Johanna put the guitar in the back seat of the Nova, and they drove back to Bobby's. When they climbed out of the car, Dean said "Bring the guitar in."

Johanna gave him a confused look, but she did. Sam and Jane were downstairs in the living room, and Bobby was out on a supply run. As soon as Jane saw that Johanna was holding the guitar, she sat down cross-legged on the floor and looked up expectantly. Sam smiled and followed suit. Johanna sat down on the couch, and Dean sat next to her. He leaned in and whispered something in her ear. She nodded and strummed a few chords, then started playing The Weight. She played and sang, and Dean joined in from time to time.

"Take a load off Annie,

Take a load for free.

Take a load of Annie,

And you put the load right on me."

After the song, Sam spoke up.

"That song gives me deja vu. I don't know from what though."

Johanna and Dean shared a knowing look.

"Probably," Johanna said "because you used to know someone named Annie."

Sam tilted his head and gave her the puppy-dog look.

"Come on, Samantha, I know there's a brain cell somewhere in that Gigantor head of yours. When you were little, your dad would leave you with Bobby. There was a girl with him sometimes, around your brother's age. You called her Annie."

Recognition lit up Sam's eyes. "Holy crap. I never knew that was you."

She gave him the 'well duh' look.

Jane smiled wider.

The coming days consisted of everyone begging Johanna to sing again. Most of the time she just rolled her eyes, but occasionally she'd crack under the influence of Dean's puppy eyes. Whoever said Sam did them better had never been on the receiving end of the squirrel's. With enough persuasion, sometimes she'd even play Such Small Hands or Travelling Riverside Blues. Sam liked Broken Halos. Johanna decided that that would be in her heaven, the night after a hunt, drinking beer and playing music.

Even Bobby joined in when he found an old harmonica. They played an obscene amount of Levon Helm including, quite ironically, Sweet Johanna.

The heaven lasted for about a month before they fought, like Dean expected. This time, it was big. They'd returned from a werewolf hunt, and Jane had been sliced almost to ribbons. They managed to stitch her up without needing to go to the hospital, but it was still the first time Dean had seen Johanna actually scared. Instead of her usual calm self, she'd slipped into autopilot. She'd been white as a sheet, and even after they sewed Jane up, she just stood numbly in the center of the living room.

Dean had exploded. "That," he pointed upstairs where Jane was, "Is exactly why you don't have any family!" He realized his mistake as soon as the words came out of his mouth. She didn't hit him. She stayed completely silent. Crap. Crap.

The look she gave him couldn't be described as anything other than pure rage. There was something else behind it. Even Lucifer would have shat himself if he'd seen the anger in her eyes.

Before Dean could say anything, she turned on her heel and walked out the door. He heard her sling gravel as she pulled out of the lot. He ran out to his car and pulled out after her. By the time he was out of the driveway, she was long gone. He called her with all of his phones, but didn't get an answer, and figured she was at the meadow playing one of her guitars. He drove at 80 all the way to the clearing, but she wasn't there. Disappointed he turned around and found the nearest bar. Sure enough, the Nova was in the parking lot. He walked inside and found her with a glass of something strong. He sat down next to her. She turned to face him.

"What."

"I'm sorry. I know that was a dick move."

"Sorry?" She gave a humorless laugh. "Why? You're right."

"No, I'm not. You do have a family."

"My family is dead. Because of me."

"We're your family, dammit!"

"No. You're not. Not you. Not Sam. Not Jane. Not even Bobby."

"And why are you so bent on going it alone?"

"When I was seven, I came home and saw my parents with black eyes. They looked at me, and then their necks snapped. But they stayed alive. I ran. My little brother was in that house, and I ran. Didn't even think to see if he was alive. He was two. I haven't seen or heard from him since."

"It wasn't your fault."

"Don't lie. I could've gone back."

Dean kept silent.

"See?"

He didn't know what to say, so he laid a hand on her knee. She ignored him.

"Are you just going to stay here?" He asked.

"Probably." She shrugged.

"No you're not." Dean said firmly.

"Says who?" She laughed.

"Me. We're going to go back to Bobby's, and you aren't going to let this tear you up. This is why you don't trust people, isn't it? You're afraid of the same thing happening."

"So what if it is? And who are you to be talking to me about this?"

"It's do as I say, not do as I do."

Johanna stayed silent for a moment, and then; "Fine."

They drove back to Bobby's. Dean religiously checked his mirrors to make sure she was still behind him. She was.

When they returned, Jane was gone. She'd left a note saying that she needed a break and not to be worried because she had her gun with her. Johanna was on autopilot. She started moving towards the stairs, but Dean pulled her into the living room. She sat down on the couch, face numb and back stiff as a board. His chest twinged a bit and it was the first time he allowed himself to admit that yeah, maybe he has a soft spot for her.

He turned on a movie, something with Hugh Jackman, but she didn't stir, she just stared straight ahead. Okay, he'd have to try again. Dean pulled out a bottle of liquor. She blinked. He poured two glasses and she downed hers as soon as it was in her hand. Sighing, Dean poured her another cup. She drank the second one slightly slower. When she finally started to relax, Dean sat down next to her.

"Listen, Johanna, I'm sorry."

He was met with silence.

"Your parents… it wasn't your fault."

She blinked. "What do you want me to say?" Her voice was raw, but from emotion rather than any physical cause.

Dean wasn't sure how to respond, so he changed the subject. "You said Bobby raised you? How did that happen?"

Johanna sighed and melted into the couch cushions. "When I was little, we lived just outside of Vermillion. After I… saw them, I ran. I had a little money that my parents had given me before I left that morning, so I hopped on a bus. I ended up here, and a cop found me. Guess I looked suspicious, rogue kid wandering the streets. He took me to the sheriff. Jody Mills. She asked me what happened, and I told her. All of it. She knew Bobby so she called him thinking he could help. He got to the sheriff's office, and when Jody told him what I said, he took me home. Asked if I had anywhere to go. I said no, he said I could stay for awhile. He taught me about demons, and that turned into hunting in general. God knows where I'd be if he hadn't."

Unsure of what to say, Dean turned back to the movie that was still playing. The Prestige. He felt like he should say something but he didn't know what, and God he knew it was a risky move and he'd probably get punched, but he draped an arm over Johanna's shoulders anyway. He prepared himself for the raised eyebrows or the punch to the jaw, but she shocked them both and leaned her head on his shoulder. Dean blamed the liquor.

A/N: I don't usually do this, but it feels necessary here. So my friend and I got the amazing idea to write a whole bunch of Supernatural fics. Here's a list of what to look forward to (or dread):

Sam x Female OC

Chuck x Female OC

Claire x Kaia

Gabriel x Rowena

Lucifer x Reader

(And the ever-controversial) Wincest

This may or may not be the order that they are posted in, it just depends on what gets written when. We'll probably have multiple WIPs at the same time, and as with this one, we don't have a posting schedule. Sorry for the long author's note, I'm gonna leave now.

Peace,

/Virginia