Chapter 7

Of all the monsters the Winchesters had ever faced, one of the worst ones would have to be cabin fever. Sure, it was nice to study in the bunker for a week or so, just to take a break from the very busy and dangerous life of a hunter, but after a month? They needed to kill something evil or kill each other.

So, like most people would in their position, they opted to kill something evil.

Dean woke to Sam packing a duffel bag, and immediately felt his stomach drop, fearing the worst. Of course, he didn't let this show on his face. "Where you going, Sam?"

"I found a hunt that's not too far away. We could be there by noon if we left now."

As soon as Dean heard the "we", he knew he didn't have to worry about Sam running off on his own. He also didn't seem to need to worry about packing either, because Sam already had Dean's duffel out and half packed. Less than 10 minutes later and they were in the Impala, speeding down the pavement, AC/DC blasting through the speakers.

There was something just so right about the whole picture that Dean had to smile. His brother riding shotgun, the purr of the Impala's engine beneath their feet, and the whole open road ahead of them. This was home, and oh God had he missed this.

Sam felt it too, and for the first couple minutes of the drive the brothers sat in complete silence, taking it all in and relishing every moment. Finally, Dean spoke up.

"So, what's the deal? What's happening in Ashland, Nebraska that makes this seem like a case?"

"Kids are disappearing."

Dean looked at his brother and said, "Care to elaborate?"

"There are kids all over town that are going missing. The police have no leads to who's doing it."

"So what? I mean, yeah, that's terrible, but it doesn't exactly seem like anything we'd look into."

"It's how the kids were taken. They were all taken from their rooms, but the windows and doors of the house were locked from the inside."

"So? Kidnappers can pick locks."

"But get this: one man, a Mr. Gaily, ran into his daughter's room after he heard her scream and sees a shadow take his daughter from her bed and vanish into thin air."

"So what're you thinking? Shtriga? Changeling?"

Sam shook his head. "I don't know, but the vanishing thing? Doesn't really seem to fit in any of those categories."

"Something new then." Dean said with a grin. "Awesome."

Dean pushed the gas pedal down, and with a loud roar that reduced to a soft purr, the sleek black 1967 Chevy Impala sped down the road toward Ashland, Nebraska.

Just as Sam had predicted, the brothers arrived in Ashland at about noon. After a quick stop at a gas station to change into their FBI getups, they were standing outside the house of Sophia Gaily, who had been stolen from her bed. Sam raised his hand and knocked.

The door opened to reveal a man in his late thirties, who looked as if he hadn't slept in days.

"Arthur Gaily? I'm Agent Stark, and this is my partner, Agent Rogers," Dean said as he and his brother held up their badges. "We would like to talk to you about Sophie."

At the mention of his daughter's name, Mr. Gaily's shoulders slumped, and he looked as if he were 70 years old. "I already spoke to the local police."

"We know, but we'd like to hear you tell it. The police often… overlook certain details of the investigation."

With a sigh, Gaily began. "It was just a normal night. I had put Sophie to bed, and I was just about to go to bed myself when I hear her scream. I walk in and see this dark, wispy figure in her room, and this, this thing grabs her and just vanishes, taking her with it." He runs his hands across his face, trying to wipe away the tiredness. "What could do something like that?"

"We don't know, but we're trying to find out." Sam tapped his pen against his notepad, running through the normal questions in his head. "Have you noticed anything weird lately?"

Arthur looked back and forth between Sam and Dean, confused. "What do you mean?"

"You know: strange smells, flickering lights, weird noises."

Gaily shook his head. "There was something a little strange. The floor was covered with ice when I walked in. Have you talked to that reporter, by any chance?"

Dean and Sam exchanged a look, and turned back to Gaily. "What reporter?"

"She came a day or two ago, asking the same questions as you two. She said she was a reporter from the Lincoln Gazette who was investigating the disappearances in this area. She was really young, too, like, maybe college age? It was all really strange."

"Did this reporter give you any way to contact her?"

"Yeah. She gave me her room number at a motel near here." He handed Sam a piece of paper with an address scribbled on it.

