August 30th

I head back to Lawrence for a couple of weeks, needing to do some laundry and take a breather. My last hunt with the boys was a tough one, so I'm in desperate need of a mental health day or two. Rhys and Fawn keep me company during my off week while Welch and the guys take care of some hunts on the east coast. We have some much-needed girl time and relaxation while the guys are gone, but once they return, it's back to business as usual.

One morning while I'm scrolling on my phone at breakfast, I find another string of hunts down in Texas, so I call up one of my friends, Whit, to see if I can crash with her.

"Yeah, of course, girl!! I'm gonna be headin' outta town soon, but you know where I keep the key. You're welcome to whatever's in the fridge, and I trust you'll take good care of Natalie."

I roll my eyes; Natalie is her fiddle-leaf fig tree.

"Yes, of course. You're the best. When do you leave??"

"My flight is at 2 tomorrow afternoon. You're what, 10, 12 hours away??"

"Yeah, give or take, I was gonna leave in an hour or so. I'll probably be there sometime tonight, so we can hang out for sure."

"Awesome!! Call me when you get off 35; I'm gonna put some fresh sheets on the guest bed."

"Alright, babes, see ya soon."

I hang up and start packing. I don't think I'll stay long, probably just a week. The hunts seem pretty cut and dry, so it shouldn't take me long to get everything sorted out.

Once I'm packed, I load up my truck, restock my arsenal, grab a water bottle and a to-go cup of coffee, and head out. I put Whit's address in my phone and start the GPS, then turn on my music before pulling out of the driveway and starting the horrendously long drive to Austin.

I stop at a couple of gas stations along the way, stretching my legs and getting snacks and gas. At the one in Dallas, I cave and buy an Arizona lemon tea. Finally, I reach Austin City Limits around 6:30pm. As soon as I hit the exit ramp, I dial Whit's number.

"Hey girlie, I'm stuck on the exit ramp. Damn light backed up."

Whit laughs.

"It's alright, happens there all the time. Take your time; be safe."

I smile. "I will. See ya soon."

I hang up and drum my thumbs on the steering wheel. As much as I love Austin, the traffic here is God-fucking-awful. Finally, after what feels like an hour, the light changes, and we start moving. I pick up my phone again, this time calling Dean. It rings a bunch, then goes to voicemail.

"Hey Dean, just wanted to let you know I made it safely to Austin. See ya in a couple of weeks. Call me if you need anything. Bye."

I then call Welch, who picks up.

"Hey, Bee, what's up??"

"Just wanted to let you know I made it to Austin ok. I'm probably gonna stay a week or so, then head back."

Welch hums. I can tell there's something else on his mind, and I'm about to call him out on his bullshit when he speaks again.

"Are you running from the Winchesters??"

My face involuntarily scrunches in confusion.

"What?? No!! Why would I be running from them??" I shake my head. "I needed some space and a break for a bit, and then I saw a bunch of crazy happening here and figured I'd go off on my own for a bit. I'm good, I swear." I roll my eyes at my stand-in dad.

"Hey, I'm just makin' sure my girl's alright." He chuckles to himself. "Well, call me if you need anything. Love ya, Bee."

"Love you too, Welch. I'll call you when I'm headed back."

"Sounds good. Bye."

I hang up and set my phone on my lap. I have no idea where he got the idea that I'm running from the boys. They have their own shit to handle, and I wanted to take some time to myself. As soon as I'm done with this and am back in Lawrence, I was planning to link back up with them.

After another 30 minutes on back roads, I pull into Whit's driveway. She's already standing on the porch waiting for me. I finish my tea and hop out, eager to catch up.

"Bryn!!" she squeals. I wrap her up in a hug. "Oh my God, I've missed you so much."

I laugh.

"Missed ya too, Whit."

She holds me at arm's length and gives me a once over.

"Haven't changed a bit, have ya??"

I roll my eyes.

"Dude, it's only been like 6 months. What were you expecting??"

She shrugs.

"I dunno, a breakup hair chop, more tattoos, another piercing, something."

I laugh and hang my head.

