Back at the bunker Madisen and Dean were having a row.

"Why the hell did you let him go?" Dean roared.

"Sam isn't my responsibility!" Madisen snarled. "He's yours! If he wanted to he could beat me in a fight!"

"He can't hit a target less than thirty feet away! I doubt he'd be much of a problem!"

"He would end up going whether you or I wanted him to or not! At least I chose the one where he wouldn't end up in a crash!"

"He shouldn't have left in the first place!"

"Then take it up with him! I'm not his babysitter!"

While the two were having at one another, Sam and Charlie were reading the Men of Letters books. They were trying to figure out what the creature may have been.

"Leviathan?" Sam droned.

"No, they consume their prey," Charlie muttered, looking bored at her tablet.

"Well maybe the vics were Leviathans."

"No black goo on either the scene or the coroner reports."

"Dragons? They uh -"

"No signs of burns in the vics," she crossed the item off her list.

Madisen and Dean walked back into the library. Dean slumped into a chair tiredly while Madisen chose to stand on the opposite end of the room. Her arms were crossed and she scowled at Dean who paid her no mind, choosing to flip quickly through his father's journal. She scowled at the item too, if only to set it on fire. No such luck.

"I hate that thing," Sam said, referring to Charlie's tablet. "I want one."

"Wait a second," Dean said. "Djinn."

"But Djinn victims don't get liquified," Madisen said in confusion.

"No no no, not regular Djinn. According to this, there's a bastard offshoot. Uh, their eyes light up blue, they pass as humans, all that regular jazz, except these leave their victims with jelly-like insides, and supposedly, when they poison their victims, they leave behind a blue handprint."

Dean slapped his hand on the table in triumph. Madisen rolled her eyes and strolled over to the table, plopping down next to Sam. She pointed to the journal.

"Can I see that real quick?"

Dean hesitated but slid the journal over, keeping track of her movements. Charlie sighed in sympathy.

"I hate that thing," she stared longingly, Dean smiled. "And I want one."

They trio continued talking and Madisen scanned over the page. This Djinn could be killed like any other, which was good. She flipped quickly through the pages. Wendigo, poltergeist, regular ghost, vengeful spirit, werewolf, skinwalker, vampire - Madisen stopped and flipped back a page. Skinwalker, she read the entry.

The lore says: Skinwalkers are people who can turn into a canine, much like a werewolf, and their transformation is complete. They are considered cousins of the werewolves, but they are not limited to moon phases. There seems to be, like vampires and werewolves, a pack mentality. Though this varies for each skinwalker.

Other features similar to werewolves is the fact that they always eat the heart of their victim and they have an infectious bite, they can turn humans into skinwalkers simply by biting them and passing on the infection to the person. Silver has been shown to be the only thing that can kill a skinwalker. Whenever a skinwalker is killed by a silver bullet or knife in its animal form, it reverts to its human form.

Year 1995. Ms. Wellington, a woman running an orphanage in Idaho, had reported a child turning into a dog. The girl looked to be 12 years old, the same age as Sam. It was sad that she needed to be killed at a young age. I tracked her to a neighboring farm and had her cornered when a horse reared and the girl took the gun. I charged her, she shot me, and I cut her on her arm. She escaped through a window. A dog was reported having been taken in by a local, a cut on its arm. I went to the shelter under the guise of wanting to adopt it for Sam and Dean, but it appeared it had escaped.

Madisen quickly looked away from the journal, she had never forgotten that it was John Winchester who had attacked her. She silently reached over and held her left arm, knowing the scar was there, but not feeling it.

Charlie stood up, gaining Madisen's attention. "Alright, well," she stretched her arms, "breakthrough means snack time to me, and I wanna just stretch my legs. I will pick us up some grub, and unlike you, Sam, I will not forget the pie. Anything for you Madisen?"

"No, I uh, I'm not hungry."

Charlie nodded and quickly left the room. Sam and Dean stared after her.

