Previously: Jenna finds Sam and Quinn at the fire tower and together they go back to find Dean unconscious in the woods . They opt to leave Tyler with the demons in order to get Dean to a hospital. When Dean wakes up, he checks himself out right away, determined to go rescue Tyler. Dean and Quinn rub each other the wrong way and argue over... well, everything. The hunters decide to use Reagan (the psychic girl who was cooperating with the demons) and her psychic mojo to find Tyler.

Author's Note: I apologize again for taking so long to get this chapter up (almost 2 weeks, I think). Between RL and some creative blocks, I had a really hard time finishing it. So sorry.

CHAPTER 12 – No Man Left Behind

"That's not how it works!" Reagan repeated for the third time, tears streaming down her cheeks. Dean was leaning over her with his hands clamped on her wrists, which were still tied to the arms of the chairs. His face was right in hers and his tone was harsh and threatening.

"That's how you found Jenna and Sam!" he accused, ignoring the tears and the fear in her voice. "You used your psychic thing to find out where they were and you ratted them out to the demons! NOW FIND TYLER!"

"B-but I c-can't..."

"Yes you can! And you damn well will!"

"Dean," Sam admonished. "Take it easy. She's just a girl."

Dean straightened up, frustrated and angry at their lack of progress. Reagan had started out defiant and angry, spouting threats about Cole coming to find her and what he was going to do to them all when he did. The fight had left her when Dean had smugly informed her Darksuit was back in Hell and wouldn't be finding anything but a fire poker up his ass, but she was still wasn't cooperating. Now she was just sobbing.

"She's not just a girl," Dean barked at his brother. "She's a girl who sided with demons. She made her bed." He walked over to the table to snatch the beer Sam was handing him and take a breather. Probably wise to calm down before he ended up taking a swing at her.

"She's still human," Sam reminded him. "A scared human who was being held prisoner by demons."

Dean rolled his eyes at his brother, giving him a 'save it' look.

Sam lowered his voice and spoke close to Dean's ear. "Look, the doc said you shouldn't exert yourself, remember? I'm just saying, take it easy."

There was a sharp slapping sound of skin on skin and the brothers turned to see Quinn standing before Reagan. Or more like over Reagan because the chair was on its way to the floor. It hit with a loud crack and a pained cry from the young girl tied to it.

"Alright, bitch," Quinn said coldly. "Butch and Sundance over there may not want to hit a girl but trust me, I have no such reservations." She uprighted the chair and immediately gave Reagan a sharp punch in the gut. "Now do your thing and find Tyler or I'm gonna hafta get out my knife."

Sam winced at the rough treatment but glanced sideways to see a smirk cross Dean's face.

"Okay, Sammy," Dean grinned. "Maybe your girlfriend isn't so bad after all. You can keep her."

Quinn flashed them a grin before wrapping her fist in Reagan's hair and yanking her head back. "You gonna play ball?"

"I...I...c-can't..." Reagan sobbed.

Quinn reached behind her and pulled out a four inch blade, waving it in front of the girl's face. "Not what I wanna hear," she practically sang.

"I w-would, but I c-can't find him just like that!" Reagan squeaked, her eyes widening at the sight of the knife.

Quinn dragged the tip of the blade across Reagan's collarbone, slicing a very shallow but painful cut. Reagan cried out in pain.

"I'm sorry," Quinn said mockingly. "I thought I heard the word 'can't'."

Dean leaned closer to Sam. "Uhhh, is she bluffing?" he whispered.

"I don't really know," Sam admitted with a nervous shrug.

"It... it takes time!" Reagan got out. "I can do it but... but not just like that. It takes me a while to find them."

"Explain." Quinn kept the knife in front of the girl's face.

"To get a psychic link... to get a vision of the person's future..." Reagan blubbered. "It can take hours or even days... just to find them. I send feelers out there but... but it can take a while." She broke out into another series of open sobs.

Quinn released her grip in Reagan's hair and straightened up. "Better get started then," she said evenly. "You've got twenty-four hours."

