Authors note: it's been a really long time, so you will have to bear with me, I'm just getting back into this. I'm also currently working on my own novel to be sent to publishing so it may be a little while between updates. My promise is I will try and be frequent though.

Also this doesn't quite marry up with the timeline on the show so if it deviates a lot then forgive me, it's an alternative scenario

Thanks to everyone who has commented, followed and added to their favourites. I can't tell you how grateful I am.

Thanks for reading.

Chapter 6

Even though Dean had been scarily persuasive with Ruby's knife it didn't seem to have had quite the desired effect on Gabriel. It turned out he wasn't a demon, he was just a coward. The group had listened intently as he had explained about always locking the doors at night and how that had ultimately lead to his congregation's demise. When he started talking about hearing their screams at night and damning him to Hell, the Winchester brothers had taken their leave, along with Zoe, stepping outside into the cool night air.

"We leave tomorrow, clear?" Dean exclaimed, rounding on his counterparts. They both nodded in agreement, they didn't want to stay there longer than was required. Sam and Dean set to planning their route, pulling out an incredibly flimsy map while Zoe wandered out into the open space around the church. What she hadn't anticipated was finding the mutilated body of Bob lying on the ground unconscious.

"Dean! Sam!" She spun around, not quite realising how loud she had yelled. Two seconds later Sasha and Michonne came barrelling out of the church, Sasha's eyes falling on the body at Zoe's feet.

"Bob! Bob?" She shoved Zoe aside grabbing his arm and draping it over shoulder, "help me get him inside."

The two girls carried him inside, Sasha's face pale as they manoeuvred their way into the Father's office and lay Bob on the couch. Dean's hand fell on Zoe's arm as she made to follow the group inside, stopping her where she stood.

"Something isn't right here Zo, tell me you feel it too," his voice was low as Sam jogged up the stairs and disappeared into the darkness within.

Zoe looked back to Dean, "Sam doesn't agree does he?"

Dean looked down at the ground, a thinly veiled pain behind his green eyes, "Sam doesn't know what to trust anymore because of the so called 'secrets' we kept from him."

"Secrets? As in what I am and having a brother and stuff?"

He nodded slightly, green irises rising to meet her shadowed blue ones.

"That's not fair, it wasn't our choice to hide stuff from him Dean," Zoe retorted, a flicker of impulsive anger flashing across her features, "we haven't done anything wrong."

"I know, but Sam doesn't see it that way."

Zoe wasn't listening though, "It was your self-righteous father that stopped us from telling him. His goddamn ridiculous rules and expectations were the reason Sammy never knew. Not us. If he wants to blame anyone he should be blaming that self-absorb, self-righteous …"

"Enough," Dean barked, his voice sharp like a twig snapping in the silence of the woods.

Zoe swallowed the rest of her words and met Dean's glare.

"Our Dad may have been a jerk but he did what he thought was best. He always had us in mind no matter what. No matter how dangerous or unsafe it was, it was always for us. He gave his life for me and Sammy," Dean's voice broke his shoulders slumping slightly as he ran a hand across his forehead.

Zoe knew full well the extent to which John Winchester had gone for his sons. She knew that Dean blamed himself every day for being the reason that Sam didn't have a father. It was for that reason that Dean had taken his Dad's request to look after his little brother as far as he had. He'd gone to Hell for Sam, and if he were asked to do it again, he wouldn't bat an eyelid. Sam was the only family that Dean had left and the loyalty and love he had for his brother went deeper than anyone could ever begin to understand.

"You're right," Zoe nodded slightly, "I'm sorry. Your Dad was a good man. I owe my life to him, and to you guys."

Dean nodded, his eyes still downcast, not quite ready to speak to Zoe yet.

"I also agree with you," she pressed on, "something doesn't feel right here. It seems off."

The older Winchester was about to respond when raised voices echoed out from the church. The two shared a quick glance before launching up the stairs and into the building.

"It's not your call," Glenn was staring at Rick, a determination in his stance that reminded Zoe instantly of Kevin, a painful twang washing over her as she came to a stop near Sam in the corner.

"What's happening?"

Sam gave her a sideways glance, annoyance in his look, "Turns out Bob's leg was eaten by the idiots from Terminus. These guys want revenge but Abraham wants to take the bus and leave now. So they've come to an agreement, he'll stay and help fight these terminus idiots and leave tomorrow instead. But his condition is that when he leaves he takes Glenn and Maggie with him on the bus to Washington. Rick is trying get them to rethink it because he thinks he can protect them by lying about the reality of the whole situation."

Dean rolled his eyes at his brother and shook his head, stalking off to see what the damage was with the rest of the group.

"That wasn't necessary," Zoe said with a sigh.

