Chapter One - I'm not like the other witches you've met

.

"You can run but you can't escape!" The demon sing-sang, taunting her from behind the door. "Come on, little witch, it'll hurt less if you open this door and come with us."

Its last words made her snort as she looked down at the window, her only way out. Opening the door would undoubtedly hurt less, but it would mean becoming nothing more than a slave to the demon bitch who destroyed her life.

Knowing her spell would not hold the door for long, she looked down again, and taking a deep breath, she jumped.

Sam and Dean had just finished up the Oktoberfest case and were ready to spend the next day or two at Bobby's. They both needed the time off after spending over a month hunting non-stop. Bobby had just finished a case himself and met up with them on the road. As they were arriving in front of the house, both cars came to an abrupt stop.

A woman was sitting on Bobby's porch. The hunters got out of their cars, Dean's hand already on the gun he always has on his waistband. Never hurt to be careful these days, especially with demons and angels running around.

"Who are you?" He demanded harshly.

As she looked up, the three hunters noticed the weary and tired expression on her.

"Name's Andrea. Nice to meet you too, hunter." She paused, eyes watching as his hand moved behind his back. "You won't need that." She said somewhat tiredly. "I'm not a demon and I'm not a monster. I'm here because I need your help." Bobby stepped forward, albeit unsure.

"How can we help ya?"

"You know that big bad demon you guys are hunting? Lilith? She's after me." She was about to continue when Dean interrupted her.

"What does she want with you?"

"Does it matter? I need help. You hunters help people in need. Isn't that right?" He shakes his head.

"Doesn't work like that, sweetheart. You want help, it's on our terms. Our terms are, you tell us why Lilith wants you, and then we go from there."

Before she could answer, Bobby, who had been studying her quietly, took another step closer. "You're a witch."

His words aren't a question and the boys immediately grabbed their guns. However, even at gunpoint, she doesn't move or change her calm expression.

"Points to you, gramps. How did you know?" Bobby raised a brow at her, impressed with her calm demeanor.

"Yer tattoo. I saw it before, somewhere." The older hunter continued. The intricate symbols and lines in her left hand that started at her fingertips and covered the back of her hand, stopping at her wrist, looked different and ancient, looking like those henna tattoos from traditional Indian weddings. "Why would a witch need our help?"

"What he means, is why shouldn't we shoot you right now?" Dean demanded loudly, his gun ready. Andrea just rolled her eyes.

"I'm not like the witches you've met before, hunter." She fired back at him, her temper starting to boil.

"Oh really? You look just like them. Lemme guess, you made a deal for your magic with some low-level demon, but the deal got bumped up to the higher ranks. Now, Lilith wants to collect what's hers, and you need our help getting out of it. Sorry to inform you, sweetheart, but no. We can't help."

"You think I wanted this?" She half yells, gesturing to herself. "I'm not a borrower, and I'm not you, you moron! I would never set foot in a crossroad!"

Before the argument could escalate, Sam put a hand on Dean's shoulder. "Dean. Let's hear her out."

Bobby had been trying to remember where he had seen those symbols before, and when he does, he doesn't believe it. "I thought your... kind was extinct." Andrea smiles at him bitterly.

"Almost. I'm the last one. That's why Lilith is after me." Dean looks between Bobby and the witch, but it's Sam who voices the question.

"Bobby? What are you talking about?" Sam questions.

"She's a soul witch." The older hunter replies in a matter of fact tone.

"A soul witch? What the hell is that?" Dean demands in an unfriendly tone.

"In a few words, a regular witch gets power, energy from demons to do magic. A soul witch's magic is inherited, like, genetically, and they draw the power from their own soul." Bobby starts, and again, the old man impresses her. "They were the most powerful witches a few centuries ago before other witches and demons began to hunt them down." Bobby starts, and again, the old man impresses her.

"What does that mean?" The taller hunter, who had already put his gun away, asked.

There's a lot she could say regarding what this meant to her, but Andrea decides to spare any gore details. "It means I'm powerful enough to do a lot of things. Break seals, for example." As realization dawns on their faces, she continued. "That's why I need help. Look, the last thing I want is to be used as a magic wand for that evil bitch. Then, I heard two idiots, the Winchester brothers, were hunting Lilith down. Sounded crazy, but I don't really have a choice." She paused, taking a breath. "Please. I've been running and hiding for almost a year. I'm tired of working on defense. So, I want in. You help me, I help you."

Finally, Dean put his gun back in his jeans but kept the serious look on his face as he looked at her.

"How? How can a witch help us?"

"Well, for starters, I can make your work easier. Protection spells, traps, research. You name it." The three hunters looked at her again. "And… I'm also working on a few, uh, let's say things, that could kill the bitch."

"Can you give us a moment?" The tallest of them asked with a nice tone.

"Of course." They waited for her to move, but when she didn't, they moved away from the porch.

"Is she telling the truth, Bobby?" Sam asks, a look on his eyes that says he's interested.

