The drive to Lafayette, Indiana so far hadn't been too bad. Dean and Ali had spent most of it in silence, the quiet sound of Bob Seger filling the Impala. The sky was still dark, though the faintest hint of the sun was starting to peek over the horizon. Ali leant her head against the window, watching as the stars faded into the morning sky. The sign informing them that they'd reached Indiana whizzed past and she pulled her jacket closer around her shoulders. It wasn't much of a blanket, but it did the trick. She snuggled further into the seat, pressing her face against the window until she was comfortable and let her eyes fall shut. Just as she was about to drift off, the music quietened down, causing her eyes to snap open. Dean's hand had retracted from the volume button and was now placed back on the wheel.

"Why'd you turn it down?" she asked softly as she sat up. Dean's gaze glided over from the road and then back again.

"Thought you were sleeping," he replied, checking in the rear-view mirror that it was safe for him to change lanes. "You look tired."

"I fine," she insisted but she didn't reach over to turn the song back up. It wasn't that she didn't like it – far from it in fact. After initially despising the elder Winchester's love of classic rock, she'd come to appreciate it. It was probably because she'd listened to nothing else for the last year and by default, her brain had changed its mind. She thought its must've been a similar process to how flooding works when trying to exterminate a phobia.

Ali didn't turn the music back up because she was pretty sure she had a migraine coming on, either from the lack of sleep or the inevitable dehydration she must've had as a result of sitting in the car all night without much of a drink.

Dean nodded, though he didn't lean across to turn the music back up either. He considered the girl riding shotgun beside him. Allison Venator. Possibly the most stubborn person he'd ever met with an attitude to mach. It was no secret that the seventeen-year-old liked to get her own way. But who didn't? Dean agreed with what Bobby had told him about the girl: she was loyal and trustworthy. And she cared about Sam.

He had to tell her.

Dean cleared his throat. "I wanna tell you about Sam." Ali's gaze snapped to him, surprised by his sudden willingness to give up the very information about his brother that had caused their argument less than twenty-four hours ago.

"Dean. You don't have to…"

"I know," he replied. "But you have a right to know." Ali didn't say anything. Dean's expression indicated that he was deep in thought and she didn't way to interfere. Whatever it was that Dean had told Sam, causing him to take off alone, it wasn't good.

"You know how Sam's been going through some stuff recently?" He spoke as if he was trying to explain to a small child that her parents were getting a divorce.

"You mean the psychic visions and demonic virus he's immune to?" Ali clarified. Dean swallowed thickly. The fact that he couldn't even bring himself to say it showed how much it scared him. He nodded.

"And you know that's not normal, right?" Ali raised a brow at the elder Winchester. Exactly how naïve did he think she was? Noticing her look, Dean attempted to explain. "I mean, you know that somehow the yellow-eyed demon is involved?"

"Yeah, the thought had crossed my mind," she replied, not quite understanding what Dean was getting at.

"Do you think Sam's dangerous?" Her frown deepened. She had not been expecting that kind of question.

"Why?"

"Before my dad died, he told me something about him," he said. Ali remained perfectly silent, waiting to hear what Dean was about to reveal. "He told me I have to save him."

"Save him from what?" Ali asked, noticing how white Dean's knuckles had become from gripping the steering wheel.

"He didn't say," he replied. "But he said that if I couldn't, I'd have to kill him." A void of silence grew inside the Impala after Dean had stopped talking. He waited nervously for the teen's reply, and when none came, he looked over to see that she was staring at him, a hopeless expression on her face. "Come on, say something," he practically begged. He couldn't handle both her and his brother being mad at him for keeping the information from them. John had begged him not to say anything.

"That's why Sam took off?" she asked finally. Dean released an anxious breath.

"Yeah," Dean replied. "He was pissed I kept it from him. God, if something's happened…"

"Sam will be okay," Ali assured him. Dean wasn't sure he believed her but he was grateful to her for trying.

"Look, I'm sorry I didn't tell you," he apologised. Ali shook her head.

"It doesn't matter," she replied. "We just gotta find Sam."

The Impala pulled into the parking lot of a motel, Dean spotting Sam through a window and sighing in relief.

