The Kids Are All Right
Part Three

Sam came back an hour after Dean and I got dressed. I'd felt sorta bad for getting Dean worked up, but at least I'd gotten some sort of reaction from him.

Sam had gotten a map of the sewers like I'd suggested and also a layout of the houses in Morning Hill Community. He'd circled and x-ed the houses that had a changeling child in them.

"That probably means the changeling mom is somewhere in the middle, right?" I asked. "Holed up underground or maybe in one of the unfinished houses?"

"Yeah, probably," Dean said, and then he looked like something new had occurred to him. "Hey, is any kid in the neighborhood vulnerable?"

Sam shrugged. "Yeah, I guess."

Dean caught my gaze. "We've gotta make a stop." Ben. "I wanna check on someone."

"Well, Dean, if the real kids are still alive, we don't have time to -"

"We have to," I said. "Now, come on, we'll explain on the way."

Once in the car, Dean explained the whole Ben situation. Sam didn't seem all that surprised, though he did understand why Dean wanted to check on Ben now.

Once at Lisa's house, Sam and I waited in the car while Dean went to check on Ben.

"So, you and Dean…" Sam trailed off, waiting for my answer.

"I dunno," I muttered. "It's…complicated."

"He loves you," Sam said. "He thinks he's doin' the right thing."

"I know. Pushing me away for my own good and all."

I saw Dean jogging back toward the car and as he reached us, he said, "It took Ben. He's changed."

"What?" Sam asked. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. I checked his windowsill."

"Blood?"

"I don't think it is blood. And I think I know where the kids are." He started the car. "There's an unfinished house near the edge of town."

"The one with the red dirt?" I asked, remembering it from earlier. The blood was red dirt?

"Uh-huh."

We took off, squealing tires. We probably left behind black marks. When we arrived at the unfinished house we got out of the car.

"A'right, you guys take the front. I'll go around." Dean looked at us. "Remember, getting the kids out is our first priority."

Sam and I nodded, though I wasn't really worried about the kids. I was sure they were scared, of course, but I was also sure they were alive.

As soon as Sam and I went inside we headed for the stairs. The front had nothing, and Dean would check the back. Sam had a flashlight, so I followed him. Something felt off - and close - so I grabbed Sam's arm.

"Get ready," I whispered, and Sam's hand when to his pocket. He needed his lighter.

"What do you think you're going?" A woman's voice came from behind us.

We turned around and saw an older red-head. Where the hell had she come from? She'd come from out of nowhere.

"This is private property. I'm calling the police."

Sam looked at me. He wanted to be sure this was the thing before we torched her. I nodded. He lit the lighter and my internal switch flipped on. Energy flowed from me to the fire and it expanded, flowing toward the woman in a jet stream of flames. It would've worked, but the thing disappeared.

Sam and I began walking - well, running - at the same time. We had to get to Dean; if he'd been lucky, maybe he'd found the kids. As we reached the bottom of the stairs, I heard glass shattering and then Dean's voice telling the kids to hurry up. Then there was an ear-piercing scream.

We ran faster and made it to Dean, and the kids were there. Along with the changeling mother. I noticed Ben was helping the other kids out a window.

I pushed the mother out of the way - mentally - because she was getting ready to grab Dean, and she slammed into a board. She went crashing through it.

The mother didn't stay down for long, but I used my strength to hold her in place.

"Sam, fire. Now." Holding the thing there was draining me fast.

When Sam lit the lighter for the second time, I had a harder time drawing a flame out. It was hard to focus my energy on more than one thing at a time. But with a concentrated effort, I made it happen. The changeling mother screamed as the fire hit her and then she went poof. I wished all creatures cleaned up after themselves like that.

Then I fell to my knees. Plus side? I didn't pass out from overtaxing myself. It was like my inner strength got stronger and stronger the more I used it. Maybe it was like a muscle in that way.

Sam helped me up, though I didn't really need it. It was a nice gesture, anyway. I saw Dean helping Ben, who was halfway out the shattered window. Dean glanced at me to make sure I was okay, but then he focused on Ben again.

"You okay?" Sam asked.

"Yup. Getting easier all the time." It was true, and a little scary. And a little not, which was also scary.

Sam, Dean, and I noticed a woman - the woman the mother changeling had been impersonating - locked in a cage. I assumed the kids had been locked in another one.

"The kids," Dean said. "You take care of her, I'm gonna go check on the kids."

Sam and I nodded, and Dean walked away. I was sure he was worried about Ben.

Sam broke the lock and then opened the cage door. The woman was unconscious and had bruises all over her body. I kneeled beside her and checked her over for serious injuries, but she had none. The most serious was a bruise near her temple, which I healed. After the head wound faded the woman slowly awakened. At first she didn't seem to know where she was. Then she flipped out a little - not that I blamed her. If she remembered anything, she was going to need a lifetime of therapy.