"Then w-what?" Regan looked terrified.

Sam grabbed Quinn's wrist and pulled the pissed off hunter's arm away from their prisoner, just in case. "Then we let Quinn here do whatever she wants," he said to Reagan, his tone deadly serious.

Quinn gave him a slightly offended look but moved away. "Fine. She's all yours, Winchester. At least for twenty-four hours."

Reagan nodded. "I'll try. I'll try. But sometimes..."

"Hey! Do or do not, bitch. There is no try." Dean kept a straight face as he threatened Reagan but broke out into a giddy smirk at his own joke as soon as he turned away, in turn getting a giggle from Jenna, who had been watching the whole scene from where she sat on the bed, having showered and now wearing Quinn's spare clothes.

The next hour passed torturously slowly. Reagan was harassed every five minutes by either Quinn or Dean, neither of whom had much patience. Sam sat at the table in front of his laptop, finding what he was seeing quite amusing. Dean and Quinn sat on the bottom corners of the king sized bed glaring at their prisoner, looking like bookends with matching frowns on their faces.

Quinn stood up first, letting out a frustrated groan. "Jen, you need some real food," she announced, grabbing her jacket. "You hungry too?" she asked Sam.

Sam nodded, realizing he should have thought of food for Dean but was too used to being bitched at whe he fussed over his brother. Between Jenna and Dean, half the contents of the motel's vending machine had been devoured shortly after their arrival but they could probably use some proper nutrition after being in the woods for more than a day.

"I'll get enough for all of us." Quinn gave Sam a deliberate, questioning look as she opened the motel room's door to exit. "Stay frosty, huh?"

Sam nodded his silent confirmation that he would keep Jenna safe in her absence and she left. He moved to turn his attention back to his laptop but glanced up at Dean first. His brother looked ragged and weary.

"Dude, she said it could be hours; days even," he pointed out, gesturing to Reagan who had her eyes closed and her forehead scrunched up like she was trying to concentrate really hard on something. "Get some sleep. I got this."

Dean sighed but nodded, sliding himself up to the top of the bed and lying down on top of the covers, still fully dressed. "Yeah, alright. Just a couple of hours."

"You must be tired, too," Sam said to Jenna.

"Yeah, come on Jen," Dean urged, lifting an arm to direct her over to his side. "Look at the size of the bed we got now," he added, waggling his eyebrows. "Can do a lot more on this than that frigging cot."

Jenna rolled her eyes and laughed but didn't waste any time climbing onto the king sized bed and curling up right next to Dean, her head resting in the crook of his arm. Sam watched them with amusement; they seemed oddly comfortable with one another, their interaction strangely casual. It was rare he saw Dean around a pretty girl without his cocky, smooth, flirty facade on full tilt but the two of them simply settled in together quickly, closing their eyes and looking entirely relaxed. Sam supposed that was to be expected after spending three days in close confinement with another person, but it was still a little strange for him to be seeing Dean this way.

Especially with a girl who was... nah, Sam shook his head. He wasn't going to finish that thought.

A girl who was a freak like him.

Damnit, he finished it anyway.

By the time Quinn came back fifteen minutes later, Dean and Jenna were both fast asleep. Sam noticed the older hunter's mouth draw into a tight line when her eyes fell on the pair snuggled together on the bed and he realized she didn't share his optimism about whatever relationship might have developed between her friend and Sam's brother.

She settled in the chair across from him and they ate talking in whispers, all the while keeping the pressure on Reagan to find Tyler. Sam released their prisoner's bound wrists to let her eat, ignoring Quinn's grumbling about being too soft on her. Quinn insisted on accompanying Reagan into the bathroom for a pee-break and re-tied her wrists as soon as her meal was finished.

Dean and Jenna slept for over six hours. Sam kept a close eye on his brother for any signs of complications regarding his concussion but Dean slept soundly, a clear sign he had been utterly exhausted. The younger Winchester also intercepted the inevitable call from the doctor and, after receiving an earful for leaving the hospital A.M.A., was informed Dean's CT scan had come back clear. Sam finally allowed himself relax a little.

