ᴺᴼᵂ ᴾᴸᴬᵞᴵᴺᴳ: "Holy shit."
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"YOU GUYS REALLY DON'T GET OUT MUCH DO YOU?"

Venus said, eyeing the loads of research John and her uncle printed out and taped onto the motel room wall.

The older hunters narrowed their eyes at her.

She ignored their stares and took another step closer to one of the newspaper articles, momentarily drowning out their conversation. The article read, 'USA WEATHER REPORT: STORM OVER MIDWEST.'

Right beside it was another article detailing mass cattle deaths and electrical storms over Arizona.

"It's going after families just like it went after us," caught Venus' ears. She took a step back from the research and moved to stand beside her uncle, paying attention to the conversation again.

"You seriously found a way to track and use the demonic omens?" she softly whispered to Arturo.

The bearded hunter nodded.

"Nice," Venus grinned, holding out her fist which her uncle instantly bumped with his own.

"...the night of the kid's six-month birthday," John continued, answering a question Sam asked.

Sam's brows shot up in shock. "I was six months old that night?"

"Exactly six months."

"So basically, this demon is going after these kids, for some reason. Same way it came for me?"

Venus looked over at Sam with furrowed brows. She could see it on his face, hear it in his voice. He was blaming himself for Mary and Jessica's death.

"So, mom's death, Jessica...it's all because of me?" he confirmed Venus' thoughts.

Dean sighed, turning to face his younger brother. "We don't know that Sam."

"Oh really? 'Cause I'd say we're pretty damn sure, Dean!"

Venus held a hand out and took a step closer to Sam, "Hey, we talked about this. None of this is your fault, okay?" she tried to reason, keeping her tone even.

"Yeah, you're right. It's not my fault, but it's my problem!" Sam yelled.

Venus raised an angry brow at his volume. 

Dean stepped up, his hardened stare meeting Sam's. "It's not your problem, it's our problem," he snapped.

John stood up. "Okay, that's enough."

The three immediately ceased their arguing, taking a deep breath.

Sam sent Venus an apologetic glance and turned to John, "So why's it doing it? What does it want?"

Arturo stepped up, placing a hand on John's shoulder to tell the man to calm down. "I wish we had more answers for you, Sam, I really do," he gently answered, "But it's like we've always been one step behind it."

John sighed, "We've never gotten there in time to save..." he trailed off, his face wrought with guilt.

Dean eyed his father warily, "Alright, so how do we find it before it hits again?"

"There are signs," John revealed, "It took us a while to see the pattern but in the days before these fires, signs crop up in an area—cattle deaths, temperature fluctuations, electrical storms. And then I went back and checked and..."

"These things happened in Lawrence," Dean realized.

"The week before your mother died," John then turned to look at Sam and Venus, "And in Palo Alto, before Jessica."

Venus swallowed harshly. She knew demonic omens like the back of her hand. She'd never had to face a demon but her uncle taught her all about them when she was twelve. How could she not tell?

"And these signs," John interrupted Venus' silent spiral into a pit of guilt, "They're starting again."

Sam's eyes shined in the dull light of the room with unshed tears. "Where?" he demanded.

"Salvation, Iowa."

-ˋˏ [ ] ˎˊ-

Venus had just blasted past the sign welcoming her to the 'Heartland of America' when John's truck up ahead switched lanes and drove off the main road.

She quickly followed, her brows furrowed in confusion as she stopped her motorcycle and hopped off, the Winchester boys stepping out of the Impala behind her.

"Damnit!" John cursed, coming out of the truck and slamming his door.

Venus noticed her uncle stepping out from the passenger side, his eyes red and filled with tears. "What happened?" she instantly questioned, concern flaring within her.

John punched the side of his truck, overcome by grief. "Son of a bitch!"

"What is it?" Dean asked this time.

"I just got a call from Caleb."

"Is he okay?"

"He's fine. Jim Murphy's dead."

Venus' eyes darted over to where her uncle was leaning against the back of the truck, covering the lower half of his face with shaky hands. Her eyes widened, knowing how close he was to the deceased man. "Pastor Jim," she softly said.

