Author's Note:

Hi guys! This is a one-shot for my series, Alexis Winchester, on episode 15 of Season 1 of Supernatural.

You can also check out my story Alexis Winchester.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Supernatural series or any of the characters which appear in the series including Sam and Dean. I do own the character of Alexis in this story.

Alexis Winchester

The Benders

Hibbing, Minnesota. It was more of a quiet town than most and the lack of activity was making me feel sick.

I had my hands in my jacket as I strolled around in the car park looking for clues. The roads were glistening because of the heavy rain last night and so any chance of catching footprints, tire tracks or blood were heavily decreased. Either way, I still had to try. I glanced up to the apartment which Sam and Dean were in and groaned to myself. The windows were fogged up meaning they were nice and warm while I was out here freezing my ass off.

I loved the fact Sam was back with us, but since his return, I was interviewing a lot less and was generally left to do the undesirable jobs. Of course Sam and Dean dressing up as sheriffs made more sense than me strolling in with a badge but I believed they were enjoying the fact I was miserable in these situations.

Maybe I was upset that Sam was back and he had taken my place at Dean's side. It did bug me a little that I had stuck by Dean for so long and now I was being tossed aside.

I stopped in my tracks and mentally scolded myself for being such a baby. Suck it up Lex. Sam and Dean were just falling back into pattern and that was a good thing. This is why I needed activity in my life. The longer I was left alone, the more toxic thoughts entered my mind.

I heard the door to the building open and I turned around to see Sam and Dean exiting. They took their hats off as they approached me.

"So?" I asked, as I fell into step with them.

"Kid heard a 'whining growl' after he saw Jenkins get pulled under a truck. He described it as a monster." Dean informed me as we approached the Impala.

"And how reliable is the kid?" I asked as I got in the back seat. Sam turned to me.

"He was watching Godzilla when it happened." He informed me as he reached for his duffel. I handed it to him to save him the trouble.

"Godzilla Vs. Mothra" Dean corrected him smiling.

"I don't know why I like that movie so much." I directed at Dean, trying to remember the reason why I was so fond of the movie.

"We used to watch it all the time, maybe it's just nostalgia." He explained as he pulled out of the lot. "I'm beat, you guys wanna get some drinks? Hustle some pool?" he asked us.

I was kind of tired and really just wanted to hit the sack, but it looked like Dean could use a drink. He hadn't been sleeping as well since we found out Sam had telekinetic powers.

"Sure Dean." I said as I tried to ignore that sinking feeling I was becoming less important to him.

It was two hours later and I was fighting sleep. I had refused the rounds Sam and Dean were going through and instead had decided to try and study for my upcoming exams. Dean had made about six hundred dollars tonight hustling pool while Sam kept studying the case. I was sitting beside Sam, contributing as little as possible, still in a bitter mood. I missed dad, I missed mom and I was just having an off week.

"So, local police have now ruled out foul play. Apparently, there were signs of a struggle." Sam said as he took a swig of his beer.

"Well, they could be right; it could just be a kidnapping." Dean turned away from the dartboard to address us. "Maybe this isn't our kind of gig." He turned back and threw a dart. I kept my feet up on the stool opposite me, trying to ignore their discussion.

"Yeah, maybe not. Except for this" Dean looked at Sam, "—Dad marked the area, Dean." He said pointing to Dad's journal as Dean walked over. Dean examined what Sam was pointing to. "Possible hunting grounds of a phantom attacker."

"Why would he even do that?" Dean asked picking up his beer. He glanced up at me and then looked back to the journal. Maybe he knew something was up.

"Well, he found a lot of local folklore about a dark figure that comes out at night. Grabs people, then vanishes. He found this too—this county has more missing persons per capita than anywhere else in the state." Sam explained.

"That is weird." Dean said as he walked back to the dart board.

"Yeah." Sam agreed.

I kept my eyes on my page, trying to remember the difference between enantiomers and diastereomers. Out of habit I almost turned to ask Sam but that irate feeling flooded me again and I stayed exactly where I was.

"Don't phantom attackers usually snatch people from their beds? Jenkins was taken from a parking lot." Dean argued as he threw more darts. I really just wanted to throw a few darts at Sam. God, was I really this jealous of my own brother? Maybe it was my time of month…

"Well, there are all kinds. You know, Springhill Jacks, phantom gassers. They take people anywhere, anytime. Look, Dean, I don't know if this is our kind of gig either." Sam confessed to Dean and he walked back to the table.

"Yeah, you're right, we should ask around more tomorrow." Dean suggested.

"Fun." I mumbled under my breath. Dean stopped and gave me a pointed look.

"Is there something you want to say?" he asked sternly. I looked up from my book to see both Sam and Dean waiting for an answer. Dean seemed irritated and Sam was just curious.

"No." I replied stoically. Sam looked to Dean, unsure of what to do. Dean didn't back down so easily.

"You want to start helping out then instead of sitting on your ass?" he asked. Wow, he was a bitch.

"I doubt you two need my expertise." I scoffed. Sam looked a little uncomfortable.

"First you need expertise before you can offer it. Instead you've been sitting here for the last two hours just being lazy." Dean shot back at me. I just glared at him but I felt like an ungrateful, whining teenager.

"Right." Sam tried to break the awkward silence and took out his wallet. "I saw a motel about five miles back." I broke first and looked back to my book ignoring Dean.

"Whoa, whoa, easy. Let's have another round." Dean told Sam.

"We should get an early start." Sam pointed out like the good little solider he was as he stood up.

"Yeah, you really know how to have fun, don't you, Grandma?" Dean stared at him. Sam smiled at Dean's joke while I shut my book and got up to. As I turned, someone walked straight into me and spilt their drink on my top. I gasped in surprise and looked up to see a busty blonde giggling at my misfortune.

