A/N: Warning: There are some slight spoilers for the first book of the Darkest Powers series by Kelley Armstrong. Also, there is talk about addiction and addiction in family members. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Please review and let me know what you think. Thanks!

Chapter 11: Creatures of Emotion

"When dealing with people,
remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic,
but creatures of emotion."
- Dale Carnegie

"Where are we going?" I asked. There were too many places things could hide. I didn't know how Bobby handled it, though I supposed he was used to it. Maybe he just wasn't afraid.

"We're exploring!" Kelly grinned at me. "Come on."

"We're going to get lost."

"No we're not," she said. "It's not that big."

I snorted. We were surrounded by cars. I couldn't see over some of the piles. "How many cars do you think are in here?"

"Tons. Fully working cars...probably a handful. I don't think the rest is countable." She looked around before finally stopping. "You remember our conversation?"

"Which one?"

"Zombies, and when we watched them drive off before, well, Famine."

I shuddered, remembering it. The idea of zombies still freaked me out. "Yeah, I remember."

"I...I warned them. I tried to warn them about Famine. They stepped right into it." Kelly's voice cracked slightly.

"Kels…"

"No, I...I should have done better! I should...I should have made them stay." She wiped her eyes and looked up to the sky.

"You really think that would work?" I asked softly. "Come on, they...if you told them everything, you think they'd stay?" I waited. There was nothing that I could say to make her feel better if she didn't realize it herself.

"No," she finally answered. "Not if they knew about all the people who were dying."

"Yeah, they're not the kind of people who can sit back and let things happen if they can stop it. That's what makes them...them, right?"

"Yeah. I just...I don't know if we're actually changing anything. What's the point of us being here if nothing changes?"

I thought about it. I wanted it to be simple. I wanted her to be right, for us to have a purpose so that we could get it over with and go home. "We have to be changing something. It's not like we're in the plot or Giles."

"But what's going to happen? I'm a little fucking afraid to see what else this place can come up with!"

"I don't know," I admitted. She had a good point. This world was terrifying. I wanted to go home.

We walked back in silence. Jane met us at the door.

"There is another." She didn't specify who but we followed her in. We passed the library where Giles was reading and Bobby was on the phone. Neither of them looked up.

We stopped at the iron door. Another chance to prove them wrong...or prove them right. I looked at Kelly who looked back. Neither of us made the first move. Jane stood by us, waiting. Finally, I stepped up and looked in.

A young girl was looking around the room. I couldn't place the age but she looked somewhere in her early teens.

"It's a kid," I said softly, turning to look at Kelly. "Like, a girl, a teen. You know any teens with blond hair and red streaks?" I was hoping she was going to say no. If she did, we could use it against the theory of us being Gatekeepers.

Kelly shrugged. "Not that I know of?"

Jane sighed. "Ask for her name. What is she called?" I looked at her. A simple solution...and yet neither of us thought of it.

I looked back in. "Hello?"

The kid turned to face the door. "Where am I? Where are my friends?"

"What's your name?" I looked back at the others and shrugged. It wasn't like I knew what to say. Especially to a kid who was probably scared out of her mind. Kelly rolled her eyes at me.

"Where's Derek?" The girl asked. "Or Simon? Or Tori? What have you done to them?" The names were vaguely familiar.

"Your name, please," I asked again.

"Chloe. Chloe Saunders."

"Oh! Right!" I jumped at Kelly's reaction and turned to her. "Chloe!" she said again. I stared at her blankly. She sighed. "Necromancer? From Kelley Armstrong's teen series?"

It took a second before I remembered. It was a book series that was based on her adult novels but aimed at teens. "Oh! Oh." Fuck. Another one we knew. I thought about the little that I knew about her. She was a genetic experiment and was basically kidnapped and forced into another trial.

"She's calling for the others. Has to be after the first book."

"So what do we do?" I asked softly.

