Just Fine Before I Met You

There were days were Sophia just didn't quite understand how her life had led to driving around the country with brothers that she had never known until a little under a year ago. She had grown up with the woman she had known as her mother with her father off fighting a war against the creatures that went bump in the night. Every year like clockwork, her father would show up for her birthday and would stay for the entire day. Growing up, Sophie counted down the days starting with the day after and continuing until the calendar had each and every day crossed off.

Madeline had done the best she could for her child, trying to provide both parents to a little girl that had been thrust upon her by a man that had saved her and her brother's life on more than one occasion. The little girl had been dumped on her hands with little explanation as to why - all any of them knew was that Mary had been murdered by a creature and just like Maddy would have expected, John went out for revenge while she looked after his youngest.

The years wore on and as curious as Sophie was, whenever she brought up what John did for a living, whether it was to him on one of her birthdays or to her mother and her uncle, little information was offered. It was always that "he was off protecting innocent people from the horrors in the dark" and she did her best to accept it. In the middle of the night when she was wide awake and she was lonely, missing him, it was the hardest but whenever she got weak, she did her best to remind herself why life had to be the way it was.

Jerking herself out of the trance she was in, Sophie looked to the left and smiled at the sight that met her. Dean. Her oldest brother driving the Impala that their father had gifted to him before he had passed - before he had made a deal to save Dean's life. Part of her resented Dean because she had never known the father that he had but then, she couldn't fight how similar they both were. They were both stubborn and dedicated to their work, almost to a fault.

---

Sam shifted around in the back seat, shoving one book onto the floor while lifting another into the air so that he could prop his feet up on the back seat. He cleared his throat and on reflex, Sophie leaned forward to turn down the radio much to Dean's dismay. She waved off the scowl and turned around in her seat enough that she could face Sam. "What's the case?"

"In Northern Louisiana, there's a case that just keeps popping up. I don't... the pieces aren't making sense but a bunch of college students threw a party in a field one day and a few of them disappeared. There's only one claimed witness of the attacker but she refuses to say anything because she claims that she must be traumatized because what she saw doesn't make any sense," Sam explained, resulting in a huff from Sophie.

"I will never understand why it's so hard for people to understand that the monsters they're told about as a kid are real," Sophie grumbled under her breath, earning a chuckle from Dean. Sophie was still getting used to how naive some people really were in regards to those around them.

Dean cleared his throat and nodded, not even thinking about what may happen once they were in town. "We should be there late tonight. We'll get a motel room and start on the case in the morning so we can be rested up."

Crowley always knew it was a good idea to keep an eye on the Winchester brothers, he heard from the demon grape vine that there was suddenly a new addition to the family. A daughter for the brothers, Crowley wasn’t sure if this girl was a surprise that Daddy Winchester kept hidden or if the boys knew about her.

His demon followers hadn’t gotten that much information on the girl, only that she was a Winchester and she was now traveling with the boys after John died. He did wonder what she was like, who she would be like more. Sam or Dean? John or Mary? He was curious to meet this girl, Sophia, was her name. He could appear in the car right now or on the road they were driving along, but that wouldn’t give her a very good first impression of himself.

He knew the boys couldn’t stand him, but maybe she was different. Although he didn’t hold much hope for her actually liking him, he was a demon after all and the King of Hell. But that wouldn’t stop him from meeting her and seeing for himself what she was like, was she a hunter like her family? Or was she a normal girl just trying to live her life and was thrown into the world of hunters and supernatural creatures?

Crowley had so many questions about this third Winchester sibling, questions that no one could answer for him. He would just need to meet her on his own and get a feeling for her, although he sometimes felt like two Winchester siblings was more than enough for the world. Now there were three! Hopefully she wouldn’t give him a headache, like her brothers always tended to do whenever they had contact. Which surprisingly was fairly often these days, so he was certain he would meet Sophia one day very soon.

---

Evelyn had returned home two years ago because her mom was sick and needed her, sadly it wasn’t long after Evie came home that her mom passed away. Her best friend was gone just like that, the only family she had left was now gone and Evie didn’t know what to do. She had moved away to New York once she graduated high school, attended medical school and worked her way up to be a doctor. She’s worked in clinics and hospitals, helping people has always been what she wanted to do with her life and her mom had always been so proud.

She dated guys every now and again but nothing ever became serious, work took over her life as she was constantly being called to work even on her days off. Not many guys liked that about her life and none stuck around that long, none longer than her high school sweetheart, Dean. That he was long gone and Evie never really thought about him now, she was too busy working in a hospital in her hometown.

It has usually always been a quiet place to live, a place to have and raise a family. But everyone knew about the party that a bunch of college kids threw, several of them haven’t been seen since that night. The witness, a young girl, apparently saw what happened that night but has refused to say anything to anyone. Evie had been close to getting the girl to open up and tell her everything, but a nurse burst into the room and the girl pushed them all away again.

The girl’s parents bring her in to see Evie every week, a few times a week if their daughter isn’t doing that well. Evie always makes time for her, people still search for the missing kids but no leads have been uncovered. Evie covered her yawn with her hand as she had finished another long shift at the hospital, clocking out she walked to her parked car and drove the few minutes home where she could relax until her next shift the next morning.

"Do we have to? I mean, if the girl isn't talking, she's not going to talk to you two! You'll scare her even more than she already is. I mean, let's be real. Imagine if you were hanging out with a bunch of friends and you watched them be slaughtered by some creature. And then two guys start questioning you like their lives depend on it?" Sophie rambled on as they drove to the small town hospital, her arms crossed as she glared at her brothers. They were being so entirely unreasonable, thinking that they could just waltz on into a hospital, turn on the good ol' Winchester charm and get their way. How ridiculous! After a fair bit more arguing, they agreed that Sophie would go in to try and to get as much information as she could.