"Ooh, sorry about that." She said in the most insincere way. Her eyes were on Sam the whole time.

I couldn't believe it. Always about Sam.

"Are you fucking kidding me right now?" I asked her on the verge of fuming. Her eyes widened. Sam and Dean stepped in pretty quickly after that.

"Okay come on." Dean said as he directed me towards the bathrooms. "I'll meet you outside, I gotta take a leak." He said to Sam as I kept walking ahead of Dean with rage bubbling inside me. It was one thing for Sam and Dean to simply irritate me because I was their younger sister; it was something completely different when they came to the defence of a bimbo, rather than me, when she was clearly in the wrong.

I turned into the hall which led to the toilets but Dean grabbed my shoulder from behind and turned me to face him, stopping me from going further.

"Hey, what's going on with you?" he asked frustrated. I shrugged his hand off my shoulder and moved back in annoyance.

"Nothing, just leave me alone, Dean." I stepped away from him and he watched me walk into the girl's bathroom. He wasn't happy with me but I couldn't give the slightest shit at the moment. I turned on the tap and tried to wash away the booze smell. I never knew how Sam and Dean drank alcohol to begin with; the smell was vile and pungent.

The scratched mirror reflected my hateful eyes and I sighed in anger. I felt like I was entering a depression and I had no idea why. Maybe I was bipolar; what other reason was there to me hating on Sam so much. I had to stop myself from thinking that life had been simpler before Sam came back, because that was just cruel of me. I'd probably wake up tomorrow morning, give both Sam and Dean a hug and apologize for being moody, but at the moment, I felt like shit.

Sam had grown up and left us. He went to college, he had a girlfriend and he was happy. I was happy for him too but I didn't need him to come along and ruin what I had with Dean. Why was Dean so into Sam anyway? Wasn't I great company to begin with?

I looked at myself in the mirror again and splashed my face with cold water. This wasn't me. I wasn't bitchy, I never complained for Dean's attention and I certainly didn't hate Sam. I had to knock this off before I screwed up our hunt.

The bar was in full swing as I left the bathroom and headed for the exit. The cool air hit me face on as I opened the door and it felt good. I suddenly felt calmer and less angry.

"Lex!"

I turned to my right to see Dean come running towards me.

"What?" I asked confused. He had Dad's journal in his hand and there was panic evident on his face. Shit. What happened now?

"Sam's missing." He blurted out as he looked around.

Wait, what?

"What do you mean he's missing?" I asked Dean carefully, panic starting to enter me as well.

"He… uh, he isn't in the car and the journal," he lifted it up, "was on the hood. Something's taken him." He told me, barely able to believe himself.

"No." I stated simply, "He can't be missing, this is Sam we're talking about, not any regular Joe." my throat tightened up as everything I thought during the day came rushing back to me. "SAMMY!" I yelled as I walked into the lot.

"SAM!" Dean followed my lead. He couldn't be gone! He was my brother and he needed to be here beside me, safe. I looked to the sky for a brief moment and prayed that this wasn't heaven's way of teaching me a lesson.

I didn't mean what I thought; I was just having a bad day. I loved Sammy with all my heart; I was just being an annoying, whining little sister. I was being selfish because I wanted Dean's attention to be back on me.

I had covered the whole lot and Sam was still to be found. I turned around when I heard a group of people exit the bar. Dean rushed up to a biker and his girlfriend who were clearly drunk.

"Hey, you guys been outside, around here in the last hour or so?" he asked them desperately. They shook their heads and stumbled away.

"Sam!" I called again as we both looked around frantically. I ran over to Dean who looked up a streetlight. I followed his gaze and saw that he had noticed a surveillance camera on top of it. Dean walked out into the middle of the deserted road and looked around.

"Sam." He said to himself.

I felt sick.

We were at the Sheriff's department after a night of looking for Sam. We had no luck in locating him and as the hours went by, I wanted to kill myself more and more. Where was Sam? Why had I been such a bitch to him?

The deputy, Kathleen, stood behind the desk looking at Dean's fake ID while I was pacing behind Dean.

"So, what can we do for you, Officer Washington?" she asked him.

"I'm working a missing persons." He informed her.

"I didn't know the Jenkins case was being covered by the state police." She stated. This was taking too long… we had to find Sam!

"Oh, no. No, there's someone else. Actually, it's my cousin. We were havin' a few last night at this bar down by the highway. And I haven't seen him since." Dean told her. I stopped pacing long enough to judge her reaction. She didn't seem convinced.

"Does your cousin have a drinking problem?" she asked, her eyebrows raised.

"Sam? Two beers and he's doin' karaoke." Dean joked and she smiled in response. The guilt was weighing down on me.

"No, he wasn't drunk. He was taken." I stated as I walked to the desk. Dean gave me a look telling me to shut up while he handled this. The deputy looked between myself and Dean.

"And you are?" she asked confused.

"Alexis, I'm Sam's sister." I told her clearly. Dean had to disguise himself as a cousin because technically, Dean Winchester was dead, but Alexis Winchester, according to the records, was clear of any criminal charges and otherwise fine. She nodded and led us to the computer behind the desk. Dean went to sit on the chair while I stood to the side barely able to think properly.

"Alright. What's his name?' she asked.

"Winchester. Sam Winchester." Dean replied. I pressed my fingers to my temple, trying to stop the oncoming headache.

"Like the rifle?" she asked.

"Like the rifle." He confirmed nodding. She typed in his name and brought up the record.

"Samuel Winchester. So, you know that his brother, Dean Winchester, died in St. Louis. And, uh, was suspected of murder." She asked him. I rolled my eyes at Dean's attempt to remain nonchalant.

"Yeah, Dean. Kind of the black sheep of the family. Handsome, though." He added. She glanced up to me.

