Winchester and Cain

by smeewrites

Remember when Sam and Dean were driving in the Impala on that deserted highway in that pilot episode? You're probably gonna have to think a little bit to remember. They're driving and they almost hit a mysterious girl dressed all in black, standing in the middle of the road - like she has no idea where she is, 'girl in black' sounds like a beloved book character we all know, right?

16. Chapter 16

Winchester and Cain

Chapter 16 – Shadow

Valkyrie's P.O.V

Dean was watching me sleep. I could feel it, his eyes on mine as I kept them closed, maintaining my ruse. The air shifted but I remained calm and relaxed, not even letting my eyelids twitch or anything, a hand lightly brushed against my cheek and I fought down a smile. I loved quiet mornings like these, the time we shared in bed alone with Sam in the room down the hall.

These moments provided great distraction for the things we had dealt with over the past few weeks.

"It's rude to stare." I said quietly, keeping my eyes shut.

Dean's hand withdrew from my cheek, his warm touch lingered on my skin, "No it's not." He replied.

"It's a form of invasion of privacy, therefore rude." I argued playfully, arms wrapped around my bare shoulders and pulled me close to Dean's bare chest, "Yeah, see this?" I opened my eyes, "This is an even worse invasion right here." A smile formed on my mouth.

Dean rolled his eyes as he looked down at me, "You never shut up, do you?"

I laughed, "Nope."

The door to our room suddenly opened and I gave a small cry of surprise and pulled the covers over myself. Heavy footsteps entered the room, "Sorry." Sam said sheepishly.

Dean sighed and reached over the bed and grabbed his shirt, which, along with the rest of our clothes, had been messily discarded around the room. He passed it to me and I struggled under the covers to put it on. Once I slipped it on it enveloped my frame and covered me enough to come out from under the duvet.

"Sorry." The younger Winchester repeated, eyeing me shyly with wide, dark eyes that reminded me of the look a puppy.

I forced a tight smile, "Good morning to you too, Sam."

"What's up, Sammy?" Dean yawned and stretched.

Sam held up a folded newspaper and threw it towards us, it landed on the bed and I picked it up. The headline on the front page read:

YOUNG WOMAN SLAUGHTERED IN APARTMENT

Meredith Waters, 23, was found dead in her apartment in Chicago, Illinois last Thursday. Her landlady, who wishes to remain anonymous, found her after her fellow employees questioned her sudden disappearance. The victim's family and friends blame her faulty alarm system, which remained armed when police inspected the apartment, but failed to alert Meredith when the killer entered her home.

"Well, what do you think?" Sam asked once we looked up from the article.

"It's weird." Dean frowned.

Sam nodded, "Yeah, sounds like our kinda thing, right?"

I bit my bottom lip, "Give us an hour to get ready, then we'll leave."

T

We arrived in Illinois in under three hours due to Dean's irresponsible driving, we parked the car in front of the apartment where Meredith was murdered and hopped out onto Chicago's busy street. I stretched, grateful to be out of the car after all that driving, "So, what's the plan?" Sam asked.

"We go to the apartment and check out the scene, see if we can find anything." Dean replied.

"You think they're gonna let us in?" Sam frowned.

Dean shrugged, "What? You have a better idea?"

"Yeah, actually," Sam crossed his arms, "I say we go and hire costumes, pose as employees of an alarm system company."

Dean stared at him, "What? Why? We've never done that before."

I tilted my head, "Yeah we have: the priests, remember?"

"That was just us spending about ten dollars on some priest... neck thingies and a cheap silver cross. What Sam's talking about will cost us about twenty dollars each." Dean protested.

"They're called Clerical Collars, Dean." Sam corrected.

His brother scoffed, "Whatever, I'm still not spending sixty dollars for getting into an apartment when we can just break in for free."

I rolled my eyes and rested my hand on his arm, "Then I'll go to the apartment pretending to be Meredith's best friend and you and Sam can go hire out some costumes, I'll meet you there." I offered.

Dean looked at Sam and the younger Winchester shrugged, "It's a good plan."

Dean sighed and nodded reluctantly, "Ok, fine. We'll be at the apartment in twenty minutes." He agreed.

T

I approached the apartment door quietly, once I reached the door I looked through the peephole to check it was really the right door. "Can I help you?" A voice sounded behind me, I whirled and came face to face with an ageing short African-American woman.

"Is this Meredith Waters' apartment?" I asked.

The woman squinted, "Who's askin'?"

"I'm her best friend, Ashley," The lie came easily, "She borrowed a few of my tops and I was meant to meet up with her this Friday to have a coffee and collect them... I live a couple of hours away and it's – it's hard for us to find time and see each other." Tears began collecting in my eyes as I faked a deep breath, "I was just wondering if I could pick them up... her Mum also wanted me to pick up a few things for her." Tears spilled down my cheeks as I looked pleadingly at the woman.

She nodded slowly, "Well, alright, but you'll have to be quick – the alarm company called, they're sending two guys around to check out the alarm system and see why it's faulty."

I took a deep breath and nodded, "Ok, good. I want to have a few words with them myself – their stupid alarm had my best friend killed."

The woman took out a set of keys and began looking through them, she looked up at me and smiled, "I'm Meredith's landlady, see, that was why I came out here in the first place – thought you were a journalist or somethin'."

I smiled and wiped my eyes, "No, not me."

She turned her back on me to open the door, in which time I smiled and mentally congratulated myself for my superior acting talents, she opened the door and I stepped through carefully. The apartment was big, bigger than I imagined it would be, I stopped and looked at the pictures taped to the fridge, staring at the girl in them and envisioned what her life must have been like.

"It's such a shame about Meredith," The landlady sighed heavily as she stood a little too close beside me, "She was nice. A little quiet but, nice."

I nodded absent-mindedly, "Yeah, we'd been friends since school." I agreed. The landlady touched my shoulder, I knew she was trying to do it as a gesture of comfort, but it had the complete opposite effect on me. Nevertheless I retained my character of the mourning best friend, "Did the police take any of her stuff as evidence?" I asked.

The landlady shrugged, "I don't know, I didn't stick around after I found Meredith in the living room..." The woman trailed off and her hand fell from my shoulder. "Her bedroom's through here," She moved out of the kitchen and I followed her into the living room. Everything was white and in it's place – apart from the deep crimson that blemished the eggshell carpet. The red wasn't just in one place either, it was spread out all over the white. My nose crinkled in disgust as I stared at the islands of scarlet. The woman reached out and brushed her hand across my forearm, she liked using physical gestures, I tore my eyes away from the carpet and looked at her. She offered me a sad smile and a buzzer sounded from the hallway, the woman left to answer he door ad I wiped my eyes tiredly. My right hand fell from my face and lightly rubbed my shoulder carefully, after that crazy family we had dealt with a couple of week ago it still had bouts of pain, so did my leg where I was stabbed by that Monroe bitch, but it was otherwise fine.

Darquesse, was another matter.

First of all, I had lied to Dean and Sam about her. I'd told them that I had her under control – that she wouldn't make an appearance and try and destroy the world. But she had, in the Roosevelt Asylum she wanted to kill Sam. And at the Benders' household, I remember her contemplation on killing Dean. I sighed and sat down on a cream coloured sofa and put my head on my hands. That was the second thing; Darquesse was going to kill the only two people who I'd befriended and formed relationships with.

"...Like I said, bang-up job your company's doin'." The landlady's voice drifted closer and footsteps entered the living room, the air shifted slightly and I looked up at them. Dean and Sam were dressed in worker jumpsuits, Sam was carrying the red toolbox from the trunk of the car. The landlady was dwarfed as she stood next to the boys, as she approached me I briefly wondered if I looked like that compared to the brothers. I stood up from the couch and faked a sigh as I approached the trio, careful to avoid the red splotches on the carpet.

Dean opened his mouth to speak but I cut him off with a short slap, I held back a little, but it was enough to make it look real to the landlady. "Your shitty faulty alarm killed my best friend." I said slowly, making it look like I was trying to contain my anger. The boys stared at me, shocked as I maintained my performance, after a moment the landlady stepped forward and cleared her throat.

"Excuse me, Ashley, I know you're upset over your friend. But why don't you let them do their job and you can do what you came here to do." The woman offered quietly, her voice scratching a little.

I shook my head, "No."

"No?"

"I – I don't think I can do this right now. It's too much." I lied, my head whipping round to look at the landlady, my expression copying one verging on hysteria, "I think I'm just gonna go and clear my head for a while and come back later when they're gone."

The landlady nodded, "I'll see you out then," She turned to the boys, "How log do you reckon you two are gonna be?"

Sam glanced at Dean, then looked at the landlady, "Uhh, an hour and a bit, I guess? We'll definitely be finished by noon." He assured her.

"Right, ok," The landlady nodded and glanced at me, "If you come back at 2ish, Ashley I can unlock the door for you."

