Guardian Angel?

by CatChild1

The Winchesters are after the demon that killed Mary. They get some unexpected help with a bad situation. There's violence, not overly graphic, but some.

Guardian Angel?

The black eyes, the sneer on his face, the blood pooling at his feet. John wasn't moving any more. Dean and Sam yelled … cried their anger and hatred … but could do nothing pinned to the wall. The loud music coming from inside the building they were behind would prevent anyone from hearing them.

The second man continued to face Dean and Sam, those black eyes just watching them. A cold, uncaring expression on his face. His job was to keep them still while his partner performed his work on John.

The first man turned and stepped up next to his partner. "Your turn," he said coldly to Dean. The second shifted his concentration completely on Sam and Dean was released from the wall. Before he could even take a step to attack, Dean was thrown through the air, over his father's body, into the side of the dumpster.

Sam: "I'm going to kill you all!"

2nd man: Sneering … "maybe you will, maybe you wont."

Dean's cries of pain, snapping of bones, go unheard by the patrons of the bar … the music continues to pound.

Dean finally becomes still and quite. Tears stream down Sam's face. He could do nothing. No matter how hard he tried he couldn't break free of the wall, couldn't use his abilities, and couldn't save his family. Now it was his turn.

2nd man: "Time for a nap boy. Today's not your day to die. We have other plans for you. Well, our boss does anyway." He punches Sam hard in the side of the temple … once, twice, three times … and Sam's sight, hearing, and thoughts go into a dark, deep sleep …

…

The searing headache and pain begin to subside. The pain becomes a throb. Her eyes begin to return to focus … she's on her knees on the floor. Blood begins to drip on the floor and she focuses on this, regaining her bearings. Dang nose is bleeding again she thinks to herself as she gets up and heads for her bathroom.

There is a loud knocking on her bedroom door. "Are you ok? It's Father Marcus. Can I come in?"

"Come on in. I'm in the bathroom cleaning up. Careful of the blood on the floor."

"Where do you need to go this time?"

"A bar in Colorado. I'm going to need some pretty stout supplies. There's only two of them, so I shouldn't need help."

"Are you sure there was only two? You should take Jake with you anyway. Just in case there's more and because it's no walk in the park for you to deal with two."

"No thanks. There's two, but I'm pretty sure one will be distracted most of the time. Apparently, they're after these three guys. In my vision, they killed two and left the third alone to suffer their loss."

"How are you going to handle the situation?"

"I'm still working on that." She offers a half smile and heads for the dresser.

"You want your bike or the SUV?"

"It's a pretty long drive. I'll take the SUV." She pulls out the skimpy, tight, black tank top and her tight black jeans. The door closes softly behind her and she can hear Father Marcus' light steps heading down the hall. Grabbing her boots out of the closet she runs scenarios through her mind. What will she do when she gets there? Will she make it in time?

"Hey. Are you sure you don't want Jake to go with you?"

"Yes Father. I'll be fine. Were you able to dig up anything on these guys?"

"Sorry, but there's not too much we can do in a half hour, you know. We've started looking and made a call or two, but so far no one knows of these three men or why any of the possessed would want to kill them. But if you can capture either of the possessed for questioning, we've got a room we're going to prep for it." Father Marcus smiles at her, hopeful that she'll at least try this time.

"Ok, thanks Father. I'll see what I can do. Um, if you want me to capture one, what did you give me to try?"

"Darts. We put the mixture on a set of darts in that black pouch," he points to a small flat black pouch sitting in the passenger seat. "It's precious stuff, so try not to use more than one. Just don't miss. You've only been given three darts."

She slides into the Tahoe and takes a quick look at the map lying in the passenger seat under the dart pack. Father Marcus has already lined the fastest rout for her to take. She looks out the side window and nods her thanks. Quickly she buckles up, starts the engine and heads for the Interstate. Hitting the switch on the radar detector, she accelerates steadily until it nears 90 mph.

…

John sits listening to the police scanner as his boys sleep in the two hotel beds. All the signs were showing. The storms and power fluctuations were all here. But nothing else. He glances over to the table and walls where over a hundred birth certificates for children to reach 6 months old over the next couple of days looked back at him. "We've only just arrived," he whispers sadly to himself, "Sammy will come through, I know he will. He did last time."

Grabbing the business phone book, he thumbs through the pages. Picking a name at random under the bar section, he makes his decision. "If nothing is found today, this is where I'll take you guys for some recreation. I think we could all use a little, even if it's just for an hour or two." Looking out the window to the soft light beginning to appear with the rising of the sun, John walks quietly out of the hotel room in search of a morning paper and some coffee.

The door closing wakes Dean with a start, his hand instinctively grabbing the knife under his pillow. John smirks, but doesn't look over, as he moves some of the birth certificates out of the way and sets down the tray containing three coffees. He looks over at Sam, who is fitfully sleeping. Another nightmare most likely, but he needs whatever sleep he can get. Grabbing one of the coffees, John goes back to his chair and opens up the day's paper. "Maybe something in here will give us some kind of a clue," he thinks to himself.

Dean sits on the edge of the bed and wipes his eyes. Looking at his watch, 6:23 AM, Dean stands and picks up one of the remaining two cups of coffee. He takes a few drinks and heads for the bathroom. Looking over his dad's shoulder as he passes by, John is looking through the police reports section. "Anything?" John looks up, "no, nothing's happened yet. Which is a good thing, I guess. That means we still have time to stop it." John looks over at Sam with hopeful but worried eyes. Dean just nods and closes the bathroom door behind him.

John finishes skimming through what little police news was listed. No fires that night, at least none reported in the paper. Grabbing the remote to the TV, he turns on the local news station and watches, hopeful, that they aren't too late. There was nothing on the police scanner during the night, so that's a good sign.

The sound of the TV stirs Sam. He glances towards the TV, the empty bed beside him, and then his dad sitting in the chair. He can hear Dean in the bathroom. Everyone's still in the room. This thought causes him to relax some and he struggles to sit up. His muscles are sore. He tries stretching and this helps a little. The nightmare was the same as always. He kisses Jess goodbye to ride off with Dean then returns to that same horrible scene. Her body on the ceiling staring back at him. Always staring back at him with those eyes. Fear, confusion, pleading for help. Then the fire comes, the heat, the smell that never wants to leave his memory.

Deans comes out of the bathroom and begins washing his hands and face in the sink. Looking back into the room through the mirror he can see the look on Sam's face. He knows Sam's had that same horrible dream and he knows there's nothing he can do to make it go away.

"This town is pretty big and there are a lot of kids that are going to be hitting 6 months old this week. The best thing I think we can do is drive to as many of the homes as we can and hope that Sammy picks up on something." John's face is worried and he watches Sam sitting on the edge of the bed. "I don't like this, using you and your visions, but it's our best shot."

"I know, dad." Sam takes a deep breath and heads to the bathroom.

Dean waits until the door has closed behind Sam. "You know these visions are really hard on him. Physically and mentally."

"Yeah, I know Dean. But we don't have much choice. You have a better idea? We can go and talk to every single one of these families and still not know which one the demon will go after." There's a long pause before John takes a deep breath, "something's just not right here." Dean gives his dad a concerned look. John glances at Dean, "I can't shake the feeling. Most of the signs are here, but something's just not right."

Sam comes out of the bathroom and begins to wash his hands and face. John turns off the TV and picks up the paper again. "You two boys grab the city map and plot a path that will take you by or near each house. Call me if anything comes up."

In unison, "Yes sir."

…

Early morning sunlight began pouring in the window. She was tired. Training most of the previous day and then getting little sleep because of the interruption was starting to get to her. "Maybe I'm getting too old for this," she mused to herself. Pulling into the rest stop, she parked near the end away from the people. Opening the door, she slid out and walked around a bit. The drink and snack machines were always overpriced, but she wasn't interested in them in any case. She entered the bathroom and took care of her needs, washed up, and headed back to the vehicle. Instead of getting in front, she hopped into the middle and lay down. She set the alarm on her digital watch for 8:45 AM. "Two hours should do me just fine," she thought, "and still gives me plenty of time to get to the bar before dark."

…

"Dean, we've been driving for hours. Let's stop for lunch."

"Do you think we have time?"

"Yeah, I think so. We're already half way through the route."

"Ok, sure." Dean pulls the car over to a small diner and they head inside. Dean looks over at Sam, whose face appears tired and worried. "You know we'll find it, right? We'll find it and we'll stop it." Sam looks over smiling slightly, "yeah, I know."

Taking a seat in a side booth, an older woman brings them menus to look over. "Wow, Dean, I can't believe you picked a diner that didn't have a scantily clad young waitress with a low top and large chest to serve us. Are you feeling ok?" Dean scowls and mumbles something about biting him as he looks over the menu. They stay in the diner for about half hour in silence, eating and lost in their own thoughts. Dean drops the cash for the check on the table and they saunter out and resume their journey once more.

