Female reader.

~~~

"Oh, come on." I grumbled at the monster before me. A vengeful ghost, to be exact. I had heard about a haunting in a town near where I was, so I decided to check it out and see if it was worth my time. And I also just needed a reason to get moving. I had been cooped up in my car and crappy motel rooms for the past couple weeks.

Turns out, this was worth my time, and I had eventually tracked down the source of the haunting to a set of old, rotten bones. You know, the usual. I had just salted them and threw gasoline on it before I was so viciously thrown halfway across the damn graveyard.

"I just came out to have a good time and honestly I am feeling so attacked right now." I groaned as I shakily got to my feet, wondering where I'd find a good enough weapon to ward off the ghost until I could set fire to the bones. "Quite literally, might I add."

I glanced around for something made of iron, but nothing was usable. I was virtually stuck here until I could get to the bones. Which, might I add, was blocked because the ghost was standing between me and my destination.

"Oh, Supreme Being, whatever and wherever you are, please send some divine help. Thank you." I muttered to myself as I got thrown again.

Jesus Christ, it would be amazing and a miracle if I came out of this with no broken bones. I thought to myself.

"Whoa! Hey! Stop throwing the girl around!" a voice called out from somewhere to my right. I looked over to see two guys running over like their lives depended on it. "She didn't do--"

It looked like they stopped a few feet from the dug up grave, the taller one stopping the shorter one and nudging him, gesturing to the hole I had spent the past hour digging up.

"She's a hunter." I heard him mutter as he pulled out a lighter and dropped it into the open grave.

"And she was in distress." the shorter one agreed.

"Uh, guys? I had it handled." I called over as the fire in the ditch roared, giving off a comfortable heat which I huddled by as soon as I reached the duo. "I was totally not in distress."

"Riiiiight. Which is why you got thrown across the graveyard by a ghost." the shorter one smirked. "I'm Dean, by the way. This is my brother, Sam."

"Oh wow, I've been graced by the presence of the Winchesters." I laughed, earning a glare from Dean and a quiet chuckle from Sam. "I'm (Y/N)."

"Lucky this ghost wasn't too dangerous. It was probably a newer ghost; it seemed slightly more docile than the ones I usually encounter." Sam mused. I shrugged, picking up my supplies and heading back to my Jeep. 

"Nice to finally meet you Winchester boys." I called out the window once I put my tools away and was seated in my car. "Maybe we'll see each other around."

~~~

Fucking werewolves. 

Of all the creatures I had to encounter this time, it had to be werewolves.

"Come on, guys, can we just get this over with?" I called as I slashed through a werewolf and shot another, turning back to shoot the first one for good measure. "I had a great movie marathon planned tonight, and then you guys had to come around and mess it up."

"You're the one who came out searching for us." a wolf hissed before lunging at me. I shot it before it reached me, the dull thud telling me it wouldn't be getting up within the next few hours.

"Yeah, but then one of your guys attacked me before I had even set foot in the building." I snarked, glaring at the limp body even though it wouldn't do me any good.

One last werewolf attempted to jump me from above, but I held up a gun and shot it straight in the head, keeping my eyes still trained on the limp form below me.

"Don't mess with me." I snarled.

"Well then you shouldn't have messed with me." another voice sounded right behind me and I whirled around a second too late. 

Of course I forgot about the Alpha.

The leader of the pack had me pinned up against the wall, its arm pressed tightly against my throat. I honestly had no idea how to get out of this one. I'm more of a making-this-up-as-I-go kind of person. My weapons were knocked out of my hands and were a few feet away from me on the floor. My other back up knife was in my boot, which was kind of FAR to reach at the moment.

And when it seemed like I couldn't breathe any more and was about to pass out, another figure tackled the Alpha while another held my gasping form.

"Hey. (Y/N). Don't faint on me. Stay with me here." a familiar voice soothed.

I made an effort to raise my head to see who it was, and was greeted with the face of none other than Dean Winchester. 

As my breathing and vision gradually evened out and cleared, I surveyed the work I had done. Sam was finishing up the Alpha as Dean went over to one of the wolves I had slashed through.

"Huh. Silver blade. Smart idea." He looked up at me. 

"Are you okay?"

I shook myself from my thoughts and looked at him. "What?"

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" he asked in a gentle tone.

I shook my head. "I'm fine. Thanks. For asking. And for saving me."

"Again." Dean reminded me with a smug grin.

"Yes, again." I sighed with a roll of my eyes. "Wipe that smug smile off your face before I do it for you, Winchester."

"Ooh, how are you going to do that?" he taunted with an eyebrow wiggle.

"The way I'm going to do it." I deadpan. "How else?"

Again, the boys stood watching me as I headed back to my Jeep.

"(Y/N)--" Sam started, but Dean cut him off.

"Do you want to hunt with us?" he blurted out.

I paused for a moment, studying each brother carefully.

