Author's Notes: Gah, I fail at life. Sorry for not having posted this Sunday like I usually do. I started working more again since holiday season has officially started, and it got me all thrown off. I hope I didn't irritate any eager readers! I'll be posting chapter 21 on the regular schedule, so expect that this following Sunday. Anyway, here is chapter 20! And here are some notes for the reviewers:

Dianne - Thanks for the compliments! I do agree--it's really sad what's happening in China (or was, since when I wrote this, it was...what, around the beginning of September, I think? My sense of time is so skewed nowadays!) with all the milk issues. I'm glad you found it to be a good connector of the story to real life, because that's what I was aiming for. I wanted things to have that sense of possibility and pull, and all that awesome stuff.

Zane: I know you're on vacation right now, so you won't read this until you get back, but thanks a bunch. ^^ After HP I was surprised we were able to find something we both enjoyed so much. But I think it's like you said, we sort of moved on...

Dean and Sam arrived in Oklahoma City just after ten o'clock that following morning. Both were hungry and feeling somewhat tired again, and, coupled with their need for some sort of base, they settled into an indiscreet motel just a mile or two down the off-ramp. Lilith would likely know they were coming if they tried to get too close. Plus, they needed to come up with a plan. They couldn't just go in there, eyes shut and guns blazing. If Lilith really was trying to break the seals to bring the horsemen to Earth, then she was going to have as many guards as possible on her.

Sam nearly collapsed the second that he and Dean stepped into their motel room. It was small, cramped, and barely had enough space for the two beds and dresser inside of it. But it worked, and sure enough, the bed was comfortable. That was all that mattered. He managed to set his alarm for a few hours ahead, so that he and Dean wouldn't sleep the afternoon away.

They woke up at two. Four hours of sleep was better than none. Both were slightly cranky, but when Dean mentioned he was going to go get them food, it washed everything clean. Sam, in the meantime, worked on setting up their arsenal. They had found an entire collection of pre-made shotgun cartridges full of salt at the lock-up, which would at least deter some of the demons long enough for the two Winchester boys to make their way through Lilith's barriers of defense.

Part of him wished that it could be like last time—that they could find the source of water in the neighborhood and bless it, then turn on the sprinklers or hoses. But he didn't think they would have that kind of luxury this time around. So, that was why Sam, after loading their guns, grabbed the trash bin, dumped out the bag, and began pouring water from the bathroom sink into it. He needed to bless enough for them to carry around for protection.

He was going to need to work on his powers, too, in order for things to work out for them. It had been a while since he had used them, particularly against a demon.

But that was for later.

He had just finished blessing the water when Dean came back, toting bags from a nearby Burger King. He set Sam's on the bed, then worked on opening up his whopper. "I got you a couple of those breakfast wraps. And a soda."

"Thanks."

Sam went to town on the food the second he had it out of the bag. He hadn't eaten in well over ten hours, and his stomach gave a low, needy growl. It wasn't the best food in the world, but it was food nonetheless. Sustenance. It filled him up surprisingly well.

Dean was silent until he finished eating. He crumbled up all of his wrappers and dropped them into the bag. "All right. So, looks like you were busy while I was gone. You got the shotgun cartridges…and looks like you got some holy water, too."

"Yeah. And we brought the Colt up, so we should be well prepared." He snorted. "There's at least eight gallons of holy water here. I grabbed our mega water gun from the trunk, too."

"Dunno if we'll be able to carry that with everything," Dean said, uncertain. "But with that much holy water, it might not be such a bad idea. Probably better at keeping them at bay than the shotgun cartridges would be."

"Heavier, though," Sam said.

Dean nodded.

A moment of silence followed. Then:

"I think I should use my powers."

That statement caused quiet to spread between them, during which Sam and Dean stared at each other. It was obvious that Dean didn't agree, but he was keeping silent, for reasons Sam was very much aware of. They had had this conversation before…and probably would many times in the future.