The waiting game continued. By nightfall Regan still hadn't been able to locate Tyler. She had at least confirmed he wasn't at the mansion or anywhere in Montecito but was still waiting for one of her 'feelers to catch'.

Quinn decided she should take the opportunity to go get her car, a decision Sam was confident was a result of boredom as much as any need to retrieve her weapons stash like she claimed. The car was still parked behind the motel in Burbank and since they had only paid for two nights in their old room and would have been automatically checked out by now, it made sense that the badly dented car being left there may bring unwanted attention. Quinn insisted she and Jenna would be there and back in less than three hours, including the time it took to steal a car for the ride down.

Naturally, an argument ensued when Dean insisted they stay together for now and Quinn told him to not to get his panties in a twist because Sam would still be there to hold his hand. Dean came back with a snarky remark comparing the lengths of their respective hunting careers and it just seemed to escalate from there. In the end, Quinn and Jenna left.

They had been gone just over an hour when Reagan found something. She gasped suddenly and turned towards Sam, breathing heavily. "I've seen him, I've seen him."

"Who, Tyler?" Dean was out of his chair in a heartbeat, moving to hover over her. "Where is he?!"

Her eyes widened fearfully and she leaned back as far as she could in her chair, giving Sam a pleading glance out from behind his intimidating older brother. Sam urged Dean a few steps back and gestured for her to continue. "Did you see Tyler?" he asked more calmly.

"Yes. He was in a building... or something."

"A building or something?" Dean was clearly trying to keep belligerence out of his voice. "You're gonna need to be a little more specific, sweetheart."

"It was dirty and empty but there was like, long hallways. And boarded up windows. And not a lot of light."

"And Tyler was there?" Sam urged.

Reagan nodded. "Yeah. Josef was taking him back to a room after a trip to the bathroom."

"Josef?" Dean queried.

"Yeah, you know him." Reagan peered warily past the taller hunter. "He's the one who looks like that guy from the Matrix."

Dean chuckled. "That's right. That guy's a douche."

Sam quirked an eyebrow.

"One of the demons from the mansion," Dean explained, looking a little sheepish. "There was Lefty, Righty, Redhead, Keanu, a couple we didn't name, and Darksuit." His frown returned and he glared at Reagan. "That last one was the demon this bitch was screwing."

Sam raised a hand to calm Dean down before he got pissy again. "Reagan, what else did you see?"

The slim brunette still tied to the chair pursed her lips before continuing, clearly upset by the mention of Darksuit. "They were putting him back in the room they'd been keeping him locked in. He has a mattress on the floor and they'd given him McDonalds to eat but he wasn't hungry. I think he's scared because he threw up when he was in the bathroom. Josef was being a jerk; he said it was Tyler's fault they were all stuck squatting in these digs until the boss found them somewhere better to go."

"And..." Sam encouraged.

"He was telling Tyler that Dean abandoned him. That he left him high and dry as soon as he saw a chance to get himself out of there."

Sam didn't need to look at his brother to know Dean was practically trembling with rage. "Keep going," he urged their prisoner. "Any detail you can think of."

"Josef said he was going to make sure Tyler paid for all the trouble he had caused."

"Was the kid alright?" Dean asked, his tone unreadable. "Was he hurt?"

"Well, he wasn't bleeding or anything. Chad was there too and..." she glanced up at Dean, interrupting herself. "That's the one who possessed the FBI guy and has the gun," she explained.

"Lefty," Dean snarled. "That guy's a dick."

"Dude, they're all dicks," Sam chuckled. "They're demons."

"Chad punched Tyler," Reagan continued. "And kicked him."

Sam saw Dean's fists clenching in his peripheral. "Do you know where this warehouse is?" he asked hurriedly.

She shook her head. "I didn't see anything outside."

"Concentrate," Sam coaxed. "Remember details. Signs on the wall..."