"Sorry for your loss." She directed at me. My heart almost stopped. I thought for a second she was referring to Sam and then realised Dean was supposed to be dead to me. I nodded lightly towards her and looked away. She went back to typing with Dean eagerly watching her every move.

"Well, he's not showing up in any current field reports." She told us.

"Oh, I already have a lead. I saw a surveillance camera by the highway." Dean informed her.

"Uh-huh." She seemed to know what he was talking about. "The county traffic cam?"

"Right. Yeah. I'm thinking the camera picked up whatever took him." He paused, "Or, whoever." He corrected himself. He shouldn't have. No ordinary person could simply kidnap Sam. God, I hoped he was okay.

"Well, I have access to the traffic cam footage down at the county works department, but—well," she stood up and headed towards the desk behind her, "anyhow, let's do this the right way." She pulled out some paperwork from the filing cabinet. I cursed under my breath; I didn't have time for this shit. "Why don't you fill out a missing persons report and sit tight over here?" She finished as she handed Dean the clipboard and pointed to the seat behind us. I walked forward and placed my hand on the clipboard, lowering it in Dean's hands.

"We don't have time for this. Anything could have happened to Sam by now, so we need to see that footage ASAP." I ordered her. She looked to Dean instead and he gently pushed me to the side.

"Officer, look, uh, he's family. I kind of—I kind of look out for the kid. You gotta let me go with you." He requested. She smiled and shook her head sadly at him.

"I'm sorry, I can't do that." She replied. I turned away in frustration.

"Well, tell me something. Your county has its fair share of missing persons. Any of 'em come back?" he asked. She looked down, an aching evident in her eyes. "Sam's my responsibility. And he's comin' back. I'm bringin' him back." Dean declared. She stared between the two of us, taking in our firm expressions. Dean wasn't going to let Sammy die. I wasn't going to let Sammy die, even if it was the last this I did.

Dean was sitting on the bench outside the County Works Department while Kathleen was inside collecting the footage. I stood a few feet away from him with my hands in my pockets, staring up at the building. We didn't speak to each other though I suspected Dean wanted to say something to me. Something along the lines of 'Don't worry, I'm getting Sammy back' seemed about right.

Isn't this what I had wanted last night? Hadn't I wanted Sam gone so I could go back to being Dean's little ankle-biter? So, now I had it… why was I complaining? Well, because I was stupid enough to think it in the first place. How could I want him out of my life? I wished Dean would just take out his gun now and put me out of my misery.

Kathleen walked up to us with print-outs of the footage. I walked forward as she called out to Dean.

"Greg, Alexis." She said as she got closer. Dean turned to see her and stood up. "I think we've got something." She handed Dean the pages and I stood beside him looking through the images.

"These traffic cams take an image every three seconds, as part of the Amber Alert program. These images were all taken around the time that Sam, disappeared." She told us. Dean started flipping through and I was disappointed to see blank images of the road.

"This really isn't what we're looking for." He told her.

"Just wait, wait—next one." Dean turned the page and the image was of a rusty truck pulling onto the road. "This one was taken right after Sam left the bar. Look at the back end of that thing. Now, look at the plates." She said to us while motioning to flip. I turned the page hurriedly to reveal a close up of the truck's license plates.

"New plates." I pointed out to Dean. "It's probably stolen." Kathleen nodded at me. Finally we were getting somewhere.

"So, whoever's driving that rust bucket must be involved."

Dean and I turned out heads at the sound of a whining engine. A black van drove by us and Dean and I kept watching it as it disappeared. I looked to him with wide eyes.

"Hear that engine?" he asked Kathleen.

"Yeah." She replied, unsure of his point.

"Kind of sounds like a whining growl, doesn't it?" I asked her.

"Sure." she looked confused. Dean stared at me, his mind working at a hundred miles per hour.

We had a lead.

"I'll be damned."

Since when did creatures of the night start using vehicles?

We were driving down the road that Sam's supposed kidnapper used last night… in the sheriff's car. I would have preferred to do it our way in the Impala but there was no way she was letting us do this on our own.

It was even worse because Dean got to sit up the front like a free citizen while I sat in the back seat, caged up like an animal behind the screen separating the officers from the detainees.

"Okay, the next traffic cam is fifty miles from here, and the pickup didn't pass that one, so…." She pointed to the camera we just passed. It was dark out and I could barely see where she was pointing to in the rain.

"So, it must've pulled off somewhere. I didn't see any other roads here." Dean told her. I didn't either but I blamed that on the mist and the rain.

"Well, a lot of these backwoods properties have their own private roads." She told us. Backwoods properties. Private roads. Just fucking great.

"Great." Dean murmured. He looked out the window and suddenly Kathleen's computer beeped. I could see because I was sitting right behind her but Dean was oblivious. She clicked the highlighted item and page opened on. It was on Dean's fake I.D.

Well, double fuckity shit.

"So, Gregory." She said calmly and Dean turned to look at her. I tried to signal to him but then stopped. What good would that do?

"Yeah?" he responded not bothering to look back at me.

"I ran your badge number. It's routine when we're working a case with state police. For accounting purposes and what have you." She explained. I noticed she was slowing down discreetly.

"Mmhmm." Dean didn't seem fazed.

"And, uh, they just got back to me." She pulled over to side of the road. "It says here your badge was stolen." Dean feigned looking surprised and I put my head in my hand. "And there's a picture of you." She turned the computer around to reveal a heavy African-American man dressed in the sheriff's uniform. Dean looked dumbfounded.

Don't do it Dean, don't say it.

"I lost some weight." He chuckled, I groaned on the inside. "And I got that Michael Jackson skin disease." I shut my eyes in defeat as Kathleen took of her seatbelt.