"Well, uh, thank you for your time, Mr. Gaily. We'll be in touch."

As soon as they were out the door, Dean snatched the paper at Sam's hand and looked it over. "So another hunter is in town?"

"Apparently."

"We should probably talk to this hunter and figure out what she knows."

"Well you have the room number and we do need to check into a motel for the night."

"So," Dean said as they slid into the impala. "We could just happen to stop by."

"No threats, okay, Dean? I know you want this job, but this is a hunter. We're supposed to be allies."

"Yeah, well when was the last time we were ever what we were 'supposed' to be?"

"Dean."

"Fine. No threats. Just conversation."

"Good."

They pulled up to the Prairie Motel a couple minutes later. After checking in, they stood at the door of the mystery hunter. Before knocking, Sam cast a glance a Dean that said, Be nice, okay? Dean cast back a look that said, No promises.

Sam gently knocked on the door. There was a sound of footsteps inside, followed by the sound of the door unlocking. The door opened just a crack, revealing a brown-haired girl carrying a .45. The gun quickly dropped and the door swung open as she stared at the brothers, as they stared right back.

Sam's tone was a surprised one when he exclaimed, "Tara?!"

Tara's face turned from startled to angry. "What the hell are you two doing here?"

"We're just checking out the missing children's case."

"But…how?! How are you here? At the same time as me?"

"You don't seem too happy to see us," Dean said nonchalantly.

"I wasn't planning on ever seeing you guys again! I mean, no offense, you guys are great and all, but you would think that of all the miles and all the towns in the U.S. I would never run into either of you again."

"So I'm guessing even if you did need help that you wouldn't've picked up the phone?"

"Maybe? I just…" Tara got very quiet. "I just don't really stick around. Anyone I meet I don't expect to meet again."

There was a minute of silence before Sam said, "Look, I know this is a bit of a surprise, but there are kids disappearing all over town. If you want us to leave you to your hunt, that's fine, but while we're here, we want to help. So what've you found out?"

"Oh right," Tara said, snapping out of whatever trance she had been in. She walked over to the laptop on the table and booted it up. As the laptop was loading, Dean asked the question he'd been thinking about since the door opened. "How did you pass for a newspaper reporter? You're 16."

Tara simply shrugged and grinned. "You'd be amazed at what a little make-up and a fake ID can do." The computer gave a little beep and she turned her attention to the screen. "I have a couple of ideas of what we could be dealing with." She turned the screen to the Winchesters. "I think it's a Morko."

"A what?"

"A Morko. It's a Finnish monster that steals children, and according to the lore it steals children and feeds on their life force. But get this: it leaves behind a trail of ice and snow, and it was said that it was so cold that it could freeze a campfire."

Sam leaned closer to the screen, eyes scanning over the lore. "It says here that Morkos live in cold places, or mountains. Anything like that around here?"

"I've been looking around but so far I haven't found anything. You care to help me look?"

"Yeah sure. No problem. Where are we starting?"

"I was thinking the sewers."

"Yeah, good call. What's supposed to kill this thing?"

"The lore's a little vague in that area, but silver should work just fine."

"We have to grab our stuff. We'll be back in a couple minutes."

As Sam and Dean made their way toward their motel room, they neglected to notice the shadow creeping toward Tara's motel room.

Tara was preparing her pistol when she heard a banging outside of her room. She warily crept toward the door, careful of every step, holding her pistol close. She opened the door just a crack, staring out at the world slowly drifting into night. Seeing nothing, she began to close the door, when suddenly—

Creak

A noise that came from behind her.

She turned around, gun pointing to the source of the sound, only to come face to face with a cloaked figure with glowing red eyes that stared into her soul.

The figure reached for her.

She fired her gun.

But the darkness grabbed her, and with a blow to the head she slipped into unconsciousness.

Sam and Dean were in their room when they heard the shot. Grabbing their weapons, they ran to Tara's room. The entered the room just in time to see the Morko vanish into thin air, the unconscious body of Tara in its arms.

