Shorter than usual, but I wanted to get it up quick. Ellen makes her appearance next chapter! Enjoy!

The three of them sat together and ate their lunches, and Sam told his older brothers just what had happened when he'd mysteriously showed up in Cold Oak. Apparently, there were a bunch of other kids like Sam, kids with powers that simply weren't natural.

There were a small group of these kids – including Sam and the guy that had stabbed him – and they had all killed each other off, one by one. A girl called Ava used her powers to summon demons and kill one of the boys. She herself had been killed, and it had just been Sam and that kid Jake when Sam had been killed.

"And that's when you and Bobby showed up," their brother finished, motioning towards Dean.

Dean grimaced a little.

"That's awful," he said. "Poor Andy."

Clint sighed.

"Sounds like he was the only one of you who didn't want to kill anyone," he agreed. "Kid didn't deserve it."

Sam nodded grimly.

"The demon said that he only wanted one of us to walk out alive." He told them, and the older Winchester brothers exchanged a tense look.

"He said that to you?" Clint questioned, and Sam nodded.

"Yep," Sam said, and he scoffed lightly. "He appeared in a dream."

The demon that had killed their mother, killed Sam's girlfriend, wanted these psychic kids for some sick, twisted plan, and Clint didn't know what that plan might be. He had never wanted to kill old Yellow Eyes more than in that moment.

Dean stared at his younger brother.

"He tell you anything else?" he asked him, and Sam shook his head.

"No," he replied. "No, that was it, nothing else." He frowned thoughtfully. "You know, what I don't get, Dean, is if the demon only wanted one of us, then how did Jake and I both get away?"

"Yeah, Dean," Clint chimed in, giving his brother a look. "How did he get away?"

Dean refused to meet either of their eyes.

"Well, I mean, he left you for dead. I'm sure they thought it was over." He took a large bite of pizza and turned away slightly. "So, now that Yellow Eyes has Jake, what's he gonna do with him?"

Sam shrugged helplessly.

"I don't know," he said, a mix of emotions crossing his face. "But, whatever it is, we got to stop him."

Dean's head shot up and he met Clint's eyes, worry obvious in his expression. Clint turned to their younger brother.

"You should probably wait, Sam," he advised the younger man. "You've only just… healed. We don't want you getting hurt."

"You need to get your rest," Dean added. "We've got time."

Sam shot him a light glare.

"No, we don't," he tried to argue, and Clint fixed him with a look.

"Young man, you were… you just recovered from something major." He growled out. "You're staying right here until we know something more substantial, got it?"

Sam scowled at him, but didn't look away.

"Well, did you call the roadhouse?" he asked his brothers. "They know anything?"

Dean clenched his jaw and looked away once more.

"Yeah," he said quietly.

Clint shot him a questioning look.

"You didn't mention the roadhouse at all when I got here," he said.

"Dean," Sam's eyes didn't leave his brother. "What is it?"

Dean slumped slightly in his chair.

"The roadhouse burned to the ground," he said softly. "Ash is dead, probably Ellen. A lot of other Hunters, too."

Shock made Clint immobile for a brief moment. He didn't do much business at the roadhouse; he had no real need to. But that didn't change the fact that he'd known the people there, and that they'd been close to his brothers since their father's passing. Heck, they'd even had Adam's birthday party there last fall!

Tears had formed in Sam's eyes as he stared at Dean.

"Demons?" he asked, and Dean gave a short nod in way of answering.

"Yeah," he said. "We think so. We think because Ash found something."

"What did he find?" Sam questioned.

"Did it have something to do with the Yellow Eyed Demon?" Added Clint.

Dean shrugged slightly.

"Bobby's working on that right now," he answered.

"Well, come on then. Bobby's only a few hours away," Sam said, standing from the table.

Both of his brothers stood quickly, and Dean grabbed the taller man by the shoulders. He tried – to no avail – to get Sam to sit this one out, to take a break after almost dying.

After actually dying, Clint thought, wincing ever so slightly.

"Let me go on ahead," he said after Sam made it quite clear that he was not staying put. "I'll… let Bobby know that you're doing better. It might make him feel a bit better, y'know."

Dean looked at him, gratitude showing in his green eyes.

The archer offered both of his younger brothers a quick hug before driving towards Sioux Falls.

Bobby Singer welcomed Clint into his home with open arms.

Well, he didn't call him an 'idjit' or threaten him in any way, which was basically the same thing for him.

"Boy," he said hoarsely as he opened his paint-peeled front door and took in the sight of the younger man. "Dean told ya what happened, then?"

Clint swallowed a lump in his throat and hastily blinked his stinging eyes.

"Yessir," he said quietly. "And he told me what happened when you left." He looked the gruff old man in the eyes. "He went to a crossroads and sold his soul to a demon. He has one year 'till the Hellhounds come for him."

Bobby stood stock-still in his doorway, a look of shock on his face as he processed the information that had just been given to him. He opened his mouth to speak, but Clint cut him off with a pleading look.

"Sam and Dean are on their way here right now," he continued. "You can't tell Sam what happened. Dean doesn't want him to know just yet."

Bobby closed his eyes briefly and nodded, just as the roar of the Impala's engine signaled the arrival of the two younger Hunters.

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