She scrunched her eyes shut in concentration. "Uhhh... there was a poster on the wall in Tyler's room. It had a picture of a lion - no a leopard - on it. A blue leopard. Ummmm..." She opened her eyes but Dean took an intimidating step forward and she closed them again quickly. "Oh shit, uhhh..."

"Think!" Dean seethed.

"By the bathroom!" she gasped. "By the bathroom in the hallway there were lockers. Like school lockers. A whole row of them. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, that's all I saw."

"When was it?" Sam pressed.

"W-what?"

"When do the things in your vision take place?" Sam elaborated. "You said you get glimpses of the psychic kids' futures, right? How far ahead do you see?"

"It varies. Sometimes minutes, hours, even weeks if I get a good lock. This was a couple of hours from now at most."

Dean swore out loud. "That means Tyler's there for at least a couple of hours but as soon as the boss finds this 'better place', they could be gone. And they're using him as their fucking punching bag. We need to find this place fast, Sammy. What do we have to go on? Abandoned, a school, probably still in California..."

Sam was already at the table pecking away at his laptop.

~X~X~X~X~X~

The air in the Impala was tense on the hour and a half drive. Not only was Reagan tied up and gagged in the back seat because they couldn't risk leaving her alone in the motel room, but Dean was not pleased that the building in the psychic's vision had turned out to be an old abandoned junior high school that had been relocated to a bigger facility when two districts were amalgamated - Harold J. Peterman Middle School, home of the Peterman Cheetahs - just a few miles from where Quinn and Jenna were right now.

"I knew we shouldn't have let them go off on their own," Dean growled, slamming his fist into the steering wheel and stepping harder on the gas. "If the demons have sniffed out your old motel room..."

"Dean, Quinn can handle herself."

"It's not Quinn they're after!"

It suddenly dawned on Sam that the reason Dean was all worked up was because he was worried about Jenna. Very worried actually – more than usual. He gave his brother a curious glance but let the question drop before it materialized, knowing he would be treading dangerously close to emo-territory if he asked what he wanted to ask. He had no doubts Dean had taken advantage of the close quarters he and Jenna had shared for three days and the pair had slept together. With Dean, that practically went without saying. But this seemed more than just a lay; Dean's protective instincts were on overdrive with this girl.

And the sentiments were even more obviously returned. Jenna didn't look at Dean the way most girls in bars did - like they wanted to crawl on top and ride him to the county fair – no, she had been giving him the 'completely smitten' look. She didn't just have a crush on Dean, she really cared about him.

Sam knew his brother well enough to know the cocky bragging and frequent one-night-stands were just a front he put on. He had always suspected Dean was gentle and affectionate when alone with women, despite his bravado and talk to the contrary. After all, Dean had to find tenderness and affection somewhere growing up and he sure as Hell wasn't getting it from their Dad.

"Look, we called them. They're laying low until we get there. They're fine," Sam assured him, hoping to appease the angry bear Dean became when people he cared about were in danger.

~X~X~X~X~X~

As it turned out, Sam was right and Quinn and Jenna were indeed fine. They were waiting for the Winchesters on the residential street next to the abandoned school, sitting in a parked sports car that had huge dents all up one side. Dean pulled the Impala over behind them. He sneered as they approached and the women got out of the Exige, the driver's gullwing door rattling and groaning as it was forced open past the obvious misalignment.

"What the fuck kind of car is that for a hunter?" he scoffed.

"The fast kind," Quinn retorted, earning a frown from Dean. He hadn't thought he'd said that loud enough to be heard. She popped the hood and started rummaging through her weapons stash.

"So what's the plan?" Jenna asked the brothers.

Dean shrugged. "We arm up, sneak in, grab Tyler, and get the Hell out of there."

Quinn looked up, sliding a Glock in her inside jacket pocket. "It's a big building. Do we know where he's being kept?"

"Not really," Sam answered. "Reagan thinks he's somewhere on the second floor."

"Okay, so we split up to search," she said, tucking a 9mm into the back of her pants and pulling a third gun out of her car.

