"Just let me change the station this one time, Dean!"

"Sammy, how many times do we need to go over this? Driver picks the music, shotgun shuts his cakehole. And driver says the first classic rock station I've been able to find for the past hundred miles stays on!"

"What about Terri? Maybe she doesn't like AC/DC?" Sam said this as he turned around in his seat to plead for me to take his side. "Don't be afraid to say something if you don't like Dean's music. What would you prefer to listen to?"

I wanted to pretend to be asleep so he would stop bothering me. I was slouched in the back of their impala on the passenger side resting my head on the window. I guess I could have gotten away with it but something needed to be straightened out. I opened one eye and frowned, "I prefer classic rock. AC/DC is one of my favorite bands." That was the most I'd said so far this trip. I just wanted them to shut up.

Dean smirked at my comment. "She has good taste I'll give her that." He winked at me through the rearview mirror. I rolled my eyes and turned towards the window to watch the trees whizzing by. We had been driving for less than 2 hours and they had already fought like an old married couple at least 4 times. They may as well have been married; they sure didn't look like brothers like they claimed. Dean had short dark blonde hair and eyes that went from pale to dark green depending on where the sun hit him. Sam was a good foot taller and had longer dark brown hair and the craziest eyes I'd ever seen. Every time he turned around to say something to me they were a different color. I wouldn't even know what to call them, hazel maybe? One moment they'd be brown with green circling the pupil and the next they were a dark green with yellow and brown jagged lines circling the outer rims of the iris. But both pairs of eyes shared a cold, dead look you only get from a long, hard life. I guess that's how you could tell they were related.

"Are you serious? A song I like actually comes on and now you change it?!" And here was fight number 5. I needed to get at one of their guns before I went completely insane. I cleared my throat. "I need to use the bathroom."

Dean let out a noticeable sigh after smacking Sam's hand away from the radio dial again and nodded. "I'll pull off at the next diner I see."

I frowned again and leaned forward. "You don't have to wait for a diner. A gas station will come up a lot sooner." He glanced at me through the rearview mirror and explained in a slightly childish voice. "I want pie." I'm surprised my eyes didn't get stuck in the back of my head from how big of an eye roll I gave.

Pie. How could such childish innocence exist in a man who fought the kinds of creatures he did? I slumped back in my seat. He reminded me of Alex. I swallowed back the thickness in my throat that came when thoughts of my brother crept up on me. I was done crying. I had spent the entire car ride envisioning getting my hands on one of their guns. How wonderful the cold metal would feel in my hand. I couldn't wait for the blissful peace that would come after I held it to my temple and pulled the trigger. I couldn't think about anything else. Unfortunately the two bozos in the front were easily distracting. "Did you hear me?" asked Sam. He had turned around in his seat to look at me again. Dark blue eyes rimmed with green and brown held mine. I stared at him for a moment trying to remember if I had heard him say anything. "No. What?" He sighed a little. They didn't seem to like that I was trying to ignore them. "I asked who we were taking you to in Chicago."

"Yeah, this better be a rich great-aunt or something, for how far I'm driving you." Dean added. I suppressed the urge to roll my eyes again since Sam was looking at me. They had told me they had something to do in the Midwest anyway so I didn't know why he kept complaining about having to drive out there. Sam cocked his head to the left a little. Oh right, he had asked me something.

I cleared my throat a little. I had thought up a story earlier that would hopefully keep them from asking too many questions. "My aunt Shirley lives there. She teaches at the University of Chicago so I'll be meeting her there. She's expecting me." Sam raised an eye brow at me. "How is she expecting you?" I slid right into my next lie. "I called her." It was Dean's turn to glance back at me now. "When did you have time to call anyone? I didn't even see you with a cell phone." Even through the rearview his eyes were very accusing. I faltered a little. "I-I called her while I was in the cemetery. I lost the phone when that cop came at me." His accusing stare turned sympathetic for half a second before hardening and returning back to the road. Good, I didn't need his pity. I cringed when Sam opened his mouth to say something. He was big on talking about feelings. He had tried most of the way here to get me to open up but I was pretty good on shutting him down. This time Dean was the one to shut him up before he could get a word out. "Stow the touchy feely crap, Sam, we're here." I looked up and could not believe what I saw. Dean had pulled into the Red Horse Diner in Ellenburg, Washington.