While Sophie wasn't the best actor in the world, by any means, she had picked up on enough skills and could spit out a believable lie just as quickly as either of her brothers. She tugged on the outfit that had been deemed appropriate for the job by them. "So what's the drill then?"

"You'll go in," Sam began to explain the plan in more detail so that Sophie could have a better idea of exactly what was expected of her. As well versed as she liked to think she was, a clear explanation of what was expected still gave her a sense of calmness. A sense that she knew what was required of her and she knew what to do to achieve exactly that. All while growing up, Sophie had known her father was a hunter but she had never known exactly what that entailed until a few months ago. Now she was struggling to catch up. To catch up to her brothers, so that she would on an even playing field and could hold her own. So they didn't have to worry about her not being able to pull her own weight during whatever mission they were in.

---

Dean and Sam sat huddled in the waiting room of the emergency room, both leaning toward each other, with their backs to the wall. They were careful to keep their eyes on everything in the room. Each on edge for different reasons. Sam was afraid that something was going to go wrong ultimately. Sophia was still new, there was so much that she didn't know that it wasn't hard to imagine something getting fucked up along the way. And with Dean, well, he had recognized a name that he really had hoped he would never hear again. When they entered the emergency room to wait for Sophie, the check in staff had mentioned the doctor for the evening. One Evelyn Ramos. There was no mistaking it - the name wasn't one you came across every dayy. But even so... maybe his luck was finally turning up and it wouldn't be the girl he'd fallen head over heels in love with.

The fight that Dean had had with his father as they left, and ultimately he had had to leave her behind, was of epic proportions. Sam to this day didn't know why the fight had happened and Dean liked to keep it that way. Seeing what had happened to Jessica after their dad went missing had been all of the convincing that he needed to never go looking for Eva. He was sure that he could find her if it came right down to it but... he couldn't run the risk. He didn't want to run the risk because he couldn't bare the thought of losing her again.

"She's taking forever," Dean grumbled under his breath, lacing his fingers together in his lap as he leaned back, trying to relax. "What the fuck is the problem? Seriously?"

[I wrote as Sam, hope that’s alright? I didn’t feel like it was time for Crowley to pop in just yet]

Sam sat on the edge of the hard plastic chair that was in the hospital waiting room, he was feeling anxious because they had stupidly decided to let Sophie talk to the young girl on her own. Something that she hasn’t done before and doesn’t have that much experience with yet, he loved his sister especially because it didn’t make him the youngest anymore. He knew she wouldn’t mess up, but he still didn’t like not doing anything and not being able to see Sophie.

Anything could be happening right now and he didn’t know, all because she was stubborn and probably wanted to prove to her brothers that she could be a hunter and work on her own when times called for it. “Dude, calm down. She’s only been in there for three minutes, even we can’t work that fast. If the girl isn’t talking, it’s going to take time.” He urged his brother to calm down, was Dean always like this or was there something else behind how annoyed he was?

Sam honestly had no idea what went through Dean’s head and he really didn’t want to know, he’s be scarred for life if he did. “You’re never usually like this, Sophie is exactly like you. She’ll be fine,” He reassured his brother and himself at the same time, not that it really worked because he couldn’t stop himself from worrying. He was tempted to walk through the hospital until he found his little sister, who he didn’t remember but loved none the less now. But it was another reason for him to disagree with his father, why John couldn’t raise Sophia like he had raised himself and Dean was beyond him.

---

Evelyn had finished checking Tina over when a nurse brought a young girl into the room, she introduced herself as Agent Hetfield. She wasn’t sure if Tina was up to being asked questions again by the police but her parents agreed and decided to leave the room so they could grab a coffee, Evie didn’t leave the room because she felt like Tina needed all the support she could get. Evie was surprised with how young the agent looked, surely the FBI wouldn’t send a trainee to question a vulnerable girl unless they saw all of this as a joke. So she sat on a chair and listened to the questions that were being asked, most were normal and ones Tina had heard before and not answered. But then the agent threw in a few that stood out to Evie, because she had never heard them before.

Was there a smell in the area or did it start to feel cold, strange questions like that which caused Evie to stand up from her chair. She was about to ask the agent to leave when Tina finally spoke, apparently there were many monsters that appeared out of nowhere. All had claws and sharp teeth, but it dark so Tina couldn’t see much else from the people but they were strong. Knocking the kids down before using their claws and teeth to rip bodies apart, Evie didn’t know what to think about what she was hearing. The all ended when Tina broke down, Evelyn showed Agent Hetfield out into the hallway.

“Tina has been through a lot, I’m not sure what you can take from all of that. I don’t even know why the kids went to that field in the first place, no one goes there. It’s private property, not that we know or see the owners.” She explained to the agent as she walked alongside her through the hallway, “I’m sorry that you came all this way for that. It’s heartbreaking what happened to those kids, and I hope you do find who did this to them.” She looked at the girl as they reached the waiting room, she was about to walk away but something didn’t feel right. It caused Evie to look ahead of her for some reason, but she wished that she hadn’t because of who was sitting there. Dean Winchester. She knew it was him, he was older now but it was him. He still dressed the same and was even more handsome then he had been as a teenager, seeing him brought back memories that she had pushed away so many years ago. Her heart raced in her chest as she saw Sam stand up, he was taller now and looked so grown up. “Dean?” Her voice was a whisper and she wasn’t sure if he heard her.

