A/N:

- OH MY GOD! It's been a year since I've started writing 'Chasing the Past' ! CONFETTI! IT'S A PARADE! HELLS YEAH!

- Hopefully you guys liked the Chapter Art I put up for Masquerade! I got photoshop now so things are getting MUCH better.

-Feel free to murder me. Because I deserve it. I'm a horrible author. Honestly. Keeping you guys waiting for so long.

-My style of writing as changed, now – instead of writing in first person point of view, I right in third person limited now. Which means I use the third person, but I focus on the thoughts of only one person. I can also shift from Third-Person limited to Third-Person Omniscient which means I will be including the thoughts and actions of all characters at once. I realized, this is much better for a story with so many characters and events so I can keep up. Because honestly, I get lost. I'm not going to rewrite the first part of the Chapter which is in Dean's POV. I'll try but I can't promise, because if it's gone, I don't think I can retrieve it again.

-Do I need to say anything else?

Disclaimer: I own my characters and my conversations, and plot. Hope y'all like.

Chapter Sixteen:

Dean's POV:

I twisted the knob and walked into the guest room quietly, spying Ben sitting at the edge of the bed; a picture in his hand. I didn't need to guess whose picture was it, and I sighed sadly to myself. I could feel his pain, the pain of losing a mother at such a young age. I never wanted him to go through that. I lingered at the door frame, until my eyes caught the glistening tear that slid across his cheek.

"Now, now…big boys don't cry." I said quietly as I walked in, sitting onto the bed beside him. He glanced up at me before looking back at the picture. I glanced down, and saw Lisa's face as she held Ben in her arms on his birthday. I scowled; I had easily gotten over Lisa. Way too easy.

"Why?" Ben asked, for what seemed to be the thousandth time as he looked up at me. His eyes were wide with curiosity and grieve. I hated that look. I could see Sam's face whenever dad missed Christmas, or his birthday. I could see his face whenever Dad ordered us away on a job. Grief, pain, curiosity. I sighed loudly.

"Look, Ben." I said quietly as I placed my hand on his back. "I don't know why it had to be like this. But I know how you feel. I've been there." I stuttered for more words but I found none, and I just glanced down at him, pulling my brows together into a frown.

Ben sighed, gulped as he tossed the picture onto the night stand and then he glanced up at me again. "How long are you going to be gone?"

"I..uh.." I frowned. "A week maybe?"

"That's a lot of time." He said quickly. "Why can't I come?"

"Why do you want to come?"

"I don't want to lose another person in my family. Maybe I can help!" Ben said quickly as nodded, his eyes were dancing with plead and eagerness.

"No, Ben." I sighed. "This is not the life for a 10 year old, alright. Don't try to convince me."

"So that means you'll teach me when I'm older?"

"No!" I slapped my forehead in frustration and ran my fingers through my short hair. "You don't get it, Ben. I don't want you involved in this."

"Why not? I already am." Ben scowled and folded his arms over his chest.

"Because I don't want to get hurt, Ben. And you'll get hurt by getting involved…more than you already are!" I exclaimed, yet in quiet tone. "Read me?"

"Yeah..copy that." He rolled his eyes once and turned away from me to lie on the bed. I sighed and got to my feet, muttering as I made my way to the door. "We leave tonight."
I glanced, and he wasn't even looking at me. I locked my jaw and left the room, closing the door after me quietly. I saw Bobby leaning against the wall, as if he were listening to the conversation. I rolled my eyes. "Really Bobby?"

"Raising a kid ain't easy, kid." Bobby nodded quietly. "It sure as hell ain't a book to read and suddenly you're super nanny. Give it a little time. And you better go talk to Sam, he ain't looking good." He said as his hand moved to gesture downstairs. I arched my brows now as he walked past me. Smooth.

I trudged downstairs to find Sam seated where I was, but his chin was rested on his hand as he stared ahead thoughtfully. "Daydreamer, wake up!" I muttered as I slapped the back of his head. He scowled as he glanced up at me. "Unneeded for, Dean."

"Mh, I couldn't resist." I shrugged once as I gathered the print outs scattered on the dining table. "Your head isn't in the game, what's wrong?"

"Nothing." He replied almost too quickly, and my eyes shot to his. I narrowed them as I eyed his troubled expression skeptically. Something was going on.

