Eyes on Fire

by phoenixwritesSPN

*This is the sixth installment of my SPN fanfiction series! Read the other five first if you haven't already! [Dean/OFC] *s6*(Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or the lyrics written in the chapters.)

9. You Can't Handle The Truth

I heard the truth was built to bend

A mechanism to suspend the guilt is what you will require

And still you've got to dance little liar

It's just like those fibs to pop and fizz

And you'll be forced to take that awful quiz

And you're bound to trip and she'll detect the fiction on your lips

And dig a contradiction up

….

I'm sure it's clear and plain to read

It's not an alibi you need just yet

Oh no, it's something for those beads of sweat

Yes, that will get you back to normal

And after you have dabbed the patch

You'll breathe and then proceed to scratch the varnish off

That newly added calmness

So as not to raise any alarms too soon

…...

The liar takes a lot less time to decide on the saunter

Have you got itchy bones, and in all your time alone

Can you hack your mind being riddled with the wrong memories?

And the clean coming will hurt

And you can never get it spotless

When there's dirt between the dirt

Arctic Monkeys - Dance Little Liar

---

In the hours following our departure from Limestone, there was a strange atmosphere hovering between the three of us. Sam acted like everything was fine. Normal, even. Dean pretended to be completely and totally unbothered by the events that had taken place. And I felt like I was going to explode at any given moment.

Needless to say, my patience was wearing thin. Especially since Bobby had ripped me apart for leaving his house in the middle of the night and not answering my phone when he called after realizing I left. He told me I needed to get my dumbass back to Sioux Falls before I got myself hurt. It didn't take long for Dean to jump on board with Bobby. Not about the dumbass part, Dean made sure to clarify specifically, but about how I should go back there and relax.

Even though I was exhausted, the very idea sent a chill down my spine. I didn't want to be left alone with my thoughts. I needed to keep myself busy or I'd go crazy. Not to mention, I wasn't about to leave Dean. Not now. Because as much as he tried to hide it, I could tell there was something bothering him. Whenever I asked him, he brushed it off saying "of course I'm acting weird, I got vampierized!"

But could see it in his eyes, it was more than that. There was something...and it very clearly, had to do with Sam.

Every time Sam was around, whether Dean realized or not, he tensed up. Sometimes even going as far as making sure to stand in between Sam and I, his posture protective. Thinking back to when Sam came into our lives again, we had an understanding that something was up with him, but Dean had never acted like this before.

So in the end, there was to be a constant state of tension between us. One that went largely ignored.

I knew that he knew I could tell he was lying when he told me everything he remembered from that night, and I knew he could tell I was lying every time I told him not to worry about me. I knew it was better to get it out there, but for the moment it looked like we were okay with lying to each other.

Not much sleep was had last night between my racing thoughts and the fact that Sam shot up in bed at about three in the morning with his computer in hand, saying how we had to go to Calumet, Illinois for a case. When Dean told him we'd head out in the morning, he snapped about how we needed to go now to get there by sunrise, and began throwing our belongings into bags.

Just when Dean was about to protest, Sam grabbed the keys to the Impala, heading outside. Seemingly without much choice, we left.

On the drive over Sam filled us in on the details of the case. Apparently four people have committed suicide for what appears to be no reason. None of them had any trouble that any of their family members or friends knew of that would've caused them to hurt themselves.

I pointed out to Sam that just because they didn't know their loved one was struggling with something didn't outright mean that they weren't. He just brushed me off, saying that it was too weird for four people to have done this in such a short period of time. I shrugged, not continuing to argue with him. I was too irritated.

Once we arrived in Calumet, Dean and I sat on a bench at a local park while Sam went over to one of the food trucks a good yard away to get some brunch. To our left was a little playground, a bunch of kids talking excitedly as they laughed and played.

"Our little Cowboy's gonna get all the chicks on the playground," Dean commented absentmindedly, shooting me a grin.

"Not if he's anything like you," I chuckled.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Your pickup game is pretty weak, babe."

"I beg to differ. I've just toned it down over the years because of you."

"Because of me?" I asked with a short laugh.

Dean shrugged, a smug look on his face as he draped his arm around my shoulders. "That's what I said."

"You didn't tone it down, you never had it. It's a miracle you landed me," I teased.

"Well, I can't argue with you there," Dean smiled, placing a gentle kiss on my lips.

I was about to get lost in on the first real moments Dean and I have had since I came to Illinois, I felt my phone vibrating in my pocket. With a heavy breath, I moved away from Dean, pulling my phone out to see Bobby's name flashing across the screen.

I pressed the green button, opting to put the phone to my ear, instead of on speaker. "Hey, Bobby."

"Oh, wow. You actually answered," he grumbled.

"Are you ever gonna drop that crap?"

"Not until I drop dead."

I rolled my eyes. "Do you have anything or did you just call to be sassy?"

"Nothing yet. I just wanted to check in..." Bobby trailed off.

"On what?"

"You, ya idjit! I just wanted to make sure you're doing alright! Jesus Christ, sue me."

"Well, excuse the fuck out of me for not realizing you were being your warm and cuddly self," I snapped sarcastically, seeing Dean's eyes widen at my tone.

"Vic-" Bobby pulled in a breath, letting it out slowly.

"If you're calling to suggest I go back to Sioux Falls, the answer is still no."

"Think about it."

"Okay," I paused for a fraction of a second. "I thought about it. No."

"Girl, you better-"

"Have you found anything? You know, about what could be going on with Sam?" I changed the subject.

"Not yet. Still a couple more people I have to call."

"Call? Who the hell are you gonna trust to talk to about this?"

"They're friends." He defended. "Have been for a long time."

"Do we know these friends?"

"I trust them, that should be good enough for you."

"Do I get names?"

"...Daisy and Sophia. They're psychics. " He said reluctantly, after a pause. "Do I have your permission now?"

"Yeah, I guess. If you trust them.

"I do. they're good people."

Just then, Sam turned away from the food truck, heading over to us. I opted to get off the phone. "I'm gonna go."

"Oh, you're telling me when you're leaving now?" Bobby asked snippily. I let out an annoyed huff, snapping the phone shut without replying, stuffing it back in my pocket.

"Tori, maybe-" Dean began, stopping when he saw the look I shot him. "I'm just saying."

I shook my head, thinking about that haunted look in his eyes last night. "I can't."

"I just-"

"What were you and Bobby blabbing about on the phone this morning?" I asked, looking over at him.

"What?" Dean asked, acting like he had no clue what I was talking about.

"When we stopped for gas. Sam went inside to get snacks. You were on the phone."

"Oh. I, uh- I thought you were sleeping."

"I wasn't."

"I just wanted to ask Bobby if he's heard about the suicides here," Dean shrugged, looking down.

"Right," I muttered, shaking my head.

"Everything okay?" Sam asked as he stopped in front of us, giving us each a foil-wrapped hot dog.

"Everything's fine," I said, looking up at him. He quickly glanced away, taking a bite of his hotdog. He grimaced as he chewed. "You okay?"

"Me? Yeah," Sam answered fast. Robotically. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah," Dean nodded, him and I standing to our feet.

"You still wanna come?" Sam asked, staring down at my stomach long enough to make me squirm under his gaze.

I wrapped my arms around myself, shooting him a glare when he looked back up to my face. "Of course. Why wouldn't I?"

"Well, with- with the baby-"

"I'm coming," I demanded. Sam shrugged in response and started to walk back to the car with the food in his hand.

Behind me, Dean placed a hand on the small of my back. Reluctantly, I walked with him over to the Impala, the three of us getting in to head to our first stop.

---

On our way over to the first victim's house, I glanced down at the newspaper clipping in my hands, reading it over. As much as I hated to admit it, four out of the blue suicides in a matter of weeks did seem like our kind of thing.

Once again, we were in another suburban community, making me miss the one Dean and I had lived in. The three of us exited the Impala that Dean left parked near the sidewalk, heading up the front door where Oliva Peterson, the sister of Jane Peterson, lived.

Jane, a seemingly normal woman in her late twenties worked at the nearby Biggersons restaurant as a waitress. Did she lead the most glamorous life? No. But did she have a reason to kill herself? I don't know. And if this isn't supernatural, no one ever will.

After introducing ourselves as the FBI, Oliva let us inside, leading Sam and I over to the couch while Dean went to look around the house under the guise of having to use the restroom.

"I don't understand. Why would federal investigators be interested in a suicide?" Oliva questioned after we'd asked about her sister.

"It's a new, more caring administration," I smiled sympathetically at her. "We just had a few questions about her passing."

"Well, I already told the cops. Jane was having a really bad day, so I-I did what any sister would do," She hesitated, playing with her hair. "I tried to cheer her up, you know? Told her to hang in there."

Sam chuckled darkly. "You know what a tell is?" He asked suddenly.

"Excuse me?" Olivia asked, her eyes darting behind us to Dean as he re-entered the room.

"It's a poker term," Sam continued. "For when you're bluffing. Like what you just did with your hair."

I shot him a hard look as Oliva startled, taken aback. "What are you trying to say?"

"You're lying," Sam said flat-out. My eyes went and I glanced over my shoulder to Dean, who wore the same shocked look as me.

Olivia began breathing heavier. "What?!"

"Tell us what you did to your sister," Sam pressed. "Now."

"I don't-"

"Tell us!" Sam pushed, his tone hard and unfeeling. Olivia looked between Dean and I before she allowed her eyes to dart down, tears beginning to stream down her cheeks.

"Okay! You're right, I was lying. I wanted to tell her, I love you. I'm here for you. Oh, but what came out was, you're a burden. Just kill yourself. Who says that?!" She cried. "I- I just couldn't stop!"

"That's what I thought. We're done here," Sam announced coldly, standing to his feet. He passed in front of me, beginning to head to the door without another word to Olivia. Dean stared after his brother, unmoving.

I pulled in a breath, choosing my words wisely as I turned back to Jane's guilt-ridden sister. "Olivia, I'm sure you- I'm sure you weren't the reason she-"

"She shot herself while I was on the phone! What I said was the last thing she heard! Of course I'm the reason!"