"How?" Sam asked.

John looked away, swallowing his own tears. "His throat was slashed. He bled out."

Venus didn't waste another second, crossing the distance between herself and her uncle in a few steps, bringing the older man in for a hug. Arturo took the hug, clutching onto his niece's head and upper back. He let the tears he was holding back fall, stifling a sob in her shoulder.

"I'm so sorry," Venus softly mumbled into his chest, empathetic tears falling from her own eyes.

Arturo's mind replayed the numerous times after his family's death when he would find solace in Jim's church or office, praying or even just talking. The man was the only thing that kept Arturo from losing faith in the religion he shared with his family.

Venus eventually released him, taking a step back and sending her uncle a small smile.

Arturo couldn't manage a smile, but the small squeeze of her shoulder told Venus that he was more than grateful.

"...Maybe the demon knows we're getting close," they heard John telling the boys.

"What do you want to do?" Dean immediately tried to help.

"Now we act like every second counts," John fiercely answered, "There are three hospitals and a health center in this county. We split up. We cover more ground. I want records, I want a list of every infant that's gonna be six months old in the next week."

Venus, Dean, and Arturo nodded in understanding.

"Dad, that could be dozens of kids," Sam protested, "How the hell are we gonna know which one's the right one?"

It was a valid question, Venus knew, but at least having a list of all the names—no matter the quantity— would be a good start.

"We'll check them all, that's how," John insisted, "You got any better ideas?"

Sam's eyes drifted down to the muddy forest floor. "No sir," he answered.

John and Dean exchanged a nod before they took off towards their cars.

Venus gave her uncle's hand a comforting squeeze then walked to her bike and got on. But she noticed that John stopped, leaning against his truck, exhaling a shaky breath.

"Dad?" Dean noticed as well.

"Yeah, it's Jim. Y'know, I can't..." John looked up, wiping the last traces of sadness from his face, a stony stare replacing it, "This ends now. I'm ending it. I don't care what it takes," he declared, looking over at Arturo when he said the last statement.

Venus frowned slightly, starting her bike's engine. John was about to get reckless, she knew it for a fact. 

She just hoped that he would have the decency to not drag her uncle down with him.

-ˋˏ [   ] ˎˊ-

"What's up with you?"

Venus ignored Dean's question, speedwalking to where her motorcycle was parked.

The older hunter broke into a jog and circled the brunette coming to a stop in front of her. "Alright, what the hell is your problem?"

Venus scoffed, folding her arms across her chest, "My 'problem'? My 'problem' is that we're trying to save some family from burning to death and you're flirting with nurses in front of my face."

Dean raised a brow. "Oh, so you're jealous. Again," he replied, his tone mocking.

"This has nothing to do with that—"

"So you admit that you were jealous?"

Venus bit her tongue, realizing her slip-up. Before Dean could continue, she shoved him out of the way and mounted her bike. "Look, if you wanna twitch and bark at anything with a uterus that moves, be my guest," she snapped, the words burning as she said them, "But don't do it when we're trying to save innocent people."

Dean swallowed harshly at her words. "See you back at the motel?" he said after a few seconds.

Venus sent him a tight-lipped smile. Of course, he couldn't even apologize...'cause he didn't regret it.

"I'm gonna go meet Sam at the health center," she told him stiffly, driving off before he could utter another word.

Venus fumed the entire ride but found herself settling at the sight of Sam's bright grin.

"Hey, V," Sam called out to her from where he was walking out of the Salvation Medical Center, "I thought we were meeting at the motel?"

Venus kicked out her side stand and hopped off her bike, approaching the younger man's side. "Yeah but me and Dean finished up pretty early at the hospital thanks to his...charm. So, I figured I'd come and see how things were going over here."

Sam sent her a knowing look but decided not to press further. He showed her his notes instead, "Well here's what I got—"

Venus looked up at the sound of Sam wincing to see him clutching his temples, his eyes screwed shut. He looked like he was in pain. "Woah, 'mano, what's happening?"

But Sam gave no answer, holding his head even tighter and grunting softly.

