So I had actually planned to wait a couple more days before getting this posted since I still have requests sitting in my to-do pile but I kind of just felt inspired and had to tackle this one first. This is a story that I've been wanting to do for a while now, as I'm a big fan of this type of tale. I won't go into details until the end of the chapter though, to avoid spoiling it, obviously.

Also, just to note, this is taking place after the end of chapter 21, End of a Reign, when Sam and Emma discuss going to California back at the cabin and the events of New York actually happening before she tells him about the collapsed hearts she saw in the newspaper. I know there was the tiniest jumping around in the timeline for dramatic purposes, but we're all set to go forward now. I figured it was easy enough to follow, but I wanted to point it out, just in case.

Chapter 30: To Live with Legends

When most people thought of California, the images that came to mind were usually sandy beaches with deep blue oceans, palm trees and the iconic Hollywood sign getting kissed by the bright rays of the sun. Honestly though, as one of the biggest states in the entire country there were all kinds of different biomes created by nature that consisted of the mapped out territory. One was just as likely to find a large forest or dry desert than a tropical paradise. It was the size of the borders of the state, allowing the space for all the different kinds of places there.

Yreka wasn't exactly a hot spot of activity at the start of summer. While there was tourism, a gold rush celebration at the start of June, it had passed a few days before Sam had arrived with his niece in tow. It certainly wasn't the kind of place where teenagers spent their summer vacation, not unless they were big fans of history and wanted to see all the historical museums and the like. Well, museums was a strong word, more like single-room buildings talking about trains, or a place where the settlers of the town had once lived that dotted the area. As it was, while the place didn't have a sleepy little town feeling, it certainly wasn't the biggest tourist spot either, more attractive to retired couples who wanted to see things older than they were, campers and hikers, and the occasional person who wanted to write a book on the local legends about the place.

Emma had adored it.

Sam had allowed her to drag him around several hours to look at the different attractions and enjoy the older feel of the place, many stores still having iron cast signs that had probably been hung up before he'd even been born. She'd even bugged him to teach her how to take pictures with her phone and played excited tourist, snapping shots of every single thing she thought looked interesting to collect information on plaques of historical spots in town, and grabbing several pamphlets of other places she wanted to later on.

He'd been surprised by her enthusiasm, having never seen her act like that before, until she'd explained it to him.

"Old stories about the area, and people who came here to settle the land over a century ago?" she asked him. "They're legends, just like the book Father gave me. Why wouldn't this excite me? Oh! Can we go here next?!"

He'd had to remind her of the hunt they were supposed to get started on, but promised her when it was done she'd be allowed to look around more, as long as they didn't cause enough trouble to get chased out by the cops again. Honestly, her excitement left her looking more like a normal kid than he had ever seen from her.

Actually, her actions had been… odd to say the least. Fervor had seemed to be the order of the day with her since they'd left New York, throwing herself into hunting with a wild pitch. On the way back to the cabin they'd stopped on the rumor of a rawhead in Ohio and when he'd been able to track it down, he'd hesitantly handed her a stun gun and told her to be careful, still worried about her aiming skills. Instead, she'd tackled the beast the second she'd seen it, fighting the damn thing hand-to-hand before grabbing a loose pipe in the basement they'd found it in and struck it so hard on the leg even Sam winced at the sound of bone shattering.

Apparently she'd decided aiming wouldn't be a problem if the thing couldn't move, and had broken its other leg to ensure it wouldn't get away before shooting it. As she beamed at him, proud of herself, he had to admit there were points for efficiency there but he would have liked it if she'd told him what she thought of doing beforehand, though he hadn't had it in him to scold her about it. John would have scolded him for not following the plan, and he would have just shot back that if it was dead, what did it matter? He didn't want to risk discouraging her while she was doing well. Back at the cabin she'd taken to her training with an almost religious drive, pouring over the books and practicing drawing symbols and protections from memory.

He had to admit she was working hard, but something about it seemed… well, fake. She seemed determined, yes, which was normal for her, but it was also the happy vibe in which she was doing it which just felt off to him. Then again, she had saved him from jumping off a roof and they were both still in grieving. It seemed like she was putting on a happy facade, but whenever he offered to talk about her feelings she was more than willing to discuss Dean and admit fully that she missed him and wished he was still with them.

Perhaps he was too used to her being moody and begging to be allowed to stick around, and actually being part of the family had just turned her attitude on a 180. Seeing her smiling and working hard was better than the alternative, so he accepted it and indulged her as best he could, promising her all the tourism she could handle. He almost wished they hadn't missed the Gold Rush event but figured it was for the best considering her strong aversion to crowds.

The hunt wasn't difficult, getting to the morgue to examine the bodies after asking around with the police. Posing as a visiting CDC doctor, he'd gotten inside and manage to convince them that Emma was an intern working for him, allowing him to bring the girl along to help him with the examination. The hearts had been sunken in, looking more like a collapsed piece of flesh than the muscle was supposed to. Emma had peeked looks around him while he worked, covering her mouth and just nodding along as he taught her what to look for. Little bumps along the muscle and tiny bite marks looking like holes had been documented from the original examination and when it looked like Emma might lose her lunch he'd decided they had enough information and headed out.

That along with a report of some people missing in the last week and accounts of sightings of strange bugs always at dawn led him to the theory of punegusses, insects from Siberia named after a legendary giant that apparently fed on people and had spawned mosquitoes after his death. They were nasty too, burrowing into people to suck them dry from the inside, and bred right around summer inside of dead human beings they moved by controlling the motor functions of the brain. Luckily fire was a big weakness of theirs, so it wasn't hard to come up with a plan. It had taken a whole day of searching to find the nest, an abandoned barn several miles out of town, with half-a-dozen bodies bloated to nearly about ready to burst. Knowing they didn't have much time before more insects were hatched, they'd poured gasoline everywhere, trying to keep as quiet as possible as to not disturb the ones currently resting during the day before they'd led a trail with the liquid and lit it up.

