A/N: No internet connection and a pile of homework were just the right combination to finally get this chapter done, haha! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Refer to previous chapter.

Bonds of Trust

By: Ada C. Eliana

Chapter 5

The bullet collided with her back and sent Tressy sprawling onto the forest floor face-down. She blacked out briefly and when she opened her eyes again it seemed as if barely any time had passed.

"I'm sorry, but I can't let you stop me," Tim whispered as he approached her trembling form. Teresa barely managed to restore her grip on her gun as she rolled and fired, ignoring the agony in her back that the movement caused until the bullet his its mark. Her bullet caught Tim in the shoulder, forcing him to his knees. He cried out and clutched at the bleeding wound. Swallowing against the pain he fixed his eyes on Tressy and aimed the gun at her chest.

"Sam Winchester has to die," he said. His hand shook as his finger twitched on the trigger when another shot echoed through the night. The bullet whizzed past Tim's ear, and his eyes widened. Without waiting for the shooter to appear he turned and ran into the trees.

"Teresa found something?" Bobby barked into the two-way radio at Pastor Jim. "Why the hell didn't you tell me earlier?"

John pushed out ahead of Bobby, anxiously following the tracks left by one man and two boys, the footprints difficult to see by flashlight and in the dense undergrowth of the forest.

"Well then she's right in the thick of it, the tracks we're following are headed her way, but they're damn near impossible to see in this dark, we should've had Tim in the forest, he'd be able to follow these tracks. If the others call in, get them down here. Hopefully we won't need them but-" Bobby stopped short as the sound of raised voices reached his ears. In front of him John stilled as well, listening carefully for the location of the voices. Bobby couldn't make out the words, but he recognized the higher-pitched voice immediately, and shot forward, his conversation with Pastor Jim all but forgotten.

Bobby broke through the densest of the forest, John at his heels, in time to see Tim's finger flex on the trigger of the gun pointed at Teresa's heart. Instinct overriding his confusion, Bobby raised his gun and fired. However, Tim flinched at just the right moment and the shot went wide, allowing Tim to escape. For a fraction of a second Bobby was torn between who to go towards, but then John's flashlight glanced onto the blood stain blossoming on Teresa's back and the choice was made for him.

"Teresa?! Oh God!" Bobby cried as he appeared through the forest and dropped down beside her, careful fingers inspecting her wound, the flashlight aimed at her back.

"Bobby?" John called, scanning the woods for signs of his boys, and for Tim.

"John! The boys… are headed down… the trail to the lot!" Teresa stammered. "Demon's still coming…" John did not need to be told twice, and barreled down the path, screaming his sons' names. "How bad?" Tressy asked.

"It's hard to tell Tress… I think it missed the spine, and it's not bleeding that badly, so I don't think it got your spleen," Bobby said with relief, rocking back on his heels. "Jesus what the hell happened?"

"Tim kidnapped the boys, he set this whole thing up," Teresa explained between careful breaths, pain igniting her back.

"Why would he do that?"

"I… he just… I'm not sure okay," she said, squeezing her eyes shut, hoping Bobby didn't see through the lie. "Holy mother of God this hurts like a bitch!" she swore, fingers clenched into fists, short nails digging into her palms as she tried to fight against the pain. "Please tell me… you brought the first aid kit."

"I brought the travel size one, left the one with the good drugs in the truck," Bobby sighed.

"Goddammit."

Opening his pack, he pulled out gauze pads and tape. He pressed the gauze against the wound until the blood flow slowed, thanking every deity he could think of for the fact that the bullet appeared to have missed anything vital. Tim had always been a crappy shot.

"Just breathe with it, Tressy," he advised. "You'll be okay. It's not even that bad."

"You have to go after Tim!" Teresa shouted. "He's trying to get those kids killed, you have to stop him!"

He opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by screams from somewhere deep in the woods. Bobby spun, turning towards the South, where the screaming was coming from. "Oh God, Sammy, Dean," Bobby said.

"It's the demon… here… help me up…" Teresa said, holding an arm out towards him.

"Are you crazy? You have a bullet lodged in your back!" Bobby protested.

"We can't leave them out there to fend off that thing. We can't leave John without cover to fight off a demon and Tim. We can at least distract them, hold them back until he can get the boys safely out of here." Bobby didn't know how to argue with this logic. "Either leave me or help me up, someone has to help them."