"Let her out?" Kelly said. "Unless Bobby has bodies stashed in the immediate area, we should be fine." We both stared at each other before we ran for the stairs. I skidded into the library and Kelly crashed into me. We were already calling Bobby's name. He looked up, scowling as he hung up one of the phones and I realized we were lucky he was off it. We could have easily screwed something up.

"Do you have any bodies buried nearby?" Kelly asked quickly.

"Why?"

"We, well, the new one. The one in the basement. She can raise the dead. By accident!" Kelly exclaimed the last part. I nodded.

"Excuse me?" he made a face like he couldn't believe what we were saying.

"She's a necromancer," I said. "Powerful but a teenager."

"She isn't dangerous," Kelly added quickly. "But she's probably going to be nervous so stuff could come out by accident. So...is there?"

"Do I look like an idjit?" He asked. No one answered.

"Right," I stepped back, assuming that meant a no. "Okay, thanks." We ran back downstairs before anything else we said got us in trouble.

Jane was still at the iron door with her arms crossed, waiting for us.

A thought struck me. "Hey, do you think this is what's going to change? Like, it's still zombies, sort of, but...her."

"I don't know," Kelly looked like she was thinking about it. "Maybe? I'd definitely prefer hers because she can stop them."

"Do her zombie eat people?" I asked, unable to remember.

Kelly blinked at me. "I have no idea."

I stepped up to the door and stared into the view hole.

"Hey, Chloe? We're going to let you out. Don't worry. Everything is okay. We'll explain." I stepped back and looked at the door. "So, do either of you know how to open this?"

"Turn the handle?" Kelly snarked. I made a face back at her.

"Alright, you do it."

Kelly stepped up and tried to open it. It didn't budge. She moved back and motioned to me. I grabbed the handle and pulled. Nothing. Jane pushed me out of the way and opened it with one hand. I eyed her carefully as she stepped back. How strong was she?

I focused on the girl inside. "Chloe? Hi. I'm Michelle. This is Kelly and that's Jane. Sorry about this. Just...a protective measure. Come on, let's go upstairs. We'll tell you everything."

oOo

She was questioning us by the time we reached the top of the stairs.

"Are you from the Edison group?"

"Who?" I looked back.

"The Edison group! The ones who kidnapped them, sent them to the boarding house thing and were chasing them down." Kelly explained from behind her. "No, we're not with them."

"Those guys?" I sort of remembered them. "They were idiots from what I remember."

"So who are you?" She was watching us carefully. I led her to the kitchen. It had a table but it was conjoined to the library. I figured it would be better for everyone if we were all connected.

"Don't mind them," I motioned to the men. "Sit. We'll explain." I got everyone water and sat down. Jane remained standing by the doorway to the hall.

Kelly started talking and I watched Chloe. She seemed older than her age, something in the way she was frowning, but asking questions. She wasn't crying. She wasn't freaking out about this. I expected more of a reaction. It didn't make sense. Everyone seemed to be dealing with their arrival better than I was. How was it my luck that I was found by a demon first?

Chloe started crying. Kelly's eyes were closed. I instantly felt bad. I shouldn't have wished for it. That was cruel.

"The men have returned." Jane was looking out into the hallway. The front door opened and we heard voices talking quietly.

"Great," Kelly muttered.

"Who's this?" Dean asked as they entered.

"Guys, meet Chloe. Chloe, meet Sam and Dean. The two bookworms behind you are Giles and Bobby." Sam smiled and nodded as Dean raised his eyebrows.

"It's a kid."

"She's a kid, Good eye, Einstein," Kelly quipped. Dean gave her a look and she smiled back at him.

"She okay?" Sam asked and I looked towards Chloe. She was crying harder, sobs shuddering through her body. I looked around. Jane stiffened and turned slightly, staring into the hall again.

"Uh, Chloe?" Kelly asked, looking at Chloe anxiously.

"You hear that?" Dean asked and the room went silent. We all strained to hear the noise. There was scratching at the front door. I looked at Kelly in alarm.