"That was gross," Emma grumbled, rubbing at her arms as the two of them watched the building burn. "Like crawling in mud and not allowed to shower afterward kind of gross."

"Yeah, not all jobs are glorious fights where you get to beat the monster to a pulp," he teased her. Just because he could, he ran a finger down her arm, and she yelped and jumped away from him, looking around wildly as he laughed at her.

"Uncle! Not funny!" she protested, but there was a smile she was fighting to keep contained and he could tell.

"Yeah, totally was," he informed her. "So, we should be good to head back into town. No need to leave too soon either. Want to stick around and enjoy the sights more? No reason we can't look around, see if we can find another hunt to head to from here later on."

Before she had a chance to answer, the sound of a vehicle approaching caused both of them to look up suddenly. They were in the middle of nowhere, but this was the time for people to explore the outdoors. Had the smoke and fire attracted someone's attention? He was just putting his hand on Emma to move her behind him when a vehicle pulled up, a shiny green truck that stopped a short ways away from them.

A woman with brown hair climbed out of it, dressed in cargo pants and a tank-top, pistol on her hip and a strap for a knife near her boots. Her age wasn't easy to tell, toned and built but the starts of wrinkles on her face. If he had to guess he would figure maybe approaching her forties, though it could have been less.

"Looks like I was beaten to the punch," she said as she looked up at the smoking remains of the barn. "Shame too. I was itching to try out the flamethrower I'd gotten for this."

"Huh?" Emma asked curiously.

"The punegusse," the woman stated as she approached them, casual and all smiles. Sam relaxed a bit, realizing they were in the presence of another hunter. "I guess you got to them first?"

"Yeah, just now. The clues at the morgue seemed pretty telling."

"I bet. Too bad a local girl is too recognizable to be able to slip in without raising awkward questions," she sighed. "Had to resort to just getting one of the attendants drunk at my bar before he told me what was in the reports. Oh well, as long as it was taken care of in the end. The name is Kate Briggs. Nice to meet you."

She offered her hand to shake, and while he felt a little hesitation considering he had an Amazon trailing along behind him, he still did so just to appear friendly but stepped in the way to prevent his niece from doing the same. Her wrists were covered, but he didn't want to risk it.

"Sam Winchester," he replied. "I didn't realize there was a hunter already in town."

"Winchester. Same Winchester involved in all the demons and weird going on's these last four or so years?"

"Yeah," he muttered. "Guess you've heard of me."

"I wonder if there's anyone who hasn't," she chuckled out. "Well, well, real-life celebrity in my own neck of the woods. Feel like I should offer you a drink. You know the Cygnus Bistro? Why don't you come by, get yourself some dinner there tonight? My treat."

Sam gauged the situation, thinking it over. He'd seen plenty of hunters that had turned out to be perfectly fine people, but he'd also met plenty who had been damn near crazy and violent. He felt cautious enough on his own, but it felt different with Emma in tow. He couldn't help but wonder if this is how his dad had felt allowing hunters near him while growing up. Still, she didn't seem to be giving off any vibes of danger, and it was an open offer he could always ignore.

"We could use something to eat tonight. Thanks," he said, figuring he could decide later.

"Great. Was nice to meet you Sam, and… I'm sorry. Didn't catch your name, sweetheart," she said with a smile at Emma.

"Emma. Nice to meet you too, ma'am," she said politely, but he couldn't help but notice she didn't move closer to her from just behind Sam's arm, picking up in the cue not to get too close. Once the woman had gotten back into her truck and driven off, Emma looked up to him curiously. "A female hunter?"

"Yeah. Why? You find that strange?" he asked her, but she just shook her head.

"Just never met one before," she explained.

He supposed he could understand a bit of wonder at that, considering what she was. There were still a lot of firsts for her to experience too, and a female influence might do the girl some good.

"Want to go?" he asked.

"I think so," she answered after thinking it over, though he noticed she tugged a little on the bracelets she wore around her wrist to hide her brand. "If you think it'll be okay."

"Wear a sweatband around it instead, just in case," he ordered. "Otherwise, you should be fine. Besides, I'm not sure how well known that symbol is. I don't think it should be too big of an issue."

Being careful was fine, but he didn't like how she seemed to be developing this fear of other people. Paranoia could be crippling if it was all-consuming.

Which is how they found themselves at the place later on for dinner. Despite being called a bistro, it was more a bar than a restaurant, only four tables in total for the place, and most of the patrons there were drinking with only a plate of fries or chips to snack on. Ordering burgers and sipping on sodas, mostly to keep himself sharp just to be safe, it was at least a relaxing atmosphere. Kate was behind the counter serving drinks, but she walked around it to check on them every once in a while, and then called back orders to someone in the kitchen.

"Go ahead and stay awhile," she offered, getting them refills on the sodas as she collected their plates once they were done eating. "We can talk after closing."

"She kind of reminds me of Garth a little bit," Emma noted, stirring her straw in her drink. "I guess she is nice."

"Mmm, yeah she doesn't seem so bad," he agreed, feeling that it was fine to wait for the other patrons to leave and chat up a little bit before heading back to their hotel for the night. Maybe Emma could even pick her brain on some places to go see while they were in town.

One by one the other customers trickled out until Kate went to the door to flip around the open sign to closed. Wiping her hands off on her apron, she called across the bar.

"William, when you're done in there come on out! We have guests!"