Conceding, he gently helped Teresa to her feet, pulling her arm over his shoulder, placing his hand on her waist. He half-carried, half-assisted her further down the trail.

The flashlight flicking between the path and the compass, Dean tugged his little brother towards the parking lot, towards Jim, towards safety. They heard gunshots and yelling from where they came, and Dean fought against the impulse to turn back. He knew that the man who kidnapped them had been coming through the woods before they took off down the path. And now the woman who rescued them, she was in trouble, maybe dead. She could be dead just for helping them. Guilt clenched in Dean's chest but he tried to shake it off. She knew his Dad, which meant she was probably a hunter, and hunters didn't get taken down that easily.

"Dean I'm tired," Sam whined as he struggled to keep up with his brother's pace.

"I know Sammy, but you have to keep going, we have to get out of the woods."

"I can't," Sam replied, stumbling as his legs refused to continue at Dean's frenetic pace.

"Well you have to!" Dean argued, pulling harder to get his brother to meet his pace. "That guy could be after us right now, we have to get to the parking lot, that lady said Pastor Jim was there."

"But Dea-" Sam stopped mid-sentence as a strange keening sound reached their ears. The flashlight in Dean's hands began to flicker, and in the dying light he saw the needle on the compass spin uncontrollably.

An ethereal woman, eyes flickering orange in the moonlight, stepped through the trees towards them. Dean instinctively placed himself in front of Sam, despite the fear he felt. She reached out towards him, long claws on her fingertips. Dean pushed Sam backwards, stopping when he heard the younger boy gasp as his back hit a tree. Her image seemed smoky, the body warping as she stared at them, eyes lingering possessively on Dean. Then she shifted her gaze, orange eyes meeting Sam's frightened gaze.

The minute their eyes locked together Sam screamed.

"SAMMY! DEAN!" John shouted, running through the forest, branches snapped against his face as he tore down the path, searching desperately for his sons. He heard Sam scream and pushed himself to run faster. His heart was beating fast in his chest and his legs burned as he ran desperately towards the sound of his son's voice.
Sammy felt as if there was fire in his veins, and he screamed, clawing at his skin. His eyes were locked with the demon's, and Sam was incapable of looking away, even as the pain increased and he tried to release the heat under his skin, make a break so it could get out. The demon made to approach him and Sam screamed again, tears falling down his face. Dean lunged at her angrily and turned to look at him, ending her connection with Sam. Sam cried, the heat gone from under his skin, but the memory of it still with him. He closed his eyes and covered them, wanting more than anything to never see the demon's eyes again.

Annoyed by Dean's interference, the demon simply moved forward with a whoosh of air, grasped Dean's arms with her clawed hand and threw him aside. Dean screeched, landing hard against a tree, the breath knocked out of him. The demon advanced on Sam, wrapping her fingers around Sam's hands, his flesh sizzling on contact as she pulled his hands from his face. "Open your eyes for me," she commanded in a voice that sounded more like hissing than actual speech.

Sam shook his head, sobbing hard now. Behind him, Dean stood, swaying slightly, and stared in horror at the pair. He heard running through the trees and so shouted for anyone, his dad, that lady, his mother, anyone who could help them. "HELP! PLEASE, OVER HERE!"

The demon turned to him in annoyance and merely flicked her hand, sending a telekinetic wave that pinned Dean to the tree. The air was forced out of his lungs, making it impossible for him to scream, and his body remained stuck to the tree.

At Dean's words, Sam's eyes had snapped open and so the demon took the opportunity to lock gazes with him once more. "Such pretty eyes," she crooned. She tightened her hold on the boy's arms, feeling his blood begin to heat up. As soon as it began to boil she would take him. She smiled as Sam stared at her against his will, blue-green eyes filled with tears as his body refused to answer his commands, to turn, run, do anything besides stare at her and wait to die. She so enjoyed watching their fear in their eyes just before she took them. So entranced by Sam's intoxicating fear, she heard the footfalls of a grown man a moment too late to react.

"Get away from my son!" John Winchester yelled, simultaneously firing off shots at the demon. The iron-rounds pierced through her flickering image and she disappeared with a shriek. Sam had fallen as soon as the demon had released him, and now lay there unmoving. Dean on the other hand, when freed from the tree, had run for his brother, kneeling beside him.

"Sammy, get up!" Dean called.

"It hurts, Dean," Sam sobbed, allowing Dean to pull him upright.