"Okay, would you step out of the car, please?" she asked Dean. All I could think about was Sam. I needed him to be okay. I needed him to know I loved him and that I loved having him back. I needed him to be okay and all these hiccups along the way weren't helping.

"Look, look, look." He said quickly. She reluctantly stopped to listen. "If you wanna arrest me, that's fine. I'll cooperate, I swear. But, first, please—let us find Sam." He begged her.

"I don't even know who you two are." She paused. "Or if this Sam person is missing." It was my turn to talk now. Screw Dean figuring this out.

"I'll tell you who I am, no lies I promise." She turned her head towards me. "I'm Alexis Winchester and my older brother, Sam Winchester, is missing. I need to find him and I need to make sure he's okay. He means the world to me and if you don't help me out, I'll lose him. I can't live through that, so please, just help me find him." I begged.

"She's telling the truth." Dean backed me up.

"How can I believe you? Identity theft. You're impersonating an officer." She directed at Dean.

"Look, here's the thing. When we were young, I pretty much pulled him from a fire. And ever since then, I've felt responsible for him. Like it's my job to keep him safe. I'm just afraid if we don't find him fast—please." Dean's voice broke. "He's my family." We waited for her response.

"I'm sorry. You've given me no choice. I have to take you in." My heart sank. If Dean was taken in, I'd have to find Sam on my own and get him out of this. I'd just have to do it without Dean. "After we find Sam Winchester." She fastened her seatbelt. Dean and I looked to her in confusion. Why the change of heart? The confusion didn't last long. I didn't question our good luck, I just hoped it lasted.

Dean

It was the next morning after Kathleen, Lex and I spent the night looking for private driveways. We hadn't gotten anywhere useful yet but hopefully we could get more done in the light. Kathleen and I had gone in to get ourselves a cup of Joe while Lex waited near the car.

Lex. She had been silent too long and I had no idea why. She was moody the whole day before Sam went missing, on the verge of breaking valuables the night that he did and now she was silent. I could see she was having a battle within herself but I really didn't know why, and that annoyed me. I was supposed to know her best and it was a rare occasion when I couldn't figure her out. She was always an energetic, open book and so she had me worried.

Then again, ever since Sam came back, my attention was divided so maybe I had missed something. Did something happen to her? Was she hurt? We hadn't talked properly in a while and once we found Sam, I'd have to take time out to see what was going on. Lex being distant from me was not an option. She was my sister and I was going to stay in her life whether she liked it or not, so any tiff she had with me, we had to straighten out as soon as possible.

Kathleen and I walked back to car but Lex remained on the road, distant and silent.

"Hey, Officer? Look, I don't mean to press my luck." I started.

"Your luck is so pressed." She warned me. I didn't blame her, she was going out on a limb for us and I was so grateful for that.

"Right. I was wondering—why are you helping me out, anyway? Why don't you just lock me up?" I asked her. I needed to understand her change of heart; understand her reasoning or this could be a trap for Lex and I.

"My brother, Riley, disappeared three years ago. A lot like Sam. We searched for him, but—nothing. I know what it's like to feel responsible for someone, and for them-" she held back tears and I understood. She was what I'd be if I never found Sam. Miserable.

"You look out for her, don't you?" she gestured towards Lex who was walking along the roadside. Of course I looked out for her.

"Yeah, I do." I told her. She smiled.

"She's a good kid." Kathleen pointed out the obvious to me.

"She is." I replied. I had a feeling she was trying to figure out how we were all related, or that she knew already and was simply confirming it.

"She's your sister, isn't she?" she asked cautiously. She knew I was Dean Winchester but I couldn't admit it outright. I took a deep breath in the cold air.

"She's my life." I corrected her.

She nodded and called Lex over.

"Come on. Let's keep at it." I followed her into the car.

Alexis

We were driving by the edge of the forest when Dean finally caught onto a driveway.

"Wait, wait, wait—pull over here. Pull over." Kathleen did as he asked and the both of them got out of the car. I went to open the door and then remembered since I was sitting at the back, I did not have the privilege of opening my own door. Stupid cop cars. They were walking towards the forest and I hit the window, trying to remind them I was still in here.

I watched Kathleen stop Dean and they talked briefly before Dean shook Kathleen's hand in some sort of agreement.

Then she cuffed him. Only Dean.

She handcuffed the other side to the car door.

"This is ridiculous. Kathleen, I really think you're gonna need my help." Dean called out to her as she walked away.

"He's right you know!" I yelled from inside.

"I'll manage. Thank you." She replied as she automatically locked the doors.

"Seriously Dean?" I asked from inside the car, mad that he let himself get cuffed.

"I gotta start carrying paper clips." He said as he looked down to the cuffs. I sighed and looked for an escape while Dean tried to work on his cuffs. The windows were up and couldn't be kicked out because let's face it, these were cop cars and the doors were locked. However, I had seen people kick the screen between the front and the back of the car in movies so I gave it a go.

It was harder than I expected and wouldn't budge. Suddenly we both heard the screech of a pickup truck. Dean was leaning over the car trying to get his hands on what I would assume to be the antenna, probably so he could pick the cuffs. After a couple of seconds of struggling, he finally grabbed the antenna and got to work. We both heard the gate unlock and footsteps coming towards us. Dean got himself out of the cuffs and went to unlock the door but I banged on the window.

"No! You'll set off the alarm. Just go on without me." I told him. He looked at me like I was stupid.

"I'm not leaving you out here." He whispered angrily. I looked around for a solution.

"The windows are tinted; I'll hide in the back. Now go!" I said quickly. Dean made a split second decision and reluctantly left me in the car as he ran off to hide. I curled up on the floor behind the driver's seat and pulled my jacket over me. Hopefully they'd just pass by.