A younger-looking man walked out from the kitchen, a guy who barely looked old enough to be drinking much less working at a bar, walked into the front area. A shock of platinum blond hair was his most striking feature, though it was clearly bleached from the look of his pitch-black eyebrows above his downcast eyes. He nodded to them but didn't make eye contact.

"Is cleaning going to take long, honey?" Kate asked him.

"No. It was kind of a light night tonight. Should only take about an hour," he told her.

"Well, grab a pitcher with something to drink and glasses, then join us. I think we've earned a break tonight before closing up," she said before the two of them got settled at the table with the Winchesters. "William, this is Sam and Emma. They were the ones I told you about, beat me to the punch on that nest of insects."

"Hi," Sam said to him. "Food was great."

"Oh, thank you," he said, his eyes finally raising up to meet Sam's before lowering them again. They looked a little weak and watery under the dim light of the place, like the guy was going on only a few hours of sleep. He supposed the guy worked with Kate to help with hunts since he was in the know but hadn't been with her before.

"So, did you guys only come here for the job?" Kate asked curiously. "I have to admit, it's been a long while since anyone has come around town."

"Yeah. We saw the story in the paper, and decided it was looking into," Sam explained.

"Makes sense. You know, I've heard a lot about you, but the thing is the stories always included the two Winchester brothers," she noted. He supposed it was fair. Dean's absence was easy to notice considering all the years the two had been attached at the hip. "He working a job elsewhere?"

"No," he said simply.

"Ah, I see. Damn shame, from what I heard he was a fine hunter. These things happen though," she said. "I'm guessing you don't want to dwell on it anyway."

She spoke a little too easily about the subject, but he supposed in her time she'd seen the story play out plenty before. While her tone wasn't full of sympathy, he could appreciate her not dragging out talking about him.

"That does explain the girl though, since I never heard there was any apprentices with you two boys either," she noted. "Training the next generation to kick ass then?"

"Pretty much," he said, but didn't mention any more of it. Explaining the relationship would bring up Dean again, and he didn't want to hear apologies over his brother's death from someone he didn't know. "She's still new to it, but learning fast."

Emma blushed under the praise but didn't say anything.

Most of the night went by like that, Sam and Kate talking among themselves, and Emma went off to the corner to chat up William, probably more comfortable around someone her own age. The woman glanced over a few times at them, probably just as worried about the boy around a hunter Kate didn't know, as Sam was about her.

"It's his first time meeting a hunter?" he asked when she did it again, bringing Kate's attention back to him.

"Oh, actually yeah. Last one that came through here was before William and I got engaged," she stated.

That caused Sam to pause. He wasn't one to judge but the age difference seemed pretty apparent. He must have let something slip on his face because she shot him a look that seemed a mix between amusement and daring him to say anything.

"Guess you think a gal like me doesn't deserve some affection too?" she asked him.

"I… I didn't… Sorry," he settled on saying.

"Ah, it's fine. No worries. I suppose I get it. Spent most of my life on my own, but the longer you do this job, the lonelier it gets. I actually met him on a hunt, saved him, but his family was gone and he didn't have anywhere else to go. I told him he could stay here and we just found an affection for each other. We're actually getting married in a few months, on the anniversary of our meeting. Turn a sad memory into a happy one, you know?"

"I guess that makes sense," he replied. He'd heard of stories about the girl being saved being grateful and it leading to something. It made sense it could go the other way around too. "I guess he doesn't hunt with you then, since you came to the barn on your own."

"Oh hell no. He won't go near that stuff, not that I'd let him," she said firmly. "He's a soft guy on the inside, and things like that would tear him up. Besides, I've been doing this since I was that girl's age, and nothing has stopped me before. I can more than handle it."

"I've seen a lot of hunters doing the 'I work alone,' thing before. It's kind of dangerous," he noted.

"Pfft, the whole job is dangerous. If someone died alone it's because it meant they just ain't skilled enough," she scoffed gently before taking another sip of her drink. "I don't have anything against a group or someone who can watch your back, but it also brings about a whole issue of having to worry about keeping that person safe too. I, on the other hand, know I'm good. Nothing ever put me in the ground before, and I know I'm good enough to handle whatever comes. Got it?"

There seemed the smallest bit of a challenge in her words, as if she thought he was doubting her. Honestly, it came off as cocky but it wasn't his place to say so. It wouldn't accomplish anything and she was right, she was still standing. Besides, what was the alternative? She put an ad in the paper for help, or pull along someone she herself said wouldn't be able to handle it?

"That has to worry William though," he noted. "Does he ever worry about your safety?"

"Oh, William knows I'm good enough to be with him forever," she replied with a grin. "You want to test it? I play a mean game of darts."

"Heh, so do I," Sam replied before sighing. "Though, it's getting kind of late. I should take Emma and get going. Rain check then? We can always come by again tomorrow."

"Sure, sure. Sounds nice, actually. We should start cleaning up anyway. Time sure did fly. Feel free to come back anytime you want to. It's nice to have company that I don't have to keep my mouth shut around."

She saw them off with a laugh and Sam drove them back to their hotel, glad things had gone well.

"You have fun tonight?" he asked after they were both ready for bed. "You seemed to like that guy."

"William? Yeah, he was nice. Asked a lot of questions though," she admitted as she slipped under her covers. "I didn't tell him much."

"Questions like what?"

"Just how long I was hunting, how good I was," she replied with a yawn. "If I'd killed much before. Apparently he doesn't hunt himself, just lets her do it."

Sam wondered what exactly was a reason for that, either trauma over losing his family, or because Kate didn't want someone untrained to risk themselves in that line of work. It was probably both if he had to be perfectly honest.

"Well, good idea not to share too much, just to be safe," he said, though he didn't feel nearly as worried as he had been before.

