Hey lovelies! Sorry for the long time between chapters still! I seem to have a harder time writing this story over the other one, I'm not sure why… but I do like where it's headed. Please let me know what you like, what you hate, what you love, and what you want to see more of! Thanks to everyone for the support and love! READ AND REVIEW!
When Sam woke in the morning his neck was slightly stiff and his arm partially numb, but all he could pay attention to was the soft sound of Sara sleeping peacefully curled into his shoulder. He sat for a moment and debated on how long to wait before moving, but his growling stomach won out quickly and he slid his arm up and carefully left the bed, tucking the blanket in around Sara.
When he went into the kitchen Dean was already there, which caught him by surprise.
"How long was I asleep?" He asked looking up at the clock.
"A while, you two must have been sleeping hard. She still out?"
"Yeah. I figured she deserves it so why wake her?"
"Yeah man I hear ya. So you two looked cozy last night." Dean said wiggling his eyebrows.
"Oh come on, Dean. I was just trying to help."
"Hey, no reason to lie to me… she's hot. I woulda climbed in too."
"Dean. Do you realize how much of this you are exaggerating in your head, all I did was help her go to sleep, and fell asleep myself."
"Sure. I have my own ways of making sure women sleep well at night." Dean said bringing his coffee cup to his lips and lifting the newspaper.
Sam rolled his eyes but couldn't deny to himself that he felt attracted to Sara. He was sure both he and his brother took notice of how her jeans hugged her hips and the way her shirt rides up her back when she bends over to tie her shoes, showing just the bottom of what he suspects is another tattoo.
"Finding anything over there?" He asked shaking the thought from his mind.
"Uh, a case a couple state lines over possibly."
"Anything good?"
"Possibly a werewolf, says here we've got 4 vics. Missing hearts. Shredded bodies, they're blaming it on animal attacks, but I ain't buying it."
"Yeah. I agree. Think she'll be okay to go back out?"
"I think she needs to get the hell out of this bunker. She's burying herself in it. It'll be good for her."
"Alright… I'll go ahead and start packing the car."
"Already done."
"How long have you been looking at this case?"
"A few hours."
"And you already packed the car?"
"Well. There wasn't much else to do with you and sleeping beauty in there cuddle up asleep."
"Jealous much?" Sam asked as he took his coffee and left for a shower.
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"Are you guys sure this is a good idea?" Sara asked for the third time as she stared out the window.
Dean sighed and turned to look at her in the backseat, making sure to keep the wheel steady on the open road while doing so.
"Sara, if anything does find you. We can protect you. Okay? You can't stay locked up in a hole forever, there is probably always going to be someone looking for you. You can't let it stop you from living your life."
"… I wish that was more comforting."
"Us too." Sam agreed. "But. Dean's right. We can protect you, this is what we've done our whole lives."
"How do you deal with constantly having to look over your shoulder?"
"Its second nature." Dean shrugged. "You just do."
"You don't feel like your life is hindered by that?"
"On the contrary I feel more prepared."
"How long till I start feeling that way?"
"That's up to you." Sam smiled at her.
Sara sighed as she leaned into the seat and pulled up her legs, crossing them at her ankles. She leaned back and tried to relax her tensed muscles. It took a lot of convincing to get her out of the bunker and on the road in the first place, now she was constantly questioning the idea. Constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop.
"Have we heard from Cas?" She asked as she perked up.
"Not yet."
"If it is the demon that killed Anna how do we find him?"
"Sara, just let us worry about that when the time comes okay. There's a lot of ways this could go down, so let's not make decisions before we have all the information." Dean explained.
"Okay." She sat back again. Dean looked up and could see the disappointment plastered on her face, a look he hated.
"But… it's smart to think ahead. If it is the same demon then we would of course go after him, but we would have to do so with making sure that you were completely safe. Deal?"
"Thanks Dean." She smiled. "I appreciate it."
"Anytime sweetheart."
Dean pulled his eyes back to the road and put on some Metallica. The rest of the ride he anticipated would be slow and easy.
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…..
Dean ran into the large rest stop, meeting Sam and Sara inside. So much for slow and easy. They had hit a massive storm that the radio station had put out tornado warnings on, Sara forced the boys to pull over. Knowing that it's safer to be in a building than a car if one happened to hit. They just so happened to stop at a very large fairly crowded rest stop that several others had chosen to take refuge in.
"Well. This is dandy." Dean said shaking some of the rain off of his jacket. He looked at a shivering Sara with wet hair framing her face. He knew his wet jacket wouldn't be much help but as his eyes skimmed the store part of the building he spotted a rack of blankets. They were cheap, but soft and dry. He walked over and grabbed one, popping off the tag and laying it and a 20 dollar bill on the counter at the register.
"Here." He said walking back over to Sara holding the blanket opened in front of him.
"Oh thank you!" Sara said with big bright eyes as she moved towards him and wrapped herself up in it. He helped her tuck in the edges and pull it up enough so that it didn't drag the dirty wet floors.
"How long are we stuck here ya think?" Dean asked.
