"Hello World, How've ya' been? Good to see you, my old friend. Sometimes I feel as cold as steel, and broken like I'm never gonna heal. I see a light, a little grace a little faith unfurled. Hello World. " - Lady Antebellum

• • •

Staring at the man that lay in a puddle of his own blood, Noah's body started to go numb and cold, like he'd been laying in the snow for too long. He didn't know his story, and he didn't know him all that well, but he knew that whatever story he had, it was a sad one. He did not deserve to be where he was, not when Noah was right there. When Noah could've and should've helped him, protected him in some way.

He felt sick to his stomach as this thick feeling of guilt and dread filled his body and suddenly it was hard to breathe and his vision was going in and out as he fought to come back to the proper state of mind. He took a deep breath, he had to stay sane, not just for his own sake but for Sam and Dean, for the other people in the vault.

It is his job to keep them safe, and in order to do that, he had to stay calm. He can break down later. But not right now. And so, on the verge of tears, he pushed it back as he looked away, seeing the expressions of pure devastation on both Sam and Dean's faces.

Sam handed Dean something, "Here, you take care of the guard, I'm going after the shifter."

Noah slinked along the wall, staying out of line of the sniper, "I'm going with you," He told Sam quietly before they both walked around, to stay out of the sights of anybody looking to kill them.

They both brandished flashlights, and pulled their knives as Noah looked for his dog, hoping she had managed ot take the shifter down. They rounded a corner, and Noah's blood ran cold. Oh God, please...

He ran over, staying along the walls and away from all the windows, sliding across the tiles to reach the limp dog. He touched her, she was breathing. She opened her eyes, staring at him with sad eyes as a whimper escaped her, breath heavy. It had gotten the jump on her. And it reminded him all too well of how he found her when he saved her from the rugaru.

"I know girl, I know, shh, I've got you, can you tell me which way it went?" he soothed. She lifted her nose slightly, pointing towards a door weakly. Noah looked back to Sam who immediately walked towards it, ready to check.

He opened it, immediately whipping left and right, it was nowhere to be seen. He looked, it was a staircase. Descending the steps, he groaned quietly, which echoed up to Noah. Noah sighed, "Let me guess, heap of skin, ripped clothes, and other miscealaneous goop?"

Sam nodded, calling up to him, "Yeah."

Noah looked up, petting Delta but jumped as he saw three people from the vault stadning there, "You guys can't be here right now! Get back to the vault, you're in danger, now!" They jumped, nodding and walking back to the vault.

Noah stood, picking Delta up as she whined, "I know girl, It's all gonna be okay." He walked down to where Sam was, as Sam pulled his phone out, putting it on speaker.

"Yeah?" Dean asnwered, clearly anxious at this point. Noah could understand that, escorting a hostage outside with swat ready to shoot you was a surefire way to rack your nerves.

"Slipped it's skin," Sam stated solemnly. "What? Didn't Delta get it?" Dean questioned. Noah sighed, "No, she must've caught up to it, but it hurt her, and managed it's way down a stairwell."

"Bastard shifts fast, a lot faster than the one in St. Louis," Sam stated as he poked at the goop with his letter opener, making Noah raise an eyebrow at him.

"Oh God, It's like playing the shell game," Dean sighed, "It could be anyone, again!"

"I think most of the employees are in the vault by now," Sam replied. "Alright, you search every inch of this place, I'm gonna go round everybody up," Dean responded, Noah nodded. They could hopefully manage that.

Sam and Noah looked at one another, "Get her in a side room first?" Noah nodded.

Noah picked Delta back up, apologizing as she whined, before they found a spare closet. Noah settled her onto the floor, grabbing some washcloths to put under her head to try and keep her comfortable, and placing a large towel over top of her to keep her warm on the cold floor.

They locked it, before shutting it. She should be safe now unless the shifter was desperate enough to pick a storeroom lock.

And so they set off, sweeping the entire bulding, every spot they could find, every nook, every cranny, every crack and crevice, they looked.

It had to of been at least fifteen minutes if not more when they came across a room, scanning it over, when something caught Noah's eye. He stepped closer, shining his flashlight on it. Dred blood.

"Sam," Noah beckoned, he walked over. It was next to a closet in an office. Noah slowly reached his hand out as Sam readied his knife, before yanking the door open. Instead of a shifter, ready to attack, a body tumbled out, throat slit in the same way that the man that Dean and Noah had found earlier.

It was the blonde woman from the vault, who was annoying the hell out of Sam and Noah as she talked about Dean. The same woman that Noah had seen in the halls and told to go back to the vault.

"Damn it," Sam muttered as they looked at her, given she was left in nothing but her lingerie, it was a safe bet that the shifter had taken this form.

They quickly made their way back to the vault, where Dean stood outside of it, next to the phone. "Hey," Sam stated. "Hey," Dean quickly replied, Noah could see his stress was running high.

"We've got a bit of a problem outside," Dean said as he turned to them. Sam chuckled, "We've got a problem in here."

With quick explanation, they had opened the vault again. "Sheri?" Dean asked, and the blonde woman looked over to them, "We're gonna let you go."

"What? Why me?" The shifter was clearly growing nervous at being targeted as it backed up. "As a show of good faith to the feds, come on," Noah answered.

