2007

"You know," the Vrykolaka says, "I'll give you two some time alone, I've got some things to take care of anyway." And with a snap of her fingers she's gone.

Sam looks as stunned as Dean feels. "Did she just...?"

Dean looks around. "I think so," and then he shifts his eyes to look at the ground.

Sam starts to wriggle his arms to try to get out and Dean follows and quickly stops.

"Yeah, bad idea," Sam says, standing as still as possible.

"Ow," Dean says. Apparently, the rope seems get tied harder if they try to get out. "Yup," Sam says. "That really hurts."

"Do you also have a piece just...right..."

"...yeah," Sam answers painfully and makes a face. "Maybe if we just relax, the rope will go slack."

"I don't think it's like that plant thing Harry Potter, Sam. She doesn't really want us to escape." But he tries it anyway, because it's not like they have anything else to do.

"But what does she want then?" Sam asks.

"I think, Sammy. I think she wants to kill us. And eat us".

"Okay, fine." Sam glares at him. "But why hasn't she done it already? Why all these games?"

Dean shrugs, but quickly wishes he hasn't as the rope closes in a little bit tighter around his shoulders.

"Well, she's a monster. An evil monster who's bored I guess."

"A Vrykolaka," Sam mutters, thinking hard. "Dean, don't you think she's acting pretty strange for a Vrykolaka?"

"Well, we haven't really hunted any, unless you count her."

"I know, but she's acting really strange. Like, she should just want to kill us while we're sleeping and drink our blood and be done with it."

"But we pissed her off. Big time," Dean answers.

"Doing what exactly?" Sam is demanding answers now. And Dean sighs.

"Nothing really. We were hunting her and she didn't like to be hunted." Dean looks away from Sam.

A little bit further away he can see the gravestone Sam was tied up to last time. And the one dad was tied to. They're not very well taken care off, much more overgrown and dirty. The whole graveyard looks overgrown as Dean starts looking, even the church seems run down.

He looks the other way, towards Sam and see the little town of Denton in the distance, a new shiny church tower in the horizon.

He can feel Sam's piercing eyes on him.

"Dean," Sam says. "Explain to me what she was talking about."

Dean continues to look down, but shrugs. Which, bad idea, because the rope cuts into his shoulders.

"Dean!" Sam repeats.

He looks up, truth always prevails is going around in his head. And of course it's in Bobby's voice. Even though he actually heard it from dad the most, dad lied a bit too much himself. Still, it's a stupid saying and Dean hates it right now. This was the secret, the one secret, that would always remain hidden. He realizes though, he's kind of screwed.

"Well..." he starts. "You see…we…and then…"

"Dean!" Sam says again. "Come on, just out with it already."

"Alright alright," Dean says and looks down again. He cannot face Sam saying this.

"She was going to kill you," Dean says. "Or well, she…she didn't want hunters after her, so she said…"

"Said what?" Sam asks.

"She said, she would let you live if we left her alone, and never send anyone after her."

He looks at Sam, who is looking at him in disbelief.

"And how would she never know if you broke that promise?"

Dean squirms, and the rope digs in further into his shoulders.

"Like she said we…we made a deal. A bonding deal with magic and..stuff."

"No," Sam says. "Dad would never agree on that."

"We're talking about your life, Sam."

"Yea, but..a deal…with a monster, and dad agreed on it? To just let a monster go." Sam's face filled with doubt.

Dean looks down again and sighs. "Okay…maybe dad didn't exactly agree on it, but I mean, I'm sure he would have, you know when his head was more clear."

"What does that even mean?" Sam asks.

"It means he was unconscious, and I did the deal without him knowing."

"And you're alive?" Sam asks with a hint of a smile.

"Oh, believe me," Dean says, "I didn't feel alive for weeks after. The training he made me do…I'm pretty sure it had something to do with that."

"No kidding," Sam says, and then he sighs. "Don't get me wrong Dean, I'm kind of pissed you made a deal about me without me knowing, but being tied up and dying soon, I'll let it go for now, just…what did the deal even say?"

"That we stay away from her and Denton. And never tell anyone about this, never let any other hunter know about her."

"And if that ever happened..."

"Well, she did some kind of weird magic and said she would know instantly if that happened, and if it did she would kill you instantly. Or I guess not instantly, she seems to want have a bit of fun with some of her victims first." He makes a face. "Guess she changed her mind about that part."

Sam sighs. "You realize it would have been way easier if you would have just told me about this…I mean I wouldn't have driven us to Denton then."

Dean rolls his eyes, "Not drive to Denton, my ass. You would have given me those puppy dog eyes, say but it's my fault she's still there, which is bullshit by the way, and then I would say absolutely not, and then you would drug me and drive me here anyway."

