Twelve hours earlier...

12:10 pm

Rick could sense some level of awkwardness when he pushed open the locker room door. A few sets of eyes moved to him as he stepped inside after giving shift report to his replacement. He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket a couple times and he figured it was one of his buddies, wanting to grab lunch. The bald headed man opened his locker, unbuttoned his uniform shirt and untucked it before sitting down on the wooden bench between the two rows of lockers.

Rick toed off his steel toed work boots and thumbed his phone open, startled to see his social media account with several comments and growing. Something tightened in his chest as he read the update from ten minutes prior and all the comments underneath that.

The room around him was dead silent now and his blood boiled at the thought of Josie outing him like that. Stupid bitch had no place to go. She was gonna pay for this dearly and he pushed up and grabbed his keys and jacket before leaving the locker room, shocked whispers following his departure.

The bright sunlight and cool breeze did nothing to calm the beast raging inside him at that moment. Rick was seething with anger as he turned over his truck's engine before peeling out of the fenced in lot. He dialed Josie's cell number and it rang four times before going to voicemail. Nothing. He dialed again and again as he drove home, his left hand gripping the wheel tightly, his tense forearm muscles underneath the various tattoos and scars rippling with every movement.

He pulled onto his street and parked in the driveway, slamming his door shut and stalking into his home. "Josie!" Rick bellowed into the home. There was only silence and he dialed her number again on his cell. He could hear her phone playing its ringtone softly and he passed by the kitchen only to pause when he saw her phone, ringing on the countertop next to the coffee pot.

Josie's engagement ring was sitting there next to her phone and he swiped the items off the counter and onto the tiled floor beneath his feet. "Josie... you'd better hope I don't find you..."

spnspnspnspn

"Heya Sam," Garth's friendly voice came over the line and her eyes closed tightly as she leaned against the wall.

"It's me, Garth." Her voice was shaking and she heard him suck in a breath.

"Finn," He swallowed audibly and Finn slid down the wall to the ground, sitting cross legged, her hand on her forehead. "I guess they got ya."

"I'm safe."

"Finn, I tried callin' ya... I was so worried."

"Yeah," Her tone was dry and held a hint of bitterness. "He told me ya did." There was a tense silence and Garth didn't wanna imagine the consequences of his actions right then, but honestly, it was hard not to. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too. I wondered what in the hell you were ever doing with a jackass like that." For Garth to say anything unfavorable about anyone, Finn knew it was atrocious. "You deserved so much better that him, Finn." There was a sense of sadness and disappointment over the line. "You deserve better."

"But you were already taken." Was her weak attempt at humor and he smiled anyways; they'd dated briefly before she'd broken it off with him.

"You're too good for me, Garth. I love you and I want you to be happy, but I don't think I'm the girl to do it."

And damn it, Finn was right, much to both their chagrin. Garth had met Bess shortly after their conversation and they'd fallen in love. She was the proverbial girl next door and they were married a year later. Five years and a beautiful baby followed. Finn was truly happy for them and they deserved each other.

"Finn..." Garth's voice dropped some, sensing her upset. He sighed softly, not even sure what to say.

"I'm okay." Finn said quietly. "I'm with the Winchesters."

"At the bunker?"

"Yeah." Did everyone know about this place but her?

"I might come out and see ya here sometime soon."

"I don't know how long I'll be-,"

Garth was pissed off immediately, something that only she could pull out of him. "Cut the shit, Josephine. You stay with Sam and Dean. Rick will kill you if he finds you. I saw your social media account and that little message you posted." He took a deep breath. "I'm seriously worried for you..."

"Don't you think I know that?" She bit back a sob. "Garth, I can't invade their privacy forever here..."

"Give the phone to Sam." He sounded beyond irritated with her. "I need to talk to Sam." She rolled her eyes flippantly, hating him talking to her like she was a little kid. "I mean it. Give the phone to Sam right now."

Finn suddenly sensed someone to her left and was startled to see Sam standing there. "He wants to talk to you." She held out the device to him and he reached for it, sensing her upset.

"Garth?" He kept his eyes on her as he listened. Finn got to her feet and brushed by Sam towards the war room where Dean was undoubtedly still sitting. His gaze followed her as she stormed across the room and plopped into her seat. She wasn't sure who she was mad at, exactly.

Mostly herself, she guessed.

"You alright?" His careful tone stilled her and the blonde squeezed her eyes shut. "Finn?"

"He's angry with me." Finn's voice dropped and she held back a sob. Dean's brow wrinkled and he glanced at the hallway before looking back to the blonde across the table.

"Who, Sam?"

"Garth."

Dean knew his friend's easygoing temperament; he'd never once seen Garth waver from the happy go lucky ray of sunshine that he was. "Garth doesn't get angry. He doesn't even say cuss words."

That made her eyes open and she avoided his gaze. "Yeah, well, apparently only I have the ability to piss him off royally."

Before Dean could ask him what she meant, Sam returned to the room, thumbing off his phone. Finn dared a glance up at him and he frowned. "Finn, we need to talk." His tone was serious and she crossed her arms over her chest, leaning back in the chair across from where Dean was sitting.

