Author's Note: Hello, Dear Readers. Once again I find myself apologizing for taking so long to post a new chapter to this story. My real life is crazy, and I had to come up with an idea for this chapter. I'm pretty pleased with it, and I hope you enjoy it. Please post a review or send me a private message. I love hearing from my readers.

CHAPTER 6

Natalie groaned as she rolled over onto her back. She reached over and picked her cell phone up from where it was charging on the nightstand beside her bed. The clock read 2:02 a.m. Why was it that insomnia always hit at two o'clock in the morning, she wondered.

It was her second night in the bunker, and she hadn't slept well. The mattress was too soft, and the pillow was too flat. She couldn't find a comfortable position, so she had tossed and turned for what seemed like hours. It hadn't helped that her mind was racing in a million different directions trying to process everything that had happened over the last few days.

She sighed as she swung her legs around so that she sat on the side of the bed. She tilted her head from side to side and rotated her shoulders in an attempt to loosen her stiff neck and shoulder muscles. As she came to her feet she decided to move through a few yoga poses to stretch her back and shoulders. She would need to find out if there was some way she could get a yoga mat. She wanted to do a full workout, but she wasn't about to do it on the cold tile floor.

When she was finished she grabbed her duffle and dug through it for a pair of yoga pants and pulled them on under the oversized t-shirt she'd worn to bed. She slipped her feet into a pair of flip flops and grabbed her phone before leaving the room.

Natalie made her way to the kitchen with the idea of making a pot of coffee. Once there, though, she quickly changed her mind. A couple of beers sounded like a good idea. Maybe they would relax her enough that she would be able to sleep. She moved to the industrial sized refrigerator and grabbed two bottles. After popping the top on one of them, she tossed the cap on the counter and took a long drink of the amber liquid. She shivered as the first rush of the ice cold alcohol hit her system.

Natalie really didn't want to go back to her room, but she hadn't yet learned the layout of the bunker. Other than the dormitory level and kitchen, she hadn't seen much of the structure. She made her way, with a couple of wrong turns, to the main room. Once there, she quickly spotted the entrance to the library across the room. She took another long drink from the open beer bottle and made her way in that direction.

A few minutes later she found a wingback armchair and end table set into a niche in the back of the library. She took another drink from the open bottle and placed both of them on the table. She looked around the room for a moment before deciding to go in search of something to occupy her mind.

Natalie found a large book sitting on a work table in the middle of the library. There was a slim silver knife toward the beginning of the book acting as a bookmark. She mentally translated the title to discover it was a text on demons. Only then did she notice the legal pad tucked under the corner of the book. She pulled it out and realized that someone, likely Sam, had been working on translating the text. She made a quick decision and grabbed the book, legal pad, and an ink pen and carried them back to the chair she'd claimed.

She sighed as she picked up the open beer bottle and drained it before setting it aside. The Winchesters had good taste in beer, she thought as she opened the second bottle on the edge of the end table. She took a sip as she decided to savor the second one.

She sat in the chair and swung around so that her back was against the side wing of the chair and her legs dangled over the opposite arm. She reached back and grabbed the still full beer bottle and placed it on the floor within easy reach.

Only once she was settled did she open the tome at the location of the dagger. Without looking at the translated text on the legal pad, she drew a line under the text to separate her efforts from Sam's and started translating the Aramaic text with the first full paragraph on the right hand page.

She hoped that the concentration required for that particular task would keep her mind occupied to the point that she would no longer dwell on the thoughts racing through her mind, and she would become tired enough to sleep.

XxxxxX XxxxxX XxxxxX XxxxxX

Sam didn't know what had awakened him. He rolled onto his back and laid there for several minutes listening to the nighttime sounds of the bunker. Nothing stood out or caught his attention as being out of place.

He didn't bother trying to suppress his yawn as he moved to his feet. The floor was cold, and he winced slightly as he crossed the room toward the door.

He stopped by the bathroom, then he decided to check on Natalie. He hadn't heard anything that made him suspicious, but his gut was telling him that something was going on. Given the situation, she was the most likely source of trouble.