"Shit," Dean cursed, kicking the wall outside of Tara's room.

Sam took a deep breath and ran his hands through his hair. "Now what?"

"We got most of the important information already. Now all we need to do is find the Ice Queen's hideout."

"We need to find the Morko, before it kills anymore kids. Tara could be next on the menu."

"You think I don't know that? Grab your gun and get in the car. We're gonna take a peek into the sewer system."

Tara woke to a small hand shaking her shoulder. Looking up, eyes trying to focus in the dark, she saw a little girl with blond hair and blue eyes staring down at her. She'd seen the picture from the police report, and she'd know that face anywhere.

"Sophie? Sophie Gaily?"

The little girl's eyes went wide. "How do you know my name?"

"I talked to your dad. I know this doesn't sound very helpful, but I'm here to save you."

Tara took in her surroundings. Instead of a sewer, as she had expected, she found that she was in a cage in what looked like a cellar. But there were no doors, and the walls looked as if they were being held up by wooden beams, and instead of a floor there was just dirt.

Okay, then. A cave, maybe an old mine.

There were small lanterns hanging from the wooden beams, and in the dim light Tara saw children, all in cages, asleep. Or rather, she hoped they were just sleeping. The alternative would be much worse.

Feeling the onset of a headache, Tara groaned and pushed herself upright. Rubbing the spot on her head where the Morko had knocked her out, she asked, "How long have I been here?"

Sophie trembled a little and answered in a shaky voice, "I-I don't know."

The little girl came closer, looking Tara over, looking terrified. "You said you were going to help," she whispered timidly. "Did you mean it? Are you really gonna stop the monster?"

Tara put her hand on the little girl's shoulder and softly replied, "I said I was going to save you, didn't I? You're going to be okay."

"How are you gonna save me if you're in here too?"

"I'm going to keep the monster from hurting you until the Winchesters get here."

Sophie looked at Tara quizzically. "Who're they?"

Tara didn't know how to tell this little girl about the things that the Winchesters fought. Those things would give this kid nightmares that would last until adulthood. Then she got an idea.

"Do you want to hear a story?"

Sophie nodded and came closer, leaning against Tara's arm. It hurt Tara's heart when she felt just how cold this six- year- old was. She shrugged off her jacket, although it was thin, and draped it over Sophie like a blanket. She began her story.

"The Winchesters are two brothers named Sam and Dean, and they are going to save you, and every other kid in here."

"How? Are they superheroes?"

"They don't have any superpowers, but they are heroes."

Sophie looked confused. "I don't get it."

"Sam and Dean have faced this kind of thing before, and they've saved a lot of people. That's their job: they protect people like you from things like that."

"But they don't have any superpowers?"

"Nope, but that's what makes them heroes. It's easy for Superman to face bullets because they don't hurt him. These guys don't have any protection against the things they fight, but they do it anyway. That takes a lot of bravery."

"But the monster…it's so strong." Sophie shivered again. "I'm so cold."

"The Winchesters will stop it. They're gonna stop it and then you're going to go home. You're going to see your family again." Tara didn't know if she could keep these promises, but she couldn't tell a little girl that she may die in some dirty smelly basement. So she promised and she prayed. "You're going to be okay."

"Do you trust them?"

Tara was startled by this question, especially coming from such a small child. But she already knew the answer, and didn't miss a beat when answering, "Yes. I'd trust them with my life." She didn't know where this trust came from, but her answer seemed to calm Sophie down, and the little girl was soon fast asleep in Tara's arms.

A small smile escaped Tara's lips, despite the situation. "Sleep tight, little one," she whispered gently, so not to wake the tired child. "You're safe. Don't worry."

Tara felt an anger rise up inside of her. No child should have to feel this fear. No child should be away from their parents, their home. A dangerous cocktail of sadness and rage mixed inside of her as she made the promise that she swore she would keep, even if it killed her.

"You're going to be okay. I swear to God, Sophie. You're going to be okay."