To Sam's surprise, Dean didn't argue. But, he also didn't necessarily agree. He just changed the subject. "I wanna say Lilith is probably not expecting us, but we gotta prepare for the worst. With any luck, we'll be able to blast in there and get one clean shot before she abandons her host."

The boys shared a look.

"…Fuck," Dean muttered. "I just realized we have no idea what she's gonna look like."

Sam shook his head. This put a kink in their plans. They couldn't just bang up every demon they saw with a bullet from the Colt. They didn't have that many. Not only that, it was stupid. Knowing their luck, Lilith would be hit last, and that would be after she had abandoned her host. Then everything they had done up to that point would just piss her off, and make her work twice as hard.

The younger one bit his lip. "Maybe I can sense her."

Dean looked uncertain. "I dunno if it works that way."

Maybe Dean was right. After all, he hadn't been able to sense the demons in the bar that night they went out. And if any were in fact following them, he couldn't sense them, either.

They would be going in blind. Something felt horribly wrong with the fact, but it was all they had.

"We'll just have to hope we notice her before she notices us," Sam murmured. But it was hard to sound convincing when even he didn't believe it possible.

"Well, we'll arm ourselves to the teeth. If we're going down, we're taking a bunch of those bad ass mothers with us, too." Dean clapped his hands together and then went to gathering up the holy water in hipflasks for them to take along with them.

Even though Sam started working on gathering things up, too, he paused when a thought suddenly occurred to him. "Hey, Dean," he said.

"Yeah, Sam?"

"Do you remember…after the fight in the police station, when Ruby gave us those bags?"

Dean's mouth opened slightly and he furrowed his brow as he recalled it. "Yeah…you mean the ones—"

"—to throw Lilith of our trail," they said in unison.

"Do we still have those?"

"I dunno," Dean said. "If we did they'd be in the trunk. Those'd be helpful."

"I'm gonna go check. I'll be back."

Once Sam was down in the parking lot, he rummaged through the trunk of the impala for the bags in question. With all the other crap back there it was hard to tell where anything was. And, he had to be careful not to expose anything, seeing as it was daylight outside and any passersby would likely catch a glimpse of their arsenal.

After searching for what felt like ever, he finally gave up. If they were in there, he couldn't find them. He could have sworn they still had them. He couldn't remember throwing them away or giving them to anyone. Not something that valuable.

Feeling a little disheartened, Sam went back to the room, where Dean had more or less gotten everything prepared for them. He told Dean, who just shrugged it off.

"Just gotta put it all in the bag and we can head out of here," he told him.

Sam swallowed. His heart was beating faster than usual. He could feel his blood pumping in his ears, too. He hadn't experienced this kind of nervousness since the fight in the bar.

This was going to be so many times worse.

. . .

Dean slowly pulled up to the point that Bobby had given them. Not surprisingly, it was a residential area on the outskirts of the town. It reminded them both of the house that Lilith had infiltrated back in New Harmony. Dean parked on the opposite side of the street, not yet getting out. He was scooping out the property.

The houses they were aiming for lined the outside of a semi-circle cul-de-sac on the other side of the street. All of the houses were quite nice—most were two stories tall. They had that small neighborhood appeal to them, complete with the freshly mowed lawns and the little trucks or vans in the driveways. Toys were strewn about the yards, anywhere from big wheels to beach balls. It looked like any other neighborhood.

But, Sam and Dean knew better. Evil was afoot.

They had waited until later that evening to approach the house. They needed the cover of twilight in order to do everything covertly. It was hard to hide a shotgun against your chest in the middle of broad daylight. Above them, the sun had mostly set in the west, and the stars and moon were beginning to take full control of the sky.

"All right, Sammy. It's now or never. Let's get that bitch."

Sam hopped outside the car along with Dean, who pocketed his keys. Both had guns in hand, and at least two flasks full of holy water with the caps slightly loose and ready to go. They were, as Dean had put it, armed to the teeth.

They approached the house in question from the side. Thankfully it was on the end of the left-hand side, which gave them less prying eyes and more ground to walk on. They could scope the house better without having to worry about paying attention to what happened behind them.