Three extra days in town after their hunt had seemed long enough, and though it was someplace new, Emma had seen just about all of it now. As well as in town Sam had taken her to see some things, including the redwood trees. She had to admit, out of everything she'd seen that had probably amazed her the most.

She remembered just standing there and staring at one of the trunks, impossibly wide and so tall she was reminded of the skyscrapers she'd seen in New York. It had taken craning her neck and taking several steps back, and seeing the top was still almost impossible. It had been like standing at the feet of giants, like these were the things holding up the sky to keep it from touching the earth. Raw excitement had filled her at seeing the town, but those things had left her in awe, to know there were such enduring, strong things that had existed for ages before she had lived, and would continue ages on after she was gone.

The experience had been both inspiring and humbling all at the same time, leaving her feeling more than a little confused...

Then again, all of this had been confusing. Her emotions had been a mixed bag for her lately, how she felt about everything being so weird for her. She knew her uncle was sad too, even if he didn't talk much about his own feelings, but she knew better. She wanted to look happy for him, to kind of reassure him and make him feel better, and honestly it wasn't entirely untrue. When she'd first heard about her father dying it had crushed her, like she was going to die herself from the pain of it, but it was starting to ebb away ever so slightly. There were times like in town, where she could honestly feel joy, laugh and smile, only for it to eventually press on her she'd forgotten her pain, even if only momentarily.

She was trying to be happy, caught between faking it and it being real at moments, and guilt swirling inside of her for the real moments even as she told herself that she was supposed to be acting like this to help Sam. It was like it was all getting mixed inside of her and she wanted to vomit out all the emotions so she could just start fresh, because it was all getting so damn confusing for her.

It was the afternoon before they left the next morning, and she was out for a jog in the surrounding woods to get some exercise and try to clear her head. Sam was currently prepping for the trip out of town, sandwiches and drinks mostly, along with some local newspapers on where to go next. It was a tentative plan though, and they'd head back to the cabin if nothing came up.

It had been a kind of nice break all things considered, but it was time to get back to work, she reminded herself as she ran down a path along a lake. There was still training to do after all, and while the sights had been fun, she didn't want to take too much time away from what she'd been focusing on. It had been refreshing though… to allow herself to be… distracted.

Sam had been rather accommodating, letting her stay somewhere so relaxing. Well, aside from the bugs, but it had turned out to be a good hunt. It felt good to be successful, to do well in her family name. She still had to tell herself that she belonged here, that her uncle was proud of her and liked to have her by his side. She belonged, she earned her place…

Yet something still settled deep in the pit of her stomach.

Deep down you know you're broken, enslaved to people who will never love the same way you do, because you're trapped by your own blood's programming.

She grit her teeth and slowed down, stopping on the trail. Stop it, don't think about that.

You told them and they kept you, you'd know it was because they felt sorry for you. Not because you'd earned them.

"I already earned him. He picked me. He… he stayed with me," she hissed, the memory taking her breath away more than the exercising had.

It'll be better in the long run if you find your own path.

What had her father known? He talked so much about family, but she knew he was going to send her away. He'd never even tried to hide it. He honestly thought he was doing her some kindness, as if she could ever be happy without her family. Hadn't she pleaded with him enough? Hadn't she worked hard to at least earn the chance to prove herself to him? He knew she wanted to stay, wanted to be with them.

Her hands curled up into a fist, even as she told herself to stop thinking about this. It had been inside of her head since Blaise, her perfect memory not allowing her to forget, not allowing her to stop thinking about it, even as she did her best to appear okay and normal.

The Amazons left you out in the cold! They didn't want you, remember?

"As if you were any better, Father!" she yelled, rearing her fist back and hitting a nearby tree, bark and wood splintering easily under the force of it. She glared at the flesh embedded in it, but jumped when she heard a gasp.

Turning around wildly, her eyes widened when she saw William of all people behind a tree, watching her. Horror filled her as she realized he'd seen what she'd done, and no explanation was coming to her about it. As far as she knew most people couldn't punch a tree hard enough to get half their fist into it.

"I… I uh," she said, fishing for something. She'd talked to him a few times, going to dinner at the bistro every night, and he seemed a nice though curious person. What the hell would he do? Would he say anything? Should she get Sam and tell them they needed to run for it?

"You're… you're not human. I knew it," the young man breathed out.

"Look, what you saw, it's just-"

"YOU HAVE TO HELP ME!"

Emma was stunned as the man came out from behind the tree and grabbed onto her hands with his own, looking into them pleadingly.

"W-wait, hold on," she said, ripping her hands away from him easily. "What do you mean, I'm not human? I don't-"

"Your eyes," he said shortly. "Your skin around them is different."

"What are you talking… No, it's not," she protested. She'd have felt it if she'd ever changed during dinner, and she'd been especially careful around the hunter's bar.

"Yes, they are. Well, I don't think anyone else would notice. It's because I can see so well," he informed her quickly, his words going a mile a minute. "I can make out very small details, and your skin is just slightly… I'm not sure how to explain it, rougher. It's a different shade of red than the rest of your face. No one human can notice, I'm sure. But please, that's not important right now. Please, I need you to-"

"Stop!" she demanded to get him to shut up for a second. He actually shrank back as if she'd hit him, and guilt started to gnaw at her for it. She pushed it down, feeling she had more right to be scared in this situation than he did. "First off, what are you talking about? My skin is completely normal."

He sighed and glanced away, fidgeting a little.

"No, it's not. I noticed the second I first saw you," he told her. "It's red on your face, but kind of faded. It's like it's a different texture than the rest of you, but it's more subdued… Look, I can just see it, okay? I'm capable of seeing a lot more colors than most. Besides, I saw what you did before. You don't honestly expect me to believe you're human, do you?"

