A/N: Here you go! Things have been kind of crazy, but should be settling down now that summer is over. I sould be able to update more often now. Since I have come to terms with the fact that most (if not all) of my readers are much, much younger than me, I'm worried some of the references in the story may be lost on you. So FYI: Corey Hart is an 80's singer and "I Wear my Sunglasses at Night" was possibly his only hit. Thanks for reading. You're the best! Enjoy!

Dean stepped to the side, looking over his shoulder at Spencer. He was babbling incoherently, his legs drawn up to his chest. Dean stepped to the side, hoping Carrie wouldn't notice that the movement brought him closer to her.

"Why go after him?" He asked canting his head toward Spencer, "and MJ? What are they being punished for?"

Carrie tightened her already painful grip on MJ's throat, making MJ gasp. She was scared for herself, but mostly she was worried about Spencer. If Carrie had done what MJ thought she did to him, he would bleed out within minutes. They needed to call for help now.

Carrie sneered at Dean. "Sabrina is my friend. She liked Spencer, and they didn't even give her a thought before they hooked up." Carrie inclined her head toward MJ. "This one had only been in town a day before she got her claws into Spencer. Never mind that the one person who went out of her way to befriend her had a thing for him."

"Carrie," MJ struggled to get enough air to speak. "I didn't know. And nothing happened."

Dean was eying MJ suspiciously now. MJ glared back. She knew from the look on his face that he was stuck on the "hooking up" part. She gave him a look that said, really not the time, Dean.

"Anyway, I'm just getting started in this shithole town and I'm not going to let you ruin it." Carrie said shifting the blade to MJ's throat.

Suddenly everything seemed to be happening in fast forward. Dean saw movement behind the shelf of books to his right. He kept is eyes trained on Carrie as two Sheriff's deputies came around the corner, weapons raised. MJ elbowed Carrie, knocking the wind out of her before stomping on her foot. Carrie lost her grip on MJ and took a step back allowing MJ to free herself as the deputies shouted at Carrie to drop the knife. MJ stumbled forward trying to catch her breath. Carrie looked between MJ, Dean and the cops before a look of blind rage crossed her face and she raised the knife, her eyes on MJ. Dean threw himself at his sister, knocking them both to the floor. He landed on top of MJ and covered her head with his arms as several gunshots rang out above them.

The silence that followed the gunshots was deafening. Dean hesitated before lifting his head, knowing what he was going to see. He finally looked up, taking in the little blonde girl, lying lifeless on the floor two feet from him. Her eyes were wide open. Her face frozen in a look of shock, blood soaked her shirt and neck. Dean cursed, turning away as he lifted himself off of MJ.

"Don't look, Kid." He said to her as he helped her to her feet, forcing her face into his jacket, and leading her away from the scene. Sam and Principal Cole were kneeling over Spencer, Sam doing his best to slow the bleeding, while the older man pleaded with his son not to die. Dean walked past them, MJ in tow. He walked around the corner to a table that was out of view of the horrifying scene and led her to a chair. He knelt in front of her, taking her face in his hands.

"Are you okay?" He asked, looking her over.

She nodded, not trusting her voice. She had no control over the fierce trembling or the tears that were rolling down her face.

"Don't move." Dean said, standing up and heading back around the corner. Paramedics had arrived and were loading a barely conscious Spencer onto a gurney. The deputies were milling around Carrie's body, clearly stunned and sickened by what they had been forced to do. Sam had been looking over at the lifeless girl, an anxious expression on his face.

"Is MJ okay?" He asked looking up when Dean reappeared.

"I think so." Dean said, picturing the large bare patches of scalp and her shocked expression. "How'd you find us?"

Sam swallowed, looking back down. "There was a trail of red hair leading in here from the gym." He said quietly. "I figured it out. Principal Cole called the police when he found out Spencer might be next."