"Thank god he's okay," he mumbled under his breath. He watched as Sam moved out of the way, revealing a pretty brunette woman standing beside him. "Oh, he's better than okay," he chuckled, causing Ali to shoot him a frown. She leant over so she could look through Dean's window and see Sam in the motel. She rolled her eyes at Dean when she saw the girl. "Sam, you sly dog."

"Dean," she chastised, shooting him a disapproving look. He shrugged it off, looking back out of the driver's window to watch his brother. Suddenly, there was the sound of smashing glass as the motel window shattered.

"What the hell was that?" Ali asked, straining her neck to see if she could spot where the bullets were coming from.

"Stay here!" Dean barked as they both started to panic. The elder Winchester climbed out of the Impala and out of sight as he searched for the source of the gunfire. Ali waited in the car, glancing up at the shattered window to see that Sam was no longer there. Had he been hit? She couldn't tell. She wanted to go after Dean, but he had told her to stay put. Yeah right.

She climbed out of the car and headed in the direction she had seen him go. She came to a set of concrete steps leading up to a roof. She could hear commotion coming from above her so she ascended them, pulling out her silver knife from her boot. As she held it in her grasp, she realised she probably needed to invest in something a little more practical. Sure, the blade was ornate and would be useful against a shifter, but when it came to anything else, it wasn't going to do well up against a gun or larger knife.

She reached the roof just in time to see a riffle being slammed against Dean's head before he was knocked unconscious. Crap. The man had his back to her and she silently approached from behind, wielding the small blade in her hand. As she readied herself to strike, the man turned around, the rifle cocked in her direction.

"Drop it," he ordered in a low voice. Ali stared at him. He vaguely familiar, but she found she couldn't place him. He stared back at her, a small wave of shock rolling over him. Ali thought that was probably because he wasn't expecting Dean to have a teenage girl for backup. It was kind of ridiculous when she thought about it like that. Maybe she should've stayed in the Impala. "I said, drop it." She let the blade drop to the floor bracing herself for the impact that was inevitably coming. She watched Dean's unconscious body as the hunter lifted his rifle. She hoped he wouldn't be disappointed in her. Then everything went black.

A hard slap across her face caused Ali to regain consciousness. She winced at the contact, dragging her eyelids open so she could glare daggers at whoever had caused her rude awakening. The hunter stood before her in the dishevelled room and she spotted Dean behind him tied to a chair. It was then that she realised her wrists and ankles were also bound by thick rope.

"Ah crap," she cursed under her breath, her head pounding.

"Glad you could join us," the man said. "Do you know who I am?" Ali thought for a moment, trying desperately to place than man. Then it hit her.

"Gordon." She groaned at the realisation. She'd never personally spoken to the hunter before but over the time she'd spent at the Roadhouse, she'd seen him on several occasions. She also knew that Tyler had worked with him on a few hunts when he was her age, though he'd always come back from them saying that Gordon was more of a solo hunter. Ali couldn't understand why. He seemed like a bundle of laughs.

"I probably wouldn't've recognised you if you didn't look so much like your brother," he said. "And I recognised the knife." He held the silver blade in his hands as he examined the ornately sculpted handle, his finger brushing over Tyler's initials. "You know, a lot of people have been wondering what happened to you," he continued as he paced around. Ali didn't look at him, instead keeping her eyes either on the floor or on Dean who was glaring daggers at the man who held them captive.

"Oh?" she asked, trying to remain nonchalant. She wasn't going to give anything away.

"Your family were legends," Gordon said. Ali didn't both glaring at him. His words didn't matter to her. They meant nothing. "Until your parents went and got themselves killed." He let out a breath of laughter. "You know why I love that story?" he asked as he twirled her brother's silver blade in his hands. "Because it taught me that hunters aren't invincible." He enunciated each word carefully, making sure she'd heard every one clearly. He reached a hand to her face and brushed a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. "Not even a Venator." Now she glared at him, unashamed. What a jackass.

"But we're not here to talk about that," he said, moving over to Dean. "We're here to talk about Sammy."

"You're not getting your hands on my brother," Dean spat through gritted teeth.

