Author's Note: Hey guys! I'm so excited to get this chapter up to you all! I've been working on it for the last few days and I really like the direction this is all heading. I've got some plans in my mind I'd like to see play out, but things change chapter to chapter so we'll see! I'd love for you all to review and let me know if there's anything you'd like to see, or don't want to see. I'm always open for ideas! You can always PM me as well if you want to talk about anything at all! Love you all! Read and REVIEW!

Sam was the first awake as usual, Dean was still snoring in the bed, and Sara was hanging halfway off the couch, her face twitching slightly as she appeared to be caught in some sort of dream. He was worried she would fall off if she moved too suddenly, so he gently lifted her and placed her on his now empty bed. She subconsciously grabbed his pillow and wrapped her arms around it, snuggling into it taking a deep breath. He covered her with the blanket and moved to make himself a cup of coffee.

Dean snored on and off while Sam opened his laptop and began to research the woman Sara spotted last night. Dean slowly began to wake and joined Sam at the table with a cup of coffee.

"When did she leave the couch?" He asked noticing Sara was in Sam's bed.

"She didn't. When I woke up she was hanging off of it, I felt bad so I moved her."

"Oh. So what do you have so far?"

"Nothing, I'm just getting started."

"We could wrap this thing up tonight if we're quick."

"Yeah. If all goes as planned."

"Then what? Back to the bunker."

"I don't know Dean, she did pretty well… we could always see if we can catch another case."

"Maybe… lets finish this one first."

The boys continued with their morning routine, but mumbling from the bed caught Dean's attention. He watched as Sara twitched, slightly shaking her head. He nudged Sam and pointed with his eyes to the bed. Sam dipped the laptop monitor and watched intently. The word 'no' continued to be mumbled almost incoherently.

"Should we wake her?" Sam mumbled.

"I don't know… sometimes that just makes it worse."

Dean coughed loudly, enough that Sara's body slightly jumped, but went still as her eyes began to open. She frantically took in her surroundings before remembering she was in the motel with the boys. She took a deep breath and slowly reached up with her arm, wiping the sheen sweat off her forehead before sitting up on the bed.

When she did she met two sets of concerned eyes.

"Um… how did I get from there to here?" She asked pointing at the couch.

"I moved you this morning when I woke up, you were fixing to fall off."

"Oh. Thanks." She smiled embarrassingly.

"No problem." Sam nodded as he went back to his research. Sara got up, went to the bathroom to freshen up and then joined the boys at the table with a cup of coffee in hand.

"So." Dean began. "How'd you sleep?"

"Fine." She smiled at him. He nodded to her and she looked away- then he and Sam shared a look. She was lying obviously. But why?

"What's the plan for today?" She asked.

"Um. Find where that girl you saw is buried and torch her corpse." Dean answered.

"Like… dig up the grave type of thing?"

"Yup. Unless she was cremated." Sam nodded.

"Is it bad that I kinda hope she was cremated?"

"Yes. Because then its twice the work to find what it is she's attached to."

"Eh.. well." She shrugged.

"Okay. So it looks like we have Pauline Antoine" Sam said as he twisted the laptop around to face Sara and Dean. They briefly looked over the page of information that Sam had pulled up. Sara groaned as she read the details of the burial sight.

"Sorry Sara, looks like we're grave digging tonight." Sam smiled.

"I don't have to look at it do I?"

"It should just be bones by now." Dean reassured her.

"Yeah well I still don't want to see it."

"I tell ya what, if you'll just keep an eye out for the groundskeeper then Dean and I will handle the dirty work."

"That sounds much better." Sara smiled.

"Well, lets get dressed and go grab some breakfast. We'll scope out the cemetery so we can get in and out quickly tonight." Dean suggested.

"Okay. Do you two want the shower first?"

"Nah. You go ahead."

"Okay. I'll be quick. Promise." She said stepping up and grabbing her bag to take it in the bathroom with her. Once the door was closed Dean turned to Sam.

"So why do you think she lied?"

"I don't know. Maybe it was about last night and she's worried you'll judge her for it." Sam shot to Dean.

"No way. We talked that out last night after you fell asleep. She knows she did good."

"Well I don't know Dean, maybe its personal."

"Personal doesn't work well in our lives."

"Well we know that but she doesn't, and we can't expect her to just spill her guts every time we get curious. So just… drop it."

"Whatever." Dean groaned standing from the table.

…..

…..

…..

"I'll have a waffle, eggs scrambled, and turkey bacon please." Sara smiled as she handed the menu to the waitress, who then turned her attention back to Sam and Dean. Shamelessly she leaned forward on the table to take their orders, letting her cleavage plunge forward.

Sara couldn't contain her eye roll as she watched Dean's eyes wander, Sam looked briefly but then kept his eyes on the menu, ordering without looking up and sliding his menu down before looking up to meet Sara's gaze. She gave him a knowing smile and he shared a brief eye roll with her as Dean slowly ordered his food. Sam and her never broke eye contact.

There was something about Sam that made Sara feel very safe, comfortable. She felt like had the circumstances had been normal with their meeting that they would have hit it off and been friends regardless of all this life saving drama. … Maybe more than friends.

"Thanks." Dean winked as she walked away.

"You're gross." Sara quickly turned and shot at Dean.