"Storms moving pretty fast. I'd say a half hour, hour tops." Sam shrugged as he turned to the TV above the register that had the weather broadcast on.
"It's not moving the same way we are is it?"
"Nope. The opposite thankfully."
"Great. So. What do we want to do for an hour?"
"There's an overly crowded sub shop over there. Get a sandwich and eat? Ride it out?" Sara asked.
"Sure." Dean shrugged.
They all moved forwards towards the long line debating on what they were gonna get to eat.
"I'll bet you two five bucks I know what you'll order." Sara turned to them with a playful smile.
"Okay. You're on." Dean shrugged. Sam nodded.
"Sammy here is gonna get a fresh turkey breast on wheat, veggies and condiments of personal choice, I'd probably say the typical lettuce tomato onion pickle with oil and vinegar. Dean, well he's a hungry man so he'll get the chicken bacon ranch double meat and cheese of course, nothing green or healthy but he'll get onions and peppers, on it. And he'll ask for the spicy ranch instead of the regular."
Dean and Sam stared at her dumbfounded. She giggled.
"How… did she just? Mind mend us?" Dean asked looking to Sam.
"I worked in a sandwich shop for a year when I was a teenager. You get pretty good at reading people and guessing their orders, we used to make bets on it all the time. Winner got to keep tips for the night."
"Fine. But we get our money back if we guess yours." Sam countered as he crossed his arms.
"Yeah!" Dean shook his head excitedly.
"Go for it." She smiled.
Dean and Sam took a moment to converse with one another quietly, Sara bit her lip to hold back a laugh as they took turns looking at her before whispering again.
"Alright. You, are a club sandwich kinda girl… a little variety but still classic." Dean smiled.
"Errrrrr." Sara mimicked the sound of a buzzer, Dean's face fell. "I'm actually a sucker for a plain ole bologna sandwich, no cheese, mustard on white bread, and potato chips."
"You're kidding… bologna?" Sam wrinkled his nose.
"Hey, no judging me!"
"… Bologna?" Dean questioned. "Really? I mean out of all the sandwich meats available that's your go to?"
"Yes." She said weakly, turning from them and moving up in line. The boys exchanged grossed out looks then moved forward to order their food. Sara moved to pay and was quickly cut off by Sam.
"Sam, are you two ever going to let me pay for anything?"
"No." He smiled as he took the receipt from the cashier and tapped her head with the plastic cups he was given. She took one from him and filled with water and a few lemon slices. Then she picked out a booth in the back corner, the boys joining her a moment later. She looked out the window at the wild winds and rain, the thunder and the lightning making her feel relaxed.
"I love storms." She mumbled.
"Really? Why?"
"I don't know… I just always have. I mean no one likes tornados or anything but a good thunderstorm, I always sleep so well. They're exciting, as long as I'm not caught in the rain like we dog." She said gesturing to her soaked clothes.
"Hmm, I pegged you for the scared of thunder type." Dean shrugged as he dug into his sandwich. Sara picked up her straw wrapper and threw it at him. "What does scare you?"
"Um. Besides monsters, demons, and dead bodies you mean?" She asked with a sarcastic smile.
"Dean's terrified of heights." Sam quickly threw out with an evil grin.
"Well at least I don't piss myself when I see a clown." Dean shot back, Sam's face quickly dropped and he looked down at his food.
"You two are so funny sometimes." Sara smiled.
"Come on! Tell us." Dean probed.
"Um… a lot of things! I'm a total chicken shit."
"Like?" Sam pushed.
"Umm… the dark. I mean I know people say there's nothing there but if I can't see how do I know?"
"Sweetheart that's being smart, not scared! Despite what most people think there ARE things that go bump in the night." Dean explained.
"What else?" Sam asked.
"Spiders. I don't do spiders… or tight spaces. And uh… I know this is gonna sound dumb, but I can't be around dolls. They're scare the living shit out of me!"
"Dolls?" Sam asked.
"Yes."
"Why dolls?"
"I'm sure I watched one too many movies as a kid or something, but I always feel like they move when you're not looking. Ya know?"
"Yeah. We do unfortunately." Dean nodded. Sara froze, sandwich inches from her mouth, leaving it hanging open. Her eyes wide.
"You- you mean dolls, they. They really move?"
"Um, I mean not the dolls themselves. Usually it's a spirit who has possessed the doll or something similar." Sam explained as he looked up to Sara's face, which was covered in pale fear. He raised an eyebrow. "You okay over there?"
"Swear to me right now we won't take cases with dolls and I will be." She mumbled. Sam chuckled.
"Deal."
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"So, where are we again?"
"Some place up in Wisconsin. Heavily wooded area not far from the big city… perfect grounds for hunting." Sam explained as he pulled the bags from the trunk.
"Right. Werewolf. Ya know, as terrifying as this one is… it's also kinda cool."
"Don't let Dean hear you say that, he loves werewolves." Sam warned. "Thinks they're badasses, dead badasses by the time we're done with em though."
"They are kinda cool…"
"Let's hope you think so after this is all over." He said as he followed her back into the room.
"So how do we find them?"