"Nothing? You sure of that?"

"Yeah, nothing." He nodded, almost trying to convince himself more than he tried to convince me. He rose to his feet and nodded once to himself. "I'll go…pack."

I rolled my eyes as they followed him, and I shook my head. A lot was going on in my head right now. I pondered quietly, where is Cas? He hasn't really showed up since. Well…and where was Mia? She was here last night. I shrugged my shoulders once. I knew there was only one thing that might soothe me right now.

Pie.

Mara shoved her fists into the pockets of her jacket as her eyes focused ahead, tracing patterns on the concrete sidewalk – her eyes following the snow wedged between the stone. Such details didn't fall out of her strong eye sight. Her hands curled around the freshly made ID's. Mara had easily gotten accustomed with Bobby's connections in town. Yes, he was the town's drunk – but boy, did he have a lot of friends.

But then everything in her mind faded away and went back to that one scenery, that one incident she had witnessed. Mara's mind only drifted back to Sam, holding that demon girl against the wall, and drinking her blood from a small wound on her forearm. Even though she was still walking, her mind was somewhere else. Her mind was still back there, outside of that window, staring at Sam's face as he stared back at her.

Mara didn't even know why she offered to follow Sam to the grocery store. She was uneasy about the way he left, and she didn't like the plead she saw in his eyes. She knew he was doing something that he didn't want Dean to know of. And if Sam Winchester was doing something that he didn't want Dean to know about – then it must be a very dangerous matter. But when Mara saw what was going on, and Sam tried to explain to her what she has seen – Mara didn't know what to think anymore. And she figured that job in Wyoming would ease her mind off things.

But then she remembered the reason why she had come here in the first place. Unfinished business.

"Why are you letting me go?" Mara asked as she looked up from the green grass beneath her, her fingers toying through the strands. Damon had only a few minutes let her go back to the Winchesters and they were going to call Mia when they were back to the Boarding house, to teleport her back or whatever it is she did. But that question toyed with her mind: Why did Damon so easily let her go? He says he would've done anything to have her back and now, he was easily letting her go. She didn't know whether she should feel hurt by it or grateful.

Damon was lying on the grass, his hands hooked beneath his head as he gazed up at the clear sky. Mara kept her eyes on his face and bit her lip, "Damon?" She asked, just in case he was too lost in thought to have even heard her.

"I heard you." Damon chuckled. Mara blinked once expectantly, waiting for an answer before she settled back, her back hunching over as she toyed with the green blades. "I know what it's like to have unfinished business…and what Klaus has told you – that's bound to bring up some trouble."

Mara pulled her brows together and she nodded once, in agreement. "But what do you mean with unfinished business? Do you have unfinished business?" Mara inquired, lifting both brows curiously as she eyed his face for any expression change. And indeed, Damon's brows were pulled into a troubled frown. Mara was surprised. She had never seen such expression on Damon's face before.

He threw his arms forward to pull himself up into a sitting position, then rested his elbows onto his knees as he glanced sideways at Mara, "You up for a story?" He asked, and Mara pursed her lips before nodding quickly, cocking her head sideways. Damon sighed once and nodded, "Alright, it all goes back to 1864."

Mara's eyes widened, excitedly as curiosity flamed up those sapphire orbs. Damon was actually going to tell her about his originality. She pulled her knees to her chest and hugged them, resting her chin onto it. Damon lifted his brow as he glanced sideways at her before he stared ahead at the clear lake, "I was taking a break from the army. Actually, I was quitting. I didn't want to fight any more." Damon muttered, and he sounded almost –almost- ashamed.

"And when I came back, I discovered that Stefan had a maiden to marry, Katherine Pierce." Damon muttered, through his teeth and Mara frowned. Katherine?

"She loved him, and she loved me…She said she loved me. I believed I loved her, it was all her compulsion." Damon shook his head disappointedly, "My father knew of her real nature and he & others on the town council trapped her and other vampires in a tomb beneath Fell's Church. Stefan and I were trying to get to her, and our Father killed us with cold blood." Damon paused for a moment, and for moment, despite all the masks and layers of apathy he displayed – she could easily see how hurt he was by his father's actions. She knew how it was like.