"What?" Dean asked innocently.

"Tits Mcgee over there probably dangles those things in front of anything with a penis… please tell me you know better than to let it touch you. STD's are an epidemic ya know."

"Oh come on! She's just having a little fun. Who knows, maybe I'll get a little bit of special sauce on my plate." Dean said with raised eyebrows. Sara fake gagged.

"She better not put her special sauce on my damn waffle."

"Oh shut up, jealous much?" Dean taunted.

"Only in your wildest of dreams." She said with a face cold as ice. Dean's face fell slightly as Sam snickered at the second time that Sara has now knocked Dean back in his place.

Breakfast continued uneventfully and both brothers had finished their plate, watching and making small talk as Sara finished the other half of her waffle.

"So, did uh, last night give you any nightmares or anything?" Dean asked bluntly to Sara.

"No?" She shrugged, unphased by his odd question.

"Sure you uh, haven't had any restless dreams or anything?" Dean pushed. Sam kicked him under the table.

"No." Sara answered… her stare lingering a little longer. Why was Dean so concerned with her dreams? What business is it of his? Her nightmares are her own issues to deal with… she wasn't letting anyone further into her head then she had to.

Dean narrowed his eyes slightly to put emphasis on the fact that he knew she was lying to him. Then he nodded and stood.

"I'll meet you two in the car."

He walked off and out the door in a hurry after laying some cash on the table to cover breakfast. Sara was taken back by his sudden change in attitude. Her appetite fell and she put down her fork, sitting back in the booth and watching him out the glass window.

"What was all that about?" She asked not looking up at Sam.

"… Are you sure there's nothing you wanna talk to us about?"

Sara suddenly felt attacked under Sam's gaze. She crossed her arms across her chest and pulled her gaze away from Sam's. He sighed and realized he'd pushed to much. It was obvious that she knew that they knew about the nightmare, but she was persistent to deny it, this drove Dean crazy, but Sam was just more or less curious as to why she was acting like this. Sam was sure that they had been making progress, that they had been able to trust each other. Yet here she sat in front of them, shut down.

"Are you done eating?" He asked softly after a minute. She nodded. "Come on, we should head over to the cemetery."

She moved out of the booth and out the door, Sam followed behind her. Once they were in Dean's sight he looked up to them, Sam shook his head from behind her, irritated that Dean had brought the issue up again, because now she wasn't speaking at all.

Sara slid into the backseat and turned her attention out the window.

"Where to?" Dean asked.

"The cemetery." Sam answered shooting him a glare. He rolled his eyes but pulled out onto the road.

…..

…..

…..

The boys and Sara wandered the cemetery, looking for the headstone. Sam had asked the office for a map but unfortunately the records didn't go back far enough to expose the grave they were after, they were only able to exclude the newer areas.

Sara continued to push herself further from the boys as they walked, but Dean made it a point to keep her within eye sight. He slowly began to regret pushing the matter back at the diner, he didn't realize how quickly she had shut down on them. He wondered how long it would take before she came around, and if this was going to a regular thing.

Opening up is important on the job, you can't hide things form one another. If Sara isn't handling the case well then he and Sam need to know. If she's not ready, then he needs to know… just because she wants to be ready doesn't mean she is, at least not in Dean's eyes. He was almost angry at the fact that she would rather lie about this and push herself then just be honest him so that he could help her, protect her.

But in Sara's eyes she felt pressured, pushed, and like her privacy was being invaded. She'd lived her whole life as a lone wolf until Anna came along, it took months for her and Anna to get to that point where she could tell her anything. She just isn't ready to really let them in yet… for her sanity she needed to hold onto that part of herself, that part of her old life.

She needed to still feel like a person.

She continued to wander until the name on a grave caught her attention.

"Anna." She sighed. Not her Anna of course, but just seeing the name carved into stone made her blood run cold, her feet become concrete. Instead of continuing to walk and search, she sat in front of the grave and stared at those four small letters. Wondering what her Anna's headstone looked like… what words were written under her name.

Her eyes watered as she pictured Anna's mother bringing flowers, placing them perfectly in the ground, no expense wasted to make sure the flowers were lively and bold… just like Anna was. One tear slid down her cheek as she closed her eyes. Remembering the voice in her dreams, the voice that haunts her, that speaks about the way Anna screamed, that keeps saying 'I'm coming for you'.

"Find something?" A voice behind her called, she jumped.

"No." She replied weakly, coughing to cover the strain in her voice.

"We should uh, keep looking, we still have a lot of ground to cover." Dean suggested coming to stand beside her. She nodded and pushed herself off the ground.

"Sara." Dean called out, but she just kept walking.

Dean sighed as he watched her as she checked stone after stone, then his phone buzzed.

"Yeah?"

"I got it. Other side of the cemetery. Meet me back at the car."

"Okay."

"She talk to you yet?"

"No." Dean groaned.

"I told you to drop that shit man, now look where we are…"

"Yeah yeah." Dean mumbled before hanging up. He let Sara continue to wander for a moment before moving towards her.

"Hey, Sam found it. We'll come back after dark." He called out. Sara stopped and walked back towards Dean. Then past him, back towards Baby. She settled in the back seat and waited for Sam to join them.

…..

…..

…..