"We all say things we don't mean, Olivia. It's okay-"

"Okay won't bring my sister back," Olivia cried into a tissue she'd ripped from the box on the side table. "Please, just go."

I nodded even though she wasn't looking, getting up from the couch quietly. Dean and I made our way towards Sam, who stood at the front door waiting for us. Even as we stepped outside, I felt as though the air around us was still thick. I couldn't keep quiet, the image of Olivia sobbing into her hands stuck in my mind.

"Don't you think you were too harsh back there?" I asked Sam. Dean froze beside me as the question left my lips, watching his brother cautiously.

Sam shrugged. "I got an answer didn't I?"

"That's not the way we usually do it."

"Nothing wrong with a new tactic, is there?" Sam muttered nonchalantly, looking to Dean. "See anything in the house?"

Dean shook his head, looking thankful for the subject change. "No hex bags, no sulfur, no EMF. Just a tuba and an issue of Crochet Today."

"So, what, already kinda suicidal?"

"Right, and then big sis's Taxicab Confession sends her over the edge."

"The question is, what made Olivia say any of that stuff in the first place?" I asked.

"Yeah," Sam nodded. "That is the question."

---

Back at the motel, Sam had gone out again, leaving Dean and I alone. I sat down on the bed trying my best to not show how tired I actually felt. Other than the obvious of having to pee what seemed like every five minutes, I kept everything else I was feeling to myself. Dean didn't need to know that I was a little more tired than usual or that I felt nauseous in the morning. And every other time of the day. Or that the ringing in my head had been growing stronger with each passing hour.

Just as those thoughts passed through my mind, another tinge of nausea fluttered in my stomach as it let out a quiet growl. I couldn't even count how many times I'd felt the need to gag sweep over me unexpectedly.

Dean exited the bathroom then, looking over at me with concern as I laid sprawled out on the bed. "You okay?"

"Yeah," I sat upright.

"Need anything?"

"I'm good," I replied, seeing the look of disapproval on his face. I sighed. "Dean, I'm perfectly capable-"

"Tori."

"Maybe some water?" I smiled.

"On it," Dean nodded, grabbing a bottle out of the fridge, taking the cap off before he handed it to me. "How's- uh-"

"The baby? He's fine."

Dean smiled, an off look flowing into his eyes. "Good."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Just, you know...thinking."

"About?"

"Just...stuff."

"Stuff like?" I trailed off, trying to get him to finally tell me.

"Stuff like...stuff," Dean shrugged, playing with the bottle cap.

"Dean-"

"How about a foot massage? I hear uh- women like those when they're...you know," Dean trailed off strangely. I was about to protest and finally demand he tell me what was going on when he sat down by my feet on the bed, putting them in his lap, rubbing them gently.

"That does feel pretty good," I smiled, deciding to let everything go for a second, closing my eyes. A moment passed before I opened them again, and when I did, I saw Dean staring at the ground.

Without a word, I pulled my legs out of his lap and moved onto my knees next to him, gently turning his face back towards me. "Baby, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," He insisted, smiling at me.

"Dean, please. Tell me-"

Just as I was about to ask him to tell me the truth about how he was feeling, the door flew open and Sam entered, out of breath. "There was another one."

Dean pulled a fraction of an inch away from me, glancing over to his brother. "What?"

"You guys can make out another time, a dentist just drilled his patient to death."

"You mean the non-sexy kind of drilling, right?"

"What are you talking about?" I asked Sam, irritated that he interrupted.

"Fifty bucks says he mixed up in all the crazy," Sam said eagerly, ignoring our comments.

"You think?" Dean answered obviously.

"Let's go talk to him."

"Now?" I questioned.

"Yeah."

"You're right, we should," Dean said, standing up quickly.

"I guess," I huffed, getting to my feet.

"If you're too tired-" Sam started.

"I'm fine," I snapped.

Sam held his hands up in surrender. "Okay, I'll be outside."

As Sam left, I made my way past the dresser, catching my eyes in the mirror. I paused, just looking at myself for a moment, wondering how the hell life got so fucked up. Sure, it was never perfect. It was barely ever good. But I had my boys and that made everything okay.

It doesn't feel like that anymore.

The sound of the Impala's horn honking startled me and I looked over at Dean, who simply just rolled his eyes. I let out a heavy breath, making my way over to Dean, who was holding my jacket out so I could slip my arms into the sleeves and we were off.

---

Motel

Ten Years Ago

The sun hadn't risen yet this morning when the lights flicked on in the room, waking me up. I glanced over at the clock on the nightstand. Four in the morning? I huffed. We just finished a hunt not even five hours ago, couldn't John give us a little more time to sleep?

I was about to complain until John explained that he got wind of another kid going missing in the same area of Portland, Oregon that he'd been watching on and off for the past few weeks. The difference this time; the friend he was with survived. And he told the police he saw "a monster take his friend". No one believed him, of course.

That obviously meant one thing; it was time for us to pay a visit to Portland. Which meant that tonight was a Wendiego hunt. John told us when the first teenager went missing a couple days ago he had a hunch that a Wendigo was to blame. But not just a regular wendigo. This one had gotten bolder as the years passed. Stronger. Venturing more and more from the wooded area of Forest Park, just west of Portland, Oregon, to a small town nearby.

Three teenagers had gone missing over the course of three days, all nabbed at night when they had presumably been out to cause mischief. It didn't take long for their recent deaths to lead us to a trail of not-so-recent missing hikers that spanned decades.

Pausing for a moment to gather my wits, my mind still a little foggy from sleep, I got up and made my way in front of the table near the window, and started to pack one of our many duffle bags.

I'd never forget the day John allowed me to flip through his journal and I came upon one page in particular that sent a chill down my spine. I pointed to the crude drawing of a large, humanoid creature. It looked like a giant skeleton covered with an extremely thin layer of skin.

He told me what it was, a Wendigo. Cree Indian for evil that devours. A creature that used to be human, but became a monster after living off of human flesh for a time. The very thought made my skin crawl. It didn't help to know that the only thing we could use to actually kill it was fire.

It didn't take long before the room was all but packed up, save for the last bag I was finishing up. Dean and John were packing the Impala.

The sound of the door opening and closing caused me to look up from what I was doing. I saw Dean entering the room alone and smiled at him as he walked over to me.

"Gonna be a long drive..."

"Is it?" I grinned teasingly. "I'm pretty sure we're only about an hour or two away."

"Well, that's a long time," Dean smiled, glancing at the door behind him before bending down to place a kiss on my lips. I smiled into it, holding onto his arms, probably digging my nails in a little too deep. I didn't want to let go.

Before we could get caught up in the moment, the sound of the Impala's horn honking outside called us back to reality and we separated a few moments before John stomped into the room, scanning for items missed even though I already had, something he'd always done.

"Got everything?" He asked gruffly.

"Yup," I nodded, handing Dean one of the heavier duffle bags.

"I just want to make sure. Can't leave another gun laying around a motel room," John muttered, glancing over at Dean with slightly narrowed eyes. Dean quickly averted his eyes to the ground, slinging the bag over his shoulder, heading back out to the car.

"John, I told you that was my fault," I said after Dean had left.

That happened months ago and ever since that day, I'd told him that time and time again, leaving out the tiny detail of what exactly had caused me to forget the gun - Dean pushing me up against the wall to kiss me passionately when John was starting the Impala because he knew we wouldn't get any time alone for quite a while. But John didn't need to know that.

"He still should've looked," John grumbled, glancing back to see the sour expression on my face. He furrowed his brow. "What?" I didn't respond. He sighed, shaking his head. "Let's go."

With that, he and I grabbed the rest of the bags, heading out to the Impala where Dean was waiting near the passenger door. John threw the bag he was holding into the backseat behind the driver's side. Dean opened the door for me, I thanked him quietly, smiling as I slipped in, placing the bag I'd been carrying on the seat next to me.

We'd been driving in silence for quite a while, save for the radio blasting Whitesnake or Def Leppard that Dean was singing quietly along to. I couldn't help but smile as I listened to him. John was staring at the road ahead, stone-faced as always.

After a little bit, Dean looked up from the newspapers he'd been rifling through that we had printed off or taken from the library's records, glancing over at John.

"My question is, how did another hunter not catch this before us?" Dean asked from the passenger seat. He glanced back at me. "Hell, some of these are even before we were born. I mean, I know we're smart and all, but you'd think we wouldn't be the only ones to figure it out. Or, you know, that these idiots would realize that after this many people go missing it wasn't such a good place for recreational activities."

"Well, you know teenagers, they love to rebel. Go against what they were told," I muttered, putting my right hand on Dean's shoulder, leaning forward to peer at the clippings he held - a bold move with John so close, especially as I let my hand linger a bit longer than was strictly necessary. "They wanna see if all those ghost stories and old wives' tales are true. Scare the hell out of each other."

Dean looked back at me, his eyes darting worriedly to my hand on his shoulder. I smiled, leaning back in my seat. John's eyes were still on the road. He had no clue.

"No one wants to be the kid who backs out on a dare. Seeing who would get the farthest in Dead Man's Forest would've been a game they've all grown up with." John mumbled, pulling down a long dirt road, the only light around us illuminating from the Impala's headlights.

I felt a chill run down my spine as I peered out of the window, watching the dirt kick up from the back tires, flying back onto the road.

An unusual feeling in the pit of my stomach gave me a sense of worry for tonight, something I'd never really experienced before when it came to preparing for a hunt.

There were always nerves, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little scared this time around.

---

Calumet, Illinois

Present

The three of us arrived at the precinct, gone through the entire spiel of introducing ourselves only to find out that the doctor had hanged himself in his cell about fifteen minutes before we arrived. He was now being transported to the morgue, and it's not like you can interrogate a dead guy.

Well, in theory I guess we could, but reviving him would be a lot more trouble than it'd be worth.

