Ali held the gun in her hand, the elegantly sculpted handle fitting into her palm perfectly. She placed her finger on the trigger and held it up, squinting with one eye to get a better aim.

"Careful with that," Dean said boredly. Ali glanced over to the elder Winchester sitting in the driver's seat before placing the Colt back into Sam's lap. They had been driving for over two hours, having left the motel room in Salvation, Iowa, the walls of which had been covered in charts, maps, photographs and everything else John had collected over the years on the yellow eyed demon. He had explained to the three of them how he had picked up its trail a year ago, when it had come out of hiding and since then, he had been doing everything in his power to find it.

Ali sat back in her seat, watching the road ahead out of the windshield. She was exhausted, mentally and physically. It had been non-stop since the vampires about a week ago, and it was safe to say she really needed sleep. Not to mention, the defeat of the day before was ringing in the three's ears.

John was gone. That was the fact of the matter. He had been taken by what they assumed was the demon, Meg, someone they thought to be dead (Sam and Dean had witnessed her fall out of a window after all).

During the few days before John's disappearance, Ali and the Winchester's had attempted to stop the yellow eyed demon by tracking down possible targets, them being families with six-month-old infants. After one of Sam's visions, they had successfully identified a family of three who they believed to be a target. Meanwhile, Meg had managed to brutally murder two of John's friends and then blackmail him into meeting her to hand over the Colt. Since they were not prepared to do that, John had Dean and Ali perchance a fake Colt that John could use as a decoy. Considering John had been abducted by Meg, it seemed she hadn't fallen for it.

To make matters worse, Sam, Dean and Ali had failed to take down the demon at the families' house and although there were no casualties, the devastating blow of the demon slipping though their fingers once again had left the two in a foul mood, and there was nothing Ali could do to pull them out of it. Not to mention, Sam had tried to use the Colt to kill the demon and failed, meaning they were now down to only three bullets, a fact that made Ali very nervous.

Ali could still here Sam's voice from the night before as he yelled at Dean.

"Don't you say that, not you!" Sam had screamed at him. "Not after all this don't you say that."

Ali shuddered at the memory. Sam had slammed Dean against the motel room door as he yelled, causing Ali to have to pull him off of his brother. The two had ended up with tears in their eyes and Ali had to stand outside in the corridor to stop herself from breaking down in front of them.

It was then that they got the call from Meg. Ali recalled Dean's shaking voice when he had told them what she had said.

"You're never going to see you father again."

Ali knew how that felt. She knew what it was liked to be orphaned. Even so, she didn't want that for Sam and Dean. She wouldn't wish her pain and loneliness on anyone.

"They've got Dad," Dean had said. "The demon knows we're in Salvation, alright. It knows we got the Colt. It's got Dad – it's probably coming for us next."

"We've still got three bullets left. Let it come," Sam had replied, causing both Dean and Ali to look at him in shock.

"Listen, tough guy, we're not ready, okay?" Dean had explained. "We don't know how many of them are out there. Now, we're no good to anybody dead. We're leaving... now!"

And they had. They three of them had grabbed all they could carry and gotten the hell out of Salvation as fast as they could.

"We need a plan," Dean said suddenly. No one had spoken in a while, each of them too preoccupied with the events of the past few days. "Now, they're probably keeping Dad alive, we just gotta figure out where. They're gonna wanna trade him for the gun." Ali thought that sounded like a good plan, but when she noticed Sam shaking his head, she thought she could have been wrong.

"Dean, if that were true, why didn't Meg mention a trade?" Sam asked as he bit his lip. Ali thought to keep himself from crying. "Dad, he might be-."

"Don't!" Dean yelled, cutting off his brother.

"Look, I don't want to believe it any more than you. But if he is, all the more reason to kill this damn thing," Sam said. Ali thought that sounded like an alright plan too, but she wasn't sure they could pull it off. After Tyler went missing, Ali wanted nothing more than to kill the thing that took him, but she wouldn't've been able too. Not when it had only just happened. "We still have the Colt. We can still finish the job."

"Screw the job, Sam!" Dean yelled again, starting to get irritated. Ali sat up in her seat ready to cut in if things got too heated.