The house itself was set up on a foundation, which put them at a slight disadvantage. All of the windows were higher up and thus they couldn't see inside very well. Plus, not a single light illuminated the house. However, upon closer inspection, Sam caught a light emanating from the second story. It was faint—candlelight, from the looks of it. The window itself was smaller than usual and situated strangely in the layout of the home. He wondered if perhaps it wasn't an attic window.

Dean made a gesture with his head that read, "You take the back and I'll take the front". But Sam quickly shook his own head. He gestured with a nod toward the back door, then raised his eyebrows. He wanted them to go together, and Dean understood. He hesitated, but he understood.

One after the other, the Winchester boys wandered onto the back patio using the small wooden steps that extended into the vibrant green grass. The entire neighborhood was silent, save for the sound of the light breeze rustling in the trees around them and the crickets that were coming out to play. Dean made his way to the back door and gave it a gentle jerk. It was not locked. So, turning the handle, he carefully pushed the door inward and stepped inside, Sam following just a moment later. The younger one shut it behind them.

They entered the kitchen. On the linoleum floor lay two dead bodies—one woman and one man. Dean and Sam presumed them to be the original owners of the home. They were older, at least in their late forties, and both wore a look of sheer terror on their face. Lilith had recently killed them. And, according to the blood splattered all around the kitchen and the trail of guts spilled out onto the floor, it hadn't been pretty.

"Ugh," Sam muttered to himself as he passed them by. He felt horrible.

Dean and Sam found it strange that no demon was positioned downstairs. Surely she would have put at least one there, had she feared someone coming into the house. But maybe that was it. Maybe she didn't fear anyone coming in. Was Lilith getting cocky? Did she believe that Dean and Sam wouldn't catch on to her plan?

At the stairs, Dean made another "Let's go" gesture with his head. He held the shotgun out in front of him, waving it slowly from left to right as he went to the upper level. The stairs must have been in great shape—they didn't squeak in the slightest. It gave them that extra sense of security, which at that moment, Sam needed pretty badly.

When they made it to the second story, Dean stopped and held up his hand so that Sam stopped as well. They stood at the beginning of a long hallway that extended to their right. But something felt…off. And Sam barely had to give Dean a look before his brother nodded.

"Something's weird…" Sam said in a voice barely above a whisper.

"Seriously," Dean agreed.

But, despite the strange feelings they had, they continued on. One by one they checked the rooms with no success, proving Sam's theory that the light was, in fact, coming from another floor. That was when he noticed the little trapdoor on the ceiling in the hallway that must have led to the attic. There was no way they were getting up there without Lilith realizing it. Although, really, she should have caught on to them being in there already. The house was far too empty for its own good.

"Dean," Sam whispered. "Don't—I mean, just…well, don't, all right?"

Dean gave him an odd look, but Sam knew that he would have said something when he started using his powers had he not warned his brother ahead of time. The younger Winchester lifted his hand and pointed it toward the small tug-string that hung from the trapdoor. It shook for a moment before descending, along with the rest, revealing a staircase that unfolded toward the floor. The whole thing barely made any noise—much different than if they had done it with their hands.

From the top came the gentle glow of the candlelight.

"I'll go up there," Dean said.

"No," Sam said suddenly. "No…she can't hurt me, remember? Let me go first."

Even though he could see Dean's irritation, they both knew he was right. It was the reason why Sam moved to the stairs first. They creaked and groaned under his weight, but he figured it was too late to care right now. Lilith had no way of escaping now unless she left her host body. Sam, however, had a feeling that she wouldn't do that right away.

His heart pounded so harshly in his chest that he felt almost as if it were going to burst out of his throat. As more and more of the attic became visible, the harder his heart seemed to beat. Once he stepped onto the attic floor itself (he had to hunch slightly because the ceiling was arched), he paused and took a quick look around.

…He saw nothing.

This wasn't right, he told himself.

Something was wrong.

He walked further into the attic, moving toward the candle whose light he had seen outside. It stood alone on a small wooden end table. Just as Sam began to turn around, a sudden outcry came from Dean. He nearly spun in place.