"Come on." Dean said, placing a hand on Sam's shoulder and guiding him to where MJ was waiting. It was several hours before they had all been interviewed by the police. Sam continued his charade as an FBI agent. Only Spencer, his father and Carrie knew the truth. Spencer and Carrie weren't talking and Principal Cole knew he owed Spencer's life to Sam and Dean. Dean considered taking off, but the school had MJ's real name. At the time he had thought it made sense. Since she was slacking on the home schooling he thought she could use the time she was enrolled in the school to actually learn something and get credit for it. Well he had learned something, alright. Fake names from now on. Not that he was ever letting Sammy talk him into sending MJ to school to work a case ever again. He also knew that if they took off, there would be no witnesses to the shooting, and it wouldn't be right for those two cops' names to be dragged through the mud for shooting a teenaged girl. After all, they had saved his sister's life. He supposed he owed it to them to stick around and corroborate their story.

They were all exhausted by the time they made it back to the motel. They considered grabbing a few hours' sleep before heading out, but in the end they all agreed that they wanted to get the hell out of Farmersville as quickly as possible.

MJ went straight into the bathroom as soon as Dean unlocked the motel room door. Sam and Dean had all of the bags packed, including MJ's, before the bathroom door opened a crack.

"Dean?" MJ called through the door.

"Yeah, Kid?"

"Do you have a baseball cap I could borrow?"

Dean rummaged through his duffel, pulling out an old Royals hat his dad had given him. He handed it to MJ before she quickly snapped the door shut.

"Thanks."

MJ emerged a few minutes later. She had changed into a hoodie and jeans and was wearing the Royals hat and sunglasses.

"You ready?" Sam asked her gathering up the bags and heading to the door.

She nodded, following him.

"What's with the shades?" Dean asked bringing up the rear as they walked to the Impala.

MJ just shrugged, getting into the back seat.

They were silent as they drove out of town. MJ fell into a fitful sleep. She had a strange dream about wandering through a row of gypsy wagons and tents with Sabrina. It was pouring rain and they were looking for someone, but she couldn't figure out who. Then the rain stopped and the wagons and tents went up in flames. She turned to Sabrina, but she was gone. She heard her screaming from a distance. She ran toward the sound. Then the dream morphed and she was running down a deserted hallway of the high school. She turned the corner and four policemen in full SWAT gear closed in on her. They were screaming at her to drop her weapon. She tried to tell them she was unarmed, but her voice wouldn't work. She woke up screaming just as the shots started ringing out.

Her eyes flew open just as Dean wrenched the back door open and ducked into the back seat.

"You okay?" He asked, pulling the glasses off her face. Her eyes were red and puffy.

She looked around. Sam wasn't in the car. They were at a gas station. She hadn't even realized they'd stopped. She shook her head. "Yeah. Just a bad dream. I'm gonna head inside and use the bathroom."

Dean nodded, as he went back to check the gas pump. He scanned the nearly empty parking lot as MJ walked toward the building. Sam was already inside the gas station using the bathroom.

MJ slid her sunglasses back on as she made her way inside. She walked to the back of the store and headed into the bathroom. She removed her hat and once again assessed the damage. There was a bald patch above her left ear, and another smaller one on the right side on the crown of her head. The biggest one was at the nape of her neck. Luckily her long hair covered that spot so it wasn't so noticeable. But the others, it would take weeks for them to grow in. She was going to look like a freak for weeks. Her stomach turned. She was absolutely disgusted with herself. Carrie was dead. Spencer nearly bled to death. All those other people who had been really hurt, and she was having a pity party over hair. She pressed her fingers to her eyes as she felt the sting of more tears. She couldn't believe she had any left to cry. She took a deep breath, replaced her hat and glasses and made her way out of the bathroom. She spotted Sam, his head visible over the aisles, at the coffee station near the front door.

"Hey," he said when she approached him. "You want one?"

"Sure." She answered, grabbing some sugar packets. "I'm gonna go grab some cookies. Meet you at the checkout." MJ said as she headed down one of the aisles. The bell over the door jingled and MJ turned to see two guys in their early twenties stumble in.