"But then, Katherine's blood was in our systems. Both Stefan and I, so we turned. And I spent 154 years trying to figure out ways to open that tomb and get Katherine out to discover two things." Damon then held two fingers in front of Mara's face, "One: She wasn't in the tomb. And two: She doesn't love me." Damon said and he shrugged once. "So my unfinished business now is making Katherine pay for every year I have wasted looking for ways to get her out of a tomb that she wasn't in, for every year I have wasted loving her."

Mara nodded once and pushed her hair back, before she let go of her knees and she lay back on the grass, sighing loudly. "I get it that you didn't want to be a vampire." Mara concluded before she glanced sideways, but he wasn't there. She propped herself up on her elbows and glanced around, "Damon?"

"Right behind you!" Mara heard Damon's voice and almost whipped around, but in no time, she felt his hands on her shoulders and the next thing she knew, she was flying. And the next thing she knew, she was diving into the lake – which was rather cold. Mara kicked her arms and legs in sync as she broke her head through the surface of the water and she whipped her head around, the wet locks sticking to her face. "Was that even necessary?" Mara called out, laughing as she pushed her hair back.

"Yeah, it was. We're bonding, not throwing pity parties." Damon called as he stood at the shore, smirking.

"Well, are you bonding on the shore on your own?" Mara laughed as she kicked her legs into the water to keep her head above the surface. Damon rolled his eyes, "You have an attitude, girl." Damon snickered.

"I got it from the best." Mara grinned with pride, finding it highly complimenting that Damon found them both alike. It was only more proof that they were related. And Mara never felt more happy to have actually found her real father, despite all the weird facts and the crazy events – Mara was happy. For that moment in her short life so far, she was happy.

Mara sighed as the soft smile on her lips started fading once she approached Bobby's place again, and she bit onto her lip. She still had no idea what to tell Sam and Dean, or even Bobby – that's if Bobby didn't know. Because she had a feeling he did. But then she reminded herself, she was going on the job in Wyoming to clear her mind and think carefully of her next step. She knew she didn't have much time. She didn't know where or when would the demons strike next and they were determined to open that cage, which was even more worrisome.

As she walked in, she glanced around. It didn't take her much more than a minute to hear out all the heart beats in the house and determine where they all were. Bobby was in the panic room whilst Ben was in his room, well...it was the guest room but it will be Ben's room now. Dean was in the kitchen. Not that his and Sam's heartbeat were different, but she only knew one person who would be eating so loudly – even for her super hearing.

Mara closed the door softly and stood there, eyes fixed on the hardwood floor as her hands found their way into the pockets of the jacket again. Mara bit her lower lip, only one heart beat missing. And she easily located it in one of the rooms upstairs. She pried out the ID's and placed them on the table. Mara darted to the kitchen entrance. "The ID's are on the table." She said and rolled her eyes at the instance when she saw Dean's face puffed with pie. She shook her head. What a child.

She shrugged out of her jacket and placed it on the backrest of one of the dining chairs before she started her way upstairs, specifically into that room that Sam was in. Mara knocked her knuckles against the wood softly twice before she walked in. She froze at the entrance and her sapphire orbs immediately cast down to the hardwood floor, biting roughly onto her lower lip. "I'll leave." She muttered quietly as she started to back away.

Sam got up quickly after he closed the flask, setting it aside in the nightstand. He started towards the door and instinctively grabbed a hold of Mara's wrist. Her eyes flashed up to his face as she pulled her bold brows together. His hold was abnormal. It was stronger. Inhumanely stronger. "Don't…I can explain." Sam muttered quietly as his hazel eyes shifted around the room. Mara swallowed once before she glanced over her shoulder. Sam impatiently pulled her into the room and shut the door, and then he turned and faced her. "Tell me exactly what you and heard, and I will explain it."

Mara was amused by his words and her jaw dropped, before she pursed her lips shut again. She drew in a deep breath before she crossed her arms over her chest, "You're rusty from the lack of training…and I need more blood?" Mara finally let leash to all the thoughts she has been having for the past few hours, her arms falling to her side in protest. "What the hell, Sam? How long have you been doing this? Drinking demon bl-

But her words were cut off when Sam placed his palm over her mouth, shushing her as his eyes widened. She lifted both brows at him and glared. "Don't yell." He muttered, and Mara rolled her eyes, her voice muffled beneath his palm. He slowly let it down and Mara glanced around, infuriated.