I nodded and wiped a tear from my eyes, the woman gently lay a hand on my elbow and steered me past the boys and towards the door, once we were out in the hallway I faked a sniff, "I'm sorry – I just can't deal with this at the moment. I thought I could handle it, but..." I trailed off.

"Oh honey," The woman's mouth curved upward into a crooked smile of sympathy, "It's alright, just go get yourself a coffee and come back later, ok?"

I took a deep breath, "Ok." With a parting shaky smile I walked back down the hallway and rounded the corner, when I got outside I circled the apartment block before re-entering it and walking back up to where Meredith's apartment was. When I reached the apartment again I opened the door silently and slipped in, Dean and Sam were in the living room talking.

"Come on, Dean. I'm serious. You've been dating Steph for a couple of months now, and she never talks about herself. I was wondering, if you, uh, if you really know everything there is to know about her." Sam was saying.

Curious, I crossed over to the wall and listened in carefully. "Well, she's an Aquarius. She loves tequila, I mean – she doesn't normally drink but when she does," Dean let out a low whistle and I smiled a little, "Oh and she does this great little thing with her tongue-"

"Dean!" Sam protested.

"What? You were asking." Dean responded.

"Not for that! I was asking for – for general facts about her, like, uh when's her birthday?" The younger Winchester continued.

"I told you – she's an Aquarius." Dean replied, his tone teasing.

"Come on, man. I'm serious."

"So am I? So Steph's not an open book, so what?" I couldn't see it, but I knew Dean was shrugging right now.

"I just mean, maybe we should take the time to get to know her more." Sam sounded a little frustrated.

Dean sighed in response, "Sam, I like Steph, ok? A lot. And this job, it's not the best situation for relationships. But I know what I'm doing, Sam. Just back off."

"Alright, sorry I asked." Sam huffed, but it sounded like he wasn't hurt by his brother's sharp comment. I crept back to the front door and opened it a little before closing it loudly, I strode through the kitchen into the living room with a bright smile on my face, pretending I had just arrived.

"Hey." Dean greeted with a smile and pulled me in for a hug and a quick peck on the cheek.

"Hi." I replied warmly.

"Hey Steph, how'd you learn to act like that?" Sam asked.

I shrugged, "I dunno, it's a hidden gift I guess."

"Yeah," Dean rubbed his cheek where I had slapped him earlier, "That hurt."

"Awww," I faked a pout and pinched his cheek, "I'm sorry."

Dean rolled his eyes and Sam cleared his throat, we turned his attention to him and he pointed to the red stains on the carpet, "So we popped around to the police station for five minutes when we were getting these jumpsuits. The officer attending told us one thing that wouldn't be making the paper." The younger Winchester said.

I raised an elegant eyebrow, "Hm?"

"Merdith's heart was missing." Sam answered.

I stared at him, a little stunned, "Her heart?" I repeated.

"Yeah," He nodded, "Her heart."

I frowned and looked at Dean, "So what do we have any theories on what did this to her?"

"Well, the landlady said it looked like an animal attack. Maybe it was – a werewolf?" Dean shrugged.

My eyes widened, "They exist here?"

Sam nodded, "Yeah. Why, did they exist in your reality?" He asked.

"Yep, kinda difficult to kill once they've turned. According to my, um, ex-partner, they went extinct around the nineteenth century. We've only come across one." I answered, wincing a little at the mention of Skulduggery.

"Oh... hey you'll have to tell us more about your old life, Steph. You know, get to know you a little bit better." Sam suggested innocently, putting emphasis on the last part.

I shrugged casually, "Sure. But now, let's get back to Meredith – you think it was a werewolf?" I looked at Dean questioningly.

"No, no werewolf – the lunar cycle's not right," Sam shook his head, "Plus, if it was a creature, it would've left some kind of trace."

"So what do you think? Some kind of spirit?" I tilted my head a little.

"Mmm," Dean made an unsure sound as he observed the carpet, he frowned a little; as if he'd noticed something, "Hey – can you two see if you can find any masking tape around here?"

T

A little while later, Dean had used the masking tape Sam had found in a cabinet drawer and connected the bloodied marks on it to form an unusual symbol. The three of us peered at it curiously, it looked a little like a 'Z' shape with a circle in the middle of it. "Have either of you seen that symbol before?" I murmured.

Dean shook his head and sighed, "Never."

Sam grunted, "Me neither."

Dean looked at Sam and I slightly childishly, "Anyone up for the bar?" He asked. Sam and I glanced at eachother and nodded resignedly.

"Sure."

T

Sam's P.O.V

I watched as my brother and Stephanie conversed at the bar, both stood out amongst everyone else stood there. Dean's arm was curled around the girl's slim waist, she'd taken off her jacket to reveal her skin-tight tunic. Steph was leaning into Dean holding her drink as he whispered into her ear, I didn't know what he was saying to her, but she kept giggling and running her hand through his hair. I sighed and took a sip of my own drink, whilst Dean was happily with Steph, I was still missing Jessica and it was making my heart ache with grief and guilt. I hadn't told Dean or Stephanie this, but sometimes I thought I saw her – sometimes she'd be standing in that white night gown amongst a crowd, other times she'd be sat with the three of us on the sofa watching a movie late at night in a motel.

Either way it was driving me crazy.

I felt a pang of jealousy as I caught Dean and Stephanie kissing passionately again, Steph's arms were looped around my brother's neck and Dean's hands were resting on her hips. My jaw clenched and I felt a pang of jealousy go through me.

Hang on – jealousy?

I shook my head frantically, trying to shake off the feeling. No way was I gonna start being jealous for my brother and his new love interest. The couple broke off their kiss but my jaw remain locked as Stephanie finished her drink and walked away to the restrooms and Dean approached me. "Dude, we are so getting separate rooms at the motel later." My brother smirked as he sat down.

I gave him a look, but tried not to let his comment get to me, "You mind doin' a little thinking with your upstairs brain, Dean?" I tutted.

Dean frowned, "Huh? Look, there's nothing to find out. I mean, Meredith used to work here, she waited tables and everyone here was her friend and said she was normal. I was there when Steph asked the bartender: she didn't do or say anything weird before she died, and no one know anything about anyone wanting her dead," He sighed annoyedly and took a moment to have some of his drink, "So, what about that symbol, you find anything?"

I shook my head, "Nope, nothing. It wasn't in Dad's journal or in any of the usual books. We just have to dig deeper, I guess."

Dean made a face and scratched the back of his head, behind him Stephanie was approaching our small back corner table, she lightly brushed Dean's right shoulder as she sat next to him. "Did you find anything on that sigil, Sam?" Stephanie asked, her big brown eyes hopeful.

I shifted in my seat a little, "Uh, no. I was just saying to Dean here that we'll have to look harder." I replied.

The girl pursed her lips and nodded, "Well, there was that first victim before Meredith, right?"

"Yeah, there was," I fumbled around in my jacket pocket for a newspaper clipping I had saved from last month, I found it and pulled it out and layed it on the table before them, "His name was, uh, his name was Ben Swardstrom. Last month he was found mutilated in his own house. Same deal – the door was locked, the alarm was on." I explained briefly.

Dean looked up from the scrap of paper, "Is there any connection between the two of them?"

I shook my head, "Not that I could tell – I mean, not yet, at least. Ben was a banker, Meredith was a waitress. They'd never met, they didn't have anyone in common – they were practically from different worlds." I glanced at Stephanie at the last part.

The girl sighed and sat back a little, "So, to recap, the only successful intel we have on the case is... Oh right, nothing." A faint smile crept on my face as I looked at her – she was sassy and more than sarcastic when we first met her, but now she'd spent time with my brother and I she was even more so.

I stared at the girls' pretty features until someone behind her in the crowd near the bar caught my attention, I frowned and looked closer. Dean clicked his fingers in front of my face, "Sam?" I ignored him and stood up, keeping my gaze on the familiar face as I approached them.

"Sam," Steph called out, "Is everything ok?"

I reached my acquaintance in disbelief and placed a hand on their should, the blonde head turned around to face me, delicate pixie features breaking into a smile when she recognised me, "Meg."

"Sam!" Meg exclaimed, pleased to see me.

T

"Oh Sam, is that you? Oh my God!" Meg stretched up on tiptoes to hug me, I returned it, still slightly puzzled, "What are you doing here?" She asked.

"I'm just in town, visiting friends." I lied.

Meg glanced around curiously, "Where are they?"

I coughed awkwardly, "Well, they're not here right now, but what about you, Meg? I thought you were going to California?" I changed the subject quickly, remembering her plans to head out to California and party hard.

"Oh, I did," Meg laughed, "I came, I saw, I conquered," Dean and Stephanie came up behind me, looking at Meg with interest, "Oh! And I met what's-his-name, something Michael Murray at a bar." The petite blonde added.

I frowned, "Who?"