"She seem a little off to you?" Dean asked.

"Yes," Madisen said. "But I've known her only two weeks."

"Since the second she got here," Sam said.

Madisen stood up and left, going to the room Sam said she could use while she was there. Sam and Dean glanced at one another.

"Well that was -" Sam started.

"Weird?" Dean finished. "Yeah."

He grabbed his father's journal and turned it to him. Sam glanced over and read the entry upside down.

"Skinwalkers?" Sam asked.

"I don't know," Dean mumbled. He stared at the page, then glanced back up to where Madisen had left.

Madisen woke up the next morning, changed, and started off towards the main room. Both Winchesters turned to her as she entered.

"Did you know?" Dean asked.

"Know what?"

"That there was no comic convention in Topeka."

"No, Charlie said there was, you're sure there isn't?"

"Charlie's not answering our calls," Sam said. "She may be missing."

"Her GPS says she's still at her apartment," Dean said, looking at his phone.

"Alright, let's head out," Madisen nodded, taking the steps to the door by twos.

**********

They had agreed that Sam and Dean would check Charlie's place and Madisen would scout the streets. If either of them found something they would call and let the other know. Currently Madisen was walking down a path past an abandoned warehouse, her truck only meters away. She'd been to five already. A scream echoed from the inside, a female scream.

Madisen rushed to the fence, only to find it locked, she couldn't climb the fence due to the barbed wire attached to the top. She growled in annoyance and began circling the property. She found a small opening in the back, not big enough for her to squeeze through but... Madisen looked around her, making sure she was alone. Then she shifted.

In the place of a woman stood a German Shepherd. It was Madisen, for those who haven't been paying attention. She shook out her fur and stretched before stepping to the hole. The hole was barely big enough for her to squeeze through, but she did just fine.

Now that she was through the gate she padded slowly to the back door that had been cracked, pushed her nose in and slipped inside. A scent caught her nose and she followed it eagerly, nails clicking softly on the wet concrete. She was led to a small area and there in the center, sat Charlie, bound and tied to a chair. Madisen shifted back, rushing towards her friend.

"Charlie!" Madisen whispered urgently. "Wake up!"

A clicking of heels on concrete made her turn around. It was the woman who ran the morgue.

"This is exciting," O'Brien said, grinning. "What's a skinwalker like you doing helping hunters?" Madisen didn't answer, choosing instead to glare at the djinn. "My guess is they don't know, do they?"

Madisen's eyes shifted towards the ground. O'Brien laughed and Madisen growled.

"Shut up bitch. At least I don't feed off of humans."

"Ah but see you have a choice in what you eat."

"Yeah well you can suck it."

A hand grabbed her arm and Madisen screamed in pain. She turned to look at the teenager responsible and tried to yank her arm away, but he was already gone.

"Night night," he said.

Madisen's vision darkened and she was lost to the world. Stepping into her own nightmare. In the real world, Madisen's body was laying on the cold hard ground, neither of the djinn bothering to tie her up.

**********

Dean led Sam back to the girls, the djinn dead and done for. Sam injected the cure that was supposed to wake them up in their arms. The waited a moment but nothing happened.

"What the hell's going on?" Dean asked.

"I don't know. Different djinn, maybe she needs a different antidote?"

"Charlie?" Dean put a hand to Charlie's forehead. "She's burning up, man, we're not letting her turn to jello."

Sam removed his hand from Madisen's forehead. "Madisen's not doing any better. Okay, okay, uh. Okay, djinn poison puts your brain in something like a feedback loop while your blood boils, right?"

"Right."

"Um, if the antidote didn't break the loop, then maybe we can find a way to break it from the inside. I mean, if djinn take you to your happy place, your happy place is like a dream -"

"African dream root," they said together.