"I… I'm not… Look, what are you even doing out here?"

"I was following you," William told her simply. "You run really fast, you know that? When I saw you slow down, I caught up, thought I could talk to you and then… well..."

She glanced back at the tree and groaned. Did she and her uncle have to run for it again? He'd never let her hear the end of it.

"Look, I don't know what you are, but you're clearly strong," he said. "I need your help with something. Please, I… I just need you."

"Need me, for what?"

"A monster," he explained softly.

"Oh, well I guess I can do that. I'll call Sam and-"

"NO!"

The outburst surprised her, and she watched William closely as he covered his face with his hands and shook his head quickly.

"Please," he whispered through his fingers. "He wouldn't help. He'd never help. He's doing the same thing to you, keeping your prisoner."

Emma bristled in anger at the suggestion Sam was dragging her along against her will before it clicked in her head just what he'd said.

The same thing…

"William… are… are you like me?" she asked him softly. "Are you supernatural too?"

And then immediately kicked herself for being so slow on the uptake, because he'd clearly said 'no human could see it' and her frazzled brain clearly hadn't even noticed. She needed to pull herself together because that was just pathetic how slow on the uptake she was being.

She gently pried his hands down and he looked up at her, nodding his head slowly.

"I'm a swan," he stated softly.

"I'm sorry, what?" she asked, feeling utterly baffled here.

"A swan. I only look human and-" he said before she waved her hand to cut him off. She knew this story, about a god taking a form to sleep with a queen.

"Zeus?" she asked hesitantly. "Is that you?"

She really didn't think the king of her gods would come off so timid though, unless he liked to lure in his lovers like that.

"Zeus? Who in the world is that?"

"Uh, guess not. Never mind, it doesn't matter," she said, honestly a little thankful. As amazing as it would be to meet one of her pantheon, she didn't think she'd want Hera's wrath for the rest of her life. It was already messed up enough as it was. Though, how could this guy not know who that was? Well, maybe being a bird explained that… maybe?

Okay, now her head was just starting to hurt thinking so much.

"Alright, let's start over," she settled on saying. "You're a swan?"

"Yes, or at least I used to be," he said. "Once a year I can take my feathers off to be a human, but I need them back if I'm to become a swan again. My family and I come from the mountain, but one year while we were enjoying ourselves my feathers were stolen."

"Stolen? By who?"

"Who do you think?" he asked bitterly. "Kate."

Emma could only stare at him in shock, so he continued.

"She saw me, and I… I don't know, I guess she liked me. She took them and approached me when I realize they were gone and told me she had them. I couldn't live with my family like this, unable to fly or stay with them… So I had no choice but to follow her. She keeps me around to work and to… keep her company at night."

"Oh… oh gods above," the Amazon said, feeling sick to her stomach at the thought.

"I don't see other hunters much," he explained. "We never ran into them before, my family. We don't bother anyone, so why would they seek us out? When I saw you though, I knew you had to be the same, kept captive by that awful man. The things he must-"

"I am not his slave!" she snapped at him. She shouldn't even be angry at the guy for making the assumption. A younger girl traveling with an older man, and given his own circumstances, it did make sense he'd think that. For all he knew, that was the norm for hunters to catch things and keep them as some kind of concubines, but the thought of her uncle abusing her in any kind of way was so damn ridiculous and disgusting it made her want to hit the guy for even suggesting it.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she looked at him evenly. He needed help, and he clearly was hoping she could do something about it. Kate doing something like that was horrible, and what were the odds he'd find someone else who would even believe him, much less be able to help? Other hunters wouldn't be so sympathetic, she would bet her life on it.

Actually… would Sam be willing to help? She'd like to think so but his reaction to her when they'd first met had been less than ideal. It had taken weeks before he'd even really talked to her. Earning his trust had taken a while, and she'd been family. On the other hand, she'd been on a mission to kill Dean at the time, while William was completely innocent besides not being human.

Would that matter to Sam?

"Look, what do you want me to do?" she asked, feeling she should gauge the situation first before she made a decision. "Because if you want me to kill her I won't do that."

"I… I'd feel better knowing she can't come after me again, but she doesn't need to die for that," he admitted. "My feathers are locked away, and I've done everything I can think of to get the safe open. I think she changes the combination on it often enough that I can't just run through it randomly. If you could get into it though, I could take my feathers and just fly away. I was going to ask you to hurt her originally so I had time to try and guess the combination, but seeing what you can do, maybe you can just break it instead. I'll take them and fly away, see if I can find my family and we can just go someplace else. Please, I really can't stand it here."

"Was that your plan when you thought Sam was keeping me as a slave too, you fly off and leave me with the consequences?" she asked, not very impressed.

He flushed a bit but didn't say anything, though she supposed that was answer enough. Either he was a huge wuss or Kate had taken a lot of effort to break him in, and she didn't really want to ask about that. It was better just to ignore it.

She rubbed at the back of her neck for a bit, wondering this over. Going up against a hunter was dangerous, and exactly the thing she'd always been warned against. She barely knew William, but he was a victim here, kidnapped from his family and kept as a bed warmer and cook. He was a person, and Kate didn't have the right to him just because she was a hunter.

She probably thought it was fine, keeping him like a bird in a cage, all because he wasn't a human being.

"Alright," she said. "We'll do this tonight, after she's asleep. Sam and I are leaving tomorrow morning anyway. She'll never even know what happened. You show me where she keeps the feathers, I'll get them for you, and then you leave immediately."

And with a little bit of luck, it really would be that easy.

