*Growls*

*Smirks* What?

You know exactly what, you pompous sack of ass.

Aww, don't give me that. I did give you fair warning.

A week, Crowley. I said a week!

And I saw that you weren't going to make it to that particular deadline, which you seem to very familiar with. So I decided to put some… fire under your heel, if you will.

YOU DIDN'T EVEN GIVE ME TWO DAYS BEFORE YOU STARTED SCREWING MY LIFE! THAT ISN'T EVEN HALF A WEEK! DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG IT TOOK TO CLEAN UP YOUR MESS!

Hey, you were the one slipping, Spider. I just gave you a little push and watch as your house of cards come a-crashing. But now, you're stronger, wiser, and finally about to move up in the world with the lessons you've learned. Instead of being a baby, maybe you should be thanking me.

I'll thank you with this pineapple up your ass.

How do you know my morning routine?

Screw you, Crowley. *looks towards readers* What's up everyone! Scorpion here. Heh, it's been quite a long week, has it?

I'd dare say that it felt like a year.

Hey, Crowley, I've seemed to have lost a bottle of Piss Off. Can you go into the ocean and see if you can find it for me? Thanks.

After my bedtime story.

*scoffs* Anyway, after a few situations born of my own screw-ups, AND A FEW THAT WERE BEYOND MY CONTROL, I had a year that required my undivided attention. So sorry for not posting for all this time. But as of right now, all of that is behind me and now I can give my writing the attention it desperately deserved. So without fur a due… *looks at Crowley* right!?

I blew my load for the year. Go get 'em tiger.

*glares* Conclusion to chapter 5...

Crossroads Pt. 2

The light from the setting sun filtered through the curtain, but the room was surprisingly dark. Coraline patted down the wall and quickly found and flipped the light switch, turning on the lamp that stood on a nightstand next to a full-size bed. The room was definitely smaller than her own and relatively plain for a girl's room. There was a white dresser on the wall opposite of the window with pink drawers and an attached mirror that stood next to another door, presumably a closet. At the front of the room stood a small TV on top of a bookshelf, though it was empty save for a few books and DVDs. The bed itself was made and cleared, with flower print comforter and matching pillow cases. On top of the pillows were a pink striped bow and a plush teddy bear.

It didn't take too long for Coraline to realize what was weird about the house interior. Everything was clean, simple, and way too ordinary. 'This house feels like it was ripped from an IKEA catalog,' she thought as she moved around the room.

"Is it me," Coraline turned around and saw Wyborn take in the room, "Or does this place not seem to have a personality?"

'Oh, good. It's not just me, then.' Coraline gave a nod and walked around the bed towards the nightstand. A thought immediately came to mind as she looked to her friend, "By the way, where's Alexis?"

"Good question. Better than being yelled at for 'invasion of privacy.'" Wyborn moved towards the dresser and observed the items that sat on top. The items were pretty typical for a girl their age. Hair brush and comb, lip gloss, mild perfume, a prescription bottle of pills, a pair of pink headphones...

"Hold the phone," Wyborn halted himself. He picked up the bottle of pills, feeling a bit guilty about rummaging through a girl's things, and read the label. "Hey, I found this bottle of, umm… Za-whatcha-ma-call-it?"

"Some lawyer on TV was talking about that. I think that's for depression, " Coraline recalled as she looked at the night stand. 'Since respect for personal space has left the building,' she thought as she opened the nightstand drawer, 'might as well see what other interesting things are in here.' There were surprisingly few items that occupied the draw, but one thing stood out. Coraline picked up a notebook that laid under a box of kleenex and writing utensils. The book was a basic composition with the parts that would normally be black a bright fuchsia. Also, a thick rubber band was tied around the width of the book, giving it a slight bend. It didn't take long for the purpose of the book to pop into the blue haired girl's mind: a diary.