Dean's face had a slightly hopeful expression, a small reassuring smile surfacing at the corner of his mouth. He looked slightly timid and shy, probably because he was nervously awaiting my answer. His hands were in his jacket pockets, and his shoulders were slightly hunched inward. If I said no, he'd probably be mopey about it for a few weeks, or at least until we saw each other again, which was who-knows-when.

Sam on the other hand looked more relaxed. His hands were in his pockets too, but he looked neither nervous nor shy. In fact, his expression was one of reassurance and slight indifference. There was maybe some hope in there somewhere. Whatever option I chose, he didn't mind either way, and he'd support me in whatever I chose. His posture was more slouched, and he rested his weight on one leg.

"I'll get back to you on that." I told them, not choosing an answer.

"But--"

"Hey, at least you'll have an excuse to see me again, right?" I laughed. "See you boys around."

~~~

I pulled out a pick and a small rod, picking the lock to the door open. It swung open easily, and I crept into the house, holding up my weapons with vigilance. I had sources tell me a shapeshifter was spotted here, but the house was quiet.

Too quiet.

Too late I realized that I was probably going to get ambushed.

About three seconds later, I was proven right.

Sometimes I love being right, and sometimes I absolutely hate being right. Today was the latter.

A blow to the back of my head left me stunned and disoriented, my vision going blurry and my head throbbing wherever the attacker had hit me. I whirled around another second too late and got a punch to the face, the force of the hit sending me stumbling backwards and onto my back.

"Well fuck me gently with a chainsaw." I managed to snap. "You shifters are some brilliant creatures, but sometimes it's a pain when you guys go stirring up trouble."

I don't know why, but it looked like the shifter had assumed my form from my slightly concussed perspective on the floor. They knelt down and looked me in the eye, a sickly sweet smile gracing it's--my?-- features.

"Well, it is my trouble, so I don't know why you decided to come meddling into it. Ever hear of 'Minding your own business'?"

"Nah, not really. Us hunters are kind of hard of hearing and sometimes super stubborn." another voice called.

Dean's voice.

"Well, damn." I muttered, seeing Sam appear behind Dean. "Thanks for crashing my party. AGAIN. I had it handled, you know." I yelled to the brothers.

"Yeah, because your bloody nose, bruised face, and body on the floor totally shows that." Dean snarked, Sam shrugging with an apologetic expression when I looked to him for support.

I struggled to push myself off the ground, my head spinning as I slowly stood up. 

Please don't pass out. Please don't pass out. PLEASE don't pass out.

I held up a finger as I gathered my bearings, silently thanking the shifter for not attacking any of us.

"Well, I can imagine that you're thanking me for not doing anything yet." the shifter said almost immediately, as if reading my thoughts. 

Actually, they probably were reading my thoughts.

Next thing I know, Dean's said, "Well let's get this party started." with a shrug and we're all attacking the shifter. I'm surprised that it was able to hold itself out for this long with three people attacking it.

But the fight is over in the blink of an eye and before I know it, I'm pinned against the wall with Dean's forearm pressed against my throat with a knife pointed at my face and Sam's got the shifter in a tight hold as well, weapon also pointed at it.

"Real me! Real me!" I gasp out. "I know that that's one shitty way to prove that it's actually me, but if you have to kill me, at least I died trying to save more people. It's what a hunter would do, sacrifice themselves for the good of all, if it ever came to that."

Dean's expression hardened for a moment as he turned to Sam. 

"Kill it." he gestured vaguely to the shifter in Sam's grasp. "A shifter wouldn't try to die unless they were super depressed. Which they probably shouldn't be, most of the time."

He turned back to me, a wry smile now on his face. "Us hunters are probably all dead inside or something. We're all playing heroes, trying to save people, and we end up dying in the process."

"We gotta stop meeting like this, sweetheart." he smirks as he lowers his arm.

I nod, catching my breath. "You're telling me. I had it handled, though. I'm not kidding."

"Never said you were. It's just that, it seemed like you were on the ground when we came in." Dean reasoned, raising his eyebrows. 

"And?"

"...And, you seemed to be bleeding from your nose, you seemed to have shown signs of being beat up...." he trailed, waiting for me to admit that I needed help, no doubt.

I sighed. "Look, Dean. I like you. You're a cool guy. But let me get one thing straight: I am a damsel. But I am not in distress. I can handle myself." 

I grin at Dean reassuringly, patting him on the shoulder before heading back towards my car. 

"Says the girl who always seems to be in a predicament when we find her."

"Yeah, about that. I don't know if you guys put a tracker on me or my car or something, or maybe you're just so attracted to me you can find me that easily, or we just hear about the same cases at the same time--which also happens to be a coincidence--but you gotta admit: if I weren't as capable, I wouldn't have been able to get this far."

Dean sighed, a small smile on his face. "Fine, I admit it. You're a damsel not-so in distress."

"Damn right, Winchester." I agreed, patting him on the shoulder as I passed him on my way out. "Now how about a drink? We can get to know each other for real, yeah? And maybe we can work something out about you interrupting my hunts."

Yeah, not my best.