When she got back to the hotel, she showered and changed into her normal clothes, hesitating at her knife. Should she bring it with her tonight? It shouldn't come to that but… Best to be careful, right? Yeah, going in without a way to defend herself would be stupid. Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. Then again, her father's rule… never do anything to humans, ever. She wasn't allowed to defend herself, and she was technically the one starting a fight if she broke in.

She swallowed thickly before forcing herself to put the blade back. She had to obey orders, even from a dead man. If she had to, she could fight back just enough to run for it, but it shouldn't come to even that if she was careful enough. Surely that little would be okay, right?

The confusing emotions just swirled even more inside of her and she had to try her best to just ignore it, knowing how angry Dean would be at her for even risking exposing herself like this.

When Sam came back, she did her best to seem normal, smiling at him and agreeing to look over papers with him. Nothing interesting was on the radar though, at least that they could find. It would no doubt mean going back to the cabin then.

She didn't want to leave for the bistro for dinner again, but suggesting something else would look suspicious, both to Sam and Kate. She still had to wonder if her uncle would help, but there was already a plan in place and it would be better to stick with it. Besides, asking him to take the side of a supernatural creature over a fellow human hunter might not work out.

It was too big of a risk, even as the secret gnawed at her in her gut.

She didn't like keeping secrets from him, remembering being shown Mary Winchester's grave and promising she wouldn't keep things from him. Especially since that had been specifically about her running off on a hunt without saying anything.

But this wasn't a hunt, it was an escape attempt, and it was going to be fine if she could just keep her head together.

Forcing herself to act normal wasn't easy, and she ate with bites too big and too quickly, wanting to leave so Sam could just go to sleep and she could go. Sipping her soda to avoid conversation, she met William's eyes a couple times and did her best to look reassuring to him without giving any signals that would look weird. By the time they were back to the hotel room, she felt like a jumble of nerves, but wished Sam good night anyway and laid down.

The plan was simple, wait until two in the morning and then sneak out, meet William at the bistro and get to the safe. It was kept with the storage area up on the top floor according to him, so she'd get in, grab his feathers and then get out. He'd put them on, fly off, and she would get home, wake Sam at six and insist they leave then so as to have an early start. They'd be gone before Kate was even awake, all without either hunter knowing anything was even wrong.

Laying in her bed, she didn't even have to try to fight off sleep. She was nervous and scared, but very determined. Hunting was about more than just her family. It was about helping people too. This was the right thing to do, and she was going to do it. When it was time, she slowly eased herself out of the bed and went to the door, opening it slowly to decrease the noise as much as possible. Looking over her shoulder, she was glad that Sam was still asleep and closed it behind her to walk away.

The streets were completely empty so late at night, and she made her way down them quickly. Despite the start of summer, she hugged herself as she walked. This far up north could still feel cold after all in the middle of the night, though maybe it was more her nerves getting to her than anything else. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she picked up the pace, just wanting to get this done and over with.

The bistro's door was unlocked when she tried it, and she breathed a sigh of relief when William was waiting inside for her.

"You ready?" she asked him softly, to which he nodded. "Where's Kate?"

"Asleep in bed. I made sure she was… worn out," he explained, glancing away. Emma wanted to pat him on the shoulder or something to help him feel better, but she didn't think he really would want to be touched. Yeah, it was best just to leave it alone.

"Come on. Get me to the safe and we'll both be out of here soon," she assured him. He led her through the bar to the back where there was a set of stairs. They continued on past the second floor and then reached the attic. It was a lot of cases of beer, napkins and other such things. She winced at the sound of the floorboard underneath of her feet creaking, and they waited with bated breath for a full minute before risking going forward again.

"This is it," he said as he approached a large, black safe. It was nearly as big as she was tall, with a large brass knob and handle. She felt herself sweat a little as she looked at it.

"Uh… I don't think I can break this," she admitted.

"What? But you-"

"I'm strong, but that would be like breaking a bolder with my bare hands. I'm not that good," she said. "Look, I think I might be able to take care of the hinges if I had something to jimmy them with. You've got a crowbar or something?"

"I… Yes. Some of our supplies are kept in crates. I'll go and-"

Just as he turned around he froze up, and Emma turned to see what he was looking at, grimacing when she saw Kate at the doorway with a shotgun in her hands.

"Now how did I know that you were acting suspicious at dinner?" she asked with a frown on her face, pumping the gun. "Stealing from me? Here I thought you'd given up at this point."

"You don't have any right to keep him here against his will," Emma snapped at her. "He's not your damn pet."

"He's free to leave any time he wants to," she replied with a shrug. "He stays because he knows deep down he doesn't belong anywhere else. You see any chain on his leg? Now get away from that safe before I fill you up with buckshot. Don't think I won't."

Emma snarled but nodded, slowly inching away from it. Damn it, what now? If she could get close enough… but the odd of her getting shot were pretty high, and she'd rather not risk it.

"Is this something you do often? Kidnap people and make them work for you?" she asked, trying to get Kate talking.

"Not that it's any of your business, but no. He was special. Look at him, how beautiful he is. Anyone would be crazy not to want him."

"Too bad he's saddled with a crazy bitch like you. Couldn't get anything else to crawl up in your bed?"

Kate snarled and pulled the trigger, just as Emma rushed forward, grabbing her arms to force her to shoot up into the ceiling. It rang out like thunder and caused the Amazon's ears to ring, but she pushed forward, driving her knee into the woman's gut with enough force to cause her to double over in pain. Yanking the shotgun from her grip, Emma tossed it away and grabbed her hair to yank her head up. It'd be smarter to keep it and aim it at the woman, but this was a human being and minimum force was required here.

"Give me the combo to the safe, now," she ordered. This actually was going okay, they could still get out of here. She could do this.