"I know Sammy, but we have to get out of here."

John bent down beside the boys and scooped Sam into his arms. "Come on!" he called to Dean, ushering the boy in front of him and to the path leading out of the forest. Flickering light to his left caught John's attention, and the air swirled as the demon returned, recovered from the contact with iron. John continued to run as he shot off another round of iron at her, but this time she had been prepared, and the bullets ran straight through her, causing her form to disappear for only an instant before she reformed.

"Shit, shit, shit!" John repeated as he fired off the last shots and the demon barreled towards him. Just as she might have been about to rip Sam from John's arms, Teresa and Bobby came running awkwardly towards them. Bobby pulled the cap off of a Holy Water bottle and doused the demon with the contents.

The demon screeched and then disappeared, leaving white smoke behind. "Go!" Bobby shouted at John. "We'll fend her off!" John nodded and continued on.

Teresa tried to kneel but appeared to fall to her knees instead as she opened her bag, the pain in her back spiking. She pushed the pain away, focused on the job, just as she had too many times in the past twenty years. From her bag she pulled out a container of salt and a water gun. She then began to draw a salt circle, wide, encompassing the whole clearing where she knew the demon lurked, out of sight, unable to become apparent until the effect of the Holy Water wore off. Bobby met her halfway, completing the circle from the other side. Bobby hauled Teresa to her feet, and the pair stood just outside of the circle, Teresa leaning heavily on Bobby. They both hoped that they had managed to trap the demon. For a moment the forest was too quiet, no birds, no insects, just still air and the sounds of her and Bobby breathing. Both of them waited in silence for the demon to appear.

"Stop!"

John heard the words before he saw Tim striding towards him in the dark, his gun pointed not at John's chest, but at Sammy who John was holding. Dean stopped short, staring with wide frightened eyes at Tim. The predicament had proven too much for Dean, and he was barely keeping it together. He just wanted his father to save them, to get them out of the woods and to safety, but the demon and Tim seemed to have other ideas.

"What is this all about, Tim?" John growled, knowing he could not afford to take any chances with Sam's life. Tim was trying to sacrifice his boys to the demon, and had already proven his callousness when he fired on his longtime friend Teresa.

"This is about saving hundreds – maybe thousands of lives!" Tim shouted. Sam stiffened in John's arms, and as John chanced a glance to check on him, Tim's arm darted out and he grabbed Dean, putting his gun to the boy's throat. "Now Winchester, back it up, get back to that clearing."

"Let go of my son, now," John said, trying to keep calm when his heart was beating faster and faster at the sight of Tim's gun pressed against his son's flesh. Dean gave a slight whimper as Tim held on to him tighter.

"I don't think so John. Now go back!"

"Why? What's so important there?"

"Got to get you all together, I don't want anyone jumping out of the bushes at me." His words were harsh, as if he was in complete control, but with the moonlight shining on them, John saw the dark stain on Tim's right shoulder. His right hand held the gun, but the arm was shaking, obviously Tim had taken a bullet. "Now move!"

Sam stirred in John's arms again as he began to back-peddle towards the clearing. He could feel the temperature dropping and knew that the demon was still in that area.

"You got this covered?" Bobby asked Teresa as the demon began to reform inside of the salt circle. Teresa nodded, waiting for her to appear fully before beginning the exorcism. Trapped within the circle she would unable to fight against it, and at least one of the dangers in these woods would be extinguished.

"Go cover John," Teresa said. Bobby glanced at her once, saw the blood staining through the gauze on her back, and her awkward posture. As painful as it was to see her so injured, Bobby knew that their priorities right now were stopping the demon, and Tim, and saving John's boys. A hospital would have to wait. He turned down the path to the woods just as Teresa began to speak, smooth Latin pouring over her tongue as she began the exorcism.

The clouds broke, allowing moonlight to shine strongly on the forest, illuminating Tim, John, Sam, Dean, and Bobby as he came towards them. "Stop right there Bobby! Back up or I shoot Dean!" Tim shouted. "Get back to the clearing!"

Bobby leveled his handgun with Tim's head despite the warning, and continued forward. "Why Tim? If we go back then Dean will die, but if I shoot you right here and you kill Dean as well then at least I might be able to save Sam," Bobby said conversationally.

"You wouldn't take the chance, Bobby. I know you, you're an old softie. You'd never put the lives of these kids at risk."