…

The light beeping noise wakes her easily. As had the truck horns about half an hour before, the kids screaming and running around about an hour before, and finally the Harley group that rolled through a half hour after she'd started this nap. Sighing to herself, she opens the door, stretches, and climbs into the driver's seat again. Within a moment more she's back on the road.

The light pounding in her forehead gave her just enough warning to pull the Tahoe to the side of the road before the vision hit her. It was well into the afternoon and she knew there was only a few hours left before dark. She was on schedule, she would make it to the bar in time. So why a new vision? All she could do was change to Park and grab a small towel she kept nearby. It only took a moment for her sight to change from the road in front of her to the bar …

… the three men sat around a small table. The dance floor off to one side of the room had a few people on it. The men are drinking beer and discussing a map when another man walks by the table and appears to purposefully bump the older man sitting down. There's a moment when their eyes meet. The walking man has black eyes. He quickly goes from a walk to run as he leaves the bar. All three of the other men leave the table and quickly pursue out into the parking lot. They see him run around the side of the building and quickly follow. As they come around to the back of the building, two men standing facing them. Black eyes. Almost immediately, the two younger and thrown against the wall and the older is thrown into the side of the dumpster.

The vision ends and her sight changes from the back of the bar to the road again. She glances down at the towel in her hand. No blood this time. She waits a moment, but feels no blood dripping and the towel is clean when she does a quick wipe of her nose to be sure. "Weird," she mumbles to herself, "at least I know how they end up behind the bar now."

Grabbing her bottle of water and a couple of aspirin from the glove box, she swallows the pills and resumes her journey.

…

"We're almost at the end of the route, you know?"

Dean glances quickly at the map and where Sam is pointing. "I'm sure something will turn up Sammy."

"What if that demon attacks and I don't have a vision? What if it's my fault they," Sam doesn't have a chance to finish that sentence before Dean cuts him off, "don't say that Sammy. No matter what, it's not your fault. Do you hear me?"

Sam drops his head looking at the map, shoulders sagging, despair trying to creep in. Dean turns left into another subdivision and looks for the right street name.

"Dean!"

Sam leans forward pressing the palms of his hands into his temples as the pain begins to stab him in the forehead. Dean hits the breaks and pulls over to the side of the small road. Putting it in park he turns and grabs Sam's shoulder with one hand and waits. Sam tries to breathe with the pain as his sight begins to blur…

… a small one-story house comes into view. It's dark. A nursery with a small crib and pink flowers on the wall appears next. There's no shadow, just the baby wrapped in a pink blanket sleeping soundly in the crib. The nightlights in the room begin to flicker. Something wakes the baby and she begins to cry. Not a terrified scream, just a waking cry to show her displeasure at having her dreams disturbed. Then the shadow appears. Swirling and unformed at first. Slowly it takes the shape of a man without real features, just dark shadow…

His sight becomes blurred again until the map and the front seat of the car come into focus. He begins breathing deeply, blinking rapidly, trying to regain his composure. Dean continues to hold his shoulder watching him intently until he nods his head and sits up straight. Dean reaches over into the back seat grabbing the bottle of aspirin and anything they might have for Sam to drink.

Watching Sam closely, Dean says nothing and just waits for his brother to say the word. Sam takes another deep breath, picks up the map, and points to the next street. "We need to take a right there. Most likely it's the next house we were going to look at." Dean nods and pulls away from the curb. Taking a right on the street Sam pointed out; they pass three houses and stop in front of the fourth. Sam's face says it all. The house is just as he saw it. But there's no car in the driveway. They get out and walk towards the door. Sam glances over at the neighbor next door who is out taking care of her flowers. Seeing them, she rises and walks towards them. "Can I help you gentlemen?" "Uh, yes mam," Sam turns towards her, "we're here to congratulate our cousin on their new baby girl." At this, the neighbor's facial expression relaxes and she smiles. "Well, I'm sorry to say that they aren't home. I take it they were not expecting you?"

"We wanted to surprise them," Sam attempts to look dejected and blush, but it comes off more comical to Dean than anything else and he has to try to stifle his chuckle. "Well, they are due back in town tomorrow night. We're having dinner and celebrating her six month birthday. I'm sure they'd love to see you if you can hang around until then."

Dean and Sam exchange knowing looks as they both say, "yes mam."

…

The sun is low on the horizon when she drives past the welcome sign. She's made good time. Checking the printed map that shows where the bar is, she looks for the right exit to take. The bar is open and already has a good customer base inside. She parks near the opposite side of the building where they are supposed to run when chasing the possessed man. Reaching into the bag on the back seat, she pulls out a small cloth covered case. Grumbling to herself, she pulls down the visor and opens the mirror. Opening the case, she looks at the make-up selection. "I have no idea what he likes," she grumbles to herself. Deciding to go subtle, she pulls out the light shades and applies the blush and eye shadow. Looking at her lips and then at the case, she grabs the clear gloss and brushes it on. Pulling back her thick black hair, she ties it securely in the back of her head.

Returning the small case to the bag, she rummages through until she finds the next case she's looking for. Opening it, she reveals two very thin and short blades. Taking them out one at a time, still in their sheathes, she slides them easily into her wrapped hair. They're small, but sharp. She takes the ties and feels for the hook in each sheath, tying them securely. She pulls one blade from its sheath and everything remains in place. She pulls the second. Again, the sheath and hair remain where she tied them. Replacing the blades, she checks her hair in the mirror. The small handles of the blades resemble butterfly wings. She even put them on the right side this time. She grunts at herself, remember the first time she put them on and Father Marcus joked that she needed to go back and look at the butterfly pictures in the museum.

She returns the knife case to the bag and pulls out a piece of cloth. Thinking for a moment, she finally decides to put it back in the bag. "I don't want to mess up my skirt and I wont be able to change before the fighting begins," she mumbles to herself. Picking up the dart pack from the passenger seat she secures the small pouch by hooking it to her thin belt at her lower back, but inside her jeans instead of outside. She tests her ability to open the pack and pull a dart, careful not to scratch herself. "Nah, that's a bit dangerous, even for me," she giggles as she removes the pack and then replaces the dart. "Don't want the fight to end before it even begins." Finally she just puts the pack in her back pocket for the time being.

…

"We found it!" Dean puts the map down on the table in front of his dad pointing out the location of the house. Sam just goes to the bed and lies down. Dean looks over at him worried, "You ok, Sammy?"

"Yeah. Head is still bothering me a little."

"Try to get some rest. We'll need to be ready." John gets up and starts to check weapons. "Hold on, dad," Dean interrupts him. "They aren't going to be home until tomorrow night according to the neighbor. They're having her six month birthday celebration then."

"Really?" John pauses a moment and looks down at the phone book. "Well, then I've got an idea for us. How about we go out for a little R&R? I found a bar, we can get some beers and talk about what we're going to do."

Sam and Dean both look at each other, then at John and then back at each other like they're not sure they actually heard the words that just came from their dad's mouth. "Sure." Dean shrugs and smiles broadly. "I'm always up for a little R&R." Sam just rolls his eyes, gets up, and heads for the door.

…

Her breathing was slow and steady; her mind was clear and focused. She sat in the front seat of the Tahoe in the shadow of the evening and the side of the bar. She didn't know how long she'd been waiting and she didn't care. Time was not important now. Only their arrival was. From where she parked she could see each car that entered the lot, as well as who went in or came out of the bar. She didn't know what they were driving, so she didn't bother to look at the cars coming or going. She watched the door intently though.

When the three of them walked to the door and entered the bar she began counting the seconds. She didn't want to rush in, but she needed to make sure she was in there before the possessed arrived. In the vision, they were drinking beers. The younger rugged one, probably the middle of the three in age, had been about half way through his when the incident began. He was probably in his mid- to late-twenties she guessed. Very handsome. He would be her target tonight. She waited a moment more and then left the vehicle and entered the bar.

…

The smell of beer and liquor drowned their sense of smell as soon as the door opened. Dean couldn't help but smile and Sam couldn't help but smile at him. It had been a while since they had come to a place like this to relax and enjoy themselves. John had brought the map and they knew they would be talking about tomorrow night, but it didn't matter right now. They were going to enjoy the loud music and relax for a little while first.

It wasn't too crowded yet and they were able to find a decent high round table to sit at. The woman who came to get their drink orders wasn't exactly drop-drown gorgeous, but that didn't stop Dean from giving her the looks and teasing tone. Sam just rolled his eyes and chuckled to himself. John smiled and asked for beers all around. The waitress smiled, winked at Dean, and headed to the bar to fill their order.

The waitress was almost immediately forgotten when the woman brushed up against Dean as she walked towards a table near the back. Alone. She had dark hair pulled up in a ponytail with strange butterfly wing decorations near her scalp. Her top was tight and covered most of her chest and all of her stomach, but the small straps barely held on to her shoulders. The jeans could have been painted on, but didn't seem to hinder her swaying hips in any way. She went to the table and sat with her back to them. Dean just stared. Sam stared. John coughed and got their attention as the waitress returned with their beers.