"Hey, hey, we're not gonna hurt you," Sam said soothingly. "We're here to help you."

The woman's strength ebbed quickly, and she stopped moving at all. She became almost catatonic; her eyes were open but she wasn't taking anything in.

"We've gotta get her to a hospital," I said. "If she's going into shock, I can't help her."

"Yeah." Sam gently picked the woman up and carried her outside. I followed him out and saw Dean checking the kids over, checking their necks.

Hoping they hadn't been bitten, I hurried over to them. But three of them had been. There were bite marks on the back of their necks near their hairlines. The changeling mother had obviously been feeding off of them.

Ben, however, was mark-less.

"Dean, you should call Lisa, tell her we have Ben."

"Yeah, and what if the other one is still there?"

I shrugged. "Either way, you've got some explaining to do."

"That's gonna go well," he muttered.

Again, I shrugged. I looked at Sam now, who was…hotwiring a car. We were splitting up, it seemed. Sam was taking the woman to the hospital, Dean and I were taking the kids home.

After loading the kids - there were five - in the car, we began the chore of taking them home. The first three were easy enough. We just slipped them in the way the changeling mom had taken them out: through their bedroom window.

One, Katie, her mom was crying frantically outside on the porch and when Katie got out she ran to her mother's waiting arms.

"Katie!"

"Mommy!"

Diana didn't ask any questions. She was just thankful to have her daughter back. Dean knew her - sorta - because Diana and Katie had been at Ben's party.

Lisa, however, was a different story. After making sure Ben was okay, she went into this story about how something that looked like Ben had burst into flames in front of her. She wanted to know what had happened.

"I'll explain everything if you want me to, but trust me, you probably don't. The important thing is Ben's safe." Dean ruffled Ben's hair and Ben smiled slightly.

"Thank you," Lisa said, hugging Dean. "Thank you."

I decided then I didn't want to intrude on the conversation Dean and Lisa needed to have. I would go back to the motel. I needed sleep anyway.

"Dean, I'm gonna go back to the motel. I'll see you later."

I kneeled down and gave Ben a soft kiss on the cheek. He smiled and maybe even blushed a little.

"Thanks," he said, touching the spot on his cheek.

"Hey, you earned it, kiddo. You were a real hero out there."

He smiled again. Then he hugged me. I returned the gesture.

After releasing Ben, I stood up and grabbed Dean's hand. "I'll see you back at the motel, okay?"

He was resourceful; he'd find his own way back.

Back at the motel room, I tried to go to sleep, but Sam called. He wanted to know where I was and then he said he wouldn't be back for a while. He needed to check something.

Stifling a yawn I muttered, "Uh-huh. See ya later." Then I hung up. Rude, maybe, but I was tired.

My phone rang again and I groaned. "Sam, seriously -"

"This isn't Sam." It was Bobby. That's what I got for not looking at the ID screen before answering.

"Oh. Sorry, Bobby." I rubbed a hand over my face to wake myself up. "What's up?"

"Not much. Was wonderin' if you guys were done with the changeling case."

"Yeah. Changeling mother and changeling kids…big check in the dead column."

"That's good. Do you know a girl named Ruby?"

I shot upright on the bed. What had Ruby wanted with Bobby? And 'girl' was a pretty loose term for what Ruby was. "Yeah, why?"

"She showed up at my door at my motel, said she knew you. I was just making sure. She told me I shouldn't be workin' alone on this one. That all the signs point to…"

"To what?" What had Ruby told him? And…had she been telling the truth?

"She thinks that someone here in town is trying to raise something. A demon, or a spirit, maybe."

I slumped my shoulders - we didn't need to deal with a demon-raising. I wondered which idiots were planning to do that, and if Ruby was in on it. She was a demon, after all. So…maybe.

"Is that why all the people have turned up missing? Ritual sacrifice, maybe?" Raising a demon seemed like the type of thing that called for blood, right?

"Maybe. I'm not sure. I'm not sure you can trust, Ruby, either. She seems kind of shady."

I let out a sharp breath of laughter. He had no idea. Shady…saying Ruby was kind of shady was like saying Lex Luthor was kind of evil.

"Yeah, good, don't trust her." I shook my head a little. "Look, Dean's tying up a few loose ends, but we'll be there soon, okay?" As an afterthought I added, "And be careful."

After I hung up, I called Sam back and asked for Ruby's number. He was curious as to why I wanted her number, but I told him it didn't matter. Which, roughly translated, meant I wanted him to mind his own business.

Within three seconds of calling Ruby she was knocking at the door. I knew it was her because I could feel her. When I let her in I immediately started in on her going to see Bobby.

"Why would you do that? Who said you could?"

"I don't answer to you," Ruby said, not unkindly. "I go where I want, and I do what I want."

