Anna

She followed Dean back into the motel room, irritation coursing through her veins. Sam had called them over two hours ago, letting them know he was on his way back to their motel room. When he hadn't shown up, the two of them had gone looking.

The woman at the town records office said she'd watched him leave, and seen him take a shortcut through the park down the street. But the park had been empty and there'd been no sign of Sam. Dean had grown increasingly panicked, calling Sam's cell phone over and over again as they searched the town. But Hustatonic didn't exactly have a whole lot of town to search, and since it was close to midnight they'd turned back towards the motel.

"Sam!" Dean's irritated voice broke through her thoughts, and her head snapped up. There, right in the middle of their motel room in just his plain grey t shirt stood Sam, doing a good impression of a deer in headlights.

"Where the hell have you been man? I've been trying to call you for hours." Dean growled. Anna slipped into the room behind him, her eyes fixed narrowly as Sam jerked in surprise then awkwardly made his way over to the bed, where several bags of fast food were sitting.

"I picked up some food. Bacon burger turbo, large chili cheese fries and one medium regular fries?" He offered weakly, brandishing the greasy food at them both. Anna sat down on the bed and worked the laces of her shoes before kicking them off.

Dean slowly took the food from Sam, and he glanced over at her, the bewildered expression he was wearing matching her own. Anna shrugged back at him. She's crazy, what was she supposed to know?

"Thanks." Anna muttered softly, eyeing the relieved looking Sam as she took the french fries Dean passed her.

"Sorry man, really. I- I just lost track of time. I didn't mean to freak you out." Sam said apologetically, his voice growing more confident with each word. Dean just raised his eyebrow and shucked his coat, tossing it down onto the bed. Anna frowned. Something about Sam felt wrong.

"Thanks. I don't know why it took you two hours, but thanks. " Dean seemed to accept whatever it was he saw in Sam, since he turned his back on his brother and started to eat. Anna also unrolled her bag of fries and a slight grin came over her at the heavenly smell of greasy potatoes. She hoped this wasn't some fever dream or hallucination. She was kinda learning to doubt that part of her brain, since most of her Tartarus dreams were rarely this nice. It was bloody and hard and gritty, but little moments in between, the good moments, the happy and silly and sun filled moments were slowly convincing her that this was really real.

And her days weren't painful beyond the telling of it, so that was something else too.

"Uhh, guys. You're going to want to eat that on the road." Sam's anxious voice broke back in. Anna's head snapped up, her hand curling protectively around her food as she glared at the youngest Winchester.

"Why?" Anna snapped. Dean flinched back from her voice in surprise, and Sam's eyes widened, but his jaw set stubbornly. Anna glared at Sam. Something is definitely wrong with him. He felt... choppy around the edges.

"The maid came in and saw that, and now they're all kinda freaking out." He responded gruffly, waving at the pile of guns they'd left on the comforter, trying to stare her down.

Sam would never do that. Not even before she'd clawed her way out of Tartarus. He was too smart to challenge her like that, especially in her new and not-improved state of mind. Anna felt a thrum of adrenaline echo in her system, and her hand inched to her hip where she… wasn't carrying a weapon. Because the boys didn't trust her. She didn't blame them, not really, but still. She wants to be armed. Dean quickly slid between the two of them, glaring at his brother while also shielding him from her mounting anger and suspicion.

"Why'd you let the maid in?" He asked with an irritated snap. Sam huffed, his attention diverted back to Dean. Dangerous move. He'd essentially dismissed her as a threat. Anna silently got to her feet as Sam weakly defended himself.

No, not Sam.

Something is wrong with him, and whoever was riding around in that body, in that image, isn't Sam. She was fairly certain of it.

"It just happened." Anna came up to Dean's shoulder. Judging by the way the hunter tensed, he knew she was there. Dean huffed.

"Whatever. I gotta hit the head, and then we'll take off." Anna's hand came up to his shoulder and squeezed it. He glanced at her, and she shook her head minutely, but Dean just smiled gently at her and shook her hand off. He headed towards the bathroom and Anna turned to glare at the imposter.

"Get in the car." She ordered, watching him stand in the center of the room, wringing his hands.

"Uh I'll just go wait, umm outside." He stammered out. Anna glared at him and watched him leave the room carefully. He made one abortive attempt to detour towards the bed with the weapons, but Anna cleared her throat pointedly and he headed out the door and she watched him climb into the Impala. Then Anna carefully packed up the guns that had been left on the bedspread. She glanced back at the car to see Sam slouching guiltily out of the car, something gathered in his hands. He dumped whatever it was into the dumpster, but before she could march out there and confront him, the bathroom door opened and closed behind her. Dean came up behind her, angled so she could still spot him out of the corner of her eye if she wanted to look, and his hand gently wrapped around her hand.

"Anna, let go of the gun." He murmured softly, gently prying her fingers off the weapon. She turned to face her friend.

"This is real right?" She asked him softly, holding her hands out in front of her.

"Anna…"

"I mean, even if I'm crazy and still in the pit, you'll probably say yes, but Dean tell me this is real." She begged him, her voice cracking on the last words. Dean gently wrapped his large hands around hers, the warmth from his palms radiating into her cold fingers.

"This is real Anna. You're back and safe and here and you aren't crazy in the pit. Feel." He placed his hand, holding hers, over his chest, the warm steady thump of his heart under her palm. "You're back on Earth. We're both alive and we're going to be ok." He assured her. Anna sighed and turned away from Dean, staring out the window to where she could see Sam's silhouette in the car.

"I think something is wrong with Sam. I don't think that's Sam out there." Her words are almost silent. She doesn't want to voice them, because if she says them out loud, they're real. Chiron had taught her that names have power. Anna knew it was more than what the old horse insinuates. It wasn't just the names of people or gods or monsters or places that carry power. Power comes in naming anything; from fears to hopes to ideas. That's how gods and monsters are born.

"He's being weird." Dean admitted, gathering the weapons Anna had packed. He tucked the gun he'd confiscated from her into the waistband of his jeans. Anna laced her shoes and sat by the door, watching Dean sweep the room for any last traces of their stay.

"Just, something is off Dean. I don't really know what, but it's wrong and I think you know it too." She warned him. Dean tensed, his back turned to her.

"Fine. We'll keep an eye on him." He agreed stiffly. She stood up and followed Dean out of the car. She slid into the backseat, a wary eye on the imposter in Sam's usual spot. She caught Dean's eye when he asked to drive, and Dean reluctantly agreed, despite Anna's warning head shake.

But when the not-Sam crashed the Impala into the dumpster, his jaw had set and his eyes took on an angry glint. Not-Sam rambled out apology after apology, and didn't notice when the two of them exchanged a hard nod.

This isn't their Sam.