It hurt.

It was a sharp pain in Sam Winchester's chest as he stood on that street corner, eyes frantic for the truck he was looking for. He paused putting a hand on one of the large gashes across his chest trying to gage the wound quickly, before forcing himself into movement again. He knew if he stayed still for too long it would catch up to him.

His legs burned and the pain in his chest was rapidly building the longer it took to get to the truck. He then tripped tumbling down onto the sidewalk landing flat on his face with a little broken cry. He could hear it still chasing behind him which prompted him back up and into a flat out run, knowing he had to reach her.

Just a little further; he spotted the old red truck he was looking for parked just ahead under a street lamp.

She would help him.

Ava sighed looking around the neighborhood she had found to stay in for the evening before shutting off her truck and flicking off the lights. It was a quiet here and she doubted anyone would notice a lone truck parked along the street for the night, as long as she didn't bring any unneeded attention to herself.

Ava turned her attention then, to eating a little food before trying to get a few hours of sleep before she hit the road again. She smiled slightly looking at the can of coke and peanut bar beside her that had been gifted to her so she wouldn't starve from who she might call a friend.

Sam Winchester, the golden hearted boy she'd met nearly a week ago reading at one of the parks she had found here in this little town. He hadn't judged the worn-out clothing she wore and offered her half of the sandwich he had when he probably noticed she looked a little thinner than most kids their age. He hadn't even flinched when he noticed the gun she had hidden tucked into the back of her jeans just went on talking like it was nothing.

The two had quickly found they had a lot in common and when she had managed to read the spine of the book he was reading, she had tentatively asked what his thoughts were on the supernatural.

She had then found out that Sam's brother, someone named Dean and his father, someone named John were both hunters, just like her friend Logan had been. Sam had then confided that the only reason they were in this little town was because John had tracked a Banshee here and was in the process of trying to end a month long hunt.

Ava was shaken from her thoughts when she thought she'd heard something abnormal outside of the truck. She hesitated before reaching behind her slowly and pulled her pistol out of her jeans.

She relaxed after a few moments not hearing anything more lowering her pistol and dropping her shoulders a little. Just as Ava had reached over to set her pistol down next to her to keep it within reach, there was a loud smacking sound of a bloody hand hitting the passenger side window. Ava jumped, the pistol in her hand immediately back up and aimed at the door as she looked around to see what was going on.

"Sam?" Ava questioned confused as the lanky form of her friend climbed into the passenger side seat beside her. "Sam! What the hell?"

"Banshee!" Sam barked at her and Ava lowered the pistol slightly still confused. "Drive!"

"What the-?" Ava jerked around when she heard the unmistakable scream of a banshee and turned to see it standing in front of her truck. "Fuck!"

Ava instantly started the truck up and slammed her foot into the gas pedal shifting up and hitting the creature with a heavy thunk. She then shifted on up getting the two away from the body of the creature.

Once far enough away Ava pulled the truck over to the side of the road and turned her attention to Sam. He was slumped against the passenger-side door unconscious, bleeding pretty heavily, from what looked like three very large gashes across his chest. There was also a cut on his forehead and his jeans were ripped at the knees.

"Shit," Ava muttered upon seeing Sam unconscious.

Reaching into her boot Ava pulled out a knife and moved to where she could cut Sam's shirt off him to look at the gashes properly. They were pretty deep, but it they looked clean which relieved some of Ava's worry.

"You know, he's gonna die if you don't heal him." A voice came from behind Ava and she flinched hearing it.

"Not now, Lucifer." Ava barked tense turning back to look at the image of the fallen angel sitting behind her amused grin on his face. "Really not now."

"You know I'm right," Lucifer said crossing his arms trying to hide his entertainment of Ava's predicament. "Either you actually use the gifts you have or you risk the chance of him bleeding to death in your truck. Would you do that to your friend, Ava?"

"Shut up." Ava barked throwing an arm through the image and it vanished with a little wisp of smoke before she climbed out of the truck. She then headed around to jump in the bed to get to her tool box that hid her medical supplies.

