Note: Memories are in italics and separated from the present.

Chapter Two: Have Faith

"We're only here for the next month or so while I'm on this hunt," John Winchester told his sons as he dropped them off at a small town high school. "Be good, be careful, and don't talk to anyone if you don't have to."

"Yes sir," his sons mumbled before getting out of the car.

Dean stared out at the school, a small building with students milling about before the first bell rang. He turned and looked down at Sam, who had his backpack hiked all the way up on his back, making him look even smaller than he already was.

"C'mon, Sammy. Let's go get our schedules from the office," Dean told his younger brother, and together they headed into yet another school they'd spend a few weeks at before their dad pulled them out and took them to another town. Hopefully things would go better here than at the last school they had been to.

The brothers got their schedules and went their separate ways, Sam to a freshman math class, and Dean to a senior English class.

Dean waltzed into the classroom and took a seat at the back, ready to spend the next 50 minutes zoned out. He watched the other kids as they filtered into the room, noticing how boring they all appeared. Until a blonde girl walked in, laughing as she spoke with her friend. This girl was tall, maybe a few inches shorter than he was, from what he could tell, and had a gorgeous smile. She was too busy rolling her vibrant, green eyes at her brunette friend to notice the new kid staring at her, until she approached him and nearly gasped, her eyes widening as she stared down at him.

"Oh, um.. This is awkward, but that's my seat," she said apologetically, "Are you new?"

"Have you ever seen me before?" Dean snapped back sarcastically, reclining in the seat and spreading himself out. The girl rolled her eyes again. "Yeah, I'm new."

"Well, then I'll let it slide," she said as she sat at the desk in front of him, setting her backpack down before she turned to face him. "I just like that spot. It has the best view of the woods."

Dean quickly averted his gaze from her to look out the window, where he saw the woods behind the school. He noticed a fox trotting through the trees and smiled for a second before looking back at the girl.

"It's a pretty good view, I guess. I'm Dean," he introduced himself. "Dean Winchester."

"Everly," she answered sweetly. "Everly Manning."

It was that moment when Dean realized he wasn't going to be able to follow his father's orders to not talk to anyone.

Dean always loved telling her that story, just like he always loved her reaction. She'd get all wide eyed as she asked about their time in high school together, and Dean always obliged, telling her about the few months they spent practically attached at the hip.

She'd ask about her hometown, about her family, about him, and he couldn't lie to her. He never could. So, he'd always tell her the truth. That he was a hunter, that the monster his father had been hunting near her hometown had killed her dad. He'd tell her that after that, she, her mom, and her brother had moved to a different state, and he and his family moved on to the next hunt.

He hated seeing the look on her face whenever he told her, almost like she was trying to remember, but it was just out of her grasp.

"You care a lot about me, don't you, Dean?" Everly asked as they walked through the halls to the cafeteria, where they were going to get lunch. Her nurses always okayed it when he was visiting.

Dean stopped in his tracks, turning to look at the woman that was standing beside him.

"I do, Ev. I really do," he nodded, and she smiled up at him before hesitantly taking his hand and continuing to walk.

"I don't know why, but I feel like I care about you too," Everly said quietly, almost too quiet for Dean to hear her, but he did, and knew that coming here was worth it.

After they had lunch, Dean walked Everly back to her room and helped her back up onto the bed. One of her nurses, Allison, came in and declared that it was time to do a few tests and take her vitamins, so Dean excused himself, promising that he'd be right back.

In the hallway, Dean pulled out his phone and dialed Castiel, hoping that the angel would pick up.

"Dean?" Cas asked, and he sighed with relief.

"Hey Cas, buddy, are you busy?" Dean asked, running his free hand through his hair as he paced the hall.

"I'm always busy," Castiel deadpanned, and Dean rolled his eyes.

"Do you think you have time in your busy schedule to come to Bend, Oregon? I can text you the address," Dean tried to spare the details for when he actually was there. "It's important."

"I have to finish something first, but I can be there in a few hours. Dean, is there something I need to be aware of? Are we going into a fight?" Cas asked, and Dean sighed.

"No, Cas. No fight here. Just… Get here as soon as you can, okay? I'll explain then," Dean told him before saying a quick goodbye and hanging up.

He waited in the hallway until Allison left the room, flashing him a small smile as she closed the door behind her.

"It's good to see you back," she said to him, "She's always brighter when you're here."

"Yeah? If that's the case, then why hasn't she made any improvement?" Dean scowled, crossing his arms over his chest.

"She has, though," Allison explained. "Her social skills are improving, she's more willing to accept help with things she struggles with… You being here, however sporadic it's been, has helped her open up, even if she doesn't remember things about herself or you. Be patient, have faith. Things will get better for her."

Allison caught sight of her watch and flashed an apologetic smile, saying that she had to go, and took off down the hall.

"Have faith, my ass... " Dean grumbled under his breath as he knocked on the door and let himself in, biting back his complaints to smile at Everly. "How were your vitamins? Bubble gum flavored?"

"I wish," Everly groaned. "They were like the size of a battery! How am I supposed to swallow something that big?"

"You've handled bigger, sweetheart," the joke flowed off of Dean's tongue easily, and he immediately paled. He'd never made an inappropriate joke in front of her after the incident...

"And of course you'd know that," she said with a roll of her eyes, throwing a balled up tissue at him, only for it to fall mid-air.

"You never were a good shot," Dean laughed, diverting from his joke and picking it up off of the floor to toss in the trash. "Hey, uh… I called a friend and asked if he'd stop by. Is that okay with you?"

Everly looked at him curiously, "You have friends?"

Dean nearly choked on a laugh, and he sat back down in the armchair before shaking his head and shooting her a fake glare.

"I don't got a lot of them, but yes, I do have friends," Dean nodded.

"Is your friend… a hunter, like you?" she asked, and Dean shook his head.

"Not exactly. He's… well. It'll probably be better if he tells you in person," Dean told her honestly, watching her frown slightly.

"Well, okay," Everly shrugged, and Dean watched a shiver run through her before she rubbed her hands over her arms.

He got up and went into the small closet, pulling out a soft blanket he had picked up for when he sometimes fell asleep there, and wrapped it around her shoulders.

"Thanks, Dean," she smiled gratefully. "I'm sorry I don't remember. I really am. You… You seem wonderful."

That familiar warmth spread through Dean again, but he knew he didn't deserve it.

"You've always been too good to me, Ev. I'm really not all that great," he deflected, his gaze falling to the linoleum floor.

Everly grabbed his hand, squeezing gently and drawing his attention back up to her.

"You're here, spending hours with me and telling me stories you've probably told me a hundred times, when you could be off living your life, saving people. That makes you good in my book," she smiled up at him, and Dean smiled back.