Amie sat in the bar, next to Sam. Dean threw his final dart as Amie swallowed the last of her beer, Sam sighing.
"I saw a motel five miles back," Sam said, getting ready to leave.
"Whoa whoa easy, let's have another round," Dean replied.
"We should get an early start."
Dean raised an eyebrow and looked down at Amie, who smiled and shrugged. Dean sighed. "Yeah, you really know how to have fun, don't you, Grandmas?" Sam smiled and shook his head. Amie stretched and stood up. "Alright, I'll meet you outside, I gotta take a leak." Dean flashed a quick smile at them then walked off, Sam gathering his things and falling into pace next to Amie.
"I'm looking forward to a nice night in a warm bed," Sam said, slinging an arm around Amie's shoulders.
"Me too," she sighed. "I haven't slept right in days."
"Oh yeah, me neither. You and Dean, I can hear you through the thin hotel walls," Sam joked. Amie shoved him playfully, then shook her head as they walked through the door.
"Oh shut up. Just 'cause you're not getting any," she smiled, looking up at him. He halted in the middle of the car park, taking away his arm.
"Amie, I don't want any. That's why I'm not getting any," Sam said.
"I know, I was joking."
"I know that, but I've had enough of you and Dean expecting me to find a woman. I'm still getting over Jess; you need to stop," he said.
"I just thought…"
"Don't think," he snapped. "Look, I'm gonna go wait by the Impala. Can you give me a minute?"
Amie nodded, looking up at him sadly. He walked off, across the dark car park. Amie looked at the wet floor, swallowing. How long should she wait? At least until Dean got back.
She heard something behind her. Amie whipped around, staring into the night. She couldn't see anyone or anything, but she could still hear it.
Then everything went black.
(o(o(o(o(0)o)o)o)o)
Dean walked out of the bar to see Sam stood next to the Impala alone. Where was Amie? He walked over swiftly, to see him with his book on the roof of the car.
"Where's Amie?" Sam asked, looking at Dean tensely.
"What do you mean? She came out here with you," Dean said, growing worried.
"Yes, but then we had an argument and she went back in to find you." Sam's heart beat increased as well. He had presumed that was where she had disappeared to. But she had not gone back inside… so where was she?
"God damnit Sammy!" Dean shouted, putting both of his hands in his hair, grabbing fistfuls of it. He let his arms drop. "So you're telling me, that in a town where people disappear and never come back, you let her go off by herself?"
"I didn't let her… I needed a few moments," Sam said defensively.
"Oh, great. You feel better now Sammy? Good. Amie's missing, by the way. So if you're done having your chick flick moment, can we try and find the son of a bitch that took her?" Sam swallowed and nodded, looking at Dean apologetically. He stormed round to the other side of the car and opened the Impala door, a look of steely determination setting in his face.
(o(o(o(o(0)o)o)o)o)
Amie awoke, dazed and confused. She blinked multiple times, trying to work out where she was. Metal bars. She was in a cage. The room was dark and had a peculiar smell in it; but apart from that, it just seemed like a shed.
Amie sat up as much as the cage would allow, looking over at the other cage.
"Hey, are you okay?" A man asked. Amie recognised him.
"Yeah, I'm okay. Are you? Have you been hurt?"
"No, I'm fine. I mean, I've been kidnapped, but apart from that…" the man said quietly.
"Well, if it helps, I'm here to save you," Amie smiled. "So, have you seen them? What are they?"
"Who?" The man asked.
"The things that took us… what do they look like?"
"Are you crazy? I don't know… tall, scruffy… Well, look for yourself," the man said, as the door in the far corner of the room clicked open.
People walked in. Normal, ordinary, crazy people. That scared Amie more than any monster ever could have. They walked over to the man's cage, while he shouted at them to stay away.
They placed food down, smirking at him, then left.
"People," Amie whispered. "They're just… crazy people."
"Well, obviously. What did you expect?"
"How often do they feed you?" Amie asked, trying to work out how she could escape.
"Once a day."
"What do they want? Have they said anything?"
