chapter one, act one
meet the holloways

Months had passed since the Djinn had sent him to that dream. Months in which many things had happened in Dean's life. The worst of all, watching his little brother die before his eyes. Which forced him to make a deal with a demon to bring him back to life. A deal that left him with now less than a year to live.

Dean tried not to think about Freya. He knew she would be better off away from him and his life as a hunter. Now he knew even more so. If he wanted to keep her safe he had to stay away. But his time was running out, and he didn't know if he could die peacefully without seeing her one last time.

Sam knew something was tormenting his brother. He was looking for a way to help him end the deal that would send him to hell in less than a year, while helping him fulfill his last wishes. At least that's what Dean called them.

Every chance he got, Sam would fill him with questions, trying to figure out what it was that his brother didn't want to tell him. He had come to the conclusion that it was a pending conversation with someone, as he often found his brother looking at the contacts on his phone, hesitating to press the call button.

"Bobby called. He says he has a case for us. Well, more like a favor." He informed his brother one morning.

"A favor?" Dean frowned, packing his clothes into his bag to leave the motel where they had spent the night.

"Yeah. To an old friend."

"Like a hunter?" He asked, putting on his jacket.

"I don't know." Sam shrugged, following his footsteps out of the room and to the car.

"Ok. Where?"

"San Francisco." He answered, getting inside the car.

"San Francisco?" Dean repeated, confused. Sam nodded. "Ok, well. Let's go." He stated, sitting in the driver's seat of the Impala. "Did he say anything else? What is the case about?"

Sam shook his head.

"He wasn't really specific. Said it was urgent and sent an address."

Dean said nothing more after that, starting the car to begin the drive to California.

Dean could feel a knot in his chest as they climbed the stairs to the porch of the house whose address Bobby had sent them. It was Sam who pressed the doorbell, both of them waiting for someone to open the door for them. But neither expected that it would be a child who did so.

"Hi. Is this the Holloway's house?" Sam asked, looking at the young boy of no more than 14 years old.

"That depends." He answered "Who's asking?"

His eyebrows raised with curiosity as his eyes roamed over them.

"I'm Sam." He introduced himself before pointing out to his brother "This is Dean. We are looking for Henry Holloway. Bobby send us."

"Hold on a minute." He asked them, raising a finger.

"Wait." Dean said in frustration as he watched him close the door on them.

Sam frowned, watching his brother with confusion. Dean seemed altered and nervous. Which was odd for Sam to see, as he was used to seeing him hide both of those feelings very well, especially in front of him.

The door opened once again at their side, both of them meeting a man instead of the boy who had previously opened the door for them.

"Hi." He greeted. "Dean and Sam?"

"Yes, sir." This time is Dean who answered, giving him a nod.

"Thank god you're here. Bobby said you'll be coming." He sighed with relief, stepping aside. "Come in, come in." He gestured for them to enter the house. Dean and Sam didn't hesitate to do so, closing the door behind them. "This is Peter, my youngest son." Henry pointed to the stairs, where the boy was sitting. A Deadpool comic book on his hands.

Dean gave him a little nod, while Sam raised his hand. Peter watched them carefully as they walk behind his father, into his office.

"Bobby said you may had a case for us." Dean said, looking at the books and documents scattered around the room. It was then that he realized the state the man was in. It was very clear that he hadn't slept in a long time. Disheveled and with dark circles under his eyes.

"Yes. I do." He nodded, looking for something through all the documents. "Where the hell is it?" Mumbled to himself before raising his voice. "Peter, where is the photo?"

"On the shelf. On top of the books" The boy replied, not bothering to look up from his comic book.

"Yeah, yeah. Thanks." Henry walked back over to the Winchester brothers. With a frame in his hands he pointed a finger at the girl in the picture. "This... this is Freya. My little girl. She... She is missing"

Dean had already figured out from their first and last names alone that Henry and Peter were the family of the girl he had dated years before. But when he saw that photo and heard her name his suspicions were finally confirmed.