Sara sat on the bed, where she had been for the last few hours, burying herself in a book. Making herself unavailable for conversation. She knew that she couldn't keep this up forever, but she had taken it far enough she didn't know how to just… stop it. Act as if nothing had happened. So she sat and stewed in her silence a while longer.

"Okay, suns going down. Let's run through this plan one more time." Dean said coming in through the door. Sam closed his laptop and they both waited for Sara to join them, but she didn't.

"Um. Hello over there… are you going to be a part of this?" Dean asked her. She sighed and put away her book, then she climbed off the bed and sat at the table, looking up at him expectantly.

"Great." Dean nodded sarcastically. "So Sam and I will dig and burn, doing the dirty work. Sara I need you to keep watch for the groundskeeper. Sam is going to plant a distraction on the other side of the cemetery, should buy us plenty of time. But if anything even feels like it's going to look crooked then you toss us the signal and move back towards us. Don't be a hero."

Sara stared at him, taking in his words but not responding. Sam watched her carefully. He knew the longer this went on the worse the explosion at the end of it all was going to be. He was hoping to diffuse the bomb before it got to that point.

"Anything you need to know Sara? Or have any questions?" Sam asked her.

"Nope." She said popping the P.

"… Anything else you wanna say?" Dean asked her.

"I need to pee." She said getting up and walking into the bathroom, the door slamming behind her.

"Okay this is just ridiculous! We might as well leave her ass here!" Dean whisper yelled as he got closer to Sam.

"You started this Dean! You can't be mad at her for reacting."

"You can't tell me this isn't a little over dramatic!"

"It is, but what the hell do you want me to do? Jump in on your side and make sure she feels completely attacked by us? Great idea Dean! Then she'll never speak to us again!"

"Ugh! This is so stupid!"

"Well its your mess, so you fix it."

…..

…..

…..

The impala was backed into the woods on the edge of the cemetery. Dean and Sam were pulling out the shovels and salt, while Sara leaned against it, carrying a single flashlight in her hand. Her gun and knife however were tucked into her pants.

"Alright, Sara, make sure you stay hidden but keep your field of vision as open as possible, okay?" Sam instructed standing in front of her.

"Yeah." She nodded.

"Hey, don't let whatever this is get in the way of the job okay. If you need us, call out. If you see something, move back to us. Don't be a lone wolf on this one, okay?"

Something about Sam's words resonated with her, and the urge to lean into him hit her like a ton of bricks. But she resisted, more stubborn then her urges. She did however squeeze his arm briefly before walking away, letting him know she understood the importance of all of this right now. That she was trying… somewhere deep, deep down below her stubbornness.

She was trying.

Sam and Dean began digging. Alternating shovels full of dirt and throwing them off to the side.

"She talk to you?" Dean asked Sam.

"No. But she doesn't hate us."

"How do you know?"

"I just do." Sam sighed.

Sara's brain ran a thousand miles an hour. Flickering between her annoyance with Dean's pushy behavior, and her struggle with wanting to end this nonsense. How she just wanted for things to be okay between them all, but she also wanted to make sure that her privacy was respected. She thought things were going to be good between the three of them, she thought that this was going to be a good thing. Does this ruin all that? Or is she making a big deal out of nothing and subconsciously finding a reason to ruin it… not allowing herself to have something good in her life.

Is she really that fucked up?

She sighed and respectfully sat on a small bench in front of a grave, her fingers twiddling the flashlight. A cool breeze blew up her back and she shivered, but didn't think much of the sudden cold air around her. No, it wasn't until she heard the whispering that her stomach dropped and her breath hitched. She slowly turned around and came face to face with the ghost for the second time, except now she was alone.

She scrambled to her feet to run, but as she looked back, the ghost was gone, then suddenly reappeared right in front of her, grabbing her by the neck and lifting her into the air, preventing her from screaming. She panicked and flailed in the air, then she got an idea. She flicked the switch on her flashlight and began waving it wildly in the direction of the brothers.

The ghost threw her through the air until she colided against a large headstone, landing with a cry of pain.

"What the hell?" Dean said perking up as Sam was prying open the coffin. "Did you hear that?"

"No?" Sam shrugged.

"Sara!" Dean called out… but there was no reply. His anger flared, knowing she was probably still ignoring him, but he still worried. Something in his gut told him something was wrong. "Dammit! I'll be right back, keep going."

"What's wrong?" Sam called out, but Dean waved him off. Sam shook his head and continued with prying open the box.

Dean wandered through the cemetery, looking for Sara, occasionally calling out her name. But she was nowhere in sight, he was getting more irritated, but more worried with each and every step. A light caught his eye, he jogged over to it, when he discovered Sara's flashlight on the ground, but no Sara his anger left him and the worry took over.

"Sara!" He yelled. "Sara!"

He spun in circles frantically until he noticed on the edge of cemetery was the ghost, hovering above something. He ran towards it, shotgun up in the air, once close enough he fired, the ghost disappeared. Then he spotted Sara laying on the ground.

"Sara! Sara, come on sweetheart wake up!" He said as he tapped her face lightly, her blood staining his hand. She slowly began to twitch, and then all at once her eyes shot open and she pulled away from him.

"Whoa whoa whoa, you're okay." He said gripping her tightly.