"Dean, I'm just trying to do what he would want," Sam explained. "He would want us to keep going."

"Quit talking about him like he's dead already!"

"Stop it!" Ali yelled, leaning over the front seat so she was in between the two brothers. "Dean's right, we need a plan. But we can't do it if we're at each other's throats." She glanced between them, eyeing their expression to see if her point came across.

"Listen to me, everything stops until we get him back, you understand me?" Dean said. "Everything." There was a pause as Sam considered Dean's words.

"So, how do we find him?"

"Maybe we go to Lincoln," Dean suggested. "Start at the warehouse where he was taken."

"Come on, Dean, you really think these demons are going to leave a trail?" Sam said.

"Sam's right," Ali interjected. "We need help. And I think I know where we can get it."


The impala pulled up outside an all too familiar yard. The decision to go to Bobby's place hadn't been a hard one for Ali, but that didn't mean it would be easy to see him after all this time. She couldn't lie. She had missed him.

As she got out of the car, she pulled her fingers through her hair and pulled it up into a high ponytail, the long wavy strands still falling past her shoulder blades. She glanced up at the house as she approached it, Sam and Dean a few metres behind her before she stepped on the porch.

Ali took a deep breath as she raised her fist to the door and knocked. There was a moment of complete stillness, then she heard footsteps on the other side of the door. It swung open with a creek, revealing the man on the other side who she hadn't seen in six months.

"Hey Bobby," Ali said nervously as she smiled up at him. He stared at her for a moment, shock and something that seemed like relief flooding though his eyes. Without a word, he stepped over the threshold of the door and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, squeezing her tight in a warm embrace. The movement was abrupt and desperate and Ali swore she could feel him shaking a little. Or maybe that was her. Even so, she smiled into his chest a little at the gesture. He was happy to see her after all.

After a moment had passed, he pulled back, still holding onto her upper arms like if he were to let go, she would take off again.

"Are you alright?" he asked as he looked her up and down like he was checking for injures.

"Yeah, Bobby," she replied with a weak smile. "I'm okay."

"Why didn't you call? Tell me you were coming?" Ali bit her lip.

"Sorry, we uh," she paused. "We need your help." Bobby looked at her for a moment.

"We?" he asked, confused. Ali stepped to the side, revealing Sam and Dean who Bobby clearly hadn't noticed before, having been too engrossed in Ali's surprise return. Bobby eyed the Winchester brothers before releasing a breath.

"You best come in."


Dean watched as Bobby picked up two silver hipflasks, both similar to the one Ali carried with her, and handed one to him. In the short time they had been at Bobby's place they had filled him in on everything from the Colt to John and the yellow eyed demon.

"What is this – holy water?" Dean asked as he took a sip.

"That one is," Bobby replied before holding out the other one. "This is whiskey." He took a long drink from it before handing it to Dean, passing the holy water to Sam for him to take a sip as well. Dean noted how he didn't offer Ali either of the flasks.

"Thanks, Bobby," Dean said gratefully. "Thanks for everything. To tell you the truth, when Ali suggested it, I wasn't sure we should come."

"Nonsense, your Daddy needs help," Bobby said.

"Well, yeah, but last time we saw you, I mean, you did threaten to blast him full of buckshot. Cocked the shotgun and everything." Ali stifled a giggle. That sounded like Bobby.

"Yeah, well, what can I say?" Bobby joked. "John just has that effect on people." Dean's eyes went distant as he considered his father.

"Yeah, I guess he does," he replied under his breath.

"None of that matters now," Bobby said sincerely. "All that matters is that you get him back." Dean nodded in agreement, grateful for the older hunter's understanding.

Ali smiled at the exchange between the two. She often forgot that the Winchester's were close with Bobby too, at least they used to be. She wondered how in the five years she had lived with him how she had never met either Sam or Dean before.

"Bobby, these, uh, these protective circles," Sam said, drawing her attention to where he was sat at the table, leafing through one of the many books that littered the house. "They really work?"

"Hell, yeah," Bobby replied. "You get a demon in - they're trapped. Powerless. It's like a Satanic roach motel." Sam released a chuckle. Ali recognised the symbol. There were many around the house. She remembered when Bobby had pointed one on the living room ceiling a few years back.