There, in the near darkness, he could make out the form of his brother against the right-hand attic wall. Dean's neck was craned to the side, and a pained expression took over his face.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't little Sammykins."

Sam lifted his shotgun and pointed it directly in front of him. But he knew who that voice belonged to, even if he didn't recognize it itself. He knew that the shotgun wasn't going to do anything. Still, it was instinct. He slowly lowered the gun.

"Lilith."

From out of the shadows came a figure no taller than five-foot-five. She was thin, almost waif-like, with long blond hair that draped down to the small of her back. Her skin was pale and her face, round. Her eyes were originally white as a sheet of paper, but soon the white receded, and the brown of her irises appeared.

She had possessed the body of a young, teenage girl.

"Sam!" Dean grunted with effort. He struggled helplessly against the wall.

"Ah-ah!" Lilith waved her hand and the gun in Sam's hand flew across the attic toward Dean. It landed on the ground in a clatter. She smiled in a deceptively sweet manner. "No guns, Sammy. You know those are dangerous. And that holy water, too." She made grabbing motions with her hands, and from within the folds of Sam's jacket came the flasks, floating through the air until they landed in her palms. "I can't have you trying to hurt me."

Sam swallowed. Save for his powers, he was now completely disarmed. And he had no backup, since Lilith had Dean flat against the wall.

"Let Dean go," he ordered.

"Ah…no. I don't think so. I think he needs to stay right where he is."

"Bitch!" Dean spat angrily.

"Oh, such a potty mouth."

Dean gave a loud cry then, and Sam realized that Lilith was crushing him psychically. With a low, nearly growling tone, he yelled, "Stop it!"

Dean's body slacked and he crumbled to the ground, panting heavily and clutching at his stomach. Sam started to move toward him when he heard Lilith say, "No no, Sammy! This is just between you and me."

But Sam knew that she couldn't hurt him. She couldn't use her powers against him—they were useless. He turned to face her, saying, "Oh yeah? What're you gonna do if—" he stopped suddenly. A familiar knife's edge glimmered in the faint candlelight.

"Now, I don't want to have to hurt you too much, Sam. But if you don't play nice, then I'll have to." She pointed the knife at him. "You move away from your brother!"

For some reason, Sam felt paralyzed. They had been right. Lilith had Ruby's knife.

Slowly, he backed away from Dean, brow furrowed in concern.

"I was wondering what time you two would get here," Lilith said. She sounded curious.

Sam cocked his head just slightly. "What do you mean, you wondered?"

"Oh, this? You can't tell me you didn't know this was a trap." Her voice was almost saccharine sweet. She clapped her hands together and smiled wide. From within the deep shadows of the other end of the attic appeared several humans—or at least, what appeared to be humans. Sam knew instantly that they were other demons.

"I'm not stupid, Sammy!" Lilith tutted. "I know what you've been up to this entire time, silly. You can't possibly think that I wouldn't keep tabs on you."

"I didn't think you knew how," Sam muttered darkly. But, with more resolve, he said, "After all, you're going around killing innocent people and having way too much fun doing it. Plus, you've been all over the country. The world, maybe, even. Thought you might be too busy. Tell me, have you broken any other seals yet?"

A look of surprise appeared on Lilith's face. She blinked almost innocently. Had it been anyone but her, Sam would have believed it. "Whatever do you mean, Sammy?"

"Don't play stupid, you bitch," Dean grumbled from the floor.

One of the nearby demons came close, and with superhuman strength lifted Dean right up and off the ground. Sam moved to grab him, but Lilith snapped her fingers and one of the guns went off from the floor. The bullets hit the taller hunter square in the shoulder and he stumbled back, falling onto the floor from both the impact and the shock.

"Fuck!"

"SAM!" Dean shouted. He gave another drawn out shout when the demon holding him tightened her grip on his arms and dug her nails into his forearms.

Lilith approached Sam, now twirling Ruby's knife in her hand. She looked deceptively weak. It was frightening. Then, she knelt down beside him, but made no motion to stab him quite yet.