Venus grabbed his shoulder just in time for his eyes to open, the taller man panting as whatever pain rocked him finally subsided. He looked down into Venus' worried eyes.

"Was that..."

"A vision?" Sam finished, "Yeah."

Venus' eyes widened. "Holy shit."

"I heard a train," he told her, reaching into his bag to pull out a map of the town.

Venus slipped her hand into his and pulled him away from lingering eyes, walking in the direction of some train tracks she remembered seeing on the drive there.

Sam continued eyeing the map while they walked through a dog park, confirming for Venus that they were heading in the right direction. But then he suddenly stopped walking, his eyes slamming shut again. He quickly released Venus' hand and grabbed his forehead.

"What else did you get?" Venus asked once it passed.

Sam opened his mouth to answer but his eyes landed on a house behind her.

The brunette turned to look at the house, a two-story white one with well-tended grass suited for a family. Then her eyes darted to where a woman pushing a stroller was approaching it.

Sam's eyes landed on her too and, before she knew it, Venus was being pulled over to the young mother across the busy street.

"Hi," Sam greeted her with a polite smile, Venus doing the same beside him. She assumed he saw either the woman, the house, or both in his vision and decided to follow his lead.

The woman smiled back at them, stopping on the sidewalk to close her umbrella. Sam sprung forward and grabbed the stroller to stop it from rolling away, "Here, let me hold that for you."

Venus bent down to look at the young baby in the carrier, smiling at the way she chewed on the toy in her small hands. "She is the cutest thing, is she yours?"

The woman chuckled softly. "Yeah," she said, sticking her umbrella in the back of the stroller.

Sam looked down at the baby as well, smiling. "Oh wow, hi!"

Venus looked up to see the woman gradually growing cautious of them, which made sense considering that they ambushed her in the middle of the street. So she discreetly grabbed Sam's closest arm and wrapped it around her lower hip, sending him a look to play along that he instantly understood. "We seem to have forgotten our manners," Venus grinned at the woman, "I'm V and this is my husband, Sam. We just moved in down the block."

"Oh hey! I'm Monica," she replied, the introduction putting her at ease, "This is Rosie," she gestured down to the stroller.

"Hi Rosie with the rosy cheeks," Venus said, gaining a small laugh from Monica.

"Welcome to the neighborhood," she told them, "You two make a beautiful couple, are you looking to have some kids of your own someday?"

Sam's hold on Venus' waist tensed slightly. Venus sent him a quick glare, telling him to commit to the part. Sam pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Yeah we are actually," he eventually replied with an awkward smile.

Venus reached up on her toes and planted a kiss on his cheek, leaning further into his side, "I can't wait," she said to Monica with exaggerated heart eyes.

Sam's attention drifted back to the baby, "Wow she's such a good baby."

"I know," Monica mused, "I mean she never cries. She just stares at everybody. Sometimes she looks at you and I swear it's like she's reading your mind."

Venus chuckled, silently grateful that Rosie was too young to speak. The brunette was pretty sure that if she looked down at the baby and heard her speak in her head she'd have a stroke right then and there.

But what she didn't know was that the occasional baby babble ringing in her head wasn't being heard by the others.

"What about you, Monica?" Sam pressed, "Have you lived here long?"

"My husband and I, we bought our place just before Rosie was born," Monica replied, gesturing to the house that the hunters were eyeing earlier.

"How old is Rosie?" Venus questioned.

"She's six months today. That's big, right? Growing like a weed."

Venus watched Sam's eyes widen, dread filling her gut. This was it. This was the family they were looking for. It had to be.

"Yeah," Sam said, trying to put a smile on his face but failing, "Monica?"

"Yeah?" the woman answered, eyeing them both with an unreadable expression.

Venus could tell Sam wanted to tell her something but he settled for, "Just take care of yourself, okay?"

"You too. We'll see you two around," Monica sent them one last smile, continuing the walk to her house.

By the time Venus and Sam crossed the street, a red minivan pulled into the driveway, a slightly older man stepping out and greeting Monica and Rosie.