"We've got two days… and then it's another month till the lunar cycle is right. So we have to find the connection between the vics fairly quickly, then stake out and see if we can lure the bastard in." Dean explained.
"They don't, run into the woods at night? Howl at the moon?"
"Not quite… more like stalk their prey and pass out cold afterwards."
"Sometimes they come after people that affect them in their personal lives, like their instinct takes over and they go after those who have wronged them, or those who they desire." Sam added.
"How do you guys know so much?"
"Sammy here also slept with a werewolf." Dean smiled, but with the look on Sam's face his smile quickly fell. Sara looked up to him in shock.
"We befriended someone, tried to save them. She didn't know what she was."
"Didn't know?! How do you not know?" Sara asked.
"She was mugged, thought it was a psycho that bit her, she would turn in her sleep and wake up naked, but didn't know what had happened in between."
"So how'd you save her?"
"We didn't." Sam said sadly, Sara took that as her cue to stop asking so many questions. Dean gave her a sympathetic smile as his eyes wandered to Sam's face. "It was a long time ago though."
"I'm sorry Sam. I shouldn't have asked."
"No, it's okay. It's good knowledge for you to have."
"Right." She nodded awkwardly.
"Really, Sara. It's okay to ask questions. There's still a lot we don't know about each other."
"Okay. Um. So what's the plan."
"The morgue, check out the bodies."
"Oh…"
Dean caught the strange tone in her voice, and remembered that she had been hesitant about visiting the morgue or viewing the bodies.
"You could always hang back if you need to, one of us can stay with you." Dean offered.
"No. No, I think we should all get a good look to know what we're dealing with." Sara quickly countered, too quickly. Sam and Dean shared a look, one that was half amused, half concerned. Sara's stubbornness was sure to wear them thin one of these days.
"Well okay then, let's hit the road." Dean smiled as he stood.
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"Sara, you can wait outside if you need to." Dean offered as Sara twisted her hands, waiting for the coroner to enter and show them the body. Sara had walked past the morgue doors in the hospital many times… and she always put a little more pep in her step so it would be behind her quicker. Her first time walking through the doors was as horrible as she had always imagined it.
It smells like formaldehyde. There are bodies covered by white sheets all around her. It's cold. It's too white on the walls, and any little stain shows, blood spots… other, bodily fluids. There are specimen jars filled with numerous parts of the human body displayed on the shelves and last but not least Sara could swear the bodies were moving out of the corner of her eye even when rationality told her she was being silly.
"Nope." She answered shortly. Determined to face this fear, determined to embrace the life of a hunter like anyone else would be expected to do. Dean and Sam shared that same look from the motel. She was being so stubborn, but she was trying her hardest to tough it out, they had to give her that.
"Are you sure that one didn't move?" She asked again, taking another step closer to Dean.
"No. The very dead body did not move." Dean reassured her trying to stifle his amusement.
"Right." She nodded swiftly.
"Gentlemen, lady." The coroner said as he entered the room. "How can I help you?"
"We're here to see the body of the vics from that animal attack." Dean said flipping out his badge.
"Ah, yes." He nodded, leading them over to the other side of the room, but Sara's feet didn't move. Dean looked back and noticed her frozen pose. He grabbed her by the arm and gently pulled her along behind him. "What does the FBI want with some animal attacks?"
"We are partnering with an environmental company who is surveying animal behavior." Sam quickly lied. Sara was surprised at how flawless the lie went over, the coroner nodded and proceeded to pull the sheet half way down the body.
It was pale. It was stiff. And it was ripped wide open. Sara swallowed loudly closing her eyes and breathing in through her nose and out through her mouth.
Dean noticed her face as Sam continued to ask questions. He moved to the side discreetly, blocking most of her view, then he slid a hand behind her back and opened it.
She opened her eyes when she heard movement beside her and noticed that Dean had placed himself between her and the body. She looked down and his hand was open behind his back. Sara reached down and linked her hand in is, letting it ground her. Giving her something different to focus on rather than her surroundings. Dean squeezed lightly.
"So the entire heart was removed in all four bodies?" Sam asked.
"Mostly."
"Mostly?" Dean questioned. Sara pushed her limits and while holding Dean's hand behind his back she stepped forward to allow herself to have a look at the open chest cavity where the coroner was leaning in.
"These bits and pieces here are heart muscle. Something tore it apart, don't know where the rest of it is. Eaten probably. My guess is they stayed away from the gut cause of the smell."
"I can understand why." Sara mumbled. Dean half smiled, happy to see she was slowly but surely warming up, peeking around his shoulder.
"Any connection between him and the other three vics?"
"All joggers. Healthy. Young. Attacked on the trail outside of town. It's popular for runners."
"Alright, well I think that's all we need for today. We appreciate your time." Sam nodded. The coroner covered the body back up and Sara quickly turned to walk towards the door, the boys following behind her.
Once they were out the door and outside Sara took a long deep breath.
"You survived." Dean patted her on the back as he walked past her. Sam came to stand beside her.
"They're not always that bad. I promise. That was pretty gruesome."
"Yeah. It was. But… It wasn't the worst thing ever I guess."