"I disagree," he replied. "Here's how this is going to work. We're gonna call Sam and you're gonna tell him to meet us here. You mention my name, I shoot her in the leg." Ali's muscles tensed as Gordon pointed his gun in her direction. She and the elder Winchester both remained silent as Gordon dialled Sam's number and held the phone to Dean's ear."

"Hello?" he said down the phone. Ali bit her lip. They were so screwed. "Sam, I've been looking for you." Ali held her breath as she listened to Dean's side of the conversation. "I know…yeah, I talked to Ellen. Just got here myself. It's a real funky town." At the sound of their code word, Ali looked up and was glad that Gordon was too focused on Dean to noticed. Funky town. Dean had managed to find a way to warm Sam. "You ditched me, Sammy…What? Who?" Sam must've told Dean that he suspected that someone was after him. "I'm staying at, uh, 5637 Monroe St. Why don't you meet me here?" Sam must've agreed because then Gordon pulled the phone away from Dean's ear and hung up.

"Now, was that so hard?" Gordon asked mockingly.

"Bite me," Dean replied. His gaze connected with Ali and he frowned at her, silently asking if she was okay. She nodded back. Gordon was rummaging through a duffle bag and pulling out weapons, no doubt things he was planning to use against Sam.

"So, Gordy," Dean started. "I know me and Sam ain't exactly your favourite people, but don't you think this is a little extreme?"

"What, you think this is revenge?" Gordon asked.

"Well, we did leave you tied up in your own mess for three days," he replied with a laugh. "Which was awesome. Sorry, I shouldn't laugh." Ali remembered the Winchesters telling her about that hunt.

"Yeah," Gordon replied. "I was definitely planning on kicking your ass for that. But that's not what this is. This isn't personal." Ali frowned at his words. Then what the hell is it about? "I'm not a killer, Dean. I'm a hunter. And your brother's fair game." Ali's eyes connected with Dean's as they both shared puzzled and shocked faces. Gordon grabbed a rifle out of the duffle and walked over to the wall, leaning casually against it. "See, I was doing an exorcism down in Louisiana. Teenage girl, seemed routine, some low-level demon. But between all the jabbering and the head-spinning, the damn thing muttered something. About a coming war. And I don't think it meant to, it just kind of slipped out. But it was too late. Peaked my interest. And you can really make a demon talk if you got the right tools."

"And what happened to the girl it was possessing?" Dean asked, though Ali already suspected they both knew the answer to that question.

"She didn't make it," Gordon replied. Dean shook his head. She was just a girl. It wasn't her fault she was possessed. He pictured the teenager in his head. A girl just like Ali. Anger boiled in his gut.

"Well, you're a son of a bitch," he muttered angrily.

"This demon tells me there are soldiers to fight in this coming war. Humans, fighting on hell's side. You believe that? I mean, they're psychics, so they're not exactly pure humans, but still. What kind of worthless scumbag have you got to be to turn against your own race?" Dean's glare sharpened. He despised this man almost as much as he despised the demons he was talking about. "But you know the biggest kick in the ass? This demon said I knew one of them. Our very own Sammy Winchester." Dean chuckled, acting as if he had no idea what Gordon was talking about. Ali kept her mouth shut, her features schooled.

"Oh, this is a whole new level of moronic, even for you," Dean said.

"Yeah? Come on, Dean," Gordon said. "I know about Sam's visions. I know everything."

"Really? Because a demon told you?"

"Yeah, and it wasn't lying," he replied. "I'm not some reckless yahoo, okay? I did my homework. Made damn sure it was true. Look, you've got your Roadhouse connections, I got mine. It's how I found Sammy in the first place."

"You think Sam's stupid enough to walk through that front door?" Dean asked. He was trying to remain calm, but Ali could see how desperate he was getting.

"No, I don't," Gordon replied. "Especially since I'm sure you found a way to warn him. Sammy's going to scope the place, see me covering the front door, so he's going to take the back. And when he does he'll hit the tripwire." Gordon reached into the duffle bag again and pulled out a grenade. "Then…boom."

"Sam's not gonna fall for a friggin' tripwire," Dean protested.