She didn't see the taser until it was too late, snatched out of Kate's pocket and jammed right into Emma's stomach to send currents of electricity shooting through her body. For a second all she felt was numb until the pain suddenly hit her and she fell back to the floor with a scream. Everything was on fire as her body locked up, Kate glaring down at her as she continued to shock her. She tried desperately to call for help, but all that escaped her was another shriek as William pressed up against the wall, his face pale and scared.
Emma's mind was starting to go blank from the pain. She had to get up, fight this woman off, but she couldn't even move!

She was going to die up here. It was all she could think before a single shot rang out and Kate's blood sprayed out over the Amazon, the bullet having gone right through the woman's throat.

Emma stared at Kate fell to the ground and saw Sam standing there, his face hard and looking fierce. The female hunter gasped and writhed on the ground before he walked up to her, pulling the trigger several more times until she stopped moving. Emma could only lie there and stare at him, shocked at the look on his face, how… how cold it seemed. She didn't think she'd ever seen him look at anyone like that before.

"Uncle," she whispered out as he knelt down in front of her. "How did you..."

"You're not nearly as sneaky as you think you are," he told her simply before looking her over. "Are you okay?"

"Can't… can't move much," she admitted, still fighting to get her body to obey her commands. "You… you killed her. You… for me..."

She felt so in shock, she wasn't even sure she could process that. Sam just looked at her hard and didn't say anything. He'd told her before killing humans was sometimes what the job required, but another hunter for her? That was something to process.

"I certainly hope you plan on explaining what the hell you dragged her into," he said harshly before turning to William. With his gun still in hand, he certainly didn't look like he was going to go without answers.

In the end it took a while to get through all of it, both telling Sam the truth and before Emma could move again. She still felt stiff and in pain when they finished, and he hadn't stopped glaring at William the whole time.

"So what you're telling me is she nearly got killed to save you, and you didn't do anything to help her even as Kate was electrocuting her on the floor?" he bit out, causing William to shrink back.

"It was just supposed to be an in and out thing," she tried to explain, but he just glared at her too, causing her to shut up.

"Next time something like this happens, you tell me. Working a hunt on your own is one thing, but you don't go up against someone like a hunter without back up. That's stupid, even for someone experienced. When are you going to learn that your strength isn't enough?" he asked her, his disappointment hitting her harder than anything else could.

"I'm sorry," she replied back softly before he sighed.

"It's… it's fine. We'll take care of it. I'm going to get rid of the body. It needs burning, and it would be best to do it before it gets light out. You," he said as he rounded on William, "help Emma get the safe open and then leave. Don't be here when I get back."

The swan-turned-man looked like nothing would please him more, and he nodded his head silently. He helped Sam use a shower curtain to wrap Kate up before leaving and returning with the crowbar in hand, giving it to Emma.

"Sorry," he mumbled, but Emma was too annoyed with herself for her own mistakes to even find it in herself to say anything. The guy would probably just have stood there and let her get killed, but it was pretty clear he was a coward at heart. Whatever, she just wanted it done.

When the door finally gave way there were a few packets of money and documents in there. Emma decided to grab that stuff, feeling it was at least worth making it look like a robbery for the cops. Less for them to worry about later on. Inside was also a cloak, pristine and white, almost dazzling from all the feathers stitched into it.
"That's it?" she asked, but the way William took it and hugged it to his chest was answer enough. "Alright, guess we should leave then."

The sun was starting to peek up over the mountains as they stood outside the bistro. William opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but no words came out of his mouth.

"It's fine," she said, feeling like all she wanted to do was sleep for days anyway. "Just go and find your family."

He nodded his head and flung the cloak on over his shoulders, melting down in shape and size until there was only a swan at her feet, rather large but otherwise normal looking. Its wings beat at the ground for a second before it took off in flight, soaring away towards the mountains. Emma watched until the animal was out of sight before turning away and flipping open her phone to call her uncle so they could meet at the hotel room.

"Want to tell me what you learned?" he asked her when they were finally packed up and on the road again, driving east to get back to Whitefish.

"That stun weapons work just as well on Amazons as they do rawheads?" she replied before Sam leveled her with a look.

"No. Try again," his voice hard. Yeah, best not to attempt any joking here.

The teen girl watched the road ahead of them, passing underneath the Impala and taking them mile and mile away from Yreka. She thought about Kate, dead and gone, nothing more than ashes now. She felt a weight in her stomach, that her uncle who she'd first met by him holding a gun on her, had killed for her without any hesitation.

"I should have trusted you," she replied. "I should have believed you'd take my side over another human being. I guess I… I'm sorry."

"Emma, I told you that you can rely on me. I know lately things have been hard but I'm here for you. You don't have to force yourself to handle this on your own. If you-"

"Uncle… I'm… I'm not feeling okay right now," she admitted. "Can I just sleep, please?"

Sam didn't look like he wanted to drop it, but it was the truth. She was exhausted and she needed sleep desperately. Later on, they'd be better, could talk when they needed to.

It took the whole day to drive back and reach the cabin, and Emma slept almost the entire way. Helping get their things back inside, she collapsed on the couch while Sam took the bed that time. Actually, she wasn't still sleepy, but she had a lot she needed to think about, things that were getting to her. Sighing out softly, she got up and started to collect things she needed, peaking in on Sam to ensure he was actually asleep this time. Poking him a couple times and getting no response, she figured it was safe. Even then, she waited outside for an hour just to be sure that he wasn't faking it again. If he came outside he would see nothing but her sitting on the hood of the Plymouth.

Once she was sure it was going to be okay, she ventured further out from the cabin, into the woods. With a bowl and the ingredients in it, she grabbed a stick to draw the symbol she would need in the dirt and started on the summoning.