"Sammy, you should know by now that I can control my powers way better than you know how to control yours. Or…did that bad little girl Ruby not teach you well enough? She's always doing jobs half-assed." Lilith giggled then. It was sick. It sounded terribly unnatural. But then, it wasn't natural. "Oops, I cursed!"

"Shut up," Sam said through gritted teeth. The pain wasn't nearly as bad as being shot with an actual bullet, but his body reacted just the same; the endorphins coursing through him to ease the pain made him feel light-headed and a little dizzy.

Lilith reached out then and patted Sam's injured shoulder. He cried out softly at first, but as her pressure increased, so did the tone of his cry, until he was nearly sobbing. He swallowed harshly, refusing to let her see tears of pain come from his eyes.

"You've been a really bad thorn in my side for some time, now," Lilith said. Contempt dripped off her words. "And I'm gonna have to get rid of you now. Too bad. You're so cute!" She raised the blade above her head, about to stab him.

"NO! SAM!" Dean yelled.

To everyone's surprise, the room suddenly fell silent. Sam had mustered up all the strength he could, and using his power, he sent the knife flying out of Lilith's hand and right into the forehead of the demon that was holding his brother hostage. The dark haired demon began to seizure and sputter as the knife dispelled her, and her host's skin crackled like a livewire until it finally fell to the ground, the demon shooting through the roof immediately afterward.

Dean, too, fell to the ground, with a thud.

"Back off, Lilith," Sam growled. He shoved his hand into her chest and watched as his power sent her flying across the room. She screamed the entire way and collided with the larger of the two male demons.

This sudden effort of his power had made him feel even sicker—he couldn't keep from panting roughly. But, that didn't stop him from beginning to chant the exorcism ritual he knew. He got only two words in before a horrific scream filled the attic.

Lilith was abandoning her host body.

Nonetheless, Sam picked up the chant anew. There were still several demons in the room, and as he chanted, they froze in place, now trapped. Soon they, too, were expelled from their host bodies, disappearing through the roof and into the black night above them.

By the end of it Sam felt almost delirious. He hadn't felt this kind of pain in a long time, and it was obvious that his defenses had weakened considerably. "Dean," he murmured. He said his brother's name once more, but a little louder.

"I'm coming, Sam."

Dean's voice sounded stronger than his own. He could feel the weight of his brother's footsteps against the wooden attic floor. Soon he was lifted into a seated position, after which he leaned into the other's embrace.

"Fuck, Dean, she hit me square in the shoulder," Sam groaned.

Dean unbuttoned the top few buttons of Sam's shirt so that he could pull it over his shoulder and reveal the wound. Both cartridges were still inside his flesh, nestled deep within. When the time came for Sam to move his arm, he gave a weak grunt.

It hurt, badly.

"Come on, we gotta get you back to the car so I can pull those out of you," Dean said.

When the older Winchester helped him to his feet, Sam noticed long, red lines of blood decorating Dean's skin. "Ugh, what did that demon do to you?"

"Scratched me." Dean smarted, gritting his teeth for a moment. "And not in the way I like it."

That joke alleviated the severity of the situation just a little. Though he was still in quite a lot of pain, Sam felt more levelheaded now that he was standing and his body was moving. The adrenaline and the endorphins were working through his system, so the dizziness faded away.

They were just about to go down the ladder to the main floor when Sam paused. "Wait, Dean. Ruby's knife." He pointed with his good arm to the demon that he had killed with it.

Dean walked over to the knife and quickly tore it from the woman's head with a sickening squishing sound. He wiped it clean with the sleeve of her jacket, then pocketed it in his own. "All ours again," he said. He went over to Sam and guided him down the stairs.

Lilith had run away. But they had her on the run now. And she had lost Ruby's knife. This put her at a slight disadvantage. Now, though, she knew partially what Sam was capable of with his powers. And the next time, she would surely be better prepared. They were going to have to hit her hard and fast if they wanted this to go smoothly. One of the seals had already broken. They couldn't have her breaking another.