(that's fine! )

"You don't know the owners? You never see them?" Sophie clarified, her eyes narrowing a bit at that piece of information. While Tina had provided a few bits of information that she thought would be useful, that seemed to spark her attention even further. She looked up at the same time that Evelyn did and she gave a lopsided grin to her brothers, as if to say that she had everything under control but the only thing she saw was the way Dean looked like a boy that was afraid he was about to be scolded. He was staring right at Evelyn, unmoving, not acknowledging anyone but the doctor that currently stood beside her. She opened her mouth to ask but then Evelyn was speaking and Sam was giving her a confused look and Sophie could only shrug. She had no clue what was going on anymore than Sam did.

Her jaw dropped as she watched the scene unfold in front of her, quickly rushing forward and standing by Sam. "Do you have any clue what the hell is going on? I mean, I know I haven't been around for nearly as much as you have but damn, if you don't look just as clueless as I do," she commented, flashing a bit of a grin. "I don't think I've ever seen Dean react this way... to anyone."

---

Dean knew she was here. He had no real way of knowing, he wasn't psychic and he certainly had no ability to detect a certain person's presence but his heart knew. And he looked up to see his sister standing there but he ignored her because of the woman she stood beside. Dean didn't need more than a second or two before he was launching out of his seat and taking quick, long strides toward Evelyn. Every part of him was screaming to turn and run the other way. To leave the nearly healed wounds (the hole that leaving her had left would never quite be healed, Dean knew) alone and move on but then she whispered his name and that was all the fuel he needed to barrel toward her.

The moment that he was close enough, Dean's arms slipped around her waist and he pulled her up, as close as he could without fearing that he would hurt her. He buried his face into her neck and only pulled away let she let out a small noise of discomfort. His arms dropped back down to his sides then and he took a small step backward. He reached a hand back and massaged the back of his neck, suddenly feeling all awkward and out of place. He shouldn't be here. It was all sorts of wrong, it would end up causing problems for Evelyn that she didn't need. Or deserve.

"Uh, I-I guess saying hi would have been a better response, huh?" Dean asked, letting out a dry laugh, trying to ease the palpable tension that seemed to surround them.

Sam glanced over to where Sophie was now standing, relief washed over him once he realised that she was fine. The grin on her lips told him that she had information for them and that she had gotten that information all by herself, he knew that he didn’t give her many chances to prove that she was part of the team. Standing up as he thought they were all going to leave the hospital, but he was wrong. Because Dean wasn’t beside him any longer, he was walking over to the doctor who had walked Sophie out. “I have no idea… did you catch her name?” He asked as they both watched the scene unfold in front of them, Dean has never acted this way with any woman before. It was strange to watch. Sophie whispered the name to him, Doctor Ramos.

Sam’s eyes widened as he did remember that name, he looked at his sister because he knew this had just made everything messy now. “Dad brought us here before, he had a job that took six months. Dean was sixteen and she was his first true love, probably his only true love. Once Dad finished the job, he packed us up and left for the next job. Didn’t even let Dean say goodbye,” Sam very quietly explained to Sophie so she would at least understand as much as he did, he didn’t remember much of that time but he did know this wasn’t going to help them with the job. “This job has just gotten harder,” He murmured under his breath as he continued to watch his brother, he couldn’t look away.

---

Evelyn first thought her eyes were playing a trick on her, her shift has been a long one. But then his familiar arms moved around her waist, all she wanted to do was embrace him and lean into his body but it would only cause more pain if she allowed that to happen. Her heart had never mended, not even when she had other boyfriends. She always found herself comparing guys to Dean, which wasn’t fair on anyone and that is the reason why she hasn’t even been on a date for four months. She’s been asked out by men but she constantly turns them down, besides she’s always busy with work and can sometimes have incredibly long shifts.

A small noise of discomfort escaped her lips causing Dean to drop his arms, she wasn’t even thinking so when her hand connected with his cheek. It was a reflex, she hadn’t meant to slap him... although it did feel good as he did deserve it after breaking her heart when he left. “What are you doing here?” Her voice was harsh, a voice she never used until now. She had never expected him to return, never expected to see him again but here he was. Evie had grown since she was sixteen, she was slightly taller and her body had filled out nicely to be more womanly. Her blonde hair was tied back into a neat braid, her blue eyes usually shone with happiness. Suddenly everything clicked in her mind, the agent was standing beside Sam and she immediately noticed the resemblance between them all.

“Who are you?” She knew the girl had lied to her, she wasn’t an agent in the FBI who was looking into this case. Dean never got along with police, he wouldn’t have joined them and Sam was too smart. Her hand reached into the pocket of her black pants and pulled out her phone, she went to dial the number of the local police station but didn’t get far when Dean’s hand covered her’s and stopped her. “Tell me what’s going on or I’m having you all arrested,” Her eyes moved up onto Dean’s face, her heart ached seeing him again. “Why are you asking Tina questions?” She saw the hesitation in Dean’s eyes.

"This is bad. Very, very bad," Sophie answered Sam's explanation of who the doctor was. She watched with wide eyes as Dean scooped the girl right off the floor and only moments later, her brother was being slapped. On instinct, she started forward but a step was taken and she pushed down the instinct to help Dean. This was a mess that she would have to leave alone, she wasn't so sure that either of them could help Dean. Or that they should. After all, Sophie certainly didn't know the girl enough to try and reason with her and it didn't seem like Sam was going to. They were both rooted to the floor, watching with wide eyes as Evelyn began to reach for her phone. In that moment, Sophie began to hold her breath and couldn't seem to remember how to.

"Uh, so... she... oh. That looks like it hurt. He loved her though... maybe.. uh, it'll get better? You know what they say, shit has to get worse before it can get better. Right?" Sophie managed to force the words through her lips, looking up to her brother with a small frown. "I mean, right?" She had no idea what she was trying to argue as she turned her attention back to her brother at the other end of the room.