"Beg to differ," I seethed. I had a thing against a demon sharing my people, I guess. "From now on I own you. I don't want to hear about you going near anyone I care about unless I'm there. Understood? If you need to pass on a message, you'll come to me first, okay?"

Ruby shook her head. "That's not fair. I can't do my job if you put me on a leash."

"Yeah, and what job is that, exactly? You haven't been too clear on that."

"I've told you, I wanna help you."

"Why?" I'd asked her before, but she'd never really given me a good answer.

"I have my reasons."

I clenched my teeth. "Fine. How do you know about what's happening in Ohio? Are you the one doing it?" She looked wounded. "Don't give me that look. You're a demon, you have black eyes." Need I say more?

"Don't be such a racist," Ruby snapped. "I'm here because I wanna help you. And I can, if you trust me."

I laughed at that openly. I bit the inside of my cheek to calm down. "I'm sorry, I'm just…me trust you? Let's stop and marvel at that concept, shall we?"

"What's wrong with it?"

I stepped toward her casually. "At the end of the day, you're just another demon." A demon that said she could help Dean, but still… "I don't like you, and I sure as hell don't trust you." I crossed my arms over my chest. "You want me to think you're for real? You're gonna have to prove it. And as of now, you haven't done anything to make me wanna take your side."

"How?" She acted like she really wanted to know. "How do I prove it?"

"I don't know. But if it happens, I'll let you know. In the meantime…if anything at all were to happen to anyone I care about, and I thought you were somehow responsible for it…nothing in the world would save you from me." I glared at her to let her know I was serious. "Are we clear?"

"As glass," she answered. She looked a little scared, which was good. She knew I meant what I said, and we had an understanding.

"Okay…now, what do you want with Sam?" It hadn't gone unnoticed by me that she'd said she was interested in him. "I mean, you seem to know his life story. How?"

She shrugged. "Like I said before: I'm a good hunter. And demons talk."

"What do you know about his mom's friends?" She mentioned something about it, but had never been specific.

"I know that your mom was one of them, and now she's dead." Ruby paused, and then… "All of her friends are."

"Courtesy of Yellow-Eyes?"

"Yup."

"How do you know all this?" That was a reasonable question, right?

"Demons talk," she said again.

"Oh, so your source is reliable then," I muttered sarcastically. "Why go to all the trouble? Why kill all Mary's friends?"

"I don't know." I glared and she smirked. "Really. I don't. All I know is it's about Sam. It's all about Sam. What happened to his mom, what happened to her friends - they're trying to cover up what he did to Sam."

"And you don't know what happened to him?"

"No." She looked away and sighed. "Look, you're boyfriend'll be here any minute. I've gotta go."

"How do you know that? Have you been watching him, too?"

She shook her head. "No, but…his soul. I can feel it."

"What?"

"Every human, every soul, is different. They're each unique. His is very…bright. Like yours…and Sam's. Some are so strong you can smell them, if you're a demon. That's how we know who the good people are." She paused again, this time considering something. "I don't really remember what it's like to have a soul."

"So, you don't have a soul, but you wanna help us?" Could someone - or something - be good without a soul?

"That about sums it up." Thoughtful again. "What's it like, having a soul?"

"Hard," I said quickly. "Painful. Not fun. You can't do anything bad without feeling guilty about it later." I'd take pain and suffering over not having a conscience any day of the week, though.

It wasn't long after Ruby left that Dean came back.

"Hey," I said softly.

"Hey." He sat down on the bed and I sat beside him, remembering what exactly had happened on the bed earlier. "Look, we need to talk. Okay?"

This couldn't be good.

"Um…okay…" I replied hesitantly.

"Look, you know I love you, right?"

I swallowed against the panic I felt bubbling up, but I was sure I knew what was coming.

"Yeah," I said quietly, looking at the bed sheet.

He grabbed my hand and squeezed. "Then you know how much it kills me to say this, but what happened here…shouldn't have happened. And it can't happen again."

"Dean -" I began, but he interrupted.

"No, listen," he said softly. "Please."

I nodded stiffly. I'd listen to what he had to say; that didn't mean I'd listen-listen.

"I'm not gonna push you away anymore, but I can't be with you either. Because…the more I think about you, and your future, the more I think this - us being together - isn't fair to you."

"I don't care," I said, my throat tightening, tears stinging my eyes. "I love you. I wanna be with you as long as you're here."

Dean shook his head slowly. "No, Aly." Tears fell over onto my cheeks and I closed my eyes. My lower lip trembled. Dean wiped the wetness away with his thumbs, cupping my face. "I love you, but I can't. I can be here for you, but not like that."

I opened my eyes again. His image was blurry. "What am I supposed to do without you?"

"You could get out, have a semi-normal existence." I could tell this was just a suggestion and he didn't really want me going anywhere, but in a weird way…he did, too.