"Well either way, going back isn't going to help you. Teresa is exorcising the demon as we speak, so there goes your brilliant plan."

"Damn. I should've known Tress wouldn't lay down and play dead," Tim growled. Even in the low light, John and Bobby could see that he was becoming desperate, what once seemed like such a foolproof plan now coming apart at the seams. "That exorcism rite is long, isn't it?" Tim said after thinking for a moment. "So go, turn around and get back to the clearing. Now!"

Realizing they had no other choice, so long as Tim kept his gun firmly training on Dean, Bobby and John turned around and walked back the way they came.

By now, the demon is screeching and Teresa's voice has not faltered. Even as the footsteps approached from behind, she remained focused.

"Keep going!" Tim yelled and Teresa finally turned, the words still falling from her mouth as John and Bobby walked towards her. "Farther!" Tim shouted at John. He had a strong grip on Dean, who was watching with terror. John was watching Tim closely, walking backwards.

"No! Stop!" Teresa yelled as John stepped on the salt line, creating a break. The effects of the exorcism no longer present, the demon swooped forward with a scream, letting out a blast of telekinetic energy that sent the group airborne. She tore Sam from John's arms with her powers, and Sam began to scream as she touched him.

John tumbled forwards into the underbrush, thorns from the vines that ran along the treeline ripping at his clothes. Bobby's head connected with a tree, and he collapsed to the ground, dazed. Tim was barely fazed by her attack, only lost his footing, and his hold on Dean who rushed to his father's side. Teresa's back collided with a nearby tree, pain rocketing up her spine as she fell on the ground, unable to move.

Sam screamed and Bobby regained his senses, jumping to his feet and lunging at the demon. "No! Sammy!" he cried. At the same moment John stood, going for the demon, and Tim raised his gun. Several screams and one gunshot pierced the air. Tim's shot went wild, and John dove to the ground to avoid it, grabbing for his own handgun. The demon lashed out at Bobby, slicing through his chest and throwing him away from her. He landed in a heap, his head taking a second bash, his consciousness fading and a crimson stain growing on his shirt. John spun, regaining his footing and pointing his gun at Tim. "Drop the gun," John growled.

During the melee, Teresa tried to get Dean's attention. "Dean!" Teresa whispered to the boy cowering five feet from her. "Dean!" He turned to the sound of his name and saw Tressy sprawled on her stomach, pointing towards a blue watergun that lay between her and the oldest Winchester child.

Dean reached for the gun, holding it in his hands questioningly. "It's Holy Water, shoot the demon," she said.

Dean nodded in grim understanding, turning to where the demon held his brother. Sam had gone rigid again, eyes locked with the demon, not uttering any sound. Dean could not even tell if he was breathing. He aimed the water gun at the demon's face and squeezed the trigger. The Holy Water connected with its intended target and the demon screamed, releasing Sam. This time she did not disappear, but remained there, white smoke rolling off of her as the water worked to fend her off.

Sam was crying on the ground by the demon's feet, understandably frightened and hurt. "Sammy," Teresa whispered soothingly. "Come towards me, baby. I'll protect you." She managed to sit up, the left side of her body slow in reacting. She knew she had damaged her spine at some point, whether from the bullet, the hit against the tree, or both, she could not be sure, and though it scared her, she pushed it out of her mind, focusing on the boys instead.

Sam wasn't sure if she could protect him. He had just watched everyone injured by the demon so easily, but there was strength in her eyes, and he remembered that she saved him from the demon once before. He shakily stood, and while Dean shot Holy Water at the shrieking demon he ran to Teresa. She hugged him briefly before pushing him behind her and pulling her body towards the break in the salt circle.

"The circle's broken?" Sam asked, pointing to where John's foot had created a break.

"Yes baby, we need to fix it. Can you help me do that?" she asked.

Frightened, Sam swallowed hard as he nodded. "It's easy, don't worry," she said, patting his back. She chanced a glance at Dean and saw he had little water left. In the background she saw John aim his gun at Tim. Bobby had yet to move, blood pouring down his chest. She handed Sam a bag of salt from her pocket, and then took another for herself. He stumbled to the farther side of the break as she began to repair the part closest to her.

"Alright Winchester," Tim sneered, his own gun pointed at John's head. "Let's see who can get a shot off faster."