---

Dean had been so hopeful and then the moment he set her down, that hope was crushed. He barely reacted when she slapped him, blinking slowly. Once, twice, three times before he even opened his mouth. He would offer some sort of explanation but he was at a loss for words. Standing in front of Evelyn Ramos was the last thing he thought he would ever do again. He had only just barely remembered the name of the town and when it came up for the case, he had only considered it briefly. There was no way Evie was still here, she had always talked about getting out. About escaping the small town that had become like a prison.

"Uh, working," Dean finally found his voice. He offered a hint of a smile before it was wiped away. He cleared his throat, shrugging his shoulders. This was no place to talk about his work, not to someone he was sure would laugh in his face. Evelyn was obviously angry and he couldn't blame her, but she would surely think he was just trying to cover up the real reason he was here.

Grinding his teeth together, Dean glanced over to his siblings who watched them both with wide eyes. "Look. I can't talk about it here. Can we meet at that old diner? That we always ate at that has the most amazing apple pie ever. Oh boy," he spoke, his eyes lighting up at the idea. He rubbed his stomach before he shook his head to straighten back up. "I'll... explain everything there. As much as I can. Please, Evie. I swear this isn't whatever you think it is. We're trying to help Tina."

Sam had seen his brother slapped before by women, but this time around even he felt the sting of the slap. At least he understood why they had to leave town so quickly, Evelyn didn’t and for as long as she was kept in the dark she was going to despise Dean. “It doesn’t always work like that, we do tell people what we actually do. But this is different, it could cause more trouble or cause danger and that’s the last thing Dean would ever want for her. It would probably be easier to do the job and leave, keep her loathing him.” Sam didn’t know how well Sophia was taking in what he was saying, but he did know one thing and that was that this job would be their hardest.

“We shouldn’t be watching,” He told his sister as his hand found her shoulder, he moved her away from their older brother and towards the front entrance of the hospital. Dean would have to deal with this on his own, he was the only one that could deal with this. He had only met Evelyn a few times, but that was a very long time ago and he didn’t really remember when he was that young. Reaching the Impala he looked down at Sophia, “What did you find out?” He asked as he leaned against the side of the Impala, if they could get a head start on the case then maybe it would be easier on everyone and no one else would be found dead like the college kids.

---

Working? How could he possibly be working? Evelyn was beyond confused but still quite angry at him, “How do I know that you’ll show up?” She asked as her eyes found his, sighing softly she knew that comment was uncalled for. It had slipped past her lips because it had crossed her mind, she didn’t know why he left her in the first place. He could do it all over again for all she knew, “I can be there in a few hours. After I finish my shift here,” She gave in to him, she did want to know why he was trying to help Tina and why he couldn’t tell her anything right now. But it was more than that, she just wanted to see him again and have him close.

It brought back so many good memories and it was so familiar, “But you still can’t steal any of my apple pie.” She told him as a small amount of anger faded from her eyes, he had always tried to steal her food when they were dating. “I have to get back to work,” Evie told him before she turned around and walked away from him, she still had patients that needed her attention. Although the hospital was usually fairly quiet considering it was in a small town, in fact what happened to the college students has been the worst accident that has happened for a long while. Every now and again someone will go missing, but they’re never found and everyone assumes they skipped town.

Something that Evie had done for a few years, she had gone away to study medicine and become a doctor. She even started working at a large hospital in New York and loved it, not that she didn’t love working in the town she grew up in because she did. But she felt stuck all over again, now seeing Dean again she realised her one chance at leaving this town for good was gone.

Sophie followed after Sam all too eagerly to get away from the awkward scene that was unfolding in front of them. She had no desire to watch her brother get smacked again. She wanted nothing more than to waltz over and demand that Evelyn not slap Dean again but she honestly couldn't blame the girl. But she liked to think she knew her brother well enough to notice the sag in his shoulders after the initial slap, the way he seemed to deflate. Dean was a proud man and still tried to put on that same, cocky persona he put on for everyone but if you knew him well enough, you'd know when he wasn't quite feeling like himself.

After they reached the Impala, Sophia didn't hesitate to prop herself up on the hood of the car. She was sure the moment that Dean saw her that she would likely be scolded but then, it wasn't every day that Dean was in the situation that he was currently in inside of the hospital.

"From what I gather, it sounds like a wendigo to me but I'm not... sure," Sophia explained quietly. She let out a small sigh as she looked down to her lap, fidgeting with her hands. She didn't like to admit to not being sure about things when Sam was around because he was already so critical of her that she wanted nothing more than to prove herself to him. "The only thing the witness can for sure recall is that she saw glowing eyes and when I asked for verification, she mentioned that they were almost owl like in nature."

---

"Because." Dean started out through gritted teeth. He stared at a spot on the wall behind Evelyn's head. He shoved his hands into his pockets and took a small step away from her. He took a slow, deep breath before he finally answered her. "Because I didn't want to leave in the first damned place but I had a job to do. Even then." Dean began walking backward, that same confident smile returning to his features.

"I'll see you in a few hours then." With that, Dean turned around and all but ran out of the emergency room doors. If he lingered, he would end spilling all of his guts out to Evelyn. Every last, dirty little secret he had hidden away in his closet. In the middle of a hospital with more than enough ears listening in. Exactly what none of them needed because then Sam would be caught and by connection, so would Sophia. Especially if the authorities put together who they were.

Dean huffed as he rolled his shoulders, approaching his siblings with a scowl. The moment that Sophia spotted him, she hopped off of the hood and straightened up. "So what did you find out? I want to get this case over with. Like yesterday."