"When was the last time you saw her?" Sam asked, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Two nights ago." Henry answered. "She went to her room after a movie night. There is no sings of any violence or struggle. I think she left. She does that sometimes. Goes out at night and hunts some ghosts, vampires or other creatures."

"Wait." Dean interrupted him, getting his attention. Henry looked at him in confusion as Dean struggled to utter the question he wanted to ask him. "Eh... Sorry. She... she is a hunter?"

"She thinks she is." He said, correcting him. "I mean... she is good at it. Really good. Her mother trained her when she was a kid. And she has never stop training after her death. I... I'm a teacher in university. I teach about myths and creatures. She knows how to kill them."

"So, you think she went after something?" Sam asked.

"Well, yeah. That would be the most logical reason." He nodded. "That's why I called Bobby"

"Any idea of what could it be?"

"No. I... I don't know"

"Any place she could've written it down? Any information she had compiled that might give us some idea of what could it be?"

"Ah... If that's the case, it would be in her room." He gestured toward the stairs.

Before he could guide them to the room, the house phone rang announcing a call.

"Excuse me." He quickly apologized, walking to the phone. "Peter, take them to your sister's room."

The boy sighed, rising to his feet. Sam and Dean approached him, the latter taking one last quick glance at the man.

"This way." He indicated them, starting to walk up the stairs.

Once on the second floor, the brothers follow the footsteps of the young boy with curly blond hair and sea-blue eyes down the long hallway. Sam, still confused by his brother's attitude, turned to watch him with concern.

"Dean, are you okay?" He asked.

"Mmm?" Dean glanced at him with confusion. "Yes. I'm fine." He assures. "Am... Peter? How long has your sister been hunting?"

"Since she turned 16." The kid replied. "She is 24 now. Think you can count how many years those are?"

Dean and Sam shared a look at his answer.

"Very funny."

Peter stopped, catching the brothers by surprise and causing both of them to nearly bump into him.

He then turned back to face them. "Are you going to find her?" Peter asked, hesitant.

"That's the idea. Yes." Sam stated.

Dean squinted his eyes, watching the expression on the young boy's face.

"Hey, kid. I'm sure she is fine." Dean didn't know if he was just trying to calm the boy down or if he was also trying to convince himself. He was still trying to process the fact that he had broken up with Freya because of his job and now he was finding out that she was also a hunter.

Peter nodded slightly, opening the door behind him.

"She hides everything in that closet." He gestured, letting them into the room.

"Do you have the key?" Dean asked, looking at the lock on the closet door.

"She wears one in her necklace. I don't know where she hides the spare one."

"We could force it." Sam suggested, looking at his brother.

"She would kill you." Peter stated, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"We could look for the key. If we don't find it, we open it without it." Dean suggested.

"Fine."

"Peter, are you sure you don't know where she might have hide it?".

The boy shrugged, causing Dean and Sam to share a look.

Peter sighed before speaking. "She loves this teddy bear. It has a pocket on the back." He explained, stretching out on the bed until he reached it. Dean nodded, taking it in his hands.

"Here it is." He celebrated, handing the key to his brother.

Sam took it in his hands, opening the closet with it. His eyes meeting with a pile of books and weapons stored inside.

"Wow. Didn't know she had that much weapons." Peter admitted, moving closer.

"Does she ever tell you what she hunts?" Dean asked, placing a hand on his shoulder to pull him back before he could reach for one of the knives as he intended.

"She talks about the cases with me as bedtime stories." He shrugged. "She hunts ghosts mostly. She likes the fact that she is putting them to rest. Loves the searching part of it too. She has also hunt some vampires. A werewolf once."

Sam raised his eyebrows in surprise at his words.

"What about demons?"

"They exist?"

"Yeah. They exist."

"I don't think so." He replied. "But maybe. She has hunt a couple of witches too."