"I told her 'shit, sweetheart, you knew what you were signing up for, now get on your knees!" the sandy haired one shouted as he walked toward the checkout. His dark haired, gawky friend laughed loudly, staggering behind him. "Pack of Marlboro Reds." The sandy haired man demanded, slapping his hand on the counter.

MJ selected a package of cookies, stalling in the aisle for a while before approached the cashier cautiously, standing a good distance back from the two guys. After paying for his cigarettes, the sandy-haired-guy turned around, spotting MJ and taking a step toward her. He leered at her, packing his cigarettes.

"How's it goin'?" He asked.

MJ made no response, instead looking to see what was keeping Sam.

"Who are you, Corey Hart?" The guy asked, pointing at her sunglasses. He took another step toward her, still slapping the pack of cigarettes repeatedly in his palm. He suddenly leaned in toward MJ.

"I wear my sunglasses at night, so I can, so I can forget my name while you call out my name." He sang off key.

"It's 'while you collect your claim', Tool Shed." MJ spat before she could stop herself. He just looked at her for a minute before letting out an obnoxious laugh. His gawky friend was now standing behind him, a stupid smirk on his face.

Suddenly the sandy-haired-guy reached out, pulling her glasses off her face. "Come on, let me see your eyes."

MJ backed away quickly, out of his reach.

"Hey!" Sam yelled, abandoning the coffee and quickly making his way toward them. He shoved the guy back and snatched the glasses out of his hand. "Leave her alone."

The gawky guy took a step forward so he was shoulder to shoulder with his friend. "You got a problem, guy?" He asked, eyeing Sam.

Sam shook his head. "No. Just back off so my sister and I can pay for our coffee and leave."

Sandy-haired-guy stepped toward Sam. MJ figured he must've been really drunk to instigate a guy who stood at least a foot taller than him. He put a hand on Sam's shoulder, ignoring the way Sam glared at him when he did.

"Look, I'd like to help you out, pal. I really would. But, you see, your sister over there said she needed to collect something from me, and as it turns out I'm in a giving mood. So we'll just be in the bathroom. Give us five minutes. Ten tops." He said making to walk past Sam toward MJ.

He didn't even make it one step before Sam pulled him back and shoved him, hard, making him stumble back into his friend, both of them falling to the floor in a heap. Sam advanced toward them as they tried to stand and MJ quickly moved in front of Sam, placing a hand on his chest.

"Sam, let's go." She said forcefully. Sam glared at the sandy-haired-guy, but tossed money down on the counter in front of the cashier who was looking like he wanted to say something to Sam, like 'get the hell out' but was afraid to. Sam took MJ by the arm and marched her out of the store, the pissed off look on his face enough to tip Dean off that something had happened.

"What?" Dean asked, looking up from cleaning the windshield.

"Nothing" MJ lied quickly, heading toward the Impala.

"Just some drunken assholes trying to start shit." Sam said, clearly still livid.

"Hey, Gigantor!" All three siblings turned to see the sandy-haired-guy marching toward them, his finger pointed at Sam. The gawky friend was following in his wake, but looked like he wasn't thrilled with the idea of going after Sam. "I'm gonna kick your ass!"

"Get in the car, MJ." Sam ordered, never taking his eyes off the advancing men.

MJ saw the telltale glint of silver in the man's hand and knew he had a blade.

"Sammy…" She said, pausing with her hand on the door handle.

"MJ, now!" Sam yelled. She knew he had seen the blade, too from the way he tensed.

MJ quickly slid into the front seat, watching the scene through the windshield.

Dean said nothing, but stepped forward in front of Sam and pulled his pistol out of his jacket. He raised the gun and cocked the hammer, making the sandy-haired-guy stop dead in his tracks a yard away from them, his friend running into the back of him.

"Walk away." Dean said in a steady, even voice.