"Nah, took me too long to get my hair this long."

She laughs and I can't help but think of when we first met.

..

The ice in my margarita floats as I stir it aimlessly. An ache grows in my chest as the weight of everything builds on my shoulders. I hate being alone, but I needed time away to escape the looks of sympathy from everyone. Just as my second round kicks in, a woman walks up to the bar a couple of chairs down from me.

"Hey Porter!! Can we get another round?? Caden's being a bitch." She says.

The bartender laughs.

"Sure, hun. Anything for you. Be ready in 10."

She nods and heads back over to the table. My eyes return to my drink, and I take another large sip.

"Hey," the woman says as she sits down on the stool next to me. "You ok??"

I turn and offer her a small smile.

"Yeah, I'll be alright. Thanks."

She taps her fingers against the bar top.

"I'm Whit, by the way. Don't think I've ever seen you here before. You new 'round here??"

I laugh quietly.

"Yeah, I'm Bryn. I just moved here. Wanted to try out all the local bars."

She smiles. "Well, I may be a little biased, but I think this is the best spot. People are nice, drinks are cheap, and everyone knows how to have a good time."

"Sweet. I'll keep that in mind."

I drink the last of my drink and set the glass back down. Whit looks like she has something to say but remains quiet. When the bartender turns back around, I catch his eye and wave for another one. He smiles and nods before continuing with what he was doing.

"Do you wanna join us?? My friends are super nice, and we're always looking to make new friends."

I look over at the table she came from, where everyone is laughing and smiling. I hesitate for a moment, but something about the group of strangers draws me in.

"Y'know what, sure. Why not??" I give her a smile.

The bartender comes over with the drinks for Whit and hands mine to me. I quietly thank him, and he nods in response.

"Caden!! Come get your shit!!" Whit yells to her table.

A guy with dark brown hair and piercing blue eyes walks over and takes some drinks from her.

"Bryn, this is Caden, my boyfriend. Caden, this is Bryn; she's gonna be joining us for the night."

Caden playfully rolls his eyes.

"I swear to God, you could make friends with a fucking brick wall." He turns to me. "Welcome to the party table."

I laugh quietly and follow them over to the round table in the corner.

"Ok, everyone, this is Bryn. She just moved here and needs some friends and a good time." Whit passes out drinks as she introduces me. "Bryn, this is Laurie, my old roommate; Dixon, one of Caden's work buddies; Lily is his girlfriend; and then there's Logan, my best friend from high school."

I give a small wave, and everyone smiles.

"Welcome. Hope you know how to have a good time," Logan teases. Whit smacks him on the arm, eliciting a few expletives from him.

"Alright, let's get this party started!!" Caden yells, making everyone else at the table hoot and holler.

This'll be fun.

..

We hung out as much as their work schedules and my hunts would allow. At some point, Logan and I started getting close. We talked about it, and he knew I wasn't looking for something long term and that I would eventually have to go back to Kansas. We continued our fling until the week before I was leaving.

..

"Ok, Logan, we need to talk." I say, sitting down next to him on the couch, tucking my feet under me.

"'Bout what, sweetheart??"

I pick at the skin around my nails a little.

"I'm leaving next Thursday. I've gotta go back home."

His face contorts briefly.

"Ok, and??"

"And our little summer fling is ending. It was great, and I had a really fun time, but it's time for me to go, and it's easier to end it now rather than later."

He scoffs.

"What do you mean 'fling'?? This is way more than a fling." He says, sternly.

"Logan, I told you when we first started this that it was no strings attached. Friends with benefits and nothing more. You agreed to it."

"How dare you!! How dare you lead me on like that!! We had somethin' wonderful goin', and you think it means nothin'?? Way to fuck around with my feelin's." He says, raising his voice even louder.

"No, don't you dare turn this on me. We had an agreement, Logan. You promised me you were ok with this. You told me to my face that this was nothing more than a fling. If your feelings are hurt, that's on you, 'cause I told you from day one and you agreed." I yell back.

He laughs sarcastically.

"Look at you, always makin' yourself the victim. It's not all about you, Bryn; other people have feelings too."