"I've never seen him so angry before, Lee." One of them said as they walked up to the side of the car. They sounded like real red-necks.

"Well, I've never been followed by the police before, Jared." Lee added.

Then the worst thing happened. The car unlocked and I cursed silently. One of them had Kathleen's keys which meant Kathleen was no longer able to help us. Whoever unlocked the car, got in and put it into drive. I stayed absolutely still and silent. Luckily he didn't turn around and even if he did, I doubted he'd see me; I was too far out of his view. He drove around for about a minute but he didn't leave the property; my guess, he was parking the car along with their other victims vehicles.

Finally the car stopped and the guy got out. Whoever these people were; they didn't actually care about the cars they took because he slammed the doors and left them unlocked. Once I was sure he was far away from the car, I emerged from my hiding spot and looked around. The car was parked among a dozen others, some old and some newer. I put my jacket on properly and began kicking the railing. It was tough work and it looked like it was barely moving until a particularly power kick on my part. It bent forward and I felt a beautiful happiness flow through me.

I wasn't going to die locked in the back of a police car. I could go help Kathleen and Dean. I could go and find Sam.

Sam.

These bastards took Sam away from me. I could finally go and kick some ass.

I slipped around the back of the house and to what looked like a barn. The door was slightly ajar and so I very carefully walked in, ready to fight anything that came flying out at me. Unfortunately I was unarmed and so my hand-to-hand combat would have to be enough. The barn was huge and disgusting. There was a really foul smell and it generally looked unhygienic, kind of like a child trafficking pen. God, I hoped this wasn't where they kept Sam. Then I had a daunting thought. God, I hoped Sam was still alive.

I shook my head in anger. Of course he was alive, how could I be so stupid? I would know if Sam wasn't okay. I would have felt it… right? I began to panic slightly as I stood frozen at the door.

Please let him be alright. Please.

I had to keep going. I had to find Sam. I walked forward and saw what looked like cages up ahead. As I walked closer, I saw a familiar grey shirt inside the cage. The light was shining on a portion of whoever's face it was, I couldn't make it out clearly.

"Sam?" I asked as I walked a closer.

Sam's smiling face looked back at me and he laughed. I rushed to cage and put my hands inside.

"Sammy." I cried and leaned my head against the cage. He moved forward and grabbed my hands through the cage.

"Lex." He breathed a sigh of relief. It was okay, everything was okay. Sam was here with me and he was safe.

"You know I love you, right?" I asked him shakily. He gripped my hands tighter.

"Yeah, I know." He replied chuckling in relief. I sighed.

"Good." I took a deep breath.

"Dean said you were stuck in the car." Sam questioned motioning to the cage behind me. I looked behind and saw Kathleen. I smiled at her.

"We told you you'd need us." I said to her. She looked shocked, probably since Dean and I escaped.

"Wait, Dean came here?" I asked Sam. He nodded.

"He went to look for the key that'll open these locks, through that system there." He explained. He was talking about the huge ass locks on the cage doors which were controlled automatically by a switch on the wall. It needed a key to work.

"Oh, okay. Well, I'll go find him, so in the meantime, you two sit tight." I instructed them like they were going to move somewhere else. "Oh, wait. Sam, what are we up against?" I asked, still not sure which kind of monster had taken him. He raised an eyebrow at me.

"Just people." He answered. I stopped and bent back down.

"You mean… like humans?" I whispered to him so Kathleen couldn't hear us. He nodded.

"In the flesh." He replied. I nodded slowly, taking it in. Humans…

"And why did they take you? What are they going to do?" I asked, intrigued now.

"I don't know. They let Jenkins go, but that was some sort of trap. It doesn't make any sense to me." He told me with a confused look on his face.

"Right." I stood up. "Stupid ass hillbilly fuckwits." I swore. "People are nuts." I told Sam. He smiled.

"Dean said something similar."

"I better go find him." I said to Sam. I turned to leave.

"Hey Lex." He called. I turned around. "Careful." He warned me and I smiled at him. How could I live without Sam?

"Always Sammy." I winked at him and left.

I walked into the house from downstairs but I didn't wait around to investigate. I had to assume Dean had already cleared the path ahead of me and so I just hurried along upstairs. I reached the living room in time to see Dean put his hands up in surrender in front of a little creepy girl. I slid behind the wall so I was out of her sight. If Dean was trying to persuade her, she might feel more threatened with the two of us.

"Shh. It's okay. I'm not gonna hurt you." Dean said softly. I watched her pull out a knife. Damn it! Couldn't little girls just play with their dolls and be happy? I realised the irony of that thought later.

"I know." She replied. Then the bitch stabbed the knife into Dean's jacket and pinned him against the wall. "Daddy!" she called loud and clear.

Holy fuck.

"Jeez!" Dean exclaimed as he struggled to pull the knife out.

"Daddy!" she called again and I started moving forward at a dangerous speed. Dean finally got the knife out just as Jared and Lee came downstairs. I stopped and changed direction. I'd have to sneak behind them.

Lee grabbed Dean under his arms and Jared charged towards him from the other direction. I slipped behind Jared and ran forward. The girl was still calling her 'Daddy' and I really needed someone to hit her with a brick.

Dean lifted both his legs and kicked Jared so he fell back towards me. I jumped over him and flew at Lee in an attempt to free Dean. I tackled him down just as he pushed Dean's face into the edge of a wall.

I jumped up quicker than Lee but before I could hit him, Dean came tumbling into me after being thrown by Jared. I fell back to the floor with Dean next to me but we both got ourselves up quickly.

Unfortunately, the second I was on my feet again, Lee grabbed me by my collar and punched me hard across my face. I tasted blood. He threw me against the fireplace and I crumbled to the ground. Dean, in the meanwhile, had been fighting Jared. Dean had the upper hand until Lee joined the fight.