One sliced hand and some chanting later, Megaera the fury stood in the circle in front of her.

"Oh, it's you again," the demon said. "Who has wronged you, little Amazon?"

"No one," she admitted. "I… I needed to talk to someone and you're the only one I really know that might understand."

"I've already told you I don't offer remedies. I'm not interested in-"

"My uncle killed someone for me today and I can't even be honest with him anymore," Emma said earnestly. "My head feels like it's going to split open from how much thinking I've been doing lately, and there's no way he'll understand even if I tell him. He's not of the faith, not of the tribe, and he knows so little about me. Please, please just give me five minutes!"

The demon looked hard at her for a moment before sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

"Fine. What is bothering you?" she asked.

"I… I'm starting to get concerned with the morality of killing people," she admitted. "Actually, I have been for a long time. I've always understood that my father doesn't want me to attack humans because it could lead to me getting hunted. I'm not supposed to do anything to them, not even to defend myself. I… I know that's what he wanted, but that's so hard. My uncle told me that they would kill other people if they were doing bad things, but because hunters might find out what I am, I'm not allowed to do the same. Not only that, but I'm feeling like… like I should be elsewhere. My father would have sent me away, and the only reason he didn't is because he's… gone."

"My sympathies for your loss. You wish revenge for him then?"

"No," she said as she shook her head. "The one who did it is dead. There's no point. I just… The Amazons are so tightly knit, they need each other, but they left me. I need them, I need family, but I don't even know how badly such things can even affect me if I were to ever be left alone. I mean, I tried to leave once before when I was angry at my father but I came back the second I heard he was in trouble so I can't even know if I could have stayed away. I'm so lost in my own head. How am I supposed to tell my uncle any of this if I can't understand it myself? I feel sad without my father, but I'm angry at him too, because he never gave me a chance. I would have been fine earning his love, if he'd just allowed me to try. I hate that he's gone but I know if he wasn't I'd be elsewhere, that I only still have my uncle at all because my father died. But he killed for me… would he have actually left me? Is he only protecting me so much because he has no one else now? Does he need me the way I need him, only because my father is out of his life too?"

The fury crossed her arms for a moment, seeming to ponder it over.

"Emma, I was born eons ago, back when the planet was still forming, when lava flowed more than water, when the very forces of nature were fighting each other on the surface of this planet. I came from the blood spilled from Uranus, father of the Titans, whereas you were born from generations of human breeding conducted by a tribe created by a god that was the child of the child of said Titans. There are so many beings between us that it is unthinkable, and yet with the divine blood inside of you, you and I are closer to kin than you and that hunter you call your uncle. Yet you are with him, why?"

"Because he didn't send me-"

"Because you chose him! You chose him, and turned away from your sisters!" she corrected fiercely. "Just as you chose your father! There is a pulling of your blood, yes. There always has been for the Amazons and there always will be. You were born to a tribe begot by Ares, an unfavorite son belonging to a family of bickering, spiteful and vengeful gods. It is only their immortality that keeps them killing each other some days, instead playing with their favorite mortals and using them against each other. Do you find it so surprising that he went and put magic bindings in your blood to make sure his daughters would not do the same to each other, daughters who actually can die? No amount of confusion will turn that off, and you were more sure back then than you are now. You told me you went with them willingly. You are still willing to be with them, even if there is only one left?"

"I… Of course I am. I don't want to go back to the Amazons."

"Then I will leave you with two truths, Emma Winchester. Any who hurt others deserve their punishment as long as they are truly guilty, no matter what. Do not feel sorry for them, no matter what blood is in their veins. The second is this, that in all my years I have not found a single hero that did not have a flaw. Hubris, anger, sorrow and many others. You have found your obstacles, and no one can overcome them but you. The path you chose, the family you chose, it is not easy, but it is yours. Own it. Discard doubt and move forward, become stronger, and find the answers that are true for you. If your father's words hold you back, discard them to stay alive, or hold them close and die. That's your choice but you alone must make it."

"But I'm so confused."

"Then the answers you have are deep ones, and need the answer to come to you from actually thinking about it and not just using an answer handed to you," the fury replied. "Now, one last thing. DO NOT CALL ME AGAIN UNLESS YOU HAVE SOMEONE FOR ME TO PUNISH! DO I LOOK LIKE YOUR GUIDANCE COUNSELOR?!"

Emma took a step back from the fury, claws and fangs showing as her whole being seemed to radiate in anger.

"Uh… no, I don't think anyone would think that," she admitted hesitantly, to which the demon snorted and relaxed.

"Good. All deep philosophy aside Emma, one piece of advice, clean up your own mess."

With that, she was left alone in the woods, and the Amazon had to wonder if that had even helped her in any way.

End of Chapter 30

This chapter was honestly a bit longer than the others before it. This isn't the new standard. It's just there was a lot to cover and I didn't want to chop it up. Consider it a 30th chapter celebration.

The chapter was a lot of fun for me to write since I'm a fan of the magical animal able to turn into a person stories. Most of them happen with an animal married to a human, some because they're willing… though most… well, aren't. Yeah, there's a very messed up implication there, and it seemed worth exploring as a hunt. Well, kind of a hunt, but not really one. Either way, was still supernatural shenanigans going on.

As for Emma, man the kid just can not catch a break. It's not easy being a teenager, but dealing with this kind of life on top of it, and not having the most stable upbringing on what she's even allowed to do and it's starting to screw with her head a lot.

Poor Sam doesn't have it any easier. He's dealing with a very emotional teenager and he's trying not to be a drill sergeant, but when you encourage independent thinking it can lead to issues. He's never taught anyone, not counting the couple days he spent with ghoul Adam, and he's used to being the youngest of the family. These two are just struggling for the right answers right now.