My blood boils, rage growing in my chest.

"Y'know what, Logan, fuck you. I told you I wasn't looking for a relationship, and you knew that. Go fuck yourself." I gather my keys and my purse.

As I turn around, a fist meets my face, knocking me to the floor.

"Fuck you, bitch. You're just a fucking slut who's only interested in a good bang. Go back to Kansas and be a whore for that guy that dumped you."

I gasp a couple of times in shock before I gather up my things and sprint out of his apartment. I climb into my truck, tears streaming down my face. I take out my phone and call Whit, hands vibrating with adrenaline. While it rings, I throw my truck in reverse and speed out of the parking lot.

"Hey, babes, what's up??"

I let out a sob.

"Logan punched me. I was breaking things off, and he got mad, and he punched me."

"Oh my God, are you ok??"

I sniffle, trying to clear the tears from my eyes.

"I don't know." I wipe my face. "I'm 5 minutes away; break out the bourbon."

..

Whit let me drink my feelings and was a great listener as I vented. I avoided Southern Roots except on days I knew Logan wouldn't be there. I managed to avoid him until I left. He then started blowing up my phone, so I blocked his number. Thankfully, it has been radio silence from him since.

Whit pauses and looks at me, completely serious.

"He keeps calling me, asking about you. I've given him the truth every time, but he calls about once every couple of weeks."

I sigh.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't think he'd be like that. Glad I blocked him, honestly."

We both laugh.

"You know if we go out tonight, we're probably gonna see him, right??"

I cross my arms.

"I didn't come all this way to not have a marg at Southern Roots. Who cares if Logan's there?? It was a fling, and we both knew it. He's a big boy; he can handle it."

Whit rubs my arms.

"Ok, whatever you say. Now, let's grab your bags and get you settled."

I grab one bag and my backpack, and she grabs the other. I kick my boots off at the door, set my stuff down in the guest room, then head out to the kitchen, where Whit is waiting with a couple glasses of white wine. I happily join her on the couch, carefully taking the glass from her hand.

While sipping my wine, I look around, then back at Whit. It's awfully quiet.

"Where's Caden??"

Whit sighs. "He's been in Europe for the last week. Some business shit or something."

"That's annoying. Where are you going??"

She smiles.

"My mama is out in California, and I've been dying to go see her, but our schedules haven't lined up in months." She takes a sip of her wine. "I said, 'fuck it,' and took off a week of work to go hang with her."

I beam at her. "Wow, Whit, that's amazing!! You're gonna have so much fun."

She smiles and takes another sip. Her eyes get serious again, and I bite the inside of my lip, waiting for whatever question she has for me.

"What have you been up to?? Last we talked, you were driving to Sioux Falls for some family stuff."

I purse my lips and take a big drink of wine.

"A childhood friend called me; his brother was going through some shit and wanted to see if I could help. You remember that guy Sam I told you about from when I was a teenager??" She nods. "It was him."

Whit's jaw drops.

"Dude what??!! I thought you hated him!!"

I laugh, shaking my head.

"Yeah, well, old feelings die hard, apparently. The minute I saw him, everything came rushing back."

Whit tilts her head and looks at me with caring eyes.

"Man, that's hard." She takes my hand as I down the last of my wine. "I'm proud of you for going, though."

I smile a little.

She passes me the bottle, and I refill my glass. We continue to gossip for hours about all the things that I missed after I left. When I look at my watch again, it's almost 8:30.

"Hey, it's 8:30; you wanna go??"

Whit's head whips around and looks at the clock.

"Oh shit, yeah. We should change, though."

I nod in agreement, and we each go to our rooms. I change into some short shorts and a cropped Coors Light shirt. I slip on my cowboy boots and a couple of bracelets, including my anti-possession one—better safe than sorry. I head to the bathroom and put on some light makeup, then brush my hair out and let it fall in auburn waves to the middle of my back. I spray on my favorite perfume and then head out, tucking my knife into the back of my shorts. I meet Whit out in the living room, and she grins at my outfit. She too is wearing short shorts but has paired hers with a cropped tank and flannel shirt combo. Her black hair falls in effortless waves just past her shoulders, and her makeup is a little heavier.

