"Nobody speak too loud." Ash groaned as he poured himself a cup of coffee and helped himself to a handful of bacon.

"Should have stopped at the shots." Ellen replied taking a seat at the conference table.

"You were on fire last night, I couldn't stop." Ash said with a gin and then a wince.

Alright, everybody let's get started." Samuel cut in sitting at the head of the table.

Dean sat down next to Ellen as the tapes began to roll. The films of recruits rolled, accompanied with their scores. Some of them fell into obvious categories where the excelled, others required more deliberation. Finally Ash stood up, looking at least a bit less hung over after the coffee and food.

"Alright this one I have saved for last, since Cadet Curran will definitely take deliberation."

The film began to roll. It showed her on the obstacle course, running through an open clearing with a sheet of metal barely submerged under the mud, it had been deliberately placed to cause the cadets to slip as they ran. At the same time they had to avoid the shots of a loaded paint pellet gun that shot off at intervals and rotated. Elizabeth had slid slightly as she reached the mud covered metal. However as a pellet landed near her foot she looked down at what she was standing on and quickly put a hand underneath it. It lifted and she had the perfect shield. She leaned it up, so it was able to block the range of the gun as she moved on.

There was a murmur throughout the room. The sheet had not been placed there for that purpose but she had used her recourses. The final part of the obstacle course the cadets had to run through a dug out trench and use a bar vault to themselves over a mud pit. However, most of them did not get too far. Elizabeth ran through the narrow trench and held the bar at her eye level. Dean could see her mind calculating the distance, knowing it wouldn't be enough that there could not possibly be enough bend in that metal bar to vault effectively. Dean watched, his eyes widening as she stabbed the metal into the earth on either side of her. She grabbed on either side of her and began to swing her legs to propel her over the bar, gaining momentum She flipped through the air and landed crouched on the other side. He almost expected her to straighten up and pose like a gymnast.

"Damn." He said smiling to himself.

Next there was the team mission where she grabbed one of her squad down to the ground when she saw he was in danger. Not putting herself in harm's way but keeping him out of it. There was the sparring, Dean saw her bend over backwards and flip to avoid her opponents kick and using her own legs to kick him in the chest as the same time. The film ended and everyone sat, not sure what to say. Dean smiled to himself, he had never felt prouder.

"And to top it off, her scores came back damn near perfect. She's got good instinct. Now the only question is, who wants her?" Ash said. "I'd like to make my case in that, I think she would be a great addition to my team.

"She isn't something you can just toss around Ash." Ellen said standing up. Everyone who had been murmuring fell quiet.

"Curran has shown remarkable progress and while I for one would love to put her into combat, her skills far exceed one of a common solider. She is resourceful and ruthless when it comes to fighting. However, there is something very important this room of men have forgotten about. She's a woman, and she can go places a man would be noticed. She can take roles that aren't noticeable. I say we recruit her for our special ops, spy unit." Ellen said.

The room erupted as everyone began telling Ellen why she was indeed right or indeed wrong. She looked pointedly at Samuel who had been sitting silent in his chair. He stood and the room quieted again.

"I will call Raphael. He will be given the executive decision. Until then, Curran has been promoted, she is a colleague and until a decision is reached, she will be joining Commander Harvelle in his duties, as he has proven to be a mentor for her." He then left the room.

As everyone filed out Dean rubbed his hands over his face.

"I wonder how she'll take the news when you break it to her." Ellen said.

"Me?" Dean asked.

"Don't play stupid with me, I know what's been going on, I'm also not stupid enough to think that she's sleeping her way to the top so I've kept quiet. I don't blame you for getting close to someone again Dean."

"Always looking out for me Ellen." Dean smiled.

"I'm the closest to a mother you got. Now get on."

Dean hurried over to her bunker, Elizabeth wasn't alone. She was lying on her bunk a book propped open on her pillow as she read. Adam was on the floor hunched over another book and looked totally engrossed. Dean cleared his throat. Adam shot up as Elizabeth rolled off the bed.

"Sir." They both spoke in unison.

"Your results are in; I believe Captain Harvelle would like to speak to you, Milligan." Dean said.

"Yes sir." Adam said and he turned to hand the book back to Elizabeth.

"Oh you can borrow that, you're almost to the good part!"

"Thanks!" Adam said as he hurried out the door.

"Next you'll be braiding each other's hair." Dean said leaning against the bunk.

"And giggling, and talking about all the cute officers." Elizabeth said finishing his joke impatiently. She looked up at him.

"C'mon, I'm shaking please just tell me."

Dean took a deep breath.