The sewers had been a bust. Sam and Dean had searched them for hours and found neither the monster nor Tara. So now the brothers were sitting in a motel room with a map pinned to the wall, looking for any other possible leads.

Dean rubbed his eyes as Sam crossed yet another spot off the map. "Okay, so that sucked. What else we got?"

Sam ran his hand through his hair as he stared at the map. "Tara said that Morkos like the cold, and they used to live in mountains. They weren't in the sewers, so is there any other place like that around here?"

Dean snorted. "Mountains? If we were farther west, maybe, but around here? There's hardly anything that could even be classified as a hill." Dean suddenly got an idea. "What about mines?"

Sam looked at Dean and then back at the map. "Underground mines around here are rare, but yes, there are a couple." He ran his hand across his face and went to his laptop. "It would probably be abandoned, or else the kids would've been found by now. But, Dean, the problem is the teleportation thing. If the Morko really can teleport, then it doesn't have to be here. It could be literally anywhere in the world."

"One thing at a time, Sammy. We'll check the mines around here first. Maybe this thing only has a short-range ability."

"That would make things a hell of a lot easier for us."

Sam suddenly stopped typing, staring at the screen like he had found the holy grail. "I think I found it."

"Where, Sam?"

"There's an old mine, in a town called Weeping Water, only a half an hour or so from here. It shut down back in 1850."

"Grab your guns, and bring a couple flare guns too."

"What do we need those for?"

"It's an ice monster, Sammy. We're going to melt the bitch."

Tara woke again, but this time to the clanging of metal. Her eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness, and she saw a woman, dressed in all black, staring at her with cold blue eyes. The woman's hair was the color of a raven, and her dress was long and flowing, but seemed to disappear in shadowy wisps before it touched the ground. There was something so unsettling and unnatural about the woman that Tara shivered. She shook off her fear and stared defiantly back at the woman. Making sure Sophie was still asleep, she stood and walked towards the woman, until they were face to face with only metal bars separating them.

The woman spoke, her tone icy. "Your soul smells so sweet, sweeter than the others. What makes yours so different? It doesn't matter. I am going to consume it one way or another."

"I'm guessing you're the monster that has got these kids so scared."

"Smart girl. Too smart for your own good." The woman smirked. "I believe it is going to be that trait that gets you killed. Just like the others."

"Others?"

"Hunters. You don't live as long as I have without encountering a hunter or two intent on ending me. Their smart mouths weren't so smart when they were screaming. Soon you will be just like them."

"You say that like you know me."

"I know your kind. You come in with your leather jacket and combat boots, full of cockiness, a loaded gun and a sense of invincibility. You're not immortal, you know. They thought that they could live forever, and look where that got them."

"I'm not stupid. I know how this kind of life ends."

The Morko got closer, and when she spoke even her breath was frigid. "Do you? Do you know the price you will pay?" The Morko grabbed her arm, cold clammy fingers wrapping tightly around it. "Death is on your heels, child. One day soon you will find you cannot run from it anymore. Are you prepared to face the Reaper?"

Tara stared right into the Morko's eyes. "Are you?"

The Morko threw Tara to the ground of the cage. "I would advise you to respect me, young one. It might buy you a few extra days." The Morko departed, the long train of her black dress trailing behind her.

Once the Morko was gone, Tara whispered, "A few days is all I need."

Sophie stirred, slowly awakening, and Tara was quickly by her side, holding the girl up so she would not have to be on the cold, dirty floor.

"Was that the monster?" Sophie asked timidly. "I heard voices. Is it going to hurt me again?"

Tara mustered up the best reassuring smile she could. "No Sophie, the monster isn't going to hurt you again. It's gone."

All was quiet for a moment, and then Sophie spoke. "Thank you," she whispered.

"What for?"

"For finding me. For staying with me. For keeping the monster away." Sophie looked up at her, admiration in her eyes. "You said that your friends saved people, and that made them heroes. Does that make you a hero too?"

For the first time in a while, Tara stumbled with her words. "Um…no…I don't think I'm a hero."

"But you've got to be something important!" Sophie insisted. Then her face lit up. "I know! You're a sidekick! Like Robin!"