"Oh, it doesn't matter. Anyway, the whole scene got old, so I'm living here for a while." Meg explained, beside us, Dean cleared his throat loudly, trying to get our attention.

"You're from Chicago?" I frowned.

"No," Meg smiled again and shook her head, "Massachusetts – Andover. Gosh, Sam, what are the odds we'd run into eachother again?"

Steph tilted her head at the word again, whilst I nodded enthusiastically, "Yeah I know, I thought I'd never see you again."

"Well, I'm glad you were wrong," Meg gave me a secret smile. Dean cleared his throat even louder than last time and Meg finally glanced at him and Steph, "Dude, cover your mouth."

"Yeah, um, I'm sorry, Meg. This is my brother, Dean. And that's our friend, Stephanie." I introduced them to Meg in turn.

Meg stared at Dean, glancing at Stephanie in interest, "This is Dean?" She asked.

"Yeah."

Dean smirked cockily, "So, you've heard of me?"

The blonde scoffed, "Oh, yeah. I've heard of you. Nice – the way you treat your brother like luggage?"

My brother looked taken aback whilst Stephanie raised an eyebrow, "Sorry?" Dean asked.

Meg cocked her head, "Why don't you let Sam do what he wants to do? Stop dragging him over God's green Earth."

"And just who do you think you are?" Stephanie narrowed her eyes coldly as she towered over the tiny Meg.

"And Stephanie, right? Have you told the boys anything about you yet – or are you still frustrating them by playing that pathetic 'mysterious dark girl' act?" Meg continued.

Stephanie looked ready to lunge at Meg, I looked down and saw her finger with her deadly black ring on twitch a little. I knew what happened when she'd use that ring. I'd seen it: the black shadows she grasped out of nowhere that could tear people to shreds. Dean must have noticed too, he smiled thinly at Meg and shot me a look, "Okay, awkward," He let out a low whistle and took a hold of Steph's arm, "We're gonna get a drink now." He moved towards the bar, trying to take Steph with him, but she refused, her dark eyes locked on Meg's. Dean glanced me again and shot me a quick glare, he leaned down to Stephanie and whispered something in her ear – too low for either me or Meg to hear. Whatever he said to her made her relent, they walked over to the bar, moving through the crowd effortlessly.

"Sam," Meg sighed and turned back to me, "I'm sorry. It's just – the way you told me he treats you. And that girl Stephanie not telling you anything about herself... if it were me, I'd kill them."

I smiled a little, but it was sort of forced, "It's alright. They both mean well."

The petite girl nodded, "Well," She tapped my arm suggestively, "We should hook up while you're in town."

I laughed a little, "Yeah."

Meg raised her eyebrows, "I'll show you a hell of a time." She promised.

I looked at her, and thought of Jessica, and then my eyes began to wander over to Stephanie before I mentally shook myself and looked back at Meg, "You know what? That sounds great. Why don't you, uh – why don't you give me your number?" I took out my phone and flipped it open ignoring all my thoughts before looking up at Meg expectantly.

"312-555-0143."Meg recited, I nodded as I tapped it in.

"I, uh, I never got your last name." I paused as I added it to my contacts list.

"Masters." Meg smiled.

"Masters?" I nodded as I saved it.

"So," Meg's lips curled into a smile, "You better call."

I nodded, "Scout's Honour."

"I hope to see you around, Sam." She left me one parting smile, I returned it and she walked away.

T

Valkyrie's P.O.V

Surprise went through me as Sam's friend's – Meg, or whatever, words settled. Did she seriously just say that? "And just who do you think you are?" My eyes narrowed as I my height loomed over the petite blonde's.

Meg smiled a smile equally as cold as my tone, "And Stephanie, right? Have you told the boys anything about you yet – or are you still frustrating them by playing that pathetic 'mysterious dark girl' act?" Her words hit me harder than I thought they would – so Sam wasn't kidding around with Dean earlier, he was starting to question me: and for a while apparently, considering this random girl Sam had confided in with was using it pretty confidently.

My jaw tightened and my teeth gritted together. Who the hell does this bitch think she is? I began considering my options of defence in the situation – one at the top of my list went to violence. My ring finger twitched instinctively as I tried to breathe calmly. Beside me, Dean shifted a little, "Okay, awkward," He gently took a hold of my arm as he let out a low whistle, "We're gonna get a drink now." He was trying to diffuse the situation, but I didn't want it diffused. No, I wanted this Meg girl to say something else, to give me a reason to hit her. In the face. Her nose looked like a great target to me right now. Dean pulled at my arm as he started towards the bar, but I stayed rooted to the spot, keeping my gaze transfixed on the blonde pixie's. Dean paused and leaned down a little, I could feel his warm breath in my ear as he whispered to me, "Come on, Steph – remember what we were talking about earlier? Let's get back to that." His offer sounded appealing, sure... but so did punching Meg in the nose. I hesitated, torn for a moment, then I eased up and let Dean guide me away from Sam and his friend and through the crowd to the bar top.

Once we reached the bar Dean held up two fingers to the bar tender, he nodded and poured us both shots, I knew what they were before he even set them before us. I grabbed mine and took it quickly, ignoring the burn and enjoying the sensation of it, Dean reached for his but I picked it up and took that one too. "Whoa, easy there, Steph. Hold up on the reins a little." Dean joked. I shut my eyes and shook my head, I had hoped the alcohol would help quell my anger but instead it fuelled it. I held up two more fingers and the shot glasses were quickly replaced, "Steph," Dean had a more serious edge to his tone now, I ignored him and took both shots before the older Winchester could stop me, "Steph, stop."

I put the final shot glass down harder than the last, the edges of my vision had blurred a little, but my anger was clear. "I mean, who the hell does she think she is?" I exclaimed, my voice sounded a little off but nevertheless I continued, "Like; sorry Sammy for having a hard time to adjust to a whole new re-fucking-ality. Sorry Sammy I won't be able to hold my baby sister ever again, or hug my parents ever again, or-." My hands were moving animatedly as the words poured continuously out of my mouth.

Dean caught my wrists and held them as I stumbled a little, "Hey, hey, hey. It's ok, Steph." Dean assured me.

"Dean," My eyes widened as I leaned a little into him, "Dean, Dean, Dean," I stared into his impossibly green eyes.

Dean smirked, "Yeah, Steph?"

I awkwardly got my hands out of his grip and clumsily leaned forwards and placed them on his cheeks as I leaned up into his ear, "Let's get drunk." I whispered loudly.

Dean chuckled, "I think you're already drunk, Steph." I laughed, because his words sounded so funny, I kept giggling because I felt the anger disappearing as I continued. Instead, I turned and propped my elbow on the bar top, with my best dazzling smile I held up two fingers to the bartender. Another set of shot glasses were replaced and I leaned over the bar and awkwardly pecked him on the cheek as a thank you. Dean raised his eyebrow as I picked up one of the glasses, "Oh—I get one of these this time?"

I rolled my eyes and playfully pushed him on the shoulder, "Come on, Dean. Get drunk with me."

T

Several shots later, Dean and I were laughing near the pool table. "Steph, that is so not how you play pool." Dean smirked as I tried and failed for the sixth time to line the pool cue up with a blue striped ball.

"Shhh! I'm winning." I said childishly.

Dean laughed at my response, "Actually, I'm still waiting for you to make your first shot."

I looked back at Dean and raised my eyebrow, "Didn't anyone ever tell you, Sweetie? Timing, as they say, is everything." I slurred.

The older Winchester laughed again and leant his pole against the wall, "Ok, ok. Let me teach you, at least."

I scoffed, "Amateur."

Dean chuckled as stepped out to me and leant down on my right, "Ok, lets see here..." He placed his hand over mine on the pool cue and I grinned as his body touched mine, "Well, first things first, you're aiming for the wrong ball."

"What!" I protested as Dean guided me from the blue ball to the white ball.

"You hit the other balls with the white ball, Steph." Dean murmured in my ear, I giggled as he nipped at my ear lobe.

"You're distracting me." I pouted.

"No, actually, I'm not." Dean replied, his other hand stroking my hip, "Ok, now bring the cue back – we're gonna aim for the orange ball ok?" Dean held me close as I let him pull the cue back slowly, we both pushed it forward and the orange hit the wall and slowly rolled into the pocket.

I squealed in delight and jumped up and down, not having a care in the world when some people turned to look at us, I threw my arms around Dean and kissed him for more than allowed in public. "Did you see that?" I laughed happily as we pulled apart, "This calls for more shots."

Dean chuckled and I took hold of his hand and led him towards the bar eagerly, we slumped on the bar top and I whistled for the bartender, "Two more, Phil." I asked.

He rolled his eyes at me but his smile meant well, a few seconds later two glasses were set before us. "Now Steph, Steph, Steph – are you sure the best thing to be doing right now is more shots? I mean, we've had loads already..." Dean arched an eyebrow as he looked at me closely.