"Well, you did good."
Thanks to Dean, she thought. She smiled at Sam and moved towards the car, sliding in the backseat.
"So where to now?"
"We need to go scope out the area while it's still daylight. See if we can get on the trail. We have the locations of all four kills but they're all pretty spread out, looks like the trail goes on for about four miles."
"A hike in the woods being stalked by a werewolf. Why not?" Sara shrugged.
"I don't hike sweetheart, I hunt." Dean winked.
Sara couldn't deny that when he winked her heart jumped in her chest, but she didn't know why. And since she couldn't afford anymore drama and confusion in her life at the moment she tried to ignore it. Refused to confront it.
To make matters even worse, the thought reminded her of how it felt to fall asleep next to Sam. To feel safe, warm, and just the way her skin tingled under his touch.
No, she thought.
No drama. No confusion. No mixed feelings… just hunting. Just finding this demon. Just finding the thing that killed her best friend and trying not to get killed in the mean time.
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"It's so nice out here." Sara smiled as they walked the trail. She loved to be outdoors, she loved to be surrounded by trees and the chilly air around her. She slid her hands in her pockets and turned to face the boys. "Do you guys always get to hunt in such beautiful places?"
"I wish." Sam chuckled.
"It's not so nice at night when there's a beast waiting to kill you." Dean said with a straight face. "Don't underestimate this case because of its scenery. It's dangerous out here Sara."
"I know." She insisted. A small eye roll as she turned back around. "So what are we looking for?"
"Blood. Broken branches, anything that showed us which direction it might have fled."
"How close are we to the first victim's crime scene?"
"It's just ahead around the corner." Sam answered as he stepped in front of her.
"So, why don't we each pick a crime scene, follow the bread crumbs into the woods in the center of the trail and see where it leads, maybe the paths intersect somewhere." Sara suggested.
"Yeah, actually that's a pretty good plan." Sam agreed.
"One problem. No way we're leaving you alone out here." Dean said crossing his arms.
"Dean the whole place is only a few miles around, you said so yourself, plus I have the gun. I'll be fine, I scream really loud and I have a feeling you two can run really fast."
"No. I want you within eyes sight."
"Well fine, we split, do two at a time? Happy?"
"Yup." Dean said popping the p.
"I'll head to the second crime scene, you two check out the first once, its to the left around this curve, should still be some caution tape up to mark it." Sam said walking ahead.
"Call if you find something!" Sara called out to him. He continued to walk on, Sara turned to face Dean. "Okay grumpy pants. It's me and you… you know Sam told me that you loved hunting werewolves."
"True." He nodded.
"So why are you so on edge right now?"
"… Do you really want me to answer that?"
"Yes."
"Do you remember when Cas said that things of the supernatural world were looking for you, could find you, sense you?"
"Yeah."
"You know how that ghost in the cemetery attacked you?"
"Yes?"
"Well. Why didn't she attack Sam or I? You posed no threat. We did… yet she still came after you. Which leads me to believe that most of the things we hunt will probably come after you first. So I'm just trying to be a little more prepared."
"Oh." Sara's shoulders dropped slightly. "I'm sorry."
"For what?" Dean asked in confusion as they walked up to the area where the kill happened.
"For making this more difficult on you guys." Sara admitted with a guilty face. "I didn't realize. I'm sorry." She said turning away from him.
"Hey." Dean said pulling her back to face him. "Don't be sorry. You of all people have nothing to be sorry about, we dragged you into this. We asked you to come with us, to help us. It's not a problem, I just want you to be safe."
"Okay." She nodded. "So explain to me what we're looking at."
"Well." Dean sighed looking at the area blocked off with caution tape. "Blood… body bits, and if we're lucky, the trail with continue."
Sara followed Dean as he walked the edge of the woods around the tape, when Dean lifted a broken branch and smiled Sara smiled back and they walked into the woods slowly, looking for more broken branches or blood.
Sara observed the area and saw nothing but trees, leaves, and sticks… how was she supposed to know what was just a dead stick and what was broken off by a werewolf? Watching Dean fascinated her, he never missed a thing. He pointed out blood spots, twigs that had been bent just the right way. It was obvious that this was Dean in his element, and Sara was content to sit back and watch.
There was the sound of something moving behind them. Dean quickly perked up as Sara turned towards the noise.
"Did you hear tha-"
"Shh!" Dean quickly cut her off. He pulled her against his side as he spun in a circle, gun drawn. Sara's heart rate quickened, her eyes searched for movement in the woods around her, but found nothing. Just distant sounds of movement.
Something big, not a squirrel or a rabbit.
Something stalking them, watching them. Dean could feel eyes on him.
Suddenly a very large Sam appeared from behind a bush.
"Dammit Sammy… call out next time will ya? I coulda shot your ass." Dean said releasing Sara and tucking his gun away.
"Sorry. I followed the path and it led me here… I'm guessing you did the same."
"Yeah, and there's another trail going that way, I'm guessing it will lead to another crime scene." Dean said pointing the opposite direction of where Sam appeared.