"Uh... I think I'd rather stay in here with the others," the shifter replied. It knew. "I'm afraid I'm gonna have to insist," Dean informed it, walking closer. It stared at him for a moment before looking to Sam and Noah, seeing the glint of silver in Sam's hand. It stared for a moment longer before stepping forward and following Dean out.

"I thought you were letting me go," she stated in confusion as Dean led her into the room with the dead body in it. She instantly started shrieking and screaming.

"What, is that community theater or are you just naturally that good?" Dean sarcastically asked her as Sam grabbed hold of her. "This is the last time you become anybody, ever," Sam stated, raising the knife. She recoiled in shock before passing out. It clicked in Noah's head and he turned to the dead body, throwing the silver knife in his hand at it.

It missed and the body suddenly rose from the floor, running. He and Dean immediately chased after it as Sheri woke up, screaming again as she watched them chase it. Sam helped her out of the room.

A loud crash rings down the hallway as they're running and Noah instantly recognizes it. Glass. "Dammit," he groaned.

Suddenly, a group of swat round the corner down the hall from them. Dean and Noah hurry, running around a corner and staying as still and quit as possible. When they hear the swat team approach, they quietly step away, and around another way, keeping them concealed.

They watch from their hiding spot as they walk away. They turn back, looking around, now in the basement, the breaker switches and hot water heater being on this level. Noah turns around as he hears a loud thud and a grunt as Dean's body hits the floor.

With the shifter's focus on Dean, he comes up behind it and quickly restrains it, as it struggles and squirms. "Bye-bye, you sorry son of a bitch," he says as he plunges the silver knife through it's heart from behind. He drops it, stepping back as it hits the ground.

He and Dean look at one another, before he steps near it, pushing the knife all the way through to be sure, before pulling the knife back out.

He turns around suddenly, as does Dean, as they hear footsteps. A flashlight is shined in both of their faces as they gulp, seeing a man in swat uniform.

• • •

Jogging up the stairs, Delta in his arms, with Sam and Dean in front of him, Noah pants as they finally slow down, reaching the parking garage. Daylight is just breaking, as they finally spot the Impala, shedding the goggles from the stolen uniforms they wear.

Sam had knocked three swat officers out by himself, and gotten their uniforms for the three of them. After a small sting operation to retrieve Delta, they got out as quickly as they could.

Dropping the rifles that they hold, Sam and Dean seat themselves in the front of the Impala, and Noah sets Delta down in the back seat, before sliding in beside her. They all pull off the helmets, and the face masks, panting as they catch their breath for a moment, processng all that had happened.

Delta, who has regained some strength in the past hour and a half, rests her head on Noah's lap, nuzzling into him. He breathily chuckles as he pets her head, stroking her soft fur.

After a moment, Dean spoke up, "We are so screwed."

He finally starts the car as quiet music drifts out, and cool air begins blowing through the vents, though Noah notices a rattling accompanying the sound of the air blowing as the engine revs to life.

• • •

Seating himself back in the Jeep, Noah took a deep breath. The familiar smell of home that came with this car.

Twelve hours had passed. As soon as the Winchester's dropped Noah off at the hotel, they each gathered their things, and all three were off. Noah was now in a town near the south end of Missouri, Springfield. Nine hours of driving, two hours of sleep, one hour showering and tending to Delta had left him exhausted.

Pulling into the parking lot of a small motel, Noah took a deep breath, thinking over everything that had happened in the past few days, before releasing it in a sigh.

He unbuckled his seatbelt, before just laying his head on the steering wheel as emotions overwhelmed him and his eyes started to fill with tears. His mind started to race, his heart rate inscreased and the pace at which he was breathing grew more rapid.

Fighting off the panic attack, he tried with everything he could to stop it as it felt like he was being choked, a sob barely escaping his lips as everything from the past while piled up on him. He clawed at his chest in salvation, begging for oxygen.

From the croatoan situation in Oregon, the ordeal in Illinois, the case in Philidelphia, his brother's death anniversary passing by with another Christmas and a new year starting, another year that he was reminded of his mother, his brother, his sister, his father, all the mistakes he had ever made, and all the people he had ever failed to save. Six months fell and piled on top of him, crushing him and suffocating, and he felt like he couldn't cry out for help.

He felt Delta settle into his lap, wanting to comfort her owner a she sensed his distress, pressing her head into his shoulder as her legs rested on his thighs, her tail burhsing his knee.

He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer to him as he sobbed harder, taking deeper breaths, and he stopped trying to hold it all together and decided to let it all crumble around him, because who was he fooling? He acted tough, badass, sarcastic, cold, closed off, secretive, he acted like a goddamn stereotype, but no matter what, inside he would always be that little boy who came home every day and told his sister to leave so she would be spared of what he had to suffer. And that fact would never change.

Or at least, that's what he thought.

• • •

Author's Note: I'm sorry, okay? But it felt fitting for him to break down now more than ever, with everything I go through in day to day life and it crushes me and I have breakdowns sometimes because, a lot like Noah, I bottle everything up and I keep it under lock and key. But with all the shit he's dealing with? I couldn't even fathom handling that without falling to pieces at least once. The good thing for Noah is that now he has the Winchester's to be there for him. He just... doesn't quite realize it yet.