung to her brother's lifeless corpse. "I tried-but it didn't work!" Sam's eyes narrowed not understanding what the poor girl was rabbling. His brows furrowed and he glanced up to Dean from where he knelt. Dean was standing behind her on the phone with Bobby. Trying to tell the older hunter what had happened looked to be difficult for him as his gruff voice cracked and grief filled gaze darted from Sam to Elliott, avoiding Max's body.

"I tried!" She sobbed again much louder. Sam pulled her tear soaked face to his chest and held her as she sobbed. "I, couldn't heal him." Her words were muffled by both her sobs and his chest, but Sam still heard her. His face contorted in sorrow, heart bottom out to his stomach. She tried to heal her dead brother, he realized. He closed his eyes and held her tightly. Sam would never say it out loud, but he was thankful that she hadn't somehow transferred her brother's death onto herself, and he knew Max would have felt the same.

"Are, you hurt?" Sam asked gently pulling her back at arm's length to give her a once over. There was so much blood everywhere he couldn't tell if any of it was hers, but luckily, he didn't see any bite wounds. He noted how she was cradling her left arm to her chest as her other arm still wrapped tightly around Max.

Elliott didn't answer just stared blankly back at him with puffy red eyes. Sam could tell she was in shock and she most likely had broken her arm. "Ellie. Are you hurt?" He repeated slowly trying to get the blonde to understand, but nothing. She just kept staring blankly and gave a small shrug before she repeated her mantra over and over again of "I tried."

"'course, Bobby. I'll call you back in the morning." The older Winchester rumbled from behind her. Dean had a hard time looking at the mutilated body of his friend, so he kept his eyes on Sam and Elliott as he hung up the phone. "I'll clean up things here. She need a hospital?" Understanding Dean's words Elliott stiffened, head snapping around to meet him. Her hold on her deceased brother tightened.

"Don't you touch him!" She shouted venomously. When her left arm flexed to tighten around Max protectively, she winced and let out a whimpered. Now that she was lucid, she her pain was coming back. Her whole body aching from being in the position for so long and arm throbbing where it had broken.

Both Winchesters were taken aback by her threat but understood where she was coming from, both had seen each other die and knew firsthand the painful ach she was currently experiencing. They also knew she needed to get to a doctor to get what must be a painful broken arm fixed up.

"Ellie, I won't do anything you don't want me to." Dean crouched down speaking softly as if not to spook her. Elliott closed her puffy red eyes tears leaking out but she visibly relaxed. "I just wanted to put him in the car and clean up this shed." She opened her eyes to see green. Green eyes that were almost like her brothers, but they were wrong. Elliott hadn't noticed how similar their eyes were before. Only Dean's eyes were much too bright, Max had an earthy darker green rather than Deans apple green. She was pulled out of her thoughts again by the painful throb in her arm.

"Is that alright Ellie?" Sam softly questioned to the side of her. She hadn't realized until then that Sam was running his large gentle hand along her back in soothing circles. Elliott parted her lips to answer but nothing came out. Looking back down at her big brother before giving a small sob. She closed her eyes tightly tears leaking through as she gave him a nod.

"Dad had an old doctor friend not too far from here. I'll give him a call tell him you're on the way." Dean instructed Sam, giving him a sad expression before giving him an address.

"Come on Ellie, let's get you fixed up, baby." Sam murmured gently. Elliott hesitated eyes darting from Sam to Dean then down to her brother questioningly unsure what to do next, or how to move away. Not sure how to let go of her big brother.

As if they could read her thoughts Dean leaned in to take hold of his friends' corpse as Sam helped her pry her grip off him. Elliott couldn't help the quiet sobs as Sam got her to her feet and quickly turned her away from the gruesome scene. He led her out to the truck supporting most of her weight as he did.

Elliott didn't remember much after that. She remembered thinking the drive was too short, that they couldn't have gotten to the doctor's already. It felt like she was in and out of her own mind, not really even there. She remembered seeing posters of dogs and cats putting together that this 'doctor' friend was actually a veterinarian. The man still got the job done leaving her left forearm in a chunky white cast.

Before she knew it, she was standing in a motel with Sam. It wasn't the room that she and- she stopped the thought and swallowed the large lump in her throat. The giant Winchester had covered her arm in a couple plastic shopping bags and led her to the hot shower. Exhaustion hit Elliott hard once she stepped out of the bathroom, but she didn't think it was even possible to fall asleep right now. Not when her world had fallen apart, but she was wrong. It didn't take long at all. Elliott fell asleep in Sam's arms. The feel of his large hand stroking her back and the sound of his gentle shushing as he whispered sweet nothings to her, had her passing out in no time.