A wave of curiosity swept through her, and before she could silence the urge to violate the privacy of someone she only knew for a short time even further, her hands were already at work undoing the rubber band. The band came off and the cover was opened. Coraline read the first entry, but it didn't amount to anything. Shoes, crushes, shopping, and other stuff that any reader would find vapid littered that and every subsequent page. Just skimming through the pages caused her head to hurt. After the seventh page, Coraline gave up and placed the book where it belongs just a little too hard, creating a hollow thunk sound that caught her attention.

Coraline tapped the bottom of the draw again, the hollow thunk ringing in her ears again. She knelt down in front of the draw and began inspecting it, starting with the sides of the draw. It didn't take long for her to notice that it was deeper on the outside than on the inside. The girl began to inspect every part of the night stand, looking for anything that may explain the drawer's strange dimensions. Wyborn, witnessing the random actions, came around the bed to see what she has found. After a minute, Coraline made one more attempt, this time turning the handle at the center of the drawer, not expecting much. This actually caused the handle to give and turn, both children hearing something unlock.

"What the…?" They glanced at each other and then the drawer with questioning looks. Coraline pulled, pushed, tugged, and everything else that she could think of until the face of the drawer began to slide upwards. It didn't go up any further than a few inches, but it revealed a space in between the false bottom of the drawer and the actual bottom, no bigger than two or three inches. Coraline hesitated for a second, then she placed her hand inside and felt around. A few seconds later, Coraline's hand returned, this time, with another book. This book, unlike the first, was leather bound and had one of those springs on the inside of the leather, holding the pages together. One look at the metal clasp and both children knew what the book was.

Another diary.

"Okay, one." Wyborn started after both books are placed on the bed, "A nightstand with a secret compartment. What? Two: why would anyone have two diaries? And finally, why would she keep this one in a failure of a hiding place and go through the elaborate trouble of hiding the other?"

Coraline turned to him, cocking an eyebrow, "You really don't understand girls, do you?" Wyborn's blank stare told her to get to the point as she directed his attention towards the composition book, "This one, without going into details, has stuff that would make the thoughts of a stereotypical high school cheerleader in movies seem deep. Plus, it's easier to find and to get into."

Wyborn considered the words for a moment, but only scratched his head in confusion. "So?"

"So, anyone who's actually looking for a diary would find it with little trouble. The exact opposite of what you want to happen."

Wyborn raised an eyebrow.

"It was put in an obvious place," Coraline's eye twitched. "So people would think that this is the one Alexis uses?"

Wyborn's confused expression didn't change.

"MY GOD, IT'S FAKE!" She rubbed the bridge of her nose, "Alexis made a fake diary in order to keep the real one from being read!"

"Oh, heh-heh, right," Wyborn said, scratching his head. But confused look returned, "But why would she go through all the trouble of doing that when you could just hide one diary and say 'I don't have one' to begin with?"

"What's the point if no one's going to believe you to begin with? All girls have diaries. At least that's what most parents think. I can't tell you how many times I've caught my parents looking for one," Coraline pointed out as she tried to pry open the lock. When it seemed like the lock was on to stay, she sighed in defeat and began to look around the nightstand. "Hey, Wybie? See if you can find the key to this thing."

Wyborn began looking around, trying to think of good hiding spots for a key. It took him a second for his attention to close in on the DVDs again. He didn't pull any of the movies from the shelf earlier, but his instinct told him to do so this time. He walked over and carefully pull a stack, careful to not disturb the others as he did. Once the space between the was large enough, the boy reached into the gap between the remaining DVDs and felt around behind them. In the far corner of the space, he found something and pulled it out to inspect it.

Before they started their ride to Alexis's house, maybe even before then, he had an ominous feeling. He always had an interesting in the freaky and weird, like slugs. But after the hand thing last year, things for Wyborn had started gaining perspective on what is truly "weird" and "freaky" in the world. Strange happenings, sightings that cannot be expected, and ghost stories that are a little too grounded in reality have become an interest to him. Maybe that's also why he has taken an interest in Coraline. After that hand incident, a part of him figured that if there were any more strangeness around this boring place called Ashland, Coraline would likely be the one to pull it out to the light. Kicking and screaming if need be. Even if that didn't happen, he was still happy to hang out with her.