"Man knows his stuff," Dean commented, catching Ali's eye and causing her to smile.

"Yeah, well some of this might come in useful," Bobby commented. "This is some serious crap you boys stepped in."

"Oh, yeah? Sam asked. "How's that?"

"Normal year, I hear of, say, three demonic possessions," Bobby explained. "Maybe four, tops."

"Yeah?"

"This year I hear of 27 so far. You get what I'm saying?" Bobby asked. "More and more demons are walking among us – a lot more."

"Do you know why?" Sam asked.

"No, but I know it's something big," Bobby replied. "The storm's coming, and you boys, your Daddy – you are smack in the middle of it."

Just then, there was a crack outside and Ali's attention turned from the hunters to the window. The others had noticed too, a frown on Bobby's face.

"Bobby, what is it?" she asked, growing concerned at the sight of him becoming worried.

"Something's wrong," he replied. Suddenly, there was a loud crash and the front door was blown off its hinges. Ali felt a hand wrap around her arm as Sam pulled her out of the way as the wood splintered and flew across the room with supernatural force.

A figure stood at the door way and casually walked in, her boots clicking on the floor. It was Meg

"No more crap, okay?" she asked, her demonic eyes sliding between the four of them. Ali watched as Dean suddenly came at her, in his hand the flask of holy water that he was ready to throw at her. Noticing his advances, Meg whipped around, smacking a hand into him and send him flying across the room into a book case, his unconscious form crumpling to the ground.

Ali gritted her teeth as she stepped forward, perhaps to send the demonic bitch a punch of her own, but Sam placed a hand on her shoulder, pulling her behind him as he stepped forward.

"I want the Colt, Sam – the real Colt – right now," Meg demanded. Sam took a step back slowly and Ali did the same, following his movements as he stepped across the room.

"We don't have it on us," Sam replied. "We buried it."

"Didn't I say "no more crap"?" the demon said, her words full of venom. £I" swear – after everything I heard about you Winchesters, I got to tell you, I'm a little underwhelmed. First Johnny tries to pawn off a fake gun, and then he leaves the real gun with you two Chuckleheads." Her head turned to Ali, her eyes calculating. "And their little sidekick." Ali's jaw clenched as they moved further across the room, Meg following. They were now nearing the living room. "Did you really think I wouldn't find you?"

"Actually, we were counting on it," Dean said from behind her. Meg whipped around again, her eyes focussing on Dean who was staring at her. Ali watched as his gaze moved to the ceiling where a large devil's trap was drawn. "Gotcha."


Ali leant against the door frame as she watched Sam tighten the ropes around Meg's wrists. Dean walked over to her, his hand rubbing the back of his head.

"Why don't you go help Bobby?" he suggested to her. Bobby was salting all the windows and doors to stop any other demons from getting inside the house. Ali couldn't help but feel like Dean was trying to get rid of her.

"I think I'll just wait here," she said. Dean sighed.

"Look, Ali, you really don't need to see this."

"Oh, I think she does." The voice came from inside the room and both Dean and Ali turned to see Meg staring at them, a wicked smile on her lips.

"Shut up, you bitch," Dean commanded harshly, angling his body so he was slightly between the demon and Ali, the gesture protective.

"Ali, huh?" Meg questioned with a laugh. "Couldn't be the famous Allison Venator, could it?" The voice was mocking. "I thought your family died out ages ago."

"I said, shut up!" Dean yelled. "Ali, don't pay her any attention."

"Well isn't that adorable," Meg carried on sarcastically. "What's the matter, Ali, demon got your tongue?" Ali crossed her arms as she stared at the demon. She didn't like to be mocked by anyone, least of all a demon who she thought no higher of than vermin.

"She doesn't need to waste her breath on you," Sam cut in, standing up once he had secured the ropes.

"Shame," the demon said, her eyes glancing to each of the boys before they fixed back on Ali. "Your brother was a hell of a talker."

"What did you just say?" Ali asked, addressing the demon for the first time. She pushed away from the wall at her words, her brow furrowed.

