i just want to say thank you all again for the reviews, and i hope you enjoy this chapter. :)

D: i dont own supernatural, i'm just having fun.

TWILIGHT

Chapter 3

Dean watched as Sam and Evelyn ran down the sloping lawn towards the old sheds, his smile bright despite himself. He had worked so hard at keeping Sammy safe, given up so much for that single cause, and the sight before him made it all worthwhile. Sam was running, laughing, playing with his closest friend, no matter how much he said he hated her, and it made the older Winchester's heart lighten. Everything was worth it, he told himself that over and over again, whispered that as he fell asleep next to his injured father, whispered it when he held Sammy after a nightmare. Everything would be ok, he would see to it. And it was times like these that he actually felt like he was making a difference.

This was one of the few places he could go where there was still light, one of the few places he could go that he knew was still safe, still held that little bit of innocence that he wanted his baby brother to know. Things here were normal, they were safe, and while Kerri and her family were hunters, it wasn't something that ever seemed to tarnish their wonderful home.

No, this place didn't instill the fear that the old motel rooms stirred in the eleven year old's heart, didn't dredge up the feelings that there was something hiding in the shadows, that he had to always be on guard. This was a place where he too could be normal, could be a child, could be safe. And that was something that he would always love about the Harrison family. They were a port in the storm, a place of refuge, a place of comfort, and he knew that they would always be there, always be waiting for him at the end of the long, dirty road.

"You still with us there, Winchester?" Kerri's voice pulled him back, anchored him to the world around him. He blinked a few times before looking past her, his eyes glued to the distant forest.

"Yeah? Sorry." He looked out over the fields one more time before following Kerri to the sheds, the young girl still eyeing her friend suspiciously.

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"

"Because I called your name about three times before you actually answered."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Come on, Dean. What's wrong?"

"I don't know. I just have a bad feeling, that's all."

"About what?"

"Nothing. Just forget it."

"No. Dean, you and your brother are safe here. Nothing's ever happened."

"Yeah, I know."

"Then what's wrong?"

"I told you, nothing's wrong."

"Come on, Winchester. I wasn't born yesterday."

Dean looked over at his friend and smiled, her long dark red hair catching in the light, illuminating her blue eyes and deep smile. She knew him so well, better then most people, hell better then anyone, and, while it annoyed him greatly, he knew he would never trade it for the world. She was like a lifeline, something pure and simple in a world that was so overly complicated. She gave him room to be himself, not a hunter, not a soldier, just Dean, and he had always been grateful for it.

She continued to eye him as they walked along the grass, Sam and Evelyn's shouts rising up from the other side of the shed. She knew there was something bothering him, something weighing down upon him, and she wasn't going to let him simply brush it off.

"Well?"

"It's just. I don't know, I have a funny feeling."

"Like what?" She asked, unconsciously looking around her, she knew enough to trust Dean, especially when it came to the supernatural world. She wasn't blind to in, not by a long shot, but she wasn't as well-versed in it as he was either.

"Has Evelyn ever mentioned anything about singing before?"

"Well, she likes the cookie monster song." She answered uncertainly, unsure where Dean was going.

"No, not that. I mean, has she ever said anything about hearing it, around the house?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Last night, I found her in her room, she was leaning out the window, she told me she was listening to the singing."

"Well no, but you know Ev, she had a conversation with her own shoelaces last week."

"I know, but it was just weird. I don't know, it seemed different."

"Hey, my house isn't haunted if that's what you're getting at."

"I know, but I still can't shake this feeling."

"Did you tell your dad?" She could see him flinch a little with her statement. She knew he tried with everything he had in him to be an adult, to handle things without having to consult his father, without having to ask for help. But well, the truth of the matter was that he was still a child, still so young, incapable of doing the things a grown man could. She told him that it was ok to ask for help, that everything didn't always have to fall on his shoulders, but it never seemed to matter. He was so serious, so hell bent on being perfect, being everything that his father wanted and he wouldn't see the worlds any other way.

"No. You know what, it's probably nothing."

"Yeah, you're probably right. We'll just keep our eyes open. Did you ask her what it sounded like?"

"Yeah. She said it was pretty." Dean answered quietly still unable to shake the feeling that something wasn't right.

"Hey, Dean." Sam's voice broke through the heavy summer air, snapping both the of older kids out of their racing minds.