I shook my head almost frantically. "No. I'll never be normal. I'll never be able to have a normal life. I chose to be a hunter and I can't un-choose it. It's not something I can just walk away from, Dean."

"I know," he said, voice soft. "Which is why I think you should stay with Bobby when we get done helping him on this case." I glared through my tears. "Or…I'm not saying you have to, it's your decision, but to make it easier…you might consider it."

"My decision is the same as it was before. I'm not leaving." I was planning on being annoyingly persistent. He'd either have to give in or leave me on the side of the road.

I hadn't completely gotten myself together when Sam got back, but I could tell something was wrong with him.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Ruby was right."

"Who the hell is Ruby?" Dean asked, and that's when I remembered he'd never met her.

"She's the blond with the demon-killing knife," I explained. "What was she right about?"

"Mom," Sam said. "She told me to look into Mom's old friends, so I did, just in case."

"And?" I asked, knowing the answer, feeling Dean stiffen beside me.

"And…they're dead. All of them. All Mom's friends - her doctor, her uncle. Everyone who knew her, systematically wiped off the map one at a time. Someone went through a hell of a lot of a trouble trying to cover their tracks."

"How did this Ruby chick know that?" Dean asked, voice strained.

Sam shrugged. "She's been following us. She said she was a hunter."

I looked guiltily at the floor and began fidgetting.

"That doesn't explain how she knows more about my own family than I do." Sam looked…perturbed. "I wish I knew who she was."

"I know who she is," I said softly, looking up from the floor. "I met her back in Lincoln. She showed up while you were diggin' ditches."

"You never told us that," Dean said. "Why didn't you tell us that?"

I looked at him in disbelief. "You weren't talking to me. Why would I tell you?" Dean had the dignity to look guilty. I stood up and paced the room. "Anyway, she's…she's a demon." I could practically feel the tension begin to fill the room.

"You mean she was a demon, right?" Dean asked. "You took care of her."

I bit my lip nervously. "Not exactly. She said she's here to…help us."

"And you believed her?" Dean scoffed.

I turned around, glaring. "No, I didn't. I'm not stupid. She's a demon. But she told me she could help save you."

Dean shook his head. "Well, she's lying. You've gotta know that."

"She probably is," I agreed. "But I have to be sure first."

"No, you need to get rid of her," Dean argued. "She's gotta have a hidden agenda, a reason for coming to you first. Think about it: a demon seeks you out. You, a wicked-powerful girl who could take her out in the time it takes to blink. Why would she take that risk if she wasn't gonna get something in return?"

"Dean…" Sam was going to put his two cents in, it seemed. "If she can save you…" I was glad he was going to be on my side on this. Even though he seemed shocked about Ruby's identity.

"No," Dean seethed. "No, not you, too."

"Look," I glanced at them both. "Look, if she does have something planned, I pretty much ruined any ideas she had. I told her if I heard of her coming near anyone I care about I'll take her out in an instant. I don't want her to be there if I'm not."

Dean was shaking his head again. "I don't like it. Just for the record, I'm not an board with this."

"You don't have to like it," I said softly. "If we're not together anymore, then you have no say-so in what I do. I don't have to talk over my decisions with you. I can do what I want.

Dean couldn't argue with that. It was true. But I could tell he wasn't happy with it, and that he was hurt because I'd kept something - an important something - from him.

"Anyway, we should hurry. Bobby called. He said he thinks a demon is…well, he thinks someone's trying to raise a demon."

"Which one?" Sam asked curiously.

I shrugged. "I don't know. Didn't say."

In the car, I stared blankly out the window. I had my head propped up against the door, a jacket underneath to protect my noggin when Dean would hit a bump, which he didn't do very often, unless he couldn't avoid it.

I swallowed back tears. My throat was tight and I felt cold inside. Dean had meant what he'd said; he wouldn't be with me anymore. He loved me, but he thought he was doing what was best for me by not being with me.

A tear formed in my eye and I blinked it away. I remained silent and still, staring blankly out the window.

We pulled off of an exit to go to a gas station about an hour into the drive and I followed Dean in. I needed something to drink. Preferably water. My throat was still burning with suppressed sobs, and I knew if I were to try to speak, my voice would sound all wrong.

After paying for my drink, I waited for Dean and we went back out to the car. We didn't talk and we didn't look at each other.

I wasn't mad at him because I knew he thought he was doing the right thing. And, truth be told…he was right. It would be harder when he was actually gone if we remained as close as we could be, as close as we had been. But like I told him: I didn't care. If it meant I could be with him now, I'd gladly take the pain that came after. I would have to make Dean see that.

Somehow.

This chapter was hard for me to write because of the whole Dean/Aly thing. But I love the scene between Ruby and Aly. I didn't think they would but, those two have so much chemistry on paper I can't help but write them together sometimes. LOL Enjoy, and as always...let me know what you think. :)