"Maybe you're right. That's why I'll have a second one." Dean glared at him. "Hey, look. I'm sorry. I wish I didn't have to do this, I really do. But for what it's worth, it'll be quick." Gordon moved to the back doorway and started to set up the wire ready for when Sam showed up. Once he was finished, he walked back over to Ali and Dean, pulling up a chair between them and taking a seat.

"Come on, man," Dean begged. "I know Sam, better than anyone. He's got more of a conscience than I do, I mean, the guy feels guilty surfing the internet for porn."

"Maybe you're right," Gordon replied. "But one day he's going to be a monster."

"How? How's a guy like Sam become a monster?" Dean questioned furiously.

"Beats me," he replied with a shrug. "But he will."

"No, you don't know that!"

"I'm surprised at you, Dean. Getting all emotional. I'd heard you were more of a professional than this." The hunter turned towards Ali who had been watching on silently. "What about you? You think I'm crazy for doing this?"

"I think you're an asshole," she replied simply. Gordon shook his head.

"I'm would say I'm surprised at you too," he said. "But I'm more disappointed. After everything your family worked for, this is what's left of it. A weak, little girl."

"You don't know a damn thing about my family," Ali seethed.

"I know plenty," he replied. "You think your father would be proud of you if he knew you were protecting someone like Sam?" he asked. "You think Tyler would?"

"Shut up," Ali heard Dean shout from behind Gordon. He turned to face the elder Winchester and Ali was thankful to him to taking his focus away from her. "This has nothing to do with her."

"Look, let's say you were cruising around in that car of yours and, uh, you had Little Hitler riding shotgun, right? Back when he was just some goofy, crappy artist. But you knew what he was going to turn into someday," Gordon said. "You'd take him out, no questions, am I right?"

"That's not Sam," Dean replied.

"Yes, it is," Gordon said. "You just can't see it yet. Dean, it's his destiny. Look, I'm sympathetic. He's your brother, you love the guy. This has got to hurt like hell for you." Gordon grabbed two scarfs from the duffle bag, first using one to gag Ali and then walking over to Dean. "But here's the thing," he started, gagging Dean as well. "It would wreck him. But your dad? If it really came right down to it, he would have had the stones to do the right thing here."

Suddenly, there was a clicking noise coming from the back door as if someone was picking to lock to try to get in. Ali watched as Dean looked around, straining his neck to see behind him. Ali was facing the front room but she couldn't get see Sam at the door.

"You hear him?" Gordon asked. "Here he comes." Ali heard footsteps as she screamed, the scarf muffling her cries. She watched as Dean struggled helplessly as one of grenades exploded, filling the room with smoke and ash.

"Hold on. Not yet," Gordon said as he looked through the door to the front room. "Just wait and see." There was a second explosion as the other grenade went off, causing Dean to struggle even more violently against the roped. Ali whimpered against the scarf, her eyes watering from the smoke as more of it filled the room. Gordon stood from the chair and crossed over to the back room. "Sorry Dean," he said before disappearing into the smoke.

There was a beat of silence as Ali and Dean stared at each other, neither of them knowing whether Sam was alive or not. Then, Ali could hear the faint sound of conversation and hope sparked inside of her. Sam was alive.

"Drop the gun," she heard Sam order from the other room. "Put it down now!" Sam shouted again and both she and Dean sighed in relief. There was some kind of commotion coming from the room and a loud thump before footsteps could be heard approaching the door. Ali relaxed as Sam appeared at the door and went to untie Dean. He then moved to untie Ali's wrists as she and Dean freed themselves.

Dean stood up, squeezing Sam's shoulder before he pushed away and started towards the back room. "That son of a-."

"Dean," Sam said, cutting his brother off. "No."

"I let him live once, I'm not making the Same mistake twice," Dean said as he shook his head.

"Trust me," Sam insisted. "Gordon's taken care of." Finally, the elder Winchester nodded in agreement.

"You alright, Ali?" Sam asked as the girl rubbed her wrists. She nodded, pulling him down to her for a hug.

"It's good to see you, Sam," she said as they pulled away.