Dean hooked Lee to the right and then to the left making him fly backwards. Before Dean could take another breath, Jared came charging from behind Lee and slammed him into the wall.

All four of us stood up in different corners, catching our breath.

Dean kicked one of the wooden boxes at Lee causing Jared to yet again charge at him. Dean pushed him to my side and I punched him straight in the jaw. Lee punched Dean into the wall causing Dean to collapse. Unexpectedly, Jared tackled me to the ground from behind while my attention was on Dean and then he pulled me to my knees by my hair, keeping me in a headlock so I could still see Dean. My vision was blurry but as soon as I could see properly, I'd be out of this hold. I just needed a few seconds.

Dean managed to get up and he looked up at Jared and Lee. His eyes stopped on Jared when he saw I was being held hostage. His expression darkened when he saw my bloody face.

He pointed to Jared,

"I'm gonna kick your ass first." Then he pointed to Lee. "Then yours." A new, but older guy emerged from behind Dean with a pan.

"Behi-" I started to yell. Too late. He had hit Dean over the head and now my brother was lying unconscious on the floor.

"DEAN!"

I felt a pain in my head, and everything went black.

They had put Dean in a chair and tied his hands behind his back. Lee, the dad, who they called 'Pa' and the little girl, who they called Missy, were all crowded around him. My hands were tied behind my back and I was on my knees on the other side of the room, facing Dean. Jared stood behind me with a very big knife to my neck.

Finally Dean moved his head and came to. He was groaning in pain.

"Come on. Let us hunt him." Lee said to 'Pa'.

It took me a while to understand what they meant. Hunt people? These people were seriously fucked in the head and they were even stupider if they thought I was going to let them hunt Dean.

"Yeah, this one too." Jared said as he pulled my hair tighter and I twisted my head away in anger. "He's a fighter and so is she. Sure would be fun to hunt." He grinned from above me.

'Pa' began laughing and Dean looked at me, wanting to know if I was alright. I tried not cry in pain as Jared pressed the knife harder against my throat. I could feel the skin break and blood trickle. Dean's eyes travelled from me up to Jared in fury. Dean's rage was evident but at the moment he had to buy us some time. He could kick some ass later.

"Oh, you gotta be kiddin' me." He directed at 'Pa'. "That's what this is about? You yahoos hunt people?" he asked incredulously, trying to keep the attention off me.

"You ever killed before?" 'Pa' asked him.

"Well," he looked to their crazy faces, "that depends on what you mean." I began working on untying my hands.

"I've hunted all my life." 'Pa' said as he leaned close to Dean. "Just like my father, his before him. I've hunted deer and bear—I even got a cougar once." I couldn't care less what this psycho had to say and neither could Dean, but 'Pa' kept going. "But the best hunt is human." Dean and I both clenched our jaws in anger. People like this freak needed to be put down.

"Oh, there's nothin' like it. Holdin' their life in your hands. Seein' the fear in their eyes just before they go dark. Makes you feel powerful alive."

Powerful alive. He wanted to his worth to be recognised, which is why he hunted. He didn't just want a kill… he wanted a challenge.

"You're a sick puppy." Dean stated. 'Pa' stood up.

"We give 'em a weapon. Give 'em a fightin' chance. It's kind of like our tradition passed down, father to son. Of course, only one or two a year. Never enough to bring the law down, we never been that sloppy." 'Pa' explained. I felt the knot loosen as I kept working on the rope.

"Yeah, well, don't sell yourself short. You're plenty sloppy." Dean pointed out to him.

"So, what, you and this one," he pointed to me, "with that pretty cop?" 'Pa' asked. "Are you a cop?"

Dean leaned away from 'Pa' as he got closer to him.

"If I tell you, you promise not to make me into an ashtray?" Dean asked provoking them.

'Pa' looked to his sons in anger. Lee walked over and punched Dean in the face. I didn't care that the knife was to my throat; you don't hurt my brother and get away with it.

"You son of a bitch!" I yelled at them. Jared pulled me still and used his knife to cut along my collarbone.

"Hey! Hey! You leave her out of this!" Dean yelled from his chair struggling to get free.

"Only reason I don't let my boys take you right here and now is that there's somethin' I need to know." 'Pa' explained. He walked to the fireplace and took out the hot poker. I swear to God, if they touched Dean with that, I was going to blow a fuse.

"Yeah, how 'bout it's not nice to marry your sister?" Dean retorted. I undid another knot behind me.

"Tell me—any of the cops gonna come lookin' for you?" 'Pa' asked Dean.

"Oh, eat me. No, no, no, wait, wait—you actually might." Dean joked. Lee walked over and held Dean's head in place.

"You think this is funny?" Dean finally noticed the hot poker in 'Pa's hand and inched away in Lee's hold. He realised he was in trouble. "You brought this down on my family. Alright, you wanna play games? We'll play some games." He turned to his sons. "Looks like we're gonna have a hunt tonight after all, boys." He turned back to Dean. "And you get to pick the animal. The boy or the cop?"

I looked to Dean in panic. He had to convince them not to hunt Sam or Kathleen.

"Okay, wait, wait—look, nobody's comin' for us, alright? It's just us four." He said quickly, now worried about Sam.

"You don't choose, I will." 'Pa' said. Then he placed the hot poker on Dean's shirt, pressing it against his chest. Dean screamed out in pain.

"DEAN!" I yelled and Jared pulled at my hair again to shut me up. 'Pa' removed the poker.

"Oh, you son of a bitch!" Dean swore at him as he panted in pain. 'Pa' placed the poker barely an inch from Dean's eye.

"Next time, I'll take an eye." He threatened.

