She ran as fast as her legs would carry her. The ground shook violently under her feet as it creaked and buckled. IT was falling from under her feet faster then she could run. It was going to swallow her up. The heat was on her heals and the hands were already reaching for her. The voices telling her she wouldn't make it.

Anya. Anya! Anya!

Pale blue eyes snapped open from the nightmare that had been. Her heart slowed down and her breathing became slow once again. It was three o'clock in the morning. "I'm sorry." Anya didn't look up to meet Sam's eyes.

"It's alright just try to get some sleep." Sam turned back over and closed his eyes. Anya listened for a few minutes until Sam's breathing evened out and Dean was still sleeping.

Slipping from the bed she pulled on her boots and coat before heading out the door. The cold air wrapped around her instantly as she walked down the street. As she walked down the road Anya peered into an alleyway red eyes stared at her. In her mind she heard the growl but fear had already caught her was already twisting her traumatized mind into thinking it was a monster.

Not waiting to see that it was only the moon catching in a cat's eye the wrong way Anya took off running down the street. She left everything behind till the burn in her lungs and her legs in her muscles ached she stopped in front of a church no less.

Anya felt anger serge through her as she reached for the cross around her neck. Giving it a good tug she ripped the chain from her neck and threw it on the steps. "What salvation did you ever offer me? Where were you when that deal was made? Are we really born in your image? Would you really sell the soul of one to save the life of the other and call them worthless? Where were you when I asked for something so simple as my father's love?" Anya fumed.

She remembered being four years old and her mother had told her to say her prayers every night and every night she prayed for her father's love. But every day her prayer went unheard and then life took her mother from her, or so she thought, and her call for love went unmet. Anya gave up praying for love and then she found out about the deal and she'd broken into a church preying that it was not true. But when the nightmares started she knew it wasn't.

By the time Anya made it back to the motel Sam and Dean had already woken up. "Where did you go?" Sam asked.

"For a run." Anya answered.

They were back on the road with breakfast in hand. Sam handed Anya a breakfast sandwich of some sort but she couldn't be bothered to eat. Her stomach knotted as she thought about the years of neglect. She didn't know why but she realized she'd never been to a doctor before. Or at least not that she could remember.

"Hey, hey." Dean called to her. Anya looked up at him. "You eatin' that?" he asked.

She handed it over to him. "So when do you think we'll make it to Bobby's?" Sam asked.

Dean looked at the clock on the dashboard. Dean pushed the gas just a bit more settling in his seat with a smile. "I'd say a little after midnight. So go ahead and call him to tell him to except us late." Dean said.

Anya let her head lean against the window staring at the car ceiling. She was starting to fall asleep when Dean slammed his foot on the brake causing her to fall on the floor between the seats.

Dean erupted into laughter Sam bitch faced and Anya pulled herself from between the seats. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"You sweetheart. You're so mopey and going through so many mood swings your going over the swing set. It's like watching a yo-yo the way to go from terrified, to brooding, to kick some ass. You don't eat, you're barely sleeping, you come chasing after my car asking not to be left alone yet you refuse to sleep to go wandering around. What is the deal with you?" Dean asked.

"There is no deal as you so put it. I'm fine the way I am and that's the end of it and next time you hit the break like that just for kicks I got something in store for your ass." Anya threatened.

The ride was mostly quiet after that they'd been just outside Sioux Falls when Midnight came rolling round. When they finally got to Bobby's they grabbed their belongings and headed for the door. Bobby let them pass Anya slightly dragging her feet. She'd stopped just in the door way as hell clouded her vision and took over.

"Hey. Hey!" Bobby shook her shoulder Anya looked at him.

"They really got you good." he said.

"No kidding. You should see the nightmares the flesh even smells like it's burning." Anya told him.

"Now watch in two minutes she'll be quiet and hug your arm cause she can't be alone."

"Okay fine next time you're left alone and the room suddenly bursts into flames and you don't want to be left along let me know." Anya stalked off for the room upstairs.

Sam bitched faced and Bobby just shook his head. "Idjit. I would be surprised if she wants to punch you in the face."

"Bobby she won't eat, she barely sleeps and she drinks like, like you if not worse. How can we help her if she's spinning in so many circles we can't catch up enough to help?" Dean complained.

"Hm. How's her hunting skills looking?"

"She could use a bit of work. She's got gun control pretty well but that was just a standard shotgun." Dean explained.

"Alright while we figure out how to help her I want you two to help get her around the ropes a bit better. We'll deal with everything else starting tomorrow. So get some shut eye it's gonna be a long day." Bobby told them.

The next morning Anya shot up in bed as someone pounded on the other side of it. She didn't remember falling asleep. She remembered it had been late or extremely early. "Up and at them girl we've got work to do." Bobby's voice was slightly muffled by the wood of the door.