It was only when he saw what he pulled out from behind the movies did he get the idea that maybe he was in over his head. "Umm, Jonsey? I found the key, and something else too."

Coraline, intrigued by Wyborn's discovery and the concern in his voice, stood from her spot and approached him as he turned to her. He rose his hands slightly to call attention to what was cradled in them. What Coraline saw made her froze.

A handmade doll occupied Wyborn's fingers. It was a simple, but extremely well-crafted rag doll made in Alexis's likeness. From the gray, bland, school uniform to the heavy jacket that she wore on the first day of school and her red, curly hair (represented with red yarn), the doll was made to be Alexis in almost every way. In all ways, that is, save for one. The eyes, instead of being the same green and glossy from earlier that day, were represented by large, shiny, black buttons.

"Well," Wyborn began in a light mood, "good news is that you are not going crazy. Bad news, Alexis has gotten into some serious... trouble. Jonesy?" His voice trailed off when he noticed Coraline's face go through a wide range of expressions, all of them being some form of anger, confusion, and fear. The color drained from her face and sweat began to bead on her forehead. She backpedaled quickly, tripping over the edge of the bed, yet continued moving until her back was pressed into the wall. "Coraline? You alright? "

"Just keep that thing away from me!" Coraline yelled. Her eyes focused on the doll as if it was a knife threatening to stab at her.

"Easy now, Jonesy, " Wyborn raised his hands, trying to calm his suddenly jumpy friend. "It's just a doll-"

The door came open with a loud bang, startling the kids inside the room. The conversation between the kids was put to an end as their minds became preoccupied with an even more ragged looking Mr. Dupree marching through the bedroom door, fury all but painted on his face. He also looked woozier than he was earlier. "Didn't I tell you three to keep it down?" he growled.

The two gave a look of concern to each other before Wyborn, after concealing the doll behind his back, spoke calmly. "Sorry, sir. Coraline just had a bit of a trip. We won't bother you anymore." Despite his efforts to hide it, he couldn't help but express his nervousness in his face as Mr. Dupree stumbles into the room haphazardly, scanning the room as he did. Forced chuckles were heard from the two children, both hoping that he would just leave calmly without bringing up the obvious missing person.

"Alexis!" Mr. Dupree called. Worry flashed on both Coraline and Wyborn's faces as the drunken man began to look around for his daughter.

"She's not in here, Mr. Dupree. She, uh, went to the bathroom," Wyborn tried. He looked towards his friend to back his story, which she does with a small and nerves nod. He noticed that as she got out of the bed, she still clung to the far wall, frequently eyeing the doll that he kept from the older man's view.

"I passed the bathroom on the way here, you idiot! She's not in there!" Dupree growled.

Coraline tried to ignore the heartbeat pounding in her ears and regain focus. She thought about how to get out of this without angering the already distraught adult further. Wyborn's attempt has dug the hole that they were already in deeper. She tried to recall the house's layout and found that he would pass every room on the way Alexis's so that lie wouldn't have worked anyway. A stone fell in her stomach fell when she realized that there was no story that would appease the man, no sane answer to a question that even the children didn't have an answer to. There was, however, one other option. The only option that Coraline was hoping to avoid and the one she knew would likely fail. However, if there was a chance that she could get any information that could help, this is the only way to do it.

"Last chance, you little brats," the glare that the man gave to the two promised a grim fate , causing Coraline and Wyborn to shiver. "Where. Is. My. Daughter?"

"Um, W-well," Wyborn began, fear making his voice unsteady, "You see, um, t-the thing is-"

"Has Alexis had any problems, lately?"

Both Wyborn and the man look towards Coraline, no longer consumed with fear as she was just a moment before. Her expression now stoic, she took a deep breath and took her place next to her now confused friend. "I know that things haven't been easy in Alexis's life, but something happened that made things rough. Right?"