"You too," he replied. "Hey, uh, this is yours." Ali's eyes lit up as Sam handed her the silver blade he must've taken from Gordon. She took it gratefully and put it back in her boot. "Come on," he said, pulling Dean towards the exit as Ali followed them out. As they descended the stairs of the cabin, they heard shots firing at them from behind. Ali turned to look back to see that Gordon had emerged at the door, a gun in each hand. Dean pushed her forward as the trio started to run, ducking into a ditch to escape the bullets.

"You call this taken care of?" Dean said as they watched Gordon approach. "What the hell are we doing?"

"Just trust me on this, all right?" Sam insisted. Ali wanted to, but as Gordon got closer and closer, she wondered whether it might be the day she got shot. Suddenly, three police cars pulled into the road and surrounded Gordon, their sirens sounding.

"Drop your weapons, get down on your knees!" one of the cops shouted as they pulled their guns on him.

"Do it, now!" another one ordered. Ali grinned as Gordon dropped to his knees, placing his hands behind his head. One of the cops came up behind him and placed him in hand cuffs before leading him to a squad car. Ali raised a brow a Sam.

"Anonymous tip," he replied with a smirk.

"You're a fine upstanding citizen, Sam," Dean replied.

"Frickin genius, you mean," Ali corrected. Sam smiled at both of them.

"Let's get outta here."

Sam rode shotgun as the three of them drove in the Impala.

"Hey, Ava, it's Sam, again," he said as he let a message on the girl's phone. "Um, call me when you get this, just want to make sure you got home okay. All right. Bye."

"Everything all right?" Dean asked, sensing that Sam was worried.

"Yeah, I hope so," Sam replied.

"Well, Gordon should be reaching for the soap for the next few years at least," Dean said.

"Yeah. If they pin Scott Carey's murder on him. And if he doesn't bust out." Dean shook his head.

"Dude, you ever take off like that again…" Dean warned.

"What? You'll kill me?" Sam asked with a small smile. Dean shook his head again.

"That is so not funny," he replied as Sam laughed.

"All right. All right," he said. "So where to next, then?"

"One word: Amsterdam."

"Dean!"

"Come on, man," Dean pleaded. "I hear the coffeeshops don't even serve coffee."

"I'm not just gonna ditch the job," Sam said.

"Screw the job. Screw it, man, I'm sick of the job anyway. I mean, we don't get paid, we don't get thanked. The only thing we get is bad luck."

"Come on, dude, you're a hunter. I mean, it's what you were meant to do," Sam said.

"Oh, I wasn't meant to do anything, I don't believe in that destiny crap," Dean said. Sam chuckled a little, his remark reminding him of something Ali would say.

"You mean you don't believe in my destiny," Sam corrected.

"Yeah, whatever."

"Look, Dean, I've tried running before. I mean, I ran all the way to California and look what happened. You can't run from this. And you can't protect me," he insisted.

"I can try," Dean replied defiantly.

"Thanks for that," Sam said quietly, causing Dean a nod. "Look, Dean, I'm gonna keep hunting. I mean, whatever is coming, I'm taking it head-on. So, if you really want to watch my back, then I guess you're gonna have to stick around." There was a beat of silence as Dean glanced from the road over to his brother.

"Bitch."

"Jerk."

The pair grinned at each other as Sam cast a glance to the back seat where Ali was fast asleep. He smiled amusedly at her.

"Wow, she's really out of it," he said quietly to his brother, trying not to wake the exhausted girl. She must've been really tired to be able to sleep on the back seat whilst they were driving. She always complained that Dean's driving was too bumpy for her to sleep in the back.

"Yeah, she was struggling to stay awake on the way here actually," Dean replied.

"Really?" Sam asked with a frown, tossing Ali another look. "You think she'd coming down with something?"

"She's a teenager, Sam," Dean reminded him. "Don't they need like an extra eight hours or something?" It amused Sam how his brother sometimes acted like teenagers were a completely different species.

"Yeah, guess you're right," he muttered. He frowned again before grabbing his phone and holding it to his ear.

"You calling that Ava girl again?" Dean asked. "You sweet on her or something?"