Anya pulled on her jeans followed by boots. Grabbing a black t-shirt from her bag she threw that on followed by a solid green flannel before venturing across the hallway to do the morning routine before heading down stairs.

Bobby looked over his shoulder noticing how thin the girl was, how her hair and blue eyes stood out even more against the pale skin, she had bags under her eyes. "Come sit down and eat." Bobby ordered.

Anya took a seat next to Sam. "No, thank you."

"No you are going to sit your tiny butt in that seat and eat everything on this plate. My house has rules and rule #1 you eat every meal put in front of you and you don't get up till it's done." Bobby told her.

Anya could still smell fire and flesh. Looking back at Bobby she knew she wasn't winning and forced small bits down with a lot of water. By the time she'd finished the boys had already gone outside and when they were loud enough she could hear them. Finally she pushed her plate away and Bobby collected it with a sigh.

"Now while you're here you'll follow my rules just like the boys do. Now I want you to go outside and learn a few things about hunting from the boys while I'm in the library digging up more about your case. It isn't exactly easy finding something you've never heard of before. Oh and one more thing before I let you go pick a mood and stay on it." Bobby told her before letting her get up from the table.

Anya didn't even make the full distance before her stomach rebelled against her rejecting what she'd deprived it of. No one saw as she kicked dirt over it and continued to the boys. The table they sat at was spread with guns and knives and guns a hunters dream.

"So you know how to use one but how's your aim?" Dean asked.

"Decent enough." Anya answered.

"Well," Dean smiled loading a shotgun and handing it to her before taking his own in hand and Sam following with a pistol they walked around the back of the garage. In the distance Anya could see what looked like cans and if her eyesight wasn't tell her she needed glass a muffler.

"Please tell me that's a muffler and I don't need glasses."

"Bobby said use what we could find I found a muffler." Sam shrugged.

"Alright now that you know what it is shoot it." Dean told her. The distance looked impossible but she lined up the shot, aiming for one of the cans, and fired. Dean whistled when the tree beyond the fence had been hit instead.

"Sitting that far is good but we need to know you can hit the target. Again." the second time the muffler few off for a second landing back down in the tall grass somewhere.

"Now that was a standard shotgun try the double barrel." Dean said switching out the guns. "Focus, keep both eyes open. Now!" Dean called in a raised voice. The bullet made its target.

"Here." Sam gave her the pistol. Three cans went down with ease. "You need to practice with a double barrel and standard more. We'll play with the knives tomorrow for now you can help us make so more salt rounds." Dean told her.

Bobby closed yet another book on demons that was completely unhelpful. Looking at his watch Bobby sighed and stood pushing his hands through his hair then readjusting his hat before going to fix lunch.

Lunch was set on the table before he went to call in the kids. Dean and Sam joked all the way to the door Anya dragged her feet dreading eating again. "Dragging your feet ain't gonna make me say you don't have to eat so you better get in here." The older hunter spoke.

It was another slow meal and her stomach rebelled against her once more. She sat behind some junked cars beyond saving. Anya took her time getting back to the boys Dean had then running laps from one end of the yard to the other. They hadn't paid attention when it started to rain and quickly gathered everything before heading in. When Bobby wasn't paying attention she slipped upstairs to crash into the bed. But sleep refused to let her rest peacefully as hell broke through and assaulted her dreams. It would never end.

By the end of a week's time Bobby had poured over every book he had and found nothing. Anya had begun to get use to eating at the very least two meals a day and keeping them down. It was raining on the eighth day and all sat in the living room tense and unwilling.

"Our only bet is to call up the crossroads demon her father did. Where's the box?" Bobby turned to Anya.

Anya trotted up stairs to get it. Buried at the bottom of her duffle bag she pulled out the old cookie tin and carried it down stairs. Dropping to her knees she dragged the chalk across the hardwood floor. Anya held the knife in her hand and hopped for the best.

The demon appeared before them with a smirk. "Oh well look what we have here. The greatest deal ever made." It smiled at Anya.

"My father sold my sold my soul to you I want it back." Anya growled.

"No I wasn't the one who got to make that deal I had to off the one who did and take his place. Cashing in early?" he smiled.

"Tell us how to break the deal." Dean growled.

"You can't break it. Her deal was made before she was born and on her birthday it's ours plan and simple."

"And if she'd been born when that deal was made?" Sam asked knife in hand.

"Then she'd be ours already. Before birth 21 years, after birth 18. The only way she can break the deal is if her father wants to break it and loss his son." He full out smiled.

"There has to be another way." Anya's eyes pleaded.

"Oh just give up will you. There's no point in fighting it. You're going to hell and we don't give a damn who made the deal. What's the point in staying anyway? Your daddy didn't want you, your mother left you, your brother didn't even think about you. Why would you think you could save yourself from the deal? No one cares if you live or die."