"Dean!" She yelled pointing behind him, he turned in time to get hit in the face as the ghost smacked him and he flew to the side.

"Sara run!" He yelled back. Sara took off running full speed towards Sam and the impala.

"Sam!" She yelled as his lantern came into light. "Burn it Sam!"

Sam looked up in time to see Sara running towards him, then suddenly she fell to the ground as the ghost appeared in front of her again. He quickly dumped gasoline and salt in the grave, jumping out of it and throwing down a lit match. He watched as the ghost in front of Sara screamed, then disappeared for good.

Sara leaned back in the grass and breathed heavily, calming her heart rate.

"Sara, are you okay?" Sam said rushing over to her.

"Where's Dean?" She asked between breaths.

"Dean!" Sam leaned up and called out.

"Yeah, I'm good." Dean groaned walking with a slight limp back towards him and Sara. Sam picked Sara up off the ground and helped her stand, gently pushing her hair back to get a look at the cut on her forehead. When Dean popped up in the corner of her eye she saw his face cringe.

"Dean are you okay?" She asked softly.

"What the hell was that!" He yelled at her. She was taken back by his anger. "This is why you have to be open with us! Cause shit like this happens!"

"I'm sorry." She whimpered.

"You should have just told me you weren't ready! Not hid it from us!"

"Hide what Dean?!" She shot back pulling away from Sam and stepping up.

"The nightmare! If the other night freaked you out that much then you should have told us dammit! Not shut down and put yourself in danger!"

"Is that what you think?" She scoffed. "You think that I see ghosts in my dreams Dean?"

"Well I'm just putting two and two together." He said crossing his arms. Sara shook her head up and down and let out a humorless laugh.

"Well then I guess we should pack up and take my pansy ass back home then." She said walking back to the impala and slamming the door shut behind her. Once there she slid into the back seat and cried. Her head throbbing, her pride wounded, and even her feelings felt a little battered. She'd never meant to put herself or the boys in danger. But she wondered if maybe she hadn't dragged out this fight that she wouldn't have been in this position tonight.

"What the hell Dean!" Sam scolded him as they began packing up their things.

"You know I'm right Sam, don't fight me on this."

"Right or not, that isn't how it should have been handled. She's probably a mess in there."

"Good!"

"Good?! Are you all mad because she messed up or are you all mad because you were worried?"

"Oh shut up Freud!"

"I'm just saying, Dean. This is how you act every time you're scared. You don't have to admit it to me, or to her, but at least admit it to yourself so you can work this shit out with her. Or you're going to push her away… if you haven't already."

Sam gathered his things and threw them into the trunk, then he slowly walked to the back seat on the driver's side, popping the door and squatting down, watching as Sara quickly wiped her face in attempt to hide her tears.

"Sara, are you okay?"

She nodded in response.

"You should let me patch you up before we go."

"I'll be fine until we get back."

"Are you sure? Its gonna be a few hours before we're there."

"I'm fine Sam." She said with a tone of finality. He took the hint and squeezed her knee before closing the door and walking around to get in himself. Dean was the last one in and the first thing he did was turn on the radio before pulling out onto the road. Sara thanked God silently that the ride was only a few hours long, she couldn't wait to be back home. Even if home isn't… home.

Once at the bunker Sara was the first one out of the car, the first one grabbing her bag out of the trunk and the first one down the hall, slamming her door shut behind her. Sam sighed as he pushed open his own door. Dean didn't even bother, he dropped his bags and went for a beer.

The first thing Sara did was turn on the hot water and strip out of her clothes, scrubbing her face clean from the blood and dirt, wincing when she scrubbed to hard against the cut. She finished slowly and got out, looking herself over in the mirror, the cut would heal without stitches, and the bruises down the left side of her body would only be temporary as well.

…..

…..

…..

The next morning Sara pulled her hair into a sloppy bun and dabbed some fresh Neosporin on her cut. Her body was sore and slightly stiff, but she didn't let it interrupt her morning routine. She slowly opened up her door and looked around, hoping to avoid contact on her way to make coffee. Sam's door was closed, which usually meant she beat him awake. She quietly padded down the hallway in her furry boots and hoodie, her shorts exposing her legs to the fresh morning air once she made it outside with her coffee.

She pulled her sleeves down to her knuckles and her knees up to her chest as she sat on the edge of the concrete. The hot mug in her hands was enough to keep her body warm against the morning chill. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Dean rolled over on the bed, knocking a beer bottle to the floor. He sighed and rubbed his temples to dull his headache. He brushed his teeth to rid the taste of stale beer and changed his clothes, making his way out into the hall, then down to the kitchen for coffee. Once there he noticed Sam, sitting at the table.

"Her door was open, where is she?"

"Sitting outside. She likes it out there in the mornings. Usually she has one cup and comes back in, but she's been out there for a while."

"Are you going to go talk to her?"

"It's not me that needs to talk to her Dean. But I think someone should."

"If I go out there its only going to get worse. She doesn't want anything to do with me."

"Maybe if you'd go out there and apologize then she'd talk to you… talk to us. Cause incase you didn't catch on I think last night made it pretty clear that her nightmare wasn't just about the ghost."