"Okay, wait, wait, wait!" I called. They turned around to look at me. I couldn't let Dean get hurt again. "Take me." I told them. Dean's eyes widened. I looked to Dean and knew I couldn't let them hurt him again. I looked back to 'Pa'.

"You want to hunt? Then take me, I swear I'll put up one hell of a fight. Better yet, you don't even have to give me a gun. I'll still be a challenge." I taunted. I needed my offer to be better than Dean's. 'Pa' contemplated my offer.

"Alexis!" Dean yelled at me. "No!" he was telling me to pull out of it. "No, leave her out of it! Take the guy!" he yelled. I was as good a hunter as any but so was Sam. Dean was playing this off our physical strength. 'Pa' handed the key from around his neck to Lee.

"Lee, go do it. Don't let him out, though. Shoot him in the cage." 'Pa' instructed. Wait, what? Lee walked to the door. Shoot him in the cage?!

"What? I thought you said you were gonna hunt him. You were gonna give him a chance." Dean complained.

"Lee, when you're done with the boy—shoot the bitch, too." 'Pa' added. Lee nodded and left with his rifle. 'Pa' walked over to me.

"We'll give you a chance." He said as he grabbed my face in his dirty hands. I tried to pull away but it got me nowhere. "But before we start, since you're so eager to get one of these…" he lifted up the poker and I shrunk back. Dean became vicious in his chair.

"Stay the HELL away from her!" he bellowed. I moved further back as he got closer with the poker until Jared pushed me forward. Before he could touch me with it, we all heard a gunshot. My heart sank…. Sammy. No, it couldn't be Sam, he had to be alright. I didn't come this far to lose Sam now. Dean shook in anger.

"You hurt my family, I'll kill you, I swear. I'll kill you all. I will kill you all!" Dean yelled at them. 'Pa' looked down at me and pushed the poker onto the open cut Jared had left on me. I couldn't hear Dean over my own scream after that. The pain was blinding and my vision went out of focus.

'Pa' took the poker off my skin smiled at me with his broken teeth.

"Well you asshole, you couldn't pick a different spot?" I spat at him. "You're real tough aren't you? Burning a girl while she's on her knees?" 'Pa' didn't look happy with me mouthing off. "And you." I directed at Jared who was still holding me by my hair. "I didn't grab your dick so why don't you hold me by something you actually have?" I sneered referring to my hair. I needed him to let go of my long hair, so I could put my teeth to some use.

"Shoot her in the knee so she can't get up." 'Pa' said to Jared. My eyes widened and I predicated Dean was panicking too. This wasn't a fighting chance… this was simply them killing us. Jared pushed me onto the floor and picked up his rifle. I scooted backwards hoping I'd be able to dodge the bullet.

"Won't really be a hunt if she's limping, now would it?" Dean pointed out to them. Jared walked up and pressed the muzzle of the gun against my knee cap. I could kick the gun away but I'd have to do it last minute to catch them off guard. My face must have shown my fear and I noticed Dean was gritting his teeth. Jared paused and looked to his dad.

"He's right Pa, it won't be a hunt if we shoot her." He said. I looked to Dean, slightly relieved and his expression mirrored mine. Maybe we could still get out of this. Then Jared moved the muzzle to where I already had the cut and the burn. He pulled the trigger anyway.

"ALEXIS!" Dean yelled as I screamed in pain. The pain was incredible and I was sure he shot me there so I would pass out.

It worked.

When my eyes opened again, only a few minutes must have passed because Jared and 'Pa' were gone, and Missy stood next to Dean holding her knife dangerously close to his eye. He inched away from it and kept an eye on me. My collarbone down was covered in blood. I wasn't sure if the bullet went through or if it was embedded in my flesh, all I was sure about was the unbearable pain.

"Lex?" Dean asked as his eyes moved back to Missy's knife. I groaned as I pushed myself up. I guess they didn't think I'd have the power to stand up and fight back.

They were wrong.

"Hey, Missy you little bitch. Why don't you shove that knife up your 'Daddy's' ass?" I taunted her as I stood up. Dean looked at me shocked but Missy growled in anger. She ran at me with the knife and I used one leg to kick her in the face. She fell to the floor unconscious. I reached for her knife and began cutting my ropes.

"How's your shoulder?" Dean asked me. I was almost through cutting.

"It's burning like a bitch." I told him as the rope tore apart. I moved to Dean's wrists and sliced through. We heard several gunshots and I prayed Sammy was the one shooting. As soon as Dean's wrists were free, he untied his legs and rushed towards the stairs, ready to find Sam. I fell back to the floor, clutching my shoulder in pain. There was another gunshot. I had to keep moving, Sam could need me. I stood back up and just as I moved towards the stairs, two familiar faces came up from downstairs.

I froze.

They were okay.

"Sammy." I sighed as he moved forward and enveloped me in a hug. I rested my head against his chest and clutched his shirt.

"What happened?" he asked as he saw the blood all over my shoulder and collar.

"Nothing, I'm okay." I said. This wasn't about me, this was about Sam. He mattered. Dean was dragging Missy somewhere but I couldn't care less. "Sorry I was such a bitch the other night." I said to him. He chuckled and kissed the top of my head.

"It's okay Lex." He said, figuring out I was feeling immensely guilty. "We're okay."

Sam had run downstairs to grab his jacket and during that time I stood at the entrance to kitchen, looking at all the deadly tools hanging from where the pots should be.

"Alexis." Dean called from my side. I turned to look and he pulled me towards him. He was in my personal space looking down at me.

"If you EVER try that kamikaze trick again, I will kill you myself." He threatened. I was a little shocked at his furious tone.

"Sam was in trouble Dean. His life matters!" I told him in frustration.