Tara let out a small laugh, and decided to just go with it. "Okay, sure. I'm a sidekick. But you're important too, you know."

"But I'm not like you. I'm not special."

"Yes you are, Sophie. You've been very brave throughout all of this. You have potential. If push comes to shove I know I can count on you to do the right thing."

Sophie scrunched up her nose in thought. "So what does that make me?"

"I guess that makes you my secret weapon." She ruffled the kid's hair. "You're stronger than you know. I've seen a lot of things, and I know strength when I see it. "

"But I'm so small."

"But that's perfect, see? Everyone is going to underestimate you because you're small, but one day you're gonna come out of nowhere and surprise everyone."

"You think so?"

"I know so."

"So does that mean I could be like you?"

Tara froze, not knowing what to say. After a second she found her voice. "I don't think you would want this life, Sophie. I don't want you to have this life."

"Why not?"

Tara sighed. "There are reasons that I can't explain, that you wouldn't understand. You have to promise me, Sophie. Promise me you won't try to have this life. Promise me that after you get home, you won't go searching for monsters again. Promise me you'll have a nice normal life."

Sophie looked a little startled by Tara's outburst, but still said, "I promise."

"Good."

"Tara?" A new voice called. A voice that she recognized.

"Sam?"

She rushed to the bars of the cage and stared out of them, and she felt relief flood through her as she spotted the Winchesters, both navigating their way to her cage.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine. How the hell did you find this place?" When Sam opened his mouth to speak, she shook her head. "Never mind, don't answer that. We have to get the kids out of here before she comes back."

"She? The Morkos a girl?" Dean asked.

Sam hit his brothers shoulder. "Don't get any ideas."

Dean grinned. "Nah, Sammy, fucking monster girls is your department."

Sam smacked his brother upside the head.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"What do you think?"

Tara stared at Dean with an open mouth. "I can't believe you just said the F word in a room full of kids." She turned to Sophie. "Forget you ever heard that."

Sophie nodded and made the motion that said, my lips are sealed.

There was suddenly a shrill cry that echoed through the mine. "Hunters!" the Morko screamed, enraged. "I smell more hunters! You will all pay!"

"Fu—" Dean began, but at seeing Tara's and Sam's glares, he quickly remedied to, "Fudge."

Sam searched the walls. "There's got to be a key or lever or something to get you guys out."

Another shriek could be heard, closer this time. Tara turned to the Winchesters. "Go kill her. We'll be fine."

When the brothers hesitated, she insisted. "Come on, we'll be fine. You'll be fighting the monster. What could happen?"

Dangerous words considering the famous Winchester luck, but there was no time to weigh the odds. "We'll be back," Dean promised. "Stay put."

And just like that, they were gone.

It didn't take them long to find the Morko. She was furious, in a deadly sort of way. In the dimly lit mine, the monster gave a cold smile. "Hello, hunters."

"Hello, bitch," Dean quipped.

"You're going to regret coming here. They all do."

"I think you'll find that we're not like anyone else," Sam shot back, a fearsome glint in his eyes. Any time the Winchesters hunted, it wasn't in careless anger, as the Morko killed, but in a calculated, precise style. They did their best to never get emotionally involved in a hunt, seeing as it would normally end bloodily. Although they did have their weaknesses, those weaknesses would not show in this hunt. They weren't cocky, they were professional.

Unlike the Morko, which rushed at them at an inhuman speed, full of rage. Sam was knocked off his feet by the creature, and his head smacked the ground, knocking him unconscious. Dean fired a shot, but the bullet seemed to bounce off the monster. She smirked. "You're going to have to try harder than that, hunter."

In a flash she was on him, her hands like ice as she lashed out. The air turned frigid around him, and he felt his insides go cold as she began to drain the life out of him. Her smile was icy and twisted. "How does it feel?" She whispered into his ear. "How does it feel to be beaten?" The glint in her eye was murderous. She looked Dean right in the eye, and even he, the trained hunter he was, shivered. "How does it feel to die?"

