There wasn't much said between Dean and I as we loaded a still unconscious Sam into the backseat of the Impala, heading away from the house the Veritas had occupied to get back to the motel.

We had plenty of opportunities to discuss what happened, but we didn't take them. Instead, I concentrated on the sound of the wind whipping past the car as the Impala sped down the near empty road. Every so often another car would drive past us and I couldn't help but wonder what was going on in their lives that was making them drive down a deserted road at two in the morning.

Once we arrived back at the motel, Dean got out of the car. I glanced back, avoiding looking at Sam to watch Dean through the rear window as he made his way to the trunk, opening it. I stepped out of the passenger side into the night air, moving over to Dean, who was holding a rope.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"I'm tying that...thing down," Dean replied, nodding to the backseat where his brother was slumped over.

After shutting the trunk with a quiet thud, Dean slung the rope over his shoulder before opening the backdoor to haul Sam out. I draped one of Sam's arms around Dean's shoulders before locking and shutting the car doors.

Inside the room, Dean held Sam up while I grabbed the chair that was lying on the floor, presumably from when he broke out of the bathroom, and placed it in the middle of the room. Dean plopped Sam down on the chair, beginning to tie him to it as securely as possible.

Dean stood upright beside the chair after tying Sam's ankle to the leg. He looked me over, his eyes widening when they landed on my hand. "You're bleeding."

"Huh?" I mumbled, lifting up the hand he'd looked at to see a small gash in my palm. "Oh. It- it must've been from the knife. When I stabbed the Veritas."

Dean grabbed a towel and bandage from one of our many bags and rushed over to me, putting pressure on the wound. "You didn't notice?" He questioned, worry clear in his voice.

I shook my head. "Just with everything, I-" I trailed off, seeing his heavy breathing. "It's not that bad, Dean. I'm okay."

"Are you? Really?" Dean asked, wrapping the bandage around my hand, a strange tone to his voice.

"Are you?" I countered, an eyebrow raised.

We watched each other closely, both knowing the answer to each of our questions. It was no.

Before any conversation could take place, I took a few steps away, trying to collect my thoughts as I called out to Cas, something we'd decided before we even left the Veritas's basement that we needed to do.

The sound of wings flapping came from behind me and I turned to see Cas standing there, a concerned look on his face. "Are you alright, Victoria? You sounded distressed."

"I guess you could say that, yeah," I mumbled, nodding over my shoulder to where Sam was slumped down into the chair, the bruises appearing more clearly on his face as time passed.

"What happened to him?"

"Me," Dean announced in a low tone from his spot next to Sam.

Cas furrowed his brow at Sam, looking back to Dean. "You did this? Why?"

Dean just stared at Cas, not speaking. I pulled in a deep breath. "Cas, Sam's been acting really...weird lately-"

"Weird's an understatement," Dean interjected as Sam began to groan, waking up.

"That's true. He's been- well, if I'm being honest here, he's been acting like a heartless bastard. And I know you're busy, but-"

"I'll check him out," Cas nodded quickly, taking a step closer to Sam, whose eyes were fluttering open.

"Wh-" Sam mumbled, looking up with squinted eyes. "Cas? What are you-" he paused, realizing his restraints. Dean got up to stand next to me as Sam started tugging on the rope. "Let me go."

Cas looked back to me. "Has he been feverish?"

"Why am I tied to a fucking chair?" Sam demanded, looking around Cas to Dean and I.

"I don't know," I answered Cas's question, looking at Sam. "Have you?"

"No. Why?"

"Is he speaking in tongues?" Cas questioned. I shook my head, then shrugged. I guess there was a possibility. I didn't know what was going on with him when he disappeared during the night. Cas turned back to Sam. "Are you?"

Sam shook his head, letting out a scoff as realization hit him. "Are you diagnosing me?"

"You better hope he can," Dean said flatly.

"You really think that this is-"

"What, you think there's a clinic out there for people who just pop out of hell wrong? He asks, you answer!" Dean exclaimed, getting irritated. "Then shut your hole. You got it?"

A short silence fell over the room after Dean's outburst until Cas spoke again. "How much do you sleep?"

"I don't," Sam answered reluctantly.

"At all?" I asked in shock.

"Not since I got back."

"And it never occurred to you that there might be something off about that!?" Dean shouted.

"Of course it did, Dean. I just never told you," Sam retorted calmly.

Dean breathed heavily, getting upset. I laid a hand on his arm, silently trying to calm him down. He looked down at me, pulling in a deep breath, letting it out slowly as he took a few steps back to lean against the wall.

I returned my attention to what was going on in front of me as Cas took a step closer to Sam. "What are you feeling right now?" He asked.

Sam huffed. "I feel like my nose is broken."

"No, that's a physical sensation. How do you feel?"

"Well, I think-"

"Feel."

"I- I don't know," Sam muttered.

Cas let out a heavy sigh, looking over at Dean and I as he reached for his belt, undoing the buckle and pulling it off. He moved directly in front of Sam, mumbling, "This will be unpleasant."

Sam instantly looked uncomfortable "Wh-"

Dean and I shared a confused glance as Cas pushed the belt into Sam's mouth. "Bite down on this. If there's someplace that you find soothing, you should go there. In your mind."

As soon as the words left his lips, Cas plunged a hand into Sam's stomach, the surrounding flesh glowing a bright orange. Sam screamed loudly, his face contorted in pain as his neck and face began to glow the same color, red veins popping out. He gasped for air. I cringed hearing him in that much pain, but didn't move to stop Cas. He was doing what needed to be done.

When Cas pulled away from him, Sam let his head slump down, breathing heavily.

"Did you find anything?" I asked, hopeful for something. What, I didn't know.

"No," Cas replied, a strange look in his eyes.

"So, that's good news?" Dean pushed.

"I'm afraid not. Physically, he's perfectly healthy."

"Then what?"

"It's his soul. It's gone," Cas said. I stared at him unblinking, my mouth hanging open.

My eyes trailed over to Sam, who was now looking up at us, his eyes unfeeling. Dark and...dead. I felt a chill run down my spine when they locked onto mine. I looked deep into them, seeing nothing staring back at me at all.

Dean's scoff broke me away from Sam's gaze. "I- I'm sorry," he mumbled. "One more time, like I'm five. What do you mean he's got no-"

"Somehow, when Sam was resurrected, it was without his soul."

"So where is it?"

"My guess is still in the cage with Michael and Lucifer."

"Wait. So if his soul is still in the cage, is he even really Sam?" I asked, finally finding my voice.

"Well, you pose an interesting philosophical question."

"Wow, great," I deadpanned. "Answer me."

"I- I'm not entirely sure."

"Thanks a lot," I complained, folding my arms.

"I have an easy fix," Dean said. "Just get it back."

"Dean," Cas said scoldingly.

"You pulled me out."

"It took several angels to rescue you, and you weren't nearly as well guarded. Sam's soul is in Lucifer's cage. There's a difference, a big difference. It's not possible."

