Authors note: Thanks to everyone who has followed and added this bad boy to their favourites. It's truly encouraging. I have diverted quite a bit from the original story lines here, though I guess that's the beauty of fan fics is that you can do that! So don't hate me for it please! and please do comment if you can, it always keeps me motivated and makes me really happy to know that people are enjoying what I'm doing (or equally gives me things to improve on too which is also awesome!).

Thanks for reading.

Chapter 14

"He won't hurt you I swear," Sam was kneeling in front of Zoe, his hazel eyes fierce as he spoke, "he doesn't want to hurt you either so don't worry. Nothing will happen."

Castiel, however, did not look quite as sure, "Sam, we don't know how bad this is, we can't be certain that Dean won't try something."

"No way Cas," Sam stood, rounding on the angel, "I know my brother, and I know he won't hurt Zoe. He cares about her like a sister, he cares about her as much as he cares about me and whatever it is that is inside of him won't make him kill her."

"He said nothing was possessing him Sam," Zoe said swiping the stray tear from her eye as she spoke, "maybe it really is just Dean in there and nothing else."

"You saw his eyes Zo, he wasn't human, he's not himself and you have to have some faith that he will fight whatever it is that is inside of him, no matter what that may be."

Before Zoe could protest any further the back door to the church swung open and Rick stepped out onto the landing, "everything okay out here?"

The three looked up and nodded in unison, the tortured looks on each of their faces telling him that they were far from okay, though he knew better than to question it.

"Well come on in, we are finalising the plans for tomorrow and having something to eat," he held the door for them, watching closely as Castiel trailed in after Sam. Just as Zoe was about to walk through though he stopped her, nodding to the side of the landing as the door closed quietly.

"I want you to know," his voice had taken on a severity, almost like a protective father, "whatever it is that you choose to do or not do with Daryl does make an impact on this group. You don't strike me as the sort of girl that would just sleep with someone randomly…"

Zoe couldn't stop the scoff that escaped her lips, a sadness in her eyes as she half whispered, "you may have struck out there."

"But," he continued, ignoring her comment, "that man doesn't exactly give his affections over easily. It took us a long time to get to this point with him, there was a lot of anger and uncertainty and everything that goes with that. Now, I don't know how or why but he seems to trust you, seems to really like you too. All I'm askin is that you don't destroy that part of him and make it hard for everyone. Once he retracts inside of himself again I can't see him comin' back out."

Zoe's guarded blue eyes met Rick's for a long moment and without needing to say anything further she simply nodded at him before they went back inside the church.

No matter what Zoe did, how she lay down, how she breathed or even how she sat sleep just wouldn't come. After a while she found herself standing at the window watching the darkness beyond through the cracks in the wood as the rest of the group slept in various spots around the room. She was so busy getting lost inside of her head that she barely noticed when Daryl came to stand beside her quietly, his eyes heavy with sleep.

"What're y'doin' up?" he mumbled, his voice gravelly in the darkness.

"Couldn't sleep," she whispered back, smiling to herself slightly at the memory of their night together in the house.

"Anythin' I can do to help?"

She turned to lean against the window sill facing him and shook her head slightly, "no, you should probably get back and get some rest. Big day tomorrow."

He nodded in response, and as if he hadn't even considered what he was doing reached down and linked his fingers through hers. A move that seemed to surprise even him as he spoke, "why don't y'come with me. Might be able to help ya sleep."

Zoe looked down to their hands as Rick's words came screaming back to her, all I'm askin is that you don't destroy that part of him and make it hard for everyone. She paused for a moment longer before nodding and letting him lead her over to where he had been sleeping before. She watched as he lowered himself to the ground and without giving it too much thought she lay down next to him, her back pressed against his chest as he wrapped an arm protectively over her stomach, his breath tickling the hairs on the back of her neck. It didn't take long before Zoe slipped into a dreamless sleep, something she had not had in very long time.

"Who the Hell are these guys?" Dawn was standing with her hands on her hips, staring at the two new comers sitting in the chairs of the Officer's quarters, thin streams of early morning light illuminating the dust particles floating around them. The Officer's piercing blue eyes took in Dawn's figure standing in the doorway, though she didn't seem to notice the flicker of red that glazed over his irises as he smiled devilishly at her.

Dean had sauntered over to where the officer stood placing his hands on either side of the door frame, pressing his body forwards accentuating the strong lines of his arms and his broad shoulders. He gave the uniform clad policewoman a stunning smile before whispering, "We're old acquaintances and who are you?"

The woman shifted uncomfortably underneath his hungry gaze before straightening up somewhat, "Officer Dawn Lerner," she cocked her eyebrow at him before settling her eyes on the man behind her, "Sir, there was a gun shot just…"

"Lerner," the young man's blue eyes seemed to cloud over with annoyance, "whatever the hell it was you heard or you think you heard, I don't care. Go sort it out and leave us be."

The woman stood for a moment, her eyes flickering between the three men before she finally sucked in a sharp breath, turned on her heel and stalked out of the room. Dean watched as she strode off and disappeared around the corner before turning back to face the other two.

"Seems like a sweet deal you got going here Tobias," Dean said with a beaming smile as he threw himself into the chair next to Crowley.

Crowley shot him a bored look before going back to staring out of the window at the rapidly lightening sky beyond.

"It is," the young man returned the grin and placed his feet back up onto the desk, "the only thing that could make it better was knowing that I had it for as long as I wanted it."

As his arms came to rest behind his head Dean couldn't help but notice the rather fresh scar on the man's arm, four simple words that looked as though they had been butchered into his skin with the end of a butter knife. You can't hide forever as Dean read and reread the words something inside of him seemed to twitch, almost like the slow burn of a dwindling flame, something that unsettled him.

"What's with the chicken scratching?" Crowley asked almost as if reading Dean's thoughts.

Tobias looked up to his arm with a smile, "oh just a little reminder for that dear sibling of mine."

Crowley nodded in response, seemingly losing all interest right then and there.

"Come, let me show you the rest of this place," Tobias clapped his hands together gleefully, then turned to Dean with a chilling grin, "I have quite the young lady for you my friend."

Crowley shrugged and before either of the two could say anything he was standing by the window, his brown eyes unreadable as he spoke, "I'm going to pass lads, I've got some other little fishies to fry," and with a click of his fingers he was gone.

Tobias turned back to Dean and draping his arms across the other man's shoulders started to steer him out of the office and into the hall. Though no matter how hard he tried, Dean's eyes seemed to keep finding their way back to the scar on Tobias's arm. There was something about those words that unnerved him, he knew Zoe had been marked with the same and it was abundantly clear where they had come from, but it bothered Dean on a level that he simply could not understand. Whether it was the demon inside of him not grasping it or whether it was something else, he wasn't sure, but those four simple words were inside his head, and they didn't seem to want to leave.