"She's engaged, Dean," Sam said, rolling his eyes. She didn't pick up.

"What?" Dean asked when he noticed Sam scowling at his mobile.

"Just a feeling," he said. "How far is it to Peoria?"

They took a detour to get to Ava's house, the pair of brother's leaving a passed-out Ali in the Impala as they broke into it.

"Hello? Is anybody home?" Sam called as they entered. They went upstairs, finding a man lying dean on the bed in one of the bedrooms, the sheets soaked in his blood.

"Oh my God," Sam whispered in shock as the beam of his flashlight illuminated the horrific scene.

"Hey," he heard Dean call. He looked to his brother who was by the open window. He held up a finger that was coated in a yellow powdery substance. "Sulphur. Demon's been here." Sam frowned in concern. There was no sign of the girl. Just her dead fiancé. As he continued to scan the room with his flashlight, he caught sight of something on the floor. He knelt down and picked it up, seeing that it was an engagement ring. Ava's engagement ring. Where was she?

Sam had difficulty sleeping that night, and it wasn't just because of the lumpy motel mattress. He couldn't stop thinking about what could've happened to Ava. Had the demon taken her? He also couldn't stop himself from thinking about what Dean had told him. His father had told his brother that is he couldn't save he, he'd have to kill him. What was he supposed to do with that? His initial instinct had been to run – to try to find other psychics like him. That hadn't worked out too well. He didn't know what to do now. All he did know what that they needed to find out what the yellow-eyed demon was planning. And fast.

He turned over in the queen-size bed and rolled out from under the covers. Dean was sleeping soundlessly in the bed next to him, so he slipped quietly out of the motel room into the corridor. He walked to the reception area where he'd seen a vending machine the night before and put in a dollar, watching as the bottle of water fell to the bottom. As he stood, he noticed the reflection of a figure in the glass. He turned around, a little startled. He hadn't expected anyone else to be up at such an early hour of the morning. The figure sat on the concrete out of the glass doors facing away from him. He'd only noticed her reflection because of the bright red sweater she wore. He pushed on the glass door, taking in the form of the young woman as she sat in the night. He'd recognise that blonde hair anywhere.

"Ali?" he said softly as he took a seat on the steps next to her. She didn't reply or turn to look at him. Now that he had a side on view of her he could see that she had her brother's silver blade in her hand and was meticulously using it to scrape up the cement between the concrete tiles. No. Meticulously was the wrong word, Sam thought. The movement was robotic. Mechanical. Her blue eyes were unblinking.

"You'll blunt the blade doing that," he offered as he watched her. She stopped abruptly and turned towards him on the steps, the knife held tightly in her hand. Sam watched it carefully. It was anxiously close to him. For a fleeting moment, the younger Winchester actually thought she might stab him with it. After a beat, she shifted the knife in her hand and tucked it into her boot. Sam relaxed.

"What're you doing up?" he asked. He wasn't sure how long she'd been sat out here alone. From the look of the crevasse she'd created in the cement, it must've been a while. He hadn't realised she'd left her motel room.

"Could ask you the same," she said, straightening herself up as she stared into the night.

"Couldn't sleep," he replied.

"Maybe you should pick up some Melatonin tomorrow," she offered. She sounded tired. Her voice wasn't quiet, but it was dull. Sam picked up his bottle of water and unscrewed the cap, taking a long sip. His throat was dry and he was glad for the drink to quench his thirst. "I going to bed," Ali announced as she stood up, turning straight away and heading back inside before Sam had a chance to even say goodnight. At first, he thought that she was mad at him. Had he done something to cause her to be so abrupt? But she didn't seem mad. Just distant. It was like the whole time, she'd been far away.

He shrugged off the odd encounter and stood up himself, ready to give sleep another try. As he did, he noticed something glinting in the moonlight. He bent down to pick it up and recognised it as Ali's anklet. It must've fallen off. Sam placed the delicate piece of jewellery into his pocket and made his way back to his motel room. He'd give it back to her in the morning.

AN: So that was chapter 16! Hope you liked it.

Thanks again to everyone who's read/followed/favourited/ reviewed this story! What do you think is coming up?

Let me know what you thought, much love x