Eventually, we all decided it'd be best of Sam went to the morgue to be there when the body arrived, and Dean and I would head over to the dentist's office to see if there were any witnesses to speak to.

As hard as it was, I stopped myself from asking Dean for what I really wanted; the truth. The only reason was that I could see the tiredness in his eyes. I saw how upset he looked. I didn't want to push it. We'd talk eventually, I'd make sure of it. Just not right this second.

Once we arrived at Dr. Peter Connelly's office, there were about five cop cars placed around, police mulling around everywhere. Using our ID's to get past the yellow tape, we made our way inside, finding a sheriff speaking to a dental hygienist, the one who was there during the murder.

Dean and I pulled her off to the side, asking asking if she could tell us what happened. She played with her hair and her badge a moment, cleary not wanting to relive what happened, before finally telling us the entire conversation the two of them had, how it went from Dave, the victim, and Dr. Connelly having a conversation about their families going out to dinner one night, to Dave refusing, saying his wife was old and her saggy skin made him want to hurl.

He then began to spew out how he missed one of their family camping trips because Peter's seventeen year old daughter Melissa was there, and David didn't want to be around her...because when she'd gone over to his house to have a sleepover with his daughter, he'd slept with her. It was right after that, that the doctor lost it and shoved the drill to the back of Dave's throat.

Upon our request, the cop guarding the door let us into Dr. Connelly's office, shutting the door behind them. I let out a long breath, leaning against the desk. "Jesus Christ."

"Tell me about it," Dean sighed, shaking his head. "I just gotta come right out and say it, I would've kill him, too."

"Oh, definitely," I scoffed in agreement as Dean and I began looking around the slightly cluttered office for any clues. "What a bastard."

"These people, it's like they were cursed, right?" Dean wondered aloud. "I mean, people are just compelled to puke the truth all over them?"

"Sure, the truth is enough to make someone lose it," I shrugged, tilting the saxophone that sat on the credenza to the side, peering underneath it. "But to go this postal? I'd call that a curse, yeah."

"Hey, look," Dean called, picking up a pack of reeds from the desk, a receipt taped to the side of the box that read Harry's House of Horns. "I recognize this name."

"Really?" I asked, taking the receipt. I looked up at Dean, cocking a playful eyebrow. "You got something you wanna tell me?"

"Very funny. I remember it from Jane Patterson's place. It was on her calendar," Dean said. "Think it's worth checking out?"

"Both of these people have visited the same shop within the same week of them losing their shit? I'd say it's worth looking into."

On the drive over to Harry's House of Horns we called Sam, filling him in on what was happening. He rushed us off, mumbling angrily about how they wouldn't let him in to see the body yet.

We pulled into the parking lot, heading inside the store. A man stood behind the counter, greeting us with a smile. Dean didn't waste any time, verifying who he was before telling him we were the FBI, pulling two pictures out, one of Paul Connelly and one of Jane Patterson, handing them to him for inspection.

"Do you recognize these people?" I asked.

Harry nodded. "Jane and Dr. Connelly. I heard. It's awful," he muttered, looking up at us with nervous eyes. "What do I have to do with it?"

Dean sighed, not looking surprised as he grabbed the pictures from Harry, putting them back in his pocket. "Honestly? You're the only thing they have in common. Did they say anything to you before they, uh..?"

"Sorry. Not really." Harry said, shaking his head quickly.

"Right," Dean nodded, glancing over at me before looking back to Harry, "We were just, um, fishing. Thanks."

"Hey, by the way, how 'bout my horn?" Harry called out as we turned to leave.

"I'm sorry?" I asked politely.

Harry shrugged. "My horn - the one that got stolen?"

Dean nodded nonchalantly, clearly - to me at least - that he had no idea what this guy was talking about, "Right, yeah. We're working on it."

"Well, I hope so," Harry said, "That thing is one-in-a-billion."

Something about that piqued my interest. I turned back to face him, my brows furrowed. "What exactly makes it one-in-a-billion, again?"

"It's a museum piece. And near as anyone can tell, about a thousand years old," Harry said, reaching underneath the counter, pulling out a large printed picture.

I made my way back to the counter, taking the photo from him. It showed a worn looking horn, a thinner version of a common trumpet. Something about the picture called to me. I looked at it intently, a strange feeling bubbling inside me.

The hair on the back of my neck stood on end and I shivered as I dropped the photo back on the counter hastily. Something told me that this horn, whatever it is, was very powerful.

"Where is it from?" I asked him quickly.

"No one knows," Harry shrugged, clearly not noticing my reaction. Or if he did, he didn't show it.

Dean, perhaps sensing my anxiety by the look on my face, returned his eyes to Harry with a sense of urgency. "When did it get swiped?"

"About..." Harry trailed off, thinking for a moment, "Two weeks ago. The same day Jane died."

Without much else being said, we thanked Harry for his time, rushing out to get back to the motel.

"What the hell happened back there?" Dean asked once we were on the road.

"I don't know," I muttered, glancing at him. "Something about that horn. I got a weird feeling."

"Feeling? Like your demon sense? Was Harry a demon or something?"

"No. No it wasn't like that. It was different."

"Ringing? Like an angel?"

"No. Something in my gut. Something's up with that thing."

"So if you have a reaction to it that must mean it's something-

"Biblical," I finished with a nod.

---

Portland, Oregon
Ten Years Ago

As soon as we crossed the city line into Portland, we started our usual routine of speaking to some key people in town, trying to find some extra information. More than what they reported in the papers.

It didn't take long before we found ourselves in a small diner, discussing how tonight was going to go down. AKA, John told us what we were going to do, and that was that. I didn't give much input to this hunt, I had other things on my mind. Like how lately I've been noticing John staring at Dean and I a little

Not wanting to waste any more time, John decided that we wouldn't even bother to get a motel, heading straight to Forest Park instead. Even though sundown wasn't for a few hours, we hurried to finish setting up camp. The most important part being the protective circle that would keep the Wendigo out.

---

Calumet, Illinois

Present

Once we arrived back in our room, Dean immediately got on the laptop, searching up different kinds of biblical objects. I stood across the room near the fridge, leaning against the counter, remembering a verse from Isaiah that Rose always quoted whenever she told me to remember to always speak my mind.

Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression.

A thought sparked in my mind, images flowing in from when Peter and Rose had taken me to a museum of biblical art. We walked around for hours, looking at all of the sculptures and paintings. One in particular that Peter loved, was a large statue of Gabriel holding up a horn. A horn of truth, more specifically, as Peter had put it.

"Look up Gabriel's Horn of Truth," I suggested.

"Gabriel's...horn of truth?" Dean asked with a grimace.

"Just do it."

"Alright, alright," Dean muttered, typing away. A few seconds passed before his eyebrows shot up as he started at the computer, slowlying bringing his eyes up to mind over the screen. "Holy shit, Tori."

"Did you find something?" I asked, rushing over to his side, seeing a painting of Gabriel blowing a horn - one that looked just like the same in the picture Harry had.

"Wow," I breathed, staring at the face of the angel pictured, "That looks nothing like him."

"Really?" Dean asked, looking up at me with wide eyes. "That's what you got from all this?"

"Huh?" I asked, leaning back.

"You- first you just know that thing is powerful from a grainy-ass picture, second you just blurt out Gabriel's Horn of Truth and we get a fucking hit?" Dean asked, pushing away from the table, walking over to the bottle of whiskey on the counter, taking a swig from it.

"I- I don't know what you want me to tell you, Dean," I shrugged, turning away from him so he wouldn't see my eyes. "This is just as freaky for me."

"I- I mean are you okay?"

"Yeah. I feel...fine. Look, this could be one of Heaven's weapons," I said quickly. "Who knows what could happen if we don't find it? We need to let Cas know."

Dean relented. He took a swig of the whiskey. "Fine. But I doubt he's gonna show."

"Well," I shrugged, pulling in a deep breath. "Cas, if you can hear me, we really need you down here. I think we found something...angelic, and-" My words stopped short, instead coming out as a quiet, startled shriek as Castiel appeared right in front of me.

"Hello, Victoria," He muttered.

"Are you fucking with me right now?" Dean demanded, the bottle still in his hand. "I've been calling you, and nothing! But you come here for a stupid, horn?"

"Why have you been calling him?" I asked, looking over to Dean.

His expression immediately changed from anger to realization. "I- I mean, I wanted him to check on you- I mean, on- on the baby."

I furrowed my brow, taking a step closer to him. "Dean-"

"What is the object that you found?" Cas asked urgently.

"Hang on, Cas," I waved him off. "Dean answer me."

"You said it yourself, this is dangerous, Tor," Dean deflected. "Everything else can wait."

"Excuse me, I am still very busy. I'd like to know what you found," Cas interjected impatiently.

I sighed, turning back to face him. "We think we found Gabriel's Horn of Truth."

"Gabr-" Cas let out a heavy breath, taking the bottle of whiskey from Dean, gulping some down.

"You do that now?" I asked, starting at him wide-eyed.

"I'm at war. Nearly alone in it, as well," Castiel muttered. "Regrettable things are now required of me."

"And Gabriel's Horn of Truth?" Dean asked. "That's a real thing?"

"Have you seen it?"

"No. Tori saw a picture and knew what it was."

Cas turned back to me, a strange look in his eyes. "Really?"

"Not exactly. I didn't know right then and there," I said more pointedly for Dean, "I don't know if I'm right though. But something here is making people tell-"

Out of nowhere, Cas disappeared from the room, the force of his wings making my hair blow back. Dean huffed, throwing his arms to the side. "Well, there goes the fucking whiskey."

"Tell Sam to get you another bottle on the way back here," I suggested.

"The hell is Cas acting so weird for?" Dean wondered aloud, ignoring what I said.

"There is a war in heaven-"

"And you."

"Me, what?"

"You're acting weird, too."

"Yeah, well, so are you," I said, neither agreeing or disagreeing with him.

Just then, Cas reappeared, a troubled look on his face, "Whatever's going on here, it isn't the horn of truth."