Someone had put in a lot of money apparently into the juke box and it was playing half-way decent dance music. There were a few people dancing, but most were just talking amongst themselves. Sam glanced up and noticed that woman was no longer sitting in her chair. In fact she was on the dance floor looking right at him …. no, she was looking at Dean, of course. Only he wasn't noticing her at all. Since his back was slightly to the dance floor and Dad was talking to him about the map and the house, he hadn't noticed her yet. Sam couldn't help but watch her thinking, "do I really want to let Dean know or will Dad get pissed because we're suppose to be talking business? No, we have work to do, Dean needs to concentrate on the job right now." It was too late though. Dean had glanced up at Sam and noticed he was staring at something. He couldn't help but look over to see what could attract and hold Sammy's attention so well.

…

"Good heavens will these idiots never look this way!" she grumbled to herself as she danced. Plenty of other men in the bar were looking at her and she was getting quite annoyed. This was not her thing. She could dance and she could be as seductive as any woman out there, but she hated it. Kicking butt was her thing. Ever since she was little they had been teaching her. Fighting, ritual, demonology, legends, and mythology. Mostly fighting. She enjoyed that. But they had also taught her how to seduce, manipulate, and get what she needed in order to do her job. "Interesting church ethics," she thought to herself as the youngest at the table finally looked up at her.

It took a moment or two more for the other man to notice that his buddy wasn't paying attention to them and was gazing off into the distance. She watched carefully, waiting for him to look around at her. What seems like forever was actually only a minute before he noticed and turned to see her. She locked her eyes with his and smiled as she moved her body in circular waves, then turned her back to them and did it again. She turned around again and he was still watching. "Good," she thought as she raised her hand and with one finger motioned for him to come join her.

…

"Dean, I know this is supposed to be R&R, but we do have to discuss what's going on tomorrow."

"I know, Dad." Dean watched her move and turn around. He almost fell out of his chair when she motioned for him to join her. "I'll be back. Promise." Smiling, he got to his feet, which was an easy slide from the high stools they were sitting in, and moved towards the dance floor.

John started to say something, but stopped. He did say this was R&R and the boys needed it. He turned to Sam with a half smile, "as long as he doesn't try to go home with her, we can still get some planning done." Folding up the map, he tucked it into his pocket. Sam was trying to enjoy his beer, but he still had that worried look on his face. John was very familiar with it. He'd seen it in the mirror thousands of times. "Try to relax Sam. We know when and where it's coming. We're not going to let that family suffer."

"I know, Dad. It's just, how are we going to stop it? We can save the family and get them out of the house, but how are we really going to stop it?"

"I'm working on that. Right now, the most important thing is to save that family. How are you holding up?"

Sam blinks, slightly taken aback. His dad has never pointedly asked him how he was doing. If he got hurt he'd be by his side checking wounds, but he's never actually asked him the question. "Uh, I'm fine, Dad. I'm just worried, that's all."

…

He was actually a very good dancer himself. He had a very interesting scent to him too. Unique, and it wasn't cologne. They danced against each other, facing each other and with her back to him. She almost lost herself in the music, his scent, and his warm body. What was she thinking? She took a quick glance around the room as she turned and swirled her body to the music. No sign of either one of the possessed men. Had everything changed since her last vision?

She tried to concentrate on her task, but he was just so seductive in his own right! The youngest wasn't supposed to get killed. Hurt, maybe, but they had made it clear in the vision that he was to be left alive. She had the attention of one and he was gradually getting her undivided attention too. She scolded herself, "Keep focused!" What to do about the older man when the time came.

It seemed too soon to her that the possessed man she had seen in her vision walked through the door. He moved up to the bar and took a seat. She kept her attention on the man she was dancing with. It was now important that he not take his attention from her. That didn't seem like it was going to be a problem. As one song ended and another started, she nodded towards her table, "come have a drink with me? My treat." Smiling, she took his hand and led him towards the table, making sure she sat on the opposite side so when he sat down, his back was to his friends. She waved to the waitress, who came over and took the order for two more beers.

…

John watched Dean head for her table and sighed. Sam took notice and just chuckled to himself. John gave him a questioning look and that made Sam laugh harder. "He'll never change," Sam said after a moment more. "We'll be lucky if he comes back to the hotel by noon tomorrow."

Frowning, John thought about interrupting them and heading back to the hotel now. They couldn't get that distracted from the task at hand. Instead he picked up his beer and took another drink. No reason to leave now. It was still fairly early.

A stranger sat down in Dean's seat. "Hello John. Hello Sam."

Taken aback, John instinctively rose from his chair and stood by the table. Sam sat up straight and became tense, but didn't leave his seat.

"Easy boys. We don't want to cause any type of commotion in here do we?" the stranger smiled at them. He turned and looked in Dean's direction smiling even more. "I just want to talk. My boss wants to make a deal with you. Don't worry, he's not here. I'm to talk with you and make you an offer. Shall we go outside where it's a little quieter?"

John was still tensed, "why not talk in here? My ears are just fine and I can hear every word you're saying." Sam didn't know what to say. He was worried and Dean wasn't paying any attention to them. Even with his dad standing right next to him, he wanted Dean by his side. He started to rise to go get Dean but was stopped by this stranger's look.

"You don't want to do that Sammy boy." The smile on the stranger's face made Sam even more uneasy. "Lets go outside and talk John. You should tag along Sam." The stranger stood, checked over his shoulder to make sure Dean was still busy, and headed for the door.

John knew he couldn't start shooting up the place, but he couldn't let this man just walk out. The demon knew they were in town, which was bad enough. This man wouldn't care if they started a scene in the bar or who got killed. "Stay here Sammy." Sam started to protest but didn't have to; the man turned and said, "No, Sam needs to come hear this too." Frowning, John still hesitated, but the look on the man's face as he opened the door told him that it would get messy in here if he didn't comply. The 9mm with the consecrated rounds was hidden safely on his belt at the middle of his back, but that didn't make him feel any better. Was Sam carrying anything? Sam was already walking out the door, so he followed. Taking one last look towards Dean as he left. It was a little smoky in the bar, but was the woman looking at him or Dean?

…

"So what's your name handsome?" she purred as the waitress placed the two beers down on the table.

"Dean." He smiled as he took a drink, "and what's yours?"

"Kim. You're not from around here are you? You don't quite fit in with the rest of the rowdy bunch that frequents this place." She knew he wasn't from here and neither was she, but he didn't know that.

"You don't look like you exactly fit in yourself. Much too sexy for this place." Those eyes of his could almost melt her. His lips were full and the way he would lightly lick at his bottom lip right before giving that slight smile made her heart flutter. Any other night she might be seriously tempted.

She continued to woo him into seductive conversation that didn't really reveal anything about either one of them. All the while, she could see the possessed man move from the bar to sit at the table, obviously upsetting the two remaining men that Dean had left there. Dean never took his eyes off her and it didn't appear that she had anything else on her mind but him. The stranger began to leave and she knew it was almost time. She had one of the men "safe" and now had to decide what to do to keep him that way. Not to mention how to save the other one. They were all leaving. The older man paused at the door to look back in this direction one last time. Probably hoping Dean would notice that they're leaving. She knew what to do. She moved her eyes and changed her focus to the man briefly as he walked out. Their eyes met, and then she turned back to Dean. The man left the bar, but Dean had noticed the little distraction in her attention. Turning around he noticed the table where Sam and his dad had been sitting was now empty. "I guess they expect you to come home with me tonight?" she said lightly.

"No. Something's wrong. They wouldn't just leave without saying anything to me." Dean got up and headed for the door. He felt something grab his hand, but didn't pull. She was holding his hand coming with him. As they passed the waitress, Kim handed her some money and thanked her. Out the door into the parking lot they moved. Dean turned to Kim, "you probably should go back in the bar. I'll find them and find out what's going on." He smiled and any other woman would probably believe that smile, but she was too trained. She saw the strain in his eyes, felt the pounding of his heart and its speed in the hand she was holding. He was nervous.

Pulling him lightly towards the side of the building where she'd parked, "if they're not out front maybe they went to one of the sides or the back?" Stopping, she mimicked concern, "you're not drug dealers or axe murderers are you?" Dean gave a light laugh, "not today." Heading around to the side of the building, she pulled the pack of darts from her back pocked and slipped them onto her belt without notice. As they moved down the alley way a shout could be heard. Quickly she pulled out a dart. Dean attempted to pull his hand from her's and run, but she held on tight and pulled back, "I'm sorry Dean." Confusion hit his face like she'd slapped him, but the scratch she made on his hand with the dart turned that quickly to anger.

"Who the hell are you?" He roared as he started to reach for the hand holding the dart.

"Believe it or not Dean, I'm a friend trying to help." Dean grabbed her wrist, but a strange tingling sensation began creeping up his arm. He actually thought it would have been mildly erotic had the whole situation not been so f'd up. He couldn't think straight, his sight became a little blurred, and then his muscles stopped working. Everything went dark.

