The Return of the Sea Huntress

The Demons of her Past

(A/N): Hey guys, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Warning! There is cursing, sort of graphic abuse and Cheesy ending. I'm just telling you beforehand. See if you can spot the Frozen reference!

-A

Alex frowned as a bag of clothes and money appeared on the bed. There was a note attached to it:

Here's some clothes and money for you, try not to destroy and spend too quickly. Have fun, and try not to cause too much trouble for the Winchesters! -Uncle H

Alex's frown turned into a scowl. I won't cause trouble, she thought stubbornly, knowing her uncle would hear her. In her mind, she saw him chuckle.

Sighing, she looked at the hotel clock. It's eight already? she thought, Where the hell did my day go? She turned to the Winchesters, who were bickering about her and pie. She sighed and cleared her throat loudly in order to get their attention.

"If you guys don't mind, I'll be going to sleep," she said and muttered "I don't even remember the last time I slept on an actual bed" under her breath. Sam and Dean heard it though and shared a worried look.

Alex took the bag of clothes and changed into some clean clothes before getting into one of the motel beds. She figured the brothers could share. They were brothers, after all. As soon as her head hit the pillow, Alex remembered the main reason she didn't go to sleep-nightmares. But it was too late now. She had fallen into dreamland and her nightmare had begun.

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Alex immediately recognized the home she was in. It had been hers, once upon a time. But now, it was just a horrible memory. She spotted the small blue house at the end of the clearing where she used to live. Her mother had said it was far away from danger. There was a little girl playing there, and Alex knew it was her. It was the Alex that used to be happy.

She wished she could turn away and stop watching the inevitable horror she was about to be shown, but she knew her nightmares didn't end until her mother was dead.

The younger Alex laid there happily as she watched the bright blue sky above her, the beautiful white clouds. She was too busy pointing out the clouds to herself that she didn't hear the growling noises. Finally, she heard them when she felt hot breath near her hair. The 5-year-old Alex kept a straight face as she turned and saw the gigantic beast.

"Mommy!" she called out loudly, but not loud enough to irritate the monster. She briefly saw the curtain move and the door opened slowly. Older Alex wanted to scream out and curse the Fates as she saw her mother on the last day of her life. If only the 5-year-old Alex had known that that would be the last day she saw her mother, the woman who had loved her and whom she had inherited her auburn hair from.

"Alex, sweetie, I want you to run when I say so, and just remember that I love you," her mother said as she reached the end of the porch. Tears streamed down her mother's face and young Alex knew that something bad was about to happen.

"I love you, too, Mommy," Alex said as she took tiny steps back and the monster growled and looked at her hungrily.

"Run!" Alex's mother yelled as she charged the animal with a small, bronze knife. Young Alex ran as fast as she could, tripping on little pebbles, and when she looked back her breath caught. The monster had her mother in its mouth. Her mother screamed and she kept running, hoping to get her mother's screams out of her head. She turned back only once more and she saw blood and her mother's body all over the clearing. The beautiful clearing was stained in red, with the blood of her innocent mother.

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Alex awoke covered in sweat and she took a minute to control her trembling body. She glanced around and saw that Sam and Dean were still sleeping. It must've been a quiet nightmare then, she thought, Usually I end up screaming myself hoarse.

Alex decided to go outside for some air, a stupid decision on her part, but right now she needed to get away. She made sure to take out her necklace before exiting the room and leaning against the door. She sunk to the ground and blinked to stop the tears. Her eyes closed as her breaths came out in short huffs.

"You had a troubling dream," a very annoying voice said. She groaned inwardly. Out of the people to have caught me, it had to be that damn angel, she thought bitterly.

Alex was too tired to do anything so she just opened her eyes and caught the gaze of the angel. "Go away please, I really don't want to deal with you right now."

Cas narrowed his eyes. "I can be of assistance," he said stiffly.

Alex tried to glare at him, "I don't need your help!" She stopped herself from completely snapping at the angel as curiosity got the best of her, "How would you even help me?"

"I can take your nightmare," he explained. "But just for today."

Alex thought about it, she didn't need help, but she was tired. She sighed and stopped glaring at him,"Will it hurt?"

"It should not, but I am not entirely sure," Castiel admitted. Alex was feeling conflicted, she didn't trust the angel but she didn't want to relive that memory.

"Alright, you...you can help, but I need you to promise that you won't tell Sam or Dean," She said and made sure to wiggle her eyebrows when she said Dean's name.

