Walking along the sidewalk, holding tight to her big brothers hand, Samantha hummed the theme song from the children's show Barney. It was fast becoming her favorite, despite the fact that her brother had started calling him the big purple duffus. None of that mattered though, because Dean was taking her to the park for the afternoon and she was bursting with excitement. Lately he had been spending a lot of time with the friends he'd made at school and very little time with her. But today he had said that they were going to have some fun at the park down the street. She looked up at him with a huge smile on her face.

"We're gonna spend the whole day there, right Dean?"

He looked down at her and winked. "You know it Sammy. And when we're done we can get some ice cream. Dad left us some cash and I decided it's time for a treat. Sound good?"

"Really, Dean?! Ice cream?! Yay!" Sam yelled in excitement as she started skipping and swinging their hands.

Dean chuckled good-naturedly and let her continue swinging their arms.

Once at the park, Sam ran straight for the swings. "You have to push me, Dean!"

"Okay, okay. How about we try and see if you can go all the way around the top bar huh?"

Sam blinked and looked up at the rusted bar over her head. She stared at it for a long moment before turning back to her big brother. "That's too high…"

Dean laughed at the uncertainty on her face. "Okay, not that high then."

He walked around and helped her onto the swing. "Okay, Sammy. Hold on tight."

Sam gripped the swings chains tightly in her small hands and kicked her legs out in front of her. "Ready."

Dean reached forward and gave her a gentle push soon followed by another, and then another. It felt like flying. The wind whooshed by her and it felt really nice. "I'm gonna push you next. Okay, Dean?"

"Okay, Sammy. But first…"

Sam squealed in delight as Dean gave her a huge push and she went soaring through the air. "Weeee!"

In her excitement though, Sam's grip loosened and her hand accidentally let go of the chain. "Dean!" She yelled in fright as she started falling toward the hard stones on the ground.

"Sammy!"

She heard Dean call her name but she closed her eyes in fear. A second later she hit something…but it didn't hurt.

Cracking open her left eye, Sam realized that she was okay. She was lying on the ground but it was like she was floating above it.

"You alright Sammy?"

"Dean?" Sam opened her other eye and that's when she noticed that the reason she wasn't hurt was because she was lying on top of her big brother. Dean had caught her.

"Don't worry, I got ya Sammy." He said as he attempted to sit up with her in his lap. That was when Sam noticed him wince.

"Dean…are you okay?" She asked quietly.

"Me? Of course I am."

Dean gently set her down on the ground with a cocky smile. "I'm Dean Winchester after all. A stupid swing can't touch me."

Sam frowned when she saw him move his right hand behind his back so she couldn't see it. "But, Dean-"

"I said I'm fine, Sammy. I'm more worried about you. You feel okay?"

Still frowning, Sam looked down at herself. Despite being a little dirty she was completely unharmed.

"I'm okay. But…I don't want to play on the swings anymore."

Dean laughed and smiled at her. "I figured. How about we head over to the slide. I can show you how to do all kinds of sweet tricks on the way down."

Dean's smile was contagious and Sam felt excitement well up within her again. "Okay!" She said enthusiastically.

Her brother reached out his left hand and she took it without a moment's hesitation. As Dean led her over toward the slide and an afternoon of fun…

Sam knew that, no matter what, her big brother would always be there to catch her.

"No! I told you that you have to focus! How many times do I have to say it?!"

"I-I'm sorry…" She muttered as Azazel screamed at her yet again. She had been trying to exercise the same demon for the past two hours. She could make it writhe in pain. She could make it scream. But…she just couldn't get it out of its host. He was becoming displeased with her and if she didn't get it soon her punishment was going to be severe.

He sighed in obvious disappointment before fixing her with a hard look. "Try again. This is your last chance, Star. Fail me again…"

The words hung in the air and a shiver of fear flitted down her spine. She would do it this time…no matter what.

The demon stared at her with coal black eyes. The sight used to give her nightmares…but this was her reality now. She had no choice but to accept it.