Dean looked up at Sam curiously… with all of his anger last night he hadn't noticed her reaction to his accusation. Thinking back now he realized Sam was right. And if the nightmares weren't about then case then not only had Dean made a complete ass of himself but it also meant there was something else wrong with her. Something she was intent on keeping from himself and Sam. He sighed and rubbed his hand through his hair.

"Dean. Somethings wrong, and you're right. We need to know what it is incase it's important. We need her to talk to us, but jumping her isn't the way to go about it. Next time when I say drop it- drop it. She's still gotta long ways to go trusting us."

"Yeah yeah." Dean mumbled taking his coffee and making his way outside, once he opened the door he saw her, head resting on her knees, picking at her boots. He took a deep nervous breath and walked to stand next to her.

"I'm Uh. I. I'm sorry." He choked out uncomfortably. Sara tipped her head upwards, Dean blocking the sun from her face so that she could look him in the eye.

"I'm sorry too." She said softly. Dean nodded and handed her his coffee as he made his way down to the ground to sit beside her. She handed it back and he sipped at it.

"You did really good for your first case."

"Except for the whole getting my ass kicked part, right?" Sara joked.

"How are you feeling?" Dean asked turning and reaching up to rub his finger along her cut.

"I'm fine. Sore, but fine."

"When we go back in you should talk to Sam, he's got some stuff you can put on the bruises, help with the tenderness."

"Okay. I will." She nodded.

They sat in an awkward silence for a minute or so, until the urge to come clean became too much for Sara to bite back.

"It. It… wasn't about the ghost ya know." Sara finally admitted.

"What was it?" Dean asked. Sara sighed, she felt exposed. Uncomfortable. She had the urge to bury her face in the sand… instead she dipped her face towards her hands, closing her eyes hoping it would make telling the truth easier.

"I don't know. It's this voice in the darkness. It taunts me… talks to me about Anna's death. Tells me that it's going to find me, and that I can't hide forever."

"What?" Dean asked with concern. Every red flag in his head was on high alert. He quickly looked around checking their surroundings. Sara opened her eyes and took in Dean's change in composure.

"Dean?"

"Sara how long has this been happening?"

"A-a couple of weeks."

"Do you recognize the voice? Or ever get to see a face?"

"No." She shook her head. "Dean you're scaring me."

"Sara, Demons can communicate with you in your dreams. I don't think these are just random nightmares. I think someone's trying to find you."

"Oh God…" Sara trembled. Dean swung a possessive arm over her shoulder. "It's the demon that killed Anna isn't it? That- that means he's not lying when he talks about her. Oh God… Dean."

"It's okay, we got you." He said as he pulled her against him.

"Dean, he's gonna find me." She cried softly.

"No he's not sweetheart. I promise."

"I don't wanna be out here anymore." She sniffled pulling away from him. He nodded and stood, pulling her up and pushing her to walk in front of him.

"Sam!" Dean yelled as they got inside. "Sammy! We got problems."

Sam came around the corner quickly and his eyes fell onto a scared Sara and a defensive Dean.

"What the hell happened?" He asked coming down to Sara, putting his hands on her shoulders.

"Sara tell Sam what you told me." Dean prompted her.

"There-there's this voice in my dreams. And he talks about Anna, and he talks about how he killed her… and then he talks about how he's coming for me, and that I-I can't hide form him! I'm sorry Sam! I thought it was just a dream…"

"Okay, it's okay… he can't find you. You're warded Sara."

"How is he finding me when I sleep then!"

"I don't know… we should call Cas." Sam said as he pulled her in for a hug.

Sara's stomach rolled… not only were all the horrible things he'd said about Anna probably true. The way he tortured her, the way she screamed. But now he was coming for her. This was the first time since this crazy adventure started that she felt truly scared for her life.

"Cas! We need you." Dean yelled out looking upwards. Sam slowly rubbed his hand across Sara's back, calming her down. She hid her face against him, and had no urge to leave. She wanted to hide. To feel safe. She just wasn't used to finding refuge in people over space.

"Is something wrong?" Cas asked as he appeared in the room, taking in the sight in front of him.

"We think a demon is contacting Sara in her dreams, is that even possible with the warding? Can they track her?" Dean asked.

"Are we sure it's a demon?"

"No. Just our best guess." Sam answered.

"I don't know how to track the entity without her being in a dream. At that point I could try to tap into her dream, but I can't do that while she's awake. I can however check her warding."

"Is it gonna hurt?" She asked only slightly pulling away from Sam.

"No, not like before. You will however feel some pressure."

"I can handle pressure."

"Very well then." He said reaching out to her, he placed two fingers against her sternum and she felt the urge to cough, but resisted until Cas had removed his arm.

"Well?" Dean pressed.

"The warding is intact. She is not detectable, but there could be some link the entity is using to communicate with her in her dreams. I won't know this until I can access them."

"So, what. We wait till I go to sleep and call you?"

"I think that's best. Do not worry Sara. You are safe here, with these two men."

Sara looked up to Dean and Sam, nodding.

"I know."

…..

…..

…..

The day had gone by slowly… too slowly. Sara didn't leave the boy's side. Too afraid of being alone at this point. Sam and Dean tried to comfort her time and time again, reassure her that she was undetectable. But his words continued to float around her head.

"How do you kill a demon again?" She asked as she curled further into the chair in front of the fire place. Sam and Dean sat at the table behind her, exchanging glances.