"It has to be," I pushed.

"Victoria, it's not-"

"Yeah, well, we thought getting Sam out wasn't possible. And it happened. Just not...all the way. So, it is possible. Somehow. Whatever sprung him, can get his soul back, too. I'm sure," I insisted. Cas looked away, not so subtly shaking his head. "Don't shake your head at me, Castiel."

He looked up at me apologetically "I'm sorry, I just-"

"Are you gonna untie me now?" Sam piped up.

"No!" Dean and I answered in unison.

Sam's mouth fell open. "What?"

"How the hell am I even supposed to let you out of this room?" Dean questioned.

"Dean, I'm not some psycho. I didn't want you to get hurt, I was just trying to stop the vamps," Sam sighed. "I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

"It's not like you stayed out past curfew, Sam! " I exclaimed, feeling anger surge through me at his nonchalant attitude towards everything. "You put Dean's life in danger! You let him get bit! "

"I- I get that. I do. But what are you gonna do, keep me locked up in here forever?"

"If that's what it takes."

"Come on."

"No you come on, Sam. This is serious."

"You're right, it is. I get it, I was wrong. But I'm telling you I- I'm trying to get right. And if you let me go, I promise I'm not gonna-"

"Not gonna, what?" I snapped, feeling my blood pressure rise. "Let Dean get hurt again? Let me get hurt? The baby?!"

Sam nearly rolled his eyes, but stopped himself at the last second. "Tori, relax-"

"Relax?!"

"Hey, hey," Dean called from behind me, gently grabbing my arm to pull me closer to him. "Calm down, okay?"

I nodded, looking over to Cas to see him staring back at me with concern in his eyes as Sam continued his plea. "I'm still me."

"Are you?" Dean asked incredulously.

"Yes. So just let me go."

"No way in hell."

"I didn't want it to come to this," Sam said, shaking the ropes loose from his wrists, standing up in front of us. We all looked at him in shock that he'd gotten out. Sam held his arms out to the side, shrugging. "You're not gonna hold me. Not here, not in a panic room, not anywhere. You're stuck with the soulless guy, so you might as well work with me. Let's fix this."

I looked up to Dean, seeing that he'd already made his decision, swayed by Sam's words. He and I shared a look, one that silently said we would do this, under one condition.

"We're gonna be watching every move you make," Dean said.

"Sounds about right to me."

"Cas," I called, looking over to the angel that had stayed quiet through this entire interaction. "Can you heal him up?"

Cas nodded, placing a hand on Sam's forehead. In the blink of an eye, the bruises and now dried blood on his face disappeared. As the tension in the room began to fade away, I realized how heavy my entire body felt, so I I trudged over to one of the beds, letting out a heavy sigh as I hit the mattress.

All I wanted to do was go to sleep. But that wasn't an option. At least, not right now.

"Are you okay?" Cas asked, looking at me with worried eyes.

"She's not," Dean answered sullenly.

I shot him a look before returning my eyes to Cas, who furrowed his brow. "I'm fine."

"Is there anything I can do for you?" Cas asked.

Yeah, I thought. Help me get my shit back together.

Pulling in a deep breath, I shut my eyes briefly, pushing those thoughts as far away as possible for the moment. "No, Cas. Look, let's start thinking here. If we're gonna figure out what happened to Sam's soul, then we need to find who brought him out of the cage."

Dean watched at me for a moment before relenting and looking back to his brother. "You say you don't know?"

"No idea," Sam shook his head.

"Then we start a list. If it's so hard to spring someone out of the box, then who's got that kind of muscle?" Dean looked to Cas.

"I don't know," Cas answered, turning his gaze towards Sam. "You have no memory of your resurrection?"

"I woke up in a field," Sam shrugged. "That's all I got."

"No clues?" I pressed. "Nothing at all?"

Sam thought for a moment, his eyebrows raising. "Actually. I've got one."

CAMPBELL COMPOUND - NIGHT

The clouds covered the moon in streaks as the Impala pulled up in front of the large compound once again. I didn't want to be back here, but I knew we needed to. For Sam. But really, the only thing keeping me somewhat relaxed about the whole situation was the fact that Cas would be there. I didn't trust these people at all. At least with him around, we had the upper hand.

Two hunters that I didn't recognize were guarding the gates, allowing us into the compound, shutting the gate behind the Impala. Dean drove down the dirt road that was lined with several other cars, finding a spot not too far from the main door, a couple other hunters mulling around outside.

At the front door, Sam knocked and the door swung open to reveal Christain as well as a bunch of hunters mulling around the living quarters behind him, all either sharpening knives, cleaning guns or filling jugs of blood. I shared a look with Dean, both of us silently wondering what was going on here.

With all these hunters in one room, I suddenly felt uneasy.

Christain smiled widely at Sam, pulling him in for a hug. "Sam!" he laughed happily.

"Gramps throw a barbecue and leave us off the e-vite list?" Dean commented.

The gleeful look fell off Christain's face immediately as soon as his eyes landed on Dean and I, replaced with an arrogant smirk. "Ah, Dean. Tori."

I didn't respond, opting only to nod. Dean smiled. "Hello, Newman. Where's the man?"

Christian pointed a finger over his shoulder, gesturing to the long hallway at the back of the room. "Last door on the left."

"Thanks," Sam nodded, patting him on the shoulder as Dean and I moved past him, making our way through the room of hunters, their eyes all trained on us as we went.

At the door, Dean didn't bother to knock, pushing it open. Samuel, who was sitting behind a desk, quickly threw something into the drawer to his right, looking up at us in annoyance. "Come right on in."

"We need to ask you a few questions," Dean said, getting right down to business.

"What's wrong?" Samuel asked, quickly glancing behind Dean at Sam as he shut the door.

"What happened the day you got back?" I asked quickly. I wanted out of here as soon as possible.

Samuel shook his head. "We've been over this."

"Well, recap it for our wingman," Dean said. Cas appeared behind Samuel, a stern look on his face. Samuel looked over his shoulder at the angel, an eyebrow raised.

"This Castiel?" He asked, not breaking his gaze. Cas nodded. Samuel looked him over. "You're scrawiner than I pictured."

Castiel stared him down. "This is a vessel. My true form is approximately the size of your Chrysler building."

"Alright, quit bragging," Dean said, looking back to his grandfather. "So you were dead, and…"

"And pow, I was on Elton ridge," Samuel said, turning back to face us again. "Don't know how. Don't know why. I got nothing to hide, guys."

"Mind if he checks?" I asked, nodding up to Cas, who began rolling up his sleeve.

"Excuse me?"

"It's the only way to be sure."

Samuel looked between the three of us, glancing back to Cas again. He stood up, holding his arms out to the side. "Fine. Here."

He barely got the words conformation out before Cas plunged his hand into Samuel's stomach. Samuel screamed loudly, the same orange glow and red veins appearing on his skin as with Sam. Almost as soon as it started, Cas stopped, pulling back as Samuel fell against the shelf that was behind the desk.

