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DISCLAIMER

First of all, sorry this took so long. I came down with a nasty cold, which I'm still fighting. Supernatural belongs to the WB. Takes place directly after "Scarecrow". Evansville, Kentucky is a real place, though I've made up Streetland's. Anything or anybody you don't recongize is mine.

Later that night, a window opened and Anna climbed out. She walked a few paces, then broke into a run. Meanwhile, Sam and Dean were walking quietly in the woods.

"Sam, you sure about this?" Dean whispered, as they shined their flashlights on the path.

"Yeah. Everything looks just like it did in my dream," Sam responded.

"Okay. I trust ya," Dean stated. Normally, that would've segued into a smart remark, but not now. Not after the Asylum.

"Thanks," Sam said softly. He smiled, his expression looking especially boyish in the moonlight. They continued to walk around. Suddenly, Sam tapped Dean on the arm. Puzzled, the older man followed his brother's gaze.

"There's the guy," Sam stated.

"All right. I'll take care of him. You go see if you can find the girl of dreams," Dean smirked. Sam whacked his brother on the shoulder. Laughing softly, Dean walked off. He tapped the guy on the shoulder, then punched him out when he turned around. Meanwhile, Sam had just come into earshot of running feet. It's gotta be one of the kids, he thought to himself. The blonde one. What was her name? Sam racked his brain, trying to remember if he had ever gotten it. However, nothing came to him. While this was going on, Anna was intent on getting away from Streetland's as fast as she could. So intent, in fact, that she failed to notice the man in front of her. As soon as she had bumped into him, Sam put a hand over the girl's mouth to keep her from screaming.

"It's okay. It's okay. I've come to make sure you and your friends aren't ever hurt again," Sam quickly whispered. Anna stared at the young man in front of him.

"Aren't you---" she began to ask.

"Officer Hardy? Yeah," Sam interrupted. "Let's go. There's not much time," he continued. With that, they took off to where Dean was.

"Dean? I've found the girl," Sam whispered.

"Good job, Sam," Dean responded. "I took care of her little friend," he told them. Sam and Anna's gazes turned to the ground where they saw the man from the orphanage out cold, gagged, and tied up.

"You've been busy," Sam commented.

"Yeah well, I figured, 'Why not?'," Dean responded.

"W--wait a minute. You're not cops. Who are you guys?" Anna wondered.

"People who are gonna make sure that you and your friends never get hurt again," Dean answered. With that, he offered a hand. She took it, but was unable to stop the hiss of pain at the contact.

"Sorry," Dean apologized.

"It's okay. It only hurts a little," Anna answered.

"Let's get her to the cops," Sam said.

"Yeah. Good idea," Anna agreed. Sam and Dean gently guided the girl to the Impala. Then, they headed for town. Inside the car, Sam wrapped an old blanket around her.

"Where'd you get this?" she wondered.

"Dad used it for when we'd go up to the snow for winter vacation. The truck's heater was a bit iffy," Sam responded.

"Thanks," Anna smiled.

"No problem," Sam answered.

"So, if you guys aren't cops, who are you?" Anna queried.

"I'm Sam Winchester. This is my brother Dean," Sam responded.

"Nice to meet you," Dean stated. She nodded in agreement.

"I---I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but...why are you helping me when you don't even know me?" Anna asked.

"'Cuz I know how you feel," Sam answered. "When I was fourteen, my dad and I had this stupid fight---I don't even remember what it was about---but, uh, I got mad, refused to listen to him," he began. That was a lie in itself. Sam remembered all too well what they had been fighting about. He had wanted to try out for the local football team and his dad had hit the roof. "And then this guy broke in, beat me up, and Dad chased him off," Sam told her. Another lie. Well, sort of. True, Sam had been injured, but it wasn't by a human. It had been a werewolf looking for its next meal. "Well, I went to school the school next day, and the teacher saw me with all these bruises and freaked out. She wouldn't listen to me when I begged her not to say anything. She called social services and I---" here Sam's breath's caught. Dean glanced over his shoulder.

"Sammy, you all right?" he asked in concern.

"I got placed in a group home. It took Dad three weeks to sort everything out," Sam stated, ignoring his brother's question.

"If you don't mind me asking, what happened?" Anna wondered.

"Got hit a lot. If it had just been that, I could've dealt, but this one guy..." Again, Sam trailed off.

"What'd he do?" Anna asked.

"Whipped me. The creep got off on it," Sam answered. "He enjoyed causing me pain," he continued.

"Did your father ever know?" Anna questioned.

"No. He threatened to kill my dad and Dean if I ever told," Sam answered. Dean's throat muscles constricted. Even though he had already heard the story, it still pained him to listen to it. Then, he noticed a sheriff's department.

"Here we go," he stated. He pulled into the parking lot and cut the engine. Together, the trio walked into the building.

"May I help you?" the desk sergeant asked pleasantly. Then, his features became horrified.

"My word," he breathed. Sam and Dean couldn't blame him. In the moonlight, her bruises had looked bad enough, but in actual light, it looked like Anna's face had been hit by a truck.

"What happened?" he questioned.

"Well, you see, it's like this," Anna stated. "I'm one of the kids at Streetland's and..."

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Ha, ha, ha, ha. I'm totally evil leaving you guys like this. That's actually a sign that I'm feeling better. There's gonna be one last chapter after this, and then I'm on hiatus due to school.