…

John and Sam followed the man out of the bar and around the corner. Something was definitely wrong. John was about to stop when the stranger started talking while they were walking, "it's simple John. Your boy here has some pretty nice abilities. Now my boss' original plans for him got fouled up when you actually learned the truth and started hunting us and anything else you could find that wasn't 'normal' shall we say?" As they neared the back of the bar John's unease increased and pulled the gun from his belt. Sam said nothing and the man didn't seem to notice; he just kept walking and talking. "Now that you've actually started hunting him, he's a little upset and wants to see if we can make a deal." They rounded the corner to the back of the bar. That's when John saw the second man. Eyes black and wicked smile on his face.

John raised his gun to fire. The first man turned around, eyes also black now, but didn't pay John any attention. Instead, he went after Sam. It happened so fast John couldn't believe it. Neither could Sam. Before John could pull the trigger he was being thrown through the air into something really hard. Sounded like the dumpster, but he didn't see it as he had been spun slightly, probably to prevent the gun from actually hitting the man if he'd pulled the trigger. He didn't get to though. The gun was wrenched from his grasp right before he landed. His shoulder was hurt and he could feel this horrible pressure on his chest. "Here's the deal John. You are going to die. Sam here is going to watch you. Then we're going to kill your son Dean. Sam is going to get to burry you both." The pain grew in intensity and all he could do was cry out from the pain.

Sam saw the man with the black eyes and stopped dead in his tracks, his dad raised the gun to file but was pulled, turned, and thrown into the dumpster. Suddenly he found himself being thrown into the back wall of the bar and pinned there, unable to move. His dad was crying out. "Burry them both? Oh God no!" he thought to himself as he tried desperately to free himself.

…

They heard the footsteps coming from behind them and on the other side of the bar. Running, fast. "Dean, thank God you're coming to help," was all the Sam could think of until he realized that he'd be running right into a trap. "No Dean! Stay away!" Sam yelled and was rewarded with a hard punch to the right temple. Turning towards the footsteps he gawked as the figure came charging around the corner.

…

Hearing the footsteps and seeing that John was not going to get up anytime soon, the man turned around to face his other victim. This was going to be an enjoyable night for him. Until he saw who really came running around the corner.

The second man glanced over his shoulder, but kept concentrating on Sam in order to keep him on the wall. What in the world?

The woman that came running around the corner was not at all what they expected. She wasn't surprised to see them at all either. In fact, she was flat charging the man standing near John. The shock didn't last too long, the man simply turned and waved his hand at her. She'll sit nicely pinned to the wall like Sam until he's finished with John.

Only she didn't get thrown into the wall. She didn't get swayed from her charge in the least. All he could do was blink his confusion right before she slammed into him.

…

She heard John cry out in pain. Placing the dart back into her pack, she held Dean's head as his body collapsed to the ground, making sure he didn't hit it on the hard asphalt. Taking a deep breath, she began to run. Picking up speed as she neared the corner. Taking a wide curve so she didn't lose too much speed, she rounded the corner and picked her target. The younger man would be fine, they had instructions to let him live, but the other man was in trouble and it was her job to save him.

The possessed man turned towards her, slightly confused, but unconcerned. She watched as he waved his hand at her. She felt the light burning sensation coming from the skin on her stomach where the tattoo had been placed so many years before and knew that he'd attempted to hit her or throw her. With great satisfaction she watched as his face completely changed to one of total confusion as she hit him full on like a linebacker taking out and unsuspecting quarterback. She picked him up off his feet and he flew through the air a short distance. He was lighter than she's expected and she almost lost her balance as she stopped, sliding a little, but regained her footing quickly. The man was many feet from her now on the ground, still moving, but very slowly and very confused.

She felt the burning sensation on her stomach tattoo again and turned to the one holding the youngest man to the wall. Instincts had taken over. She was no longer worried about how she was going to do what. She was in protect and kill mode. Without a second thought, she pulled the dart from its pack and threw it with precision at the man. It hit exactly where she'd thrown it. The sudden feeling of "oops I wasn't supposed to do that" ran through her mind as the man sank to the ground writhing in pain. The dart had gone into the right eye socket and into the brain. The hissing of the consecrated elements caused the demon inside a great deal of pain. As it lost its hold on the poor man inside, the sedation piece began to knock him unconscious. Unfortunately, the spike in his brain caused death to take him instead.

The demon began to expel itself from the now dead body. Swirling in the air and heading for the fence behind the bar. She turned away from it, unconcerned. It was too weak and hurt to do anything to anyone for a while. But there was still one more possessed man here that she could take home.

…

Sam felt himself get released from the wall, but all he could do was stare at this woman before him. As the demon left the body of the man, Sam shrank back fearing that it might try to take him. Instead it went towards and through the fence, fleeing. His dad groaned on the ground, and Sam quickly ran to his side.

…

The possessed man slowly rose to his feet, watching as his partner fled. He tried again to throw the woman somewhere, anywhere! But all that did was attract her attention. He wanted to run, but she was pulling something out of that small pouch on her belt. Probably the same thing that just defeated his partner. "Well, if I can't throw her," he thought to himself as he quickly looked around for anything he could use. There were several broken fence boards near him, so he flung two of them at her as he bolted down the side of the bar.

…

She felt the burning sensation and knew the second one was up now. It was getting more painful, she needed to hurry and finish this. Turning, she began drawing a dart to use. She could tell he was afraid. Fear can be a problem as much as a gift and she hesitated to see how he would react. As he started to make a break for it, she heard the ever so faint whistle. Like the sounds of the arrows flying through the air during her archery lessons, only louder. She saw the boards easily enough and just as easily dropped into a side roll as they flew harmlessly over her head. However, this had given him a slight head start on his escape.

Finishing her roll in a standing position, she quickly started pursuing the man down the side of the bar. He was already near the front, but he made his last mistake. He stopped, unsure of which way to run next. That was all she needed. She stopped and threw the dart.

…

He'd made it away from the back of the bar and reached the front. In his confusion he hesitated, unsure if he should go for their car or just run by the other buildings on the street in hopes of losing this strange woman. He felt the sting in the back of his right shoulder, but that was just the beginning. The searing pain that followed caused him to drop to his knees. He tried to reach over and pull the dart from his body but the pain was unbearable. He could feel himself losing control over the body; the pain was just so intense.

"I can move my hand! I can finally move my own body!" The man thought to himself as he looked at his hand, opening and closing at his own will. It was short lived however. The tingling sensation he felt was oddly pleasurable. As he sank down to the ground with darkening sight his last thought, "Am I still dreaming?"

She waited patiently for the body to slump and stop moving. She could hear the men in the back trying to move. The younger was using his body as a crutch for the older. "Where's Dean!" she heard one of them shout at her. She glanced over her shoulder, it was the younger one. "What did you do to Dean?" He was scared and angry; she could see it on his face and hear it in his voice. She smiled, "he's on the other side of the bar waiting for you."

They hesitated. They were closer to the back of the bar still, so they turned and headed that way. "Oh great, now I've got to hurry." This man was smaller, but without the adrenaline and running speed, he was just dead weight. She grabbed his hands and began dragging him to the Tahoe. Pulling the keys from a pocked she quickly opened the door, and started hauling him in. There was rope there. She tied his hands behind his back, tied his feet, and then tied his feet to his hands.

"Dean?" The younger shouted. Glancing down the side of the building, she could see him leaning the older man against the wall. Quickly she finished tying up the man and closed the back door. "Dean! Dean!" Hurriedly, she jumps into the front seat and starts the engine. Glancing one more time down the side of the bar, she can see the younger one looking at her. Anger definitely burning in those eyes. She mouths "I'm sorry" to him and puts it in reverse. "The younger one doesn't know what to do," she thought, "good that will give me time to leave before he tries to pick a fight."

…

Sam stood there looking at his father bleeding next to the bar's wall, his brother lying on the ground refusing to wake up, and the strange female that probably did something to Dean driving away like nothing's wrong. She mouthed something at him, but he couldn't quite make it out. The look on her face told him though. Whatever she'd done to Dean, she appeared sorry she'd done it. He watched as the Tahoe left the parking lot and turned right towards the Interstate. Normal instincts caused him to look at the license plate. He memorized it quickly, "I'll find you."

Dean still wouldn't wake up. John was able to muster the strength to help Sam a little at getting Dean to and in the car. They drove back to the motel and got Dean in the room and on his bed. He wouldn't respond to anything. He was breathing and his heart beat sounded healthy and normal. He just wouldn't wake up. They tried water, ice, and even slapping his face. Sam let his dad do that last one. John finally decided to lay down on the other bed after cleaning up a little. His chest still hurt and it was hard to breathe, but it was slowly getting easier. Sam just sat in the chair helplessly watching them both.