"I don't know. They haven't spoken to me. If you ask me, they're a bunch of psycho hillbilly rednecks. Lookin' for love in all the wrong places."
Amie swallowed, looking around the room. She had to get out of here.
(o(o(o(o(0)o)o)o)o)
Amie sat in the cage, waiting for the woman in the other to wake up. The man had disappeared and never come back; and after hearing his bloodcurdling screams, Amie did not believe he was coming back.
The woman stirred, groaning.
"Hey, are you okay?" Amie asked quietly.
"Are you Amie Brown?"
"Yeah," Amie replied, confused.
"Your, uh, boyfriend's looking for you. And his brother."
Amie smiled, her heart swelling. Sam and Dean were here? "Thank God. Do you know where he is?"
"I uh… Oh God, I cuffed them both to my car." She said, putting a hand to her head. Amie's stomach dropped - maybe they wouldn't be coming too soon.
"Well, don't worry about that. He's used to cuffs," Amie smiled, trying to lighten the mood. The door clicked and Amie went quiet, looking at the door, ready for what happened next.
Her heart soared when Dean walked in.
"Amie! Are you okay?" He asked, rushing over to the cage.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Can you get me out of here? Where's Sam?"
"Sammy's upstairs, looking for those creeps. Hang on," he said. He looked at the lock for a long moment, then muttered, "These locks are gonna be bitches."
Amie sucked in a deep breath.
"How'd you get out of my cuffs?" The policewoman asked.
"Oh, I know a trick or two," he smiled, looking around the room for someway to get Amie out.
"I'm gonna go look for something to jam this open, okay?" Dean said, crouching down next to Amie's cage.
"Be careful," she whispered. He smiled charmingly, then stood up and walked out. Amie swallowed and sat back. "We'll be out of here soon. Sorry, what's your name?"
"Kathleen. I came because my brother disappeared a few years ago. I guess…" She trailed off.
"I'm sorry," Amie said softly.
"Me too."
(o(o(o(o(0)o)o)o)o)
Dean screamed above.
"Dean! Dean!" Amie cried, grabbing the bars of her cage. He was quiet once again. Amie grunted in frustration and shook the bars on her cage, frustrated.
"Amie, Amie! That ain't gonna do him any good," Kathleen said, holding her hands up.
Amie sat in the cage, looking around the room. Kathleen thought it was funny how she had changed. When he had first seen this young girl, she looked short and slim. She looked like the kind of girl that, if he got in to trouble, her boyfriend and his brother would have to save her. But now that she thought the man she loved was hurt, in trouble, she became larger. She now seemed to fill the cage she had once sat in the corner of; she was ferocious and strong and would fight to get out and save Dean. She looked as if she was going to get out, like she now had a fighting chance. She looked strong. Love was a strange thing.
(o(o(o(o(0)o)o)o)o)
Dean stirred in the chair, aware of his hands sloppily tied behind his back. Sam sat, still unconscious in a chair next to him, the family surrounding them.
"Oh great. Nutjobs," Dean muttered.
"Shut up," the Dad said harshly.
"Can we hunt him, Pa? He'll put up a fight. He'll be fun," one of them said. A fire ignited in Dean's chest.
"Oh, you're kidding me! This is why you take people? To hunt them?"
The family stared at him dangerously. "You ever killed before?" Pa said.
Dean snarled an answer back, aware that Sammy and Amie's lives were both at stake. Dean saw Pa walk over to the fireplace and pick something up, and he swallowed. He took a deep breath, glaring at everyone in the room. Then one of the boys - Jared - walked over to Dean and held his head still.
"So. It looks like we are going to do some hunting tonight boys," Pa said, looking down at Dean, amused. He twirled a red hot poker in his hand. "You get to pick the animal. Who should we hunt? The cop or the girl?"
Dean protested, telling them they didn't have to do this, that no one was going to come looking for them. But his argument melted on his lips when Pa pressed the hot poker to Dean's chest.
Dean cried out, screaming at the searing pain. Sam woke up at his cries, shocked and confused. He could hear Amie distantly shouting for him, but wanted to tell her to stay quiet; they would just hurt her.