Sam knew that he was hard on Sophie, he didn’t mean to be like that but she could do so much better than being a hunter for the rest of her life. She was still so young, she should have been attending college and hanging out with friends. Not risking her life every day and having to lie to people about what she did and who her family was, she didn’t deserve a hunter’s life and he had told her that many times before. Not that she ever listened to him, of course. Just like Dean. “At least you got something out of her, what she said does sound like a Wendigo.” He hadn’t dealt with one for a while, his first job with Dean was a Wendigo when they were searching for John and it was soon after he lost Jess.

Looking over his shoulder he noticed Dean was walking towards them, “Wendigo. We better get the flare gun again,” He told his brother before turning to his sister, “Fire is the best way to kill a Wendigo… if you can find them, best hunters around. A perfect hunter at night, we need to head over to where that party was.” Sam spoke not sure on Sophia’s knowledge of Wendigo’s, glancing over at Dean he noticed a unsure expression cross his face. “I can take Sophie, if you have plans.” How did he even bring that topic up? Sam felt awkward just thinking about the situation his brother was in now, once Dean explained that he was seeing Evelyn in a few hours Sam nodded his head. “We can always wait, surely no one would be stupid enough to go back to where this party was.” At least he hoped no one went there, he didn’t even know where the party was held. But people did do stupid things.

---

Evelyn watched as Dean walked away from her, his voice echoed through her mind. He hadn’t wanted to leave, hadn’t wanted to leave her. It took her a few seconds before she was brought back to reality, walking back through the hospital she continued on with her shift. The time seemed to drag on now that she had plans to see Dean again, she wasn’t sure if she was excited to see him or not. She felt like this was all a dream and she was going to wake up soon, and she realised that she didn’t want this to be a dream. Because no matter how much heartbreak she went through, Dean had been her first love. First boyfriend, first kiss, first date… first everything because she never liked any of the boys in town, until he arrived and changed her life completely.

Finally her shift was beginning to slow and she was powering through all the paperwork in her office, she wouldn’t have time to head home and get changed before seeing Dean. So she used the bathroom to freshen up, she took her hair down letting it fall around her shoulders. Her makeup still looked good although she never applied much, and her clothes would have to do. Checking her watch she decided to leave work a little bit more, she clocked out and said goodbye to the nurses on her way out. Walking over to her car she climbed in before she drove through the town, it wasn’t long before she parked her car at the diner. She was surprised to find the black Impala already there, for once Dean was early. Walking into the diner, her eyes scanned the room before she spotted him. Sitting alone at the booth they always used to sit at, she inhaled deeply as she made her way over to him and sat down at the table. “The son took this over a few years ago, much better coffee now.” She didn’t know what else to say to him.

Sophie couldn't contain the groan that sounded from her lips when Sam offered for them to go off on their own. She wanted nothing more than to follow after Dean because at least it meant not having to be near Sam. It was one thing if they weren't alone because they usually tried to be civil for whoever was around but the knowledge that they wouldn't have company had her completely on edge. She looked away from Sam and Dean, her jaw tensing as the two talked over their plans. It wasn't all that long until Dean was leaving and she watched him drive away with a reluctant frown on her lips. She said a silent prayer to whatever damned God was listening and turned back around to face Sam with a bright smile. She was trying to put on a front so that they could at least pretend to get along because there was no telling how long Dean was going to be gone for. Especially if he somehow made up with Evelyn? Shivering at the thought, Sophie pulled her jacket closer to her body.

"What's so special about this girl anyway? I mean, I haven't been around you guys for that long but Jesus... I've never once seen Dean infatuated with a girl. Ever!" Sophie explained, opening her eyes in exasperation. She looked up to Sam with a frown, tilting her head to the side. "I mean, she has to be one helluva woman... don't get me wrong. Right?"

---

Dean had been sipping on his third cup of coffee when Evelyn finally appeared in the diner. He hadn't wanted to order food without her here in case things went sour when she arrived. It would be an awful shame should he need to up and leave if there was a table full of food because at that point, there would be no way that he could leave. No way would he walk away from perfectly good food. The idea was practically sacrilege all on its own to Dean Winchester. He offered an awkward sort of smile when she finally sat opposite him and he held up the mug of coffee. "I'm on my third round so I have to agree," he answered quietly, looking down to the barely lightened caramel coloured coffee. "Ready to order food then?"

Clearing his throat, Dean straightened a bit before leaning across the table so that he only had to whisper so that Evelyn would be the only hear the words about to spill from his lips. "I can't go into too much detail but I swear to you, I didn't want to leave but my dad he's a sort of... cop, of sorts, I guess. Or he was, anyway," he paused, wincing at the correction that he had to make. "And it's a family business. We drive around the country, doing what we can to help people and we were last here on a case that too a little longer than they normally do." Dean tried his best to explain but he was almost positive that what he offered wouldn't be enough to sate her anger and curiosity.

Sam knew this entire situation wasn’t ideal but for now it would have to be enough, Dean needed to deal with Evelyn and they needed to stop the Wendigo before it took any more people into its cave. “From what I remember she is, she was everything to Dean. I think leaving her made him into who he is today,” Sam explained the best he could to Sophia, he was certain that Dean wouldn’t use women and have so many one night stands if he hadn’t fallen in love with Evelyn and gone through the heart break when John took them to the next job. “Let’s get back to the motel, it isn’t far from here.” He spoke as he could tell that Sophia didn’t want to be there with him, she would have been happier to go with Dean and just sit in the Impala. But Dean needed some space and time alone with Evelyn, Sam just hoped that he didn’t tell her too much as she really didn’t need to know what they hunted.