Mr. Dupree simply glared at the girl. "What does it matter to you? Don't try to get off topic!"

'Here goes everything,' Coraline though as she took another deep breath. "Chances are that she is not on our side of reality right now. You see, there's this...well, thing, that has been hanging around in Ashland since before I moved here."

Wyborn blinked, trying to grab her arm to stop her, but she simply moved out of reach. "Jonesy? Wha-"

"It's a terrible creature that preys on kids. It lures them in with promises of a life filled will happiness and love, more so than they would get in their real homes. In exchange, they must allow the thing to sew buttons in their eyes, but it's really trying to get their souls. Then it will feed on them until there was nothing left . A year ago, it tried to get to me, but I'd beaten it and escaped. I locked it away and made sure that it would never hurt me or anyone I care about.

"I thought that as long as it was locked up, it will never show up again. Maybe it would have withered away after I took its food, but-" Coraline took a deep breath, realizing that she didn't throughout her explanation, "but it somehow came back, and I believe that it may have gotten to your daughter. You see, it hunts by finding kids who are having trouble in life and tries to convince them that life would be better in its world rather than at home with their family. That's why I need to know if Alexis has had a problem lately. Maybe at school? I don't really see her hanging out with anyone."

Mr. Dupree only grunted in disbelief. Coraline thought about what she has seen as she passed through the house. The bench on the porch, the soulless design of the house, the pictures, the unknown man, the closed room, the emptiness. She thought back to the jacket that Alexis wore to school. Large, uncomfortable and heavy, yet Alexis would never take it off. Realization began to tickle at the back of Coraline's brain as the facts began to add up.

"What happened to that man in the picture?" She finally asked.

A flash of anger, more anger than he had earlier, appeared over Mr. Dupree's face. Wyborn took a step back after seeing it, but Coraline did not. The expression told her she was on the right track. So she pushed further, "Alexis was wearing a jacket today at school. One that was too big and too heavy for this early in the season. That wasn't her jacket was it, Mr. Dupree?"

Dupree growled as he stepped threateningly towards the two. Coraline simply stood her ground, even as Wyborn try to gently pull her back by the arm. "What are you, some sort of discount Nancy Drew? You don't know thing one about me or what I've been through, little girl, and I'm low on patience. Now tell me where my daughter really is or else!"

It only took till he finished the sentence to realize what he said and a second more to connect it to everything else she saw and learned since she's been here. The lack of Alexis on the video of pictures, how the pictures were arranged like a shrine, and the hollow feelings she had upon arrival made sense now. She even kicked herself mentally when she didn't pick it with the video.

"That jacket belonged to that guy in the video. He was your son, was he? He was your son and he died and you blame Alexis for it."

The next thing that Coraline knew what happened, she was face down on the carpet trying to catch her breath. At first, she barely remembered who she was or where she was, but her ringing head, burning hot cheek, and blurry vision began to paint a horrifying picture. She slowly turned on her back, struggling to keep her face from showing the pain caused by her throbbing head.

It took a minute for the haze to clear, but quickly pieced together the events of the last few seconds, starting with the most important details. 'My name is Coraline Jones. I am looking for Alexis Dupree, who has fallen prey to the Beldame, and her father just hit me…'

'...Mr. Dupree just hit me...'

'THE JERK JUST HIT ME!'

She was no stranger to receiving corporal retribution from her parents. It was mostly from her mother and it was mostly for unwisely opening her mouth when anyone else would keep theirs closed. However, then it was more of a wake-up call than anything malicious. That was less about doing harm and more to gain her undivided attention, and it was clear, even to a spit fire like herself, that it was something that they didn't want to do.

The hit that she received was nothing like that. All that she had to do was look at his face, twisted in raw fury, to tell that the slap was more than just a wake-up call. It was a statement.