"Okay…" She muttered softly to herself as she emptied her mind of all distractions to focus solely on the task at hand.

Taking a deep breath, she held her right hand out toward the monster before her and concentrated. She could feel the power surging within her. It was like a soft blanket wrapping her in warmth. That was what scared her the most.

It used to be painful. Head shattering migraines used to plague her on a daily basis, but now…after all of his 'special drinks', it was just another extension of herself.

"Focus…" His deep calming voice echoed around her.

Moments later the screaming started. It was practically inhuman…

The demons face contorted in pain and a small part of her relished in it. Inflicting such pain in a monster that had probably killed countless people was one of the things that got her through the day.

And then it happened…

"Ahhhh!" It screamed as black smoke began pouring from its mouth.

"Yes!" Azazel yelled in delight. "Yes, that's my beautiful girl!"

She tried not to let him distract her. She had to finish it.

Pushing through the slight pain that was starting to appear in her head, she forced the power outward and watched as the black smoke vanished. Letting out a deep shuddering breath and wiping away the small trickle of blood pouring from her nose, she watched as the demons vessel slumped lifelessly in the chair. Another poor person snuffed out by the minions of hell.

"That was wonderful Star!" Azazel sang as he suddenly lifted her from the ground and into his arms. He spun her around in his dizzying embrace and she had to stop herself from letting her revulsion show. He wouldn't like that.

"I'm so proud of you." He murmured into her ear as he pulled her close. "That's the fastest anyone has ever been. I knew you were special. My special little Star."

She shuddered as his breath traveled over her neck. His words gave her little comfort. He was a monster…and she was well on her way to becoming exactly like him.

There wasn't much farther that she could possibly fall…

"Sammy! Come out, come out wherever you are!"

Sam laughed silently to herself as her big brother continued to search for her hiding place. She'd searched the entire motel room looking for the perfect place. Eventually she'd settled on the cabinet under the sink in the bathroom. He was never going to find her there.

"Where oh where could she have gone?"

Sam couldn't hold back a giggle and quickly put her hand over her mouth to silence it. She listened hard to see if Dean had heard her but she couldn't hear him anymore. She moved forward a little and placed her face close to the door. There was still no sign of him.

"Ahhhhh!" Sam screamed as the door was suddenly ripped open.

Crouching there, a big grin on his face, was Dean. "Found ya, Sammy!"

Sam pushed at his face with her tiny hands until he fell over onto his bum. Then she crawled out of the cabinet and stomped her feet as she stormed out of the room.

"Hey, Sammy…"

She shook her head and didn't utter a word. He'd scared her and ruined the game and now she was mad. Dean trailed behind her as she walked over to their bed and climbed on top of it. She sat on the edge facing the wall and stared down at her knees.

"Hey, come on Sammy. It was just a joke. I'm sorry I scared you okay?"

Her lip trembled in an angry pout. "I wasn't scared."

Dean climbed on the bed and sat down beside her. He didn't say anything and Sam couldn't help but glance over at him out of the corner of her eye. He was staring straight ahead at the wall in front of them.

"Dean?" She mumbled softly when he still hadn't said anything after a few minutes.

"You know Sammy…it's okay to be scared."

Sam shifted on the bed and turned to look at him. He smiled down at her but he had that same sad look on his face that he usually had when he was thinking about their mommy.

"Really Dean? D-does that mean that you get scared too?"

Dean nodded. "You can't tell anybody though, cause I have a reputation to uphold."

Sam shifted again and climbed onto his lap. Dean wrapped his arms around her and she snuggled into his chest. "I didn't think you ever got scared, Dean. What are you scared of?"

Dean rested his chin on top of her head. "Well…I'm scared of…losing my pain in the ass little sister."

"Hey!" Sam yelled as her head shot up at his insult. Unfortunately she forgot that Dean was leaning on her. Her head collided with his chin and a sharp pain shot through her.