Her bedroom door was cracked, so Sam gently pushed it open far enough to see inside the room. It only took a moment for him to realize she wasn't there. Somehow, Sam wasn't all that surprised. He sighed as he ran his hands through his hair. He turned on his heel and headed back to his room to put his shoes on. He'd look for her in the bunker before sounding the alarm that she might have run off.

A few minutes later, Sam entered the library and spotted Natalie sprawled out in one of the armchairs at the back of the room. He gave a sigh of relief. Although he disagreed with his father's methods, he did agree that the bunker was the best place for her at the moment.

He didn't know whether to be amused or concerned when he approached her and spotted the beer bottles. The one on the table beside her chair was empty, but the one on the floor within easy reach still held a few ounces of fluid left in it. Since he assumed his dad would disapprove of her underage drinking as much as he had when he and Dean had done it, Sam grabbed the bottles and took them to the kitchen. He poured the remaining beer into the sink and tossed both bottles into the trash can.

Natalie hadn't moved a muscle when he returned to the library. Sam was momentarily struck by how young she looked. He knew she had to be exhausted to be sleeping so soundly in such an awkward looking position.

He gently picked the heavy book up out of her lap and immediately recognized it as the one he'd been working to translate whenever he was in the bunker. He set it on a nearby work table and picked up the legal pad. He flipped through four and a half pages of small, neat script and marveled at her apparent ease in translating the ancient language. It had taken him days to translate as much as she had seemed to have done in just a matter of hours. He made a mental note to ask her about it later.

Sam sighed as he gently slipped his hands under Natalie's knees and shoulders and lifted her into his arms. She still didn't stir, and her head lolled against his shoulder. He carried her to her room and laid her gently in her bed. A smile crossed his features as she rolled over onto her side and snuggled into the mattress. He pulled the covers up over her shoulders. He couldn't resist the urge to tuck a lock of hair that had fallen into her face behind her ear.

XxxxxX XxxxxX XxxxxX

It was after 10:00 when Natalie wandered into the kitchen. She'd awoken disoriented, and it had taken her a moment or two to realize that she was back in her bed and not still in the chair in the library. She could only guess that she must have fallen asleep in her chair, and one of the Winchesters had found her and carried her to bed. She wasn't sure how she felt about that. Nor was she sure which of the men she hoped it had been. John would probably give her hell because that meant she had been wandering the bunker at night when there was no one to keep an eye on her. On the other hand, Sam probably would have thought it was cute. She hadn't gotten enough of a read on Dean to place him in a slot on that continuum.

She was a little surprised when she spotted Sam sitting at the table. He was reading something on his laptop and had a coffee mug in his hand. Natalie knew it contained fresh coffee because, even from that distance, she could see the steam rising from it. She quickly made a beeline for the coffee station they'd set up and poured a cup for herself.

Sam had been aware of her presence from the moment she had stepped into the room. However, he didn't acknowledge her until she sat down at the table. "You get any rest?" He took a sip of his coffee as he studied her face.

Natalie squirmed a little under his scrutiny. His question solved the mystery of how she'd ended up back in her bed. "Yeah, some," she responded but didn't say anything further as she picked up her coffee and took a sip. After a few moments of silence she asked, "So, where's the grand master? I'd have figured he'd have rousted me out of bed at the crack of dawn."

Sam sighed. "Dad," he said, emphasizing the word, "and Dean left about 7:30 to go on a hunt in Iowa. Something about unexplained animal mutilations." He paused for a moment to take another sip of his coffee. "He wanted to get you up and have you get started on chores around the bunker before he left, but I talked him out of the getting you up part."

"I guess I ought to be thankful for small favors," she said in a voice that was dripping with sarcasm. "So what does the high and mighty John Winchester expect his newest slave to do?"

Sam shook his head in disbelief. "You know, I really don't deserve your attitude. I'm trying to be your friend here, and you already know how my dad will respond to it. Do you enjoy getting your ass busted that much?" He sighed when Natalie's only response was to shrug her shoulders. "As he told you yesterday, everyone pitches in to keep this place running. So, he wants you to do the laundry and clean the kitchen." He held up a hand to forestall her reaction. "It doesn't have to all be done today. They'll probably be gone at least three or four days. You just need to have it done before they get back."

Natalie sat back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest. "And just what will you be doing while I'm busy with my slave labor?"