"Oh, c'mon Ava." Lucifer was now sitting on the side of the truck bed watching her pull out the first aid kit. "What good are gifts if you never use them? I mean really? And I was so generous with them too."

"Gifts?" Ava questioned with a snort. "Not gifts, more like curses."

Ava continued on with her objective after that muttered sentence ignoring Lucifer who frowned and disappeared again. Ava climbed back into the truck turning her full focus to Sam and trying to stop his bleeding as soon as she could.

"Gonna try to stitch the poor thing up?" Lucifer's voice was just in her ear as she felt the slight weight of his presence against her back. "Why spend all that effort when you know all you have to do is-" she felt a feather soft touch across her forehead where she knew he'd just brushed his fingers across. "And tada he'll be all better! I'll even help you!" Lucifer's voice was louder this time as Ava winced and shook her head to try and fight him off. "It's the same thing you should have done for Logan. If you had, maybe you wouldn't be all alone in this big ol' world."

"Shut up, Lucifer!" Ava barked looking back at him this time. "Logan's death was not my fault!"

"If I had known you would be this stubborn, I would have never even bothered with saving you from them." Lucifer sulked behind Ava who let out a deep breath of frustration before turning her attention back to Sam.

"Yeah, but then I would be dead and maybe at peace, not someone who had the devil as a constant invisible companion and in chaos." Ava muttered ignoring the memory he had brought up. "Besides who then would you torment, Lucifer?"

"Such a noble soul to save someone else from my wrath, aren't you?"

"I do try." Ava said dryly before turning her full attention to Sam.

His breathing was shallow and his lips had a blue tinge to them. Reaching up she brushed her fingers across his forehead to try and feel his body temperature. It had dropped enormously and she knew just stitching the teen up at this point wouldn't save him.

She took a deep breath, pulling her hand back and fisted both hands up, balling them to lay on her thighs where she sat beside Sam legs curled underneath her. She knew Lucifer felt the change because she felt his presence against her back again and a little tickle of breath on her ear as he leaned in close.

"C'mon Baby Doll, give in." Lucifer whispered deep and honey sweet in her ear. She flinched trying to move her head away from him. She then felt a feather light touch on the back of one of her balled up fist. "You know if you don't help him now, he's going to die here with you, just as Logan did in your arms only two months ago. You didn't help him, are you going to do the same thing to Sam?"

"Just shut up and help me help him." Ava snapped finally and she heard the small laugh in her ear.

"Of course, Baby Doll." Lucifer agreed with a hiss to his voice.

Ava felt a tingle in her right hand before she picked it up and placed it against Sam's now cold forehead. There was a little blue flash and warmth suddenly shot through Ava and down through her arm and out of her fingertips. Sam's forehead under her hand became warmer and she watched as the gashes on his chest began to heal themselves up.

Sam then arched up away from the door and took a deep breath before leaning forward and coughing and reaching a hand around to his chest. Ava jerked backward putting her hands behind her to catch herself and instantly felt the presence of Lucifer disappear from her back, as Sam looked up at her with wide shocked hazel eyes.

"You okay?" Ava questioned tightly her face slightly pale.

Sam's hand flexed on his chest where he knew there had been gashes only to find slightly pink healed skin. He looked at it for a second before he moved and just looked at her shock still covering his face.

"I'm…I'm fine…" Sam said after a second. "I…I had gashes on my chest… and now-"

"You honestly don't want to know the answer to the question you're fixing to ask." Ava said weakly looking quite pale under Sam's questioning gaze.

Ava then shifted and kicked her feet out in front of her to put space between them. She didn't look at Sam afraid of what she might see.

"Ha, this is where you lose the next friend of yours Ava!" Lucifer's voice came back and she glanced sideways to see him sitting in the space between she and Sam.

"Ava." Sam reached over for her and inadvertently put his hand through Lucifer, causing him to disappear. "I won't ask if you don't want me to…but thank you, for saving my life."

Ava blinked and just looked at Sam confused slightly. She heard a groan from just outside of the still open driver's door where Lucifer now stood and stomped his foot at this.