"Ok. So she knows how to hunt the basics." Sam noted, catching his brother's attention. "But if she doesn't know about demons... She maybe doesn't know they can't die and that you have to exorcise them."

"Exorcise?" Peter opened his eyes in surprise. "Like the movie?"

"Yeah, like the movie. More less."

Peter narrowed his eyes, watching Dean as he grabbed one of the small leather-bound journals from one of the boxes.

"Don't... touch her diaries." Dean ignored him, opening it up. "She is going to kill you, dude."

"Better that than let her die, don't you think?" He stated. His eyes darting quickly across the pages of the journal.

"Just saying. You read her diaries, she not going to care if you saved her."

Dean stopped listening to him when his eyes came across a small photo. It was a polaroid that Freya herself had taken of the two of them one night inside Baby. She had found the camera in a store and had thought it was funny. That was the last night they had spent together. The last time Dean saw her.

"This one is old." He noted, reading the date in the upper right corner of the page. "Do you know where she keeps her current one?"

"No."

Dean turned to look at him as Sam checked the guns.

"Why do I not believe you?" He asked. Peter shrugged. "Listen, kid. We are trying to find her alive. But you need to help for that to happen, understand?"

Peter looked at him carefully, not sure of what to say. He didn't know Dean and Sam. He didn't trust them. But it was his sister they were talking about. She could be in a lot of trouble. And she was his favorite person in the world, he couldn't lose her.

"There is a broken board on the floor." He finally said. "She hides it underneath."

"Where?"

Letting out a sigh, Peter got up from the edge of the bed, walking over to the bookshelf where his sister kept her records and music tapes.

"Here." He gestured, dropping on his knees to the ground.

Dean soon followed him as Sam scanned the rest of the room for any other clues. His fingers grasped the board carefully, lifting it up to open the small hiding place. His eyes stumbling over the diary.

"Any friends? Hunters she would go hunt with?" Dean then asked. "A boyfriend maybe?"

That last question left his mouth with hesitation. The truth was, he didn't want to hear whatever answer Peter had to give him. It made sense to think that Freya would have moved on with her life, but that didn't make the thought of her with someone else hurt any less.

"No."

A wave of relief washed over his body at the blonde's response. But Dean did his best to hide it.

"No?" His eyebrows rose as his eyes met boy's blue ones. "Nothing? No friends?"

"She is a pretty lonely girl." Peter shrugged. "I'm her best friend."

"That's sweet."

Dean couldn't judge her for that. Since for him, his little brother was also his best friend and all he had.

After a few more minutes checking Freya's room, Dean and Sam prepared to leave the house. They didn't have much information, so the best thing to do was to start looking around the city. Eat something to regain their energies and look for a motel since it looked like it was going to take a while to find her.

"Can I go with you?" Peter asked as they reached the door. Blocking their way out of the room.

"No." Dean stated.

"Why?" The kid looked at him in confusion.

"Because it's dangerous." Sam was the one who answered this time.

"If it's a ghost I know how to fight them." He assured them. "And vampires too."

"You're not coming." Dean declared, tired of his persistence.

"Why?"

"First, your father would kill us." He noted. "Second, your sister would kill us."

Before Peter could say anything to argue that statement, his father stepped before them.

"You're still here, great." Henry sighed with relief. "Do you have any leads?"

"No. Not yet." Sam answered. "We were going to a motel. Trying to gather all the information Peter has given us."

"Which is not much." Dean muttered to himself.

"Oh, that's why I was relieved you were still here." Henry said. Both brothers looked at him with confusion. "You can stay with us. The house is big enough. We have a guest room. I can put another bed in it."

"We don't want to intrude."

"You don't." He assured.

Dean and Sam shared a quick look before answering.

"Ok, then." Said the older one.

"Great." Henry celebrated, clapping his hands together.

"We're going out to do some research, we'll come back later." Dean then said.

"All right."

─── ❖ ── ✦ ── ❖ ───

"So... Are you going to talk about it?" Sam asked as they walked into a coffee shop a couple of blocks from the house.