Sam rushed from the room and to the impala. He grabbed two jars of African dream root and a small jar of ginger from the trunk and ran his way back. He handed a jar of the dream root to Dean, who unscrewed it, and added the ginger in. Dean swished the compound around lightly to mix it. Sam added one of Charlie's hairs and Dean set down a chair for himself.

"Alright, let's do this," Dean said. "But first, I'm gonna get Charlie out, come back, and then get Madisen out." He swallowed the drink and grimaced. "Ugh. Okay. Alright, I'm gonna need to go sleep fast, so, punch me. Look, man, I know you don't want to, okay -"

Sam punched Dean who staggered back a step. He shook his head, and Sam shook his hand from the pain.

"Well, you're a little off your game there, cause I was - that was pretty -"

Sam punched him again and Dean dropped into an unoccupied chair. Sam stood there pacing back and forth while he was unconscious. He checked his watch, ten minutes. Sam reached over and felt Madisen's forehead, she was getting hotter.

"Come on, Dean." Suddenly Dean and Charlie jerked awake. "Dean? Dean. Hey. Hey! C'mere. You okay? What happened? What happened?" Sam helped Dean from his chair.

"I'm okay," Dean said. They turned to face Charlie who was looking at Dean with teary eyes. "I'm sorry. I had to."

Sam pulls Charlie into a hug and hands Dean the dream root. "Hurry Dean."

Dean nodded, adding the ginger, plucking a hair from Madisen's head, and downed it in one gulp. He waited for Sam to punch him again. It only took one shot this time.

**********

He woke up on the ground in... the bunker? Dean sat up and looked around in surprise, he was in the main room and the lights were dimmed. What the hell? How was this a nightmare? A sniffling drew his attention.

Dean followed the sound into the library. Hidden in the corner was Madisen, knees to her chest, arms folded around them and her face rested on them. She was shaking.

"Madisen?" Dean asked.

Madisen froze, terror reaching every end of her body. She slowly looked up at Dean who watched as alarm and fear crossed over Madisen's face.

"Hey, hey, it's okay," he said.

Dean went to take a step forward but stopped. She wasn't looking at him. He frowned and turned only to face himself. His copy was glaring at Madisen. Dean stepped back and watched as his copy slowly advanced on Madisen who was scooting backwards.

Dean frowned. He could clearly see it was a nightmare, but why was he there? And why was Madisen so afraid of him? Dean watched in horror as his copy lunged at Madisen, a silver knife catching the light. Madisen jumped up and vaulted over the small shelves.

"Stop it!" Madisen pleaded, tears streaming down her face.

"Why should I?" Copy snarled.

"Because I'm your friend!"

"You're a monster!"

Copy lunged at Madisen again, swinging the blade which caught her on her hand. Madisen screamed and held her hand close, the sizzling of skin echoing in Dean's ears. She couldn't be... Copy punched Madisen and she stumbled back.

Madisen took off down one of the hallways, Dean following after her, and Copy walking at a leisurely pace. Dean found himself in Sam's room, watching Madisen close the door softly and huddle in a corner behind his dresser, gripping her hand in pain. He kneeled down in front of her, waving his hand in her face. She didn't see it.

"Madisen," Dean said, shaking her, she didn't move or react. He tried again harder. "Madisen! Hey!"

This time she turned to look at him and jerked back in fear. She shielded herself as best as she could.

"Please stop it," she whimpered.

"Madisen listen to me, alright? This is a nightmare, none of it is real. You were attacked by a djinn, remember?"

Madisen slowly uncurled herself. "Yes. I think so. How'd you get here?"

"We found you and Charlie. Charlie's already out of her nightmare. We used African dream root to get me here and get you out."

A voice rang from the end of the hallway, it was Copy. "Come out, come out wherever you are!"

"This is your nightmare? Me?"

"No."

"No? Well it sure as hell looks like it!" Madisen squirmed back and shut her eyes tightly. Dean sighed. "Why am I your nightmare?"

"If I told you, my nightmare would become real."

"Tell me."

"I can't you'll kill me!"