"So what's here?" Sara asked looking around them.
"I don't know." Sam said looking for himself.
"Hey… check this out." Dean called out as he kicked some brush out of the way. It revealed an old wooden door with a busted lock. It took them all by surprise as Dean pulled open the door. It was a storm cellar, with scratches all down the walls. In the middle was a chair, with chains sitting around it on the floor.
"What the hell is this?" Sara asked.
"It's… I don't know. It looks like this guy tried to lock himself up." Sam said as he examined the small room closer.
"Multiple times it looks like" Dean added.
"Do they all do this?" Sara ran her hand along some of the scratches, they were rough and sharp.
"No.. we've not seen this before."
"So what does it mean?"
"It means someone knows they've messed up. It means we're dealing with someone smart, but panicked."
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"What does one pack for a stakeout?" Sara asked tapping her chin as she stood over her things spread across the bed.
"A jacket, warm but light weight." Sam suggested.
"Caffeine of your choice." Dean smiled.
"Gun, knife, a full cell phone battery, we could be out there all night."
Sara looked up to them and nodded, then went through and picked out some leggings to wear under her jeans, and an old hoodie she loved. Wool socks, the hunting boots Dean suggested she get, and some gloves with the tips of the fingers cut off for easy weapon control.- Dean's idea.
"Can we run by a quick mart somewhere? I need a good thermos."
"Got you covered." Dean said lifting one up and tossing it to her. She caught it deftly and grinned.
"Well then I guess I'm good to go for tonight."
"Sara, you should be within arms reach of Sam or I all night, okay? Don't split from us. Like I said earlier this thing might come after you first."
"Okay." She nodded.
"But." Sam started. "You should feel like you can contribute if you hear or see something. You should get used to being out on a hunt."
"I don't want to slow you guys down, that's all I'm worried about."
"You won't. It'll be fine." Sam smiled.
They waited until nightfall and posted in the woods in the middle of the trail, they split again, leaving Dean and Sara across the way from Sam. The storm cellar between them. It was dark, and much colder than Sara anticipated. She had spent the first couple of hours sipping on her coffee. She didn't expect to run out so quickly. Dean who was seated next to her had given her a sad smile when she tipped the large thermos upside down and not even a drop fell. He had chosen to give Sam the other thermos or he would have offered her some of his own hot coffee.
Sara tried to stop her teeth from chattering and making too much noise. Her body tense to stop the shivering. Normally outside in the cold people move their bodies to keep warm, but the point of a stakeout was to be still and quiet until something happened.
Dean had his eyes shut and was letting his ears do all the surveillance in the dark. Waiting for footsteps, rustling of leaves, etc… but he couldn't ignore the soft grind of teeth as Sara bit down.
He opened up his right eye only and looked over to see her with her knees drawn up to her chest, rocking as softly as possible to create some body heat.
Without saying a word he reached out and tapped her shoulder. When she looked back at him he slightly parted he legs and opened his arms. Sara looked up at him with guilt in her eyes… she felt bad that she was such an inconvenience on him and Sam. When Dean noted the hesitancy in her eyes he smiled kindly and waved her over to him. She dropped her shoulders and caved in, quietly making her way to sit between his bowed legs. Once there she turned to the side and slid her legs under one of his knees, then her arms under his jacket and around his torso.
As her head leaned against his chest his arms wound around her and rubbed lightly, hoping friction would thaw her arms. Sara's entire body suddenly felt like it had been lit on fire as her body melted against Dean's. He was so warm, and the way he cradled her left room for her face to lay in the crook of his neck, she breathed in and almost moaned when his scent filled her nose.
Something about this was different from the way she felt laying next to Sam. With both brother's she felt safe, even a little attracted. But right now, being this close to Dean, it genuinely excited her.
She shoved the thoughts to the back of her mind, worried about complicating the already complicated situation. Then she leaned up and softly whispered 'thank you' into Dean's ear.
Dean on the other hand couldn't shove the thought of how close she was to him out of his mind… when her breath blew against his ear he inwardly tensed. He'd always loved being close to beautiful women, but something about this woman made him nervous. Made him hesitant. He felt wrong about wanting her in the way he did… and having her between his legs was torturous in the best of ways.
She nuzzled against him like it was her home, and Dean couldn't keep his hands off of her… until the rustling of leaves behind them made him freeze. Dean could feel Sara's body tense, her breath stopped. He moved his hand to her head, pressing his finger to her lips to signal for her to stay quiet. She nodded very lightly to show she understood.
They waited in silence as the movement passed them and went towards the cellar… Dean waited until he heard the cellar door open before motioning for himself and Sara to stand. He pulled out his weapon and they inches their way to the cellar door, Sam moving in from the other side.
Dean motioned for Sara to stand back as he and Sam moved forward to the open door. They nodded and Sam held up his fingers to the count of three, then they pulled up their guns and turned on a flashlight, pointing into the cellar.
"What the hell'?! Where'd he go?" Sam asked as he noticed the empty cellar.
Suddenly Sara was knocked to the ground, something scratching her shoulder as she fell.