Suddenly, the door behind us burst open, revealing a panicked Christian holding a gun. His eyes were wide, nearly popping out of his head. "What the hell?"

Sam quickly pushed the gun down. "It's okay."

"Angel cavity search," Dean answered Christian's question simply.

Samuel panted, holding a hand up to his nephew. "I'm fine, Christain. Just give us a minute-"

Christian looked over at Samuel, who was still breathing heavily. "But-"

"Just give us a minute," Samuel repeated sternly. Christian shot us one more look before leaving the room, the door shutting with a click. Samuel looked at the four of us with wide eyes, holding his chest. "What the hell was that about?"

"His soul is intact," Cas told us.

"What? Of course I have a-" Samuel paused in shock, looking at Sam for an explanation. "What's going on, Sam?"

"Whatever dragged me out...left a piece behind," Sam confessed. "Did you know?"

"No, but I- I knew it was something. You're a hell of a hunter, Sam. But the truth is, sometimes you scare me," he said. I looked up at Sam, seeing nothing but a blank expression sitting on his face. Samuel pulled in a deep breath. "So, what's the deal here? How do we fix this? How do we get his soul back?"

"We don't know yet, but we have to," Dean said.

"And quick," I added, seeing the slightest sneer appear on Sam's lips.

"Well, I'm here to help, of course," Samuel told us. "What leads you working?"

Sam shrugged. "A bunch of dead ends and you."

"Well, then, we'll just have to dig."

"I have to get back," Cas announced. I felt my stomach sink.

"You're leaving?" Dean asked the angel incredulously.

"I'm in the middle of a civil war."

"Yeah, well. You better tear the attic up, find something to help Sam."

"Of course your problems always come first," Cas said sarcastically, looking away from Dean to me, his eyes turned guilty as they met mine. "I'll be in touch."

"It's okay, Cas. I get it," I told him honestly. "Be safe."

With a single nod, Cas disappeared from view. Samuel stared at me for a moment before breaking the silence. "Would've asked him to stick around for a beer."

"What's with all the hunters out there?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Putting together a hunt," Samuel explained, beginning to take some supplies off the back wall, bringing them over to his desk.

"That's a lot of people for one hunt," I observed, raising an eyebrow.

"You found him, didn't you?" Sam asked in disbelief.

Dean furrowed his brow. "Who?"

"He's got a lead on the alpha vamp."

"Do you?" Dean questioned Samuel.

"Maybe," Samuel muttered. "Yeah."

"How'd you track him down?"

Samuel reached into his bag, pulling out a machete. "We're good."

"That's all I get? We're good?" Dean pressed. Ignoring his question, Samuel exited the room, waiting in the doorway for the three of us to follow.

"When's the run?" Sam asked as we piled out into the hallway.

"Dawn," Samuel replied as he locked the door.

"You didn't call me?" Why?"

He glanced back over his shoulder, his eyes scanning Dean and I before landing on Sam. My eyes narrowed. "Because he doesn't trust us. Dean and I. Do you, Samuel?"

"That's not true," Samuel lied, turning around to face me.

"Well, then, we're in," I stated, making him play right into my hands.

Samuel paused for a moment before answering. "No offense, but-"

"So you don't trust us."

"No, I just don't know the two of you. Not like I know Sam."

"You don't know Sam."

Samuel scoffed. "I've been with him for-"

"This version, it's not who he really is. So, you actually don't know him. At all," I said, standing my ground when he stared down at me. Something about the look in his eye, the fact that he very obviously undermined us so much, got under my skin. "But it's more than that, isn't it? You don't think we can do it, do you?"

"I didn't say-"

"Look. You're in charge here, right? You call all the plays. We'll listen. One hundred percent," I said, seeing Dean subtly looking at me in question out of the corner of my eye. "We'll follow your lead. We trust you," I lied. "It'd be nice if the feeling was mutual."

Samuel looked down into my eyes for a moment before nodding. "Be ready before dawn."

"Sure thing." I nodded. Without another word, Samuel turned and walked away, leaving the three of us alone in the hallway. Dean looked like he was about to say something, but I stopped him. "Let's go outside. I need some fresh air."

Once we were outside of the building, I felt like I could breathe again. Something about the air in there was so stagnant.

"What the hell were you saying in there, we don't fucking trust him!" Dean whisper-yelled the last part.

"He doesn't have to know that. Look, I don't wanna do this either. But this is the only way we can stay. And right now, the only lead-"

"On getting Sam's soul back," Dean nodded. "Fine. We'll hang close, blend in. See what we can pick up. But the moment, and I mean the moment, it gets hairy - we're gone."

"I couldn't agree more."

"Wait, you think Samuel's connected to this whole soul thing?" Sam asked, seemingly surprised at the very thought.

"Wasn't it your idea to come here?" I asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Well, yeah. But not because I thought he had something to do with it."

I shook my head. "He's hiding something."

"And if you weren't Robo-Sam, you'd feel it, too," Dean added.

Sam nodded, looking a little dumbfounded. "Huh."

"What?"

"Just you. Saying you don't trust family."

"Just because they're family doesn't mean anything right now, Sam," I said, shooting him a hard look. "We need to be cautious until we figure out what's going on here."

Back inside the building, I was avoiding all contact with the other hunters in the room, finding myself squished back against the far wall watching Sam and Dean, who stood a few feet away, making conversation with another hunter.

"Want a drink?" A female voice asked. I turned my head, seeing Gwen standing there holding two red cups, offering one to me.

"What is it?" I asked suspiciously.

"What, do you think it's poisoned or something?" She laughed.

I rolled my eyes. "Just tell me what it is."

"Beer."

My nose scrunched up. "No thanks."

"A hunter that doesn't drink?" She mumbled incredulously.

"I'm practicing abstinence," I replied dryly.

"More for me, I guess." Gwen shrugged, looking a little miffed as she took a sip.

"Look, I'm not trying to be a bitch," I said, looking over to her. "I just want to make sure my family stays safe."

"We are your family," She stated matter-of-factly. I did everything in my power to not roll my eyes at her words. Before our conversation could continue, one of the few female hunters called her over to them. Gwen told her she'd be right over, glancing back at me as she started to walk away . "Will I see you guys tomorrow?"

"We'll be there," I nodded. Gwen did the same, heading off into the small crowd of hunters once again. I looked over at Sam, seeing that Dean was no longer with him.

"Hey," Sam nodded as I approached.

"Where is Dean?"

"He went that way," Sam said, subtly gesturing to the hallway. I made my way over there, finding Dean picking the lock on the door to Samuel's office.

He looked up when he heard me approaching. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," I replied quietly.

"There's gotta be something in here. Something that can help us." Dean said, turning the doorknob. He was about to push it open when a voice at the end of the hall caught our attention.

"You two lost?" Christian called out, making his way a few steps down the hall towards us. "Hey, if you wanted a place to fuck around, there are a couple bedrooms on the other side of the building. Don't gotta break into a locked office."