"What are you talking about, you were gone for like two seconds. Where did you look?" Dean questioned, looking at the angels empty hand. "Where's the whiskey?"

"Everywhere I could," Cas answered his first question before, following Dean's gaze to his own hand. "I must have forgotten it in my travels."

Dean blinked a few times, looking at the angel blankly. "You're telling me you looked around all over god's green fucking earth in a matter of seconds for a horn, and somehow in the process left the whiskey somewhere?"

"So was it ever even here?" I asked Cas about the horn.

A part of me was hoping he would say no. Then I could continue to just chalk my abnormal and intense feelings up to completely normal, everyday pregnancy hormones. No matter how impossible I knew that was deep down.

"Yes," Cas nodded. I felt my face drop and immediately tried to hide it from them. Cas continued. "But it's gone now. Someone took it."

"Who? I thought Balthazar said he didn't take anything but the staff?"

Cas looked troubled. "I don't think it was him."

"Great. Nice talk," Dean grumbled, patting his pockets. "Shit."

"What?" I asked.

"I forgot my flask in the car," Dean said, getting up to make his way to the door. He left for the Impala, going to get his backup flask from there.

"You're troubled," Cas observed.

"What? No," I lied.

"You're lying."

"I am not," I also lied. Cas rose an eyebrow and I felt the words creeping up my throat. I quickly dropped my eyes to the ground. "I'm just worried, Cas."

"About?"

"Dean," I paused. "The baby. His or her life. Just...everything."

"It will all be alright, Victoria."

"You said that," I snapped, but hurriedly recounted. This wasn't his fault. "I'm sorry. I just-"

"Don't be. You're under immense stress."

"Don't mention this to anybody, okay? If you do, I'm gonna have to kill you," I half-joked.

"Of course," Cas nodded, blinking rather slowly just once, looking at me pointedly.

"What are you doing?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"That's what humans do when they're being secretive," He said using air quotes on when.

"Humans blink all the time," I said, realizing what he meant. "Do you mean winking?" I asked, he nodded. I laughed. "To wink you only close one eye. You- you just blinked really slowly."

"Ah," The angel muttered, "I see."

"Also, you used air quotes on the wrong word...again."

Cas furrowed his brow, tilting his head to the side. "I don't understand."

"If you do that you have to make you sure add emphasis on the right word-" I stopped, seeing that he didn't get it. I couldn't help but smile. "Know what, it's cute. Don't worry about it."

"Is there anything else I can do for you? Possibly check the baby?" Cas asked just as Dean re-entered then, closing the door behind him with a quiet click. He took a swig from his flask as he made his way over to the table, tossing his phone and keys onto the polished wood top.

"Um, sure," I nodded.

"Alright," Cas placed a hand on my stomach. A moment later, he pulled it back. "Everything's fine."

"Yeah?" I asked. Happy that, at least for now, they were happy and healthy. I looked back to Dean, who was already looking at me, a small smile on his face.

"I'll see you soon," Cas announced, disappearing from the room.

With the flask still in his grip, Dean grabbed the remote with his free hand, making his way over to the foot of one of the beds, plopping down with a sigh.

I sat next to him, wrapping my arm around him. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Dean nodded, flicking the TV on. "Sam called while I was outside."

"What'd he say?"

"All of the bodies disappeared."

"Come again?" I asked, not sure I heard him right.

"That's what the coroner said. But one of them that's missing, she died an entire week before everyone else. They said it was a car accident, but it could've been-"

"Suicide," I finished.

"Yup," Dean agreed, "That's what I thought."

"So she's the first."

"Patient zero. Sam's going to check out her apartment, I told him we'd meet him there in a few," He said, finally settling on a random local channel.

The voice of the woman in the background filtering quietly through the room. "...consumers from predatory prices. Here's the facts."

"How was he?" I asked cautiously.

"Who, Sam?" Dean asked, avoiding my gaze.

"Yes, Sam."

"Fine."

"You know I don't buy that you think he's fine all of a sudden, right? I mean, a few days ago you said something was up."

"Well, yeah. Obviously something's up," Dean replied. "We know that."

Knowing I wasn't about to get anything else out of him, I got up off the bed, heading over to the computer as the woman on the television continued her little speech. "Find out the truth about your layaway living room."

As soon as I sat down in front of the computer I saw a tab open labeled doppelgangers. Just as I was about to click on it, Dean rushed over, shutting the computer.

I looked up at him. "What the hell?"

"You shouldn't be worrying about this-"

"Why are you looking up doppelgangers, Dean?"

"I just thought, maybe, that's how people are dying here," He bullshitted with a shrug.

"That's not true, is it?"

"What? Of course it is," Dean laughed nervously.

"Bullshit," I stood up to face him. "Why are you lying to me?"

"I'm not lying!" Dean insisted.

"Yes, you are. I can tell!"

"I'm not! Ask me anything, I'll tell you. What do you want to know? Huh?"

"I talked to local experts to bring you the truth," The woman drowned on.

"What do I want to know, Dean?"I scored. "I want to know the truth!"

"You wanna know? The truth us, you're freaking me the fuck out lately."

"What?"

"You just- you zone out when you don't think I'm looking. You just start staring straight ahead with this- this blank look on your face. Somethings going on with you that you're not telling me. I don't know what the hell it is, but it bothers me."

I pulled in a staggered breath. "Wait-"

"But that's not the only thing that's bothering me. I'm looking up doppelgangers because I have no idea what else to think of when it comes to Sam. What's going on with him. I've been over everything with Bobby. All these things that could possibly be wrong with him. I even thought Lucifer was still in there for a hot minute."

"Lucifer! And you didn't think to tell me?!" I exclaimed.

"But it's not possible. Cas doesn't know what's wrong either. And he would be able to tell."

"So you've told Cas this shit, too?! But not me?!" I ignored my anger, continuing to spew words out.

"The last thing I thought of was doppelgangers. But that's not it either. Nothing affected him. Not silver. Nothing. But Sam's not Sam. And I know that because he watched me get turned," Dean spit out in one breath, his brows furrowing immediately after he finished his sentence. "Jesus Christ, why the fuck did I just tell you that."

With air caught in my throat and my mouth hanging open, I looked up at him in disbelief as anger rushed through me so severely, I felt like I was going to pass out.

"He what!?"

"I saw him. He just stood there. Grinning. It was fucking evil."

"Oh my god," I muttered, my mouth immediately feeling bone dry. I reached behind myself for the back of the chair, one hand holding that and the other firmly planted on the table as I lowered myself down onto the cushion. "What the- when were you gonna tell me!"

"Well, never if I could manage it," Dean shrugged.

"Holy shit. Holy-fucking-shit," I breathed, my hands balling into fists. "I'm gonna kill him!"

"This is why I didn't want to tell you!" Dean exclaimed, kneeling down beside me. He took my hands in his. "Please calm down. I'm worried about you."

Seeing the fear in his eyes, I took a moment to slow my rapid breathing. Not for me, but for him. I pulled in a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "Okay."

"Calm?"

"Yeah," I lied.

"Good," he believed me. A beat of silence passed before Dean spoke again. "I have porn on the computer that I've been hiding from you."

If it weren't for the sincerity in his eyes, I would've thought he'd been joking. Either way, it made me chuckle.

"You think that's a secret?" I snorted. "I know it's there."

"Why haven't you said anything?" Dean wondered innocently. I rolled my eyes, opting to now answer him as his phone, that was sitting on the table, rang. It was Bobby. I hurriedly grabbed it before Dean could. "Don't answer that."

"Why not?"

"Because I've been talking to him about you."

"Nice," I scoffed. If this works over the phone, then I'll know everything they've said. Dean sat on the bed, looking as though he was doing everything in his power to keep his mouth shut. I answered the call, putting it on speaker. "Hey, Bobby."

"Oh, hey Vic. You answering Dean's phone now?"

"Why, can't I?"

"No reason," He said, a clink of beer bottles hitting each other sounded in the background, followed by him kicking the fridge shut like he always did.

"Got anything you just can't wait to tell me?" I asked, annoyed.

"Not really, sorry to disappoint." Bobby grumbled, audibly gulping what I assumed to be a bottle of beer. "What crawled up your butt and died?"

"Nothing," I sighed. "I was just testing a theory. How are you?"

"I'm just sitting here hitting the books and drinking a nice glass of milk while watching 'Tori & Dean'."

I froze for a moment, glancing up at Dean, who looked as confused as I did, the both of us trying to take in what he'd said. I turned my attention back to the phone, answering Bobby. "You're watching Tori Spelling's reality show?"

"I'm a huge fan. The girl's a real talent. Not to mention, they remind me of two of my favorite people. You and Dean have a lot in common with them as a couple. Besides the names, I mean."

"Oh, god, please don't say that," I complained, rubbing my temples.

"It's true!"

"To you, at least," I bit my lip. "I guess it does work over the phone."

"What does?"

"Uh. Nothing."

"I'm gonna have to call you back," Bobby said suddenly.

"Why?" I asked.

"My pedicurist is calling."

"Your pedicurist?"

"Yeah. Sometimes I get pedicures. I've got an appointment for one today. I got to this nice Vietnamese joint."

I shook my head. "That's great, Bobby-"

"This one gal, Nhung Phuong - her name means 'velvet Phoenix.' Tiny thing, but the grip on her," He whistled, "She starts on my toes, and I feel like I am gonna-"

"For the love of God, don't continue that sentence!" I practically screamed into the phone, gripping it tighter.

"I never told anyone that. Why am I saying it now? Especially to you? I don't want you to think of me as weak. I want you to think I can protect you," Bobby muttered, his voice going soft.

"Bobby. I could never think of you as weak," I said, sad that he would even worry about something like that.

"You've always been my favorite. One of the best hunters I've seen. But not lately. Lately you're too reckless. Dean's worried about you. Frankly, I am too. You're acting like a down-right airhead since you've been pregnant. Lately Sam's been a better hunter all around."

I sneered at the phone, doing everything in my power to ignore what he'd said, taking my chance while I had it. "Hey, speaking of Sam. You and Dean have been talking about him too, right?"