Dean was exhausted. He had to admit he thought Sam was overreacting when he asked him to drive to Elliott over an unresponded text message. He had originally laughed at his little brother's worry calling him a worry wort. It wasn't until a day and a half past with neither of the Anders siblings answering their phones that Dean changed his tune. Dean wished that he would have just listened to Sam's intuition. Then maybe Dean wouldn't be pulling up to the motel lot with his friend in the trunk wrapped in white sheets.

He was as quiet as possible. The bathroom light was on with the door cracked open. Keeping it dark enough to sleep but light enough for Dean to navigate the crumby motel. In the bed furthest from the door Dead found his brother awake laying down with the poor girl draped over him. She was thankfully sleeping off her exhaustion, head resting on Sam's chest. Elliott's new casted arm slung over him, fingers wrinkling his sleep shirt in her grip. Sam and Dean shared a silent conversation their eyes full of grief and worry. It was obvious what had happened. Like most hunters the life took Max. It was hard to accept, because it wasn't anything extra powerful, not a big bad, just a regular bad. Just like any hunt could end. It was an awful reminder and losing a friend to the hunt was nothing new to the Winchesters, but it didn't hurt any less. Dean's heart ached for his own loss but also for Elliott's. He sighed breaking eye contact with his brother before leaving to jump in the shower and get in his own bed, waiting for sleep.

Elliott woke the next day groggy and sore. Her head ached, eyes and throat were raw and puffy, and her left arm was throbbing. It wasn't like the books and the movies where the character had a blissfully unaware moment that was soon ripped away by remembering what had happened the day before. No, she knew. The moment she was conscious she was aware of what had happened, she felt her heart drop what was left of her it breaking further the longer she laid there. Cracking her sore and sleep crusted eyes open as if she could find Max standing in the motel room, chalk it all up to the worst nightmare ever.

Sam sat at the small table coffee in hand and a breakfast sandwich barely nibbled on lay forgotten in front of him. Turning to look for the other Winchester she stopped when the sound of the running shower met her ears. Her heart hurt. She wanted to go back to the numbness. This couldn't be reality. It couldn't be real, Max couldn't have- she didn't even think the word. Not her big brother. Her strong, fearless, protective big brother, that raised her. Taught her how to read, ride a bike, and how to fight like one of the boys. Her only family, she thought the realization hitting her like a punch to the gut. She was alone now, no Dad, no Max, no anybody. Elliott Anders was all alone. Silent tears fell down her cheeks as she just laid there. She didn't realize she had let out a whimper until the bed dipped behind her. A large warm hand rested on her shoulder through the blankets. Not responding Elliott just continued to stare ahead of her and gave a wet sniff.

"Hey, Ellie." Sam whispered, his large hand gave her shoulder a squeeze.

"He's gone." Elliott whispered back, saying it out loud somehow making it ten times worse.

"I'm so sorry baby. He was such a good man, a great hunter. We're all going to miss him so much, Ellie."

Elliott nodded turning to see her Giant. "What-" She swallowed. "What do I do now? Without Max-" Her voice cracked. "Without him I don't know what I am supposed to do? I don't want to hunt alone,"

"You think I'd really just leave you by yourself?" Sam questioned softly even though he was frowning at her. "You are not alone Ellie. I'm here, we are here. Dean and I aren't going anywhere." He scooted down to lay down beside her and pull her into his arms. Hugging her tightly her back against his warm muscular chest. Laying a kiss on the crown of her head. Elliott couldn't help but think yeah, you're here for now, but months from now she would be alone again. The Winchesters weren't used to hunting with others. Pushing the thought aside she would cross that bridge when she came to it, for now she'd just take it one moment at a time. Sam knew there were no words that could help so he just held her and hoped that it was enough for now.

Dean walked out of the bathroom and gave the two a sorrowful look. He was already dressed and was toweling his short hair dry. The bed dipped again this time in front of her as Dean took a seat. Then her good hand was in his as he gave a comforting squeeze. He looked up to Sam and told him to shower so they could 'take care of something's before heading to Bobby's. Sam hesitated but got up after he gave a soft kiss to the nape of her neck. They could hear the shower start but Elliott still couldn't find the energy to sit up.

"I'm so sorry sweetheart." Dean spoke softly trying to give the girl any comfort that he could. His words only seemed to create more tears as another whimper escaped her throat. Dean gave her hand another squeeze. "I know there is nothing I can say that will make this any better. Trust me. I know." He let out a long sigh before continuing. "When Sammy died? I was a mess, I-"

But that was all Elliott heard. That was it, she thought. Gears turning in her head. She didn't have to lose her brother. There was another way. She could see him again. The tears slowed as she mentally planed out her next move. Completely ignoring the older Winchester's attempts at comforting her.