Chapter 1 – And So It Begins...

My heart was pounding so fast I was afraid it would beat out of my chest at any moment. My chest heaved with the familiar sensation of panic. One moment, I'm walking into my living room thinking about why my apartment was dark, knowing that my fiancé was home and the next thing I know, I'm sitting on the bumper of an ambulance with an oxygen mask held up to my face.

Three Hours Earlier

My laugh echoed through the relatively silent apartment. A sound that seemed nonexistent, especially for this time of the year. Midterms had just begun at the university and even the upperclassmen were studying hard to ensure their futures were secure. Tonight was a different situation altogether. After three years of hard work, I had finally received the letter that would change my life forever.

"Jeremy!" I laughed as he tackled me to the couch, playfully holding me down.

Jeremy Carlson had been my savior since starting university. We met in an introductory course that was required for all freshman. Standing at about 6'1, he towered over my small frame easily. His crystal blue eyes and jet black hair were things of fantasy and all mine.

"Come on, Skylar, just say it!" Jeremy said, slightly out of breath as he kept up his tickling assault.

His goal was to get the envelope that was currently clutched in a death grip in my right hand. The envelope that held my future. Early admission into any medical program meant you were the cream of the crop and your life was set with continual hard work. This was my chance to make something of myself and Jeremy was my biggest supporter.

"No, Mr. Carlson, you will just have to wait like everyone else!" I laughed, pushing him away and making sure to keep the envelope out of his reach.

He relented, falling to the couch next to me, "Okay, have it your way! We gotta go though."

He climbed to his feet before grabbing onto my hand pulling me up as well. I smiled at him, watching as his blue eyes sparkled with excitement. I leaned up and pressed my lips to his briefly before pulling away. Making sure I swung my hips as saucily as possible, I walked over to where my coat was hanging, glancing over my shoulder to see if he was watching. Without fail, his blue eyes were glued to my backside.

"Come on horn dog." I grinned, reaching for the front door and opening it.

We quickly made our way out of the apartment and to his car. The cool night air was refreshing compared to the stuffy apartment building. The last remnants of winter were still hanging around, making it chilly enough to force us to drive to the popular bar on campus.

The bar was what you would expect of a popular college hang out. Plenty of the university mascot memorabilia hanging everywhere along with drink and food combos named after the school. It had a hip vibe to it while rooting itself in the traditions that it had begun with so many years ago. It was a homey place that allowed for a party atmosphere to mix with the chaotic melting pot of people coming in and out of it every day.

"Sky!"

I looked around for the person who called my name and saw a familiar blonde sitting at a table near the bar. Allie had been my best friend since middle school. The two of us were so different yet so in sync with each other that people would often mistake us for sisters. We didn't bother correcting them.

My grip on Jeremy's hand tightened as we made our way through the crowd only stopping when we reached Allie. There was already a pitcher of beer resting on the table just waiting to be devoured. Shrugging my coat off, I reached over and gave Allie a quick hug before taking my spot next to her. The ever curious and expectant look she had on her face hadn't gone unnoticed.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" My question seemed pointless considering I knew exactly what she was after.

Allie shrugged. "A little birdie informed me that a certain envelope showed up in the mail today."

I looked over at Jeremy, a playful accusatory look on my face. He shrugged and arched his eyebrows in response. Shaking my head, I couldn't wipe the grin from my face as I pulled the envelope from my jacket. Allie squealed in delight seeing the envelop and started bouncing in her seat excitedly.

"You guys know that no matter what happens, I'll still visit right?" I joked as I slowly began opening the letter.

"Just open the damn letter," Allie responded, shaking her head at my antics.

Taking a deep breath, I opened the envelope and pulled out the letter. Reading the opening statements, the smile on my face grew as I read the word 'Congratulations.' I looked up at the two people sitting in front of me, not saying anything and enjoying the looks of agonizing anticipation clearly written on their faces. Allie reached across the table and snatched the letter away from me. It took her a moment to read through it before a yelp escaped her lips. Pushing the letter towards Jeremy, she reached over and pulled me into another hug.

"I can't believe they accepted your boring ass," Allie teased as she pulled back.

Shrugging, my smile never wavered. "Not all of us can be popular sorority girls with a penchant for bullshitting our way out of everything."

"I'm gonna make a kick ass lawyer," Allie stated shamelessly, flipping her hair in an exaggerated way to prove her point. "Don't move, I'm going to grab us some celebratory shots!"

She jumped from her chair and moved towards the bar. Shaking my head, I returned my gaze to the table. Jeremy sat there, a smile on his face as his eyes ghosted over the words printed on the page. I could tell just from the way his eyes lit up at how proud he was. This was what we had been working for the last few years.