"If you don't tell me now then you'll be stuck in this nightmare until you die! Is that what you want?"

There was a pounding on the door. "Let me in Madisen!" Copy roared.

The door shook as he pounded on the door again. Madisen whimpered and tears began to flow freely again. The terror in her eyes, Dean thought, she's scared of me. Scared of what I'll do when I find out, and it looks like she thinks I'll kill her! Dean turned from the shaking door and Copy's yelling.

"Ignore him," he said softly. He took Madisen's injured hand and slowly pulled it towards him. "Does it have to do with this?"

Madisen nodded and the pounding stopped. Instead of it being Copy's voice it was another.

"Madisen," Sam said through the door. "We know you're in there. And we'll hunt you, just like our father did. But this time, we'll succeed where he didn't."

Madisen wasn't just scared of Dean, she was scared of Sam too.

"Hunt?" Dean asked. "My father hunted you?"

"There's an entry, in your father's journal about -"

"Skinwalkers," Dean finished. "You were reading that last night. That was one of the only hunts he failed at."

Madisen flinched at the word 'failed' and Dean stood up, backing away. He sat on Sam's bed and stared at Madisen. No, she wasn't.

"You were that skinwalker, weren't you," Dean said. Madisen nodded. "And you didn't tell us? Why didn't you tell us?"

Dean yelled this at her and Madisen shrank back, the pounding on the started up again. Dean sighed and ran a hand through his hair. She didn't tell him because of how he was reacting now. Madisen was scared of him because she thought he would kill her if he knew who she was. If his recent reaction was any indication, she had a right to be scared.

"I had a monster friend once," Dean said. "He was a vampire named Benny. I met him in Purgatory, and spent a year with him fighting the monsters there."

"You did?"

"Yeah, he was a good friend."

"What happened to him?"

"Sam needed a guide out of Purgatory and Benny, after he came back, volunteered. He said he didn't belong in a world where he had been dead for 50 years."

"And you said you were friends?"

"Yes, because I can look past what a person is." The pounding on the door had stopped and Dean held out a hand. "How about we go see the other side of that door?"

Madisen hesitated, but took the hand. Dean pulled her into a hug and a bright light surrounded them.

**********

Madisen slowly woke up feeling lightheaded and dizzy. She took one look at her surroundings and smiled, she was awake. A groaning to her right signaled Dean waking up as well.

"Dean, you good?" Sam asked, pulling Madisen to her feet.

"Yeah I'm good."

Madisen and Dean looked at one another. Madisen looked away. They made their way out of the warehouse, exiting through the front gate where Sam and Dean had forced it open. Sam had his arm around Charlie in a supporting way, both were walking ahead of Dean and Madisen.

"The gate was closed when we got here, how'd you get in?"

"I went around back and found a hole in the fence. It was too small for a person."

Dean didn't say anything, choosing to stare ahead as they walked. The Winchesters had parked their car next to hers. Sam and Charlie walked to the impala and Dean followed Madisen to her truck.

"Where will you go now?" Dean asked.

"My safehouse," Madisen said, staring at her shoes.

"Why?"

"I seriously doubt you want me to hang around."

"Fine, but next time you come around -"

"You'll kill me?"

"No! I wouldn't do that, I told you," Dean said. Madisen looked up, tears were filling her eyes again. "I promise okay? I'll never hurt you. Next time you're coming by, we'll talk. That's it, sound like a plan?"

Madisen smiled and nodded a yes. Dean pulled her into another hug. Madisen hopped into her truck and waved at Sam and Charlie, they waved back.

"Just out of curiosity," Dean asked over the engine, "what is your dog form?"

"German Shepherd."

And then Madisen left, giving one last wave to the trio. She was headed home.

**********

There are over 3000 words here. I hope you're happy.

So! Any thoughts on Madisen's dream or Dean's reaction? I feel like it's a teeny tiny bit out of character, but then again, he does care for her. In some way or another.