"Yes." I laughed and frowned at him, "Don't be a spoil sport, Dean."

We took another shot, and another, and another and another before I started to feel different, the room had started a slow, uneven rotation.

"Wait, wait, wait. I gripped Dean's arm as I struggled to stay upright, I think I'm gonna go to the bathroom." I slurred to a very blurred Dean.

"Ok, that's fine. I'll be here." Dean nodded.

I nodded too, liking my plan. "Which way is it again?"

Dean guided my towards a door after many stumbles and intoxicated collisions later, I pecked him on the cheek before walking into the door. Smooth. My hands roamed across the smooth surface until I finally gripped the door handle and twisted, the door swung open and I was suddenly thrown in, the door slamming shut as I was met with a tiled wall. It was nice in the bathroom, cooler than the almost unbearable heat of the bar. I sighed happily and pressed my back to the wall, sliding down it until I was in a sitting position with my knees still bent, suddenly feeling very tired, I pressed my cheek to the cold surface and shut my eyes.

T

Dean's P.O.V

As soon as Steph fell drunkenly into the bathroom I turned and scouted the room for someone, I smiled when I pinpointed him and moved across the bar towards him. "Hey, Sammy, how's it goin'?" I gave him a happy, uncaring smile as I sat down next to him.

"Hey, Dean. Where's Stephanie?" Sam replied.

I looked back at the bathroom, "She went to the bathroom."

"Uh-huh. She alright?" Sam grunted, I chuckled and leant closer to him.

"Dude she's so gone. I told you – tequila, man." I winked at him and Sam rolled his eyes.

"Right." My brother nodded, sounding disinterested.

"So, we gonna talk?"

"About..?" Sam inquired.

"You know." Sam's gaze suddenly snapped up to mine, and in his eyes I could see his mind was going at a mile a minute.

"I, uh," Sam shifted in his seat uncomfortably and composed himself, "I don't know what you're talking about."

I squinted at him, "You kidding me? Come on, Sam. We're all gonna sit down and talk about this... Just not right now, 'cause I'm drunk, Steph's drunk and you," I poked him in the shoulder, "Are acting weird."

A hand suddenly laid on my shoulder and I turned to see the bartender, "Hey, uh, buddy? You're girl's passed out in the bathroom." He jerked his thumb and I nodded.

"Right, right. And you want me to..."

"Dean!" Sam shot me a shocked look and I laughed.

"I'm just kiddin' around, Sammy. Come on, let's get little miss I-can't-hold-my-liquor and get back to the motel." I rolled my eyes and stumbled to me feet, "Cheers man," I reached into my pocket and handed him one of the fake credit cards we'd scammed last week, "This ought to cover it." I smiled as he took it.

Before he could respond, I walked past him with Sam, heading towards the bathroom. I flung open the door to find Stephanie leant against the wall, her head to the side and her dark hair draped over her face. I laughed when I saw her and struggled to the floor and sat next to her, "Dean, what are you doing?" Sam hissed as two women passed us out of the bathroom.

I ignored my brother and brushed the hair out of my girlfriend's face, she shifted a little, but other than that she didn't respond. "Steph? Steph! Come on, we gotta go. Get you in a motel bed, huh?" I brushed my thumb over her lip, this time her eyelids fluttered and she groaned.

"Dean?"

I smiled, "Yep, Steph. It's us."

Intoxicated dark eyes met mine and he lips creased into a smile, "Dean, the room's spinning."

I rolled my eyes, "That'll be the tequila talking." I joked, getting to my unsteady feet. The girl held her arms out and I took them and hauled her to her feet.

"Coat," She slurred, running a hand through her dark hair, "Anybody seen my coat?"

Sam held up Steph's beloved possession, "Right here, Steph."

She nodded, her eyes a little unfocused, "Excellent." She took a step towards the door, only to collapse and fall, instinctively Sam reached out and caught her just before she came into contact with the hard floor, "Ferris Bueller you're my hero." Stephanie joked as she turned away from Sam and grinned at me. My brother effortlessly picked her up and put her up right, he carefully removed his hands from her, she swayed and I lay a hand on her shoulder and carefully pulled, she fell back into my awaiting arms and I picked her up bridal style and held her close to my chest.

"Gee, Steph," I joked as we exited the bathroom, "Your balance really is terrible when you're drunk." The girl nuzzled into my chest as we got out of the bar, Sam draped her coat over her as we walked down to the end of the street where the car was parked.

The three of us were silent when we reached the car, Sam unlocked it for me and opened the backseat so I could carefully lay Steph across it, I then shut the door and walked around the car and slid into the backseat next to her. I rested her head on my lap whilst Sam got in the drivers seat. Sam finally broke the silence as he was parking the Impala outside the motel we were staying at, "She's really gone, huh." He observed when he turned around and finally looked at me.

"Yeah, and she's supposed to be Irish." I smirked and opened the door on my side and carefully lifted Steph out from the other side. Sam held the door open for us and I stepped through, the cold night air had sobered me up a little and my head felt a little clearer as I stood in the lobby waiting for Sam to finish booking a room.

T

Valkyrie's P.O.V

I awoke to the sound of a door shutting and groaned as the noise reverberated around my head, "Oh my God my head." I moaned and pulled a pillow over it. Someone laughed and approached the bed I'd apparently been sleeping in.

"Morning, Lightweight." Dean's voice came cheerfully and far too loudly for me to deal with, I moaned again and tried to bury myself further into the bed.

"It's actually afternoon. It's just gone four." Another voice, Sam's, came from the far side of the room.

"Hear that, Steph? It means you've slept for a good fourteen hours straight." The pillow was suddenly removed and someone was ruffling my hair.

"Good! It means it'll be time for bed soon." I forced myself up and kept the covers wrapped around me like a huge blanket, I leaned back and my back found a wall. The cover was suddenly yanked away from me and I yelped at the bright lights piercing my vision and sending poundings up to my head. "Owww..." I squeezed my eyes shut. When I felt brave enough I cracked my eyes open a fraction, letting myself adjust to the room. Eventually I gave it the all clear I squinted at Dean, "Coffee. Do we have coffee?" I asked hopefully.

Dean sighed sadly, "Well, we did... but Sam finished it this morning," I groaned and Dean smirked, "But maybe if you'd have been awake in the morning like normal people are you'd have probably got some."

"Dean, stop it." Sam sighed and stood up from the chair he was sat on, he crossed over to the kitchenette and grabbed a bag of instant coffee out of a shopping bag and began filling up the kettle. Whilst Sam was making the coffee Dean slid on the bed next to me, I yawned and rested my cheek against his shoulder, "How much did we drink last night?"

Dean made an amused sound, "We?" He echoed, "Steph, you started drinking my shots, then you finally shared, then you tried your hand at pool – you're terrible at sports drunk, by the way. Then we had more shots-"

I cringed, "More shots?"

Dean laughed, "Yep. Then you disappeared to the bathroom, not ten minutes later the bartender was tapping me on the shoulder telling me you'd crashed in the bathroom."

"Oh God." I muttered, then I remembered something, "Did anyone happen to grab my coat?" I wondered.

Sam finished stirring the mug and bought it over to me, I forced myself to sit up and take the hot drink, giving him a grateful nod as he did so. "Yeah, it's still in the Impala." Sam replied as he walked over to his chair.

"Thanks, Sam." I muttered as I took another sip of my coffee, I sighed as the hot drink went down my throat, making me feel a little more human, "So, what's the plan for today?" I asked.

"We haven't really done that much today, we went for a little supply run earlier, but mostly we've just been trying to figure out this damn symbol." Sam responded, opening up his laptop and sighing frustratedly.

"So, today is research today?"

"Well, the rest of it is. Once you've recovered and had something that isn't a white spirit, maybe we'll go for a little walk around the city late – me and you, huh?" Dean said, I nodded and focused on finishing my coffee.

T

An hour later I was feeling well enough to leave the bed and go get a much needed shower, after I'd brushed my teeth and done all my other girly habits I emerged fresh faced and feeling clean. Unfortunately, my good mood was dampened once I saw the boys at the table with a bag of takeout, the atmosphere was tense and static – they were arguing about something.

"Who the hell was she, Sam?" Dean demanded.

His brother pinched his nose, "I don't really know. I've only met her once. And meeting up with her again? I don't know, man, it's weird." He confessed.

"And what the hell was she saying last night about me and Steph?" Dean continued angrily, "How I treat you like luggage and Steph is so secretive it drives you crazy?"

"What's this?" I asked as I strode over, tilting my head in confusion and hurt as I looked at Sam imploringly.

The younger Winchester sighed, "It's nothing, Steph."

"He was bitching about us to some blonde chick." Dean pointed accusingly at his brother.

"What?"

"Look, I'm sorry. It was when we had that huge fight when I was in that bus sop in Indiana. But that's not important, just listen-"

Dean leant forward on his elbows, "Well, is there any truth to what she's saying? I mean, am I keeping you against your will, Sam?"