Venus barely had time to smile at them before Sam clutched his head in pain, groaning loudly. She quickly pulled him out of sight, behind some bushes before Monica could hear. "Breathe Sam. If you try and force it away, it'll hurt more," she urged, holding his face in her hands. There was nothing she could do to stop the vision but she could at least try and alleviate the pain.

Sam seemed okay after a few seconds, his tense green eyes meeting Venus'. "It's them," he told her, glancing in the direction of the house, "The demon's gonna kill them tonight."

Venus brought him back to the motel soon after, Sam clutching her waist the whole way there.  It seemed the vision left some lasting effects this time around—effects that had him wincing in pain every few minutes on the back of Venus' motorcycle.

She placed a small glass of water on the table he sat at and took a seat in the chair beside him, giving his hand a soothing squeeze.

"A vision?" John repeated Sam's words from his explanation a few minutes prior.

Sam took a sip of the water and downed one of Venus' painkillers, hoping it would do something to ease the constant throbbing in his head. "Yes. I saw the demon burning a woman on the ceiling."

"And you think it's gonna happen to this woman you met because?"

Sam turned to where Dean, John, and Arturo were seated on each of the three beds in the room. "Because these things happen exactly the way I see them."

Dean stood from where he sat, carrying his empty coffee mug to the counter for a refill. "It started out as nightmares. Then he started having them while he was awake."

John exchanged a glance with Arturo that didn't go unnoticed by Venus.

"I don't know, it's like the closer I get to anything involving the demon, the stronger the visions get," Sam chimed in, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Alright, when were you gonna tell me about this?" John addressed Dean.

"We didn't know what it meant," Dean told him calmly.

"Something like this starts happening to your brother, you pick up the phone and you call me."

Venus scoffed, shaking her head in disbelief. "He can't be serious," she whispered to herself.

Dean dropped the coffee pot he was holding and walked over to his father, "Call you? Are you kidding me?"

Venus and Sam's eyes widened. They were witnessing a rare moment, Dean defying the big bad John Winchester.

"Dad I called you from Lawrence," Dean continued, "Sam called you when I was dying. Getting you on the phone—I got a better chance of winning the lottery!"

Arturo sent Dean a proud smile from where he sat.

John's jaw clenched, his eyes falling on Venus and Sam. "You're right," he eventually admitted, "Although I'm not too crazy about this new tone of yours, you're right."

Venus resisted the urge to roll her eyes. He could've left it at 'You're right'...

"Look, guys, visions or no visions, the fact is we know the demon is coming tonight," Sam piped up, "This family is gonna go through the same hell we went through."

"No, they're not. No one is...ever again," John declared. 

Venus got up to pour herself a cup of coffee right as Sam's phone rang. She tuned out the beginnings of the conversation, sipping the lukewarm liquid and ignoring Dean's constant staring beside her.

But then Sam uttered a name she swore she'd never have to hear again.

"Meg."

Venus' mug stopped mid-air. "Shit."

John and Arturo slowly stood to their feet across the room.

"Last time I saw you, you fell out of a window," the youngest continued, his voice quickly filling with irritation.

Venus listened to the rest of the conversation with bated breath, watching Sam eventually hand the phone to John.

John exchanged two sentences with Meg before his face fell, "Caleb?" he spoke louder.

All eyes flew to him at the mention of the fellow hunter and family friend.

"You listen to me, he's got nothing to do with anything. You let him go," John demanded angrily. A few more seconds passed before John began calling for Caleb, his voice shaking.

Venus frowned. "Oh God, she's killing him," she softly realized. 

By the time the phone call was over, John had verbally agreed to bring Meg the colt and told the room his theory about her being involved with a demon.

It seemed very likely to Venus, especially since the blonde girl had seemingly survived a seven-story drop.

"So you think Meg's a demon?" Sam stood up.

"Either that or she's possessed by one," John added, "It doesn't really matter."

"What do we do?" questioned Dean.

John looked over at Arturo. "I'm going to Lincoln," he said, emphasizing the 'I'm'.

"Woah, compa," Arturo rushed forward, "You're not actually listening to this girl, are you?"