"You did it." His voice met my ears despite the loud shouting around us.

"We did it," I responded, reaching across my table with my left hand, the engagement ring glinting on my ring finger.

Taking my hand in his, he lightly kissed the top of it, a brilliant smile stretching across his face. Not even five minutes later Allie came back to the table, an entire tray of shots in her hand. It never ceased to amaze me how she pulled off the impossible. I guess when you flash enough skin to a bartender you could get just about anything.

"Well as much as I would love to live up to the expectations of college students…I have an exam tomorrow," Jeremy said as Allie began setting the shots on the table. "Call a cab when you're done please," he chided as he leaned down, pressing a kiss to my lips.

"Of course." I nodded, pulling back. "We both will."

He nodded as he said, "I love you."

"Love you too," I responded, kissing him once more.

He pulled back first and waved to Allie before making his way out of the bar. I watched him until he was out of sight and turned to look at Allie. There was a Cheshire like grin on her face as she distributed the shots between us.

"What?" I asked.

"You're lucky to have him." I smiled again at Allie's remark. "And in a few months you will be married to the man of your dreams." Allie then raised her beer. "To the future Mrs. Jeremy Carlson! Good luck at medical school, cause you're gonna need it!" Allie toasted before taking her first shot. The crowds around us cheered, causing me to laugh and throw back my own shot.

This went on for about another hour before I decided enough was enough. Drinking was fun to a certain extent, but it had definitely been a hell of a lot fun when I was younger. I paid for my share of the alcohol I consumed tonight before I called a cab, making sure the bartender knew to stick Allie in one when she was done as well.

The drive was short and filled with the incessant chatter of the cabbie driver. I didn't mind that he wanted to fill the silence. There was nothing worse than the silence of strangers. Paying the cabbie his money, I climbed from the car and glanced up at the apartment building, specifically my apartment windows on the third floor. The first thing I noticed was the apartment looked dark. That was particularly strange considering Jeremy wanted to study.

A bad feeling began to settle in the pit of my stomach as I approached the building. I shrugged it off, rationalizing that he probably just went to the library. He did that when he couldn't focus at home. Why he wouldn't be able to focus when he had the apartment to himself was beyond me.

Entering the lobby, I stopped at the mailbox to check our mail and came to a stop when I saw Jeremy's keys hanging out of the lock. Walking over, I turned his key and opened the ox, seeing that all the mail was still inside. I locked it once more and clutched his keys tightly in my hand. Why were his keys in the box?

Quickly making my way up the stairs, the horrid feeling began to grow. I was coming up to the second landing when I noticed there was someone standing there with their face to the wall. I came to a stop, not sure if this was some weird homeless guy or the start to a horror movie. I began moving up towards the figure again, the sound of my boots clicking against the staircase seemed even louder than before.

"Hey…" I greeted softly. "Are you alright?"

The person slowly began to turn around forcing me to back away in hesitation. What in the hell was I thinking? This person could have a weapon on them and here I was approaching them rather carelessly. As soon as he faced me, my jaw dropped as my eyes grew wide. A gasp escaped me and I stumbled back into the staircase railing. I could feel the hot prick of tears in my eyes.

Jeremy was standing in front of me, his skin unhealthily pale. His once bright blue eyes were beginning to gloss over. The worst part was the front of his clothes were drenched in blood. Blood that was still dripping from the deep gash stretching across his throat. He tilted his head slightly before vanishing into thin air. Like he had been nothing but my imagination.

Without another thought, I raced up the remaining flights of stairs, the tears I'd been feeling spilling over. I was desperately trying to come up with explanations to what I had just seen. I was tired. I had too much to drink tonight. I was nervous about the wedding. They were all logical but I remained unconvinced. Shoving my keys into the door, I unlocked it before throwing myself into the darkened apartment and slamming the door shut behind me.

"Jeremy?" I called out, my voice shaky. "Baby where are you?"

Tossing my eyes onto the table next to the door, I moved into the living room and flipped on a lamp. Not seeing him in there, I checked the kitchen. Nothing. Moving towards the bedroom, I called out his name again and received no response. A scream tore from my throat the moment I turned on the lights and I slapped a hand over my mouth.

Jeremy was slumped against the wall, throat slit and blood everywhere. Just like what I had seen by the staircase. I stood there, frozen, a sob bubbling out of me and echoing through the room. I raced forward, falling to my knees next to him. Shakily, I reached out and pressed my fingers to his pulse, knowing it was silly and pointless. He was gone. He'd bled out.