"You don't think…" I swallowed nervously as she shrugged. "But Bobby said…" I saw the boys step into the hall and I took off running without thinking. I ducked under Dean's arm and put my back against the door. "Don't open this!"

"Why? Dean's eyes narrowed. I felt the vibration of the scratching on my back.

"It's a bad idea?" He did not look amused. "Look, Chloe's not...exactly normal." I tried to explain. "It's an accident. It's just because she's in shock."

"What's an accident?" Sam looked down at me. I forced a smile as the vibrations increased. I prayed it didn't scratch through the door.

"Raising the dead?" My voice went high.

"What?" They both exclaimed. Dean looked like he was going to turn and get his gun.

"Wait! We can fix it. It's fixable. Just...don't open the door!" They looked at me warily. "Do you trust us as Gatekeepers or not?" I snapped, finally reaching the end of my patience.

"Fine!" Dean rolled his eyes upwards. I looked at Sam until he nodded.

"KELLY!" I yelled down the hall. I could have left but I didn't exactly trust the strength of the door.

After a moment, the scratching stopped. I pushed off of it and headed to the kitchen. The men followed. Kelly was kneeling on the floor in front of Chloe.

Chloe wiped her face and sniffled. "It's gone. I'm sorry," she cried.

I motioned for the boys to check. Sam took out his gun and went to the door.

"It's okay," I said. I forced a smile as she looked at me. It was safe to say I had a new nightmare. I was never going to forget the feeling of the vibrations of a zombie scratching at the door.

"Okay?" Dean sounded incredulous. "She just raised the dead!"

Sam came back and nodded. "Just a dog," he muttered.

Kelly whirled on Dean. "She didn't mean to! It was an accident!"

"An accident? What happens when she does it on purpose?"

My eyes narrowed and Jane stood up straighter before moving closer to Chloe. I turned to the men. "Then it will be for a damn good reason. Knock it off."

"Michelle…" Sam's voice was softer than Dean's. I glared at him.

"No. She's just a kid. You're talking about her like she's something you hunt."

"She raised the dead!" Dean snapped.

"By accident!" Kelly yelled back. "Like you two idiots haven't done something stupid by accident? Don't be fucking hypocrites." The boys were struck silent.

"We're just looking out for you," Sam said.

Kelly rolled her eyes. "We don't need it. Not for this."

Dean sighed and left without another word, shooting a look at Chloe. Sam looked at all of us before he followed him.

"Stupid boys," Kelly muttered before she turned to Chloe. "Come on, let's go upstairs. You can clean up, hang in our room, whatever."

My skin felt like it was crawling every time I remembered the feeling of holding back the door. I didn't want to even try to sleep. I didn't want to see what my mind was going to conjure up. Instead, I stared at the stars. There were so many more here than back home. When I was lost, running from the demon, I stared at the stars while I rested. I only knew a couple of constellations. They were the same back home. It was a little comforting.

The door opened behind me. I heard the steps and I was surprised when Sam sat down next to me. He took a sip of his beer but remained silent. I glanced at him but stared back at the sky.

Sam broke the silence and startled me. "Michelle, I'm sorry."

"What?" I looked at him. "For what?"

"For everything. If it wasn't for me, you'd be home with your family. You wouldn't have to go through this." My heart ached at the thought. Sam stared at the ground.

"Sam, stop." He looked up at me curiously. "You can't just blame yourself." He opened his mouth, likely to protest. I held up a hand to stop him. "It's not like you knew."

"Yeah," he shrugged, "but…"

"Enough," I snapped. I turned to face him. "Jesus, Sam, if you want to blame someone then blame the angels who pushed for this to happen. Blame Lucifer who took out his daddy issues on the world or even God who left, but it's not your fault, okay?" I rolled my eyes and turned back to the stars. I felt his eyes on me. "What?"

"You're…" I saw him shake his head out of the corner of my eye. He took another sip of his beer.