"Owww!" Dean yelped as he reached up to cup his jaw. "Dammit Sam, what the hell was that for?!"

His anger immediately drained away however, when he saw Sam rubbing her head with tears in her eyes.

"H-hey don't cry. It's okay. Look, we'll get some ice on it and you'll be good as new okay?"

Sam nodded, a few tears spilling over and falling down her cheeks. Dean shifted her out of his lap and jumped off the bed to get the ice. Sam watched him go…and she silently promised that she would keep Dean from being afraid. She would make sure that he never lost her because…one of her greatest fears was losing him too.

"Sam? Can you hear me?"

She looked around her cell and shuddered as the chilly air seeped into her bones. Her gaze landed on the small grate placed at the bottom of the left side wall. An hour earlier she'd heard Jacob drag someone into the cell beside hers. Another new friend for her and the others that remained. She shuffled over and leaned down so that her ear was right next to it. She listened hard and could just make out the sound of crying.

"Hello?" She asked softly, not wanting to upset the person any further.

The crying shut off abruptly and a quiet female voice answered her.

"H-hello?"

She smiled grimly and adjusted herself so that she was a little more comfortable on the cold hard ground. "Hello there. My name is Star…what's yours?"

"A-Ava."

"Hello Ava." She said while trying to keep her tone as friendly as possible. "I know you're scared but you have to try and calm down okay. He doesn't like the sound of crying."

She heard another sniffle come from the other room. "How old are you Ava?"

"E-eight. H-how o-old are you?"

"I'm ten."

"W-where are we? What is this place?"

She closed her eyes and took in a deep shuddering breath. What was she supposed to say? They were in hell? They were never getting out? If she didn't stop crying and become strong then she would end up like some of the other children? Colby…Zara…Mallory…all dead and gone…

"This is a place that will make you strong Ava. You, me, and the others, we're all special and this place is where they send the special people to make them strong."

Silent tears started streaming down her cheeks as she spoke those lies. Her welcoming speech had been entirely different in the beginning. She'd always tell the newbies that they would find a way out. That there was hope…

Not anymore…

"S-special?"

"Yes. You are very special. He only picks the special ones."

Silence descended and she couldn't help but wonder what Ava was thinking. The little girl was probably still absolutely terrified. There wasn't anything she could say to make it any better.

"Mommy always said I was special…"

Something had changed in Ava's voice. It wasn't fear, it was…more like excitement. Her eyes widened in realization. Ava sounded a lot like the way she herself was starting to sound.

She shot away from the wall and huddled in the opposite corner of the room. She wrapped her arms around her knees and started to rock slowly back and forth. Her eyes locked on the name carved into her wrist. "I don't remember who you are but…I don't want to be here anymore…why haven't you come yet?"

Silence settled upon them for a moment before…

"I am special,

I am special,

Look at me,

You will see,

Someone very special,

Someone very special,

It is me,

It is me."

She closed her eyes and tried to block out Ava's song. It was to the tune of Frere Jacques and the girl just kept singing it. Over and over and over.

"Shut up…shut up…shut up…" She muttered under her breath as another round began.

"I am special,

I am special-"

"SHUT UP!" She screamed, suddenly overcome with rage. How dare the foolish girl think that she was special! Star was the special one! "If you don't shut up I'll show you what it really means to be special!"

Her words reverberated throughout the tiny room and seemed to have the desired effect.

Silence enveloped them…only to be broken a short time later by the most wonderful sound.

Star stared blankly at the wall in front of her. A slow smile crossed her lips as the peaceful sound of crying resumed once again.

"I am special…" She sang quietly to herself. The smile never left her face.

"They keep telling me that you can hear me, I hope that's true. I…I want you to know that…I'm so sorry Sammy…"

"Sam."

Sam looked up from her coloring book and smiled at her daddy. "Hi daddy. Want to see my picture?"

She picked up the paper and held it out to him. She had spent all afternoon working on it. It was a picture of her family. She was in the middle. Dean was on the right, and her daddy was on the left. She had thought about putting her mommy in it but…that would have made her brother and her daddy really sad.

