Author's Note - This follows the last six episodes of season three(minus Ghostfacers), I just added my own character into the mix and a few more things. I don't own any of the characters or the episodes, just Apple and the plot following the NRFTW. Let me know what you think. Constructive criticism is always welcome. Review please. (:

I'll follow you into the dark
Chapter Seventeen

Apple watched as the boys placed branches over the police car, she picked up a few more and walked toward them. She put her branches on the hood of the car. She thought they had done a pretty good job of hiding it. Her attention turned to Sam as he began to speak.

"So what, now you're seeing demons?" He asked as he looked at Dean.

"I've seen all kinds of things lately, but... nothing like this."

"Actually, it's not all that crazy." Bobby said. He leaned against the well hidden car and faced the two boys and one girl.

"How's it not that crazy?" Apple wondered out loud.

"Well, Dean's got just over five hours to go? You're piercing the veil, Dean. You're glimpsing the B side."

"A little less new age-y please," Dean said as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"You're almost hell's bitch. So, you can see hell's other bitches."

Sam, Apple, and Dean all looked a little surprised at Bobby's choice of words. "Thank you," Dean finally said, though it came out kind of sarcastic.

"Might come in pretty handy, actually," Sam added after a thoughtful look passed over his face.

"Well I'm glad my doomed soul's good for something."

"Damn right it is. Lilith's probably got demons stashed all over town. We can't let them sound the alarm. She knows we're here, we're dead before we've started." Bobby pointed out.

"Well, this is a terrific plan. I'm glad I could be a part of it. Can we go please?"

- - - - -

Mr. Fremont, Pat, and Lilith sat around the table in the dining room. In front of them was nothing but candy and every kind of sweet food available. Mrs. Fremont walked in and placed the cake she had decorated earlier in front of Lilith. Lilith beamed as she counted the candles on the cake and clapped her hands excitedly.

"Happy birthday, sweetie." Mrs. Fremont said and was quickly followed by Pat and Mr. Fremont.

"Yay! It's my birthday everyday!" Lilith cried as she clapped her hands once more. She leaned forward and blew out the candles on her birthday cake. The smile never left her face as Mrs. Fremont moved the cake over and began to cut it into pieces.

"Cake. Again. It's good." Mr. Fremont commented. His eyes moved to Pat who just smiled and nodded his head 'yes'.

"Hey grandpa, can I ask you something?"

"Sure jelly-bean. Anything." Pat answered.

"Why did you go to Mr. Wayburn for help?" Mrs. Fremont looked up from the cake, worried. Pat half-smiled at Lilith before he attempted to get out of the conversation that had risen.

"I didn't. I don't know what you mean."

Lilith's eyes bore into his own as the smile was erased from her face. "You big fat liar," she challenged.

"I'm sorry. It was a mistake," he admitted.

Mrs. Fremont looked down at her husband, unsure of what to say. He looked to the side, then looked at Lilith. Pat looked away from Lilith and at his family, worried. "No." Mr. Fremont finally said.

Pat looked up, shocked that no one attempted to help him. Lilith looked up at Mrs. Fremont who had looked down at Pat once more. He looked up at her for help, for an answer, for anything that would get him out of the precarious situation he found himself in.

"No." Mrs. Fremont said sadly.

"Grandpa? You don't love me?" Lilith asked.

"I do. I do! I love you!" Pat cried.

"No, you don't. You're lying again. You're just a mean old man."

Pat eyes found Mrs. Fremont's once more, they pleaded with her to help him. She stood there, tears formed in her eyes. As much as she wanted to help him, she was too scared of the small girl.

"Do something. Help me, please."

"I don't think I like you anymore." Lilith said darkly. She raised her hand and snapped her fingers. Mr. and Mrs. Fremont watched as the older man's head fell into his cake. Mrs. Fremont cried out in shock before she put her hand over her mouth to quiet herself. Lilith turned her cold eyes to the woman. "Nobody scream, okay? Screaming makes me mad."

Mrs. Fremont finally took her hand away from her mouth and cut another piece of cake. "Mommy, can I have ice cream with mine?"

- - - - -

"It's the little girl. Her face is awful." Dean said as he handed the binoculars to Apple.

Apple knew she couldn't see what Dean had observed but the little girl did seem a little odd. She handed Sam the binoculars and stepped away from the window. Sam frowned as he looked at the dining room of the home across from the one they occupied. His eyes lingered on the dead older man, and moved to the little girl. He watched her for a few seconds before he lowered the binoculars.

"Alright then, let's go. We're wasting time." Sam said as he walked past Bobby, Dean, and Apple. He moved for the door but was stopped by Dean's hand on his arm.

"Wait."