"You think that you brats can just waltz into MY house, hide MY child, then just sit there and accuse me of harming her?" He slowly stepped towards the floored Coraline, his expression darkening further the close he got. "You're gonna learn how to keep your nose out of affairs that don't concern you!"

He lurched threateningly towards the blue-haired girl, silently promising more pain to come. Coraline, however, wasn't afraid of him liked he thought she would be. He expected whimpering, crying, or a plea for forgiveness. He did not have to say that, she knew the look on his face all too well. What he got instead was expression reflecting stubborn conviction, a non-verbal challenge to do his worse.

Unlike the last face she has seen, she was not afraid of the expression or the person it belongs to.

He only took three steps towards Coraline before Wyborn got over the shock of what have happened and jumped towards the hostile man, wrapping his arms tightly around Mr. Dupree's waist as tightly as the noodles can manage. Wyborn would admit that he was not going to be the next big football star, but he knew that to hold a man that is clearly bigger and stronger is not just about having strength, but leverage as well. He grabbed his wrists on the Dupree's front and dug his feet into the carpet, finding as much purchase as possible to stop his advance.

To both his and the watching Coraline's surprise, Dupree's uncoordinated legs gave to Wyborn's efforts and both stumbled out of Alexis's room, both struggling against the other. Wyborn wasn't sure what to do, nor of what he was doing exactly, but he knew that Dupree couldn't do any more harm to his friend if he can't move freely. The adult tried to grab his hair, but Wyborn quickly moved under the Dupree's arm and got behind him. Now with better leverage, he pulled the distorted man down the hall and towards the stairs as Dupree began to fight against him.

The older man reached back and wrapped his big hand over Wyborn face and aggressively pushed at him, causing pain to shoot through the boy's face and now straining arm, weakening his grip. With that, Dupree turns in place, wraps his hand around the boy's neck and squeezed, pushing the boy against the wall as he did. Punching, kicking and screaming for him to get off took it's toll, and didn't take long for the lack of air to register to the boy and he gasped vainly in the midst of the struggle. Wyborn, with what little advantage he had now lost, began to feel lightheaded and a burning in his lungs. He looked up at the man that was choking the life from him, endeavoring to make him the last thing he sees before dying to Mr. Dupree's drunken rage. 'If there's anything to that ghost thing,' Wyborn thought as his vision darkened, 'I'm sooo going to haunt him forever for this.'

"GET OFF HIM!" was the only warning that either of the two got before Mr. Dupree found to arms wrapping around his face. The surprised older man yelled as he was suddenly yanked off Wyborn, finally allowed to suck in the cool air. The boy gasped and watched as Coraline tighten her hold on the man, coiling her legs around him and pulling at his hair as he fought to throw her off. Getting his barring after nearly suffocating, Wyborn quickly joined the fray again, tackle the man at the midsection and pulling him to the stairs again while Coraline clawed at his eyes from behind.

Mr. DuPree screamed in pain from their assault and struggled harder to get the children off, unaware of the upcoming tumble. Coraline quickly jumped off the man's back and, with Wyborn's help, pushed him towards the stairs and off the top step. Dupree was over the edge before he realized what was happening, and by then he was too late. His reflexes kicked in as he blindly flailed his arms, desperately searching for something to grab hold to. The man eventually found something and gripped it tight, hoping that it would be sturdy enough to stop his eventual descent. However, due to drunkenness and his burning eyes, he failed to notice that what he grabbed wasn't something solid, but fleshy, skinny, and clammy. Like an arm. A child's arm.

"Whoa, HEY, LET G-," was the only thing that Dupree heard from Wyborn before both their bodies met with the stairs and began the long tumble down.