John held the picture in his hand and smiled softly down at his daughter. "It's beautiful Sam. You're a real artist. Have you shown your brother?"

Sam frowned. "Yes. He said it looked like three pigs were dancing."

John barked out a laugh and Sam frowned even more.

"It's not funny daddy."

John laughed again. "I'm sorry sweetheart. I'll talk to Dean later okay?"

A smile lit up her face. "Really? You gotta tell him that my picture is pretty and that he's wrong."

"I will. I promise." John looked around the room and then frowned when he didn't see his son. "Sam, where is your brother?"

"He said he was going to the arcade. He said he was gonna bring me back a stuffed bear from the crane game!" Sam said, bursting with excitement. Dean was really good at the crane game, she'd seen him play it before, and was sure he was gonna get her the blue bear with the brown eyes.

"He left you here alone?"

Sam looked down at the table and fiddled with her fingers.

"Sam."

She looked up at her daddy and saw that he looked pretty angry. "He said he'd only be gone for one hour…" She answered quietly.

John looked even less pleased than before. "Come on Sam. We're going to go get your brother."

"But daddy-"

"Now Sam."

Sam hopped off of her chair and silently followed him out of the room.

The arcade was only about a block away. John took her hand and the two of them headed down the street. The whole way there Sam felt really bad. Dean was gonna be in trouble and it was all her fault. But…she couldn't lie to her daddy. They always said that lying was bad, unless it was a white lie. She still didn't really understand the difference. It was really confusing.

As soon as they entered the arcade Sam could hear her brother's voice. Dean sounded really excited. Her daddy led them over toward the other side of the room and she could see Dean standing at one of the games, surrounded by a bunch of other kids.

"I told you guys I was awesome at this freaking game! High score baby!"

"Dean Winchester."

Completely freezing, Dean slowly turned around when he heard his father's voice. Sam could see his eyes widen when he saw them standing there. She thought it was kind of funny. Dean looked like one of the owls from her story book.

The other kids scattered and Dean was left standing there alone.

"Oh…uh, hey dad…" He muttered as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Don't you 'hey dad' me, Dean. I told you to stay in the room and look after your sister. Instead you leave her there alone to come and play some stupid game. Where are your priorities Dean?"

"But dad-"

"No Dean. I don't want to hear it. We are leaving now. Grab your stuff."

"Yes sir."

Sam felt really bad when she saw the angry look on her brother's face. She pulled her hand out of her daddy's and walked over to him as he turned around and grabbed his backpack off of the ground beside the game.

"Are you mad at me, Dean? Cause…if you are…I guess it's okay that you think my picture looks like dancing pigs."

Dean stared down at her in disbelief before breaking out in a laugh. He shook his head at her and then reached out to ruffle her hair. "No, I'm not mad at you Sammy. We should go before dad blows a gasket."

Taking her hand in his, Dean led her out of the arcade after their father.

When they got back Dean was ordered to his room as punishment. Sam watched him go.

"Daddy?"

"Yes sweetheart?" John asked as he went to work making supper.

"Daddy…could I be punished too?"

John briefly looked at her in surprise before realizing what she wanted. A part of him didn't want to let her because Dean had really screwed up and he needed to be punished. But, on the other hand, when had he ever been able to say no to her innocent face.

"Okay Sammy. You can be punished too."

Sam's hazel eyes sparkled in excitement. "Yay! Thank you daddy!"

She ran over to the table and grabbed her colouring supplies and then headed for the bedroom. When she closed the door she saw that Dean was lying on his bed reading one of his comic books. He sat up when he saw her enter the room.

"What the hell are you doin Sammy? Dad doesn't want you in here."

"It's okay Dean. Daddy said I could be punished too. Do you want to colour with me?"

Dean rolled his eyes at her and then got off the bed. "Colour huh? Well, how bout I give you something first?"

"Really Dean? Like a present?"