"Wasn't locked." Dean said. He held his phone up. "And we had to make a phone call. Just needed some privacy."

"Oh, yeah? Who you calling?"

"Your wife. Let her know I'm not gonna make it over tonight."

"Funny. I thought it'd be some of your non-hunter friends from that neighborhood. Oh, wait. They're dead, right?"

"What the fuck is your problem?" I snapped, a mixture of anger and guilt washing through me at the mention of our friends. It was our fault they were gone and I knew it.

Christian scoffed out a laugh. "I've tried playing nice here. But I think I'm done."

"Wait, are you trying to tell me that you're an even bigger knob than you've been letting on?" Dean pressed, an eyebrow raised.

"I'm the guy who's been here, doing my job. Who are you? You think we need you two here?" Christian questioned, taking a step closer to us as he looked to Dean. "You walk around like you're playing pro tennis. Only action you've seen lately is between your slut girlfriend's legs."

Before I could even react to his words, Dean grabbed Christian by the collar, pushing him hard up against the wall. "You ever talk about her like that again-"

"What are you gonna do?" Christian prodded, smiling because he got Dean riled up.

Christian glanced over to me, and even though I wanted to rip his eyes out, I didn't want him to think he was getting to me in any capacity. So I kept my cool. And because he probably felt the same way I did, Dean forced himself to let Christian's jacket go.

"You sure you wanna come with us tomorrow?" Christian asked arrogantly, readjusting his jacket.

"Oh, we're sure," I said, firmly standing my ground.

Christian shrugged. "Accidents happen."

"And when they do, you'll want us there to save your ass," I contended, ignoring his threat.

Dean patted Christian on the shoulder, smiling. "Don't worry, man. My wife," he said pointedly. "And I got your back."

We left Christian in the hallway, heading back out into the sea of hunters. I saw Sam at the other end of the room, already loading up syringes with dead man's blood, a blank, slightly chilling look on his face.

"Christian's a real asshole," I commented absentmindedly as we walked over to the back wall where a couple empty seats were positioned. I wiped the thick layer of dust off the seat before sitting down. Dean didn't bother to wipe the dust off, plopping down next to me with a sigh.

"Tell me about it. I almost choked him out," Dean mumbled.

I looked over, seeing an angry flare in Dean's eyes. I placed a hand on his knee. "Babe, he's not worth it."

"Oh, he's not. But it'd sure be worth it to me to knock a couple of his teeth out. What the fuck made him think he could talk about you like that?"

"He's a dick, that's what," I shrugged.

Usually I'd have gotten incredibly pissed off at a comment like the one Christian made, but with everything going on lately, some idiot's stupid words were the least of my problems.

The rest of the night went by fairly uneventfully. Since I said we'd listen to his every word, Dean and I got to work filling syringes with dead man's blood and sharpening machetes. As much as I hated all this, I knew it needed to be done. We had to figure out what was going on here.

Thankfully, Christian stayed away from Dean and I, keeping his dumbass over by his wife. God knows what she saw in the guy. Every so often he and Sam would talk and joke. Sam laughed and smiled.

No matter how fake each smile was, it triggered memories. Good ones. Ones where we were happy. Where our hours in the Impala were spent singing along to eighties music and making fun of each other. Back when things were simpler.

Back when we had our sanity...and souls.

"All okay over there, Tori?" Gwen asked from a table a few feet away from the one I currently sat at. Hearing her voice, I noticed I'd been staring over at Sam, having stopped loading the syringes in front of me.

"Everything's great," I smiled tightly. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Dean shoot me a concerned look as he sharpened a blade. I just shook my head and got back to work.

Once everything was done and loaded into the various vehicles, Samuel ordered us all to leave the compound. As the hunters filed out of the building, Dean pulled me into the empty hallway, keeping his voice low.

"I don't have a good feeling about this."

"Me either," I shrugged, folding my arms. "What else is new?"

Dean rolled his eyes. "Tori."

"Dean."

"There's no way I'm letting you anywhere near those vamps. You could get hurt and then what? What would I do if you got hurt?"

"Dean, you need to calm down, I'll be fine-"

"No, you need to stop being so calm! We can't keep lying to ourselves here, Tori. We can't keep lying to each other…" Dean trailed off, the look in his eyes transporting me straight back to last night in that basement. I was immediately filled with guilt, and I could tell by the look in his eyes that he was too.

Being forced into telling each other the ultimate truth wasn't how it should've gone.

"I know," I muttered, my voice soft and thick with emotion. "You're right. That can't happen, not anymore."

Dean held onto the tops of my arms gently, determination in his eyes. "From now on, if something's wrong, if something is going on and you're worried or scared or whatever it is, you have to tell me."

"I will," I told him honestly. "But it has to go both ways, Dean. You have to tell me just as much as you want me to tell you."

"I know," Dean nodded, swallowing hard. "I know."

"Right now, we're in this, Dean. And I have to go."

"No, you don't."

"If I don't, what's the reason? What would we tell them? I won't lie to you, but I will lie to them. Because there is no way in hell the Campbells and every hunter in a fifty mile radius are going to find out about this," I gestured to my stomach. "There's no other option."

Dean's jaw clenched. He knew I was right. He didn't want them to know about the baby either.

"Just let me do all the tough shit out there, okay? If it gets bad...promise me you'll get the hell out of there."

"You know I can't do that," I told him honestly. "I won't leave you."

Dean nodded knowingly. He sighed. "Then just promise you'll be careful."

I gave him a small, reassuring smile. "Of course. As long as you do, too."

"Always am," Dean smiled back, leaning down to place a kiss on my lips. For a moment, everything felt okay again.

By the time we'd gotten over to the large clearing where we were supposed to meet up with the group, the sun was rising in the sky, a faint light yellow haze settling behind the wispy clouds. If it wasn't for the dread looming over us, I would've thought it was a beautiful morning.

Everyone stood around getting their orders from Samuel, who went group by group telling people what they were to do. Dean made sure to keep close to me. I knew he was still worried. Nothing I said would change that.

"The house is just over the hill. About a dozen vamps and the alpha. We got one shot at this son of a bitch," Samual told the group, nodding over to his cousin. "Christian, take flank. The rest of you are with me and Sam. Dean, Gwen, Tori...hang back, sweep any stragglers we flush out." I clenched my jaw, sharing an annoyed look with Dean, who rolled his eyes. Samuel raised his eyebrows at us. "Problem?"

"No, sir," Dean said, biting his tongue.

"I'm in the rear with the rejects?" Gwen spat, clearly frustrated. I looked over at her, my eyes narrowing

Samuel ignored her comment, nodding to his group. "Alright, let's go."

"Wow," Gwen huffed, walking away from us like a petulant child.

Sam made his way over to Dean and I, keeping his voice low. "Don't worry, it's fine."

"No, nothing's fine," Dean sighed, shaking his head, gesturing for Sam to leave. "Go."