Nostalgia swept over me and I nearly choked on it. The last time I had been here was when my family was coming through on our way to Yellowstone National Park. Ben was a baby so was obviously crying and mom had begged him to wait until we came to a more family friendly restaurant. But my dad had been entranced by the array of classic cars and motorcycles parked out front and couldn't be convinced to pass by. The Red Horse was a 50s diner that held classic car shows during the summer and we had stumbled on it just in time. My dad kept us there for hours making us pose with each hot rod the restaurant showcased. He was like a kid in a damn candy shop. Candy that was laced with crack. After a couple hours of this unique torture, my dad had asked a guy passing by to take a picture of all 5 of us posing with his favorite car he had found. He had hung the family portrait near the front door, much to my mom's embarrassment, and I could see it as clearly as if I were holding it. My dad held Ben up in a silly Lion King pose with my mom hugging his middle. Alex and I stood in front of them in a half hug with big smiles. We looked like one big happy family.

I couldn't breathe. My mouth opened and closed a few times as I tried to find the words for what I was feeling. Something between a fish being cast out into the Sahara and impaling my heart with a blunt object. The pain from the memories that were resurfacing was making my vision fuzzy and black around the edges. A couple snaps from calloused fingers in my face helped bring me back a little. The muffled noise I had heard the background had registered as Dean trying to get my attention. "Hello? Anybody home?" He had switched from snapping to waving a hand in my face. My eyes slowly regained focus and found his. "I don't wanna be here," was all I was able to whimper. His eyes widened a little. "Why not?" My throat started burning with all the reasons I shouldn't have to give. Sam poked his head in the passenger window right then. I hadn't even noticed him leave the car. "Are you guys coming? Terri? What's wrong?" He must have noticed the look on my face. "Dean she's shaking. Turn the heat up." I was shaking? And here I thought everything else around me was shaking. Dean threw his hands up. "It's the middle of summer!"

"Dean!" They argued back and forth about the temperature but I didn't really notice. I started to wonder about what Alex would say if he were here. "Earthquake!" I imagined. I let out a hysterical sounding laugh. Yes, I decided, that's what he would say. I couldn't help myself now, that maniacal laugh came back with full force. Sam had slid into the back seat with me at some point during their arguing and was trying to put his jacket around my shoulders, but I was shaking even harder now from the laughter that it was nearly impossible. He and Dean now simply stared at me as if I were some side-show freak that had wandered into the back of their car. Though, I could barely see now since my eyes were filling with tears. I was in hysterics and I didn't know how to stop. I tried to stop laughing by dragging in deep breaths but all I was managing to do was to sound like a dying hyena. I slammed my head down into the bench seat in front of me so my forehead hit it square in the middle. If I couldn't calm down then I would just knock myself out. After a couple more hits I suddenly felt a stinging force on the left side of my face that sent me flying into Sam's chest. Shoving my hair out of my face I drew in a deep ragged breath and looked up at where the pain had come from. Dean sat still in the front seat, eyes wide with questions. He looked like a statue with his hand up, ready to slap me out of it again if need be. I pictured him reaching across the back seat and doing it again and again. Slapping me until my entire face became numb and all I could see was black. "Yes," I nodded quickly. I scooted over to him and took his wrist. "Again. I deserve it." I tried to force the palm of his hand into my face but he wouldn't budge. He just sat there gaping at me with wide green eyes. "Hit me again!" I tried to command him. I felt pressure on my right arm and whipped around. I couldn't believe it. Alex was there trying to pull me away. I stared at him, dumbfounded. Then it dawned on me. Of course. Of course Alex was here. He was trying to save me from Uncle Jim! He was always trying to save me. I smiled at him. "I knew you'd come back for me."

"You knew who would come back for you?" A hesitant voice asked. That wasn't Alex's voice. I blinked several times and my eyes focused. Alex wasn't there. It was Sam who had a grip on my arm and was trying to pull me away from Dean. My heart sunk to the very pit of my stomach and churned. My brother wasn't here. He was gone. He was dead. He had been ripped to shreds and would never be there to save me again.

Suddenly I heard a horrid noise that made my very soul ache. It sounded like death. It took me a few moments to realize that the noise was coming from me. I was screaming. No, not screaming. I was wailing, desperately crying out for my brother to come and save me. To come take me away from this pain. I thought my head was going to explode from the pressure until a crackling pain in my face came suddenly. My head snapped back from the force of it and what was left of my vision slowly faded into nothing until I was gone.