"It doesn't seem like I have a choice," John shrugged, quickly accepting his fate, "If I don't go, a lot of people die, my friends die. And according to her, you're at the top of the list," he told his best friend.

Sam stepped up, his jaw set, "The demon is coming tonight for Monica and her family. That gun is all we got, you can't just hand it over."

"Who said anything about handing it over?" John responded, "Look, besides us and a couple of vampires, no one's really seen the gun. No one knows what it looks like."

Dean scoffed, "So what, you're just gonna pick up a ringer at a pawn shop."

"Antique store," John corrected with a shrug.

Venus' brows furrowed. It was a risky plan, too risky. "You wanna hand Meg a fake gun and hope she doesn't notice? John, this bitch is crazy, she might shoot you with it just for fun."

"Look, as long as it's close, she shouldn't be able to tell the difference."

"Yeah but for how long?" Dean argued, "What happens when she figures it out?"

"I just need to buy a few hours, that's all."

Sam's eye twitched. "You mean for the four of us. You want us to stay here and kill this demon by ourselves."

"No, Sam. I want to stop losing people we love," John retorted, "I want you to go to school, I want Dean to have a home, I want Venus to be happy," he paused, turning to face Arturo, "I wanna stop dragging you in all my messes, man."

Venus watched John spiral with a somber expression. She could feel the guilt coming off him in waves.

He suddenly turned away, looking out the motel window, "I want Mary alive. I just..." he turned back to face them, tears pooling in his eyes, "I want this to be over."

-ˋˏ [         ] ˎˊ-

A train's whistle could be heard faintly overhead as Venus, Sam, and Arturo stood with John by his arsenal, mud caking his truck tires. He checked the colt for the last time and stuffed a string of rosary beads in his coat pocket before bolting up the arsenal.

The low rumble of the Impala could be heard some time later, signaling Dean's return.

"Did you get it?" John asked.

Dean pulled out a brown paper bag from his jacket and stared at it for a few seconds, then ultimately handed it to John.

"You know this is a trap, don't you?" Dean told his father, "That's why Meg wants you to come alone."

"I can handle her," the older man reassured his son, unwrapping the newly purchased gun, "I got a whole arsenal loaded. Holy water, Mandaic amulets..."

"Dad..."

John looked up. "What?"

Dean shifted awkwardly. "Promise me something."

"What's that?"

"This thing goes south, just get the hell out," Dean pleaded, "Don't get yourself killed, alright? You're no good to us dead."

John smiled softly to himself, knowing this was the closest he'd get to hearing Dean say the words, 'I love you'. "Same goes for you."

A moment of tense silence passed between the five hunters.

"Alright, listen to me," John eventually said, pulling the real colt out of his pocket, "They made the bullets special for this colt. There's only four of them left, without them this gun is useless. You make every shot count," he finished, placing the gun in Arturo's hands. 

"Yes, sir," Sam affirmed.

John sighed, "I've been waiting a long time for this fight. Now it's here, and I'm not gonna be in it. It's up to you four now. It's your fight, you finish this. You finish what I started," his eyes settled on Dean, "You understand?"

Dean's expression remained stoic whereas Sam nodded eagerly beside him.

"We'll see you soon, Dad," the youngest said.

John smiled at Sam, a small tear falling along the old man's cheek. "I'll see you later."

With a final look at Arturo, John jumped in his truck and took off.

Venus moved to stand between the boys, all eyes on the oldest Winchester's departing figure. She wished she could say that she had high hopes to see John alive again. But that would be a lie. There was too much uncertainty about what he was walking into.

On the other hand, the four of them would be walking into familiar territory.

A family on the brink of meeting the same fate that the Winchesters and Castillos met many years ago...

Death and destruction.

-ˋˏ [ ] ˎˊ-

"Alright losers, how are we doing this?" Venus asked as she slid into the backseat of the Impala, her bike parked right behind.

Dean and Sam turned to face her from the front of the vehicle, the colt sitting on the bench between them. "What if we tell them there's a gas leak? Might get them out of the house for a few hours," Sam suggested.