Pulling back, I put the back of my hand to my mouth, avoiding the blood on my fingers. His blood. I nearly jumped when I heard a strange popping noise come from Jeremy. Horror movie scenarios began running through my mind, but they were a far cry from what really happened. The wall behind Jeremy suddenly burst into flames, moving up the wall like someone had poured gasoline all over the area above Jeremy.

Crying out in shock, I reeled backwards and away from the body. A few seconds later the sound of the front door being thrown open met my ears. Pounding footsteps came towards the room before I felt a pair of arms wrap around me. My gaze was locked onto the flames as I was pulled up and dragged towards the door.

Nothing really registered until we hit the lobby of the apartment building. It took me a moment to realize my sobs were echoing throughout the silent hall while the arms remained wrapped around me. They supported my numb body, carefully helping me outside. I felt as if I had been thrown into a freezer as I tried to process what had just happened. Nothing was coming until a loud explosion came from above us.

A body pressed against mine as the force knocked us to the ground, protecting me from the pieces of debris that rained down on us. Bits of my apartment burned around us and I desperately scanned the items that made it to the street, but none of it was familiar. I was pulled to my feet again and the strong grip directed me towards the park on the opposite side of the street. I allowed whoever to force me into a park bench.

"Are you okay?" a voice ripped through my thoughts. I looked at the man, knowing they had been there but suddenly aware I wasn't alone sinking in.

He was an older man with sad eyes and dark hair. In his forties or fifties was my guess. I had never seen anyone who looked so broken as this man did. The bags under his eyes and the stress lines in his features were enough to alert me to the fact he had more than likely been through hell lately.

Before I could answer, the distant wailing of sirens met my ears. My gaze snapped over towards the end of the street in time to see a fire truck followed by a few police and an ambulance come racing down the street. The man next to me began shouting for the paramedic's attention but by then, everything was becoming a blur.

More hands grabbed a hold of me, questions coming from every which way. The shouts of firemen and police officers began as people spilled out onto the sidewalk. It was total chaos. The next thing I knew, my body was being placed on the bumper of an ambulance and and oxygen mask was shoved into my face.

My mind had begun to race once more. The man that had pulled me from the apartment was familiar. The look in his eyes was one I was positive I'd seen before. I stared at the flames coming out of the windows of my now destroyed apartment. The appearance of Jeremy's dead body in the stairwell, the flames, and the man's sudden and convenient appearance. I couldn't help but come to the same conclusion: this had something to do with my dad.

All those years spent bouncing from school to school and living out of motel rooms. My dad would come back almost every time with that look in his eyes; the broken, defeated look. After days of being MIA, he would pop back up out of the blue with some weird new lesson. Sometimes it was learning gun safety, the next day it was shooting, and then after that it was learning how to read Latin. Nothing ever felt like it connected.

Ripping the mask from my face, I pushed the paramedic away, turning my back to the burning building. My gazed searched the crowds gathering when I spotted him. The man who had pulled me from certain death. I remembered where I had seen him before. Now that I got a decent look at him amongst the flashing lights, there was no denying who he was.

The cries of the paramedics fell upon deaf ears as I continued my beeline towards him. The first time I had seen him since my father's death a few years back. It was a blast from the past I wasn't expecting. I came to a stop in front of him, taking in the guilty look that had formed on his face.

"What in the hell are you doing here, John?" I asked, my tone biting.

John Winchester looked to the ground for a moment before his gaze locked onto mine again as he said, "I promised your dad that I would look after you."

Shaking my head, I said, "You can go to hell."

"Skylar!" John called out as I turned away from him. His hand wrapping around my wrist. "Skylar I need you to listen to me–"

"I don't need to do anything," I snapped, pulling my hand from his grip. "It's funny how the moment you come rolling into town, my life goes to hell."

John looked up towards the building where the flames were beginning to die down. "There are things I want to tell you–"

I cut him off as I pushed him back forcing him to stumble before he caught his balance once more. "You have no right. You abandoned me just like he did. So don't you dare come here and pretend like things have changed."

"Your dad was only trying to protect you from the things that are out there," John said as the paramedics began closing in on us.

"What things?" I cried in confusion, my brows furrowing as more tears formed in my eyes. He didn't answer, shaking his head as the paramedics reached us.

"You should go with them, we'll talk later."

"No." I shook my head, "We're not gonna talk."

The paramedics managed to get me back to the ambulance, pressing the oxygen mask back to my face only to have me rip it off moments later. I sat there numbly against the back bumper with a blanket wrapped around my shoulders. I watched as people came and went, the fire was put out, and the coroner's car arrived. Looking down to the ground, I heard someone screech my name.