Sam looks a bit guilty. "Fine, you're right, we would have ended up here anyway."

"Yeah, because it's so much fun being kidnapped by monsters," Dean sighs.

"But it she really one?" Sam asks.

"One what?"

"A Vrykolaka?" Sam says.

"Of course she is Sam, what else could she be?" But it is something that's been bugging Dean too, for a long time. Even though he doesn't want to admit it, doesn't want it to be worse than it already is. She has a lot of power, too much power.

He sighs. "So what is she?"

And snap, she is standing in front of them again.

"Finally. Took you some time didn't it? Just...how many years now?"

"So what are you?" Dean asks.

She giggles. "Well, you did have it correct he first time."

"A Vrykolaka," Sam says.

She nods. "But with some extra...power." And her eyes go black.

"Woah," Dean says because he is not prepared for that.

"No," Sam just says slowly. "That is just wrong. You can't be both. And a demon can't possess a monster."

"Can't they?" she asks and come closer to Sam. She laughs. "Well, you will never know, because I'm not a demon. Even though I've been in business with some of them you could say. I don't like them though, which is another reason to why I'm doing this. " She winks and her eyes turn back to their original color.

"I remember you clearly as a kid Sam, you were smart."

She sits down on a fallen gravestone and crosses her arms. "Think you can figure this one out?"

Sam stares at her for a few seconds before answering. "You're a witch."

She smiles. "Still smart I guess."

"But how?" Sam asks. Dean agrees to that question. Since when do monsters start practicing witchcraft? And please don't let that be a new trend.

"Well, I lived for a long time, Sam Winchester. And I also have to hide for long periods of time to avoid...people like you." She stands up again. "Most Vrykolakas go to sleep for years to avoid hunters and locals. Me, I found that boring. It was way more fun to study witchcraft. Also, it was one of my main interests before…well, I turned into this thing."

"Awesome," Dean says.

"I know, right?" She smiles. "And can you believe it, Dean Winchester? I've learned a lot since the last time I met you."

To prove her point she flicks her fingers and one of the gravestones shoots up in the air and lands right in front of their feet. Confessions seems to be over and she sits down again, staring at them like they're going to taste real good.

"And now what?" Sam asks.

"Now I kill you," she answers and with a shriek is running very fast toward them.

"Bad question Sammy," Dean tells Sam before he has to duck because the Vrykolaka is suddenly launching a very big axe toward him. "Where the hell did that come from?" he yells.

The situation has changed a lot. Going from an evil but calm monster, the Vrykolaka is now angry and after blood. And after Sam. Sam however is doing a splendid job jumping away from her considering his legs are tied.

Luckily, the big axe seems to take all her power, and Dean realizes the rope is no longer as tight as before. Being in a very old graveyard he quickly manages to find a sharp stone, and starts cutting the rope with it while Sam is busy keeping the Vrykolaka occupied while avoiding her big axe.

He's almost finished when she notices what he's up to.

"Oh no you don't." Suddenly she is after him instead with the axe.

Why she is so keen on using an axe, instead of some magic is beyond Dean. Especially since she has bloodsucking teeth. He narrows it down to rage and the fact that she might have seen a few too many horror movies.

While Dean does his best to avoid the axe, Sam is now instead the one escaping his ropes.

Just as he's free, the Vrykolaka stops, the axe disappears and Dean notices he is unable to move.

Her smile is full of hate. "That was also just for fun. I figured it was right up the Winchester's alley. But why, you're thinking, why is she playing with us?"

She walks up to Sam, looks him in his eyes.

"Because I just. Can't. Stand. Hunters."

She looks over at Dean. "But as I told you Dean, I do have a weak spot for you. And that is why, I will tell you before I eat you, that I am doing you a favor."

"By eating us?" Dean asks.

"Yes. They are so many things in motion at the moment. Things that's going to happen to I used to be a part of before I got tired of it"

"What things?" Sam asks.

"Shh, Sam Winchester, it's better if you don't know. I'm happy you two came to me, because I've felt very sad about what was coming to you. And now I can prevent it."

"…by eating us?" Dean asks again. Because he really can't see the being eaten part as something positive.

"Yes" she says slowly, looks at him with such kindness Dean has to flinch.

Then she steps away from Sam, put her hand on his chest and closes her eyes.

Sam immediately turns pale.

"No!" Dean yells and pulls with everything he has to get out from the invisible magic that keeps him from moving.

"You stay away from him!" he yells. And he will move, he have to move. It's like being stuck under a big block of rock, and he focuses all he has to remove that rock. He pushes and pushes and…

Suddenly it seems to be working. He got one hand free and it doesn't take long until he can feel himself running, his knee burning painfully, but thankfully working.