"That never works," she deadpanned.

"Could always tell them the truth," Arturo piped up from beside Venus.

Sam thought about it for a moment, but Venus and Dean replied with a chorused, "Nah."

"With what's coming for these people," Sam began, trailing off in a deep sigh.

"Sam we only got one move and you know it, alright?" Dean reassured, "We gotta wait for that demon to show itself and then we get it before it gets them."

"I wonder how dad's doing," Sam said after a few seconds.

Dean exhaled harshly. "I'd feel a lot better if we were there backing him up."

"I'd feel a lot better if he were here backing us up."

A soft pop sounded from the backseat, causing the boys to look back at where Venus had just finished blowing a bubble with her gum. "That was really bad timing," she smiled awkwardly.

They remained in the car for two more hours, keeping an eye on Monica's house.

But soon Venus and Arturo fell asleep in the backseat, the brunette's legs crossed on the back of Sam's seat while her head rested on her uncle's shoulder. The older man's mouth hung open just a bit, light snores echoing from it.

This was the most sleep either of them had gotten since Colorado. And unlike the Winchesters, they weren't ashamed of falling asleep during the worst of situations. 

It was another hour until Venus shifted in her sleep, feeling a harsh chill nip at her spine through the open window. Her eyes fluttered open to see the lights on Monica's house flickering. "What's going on?" she softly questioned, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

But both Winchesters had their eyes on the house. "It's coming," Sam said.

Venus shook her uncle awake with urgency. "Tío, it's time," she hurriedly told him, swinging open the car door.

Arturo was on high alert instantly, running behind the younger hunters over to the large home.

Dean easily picked the lock and carefully nudged the door open, walking in. Once the others entered, he slowly closed the door.

Venus took nearly silent steps behind her uncle until she felt a shift in the air behind her. Without thinking she ducked, just in time to see a wooden bat fly over her head. "Get out of my house!" Monica's husband screamed, holding the bat with a shaky grip.

Dean lunged forward to pull Venus out of the way of his second swing, grabbing her by the waist. Once back on her feet she grabbed the man's bat midair and plucked it out of his hold, tossing it aside. She easily grabbed his arms and pinned him to the closest wall.

She stared at the wide-eyed man with gentle eyes, understanding that his reaction was completely valid. "It may not seem like it, but we're trying to help you," she told him.

The man's eyes darted between all four hunters before landing on where his wife's voice came from upstairs.

"Charlie, is everything okay down there?"

Venus sent the man a pleading look. But it did nothing. He turned his head towards the stairs and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Monica, get the baby!"

"Don't go in the nursery!" Sam yelled, taking off up the stairs with Arturo on his heels.

"Don't touch her!" Charlie began to fight against Venus' hold even more.

"Goddamnit," Venus stepped back, allowing Dean to surge forward and deliver a blow to the man's face that knocked him out in record time.

Dean took the man's unconscious body and brought it outside the house, laying him safely on the grass.

He and Venus dashed up the stairs in search of the nursery shortly after.

They ran in to see Arturo trying to usher the young woman out while Sam's eyes lingered on a spot beside the crib.

"My baby!" Monica fought against Arturo's hold.

Venus stopped and got the woman's attention, "My friend's gonna get your baby, Monica. But we need to get out of here, now," she spoke gently.

Monica took a shaky breath, turning to see Dean grab Rosie from her crib in time for it to catch fire, then followed Venus, Sam, and Arturo downstairs.

They all ran out of the house to be met with an enraged and awake Charlie. "You get away from my family!" he bellowed, eyes lingering on the colt in Sam's hand.

"No, Charlie, don't. They saved us!" Monica cried. She turned to take her baby from Dean, "They saved us," she repeated, looking down at her daughter.

Charlie stepped forward and held his family in his arms, still looking at the hunters warily.

"Thank you," Monica said to them, her chest still heaving.

Venus sent her a relieved smile, turning to look up at the burning house.

But then her eyes landed on a black figure within the flames of the nursery.

"It's still in there," Sam sneered, noticing it. He barreled in the direction of the door but was stopped by three pairs of hands on him.