"We could both fire at the same time, that would be fine with me. At least my kids would be safe from you," John responded. From the corner of his eye he saw Sam hurry to Teresa's side, saw Dean with the water gun. He put his trust in her and his kids to trap the demon, trying to distract Tim long enough to give them a chance. If Tim saw what they were doing he gave no indication.

"I'm not a monster, John. I don't want to kill you or Teresa or anyone," Tim said. "I'm just trying to do my job as a hunter."

"By feeding my sons to some demonic bitch?" John asked.

"Fine, fine, let's make a deal. You hand Sam over to me, and Dean lives, how's that?" Tim tried to compromise.

"Why Sam? What's so special about Sam that you think he needs to be killed?"

"Maybe you should ask Teresa that. She can explain it better than I can. Bottom line, Sam is going to be a threat to this world, and we need to stop him now before he destroys everything."

"Good job Sammy," Teresa praised. A moment later they completed the salt circle. The demon screamed as she realized she had been caught. "It's okay Dean, she's trapped," Teresa said. Dean lowered the gun and ran to Sam's side, pulling his brother to his chest. "Both of you, look away," Teresa commanded. Sam pressed his face into Dean's shirt, and Dean closed his eyes.

Teresa picked up with the exorcism rite, pleased to see it take immediate effect on the demon. However, it garnered Tim's attention.

"No!" Tim screamed, turning away from John and firing towards Teresa and the boys. The bullets embedded in the tree trunk just above Dean's head.

John's eyes widened in horror as he saw the direction Tim was shooting in, and he did not hesitate to fire his own gun.

One, two, three bullets all met their mark.

Three perfect shots, all in the exact same spot.

Tim's eyes latched on Teresa, betrayal and anger written in them just before they went dark. At the same time, crimson liquid slid down his face from the holes John Winchester's bullets cut through his skull. Tim's body fell forward, he was dead before he hit the ground. Behind him, John breathed heavily, arm still before him, gun still at the ready. Sweat poured off of him, and he seemed frozen in place, staring in horror at the sight before him.

"Amen." Teresa whispered the last word of the exorcism and the demon in the circle turned to smoke, disappeared screaming all the way back to Hell.

"Johnny… it's over," Teresa said, staring up at him. Her voice brought him back to his senses and he blinked rapidly. He put the safety back on the gun before dropping it as if it had burned him. He stared wordlessly at Teresa, shaking his head. "It's alright," she said quietly. "Everything's okay now." John turned to look at Tim's body, and then shook his head, forcing his eyes away. He instead focused on his sons, who still had their eyes closed and were wrapped around each other. John hurried over to the boys, dropping to his knees beside them and enveloping both in a strong embrace. He pressed his face against Dean's head, felt his soft hair against his cheek.

Bobby stirred from behind John, bringing a hand up to the slash on his chest and groaning in pain. He blinked and stared at the scene before him. He shone his flashlight on Tim's bloodied corpse, Teresa mostly-collapsed on the ground, and John clutching at his two boys. "You got it?" he asked Teresa. She nodded wordlessly, staring with sorrow at Tim.

"Are you okay?" she asked Bobby.

"I've had worse. Bitch just took me by surprise. We should get out of here. The boys don't need to be near this much longer," Bobby said as he stood up. He swayed slightly, pressing a hand to his chest. "Can you walk?" he asked Teresa.

She shook her head. "I think… something's wrong with my left side," she said. "I can't move my left leg."

"Holy shit, spinal injury?" he questioned with trepidation.

She nodded slowly and with resignation.

"Johnny," Bobby called as he approached the hunter. "We gotta get out of here."

John turned to his voice, nodding. "Come on boys, stand up but keep your eyes closed," John said.

"John… I'll take the boys, you need to help Tress," Bobby whispered as he came up behind him. "She can't walk and I'm in no state to carry her out of here."

John's attention whipped to Teresa, having forgotten about the bullet she took to protect his sons. "Alright." Bobby nodded, taking Dean's hand. Sam remained plastered to Dean's side, and both boys had their eyes obediently closed.

John knelt beside Teresa, hands ghosting over the injury on her back before he scooped her into his arms, one arm beneath her shoulders and the other holding up her knees. She rested her head against his shoulder and put her arms around his neck to lessen the strain.

"What about Tim?" John whispered to Bobby.

"We'll take care of him later, let's just get these boys to Jim's and Teresa to a hospital," he said.

John nodded, and the group headed out of the woods.

A/N: I would love to know what you thought.

Thanks for reading,

Ada