"You're missing something," she says, grinning.

I playfully roll my eyes.

"I know, I know. It didn't fit in my bag, and I didn't wanna squish it."

"Good thing I have a spare."

She runs back into her room and comes out with a beautiful black cowboy hat.

When I was here last, Whit and Laurie dragged me to a couple of shops in town. They bought me the cowboy boots I'm wearing and an absolutely gorgeous cowboy hat. I wore it every time we went to Southern Roots, which has always been our place. It's kind of hard to pack, and I didn't want to worry about losing it or messing it up. I knew I could count on Whit for a spare.

I put Whit's hat on my head, and confidence suddenly buzzes through my body. I feel the most like myself that I've felt in a whole year.

"Wow, that hat changes everything." Whit says, seeing my eyes light up.

I smile at her, and we head out to her car.

When we pull up, Laurie, Dixon, and Lily are all hanging outside waiting for us. Laurie is the first to spot me, and I can hear her squealing before I even get out of the car. I run over to her, and she pulls me into a massive hug. I laugh as we rock back and forth.

"Missed you too, girlie."

She eventually lets me go, and I hug Dixon, then Lily.

I convince them all to gather in for a picture and snap a quick selfie of us. Lily then offers to take pictures of me and Whit together. She takes a couple with us in different poses. I swipe through them and love every single one.

"Well, are we just gonna stand here and reminisce, or are we gonna go in and have a good time like always??" I joke.

We all laugh and head in, making a beeline for our usual table. Whit waves at Porter, who's working the bar tonight. I catch his eye and wave, and a shocked look grows on his face. He looks around for a second before waving me over.

"What's up, Porter?? How's it going??" I ask, genuinely happy to see him.

"You have to leave." He says really low.

My stomach drops.

"Why?? I just got here."

His eyes are constantly moving around, scanning the room for someone.

"Logan is here with some of his buddies. I've had to kick him out the past couple of nights for starting fights. Bryn, he's violent, and I care about you, and I really don't wanna call you an ambulance later."

My heart thunders against my chest. I have no idea what to do. I just got here, and I wanna have a good time, whether or not he's here, but at the same time, I'm not in the mood to get into a fight.

"Can I get a marg on the rocks, please??" I ask Port. He eyes me. "Chill, I just need to make everything seem normal. Whit's gonna come over here if I'm gone too long."

Port sighs and starts making my drink. My head is on a swivel, hypervigilance kicking in. Port slides me my drink, and I thank him before sneaking through the crowd to my friends.

"Hey, what took you so long??" Whit says, grinning like a fool.

I flash her a fake smile. "Porter had a couple of needy people, so it took a sec for him to get to me. All good."

I sit down next to Whit, who's sipping on her whiskey sour. I resist the urge to chug my drink, trying to act normal while half listening to the conversation. I jump in now and then, to make it seem like I'm engaged. I keep scanning the room, thankful that our table is a corner booth, so no one can sneak up behind me.

A familiar tune drifts through the air, and Whit gets a grin on her face. I down the last of my marg, knowing what's about to happen.

"C'mon!! We gotta dance." She grabs my hand and pulls me behind her to the dance floor.

Country Girl by Luke Bryan blasts over the speakers, and the dance floor fills up quickly. We all start the line dance we know by heart, some girls getting a bit raunchier than others. Joy fills me, and all of my worries dissolve. I dance my little heart out with one of my best friends by my side. She's having an equally good time, scream singing the words as she dances. The song ends, and Whit pulls me in for a hug.

"I really missed this. You need to visit more often." She yells in my ear as another loud song starts.

I pull back and give her a smile, and we walk back to our table, giddy as schoolgirls. I slide back into the booth, and Lily passes me a fresh margarita.

"Oh my God, Lily, I love you."

She giggles.

"I noticed you finished your other one, so I figured I'd sneak over and get you a fresh one for when you got back."

I thank her and take a sip. The previous dose of tequila kicks in, warmth spreading through my limbs. I relax and enjoy my time with my friends.