"Sam, no!" Dean used all his strength to hold his younger brother.

"Let me go, it's still in there!" Sam yelled, trying to pry Venus and Arturo's hands off his shoulders.

"Burning to the ground, it's suicide!" Venus screamed this time, planting her feet in the grass and pushing Sam back.

He momentarily stopped resisting. "I don't care."

Dean placed a hand on his chest to keep him from lunging again, "I do!"

Their sights soon drifted back to the flames, all watching as the demon disappeared in the blink of an eye.

They missed their shot.

-ˋˏ [ ] ˎˊ-

Back at the motel, Dean paced the small room, getting no answer from his father for the fifth time in an hour.

Sam sat on one of the beds, his jaw clenched so hard Venus was worried he'd pop a blood vessel. She sat across the room at the table, checking her phone to see a text from her uncle to confirm that he was on his way back from a food run.

She dropped her phone on the table and ran her hands across her face, taking a much-needed deep breath. 

"Something's wrong," Dean determined, flipping his phone shut. He spun on Sam, "You hear me? Something's happened," he said louder.

Sam was nearly shaking now. "If you guys had just let me go in there, I could've ended all this."

Dean's brows knitted together, the older man slowly approaching his younger brother. "Sam, the only thing you would have ended was your life."

"You don't know that," Sam looked up, a glint in his eyes that Venus had rarely ever seen.

She stood up from where she sat, "So what, Sam, you're just willing to sacrifice yourself?"

Sam stood up as well, glaring down at her, "Yeah. You're damn right I am."

"That's not gonna happen," Dean stepped between them, "Not as long as I'm around."

"What the hell are you talking about, Dean? We've been searching for this demon our whole lives. It's the only thing we've ever cared about."

Venus took a step back. This rage that filled Sam, it was heartbreaking to watch it pour out of him. It was even more heartbreaking to know that beneath it was just more pain and grief.

"Sam, I want to waste it, I do, okay?" Dean stepped closer, "But it's not worth dying over!"

"What?"

"I mean it," Dean stood his ground, "If hunting this demon means you getting yourself killed then I hope we never find the damn thing."

Sam's eyes flew to where Venus stood some distance away, "That thing killed Jess," he then looked back at Dean, "That thing killed mom."

"You said yourself once, that no matter what we do, they're gone. And they're never coming back."

That seemed to push Sam off the edge, the younger hunter grabbing Dean by his shirt collar and slamming him against the nearest wall. "Don't you say that! Not after all this, don't you say that." 

Venus ran over and grabbed Sam's shoulder. "Stop it, Sam," she shouted, trying to pull him off of Dean. But he wouldn't budge.

Dean met his brother's stare head-on, not showing an ounce of fear. "Sam look, the five of us? That's all we have," he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper, "It's all I have," his eyes momentarily darted to where Venus stood silently crying behind Sam.

Sam's anger bled into grief within seconds, the taller man loosening his hold on Dean.

"Sometimes I feel like I'm barely holding it together man," Dean confessed, his voice breaking, "Without you or Dad..."

Sam finally released him, collecting himself at the mention of his father.

Venus stepped forward and slipped her hand into Dean's, the older man almost looking surprised at her actions. She leaned her head against the wall beside him, using her thumb to run soothing circles against the back of his hand, a silent reminder that she was there, that she'd always be there.

"He should've called by now," Sam shook his head, using the heel of his hand to wipe away his tears, "Try him again."

Dean used his free hand to dig his cell phone from his pocket, speed-dialing his father once again. It rang for a while before the call was answered, but the voice he heard made his blood run cold. "Where is he?" he fiercely questioned after a few seconds, squeezing Venus' hand slightly.

By the time Arturo walked through the motel room door holding two bags of food and beer he heard one thing.

"They've got Dad."

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A/N: Almost done with season one YAYYY

If there are a lot of mistakes in this chapter, it's my bad

I was like half asleep editing this

I'll fix it later
(Probably)

Lovely GIF Banner up above made by the incredibly talented prodigybitxhhh

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