"And am I really so closed up about my past life that it bothers you so much to the point you go talking to a random stranger about me?" I looked at the younger Winchester with wide, searching eyes.

"No, of course not," Sam back-pedalled, "Now, would you please just listen?"

"What?" Dean prompted.

Sam leant back and sighed, pausing for a moment, "I think there might be something strange going on here, guys."

"Yeah, tell me about it – bitch was judging me before she even knew me." I scoffed.

"No, no. I mean – like our kind of strange. Like, maybe even a lead." Sam said.

I narrowed my eyes, "What makes you say that?"

Sam shrugged, giving one of his little lost puppy faces, "I met Meg weeks ago, literally on the side of the road. And now, I run into her in some random Chicago bar? The same bar where a waitress was slaughtered by something supernatural, no less," He paused and glanced at Dean and I closely, "You don't think that's a little weird?"

"I dunno, random coincidence?" Dean guessed half-heartedly, "It happens."

"Yeah, it happens... but not us. Look, I could be wrong, all I'm saying is that there's something about this girl that I can't quite put my finger on." Sam explained, Dean snorted at the last part of his explanation.

"Well, I'd bet you'd like to," Dean teased, "Maybe she's not a suspect – maybe you've got a thing for her, huh?" I smiled a little when I felt the tension lifting, the younger Winchester rolled his eyes and laughed, Dean leaned in closer, "Maybe you're thinking a little too much with your upstairs brain, hey Sammy?"

Sam shook his head and tried to contain his grin. He failed. "No, but seriously. Can you both do me a favour and check and see if there's really a Meg Masters from Andover, Massachusetts. Also see if you can't dig up anything on that symbol on Meredith's floor."

I frowned, "What are you gonna do?"

Sam looked at me deadly serious, "I'm gonna watch Meg."

Dean and I instantly glanced at each other and burst out laughing, Sam groaned and hid his face in embarrassment, "Haha, yeah you are." Dean chortled.

"I just wanna see what's what. Better safe than sorry." Sam defended quickly.

"Alright, you little pervert." Dean said, still smirking.

Sam gave him the bitchiest face I think I'd ever seen, "Dude."

His brother held his hands up, "Ok, ok. Get going then, lover boy." He teased.

Sam half-stormed towards the motel door, I grabbed his coat from the sofa and threw it to him, he caught it and swung it open, with a sigh he turned around to look at Dean and I – we were both trying and failing miserably to contain our childish grins, "You're both unbelievable."

T

Dean was dialling Sam's number whilst I was sat peering at the all-too-bright screen of Sam's laptop, "Let me guess," Dean smirked confidently beside me on the couch, "You're lurking outside that poor girl's apartment, aren't you?"

In the silence I could hear Sam's quick reply of, "No." Before an audible sigh and a "Yes."

"You've got a funny, but super creepy way of showing your affection, dude." Dean sighed as I clicked on a photo of Meg to enlarge it, along with a separate profile of official information of her.

"Did you find anything on Meg, or are you just ringing me to piss me off?" I heard Sam's annoyed reply.

I held my hand out and Dean passed me the phone, "Hey Sam, sorry to tell you this, but Meg is telling the truth. There is a Meg Masters in the Andover phonebook, I'm looking at one of her high school photos right now..." Dean tapped my shoulder and I trailed off, he motioned for the phone and I passed it back over to him.

"Now, why don't you go knock on her door and, uh, invite her to a poetry reading, or whatever it is you do, huh?" The older Winchester teased him relentlessly.

Thankfully, Sam sounded like he'd ignored his last comment, the years of growing up with Dean proving to be an effective armour against his older brother's jokes, "What about the symbol? Any luck?" He asked.

"Yeah, we had some luck earlier with that," Dean started rifling amongst the small piles of paper a few hours of research had accumulated, when he found the piece of paper he wanted he used his shoulder to balance the phone so he could read it, "It turns out the symbol's Zoroastrian. Very, very old school – like two thousand years before Christ. It's a sigil for a Daeva."

There was a muffed reply on the end of the phone, but if I was allowed three guesses to guess what question Sam had just asked, I bet I knew I'd get the answer right. "It translates to 'demon of darkness'. They're Zoroastrian demons, and they're savage, animalistic... you know, nasty bastards with nasty attitudes."

"- Figure that all out?" Sam's voice became clearer once Dean had put the papers down and was using his hands again.

"Give us some credit, man. You don't have a corner on paper chasing around here." Dean defended hotly.

Even on the phone, Sam's doubtful scoff was unmistakable, "Oh yeah? Name the last book you read?" He challenged.

Dean stared at me wide-eyed and I raised an eyebrow, I wasn't gonna help him out of this one. Eventually the elder Winchester sighed in defeat, "No. Look, we called Dad's friend – you know Caleb? He told us, alright?"

"Yeah." Sam replied, but he sounded distracted on the other end.

"Anyway, here's the thing: these Daevas, they have to be summoned – conjured." Dean continued, changing the subject.

"So, someone's controlling it?" Sam guessed.

"Bingo. And, from what Steph and I have gathered together, it's pretty risky business, too. These suckers tend to bite the hand that feeds them. And, uh, the arms... and torsos." Dean trailed off and swallowed heavily as he read off the page I'd printed and studied the diagram.

Sam sighed heavily, "Great. What do they look like?"

Even though his brother couldn't see, Dean shrugged, as clueless as Sam was, "Well, nobody knows what they look like. But Steph says that nobody's seen them for a couple of millennia. I mean, summoning a demon that ancient? Someone around here really knows their stuff. There's gotta be a major player in town... Now," Dean's tone suddenly changed, "Why don't you go give that girl a private strip-o-gram?"

Sam groaned, "Bite me." He snapped.

Dean grinned, "No, bite her! Don't leave teeth marks, though-," There was a telling click and it went oddly quiet, Dean glanced at me and then smirked into the phone, "Sam?" Dean sighed and hung up the phone.

T

The motel door opened and Dean and I jerked awake, Dean was seated at one end of the sofa whilst my head was at the other end, my feet resting gently on his lap. Instinctively, I readied myself for any attacker, when someone suddenly flicked the lights on, revealing Sam. Everyone relaxed when we recognised who we were, although Sam looked a little shaken, "Dude. I gotta talk to you." Sam exclaimed.

I smiled, "Great, because we found out a little something earlier too."

T

"So," Dean said, after I had made three cups of coffee and Sam had told us about what happened whilst he was gone, "Hot little Meg is summoning the Daeva?"

Sam nodded miserably, "Looks like she was using that black altar to control the thing."

"So, Sammy's got a thing for a bad girl," I couldn't help the smirk that crept onto my face as I looked at the younger Winchester, Sam rolled his eyes at me.

"Steph, you've been spending way too much time with my brother." He scoffed.

"And tell us again about that goblet thingy?" Dean asked whilst I stuck my tongue childishly out at him.

"She was talking into it. The way witches used to talk into crystall balls or animal entrails. I think she was communicating with someone." Sam replied.

I cocked my head, "With who? The Daeva?"

Sam shook his head, "No. You guys said it yourself – those things were savages. No, this was someone different. Someone who's giving her orders. And that same someone's gonna come meet her at that warehouse."

I stood up from the sofa and picked up a couple of files Dean and I had gone through earlier, I took them back to the sofa and handed them to Sam. "We were meant to tell you this earlier, but we kinda fell asleep..." I murmured as Sam studied the files.

"What are these?" Sam asked as he frowned at them.

"They're the complete records of the two victims. And we're all idiots – we missed something out the first time round." I explained.

"What?"

"The first victim," Dean set down his coffee, "The old man – he spent his whole life in Chicago, but wasn't born here. Check out where he was born." He tapped the page that Sam was reading off.

"Lawrence, Kansas." Sam read, glancing up at us in amazement.

"Yep," Sam passed me back the first file and I gave him the second one, "And Meredith, second victim – she was adopted and also grew up in Chicago, but guess where she's from?" I arched an eyebrow and Sam peered at the page.

"Holy crap." Sam said, shocked.

Dean and I nodded, "Yeah."

Sam finally tore his eyes away from the page and up at us, "It's where the demon killed Mum – it's where everything started... You think Meg's somehow tied up with the demon?" He asked.

Dean nodded confidently, "I think it's definite possibility."

Sam sighed and put down the file, "But I don't understand. What's with the significance of Lawrence? And how do these Daeva things fit in?

Dean and I exchanged a look and shrugged simultaneously, "Who knows? But to be safe, we should go up to that warehouse, trash that black alter and have a little talk with sweet little Meg." I suggested.

"No," Sam disagreed, "No we can't. We shouldn't tip her off. We've gotta stake out that warehouse. We've gotta see who, or what, is showing up to meet her."

"Well, I know one thing: we shouldn't be doing this alone, that's for sure." Dean said.