Dean looked past her and grinned. "What's so funny, hunter?" she sneered, unhappy with the reaction of her prey to certain doom.

Dean locked eyes with her once more, but this time it was the Morko who felt a deep chill in her bones. He whispered, "I hope you like fire, you frigid bitch."

The Morko turned just in time to see Sam Winchester, back on his feet and aiming a flare gun at her chest. With a smirk he pulled the trigger, and the Morko barely had time to scream before her whole body was ablaze. Her blue eyes shined brighter than before, and suddenly the whole cavern began to shake as the light spread from her eyes to the rest of her body. Her mouth, open in a perpetual scream, emitted blue light as well. Sam and Dean covered their eyes as the blinding light broke through her body and engulfed the rest of the mine. The floor trembled and a loud crashing sound could be heard. Suddenly the Morko's shrieks silenced, and she fell loosely to the floor. Her eyes, which had once held a murderous fury, were glazed over, staring into nothingness.

Sam walked over to his brother and offered him a hand to help him up, which Dean took gratefully. When back on his feet, Dean stared at the Morko's lifeless body. "Good riddance," he mumbled. Then turning to his brother, he said, "Let's go get those kids out."

They turned to the passageway where they had come from, only to find it completely blocked by rubble. The force of the Morko's death had been too much for the ancient mine to take, and the beam that had held the ceiling had collapsed, causing the cavern to cave in.

"Great," Dean grumbled. "How are we supposed to get them out now?"

Sam suddenly thought of the mine plans that he had come across. "There's a back entrance. It was too far away from the blast so it's probably still open."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go."

Tara and the children had heard the screams and the crashing, and were well aware of their situation. "We've got to get out of here," Tara said to no one but herself. "This place isn't stable as it is; it could come crashing down at any time."

Studying the bars of the cell, she saw that the trembling had caused the door to bend slightly forward at the top. When she touched it, it moved slightly forward. Sensing an opportunity, she brought her leg up and delivered a hard kick to the door. It toppled forward, landing on the stone floor with a loud bang.

Tara climbed out of her cell, with Sophie right behind her, and began searching for ways to open the cages. There were no keys hanging on the walls, and not a lever in sight. Suddenly, a small glint of metal caught her eye. There, hidden in the crevasse of the cave wall, was a key. She smiled. "Bingo."

Grabbing the key, she unlocked all of the cages at the speed of light. "Go on," she said to the kids, pointing to the passage that wasn't blocked by rubble. "I'll be right behind you."

The kids filed out one by one, but right before Tara followed them, she grabbed a metal bar that had fallen off one of the cages. Just in case, she thought, before following the children into the darkness.

The wind could be heard, signaling an exit that would soon appear. Just when Tara thought that everything was finally going to be okay, a roar echoed through the mine. "What the hell was that?"

Sophie's face went white. "That's the other one."

"There are two?!"

The roar came again, except this time it was louder and much closer than it had been before. It was coming from one of the off-branching passages they had passed, and it was coming toward them. "Run," Tara told Sophie and the other children. "If you get lost, listen for the sound of the wind and follow it." When no one moved, she yelled, "Go! I'll hold it off."

The children took off, sprinting towards freedom. Tara's heart pounded in her chest as she heard the stomping footsteps of the monster. In one hand she held the metal bar, and the other hand played with the bracelet on her wrist. The leather bracelet had been given to her a long time ago, and it came with the promise of safety and family. It didn't work then, she thought to herself. Why should it work now?

She shook the thoughts away. Focus. Don't let your guard down, don't panic. You've trained for this. You can do this. They were reassuring words, but they did not help her situation. She couldn't kill it without the proper equipment. She could only keep it from getting those kids. She remembered the promise she made to Sophie and her grip on the iron bar tightened. As the angry roars came closer, she raised the bar above her head like a bat, ready to strike as soon as the monster reared its ugly head. The sounds came closer and closer and closer.

A figure with cold blue eyes appeared, and she swung.

