Chapter 1:

Dean couldn't sleep. This was becoming a regular thing for him, of course, so it was no surprise. Every time he laid down at night and closed his eyes, all of the memories of hell came rushing back to him. His hands practically twitched in anticipation, as if they couldn't wait to rip apart some new, sad soul they slapped on the rack. He had to keep them busy somehow, so he went to the nearest bar to hopefully have a drink and hustle some stupid college kids out of their allowance.

He sat at the end of the bar, his usual preference, and ordered a beer from the large, burly man behind it. When he noticed the sweet little thing at the other end, he wished he had chosen something different that night. Nothing was quite as good at distracting him as a night in bed with a beautiful woman.

She was on the shorter side but lean, almost toned. Her uniform, if it could be called that, consisted of skin tight black jeans and a tank top to match. There was a large tattoo on her shoulder of a raven with blue eyes that were only a little duller than her own, it's wings stretching down her back and across her collarbone.

The wings were splayed out as if it was protecting, perhaps even hiding, her heart from the world. Her hair was pitch black and shining under the dim light swaying lazily above the bar. Dean was surprised to see that she was wearing very little makeup, yet it suited her better, he thought. Her features were delicate and beautiful without anything painted over them.

Once the burly bartender handed him his beer, he rose from his barstool and slid down to sit directly in front of her. He plastered on that classic Dean Winchester smile and waited for her to turn around and notice him. It didn't take long for him to be noticed.

"Seems you've already been served," she glanced down at his now opened beer. "What can I do for you that Big Dan can't?"

"I can think of a few things," he smirked back at her, turning up that infamous Winchester charm as much as he could. She smiled, but it wasn't the kind of smile he was hoping for. Although she was amused by his attempt, she was by no means impressed.

"You know what Big Dan is best at?" She hummed, leaning forward on the counter top with her elbows. The movement put her cleavage on full display for Dean to admire, though he tried to keep his eyes locked on hers. It would benefit him more, he figured. "Getting rid of creeps."

"I'm a creep?" He scoffed.

"I guess we'll see," she giggled. Her eyes narrowed as they scanned over his face. "Why do you look so familiar to me?"

"I just have one of those faces." Dean's smile faltered ever so slightly. He had not forgotten that his face was previously plastered all over the news, followed by reports of the heinous crimes he supposedly committed. The bank incident with the shifter made it hard for him to lay low for awhile, but he thought it had died down for the most part since Henrickson's death. "What's your name, darlin'?"

"You can call me Lu," she answered, glancing up and over his shoulder. Dean turned to see what she was looking at, but the bar was mostly empty. There was just some couple drunkenly stumbling to the bathroom together, but he didn't figure she got paid enough to deal with that.

"Is that your real name?"

"Close enough. Luella is too much work for the tongue."

"Some tongues are more capable than others," he flirted shamelessly. However, she barely reacted to his rather genius response; she was too busy staring at where the young couple disappeared into the bathroom. Dean furrowed his brow. "Kids will be kids?"

"Excuse me." Luella removed her apron and left the bar.

Dean turned around in his seat to watch her follow behind the couple into the bathroom. He took a sip from his beer and sighed. Maybe he was losing his touch, he thought, or maybe she was one of those married, working mom type bartenders. Either way, she was about to ruin more than just his fun for the night, it seemed.

"How 'bout another beer, Big Dan?" Dean called down the bar. Burly Dan looked over at him, muttered something under his breath, then reached down into the cooler for another bottle.

There was a loud thud and a shout in the bathroom that caught the attention of everyone in the bar for a moment. Then, as if it was just a typical occurrence, everyone went right back to what they were doing, including Dean. It wasn't until the bartender, Luella, emerged again that he took notice.

She snuck out quietly, careful not to draw any attention to herself from the drunk customers by the pool tables, wiping a distinctly red liquid from her cheeks. Dean furrowed his brow. He knew blood when he saw it. Quickly, he left his beer behind and rushed to the bathroom where the young couple had disappeared previously.

He scrunched his nose at the sight and smell of the fresh corpse on the tile floor when he walked in. Blood was spreading out from under it in all directions thanks to its obviously missing head. The decapitation was clean, which gave Dean a lot of information all at once. In the corner, the young girl was curled up in a ball, shaking violently, also covered in blood. Her neck had been bitten into, which answered the last of Dean's questions.

Thankfully, Luella hadn't disappeared yet. Running as fast as he could, Dean was able to catch her in the parking lot, right before she disappeared into her little silver car.

"Lu," he called out to her, causing her to hesitate. She looked back at him over her shoulder, blood still spattered and smeared across her cheeks. "Did you find the hive?"

"Excuse me?"

"Our headless friend in there probably has buddies that will come looking for him. You have to clear out the whole hive."

She turned completely and leaned against the door of her car, folding her arms over her chest. Finally, the situation was clear enough to the both of them.

"You're a hunter. No wonder you look familiar."

"I can promise you that we've never met. I would have remembered you," he chuckled, approaching her so they could talk more quietly. Even though the parking lot appeared empty, it was always better to be safe than sorry when so many nasty critters out there had heightened senses.

"What's your name, then? Since you know mine."

"Dean Winchester. In the flesh."

"No shit," she scoffed, shaking her head. "A real live Winchester. I heard you were pulled out of hell by an angel."

"Something like that."

"I haven't gone to the hive, but I know where it is. This is their favorite hunting spot," she told him to answer his earlier questions. "There's about three or four more needing to be handled. Care to join?"

"I thought most hunters work alone."

"Most hunters are arrogant," she shrugged her shoulders, "and that's why most hunters bite it before forty."

"Well, my brother and I are staying at the motel down the road. Want to meet us there tomorrow morning and share details?"

"Were you coming in for this case, too?"

"Bodies drained of blood do tend to get our attention," Dean teased.

"Alright then," Luella conceded immediately. "Hope you're an early riser. I'll be there by eight."

"That's only five hours from now," he complained in an almost childish way that made her giggle.

"See you in five hours, Dean Winchester."

Luella climbed into her car and closed the door behind her. The police would likely be there before long anyways, so she needed to get back to her hotel room. Dan already knew what lies to feed them to cover her tracks, and the girl was too traumatized to be trusted as a witness for a few days. She had time to finish the job and get out, especially with the help of the Winchesters.

She needed to get away from them quickly, too, if she was being honest with herself.