Turning he begun the walk back towards the cheap motel, it was only a few streets away so it wouldn’t take them all that long. “Once Dean gets back then we’ll get ready and go find it,” He told Sophia as it was safer in numbers, three wasn’t a big number but it was much better than himself and Sophia. Especially when she hasn’t dealt with a Wendigo before, she doesn’t know what to expect but hopefully this monster won’t target her. They didn’t need for one of them to be taken to whatever cave this monster uses to store humans, but he honestly wouldn’t be surprised if that did happen. “You can sit this one out, if you want.” He mentioned to her as they walked, a cool breeze was beginning to pick up around them and moved leaves along the ground.

---

Evie nodded her head lightly and ordered two slices of pie and a coffee, she turned back to Dean and listened to what he was telling her. A frown pulled her brows together as she looked at him, “So you’ve always travelled? Then why did you start dating me? You would have known that you’d have to leave town again, why didn’t you just leave me alone?” She asked him as it would have been easier on them both if he hadn’t dated her, it wouldn’t have hurt so much when he left if she didn’t know him. She could feel herself becoming emotional but formed herself not to cry, she hadn’t cried over Dean for a long time and she wasn’t about to start again. It was only a few minutes before the pie and Evie’s coffee was placed on the table in front of them, she thanked the young girl before sipping her coffee.

“I loved you Dean, more than anything. I never knew what caused you to leave me, I thought I’d done something wrong or you found someone else better than me.” It was hard for Evie to admit that to him, but she needed him to know. She had gone for so many years blaming herself and she truly believed that it had been her fault that he left town, but maybe it wasn’t. Clearing her throat she sat back against the seat, “Why was your sister talking to Tina and pretending to be an FBI agent? Do you know how much trouble I could be in because I let a stranger question my patient, I could lose my job.” Her eyes locked onto his as this was serious, she has worked way too hard to be where she is now. She wasn’t going to let anything ruin her life or her career. “I’m sorry about your dad,” She whispered as she was, she knew all too well what it was like to lose a parent. She never knew her father, but her mom had gotten sick and passed which is the reason she came back home.

(I swore I replied to this )

When the wind began to pick up, Sophia let out a sigh and pulled her shirt a bit closer to her body to try and warm up as much as she could. She was tired and ready for sleep because this had been her first time really doing anything on her own. She had been hopeful she would do well and she seemingly had, they had gathered enough information to know what sort of creature they were up against. All because she had done her job well. As the thought sank in, Sophie felt a sort of pride beginning to well inside of her. A little smile settled onto her features as she heard Sam speak. Looking up, it dropped a bit as her eyebrows pulled together. "No. I signed up for this, I don't get to sit out just because things might be a little dangerous or whatever."

Once they were finally at the motel, Sophia wasted no time in kneeling down by the door to undo her shoelaces. She kicked off her shoes and padded over to the bed that she dropped down onto. She let out a quiet sigh, falling backward as her eyes slipped shut. It was such a welcome relief to be able to relax for a night, knowing that she didn't really have to worry about much for the rest of the night. Other than whether Dean was still okay or not because she could only imagine what was happening over the past little bit.

Sitting back up, Sophia let out a sigh as she looked toward Sam. "Besides, last I knew, wendigos are dangerous and I don't want you guys going out on your own. Even if you're both strong as all hell. And be honest, you'd be the same damn way if roles were reversed."

---

"Because," Dean tried to come up with a better sort of reason but he just sat there watching as Evelyn spoke. He wanted nothing more than to reach forward and hold her hand, he wanted nothing more than to slide to the other side of the booth so he could wrap his arms around her and try to reason with her. Try to explain why but this wasn't where he was going to be able to do that. There were too many witnesses, too many people listening and potentially overhearing things that they didn't need to know. "Because I had never met someone like you in my life before. Not someone I've ever been able to find a replacement before since." Dean didn't stop long enough to consider what he had just admitted to without the proper words.

Dean straightened a bit, shovelling a few bites of pie into his mouth in hopes that he could figure out some sort of answer to offer her but it didn't seem right to lie to her. Not her of all people. "I can't... not here.." he trailed off, letting out a sigh as he reached up to run a hand through his hair. "If you come back to the motel we're staying at, I'll tell you more. But not here. There's too many people listening and it could... could put them in danger that I'm trying to save them from." Dean offered a small smile as he dropped his gaze down, pushing his pie around for a moment. "Please. I want to tell you but I can't here."

[Sorry that my replies are so crap!]

Sam was glad when they arrived back to the motel room, he pulled his jacket off and draped it over a chair before he took his boots off. He already knew that he would receive that answer from Sophia, but she was right. She did sign up for this life so she was going to constantly be involved in all the jobs they came across, no matter how dangerous the job was. “I would be but just remember that Wendigo’s are fast and silent, they can mimic a human voice. Just be smart,” Sam told her as he knew how well a Wendigo can kidnap someone, especially with the voice they use to. “We’ve already lost dad, we can’t lose anyone else.” He murmured as he walked over to the mini bar fridge and pulled out a beer, removing the lid he took a long drink of the bitter liquid and sighed softly as he knew they would just wait for Dean to return.

They would get a good sleep tonight and tackle the Wendigo tomorrow as that made more sense, they would need all the help they could get. And that included having Sophia there helping them find and kill the monster, “Want any leftover food?” Sam asked seeing the plastic containers in the fridge from the last diner they went to on the drive over to the town, he picked out his container of leftover food and sat down on the bed that he had claimed as his.

---

Evelyn looked down at her plate of pie when Dean said that he had never met anyone like her, nor had he found anyone like her since he left. She had nothing to say to him, what could she possibly say? That she compared every single guy to him and none of them come close to how he makes her feel? She could tell him that but the words didn’t form on her tongue so she stayed silent, she just continued to eat her piece of pie and drink her coffee. “Danger? Dean…” Worry filled her blue eyes as she looked at him, what had he gotten himself into now? Was he always in danger? “I’ll come to the motel, you just have to tell me what you’re really doing. I know you’re keeping something from me,” She could tell he was, by how he acting around her. His shoulders were tense and he licked his lips more often than he normally did, both told Evie that whatever he was hiding was a huge deal.