With a nod, Sam left to head off with Samuel's group. The two of us stood there, watching them fade from view behind the brush as they left the area. For the moment, there was nothing we could do but stay at our post.

Some time had passed that consisted mainly of us aimlessly walking around the small area we were stationed at. With a heavy breath, I leaned against one of the old stone structures that was propped up in the ground, looking up at the sky through the thick branches that stretched out from the trees around us.

"This blows," I mumbled, kicking my toe into the dirt.

"Tell me about it," Dean muttered.

Gwen came over then, a sheepish look on her face. "Sorry about the reject thing."

"I've been called worse," Dean shrugged.

"Don't let it happen again," I said pointedly, my arms folded.

She grinned at me, nodding. "I guess I'm just sick of getting left behind. Probably 'cause I remind him of his daughter or something."

"Well, you do speak your mind," Dean shrugged, glancing over to me with an amused look in his eyes. "I think I know someone like that."

Gwen watched us for a moment before smiling. "I'll take that as a compliment."

"You should," I said in jest.

The sound of branches snapping echoed in the air around us, and we all immediately took our machetes out, bracing ourselves. A vampire came rushing out of the tree line and knocked Gwen off her feet. I kicked him with all my strength, and he stumbled back towards Dean, who decapitated the vampire with the machete while he was stunned.

Just as Dean turned back to face me, another vampire came from behind the pillar, grabbing him and sending him flying across the small clearing. I readied myself as the vampire charged at me next, but before I could take a swing at him with my machete, he ducked out of the way, grabbing me by the arms, pushing me to the ground. I landed on my back with a hard thud, my head hitting the damp soil.

The vampire stood over me, snarling when a machete sliced through his neck. Blood spurted all over me as his body fell on top of mine, his head rolling a few feet away.

Gwen stood there looking down at me, bloody blade in hand, smiling proudly. "You're welcome."

I pushed the decapitated vampire off with a grunt, wiping as much blood off my face with my sleeve as I could. Gwen held her hand out to help me up, but I didn't bother to take it as Dean slid his arms underneath mine from behind, lifting me to my feet. Gwen's expression turned from gleeful to dejected as she looked away from us.

"Are you okay, baby?" Dean asked, quickly looking me over.

"I'm fine, Dean," I said, trying to stop my voice from shaking. i chose to keep it low so Gwen wouldn't hear. "It was just...a little nerve wracking."

The sound of gunshots echoed in the distance, startling us. Dean looked in the direction they'd come from, then back to me, his hands moving down to the tops of my arms. "Stay here."

"Hell no."

"Please-"

"I'm not staying here," I insisted. "Come on, we don't have time to waste."

With that, I shook out of his grip to go towards the sound, hearing him following behind me closely while Gwen shouted that we were supposed to wait there and stay put. We ignored her, running deeper into the woods until we reached a gate at the front of the property that a large house sat on.

The sound of gunshots still rang through the air as I took in the scene in front of us, my heart sinking. There was one dead vampire, but three dead hunters laying in puddles of their own blood. I started looking for a way to unlock the gate, seeing a padlock fashioned from the inside.

"Dean," I called. Not getting an answer, I looked up to see him staring blankly at the weathervane that sat on top of the house.

I touched his arm and he startled, blinking a few times before looking at me. "This is it."

"What? What just happened?"

"I- I remember this, from when I was a vamp. I- this is what he kept showing me," Dean said, looking at me with wide eyes. "Come on."

Following Dean's direction, we went around to the back of the house where there was an opening in the wall. We stepped into the backyard where more dead vampires and hunters laid in pools of blood. The sound of banging on the french doors caught our attention, one of the brunette hunters we'd met last night panicking on the other side screaming for help.

Before we could do anything, she was pulled back, a splash of blood hitting the white curtains that hung on the wall. Just as we readied ourselves to go inside, the sound of a familiar voice in the distance caught our attention.

"Is that Samuel?" I asked, keeping my voice low.

"Sounded like it," Dean replied, both of us foregoring heading inside to make our way back around to the front of the house.

We moved quietly through the small chicken coup that hadn't been used in quite some time, for obvious reasons, and stopped at the edge of a small gate, leaning around to see Samuel, Christian, Sam and a couple hunters that had survived the day, leading a man into the back of a van. His head was covered with a black case, but I could still hear him snarling. It was a vampire.

Dean zoned out again, staring at the vampire with intensity. Sam made a turn on his heel and I quickly pulled Dean back with me to fully hide behind the fence. As soon as I moved him, Dean snapped back to reality.

"What is it?" I asked.

"That's the alpha," Dean said.

"The alpha? Where the hell are they bringing him?" I questioned like Dean would know the answer, as we rushed back to where we'd left Gwen.

"I have no clue. But I'll be damned if I don't find out," Dean said as we rounded the corner, coming face to face with an annoyed looking Gwen.

"Where were you?" She questioned.

"Everything alright here?" Samuel asked, him and his group walking up to us. I knew Gwen was going to tell, so I quickly tried to come up with some reason as to why Dean and I left.

"Just, uh, chopped up a couple runners. No big deal," Gwen shrugged, glancing over to Dean and I for a split second before turning back to Samuel. "How'd it go?"

Dean and I shared a relieved and shocked look, neither of us believing that she covered our asses. Samuel smiled, answering her question. "Rough, but one alpha down."

"Where is it? I wanna pay my last respects," Dean said.

"Well, bring marshmallows. Already on the pyre."

With that, Samuel ordered everyone to head home, the ones that were still alive, anyway. He didn't seem to care much about the ones that died. While got into his truck with Christian and Gwen, Sam was waiting for us by the Impala.

Halfway down the dark road away from the vampire's hideout, my knee was bouncing up and down in anticipation. Dean and I constantly shared looks in the rear-view mirror as the minutes ticked by, both of us waiting for Sam to fess up and tell us what really happened back there. But Sam just kept quiet, staring out of the window. He wasn't about to speak up any time soon.

For a brief moment, I wondered why he was doing this, but then I remembered he didn't have a soul. There was nothing inside telling him to speak up.

After one last look in the mirror at me, Dean looked over to his brother questioningly. "Things go okay back there?"

"Fine," Sam replied nonchalantly.

"Nothing weird?" Dean pressed. Sam shook his head. I scoffed at his response.

Out of nowhere, the car skidded to a stop, the tires squealing as Dean hit the breaks, pulling the Impala over to the side of the road. He charged out of the car, slamming the door behind him in frustration. Before Sam could ask me what was wrong, I got out of the car, leaning against the frame.

"What is it, Dean?" Sam asked, standing up out of the passenger seat.

"We saw you walk that alpha out the door, Sam. Now call me crazy...but that seems weird," Dean said.

I looked over to see Sam's reaction. There wasn't much of one, other than a faint sigh followed by an "oh."

"Oh?" I repeated, an eyebrow raised.

"You weren't supposed to know about that," Sam stated.

"Know about what?" Dean questioned.