"For what? For it to kill the rest of them?"

"Yeah, and us too if we're not careful. Look. See the real go-getter mailman on the clock at nine PM?" Dean asked as he pointed out the window.

Sam held up the binoculars and looked at he mailman who sorted mail at the back of his car. He lowered the binoculars and looked at Dean, who pointed once more out the window.

"And Mr. Rogers over there."

"Demons?" Apple asked. She gently took the binoculars from Sam and moved to look at where Dean's finger pointed. Her blue eyes landed on a man who sat in a reclining chair in his home, he smoked a pipe and seemed to read a book.

"Yes."

"Okay, fine. We ninja pass those guys, sneak in." Sam said.

"Then what? Give a 'Columbian necktie' to a ten year old girl, come on!"

Apple placed an arm gently on Dean's arm. He turned to look at the petite brunette woman. "Look, Dean, I know it's awful."

"You think?"

"This isn't just about saving you, Dean. This is about saving everybody," she continued and tried to offer him a small smile to reassure him.

"She's gotta be stopped, son." Bobby added.

Dean looked down at Apple, who blue eyes stared into his green ones. He looked away from her deep eyes to look at Bobby, then turned toward the window. "Oh, damn it," he finally muttered.

- - - - -

"Read it again, mommy." Lilith said to Mrs. Fremont as the two laid in her bed. The little girl was tugged snuggly in her bed, her mother beside her. A book rested open between them.

"But I've read it twenty-six times."

"Again." Lilith said harshly.

"Once upon a time in the town of Celine lived a beautiful princess named Cleo. But the town was plagued by an evil dragon that demanded the blood of children, and the princess was doomed to be sacrificed to the dark and terrible dragon." Mrs. Fremont read as Lilith nuzzled her head onto her shoulder.

- - - - -

The mailman stood by the back of his truck, he flipped through a few pieces of mail in his hand. A loud sound from across the street invaded his ears, and he looked up to try and pinpoint what had caused the ruckus. His eyes landed on a man who stood by the fence, his eyes went coal black as he started after the intruder.

Dean ran back the way he had come as the demon chased after him. He rounded the corner and waited. As the mailman came around the same corner, he ran right into Sam who held up Ruby's knife. Sam plunged the knife into his body, he struggled for a moment as he tried to turn the body around, Apple came up behind him and covered the demons mouth so he wouldn't alarm the neighborhood of the sudden attack. Sam pulled out the knife and the trio watched as the demon flashed a few times before Apple let him fall to the ground.

- - - - -

Bobby stood over a sprinkler system. He began to chant in Latin, rosary in hand. He dropped the rosary into an opening, and watched as it was carried away by the stream.

- - - - -

Sam removed the knife that had been previously located in Mr. Rogers' stomach, who was face down on the ground, dead. He stood up and moved to stand next to Dean and Apple, he wiped the blood off of the knife. Apple watched as Dean dragged the body of Mr. Rogers' into a closet.

Dean joined the pair once more before he nodded at them. Sam and Apple watched for a second before they followed behind him. They watched from a distance as Dean stopped by a fence, when Ruby suddenly appeared behind him. She shoved him into the fence and held him there.

"I'd like my knife back, please. Or your neck snaps like a chicken bone," the blond demon threatened.

Sam and Apple approached the the pair carefully. Sam passed Ruby's knife to Apple, who walked up behind Ruby and held the knife to her throat. "He doesn't have it. Take it easy."

Ruby backed away from Dean and released him from the fence. Apple carefully removed the knife and stood next Dean and Sam.

"How the hell did you get out?" Dean asked.

"What you don't know about me could fill a book." Ruby retorted.

"Whoa."

"What?"

Apple watched with wonder as Dean refused to look at Ruby anymore. "Nothing. I just- I couldn't see you before, but you're one ugly broad."

"Apple, give me the knife before you hurt yourself."

"You'll get it when this is over." Sam stepped in. He carefully took the knife from Apple and stood in front of her, as if to protect her.

"It's already over. I gave you a way to save Dean, you shoot me down. Now it's too late. He's dead. And I'm not gonna let you die too."

"Try and stop me, and I'll kill you. Bitch."

"Hit me with your best shot, baby."

Dean, who had been turned away from them, his eyes watched the direction he had originally been headed in, finally turned to face them. "Guys, guys! Hey. Have your little cat fight later."

The group turned to look at what Dean pointed out. A father and son watched them from their porch, along with a man with a briefcase. "Shit." Apple muttered.

"So much for the element of surprise." Dean muttered.

"Go. Go. Run. Run!" Sam yelled as he pushed everyone in the direction of Lilith's house. He looked back once and noticed more people had chased after them.