“I lost mom a few years ago, she got really sick so I moved back here but I couldn’t save her… I can’t lose you too,” Evie hadn’t noticed that she had reached across the table and took his hand into her own, once she realised that she was holding his hand she didn’t make any move to pull away. It felt so nice, so familiar and she didn’t want that to stop. She entwined their fingers together and enjoyed how his rough fingers felt against her skin, “I tried so hard to hate you. But I never really could, I tried moving on but no one compared to you. After college I got engaged… but I never felt right with him, I’ve never felt how I did with you.” She admitted to him as she needed to, she never got the chance to tell him how she felt before now so she couldn’t let this chance go.

The mere mention of their father was enough to dampen Sophia's mood because she felt nearly cheated in some ways. While she never really talked about her brothers' childhood with them, at least they had sort of known him. She remembered him on her birthdays and little else, there were a few letters that he had sent her over the years, that she kept close - that she still had to this day. Letting out a sigh, Sophia shrugged her shoulders when Sam continued to speak. Her appetite was more or less gone now but she knew the lecture that she would receive if she didn't eat. She needed to eat so she could have the energy in the morning, so that she would be in top shape to take on the Wendigo they were hunting. The way that Sam spoke about it made it seem like it was one of the worth monsters that they had ever fought and that she would be put to the test.

Sophia moved toward the little fridge and sighed as she pulled out her left over fries and chicken fingers. It was her go to meal because as far as she was concerned, no diner could screw up either. Just like to Dean, a bacon cheeseburger couldn't be screwed up. She didn't bother to heat up the food before she sat back down on the bed, dipping the chicken into the hot sauce she had left. She had a weird little obsession with it and that had yet to change, even now.

---

"Danger is practically my middle name, babe. If you're going to know anything about me, it's going to have to be that. I mean, I know how shitty it is but..." Dean trailed off, shrugging his shoulders after a moment. He had come to terms with the way his life was a long time ago. There was no getting away from the danger when you were a hunter, Jessica's death had more than proved that to him. If anything, it had instilled the fear in him that whatever woman that he got close to, they could end with the same fate. Whether Azazel was alive and breathing or not, there would always be a threat breathing down their neck.

"I will," Dean muttered, running a hand through his hair. In the first time in probably forever, Dean pushed away the rest of his slice of pie.

Dean's features hardened as he looked up from where he sat when she mentioned losing her mother. He didn't reach forward to meet her hand because he felt like he was possibly overstepping a boundary that he shouldn't. If it had been anyone else, he wouldn't have cared. Not in the least bit but Evelyn was different, she always had been. "Dad, he uh..." Dean trailed off, grinding his teeth together. "Yeah," he muttered, clearing his throat before he could continue. "I lost him awhile ago, too. Found out that I have a sister though," he murmured, a small grin coming to his lips at the mention of Sophia. "So I guess it could be worse."

Dean raised out of his seat to pull his wallet out, dropping a few bills onto the table. "Let's... get out of here," he muttered, holding out his hand to help her out of the booth. "Come on."

Sam glanced over to Sophia and made sure she was eating something, he would never understand how she could eat cold food when it’s meant to be warmed up and why she always covered her food in hot sauce. Dean did the same thing while Sam hated spicy hot food, he couldn’t stand the burn on his tongue. Sometimes he really did wonder if he was actually related to his siblings, of course he knew he was but there have been times when he questioned it. Pulling out his laptop he searched for whatever he could find on Wendigo’s, just so he could mentally prepare himself for the monster that was beginning to kidnap people from the town. He looked over to his sister and hated this, it happened whenever Dean wasn’t around. They feel into a tense silence that neither of them ever wanted to break, but it’s been this way ever since Sophia came back into his life. They didn’t get along as well as her and Dean did.

“Did you want to read up about Wendigo’s? Dad’s journal has information or you can use this,” He offered his laptop if she wanted to prepare herself, this wasn’t Sophia’s first hunt but she still hasn’t been on very many. And she hasn’t faced a monster like this before, of course a Wendigo was bad but he has seen a whole lot worse out there.

---

“You have a sister? Was that the girl pretending to be an FBI agent?” Evie asked as she didn’t remember Dean ever mentioning that he had a sister, he only had Sam. Leaving her coffee and pie on the table, she took Dean’s hand and stood up from the booth. She wanted to get this done with, she wanted to know what he was hiding from her. So they left the diner together and walked over to their parked cars, “I’ll meet you there.” She looked at him knowing which motel he’d be staying at, there was only one motel in the small town. Climbing into her car she smiled softly when she heard the familiar roar of the Impala, she wasn’t surprised that Dean now drove his dad’s car as he had always loved it.

She followed him in her car through the streets and it was only a few minutes before she parked her car beside his, she let a heavy sigh escape her lips as she was nervous. Nervous to hear what Dean was going to tell her, nervous because whatever he did put him in danger and he seemed fine with that. Climbing out she locked her car and looked over at him, was she even ready for this? He would tell her something important and then leave town again, he would leave her in the same small town like he did when they were sixteen. Would it hurt her as much as the first time? Should she put herself through all of this again? She pushed those thoughts from her mind when she realised Dean had stepped over to her, “I want you to tell me everything but… at the same time I don’t know if I want to find out whatever you’re hiding,” She looked up at him with uncertainty in her eyes.