T

Sam and I went downstairs to go get weapons to prepare us with Meg from the trunk of Dean's beloved car, whilst Dean stayed upstairs frantically calling his Dad to try and communicate with him. When Sam and I came back upstairs into the motel room, carrying bags upon bags of weapons, Dean was still on the phone. "...We think we've got a serious lead on the thing that killed Mum. So, uh, this warehouse – it's 1435 West Erie. Dad, if you get this, get to Chicago as soon as you can." Dean shut off the phone and Sam smiled a thin smile.

"Voicemail?" He guessed.

"Yeah." Dean didn't keep his gaze for long, I hadn't been around the boys for long – but I'd been around long enough to figure that whilst Dean idolized their father, Sam despised him for making him grow up as a hunter. After a moment of stiff silence Dean gestured to the bags that lay on the floor, "Jesus, what'd you two get?"

Sam looked at me and chuckled, "Steph and I basically ransacked that trunk. Holy water, every weapon that we could think of, exorcism rituals from about half a dozen religions... I guess we we decided that we're not sure what to expect, so we reckoned to go with the whole 'expect everything' gig." He explained, Dean nodded and the three of us began reloading all the guns and checking the ammo and knives.

Dean suddenly chuckled and let out a low whistle, "Big night."

"Yeah. You nervous?" Sam looked over to his brother with a challenging glint in his eye.

"No," Dean scoffed, "...Why, are you?" He asked.

"No? No! No way!" Sam chuckled and began reloading his gun a little faster, I stayed silent as I observed them, "God, could you imagine if we actually found that damn thing? That... demon?" Sam began, his voice laden with a dark desire I suspected he'd been honing for the past few weeks. It didn't surprise me, since he'd been obsessing over his girlfriend Jess ever since... that night. Or day, even.

"Hey, hey. Sam," The younger Winchester looked up at me, I gave him a warm smile and tapped his arm in a gesture of comfort, "Don't get too far ahead, ok?"

Sam nodded vigorously, "I know. I'm just saying... what if we did? What if this whole thing was over tonight?" He let out a wishful sigh, "Man, I'd sleep for a month. Go back to school – be a person again."

Dean stopped fiddling with the gun he was holding and stared at Sam in almost disbelief, "You – you wanna go back to school?"

Sam looked up at his brother innocently, I bit my lip subconsciously and paid every little piece of attention I had into the gun that lay in my hand. "Well yeah, once we're done hunting the thing." The younger Winchester nodded to his brother out of the corner of my eye.

Dean made a face and snapped the safety back on the gun furiously, "Huh."

"Why, is there something wrong with that?" Sam asked, an edge to his tone had set in – it was slight and hard to pick up, but it was there.

The older Winchester shook his head, a disbelieving smile edged onto his features, "No. No, it's, uh, great. Good for you." He said, clearly disheartened. He caught my eyes and I gave him a reassuring smile, but he looked back down at his gun.

"I mean, what are you two gonna do when it's all over?" Sam asked.

Dean finished with the gun and sighed, looking up at his brother sadly, "It's never gonna be over. There's gonna be others," His eyes shifted to me, "There's always gonna be something to hunt." He was guaranteeing it by saying it out loud. Like he was signing a deathly binding contract. The worse part was, I realised, was that he was right. There would always adversaries for us to take out, there would always be new enemies trying to beat us... Even if there was still an us after this.

That made me stiffen.

Oh my God, what if when Sam goes we split up – what do I do then? Where do I go?

Meanwhile I was living out this little crisis, Sam had abandoned the guns altogether and was looking at his brother in shock, "But there's gotta be something that you want for yourself -"

"Yeah, I don't want you to leave the second this thing's over, Sam." Dean cut him off with a sigh and crossed the room over to the dresser.

"Dude what's your problem?" Sam demanded angrily, Dean remained standing with his back to us, I had no clue as to what he was thinking about or feeling.

After twenty seconds dragged themselves by, Dean finally turned back to us, "Why do you think I drag you everywhere, huh? I mean, why do you think I came and got you at Stanford in the first place?"

Sam tilted his head, as if he was a little thrown by the question, "'Cause Dad was in trouble. 'Cause you wanted to find the thing that killed Mum."

Dean sighed again and I stayed quiet, Sam and I shared a glance before Dean spoke again, "Yes, that. But it's more than that, man," The older Winchester finally turned to us, his green eyes shining in the gloom, "You and me and Dad – I mean, I want us..." He shut his eyes, "I want us to be a family again," His confession slipped into the silence, he looked at his younger brother with an expression that reminded me of one that a child may give a parent or an older sibling. Then it hit me and my eyes widened: Dean wasn't Dean without Sam. He needed family, he knew he wouldn't be any good without his family. He knew it, and I think Sam knew it – and now I knew it too. "I want us to be a family again." Dean finished, his tone oddly quiet.

"Dean, we are a family. I'd do anything for you..." Sam trailed off and looked away, "But things will never be the way they were before."

The statement hung in the air with a heavy weight, it certainly crushed Dean – I'd never seen him look so broken before. Dean's jaw locked as he steeled himself, he gazed back at his brother in disagreement, "Could be." He argued, his tone hard but his eyes were wide with hope.

Sam shook his head, "I don't want them to be," He said firmly, "I'm not gonna live this life forever, Dean. When this is all over, you're gonna have to let me go my own way. You'll still have Steph, and Dad'll be with you. But I won't be."

T

"Which building is it, Sam?" I gestured to the line of buildings of the street Sam had directed us to. All of them looked in need of some money to brighten them up a little, they were run down and weary – dilapidated from years of neglect and the local crime of the city. Even as Sam led us down the street, there was a small group of figures looking at us. All of them were clad in hoodies and black masks that concealed their faces, as we passed by them I splayed my hand out wearily, detecting the air around us in case one of them moved towards us. Dean's hand snaked around my waist and he gently pulled me closer to him, I arched an eyebrow in response but he ignored my silent protest. "Here it is." Sam finally said, we stopped in front of an old, abandoned warehouse.

"Here?" I looked at him dubiously, "It's a little cliché, isn't it?" I smirked.

Sam shrugged, "Yeah, but it's difficult to get up to the room."

"Great." Dean sighed and approached the entrance, he tried the door but it wouldn't open, he crouched down and frowned at the gleaming silver padlock that had been put in place, "This here when you came last time?" He showed his brother the padlock, Sam shook his head and sighed.

"This is gonna be harder than I thought." He muttered.

I scoffed, "Guys, guys, who are you with? Just the only sorcerer in the world." I motioned for Dean to move away and I checked that there was no one around, I snapped my palm out and the door blew open with a gale force, I manipulated the air so it wouldn't clatter against the wall in case Meg was here already.

"That was -"

"Awesome!" Dean cut his brother off as he gave me a huge grin, "Aww man, I forgot you could do all that stuff."

I smiled back and Sam pointed to the stairs and then to his lips, we nodded and climbed the stairs, Ghastly's boots ensured that every step I took was silent. Once we reached the top of the stairs Sam led Dean and I towards an out of order elevator, he prised open the rusted doors and we entered the small metal box. Sam reached his arms up and grabbed a square of metal grating that was on the centre of the ceiling, he gently pushed and slid it out from it's holding. He grunted and handed it to his brother, Dean placed it in the corner and Sam jumped and hauled himself through the square. My mouth wet a little dry when I saw what he wanted us to do: he wanted us to crawl through the small hole, unconsciously I stepped back a little, unsure. I backed into Dean and whirled, relaxing when I saw who it was.

"Everything ok?" Dean asked, looking at me with concern.

I bit my lip, "Yeah, no everything's fine. It's just... that's a small hole..." I trailed off and eyed the hole nervously.

Dean followed my gaze, "Steph, that hole is, like, twice the size of Sam. You'll be fine, I'm right behind you, ok?" He guided me to where the hole was positioned above the ceiling, "Come on, compared to Sammy, you're tiny. Ready?" His hands found my hips, I nodded and took a deep breath. He lifted me like I was nothing and Sam reached over and hauled me the rest of the way up. I smiled in thanks and turned to help pull Dean up.

We stood up on the roof of the elevator and Sam pointed to a ledge that led into a room, "We gotta get up there." Sam said.

Dean clicked his tongue, "That's quite a leap, Sammy."

Sam shrugged, "Well, the way I came in last time was the same way Meg used, and we can't risk running into her."

Dean sighed and nodded, "Right. That's awesome," He said glumly, "Leap of faith it is then."

"Actually..." Sam turned to me and I tilted my head, "Steph, you've done it before – do you reckon you could, you know." He motioned to the ledge and I nodded.

"Sure, just hold still, ok?" I narrowed my eyes as I evaluated the ledge, Dean stepped away from Sam as his younger brother froze on the spot.