"Oh, yeah."

"Did you know about him? What he did?"

"That he watched Dean get turned? Yup."

"Motherfucker," I hissed, glaring over at Dean, who shrunk back, looking like he wished the bed would swallow him up.

"What?" Bobby asked.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Dean told me not to."

"Oh, now you listen to Dean?"

"Somehow he's become the most rational. Believe me, I don't get it either. He never was the brightest bulb in the box."

"Hey!" Dean exclaimed angrily.

"Why the hell am I saying all this?" Bobby wondered aloud.

"Because I'm cursed," I replied.

"Cursed?"

"Yes."

"How is it that half the time you clean a mess, you end up dirty?"

"I guess I'm just an airhead," I smiled contemptuously. "This actually might be the best thing that's happened to me in a while. I gotta go, Bobby."

"Okay. But did you know my first girlfriend turned out to be a-"

"Nope," I hit the end call button, putting the phone back on the table. I looked up to Dean, formulating a plan in my head. I got up from the table, going to sit by him, placing my hand on his knee. "You seem stressed, baby."

"I am," Dean nodded.

"You know what I think you need? A nice relaxing bath," I smirked.

"Only if you join me."

"You know it," I smiled, placing a kiss on his lips. "Why don't you get the water warmed up, I'll be right there."

"Okay," Dean smiled, moving to get up when he paused, a nervous look on his face. "Wait."

"What?"

"I'm scared."

"About what?" I asked, taken aback by his expression.

"Don't you think it's weird to… do this right now?"

"Huh?"

"With you being pregnant and all?"

I pulled back a bit more, my brows furrowed. "I'm not following."

"I mean that's the same place our kids gonna come out of," Dean mumbled, glancing down to my lower half with a grimace.

"Well, that's how they got in, so …" I trailed off.

"Yeah, I guess," Dean shrugged, standing up. I followed suit, wrapping my arms around his torso, kissing him again to distract him so I could snag what I needed.

Once they were hidden in my jeans pocket, I pulled away, smiling up at him. "You better go get that bath started."

With a smile, Dean pulled away. I stood there and watched him head over to the bathroom. As he entered, the door creaked behind him, nearly shutting. I waited for the water to turn on, loudly hitting the tub before I grabbed one of the chairs and brought it over to the bathroom. I quickly grabbed the doorknob and shut it, shoving the top of the chair up underneath the handle.

The door was successfully jammed. For now, at least.

"Okay, ready-" Dean paused, presumably seeing the now shut door. He jiggled the handle. "What happened?"

"I'm sorry, baby," I told him through the wall, gathering some things together before I could leave.

"Sorry about what? Just open the- wait did you do this?!" Dean exclaimed in realization. "Why?"

"I'm going to see Sam."

"I'm not gonna let that happen! You aren't going anywhere near him by yourself!"

"You don't have much of a choice right now, Dean."

"I'd be happy for you to come with me. But you're not thinking straight right now. All you're doing is telling the truth," I said, grimacing when I realized how fucked up that was.

"You don't even know where he is."

"He sent you the address. Right?"

"Yes," Dean answered right away.

"Doesn't it feel good to tell the truth?"

"No."

"Right."

Dean huffed. "I won't tell you where he is."

"That's fine, you don't have to."

"Shit," Dean hissed, remembering that his phone was on the table. "Well, what are you gonna do, walk?"

"Nope," I said, popping the p.

"You better not hotwire her."

"I don't need to. Check your pockets, Dean."

After the sound of patting fabric, Dean grunted. "Fuck, Tori, what the hell!?"

"I can't help that you didn't notice I took your keys," I said, jingling them.

"Goddamnit."

"I'll see you later, okay?" I turned back to the door.

"Tori, please don't do this," Dean pleaded, sounding panicked. "I don't know what Sam is. I don't want you to get hurt."

I paused for a moment at his tone and words, swallowing hard. "I have to know what's going on here, Dean. He let you get turned into a vampire."

"I'm begging you."

I shook my head even though he couldn't see me. "I have to know."

"Jesus Christ, Bobby is right. You have lost all your sense."

"I'm gonna let that go for now. Anything else you'd like to tell me?"

"Remember Brittany?" Dean asked.

I huffed, rolling my eyes. "I thought it'd be more important than this."

"Yeah, me too," He grumbled. "Anyway, do you?"

"That really slutty dental hygienist that lived across the street? Yeah. I remember her. She always tried to make moves on you"

"Right. I mean, I don't know why, I'm not that great."

"Baby. You-" I paused, shaking my head. "We can deal with your lack of self-confidence later. What did you want to tell me?"

"Remember when Brad and Sonja had that barbeque? And she was there with that really short yellow dress?"

"Uh-huh," I nodded tiredly.

"And remember how she bent over and after the party you asked me if she was wearing a thong and if I saw her butt and I said no?"

I sighed. "Let me guess, she was wearing a thong and you did see her butt,"

"No. She wasn't wearing anything and I saw a lot more than her butt."

"I knew it! No one can wear a dress that many sizes too small without some kind of panty lines showing through." I mumbled with a sneer.

Just then Dean's phone pinged in my pocket and I pulled it out to see a text from Sam, drawing me back to the present. I didn't bother to read it.

"Tori-" Dean began, having heard his phone. "Please."

"I'll be back to let you out in a few, okay?" I said, turning to head to the car, hearing Dean calling me, followed by him slamming up against the bathroom door as I left.

There's no doubt in my mind that if I lagged even a little, he'd get out before I even left the parking lot. So I peeled out of there, fast.

---

Once I arrived at the Carlton Court apartment buildings, where Sam said he was, I parked the car, heading towards the apartment number that was in the text. Just as I got to staircase on the side of the apartment building, Sam began walking down.

"Hey, where have you been?" He asked, noticing I was alone. "Where's Dean?"

"He stayed back to do some research," I replied.

"Oh. Well, I found something."

"It can wait. We have to talk."

Sam looked suspicious, but nodded anyway, coming to a stop in front of me at the bottom of the steps. "Yeah, what's up?"

"There's something I want to talk to you about. And I expect you're gonna tell me the truth," I said bluntly.

"Of course, Tori. What about?" He asked, realization covering his features. "Wait, are you saying you're-"

"I asked for the truth, and I'm getting it. And now I want to know why."

"Sure."

"Dean kept telling me nothing was wrong. I knew that couldn't have been true. And now because of this whole thing, I know for a fact it wasn't. Dean told me the truth, Sam. When that vampire attacked him, you just watched, you let it happen." I said, my voice full of anger.

Sam paused for a moment, turning to face me with his puppy-dog eyes in place. "I didn't. I froze."

"You froze? You've been the Terminator since you got back! Did you or did you not see Dean getting turned?"

"Well, yeah, but I was- I mean, I was in shock. And then it was too late. Trust me, Tori, I feel terrible about it. Believe me," Sam said, looking at me with concerned, furrowed brows.

"I want to."

"Then do it. Look, I can't lie here. Do you really think I would let something like that happen on purpose? He's my brother."

"I- you've been so different. I mean, you told me to get rid of our baby," I reminded him, my hands instinctively going to my mid-section.

Sam looked down, guilty. "I know. I- I'm- I didn't mean it like that. I just- I don't want anything to happen to you or the baby. You have to know that."

A knot began forming in the pit of my stomach. I wanted to trust him. He couldn't lie, right? He had to be telling the truth. He's been through so much, being in the cage with Lucifer. It had to have messed with him. But he was still in there...right?

"M- maybe Dean was wrong. He was being turned, maybe- maybe he didn't see it clearly," I muttered.

Sam nodded. "I've got Dean's back. Yours too. I always have."

"Yeah. Yeah, you have."

"Are we good?" Sam wondered, a small, hopeful smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

"Uh," I paused. "Yeah."

"That's all I can ask for," Sam said, to which I simply nodded. He cleared his throat. "Wanna see what I found?"

"Sure."

Sam reached into the bag that was slung over his shoulder, pulling out a cat skull. My eyes widened as he explained, "This was in Corey's room."

"The first girl that died?"

"Yeah. She was obsessed."

"Or crazy," I added, as we made our way back to the Impala. "Cat skulls are used in some serious spells. You shouldn't mess with that unless you know what you're doing. Even then."

"And especially not what she used it for," Sam said as we reached the car, me going to the driver side and him going to the passenger. "Add in grains-of-paradise seed, devil's shoestring and you got yourself a pretty specific summoning spell."

"For what?" I asked, unlocking the door.

"Veritas. The Goddess of Truth."

I looked up at him across the top of the Impala, my hand frozen on the door handle. "You're joking."

"Corey was so desperate for the truth about her boyfriend's cheating heart, she went digging around. Nothing panned out, so she went looking for a different kind of help." Sam explained as we both got into the car. "Now anyone in town who asks aloud for the truth invokes Veritas. And she doesn't just give it to you. She slams you with it until you kill yourself and she gets her tribute."

"So all of the bodies disappearing from the morgue…" I trailed off, starting the Impala.

"Gods gotta eat, too. Which means we got to take her out or you're on the menu."

"Shit," I hissed, my hands tightening on the wheel as I pulled out of the parking lot. "What do we know about her?"

"Dogs are her Achilles' heel."

"What, is she allergic?" I commented.

Sam laughed. "More specifically, their blood. On a dagger."

I scoffed. "Naturally."

"She was a pretty hands-on goddess back in the day. Her thing was coming down from the mountain to speak truth to the masses. She wanted more than tribute. She wanted to be worshipped," he said. Sam's words made me think back to the show Dean had put on just before I asked him for the truth, thinking about the woman sitting at the desk spewing facts.

"And what's the twenty first century version of speaking to the masses?"

"What?"

"Television."

"Huh?"

"There was this show on right before Dean started spewing his guts out. Frank Talk."

"Uh, okay," Sam trailed off, pulling out his laptop, typing into the search bar.