Her scream caught the boy's attention and they turned and shined their light on the werewolf… a young kid with a football jersey from the local high school on.
"Sara!" Dean yelled as he opened fire, the werewolf jumped and ran. Sam ran straight to Sara and Dean moved to chase the beast. He followed him through the woods for about a half of a mile before he lost track and gave up, moving quickly to get back to Sara and Sam.
"Sammy!" He called out once he was close.
"Yeah, we're here." Sam called back, Dean followed his voice over. Sam had Sara sitting up straight but refused to let her stand, the three cuts down the back of her shoulder were deep and actively bleeding. She was hyperventilating slightly.
"Sara, can you walk?" Dean said leaning in front of her.
"I-I.. What the hell was that?!"
"That would be a werewolf sweetheart."
"It.. It was human!"
"No, it wasn't. It was a werewolf… they just look more human then wolf."
"Did you see the jersey? It's just a kid." Sam said sadly. Dean nodded. Sara was still trying to control her breathing.
"C'mon, let's get you up." Dean said standing and helping her up. Sam kept an arm around her as they moved back towards the impala. Dean drove straight to the motel and began to pull out the first aid kit as Sam sat her on the bed.
"You hurting pretty bad?" Dean asked as he handed her a pain killer.
"I can manage." She said pushing the bottle away.
"Sara, have you ever gotten stitches in a motel? Trust me. You want the meds." Sam told her as he flipped open his laptop.
"I'm not used to taking narcotics. Just give me some motrin."
"Motrin?" Dean asked with his eyebrows raised.
"YES! Dammit. Please." Sara said frustrated as she moved her arm the wrong way. Dean jumped back at her tone and grabbed the motrin instead, handing it and a water bottle to Sara. She swallowed four pills quickly.
"This is gonna hurt." Dean warned as he moved all the stuff over to the bed.
"I know." She grumbled.
"Geez… your testy when you're hurt."
"Seriously… now is when you get sensitive?!"
"Damn! Okay… Uh. I can't get to it with your shirt on." He admitted.
Sara didn't hesitate to pull her shirt off, revealing not only her black lace bra but the large tattoo on her mid back. Sam's eyes travelled against his will. Dean followed the intricate line work of the large mandala surrounded by flowers. But as blood trailed down the tattoo Dean's attention was brought back to the deep cuts on the back of her shoulder.
"Deep breath Sara."
"Yeah yeah, just do it." She said reaching over and grabbing a bottle of whiskey. Taking a drink before handing it to Dean. He took a swig himself and started stitching her cuts. She whimpered slightly when he hit a tender spot. He apologized but kept going.
"Almost done." He promised her. She nodded and bit down on her lip as she pulled the stich tight.
"I'm sorry." She mumbled.
"For what?"
"For being a bitch, and for letting it get away."
"Not your fault Sara, he tricked all of us. We'll get him. I'm sorry we let you get hurt."
"Dean. You can't protect me from everything. Like you said, they're gonna come after me first. I have a feeling this won't be the last set of stitches I receive."
"Should heal in a few weeks."
"Days."
"What?"
"I uh… heal quick. Hurts like a bitch, but it heals quick."
"Oh. Okay…"
Dean went back to stitching and Sara waited till it was over.
"Okay, this is gonna hurt." Dean said as he lifted the whiskey and doused her cut. She hissed and tensed, pulling away. Dean held her in place until he finished. Then he released her.
"Thanks." She said standing.
"Here, let me clean up the rest of your back." Dean offered as he stood behind her with a wet wash cloth, he gently scrubbed down her back and around her cut, cleaning off the excess liquor and blood. Sara stood with her arms covering her chest, suddenly aware that she had no shirt on now that the pain was dulling and her senses were coming back to her.
"Could I possibly borrow a shirt… all mine will be tight against the cut."
"Sure." Sam said as he stood and walked over to his duffle, pulling out a large tshirt and handing it to Sara.
"I'm gonna go get cleaned up." She smiled taking it and leaving towards the bathroom. Sam stared at the tattoo as she walked past him.
"Well." Dean sighed. "That could have gone better… what'd you find on the kid?"
"Names Lance Roy. He's a senior at the local high school, friends with the first victim. Haven't found any connection to the other's yet."
"Just a kid… dammit."
"Yeah. I know. Four dead already… could be five before the sun rises."
"Let's hope we interrupted his kill for the night."
"So, what are we gonna do? Drop in the middle of the school pep rally tomorrow?"
"What?" Sara asked coming out of the bathroom and catching part of the conversation.
"Nothing, we'll finish this in the morning. We all need to get some rest."
"No… you said something about dropping a kid at a school?"
"Sara. Let's do this tomorrow." Sam asked kindly.
"We can't just kill a poor kid…"
"Sara, that thing isn't some poor kid. It's a monster. He is a monster, he's killed… hell he almost killed you tonight!" Dean argued.
"… I'm going to bed." She said softly as she crossed her arms. She moved to Sam's bed and got under the covers, laying on her stomach so as not to put pressure on her stitches. Sam and Dean shared a sigh and a frustrated look. They both knew that tomorrow would not be an easy day. The job isn't an easy one, and the kills aren't always easy. This was a tough lesson for even people who had been hunters their entire life… but it is what it is, and the kid has to die.