"Don't worry, sweetheart," she smiled evil. "I wasn't the one who killed him, we just had a little fun." Ali swore she felt bile rising in her throat but she pushed it down. "Of course, I wore a different face back then. Tyler always preferred brunettes."

At that, Ali's anger boiled over and she lunged for the demon in the chair, determined to inflict some kind of pain on her. She hated demons. She wanted them all dead. But as she ran at her, Sam turned around and stepped in front of her, his large hands pressing against her shoulders to calm her down.

"Ali, don't listen to her," he said, trying to make the girl feel better. "Listen to me, okay?" he said, moving so he could took her directly in the eye, and most importantly, blocking her view of Meg. "This is what she wants, she's trying to get a reaction outta you." Ali took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. "She's lying, okay? She probably never even met Tyler."

"Oh, I saw plenty of him," Meg teased, causing Dean to slap her across the face to shut her up.

"Me and Dean need to find out what happened to our dad," Sam said, his hands still on her shoulders, his voice soft. "You think you could go help Bobby for a while?" Ali looked up at Sam, then to Dean who was staring intently at her, his eyes creased with concern. She knew they needed to question Meg about John, and they couldn't do that with her around. They needed to focus. She looked back to Sam.

"Yeah," she replied, but it didn't really come out as a sound, so she nodded as well. Sam smiled back gratefully and she pulled out of his grip, not looking back as she walked out of sight.


Ali ascended the stairs two at a time, wanting to put as much distance between herself and the demon. As she arrived at the top, she walked down the corridor, automatically pushing through the last door on the left.

He room was just as she had left it, forgetting the layers of dust that had accumulated over the last six months. A part of her wanted to rush straight to her bed and curl up for days, but she knew she couldn't. She had a job to do. She went straight to the window, lining the sill with the bag of salt Bobby had given her.

In the back of her mind, she wondered if the boys were getting on well with the demon in the living room. But as she heard the screaming coming from downstairs, she realised that 'well' probably wasn't the best words to describe exorcising a demon from a poor woman's body.

Once she had finished in her room, she moved on to the other upstairs rooms, lining each of the windows with salt to protect the house.

She was anxious for it all to be over. She wanted Sam and Dean to gank the yellow eyed demon almost as much as she wanted the demon that killed her brother dead. She also wanted them to find John alive. She knew what it was like to lose a father, to be orphaned, and although Ali had been much younger when it had happened to her, that didn't mean it didn't hurt any less. If anything, she had felt the absence of a parental figure more. Of course, that was until Bobby.

"Allison!" Speaking of the man himself, Ali heard Bobby yell her name up the stairs. Her full name. He only ever used it when things got serious. "Bring down some blankets!" Ali rushed to the cupboard in the hallway, yanking out a pile of three and rushing downstairs with them. She heard voices in the living room and ran towards them, unsure what she would find.

When she made it to the doorway, she stopped dead in her tracks. Sam and Dean were crouching down on the floor over a body. Ali's brow furrowed as she glanced to the chair Meg was sat in. It was empty. She glanced back to the figure on the floor, the sound of laboured breathing filling her ears.

"What happened?" she asked quietly.

"You got a blanket?" Dean asked without looking back. Ali ran forward, handing one to his outstretched arm and watched as he rolled it up and placed it behind the woman's head. Ali bit her lip at the sight of her. Her head looked beaten and bruised, her mouth dribbling blood down her chin.

"Oh my god," Ali whispered.

"It's been a year," the girl said, her voice cracked.

"Shh," Sam soothed. "Just take it easy."

"Was it telling us the truth about our Dad?" Dean asked. Ali wasn't sure what Dean was talking about but she didn't ask, instead allowing the dying girl to reply.

"Yes. But it wants...," she trailed off as she took a difficult breath. "You to know... that... they want you to come for him."

"If Dad's still alive, none of that matters," Dean replied. Bobby emerged at the door, a glass of water in his hand. Ali watched him hand it to Dean and he held her head up so she could take a sip.

"Where is the demon we're looking for?" Sam asked.

"Not there," she choked out. "Other ones. Awful ones."

"Where are they keeping our Dad?" Dean asked desperately as the woman struggled to keep her eyes open.

