Brothers Keep Her

Bait

"Here's what we know," Dean says, packing his green duffle. "Whatever it is, it's throwing us off on purpose. Ripping out hearts, that's werewolf, through and through. Well, I guess it could be a handful of other things... That's besides the point. The temp drops and flickers, that's ghost. Picking things up - picking you up - poltergeist. Or... demon. Or disgruntled wizard. Or..."

"What are you guys doing?" Sam is suddenly standing in the doorway of Dean's bedroom. You slide off the bed and hide the piece of paper you've been holding in your fist behind your back.

"Hunting, brother. It's what we do." Dean zips the bag shut and looks at you. "You ready?"

He's asking you more than that. You see it in his eyes. Are you ready to risk your life? Are you ready to maybe see Jonah die? Are you sure you want to go through with this? "Yes."

"No-" Sam strides into the room, blocking you from leaving.

"Let her go, Sam," Dean says. Again.

"This is crazy. She's not going out there," he scoffs.

"She's a big girl, she can make her own damned decisions," Dean retorts. "She doesn't need your permission."

"If you two could please be done, Jonah's still out there at the mercy of a demon on a joyride." Your heart pounds in your ears. Are you really doing this? It's as if you've stepped outside of your body and let autopilot take over. It's difficult to know if you're afraid or anxious or furious. Right now, it all feels the same. You slide the paper into your back pocket.

"[Y/N], please just think this through for a minute," Sam pleads.

"I have. Either come with us or get out of the way, please." It's impossible to look at him. You know what you'll see in those eyes, and if you look up, you might lose your resolve. You have to stay strong for Jonah - you and Dean might be his only chance.

***

"This might be a little trickier than we thought," Dean says, dropping his phone on the seat between him and Sam.

You lift your head from the cool glass of the back window and lean forward. "What do you mean?"

"Crowley's MIA. We're going to have to find this sum' bitch on our own." He sighs as the Impala growls down the Interstate.

Sam hasn't said a word since you piled into the car, but at least he is here. Deep down, you knew he would. A man doesn't look at a girl the way he does without the primal instinct to protect her at all costs.

Dean had found news reports online of suspicious (read: demonic) activity in a little town not far from where you live and decided that was where you needed to go. You practice breathing in the back seat, your head down over your knees. Even if it isn't the same demon, Dean said he could get the information you need; he just has to trap it.

You reach into your back pocket to make sure that piece of paper is still there.

An hour or so later, Dean glides the Impala off the Interstate and into a truck stop. "Hit the john and grab something to eat. It's gonna be a long night," he says, adjusting his belt after shutting the car door behind you. You hadn't realized how much you needed to stretch. It feels really good to arc your back as you reach up to the clear night sky.

You glance back at Sam. You consider saying something to break the tension, but he's absorbed in his phone. He's always researching something. You decide to leave him be - now is not the time.

Thankfully, the restrooms are inside the little mini mart, and surprisingly clean, too. It isn't until the door swings shut behind you that you start to tremble uncontrollably; the last time you were in a public restroom, something nearly killed you. If Sam hadn't gotten there in time...