"You did exceptionally well. Everyone wanted you to join their force, however, Campbell decided he would recommend you for further training, for special ops."

Elizabeth's mouth fell open.

"Special ops?" She asked. Her hands came to her mouth and she took a breath.

"Yep, the decision is out of our hands now and President Raphael will decide."

"How long until a decision comes back?" Elizabeth asked.

"A week at most. Until we hear otherwise you begin raining with me, most likely I'll end up bing your mentor as well."

"You?" Elizabeth looked confused, "Why?"

"Because special ops is my unit. I couldn't say anything before, but your clearance just went up with the decision today."

"You're special ops?" Elizabeth asked even more shocked. The special ops unit specialized in infiltrating and spy work, it was an elite and secretive branch because their covers were so important. Now here she was, and Dean, Dean was special ops and they wanted her. They wanted her to become a member of special ops. Her brain felt broken.

"You okay?" Dean asked.

"I just can't believe it." Elizabeth said honestly,

"Believe it." Dean said smiling. "I can't think of anyone else who deserves opportunity as much as you do."

Elizabeth couldn't say anything else. She threw her arms around Dean's neck laughing. He picked her up and spun around. He set her down,

"Alright, we've gotta celebrate. There's a diner nearby, best hamburger and pies in town."

"Won't people talk seeing us together?" Elizabeth asked.

"With the decision today, I'm not our superior anymore, we're on the same level now."

"So, it's more acceptable?" LeighAnn asked.

"Eh, more or less." Dean grinned. "Now, c'mon."

He all but dragged her out the door. They climbed into a base jeep and set out to town.

The diner was a cute small place and the two of them slid into a booth. The waitress came and took their order of two burgers and left them alone. Dean's hand slid across the table for Elizabeth's and squeezed it.

"I still can't wrap my head around it." Elizabeth spoke in awe.

"Well, I was thinking we could start training unofficially tomorrow." Dean said. "You can shadow me as I work and meet everyone on a more equal level."

"That'll be weird, I think if anyone asked me to do pushups or run a mile I'd still do it in a heartbeat." Elizabeth said.

"They won't do that much." Dean said.

Dean was telling her about his daily schedule when the waitress came with their burgers. Dean dug into his with gusto, Elizabeth was trying to find where exactly to take a bite of something that was bigger than her mouth. She managed though and it really was delicious. Her eyes wandered over to the television set that was on the news. It reminded her of something that occurred to her.

"The North's been quiet." She said swallowing.

Dean wasn't able to answer immediately his mouth was too full.

"They have," He said at length.

"Winchester made a threat a few months ago." Elizabeth persisted. They'd never had an explicit conversation about Sam Winchester, but the name was as well known to the people of the south as President Roman himself. And almost as universally feared and hated.

"He did. He hasn't carried it out yet." Dean said evenly.

"Do you think he will?" Elizabeth asked.

Dean put his burger down and rubbed the crumbs off between his fingers. "I think so." He said taking his eyes off his plate to look at her. "He's ruthless and dangerous and the North loves him for that. We have someone on our team who is excellent at analyzing him. However, he hasn't sent any videos, no deaths have been reported yet, so he's quiet, but he's too quiet and that is what makes us uneasy." Dean said.

Elizabeth nodded.

"You'll get to see more of it tomorrow." Dean said.

"I can't wait." Elizabeth smiled.

xXx

It was such a relief to know what was in store for her, that Elizabeth hardly slept that night. She rose up before the call and dressed. As soon as the blaring noise echoed across the camp she was out the door and to the main center. Ellen was just putting her things away when she saw Elizabeth approach.

"Good Morning Ma'am." Elizabeth said saluting her.

"Morning, I hear you're shadowing my son." Ellen said.

"Yes, ma'am." Elizabeth nodded.

"Good luck." Ellen said walking away.

Elizabeth hoped their conversations would become at least a little more conversational as the time passed. She walked past the makeshift kitchen and heard the sound of breaking glass. She poked her head in and saw a girl about her age, with short dark curly hair squatting down to pick up the mug she'd just dropped.

"Crap." She muttered picking up the shattered ceramic.

"Need help?" Elizabeth asked crouching down to join the girl.

"No, I'm fine." She said and she looked up.

"You're new." The girl said.

"Yes, I am." Elizabeth said walking fully into the kitchen

"Olivia O'Malley, clumsiest person in the building." She said standing up and offering her the hand that did not have broken china. Elizabeth took it. She noticed that even though thermometer had promised at least one last scorching day, that Olivia was wearing a long sleeve shirt all the way to her wrists, and a neckline that circled her neck snugly. It topped a skirt that reached her knees and then that was paired with dark tights. The only skin that was visible on her body was her head and her hands.