It was early morning, almost ten hours later, when Dean began to stir. John and Sam were both awake already. John sitting in the chair, head in hands, and elbows resting on the table. Sam was pacing anywhere there was open floor. Dean started by taking a deep breath and his head moved from one side to the other. That was all they needed. Both were at his bedside, "Dean?" Dean blinked his eyes and tried to move. He felt heavy and his muscles screamed as he made them work. Sam took one of his arms and helped him into a sitting position on the side of the bed.

"What the hell happened? You guys left me at the bar … and that woman, she scratched me with something," he looked down at his hand. Taking the bandage off, there was a shallow cut down the side of his hand. "Where is that bitch? What happened to you guys? Dad, you look like crap."

"Dean you've been asleep for over ten hours," Sam said as calmly as he could. "We couldn't wake you up no matter what we tried. What did she do to you?"

"She cut me with something. I … I can't remember exactly what it was, but it was fast acting and made a tingling sensation." Dean replaced the bandage and looked at his dad, "you guys left me at the bar, why?"

"There were demons there Dean. Like Meg. People possessed by demons. One of them came to our table while you were with that woman, said he wanted to talk about a deal. We followed him out, but there was a second one." Looking upset and almost embarrassed John looked at the floor and then walked over to the table to retake his seat.

Confused, Dean looked to Sam, "so you guys beat them? And the woman?" Sam shook his head, "No Dean, they were going to kill you and dad. That woman saved us."

…

She'd been driving about nine hours so far. A little over half way home. She knew there was no way she was going to get back before it wore off and the last thing she needed to deal with was a pissed off possessed dude causing havoc in her Tahoe.

Pulling in to the next rest stop, she drove to the far side and parked. Moving to the middle door, in hopes of hiding the body in the back from anyone else who might get nosey, she opened the door and checked her passenger. He still appeared to be sleeping. She felt his fingers, they were warm, and then his ankle, also warm. Good, she hadn't tied to rope too tight and his circulation was still good. She'd checked three times now and figured if there was a problem it would have shown up by now. She pulled out a small knife and cut a line opening in that leg of his jeans. Taking the last dart out of the pack she shrugged and stabbed him in the leg. "Sorry dude." Pulling the dart out, she replaced it in the pack next to the second one. She hadn't bothered to go after the original that killed the first man. Taking one of the many towels she kept near her at all times, she pressed it against his leg wound.

Once the bleeding had stopped enough, she put a bandage on and closed the door. Returning to the driver's seat then continuing her journey home.

…

"What are we going to do now? The demon obviously knows we're here and wants us dead. Not to mention the fact that it's coming after that family tonight." Sam paced across the room. John watched Sam but didn't have an answer. At least not yet. Dean was in the shower still trying to get over whatever that woman had done to him. Kim is the name he'd said she used. Sam had given him the license plate for the Tahoe. It was registered to some company in Topeka, Kansas. Only he couldn't find anything on it.

"I wish I knew how she'd kept them from pinning her to the wall like she did me," Sam was still fuming. "I mean, how did she know we were back there? Why did she do whatever it is she did to Dean? How could she beat two demons like that!"

"I don't know Sam, and you need to calm down." John's voice was commanding, but lacked the harshness that Sam was use to. That alone made him stop and look at his dad. John looked tired. He was obviously still sore from the attack the previous night. John finally looked up, "we've got the consecrated iron rounds and the rock salt shells. We've also got the silver bullets. One of those things has to hurt it. I think we need to just get the family out before the demon arrives."

Sam just frowned. "You got a story we can tell them?"

…

It had been a long drive, but finally she reached the church parking lot. She pulled in and around the back, through a gate, and followed the small road that led away from the church and into the woods. The sun was still up, if low, in the sky. She pulled into the garage of the large house tucked away and hidden by trees all around. Father Marcus and Jake came in before she'd even gotten out herself.

"How did it go?" Jake asked anxiously as she slid out of the seat. He was only 14, but already a pretty good hunter. She'd been training him herself. Kim smiled at him, "I'm still here and I have a present for Father Marcus in the back."

Father Marcus nodded and called into the house. Two other men came out of the house after a few minutes. The man in the back was still unconscious, so the had little trouble picking him up and taking him inside. "Well done my dear," Father Marcus smiled at her. "I take it the darts worked well for you?"

"Yes sir, but … I uh, … I had to use all three." She gave him a light shrug and wasn't even close to apologetic, just matter of fact. She smiled and headed into the house. It had been a long drive and she was in desperate need of a hot bath. She went straight to her room, which had its own bathroom attached and contained a very nice sized shower and tub combo. She plugged the drain and turned on the water, testing it until it was the temperature she liked. Reviewing the various bath oils and salts that lined the counter, she picked out the Lavender salts and sprinkled it into the tub.

Moving into her room, she slipped of the boots and jeans, tossing them carelessly in the corner. She noticed that the blood from the previous night was gone from the floor. She slipped off her shirt and glanced in the long door mirror of her closet. The tattoo was still dark on her abdomen, like it had just been put there recently. It had actually been almost ten years. That horrible ritual still gave her shivers when she thought about it. She also remembered the guilt she felt when Father Joseph had died shortly after it was complete. It took a horrible toll on all of them; her and the three priests that worked on it. But, the Saturn Seal of Protection did its job well, which kept her doing hers.

Jake would have to undergo it in a few years. His body still hadn't finished growing yet and he wasn't skilled enough to take on a demon. But he was doing very well in his training. He'd gone with her to banish a vengeful ghost that was angry about her husband getting married again. The new wife almost didn't live through it, but with Kim's guidance, Jake had successfully taken care of the situation. "Ok," she smirked to herself as she finished undressing and headed for the tub, "I stood by and made him do all the digging, salting, and burning of the corpse, but hey, he's got to learn some how." The smile slowly faded, "one day he will have to replace me just as I replaced Steve." Frowning at the memories of her friend, teacher, and trainer, she took a deep breath, cleared her mind, and sank into the comforting, scented, hot water.

…

The bath definitely did her some good. She felt relaxed and the soreness in her muscles has eased considerably. She dressed and headed downstairs to grab a light bite of dinner before going to do her evening exercises.

Father Marcus caught her in the hallway in front of the kitchen. "Did you talk to any of the men that you helped?"

"I talked to one of them. He said his name is Dean. But I didn't get into details about the other two. Why? Have you learned something about them from the man I brought in?" She actually had a slight concern that she might have missed something.

"Not too much. Apparently they are a family, the Winchesters. Dean is the oldest son, Sam the younger, and John is the father. He's not being overly cooperative, but we didn't expect it to be easy." Smiling, Father Marcus pats her on the shoulder and continues down the hall. Kim just shrugs and enters the kitchen.

…

The sun is setting and they've got their guns loaded. Each one has a pistol with consecrated rounds, a pistol with silver rounds, and a shotgun with rock salt. Dean looks over his brother and then his dad, "we're going to scare the hell out of these poor people if we go barging into the house looking like this, you know? The guns and the knives will probably scare them more than the demon."

Sam smirks, but John just throws the extra shells and guns in the bag. "Lets get going, boys," John says as he heads for the door. They all get in the car with John driving, Dean riding shotgun and Sam sitting in the back seat behind his brother. They pull quickly out of the motel parking lot and head to the house.

Sam watches the scenery going by, replaying the previous night events over and over in his mind. Something was wrong … well, more wrong than normal for them. He just couldn't put his finger on it. So the demon knew they were here, sent two of its goons to kill his brother and dad, and intended to destroy this other family. It will know that its goons failed in their task and that some woman helped. Would it know that she'd left them? That she wasn't here to help them now? Would it even still come after this baby girl? All these questions were starting to give him a headache … at least he thought it was the questions until the intensity increased to the point he cried out.

Dean turned around in his seat and grabbed Sam's shoulders. Sam was holding his head with both his hands and bent over in the seat. Dean pushed him up a little and held him, watching intently as Sam's hands slowly lowered and fumbled for the front seat's back. He couldn't see; Dean knew he was already seeing whatever the vision held for him this time.

John pulled the car over into the parking lot of a closed store and put it in park. Turning half in his seat, he watched as Dean held on to Sam as the vision took over. Dean's face was filled with concern. John knew that whatever happened, Sam was in good hands.

The vision was very similar to the one he'd had just yesterday, but not the same. The room came into focus, the pink flowered wallpaper, the crib with the baby girl kicking and smiling. The black smoke swirled and danced until it became the shape of a man. Arms reached down and picked her up, turning he sees the reflection in a decorative mirror … his reflection … only his eyes ….

Sam comes out of the vision with a scream of near terror; he sits up so fast that Dean loses his grip on his shoulders. "What the hell! Sam!" Sam opens the door and practically falls out of the car, standing and swirling around looking at nothing. "Sam?" Dean exits the car and so does John, trying to catch Sam and calm him down.

Sam takes a few more steps backwards as his sight finally clears and focuses in on Dean's extremely worried face. Dean grabs his shoulders again and looks intently at him, "Sam? What is it?"

"It's me … it's going to take me! I … I saw my reflection … the eyes … it's waiting for me!"