"What?" I looked at him. He didn't say anything else and I was left to stew in my curiosity. I considered asking him how he was but I didn't think it would be appreciated. The silence didn't last long though. I wasn't sure if Sam just couldn't handle it since he was the one who started speaking again.

"How much do you know?"

"Huh?" I wasn't sure I heard him.

"How much do you know?" He looked like he wasn't sure if he wanted to look at me or far off into the distance.

"About what?"

"How the apocalypse started? About…" he ran a hand through his hair as he sighed. "About Ruby."

I snorted at the thought of her. "Do you mean the demon blood?"

He answered quietly. "Yeah."

I leaned forwards and rested my arms on my knees. I put my head in one of my hands and looked out onto the junkyard. "I know about all of it. She messed with your mind and played with your one weak spot - saving your brother. She came back when you were at your lowest. She twisted things. That's what manipulators do. They manipulate. You thought you were doing the right thing, right?" I sighed and looked at him. "People make mistakes, Sam, that's how we learn. You were a bit of an idiot about it, and you really need to work on your communication with your brother, but it happens. Move on. As for the blood…" I tried to think of how I wanted to phrase it. "Addictions are tricky things. Relapses happen. As long as you're willing to try and fight it, as long as you have a support system, then it's okay. You just have to keep trying. Things like that don't end easily. It's a constant fight."

He stared at me. "You sound like you've dealt with it."

"No," I shook my head. "But I know people who have." I looked back at the stars. "You're a good man, Sam, and you're trying. That's all that matters."

I thought I saw him swallow before he turned away. We didn't speak again, but Sam stayed out after I went inside.

"This is ridiculous," I muttered. I tried to step over Chloe. It was one more body but there were too many of us crammed into the small room. We needed to figure out the house situation. And fast. It had been days since Chloe showed up and I had a feeling we'd have more soon.

I stumbled on the bottom step of the stairs. I wasn't fully awake, but the remnants of my nightmare still lingered. I wasn't going to sleep again. Dean was passed out on the couch of the library. I stepped in as quietly as I could. I didn't want to wake him.

The book Giles was using to teach us Latin was easy to find. I sat down on one of the chairs and turned on one of the small lamps. I glanced at Dean who didn't stir.

The Latin didn't really make sense to me. It was hard to grasp when I had little exposure. Any experience I had in learning French in school helped, but I had been terrible at that as well. I didn't know how to pronounce more than a couple of words of Latin. Looking over it resulted in a lot of guesswork and conjugations. It was not long before I got bored and found a book in English about European monsters. It was far more interesting and I could recognize some of the beasts as things that had popped up in fairytales over the years. Some of them must have been literal warnings instead of a metaphor. That was interesting to consider.

"Michelle?"

I jumped at the sudden noise and turned. Dean was sitting up, blinking at me. "Sorry," I whispered. "Did I wake you?"

"No, just…" he wiped a hand over his face. "What the hell are you doing up?" He squinted at me and I was half tempted to turn off the light. His eyes would adjust.

"I.." I didn't have an explanation that didn't involve the truth. "Nightmares."

He nodded and stretched before finally standing up and heading for the kitchen. I turned back to the book. I was in the middle of reading about Chichiveches when Dean spoke again.

"You wanted to learn about cars, right?" I looked up at him in confusion before I realized what he was talking about. I nodded. "Give me five to grab coffee and meet me on the porch."

oOo

He took me out to what looked like an old Charger. It was rusted in some areas and looked like it had seen better days...a long time ago. I winced as he popped the hood, the sound of metal grating on metal made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

"Alright, this is the engine." He turned his head slightly to look at me. "Do you know how to check the oil?" I stared at him blankly. "Where to add windshield wiper fluid?" He asked, looking like he was hoping for a yes.

I shook my head. "I know how to drive and I can recognize the make, but I know nothing about anything on the inside. Seriously. I thought it was a win when I finally learned how to put gas in."

His head dropped and I watched his shoulders rise and fall with a sigh. "Okay," he said. "Got a lot to learn then. Let's start with the basics."