"Better if we stick together," Dean argued, watching with amusement as Quinn tried to figure out which pocket to put the third gun in.

"Easier to stay under the radar if we split up."

"Easier to kick demon ass if we're watching each other's backs."

"Well we won't have to fight them if they never know we're here, will we?"

"Sam's not walking around alone in the middle of a nest of demons. They're after him, remember?"

"Whoa, I can take care of myself!" Sam cut in indignantly. "And Dean, Quinn's right."

Dean shot his brother a furious glare for once again siding with the annoying, mouthy piece of ass over his own brother. What the hell was with that? The kid often disagreed with him when they were alone but they usually presented a united front when in company – they didn't undermine each other in front of other hunters, even if those hunters were hot chicks.

"I'm gonna stick with you," Jenna said to Quinn, tucking a flask of holy water in her own jacket pocket.

"Ohh, Jen..." Quinn winced. "You're not coming in."

Jenna scowled at her friend. "Yes I am," she insisted. "Tyler's my friend too."

"For once, I gotta agree with Bossy Boots here," Dean told the blonde. "The demons want to get their hands on you again too and we can't help Tyler if we're too busy trying to keep you safe."

"I can handle myself. Come on, I never slowed you down before, Dean."

"Jen, you're not coming in." Quinn's tone didn't leave any room for argument.

"We need you out here to keep an eye on Reagan," Dean added, trying to soften the blow. He had nothing but respect for the girl's bravery and abilities but she would be a liability all the same.

Jenna's lips pulled into a Sam-worthy pout but she didn't argue any further. After a couple more minutes of bickering between Dean and Quinn about the game plan, it was decided Sam would go in the back door on the west wing, Quinn the back door on the east wing, and Dean would take the side door into the gym.

Dean was rummaging through the Impala's weapon's compartment looking for his rosary with Sam standing next to him when he noticed the deep frown on his younger brother's face. "What?" he challenged. "I know this could be suicide but I'm not leaving Tyler so don't even go there."

Sam pulled a bitchface. "I wasn't going to suggest we abandon an innocent kid, Dean. You know me better than that."

"Then turn that frown upside-down, Sammy," Dean quipped, handing the taller hunter his usual sawed-off shotgun.

"I agree this could be a suicide mission though," Sam continued, his voice low. "So why are we leaving our best weapon outside?"

"Best weapon?"

"Jenna. I mean, she can pull demons and exorcize them with her mind and we're leaving her in the car?"

"Dude, she doesn't want to use her mojo. It's demon-related, remember?"

"She'd be using it against demons!" Sam argued.

"It's too dangerous."

"It's too dangerous not to use her!"

Dean slammed the trunk shut. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Wrong? Without her, we're completely outmatched in there."

"Do you even hear yourself?"

"Dean, I get that you like her..."

"That has nothing to do with this! We're not asking her to use her mojo, you hear me? These psychic powers you guys have, they're not a good thing, Sam! You of all people should know that. You'd turn your visions off if you could, wouldn't you?"

"I don't like them but so far, we've saved people by using them. I could have saved Jessica if I'd..." He cut himself off and his lips drew in a tight line. "These abilities aren't all bad."

"They are all bad!" Dean hissed. "Jenna sees that. Why can't you?" He moved away, putting an end to the disconcerting argument and pushing his disappointment in Sam's suggestion aside as Jenna approached. He pulled on a smile to greet her.

"So you gonna wait in your smashed-up tin can or in my classic beauty here?" he offered, tapping the roof of the Impala.

"I heard that!" Quinn called from over by the Exige.

Jenna laughed. "You know, you and Quinn might get along of you would stop antagonizing each other. If I'm supposed to be watching Reagan, I'll wait in your car." She peered into the back seat where their prisoner was sitting quietly. "She tied up tight?"

Dean leaned into the Impala to double-check Reagan's ropes. "She's secure," he assured Jenna, lifting an eyebrow as he surrepticiosuly watched a curious exchange between Sam and Quinn over by the other car.