"By the river," she replied, gasping for a final breath. "Sunrise."

"Sunrise?" Dean asked quickly. "What does that mean?" She didn't reply, her eyelids fluttering shut. "What does that mean?" But she was gone.


Dean watched Ali as she packed her things into her backpack and shoved it into the back seat of the impala. Something had been nagging him all day and he needed to question her on it. If he didn't, it would likely irritate him for the rest of the day.

"Hey, Ali?" Dean asked as he and Sam packed their things into the trunk. "How come Bobby didn't make you drink the holy water?" He was referring to when they arrived at the house earlier on.

"He knows better," Ali replied nonchalantly. Her answer didn't satisfy Dean's question.

"How?" Dean asked. Ali rolled her eyes, turning to face the two brothers whose attention was now fully on her. She sighed as she turned to her right, pulling up her jumper to reveal what looked like a pentagram on her left hip. Dean raised an eyebrow at her.

"Anti-possession tattoo," she explained, giving Sam and Dean long enough to take a look before she pulled her top back down. "Keeps the demons outta my meat suit."

"How long have you had that?" Sam asked, curious as to how she had been with them for six months but they had never noticed it.

"I dunno," Ali replied offhandedly. "Seven years maybe? You two should think about getting one." With that, she jogged back up to the house to fetch some water for the trip, leaving the both the Winchester's speechless.

She entered the kitchen and grabbed a pack of three large water bottles, taking them in her arms and exiting the kitchen.

"What are you doing with those?" Ali turned to see Bobby leaning against the stair rail, his eyes on the water.

"Demon hunting makes me thirsty," she quipped with a smirk, turning back around to walk out the front door.

"You're not going with them," Bobby said, causing Ali to turn back around.

"What?" she asked, placing the bottles on the table next to her. She could hear Sam and Dean coming up the drive behind her.

"This is there fight Al, not yours," he said, his eyes pleading. He was desperate for her to stay.

"I'm sorry, Bobby," she said sincerely, looking at him straight in the eye. "I gotta be a part of this."

"No, god dammit!" he yelled suddenly, becoming angry. On hearing the shout, Sam and Dean quickened their pace up to the house, but Ali was too focused on Bobby to notice. "I haven't seen ya in six months, Al. I've been worried sick most of the time." Ali felt guilt turn in her stomach. She crossed her arms over her chest to try and suppress it. "Hell, when you left, I didn't know if you were dead or alive!" His words were like a bullet in her chest and all she wanted to do was apologise. She hadn't realised how much she had hurt him when she had left.

"You're not runnin off again, Al," he said, no, pleaded, quietly. "Not when I just got you back." She stared at him, the man who was the closest thing she had to a father, and nodded.

"Okay," she whispered, approaching him and wrapping her arms around him. He seemed taken aback by her movements, thinking she would have yelled or said she was going anyway. But she didn't, she just hugged him, and he hugged her back, his hand stroking her blonde hair as they both cried.


"Hey Bobby," Dean said, catching the hunter's attention. He glanced quickly over to where Ali was teaching Sam to draw a devil's trap before he spoke, not wanting the girl to overhear them. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Bobby asked with a frown.

"For dragging Ali into this," he said. "You said it yourself, me and Sam are in deep with this crap. And I'm sorry we got her involved with it." Dean was surprised when he noticed Bobby's frown drop and a small smile tug at his lips.

"The thing y'all gotta understand about our Al is that she doesn't get dragged into anything," he explained. "She jumps in herself. No one can make her do anything." Dean snorted.

"You can say that again," he replied.

"But she's loyal," Bobby continued. "And tough as hell." He paused as he took a breath, glancing over to her as well. "She cares about you and Sam a lot, Dean. The way she tried to go after Meg when she hit you against that bookcase… it scares the hell outta me."

"Bobby…"

"I can't let her get hurt, Dean," he explained. "I can't."

"I know," he replied.

"And I can't have you or Sam hurt either," he continued. "So y'all best come back in one piece, you hear me?"

"Yes sir," Dean replied with a nod and salute. Sam and Ali made their way over to Bobby and Dean, Sam grabbing his bag on the way.