It felt like I was being tested. Dean had moved off to the side, watching as I tried to check the fluid levels. I wasn't completely confident but somehow it was easier to learn this than Latin.

"Hey, Michelle?"

"Hmm?" I asked, not looking up from the car.

"Who plays me?"

"What?" I looked up, confused. I hadn't really been paying attention, focusing on the car.

"Who plays me? On the show."

I turned back to the car and said the first name I could think of. "Danny Devito."

"What?" He sounded so upset.

I looked up at him and grinned. "I'm kidding."

"Oh god, it's some douche soap opera actor, isn't it?"

"That's pretty spot on," I said, thinking about the little I knew about the actor. "It's a guy who doesn't exist here, far as I know. He looks just like you back home. It's weird." I looked at the car and sighed.

"Can I ask you a question?"

I looked over at Dean and frowned. He sounded unusually serious. "Yeah."

"You said before you dealt with addiction in your family."

I stood up straight and turned to face him. "Yeah," I said softly. "I have." I watched as he seemed to struggle with what he wanted to say.

"I know it's not the same, but.." he ran a hand over his face, "the fear of them relapsing...that ever go away?"

I took a deep breath and leaned against the car. I had said that in an offer of comfort. I never expected him to take me up on it. "I want to tell you that it does, that there's a moment when everything goes back to what it was before it, but honestly, it's not that easy."

He nodded and looked away. "Yeah."

"I know it's not easy seeing it happen again despite how hard they tried, how hard you tried. It just feels like failure, over and over and you live with the fear that this is going to be the time they don't make it, that they don't come back." I crossed my arms over my chest and looked away. I didn't talk about this often. "It all depends on the person. They have to want to be better, to not look for the easy escape. It's a hard battle, Dean, for all involved."

"I just…" his jaw clenched as he took a breath. "The hold it has over him? The power he gets from it? We faced a lot…" he trailed off. "Monsters? I can fight them all damn day long. Sam on demon blood? I'm terrified."

"Yeah," I nodded. "They're running on the high and they don't see what we see." I was silent for a moment before I continued. "I think Sam's going to be okay." He looked at me. "I know what you're feeling, but Sam...he's trying. He seems to want to keep trying, to be better. That's so important, Dean. It isn't going to be easy or simple, but as long as you're there for each other, it'll be okay."

"You really think that?"

I gave him a small smile. "Yeah, he doesn't strike me as someone who purposefully repeats his mistakes."

"Who was it?" he asked. "For you?" I had been expecting this.

I wanted to turn around, to go back to working on the car instead of having this conversation. I had started it though. "My mother." I saw the surprise on his face. Everyone was always surprised. "It started before I was born. You don't see the problems when you're a kid and I...my sisters looked out for me. As I got older, I just got angry about it. She tried, multiple times, to stop, to be a proper mom. But things like that infect your relationships and my mom never really forgave any of us for either stepping up or being raised by them." I swallowed, trying to ease the tightness of my throat. "Don't get me wrong, I still miss her, but something I learned long ago was that you can love someone and still not like them."

"Sounds like you had a rough go of it," he chuckled darkly.

I raised my eyebrows at him. "Who hasn't? Pain isn't a competition, especially when it comes to family. I have good sisters. There isn't much I wouldn't do for them."

"Yeah, I get that."

"I figured you would," I smiled. It was silent for a moment and I turned back to look at the car. It was an opportunity to change the subject without falling into the awkward tension of telling each other too much. "Hey, Dean? I have no idea what to do next."

It took a few more tries and Dean's explaining before I started to get the hang of it.

"I'm starving. Come on, let's eat." Dean threw down the rag he wiped his hands with before he headed inside. I paused. Working on the car was proving to be a good distraction. I was so focused on making sure I didn't make a mistake that it gave me little time to think of anything else. I didn't want to touch anything without supervision though. It might blow up. My luck in this world was proving to only be bad. I followed him inside.

[tbc]