Lucy sank back into the cushions. "When the first murders happened, she hadn't even been born." Lucy nodded towards Lauren who was still busy watching the little blue creatures on the TV screen. "Mom was giving birth that night when Dr. Stevenson and his wife were found dead. He was the doctor who had taken care of her. And during the next night, the four Stevenson children went missing or better, that's when they were reported missing. The nanny couldn't find them anywhere but they thought it was some kind of normal reaction to their parents' death. I guess they already suspected Lauren then.But no one ever said anything. All the mothers kept their children away in the following years and mother hid Lauren in her room. She never went out, she was never allowed to, but that was ok for us. The people around here are very superstitious." It almost sounded like an excuse. Dean cocked his head to one side. Lucy smiled politely, but the worry on her face touched him.

"And then, our parents…" Dean saw Lucy's eyes fill up again. "…on Lauren's 10th birthday…No one knows how they died, and I think that no one wants to investigate on that. They've already found their scapegoat. Although, nothing was ever proven. But when the small lake just behind our house turned red, people began to ask questions." She paused again.

"And the four injured people? What happened to them?" Dean asked. Ok, he had to admit that he had thought that Lauren was younger when he first saw her. So she was older than 9 years old.

They began to…" she paused and looked at Lauren who was still watching the show. "…to…harm us."

"What?" Dean couldn't hold back that sharp remark.

The girl looked at him, then looked down on her lap where her hands lay folded as if in prayer. Suddenly she raised one arm and pulled back the sleeve with her other hand. There were burn-marks, scars and strange cuttings, Christian symbols. She quickly hid her arm again when she saw the look on Dean's face.

"I am sorry…" she whispered.

"You don't have anything to be sorry for!" Dean replied in a low voice. "Nothing…"

Lucy's big eyes went from green to nearly black. "Those people…I'm not sure what happened, but when they left the house, they were fine. They went to the lake to see if what they did already had an effect on the water. But obviously, it didn't have any effect but to piss someone off big time. I found them the next morning, badly mutilated but still alive. I called the ambulance and last thing I've heard, they're still in the hospital, but they're alive. And the local authorities just don't see that Lauren could have never done such a thing. I mean, look at her! She's a small girl and she'd never be able to do something so horrible to another person."

Dean only thought that sometimes, looks could be deceiving but he didn't say so.

Suddenly, Lauren coughed. Lucy jumped up immediately and knelt down before her. "Is everything ok, sweetie?"

Lauren nodded but she didn't look well. Lucy turned back to Dean but kept on kneeling before her little sister. "Maybe I'm a bit overprotective, but…" she cleared his throat and fell quiet.

Dean let the silence hang between them like a curtain for a moment, then he spoke up. "What happened then? You have to tell me everything, Lucy. Everything!"

The girl stared at him for a second. Her eyes were wet with upcoming tears. He quickly searched for something to reassure her because he damn well knew how hard it was to give all the painful information that was necessary here. And he would not push her, even though he also knew that they didn't have time. From what he already had heard from the people of the town, he knew that they would have to act really soon.

"Please, Lucy…" He began but Lauren interrupted him.

"Sam? Come in and sit down here beside me. We're watching the Smurfs…" Her light voice brought a smile to Lucy's face. All three of them turned towards the door, where Sam stood, leaning against the doorframe. He looked confused. Dean and his brother exchanged a glance. How could this girl know his name?

Lucy glanced from one brother to the other and then back to her little sister. "She hasn't spoken in months…" she whispered exuberantly. "She…"

Dean put one hand onto her arm but quickly pulled it back. He remembered what she had shown him.

"It's ok, you know? I don't mind, as long as she's safe." She reached out for Dean's hand. "Make her safe, please?" The look she gave him nearly broke his heart. It was a mixture of a sad and hopeful smile but at the same time, it was so powerful that it reached his inner core. He took her hand and held it in his. "I'll try…"

He shot a look at Sam who nodded in agreement.