They both knew that Evelyn had an active imagination, but this was something different, they could both feel it. But, at the moment, neither one could figure it out. It was almost like the last seconds before the roller coaster drop, the last instant before everything came falling down. They both knew enough to be worried, but they also knew enough to keep it from their siblings. After all, there was no use worrying Sam and Evelyn over what might be nothing more then their own over active imaginations.

"Yeah, Sammy?" Dean asked as his little brother came flying around the shed as fast as his short legs could carry him, Evelyn following closely behind. He was always amazed at how close the two were, at how much they gravitated towards each other. In truth she was the only other kids his age that Sammy really knew, the only other seven year old that he could be himself around, that he didn't have to constantly lie to. And while Dean couldn't help but feel a little jealous, after all, Sam was his brother, he was also grateful for the little firecracker.

"Me and Ev wanna play you and Kerri."

"Well, that's not really fair is it?"

"Why not?"

"Because we're older and older kids always win."

"That's not true."

"Is to."

"Is not."

"Is to."

"Hey." Kerri broke in, having first hand knowledge of just how long the brothers could keep this up. "Why don't me and Ev play you and Dean?"

"What? Boys versus girls isn't really fair." Sam's face twisted in confusion as he looked over at Kerri, his big eyes studying the girl before him. How could she possibly think that two girls could beat two boys?

"Hey, it's our basketball net, we should be better then both of you combined."

"I don't think so." Sam smiled. He really did like Kerri a lot. She was one of the few girls he would admit that was cool, and he knew that if Dean liked her then she had to be all right. Because he knew, without a doubt that his big brother would never lie to him, that Dean was the best kid in the whole world.

He had seen it time and time again. He tried so hard to help him father, tried so hard to be just like his daddy. But John would just smile at his failed attempts, ruffle his mop of hair and tell him that he would be able to do it right when he was big like Dean. Oh yes, Dean could do anything because he was a big brother, his big brother, and that made him the greatest.

"Tell you what?" Dean smiled, stealing the ball from his little brother's arms. "Let's make this fair. Sam and Kerri versus me and Ev."

"Yay!!" Evelyn shouted as she ran over to Dean, her pale eyes bright, small arms wrapped tightly around his waist. "We're gonna kick their asses."

"Ev!" Kerri spun around, her eyes wide, mouth open.

"What? Dean told me to say it."

"Ssshh, you're gonna get me in trouble."

"Come on, less talk more playing." Sam chimed in, grabbing the ball back out of his brother's hands.

They played for a few hours, all four forgetting the world beyond the yard, forgetting about hunting, forgetting about evil. For once they were all just normal kids, playing basketball, laughing, joking. Their fears didn't way down upon them, their sorrows didn't creep up from the back of their souls. No, for those few hours they weren't the children of hunters, weren't the children of tragedy, they were just themselves, just what they should have been before the darkness ever destroyed their families, ever stole their mothers.

The clouds rolled in, heavy and dark as the four continued to play, all oblivious to the sky above them, their minds focused on the game at hand. The teams were evenly matched, both Dean and Kerri feigning failure whenever Sam or Evelyn blocked them or tried to shoot, Dean taking turns lifting each of the small children up to the basket.

And all the while Kerri couldn't help but admire what the simple game had done to Dean. It was the first time she had seen him smile in a while, and the first time she had heard him laugh, truly laugh in god knows how long. And despite everything, it was saddening. He was so charismatic, so full of love and fun, but that was often hidden away, saved for only his family and no one else. Teachers and parents saw Dean as a troublemaker, saw him as someone the other children should avoid. But she knew who he really was, and it broke her heart to see him hide it away, to see it all disappear behind the face of a hunter.

A loud clap of thunder startled them all just as Evelyn made a shot, the ball falling short, bouncing off the side of the shed and out towards the forest. The little girl quickly ran to her sister's side, her face buried in Kerri's shirt as large, fat raindrops began to fall and a bright light filled the still darkening sky. She pulled closer still when the thunder crashed again, whimpering against her sister's side while the winds picked up to near gale levels.

"Come on, get inside quick. Sammy, did you get the ball--- Sammy?" Dean turned around in circles, his short hair already soaked, sharp eyes searching the area, searching for his little brother. But he was nowhere to be found.