"Be careful in there, Tiger," Quinn was saying quietly to the tall hunter, lifting a hand to rest on his arm. "Try keep that bullseye on your back out of sight, kay?"

Sam smiled down at her. "Is this your way of saying you're worried about me?" he teased. "Are you getting sentimental on me, Quinn?"

"Fuck you, Winchester," she grinned back before her face turned serious again. "Just be careful."

Dean cleared his throat and gave the signal to get going, taking the lead as the three of them moved across the street. The dark night gave them some semblance of cover as they stole across the grassy schoolyard and they could hear no raised alarms or signs that they had been spotted when they reached the building. Dean gave his brother a nod and a shoulder clap – the Winchester version of 'be careful, I love you' – before heading off towards his designated point of entry.

He made swift work prying the door open with an iron crowbar and slipped inside, hoping the loud crack hadn't alerted any demons of his presence. The gym was dark and empty so he made his way into the closest hallway and quickly found the stairs to the second floor. There wasn't much light coming from the single LED lamp on the floor of the long, empty corridor but it was enough to guide the hunter in its direction. The narrow windows in the classroom doors were emitting no light and the first couple of handles he tried were locked so he headed straight for the door by the lamp.

Just as he reached it, the door swung open and he suddenly found himself face to face with Righty.

Oh crap.

He had to duck before he could even get a swing in. He avoided Righty's fist and returned the punch but it bounced off the demon's face barely making him flinch. Righty's next hit struck hard and Dean sailed across the hallway and slammed into the far wall. He let out a pained grunt and scrambled to his feet.

"Dean?" came a voice from the dimly lit room and then Tyler appeared in the doorway, looking dirty and scared.

Dean lunged at Righty, trying to haul him further out into the hallway to clear the way for the teenager. "Tyler, go!" he yelled, taking a hit in the gut as he grappled with the strong demon.

Tyler stepped out into the hallway only to be shoved roughly back into the room. Dean took a hit to the gut and dropped to his knees, winded and wheezing.

"I can't believe you're stupid enough to show up here, Winchester," Righty laughed. He hit the hunter in the face before turning and throwing a punch at Tyler, who had come up behind and attempted to kick the demon. Dean growled as he watched the kid hit the floor with a sharp cry but Righty's attention was back on the hunter before he could recover enough to protect himself. Righty's foot pulled back and Dean braced himself for the upcoming kick.

But it never came. Above him, Dean heard Righty stumble and fall into the doorframe and he heard Quinn's voice before he saw her. He looked up just in time to see her boot land in Righty's stomach and her knife being drawn. She was spouting Latin but nothing was happening. She slashed at the demon's wrist in an obvious attempt to break the binding mark but Righty had long sleeves so there was no way of knowing where the mark was.

The demon snarled and recovered his balance quickly, lashing out at Quinn and sending her crashing into the empty lockers against the wall. Dean took the opportunity to lunge at him, his own knife now drawn. He had debated shooting the demon but not only would that be just as unlikely to hit the binding mark, but it would also bring every other demon in the place running and with exorsism not an easy option, one at a time was enough.

The two hunters fought the demon hard, slashing at his arms and any other body parts they thought might house the mark, but found themselves hitting more walls than demon parts. Righty was strong and fast and was managing to hold his own against the humans. Dean couldn't help but be impressed with Quinn; she was capable, feisty, and relentless. And when they finally got the upper hand, he grudgingly admitted to himself they were working well together. He was cursing the pain his freshly bruised rib was sending stabbing through his body when he managed to sweep his leg under Righty, knocking the demon off his feet.

Quinn had Righty's shirt half ripped off and hooted in glee when the binding sigil was exposed just below his collarbone. Dean grabbed his knife off the floor and was grappling with Righty in an effort to slice through it when he heard a phone ring. He glanced up to see another demon at the end of the hallway, running towards them as she lifted her phone to her ear. It was Redhead, the bitch from the mansion.

"What?" she shouted into the phone, stopping abruptly. "Sam? Here?"