Dean kicked off his boots and salted the door and windows before laying on the bed, taking in a deep breath as his eyes closed and he drifted to sleep. Sam however climbed into bed and slipped under the covers, trying to respectfully leave some space between himself and Sara.
Her mind went a million miles a minute, between the thought of how terrified she was when the werewolf hovered over her and barred it's teeth, and he looked in the photo Sam had pulled up on his laptop. All smiles, his whole life ahead of him… his family and friends. They would mourn him. They would ask 'who could have done this' as they stood over his body, filled with bullet holes.
The thought made her sick… She closed her eyes and tried to ignore the pain throbbing in her shoulder. But it just wouldn't stop. Once Sam let out soft snores she snuck out of the bed and found the bottle of whiskey on the table. She sat on the chair in the corner and opened the blinds just enough to watch out in the parking lot. She sipped the whiskey till the throbbing dulled, then she set it on the floor and moved back to the bed, crawling under the covers and dozing off to sleep.
…..
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…..
Sam was at the table when Dean stirred awake. Sara still asleep on the bed, and his eyes wandered to the whiskey bottle under the chair next to the open blinds that he specifically remembered closing. He pointed to it and looked up to Sam.
"Wasn't me… must have been her."
Dean looked over and sighed.
"This is gonna be a rough one."
"Yeah, kid is the oldest of 4… mom's a teacher, Dad's a local cop. Dean. This one won't go down quietly."
"Well, he's gotta go down Sam. He's already killed four people."
"I now, I'm not disagreeing, I'm just saying this won't be easy."
"Neither will convincing her not to hate us afterwards." Dean said climbing out of the bed.
"Yeah… you can say that one again." Sam sighed.
"Should we wake her?"
"No. Let her sleep."
"So how do we corner the kid alone?"
"Wait for him to go back out there tonight."
"…Maybe we should leave her here."
"You think she'll go for that?"
"No…"
…..
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…..
Dean dug into his burger and Sam spread dressing over his salad, Sara just picked at her fries. She hadn't said much to the boys since she woke up. She asked Sam to fill her in on the case details and reluctantly he did. She weighed their options in her mind all morning.
"What if he killed them by accident?"
"It doesn't matter. He killed four times, he'll do it again." Dean answered with detachment. It bothered Sara the way they both shut off their emotions when it came to this case. She didn't want to argue it out loud but… she couldn't help but question it silently.
"What if he doesn't know?"
"He knows. Or he wouldn't have set up the storm cellar." Sam answered slowly.
"I don't think we should be so rash about this."
"Sara, we're not being rash. Look. I know it's hard to understand but there isn't another option. He's killed four people, all four of those people also had families, and standings in the town… hell one of them was a teammate. But he couldn't stop, and he won't be able to stop. He's obviously already tried. Next it may be one of his younger siblings… if we leave him alive, and three more people pop up dead next month, then how would you feel?" Sam explained carefully.
Sara pushed her plate away and stared out the window.
"You should eat something, it's gonna be a long night." Dean warned her.
"I'm gonna wait outside." She said as she slid out of the booth, walking towards the impala and sitting on the trunk, staring out at the sunset.
"Dammit." Dean grumbled as he threw down the last bite of his burger on the plate.
"She'll come around Dean. She's just trying to process it all. It's not an easy thing for even us, imagine how she feels about it."
"And if she doesn't?"
"She will."
"It's the last night of the lunar cycle… we gotta get this done tonight."
"I know Dean."
…..
…..
…..
"Sara, let's go over this plan one more time."
"I sit down, I shut up, and I let you do your job." She said stiffly.
Dean looked at her with aggravation.
"That's unfair and you know it." Dean told her sternly.
"Okay, guys… take a breather." Sam said standing between them.
"Can we please just talk to this kid before we shoot him!" Sara asked exasperated.
"I don't know if that's possible Sara."
"It is Sam! Please!"
"… We'll just play it by ear, okay?" He agreed reluctantly. Sara nodded.
"I'm going over there, you two stay on this side of the cellar." Dean growled as he walked off.
It amazed Sara how one day she could be so drawn into him and the next completely turned off by his attitude. She crossed her arms and huffed as she leaned her head against Sam's arm.
"Sam… I hate this. How do you do it?"
"It's not easy… but we've learned what has to be done."
"How are you so sure it's the right thing?"
"Experience. Patterns."
"But what if-"
"Stop, Sara. I have done the 'what if' thing a hundred times… it only makes the job harder."
Sara sighed and slumped down against the tree. Preparing for another stakeout but one without Dean's body heat to keep her warm when the night air dropped. Instead she opted for a second jacket. Sam chose to sit at a tree not far from her, one where he could still make out her figure sipping coffee from a thermos.
Tonight they waited even longer than the night before. Sara was out of coffee and still freezing without Dean beside her, but at this point she had been awake for so long she began nodding off to sleep. But the breaking twigs under Sam's shoes as he rose and lifted his gun caught her attention.