"If you know it's so wrong and no one should know about it, why the hell are you still doing it? Why the hell are you doing it anyways?" Mara's eyes darted around as she whisper-shouted at Sam. Sam ran his fingers through his hair before he sighed once loudly. "Listen to me now, okay? I listened to you. Now it's your turn."

Mara shrugged once and crossed her over her chest again, waiting rather impatiently.

"Look…when Dean was in hell, I wanted to take revenge from Lilith. I wanted to kill her for killing my brother and Ruby. She's a demon who helped us against Lilith and she helped me when Dean was gone. And she's helping me now – no wait!" Sam held his palms up when Mara started to protest. "She's helping me now because we need to kill Lilith, Mara. She runs the show. She wants Lucifer out and if we get rid of her, the biggest problem is removed."

Mara stood there, mouth half opened in protest before she clamped it shut and looked down. "Isn't there another way, Sam? You're killing demons with your head…Haven't you thought of what Dean would think when he finds out?" Mara asked sympathetically.

"I'm hoping he will understand." Sam muttered and looked down.

"Please, Sam. Dean is a worse dedicated hunter than you are – no offense but, that's not something he will understand." Mara said quickly, disbelievingly. "And I trust that if Dean wasn't your brother he will shoot you down the moment he finds out. You need to stop this."

"You think it's easy!" Sam exploded back at her, and Mara's eyes widened as she staggered back. "You think it's easy, stopping it. It's an addiction. It's worse than drugs and smoking. It may be even worse than your hunger for blood!"

Mara stared at Sam's face, blinking rapidly as she tried to acknowledge that look of rage in his eyes; the ravenous look of the hunter that she only saw when she looked at her own reflection in the mirror, but now she was looking at it – in a person. In Sam Winchester, the man who saved her from her own doom multiple times already. Mara stared at him and she was almost hurt by what she saw, that wasn't Sam Winchester.

Sam saw the look on Mara's face and realized how messed up things just got. That's what he was afraid of. That's what he didn't want to happened. He saw Mara's face, and he could imagine Dean's. They'd both stare at him as if he was some kind of monster, exactly like Mara looked at him now. He ran his fingers through his hair, tugging at it slightly as he shook his head. "Mara, wait."

"No..." She whispered and looked down. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't…I'll just…okay." Mara immediately turned and twisted the knob, leaving the room and almost bumping into Dean. She immediately stepped aside and rushed downstairs. Dean looked over his shoulder at Mara as she rushed away then back at Sam with both brows hoisted, "What did you do to her?" Dean demanded.

Sam just waved his hand off at his brother as he turned back to the duffel on the bed, zipping it up and throwing it to the ground, then immediately collapsing on the bed. Dean stared at his brother, and then he glanced back at the stairs, then back at his brother. "But…what…Screw both of you!" He threw his hands in the air, exasperated as he walked in and slammed the door shut. He examined the bags that Sam packed and nodded once, huffing under his breath. "We'll leave in an hour."

Then there was a knock on the door, and Dean rolled his eyes. He almost started moving towards the door, but Mara called from downstairs. "I'll get it!" And Dean sighed, figures everything is ready, so he flopped down on his bed.

Mara was in the kitchen when she heard the door, holding a blood bag in her hands not yet open. She held it down, almost hidden behind her back as she called out upstairs once she heard Dean move to exit his room. She scowled as she approached the door; she heard nothing. No thoughts, no heartbeat. Mara lifted both brows as she swung the door open and her eyes widened, before she leapt forward and wrapped her arms around Damon's neck.

"Did I miss the hunt, or whatever it is that you call it?" Damon flashed a cheeky smirk down at Mara as she pulled away and she laughed rolling her eyes. She stepped aside for him to come in, but he remained standing there. "What?" She asked, lifting a brow.

"Invite me in." Damon stated, as a matter of fact. Mara laughed and grinned, "Oh. I totally forgot. Come in." Mara said and she knew it would work because she practically lived here, so it would definitely work. Damon easily brought his foot over threshold and walked in, glancing around. "Man, the boarding house is much better than this place."

"Sshh!" Mara exclaimed and rolled her eyes, "Hunters live here, and house care isn't exactly their number one priority, don't you think?" Mara lifted her brows pointedly before she shut the door, then she pulled her brows together. "I don't mean to be rude but" Mara turned to look at Damon and lifted a brow, "Why the hell are you here?"