She turned on her heel and raced off in the other direction and Dean's heart twisted in a knot. Sure, it was good they didn't have to take on two demons at once but damnit, the demons had found Sam. And Sam was clearly the more valuable prize here. Sam was in danger.

That thought was reinforced when gunshots sounded in the distance.

"Fuck! Sam!" Dean seethed, the sudden rush of adrenaline allowing him to finally overpower Righty and slash the tattoo on his chest. Quinn was already chanting the exorcism and between the two of them, they held him down until the funnel of black smoke was expelled from his mouth.

"Get Tyler out of here!" Dean ordered Quinn as he staggered to his feet and started stumbling down the hall towards the stairs. It took him a few steps to steady himself but he pushed the pain aside with panicked thoughts about demons putting their hands on his little brother. Of demons forcing Sam to use his creepy mojo and upping his already disturbing freak quotient. That wasn't gonna happen - not on his watch.

It wasn't until he swung the stairwell door open that he realized Quinn and Tyler were right behind him. There was a door to the outside on the bottom landing and Dean kept going right past it but he heard Quinn talking urgently to Tyler as she shoved him out the door.

"Big black car on the side street. Jenna's there. Just run and don't stop 'til you get there. If the demons see you, tell Jenna to go. Got it? You two drive the fuck away. Now go!"

She was back on Dean's heels by the time he rounded the bend in the west hallway where Sam was supposed to enter the building. The hall was empty.

"Sam!" he shouted, heading towards the main office area. "Sam!" Quinn was right behind him and he turned to glance at her as he ran.

"You should have gone with Tyler," he snapped, worried about the teenager. What if he met demons outside?

"Your brother's in trouble," she fired back testily. "No way I'm leaving."

Dean didn't have time to reply before a man appeared up ahead and gunshots sounded. He recognized the man as the demon Lefty but suddenly bullets were bouncing off the lockers next to them and he had to duck. He scrambled to take cover in a doorway behind the wall of metal lockers taking the stray hits. Quinn was just a split second behind him and he crowded in to make room for her too. He drew his own Colt forty-five and fired blindly up the hallway.

"If you get 'em in the eyes, they smoke out," Quinn panted from in behind him.

Dean nodded. "Good to know," he acknowledged. "But since they've all got frigging binding marks..."

"They'll be trapped inside completely blind bodies," Quinn finished. "But uh, only if you can't..."

"...Do it without killing the meatsuit; I get it." Sam had mentioned Quinn's unease about shooting three possessed people during their altercations. Personally, Dean had agreed with her choice. He wouldn't have admitted it in front of the cocky female hunter that seemed to be making a deliberate effort to get under his skin, but he had agreed. Sam's life had been at stake and Dean had already shocked himself on more than one occasion with the lengths he would go to keep his brother safe.

He fired a few more random shots up the hallway and peered out to see if the coast was clear to advance. Lefty had moved out of sight around the corner and Dean could hear a commotion in that direction.

"Let's go," he barked, breaking cover and moving quickly down the hallway. The commotion got louder, shouts and curses in Sam's voice floating their way.

"Sam!" Dean shouted, barging through a set of double doors just in time to see his brother hit the wall courtesy of Keanu and Redhead.

~X~X~X~X~X~

Once inside the school, Sam hadn't even made it to the stairs before the demons spotted him. He had been walking softly past the teacher's lounge when a guy who looked exactly like the dude from the Matrix movies had emerged, letting out a startled cry at the sight of the hunter. Sam had started running but a second demon had cut him off and he had no choice but to fight his way free.

He had seen one make a phone call, shouting into the phone that they had 'THE' Sam Winchester and had used the distraction to draw his gun, firing it at the legs of the demon that had a hold of him. The demon snarled and stumbled but recovered quickly and wrenched the gun free. A few seconds later a third demon showed up, a female redhead, and Sam lost any hope of breaking free.

Then he heard Dean's voice, shouting his name and the demon with the gun had charged away through a set of double doors in that direction. A series of gunshots followed and Sam's heart twisted in fear for his brother. He heard Dean's .45 firing back and soon the demon with the gun was back.