I snapped my palm and Sam rushed towards the ledge, my teeth absent-mindedly chewed my bottom lip as I slowed Sam's jump so he could land on the ledge properly. The younger Winchester landed on shaky legs and turned and gave the thumbs up, I turned to Dean. He sighed, "Just make sure I don't hit a wall or anything, ok?" His eyes flickered to my palms nervously, I smiled and he rooted to the spot. Once Dean was over I ran to the edge of the elevator and jumped, pushing at the air to boost me over to the boys, I landed easier than the boys had, gracefully landing in a crouch and straightening up.

The three of us crept quietly around the corner and crouched behind an overturned office desk, three pairs of pillars lined the room leading up to a raised space – I assumed the room to be a director's office or something. In the middle of the raised stage stood Meg, she was standing before a black alter like the one Sam had described, she was muttering some ancient language that I couldn't begin to guess at. After we had looked at Meg we all glanced at eachother and withdrew our guns, clicking them quietly in preparation.

Before we could eve think about moving, Meg looked up from the table, "Guys," She tutted clearly, "Hiding's a little childish, don't you think?" She was teasing us, even against the three of us, she knew she could take us.

"Well, that didn't work out like I planned." Dean didn't bother whispering, he rolled his eyes as he looked at us.

"Why don't you come out?" Meg called, the three of us emerged from behind the desk, guns raised and trained on her, somewhere in the back of my mind I wondered if the guns would have any effect on her. "Sam, I have to say, this puts a real crimp in out relationship." The blonde sighed sadly.

"Yeah, tell me about it." Sam replied.

"So, Meg, we hear you're playing around with the Daeva." I gave her a smile.

Meg smiled back, "Mind telling us where they are? 'Cause that'd be just great." Dean's tone was deadpan.

"Around," Her smile grew wider, showing teeth, "You know, that shotgun's not gonna do much good on them."

"Oh, don't worry, sweetheart. The shotgun's not for them." Dean replied with a cute grin.

"So who is it, Meg?" Sam called to the petite blonde, "Who's coming? Who are you waiting for?"

Meg laughed, "You." As if on signal, the shadows on the walls swarmed and suddenly Dean was knocked left and Sam and I were thrown to the right. Dean crashed into some forgotten crates and didn't get back up, whilst I scrambled to my feet and held out my hand to Sam. Once he was standing next to me we stood back to back, Meg stayed where she was, watching us with an amused look. The air shifted but I was too late; a shadow swiped and Sam cried out as I was taken off my feet and slammed into the wall, my head bashing against the hard plaster painfully, I crumpled to the floor as my vision went black.

T

I groaned as I came to, my hands were secured behind my back and I saw Dean tied to the pillar in front of me, Sam was restrained on the opposite side, all three of us had been positioned so we were facing the middle where Meg was. Dean sighed and tested a crick in his neck, "Hey, Sam? Don't take this the wrong way, or anything, but your girlfriend... is a bitch."

I stared at Meg, "This was a trap, wasn't it? Running into Sam at that bar, you knew he'd follow you here and see what you were doing... You set us up."

The girl grinned, as if I was playing a game with her, "And the victims from Lawrence?" Sam asked.

She glanced at Sam, "It doesn't mean anything. It was just to draw you in, that's all." She answered.

Sam's expression was disgusted, "You killed those two people for nothing."

"Baby, I've killed a lot more for a lot less." Meg replied.

"You trapped us. Good for you. It's Miller time," Dean's mouth curved into a sarcastic smile, "But why don't you just kill us already?"

The girl pouted as she walked over to Dean, "Not very quick on the uptake, are we?" She leant in closer and Dean didn't blink, "This trap isn't for you three."

The three of us frowned, then Sam sighed in realisation, "Dad. It's a trap for Dad."

Dean was quiet for a moment as he peered up at Meg, then he scoffed, "Oh, sweetheart," he drawled, "You're dumber than you look. 'Cause even if Dad was in town – which he isn't, he wouldn't walk into something like this. He's too good." He almost looked sorry for the girl, I shifted a little and felt the rope rubbing at my wrists, waiting for the window.

"He is pretty good. I'll give you that," She glanced back at me and gave me a smirk as she sat on Dean, straddling his legs and putting a hand on his chest I stiffened and narrowed my eyes: she was trying to rile me, to get me uncomfortable, "But you see, he has one weakness."

"And what's that?" Dean glared up at the girl.

Meg laughed, "You. He lets his guard down around his boys – lets his emotions cloud his judgement. I happen to know he's in town, and he'll come and try to save you..." Her hand slid up his chest slowly, "And then then Daevas will kill everybody – nice and slow and messy."

I sighed, "Come on, Meg. Think it's gonna take more than a shadow to kill us, don't you?" Meg turned and looked at me, "You see, I'm pretty sure we can all handle some..." I paused as Meg's hand found Dean's bare neck, her fingers danced below his jaw, "Shadow." I forced myself to finish.

Meg pushed herself off of Dean and stepped over to me, "Oh, sweetie, the Daeva's are in this room here," She crouched until she was at my eye-level and stroked my left cheek gently, "The shadows are the only part you can see." She said softly.

I narrowed my eyes as I stared up at her, "You have some issues, Meg." I said, trying to keep her attention on me whilst the boys silently conversed behind her.

Meg laughed, "That's cute. Wait 'till the boys know what you're really hiding, Valkyrie."

I blinked, thrown off, "What?"

"You heard me. Remember when you three stopped that demon on that airline? Guess who that was?" She grinned, flashing white teeth, "And you know something? I've been inside that pretty little head of yours. Oh, the things you've seen and done," Meg laughed and looked back at the boys, "You could write a book on the things she's done, seriously."

"I'm sure it would be a great read." I replied evenly.

Meg smirked, "Let's see," She stood up and began circling me slowly, "You were born Stephanie Edgely to loving parents Melissa and Desmond. You inherited your Uncle Gordon's estate and royalties when you were eleven when he died, and you stayed there but someone broke in, didn't they? You took a new name, became Valkyrie Cain and started saving the world, fighting monsters and even some Gods. It was going great, wasn't it? Until you ran into a few bumps on the road..."

I gritted my teeth, and looked away, "What is she talking about?" Dean asked.

Meg looked back at the older Winchester, "Didn't she tell you? All these people started having visions about dear little Valkyrie killing the world, although she told you that, didn't she? You've even met her, haven't you? I did." Meg looked down at me, "I wanna meet her again. Darquesse. She looked like a lot of fun, honey. And you barely have the lid on her, don't you?" My jaw clenched and she laughed, "I knew it! I could feel it, inside your head... she can't wait to come out and play, can she? I bet you can hear her sometimes, whispering all these dirty little thoughts into your ear?"

"Why are you doing this, Meg?" Sam called, "What kind of deal have you got working here? And who with?"

Meg sighed and stepped away from me, I breathed more regularly as she walked away, "I'm doing this for the same reasons you do what you do," Meg shrugged innocently, "Loyalty, Love... like the love you had for Mummy," Sam stiffened, "And Jess."

"Go to hell." Sam snapped.

"Baby, I'm already there." She assumed the same position she had on Dean, "Come on, Sam. There's no need to be nasty," She leant forward on top of him and whispered into his ear loud enough for everyone to hear, "I think we both know how you really feel about me. You know, I saw you watching me – changing in my apartment. Turned you on, didn't I?"

Dean groaned loudly, "Oh, get a room, you two."

"I didn't mind," Meg continued, unperturbed, "I liked that you were watching me. Come on, Sammy. You and I can still have a dirty little fun." She began kissing Sam's neck slowly.

"You wanna have fun? Go ahead then, I'm a little tied up now." Sam replied, I frowned at his response and glanced at Dean, he mouthed to me silently.

You ok?

I nodded in response, Dean nodded at my answer.

I've got a knife, it's gonna be ok.

I offered him a shaky smile and Dean frowned a little as his hands moved behind his back, the knife Dean was holding fell from his grip and he closed his eyes, Meg stopped kissing Sam and stood up, narrowing her eyes as she approached Dean. She went behind him to see what he was doing and bent down and snatched the knife from his grip and flung it in the corner, she then swung around the post and gave Dean a smile, he chuckled guiltily in return but she was already moving back to Sam.

"Now, were you just trying to distract me whilst your brother cut free?" Meg asked, tracing a finger down Sam's cheek.

"No. No... that's because I have a knife of my own." Meg frowned and Sam grabbed Meg's shoulders, I clicked my fingers and burnt through my bindings as Sam smacked his head against Meg's, she fell to the floor and Sam groaned in pain.

I stood up and ran over to Dean, "Sam! Get the alter." I said as I crouched in front of Dean's hands, "Hold still." I warned and clicked my fingers, making sure the flame didn't touch Dean as it burnt through the ropes. I looked up when the alter crashed to the floor, stepping away from Dean as a shadow lunged off the wall and aimed straight for Meg, something latched onto her leg and she screamed as the shadow dragged her across the floor, her hands scratched uselessly on the wood. Her body was flung at the window and the shadow disappeared, Meg crashed through and screamed as she fell to the street below.