It didn't take long for him to find the address of the small studio and the two of us drove over there

As we passed the dimly lit parking lot, I spotted a large poster hung outside advertising the show Frank Talk with Ashley Frank. I immediately recognized her, pulling into the lot behind the building.

"You really think this God is slumming as some farm-league Diane Sawyer?" Sam asked as we exited the Impala.

"Call it a hunch," I mumbled.

We stepped up to the doorman, who smiled down at me as we approached. "I can't get my wife pregnant."

"Sorry to hear that," I replied.

"I have a low sperm count."

"Know what, man? That really sucks. Can we get in there?"

"If you gave me five hundred dollars, I'd open this door and leave. I hate this job and everyone who works here."

"Alrighty then," I nodded, looking up to Sam. "Go a head, pay the man."

"Really?" Sam scoffed. "Don't you have money?"

"Don't you have money?" I retorted with a raised eyebrow.

Sam huffed, reaching into his pocket for his wallet, pulling out a wad of cash, handing it to the man who gladly accepted, allowing us into the building. The two of us made our way over to the editing room, gaining entry with the help of a lockpick. We began watching all of the scrapped tapes, each of us sitting at one end of the large desk.

"Hey, look at this," Sam called. I got up, going over to him to watch the video he played.

Unlike all of the others that took place in the studio, Ashley and her cameraman were outside for this segment. Ashley stood in the middle of a cul-de-sac, large homes behind her. In the middle of her next sentence, the sound of a dog barking could be heard in the background. Ashley gripped the microphone she was holding tighter, her knuckles turning white as her eyes darted behind the camera, the tone of her voice changing slightly.

As Ashley turned her attention back to the camera, her eyes flashed for a brief moment before turning back to normal. She quickly signed off and the screen went dark.

"Am I seeing things or…?" Sam trailed off.

"Her eyes," I muttered. "They're afraid of dogs, right?"

"Yup," Sam nodded, standing to his feet. "We have to find her now."

"What? Shouldn't we wait?"

"For what?"

"Sunlight. Dean. Not to mention we need to find dogs blood," I grimaced.

"I already got it," Sam said nocalongtly.

I stared at him blankly, an eyebrow raised. "Excuse me? H- how?"

"You don't wanna know."

"Oh my god Sam, did you kill a dog?" I asked, feeling my eyes begin to tear . "I thought you loved dogs!"

Sam blinked, his eyes darting. "Is this one of those hyper emotional pregnant lady moments where I should just let you go?"

I sniffled, nodding. "Yeah."

"Okay. So are we-" Sam gestured to the exit tentatively.

With a nod from me, we exited the building and got back into the car. On the way there, Sam found the address, taking the wheel to drive us over.

---

Portland, Oregon
Ten Years Ago

We'd been sitting around the campire for what felt like forever now. It was quiet. Neither one of us had said more than a few words in a while, keeping our ears open for any noises in the woods surrounding us. Across from me, Dean was sitting on the ground poking at the fire in between us with a stick, staring blankly into the flames. John was over near one of our tents, scribbling something in his journal. I pulled in a deep breath, wrapping my arms around myself as another chilly breeze ruffled through the trees.

"You hear that?" John asked suddenly, looking up at us.

"What?" Dean wondered aloud.

John stood, grabbing the flamethrower as he went. "If you hear anything out there, don't trust it. I'll be back."

"You're going alone?" I asked watching him as he moved to the edge of the circle.

"Got a better idea?"

"Uh, we go with you?"

John cocked an eyebrow, his eyes stern. "Stay here."

With that, John stepped out of the protective circle, moving into the thick line of trees. After a moment of silence watching the area of woods he'd just disappeared into, I looked back to the campfire, seeing a worried look on Dean's face. I made my way over to sit beside him.

"He's okay," I reassured him, not sure I totally believed it myself.

Dean nodded, looking down once again. "Yeah."

"We should go camping one of these days," I muttered with a smile. "You know, just the two of us."

"Oh yeah?" Dean grinned. "How the hell are we supposed to swing that?"

I shrugged. "We'll find a way."

Sharing a small smile, Dean was about to lean in to kiss me when a loud scream sounded in the distance. The both of us stood, eyes wide as we stared in the direction the yell had come from.

"Help!" John's voice echoed clearly, distressed. "Kids!"

Dean hurriedly grabbed his rifle, and just as I went for mine, he stopped me. "No. Stay here."

I shook my head. "Dean-"

"When I get back with him, I'm gonna need someone here to help get him...patched up," Dean said, swallowing hard as the reality of his words set in.

"Fine. But if you're not back in ten minutes, I'm coming to look for you." I said simply. Opting to not argue with me, knowing I wouldn't listen anyway, Dean simply nodded. I pulled in a deep breath. "Be careful."

Dean smiled. "Always am,"

"Come back to me."

"I will," He said, turing on his feel to leave. I watched as Dean walked off the campsite in the same direction where John had left moments ago.

What felt like an eternity passed as I paced back and forth by the fire, my rifle in my hands. A million different scenarios flew through my mind. Anything could be happening out there right now, and I was just standing here useless.

I forced that thought out of my mind. I couldn't think that way. Whether I stayed here, or had to go out and look for them, either way I had to be strong.

A loud rustling came from the brush, causing me to whip around to face the direction the noise came from. I squinted in the moonlight, trying to see into the trees without getting close to the edge of the protective circle. In the distance, I heard the faint sound of a voice calling my name.

My heart pounded loudly in my ears, a breath catching in my throat when the voice got closer and I recognized it as Dean.

"Tori!" He all but screamed, his voice full of fear. "Help! Please!"

John told us not to believe whatever we heard, but what if Dean was really hurt? I couldn't take that chance, so I began running into the dense woods, pushing the branches out of the way as I raced towards the sound of his voice.

Stray twigs and leaves crunched underneath my feet, but I could barely hear it. I moved through the trees, seeing a small clearing ahead of me. I slowed my pace a bit as I stepped into the sparse section of the woods.

"Dean?" I called.

"Help," He cried quietly, his voice faint.

Hearing that his voice had echoed from the left, I turned on my heel and made my way through an even thicker patch of woods. I was afraid of what I would see when I found him, but that didn't stop me. I kept going because he needed me.

Just as I pushed a large branch covered in leaves out of my way, I came face to face with a wendigo that was hanging from the tree in front of me. For a moment, I was frozen in fear until it opened its mouth, letting out a loud shriek.

Immeditaly I spun around and began running in the direction I'd come from, mentally berating myself for being so stupid. I should've known better than to think it was actually Dean calling for me and not the Wendigo tricking me.

The sound of the Wendigo picking up speed behind me, jumping from tree to tree called my attention back to the amount of danger I was in.

My heart pounded in my ears as I pushed myself to run faster trying not to trip on the many fallen branches and tree roots that littered the ground. A burning pain beginning to radiate in my chest from running so fast combined with the panic I felt.

In the distance, I could almost see our campfire, the flicker of the flames piercing through the dark forest. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw the wendigo approaching fast. For every step I took, it leaped three or four.

So with no other defense, I pulled up my rifle, aiming it behind me. Even though I knew it wouldn't kill the thing, it might buy me some time. I turned to look over my shoulder once more for a fraction of a second to pull the trigger.

I heard the wendigo let out a shriek of pain as the bullet collided with it. It slowed down momentarily, long enough for me to put some space in between myself and the monster.

I thought my plan had worked at least long enough to allow me to step back into the protective circle, but I was wrong. Just as a loud scream echoed through the thick trees above, in the blink of an eye, the Wendigo dropped down in front of me.

With a swipe of its arm, I went flying into the nearest tree, my rifle going in the opposite direction. As my left side collided with the trunk, a loud crack echoed through the air. At first I thought it was the tree, until I hit the cold dirt and my entire body got hot. A searing pain flared through my arm.

Suddenly, the sound of a gunshot blasted through the air, quickly followed by two more. The Wendigo screamed and darted away from me and up another tree a few feet away. I looked up to see Dean standing there with his rifle drawn and John behind him with furious eyes.

Seemingly in a split second, Dean was next to me. Before I could object, he grabbed my arm to help me sit up. I let out a yelp of pain as he put pressure on my left arm and instinctively pushed him away.

Dean's eyes widened and he quickly released my arm, pushing my long bangs out of my eyes, tucking them behind my ear as he held my face gently. His eyes were filled with worry. "God, baby, are you hurt?"

"Yeah, my- my arms is-"

"Alright, it's okay," Dean reassured, trying to seem calm. I could tell by the look in his eyes that he was anything but. He placed a kiss on my forehead. "I'm gonna make sure you get out of here safe, okay, Cherry Pie?"

"I know-" I quickly stopped, catching John's eyes over Dean's shoulder. His expression was one of shock and anger. I could see him seething as he began moving towards us.

"Get in the circle!" John demanded, his voice rough. Dean and I shared a knowing look.

In that instant, I forgot the pain in my arm, feeling nothing but my heart crashing into my stomach.

Everything was over.

---

Calumet, Illinois

Present

When we arrived at the house, it looked completely empty. A few lights were on inside, but there were no cars to be seen anywhere on the property. Knowing she wasn't there, we took the opportunity to get prepared and wait for her inside.

"Looks pretty normal, right?" I questioned.

"I'm sure it's full of shit inside," Sam replied, looking over to me. "You ready?"

"As I'll ever be," I muttered, getting out of the car. Sam grabbed a duffle bag from the trunk, slinging it over his shoulder as we made our way up the path to the porch.

Just as we reached the large wood doors, the sound of a car pulling up caught my attention and I turned around to see a taxi there. Before the car even came to a stop, Dean shot out, looking angry.

"What the fuck, Tori?" he snapped. "Not only do you lock me in the bathroom, you keep moving so I can't track your phone?"

"Keep your voice down," I hissed, not wanting him to alert the neighbors.

"Did you think I'd never be able to move the dresser? Or that I'd be too stupid to find you?"

"No!"

"Don't you dare li-"

Before he could finish that, I placed a finger over his lips. "Sh!"

Dean smirked, looking down at my hand. "Kinky."