"Elizabeth Curran, newest person in the building." Elizabeth replied with a smile.

"I take it you aren't military." She continued

"No, I wouldn't say so more of a very specific specialist." Olivia replied. "I heard about you, maybe we'll be working together." She said smiling.

"Does that mean you know Commander Harvelle?" Elizabeth asked.

"Oh yeah, I've known him for years, he's a good friend." Olivia said.

It was silly but it dawned on Elizabeth then and there how little she actually knew about Dean. He had told her he'd grown up closer to the border and that he and Ellen were all the family they had left. Rufus had mentioned a father, but Elizabeth didn't even know if he was dead or alive or why Dean had decided to stay with Ellen. There were the things she knew that were sometimes just as important, that he loved diner food, he was protective of his squad even if they screwed up, he hated breaking the news to someone that they had to leave, he hated being cold and wore flannel like it was a religion when he was off duty, he hated acts of cowardice, he loved it when she cuddled up to him at night and she would wake up in the middle of the night with him pulling her close as if he was scared she'd disappear, and she noticed how his eyes would linger on someone holding a baby and babies liked him back. All of these indicated the man that he was today, he was strong, sometimes a baby, and good man. However, she didn't know why he was this way, why he did the things he did.

"You were in Dean's squad weren't you?" Olivia asked.

"Yes, I was. He's been a huge help in me getting here, always pushing me and helping me practice."

"He is good that. I'm glad you took advantage of it. I know everyone probably says it, but it is nice to have a few more girls around."

"Some people think the opposite." Elizabeth said thinking of Campbell. He few interactions she'd had with him were no better than the first day. He still seemed to think she was a waste of space.

"Well there's that too. I'm only around here when they need me; I'm mostly based in the capitol."

"What do they need you for?" Elizabeth asked.

"Psychological analysis, I can read some people well and they find that useful to them." Olivia said. "You should probably go find Dean, but I'll see you at the meeting." She said. They said goodbye and parted. Elizabeth was happy she'd found a potential friend.

Dean's office, it turned out, was on the second floor and she entered the small space.

"Hey." He said turning in his chair from the computer. Part of the desk had been cleared for her use with a chair. There wasn't room for much else. She squeezed in next to him,

"Nice and cozy." She said looking around. There was a poster of some classic cars on the wall, and a picture of him and Ellen at some party. The feature that took up the most wall space was the corkboard and Elizabeth found herself looking straight in the eyes of Sam Winchester. It was chilling to see all those pictures. There was a map with pins stuck in it and papers that had been taped to the wall behind it because he had run out of room.

"Sorry, about that." Dean said gesturing to it. "I've asked for a larger office with the two of us and the fact that this wall is getting out of hand. They haven't gotten back to me yet."

"What are all the pins?" Elizabeth asked.

"Those are strikes that we know for sure are Sam's work. The dates are below and you can see as time goes on, he moves father south."

He pointed to the closest pin.

Elizabeth looked at the all the news articles, MASS KILLINGS and HOSTAGES were common. There was also a few of the more gruesome pictures showing a man with half of his face congealed in blood and a grainy image of Sam walking midway down a path of tied and gagged soldiers.

Then there was a small time line of about ten photos of him through the years, starting with him at this youngest and then to one that must have been recent.

"Does this bother you?" Dean asked. Elizabeth shook her head.

"No, this is the reason I came here, so I can stop people like him."

Dean didn't say anything but turned back to his computer.

"I've been given codes for you to crack for your training. Despite what people think, you rarely solve a code like this by yourself and there are always teams working together and around the clock in order to figure out what is going on."

He held out a paper that looked like a long boring manuscript.

"What do you see?" He asked. Elizabeth took the paper and squinted at it as if it would tell her what it was hiding. There were times where it would almost feel like it would make sense and then it would fall apart in her brain. She had trained for this dammit!

"I know, you're used the little strips of paper and this can be overwhelming so here's what I do." He took a piece of paper and laid it down so only the top line was visible.

"Now try, it's not some big puzzle piece, it's made up of a bunch of smaller pieces."

And Elizabeth began to see it.

It was a while as they slowly worked their way down the page, Elizabeth trying to concentrate and Dean edging her on. It was a relief to her when he told her they had a meeting to get to.

"Get used to a lot of meetings around here." Dean said getting up. He held the door open for her and they got into the elevator. Dean inserted a key into the slot and Elizabeth felt the elevator slide downwards.

"Campbell likes to keep things secretive." Dean said rolling his eyes a little.