"It's just something Samuel's been doing. Catching things, taking them somewhere, grilling them for info."

"Grill as in torture, right?" I asked. "And not telling us, that was his idea, too?"

Sam glanced over to me, his brows furrowed before he answered. "No, it was mine."

"Why?"

"Honestly?" Sam asked, looking between his brother and I. We nodded, so he continued. "Because you'd mess it up. Dean, you shoot first, ask questions later. And we needed to ask questions. And, Tori, you- you wouldn't like the methods we've used of getting the answers that we need. And we do need them."

"I don't care if you've got soulessness or the fucking mumps, man, you know better than this," Dean said, shaking his head.

"Better than what?"

"Have you ever been there during the interrogations?" I asked.

"No, but I hear-"

"What does he want? And why?" Dean pressed. "Did it ever occur to you that this is really shady?"

Sam looked down for a moment, shaking his head in disbelief. "He's our grandfather."

"He's a guy who talks a great game. But you can't assume that family means the same thing to him as it does to us. He's not Dad," Dean declared. Sam expression said he understood Dean, but his eyes told a different story entirely. Dean sighed. "Wow. You don't see it do you?"

"What?"

"You've got no instinct," Dean remarked. Sam scoffed at his words, but Dean continued. "I mean, you are seriously messed up."

"Thanks," Sam sneered.

"Do you even want your soul back?" I asked, catching Sam off guard.

"What does that have to do with it?" Sam questioned, looking at me with furrowed brows.

"Everything, Sam," I uttered. "It has everything to do with it."

"Of course I do, Tori. This just- I thought- I didn't think this was important, that's all."

I balked. "You're joking."

"Look, nobody's forcing you to work with us, okay? But if we do this...Tori and I drive the bus, we call the shots, and you tell us everything, whether you think it's important or not," Dean asserted. "Because trust me, you can't tell the difference. Or, you know what? Go. Go with Samuel. See how that goes. It's up to you."

I thought for sure he was going to pick the latter, so needless to say I was shocked when he chose the first option and said that he wanted to stay with us so we could help him keep on the right track.

Back in the car, the three of us agreed that finding out what Samuel was doing with the alpha was on the top of our list right now next to getting Sam's soul back. So we formulated a plan in which Sam would go back to the compound and make Samuel believe he, Dean and I weren't seeing eye-to-eye anymore and that we had left and he wanted in on the interrogations.

If he could find out where the alpha's are being held, and he's there for the questioning, we could get to the bottom of this.

In the Impala, Dean and I waited for Sam to get back from the short walk to the compound. I looked down at the map in my lap, aimlessly staring at it like something would magically appear and tell me how to fix my entire life. Dean tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, looking around constantly.

"Its been fifteen minutes, he's not coming back," Dean mumbled out of nowhere. "He's gonna stay with Samuel."

"Maybe," I pulled in a breath, keeping my voice low.

I didn't know whether to be relieved or scared at the thought of him being away from us, the only ones who seemed to notice how off his rocker he was. The only ones who knew how ruthless he could really be.

Suddenly, Sam knocked on the window, opening the door a little to peek his head in.

"You're back?" Dean asked in disbelief.

"Didn't think I would be?" Sam questioned, an eyebrow raised.

"I figured sixty/forty."

"Samuel didn't take the bait. So I went with plan b."

"We had a plan b?" I wondered, leaning forward to rest my arms on the top of the front seat.

Sam nodded, pulling out his laptop. "Fired up the GPS on one of his cellphones. We should be able to track him right to alpha."

Dean raised an eyebrow. "The old man won't notice?"

"Trust me, he thinks Velcro is big news," Sam said, tapping a few buttons. An application opened up and we watched as a little red dot appearing on the screen with a beep. "There. Got him."

I patted Sam on the shoulder. "Good job."

"Let's get him," Dean said, starting up the Impala, pulling out onto the road.

We tracked the dot, trailing behind their vehicle for a good few hours until they pulled the van into an abandoned warehouse's parking lot, heading around the back of the building. We watched as Christian got out of the passenger seat, slinging a large bag over his shoulder as he held the door open for Samuel, who was carrying a rifle. A couple of the hunters from the compound got out of the bag holding various weapons as well.

After their second trip back out to the van, we let about fifteen more minutes pass just to be sure they weren't coming back out before venturing to the door. Figuring it was locked, I grabbed my lockpick out of my pocket as we walked up to the building.

"Look," Sam called out, wiping the patch of fresh blood off the door.

"Dead man's blood?" I observed before starting in on picking the lock while Sam and Dean stood guard behind me with their machetes out.

"Smart. Lock the place down with vamp repellant," Dean said.

After successfully unlocking the door, the three of us cautiously made our way inside the building, electricity crackling from the old light fixtures strewn all over the place. I pulled my gun out just to be safe as we traversed through the cluttered room, finding our way to a long hallway. Nearly as soon as we turned the corner, Christian exited a room at the end of the hallway, shutting the door securely behind him.

Thankfully, there was an open room right next to us and we ducked in, Dean hiding under the desk while Sam and I went behind the wall that broke the front of the room off from the other, much smaller, half. I could hear Christian's footsteps stop in front of the room, then begin again, getting closer as he walked in.

We completely froze, neither one of us daring to even breathe until the sound of his clunky boots fading as he walked away let us know we could get up again. We made our way towards the door Christain came out of, stopping when he hear Samuel's voice on the other side.

Sam and Dean went on either side of the door, using all their strength to open the heavy piece of metal quietly. I peered through the crack with them, seeing Samuel standing in front of a man locked in a cage, his wrists and ankles shackled to the electric chair he sat on. His hands nailed to the arms of the chair and his feet nailed to the concrete. The chains around his neck connected to a wire that was implanted into his neck, all of this secured to the wall behind him.

"Where is it?" Samuel asked, to no reply. "Answer the question. How do we find it?"

When the alpha vampire didn't reply, Samuel took a step to his left, pressing a button. Electricity surged through the nails in his hands and feet. Moving through the wire into his neck. They sparked, smoke rising from the wounds in his flesh. He sat still, staring blankly back at Samuel.

"Ouch. Stop it. That hurts," The vampire muttered sarcastically.

Samuel powered the machine down, staring back at the vampire. "Now this- this is Club Med compared to what we have planned for you. I got all the time in the world."

"Well, that makes two of us," He replied. Samuel grabbed the machete, taking a step towards the cage before stopping himself, tossing the weapon down to the floor.

"Shit," He hissed, stomping out of the room, exiting through a back door. The alpha laughed for a moment before locking eyes with me through the barely opened door.

"Are you three going to hide all night? Come on out," he muttered. Sam, Dean and I shared a look before stepping into the room. I kept looking over my shoulder, not convinced we were alone here. The vampire continued. "How can I help you?"

"We got some questions for you, skippy. Since you're not going anywhere fast," Dean stated, walking closer to the cage.

The alpha chuckled. "Don't be so sure."