"No!" Lucifer grumbled. "He is not supposed to be this calm!"

"You're welcome?" Ava questioned obviously confused ignoring Lucifer.

Sam opened his mouth to say something else but he was interrupted by a phone ringing loudly from his jean pocket. He paused for a second before shifting to pull said phone out and answering it.

"Hey Bobby." Sam answered casting a little glance at Ava as she tilted her head recognizing the name. "No, no I'm okay, um my friend Ava helped me out." Sam paused and then winced as Bobby's voice obviously raised on the other end of the phone. "Buckley?" Sam mouthed at Ava and she nodded.

"That was Logan's last name." Ava explained quietly. "I used it sometimes."

"Um yeah, Ava Buckley," Sam said cautiously. He then pulled the phone away from his ear and held it out to Ava. "Um he wants to talk to you,"

Ava hesitated unsure for just a moment before reaching out and taking the phone from Sam and speaking to the man waiting on the other end of the line.

"This is Ava,"

"Where the hell have you been young lady!" Ava winced recognizing the voice of Logan's friend Bobby Singer anywhere. "I have been looking for you for two months! You had best have you and Sam on my doorstep in an hour or I'm coming to get you myself!"

"I…okay…." Ava agreed after a second looking even more confused. "We're on our way."

"Good," the gruff voice lowered slightly. "I'll see you in an hour."

"Okay," Ava said and then hung up the phone before handing it to Sam who was watching her a little smile on his face. "I don't understand why he was so upset…."

"He's worried." Sam said relaxing back into his seat.

"But why?" Ava questioned before glaring at Lucifer and pulling her driver's side door closed.

"It's what people do when they care about you." Sam said as though stating the obvious, but then saw the real confusion on Ava's face as she started the truck up and pulled back onto the highway. "Ava, you really have never had anyone care enough to worry about you?"

"I…um no not really..." Ava admitted after a second or two trying to figure out what to say to Sam's question. "My mother abandoned me after well..." Ava hedged on finishing her sentence and she heard Lucifer's laugh. "after something happened that she chose not to face, and I never actually knew my father."

"What about Logan?" Sam questioned after a second sitting up and looking genuinely almost concerned.

"Logan and I were hunting partners." Ava said with a shrug as though it wasn't that big of a deal when Sam's jaw dropped. "I guess you could say we were friends? I think it was mainly he took pity on me and so he let me tag along with him." Sam just looked at her for a few minutes as she continued to drive down the highway. "What?"

"You've never had a family?" Sam questioned in pure shock. "You did everything on your own? You're only fifteen!"

Ava paused and pursed her lips for a second then smiled quite coldly before speaking: "Sam, the answer here is really complicated and right now I'd really not care to discuss it, okay?"

"I…um… Okay…" Sam conceded after a moment or two. "Ava, it's just, Bobby's worried because he cares about you. It's just what you do when you know someone is alone that you care about."

Sam was quiet then watching the road ahead of them. Ava didn't say anything to interrupt his thought pattern but instead concentrated on trying to remember how to get to Bobby's since she had only truly been there a few times.

"Turn left just ahead." Sam said after a little while and while it shocked Ava after the silence of nearly 30 minutes she slowed down to make the turn Sam spoke of.

It was only a few minutes more before Ava stopped in front of an older house with a tow truck sitting outside and a couple of dogs laying on the porch. She hesitated as Sam opened the passenger side door to climb out and a porch light flicked on before a burly man in a ball cap that Ava knew to be Bobby Singer stepped out onto the porch.

"Hi Bobby," Sam greeted the other man and then turned back when he noticed Ava hadn't gotten out beside him. "You coming, Ava?"

"Yes, are you Ava?" Lucifer's voice sounded from beside her and she took a deep breath, shaking her head to clear it of Lucifer's voice and climbing out of the truck.

"Hey Bobby, how're you?" Ava questioned once flat on the ground and shutting her truck door behind her.

"C'mon you two, dinner's on the stove." Bobby said gruffly looking them over and then waving at them to come inside.