Sophia was always so focused on doing her best that she never really stopped to consider what she could do to mend the relationship she had with Sam. It seemed like they both were dead set against not getting along and there really was nothing that she could do, she thought. They hadn't gotten along from the day that she had met her brothers, just barely got along with him other times because their lives had depended on it more times than Sophia cared to admit. Growing up, she would have never imagined that her father lived such a dangerous life but she had only found out after he passed away. And she certainly would have never imagined that she had two brothers that lived the same exact lifestyle that their father did.

There were times, when Dean and her were alone, that Sophia asked what their dad was like. She had the memories she had from her birthday but that was only so much that she had. She only knew John when he showed up in her life and at least, Dean could give her a more in depth view of their father. Even the uglier parts.

"Huh?" Sophia asked as her head shot up so that she could look at Sam when he spoke. She had been so immersed in her own thoughts that she hadn't heard him speak so he had to repeat himself before she knew that he was talking about. She hesitated for a moment, a chicken strip half way to her mouth as she watched Sam reach for John's journal. She gave a nod of her head before holding her free hand out for it.

"You guys hunted one before, right?" Sophia asked after she finished her food and leaned back against the headboard of the bed she would share with Dean that night. "Is there anything I should remember?"

---

"Yeah," Dean said with a nod of his head at the mention of Sophia. A lopsided grin adorned his features at the thought of the sister he had only grown to know over the past few months. He honestly would have never dreamed of such an outrageous concept - there was a Winchester sister. John had a daughter that he had tried so damn hard to keep safe. So, so hard and yet, after his death, here she was. Willing to fight right along side her brothers in the hopes that they could do some sort of good in the world.

The drive back to the motel wasn't nearly as long as Dean would have liked. He wanted it to take as long as possible so he could try to come up with some sort of solution. Some sort of idea on what he could tell Evie while still keeping her safe. Something that would satiate the questions that he was sure she had. Running a hand through his hair, Dean sighed as he led the way up the stairs to the second floor of the motel.

"You probably don't want to know," Dean admitted quietly. He refused to look behind him, not wanting to see Evie's reaction head on. "So you could always turn around and forget this little adventure ever took place."

Sam past John’s journal over to Sophia so she could read up on a Wendigo, “Not to be fooled by it. It can mimic a human voice, a human scream. Don’t pay attention to it, a Wendigo keeps his victims in a cave. A scream will echo and fade out before we’d hear it,” He told her as it was something he was certain would happen, Sophia needed to think on her feet. Hearing a human scream would make her want to help, but the scream wouldn’t be real.

She would have to remember that, she could control what she did. She wouldn’t be able to control the speed or strength of a Wendigo, “And stay close to us. We always have each other’s backs, we can’t protect you if we don’t know where you are.” He told her even though he was certain she already knew that, but he didn’t care. He wanted to make sure that she knew what she would see, glancing over to his sister he wondered how things got like this between them.

It was mostly his fault, Sam knew that. He hadn’t really welcomed her into the family, like he should have and like Dean had. Not only was he shocked to meet her, but he was confused and still was. Apparently Dad sent her away for her protection, but he never sent Dean or himself away to keep them safe. No, he did the opposite and tried to push them into following him into jobs. It’s why he fought with John so much when he left for college.

---

Evie followed Dean up the stairs to the second level and stopped walking when he did, a frown formed on her face as she moved around him. Her arms crossed as she stood in front of him, “Do you honestly expect me to forget that I saw you? Move on with my boring life when I still think about you?” She looked into his eyes as she couldn’t believe what he was doing, “You came back here. You could have left the waiting room so I wouldn’t see you, but you didn’t. So don’t you dare try and push me away now, Dean.” Her voice was firm as she wasn’t going anywhere until he told her whatever he was hiding.

“Just tell me, I’m a grown woman. I can deal with it,” She could deal with it, she was a doctor. She dealt with so much on a daily basis, she had seen and heard everything. She could see he was still torn about telling her, and she wanted to start guessing what he was keeping from her but she decided against it. She’d probably offend him if she did guess, “Dean. You know me, you know I won’t tell anyone else. I can take care of myself,” She assured him as she wanted to reach over and take his hand, but she didn’t because it would hurt having that contact with him if he was going to leave town again.

Dean shouldered the door open, letting out a ragged sigh as he stepped away so that Evelyn could walk into the room. He followed her inside and kicked the door shut, his eyes raising to catch the surprised looks that both Sam and Sophie eyed them with. Sophie opened her mouth to ask what was going on, John's journal falling open in her lap as she eyed the other woman in the room. Her eyes narrowed a bit as she tilted her head to the side but Dean was speaking before Sophia could bother to.

"You remember Sam," Dean paused to motion toward his brother before giving Sophie a weak smile. "And this is my sister. Her actual name is Sophia but we usually call her Sophie or just Soph..." Dean trailed off, his shoulders squared as he turned toward Evelyn. There was no going back now and regardless of what either of his siblings wanted because at the end of the day, he had promised Evie. He had promised he would tell her everything and he had every intention of following through. Dean had disappointed her enough times already, he couldn't stand to do it again.

Dean motioned for Evie to sit down, giving her a lopsided grin. "You might want to sit down, angel. Your world is about to get turned upside down and thrown about."

Leaning against the table beside the bed, Dean looked away to drag in a deep breath. Where did he even begin? "Thee... uh, the. Well, I-" Dean stumbled over his words, his face scrunching as he did so. He readjusted himself, turning to fix Evie with a frown.

Sam cleared his throat, starting to raise out of his seat. "Dean? Is this really that good of an idea? I mean-" Sam fell silent when Dean glared at him. Sophie scoffed, burying her face into the journal in her hands to at least try and pretend like she wasn't focusing on the conversation happening.

"Fuck," Dean exhaled, looking up to the ceiling. He was silent for a long moment before letting out a dry laugh. "The monsters you were told about as a kid? They're all real."