"Like hell it is!" Dean growled as he released Sam's shoulders.

"What exactly did you see Sammy?" John asked in a worried tone.

"I saw the nursery, the crib, and the baby girl in it. The shadowy shape appeared and her picked up. When it turned I saw it's reflection in the mirror and it was me! Me with those yellow eyes!" Fear began to creep back into his voice, "it's going to come after me. What do I do?" Only he wasn't looking at his dad anymore, he was asking Dean.

John and Dean just stood there, neither of them really knowing what to say. John took a deep breath and said, "we stick together. We go and save this family and we stick together. Sammy, you never leave my or Dean's sight. It wont take you."

"No way in hell am I letting it get anywhere near you Sammy." Dean said fiercely.

Sam started to breath a little easier, nodded, and they headed back to the car.

It didn't take long to reach the house. They parked a couple houses down first to watch. John turned off the engine and lights. They watched the house and saw some movement inside, the occasional shadows against the curtains, as people walked from room to room or stood idle while they talked. "What's the plan, dad?" Sam asked anxiously from the back seat.

"Same as before. We wait. When the signs appear and we know it's coming, we go in. We get the family and get out," John said gruffly.

The front door opens and two couples walk out. They start talking some more. One woman is holding the little girl in her arms, patting her back gently, and swaying from side to side. John just watched her. She didn't look anything like Mary, but he could remember when she'd done the same with both Dean and Sam. The people talked a little while longer. One couple headed to the next house down. Dean and Sam realized that the woman was the neighbor that had spoken with them the day before. The woman held on to the baby as she waved and said goodbye, then she and her husband returned to the house.

It was several hours after the sun had set and the house was finally dark. The porch light was on and it looked like a lamp inside one of the rooms was still on. Otherwise, the house was dark and quiet. The Winchesters hadn't said anything since they arrived, each working out their own fears and watching the house intently. The wind began to pick up a little and John's attention was pulled to the rear-view mirror. Down near the small intersection the lights were flickering. They flickered a couple of times and stopped, but that was enough to cause him to tense up. Both boys noticed, "what is it dad," Dean saw he was looking back at something through the mirror and looked himself. The street looked quiet. Sam turned and noticed the wind was getting stronger. They all turned and looked at the house. It was quiet for a moment more, and then the lights started flickering. John's tone was dull and threatening, "It's here."

…

"Ugh, how am I ever going to be effective at my job if I'm not allowed a decent night's sleep!" The pounding in her head continued as the darkness of her room changed to a pink flowered nursery …

Exasperated, she goes to the bathroom to clean the blood from her nose. Expecting to hear the usual knock on her door, since Father Marcus' room was next to hers and he was such a light sleeper, she became a little concerned when everything remained quiet. Satisfied that she wasn't bleeding anymore, she wet the towel and wiped up the spots of blood dropped between the floor next to her bed and the bathroom. Still Father Marcus had not come over. Glancing at the clock, 1:48 AM, she realized that she'd only been asleep for a couple of hours.

Sitting on the edge of her bed she tried to decide what do to about the vision. It had been … what was his name? … Sam … Sam was facing some shadowy creature while holding a baby. Unfortunately she didn't get anything more. When or where, she had no clue. All she did know was that she was exhausted. Crawling back under the covers she decided that since she couldn't do anything about the vision yet, she might as well get some more sleep.

…

Dean picked the lock of the door easily enough. The TV was still going in the living room area. The man was messing with it; the station was filled with static and the flickering lights continued. He heard the door creak open and turned to find the Winchesters entering his house. John went for him whispering that there was danger and he needed to get out of the house. "It'd be nice if people would just believe us and following instructions," Dean thought as the man started yelling for them to get out of his house. John stopped him before he could reach the phone and a fist fight ensued. "Get the wife and baby out of here," John yelled back at his boys.

Dean and Sam headed down the hallway, not really knowing which bedroom was which. They did find out which was the master bedroom as the wife came out of the door with a golf club. Normally Dean would never hit a woman; however, this one was not only swinging a golf club, but had apparent knowledge in self-defense. Sam ducked the club only to be kicked in the face and knocked to the ground. Dean had to take several steps backwards to keep the golf club from hitting him. Her swings were controlled, but she forgot about Sam. Sam grabbed her from behind and tried to calm her down as Dean grabbed for the club. She used Sam as leverage to kick Dean with both feet. She was much shorter than Sam, so her attempted head-butts into his chest stung, but didn't hurt him too badly. "Please, we're trying to help you!" Sam pleaded with her. When she relaxed a little Sam made the mistake of letting go.

Dean was standing back up when she turned and kneed Sam in the groin. The punch that followed put Sam back on the ground. Dean winced for his little brother as he tried to get the wife under control. John was going out the door with the husband now. "Sam, go get the baby, quick!" Dean had a silly notion that he was in some kind of kung-fu movie. They spent several seconds just blocking each others blows. Finally, she made a mistake. She over extended a punch and got a little off balance. Dean grabbed her hand and used her own momentum to fling her over the couch. He could see Sam was already down the hallway and in the end room. John came back into the house, "Go get Sam, I'll get her," he ordered.

Dean headed down the hallway and could see Sam. Sam was standing with the baby in one arm, holding it tightly to his chest with one hand and his shotgun pointing down at the ground in the other. He was facing something … something that looked like a dark shadow. "No!" Dean raced down the hallway as the door slammed shut.

…

Sam had not expected the woman to come out of her bedroom swinging anything, much less a golf club. He ducked quickly but got kicked in the face. As he regained his footing he tried to stop the woman and calm her down. When she appeared to relax he let go thinking he could explain something to get her to understand that they needed to leave the house. The next pain he felt caused white flashes to cross his eyes. Before he could step back to recover, she planted a firm punch on his cheek. Now lying on his side he heard his brother tell him to get the baby. He really wanted to give that woman a good beating, but decided he'd let Dean try to deal with her. Getting to his feet he ran down the hallway, picking up his shotgun that he'd dropped on the floor, and opened the door at the end.

The pink flowered wallpaper let him know he was in the right spot before he even saw the crib. The baby girl was awake, cooing and kicking in her crib. But there was no sign of the demon. Fear creped up his spine as he walked to the crib and reach down to pick up the baby. Everything seemed so quiet, too quiet. He put the shotgun inside the crib as he picked her up. She was smiling at him with a big toothless and slobbery grin. He cradled her in one arm and let her head rest on his shoulder and neck. Grabbing the shotgun he turned around.

There was the mirror on the wall. His reflection. But those were not his eyes staring back at him. The form left the mirror and swirled in a black mass to reform in front of him. It felt like the gun weighed a ton and wouldn't move. "Get a grip!" He screamed at himself. He heard Dean yell from the hallway as the door slammed shut.

…

Dean ran down the hallway and threw his entire weight against the door. It felt like he'd run into a brick wall. The door didn't budge. Pain shot through his shoulder, side, and hip where he'd impacted. He back up and tried kicking it, no luck. He heard a shotgun blast come from the room, "Sam? … Sam!" As he backed up to kick the door again he noticed the flicking lights under the door … not lights ... fire! He kicked the door again as he heard a second shotgun fire inside. Fear gripped him as heard the baby screaming but heard nothing from Sam. He threw himself against the door again, this time it gave way and he crashed into the room.

Sam was on the opposite side of the room still holding the now screaming baby. The crib and most of the room between him and door was in flames. Even the window was blocked by flames.

Sam covered the baby in the blankets as much as possible and backed up against the wall. He took a shaky breath and then ran, leaping over as much of the fire as he could. He landed and stumbled, but Dean was there to catch and then drag him down the hallway. They ran out of the house where John was trying to explain what had just happened to the terrified couple. Coughing and trying to catch his breath, Sam held on to the baby as the mother ran over to take her. Sam handed her the baby … reluctantly? … Maybe he was just being careful. Dean watched closely as Sam went into another coughing fit.

Grabbing his brother's arm, Dean pulled him towards the car. John was close behind. "Are you boys ok? What happened in there?" Sam was beginning to breathe better. "The rock salt must have done something. Not much though, I had to shoot it twice. Then everything caught on fire." Sam flinched and shifted in the back seat. "You ok Sammy?" Dean asked turning in the seat to look back at him. "Yeah, just going to be really sore for a while I think. That woman had a mean kick." Dean just smiled as he turned back around, "Better you than me."

…

They got back to the hotel room after 2 AM. Sam still seemed to be in pain. He flinched and cringed a lot. Once in the room, he went straight to his bed. Dean put the bag down on the table as John grabbed the small bucket off the sink counter. Smiling as he went out the door, John looked back, "I'll go get you some ice Sammy."

"Yeah, I'm good. I'm just going to try to get some sleep." Lying down, he rolled over with his back to the room. "See you in the morning."

"Sure." Dean was a little worried, but started cleaning the shotgun that Sam had used.

John returned with some ice and placed it back on the counter. "Why don't you get some sleep Dean, I'll take care of that." John picked up the cleaning materials and the gun and moved over to the table. Dean rolled onto the bed and lay there staring at the ceiling.