Sam followed Bobby's invite easily and walked inside but Ava hesitated beside her truck still slightly unsure what was happening. Bobby noticed this but didn't say anything turning and heading inside leaving the door open for her.

After a moment or two Ava let out a deep breath and headed on inside after the other two tucking her truck keys into her pocket.

She quietly closed the door behind her before following Sam's voice into Bobby's kitchen where he was sitting at the table. Bobby looked at her for a second probably noticing her hesitation standing in the doorway before he held out a plate for her to take.

"Thank you." Ava said after a second stepping forward and taking the plate from him.

Ava didn't say much else as she sat at the table beside Sam and listened to the other teen talk, thankful that he didn't bring up the Banshee incident to the other man. Bobby listened to Sam talk idly while they ate and she relaxed slightly. Noticing this Bobby smiled a little and she hesitantly returned it before taking a bite of the fish on her plate.

"Aw, how cute is this?" Lucifer's voice broke Ava's small concentration on Sam and she flinched. "Do you truly think he cares about you being here?"

"Ava, you alright?" Bobby's voice distracted her from Lucifer and she blinked looking back over at him.

Ava opened her mouth to answer him but before she did Lucifer spoke again: "Silly little one, the old man doesn't give a damn if you're here or not. He just feels obligated to help you since you let Logan die."

"I should go," Ava said after a second standing up looking at little pale. "Thanks for the food Bobby."

Ava turned and walked back out of the kitchen with a quick step and another flinch as she heard Lucifer laugh following her. She didn't even hear the scrape of Bobby's chair on the floor or his shout of her name as she almost bolted out the door.

With her haste to get out she hadn't noticed the other man who had been just about to knock on Bobby's door and almost knocked them both off their feet.

"Whoa there!" the man said and Ava looked up to see who it was that had caught her.

First thing she noticed were the brightest, greenest eyes she had ever seen before. It caused her to pause almost shocked before the smell of leather and gunpowder hit her nose, and she flinched back away from him. That was how Logan used to smell too, and then she felt the guilt of Logan dying all over again.

The man let her go seeming confused as to what exactly was going on before Ava turned and walked towards her truck quickly pulling out her keys and climbing inside before Bobby made it to the porch.

"That's the way Doll, run." Lucifer taunted her as he sat next to her when she started up the truck and quickly reversed away from the house. "Run like you always do. Besides they wouldn't want you around once they found out what you are."

"Shut up, Lucifer." Ava said sharply turning her attention to heading back out onto the highway. "Just please, shut up."

Lucifer laughed but didn't say anything else while Ava drove and she hoped he would just disappear and leave her be maybe just this once.

In her pocket, Ava felt her phone start to ring and pulling it out she glanced to see it was the number Sam had given her to reach him. She tossed it into the seat beside her refusing to answer it and just shifted up a gear more as she finally hit the highway again.

"So where are we headed now, Doll?" Lucifer questioned from beside her and she just sighed her shoulders dropping in defeat.

After a few more moments, Ava pulled the truck over to the side of the road and got out slamming the door behind her leaving the image of Lucifer sitting in the seat. There was only a moment of hesitation before the man was sitting on the front of Ava's truck where she stood hands over her face.

"Please, can you just leave me be?" Ava questioned removing her hands and looking at him where he sat. "Just for a few moments,"

"You know the answer to that." Lucifer stated looking at his nails seeming to be bored.

"Why me?" Ava questioned her voice cracking. She felt so close to the edge of her sanity at that moment. "Why did you not just let him kill me? I would have been so much better off!"

"That's not a positive outlook."

Ava jerked around quickly pulling her pistol and aiming for who was speaking to her shocked that she hadn't heard his car pull up behind them.

"Who the hell are you?" Ava questioned aggressively.

"Dean," the man supplied after a second, hands in his leather coat pockets.

"And you're here why?"

"Sam's worried about you."

"You're his older brother." Ava said after a second recognizing the name. She then noticed Lucifer flickering on the hood of her car as she spoke to him.