Sam's temper was beginning to rise, but he knew better than to take her bait. He took a couple of calming breaths before replying. "I will be fixing our meals, cleaning the bathrooms, and doing some translation work." He paused for a moment to study her reaction. "Not that you've earned it, but I'll make you a deal. You do your laundry, clean the kitchen, and fix lunch every day, and I'll do the rest of the laundry, take care of the bathroom, and fix dinner. When Dad and Dean get back, they'll have chore duty for a few days."

"What's the catch?" Natalie was suspicious about why Sam would make her that offer. There had to be something in it for him.

"No catch," Sam responded. He picked up his coffee mug and rose to his feet to refill it. "I just thought you might feel that's a more equitable distribution of the work."

She considered his words as she watched him refill his coffee mug. She nodded and held hers out to be topped off when he held the pot out in her direction. She bit back a sigh. Sam Winchester wasn't who she was angry with. No, it was his father who deserved her ire. "Okay," she responded as she took a sip of coffee before coming to her feet. "I'll agree to split the chores." She moved to the shelving unit that contained various boxes of food and grabbed a box of Lucky Charms.

Sam watched as Natalie gathered the rest of the stuff needed for her breakfast and carried it back to the table. He gave her a warm smile as she sat down. "I'm glad we could work that out. A little cooperation goes a long way." He had to suppress a grin when she only grunted in reply. "Can I ask you something," he asked after a few minutes of silence had passed. There was a definite note of curiosity in his voice.

"What?" Natalie asked somewhat cautiously.

"Where did you learn Aramaic?"

She couldn't help feeling pleased that he'd noticed. At the same time, though, she couldn't help the feeling of suspicion that crept up at his words. "Why?" she asked cautiously.

"I'm just curious. You did more work translating that book in whatever time you were in the library before you fell asleep than I was able to do in a week." Sam watched as Natalie visibly relaxed at his explanation.

She shrugged. "I pick up languages easily. I always have. Last year my school offered an introductory class to ancient languages as an elective. I'd already learned Latin and some Greek, but they also taught us the basics of Aramaic and Hebrew. I continued to study Aramaic on my own after the class ended."

Sam was fascinated. He'd learned Latin as part of his hunter training, and had picked up a smattering of other languages as he'd needed to translate various books on the supernatural. But, he still struggled, and it took him time to work through the translations in anything other than Latin. "How many languages do you know?"

Natalie smiled. "I can speak Spanish, French, Latin, and a smattering of German. I can read Greek, Hebrew, a little Yiddish, and, of course, Aramaic." She preened a little at Sam's raised eyebrow. It pleased her that he was impressed by her ability with languages. "I'd planned on becoming a linguist, specializing in ancient languages."

"Wow," Sam truly was impressed. He paused for a moment to gather his thoughts as an idea occurred to him. "Why don't you go back to school and get your degree?" He anticipated the argument she was about to make in response and held up a hand to stop her. "Hear me out. You know how other hunters go to Bobby for information?"

"Yeah." She was curious about where Sam was going with this.

"You could provide the same kind of service. But with your language skills, you could translate books a lot faster and provide information quicker. You'd be doing a huge service."

Natalie thought about it. Sam's idea held merit. "I'll think about it," she said. "I don't know that I'd learn anything in college that I can't teach myself, though. It's not like they're going to be teaching supernatural terminology along with the basics of the languages."

"True," Sam conceded. "However, it would give you something to fall back on to earn an income. If you got a degree, you could work at a university or museum or something that could serve as a cover for your supernatural research." He could see Natalie was intrigued by what he had said. "Just think about it, okay. You don't have to make a decision about it right now."

"Sure," she agreed. For the first time since learning of her father's death, she felt like she might have a future.

"In the meantime," Sam continued, "you can help me translate some of the books in the library. I don't have any trouble with the ones in Latin or Greek, but it takes me forever to work out the others."

Natalie grinned. "I can do that." She paused as she spooned a bite of cereal into her mouth. "Besides, I looked at what you'd already translated in that book. About half of it was incorrect."

Sam blushed. "See," he said, "that's why I need your help." He patted her on the shoulder as he rose to his feet to show her there were no hard feelings. "Now, I'm going to get started on cleaning the bathroom. What time should I expect lunch?"