It was about 5 AM when Sam rolled over and climbed out of bed. John was still in the chair, but his head was down. He must have fallen asleep. Looking over at Dean, who was turned over on his stomach; Sam grabbed the silver .45 and put it in his belt at his lower back. Taking another look around the room, he slipped out the door, closing it softly behind him.

…

The soft sounds of her alarm clock woke her from a sound slumber. Her clock was designed to turn on the back-light and begin playing the CD stored within it. The sound level started out so low you couldn't hear anything. It would then gradually get louder. It never got very far. Most of the time the light turning on was enough to wake her. This morning was no different. The light turning on and the sound of the CD beginning to spin did its job nicely. 4:30 AM. She took in a deep breath and headed for the bathroom.

She met Father Marcus and the other resident priests down stairs in the kitchen. They had already been up for half an hour or at least they normally were. However, this morning it was evident in the sunken eyes and tired expressions that they had not been asleep at all. Father Marcus turned to greet her as she entered the kitchen. His eye was purple and swollen with a bandage above it. "What the …?" She let her voice trail off not wanting to start the day out cursing.

"I'm ok. Our guest was a little rowdy last night." Father Marcus picked up his coffee and took another sip.

Scowling, she planted her hands on her hips, "well? Are you going to tell me what happened or not? I've been letting you handle the guest and the interrogation, but that was because you said you four could handle it. How did you get hurt?"

"How dare you take that tone with me?" He barked at her, making everyone in the room jump, including her. "I am a quite capable priest and can handle a demon possessed person." He took a deep breath, "well, at least once they're here and trapped." His face softened, "I'm sorry, I'm just tired. We've exorcised the demon and the man he was possessing is sleeping in one of the guest rooms." Turning back to his coffee, he just watched the black liquid reflect the kitchen lights.

"If you will excuse me, I'm going to start my day." She turned and headed out of the house. Out in the front yard she began her usual stretches to get her muscles going. Jake joined her a few minutes later and began his stretching. Once ready, she made sure her towel was securely looped through her belt and the cell phone and water bottle were clipped tight. Jake did the same thing, nodded, and they began their jog down the drive way.

As they neared the church she felt the pounding start. She jogged off the road and stopped on the grass. Jake hesitated and then stopped. Looking back at her as she gripped her head and fell to her knees, he stepped towards her asking, "Kim? Are you ok?" He'd never actually witnessed her going through one of her visions, but she and Father Marcus had described them. He didn't realize just how painful they must be until she started grunting and breathing so hard trying to fight through the pain. When her nose started bleeding he panicked. Jake pulled out his phone and immediately called the house, "She having a vision I think! She's bleeding! What do I do?"

It didn't take long for Fathers Marcus and Joseph to arrive. The vision was complete and she was holding the towel under nose. Her head was still pounding and they helped her to her feet. "What is it with this family?" she thought as she climbed into the car. It was a short drive back up to the house. As she climbed out and headed for the house, she turned to Father Marcus, "did you learn anything more about the Winchester family when you were interrogating the demon last night?"

"No. Why? What was your vision about?"

"Let's just put it this way, I have to go back to Colorado and quickly."

…

Sam walked away from the hotel and down the street. A bus was pulling up to one of its stops and Sam got on. He put some money in the box and headed for the back of the bus. As it lurched forward Sam glanced back towards the motel. Then, turning to face the front again, he sat back and watched the streets go by.

…

"What do you mean 'no'? I need them." Kim rarely yelled, but her voice was definitely rising in volume.

"There's no reason for you to need them. You don't have to bring him back. Just take care of the situation as you normally do." Father Marcus frowned; he wasn't use to having Kim raise her voice and certainly didn't expect to have to argue over equipment.

Kim slid her bag into the middle seat of the Tahoe. "Look, something is definitely up with this family. You got nothing from the demon that I brought before and this one seems different somehow. Stronger than the usual ones that I go after. I've had three visions of these guys."

"Three?" Now he was a little upset, she'd never done this before. "Why didn't you tell me you'd had a second one?"

"It was too short. There was nothing to go on. But three? I don't think I can remember a time when I've ever had more than one vision about any one person or thing. I need to bring it back with me. I really think we need to find out what it is, what it's doing, and why."

Jake came running out to them, "I made the call like you asked. Father Mike is going to take care of it and meet you at the airport."

"It's going to be hard enough having to take a plane there. I'm going to be pressed for time. I've got to fly there, land, get weapons and ammo, and then find these Winchester men again." Kim's face was flushing.

"Kim," Father Marcus' voice had gone back to that soft 'I'm about to give you lots of wonderful wisdom and knowledge that you're going to accept and never question' tone, "Just take it out." He gave her the typical pat on the shoulder and soft smile, and then turned to go back into the house. Scowling, she just clenched her jaw and watched him go.

"Be careful Kim," Jake said has he reached out his hand in imitation hand shake. Shaking hands with her, he leaves behind a folded piece of waxy paper. "See you tomorrow, maybe?"

"Yeah, maybe." She smiled and slipped it into her pocket. Jumping into the Tahoe, she and Father Joseph headed for the airport.

…

Dean woke with a start. He could tell the sun was rising based on the bright line of light coming from the crack in the curtains stinging his eyes. Sitting up, he rubbed his eyes and looked around the room. "Dad, wake up." Dean called over to his dad who was sleeping on the table. John's head jerked up and his eyes darted quickly around the room as he got his bearings. "Sam?" Dean looked over, but Sam's bed was empty. "Sam?" He called out in a louder voice. Standing up, he walked over to the bathroom, but the door was open and it was empty.

John got up and quickly went to the window and looked out. "The car's still there." Glancing around the room he quickly did an inventory of everything. "One of the guns is gone. The silver .45 with the consecrated iron rounds is missing. Nothing else that I can see is gone though. Besides Sam, of course."

"Well where the hell did he go?" Dean grabbed his cell phone, pulled up Sam's number, and called it. It rang multiple times and then went to voice mail. Dean hung up and tried again. Same thing. Frustrated, Dean did it one more time. This time it went straight to voice mail with no rings. "Damn it, I think he turned is phone off. What the hell is he doing?"

John looked over at the bed where Sam had been sleeping. Sam had been sleeping so soundly when he decided to lay his head down last night. How could he not hear Sam get up and leave? He didn't think he'd been that tired. It didn't matter now; they needed to just figure out where he was. "Calm down a minute Dean. Maybe he's just out getting coffee and breakfast or something?" He didn't believe that, but he hoped it would help Dean relax and focus.

"It's almost 7:30 in the morning, dad. Sammy's up at 5 and 6 in the mornings. If he'd gone out for coffee then he'd have been back long ago." Glancing around the room again as if he could have possibly missed where Sam was hiding and then back to his dad, "so we wait for him to show up or call?"

"Well we certainly can't just leave. He might come back and find us gone. I'll go and drive around a bit; check the local diners. Heck even the library maybe. You stay here and wait to see if he comes back." John grabbed his jacket, pistol, and the keys as he walked out the door.

…

The bus pulled up to another stop and Sam got off. Looking at the road signs, he started walking. Unfortunately, public transportation in this city didn't get too close to the suburbs. It was a pretty long walk, but he took it casually and unconcerned. The cell phone rang several times and the ID showed that it was Dean. After the second time, he turned it off.

By the time he reached the subdivision, the sun was moving near the tops of most of the one-story houses. He continued to walk down the streets, turning when he reached one he knew. Finally, he came up to the last street. The one that had the house they had left many hours before. He passed by the first two houses and then walked up the driveway of the third. The car was there. No one was outside anywhere he could see up and down the street. Walking up to the door, he listens but hears nothing inside.

He knows it's too late in the day for them to be sleeping. Not because they may be exhausted from the events of that evening, but because of that baby girl. She would want to be fed and given attention. She wouldn't want to be sleeping this late. Pulling out a pick set, he quickly unlocked the door. He slid in quietly and listened. Still nothing. He closed the door with a soft click. Drawing the gun from his back, he removed the safety and pulled back the slide to load a bullet in the chamber. Softly, but casually, he walked around the house and down the hallway. Coming up to the main bedroom, he slid the door open with his hand. The bed was ruffled but empty. Turning, he opened the nursery door. Also empty.

Sam frowned. He slowly eased the hammer back into place and put the safety back on. He walked through the house towards the back door. The back yard was empty as well. He placed the gun back into his belt at his lower back and headed for the front door.

…

John drove slowly down each of the streets that were near the motel looking into each diner, restaurant, and gas station he saw in hopes of seeing Sam. He was getting angrier by the minute. All he could think about was how Sam had left them again making them worry about his safety. He had driven around for an hour or so when he finally got fed up and returned to the hotel. Just as he was pulling into the driveway he saw her coming out of the office.