The Winchesters met the kids halfway. Each one was shivering and shaking, either from the cold or from fear, maybe even both. What disturbed them most, however, was the person who was missing from the group.

Kneeling down, Sam looked into Sophie's eyes. "Where's Tara?"

A small tear rolled down the child's chubby cheek. "The monster was coming. She said she was going to stop it."

"That's not possible. We killed the monster."

The child spoke again, her voice barely above a whisper. "You didn't kill the other one."

Both brothers exchanged wide-eye looks. "Sam, take the kids outside and wait with them. I've got a Morko to waste."

Sam looked like he wanted to argue, but there was no time. Guiding the kids to the exit, Sam shared one last glance with his brother before disappearing behind a corner.

Tara needed help, and fast. She was quickly losing the battle to the Morko, who was not only furious but incredibly strong. The iron bar had been thrown out of Tara's reach, and now it was a battle of hand-to-hand combat, which was not in Tara's favor. The Morko screamed ravenously as she lunged at the teen. "You killed my sister! You will pay for this!" Her cold hands were ripping into Tara's, causing her to scream in pain. This monster was not simply a predator, as her sister had been: she was a wounded animal, lashing out at anything and everything that came in her way.

Tara gathered her strength and administered one hard punch to the Morko's nose. The monster temporarily loosened her grip, and Tara leapt to her feet. "Where do you think you're going?!" The Morko grabbed Tara's leg and pulled the girl down. The Morko pulled her down so quickly that Tara was unable to brace her fall, and her head hit the stone floor. Sound became muffled and her vision became blurry. It was as if she was underwater, where everything was peaceful but also so empty. She was brought back to reality by a sharp pain. The pain grew to intense levels and a scream escaped her mouth. Everything was suddenly sharp and defined, and she looked down to see the Morko with an iron grip on her leg. There was a loud snap, and the pain became unbearable. Her leg was most definitely broken, yet the monster did not loosen its grip. "You are going to feel every bone in your body be crushed into dust," she hissed.

"Hey!" a voice boomed. The Morko looked up and saw a furious Dean Winchester. Many a monster had seen this rage in Dean's eyes, and none had lived to tell the tale. This alone should have scared the Morko, but it was the flare gun in his hand that sent a cold fear through the monster.

Dean smirked. "Sayonara, bitch."

The Morko went up in flames, screaming. Dean grabbed Tara and pulled her away from the shrieking beast. The blinding light came once more and Dean covered the teen's eyes. The Morko fell, and just like that, it was all over.

The cavern, however, didn't stop shaking. If there was a possibility that it would collapse before, it was certain to now. A quick glance at Tara's oddly-bent leg and bleeding forehead told Dean there was no way of her walking out. "Sorry, kid, this is gonna hurt like hell." He picked Tara up, doing his best to ignore the groans of pain escaping her mouth, and took off toward the exit. The cavern shook and began to fall apart, but daylight shown through the darkness of the mine. Dean stepped into the light just as the mine fell apart behind him.

The light was too much for Tara. It was blinding after being in such a dark place for so long, and the hard hit to the head didn't help matters much. She could hear voices, and felt the softness of the grass and warmth of the sun on her face. The voices were ones she recognized. A crying child, and two men, one of whom was on the phone with someone, and the other was asking her something. If she could just focus, then maybe she could hear what he was saying…

"Stay awake, okay? I know you're tired and you're in pain, but you have to stay awake."

Stay awake? But the sun was so warm and the grass was so soft and the light hurt so much. It was so easy to close her eyes and fall asleep…

"Stay awake!"

Sorry, she thought. The darkness overtook her and she slipped away.

When she woke again, the lights were just as bright, except it wasn't sunlight she was staring at, but the sharp glow of fluorescent lights. Through squinted eyes, she saw white walls, a white floor and a paneled ceiling. Okay, so I'm in a hospital.

She sat up and instantly regretted it as all the blood rushed to her head. Reaching up to rub her head, she felt where stitches had obviously been recently added. As she swung her legs to get out of bed, she realized her leg felt surprisingly stiff, and looked down to see a long white cast covering her knee downward.