"Talk about what?" Dean frowned searching for an empty table.

"I don't know." Sam shrugged, following his brother's footsteps to a table at the back of the place. "You've been weird since we got here. Actually, you've been weird for a while now, but today you've been even more so."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Sure you don't."

"What do you want me to say, Sammy?" Dean looked at him in confusion.

"You know her." Sam pointed out.

"What?" Dean questioned. But something had changed in him, and Sam could tell despite his efforts to hide it.

"Freya. You know her, don't you?"

"What makes you think that?" His gaze turned away from his brother's, a clear sign that he knew exactly what he was referring to but was trying to keep up his false confusion.

"It's actually pretty obvious." Sam shrugged, leaning his back against the seat.

"It's not that obvious." Dean complained, looking back at him.

"So it's true?" His eyebrows rose and a small grin peeked through his lips.

"I didn't say that."

"Oh, come on, Dean." He insisted, resting his elbows on the table as he leaned forward. "Listen, maybe the things you know about her can help us find her."

"I don't know anything about her. I didn't even knew she was a hunter." He declared in frustration. "We... dated. It was before dad disappeared. Right after you went to Stanford. We were a couple of moths together."

"Months?" Sam looked at him in surprise.

"Yeah, months." He nodded, studying his brother's expression. "What?"

"Nothing." Sam said. Dean sighed, happy that the conversation had come to an end. But Sam didn't felt the same way as he continued talking. "I just didn't knew you could open that much to someone. You barely date women for a couple of weeks, Dean." He stated. Earning a serious look from Dean. "Hey, I'm not judging you. Everybody's gonna open up to someone eventually."

"Yeah, well, I don't. It was stupid to get that close." He declared, looking at his brother with annoyance as he noticed the amused smile on his lips." Would you stop?" He asks, annoyed. "Blink or something."

"You loved her." Sam stated. Dean sighed, looking away from him. "You were in love with her, but you dumped her."

Dean closed his eyes for a few seconds. He was trying to think what he should answer. But his mouth started moving before he could think clearly. "I was gonna tell her the secret." Sam looked at him in surprise. "You know, our job and all of that. But then dad needed my help and... He figured out I was with someone when I refused to go on a case with him. It was her birthday, I couldn't just walk away and leave her. Which is exactly what I did when Dad opened my eyes when he told me that by telling her about us I would only put her in danger. Which he was right about."

"Yeah, maybe. But she is also a hunter."

"Wish I knew back then, honestly." He assured. "I knew her father taught about this kinds of things, but no that they knew they were actually real. It's like I didn't knew her at all."

"Ok. So... You knowing her it's not going to help us find her."

"No."

"You looking for Freya?" The waitress approached them with a small notebook in her hands. She had heard them say Freya's name as they passed her on their way into the place.

"You know her?" Sam asked, raising his eyes to her.

"Yeah. She comes here often. In fact, she sits at this exact booth." She informed them, resting a finger on the table's wood. "Our burgers are the best in the neighborhood. At least that's what she says. Spends a couple of hours a day here. She eats and reads while listening to music on her walkman. Pretty old fashion if you ask me." She explained. "Is she doing okay? Hasn't been here for the last couple of days."

"Did she say anything strange to you the last time you saw her?" Sam asked.

"No. We don't talk much, actually. She seemed pretty focused reading a newspaper, but nothing else out of the ordinary."

"Do you have a newspaper from that day?" Dean questioned, gaining the girls attention.

"I don't know." She answered. "I can go check, though."

"That would be great." Sam said. "Thanks."

She nodded.

"And can you bring us a couple of those famous burgers?" Dean asked. "And a couple of beers."

"Yeah. No problem." She smiled at him, writing their order on her pad.

Sam then turned to his brother with a small smile on his lips.

"Walkman?" He repeated with amusement. "You two are made for each other."

"Oh, shut up." Dean rolled his eyes at his comment.