- - - - -

Sam reached the house first. He kneeled down and immediately began to pick the lock. Ruby, Dean, and Apple slid to a stop behind him, they turned and watched as even more people ran toward them.

"What the hell is taking Bobby?" Dean asked.

"I'm trying!" Sam cried as he worked harder at the lock. For some reason it didn't want to budge. He looked back at the demon's that chased them and winched as one of them reached the lawn.

Dean watched with satisfaction as the sprinklers finally turned on and created a barrier of holy water between them and the demons. He smiled as he watched the demons fall to the green grass, they writhed and screamed in pain as their flesh sizzled. The demons formed their own type of barrier around the lawn and carefully avoided the blessed water.

Finally they heard a small sound of triumph as Sam flung the door open and walked into the house. With one last smile, Dean turned from the demons and followed the group into the house.

- - - - -

Sam and Ruby stood over the body of a dead woman, the looks on their faces were nothing short of shock. Neither Dean and Apple had turned from the door yet, they stood and looked at each other after having shut the door.

"Apple, remember what I told you okay? No matter what, I'm going to protect you and Sam. If anything goes wrong, for me, you look after Sammy. I'll always be watching over you two." He kissed her forehead lightly. Blue eyes stared deeply into green, so many things were said between them in that instant, and that moment would forever haunt Apple.

She reached up and pressed her lips to his, she kissed him with everything they'd never said, she wanted him to feel this. Apple's feelings told her things weren't going to be okay, and as much as she tried to deny them, to push them away, they just grew stronger and stronger. His arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her close. Apple thought she would break down as she pulled away from him. Her lips brushed his ear as she whispered, "Fight like hell, Dean."

The pair broke apart and walked toward Sam and Ruby. Both looked over the elderly woman on the floor. She looked like she had been there for a while. Apple sighed as she looked at Ruby.

"You think Lilith knows we're here?"

"Probably," the demon replied.

They looked around a bit before they walked into the living room. Sam went in first, he held Ruby's knife as if it were a gun, he looked around and motioned for the others to follow him in. Apple was next, followed by Dean and Ruby.

The creak of a door made the group turn around. Dean's hand shot out a he captured a man who had tired to rush him. He covered the man's mouth with his hand and tried to shush him, they didn't need Lilith to find out about them yet.

"We're here to help. Okay? I'm gonna move my hand, and we're gonna talk nice and quiet, okay?" Dean whispered.

The man nodded his head 'yes', and Dean slowly removed his hand. "Sir, where is your daughter?" Sam asked.

"It's not... it's not her anymore," the man replied.

Apple moved to stand in front of the shaken man. "Where is she?"

"Upstairs, in her bedroom."

"Okay, okay, okay. Listen to me. I want you to go downstairs to the basement. Put a line of salt at the door behind you. Do you understand me?" Dean whispered once more.

"Not without my wife," the man argued.

"Yes, without your wife."

"No," the man continued. Dean, fed up with him, punched him and knocked the man out cold. He didn't have time to argue with the stubborn man. He picked him up and put him over his shoulder, he gave the others a look before he started to walk off.

- - - - -

Sam, Ruby, and Apple walked upstairs, their backs were pressed against the wall as they attempted to be as stealthy as possible. When they finally reached the second floor, Ruby walked to the door on their right, she looked at Sam who nodded his head. She walked in, and closed the door behind her. Apple followed Sam to a door on their left. Her ear was pressed lightly to the door as she tried to listen for any sign of life, or the demon possessed girl. She nodded at Sam, who slowly opened the door. He slipped in, quickly followed by Apple.

The pair walked carefully into the room, Sam held the knife out in front of him. He nodded for Apple to walk toward a drape covered bed, upon having reached it, she slowly pulled the drapes back and allowed Sam to stand over the girl and the mother. He stood before the pair, knife poised to kill the young girl.

"Do it," the woman whispered as quietly as she could. Sam looked down at the child and prepared himself to take her life. "Do it," the woman repeated.

Sam nearly took a step back as girl shifted around. His eyes trailed to the woman who the little girl was nuzzled up against, the look in her eyes was sheer panic and fear. He readied himself once more as the woman once again urged him to do it. The little girl's eyes opened and she sat up.

"Hurry!" the woman said. The girl screamed and opened her eyes fully. Sam lunged for her but was surprised at the fact that he was pulled away from his target. He looked over his shoulder at his older brother, then to Apple and Ruby.

"It's not her." Dean said as his eyes stayed on the girl.

"Mommy!" The girl sobbed as he looked at her mom.

"Mommy's here. Mommy's here. It's okay."

(chapter title: i'll follow you into the dark - death cab for cutie)