"With the knife, or the colt."

"Right." She nodded, remembering the lesson Sam gave her.

"Sara, it's gonna be okay."

"He killed her, didn't he? This demon."

"Cas said it may not even be a demon."

"But you both seem to think it is. It was demon that killed Anna… why couldn't it be him."

"Even if it is him, it doesn't mean he can find you." Dean told her confidently.

"No, but it does mean the next time I close my eyes and have to listen to him talking about how he murdered my best friend that I can't convince myself it's just a dream."

Sam sighed, unsure of what to say. He knew there was no fixing that.

"Tonight, we'll call Cas. See if he can break whatever link he's using. Then you won't have to listen to it again."

"I can still hear him." She whispered.

"Let's us. Go out for dinner, huh? Get some grub. Get our minds someplace else." Dean suggested.

"Is it safe to leave?" Sara asked.

"With us, yes. I promise. We won't let anything get to you."

"Okay. I'll go get changed." She nodded.

Once she was out of the room Dean met eyes with Sam, who shook his head sadly.

"Well. I think it's safe to say she won't hold back from talking to us anymore." Dean shrugged.

"Yeah. But it doesn't do her any good to be terrified to walk out that door."

"True… She's really worked up over this."

"Wouldn't you be? I mean all this time she kept it to herself and talked herself into believing it wasn't real. And we just told her that it was."

"Why are we always the bearer of bad news?"

"Perks of the job I guess."

…..

…..

…..

Sara and the boys went back to the Mexican restaurant that they visited on her first night in the bunker. Sara swirled her chips in the cheese dip as she nibbled on them quietly. She wasn't exactly hungry, but ordered a quesadilla to munch on to keep the boys at bay.

"So, you want a margarita? Loosen up a little bit?" Dean offered.

"No thanks." Sara chuckled. "We're still not quite there yet Dean."

"Oh come on. You can't be that bad of a drunk."

"One day Dean. One day." Sara winked.

"You sure are a mystery Sara Atkins." Dean teased.

She shrugged playfully.

"What about the piercing?" Sam asked. Her face instantly went red.

"Oh, that's a juicy one. Your face tells more than you do." Dean laughed.

"Fine. You want to know more about me?"

"Yes." The boys said simultaneously.

"You tell me something and I'll tell you something."

"Sam slept with a demon." Dean quickly spit out. Sam turned to him in disgust and Sara's eyes went wide.

"What?!" She asked.

"Dean slept with an angel!" Sam shot back in defense, but Dean only grinned.

"Damn right I did… but then she tried to murder our parents back in the 70s. It got awkward after that."

"… Holy shit. You two are weird."

"Your turn." Sam said sitting back in his seat.

"I have six tattoos."

"Six? I've only seen three or four?" Dean asked curiously.

"The others aren't visible with clothes on." Sara winked. "Your turn."

"I… have died multiple times."

"Ditto." Sam added.

"How the hell are you two here now then?"

"Um. Dean made a deal to bring me back to life, and then Cas pulled him out of hell, and then we just got lucky a few other times. It's a long story."

"Wait. You were in actual Hell? Like…. Hell?"

"We both were. Purgatory too." Dean nodded.

"… Can you tell me more about that?"

"Later. Your turn." Sam said leaning in. "And I want to know about the piercing."

"You sure are in a hurry to lose ten bucks brother." Dean said lifting his beer.

"Wait, you two made a bet on where my piercings are?"

The both looked guilty for a moment.

"Fine. I bet you both twenty bucks that you won't nail it on the first guess."

"Deal. Belly button." Dean quickly shot out.

"Cough it up big boy?" Sara smiled. Dean's face fell, but his eyes wandered her body with curiosity. "Your turn Sammy."

"Hmmm… Well its not facial. Or I'd have noticed a hole by now. You don't have any extra earrings on, and its not a belly button ring. So I'm gonna go with Dermals." He smiled confidently.

"Dermals?" Dean asked confused.

"Its piercings placed under the skin, you put them practically anywhere. Most girls go with their back, or the cleavage."

"Nice guess." Sara nodded. Sam sat back confidently, until she reached out her hand for his cash. His face fell.

"Oh come on!" Dean said with excitement.

"You really want to know?" She asked with a shy smile.

"Yes. I'm thoroughly intrigued." Sam said handing over the cash.

"Yeah, yeah me too." Dean said leaning in. Sara giggled and hid her face as it went red.

"Okay, but I was drunk, and Anna did it, and made me do it too! It was NOT my idea, and I wouldn't have gone through with it sober."

"Where the hell is it?"

"It's not it… it's them. Two of them to be exact." She mumbled quietly. Sam's eyebrows shot up in surprise and Dean looked confused, until his eyes wandered to her breasts, then he smiled widely.

"Oh. Nice." He said nodding.

"Yeah yeah…"

"Did it hurt?" Sam asked with a slight cringe.

"Like a bitch. Even drunk."

"Wow, Sara's a wild child." Dean smiled.

"No, Sara is just highly influential when drunk."

"Why don't you get drunk and I'll be the judge of that."

"Sorry Dean. Not tonight."

"So tell us something else." Sam said sitting back.

"Umm.. I don't know? What do you wanna know?"

"Favorite book."