Bobby looked at the woman for a moment, thinking before continuing. "There ain't that much lore on her kind tough, but from what I read, yeah, she seems to be telling the truth."

Immediately knowing what his brother is thinking, Dean groaned. "Come on! You can't be really considering this, Sam! She's a witch! We are hunters! We have bigger fish to fry. Let's just put her out of her misery and go on our merry way to the end of the world, alright?"

"Dean, it doesn't matter who she is or what she does. If she can help us get Lilith, hell, if she can help us kill Lilith, we cannot waste this opportunity. We need all the help we can get!"

Unconvinced, and not believing his brother's words, Dean shakes his head. "Is this how it's gonna be, Sam? First a demon, now a witch, and then what? Ghosts? Werewolves? What's next? You finding a way to make a Wendigo useful?"

"Nice one, Dean," Sam said rolling his eyes. "What I'm saying is, if she's as powerful as Bobby said, she can give us the edge we're missing! We're talking about heaven and hell, here. The devil himself could break free. Wouldn't hurt to have someone else on our side."

Dean studied his brother, still unconvinced. "I thought Ruby was already that edge we needed on our team." He provoked, not hiding his hatred for the demon.

"What do you prefer? Trusting a demon or a witch?"

"Neither, Sam! Alright? Neither!" He exclaimed. In his head, he hunted demons and witches. He didn't form a partnership with them.

"These are strange tides, Dean. Maybe we need new ways to navigate them. And even if she can't help us, Lilith is after her. Do you really think we should just kick her out and tell her to leave us the hell alone?"

As usual, the younger Winchester had a way with words and Dean ended up agreeing. "You know what? Fine. But there's going to be a witch killing bullet on my gun at all times. No matter what you say, I don't trust her." With that, he walks inside the house alone.

Bobby, who had been watching the brothers argue in silence, watches the witch from the corner of his eye, and he sees when she makes a pained face upon moving. "Did you see that?" He asks Sam.

"Yeah, lemme go talk to her."

While they talked, Andrea allowed herself to breathe and relax from the stiff and strong posture she sustained while talking to the hunters. A moment later as she moved, a sharp pain shot up in her ribs and she groaned. The last of her spell fading.

"Hey, are you okay?" When she looked up, the tallest of the brothers was in front of her, the older hunter just behind him, and his brother nowhere to be seen.

"It's just my ribs. I'll be fine." She said not wanting to show any kind of weakness.

"Why don't we get inside, so we can take a look and be sure it's nothing serious?" Sam asked, offering a small smile.

Inside the house, checking her side, Bobby tells Andrea her ribs are badly bruised. "How did you get this?"

"Demons found me the other night. One of them had a mean right hook. I had to jump from the first floor to get away, and then I drove straight here."

"Well, it's a wonder you got this far," Bobby states, eyeing her black and blue midsection. Andrea doesn't tell them about the spell she used to mask her pain, wanting to create some sort of common ground with these hunters before enhancing their differences.

"I guess it was adrenalin. But don't worry. I'll be fine. I just need some rest." They don't say anything and soon after giving her some painkillers, they leave her alone, to go talk in hushed tones in the kitchen. She didn't mind they're talking about her, as long as they didn't send her away. If she had to go, she would have to resort to her last option, and that was the last thing she wanted.

Later that night, Andrea doesn't refuse the offer to stay at the hunter's house. Not only did it save her the trouble of having to find herself a motel room, but it also gave her a modicum of security. At least she wasn't alone.

"The other guest room is filled with archives and such, so for tonight, all I can offer you is my couch," Bobby told her with a small smile, as he gave her a pillow and a blanket.

"The couch is great, Mr. Singer." Her words make him shake his head.

"Knock it off with the Mr., a'right? It's Bobby."

"Thank you, Bobby." She repeated, taking the blankets he handed her.

"Dean, you and Sam can share the-"

"I'll have the floor, Bobby," Dean said from where he was sitting, cutting him off. Knowing better than to try and dissuade him, Bobby just rolled his eyes and went to sleep.

Once Sam and Bobby were gone, Dean and Andrea were alone in the living room. He watched as she tried to get comfortable on the couch, head spinning with the idea of sleeping with a witch in the same room. Finally, he grabbed his gun.

"Yo, witch." He called, and when she turned around to look at him, he continued. "You may have convinced my brother and Bobby, but you can't fool me. You even think about doing anything to any of us, you'll be dead before you can blink. Are we clear?"

Andrea watched him in silence, raising her hands slowly. "Crystal."

When she turns around again, she can feel his eyes on her. She ignores it and tries not to mind his words much, trying to play it cool, even though she knows there's a gun within his reach with a bullet or two meant for her.

In the middle of the night, she wakes up to strange noises. Whimpers and groans coming from the sleeping hunter. Opening her eyes, with the light of the moon coming inside from the window, she sees how tense his body is as he tosses restlessly. His face scrunches up as if he's in pain. He's having a nightmare, and whatever he's seeing in the realm of dreams it's haunting him. Knowing she can't help him, not right now, not without his permission, Andrea looks away and tries her best to go back to sleep.