"Yeah? You're locked down pretty tight. And with all that dead blood rushing through your veins, I'm not sure you got enough juice to fire up that psychic bat-signal of yours, do you?"

"True. Not near enough juice for that...Dean."

Dean's head tilted to the side slightly. "I didn't realize we were on a first name basis."

"Of course we are. After all, you were my child...for a time," he uttered. I couldn't help but shoot a sideways glance at Sam, who refused to meet my eyes. "Dean, tell me...did you enjoy it?" He asked, looking to me. "I'm sure it was difficult for you to see him that way, wasn't it? Knowing he wanted to bleed you dry every time he looked at you."

"I'm asking the questions here, fight night," Dean said, walking up to the starting mechanism, hitting the green button angrily. The electricity began crackling through the vampire once again, but he didn't flinch. Instead, he got angry, speaking through gritted teeth.

"When your kind first huddled around the fire, I was the thing in the dark! Now you think you can hurt me?" He took a moment, composing himself as Dean shut off the machine. "I have all night. You do not. Anyway, I'm happy to tell you whatever you want to know."

"Why?" Sam questioned, walking forward.

"Why? Because soon, I'll be ankle-deep in your blood sucking the marrow from your bones," The vampire said, looking me over. "Two for one is always a treat."

Without even realizing, I found myself placing my finger on the trigger of my gun in response, even though it wouldn't do any good. Dean sneered angrily at the vampire, pressing the button once again so another surge of electricity ran through him. He grinned widely.

"So you're really it," Sam said, nothing the vampire had said affected him in the slightest. "The first of your species."

"The very first," he nodded proudly.

I moved my finger off the trigger, remembering why we were here. "But if you're the first, who made you?" I asked.

"We all have our mothers. Even me."

"What does that mean?" Dean pressed. The vampire didn't answer, so Dean posed a different question. "What's with the big surge of vamps lately? I mean, it's like-"

"We're going to war."

"Why?" Sam demanded, standing in front of the cage next to Dean. "What's going on? Why did Samuel bring you here?"

The alpha sniffed the air, staring at Sam intently. "You smell cold. You have no soul. What an oddity. Do you feel how empty you are? What is it like to have no soul?"

"Answer my question."

"You first."

Sam raised his eyebrows. "You're the one in the cage."

"The thing about souls, if you've got one, of course, is they're predictable. You die, you go up or down. Where do my kind go?"

"Alright, enough of the sermon, freak," Dean huffed.

"I'm trying to answer the question," he retorted. "Now when we freaks die...where do we go? Not heaven, not hell. So?"

"Legoland?"

The alpha sighed. "A little rusty on our Dante, are we?"

My eyes widened in realization. "Purgatory."

"Purgatory?" Dean questioned, looking over at me, then back to the vampire. "Purgatory's real?"

"Oh, stupid cattle," He chucked. "Of course! And it is filled with the soul of every hungry thing like me that ever walked this earth. Now, where is it? That is the mystery. And that is what your kindhearted granddaddy is trying to beat out of me."

"Samuel brought you here to find out where purgatory is?" Sam questioned incredulously.

"I keep telling him, how would I know such a thing? But he refuses to untie me."

"You know exactly where it is," Sam contended. "Why does Samuel care about any of this?"

"He doesn't care. He does as he is told."

"Well, if the old man's Kermit, whose hand's up his ass?" Dean asked.

The sound of a gun cocking behind us echoed in the room and I looked over my shoulder to see Samuel, Christain and another huntger standing there all brandishing guns.

"Evening, kids," Samuel said, nodding towards the exit. "It's time to leave."

The three of us looked at each other, knowing we had no option right now other than following them. They led us back out into the hallway where they made us drop all our weapons in a pile on the floor.

"I have seen some stupid in my time, but you take the crown," Dean said, pointing to Samuel. "Putting Jaws in a fishbowl? How do you think that's gonna end? I don't know what kind of game you're running-"

"What, do you think I'm doing this for kicks?" Samuel exclaimed.

"I think you've got the rest of these feebs convinced that you're John Wayne. So whatever you're doing, whatever you're hiding... it's gonna put you and everyone around you in the ground."

When Samuel was distracted by Dean's words, he knocked the gun out of Samuel's hands, sending it skidding across the ground. I hurried after it at the same time Samuel did while Sam grabbed Christian, holding him against the wall and Dean went for his gun that laid in the middle of the floor. I got to Samuel's rifle first, picking it up at the same time he got behind me, grabbing it.

As he tried to tug it away from me, I used the force he was putting behind it to my advantage, hitting him in the stomach with the butt of the gun. He stumbled backwards just as I heard another gun cocking behind me and looked down the opposite end of the hallway to find Gwen standing there, pointing her gun at Dean.

"Hi," She grinned as Dean put his gun back down, holding his hands up as he stood.

"Gwen," I glared. "And I thought we had something special."

"I think you should put that down," She nodded to the gun in my hands. "You're outnumbered."

"Never mattered before," I shrugged, cocking the rifle, keeping it pointed to the ground.

"I don't want to shoot you."

"The feeling is not mutual."

Suddenly, a loud crashing sound coming from the room the alpha was being kept in caught our attention, forcing us to let go of the current tension between us.

"Grab your stuff," Samuel ordered, looking over to me, holding his hand out.

As much as I didn't want to, I tossed his gun back to him as he started to run down the hall towards the door with Gwen and Christian. Sam, Dean and I quickly grabbed up our weapons, following close behind.

Back inside the room, we found the hunter that Samuel had told to stay back with the alpha dead on the floor, the cage empty.

"I can't imagine how something like this would happen," I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm as I glared angrily at Samuel. "I feel like someone told you this would end badly. Maybe I misheard."

Samuel narrowed his eyes at me. "Now's not the time-"

"No, now is definitely the time! That thing is out there and guess what? He's not just pissed anymore, he's mega pissed! And he's gonna come for us."

"Which is why we'll be ready."

I scoffed, turning away from him. Dean took over the conversation then. "How much dead man's blood do we have left?"

Christian held up two syringes. I shook my head. "Wow."

"How long till the alpha's a hundred percent?"

"Hour. Maybe less," Samuel replied. "We need to get him dosed up and back in the cage."

"No."

"No?" Samuel challenged, taking a step towards Dean.

"I don't know what your big plan was, but playing catch is not on the table."

"Dean-"

"We take the thing's head off, or it kills us all! You know that," Dean demanded. Samuel let out a sigh, knowing he was right. Dean continued. "We split up, clear every room. You get a shot, you take it. It's not gonna kill him, but dude will move a lot slower without any kneecaps. And if we make it through this, you, me, Tori and Sam are having one hell of a family meeting."

Without any argument from any of the Campbells, Gwen, Dean and I went through half of the building while Sam, Christian and Samuel took the other side. Each group had a syringe, prepared for anything. Or at least, as much as we could be.