"Wait!" She yelled out as she realized Dean was on the other side and the werewolf was in the cellar as the brother's moved towards it.
"Sara don't!" Sam yelled, but she turned on her flashlight and ran down into the cellar where the boy turned and faced her.
Only he wasn't a werewolf, he was just a boy.
"What are you doing here!" He yelled at her.
"Lance… please. Let me help you." Sara said softly as she pulled out her gun and laid it on the ground.
"Sara stop!" Dean yelled as he and Sam moved down into the cellar behind her. She turned to face them.
"Just wait!" She begged. "Lance… we know what you are."
"Lady you're crazy!" He replied in a panic.
"Lance! Tell us the truth! Tell us what happened." She persuaded.
The boy raised his arms to his head and pulled his hair slightly as his eyes glazed over.
"It was an accident." He mumbled with broken words. Tears in his eyes. "Tommy didn't… he didn't get here in time to put on the lock, and when he opened the door I just couldn't stop myself. You don't understand… he was my best friend! He helped me. And I killed him!" Lance cried.
"What about the other three bodies?" Dean asked.
"Look I tried! I tried to lock myself up! But.. I… I could never go through with it. It just takes over, you don't know what it's like."
"Sorry kid. You killed four innocent people. You know what has to be done." Dean growled lifting his gun.
"Dean no!" Sara said stepping in front of his gun. Dean instantly moved it.
"Dammit Sara! Move!"
"No! c'mon Dean… please. He. He learned his lesson! He'll have someone else lock him up! Right Lance?!"
"Yeah, yeah." He nodded frantically with tears coming down his face. Terrified for his life at the turn of events in front of him.
"Sara no he won't! He's saying it now because he wants to live!" Dean argued pushing past her.
"No! He's been punished enough Dean! You don't know what it's like!"
"WHAT EXACTLY IS THAT?!"
"To kill your best friend!" Sara screamed at him, tears coming down her own face now. Dean stared at her, and for a moment his eyes showed the smallest sign of pity through the anger. But the sound of a gun going off behind her made her heart stop.
Lance fell to the ground, one bullet hole to the forehead. Sam swallowed as Sara turned to face him, shock and horror on her face. She dropped to her knees in front of Lance's body. Checking for a pulse. Checking to see if he was breathing… anything. She began CPR.
Dean stormed out of the cellar, his eyes glued to the ground, unable to face his brother or Sara at the moment. He was angry, he was sad, but mostly he felt bad for Sara. Sam placed his gun back in it's place on his waist. Then he moved slowly to stand in front of Sara. She was resilient, pumping the boy's chest as hard as she could, stopping every thirty beats to fill his lungs with air.
"Sara." He said softly as he bent down.
"Sam! Help me!" She cried as she continued to pound against his chest. Sam reached out and placed his hands over hers, but instead of helping he held her wrists still. She quickly realized his intent.
"No! No, no no… Let me go!" She pulled back from him.
"Sara, please… let me help you." Sam asked softly.
"No! Don't touch me!" She yelled to Sam as she backed herself against the wall. Standing and storming out. Sam sighed and decided that now wasn't the time to bombard her, but let her have some space to herself.
Once outside and into the woods Sara just began to run, and didn't turn back. Didn't look back. She just ran… until she came out to a road. Once on that road she began to walk, and walk… and walk some more until a bus stop came into sight. She took a deep breath and reached into her pocket, pulling out a twenty dollar bill. It was the only thing she had, but it was enough.
Sam and Dean finished destroying the body and all the evidence in silence. They knew going after Sara was pointless, instead Dean had called Cas and asked him to follow her. He knew she would run, and he had a pretty good idea about where.
Once back in the impala Dean started the impala and sighed, closing his eyes.
"Dean. It's not our fault… she's not dealing with Anna's death. She's just shoved it aside, and it came back to bite her. We've both been down that road before, have we not?"
"She's not made to deal with this shit like us, Sammy. We pushed too hard."
"No, Dean. We didn't. She was doing well… this was just a hard case, we didn't know what it was gonna be when we walked into it."
"So how far do we let her get before we go after her?"
"As far as she wants to run. Although I'm sure I know where she's going."
"Yeah. Me too." Dean sighed as he pulled back out onto the road.
Once they were back at the motel they began to pack their belongings, Dean was done first and he began to pack Sara's things into her duffle. He carefully folded her clothes, and when Sam wasn't looking he even took the time to run his hand across the fabric.
He knew he had asked too much too soon, that she was still mourning but not processing like she should have been. He should have made sure she was okay before he took her out on another hunt. But he didn't… he pushed, like he always does, and now she had run.
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…..
Sara sat on the very last row of seats on the bus. Tucked against the window with her hood pulled up over her head. She had tried to cry as quietly as possible, not wanting to draw attention to herself. She had almost cried herself to sleep when a voice caught her attention.
"The one thing I don't understand about buses are why there is no safety belts. In every other vehicle there are straps to keep the human body in place in the event of an accident, but not when you put several people into one vehicle. Ironic."
"Castiel?"