000000

They weren't expecting much when they pulled up to the neighborhood. Everything about the neighborhood screamed forgotten leftover from the 60's and potential slasher film setting as soon as they drove in, and the house of the Dupree family was no different. The signs of human activity, such as the mowed lawn and the pair of bicycles in front of the porch, were the only things keeping the Winchesters from writing the house off as abandoned as the others they passed. They had watched the house for a few moments to ensure that there was someone inside, which the lights turning on and off on both floors indicated. Once they were sure that there were people in the building, they began to formulate their cover story. Hunters learn to create as many aliases and cover stories as part of the job and switches through them almost every hunt and sometimes in the mists of one. This not only keeps the cops at arm's length but also keeps the monster in question from learning of them as well. For the Winchesters, as with most things, simply picking a cover is never as simple as that.

"Dean, I don't see why we can't just wear the suits," Sam protested as he gathered his pocket knife. "We could have just kept up the FBI identity. Besides, it would give us a reason to carry our guns."

Dean stated as he picked out his own knife from the impromptu weapon box and placed it in the waist of his pants. "You still complaining about that? Look, Feds are high profile. A cover like that only really works is the police knows we're here," he explained. He grabbed two mini-flashlights, slammed the trunk closed and started towards the house with Sam closing in from behind. "Last thing we need is some paranoid neighborhood watchman or something calls the police out of suspicion. Especially with a gun."

"So? They would likely be suspicious when two guys that look like us starts knocking on doors," Sam said from behind.

"So," Dean tossed a flashlight to Sam, who was barely able to hold on to it, "The shot economy are forcing two brothers doing some house hunting. We want to see if this neighborhood is safe for our kids, so we are surveying the area, greeting the neighbors along the way. Maybe crack a few cold ones if we get the chance."

Sam rolled his eyes on the statement and silently walked alongside him. He took further note of the disarray that was the front porch. From the peeling paint to the damaged porch swing, there was enough to convince him that whoever owned the place simply stopped caring about the house for some time. Then he took note of the two bikes sitting on the front lawn, both of different types, sizes, and colors. The red, tiger striped one was heavily customized and was clearly meant for a boy. This caused some gears to turn in Sam's head. "Hey, Dean, how many children were in this house again?"

Dean stopped just short of the door and turned towards his brother, "One, according to the file. Preteen girl. Why?"

Sam pointed at the bicycles, "One girl, yet two bikes that are meant for two different children."

"Probably having a sleepover," Dean dismissed turned towards the door and tried for the bell, which only gave a soft, inconsistent buzz in response, signaling that it's just as dilapidated as the house. Sam came up beside Dean and rapped on the door. The two waited for a few seconds before Dean knocked harder.

They got the loud shattering of glass in return.

Worried expressions covered their faces before Dean knocked harder, "Is everything alright in there?" He yelled through the door. The response, this time, was the sound of something heavy falling down. They looked at each other for a brief second before taking breaching positions.

"What was that about not needing guns?" Sam quipped as he covered the entryway, giving his brother room.

"Not now, Sammy!" Dean grunted as he kicked the door in.

000000

'So, you really do see double,' Wyborn managed in thought through the haze. 'That would be so cool if it weren't for the pain! Oww.'

Falling down the stairs felt like an eternity to Wyborn, but he finally came to a stop at the bottom of the stairs. It took only a second to remember what he was doing, though the soreness of his neck and the burn from breathing, among everything else was a strong reminder as he struggled to sit up. He saw a familiar and friendly figure run down the steps, calling out to him, at least he thought it was. Either the figure said "Wybie! Are you alright?" or "Wybasaurse! Ready for flight?" 'Geez, I hit my head harder than I thought,' Wyborn struggled to regain his senses as he felt a hand land on his chest and another on his cheek. Hard. Wyborn finally became conscious as Coraline frantically tried to wake him. He would have found her concern as comforting as it was surprising if it weren't for the slap in his cheek, let alone pain in the rest of his body.

"Oww," he managed weakly.

"Oh, thank goodness," Coraline sighed and quickly wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace. The pain was murder, but his mind was focused on the fact that she was hugging him and that, for reasons he can't fathom due to the pain, his cheeks were getting warmer. A feeling that went away as soon as she rose up again, this time with anger instead of relief. "Why would you do something so stupid!? You could have gotten yourself killed!"