"No!" Sam panicked and lunged at Keanu. The redhead stepped in and within seconds, he was being punched and thrown across the room into the wall.

He looked up to see Dean storm in, eyes wide with rage and worry. It didn't take the elder Winchester's hunter instincts more than a couple of seconds to assess and react. First thing Dean did was shoot four rounds right into the face of the same demon Sam had aimed for the legs on just a moment earlier.

Quinn was right behind Dean and she immediately headed over towards the downed hunter, raising her gun towards Keanu and the redhead. She fired repeatedly but didn't have a clean line to their faces so they flinched but didn't go down. Keanu lunged forward. She ducked his first hit but his second struck her hard and sent her tumbling backwards onto the floor.

The next minute happened so fast Sam's head was practically spinning. The demon with the gun was writhing on the floor screaming so Sam dismissed him as a threat. Dean launched himself at the Redhead and started raining furious blows on her face. That left Keanu, who had Quinn down and was about to plant a kick in her side. Sam pushed his feet under himself and tackled him.

The fight was so intense, Sam lost track of Quinn and his brother and how many hard hits the frigging 'demon Neo' had landed on him. He eventually got in a lucky swing with a stray two-by-four and looked up to see Quinn had just finished drawing a large devil's trap on the vinyl flooring. He kicked the downed demon and shoved him roughly into the circle before starting towards Dean to help do the same with the feisty redhead.

Dean had already seized the opportunity and landed a hard punch that sent the demon reeling backwards into the trap. "You bitch," he cursed, leaning over to plant his hands on his knees, panting heavily.

"Dean, you okay?" Sam asked him, also panting and the brothers' eyes locked on one another.

Dean grinned and Sam couldn't help but return the gesture. It was a surreal moment that sort of hung there in the air, the two of them smiling at each other like they'd just hustled a good game of pool, two trapped demons scowling in between them.

"Alright, let's send these pricks back to Hell and get out of here," Dean said, straightening up.

"What about Tyler?" Sam questioned, throwing a glance at Quinn to make sure she was alright also. She was quiet and standing back but seemed fine.

"Waiting in the car," Dean assured him, already moving towards Lefty. He hauled up the bloody demon's sleeves and found the mark he was looking for. One slice with his knife and he turned towards the two in the devil's trap.

Sam stepped forward to help and between the two brothers, they managed to expose the binding marks on both demons and slice through them. Keanu had it on his upper arm and Redhead on her wrist. Dean gestured for Sam to perform the exorcism and Sam frowned, frustrated his brother hadn't managed to memorize one yet, but complied.

Three jets of black smoke were soon streaming out of the demons and sinking into the floor in the devil's trap. Sam knew right away all three meatsuits were dead and breathed a sigh of sympathy before relief set in. "Is that them all?" he ventured.

Dean shrugged. "Hope so. But just in case, let's get the hell out of Dodge."

"Sam?"

He wasn't sure if it was her use of his first name or the unfamiliar vulnerability in her voice that caught his attention, but Sam's heart skipped a beat as he spun to face Quinn. She was standing a dozen feet away, swaying slightly with one hand tucked inside her jacket. He gave her a questioning look but was already moving towards her, closing the gap in three long strides.

She didn't resist as he pulled her jacket open to see a dark, wet stain on her side surrounding her hand, liquid oozing out between her fingers.

"Shit, Quinn!" he gasped, clutching her shoulder to steady her.

She nodded, leaning heavily on him. "Fucker shot me," she breathed. "Out in the hallway." With that, her knees gave out and she started to drop. Sam lunged forward and caught her as she fell.

"Quinn!"

~X~X~X~X~X~

Author's Note: Just a heads up this story is nearing it's end. A major turn or two to come before I wrap it up but I am figuring one more chapter and an Epilogue. I really appreciate those who have read, alerted, fave'd, and reviewed. As you all know, that's what inspires and keeps me plugging away so thank-you!