Supernatural's characters and stories do not belong to me. If the show's creators were to decide they would like to develop this story, the only compensation I need is to fly out to the set and spend a week or two watching how things are done and meeting Jensen, Jared, and the crew. Spending a little time with Jensen and Jared would be nice too.

Summary: Post Devil's Trap. Dean and Sam rush to save someone from Sam's past, unaware of what they are about to encounter and how profoundly it will permanently change their lives. What could possibly break Dean? What secret is Dean keeping from Sam?

Characters: Dean, Sam, John, Missouri, Lauren (new), Angel (new)

Features: Drama, snark, angst, amulet back story

Character conflicts: Dean/Sam; Dean/John; Dean/Lauren

Visions

Sam woke up in a cold sweat. This routine was becoming all too familiar for him, but at least the visions that he had while sleeping weren't accompanied by the blinding headaches he sometimes experienced with the visions he had while awake. He rolled over to look at the clock. Damn…3 am! Dean was not going to be happy about this.

Dean could be difficult when he'd had enough sleep, but lack of sleep made him even more disagreeable. Why did so many of these visions have to come in the middle of the night? Was Sam's mind more open to them while sleeping? He was dreaming about Jess less and less now… but during the day he still thought about her constantly… pinned to the ceiling, looking desperate to say something to him, but unable to… the fire suddenly surrounding her small frame. If only he had paid attention to the visions earlier, he might have saved her. Reluctantly, he set about waking his brother.

Although Dean's senses were finely tuned to demons and spirits, he slept peacefully on the nights when it was just he and Sam between cases. Currently, he was dreaming about the cute cocktail waitress he had met a couple of nights before while he and Sam were working that case outside of Philly. If only they could have stayed another day, he was sure he would have enjoyed her company. As usual, Sam wanted to set about looking for their father again as soon as they had wrapped up the case. With all three nearly being killed in the freak car crash after John had been possessed by the Big Bad, their father had taken off again, scared that he was more danger to his boys than protection. "Dean?" The cocktail waitress' soft voice said his name and he felt her touch upon his shoulder. A smile spread across his face.

"Dean?" Dean scowled as the hand on his shoulder shook him a little harder now and he realized that the voice and hand actually belonged to his brother and not the blonde with the endless thighs. He opened one eye and looked pointedly at his brother, "what is it?" His brother had that look on his face again… "get up, we have to go!"

"Ugh! Dude, you've got to get hold of these visions…premonitions…whatever they are! This is ridiculous, man!"

"Dean, you know I can't control them…"

"I know, I know. Where to this time?"

Sam finished packing his bag and said, "I have no idea… we'll figure it out on the way… you drive, I've got to make some calls."

Dean put their bags in the trunk, and then swung into the driver's seat, revving up the engine as Sam was getting an address from someone on the other end of a cell phone. "Tampa? OK… thanks… thanks so much!"

"Tampa?" Dean practically shouted… "As in Florida?"

"Yeah Dean, Tampa, why?" asked Sam impatiently.

"Do you have any idea how far that is?"

"We have to go Dean, and step on it; I don't think we have much time!"

After they got on the highway, Dean broke the silence by asking Sam what his vision had told him and if he at least had a name this time. Lately, all of Sam's visions revolved around people they had never met before. This was a blessing at times, since they didn't always make it on time.

"Dean, can you drive any faster, this is someone we… well… I know."

Dean looked at him pointedly. "Really?" he asked.

"Yeah," Sam said. "Do you remember that girl I asked out a few times before I left for college?"

Dean's focus remained on the road ahead. "Girl? What girl?"

Sam said, "The one that kept blowing me off and telling me she was too old for me and didn't want to get involved with someone who was going away to school. You know the blonde that you thought was so hot... Lauren?"

Dean's eyes remained on the road. He hesitated, "Lauren… name sounds familiar."

"Come on Dean, she was the only chick that wasn't in the grip of something paranormal that I ever saw kick your ass. And you two were forever one upping each other with your smart ass remarks."

"Oh yeah, her," Dean mumbled almost inaudibly.

"My vision was about her… something awful is going to happen to her if we don't get there in time Dean… please!"

Dean's grip on the wheel tightened and he drove faster. "Tell me what we're dealing with here Sam."

Sam relayed his vision to Dean, who was suddenly glad that it was the middle of the night and he was surrounded by darkness. After Sam finished the story, Dean felt all of the blood running from his face and his stomach tightening. Was this ever going to be over? It sounded like the Big Bad that had ripped him apart while occupying John's body. The worst was the end, as Sam told him after the thing was finished with Lauren, he heard it say, "Come on boys… I'm waiting for you." He suddenly felt cold, and knew they were walking into a trap. But, what else could they do?

"Whatever happened to that chick anyway…I mean, after you went to school Sam? I mean, you were pretty torn up about the whole thing. I got the impression you really liked her."

"I did Dean. I thought I was in love. Hell, I don't know, maybe I was. She was so sweet and so…I don't know…normal? I tried to call her a few times, but we lost contact."