About fifteen minutes of looking around and finding nothing had passed when we heard commotion in a room a few hallways down, rushing over there to find Christian stabbing the alpha, who was holding Sam against the wall by his throat, in the back of the neck with a syringe.

My stomach churned as Christian dragged the vampire back and I got a glimpse at his eyes. They were pitch black. Suddenly, three men appeared around the alpha, them and Christian disappearing with the vampire right before our eyes.

Clapping began on the far end of the room and I looked up to see Crowley standing at the top of the stairs that led to an emergency exit.

"Well, that was dramatic," he said, practically rolling his eyes.

"Crowley?" Sam questioned, his brow furrowed.

"Hello boys and girl." Crowley nodded to Sam, Dean and I as he made his way down the stairs. "What an unexpected treat."

"Bring Christian back now," Samuel ordered.

"I'm sorry?"

"My nephew! The one you just crammed a demon into!"

"Oh, relax, Samuel. Really."

"Wait, you two know each other?" Dean asked.

"Not in the biblical sense," Crowley replied. "More of a business relationship, I'd say."

Sam glowered at his grandfather. "You're Crowley's bitch."

"It's not what you think," Samuel said.

"It's precisely what you think," Crowley stated. "That alpha he's caught me is getting him a gold star."

"Since when do you give a shit about vampires?" I asked.

"Since, uh, what's today? Friday? Since, let's see-" Crowley muttered, walking around Samuel to stand in front of me, pointing his finger at me. "Mind your business."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "We know what you're looking for. Might as well just say it."

"Oh, yes?" He pressed, walking around me. "And what is it, Peach?"

"Purgatory."

"Beautiful and smart. Give her a round of applause, class," Crowley smirked, clapping his hands patronisingly.

"You want to tell us why you want purgatory?" Sam questioned.

"Isn't it obvious? Location, location, location. I'm a developer. Purgatory is vast, underutilized, and hell-adjacent, and I want it."

Dean furrowed his brow. "What for?"

"Best shut your gob. Employees don't question management."

"We ain't your employees."

"Of course you are!" Crowley smirked. "Have been for some time now, thanks to gramps. I don't keep Captain Chromedome around for his wit, do I? Samuel knows things. More than any of you, actually. Walking encyclopedia of the creepy and the crawly. And I knew...you three are so hung up on family-loyalty nonsense, he said jump, you'd get froggy."

I shot a hard look at Samuel, making the decision that was best for my family as I turned back to Crowley. "Yeah. Well, game's over. We quit."

Crowley smiled at me. "Afraid not. Not if you want to see Sam's soul ever again."

My heart dropped at his words and he grinned from ear to ear, knowing he had me with that.

"You're bluffing," Sam said.

"Tell them, Samuel," Crowley nodded to him.

Samuel swallowed hard, not meeting our eyes. "He pulled us both back. Me and Sam."

"What?" Sam snapped. "You knew?"

"No," Dean shook his head. "Cas says it takes big-time mojo to pull something like that off, and you're nothing but a punk-ass crossroads demon."

"Tori didn't mention my promotion?" Crowley asked. Dean and Sam both looked at me in question, but I kept quiet, glaring daggers at Crowley, who continued with a smile. "See, I was a punk-ass crossroads demon. Now? King of Hell. Believe me, I've got the mojo. I snap my fingers, Sam gets his soul back. Or you can be...you, and I shove Sam right back in the hole. Can't imagine what it's like in there...and I can imagine so many things. So, we clear? Me, Charlie... you, angels. Job's simple enough. Bring me creatures. Aim high on the food chain, please. Everybody wins. It's been a pleasure. See you soon."

With that, he disappeared from view, leaving us all standing there in anger. We were stuck.

"It's time to go," Samuel told Gwen. "Get in the van."

"You're letting a demon call the shots?" She asked in shock.

"Nothing's changed. We hunt, period. Don't worry about him, I'll take care of it," Samuel said. Gwen stared at him, unmoving. He sighed. "You trust me or not? Get in the van, Gwen."

After shooting the three of us quick glances, she left the room, heading out to the van while Samuel packed up a duffle bag with the weapons that still sat on the table in front of the cage.

"Working with a demon, huh?" Sam asked. "You're not who I thought you were."

"You don't know anything about me, son."

"What's so important that you're the King of Hell's cabana boy, huh?" Dean pressed. "What'd he offer you? Girls? Money? Hair?"

"I got my reasons," Samuel glanced up at him, trying to hide the emotion in his eyes. I saw though. For whatever reason he was doing this, it must have been important to him. He zipped his bag shut, signing it over his shoulder as he stepped in front of Dean, who didn't move. "You gonna make a move, go ahead."

"Or what?"

"Or nothing. I'm not gonna do anything to you, Dean," Samuel said, looking back at Sam and I. 'You three, you're family. So the way I see it, you got two you got two choices, put a bullet in your grandfather or step aside."

Sam immediately pulled his gun out, pointing it at Samuel. I thought about how he took on the responsibility of another child, one that wasn't his own, and loved her. He took care of her. If he didn't do that, I wouldn't be here.

So I took a step forward, pushing his hand back down. Sam furrowed his brow in confusion. "He sold us out."

"I know," I nodded. "Let it go."

"Why?"

"Because, Sam," Dean said, looking to Samuel, swallowing hard. "Get out of here."

With a nod, he moved past the three of us, leaving the room. A short lull of silence fell over us then until Sam pulled in a deep breath, letting it out fast. "So, what now?"

"We can't work for Crowley. I mean, I've done some stupid things in my time, but punching a demon's clock?" Dean shook his head. "I'm not doing that."

"Are you sure?" Sam asked incredulously.

"I don't think you understand, demons bone you every time," Dean told Sam.

"Oh, no. I get it, I do. But, just doing the math. Do we really have another choice?"

"We could stab him in his throat."

"And get my soul back how? I'm just saying, it seems like we got to play ball, at least for the moment," Sam said.

As much as I didn't want to admit it, he was onto something.

"Oh, no," Dean started, seeing the look on my face. "You aren't seriously considering this, are you?"

"It's not a bad idea…"

"Oh, come on.

"Hey, we're truth-ing here, right?" I questioned, throwing my arms out to the side. Dean rolled his eyes, but I continued. "We'll play along. Let Crowley think we're giving him what he wants. But in the meantime, we're gonna hit the books hard. I'll call Bobby and see if he can spare a couple minutes to look for stuff. Maybe he can get some feelers out there, too."

"I have done some stupid things in my time, but punching a demon's clock?" Dean scoffed, shaking his head.

"Oh, believe me. I hate it just as much as you. But it's just until we find another way. One without Crowley," I persisted. "We have to be together on this."

"I'm in," Sam said, quickly looking to Dean, waiting on his answer.

Dean huffed, clearly irritated with the situation. However, one glance over at Sam's lifeless eyes made him relent. "Fine. But what about after? We just let him keep breathing?"

"Hell no," I shook my head, folding my arms. " We track him down and stab him in his slimy neck."

Guess who's back, back again? ;)