'Anger born of worry, huh? I've read about this somewhere,' Wyborn thought as he struggled to raise himself. "One: you're welcome. Two: it's not like your idea was any better," he calmly retorted. "I mean, really? Telling him that some monster took Alexis? Heck, I'm still having a hard time believing it, and I've seen it with my own two eyes! What made you think he was going to buy that story?"

Coraline's face went completely straight and just stared at him. "'She, uh, went to the bathroom.'" She said in a pseudo-Wyborn gesture.

"Touché," Wyborn said in defeat. Coraline gave a small giggle as she stood and held out her hand to help her down friend. Wyborn, though the soreness, had begun to reach out for the hand with the hope that things were fine now. That was until he saw movement from the corner of his eye. It only took a second for Wyborn to recognize what it was that quickly moving behind Coraline, but by the time his thought to warn her, it was too late. He watched as his friend get yanked by her hair to the ground behind the more irate Mr. Dupree. Wyborn tried to push himself off the ground, but the pain that he managed to ignore came back at full force, dragging him back down again.

Dupree walked towards Coraline and quickly grabbed her by the collar of her shirt. She thrashed and struggled against the older and larger drunk with a strength that would have otherwise impressed any onlooker, but her efforts failed. Dupree picked her up off the ground and slammed her against the near wall, cracking the wall behind her and knocking the pictures to the floor. The blow knocked the wind out of Coraline, and though she continued to struggle, she found herself going in and out of focus she was pinned by her collar.

"One thing," the man growled as he knocked her into the wall again. Coraline lost what fight was left in her after that, now she focused what was left into staying conscious. "I ask for one simple thing, peace, and quiet, and I can't even get that! It's like that girl does all she can to suck any bit of happiness I have! First, my wife, then my son, then my money because some fancy shrink thought her mental well being needed over glorified sugar pills to maintain, I can't even have a few moments of SILENCES! And now you think that you can just cover for her while she's off somewhere playing hookie!?"

Between being slammed into the wall and his breath that still smelled of alcohol, all Coraline could do was heave and try to stay coherent enough to show the disbelief that she felt from the insane accusation. "Mr. Dupree," the words managed to strain through the punishment she's received in the past few minutes, with the loud thumping in her ear now being added to the list. "I'm telling you, that's not what happened-" was what she got before he slammed her into the wall again. She refocused again, trying to keep from passing out as she met eyes with Dupree. Just like the house that she and Wyborn tricked their way into, there was no feeling to be found there. He acted out of anger, but that anger was a baseless drunken rage rather than genuine concern for his daughter. It was as if he had nothing left but bitterness from what happened in the past and Coraline and Wyborn were just a means to vent his frustrations, a role that Alexis had occupied every day. She gave her best game face and trying to show no fear to the man, however, she couldn't help but feel pity for this family. A pity that had replaced the anger that had once been hot enough to burn away debilitating fear.

A feeling that won't last if she didn't get out her situation.

"Oh, so we got a brave one, huh?" Dupree said almost to no one. "Well, let me fix that." He raised his hand again and prepared to strike. Coraline heard her friend try to get up, but she knew he wouldn't make it. Doesn't matter to her. The beldame maybe something to be nervous about, but she was never afraid of a bully, no matter how big they were. If he wanted to hit her, he was going to have to look at her while doing it.

She braced herself, but the hit never came. The next thing she knew, she fell on her backside just below the crater Dupree made with her back's unconsenting assistance. She looked up but Dupree was gone from where he stood. In her surprise, she looked to see if Wyborn was still there. He was, but so was another man who was gently helping him to his feet. The man was ridiculously tall when he stood upright, towering over the woozy but now standing Wyborn. He had a simple red and black shirt, blue jeans and worker boots that are not uncharacteristic for one of the local hunter types that show up in town around this time. But instead of grizzled, just barely kempt, and unshaven that is also typical of those guys, this man was sharp-jawed, smooth, and had a head of long, dark brown hair that models would kill for. Coraline couldn't help but think that her mom would swoon for a guy like this if she was in her shoes.