Sam had been watching both Lauren and Lucy from where he stood, especially Lucy. He saw her hands and her lips tremble. He saw the soft movement of her chest when she breathed, he even could make out the fine lines of veins under her slightly tanned skin and the tiny freckles on her face. He noticed the light which fell in through the window play with the different shades of blond highlights in Lucy's brown hair. Finally, he looked into her big green eyes where he saw nothing but sadness. And he remembered where he had seen this kind of sadness and fear before, in his mom's eyes and in Jess' eyes, right before they died. And suddenly he felt something he had not felt in a very long time, he felt the need to protect her. And for the first time since Jessica's death, he was ready to give everything. Even though this was a scary feeling, he began to feel whole again. Jessica's death had torn him apart and left him hanging in midair. He didn't have anything to hold onto except his brother Dean. All he had wanted to do in the past years was to find the demon that had killed his mother and his girlfriend. That had been all he could think of during the day and during the night. But now, things had changed. Everything had changed. Sam was certain that it was not only because of Lucy or her sister – which by the way did not appear to be obsessed at all, just frightened. He had changed.

After a while, Lucy continued to tell her story. "The second strange thing that occurred after the blood in the river was the dead fish and frogs that fell out of the sky. Suddenly the kids at school got lice, and the people at the retirement home were attacked by aggressive flies. Then the animals got sick, and the cattle, pigs and dogs, they all died. The priest came to our house and begged of Lauren to let go of the satanic practices and took her with him for a few days and when she returned, she had stopped speaking. He said that she was possessed and the exorcism didn't work. He would have to have someone come from the city. That was 3 months ago, just before those people got injured. The priest is dead, too…found dead by the lake. They blamed Lauren…again." She gave a short laugh. "Priests. They always try to explain everything with their stupid faith and book. They think they can pray everything away. But they didn't realize what they did to us when they said that this is the punishment of God for what Lauren did. But she didn't do anything! She's just a child and she's the only person I have left. And I won't let them take her away from me." When Sam looked into her eyes again, he knew that she meant what she said. She was willing to suffer for her sister. She would not let anything happen to her as long as she could do something. And even though she probably had absolutely no idea what was going on, Sam was sure she would fight. And they would help her.

"How did your parents die?" It was the first time that Sam said anything. Lucy turned around at the sound of his voice. In that instant he wanted to take back that question. The horror was clearly written on her face. It must have been truly horrible.

But Lucy managed a lopsided smile. "They…died in a fire…" she whispered and backed away from Lauren. Dean turned towards her and while Sam stood up and followed Lucy to the other sofa, he put one hand on his brother's shoulder.

"One night, about 2 years ago, right on the night before Lauren's 10th birthday. Someone set fire to Lauren's bedroom and both mum and dad died in there."

"Mom was flying to the ceiling…" Lauren whispered but she didn't look away from the TV. Sam and Dean spun around. "She was trying to protect me but they wouldn't let her. She was crying. And then…"

"…then I pulled her out of her bed and ran outside. Everything was burning…Dad tried to…" Now the tears were flowing freely down her cheek. Lucy couldn't fight them any longer. She blinked and then covered her face

"It's ok, I understand." Sam said quickly and put one hand on her knee to soothe her. It happened almost unconsciously but it was to late now to take it back. "Did you see what Lauren saw?"

"See what?" Lucy cried.

"Your mum burning on the ceiling?" Sam immediately regretted having to be so direct and bring back painful memories and bit his lower lip.

"I don't remember!" She was desperate. She wiped across her face and dried her hands on her brown sweater. Then she brushed through her hair with both hands. "I don't know what I've seen, ok?" She calmed down a bit and lowered her hands to rest them in her lap but Sam's hand was still there. Suddenly, their hands touched. For the moment being, it felt good, her hands were warm and still a little wet from her tears.

"Listen, Lauren's just a child and children have some sort of weird imagination sometimes. Maybe she was just making…" Lucy said and pulled back her hands.

"…making up things? Believe me, I'm sure she wasn't!" Sam grunted. Lucy looked at him in question but he decided not to tell her what happened to his and Dean's mother 22 years ago. She was already too freaked out. He could still feel the warmth of her hands which now slowly faded away.