At some point, I realize I really need to pee. I tell Whit, and she follows closely behind me. I'm about 4 drinks in, so everything is getting a little hazy. I do my thing and wash my hands, then step out to wait on Whit.

Despite my carefree attitude from all the tequila, I still continue to scan the room, making sure that no one is coming for me. I see a figure move out of the corner of my eye, and as I turn to look, a punch lands on my cheek, sobering me up real fast. I stand up and stare Logan in the eyes, ready to fight back if I need to. He sneers at me and drives his fist into my face again, this time knocking me to the ground. I get up on my hands and knees, breathing deeply as the pain sets in. Logan's hand knocks off Whit's hat and tangles itself in my hair. He lifts me to my feet and slams me back against the wall, hand moving to hold me by my neck and starts crushing my windpipe.

"Did you really think you could come here and me not find out??" He growls in my face. I gasp for air and whimper as blood hits my tongue. My lip was split. "Where's that pretty boy of yours?? What was his name?? Sam??"

I grit my teeth and drive a hard kick into his groin. His grip on me releases, and he falls to his knees, allowing me to take in a deep breath. I pull out the knife in my waistband and slice a red line across his torso before he stands back up and plows his fist into my stomach, then again into my face. I fall to the floor, the world spinning. My knife goes skittering across the floor and I try to crawl towards it, but am yanked back by Logan's hand on my ankle.

"You think you're so tough, huh?? Let's fucking go then. Gimme all you've got." He holds his arms out to the side, welcoming me. "C'mon, let's see if the little slut can fight."

I know I'm not gonna win this fight, but I lunge for my knife and get back to my feet. I fight him as hard as I can, even stabbing him once in the side of his chest, but he ends the scuffle with a targeted blow to my head, instantly knocking me unconscious.

—

Fayetteville, Arkansas

11:30pm

~Sam~

Dean and I are doing research in our motel room, just hanging out, when my phone rings. Bryn's contact photo pops up, and I smirk a little.

"Hey, Bryn, what's up?? How's Austin??" I ask.

"Hey, this is Bryn's friend Whit. There's been an incident, and I'm having to follow her to the hospital. Your contact was the first one I saw, and I didn't know who else to call."

My heart sinks.

"What happened??" I ask, rising to my feet.

"We were having a good time at a bar, and she needed to pee, so I went with her to the bathroom, and when I came out, she was gone. I turned the corner, and she was laying unconscious on the ground, her ex standing over her. He had her blood all over his hands and a couple of stab wounds from her knife. I called 911 and got the bartender, who kicked Logan out. The police have him in custody, but she's in rough shape."

My heart drops.

"I'll be there as soon as I can. What hospital are they taking her to?? Do you know??"

"St. David's Medical in downtown Austin. I'll stay with her until you get here; I just can't leave her here alone, and I feel like she would want you here, too."

"Thank you, Whit. I appreciate you doing that for her. Take good care of her for me." I say, rounding up my jacket and wallet, Dean doing the same.

"'Course, anything for her. See you soon."

"Bye."

I hang up. Stress builds as I grab all of my stuff.

"Ok, so you wanna share what's happening??" Dean asks.

"That was Bryn's friend, Whit. Bryn got attacked by her ex at a bar in Austin. He's in police custody, and she's on her way to the hospital."

Dean's eyes widen, and we both start packing faster. We run to the car, and Dean guns it out of the parking lot. My heart pounds in my chest, and I try desperately to remember Welch's number. It suddenly comes to me, and I dial it. It rings a couple of times before he picks up.

"Yeah, Welch." He answers.

"Welch, hey, it's Sam Winchester."

There's a pause. "Why are you calling me?? What happened??"

"I just got a call from Bryn's friend in Austin. She got attacked by her ex while they were at a bar. She's headed to the hospital, and I figured I should let you know since you're basically her dad."

"I knew I had a bad feeling about that trip. Just text me when you get there. I'm in New Hampshire, so there's no way I can make it down there."

I nod, even though he can't see me. "Yes, sir. I'll send updates as I get them."