"Are you alright, kid?" he asked Wyborn, keeping his hands just close enough to him in case he started to fall.

"Aside from the fact that my name's not 'kid,' I'm fine," Wyborn said, with a bit of edge that surprised Coraline.

She stared at Wyborn as he slowly walked towards her, offering his hand. Coraline looked at the hand, and back at him with a look as she began to stand up on her own. It hurt to move at first, but it barely took a moment before she was on her feet. "Thanks," she said, addressing both of them, "but I'm good, too." She quickly brushed the debris off her clothes and looked towards the man.

The man still looked concerned for their safety, but noded. "That's good. Let's get you two out of here." He beckoned the two to converge and turned towards the door but stopped when he heard glass shatter. He looked towards the living room, where Coraline was now noticing what sounds like a struggle going from within. "Hey, Dean! Need help?"

The children look towards the living room and saw Dupree with the bottle from earlier, which is now broken at the neck, which he was swing at another stranger. 'Dean' moved around the sharp glass with skill, getting close to his brown leather jacket but never touching it or him. One of the swings goes in wide and the stranger side steps to the side, throwing off Dupree's fragile center for a moment, which the stranger used to catch him with a hard hook to the jaw. The punch, the uncontrollable momentum, and his drunken instability were too much for Dupree. He, once again, found himself meeting the ground in a tumble. Any hope of victory against the blindly irate man was cut short when he quickly, if a bit haphazardly, got back to his feet. "I'm fine! Just get 'em out of here," he huffed.

The taller man quickly grabbed the children by the shoulders and guided them towards the front door. Wyborn went for the door without too much hesitation, but Coraline tried for the stairs, only to be stopped when the man tightened his grip on her shoulder. "Wait!" she protested, "I forgot something!"

"Whatever it is, we'll get it later. Right now, you need to get to safety," the man retorted with as gentle of a voice that he can manage at the time. Coraline only huffed as the three of them exited the house and into the hazy twilight.

And that finally concludes Chapter 5

Was making that guy such a jerk really necessary?

Know what, Crowley? You're right. Hey, hows Gavin McLeod?

THAT...was actually pretty impressive.

Been practicing on and off this past year. Anywho, I hoped y'all enjoyed this chapter. A bit more drama than the previous episodes, but at least we final turned our two separate duos into a quartet. We'll see exactly what that will entail in the next chapter.

Within in a week.

Nope.

That wasn't a request.

And I wasn't treating it like one. I write at my own pace and when I can, asshole. Either get that through that skull you stole or find another desk monkey to ghost write for you. And if you try anything like what you did last year, I will be sure to write the most derivative, boring, and poorly written crap that would blend in so well with the other ninety percent of crap on the net that you wouldn't be able to find it!

Heh. Like that scares me-

MY IMMORTAL LEVELS, CROWLEY! WINCEST, GOTHS, FORCED ENVIRONMENTAL MESSAGES, BAD GRAMMAR AND NARRATION THAT WOULD MAKE ALASTAIR SCREAM THE SAFE WORD, THE WHOLE. NINE. YARDS!1!

*cringes*...Fine, you win. But you will finish, Spider.

The sooner you're out of my life, the better. Don't worry, I will. *Crowley teleports away* So, with that creep out of my hair, for now, I'm sorry for the lack of updates. The mess that happened to me was brought on by my own negligence and it took me away from my writing. Thanks for reading and for your patience. I will the next update as soon as humanly able. Thank you all again.

This is the Scorpion, signing off.

P.S.: I have a DeviantArt account and an AO3 account. Under the same name, of course. If you find the time, check those out. This story has been edited for better reading on Deviant (I'll post this whole chapter there in due time), and AO3… well, I'll get to that when I am able. Things will happen there soon, though.