Thanks to everyone who's taken the time to read, i'm shameless, the fact this story has 600 hits has made me a happy happy lady! xxxx

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Chapter Four

Nicki awoke around midnight and stifled the cry that caught in her throat, threatening to escape and break the silence of the heavy night air. She took several deep breaths and allowed her eyes to close as the nightmare began to recede.

Her mother, trapped in the car, reaching for her, before the explosion claimed her.

Fire wrapping it's deadly fingers around her waist, lapping at her chest before engulfing her hair.

Fire mocking her, fire so hot that she watched as her mothers favourite bracelet, made by Nicki on her 7th birthday, erupted into a sea of red as the skin around her wrist contorted and shrank away from the heat.

She ran a hand across her face, dismayed to find the sweat pooling on her bottom lip. Slowly and quietly she made her way to the bathroom and splashed a generous amount of water over her skin.

Come on Nicki, suck it up and calm down. Come on. Just a dream.

Just a dream. But it hadn't been that night, that night it had been real, it had been violent, it had been deadly. Her skin warmed to the feel of the fire from her dream which refused to dissipate.

One nights sleep, one night making it through to morning, one night to dream of bunnies, birds, candy canes and lollipops. One night of unbroken slumber.

Too much to ask.

Nicki sighed as she returned to her room and put on her jeans and a t-shirt. Seeing as she was up she might as well have a little tour of the town that was to be her home for the foreseeable future. Might as well see what hell hole she'd swapped for the hell hole.

Driving had always soothed her. The music was blaring, regardless of the hour and she allowed it to invade her every muscle, nerve and fibre. The beat, the guitar, it all served to calm her and bring her back to centre. Remind her she wasn't alone.

She'd driven for about twenty minutes around the main street of the town, once she had her bearings she started down one of the streets that led to the factory district. It would be about a forty minute drive but Nicki looked forward to being able to open the car up on the quiet road leading through the forest to the old abandoned warehouses and factories. The speed of the wheels beneath her, coupled with the music blanketing her always helped to force a calm and comforting aroma around her very being.

She had gone no more than ten minutes down the road when her headlights caught a figure in the path ahead. Slowing down Nicki turned the music off and drove up to the prone shape, it was a person, that much was clear. Lying on their side, still.

She left the engine running and debated what to do. If this was the city there was no way she would get out of the car without calling the police first.

But this wasn't the city.

These were simple people hanging onto their last shred of hope just like her.

She got out and left the door open, engine purring behind her as she made her way toward the figure. She could see it was a man, jeans and a leather jacket, facing away from her. The man's dark hair suddenly illuminated by a bolt of lightening from overhead.

"Hey? Hey Mister? Hey you ok?"

Nicki made to bend forward to shake the shoulder of the man when movement to the side, in the tree's caught her eye. Another bolt of lightening betrayed the hidden figures trying to stay unnoticed in the forest and Nicki could see she'd been set up, there was a man and a woman standing off to the side , as they advanced the figure on the floor rolled over and grinned a sharp toothed look of victory at her.

Nicki turned and ran back to the car, jumping in she floored the accelerator and aimed for the man in the road. Hitting him square in the body and sending him flying over the car in an ungainly, sprawled summersault. He landed a few feet behind her. Nicki turned to see the two figures in the forest pause, they looked at each other as if unsure what to do next. Nicki was not so lost, she put the car into reverse as the figure in the road turned toward, grinning dangerously at her, and backed up full throttle over the man as he attempted to roll back up into a sitting position. The car rolled over him, crushing his neck beneath the force of the tires, Nicki put the car back into first gear, the sight of those teeth still playing behind her eyes, that full tooth grin, those murderous eyes. That intent in the gaze as the man had locked eyes with her neck. The word vampire echoing within her mind. Can't be! Things like that don't exist, yet here she was, fighting for her life. She floored the car yet again and ran over the man for the third time, severing his head between the tires as she attempted to make her escape.

The two from the forest had moved into position and with amazing agility one jumped onto the hood of the car, the other on the roof. Taken by surprise Nicki attempted to swerve her attackers off of her escape vehicle only to swerve too far and collide with a tree.

As unconsciousness stole over her she thought about her father. He couldn't lose another person , he just couldn't.

As hands grabbed her and pulled her from the vehicle her head fell forward as she lost her battle to stay awake. Unaware of anything and everything, she was taken from the scene.

The car sat steaming from the broken radiator, the tree that had taken the full force of the impact groaned in protest at the violation. The headless body in the road lay spread eagled, one arm reaching out toward the side, where the head had rolled in an attempt to hide.

Lightening streaked across the sky again. This time accompanied by thunder as the rain came down.

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Dean crossed the street and made his way toward the main road and the motel. Back to Sam. He'd had a great night. Claire had been amazing, very giving and very bendy. He licked his lips at the memory, his body still aching from the various ways they had made love. When she had fallen asleep he'd quietly gotten dressed and left her alone. He didn't like to stay away from Sam for too long. The need to be with his brother was constant, not only to protect him, but for Dean to feel safe.

Since he had fallen into Sam's arms, fallen apart against his chest, woke up in the hospital four days later to his brother asleep by his bed, head next to Dean's shoulder, he'd never wanted to be away from him again. His brother had seen him break, seen him bleed out both physically and emotionally. Dean had never shown such emotion before or since, but it had changed him. He'd thought that if he'd ever shown such weakness that Sam would look at him differently. Disappointed in his older brother, his crying older brother who was too weak to protect him, walk away from him in disgust.

But he hadn't.

Instead he had awoken and looked up into Dean's eyes, squeezed his hand and told him it was all going to be alright.

And Dean had believed him. He'd even allowed Sam to carry him for a while. There was no teasing, there were no fallen looks or discouraging words. Instead Sam had helped him, helped him to drink, to eat, to regain his strength for the battle ahead. He'd held him when he awoke from the nightmare the first time while still so weak in the hospital bed, unable to stem the tears. Dean had clutched Sam's shirt as he had done that morning at Bobby's as John had left them. Again. He'd held onto Sam as his younger brother engulfed him in an embrace, without speaking he'd given him permission to fold and had held him throughout until Dean had fallen back to sleep.

Sam had been there to hold him up and lead him forward. As his strength had returned so had his need to be the big brother again. Sam had even allowed him that.

His little brother never questioned his need to feel in control, yet he stayed by his side, not only as his brother in arms, but as his support when the walls threatened to knock him off his feet.

He was always proud of the person Sam had become, but this Sam, this Sam swelled his heart and astounded him.

He was still the younger brother. But Dean saw his little brother as a man now.

Didn't mean that he wasn't going to tease the little turd, it was the big brothers prerogative. Dean walked along the street, thinking of all the ways he could wake up the sleeping beauty. Water, a loud bang, pushing him off the bed. Yeah, that one was his favourite.

As lightening streaked across the sky and thunder cracked over head ,Dean picked up his pace. Getting caught out in the rain didn't appeal. Especially as any dampness tightened his chest now and made it a slight effort to breathe. He certainly didn't want to get sick. Although the mother in Sam seemed to love taking care of his brother, Dean was damned if it would be this soon, if ever. His brother had done enough. It was time Dean returned the favour somehow.

Maybe a drive to upstate New York was in order. Sammy needed a little R and R.

As the thunder cracked above again, this time causing the ground to shake with the reverberation, Dean failed to notice the two figures coming up behind him, failed to notice them until it was too late.

As he turned to advance upon his would be attackers they moved with a speed that only meant one thing.

Dean Winchester's scent had been caught.

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