"Sam-,"

The younger man closed his eyes for a few seconds. "Okay, I'll talk and you listen." He leaned forward and rested his large hands on the table top. "Garth is worried. We're worried. He thinks you're gonna take off and go back to your boyfriend."

"I'm not!" Finn's tone was indignant, her dark eyes wide.

"Well, he wants us to make sure you're safe, so that's exactly what we're gonna do."

"What, are you gonna lock me in here?" The two men exchanged somewhat apprehensive glances and she pushed back from the table and stood up quickly. Finn backed away from the table, bumping into the arm of the chair as she did so. She blinked back tears, shaking her head.

"No, we just think-," Dean began, trailing off when she turned heel and hurried out of the room with a sob. Sam gave him a hard look. "Damnit."

"Nice." The younger man's jaw tightened when he heard a door down the hallway slam shut, echoing out in the two storied room. "Real nice."

"What'd Garth say?" Dean leaned forward to rest his forearms on the table top. He looked up at his little brother expectantly. "Sammy?"

"He's worried she's gonna run right back there. Apparently, she's done this a couple other times, although she never ran far or took things to the level she did... telling everyone some of the ugly details behind the closed doors." Sam shook his head. "Dean, we can't leave her alone."

"Yeah, I figured as much." The older man yawned and glanced at the paper plates and empty beer bottles. "Why don't we just let her be for a little bit? I'll clean up here if you throw our laundry in." Sam nodded, a hand on his hip and the other wiping nervously down the scruff on the lower half of his face. "Sam." Dean looked at him pointedly. "Give her some space."

spnspnspnspn

Finn was pacing in her bedroom like a caged animal as she felt her chest tightening with anxiety and some sense of shame mixed with embarrassment. Her anger was misplaced and she knew deep down that Dean and Sam never meant to hurt her feelings; hell, they hadn't even heard from her in two long years. She'd called them on a whim, not even knowing if they'd even answer, let alone remember her. They'd never questioned her absence in the life and had graciously invited her into the place they called home without any pretense, only concerned for her well being.

Which was way more concern than she'd been shown in a long ass time.

Finn rested her hands on the cold porcelain sink and looked up in the mirror at her reflection. Her dyed hair made her cringe; Rick had always preferred blondes over brunettes and made his preferences known in a way that he knew tugged at her emotions, making her insecurities peak.

You know how much prettier you would be if you were a blonde?

While it wasn't an order, it wasn't exactly a choice, either. Rick would make off handed comments almost unconsciously after awhile and she knew damn well not to question them anymore. Finn had made the mistake of questioning him a few times and was rewarded with the back of his rough hand. She'd dyed her brown hair every two months, caving into a timid little girl who was eager to please him when he'd come home from work, making sure a hot meal was waiting for him in the dining room.

You're so perfect darlin', I can't believe you're all mine.

Somewhere along the line, Finn had lost her sense of self in this relationship. The first time she'd pissed Rick off inadvertently, he'd backhanded her immediately and despite her years of training, she never saw the stinging blow coming. All those years of hunting and she didn't even react to the stinging pain on her face, or the blood trickling down her chin from her split bottom lip.

You don't even understand how lucky you are that I take care of you in every way. Don't be so damn ungrateful, Josie.

Finn sat down, her hands trembling and her breath coming in little pants. She laid back a moment later on top of her unmade bed and rolled over on her side, her back to the door. Her hands slid over her mouth as she sobbed silently, trying to keep quiet as tears streamed out of her eyes. Her chest had tightened even more and she could swear she could feel her heart shattering into pieces for different reasons.

Garth cared. The Winchesters, who barely knew her, cared.

Rick said he cared, but if he ever truly did, he sure had a fucked up way of showing it.

Finn wiped her face with the tshirt she was wearing and sighed tearfully. Tomorrow was a brand new day. Tomorrow, she'd dye her hair back to her old, normal everyday brown that she hadn't seen in the mirror for so long. Tomorrow, she would face the world with a smile, even if it killed her inside. She was used to pretending everything was fine. Shoving it all down inside and bottling it up and marching on.

Yes, it would all be fine tomorrow.

spnspnspnspn

Sam suddenly remembered that Finn's bed didn't have sheets and headed down to the laundry room where he tossed he and Dean's dirty clothes from their trip to Nashville into the washer. He added some detergent and shut the lid before turning on the cycle. There were stacks of clean sheets in the linen closet and he chose a set before heading down to the room they'd given her.

He knocked quietly and strained to hear a reply. When he didn't hear anything, Sam reached out to turn the knob quietly, surprised to find the bedroom door unlocked. Finn was laying on her right side, her back towards the door. Her breathing was deep and even as she lay there on the bare mattress. Sam frowned, wondering if he should wake her up to put on the sheets.

"Let her sleep." Dean's voice startled him from the doorway. "She'll be fine for tonight." He saw his little brother hesitate. "I was thinking about making a run to the store for some groceries..."

"Tonight?" Sam glanced at Finn before moving his gaze back to his brother.

"It's early."

"Just grab some stuff. Not all crap food, alright?"

"You're no fun, Sam."

spnspnspnspn

Hello lovelies!

Shout out to SaphyraBlu13 and EmilyAnnMcGarrett-Winchester for your reviews on the last chapter. :) Hope you all enjoyed this one as well. Have a wonderful night!

CitrineMama