I rolled my eyes, letting my hand drop back down. "Jesus."

"Hey, guys?" Sam called. "Veritas?"

"What the hell is that?" Dean asked.

"The Goddess of Truth. She's lives here," Sam said, using his lockpick to open the door. "We're gonna kill her."

Dean looked up at the house, his eyebrows furrowed. "She's here?"

"Yes. Now, please," Sam gestured towards the now ajar door he'd just unlocked, looking annoyed. "We don't know when she's gonna be back, we have to be ready."

With that, we headed inside, filling Dean in on the information we'd gathered as we went. As we entered the kitchen, we were greeted by a cat who sat on the table looking at us with uninterested eyes.

As much as we tried to find something, anything strange, the entire house was utterly spotless and incredibly normal looking.

"Where's all the creep?" Sam wondered aloud.

"Maybe we have the wrong person," I mumbled.

"No, it has to be her," Heinsisted, looking towards a hallway. I followed his gaze, seeing the cat now pawing at a door.

Without hesitation, Sam went over and opened the door and the cat shot down the dimly lit staircase. The three of us ventured down the steps, finding ourselves in the basement where a large painting of Veritas hung on the wall. Sam shot me an I-told-you-so look that I promptly ignored, taking the lead down another hallway, I followed the cat until it lead us to a half-open door. I pushed it open, grimacing at what I saw inside.

There was blood all over the floor. A torso hung from a meathook anchored into the ceiling. On one of the many gurney's laid the body of the dentist. The cat was sitting on another one next to a mutilated body, lapping at the blood that pooled on the sheet.

"This is why I hate cats," Dean complained.

"This must be her feeding room," Sam said absentmindedly as he crouched to the ground with his bag, pulling a jar out of it along with a couple knives.

"What's that?" Dean asked, picking up the jar, staring at the sloshy red liquid.

"Dog's blood."

Dean winced, putting the jar back down. "Do I even want to know how you got that?"

"Probably not."

"Can we change the subject?" I said, holding my stomach.

"Sure," Sam dipped the knives into the blood, handing each of us one. "Here."

"Great."

"You came for dinner," A voice chimed behind us. I turned around, seeing the Veritas standing in the doorway, a greedy smile on her face.

With a swipe of her hand, the three of us went flying in different directions and as I hit against the concrete wall, everything went black.

---

Portland, Oregon
Ten Years Ago

With the Wendigo scared away for a moment, we took the opportunity to get back inside the protective circle. Dean scooped me up in his arms, carrying me over to the sleeping bag that I propped up onto one of the logs as a cushion. He sat me down gently, looking over me with worry.

Much to my surprise, with one look over my arm, John made the decision for us to go to a hospital. I argued, saying that we needed to wait it out for morning, but it was no use.

Even though it certainly wasn't dead, the Wendigo must have been injured from all the bullets because it didn't bother us as we rushed out of the woods.

The car ride was dead silent. But not the way that it usually was. This was horrible. There was an uncomfortably thick fog looming over us. No one spoke, Dean and I barely even breathed.

Thankfully the emergency room wasn't too busy. Not that it would have mattered, anyway. Dean was making such a scene that they would've taken me immediately just to get him to stop. I knew he was concerned, and I appreciated it. Normally, his overprotectiveness would make me smile. But now, all I could focus on was John's eyes glaring at us.

Even though I insisted I could walk, nobody bothered to listen and the nurse brought out a wheelchair. I begrudgingly sat down, letting out a loud sigh as I went just to make sure she knew how unhappy I was with her decision.

She began to wheel me through the large open doors, Dean began to walk alongside the wheel chair when a male nurse rushed up to stop him. "Who are you to the patient, sir?"

"I'm her- her-" Dean huffed. "Why does it matter?"

"I'm sorry. We can only allow in immediate family."

"I am her immediate fucking family," Dean snapped.

"Dean," John called, his voice hard. A chill ran down my spine at the sound of his voice.

I knew my eyes were full of worry when they connected with Dean's. What I wasn't expecting to see, was a look of determination in his. Instead of listening right away, Dean hesitated slightly.

John continued, his voice short. "Stay here, Dean."

While the nurses wheeled me away, I glanced over my shoulder, keeping my eyes on Dean as the doors shut between us.

---

DPOV

It seemed like it took an eternity for the doors to shut, but I knew that was just me trying to put off the inevitable. I could feel Dad staring at me. I could feel the anger radiating off of him. I didn't want to turn around. I didn't want to face him, to see the disappointment in his eyes. The anger. He was going to rip me apart.

Out of all those things, what I was most worried about was hearing the words I knew were no doubt going to come out of his mouth. End it.

"Outside. Now," Dad barked, heading towards the doors without another word. When I didn't move, he turned around and stormed over to me. Grabbing my jacket roughly, he pushed me in front of him and out the door. "Is there something you want to tell me, Dean?"

"I don't know," I muttered sheepishly, stuffing my hands into my jacket pockets. "...is there?"

"I told you to leave her alone," he said, taking a step towards me. "I told you not to fucking touch her. And what do you do?!"

"Dad, listen-"

"Now, not only did you disobey my orders, you've been sneaking around behind my back!?

"It's not-"

"I don't wanna hear your bullshit, Dean!" He exclaimed, slamming my back into the wall again. "Why the hell couldn't you listen to me? Huh? Do you know what this could do to her!? To this family!? And for what? A fling?! With someone you're supposed to protect?!"

""I do protect her!" I snapped, not able to control my tone like I probably should have. Something about his words struck a chord in me. Before I could stop myself I pushed his hands off of my jacket. He looked at me in shock, somehow seething even more than before. "You can yell at me all you want, but you can't tell me that I haven't taken care of her. And you can't tell me how I feel about her."

Dad's brows furrowed at what I said, but before he could respond, the male nurse that brought Tori in for treatment before tentatively stepping outside. "Excuse me. Which one of you is Sean? Chloe is asking for you," he asked, using mine and Tori's aliases.

After what just happened, a part of me still wanted to look at him for permission to leave. But I didn't, worried the anger in his eyes would make me freeze. With a deep breath, I turned and followed the nurse inside. I could feel Dad staring at me as I left through the automatic doors.

The moment I got into the emergency room, I felt like I could breathe again. Which was strange, considering just moments before I felt like I was suffocating in here. There was still a heavy weight on my chest, Dad's words ringing in my ears.

Do you know what this could do to her? To this family?

What happens now?

The nurse led me to a small private room, I peered inside seeing Tori lying on the uncomfortable looking bed. Her left arm was draped across her midsection wrapped in a cast. She was staring down at her sock-covered feet, a far off look in her eyes.

---

TPOV

"Hey," Dean muttered, calling my attention to the entrance of the small room. My breath caught in my throat as I watched him, dread filling me when I saw the nervous look he wore.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Yeah. Fine," Dean shrugged, keeping his eyes down as he made his way across the room.

"Dean-"

His eyes scanned me quickly before settling on the bed frame. "How are you? They treating you good?"

I sighed. "Yeah." He wasn't about to tell me anything. Maybe that was for the best. Maybe I didn't want to know.

Dean pulled a chair up to the side of the bed and sat down, nodding to my feet with a grin."Nice socks"

I chuckled. "Sexy, right?"

"Well, you make anything sexy," Dean smiled playfully.

I snorted, wiggling my toes. "Even these bad boys?"

"Oh, especially those."

For a moment, Dean and I shared a genuine smile until his eyes settled on my cast again.

Dean grew quiet, staring at the floor again. "I'm so sorry."

"For what?"

"Everything."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" I asked, annoyance filling me. Maybe he didn't want to talk about it. But now we had to. "What did John say?"

"I should've been there-"

"You were," I argued. "You saved me."

"But you got hurt."

"But I'm not dead," I argued. There was no reason for him to feel this way. Dean shook his head.

"I shouldn't have left you. That was stupid. I should've known better. I should've known that wasn't Dad calling us."

"Yeah, well, if you don't remember, I left the circle, too. I fell for the same thing you did."

Dean looked away, his leg bouncing up and down. "That's not the point-"

"Then what is?"

"I made you sneak around and lie to everyone you care about for over a year," Dean huffed. "Look where it got us."

"First of all," I began, pushing myself up so I was sitting. "You didn't make me do anything. Second, I don't know about you, but it got me the best year of my life. I don't regret any of it. And if I had to, I'd do it all over again."

"Me too," Dean replied, looking up at me with sad eyes. I felt mine fill with tears as we watched each other.

We both knew where this conversation was heading. It was inevitable. John was pissed. We lied to him. This couldn't continue if we wanted to keep our family together. As much as it hurt. As much as I felt the weight of sadness crushing my chest, it had to end. Here and now.

"It- it'll be okay, Dean," I lied. I didn't believe that for a second. I just wanted to comfort him.

"No, it's not," Dean scoffed. "None of this is okay. I mean, how the hell am I supposed to shut everything off and pretend like I don't- like there's nothing here," he gestured between us.

"I don't know," I told him honestly. I wasn't sure how I'd manage that either. "We'll make it through-"

"But not together," Dean muttered. I looked up, seeing tears in his eyes now.

"I wish we could," a tear dropped down my cheek. "More than anything. You know that."

A moment of silence passed between us before Dean leaned forward in his seat, placing a kiss on my lips.

There was a feeling of unsuredness in it that I'd never felt before. If it was obvious before, the moment our lips touched made it painstakingly obvious that we were both heartbroken and scared of what the future held.

"Kids," John called, startling us. Dean practically threw himself back in his chair as our heads snapped to the doorway where John was standing.

"What?" I asked angrily. He couldn't even give us this moment?

"You know, I uh- I remember the first time I ever met…Mary's Dad," John began, walking to the room. Dean and I exchanged a confused look, not clue where he was going. "He was a real-" John paused, stopping himself. "Well, he hated me. He wanted someone - hell, anyone - else for Mary. After a while, she got to the point where she decided she had to choose. For some reason, she chose me."