His voice hardens. "You better take good care of her, boy, or I will hunt you down."

I swallow hard. "Yes, sir. I will, I promise."

"Good," he says, almost immediately hanging up.

I let out a breath. Welch is scary when he's in dad mode.

Dean speeds as fast as he can safely, trying to cut down on travel time as much as possible. Despite Dean consistently doing 90 on the interstate, it still takes us 6 hours to get down there.

We arrive and park in the giant parking deck, taking the first spot we find. We jog across the breezeway and take the elevator down to the first floor. I pull out my phone and text Welch, then call Bryn's phone.

The entire time the phone rings, I pray that it's Bryn who picks up.

"Hey Sam," Whit says on the other end, much to my dismay.

"Hey, where are you guys?? She still in the emergency room??"

"Yeah, head to the desk in the ER and tell them room 8. She's under the alias Mallory Dexter, and you'll have to give them the password 'Hangover' to get back, but that's it."

"Thanks Whit." I pause and clear my throat. "How is she??"

She lets out a breathy laugh. "Just get your ass over here; it's easier to tell you in person."

Whit hangs up, and I roll my eyes. I tell Dean, and we follow the signs to the emergency room.

"Can I help you, gentleman??" the kind woman at the desk asks.

"Hey, I'm here to see Mallory Dexter?? She should be in Room 8??"

She looks up at me and Dean.

"What's the code word??"

"Hangover."

The woman looks between us, then nods and opens a door to the left of the desk.

"Room 8 is straight down that hall; 4th room on the right."

I thank her and start walking as fast as I can, using my long stride length as an advantage. I make it to the room in no time, Dean following closely behind. I wait for him to catch up before I knock on the door. I hear someone say something, so I peek my head in.

The first thing I see is Bryn, asleep on the stretcher in the dim light. On the left side of the room, up by her head, is a young woman with long, jet black hair. She looks up and almost melts in relief.

"Please tell me you're Sam," she sighs.

I chuckle a little.

"Yeah, I am." I open the door a little so Dean can peek in too. "This is my brother, Dean."

Whit softly smiles and gets to her feet.

"Now that you two are here, I'm gonna head back to my place and get some of Bryn's stuff and a shower. We've been here all night, and I feel gross."

I nod and step aside so she can head out. She stops and grabs Bryn's foot through the covers.

"I'll be back, girlie. Miss you already." She then turns and leaves.

I walk up to the head of Bryn's bed. Her face is covered in deep bruising, as is her neck. Her lip is split, and dried blood is on the end of her nose. I reach out slowly and brush my hand over her hair.

"Oh, Bryn," I sigh. "What did he do to you??"

I pull over a chair and sit close to her. The rail on this side is down, so I gently take her hand in mine.

Dean looks at me from across the room, leaning up against the wall.

"Dude's lucky he's in jail," he says under his breath.

I huff out a laugh.

"Yeah, I've never wanted to beat someone to a pulp so bad."

I look down at her hand, eyes landing on the bruises blooming on her knuckles and forearms; defensive wounds. I chuckle to myself. Atta girl.

There's a tap on the door, and then a nurse walks in, somewhat surprised to see two men in here instead of Whit.

"Hi, I'm Lacey; I'm Mallory's nurse. Did you two just get here??"

Dean looks down at his watch. "Got in 'bout an hour ago."

She smiles a little.

"I'll catch you guys up really quick. Mallory suffered multiple blunt force traumas to the head and abdomen. She woke up once, about an hour after her injury, but she's been sleeping since then. She miraculously didn't have any bleeding in her brain. We're trying to keep her sedated right now, just to make sure her brain has ample time to heal. Besides her injuries, everything is good. Her labs look great, and she's healthy aside from the trauma. Once she wakes up again, we'll know more about her mental status, but it looks like she should make a full recovery."

Dean asks a couple of questions, but my focus is on her. My heart squeezes, a wave of old feelings washing over me.

"Aw, aren't you two cute??" Lucifer sneers from the corner. "Makes me wanna barf."

I try to ignore him and the ringing in my ears. This is gonna be a long night.