Suddenly she heard footsteps approaching the door. The door swung open, revealing Sam and Dean. "Sup guys. Kill anything while I was out?"

Sam smirked. "Not that we're aware."

"Good. I think. How long was I out for anyways?"

"12 hours or so," Dean replied. "We thought it was going to be a lot worse. You know you're not supposed to fall asleep with a concussion."

Tara rolled her eyes and shrugged her shoulders. "I'm fine, aren't I?"

Dean took a seat while Sam leaned against the wall. Both had very worried looks on their faces. "What?" Tara asked.

"You can't be this reckless. If you keep doing this, eventually it's going to be worse than a broken leg," Sam said.

Tara looked at both brothers, her eyes darting from one to the other, studying their expressions. "It's no big deal. I've gotten more severe injuries from non-supernatural things."

Sam wanted to ask what this meant, but deep down in his gut, he knew. "Still, it was a risk that you shouldn't've taken."

"But I should've risked those kids' lives? I should've risked that thing capturing more children in this town?!"

"Of course not," Dean cut in. "But you didn't have to risk yourself like that. If you had run with the kids- "

"Then they might not've made it out! I wasn't willing to take that chance. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one."

Dean rubbed a hand across his face. "Normally, I would applaud you for the Star Trek reference, but this is serious. You could've gotten killed. You're sixteen! This isn't your problem."

Tara felt a rage rise up inside of her. "Isn't my problem? It isn't my problem?! When supernatural things take everything you love, take away your childhood and your family and your chance at a normal life, then it becomes your problem. This became my problem when I was six years old, and I am well aware of the risks. I know that I will not make it to my twentieth birthday and I am okay with that. This is what I do. This is what I will do for the rest of my life." It got really quiet, but you could still hardly hear Tara when she added, "And I don't expect you to save me from that."

The brothers exchanged a look with each other, a look that Tara couldn't quite distinguish. Then Sam spoke up.

"Look, I know this might not be the best time, but we were thinking… maybe you should stay somewhere for awhile. Until your leg gets better."

"What do you mean?"

"You could stay at the bunker, if you wanted. You could take the spare room and we wouldn't bother you. It's the safest place on earth, and you could stay there until you got better."

Tara squinted her eyes suspiciously. "What's the catch?"

"What do you mean?"

"Every time someone offers something, it's because they want something in return. So what are the terms?"

"There are no terms. We just think that you should stay put someplace for awhile while you heal. Right now, you can't drive, and you definitely can't hunt, not safely, anyway. We just think you should stay somewhere safe. It doesn't have to be at the bunker. Just somewhere where you won't get into any trouble."

Tara could tell that the Winchesters meant her no harm, but she still kept her guard up. "Why are you being so nice to me? If this is about the whole "saving your life" thing, don't take it too seriously. I was only kidding when I said you were forever in my debt."

Sam did his best to look serious while a smile tugged the side of Dean's mouth. "It's not about that. We just want to make sure that you're okay."

"That's it?"

"That's it."

"Then…okay. Sure. Why not." Tara's instincts told her that this was just for her safety, that they truly did care about her, but she still wanted to put walls up. She had been on guard against everything for so long…maybe it was time she broke a wall or two.

Changing the subject, Tara asked, "When did the doctors say I can leave?"

Dean replied, "After you woke up. You need crutches, but the hospital said they would give you a pair, free of charge." He smirked. "Apparently the people around here think you're quite the hero."

Tara groaned. "Great, a fan club. The sooner we get out of here, the better." Looking down at herself, she said, "At least I don't have to wear a freaking hospital gown."

A nurse came in with a pair of crutches. Before Tara knew it, she was in the backseat of the Impala, her duffel bag next to her, heading to a secret bunker only a few knew existed. And she had a feeling, down deep in the pit of her stomach, that this was where everything changed.

A/N: Sorry about the delayed chapter, guys! It's a bit longer than the others, but I'm going to try to include more and more in every chapter, as well as post more frequently. Let's see how this goes! And as always, reviews are appreciated. :)