"Yep." Dean confirmed before nodding to her gun. "Mind putting that away? As sexy as a woman who knows how to shoot is I'd rather not be the one being shot."

Ava lowered the pistol just looking at him as though trying to figure him out. "You know it's not smart to hit on a crazy lady."

"Never said I was smart." Dean said with a shrug. "So who were you talking to?"

Ava hesitated with a small glance at Lucifer who had a massive scowl on his face aimed in Dean's direction. She then shifted turning her attention back to Dean who she noticed had followed her gaze to the truck hood.

"You probably wouldn't believe me if I told you." Ava said after a second.

"Try me."

Ava just looked at him slightly confused before she shrugged shaking her head. "Doesn't matter, I need to be going. Tell Sam I'm fine and thanks for the concern."

"You could just come back with me to Bobby's and tell him yourself." Dean said pulling his hands from his pockets and crossing them over his chest.

"That's not a good idea." Ava shook her head again. "It's best for everyone if I just disappear, safer that way trust me."

"I don't think Sam would agree with that." Dean said gruffly. "Or Bobby for that matter, who's spent two months looking for you."

"Yeah well, not asking for Sam's opinion on this." Ava said after a second. "Or Bobby's."

"That's pretty damn selfish, don't you think?"

"Who are you to judge?" Ava bit back out at him defensive. "You don't even know me! None of you do, all this is, is pity. The only reason you're even here is because your little brother pities me."

"Wow." Dean said taking a step closer to her and she took a half-step backward. "And I thought Sam could be a brat sometimes."

"Look, Dean," Ava said after a second deciding to stand her ground. "The only thing that happens to people who care about me or I care about end up dead, so you can think I'm being bratty all you want, when in reality I'm trying to protect your brother from far worse."

"That's the way, Doll," Lucifer's voice was finally back. "Push them away to save them from you. So much smarter than you were with Logan."

Ava flinched again and Dean noticed it, his gaze flicking to the hood of her truck as though maybe he could see Lucifer sitting there before turning back to Ava.

"Whoever it is that's talking to you is full of shit." Dean said and Ava pursed her lips.

"I got Logan killed," Ava said after a second. "His blood is on my hands; his death was completely my fault because he cared for me and I'll be damned if I do the same to Sam or Bobby."

"So, you're just gonna run?"

"Yes Dean, I'm just gonna run." Ava said before angrily whipping at her eyes where they had welled up some. "Seems to be the only thing I'm any good at,"

"Maybe if you'd pull your head out of your ass, you'd see we were trying to help you." Dean snapped back seeming to be at the end of his temper.

"Out of nothing more than an obligation!" Ava bit back at him. "You because Sam ask you to and Bobby because Logan probably made him promise to take care of me,"

"Are you ever going to let that silly idea go?" Dean's voice overpowered hers easily. "You really think I would even be here if I didn't want to be?"

"He's a good liar isn't he?" Lucifer broke in and Ava balled her hands up into fist.

"Why then Dean?" Ava said just a fiercely as Dean. "Tell me why I should believe that? Why I should believe you are here just because you want to be?"

"Maybe because I've just got a soft spot for crazy pretty women." Dean shrugged hands in his pockets again.

At that statement, Ava just looked at him all of her anger and fight suddenly just leaving her and then she laughed a little. It was a little chuckle before it turned into an almost hysterical sounding laughter and her tears this time fell without her stopping them.

"I don't even know what to say to that." Ava said after a second and reached up to wipe her tears away only to have her hands moved and the tears brushed away for her.

"The hysterics kinda spoke for you, Angel." Dean said with a little laugh as she brushed his hands away.

"Far from an Angel though aren't you?" Lucifer spoke but this time Ava ignored him completely.

"Sorry," Ava said shaking her head but not moving when she noticed how close Dean had moved to her. "Um well you can head back to Bobby's and I'll be there in the morning. I just, don't know if I can face him or Sam tonight."

"Where're you gonna sleep?" Dean questioned before glancing over at the truck Ava nodded towards.

"If I sleep." Ava said after a second.