Castiel looked confused by her actions. "Of course," he said. "I will not tell Sam or Dean." Alex rolled her eyes at the clueless angel but moved just a bit closer to Castiel. "Go ahead, work your Angel Powers, Castiel," she said and for the first time there was no venom when she said his name.

Cas nodded and moved to stand in front of her. Gently, he placed the tips of his middle and index fingers on her forehead, relieving her of her nightmare. He pulled back. "Better?"

Alex nodded sleepily as she tried to keep her eyes open. She thought it would hurt, but surprisingly it made her very tired. Castiel leaned down and wrapped his arms around her and instead of pushing him away she leaned in closer and snuggled into him. She felt completely safe as she fell asleep. For the first time since her mother's death, Alex slept nightmare free.

Cas quietly moved back into the motel room and easily slipped Alex back into her bed. Staring down at her, he realized with a start exactly how young she was. It confused him. Young children like her should not be so troubled, he thought.

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The next few days after her first nightmare around the Winchesters, Alex's routine was the same: she'd have another nightmare, act like she was fine, and Dean would clog her arteries with his greasy fast food. She would complain of course until Dean stuffed her mouth with pie and all complaints would be lost. Finally, Alex had enough.

"That's it, I can't take it anymore! I will not have anymore disgusting fast food. I will make actual food and Samantha will help me. We can use the credit card my uncle gave me to buy the food, of course," Alex said on her fifth morning with the Winchesters.

Alex made Sam drive them to the nearest grocery store, where she bought a cartful of "real food" as she called it. She directed them through the store, and had Sam push the cart, as she was still too short to see very far over it. She pointed them in the direction of silverware, "Because you can't use your fingers for everything," she huffed when Sam asked why.

The aisle included all sorts of cooking utensils, and Alex dropped a few pots and pans into the cart as she made her way to where the silverware was located in the back. She gave the knives a wide berth as she walked quickly towards the plastic forks and spoons. Sam noticed this and frowned.

"Get the knives," she ordered him as she put her boxes into the cart, and he obediently went to pick out a few kitchen knives. She looked a little jumpy when he came back and put them next to the other cooking supplies.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Fine," she replied shortly. "Now hurry up, we still need to get plates."

It took them almost two hours to successfully find and buy everything on Alex's mental shopping list, including her chocolate ice-cream. When they got back to the motel, Dean complained loudly about how it took them so long.

"Shut up," Alex smacked him. "It's your fault for not eating real food."

"Burgers are too real food!"

"Not the gross, greasy kind you eat everyday!"

"Guys, don't start a fight," Sam said as he walked in with more groceries. Alex just huffed and stuck her tongue out at Dean she began to prepare the food. Sam began to work on the pasta and Alex glared as he barely let her help, saying that she'd burn herself or something.

I did not make food at that awful orphanage for three years just to get stuck with the damn salad, she thought as she started to pull the lettuce apart. She knew she'd have to cut the tomatoes and cucumbers with a knife. She looked at Sam with what she hoped was a puppy dog face.

"Sam, can't you cut the vegetables, I'm scared I'll accidentally cut myself with the knife," she said playing the innocent card. He looked at her and nodded and she let out a quiet breath of relief.

The pasta with meatballs (Alex's idea) and salad were done half an hour later. Dinner was great and Dean was forced to eat the "rabbit food.' He smiled at Alex, and told her it was good. She smiled smugly.

It was late when Alex finally dragged herself to bed. She put off sleep for as long as she could manage, but for some reason she felt especially tired that night. Perhaps it was the shopping.

She slipped under the covers silently, as to not disturb the already sleeping Winchesters. She didn't fall asleep instantly, which was both a relief and an annoyance. She was glad to put off the nightmares for a few more minutes, however she did need sleep. She tossed and turned for almost half an hour before she finally succumbed to the memories of her awful past.

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She was at her old orphanage and she had a feeling she knew what day it was. Mr. Brown, the orphanage director, was dragging her 9-year-old self by the arm . He let her go in order to get the keys and opened the door.

"Get in there, you little bitch!" Mr. Brown yelled. Young Alex walked in carelessly and smirked at him as he closed the door.

He walked over to the fridge and grabbed a beer before drinking half of it in one gulp. "You almost got arrested," he spat out.

"Yeah, problem?" Young Alex said cheekily and the older Alex wished she didn't have such a big mouth. Mr. Brown looked at her before he slapped her, she glared at him but that was the only reaction she gave.

"You could have gotten me in trouble, you little wench," he said as he grabbed her by her hair and yanked her up so that she could look into his cold, dark eyes. The young Alex bit her lip in order to stop the scream that was building up.