"Yeah it was," Sam rounded on her, "you both have done nothing but lie to me, not just about this but about so many things and I've had enough of it. It's completely uncalled for and you know it, yet you both keep doing it, don't you?"

Without waiting for her response he stalked off down the aisle towards the rest of the group huddled in the corner discussing their plan. Zoe stood for a few seconds longer before dropping her head back and letting out a slow breath before following Sam.

Less than an hour later the group were geared up and ready to leave, Sam had opted to stay at the church with the group much to Dean's disgust, whilst Zoe and Dean went with the rest of them into the woods. Zoe had stayed crouched in the surrounding shrubs whilst the others went off up the track, her hand clasped around Ruby's knife as she stayed low against the cold ground. It didn't take long before the Terminus group were walking up the steps and charging into the church, Zoe rising to her feet slowly before darting off into the darkness to get the others.

Sam stood with his back to the wall next to the door, his ears pricked as he strained to hear the movement in the other room. He was vaguely aware of the group shuffling around behind him, for the most part they were trying desperately not to breathe loudly, even Judith had managed to keep her cool and not make a noise. This was the part he hated most, whether it were hunting or just general recon, he hated the waiting around for something to happen. When the gun shots echoed in the church beyond though his hand instinctively tightened around the handle of his gun. Judith had already given away their position so no matter what they tried at that point they were as good as uncovered.

Dean took out the first one of the group, dropping him almost instantly as the others took down the closest members of the Terminus crew they could get to. Zoe and Dean hung back as Rick stepped towards where they had cornered the intruders.

"Put your guns on the floor," Rick's voice was gravelly against the darkness.

"We'll fire right into that office," Gareth spat back, his eyes wild and full of contempt, "so you lower your weapons..."

Neither Zoe, Dean nor Rick flinched as the silenced gunshot thumped out, a spray of blood erupting from Gareth's hand, his eyes going wide as the pain registered in the back of his head. He toppled forwards onto his knees, clutching at the stumps where his fingers once were, blood free flowing onto the floor at his knees. Dean's eyes caught Zoe in the darkness, a rising sense of pride seeping through his veins as he watched her shoulders rising and falling with every breath she took. Her hand was steady on the end of Ruby's knife, her eyes forward, and body rigid as she watched the exchange between Gareth and Rick. It was one of the many things Dean loved about her, even when everything was falling apart she stood strong, unwavering.

"We can walk away, and we will never cross paths again. I promise you," Zoe's eye twitched at the conviction in the man's voice.

Rick didn't even seem to ponder it for the slightest of seconds, "but you'll cross someone's path. You'd do this to anyone right?"

The ex-cop's eyes were ablaze, a look Dean knew all too well, a mixtures of sheer rage and the slightest hint of pleasure, "Besides, I already made you a promise."

Everything from there happened in a flash, Dean lunged forwards, plugging bullets into the nearest intruder he could. Zoe spun to her right her blade slamming into the middle of one of the Terminus crews hearts, he flickered a golden colour, as she had expected, before collapsing to the floor in a heap. Demons. They had known something was wrong. She looked up just in time to see the last of the swirling black cloud explode from Gareth's mouth just as Rick's red handled blade sliced into the man's flesh. Zoe turned to face the back of the church, no matter how many times she watched people get killed it still didn't make things easier. She hated the sound of flesh being chopped unceremoniously, the stench of death and fear in a putrid cloud, there was nothing good about that moment at all. When the eerie silence took over the entire church the Father staggered out from his hiding spot, the rest of the group following quietly taking in the remnants of the havoc around them.

"This is the Lord's house," Gabriel exclaimed shakily. All eyes turned to him as he looked down at the massacred body at his feet, droplets of blood and brain sprayed across the usually pristine floor.

"No," Maggie straightened herself up, her eyes hard, "it's just four walls and a roof."

Zoe was standing on the back veranda of the church after everyone had departed, her eyes watching the woods as Michonne carefully edged her way closer to the tree line and the source of the rustling beyond. Zoe's hand tightened around the knife at her side, her blue eyes hard as Michonne stopped where she was, hand poised for her sword. Before she had a chance to unsheathe it though Daryl was standing in the shrubs, his breathing heavy and his eyes exhausted.

"Where's Carol?" Michonne asked instantly, her eyes searching the area behind him quickly.

Daryl glanced up to where Zoe stood on the veranda, giving her a strange look as he called over his shoulder, "come on out."

Zoe's eyes went wide, her throat practically closing as her lips fell open slightly and her hand white knuckling the handle of Ruby's knife. She was caught so off guard that she hadn't even heard Dean come around the corner of the church, stopping dead in his tracks.

"Hello darlings, tell me…" the man paused, a devilish, bone chilling grin spreading over his face, "where's Moose?"