John stopped for a moment, looking to the ground sullenly. His eyes drifted away. I could only assume he was remembering moments with Mary.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is, she had to pick between her family and the person she fell in love with," John pulled in a deep breath, looking like he was a judge making his final decision. He looked back up to the both of us. "I don't want that to happen with you two."

Dean and I froze as the words left his lips, neither one of us wanting to move. I was scared that if I did, this would all go away.

"What are you saying?" Dean croaked out the words.

"I'm saying, I don't want you to be miserable. And I don't want you to leave. And I'm saying that I was wrong. It's obvious you two have something a lot more serious going on here. And while I don't appreciate you lying to me about I- I-" John huffed. "I get it."

"Are you- are you giving us-"

"Permission?" John asked, cocking an eyebrow. "Doesn't seem like you need it." Dean let out a sigh, looking back down. John continued. "But yes. I am. On one condition."

"What?" I questioned.

"No matter what, don't let it get in the way of the job. Don't let it distract you. Be responsible."

"We have been," I stated. I probably shouldn't have talked back, but I couldn't help myself. I wanted to prove that we could do this, because we have. "For a year."

John balked. "A year?"

"And a few months."

"Shit," John hissed under his breath. He rubbed his chin. I could tell he was surprised. He didn't know how to respond right away.

I nodded with a smile. "Yeah."

John almost looked like he wanted to smile, but stopped himself. "Just keep your heads on straight, we clear?"

Crystal, Dean and I uttered together. John nodded his head once. "I'm gonna go get your doctor. Tell them we're ready to leave."

In silence, we watched him leave, waiting a few minutes after he was gone before we even looked at each other. When we did, our expressions mirrored each other. We both looked happy and bewildered. I was in shock. I felt like I was about to wake up at any second.

"Did that really happen?" I asked.

Dean smiled at me, a genuine one this time, and leaned forward in his chair again, taking my face in his hand as he did so, pulling me in for a kiss.

This time it wasn't filled with sadness. It was full of exhilaration. There was nothing to be afraid of. Whatever our future did hold, we would be together for it.

Everything was going to be okay.

---

Calumet, Illinois

Present

I wasn't sure how much time had passed, but as my eyes fluttered open I knew my hands were firmly tied behind me on either side of a pillar. To each of my sides, Sam and Dean were tied up in the same fashion. The Veritas placed one of the blood-covered knives into a drawer, a smile on her face as she watched us.

"Sit tight," She grinned, nodding over to the torso. "You're next."

We watched as she moved over to the dentist, pulling his tongue right out of his mouth. She stared at it for a moment before taking a bite, chewing it slowly, her eyes practically rolling back into her head.

"The tongue," She all but moaned. "Is the tastiest part. It's where the lies roll off. And I cannot wait to eat yours. I mean, I've seen liars before, but you three? Gold standard."

"We don't lie to each other," I said defensively.

"Ha. That was a lie," She grinned, sliding down onto the floor next to me. "Let's play a little truth or truth. You lie to each other all the time. You've been doing nothing but lying. Why don't you tell the truth for once, huh, Victoria?"

The Veritas looked deep into my eyes and I immediately felt something pulling at my chest, like a piece of string tugging at my soul until I couldn't stop it anymore and words began flying out.

"Every second there's more bullshit. More stress. I don't know what to believe anymore. Everything's all fucked up. And wrong. This should be one of the happiest moments in my life. And it is, in a way, because I am happy about the baby. But then, I'm alone too long...I- I'm not. Suddenly, all I am is worried," I said, not being able to stop myself.

"Worried about what?" She asked, staring into my eyes, clearly enjoying every single second of this.

"Everything I've felt before, it's been magnified. I keep trying to tell myself it's nothing, but I know that's a lie. I know it means something. And I'm terrified of whatever that is. I- I'm worried that the baby is gonna grow up and be like me. With these...abilities. Or stronger ones, who knows," I rambled. "They'll be targeted forever. And that's not okay. That's not fair."

"Why haven't you told me about that? Why have you been shouldering all this yourself?" Dean asked.

"I didn't want to worry you! You seemed so happy. At first. But lately you've been…"

"Been what?"

"Distant."

The Veritas smiled sickeningly at Dean. "Why don't you tell her how you really feel."

"Look at where we are right now, Tori. We're hunters. Always covered in blood until you're covered in your own. Half the time you're about to die," Dean paused, swallowing hard. His voice came out lower this time, nearly inaudible. "I told you I was okay with the baby. Happy about it."

My heart stopped and I looked over at him, the color draining from my face. Even though I understood the emotions I knew he was about to express, it was still going to be tough to hear. "But, what? You were lying?"

"No," Dean shook his head. "No. I- I wasn't. But that kid- that kid shouldn't grow up around this. All I'm good for is slicing throats. I'm a killer. There's no changing that. That kid would be lucky to be like you. I'm distant because they deserve better than having me for a father."

"Dean, that's not true," I murmured, tears streaming down my cheeks.

He looked down, not meeting my eyes. "It is to me."

"It shouldn't be," I said, meaning that for both him saying he wouldn't be a good father and for him saying our baby should be like me. I don't want that.

"My goodness. You two are just your own little soap opera, huh?" She looked over at Sam, then back to Dean and I. "We shouldn't leave Sam out though. Tell me about him."

Dean stared at her for a moment before speaking. "Last night I thought about killing him in his sleep."

"Ooh, brutal," She grinned, looking over to me. "What about you?"

I sniffled, my eyes still blurry from the tears I shed before. "I don't want to be around him. But I don't trust leaving him alone with Dean. If we woke up tomorrow and Dean told me he wanted to go, to leave Sam, I'd be gone in a heartbeat. And I'd never look back. Because that's not Sam."

Out of the corner of my eye I saw the shocked look on Sam's face as he took in what we said. The Veritas laughed as she stood up, making her way over to Sam. "So. Walking back into your life must have been a relief. How do you feel about the band getting back together?"

"Look, what we do...is hard," Sam muttered, looking over to Dean, who's eyes darted between his brother and me. I somehow registered his silent conversation through my blurry eyes, knowing what he was planning as Sam continued. "But we watch out for each other. And that's what's important. That's it. That's the truth."

"No, it's not," The Veritas mumbled, confused.

"You said it yourself, I can't lie."

"How are you doing that? That's not possible. You're lying to me!" She exclaimed.

I looked over to Sam, who shook his head, his eyes void of emotion. "No I'm not!"

"What are you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Really? I doubt that. I doubt anything that comes out of your mouth right now. You're not human."

"What?" Dean demanded.

"You didn't know that?" She questioned. "Now, that I believe."

Suddenly, Sam broke out of the rope holding him, tossing the knife he'd used to cut himself free to Dean so he could begin working on his ropes, then mine. As Sam charged the Veritas, she knocked him back onto the ground, getting on top of him, wrapping her hands around his throat.

Finally, Dean cut through the rope holding me before rushing over to Sam's aid as I went for the knife in the drawer. Dean grabbed the empty meat hook he was signaling to before, shoving it into her back, lifting her up. As she got caught off guard, Sam pushed her backwards as I plunged the knife into her chest, killing her.

As her body feel limp, Dean grabbed the knife from me, turning it on Sam,who put his hands up. "Dean, it's me."

"You're not my brother," Dean said, making sure to stand in front of me, keeping himself between Sam and I.

"Just listen."

"What are you?!"

"I'm me. Look, please. Just let me explain-"

"Why the hell should we believe anything you say?" I snapped, my voice shaking in anger and fear.

"You want the truth? Here it is. God's honest. She was right. There's something wrong with me, really wrong. I've known about it for a while. I lied to you. Both of you. Yeah. And...I let you get turned by that vamp," He told Dean. "Because I knew there was a cure, Dean, and we needed in that nest! And I knew you could handle it!"

"Handle it?!" I exclaimed, fury filling me. "He could've died!"

"I could've hurt Tori!" Dean shouted, just as pissed.

"And that should stop me cold. But I- I just don't feel it," Sam shrugged, his voice was emotionless. "Ever since I came back, I am a- a better hunter than I've ever been! Nothing scares me anymore! 'Cause I can't feel it. I don't know what's wrong with me. I think... I need help."

Sam's face was blank. His eyes were void. The words he spoke held no meaning. It sounded rehearsed, like he was reading from a script. Dean clenched his jaw, a mixture of sadness and rage taking over his expression before he punched Sam hard in the face, sending him flying back to the ground with a heavy thud. Dean followed him to the dust-covered floor, landing more punches as he went.

I flinched with each sound of his fist connecting to Sam's face, but made no move to stop him. This went on for what felt like forever until Sam was unconscious, his face covered in blood. Dean stood back up on wobbly legs, wiping his bloody knuckles onto his jeans. I wrapped my arms around myself, tears flowing freely down my cheeks now.

Processing everything that just happened wasn't even an option at the moment. I wouldn't know where to start. In what felt like the blink of an eye, everything turned dark. Bleak. We might have lied to ourselves before, but we couldn't now. Nothing was okay.

---

So...hi. Sorry, again. I suck. I know. There's really no excuse for not posting other than a pretty strong case of writer's block. I'm gonna try to be better at posting more consistently this time around. AKA, not allowing a literal gap of like a year and a half go by before I update again. I really miss you guys and your reviews and PMs. Plus, I miss writing this story quite a lot.

I'm writing this on my ipad currently as well, because my laptop died on me. I don't have good luck with those things lol. So if this and the other chapters I'm gonna post are a little funky in some spots, that's why.

Anyway, time to address the elephant in the room. Supernatural is ending. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't devastated by the news, but I do understand why everybody chose to stop it now. If I had it my way, it'd never end. But for the people who read and like my fic, hey, at least we've still got some time left with the Winchesters in our own little way, right? Excuse me while I go cry.

Oh, and to the people who voted no on my poll for if i should post or not...I see you. I get you. But fuck you very much ;)

As always, thanks to bookwriter123456 for helping me with this! And don't forget to check out my Instagram phoenixwritesfanfiction, for manips!