Anya began speaking in Latin as the demon was trapped under a devil's trap symbol. It glared at her screaming obscenities as it went back to hell. They stood in silence. "We'll find another way." Bobby told her placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Anya climbed out the window late that night and stood under the weeping sky. It soaked her skin for she could not sleep. How long would it be before not even the rain could tell her she was still alive? Before the skies turned black and the water was blood.

Anya had crawled back into her room and under the covers at dawn to pretend she'd slept when anyone came knocking. Down stairs Bobby sat with Sam and Dean at the kitchen table. "What are we going to do now?" Sam asked.

"We try another demon. There's always a loop hole Sam remember that. I got out of my deal she can get out of her's." bobby stated.

"Bobby what are you going to do Summon every demon there is?" Dean asked.

"If need be. But she don't deserve to get carted off to hell." Bobby told him.

"Why not just call Crowley?" Dean suggested. Bobby and Sam gave him 'You should shut up before we think you're mental' look.

"I'm serious Bobby. Just call him up he likes you." Dean pointed out.

"Boy you every utter that sentence again and I'll blast you full of lead." Bobby glared. "Sam go get Anya up."

Sam nodded and left to get the woman. Anya was coming down the stairs as Sam was just reaching the bottom. "Hey. You okay?" he asked.

"Lets get it over with." Anya said.

"Come eat." Bobby called to her.

"No." Anya turned to the older hunter her eyes locked with his and clear defiance on her face.

"It's an order get in here and eat."

"And you aren't a drill sergeant I'm not eating it." Anya was going to be stubborn but unknown to the woman Bobby was stubborn he'd win out.

"Didn't I tell you what the rules of this house were? You'll follow them."

"I don't care we've wasted enough time and I'll be damn if I waste more eating food I can't taste."

"If you want to see the day after your birthday you'll do as I tell you and I'm tell you to eat." Bobby snatched the book from her and put the plate in her hands. Dean and Sam were pretty sure if Anya had the strength she'd be crazy enough to tackle Bobby for telling her what to do.

"Two fork fulls that's it." Anya told him.

"Try five."

"Three."

"Deal." Bobby told her.

Three bites of scrambled eggs were quickly downed before Anya took back the book and set to work summoning another demon.

"You can't sell what's already sold you can only cash in early." It smiled.

After the fourth demon was sent back to the pit Anya walked out the front door into the rain and out of the yard. The early spring weather was unpredictable it could rain or it could shine. The skies wanted to do nothing but rain as Anya walked down the road hair sticking to her face. Drops clinging to her eye lashes.

She never saw it, never felt it. Anya woke up on the side of the road covered in mud but the rain had lightened up but the sky had darkened whether with a promise of more or with the coming evening she wasn't sure.

Bobby looked out the window even though it was pointless he couldn't see a damn thing. "You said she's done this before?"

"Yeah. She did it after she had a nightmare once didn't show up till we had already gotten dressed." Sam told him.

"This deal is driving her into an early grave in more ways then one." Bobby sighed.

"She said something like that at one point. When she was having one of her 'moments' in the car she said it's happened before the visions are bad and sometimes they get a grip on her heart. Said they were trying to drive to pulling the trigger or some crap like that." Dean said.

"Well we're not letting her." Bobby said. There was a sudden pounding on the door causing Sam to get it since he was the closest. Dean craned his neck enough to see who it was from his seat. Anya came in looking every bit a soaked rat most of the mud had been washed away by the heavy rain.

"I'm sorry." She said.

Bobby shook his head with a dismissive wave. "Just get on up stairs and get dry." He'd told her.

She nodded and headed for the stairs. Bobby had a gut feeling something wasn't right and reached for the bottle of holy water he kept in his desk. When Anya started to faint Dean was the first to catch her before she hit the ground.

"Nice work pretty boy." Dean was flung across the room Sam landed against the bookcase with a thud and Bobby stood. Demon Anya didn't move from the spot she stood in knowing she should easily be caught in the devil's trap painted on the ceiling.

"Now old man you're going to listen to me and listen we'll but first lets get anyway from the holy water." Demon Anya smiled as she threw Bobby into the wall holding him there. "You really think she'd be able to fight of a possessing in her state. I mean really handsome look at this body it's falling apart and slowly. She barely has a grip on reality." Black eyes smiled at Bobby.

Dean rubbed the back of his head as he came to. The woman had Bobby tied to a chair and was making quick work of it. "Crazy bitch let him go." Dean cocked the gun to emphasize his point that he was done with the BS.

"You shoot her, her soul goes to hell then where's the promise to help her?" Demon Anya smiled.

"Dean put the gun down." Bobby told him.

"Listen to grandpa like a good little boy." That smirk only made Dean angrier as he pulled the trigger shooting her, it, in the shoulder.