"So does yours!" he yelled back at me like I was stupid for even using that as an argument. There was a silence between us. "Your life matters to me, even if it doesn't matter to you." He told me while he still had a hold on my arm. "There are a lot of things I'll let slip by Lex, but I won't allow anyone to hurt you. Do you understand me?" he asked.

I just stayed silent and averted my eyes. He tilted my head up with his warm hands, so I was looking at him.

"What did you think was going to happen? I'd sit idly by while they ran after you?" he asked searching my eyes for an answer. "I don't know what's been going on with you lately but if you think that I don't care about what happens to you… you're wrong." He paused and knitted his eyebrows, "You are so wrong. I care Lex, I care a lot. Sam may be my hunting partner kiddo, but you're my other half. I can't have you jumping in front of a bullet because if you go… I go." He told me with certainty. I just stared at him, trying to process what he was telling me. Then I looked down with guilt.

"I was mad at Sam for taking my place on hunts." I told Dean ashamedly. "The night he went missing, I had thought to myself that things were simpler before Sam came back." My voice cracked. I looked up to Dean with saddened eyes.

"I just needed him to be okay Dean otherwise I'd never have forgiven myself. I was willing to do anything to get him back safely." I admitted. Dean sighed and watched me.

Then he moved forward and pulled me into his arms. I rested my head on his chest and held his shirt. I felt his warmth spread all around me and his scent calmed me. I held onto him like I did when I was young and shut my eyes, finally feeling safe.

"You've got the Winchester curse ankle-biter." He stated as he held me tight. I guess I did.

Sam came back up shortly after that and we exited the house, Dean and I both clutching our shoulders in pain. Kathleen emerged from the barn and met us in front of the house.

"Where's the girl?" she asked us.

"Locked her in a closet." Dean replied. "What about the dad?" he asked. She paused for a moment.

"Shot. Trying to escape." Sam, Dean and Kathleen exchanged a glance with each other. Was I missing something?

"Lee and Jared?" I asked Dean. He looked ahead.

"Dead." He replied.

We were ready to leave right after Kathleen called this crazy sequence of events in.

"I think the car's at the police station." Dean told Sam as we walked up to Kathleen, who was listening intently on her walkie-talkie.

"Backup unit en route to your location." Came over the speaker. It was definitely time for us to go. Kathleen approached us.

"So, state police and the FBI are gonna be here within the hour. They're gonna wanna talk to you. I suggest that the three of you are long gone by then." She suggested.

"Thanks. Hey, listen, I don't mean to press our luck, but we're kind of in the middle of nowhere. Think we could catch a ride?" Dean asked. Kathleen expression didn't change. She was tough if she could resist Winchester charm.

"Start walking. Duck if you see a squad car." She told us.

"Sounds great to me. Thanks." Sam interjected.

"Listen, uh….I'm sorry about your brother." Dean said to her quietly.

Then I understood. That's why she was willing to help, her brother must have been taken too… and he must've never come back. I had a sinking feeling in my stomach as I thought about the same thing happening to Sam.

"Thank you." She said, beginning to tear up. "It was really hard not knowing what happened to him. I thought it would be easier once I knew the truth—but it isn't really." She paused.

I thought about how the dad was conveniently shot 'trying to escape'. Bastard must have killed her brother and she killed him in revenge. I didn't blame her… they killed her brother. I would have done the same thing if one of these assholes had simply hurt either Sam or Dean. Then I thought back to Dean's response when I asked about Lee and Jared.

Dead.

You hurt my family, I'll kill you, I swear. I'll kill you all. I will kill you all.

I looked up to Dean and he glanced down at me. Did Dean…? There are a lot of things I'll let slip by Lex, but I won't allow anyone to hurt you. He saw that I had figured it out and so he just looked back up, no regret in his heart. Dean killed for us… I'd kill for us too.

"Anyway, you should go." She told us. We nodded a thanks and headed off in the opposite direction. The moon was out allowing enough light for us to walk down the deserted road without getting lost.

"Never do that again." Dean said to Sam.

"Do what?" Sam asked him over my head.

"Go missin' like that." Dean replied. Sam just laughed.

"You were worried about me." He stated.

"If anyone was worrying, it was this little ankle-biter." He nodded towards me. "All I'm sayin' is, you vanish like that again, I'm not lookin' for ya." Dean declared. We all knew that was a lie.

"Sure, you won't." Sam said rolling his eyes.

"I'm not." Dean assured him and Sam chuckled. He moved closer to me and put his arm around my shoulder as we kept walking.

"Is it true Lex? Were you worrying?" Sam asked cheekily. I shook my head and Dean scoffed from the other side of me. Sam just laughed.

"So, you got sidelined by a thirteen-year-old girl, huh?" he poked at Dean.

"Oh, shut up."

"Just sayin', gettin' rusty there, kiddo." Sam taunted. Dean chuckled.

"Shut up. At least I wasn't the one who sidelined the thirteen-year-old girl with a kick to the face" Dean retorted. Sam laughed in shock.

"You didn't." he said to me. I smiled.

"She was practically drawing on Dean's eye ball with her knife." I retaliated. Dean looked ahead and smiled.

"You do a lot of stupid things, you know that?" he asked me. I did tend to have a habit of putting my life on the line when I got pissed off.

"Only because you keep getting yourself into trouble." I defended myself. "And I don't do anything stupid, I just take risks."

"Yeah!" he scoffed as he looked side on at me. "Like offering yourself up to be hunted…" he paused. "… and then telling them you don't need a gun! What were you thinking?" he asked. I shrugged.

"They were going to stick that glowing poker in your eye. I had to do something!" I explained.

"And what if they had actually taken you outside? What would you have done then?" Sam asked. I shrugged again.

"Taken my chances and hoped for the best." I answered honestly.

"Yeah, and given me a heart attack in the process." Dean shot at me. I smiled to myself. I guess I mattered to Dean after all.