"I bet a lesson will teach you," he said with a cruel smile, and the younger Alex's eyes widened. She shook her head in a 'no' motion and tried to get her hair out of his strong grip. He just laughed and finished his beer.

"Yes, a lesson sounds like a good idea," he said as he dragged her by the hair in order to get another beer. He took a large gulp. Young Alex let out a tear as he pulled back his fist and punched her. His fist collided with her right cheek and she fell to the ground. He grabbed a kitchen knife and pulled her up by her shirt.

"Now, where should it go?" Mr. Brown asked himself as he put the knife to Alex's skin, the cool metal sliding over her skin almost carelessly. The young Alex punched and kicked anywhere she could reach in order for him to let her go. He placed the knife on her throat and made a tiny cut. She stopped moving.

"Resist and I'll do much worse than that," he threatened before he took the knife and slowly ran it down her left cheek. The 9-year-old screamed as she the knife went deeper and the blood began to pour. He laughed at her pain and the threw her to the floor when he was done. He cleaned the knife and went to his room with a smug smile.

Alex wanted to cry as she saw her younger self trembling in pain. Young Alex began to cry as she touched her face and saw the blood. She cried and cursed at everything, her uncle for putting her here, her damn father, and her dead mother.

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Alex woke up to Sam shaking her. She blinked wearily and rubbed her eyes until she could focus on the his face properly. He looked concerned.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly. "You were shaking and mumbling. And you're drenched in sweat."

Alex looked down at her body. Sam was right, she noted in surprise. She was sweaty and sticky and she was still shaking slightly.

"I'm…" she faltered. She didn't know how she was, to be honest, but she wasn't about to tell Sam that. She didn't know what to do. She was confused. She was afraid. Her nightmare was messing with her head.

Alex looked up at Sam and Dean, both of whom were staring at her. She couldn't tell them how scared she was. She managed to pull the cover off her, her hands were still shaking. Her mouth went dry, and she knew she had to leave. They had seen her at her most vulnerable, they would hate her now.

"I...I have to go," Alex said before she quickly got out of the bed, only stumbling a little before she ran out of the motel room. She felt the pebbles and rocks on her bare feet as she ran, she could hear Sam and Dean's protests from the distance. She had no idea where she was going. Tears were starting to blur her vision.

Alex stopped when she tripped over something. She sat up and stared around. She was at a tiny park. She brought her knees up to her chest as she looked at the trees around her and the grass beneath her. She felt herself hiccup and the tears fell. Before she knew it she was crying. She tried to wipe the tears away, but they kept falling. So she let them.

Alex didn't know how much time had passed by before she heard footsteps behind her. She jumped up, hand at her necklace. But she didn't need her sword, she realized. Because she knew the person in front of her.

"Dean?"

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Sam was not good at sleeping. This was a fact. Sam was good with facts. Let's go over some facts.

Sam knew Dean was not good at sleeping. Fact. He knew this was because of the job. Fact. Sam knew Alex avoided sleep to avoid nightmares. Fact.

And despite his best attempts to help, Sam knew that Alex refused to go to bed unless the Winchesters were already asleep. She knew when they were faking. She knew their routine. She was clever and she got around it. Sam hated that fact.

She was also good at smothering any noises she made while she had these nightmares. Another fact Sam disliked.

So it was a stroke of luck when she finally gave an indication of her horrible dreams. Sam was by her side in an instant. He was not going to miss his chance to help.

She was twisting, tangling the covers, and sweating profusely. He could have sworn she'd muttered something, too.

Frowning, Sam started to shake the girl to wake her up. She didn't.

"Dean," Sam called out. "Dean." A little louder this time. "Dean!"

"Wuzzgoinon?" Dean sat up straight and reached for the knife he kept under his pillow.

"No, you don't need that," Sam hissed. "It's Alex. She's having a nightmare."

Dean walked over quickly. "Why don't you wake her up?"

"I'm trying," Sam shook Alex a bit more. She moaned. He stopped briefly, but when she didn't wake up he started again.

"C'mon, Alex," he said. "Wake up."

Apparently, Sam's shaking had done enough by this point. Alex opened her eyes. She blinked, then rubbed her eyes.

"Are you okay?" Sam asked immediately. "You were shaking and mumbling. And you're drenched in sweat."

Sam shared a worried look with Dean as Alex looked down at her body.

"I'm…" she trailed off, as if unsure and both Sam and Dean stared at her.