"Either you aim sucks or you just want me gone. It's going to take more then a bullet Dean."

Demon Anya's focus on Dean had made her forget about the once unconscious Sam holding a crow bar. "Last chance gets out of her." Dean told her.

"Only if you'll get in me." She gave him a seductive smirk that was quickly whipped off as the metal connected with the back of her skull causing the body to crumple to the ground in a wet heap. "Quick get me out of this before she wakes up." Bobby told them.

"A girl kicked your ass." Dean chuckled as here untied Bobby.

"Shut up boy. If I remember correctly she kicked your hide first."

"But she didn't have me tied to a chair." Dean smiled pulling the rope away.

"Smart ass." Bobby stood collecting the rope while dean grabbed one of the kitchen chairs. "Sam bring her here." Bobby ordered.

"What are you doing?"

"Going to exorcize her what else are we going to do? She hasn't caused much damage that shoulder's going to hurt though."

"But Anya's…"

"Going to be fine Sam. Just because she's small doesn't mean she's not strong enough to handle it." Bobby told him.

"Ready Sam?" Dean received a stiff nod.

Dean threw some of the water on Anya's possessed form. She hissed in pain and looked up at them. "Anya?"

"Sam let me go. Please it hurts."

"No Sam it's still in there somewhere."

"It's killing you isn't it? Seeing her in pain bleeding when she's not even really in control here."

Dean threw more water on her. "She's still in here and she's screaming for dear life. She can't win. She's going to give up and that leaves me with a new meat suit." The demon laughed.

"Sam read." Bobby ordered.

The Latin spilled out as fast as Sam could read screams filling the house. Anya let her head droop forward fighting to gain control over the demon. She body screamed with renewed pain as she took in shaky breath after shaky breath. "Finish." She whispered.

"What?"

"Finish it." She said in a shaky breath as her bound form trembled. Sam read out the rest and black smoke poured out of Anya's mouth leaving her looking lifeless and defeated as Sam started undoing the ropes on one side and Bobby the other while Dean went to get the first aid kit.

The move was not without screams as her injured arm was moved. "I don't…I…don't know how…it happened. I only woke up on the road."

"Shh it's okay now." Sam reassured her. Anya's eyes started to droop as her body gave to the exhaustion.

"No falling asleep on me kid you gotta stay awake. Come on stay awake for me." Bobby told her. Dean dropped next to them with the first aid kit. The first thing Bobby reached for was the alcohol.

"Sorry kid." Bobby whispered before pouring it over the gun shot wound making Anya scream.

"Balls." Bobby exhaled hours later in the early morning when he'd found that Anya had produced a fever. Pinching the bridge of his nose Bobby collected a few items before going back to the woman shivering on his couch.

She flinched as the cold cloth touched her forehead. "Calm down Kid I'm going gonna hurt ya. Just get some sleep while you can." Bobby assured her.

The eyes that bore into his were terrified, tired, hopeful, worried, and distant all at the same time. Eyes like that shouldn't belong to someone so young. "I'm sorry."

"Save Anya, I know now get some sleep." He let his hand rest on her good shoulder for a second before leaving her to sleep.

The boys came down stairs glancing at the sleeping woman before walking into the kitchen. "She caught it from being in those wet clothes so long. She's done herself in to far to go about doing anything and her shoulder's gonna need two or three weeks to get well again."

"What do we do now?" Dean asked.

"You two go to Arkansas to help David with a family haunting. He's got a whole family dead and another about to possibly move in. he called asking for my help I told him I'd send you two." The brothers' gazes shifted as if to look over their shoulder at the sleeping woman.

"I'll look after her till you get back. She can't do anything right now anyway. Now you two better get ready to go." Bobby told them.

Sam sat on the edge of the couch brushing a dark sweaty lock out of the pale face. "Hey." He greeted in a whisper. Anya stared up at him. "We gotta go for a little while okay Bobby's going to stay here and look after you. You can trust him we do. Try to get better."

"Okay. Safe 'kay." Anya wheezed.

"Yeah we'll be safe." He grinned.

While getting in the car Sam noticed Dean had a look on his face one that usually meant something either really bad or really weird. "Dude your girlfriend was hittin' on Bobby." Dean cracked up.

"First off she's not my girlfriend."

"Yeah, yet."

"Second she was possessed she had no control over what she did." Sam defended.

"Okay you know what, what happens in the Impala stays in the Impala and if you have a crush on her you have a crush on her."

"Okay I like her. Jeez happy?"

"Very." Dean smiled as he pulled out of the lot.

"But…"

"But what Sammy?"

"What if we don't break the deal and hell gets her. What do I do then?" Sam asked.

"We're not going to cross that road." Dean said in all seriousness.

Sam really hoped his older brother was right.