"Yup." He said with a laugh as he rummaged around in his backpack. Sam couldn't see what he was doing because he had his back to her. She tried peering around him but it didn't work. A second later he spun around with something behind his back.

"What is it? What is it?" She squealed in delight.

Dean laughed before pulling a blue bear from behind him.

Sam's eyes lit up. "Wow! It's the bear from the crane game! You really got it!" She yelled as she ran forward to get the bear. He was so fluffy as she crushed him into her chest.

"Thank you Dean."

"No problem Sammy, I promised after all. And when have I ever broken a promise?"

"Never."

"Damn straight. And I never will."

"You can't die Sam. Not after I finally found you again. We have so much stuff to catch up on…get to know each other again…"

"Why do I have to kill them?"

"Because I told you to."

"That's not good enough. You said I'm powerful. The most powerful one you have. Does that mean I'm more powerful than you?"

Azazel stared at her for a long moment before breaking out into a sinister smile. "More powerful than me huh? Why don't we test that theory?"

Before she could even react, she was thrown backward into the wall behind her. She could hear the others crying in fear but, despite the pain she was in, she would not cry. Never again.

"Is that it?" She asked as she pushed herself to her feet. She could feel the blood dripping down the back of her head.

The words were barely out of her mouth before she felt like she was suffocating. Her throat was constricting and her vision was growing dark.

"Such a cocky attitude for someone who can't even fight back. You disappoint me Star."

Her vision went completely black and all she could remember was the impact as her body hit the ground.

"Why does she always provoke him?"

"Because she's crazy."

"Shut up Jake."

"Don't tell me what to do Jessica. The only one here who even stands a chance against him is Lily and she can't even do anything unless she can touch him. What exactly was she trying to prove?"

"I was trying to show him that he won't control me forever." She whispered as consciousness slowly returned. A part of her really wanted to show Jake that he had no idea what she was capable of either. One day perhaps…

"She's awake!"

"I can see that Andy. Star? Can you open your eyes for me?"

Jessica's soft voice drifted through her like a song and she forced herself to listen to it. Eyelids fluttering slightly, she managed to crack them open a little. Jessica was staring down at her, dull blue eyes shimmering in the dark.

"Hello there." The blond said with a grim smile.

"Hey…" She mumbled as she attempted to push herself up into a sitting position. A pair of hands supported her from behind and she turned her head to see Andy grinning mischievously. She narrowed her eyes at him in annoyance.

"What?" He said, feigning ignorance.

"Don't 'what' me, Andy. Keep the hands above the waist."

He chuckled lightly and removed his hands. She watched, still wary, as he backed away to go and sit by Ava who was watching the whole thing from the far corner of the room. Ava was always watching.

Turning her attention back to the matter at hand, she focused back on Jessica.

"How long was I out this time?"

"Three hours." Jake answered.

She turned to face the large black boy with a frown. "What's your problem? What I do doesn't affect you does it? Leave it alone Jake."

He snarled angrily back at her. "Doesn't affect me?! Like hell it doesn't affect me! Every time you pull this crap who do you think has to clean up the mess?! He wanted you to kill those goddamn kids and you should have just done it! He made Lily do it!"

Her eyes immediately swiveled over to the small girl with the mousy brown hair huddled by the wall. Lily was weak. She was actually surprised that the girl had managed to survive so long in the first place. The tiny brunette was the youngest, brought in a year after Ava was and had a very interesting gift. With a single touch, Lily could end a life. Sometimes she wished the girl would use it on her…

Pushing herself to her feet, she ignored the concerned gaze of Jessica and the angry one of Jake, and walked over to drop down beside her friend.

"You killed them huh?"

Lily nodded mutely, never raising her head.

"Did they scream?"

The girl's head shot up and terrified green eyes locked on her face.

"Did they scream Lily? Did they cry? Did they beg you to let them go?"

"What the hell Star?!" Jake snarled as he began to storm over. She barely noticed Jessica grab his arm and hold him in place.

"Answer me."