The Vrykolaka makes a surprised sound as he topples over her and forces her to the ground, arms around her neck, because he really doesn't have another weapon.

She is strong though, and he almost loses his grip when she tries to pull away his arms. But only almost. He doesn't even know if choking will even work, but at least it's working to keep her down.

Unfortunately it's really wearing him down, while she seem to gather more strength. As she makes a new attempt to pull him away Dean feels he can't hold her anymore.

And then, he loses his grip, getting pushed away.

As soon as he falls to the ground, the Vrykolaka screams painfully and he looks up.

Sam is standing over her, a metal pipe in his hands, pushed right through her chest.

Dean stands up and looks at her and then at Sam who shrugs. "The pipe was right behind the tree over there," and then sways a little, lets go of the pipe and sits down.

"Sam." Dean rushes forward and grabs Sam's cheek in his hand to look at him.

Sam is very pale and looks quite woozy but he swaps his hand away and smiles.

"I'm fine Dean."

"Oh yeah, never looked better," Dean replies.

"It's just blood loss I'm guessing," Sam says. "But I don't think she managed to take that much." Sam closes his eyes for a few seconds. "And we can scratch bloodsucking teeth of the list, that hand thing is somehow way more creepy."

Dean nods and let go of Sam, somehow satisfied with his condition. Blood loss is something they know how to take care of at least.

"Well." he looks down on the Vrykolaka. "Well, you sit down and I'll make sure to make sure she really is dead" he looks around "I wouldn't mind having that axe now."

In the end he manages to find some supplies in the old church that probably wasn't meant for chopping someone's head off.

After stealing a car and then breaking into a closed store for supplies, they're back at the graveyard to do the salt and burn.

"Dean?" Sam asks as Dean is setting the Vrykolaka on fire. "What exactly did she mean about the part about doing us a favor?"

After some orange juice and some chocolate chip cookies (that Dean had eaten most of really) Sam's color is coming back and he's not quite as wobbly.

Dean shrugs.

"I don't know Sammy. But she's a monster, so she was probably just making something up."

Sam nods but doesn't look very convinced. Neither is Dean as he remembers the words he heard at this spot such a long time ago spoken to his father. "I'm part of something so big, it will make you wish you were never born."

There is something on the rise alright, but he doesn't know what. In the end he decides he can only concentrate on one thing at the time. Right now all they need to think about is the demon.

If something else is on the rise, well, they just have to deal with that when it happens.

Outside of Denton, Georgia 1995

Dad drives away from the graveyard fast, white knuckled hands clutching the steering wheel, mouth thin with anger. Dean sits next to him, shakily breathing, looking back at Sam in the backseat every five seconds. It takes a few miles before dad speaks up.

"I had a plan, I was going to…" dad starts.

"A plan?" Dean says, almost frantic. "She was seconds from killing him, and we were both tied up. Nothing could have worked."

"And you think what you did was a great choice? You made a deal, Dean. With a fucking monster. You questioned my authority, put our whole family, and probably other people too, in danger. You had no right, whatsoever –"

"Shut up," Dean says.

"Excuse me?"

"I said shut up. Sam was going to die, and you weren't going to do anything about it. Now you listen to me."

He looks straight at his dad. "We can never go back. We leave this town now, and never talk about it again."

Dean glances back at Sam, still unconscious. "You hear me dad? We're leaving this thing behind, and we're not going after it again or letting someone else. I mean it, slightest hint to another hunter and Sam will die."

His father looks taken aback with the sudden leadership, and truthfully, Dean is a bit terrified of it himself. He's never spoken against his father before. But he made a choice and the choice was to be on the safe side, to save Sam.

"If you screw this up I will never forgive you. I will take Sam, and I will leave. And you will be all alone." His voice is determined, but shaky, way too shaky than he wants it to be.

After Dean's outburst they're quiet for a long time. Dean jumps in the backseat to sit with his brother and dad's just driving as far away as he can. The radio isn't even on, the only sound being the motor of the Impala and the rain splattering against the window.

Sam hasn't woken up yet, but seems to have settled into a comfortable sleep instead of scary unconsciousness, nestled against Dean under a blanket.

Dad makes a loud sigh from the front and catches Dean's eyes in the rearview mirror. His eyes are filled with emotion. "I love him Dean. I do. So much. I wouldn't just let anyone…"

"I know," Dean answers.

And that's the last thing ever said about that day. It's a bit awkward for a few days, and dad is harder than ever with his training, but that's it. They go into their normal routine and Sam stops asking questions, getting occupied with the new school year starting. And Dean follows Dad's orders without questioning them.

The truth always prevails. Their dad tells them that during a hunt a year later, looking into Dean's eyes for longer than he should. But he never says anything.

And in the following years it's like it's never even happened, all hidden and forgotten. Almost.

-end