"Ah, you son of a bitch," Dean grunted. Pa moved the poker dangerously close to his face, so close that he could feel heat radiating off of the metal.
"Next time I'll take an eye."
Dean shook his head, his breathing changing.
"Alright, alright!" He shouted. Who should they take; Amie or Kathleen? On the one hand Kathleen was a cop, and she was much bigger than Amie. But she was innocent, she hadn't even wanted to come out here. Dean had dragged her. But Amie was kidnapped. Dean loved Amie. He had to protect the young hunter it as his job. But she was a hunter. She was used to fighting, if they gave her a gun, she'd have a brilliant chance. "The girl. The little one, Amie."
Pa stared at him manically. "Lee, go do it. Don't let her out, through. Shoot her in the cage."
"No!"Sam shouted, now fully conscious.
"What? I thought you were gonna hunt her! Give her a weapon, a fighting chance!"
Pa stared at him, clearly amused.
"Lee, when you're… done with her… shoot the cop, too."
Dean glared at him, panic rising in his chest.
Amie.
"You hurt my girl, I swear I'll kill you." Pa smiled and walked away. "I will kill you all!"
(o(o(o(o(0)o)o)o)o)
Amie crouched in the corner of her cage, seeing one of the crazies come in.
"What are you doing?" Amie asked, as he walked over to the thing that unlocked her cage. Not good.
Her door unlocked and she stood up, hurling herself out of the cage before the man had even gotten close to her. Amie jumped on top of him, shouting, "What have you done to Dean? I'll kill you, I swear, if you've hurt him at all I will hurt you!"
Kathleen shouted just as there was a deafening gunshot.
(o(o(o(o(0)o)o)o)o)
"Lee!" Pa shouted. Still no reply.
"Jared, you come with me."
Sam and Dean sat tensely, Missy stood between them. There was a noise outside of the door, and Missy looked between them both, then walked over to the door. She looked outside, then stepped out, still on guard. Then suddenly there was a scream and a thud, and she fell to the floor.
"Hello?" Dean called. "Amie?"
"I'm here," she answered, Dean's chest loosening. Amie stepped into the room, holding her shoulder.
"You hurt?" Dean asked as she walked over to untie him, then Sam.
"It's nothing."
"Doesn't look like nothing," he said.
"It's fine. Can we, like, get her in a closet or something? She'll wake up soon," Amie said, walking back over to Missy. Dean and Sam rushed over, then dragged her to a closet and locked her in. Dean walked back over to Amie as Sam went to check on Kathleen.
"You've been shot," he said quietly.
"I said it's nothing. Are you okay? They didn't hurt you?" Amie asked, looking at Dean, worried.
"Of course I am Amie. I was so worried," he said, looking at her sadly. She smiled smalley.
"It's okay," she whispered. "I'm okay."
Dean leant down and pressed a soft, quick kiss to Amie's lips.
"You go disappearing like that again, I'm not looking for you," he smiled.
"'Course you're not," Amie smiled.
"Guys, we better get going Kathleen said we could go… but we better go quick," Sam said, ducking his head back in the room.
Dean and Amie followed him outside, then said goodbye to Kathleen.
"Listen, I'm, uh… sorry about your brother," Dean said, looking at her sadly.
"Thankyou. It was really hard not knowing what happened to him. I thought it would be easier knowing the truth - but it isn't really," she said, tearing up. Amie's eyes filled with tears and she swallowed, trying to hold them back. "Anyway, you should go."
"Thankyou," Amie whispered. Kathleen smiled wetly, and the three of them swiftly walked away, into the night.
"You okay, Amie?" Sam asked. She nodded, smiling.
"Thanks for looking for me," she whispered, looking between both of the boys.
"Amie… we'll always get you," Sam said, smiling. She was happy that they had grown closer after almost losing Dean.
"My boys," she smiled. She hugged Sam, his giant arms wrapping around her, then looped her arm around Dean's waist. He slung an arm round Amie's shoulder and kissed her head, then smiled up at Sam over her head.
"Your boys."