"That's so boring." Dean said rolling his eyes. Sam elbowed him and motioned for Sara to answer.

"Um. Its not really one book, but there is this author I used to really love. Her name is Ellen Hopkins. She writes these gritty, harsh, violent, and explicit stories about what people struggle with. I used to read them a lot in high school, and in college. Her style is so different and her stories are just. Heartbreaking. Its real life drama and angst, and I don't know… I guess I like having a reminder that someone else's life was harder than mine."

"Wow, I'll have to look into those."

"Nah, they would bore you."

"You'd be surprised. This guy reads for fun." Dean said with a shrug and a drink of his beer.

"Well. Make sure you read the Crank story in order. Those are about the author's daughter."

"Will do."

"What about you Dean. Favorite band?"

"Oh. Tough one… I'd probably have to choose Zepp."

"Nice." Sara nodded. "What else you got while we're being open books?"

"Um. You don't have to answer this one… but didn't you say you got that gun from a boyfriend? A boyfriend that you ended up needing a gun for." Sam said slowly, gauging her reaction.

"Wow. You two pick up on everything huh?" She chuckled uncomfortably.

"Sorry, I don't mean to pry."

"No. Its uh. It's okay… I think we can all agree that me not telling you things didn't work out well. So this is good practice for being honest."

"That's one way to look at it, yeah." Sam nodded. Dean leaned in to listen carefully.

"Um. I started dating this guy in college. He was a cop. Was with him for a year or so through graduation and getting my first job. Things were going pretty well, but he uh. Got in trouble on the job, and he got laid off. And then he got drunk. A lot. And then he hit me. As soon as Anna saw the bruise she knew what had happened, she moved all my stuff out while he was out one day and then let me live with her. The guy went kinda crazy. Stalker crazy. But. He got arrested and I haven't seen him since."

"Wow."

"How many times did he hit you?"

"Just a few… at first it was shoving and pushing and just. Verbal. But one night he just threw this punch out of nowhere."

"And you didn't leave him right then and there?" Dean asked with an irritated tone.

"It wasn't that simple… I just. Trumped it up to him being drunk, and he was so apologetic and nice afterwards. Until it happened again."

"Well. You got away from it. That's all that matters." Sam said with a nudge to Dean.

"Yeah." Dean grumbled. He couldn't believe that someone would put their hands on a woman like that, let alone someone lucky enough to land a girl like Sara. And it bugged him that she allowed it to happen, someone so strong, and full of resilience. Yet she let some douche bag use her for a punching bag. He didn't know why it bothered him so much, but it did.

"What about you two? Old girlfriends? Psycho stalkers?"

"Ha, Sam's got an ex wife." Dean laughed. "And stalker."

"Becky." Sam trembled as he said the name. "She used a love potion to force me into marriage. It was nulled. Not even official for more than a few days."

"Haha, you're kidding!"

"Nope."

"How did you two meet?" Sara asked. The boys gave each other an awkward glance and debated answering. Sara noticed their hesitancy. "Oh. No… I gave my dirty details. You two give yours."

"Um. There was a prophet who didn't know he was a prophet, and just thought he was writing stories… about us. And our lives. And the series kinda got a following."

"What?! That's insane! So there's a whole series of books out there that tells me about your lives?"

"Only up until Dean went to hell."

"Oh. I've gotta read these."

"No!" The boys both shouted. Sara jumped at their intensity.

"O-kay." She shrugged.

"There was a girl in college, Jessica. She was killed by a demon too." Sam said sadly. Sara could tell at the way he said her name that she meant something to him.

"I'm so sorry to hear that."

"Yeah. Me too."

"What about you ladies man?" Sara said turning to Dean.

"Um. There was this one chick I was kinda hot and heavy with for a while, but other than I'm pretty much a rolling stone."

"What happened with 'this one chick'?"

"She and her son, just. Deserved more. I put them in a lot of danger. So I had Cas wipe their memory."

"Wow… that must have been hard."

For the first time Sara saw something different in Dean's eyes. When he thought about Lisa and Ben he had this vulnerability that just… couldn't be described. It was obvious to Sara that she was clearly 'the one that got away'.

"Yeah. Your turn." Dean said lifting his drink. "Why don't you drink around strangers?"

"Nope. Lips are sealed. You'll just have to experience that one first hand."

"When?"

"Not tonight."

"Lame."

"Thanks for tonight guys… I feel better."

"Anytime."

…..

…..

…..

Sara tossed and turned in her bed, trying to force herself to go to sleep. Cas was supposedly keeping watch over her, waiting for her to sleep so that he could tap into her dreams. While part of that was comforting, the other part of it was a bit creepy, and was keeping her awake. She tossed and turned, and tossed and turned, closing her eyes but never actually falling asleep.

She groaned and sat up. Banging her head softly against the back of the headboard. She sighed deeply and pulled up her knees. Then lifted them again as there was a knock at her door.

"Come in." She said through the darkness, reaching over to turn on the lamp.

"Hey." Sam said appearing in the room. Sweat pants and a t shirt on with his hair disheveled to one side.

"Hey."

"I uh, heard banging… thought I'd come check on you."

"I can't fall asleep."

"Oh. Are you scared."

"Sort of… and also sort of uncomfortable."

"Why?" He asked as he sat down on the end of her bed.