"You better hurry up and beat it," Bobby told them. "Before the paramedics get here."

"What are you gonna tell them?" Dean asked.

"You think you guys invented lying to the cops?" Bobby asked sarcastically. Ali smiled. "I'll figure something out."

"Here take this," Ali said, passing Sam the book with the devil's trap in it. "You might need it."

"Thanks," Sam replied. Nodding to Bobby before hugging Ali goodbye.

"Thanks, for everything," Dean said too. "Be careful, alright?"

"You just go find your Dad," Bobby said. "And when you do, you bring him around, would you? I won't even try to shoot him this time." Dean nodded with a small smile of gratitude as he and Sam left the house. Ali watched them leave, the door swinging shut. She bit her lip, trying not to let herself worry too much. But worry was inevitable.

She raced towards the door and flung it open, running down the driveway as she called Dean's name. He turned halfway to the car, Sam already sliding into the passenger seat.

When she reached him, she threw her arms around his neck and pulled him down to her as she squeezed her eyes shut. He seemed startled by her actions as much as she was at herself.

"Don't die, okay?" she mumbled into his ear as they hugged. "Even if you have to use every one of those bullets on the demon, just don't die."

"I won't," he replied. Ali pulled back, his answer not sounding sincere enough for her liking.

"Promise?" she asked, her eyebrow raised. Dean laughed a little at the way she demanded it, his hand squeezing her shoulder.

"I promise, kiddo."


Hours and hours of nail biting a worrying had crawled by and neither Bobby nor Ali had heard a peep from the Winchesters. The blonde girl had spent most of her time in her room, unpacking her things and, although she didn't like to admit it, hiding from Bobby. There was a tension between them in the air, one she didn't like, and she wanted desperately for it to be lifted. Then again, it did give her a distraction from worrying about Sam and Dean.

She wondered downstairs, needing a change of scenery, and found Bobby in the kitchen, his hands clutching a large bag of salt as he left a trail of it by the window.

"You want me to take over?" she asked. Bobby turned with just his head, staring at her for a moment before handing her the bag of salt. He could tell she was upset, but he knew her well enough to not ask. Whatever it was, bringing it up again wasn't going to do her any good.

"You hungry?" he asked her, pulling open the fridge to check what he had in the way of food. "I got leftovers or leftovers." Ali couldn't help but smile.

"Sounds great," she replied, finishing up with the salt and sitting down at the kitchen table. She watched as Bobby pulled out a plate of what looked like meatloaf and cut the remaining chunk into two, placing both in the microwave. After a couple of minutes mad passed, he took both out, placing them both on the table as he sat down. He slid a fork over the table. "Thanks."

The ate in silence, though it was clear neither of them was in the mood for food. She picked at the meal and although it didn't look particularly appetising, it beat the diner food she had been eating for the past six months by a clear mile.

"Are you mad?" she asked out of the blue. Bobby dropped his fork on the plate with a clang as he looked up.

"Why would you think that?" he asked.

"Because I left!" she said, finally exploding as she stood up. "For six months." I ran off in the middle of the night… I barely called… I'm the world's shittiest daughter!" Ali realised what she had said too late and looked down at Bobby who was staring at her. At her final words, his expression changed from amused to a smile.

"Sit down and eat your meatloaf," he said, his smile still in place. She sat down immediately. "I'm glad you came back, Al," Bobby said quietly. Ali sent him a small smile of her own.

"Yeah, me too." They finished their meal in a comfortable silence and afterwards, Bobby washed the dishes as Ali dried them and put them away. Just like always. And for a moment, both of their minds were far away from demons, worries and Winchesters.

Until a phone call.

Bobby left the kitchen to answer it whilst Ali tidied away the last of the crockery. When he returned, his face was pale, his hand gripping the phone in a fist.

"Who was it?" Ali asked tentatively, unsure whether she wanted the answer.

"It was Sam," Bobby replied. Ali thought that would mean good news, but the look on Bobby's face told her otherwise. "There's been an accident."


AN: So we've reached the end of season 1! Next one's gonna be super sad so get the tissues ready :'(

Hope you are enjoying the story so far :)

Let me know what you thought, much love x