Alex gently peeled the cover off of herself, and stood on shaky legs. The poor girl looked terrified. Sam's heart went out to her as she wobbled on her feet.

"I...I have to go," Alex stuttered out before rushing out of the room.

"Hey!" Dean ran after her.

"Alex!" Sam wasn't far behind his brother.

They kept running after her, but it was dark and she was small. Not to mention the major head start she got. They lost her after a while.

"I'll get the car," Dean said. "You keep looking. Call me if you find her, all right? I'll talk to her."

Sam nodded and Dean jogged off back to the motel.

He wandered for almost an hour before he found her in a small park about a mile from the motel. He called Dean, who hung up as soon as the location was out of Sam's mouth. It only took a minute before he got there.

Sam pointed wordlessly towards Alex, who sat huddled on a path not far from them. Dean nodded at his brother and walked briskly over to the young red-head.

She jumped when he heard his footsteps, and spun around to face him, hand at her throat. She stared at him for a beat.

"Dean?"

Dean smiled cautiously, "Hey, kiddo. Care to explain why you ran off?"

Alex blushed, maybe it was because he caught her at her most vulnerable or because he called her kiddo.

"I...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to," She said and she was shaking, as if she thought Dean would hit her. He froze. No, she was far too innocent for some to have actually hurt her. It would explain her nightmares, but the thought of someone hitting her, it made his fist clench.

"It was a nightmare, though, right?" Dean asked. "We've noticed that you have them a lot." He gestured behind him, towards Sam.

Alex blinked and blushed even more before she looked down, "I thought you wouldn't notice. I did my best to hide them away, especially after what happened with the angel"

"Well, we all have nightmares. You don't have to hide them." Dean said gently. "We aren't going to kick you out because of a few bad dreams."

A tear ran down Alex's face, "I...I'm not use to being with 'nice' people. All the mortals I've met, they didn't hesitate to…hurt me."

She then looked down in shame.

Dean looked angry at her confession. "Alex," he said darkly. "I want you to spill. Everything. Now."

Alex then looked up and glared at him, her eyes showing every emotion going through her. Hate, anger, sadness.

"Why?" She hissed at him, "So you can pity me, so you can give me sympathy that I don't want?! So that you can think of less of me because of my past?!"

Her voice rose and cracked at the end and her body was trembling. She had tears falling down her face but she didn't wipe them away.

"No," Dean growled. "So we can help you get past it. So we can help you heal. We don't do the whole pity schtick, little girl, in case you haven't noticed. And we can't judge you by your past. We can't do anything about your past. You know why? Because it's your past! There is nothing you can do about it! The past is in the past, Alex. Let it go."

"Fine!" Alex said with a growl, "You want to know about my shitty life then you'll fucking get it! When I was five years old, I watched my mother get ripped to shreds by a hellhound. It hurts like a bitch, huh Sam?! She told me she loved me before...before she was dead!"

Alex looked like she was going to breakdown, she was red in anger and her tears were now falling faster.

"After my mother's death, my uncle had to send me an orphanage. I was the youngest kid there and the others there loved to remind me of my mother's death. I started to hate myself and everyone there, so much that I needed to let it all out. I started getting in trouble and Mr. Brown did not like that at all. He made sure to hurt me and break me down so badly that I learned not to trust anyone. I took it all and I remember begging for anyone to help me. No one did of course," she spouted off her story angrily. "Finally one day I almost got arrested and Mr. Brown thought he'd teach me a lesson. He beat me and gave me this." She pointed to the scar on her left cheek.

"My uncle took me out of there, not before killing the mortal. He wanted me to go this camp. I thought I was finally free, but no, these stupid nightmares follow me everywhere. Every damn night I have to watch my mother die right in front of me. And I can't do anything! Nothing! I can't do anything because I'm useless. I...I just don't want to hurt anymore," Alex said with such a broken look on her face that it made Dean die inside.

"You listen here," Dean said. "None of that is your fault, so quit blaming yourself. I don't think any less of you. Sam won't think any less of you. Now please, just let us help you."

Alex looked at him. She took a few hesitant steps toward him before she ran and hugged him. She was crying and her sobs were muffled in his jacket. It took a few seconds before Dean hesitantly hugged her back. He was new to the whole comforting thing.

"We'll get through this Alex. Sam and I will help you and I promise to protect you" He whispered to her and she hugged him tighter and whispered a quiet "Thank you"

Sam smiled softly at the sight of the two. All three of them were oblivious of Hades, who was watching from afar. He thanked the Fates for sending his niece with the Winchesters who were slowly starting to heal her.