His first impulse was to drive the Impala right into her. He did turn the car in her direction, but when he saw the priest get out of the car she was walking towards he hesitated. Instead, he drove up to them and got out of the car. She appeared a little nervous when he got out, but turned to face him directly. He watched her eyes do a quick sweep of him and the car.

"Mr. Winchester," she said calmly and nodded her head in greeting.

…

Planes sucked. They always gave her a headache and she hated knowing that she didn't have the wheel in her hand and control of it. But sometimes she just didn't have a choice. She didn't fly often but when she did it was always in the exit isle so there'd be a little more leg room. Unfortunately, working for a church didn't provide enough funds for the cushy first class section.

The plane ride was only about 45 minutes long and Father Mike met her once she landed. "I've got the location for motel you named and the darts you asked for. Though I have to say I'm a little confused. You don't want the dart board or anything, just a couple of the darts from the game?"

She smiled at him, "Yes sir, that's all I want."

They climbed into the car and he handed her the three game darts. They were sharp enough, having never been thrown into the board and dulled any. While Father Mike drove, she pulled out the small black pouch and tested to see if the darts would fit. Unfortunately, they were a little tight. Putting those darts in there would rub off anything she put on them. Frowning, she put the pouch back in her bag. She took out the folded piece of wax paper and began carefully unfolding it. A thick oily liquid was covered the inner most parts of it. She took the darts and rolled the pointed end through the liquid until they were coated well. She then placed the darts on the wax paper and folded it carefully around the tips but left the ends out where she could grab hold. Satisfied with their new setting, she placed them carefully in her back pocket, making sure there was enough for her to grab when she needed to.

Once they arrived at the motel, she had Father Mike park and told him to wait for her while she went inside to find out where the Winchesters were staying. It didn't take long to get the jerk behind the counter to give her the information she wanted. She winked and blew a kiss as she walked out of the office and headed back over to the car. The rumble of the black Impala attracted her attention as it drove into the driveway. It slowed and then moved in her direction. It was the older man, the father. He stepped out of the car and walked towards her. He was pissed about something, it didn't really matter what, she had to talk to him whether he wanted her to or not. She did a quick once-over of him and what she could see in the car. He was not obviously armed, but she wouldn't doubt about a concealed weapon. No one was in the car. She faced him as he drew closer, "Mr. Winchester," she said and nodded a greeting to him.

…

Dean felt like he was going insane. Sam's phone was obviously turned off because it kept going straight to voice mail. Dad was driving around without him and hadn't seen any sign of Sam yet. "Where the hell are you, Sammy?" Dean paced around the room, sharpened his knives, cleaned a gun, paced some more, went outside for air and to look around, came back to the room to pace some more, then started sharpening his knives again.

When the door opened he thought he might jump out of his skin. "Sam?"

"No. I didn't see him, but I did see someone else we know." John's face was taunt and a little pale. "Get your stuff and get in the car."

…

Obviously they weren't home. Perhaps at a neighbors. Sam turned away from the back yard and headed to the front door.

She was a pretty one. Black hair tied in a thick pony tail behind her head. She was coming around the corner as he was heading towards it. They locked eyes for a moment.

"Sam?"

"Yeah?"

"Really? Sam?"

Sam smiled. "Who were you expecting?"

"What are you doing here?"

"I was looking for the family. I think they're in danger still. Why are you here? Especially after what you did to my brother?"

She started moving closer towards him. Her eyes darted around the room but never enough for him to not be in her sight. She watched his every move carefully. "Because I think this family and yours are in danger. But then, you already knew that didn't you?"

Sam smiled again and took a deep breath. "Shall we begin then?"

The first thing he did was try to pin her, which she always expects and enjoys their failure. However, typically it would take a while for the seal to really heat up and burn her. Not only did it start to burn immediately, but this burning sensation was really rough. She felt like someone had just poured hot coffee on her. Watching Sam, it was good to see the surprised reaction on his face when she didn't move. She could handle the pain for a little while, but it could mess her up if she didn't act quickly.

She started out by kicking him square in the stomach knocking him back towards the sliding glass door that emptied out into the back yard. His breath came out as a "whoof." He regained his footing and punched, she blocked. She punched, he blocked. She cringed as the seal burned again, getting worse each time. Unfortunately, he saw her reaction and sneered. She stepped up her attempts to get him down and luckily was a better fighter in the end. Pain or no, she knew what she had to do. He was close enough to the door for her to use it. She quickly started a combination that got him off balance enough that when she kicked him again he went through the glass door.

The kick knocked the wind out of him again and he growled his displeasure but still fell to the ground on his back. As he rolled slightly and got on one knee to stand, she pulled out the first dart. The best spot to throw at that point was his rear, which brought a smirk to her face, but just as she started to throw the searing burn presented itself and her throw went a little low. That was ok, it still got him in the back of the thigh. He cried out and she saw the hissing that she'd hoped for coming from the wound. He was definitely angry now and he glared at her with those now yellow eyes. She doubled over a little as the seal caught it.

He wasn't going down though; he was actually getting up again. Slowly and painfully, but he was rising. She quickly grabbed the other dart, threw it, aiming for it to hit his shoulder as he rose and turned towards her. The dart hit is mark square. What she wasn't expecting was the gun that Sam was now holding.

…

John and Dean drove as fast as they could back to the house. When they arrived, Father Mike was in the driveway pacing back and forth. They heard the crashing, cursing, and screaming coming from the house. Dean bolted for the door and John headed around back. As Dean came through the door he saw Kim throw something at Sam. His only thought was that she was now attacking his brother. He started towards her but caught sight of Sam. "No. Sammy!" he cried. He felt as if his heart had been wrenched from its chest. His knees felt weak and water began build in his eyes. "Not you," he breathed softly.

…

She'd been a hunter for over ten years. She'd been clawed by various creatures such as werewolves, vampires, and even a wendigo once. She'd been punched, physically thrown through the air, and had all manner of furniture and objects thrown into her. But she'd never been shot before. Until now.

She watched as the second dart hit its mark on Sam's shoulder. She heard a voice yell from behind her. What she felt was something that was unlike any other pain she'd ever felt before. Even the burning of the seal didn't compare the burning of the wound the bullet tore through her. She tried to suck in a breath so she could let it out in a scream of pain, but she couldn't do anything except look down. The shot had hit her in the left side of her abdomen. Her shirt was beginning to soak with her blood and it was dripping down onto her thigh. The impact of the shot had knocked her back a couple of steps and in her peripheral vision she could see movement. She tried to turn her head, but all she did was fall to her knees.

…

John ran around the side of the house, jumped the low fence, and headed into the back yard. As he neared the corner he heard the gunshot. Fear gripped him and forced his legs to move faster. As he rounded the corner he saw Sam falling back writhing in pain, his gun fell to the ground with light wisps of smoke trailing out the barrel. Sam's head turned, his face twisted in pain and anger. The demon decided it was definitely time to leave before he lost his ability to do so.

…

Dean watched as the women fell to her knees beside him and Sam fell and cried out in pain on the ground ten or so feet in front of him outside on the back porch. Dean dropped down and grabbed Kim as she started to fall backwards. She was bleeding badly. The bullet had gone all the way through and into the wall behind her. She wasn't breathing at first, but then she took in a great gulp of air before shuddering and falling still. He quickly grabbed his cell phone and called 911. She was losing blood and going into shock.

As the phone rang for the emergency units, Dean watched in horror as the demon left his baby brother's body. When it was over, Sam lay still on the ground. John ran to his side shaking him and calling his name, but Sam wasn't responding. Dean felt as if he were in a horrible nightmare where he couldn't move, speak, or even breathe. A voice on the phone attracted his attention and he gave the address for the house.

…

John pulled the darts out of Sam's chest and leg. Sam wouldn't wake up, but neither had Dean after she'd done this to him. Grabbing Sam, he pulled him up over his shoulder and turned to head for the car. Dean was holding the woman trying to stop the bleeding coming from her stomach and talking to someone on the phone.

Father Mike helped him get Sam into the car and then went into the house. Dean was still trying to stem the flow of blood from Kim. She wasn't moving and she was very pale. John came to the doorway, "Dean! We have to go! Now!" Father Mike kneeled by her side and took over keeping the pressure on the wound. "Go on Dean," he said softly. "I'll take care of her. You go take care of Sam."

Nodding slightly, Dean got up. They got in the car and headed back for the motel.

…

She's not sure how long she was asleep. She remembers hearing voices off and on in the distance. Father Marcus was telling someone to come over if they ever needed anything. "Come over where?" she wondered as she drifted in and out of the darkness. At some point she finally woke up enough to open her eyes. The room was horribly bright, but there was a figure standing there near the door. She blinked a few times as her eyes slowly came into focus. It was Dean.

"Hi," she said softly. Her throat was dry.

"Hey," he replied and nodded his head. "You, uh … you saved my family." He coughs lightly, "you saved my brother, twice."

She nodded slowly.

"Thanks."

She smiled, "anytime."

Dean nodded again, took a breath, and walked out of the room.

She smiled and went back to sleep.

end

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