"T-they c-cried…"

"But you did it anyway?" She asked, voice void of all emotion.

Lily nodded.

"Good job Lily."

The girls green eyes widened in fear. "W-what?"

"You did a good job. Killing them was the right thing to do. If you hadn't of done it he would have played with them. They would have ended up like Michael. Do you remember what happened to him?"

The girl's face went completely white.

"You saved them Lily. But I promise you that I will do it next time. I'll kill them all. Have I ever broken a promise?"

Lily shook her head and she smiled. "That's right Lily. I always keep my promises."

"You always were a stubborn kid but this is ridiculous. Come on Sam, I know you can do this. Open those hazel eyes for me. Please…"

"Come on Sammy. Open those eyes for me."

"D-Dean?"

"There she is. How many fingers am I holding up?"

Sam blinked a few times and she saw her big brother staring down at her with a concerned look on his face while holding up three…maybe six, fingers.

"Dean? W-what happened?"

"Well, you took a little fall there Sammy." He looked over to the left and Sam followed his gaze. She was lying at the bottom of the stairs leading up to the front porch of the house they were renting for the month.

"I-I fell?"

"Yup. You were chasing that stupid dog from next door and missed a step. Do you remember?"

Sam thought back. She remembered Sparky but…

"My head really hurts Dean…" She mumbled as pain pierced her skull.

"I know Sammy. Let me take a look okay. If it's really bad I'll have to call dad."

Dean grabbed her by the shoulders and gently helped her up into a sitting position. A wave of dizziness washed over her.

"D-Dean…" She mumbled as the world started spinning.

"Whoa, easy Sammy. Close your eyes okay? That might help."

She did as he said and it did help a little.

"Better?"

"A l-little…"

"Okay. Just give me one sec okay? I'm gonna take a look."

She kept her eyes closed as she felt his fingers on the back of her head. It was okay at first but then…

"OWW!" She screamed as he touched a really painful spot. Tears started pouring down her cheeks.

"Ah, Jesus! I'm sorry!"

Dean immediately removed his hand and came around in front of her. She opened her eyes and looked up at him.

"I don't feel good Dean…"

"I know Sammy…I'm gonna get you in the house and then I'll call dad okay?"

"Okay Dean."

Blinking back tears, Sam let her big brother gently lift her off the ground. She had to close her eyes again because the world was still spinning. She heard him walk up the stairs and open the front door.

"Almost there Sammy."

A few seconds later she felt Dean lower her down onto something soft. When she opened her eyes she saw that she was in the bedroom she shared with him.

"Sammy? You doin okay?"

She was about to tell him that she was alright when she suddenly felt like she was going to throw up.

"D-Dean…" She managed to stutter out before the bile rose and spilled out all over her.

"Whoa! Okay, it's okay…" Dean said in a panic as he leaned over her. "Don't worry about it Sammy. I'll clean it up later. Just let it out okay."

Tears poured down her cheeks as her stomach churned. Eventually she was able to calm down a little and Dean helped clean her up. He helped her into her pajama's, put ice on the back of her head and eased her down onto their dad's bed since hers was covered in puke.

"You can sleep for a bit Sammy but I'm gonna wake you up in about an hour."

"Why?" Sam asked sleepily.

Dean chuckled lightly. "Because you probably have a concussion and concussion means do not let little sisters sleep for more than an hour."

"Okay." She answered as her eyelids fluttered closed. "Dean?"

"Yeah Sammy?"

"Can you stay here with me?"

"Course I can. I ain't goin anywhere. And I promise I'll be here when you wake up."

"Thanks Dean. I love you…" She muttered as she drifted off.

"I love you too Sammy."

"Dad's awake…I don't know if you really want to hear about him after what happened but…ah, hell…come on Sammy…"

Sam heard a voice calling her through the memories. It was so familiar…it was so comforting. It was the voice from her past. A voice that meant everything to her. It wanted her to wake up…so she decided to listen.

It was time for her to stop running.