"Did you guys ever…you know…do the nasty before you left for school?" Dean asked with a sly grin.

"Nope, it wasn't like that at all. We had dinner, went to the movies a few times as friends before she realized I liked her. She had a lot of male friends. Must be that attitude of hers. All the guys liked her, hell; everybody seemed to love her really…" Sam's voice trailed off as he thought of her.

"Yeah, well that rack and those legs sure didn't hurt any." Dean said, smiling.

"Get your mind out of the gutter Dean. She's in real trouble now!" Sam snapped.

"Don't remind me!" Dean mumbled under his breath, then said louder, "Chill dude! We'll get there, ok?"

Encounter

Lauren smiled as she turned up the volume of one of her favorite songs on her way into work. These times were some of her more peaceful ones, when the traffic was moving steadily and she could lose herself in the music she loved so much.

Her taste in music had varied over time. Growing up on country music, she'd rebelled with 80s pop, classic rock and blues once she was old enough to choose her own music and not be at the whim of whatever her parents had on. Today though, was a Rob Thomas day and he was telling her all about how he didn't want to be lonely no more. "No kidding Rob, but who has time for any of that kind of fun anyway?" she smiled to herself.

She whipped into the parking garage and headed toward the building she worked in, smiling up in the sun and admiring the buildings of the city around her on her short walk. She smiled at everyone she saw, whether she knew them or not, it's just who she was. Most smiled back, some even saying hello and calling her by name. Once upstairs, she flipped on the lights of her office and settled down in her chair, taking out her planner and trying to remember what all she had to get done today. It was going to be another late day, but she wanted to get that filing in before the weekend… she had big plans to watch the game with her favorite date. She smiled as she looked up at the pictures on a shelf just above her computer, then glanced at the "We Believe!" Bucs mini poster she had hanging on the wall. She let her fingers run lightly over the face in the picture, then set about the work of the day.

Hours later, one of her co-workers stuck his head in the door to her office. "What are you still doing here?" he asked.

"The SEC never sleeps," she replied. I want to get this filing in before I go home for the weekend. The Buccaneers' first game of the season is Sunday and Angel will kill me if I have to work again."

"Anything I can do to help?" he asked.

"Yeah, go home to that wife of yours! You'd only slow my ass down anyway!" she smiled.

"Be careful when you leave; it's late."

"Hey, we've got 24 hour security around here, it's cool. Besides, I already pulled the car up to the curb outside. I'll be fine. Get out of here and kiss those kids for me, okay?" she chided as she whipped a stress ball at his head. He tossed it back softly, laughing.

Three hours later, she was finally finished. She stretched and yawned. Her legs were cramped, she hadn't had dinner, and it was WAY past her bedtime. Where does the day go, she wondered, smiling sarcastically. Still, she loved what she did, even if it was numbers crunching. Sometimes nothing thrilled her more than finding 50 cents that was out of balance in some huge spreadsheet. Sick bitch, she thought to herself.

She decided she should take the stairs because she felt she needed the exercise. She got down two floors and realized that she had left her cell phone at her desk, so she climbed back up, cursing softly as the door refused to open.

After the next flight of stairs, she felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise and stopped for a second, momentarily panicked. She held her breath and looked around, but saw nothing to be alarmed about so she continued on. Still, she "felt" a presence on the stairs behind and above her and whipped around. Her breath caught as she saw… well nothing really… more of a feeling. Her heart stopped as a voice whispered, "we meet again, Lauren. Only you will not escape unharmed this time. This time I've come for you." The voice originated just inches from her face, she was sure of that, but there was NOTHING there.

"What do you mean, we meet again? Who are you? What do you want?"

"Come now, I didn't leave an impression on you the last time we met? You must be getting old, your memory is fading."

With a sudden sickening in her stomach, Lauren knew exactly who this was. "What do you want?"

"Where is the boy? Where is Sam?"

"Sam?" she asked incredulously. "Sam? Sam Winchester? I haven't seen Sam since he left for school years ago. What do you want with him?" She flew into the wall, face first, collapsing backwards, tumbling down several stairs to the landing below. She struggled to her feet before being thrown up against another wall, pinned there by some invisible force. Then the real pain began, a searing pain in her chest that forced her to cry out, struggling to breathe as an unseen hand seemed to close around her lungs and squeeze the air out of them.

"Tell me where he is and I'll let you live. I'll take Angel next. Think about it Lauren, who will protect Angel once you're gone? Tell me where Sam is."

"I don't know!" she screamed. There was blood now, lots of blood, blood coming from her chest, blood streaming down her face from a crack in her skull somewhere above her temple, blood coming from her mouth. "Leave…Angel…alone." She struggled for each breath, trying to get the words out, seeing all the blood, knowing she was going to die. "Leave…Angel…alone," her voice faded as her body collapsed into a heap on the floor.

Above her a shadow appeared, grinning visibly to itself, knowing its message had already been received. "Come on boys… I'm waiting for you."