They hesitated for only a second before turning and walking to their car and screeching from the parking lot.

Dean un-cocked the gun and put it back in his jacket pocket before turning to his brother. "Let's hit the road."

"She's out like a light." Sam said turning in his seat to drape his jacket over a sleeping MJ. She had nodded off shortly after leaving the gas station.

"Well, it was a pretty crazy night," Dean commented.

Sam was quiet for a while, watching the night pass by out his window.

"Poor girl," He finally muttered.

"She'll be okay, Sammy. She's tough." Dean said.

Sam turned toward his brother. "I meant Carrie." He said, barely a whisper. "I know she did some terrible things, but she was just a kid."

Dean had mixed feelings about that. He had seen the look in Carrie's eyes when she held that blade to MJ's throat. She was going to kill MJ, no doubt about it. Even so, to be shot to death…the image of her lifeless body was burned into Dean's memory.

"I know, Sammy." Was all Dean said.

Both were silent after that. A fine mist began to fall as they drove on, the only sound inside the car the Lynyrd Skynyrd cassette playing on low volume.

As Dean drained his coffee he felt his phone buzzing in his pocket. He tossed the empty coffee cup onto the floor and pulled out the phone.

"Fuck." He said in a harsh whisper when he read the display.

"Who is it?" Sam asked.

"Jenna." Dean spat. "She probably heard about the shooting." Dean took a deep breath before flipping the phone open.

"Hello?"

"Dean? Hi, it's Jenna Cullen. Sorry to call so late."

"That's okay. What's up?" Dean asked, dreading her answer.

"I just had to call and apologize about earlier. I was irritated and I took it out on you."

This caught Dean completely off guard. He had no response.

"I've been thinking about it all night. The way I left things." She continued. "I don't like to be cryptic and leave people wondering what's going to happen to them, especially when we're talking about your younger sister's placement."

"Jenna," Dean said, finding his voice, "It's 3 AM. You had to call to apologize at 3 AM?"

"Tell me you weren't lying awake worrying about what was going to happen next Friday." Jenna challenged.

Dean couldn't argue. He hadn't stopped thinking about it. Even with all the shit that had gone down since the phone call, it was there, nagging at him, the fear of that meeting. "I keep screwing up," he said finally, "And every time I do my first thought is 'Are they gonna try and take her away from me?' We're not any closer to finding my father and even though I meant what I said the day we met…I'm doing a pretty lousy job and I don't seem to be getting any better." He swallowed hard, trying to keep the panic from surfacing. "But I won't let her go without a fight." He finished, hyper aware of Sam's eyes on him.

"I'm not looking to take her away from you, Dean. I mean that." Jenna said. "I really do just need to see MJ and talk with you guys about your plans."

She sounded sincere. Dean took a moment to let her words sink in. He breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay. But as it turns out our plans have changed. We can meet you Monday in Chicago."

"Oh? MJ isn't finishing the school year at Valleyview?"

Dean sighed. "You're gonna find this out anyway, so I might as well tell you…" Dean filled Jenna in on the incident at the school. She seemed concerned, but to Dean's bewilderment not shocked or taken aback in the least. This really was one tough chick.

"Well, Dean, never a dull moment I see." Jenna said, sighing. "Just let me know when you get to town. We'll talk more then. Just-" She paused as if selecting her words carefully. "Don't worry. You're doing a great job. I mean it."

Dena disconnected, Jenna's reassurances lifting his spirits considerably. After all, it was her opinion that counted. He turned to see Sam staring at him, looking amused and perplexed all at once.

"What?" Dean asked, stuffing his phone back in his pocket.

"You won't say two words to me or MJ about anything, but you get on the phone with this chick and it's like The True Confessions of Dean Winchester. She does something to you, man." Sam finished with a smirk.

Dean shook his head. "Whatever." He mumbled. But in the gleam from the headlights of a passing car Sam caught the unmistakable red tinge on Dean's cheekbones. Dean Winchester was blushing.