─── ❖ ── ✦ ── ❖ ───

By the time Dean and Sam returned to the Holloway house it was dark. They both thought that Peter and Henry would have gone to sleep by then and they wouldn't be approached with questions. But that wasn't the case.

Peter was the first to appear, turning on the entrance light. Dean narrowed his eyes at the sudden brightness.

"Did you guys find something?" He asked.

Dean sighed, getting used to the light and finally meeting the young man's figure at the bottom of the stairs.

"No."

"No?" He repeated, crossing his arms and raising his eyebrows in disbelief. "What kind of hunters are you?"

Dean wasn't amuse by that.

"Okay, kid, even if we found something, we are not going to tell you." He then replied.

"Why? She's my sister, you know."

That was the moment Henry appeared, coming down the stairs as he put on his glasses.

"Did you guys find anything?" He asked, as he reached his son. His eyes watching the Winchester brothers, looking for answers.

"No. They're useless." Peter answered before either of them could say anything.

"We are still searching." Sam said, ignoring the boy's words.

"In fact, we have a question for you, Peter." Dean admitted. The boy raised his eyebrows, looking at the newspaper he was showing him. "Do you know this girl?" His finger pointed to a photo on the page.

"Kaila Matthews?" He asked, looking at the picture. "Yeah. She disappeared a couple of days ago after school."

"You go to class with her?" Sam asked.

"Maybe."

"Answer the question." Dean instructed.

"Why? You're supposed to be looking for my sister not her."

"Do you?" Dean insisted.

"Okay. Yes. We go to the same class." He finally admitted.

"Do you know anything about her apart for her disappearance?"

"Not much. She is pretty shy. Likes marvel comics, like me, so I think she is cool. We once did a school work together."

"Not that." Dean sighed in annoyance.

"Oh, like... personal stuff?" Peter narrowed his eyes, receiving a small nod from Dean.

"Yeah."

"She lives with her father and baby brother a couple of blocks from here." He answered.

"Father and baby brother?" Dean repeated, sharing a look with his brother.

"Yeah."

"Doesn't that sound familiar to you?" He asked, returning his gaze to the boy.

"Wait. You think the same person or monster that got Freya got her first?" Peter narrowed his eyes in confusion.

"Maybe. Or maybe someone or something was trying to get your sisters attention. And she fell for it looking for the girl."

"So this is personal." Henry pointed, catching the brothers' attention. "If that's the case... Freya might be already..."

"Okay. Let's... not jump into conclusions." Dean interrupted him. "She is not dead."

Henry nodded slightly, trying to hold on to hope for his daughter. But Dean's attention was once again drawn to the young man with golden curls who at that moment was walking away from them.

"Hey, where are you going?" He asked, following his footsteps to Henry's office.

"Freya said something before leaving." Peter replied, looking through the papers scattered on the desk. His father and Sam stood next to Dean, looking at him in confusion.

"Oh, and you happen to tell us just now?"

"I was asleep when she left. I couldn't remember." He explained in his defense. "She mentioned a park."

"Kaila disappeared in a park." Sam remembered, pointing to the newspaper in his hand.

"Yes, exactly." Peter exclaimed. "Here."

He walked back to Dean, handing him a map of the city and pointing to a location on it.

"Golden Gate Park?" Dean frowned.

"Yes. I remember Kaila mentioning she loves to go visit the Conservatory of Flowers with her father. Her mom used to love that place." Peter explained.

"Okay. So Kaila disappeared one day there, her father went to the police and Freya heard about it somehow. She went there the next night and you called Bobby for help." Sam summarized. Henry nodded. 

"Alright, let's go to that conservatory." Dean declared, heading back to the door as he folded the map in his hands.

As Sam and Dean got into their car, Peter looked at his father with expectation. The boy couldn't bear the thought of staying in the house while they went in search of his sister. Dean had exclaimed a 'stay here' before leaving, but Peter wasn't a big fan of following the rules. And to tell the truth that was something he had inherited not only from his mother, but also from his father. Henry couldn't stay home and do nothing while his daughter could be in danger, or worse, dying. So, ignoring Dean's words, they both got into their car, following the Chevy Impala driven by the eldest Winchester brother.