Dean approached me and pulled me into a tight hug, whilst Sam crossed over to the broken window and peered down, "Gross." He muttered, then turned back to us.

"I guess the Daeva's didn't like being bossed around." I shrugged.

"Yeah, I guess not..." Dean brushed a loose strand of hair from my face, "Hey, Sam?"

"Hm?" Sam looked up at his brother.

"Next time you wanna get laid, find a girl that's not so buckets-o'-crazy, huh?" He smiled and walked over to where Meg had put our guns.

I looked at Sam and gave him a small smile, "So..." I started, "Looks like you got some information on me."

Sam gave a short laugh, "Yeah... So what's with Valkyrie Cain?" He asked.

I shrugged, "It felt right."

Sam nodded as Dean walked back over to us, "I kinda like it." He grinned, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

"I'm glad." I rolled my eyes, "It's not like I've used it recently."

Dean's hand snaked around my waist and he pulled me closer into his jacket, with his other hand he handed Sam two guns and sighed, "You know, that was a little anti-climatic if you ask me, I mean – I was expecting to be ripped to shreds, not watch Sam get a lap dance and a make out session from Miss Crazy." I laughed and then suddenly caught sight of something red that must have fallen from the table when Sam turned it over.

"Is that a human heart?" I frowned.

Sam looked round and then back to me, "Daeva rituals, I guess."

"That's disgusting." I nodded grimly.

"Yeah... we good to go?" Dean asked.

Sam nodded, "Yep, let's get outta here."

T

The three of us walked down the hallway of the motel towards our room, "I still don't get it – why didn't you just leave all that stuff in the car?" Dean asked.

Sam sighed, "I said it before, and I'll say it again – better safe than sorry, Dean." We reached the door and Dean unlocked it, we entered loudly and tensed when we saw the silhouette of a man standing by the window.

"Hey!" I shouted, Sam turned on the light and the man turned around. He was wearing an old leather jacket, similar to the one Dean wore, with faded jeans and boots.

"Dad?" Dean said in disbelief.

The man smiled, "Hey, boys." Dean left my side and walked towards the man, John enveloped his son into a long, emotional hug. That hug gave me the idea of the type of relationship Dean had with his father, I glanced at Sam and my heart broke a little for him: he was staring at his brother and father with a sadness in his eyes, one that looked like it'd been there before many times. Once the two men broke apart, John turned to Sam and I, "Hi, Sam."

"Hey, Dad." Sam said softly, he didn't go to hug his father like Dean did.

John looked at me and narrowed his eyes as he looked me up and down, "And who's this?" He asked, looking at his sons.

"Dad, this is Stephanie. She's been helping us out and travelling with us. She's a hunter – of sorts." Dean explained.

John nodded at his answer, but he didn't take his eyes off me. I tilted my head as he stared: he seemed a little cautious of me. Maybe he knows about you.

Sam placed the weapons on the floor loudly and cleared his throat, Dean looked at his Dad with wide eyes, "Dad, it was a trap. I didn't know, I'm sorry."

"It's alright," John replied, "I thought it might've been."

Dean tilted his head, "Were you there?"

John nodded, "Yeah, I got there just in time to see the girl take the swan dive. She was the bad guy, right?" He checked, his eyes flickering to me for a split second.

"Yes, sir." The boys said together, I looked at them in shock.

"Good. Well, it doesn't surprise me. It's tried to stop me before." John replied.

"The demon has?" I asked.

John nodded, I was surprised he'd answered me, "It knows I'm close. It knows I'm gonna kill it. Not just exorcise it or send it back to hell – actually kill it."

"How?" Dean asked.

John smirked, reminding me vaguely of Dean's, "I'm workin' on that."

"Let us come with you. We'll help." Sam offered eagerly. Dean looked at Sam and gave him a warning look, I tapped his arm to make him stop.

"No, Sam. Not yet. Just try to understand. This demon is a scary son of a bitch, I don't want you caught in the crossfire. I don't want you hurt." John shook his head.

Nevertheless, Sam scoffed, "Dad, you don't have to worry about us."

"Of course I do. I'm your father," He paused and took a breath, "Listen, Sammy. Last time we were together, we had one hell of a fight."

Sam stiffened and nodded once, "Yes, sir."

"It's good to see you again. It's been a long time." John continued.

"Too long." Sam nodded again, John stepped forward and embraced his son. I glanced at Dean and he smiled warmly at his brother and Dad. When they finally broke apart Sam's eyes were shining with tears.

The air shifted angrily behind me and I turned, "Dean!" I shouted, shoving him out of the way of a shadow, Dean stumbled away and I was thrown into the cabinets of the kitchenette.

"Steph!" Dean moved towards me just as John was attacked, the shadow creature yanked him away from Sam and threw him into a wall. More shadows swarmed at the walls in the moonlight and Sam crashed to the floor, "No!" Dean managed before he was flung carelessly at the opposite wall.

I cried out as something clawed at my neck, four long cuts appeared out of nowhere, across the room I heard someone else yelling in pain. Through the haze of the pain and the crazy black flashes of the shadows flitting across the room I saw Sam crawling towards the bag he had dropped earlier, my back arched in pain as something yanked at my hair, I felt five cold claws pierce the back of my neck. I felt pressure on my arms and shoulders, they slowed a little – as if they were confused why they couldn't cut through my jacket. "Shut your eyes!" Sam yelled, "These things are shadow creatures, so let's light 'em up!" I glimpsed a flare in his hand and covered my eyes with my arm. An inhuman scream tore through the room, the air shifted wildly against my palm as something was exiled from the room. I stood up on shaky legs and leant against the cabinets I had been thrown into, I saw two silhouettes stumbling and spluttering around the room.

"Dad!" Dean called, worry edging his tone.

"Over here!" John coughed a reply, someone moved towards the voice and someone else approached me.

"Steph, are you ok?" It was Sam, I nodded and looked up at him through the gloom.

"Oh my God, Sam – your face." I reached up and touched his face tentatively, three gashes had been raked down his left cheek – much like Munroe had done to me two weeks ago.

Sam jerked away from my touch, "It's ok. I'm ok." Sam assured me, moving back to pick up the duffel bag.

"Come on, we gotta go." John said, looking at Sam and I before leaving.

Sam left first, then Dean moved towards me, "Steph, you're hurt." Dean said, I felt my neck carefully and looked at the warm blood on my hand.

"It's fine. It's not deep." I gave him a small smile and frowned when I saw his shoulder. His shirt had been torn on his right arm, the material stained dark in places. "Are you ok?" I asked, eyeing his arm.

Dean shrugged, "I'll be fine, It's not too bad."

"Ok." I sounded unsure.

Dean grabbed my hand and led me from the room, "Come on, Sam and Dad are probably waiting for us." He said.

T

We found Sam and John in an alleyway next to the motel, Sam was busy putting the duffel bag into Dean's car, whilst John was leaning against his truck. "Alright," Sam shut the trunk of the car, "Come on, we don't have much time. They'll be back soon, I know it."

"Wait, wait, wait!" Dean walked over to Sam, "Sam, wait. Dad, you can't come with us." He looked at his Dad with a sad realisation.

Sam and I frowned, "What?" Sam asked.

"Dean, what are you talking about?" I said, not two seconds after Sam.

"You three – you're beat to hell." John frowned at his eldest son, glancing at Sam's face and my neck.

"We'll be alright." Dean assured him.

"Dean, we should stick together, we'll go after those shadow demons -"

"Sam! Listen to me!" Dean shook his head as he cut his brother off sharply, "We almost got Dad killed in there, don't you understand? They're gonna use us to get to him. I mean, Meg was right: Dad's vulnerable when he's with us. He's – he's stronger without us around." Dean explained, giving his brother a look.

"Dad, no," Sam ignored Dean and stared at his father, he put a hand on John's shoulder, "After everything – after all that time we've spent looking for you – please. I've gotta be a part of this fight." Dean watched his younger brother sadly, I stayed quiet, not wanting to intervene.

John sighed and looked away from Sam's eyes, "Sammy, the fight is just starting," John glanced at me, "And we're all gonna have a part to play. But for now, you've got to trust me, son." Sam shook his head, his eyes brimming, "Ok, you've gotta let me go." Silence settled as John's words were absorbed by everyone. Sam sighed and let go of his father's shoulder, Dean moved back and stood next to me, his hand on the small of my back. John looked at us and then stared at his son. John walked over to his truck and opened the driver's door, with one last look at the three of us, he got in. The truck roared to life and the window slid down, "Be careful, you three." John warned, then the truck drove off.

We watched the truck until it went around the corner, I leant into Dean, suddenly exhausted. His hand moved up my back and around my shoulders, "Come on." He sighed, taking charge, we moved towards the car in silence, and five minutes later we were on the road.