"Na, you can stay in the Impala with me." Dean said looking back at her. "More room, I know for a fact that Sam can sleep well enough in the back seat. So can you."

"I can-" Ava protested before Dean cut her off.

"Humor me then. You and I both know I'm not going back to Bobby's without you in tow or Sam will be pissed."

"Fine," Ava agreed after a second. "but you're bigger than me so you sleep in the back, I'll sleep in the front."

Dean paused contemplating her for a minute or two, before he nodded in agreement and she relented to follow behind him with one last glare at Lucifer who was still sitting on her truck hood.

About twenty minutes later, the two had gotten settled and Dean's slight snores filled the cabin as he fell asleep easily, probably exhausted from hunting with his Dad, but the sound didn't bother Ava. In fact, it seemed to relax her seeing as it was so similar to the sound of what Logan's snores had been.

Just as she had been on the verge of sleep she felt a soft touch on her ankle and heard a familiar chuckle as she jerked away.

"So nice of him to let you stay with him seeing as he came across you yelling at something he can't see, isn't it?" Lucifer's voice easily filled the cabin. "Taking pity on the crazy woman,"

Ava shifted attempting to ignore Lucifer and trying to find a comfortable spot to sleep and after finally finding one closed her eyes to fall into a fitful sleep.

Ava woke up with an almost silent gasp and jerk finding herself looking at the ceiling of an unfamiliar vehicle. She took a deep breath trying to calm herself down before reaching up and running her hand through her disheveled hair. That's when she noticed Dean had stopped snoring.

"You have got to get still woman," Dean's sleep worn voice broke the silence and Ava sighed, she'd woken him up.

"Sorry," Ava mumbled now a little embarrassed, and reaching up to brush away a few tears that always seemed to accompany the dream. This was why she preferred to sleep alone when she did actually sleep. "Nightmare, didn't mean to wake you."

"You okay?" he questioned this time sounding more awake and maybe a little worried.

Ava paused at this slightly confused as to why he would be worried but sat up anyway still trying to calm herself down.

"Yeah," Ava answered after a second or two. "I'll be fine. I just, gotta get up and move around, sorry again to have woken you up."

She shook her head trying to get herself on out of the nightmare. It was the same nightmare she had every night when she happened to fall asleep. It was a hazy nightmare always starting off the same way: light and someone talking to her, someone she couldn't make out, calling her a failure and she was confused and in pain. She never knew why said person was calling her a failure, and every time, every single time she opened her mouth to ask what was going on the light suddenly faded and she was falling. Falling into what felt like a void of darkness and she felt pain, a pain so great sometimes she would wake up screaming because she could still feel it, even outside the dream.

"It's not a problem." Dean assured her after a second or two. "Sure you're okay? You sounded like you might be in pain,"

"Just a bad dream," Ava muttered shifting her legs a little nervously. "It's nothing Dean, you should get some sleep, aren't you exhausted from your hunt?"

"Maybe," Dean admitted after a second then sighed sitting up and indicating she climb in the back with him. "C'mon, I'm not gonna be able to sleep knowing you're upfront worrying about whatever,"

"Dean, I'm fine, you should go back to sleep." Ava protested a little and Dean grumbled something before leaning forward grabbing her under the arms and basically pulling her over the seat. "Dean!"

"Oh quit bitching, Angel." Dean muttered to her as they scrambled to rearrange themselves in the back seat. "Usually takes a lot more alcohol for me to even consider curling up in here with a woman."

"I am perfectly capable of sleeping on my own!" Ava protested again trying to wiggle out of Dean's grasp.

"Woman!" Dean barked at her banding an arm around her stomach pulling back and tight against his chest not really giving her much escape and tucking his back against the seat. "Get still!"

"Omph!" Ava protested as the air was forced out of her lungs. "Dean let me go!"

"No. Go to sleep." Dean ordered gruffly and Ava just grunted and gave up with a sigh.

"Fine." Ava muttered a bright red flush on her face but relaxed in the grip letting out a deep breath and closed her eyes to go back to sleep.

Thanks for Reading! Please Review and let me know whether you want said story to continue!