The doors opened and they stepped out into the conference room. Elizabeth recognized a few of the people from around the camp but most had the polished look of the capital. She spotted Olivia in the middle and gave a small wave.

"Alright let's get this started." Campbell said as he sat down. Elizabeth sat to the right of Dean and focused on Campbell.

"Roman has been too quiet for our taste. Singer, Winchester, Crowley, Alistair, all of them have made no movements and there is very little evidence as to what they are planning. We are in the dark people and we need some ideas. I've proposed to Raphael about sending in drones to look in but he is against it, anyone have any other proposals that are not so blatantly military."

There was a murmur around the table, talk of computer viruses and spy rings. However it was Ellen who spoke up.

"They aren't moving right now, as cold as it may seem, we need to force them into the open. They need targets that they can't resist, so whatever they are planning they drop in order to come fight us."

"Are suggesting we use ourselves as bait, Harvelle?" Campbell asked.

"I'm saying sir, we put ourselves where our own civilians have been for years. It's a quick strike in and out and they are left to pick up the pieces. If anything it will buy us time. We send a squad to drop in and use stealth then we cause as much damage as we can without causing any mayhem in our own group and get out of there."

"It definitely needs some work." Campbell said, "But I think it's a good idea."

Again around the room was a collective murmur.

"Don't you think they might suspect military involvement?" one of the officers asked. Olivia chimed in.

"Crowley won't he's way too convinced of his own power, and that in turn could stop him from reporting anything against us to Singer. Alistair, last time we got report was not involved with surveillance. Winchester has tabs in there, so he's our biggest threat. Most likely he knows that they've been too quiet lately, and he hates that, he may suspect us of trying to goad them into the open."

"Are you saying he'd feel more secure if we allowed him to act?" Campbell asked interestedly.

Olivia obviously had not expected this, indeed Elizabeth was caught completely off guard.

"He would feel more secure about the noise. But, I would like to add, this is not worth the loss of one more life and I strongly vote against waiting for another attack." Olivia said firmly.

"What about the lives of the people we would be sending in there? They need to be as safe as they can." One man said. Elizabeth was appalled by how calm he was. There were voices of agreement and she couldn't take it anymore.

"We did not join the army just because it was safe!" She said standing up, causing her chair to screech back a few inches. Everyone was looking at her now. "We joined so we could fight those that attack us and protect our civilians. We can't just leave them in harm's way like some animal for the slaughter house! I volunteer to go, before Winchester has a chance for another attack, as part of the stealth team." Elizabeth said her voice was strong.

"You just joined us Curran, you don't know the first thing about stealth missions." Campbell said

"Watch me learn." She said sharply

"Sit down or I will have you leave the room for insubordination!" Campbell said.

Elizabeth sat down but her words had begun the desired effect.

"I volunteer as well." Dean said, "I'm already training Curran for special ops and I can easily have her begin running drills with me and the rest of the assorted team."

"Really Harvelle, you would go?" Campbell asked.

"Yes, I would sir." Dean said.

"You don't think your presence there could compromise the situation?" Campbell asked. Elizabeth looked at Dean. What was Campbell talking about?

"I don't know what you mean sir." Dean said trying to force a smile. Campbell looked at Elizabeth and she swore she saw him smirk.

"I suppose not all of us are aware of your connections. I'll have Harvelle explain in his own time. We will assemble a team by tonight and training will begin to tomorrow morning. If anyone does not make the cut by the time this operation rolls into place they're out." He said looking pointedly at Elizabeth.

With that dismissal everyone got up. Before she could catch Dean, he was over to Olivia. She could see them talking quietly, she nodded, and then gave a small glance over to her and then back to Dean. She couldn't see his face but his body language said agitated. Finally Olivia gave him a hug and then moved past him.

"I'll see you around Elizabeth," Olivia said. "When I'm here, my office is just down the hall from yours and Dean's room in 214, so feel free to stop by. I always have food." She said.

"Thanks, I'll probably want that." Elizabeth said with a smile.

Olivia returned the smile and moved on the elevator. It left her and Dean alone. The smile slid off her face.

"What was he talking about?" Elizabeth asked pointedly.

"It's a long story and it's a part of me that I don't want to think about." Dean said staring at the carpet between them.

Elizabeth looked at him for a long moment and then angrily turned to the elevator. Unfortunately the doors had already closed so she had to wait. Dean caught up with her.

"What is it? I'm going to find out eventually and you might as well tell me." Elizabeth said. Her voice was icy, but he was scaring her, this was important!

Dean bit his lip and looked anywhere but her.

"Please." Elizabeth said.

That broke it. Dean took a shaky breath and said,

"Sam Winchester, is my brother. My real name is Dean Winchester."