Damon chuckled and rolled his eyes, "You expected me to easily let you go and let you go to your own possible doom?" Mara blinked once and swallowed, pursing her lips. He placed his hands on her shoulders, "I know the situation is serious, because from what I understood from you and what Klaus said, you'll probably die." He sighed once, "I'm here to try and stop that. And if I can't, then we're both dying together. Because simply, I have nothing in Mystic Falls and right now, Mara, you're all I've got. I'm trying to hold onto that." Damon nodded once at her firmly and Mara's lips curled into a smile, and she immediately hugged him.

Damon rested his head on top of Mara's and shrugged once, "Plus, now you don't have to ride with those cowboys in the same car." Mara laughed and pulled away, punching his arm softly. Before she glanced around and then back to Damon, "So you're joining the hunt? Like investigating and stuff?"

"N'aw, I'll leave that for you. I'll lurk around and watch my little girl do her work. No need for my parental embarrassment." Mara lifted her brows and choked on a small laugh before she shook her head at Damon's words.

Then she heard steps descending the stairs and she glanced over Damon's shoulder to see Bobby lifting a brow. "Did I say you could boyfriends to house, Maria?" Bobby grumbled and Damon turned on his heels, whilst Mara failed to express words. Her eyes widened and her face flushed a deep shade of crimson.

"I'm her father." Damon said slowly, taken aback by Bobby's words. Mara finally collected her voice and found herself speaking again, "Yeah, Bobby, that's my dad. Damon Salvatore."

Bobby's eyes widened before he glanced sideways at Mara, lifting a brow. She could hear his concerned thoughts and she shook her head softly. "I'm okay. Damon decided to join us hunting." Mara nodded once, and another pair of feet was descending the stairs, and Sam and Dean came into sight holding their duffels. Dean lifted his brows, "Damon! What's the reason of the visit?"

"It's not a visit, it's a permanent stay. I'm coming with you." Damon said, jovially as he glanced sideways at Mara, wriggling his brows. She rolled her eyes.

"N'aw, what? Why? We don't need amateurs." Dean scowled now, as he started towards the door, walking around Damon and Mara, and Sam followed him silently. Mara looked away when Sam brushed by her and trudged towards the living room where her back pack and laptop case were, on the couch and she slung them over her shoulder. "Let's go." Mara said with a soft smile as she glanced at Damon before she exited the door. "Bye Bobby!" She called out and glanced over her shoulder. The old man rolled his eyes and tipped his cap towards her before he shooed her with his hand and shut the door. Mara chuckled and rolled her eyes.

Her eyes fell on Damon 1967 Chevy Camaro. Well, from a Chevy to a Chevy before she trudged towards it. She could feel Sam's eyes on her as she walked towards Damon's car, and she heard his sigh of disappointment. Damon unlocked the car and got in, and so did Mara, throwing her backpack into the back seat as she shut the door.

"So what's wrong with the giraffe?" Damon asked as he glanced sideways at Mara, twisting the key into the ignition and bringing the car to life. She shrugged and sank into the leather seat. "I don't know. He has his issues. I won't interfere." Mara admitted before she turned her head towards Damon and grinned. "So what? We're road tripping? Father Daughter bonding time?" She bit her lower lip and laughed at her own words.

"Exactly." Damon said, narrowing his eye at her before he pulled out and took off into the road, sped down towards the highway. "So where exactly are we going?" Damon asked as he tilted his head towards Mara.

"Laramie, Wyoming." Mara said once and nodded firmly as she rolled down the window, letting the cold air whip against her cheeks and numb them.

"Aye aye, Capt'n." Damon muttered as his foot came down hard on the gas pedal, and his hand turned on the stereo. Mara smiled into the cold air and flashed a grin over her shoulder at Damon before she looked back out the window, and her eyes fell on the side view mirror, and she could see the Impala at their tail. Mara shook her head, and decided to enjoy the cold wind whipping against her face.

A/N:

OMG! I can't believe I finally completed it! I'm so happy and I'm very sorry guys for the VERY long delay. I simply just lost my inspiration in Supernatural. But now, it's slowly coming back. I won't promise quicker updates but I will keep one promise though – I will never leave this story incomplete.

I love you for being so patient! Please, PLEASE, review and boost me up!