"Castiel is 'watching' me."

Sam snickered.

"Yeah, he is… does that worry you?"

"Just. Makes me a little nervous. I just can't seem to fall asleep."

Sam sat and contemplated the thought that came to mind, wondering if it would come off as pushy, or forward, or make her even more uncomfortable.

Or maybe it would help.

"I uh. I could help."

"How?" Sara asked with a curious glance.

"Jess, uh. Used to love it when I played with her hair." Sam said kind of awkwardly. "Used to put her right to sleep."

"Yeah, I've fallen prey to that one a few times myself."

"I don't mind staying till you're asleep."

"… Really? Are you sure it's not weird."

"Not for me, but I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

"Honestly Sam, I'm more comfortable with you and Dean than I've been with anyone in a while. It's kinda nice. Not having to be the lone wolf… although I do miss my privacy sometimes."

"Good, we want you to feel comfortable. This is your home too."

"Thanks Sam… You uh. You're welcome to get comfortable up here." Sara offered as she moved over and pushed a pillow towards the other side of the bed. Sam nodded and moved from the foot of the bed to sit against the headboard, his legs under the blanket.

"Lay down." He told Sara as he reached over and turned off the lamp. She curled up into her pillow and leaned towards Sam's lap. Sam reached down and began pulling his hand through her hair lightly. Sara instantly felt relaxed, it had been so long since anyone had done this for her, and it was definitely a weak spot. Sara nuzzled further into her pillow and pushed it up closer to Sam's leg until she was practically laying in his lap.

Sam leaned back against the headboard and took a deep breath in the dark.

"Thanks Sam."

"You're welcome… get some sleep."

Within minutes Sara was drifting to sleep, and Sam had no urge to leave. He rested his hand against her back and felt as her breaths became deep and slow. She stayed at that pace for a while, and just as he was almost asleep himself he felt her jump slightly, then twitch against him. He reached over and carefully turned on the lamp. When he looked down it was obvious that she was dreaming.

"Cas." Sam said softly, with a flutter of wings Cas appeared in the room.

"Are we ready?"

"She's dreaming, so better do it while we can."

The door opened and then a half asleep Dean walked in.

"What do we have here?" He asked looking at Sam with curious eyes.

"She needed help falling asleep, she's dreaming, Cas is fixing to dive in."

"Well go on then, lets find this son of a bitch."

Cas pressed two fingers against her forehead and his eyes glowed in a hazy blue light. He stared off and Sam watched as Sara became restless. Moving and talking softly. Dean stepped closer to the bed and sat on the edge, watching carefully as Cas's face began to cringe slightly.

He and Sam exchanged a worried glance, then their attention was brought back to Sara.

"No.. no… Anna." She mumbled, sweat beginning to reflect off her face.

"We need to wake her up." Dean said softly.

"No." Cas said sharply.

"Cas, she's not looking so good." Sam added.

"Do not wake her!" Cas called out without looking down at them.

"No… no. Stop. Please!" Sara whimpered.

"Cas." Dean growled.

"Leave her be!" Cas growled back. Sam gently rubbed his hand across her hairline, trying to calm her without waking her.

"Shhh… It's okay." He whispered. Dean reached up and rubbed his thumb against her leg.

Suddenly Sara screamed out and Cas grit his teeth all at the same time. In one swift motion he removed his hand and Sara sprung forward, almost knocking Sam out.

"Whoa whoa whoa! We got ya, we got ya…" Dean said reaching forward and holding down her hands.

"He… His face." She gasped.

"Cas, what the hell was that!" Dean called out to him.

"You were right. It was a demon, the demon who was after Sara back in Colorado."

"Who is it?" Sam asked.

"I do not know, I've never heard his name. But I've broken the binding link for now… He was using an angel to communicate telepathically."

"An angel? They work with demons?" Sara asked confused.

"No. The angel was being forced against his will." Cas answered sadly. "I had to kill him to break the link, which is why you were suddenly allowed to see more than what you were intended."

"Is that why it feels like my heads gonna explode?" Sara asked as she leaned against Sam.

"I apologize for the discomfort, it was necessary. If you'll excuse me I must learn more about this demon."

Before Sara could say another word Cas disappeared.

"Does that mean he can't get to me again?"

"Yeah. I think so." Sam answered.

"Well. I'm going back to bed, we'll dig around a little more in the morning okay?" Dean said as he patted her leg and stood.

"Night Dean."

"Night sweetheart."

With that her and Sam were alone again.

"Okay, well um. I guess we should hit the hay." Sam said moving to stand.

"Wait." Sara said, grabbing his arm. "Can you stay… just until I'm asleep again?"

The look in her eyes was so sad, so scared. Even if he wanted to say no he couldn't have. He nodded and sank back down into the bed, reaching over to turn off the lamp. In the darkness Sara felt slightly braver then she had looking him in the eye. She leaned against him, and his arm automatically wound around her, pulling against her hair once more.

Sara didn't know how she managed to end up laying in the same bed as Sam Winchester… but she knew it felt safe. And safe was something that seemed scarce to her these days, so she decided she would take it where she could find it.

"Night." She whispered to him.

"Goodnight." His voice rumbled. Sara leaned in and closed her eyes once more, hoping that her series of nightmares had come to an end.