"I thought I told you not to follow us" Dean complained as he got out of the vehicle once they arrived at the closest entry of the park to the conservatory.

"You don't seriously think I'm going to stand still, do you? It's my little girl we're talking about" Henry approached him, watching as Dean opened the trunk of the car, which was filled with various weapons.

"Besides, we don't know if you even know how to take care of yourselves." Peter said. "Should we really expect you to save her?"

"We are hunters, you know."

"You had no clue where to find her before I gave you a lead."

"And it took you hours to tell us." Dean reminded him with annoyance, slamming the trunk shut.

"Wasn't sure I could trust you." He shrugged, following his steps through the park. "And I'm still not sure if I'm being honest."

Dean turned to him with an irritated expression on his face, ready to answer him.

"Stop with the bickering." Sam interrupted. "Keep silent, and do not stray away" He instructed Peter and his father.

"I actually think we should split up" Dean stated as they reach the conservatory gate, which was strangely and very clearly forced open.

"Is never a good idea in the movies." Peter said.

"This is not a movie..." A strange noise interrupted his words, alerting him.

Opening the door slowly, the four of them enter the place. It was the middle of the night, so the dim light made everything more sinister. Peter had been smart enough to grab a flashlight and take it with him, just as the Winchesters had done. They also carried a gun and a machete in their hands, still not knowing what they were up against.

As he turned on his flashlight, the light shone brightly on a figure.

"Kaila?" He asked, recognizing her former classmate. Dark hair and blue eyes, the girl's nervous breathing calmed down when she recognized his voice in the distance.

"Peter? Thank god." She sighed in relief. The boy ran towards her while Dean and Sam checked the large main room for the creature that had taken her. "Your sister..."

"Have you seen her? Where is she?" He asked.

"I don't know." She replied as Sam, Dean and Henry stood next to Peter. "She told me to stay in the ring of salt and not to move." She pointed to the circle on the floor that surrounded her.

"When was the last time you saw her? Where did she go?" Dean then asked, trying to calm his own nerves.

"He... He had locked me in one of the flower rooms. The one with the daisies, my mother's favorite. That section is closed for maintenance, no one found me for days." She explained nervously. "But Freya did two nights ago. I don't remember much else after that, I think I passed out. Tonight when I woke up, Freya and I tried to leave, but he came back and she told me to stay here. That I would be safe." Her eyes rose again to meet Dean's and Sam's gazes. "I don't know why a circle of salt would stop him, but it did. He walked by, a few minutes ago and... he just looked at me."

"Are you hurt?" Henry then asked, crouching down to be at eye level with her. She shook her head.

"No. He didn't touch me." She assured. "Couldn't say the same about Freya tho. I hope she is..."

A loud cry of pain echoed throughout the building, interrupting her. Everyone's heads turned towards the direction of the scream.

That scream was quickly followed by another a second later. Dean wasted no time, running in its direction. Sam followed his footsteps closely while Peter and Henry stayed with Kaila.

"Freya!"

Dean's scream was heard throughout the entire conservatory. The girl whose name he called was not able to recognize his voice, but the demon leaning over her did.

"You got lucky, beautiful." He murmured, stroking her blood-stained cheek. Freya closed her eyes tightly, trying to stifle a cry of pain. "I don't want to have to face those two hunters. Not yet at least. We'll meet again, don't worry. Maybe you'll recognize my face more next time." He smiled slightly before separating from her.

Freya felt a small wave of relief as she no longer felt his presence next to her. But she still felt that dread in her chest.

Dean was the first to reach her, crouching down next to her after checking the room for any potential threats. Their green eyes met for a quick second before Freya's vision blurred. Everything turned black seconds later as she fell unconscious.