Pushing myself off the bumper, I blindly threw the jacket back into the ambulance just as Allie barreled into me, throwing her arms around me. Tears stained her cheeks as she clutched onto me in a tight grip. Her shoulders shook as she held me for a few moments longer before letting go.

"Is he…?" she trailed off.

I nodded before biting my lip to keep myself from crying again. I glanced back up towards the apartment.

"Sky, I'm so sorry," Allie whispered, pulling me into another hug.

I pulled back, shaking my head, "Can you just take me somewhere? Anywhere but here."

Allie nodded, wrapping her arm around my shoulders. I glanced towards the crowd my eyes searching for John's familiar figure, but he was gone. Typical John Winchester. Looking back to the road in front of me and Allie, I let more tears fall down my cheeks. I had a feeling this was far from over.

A few days had passed since Jeremy's passing. The cause of death had been determined as caused by the fire. Someone had determined that he had been knocked unconscious and perished in the flames. I knew that was a lie. I didn't say anything though. What could I say? By the way, I saw my dead fiancée moments before I found his dead body and my apartment exploded? No one would believe me.

The looks I was receiving was enough to cripple me with grief. I didn't want their pity or their apologies or grievances. I wanted Jeremy back but nothing was going to bring him back and their apologies sure as hell weren't doing shit.

The funeral had gone off without a hitch. Closed casket of course, but that did nothing to soothe my aching heart. The moment the funeral was over I hightailed it back to Allie's house where I had been staying since the fire. Rarely did I leave the room. The engagement ring I had been wearing had found itself smashed into the bathroom mirror before I went on a rampage, tearing apart the room I had been staying in.

Instead of getting angry when she found me curled up on the floor, Allie sat down next to me placing my head on her lap. She let me cry and sob for hours as she sat there stroking my hair in the most comforting way she could. That went on for a few days before I finally gained the courage to come out of the bedroom.

"Sky?" Allie called out from the kitchen as I came down the stairs.

For the first time since the funeral I had gotten dressed. Coming into the kitchen, I came to a complete halt when I realized Allie wasn't by herself. Sitting across from her at the table was John. He was dressed nicely, like he had made an effort to clean himself up.

"What are you doing here?" My voice cracked as John stood up holding his hands out.

"Skylar, can we just talk for a minute?" John asked, keeping his voice calm.

Shaking my head, I begged, "Please, just leave."

"Not until you hear me out." John shook his head. "You're right. I've done a pretty shitty job when it comes to taking care of you…But I'm trying to change that."

I looked from John to Allie who had a wounded look on her face. She was always a sucker for a sob story. I could only imagine the one John had laid on her before I came down the stairs. Judging by the look on her face it was a real tear jerker.

"He's your uncle, Sky," Allie added. "Give him a chance."

Taking a deep breath, I nodded before motioning towards the front door. John nodded to Allie before heading towards the front. Glancing back at Allie, I followed John out on to the front porch closing the front door behind me with a sharp snap. Crossing my arms over my chest, I watched as John pressed his hands to the railing glancing out at the street.

"I want you to come with me," he broke the silence, looking over at me.

"Not a chance in hell," I responded immediately.

John sighed, frustration evident on his face. "I cannot help you when you're here."

"What could I possibly need help with, John?" I responded bitterly. "Telling Allie you're my uncle? Dick move."

"You saw him didn't you?" John asked, ignoring my last question. "Before you found him, before you knew he was dead, you saw his ghost."

Tiling my head, I gave him a sharp look, "How do you know that?"

"You're a medium, Sky," John stated. "You always have been."

Shaking my head, I denied, "That's not possible. I don't see dead people-"

"You've learned to block it out," John cut me off. "Your father and I taught you how to block it out. When you were younger it used to scare you so bad that you wouldn't sleep."

I stopped trying to argue the moment he said that. I remembered that. I was about eight. I saw things and thought they were nightmares; they kept me from falling asleep, too scared I was going to see them everywhere. Narrowing my eyes at John, I felt a little less hostile but still suspicious.

"I want to explain everything to you, but not here." John shook his head.

"What's wrong with here?" I asked, glancing around.

John's gaze met mine as he said, "They could be listening."

"Who?"

"Demons," John answered, keeping his voice low.

"You've got to be kidding me. Demons? Really, John?"

"You wanna shut up for a minute so I can explain?" he snapped, his anger and frustration finally surfacing.

I slowly sat down on the porch swing, watching John silently. He sat down next to me, letting out a heavy sigh as he began to explain what was happening. How he and my dad were called hunters. They went around the states and hunted all the things that went bump in the night. Ghosts and demons weren't the only things out there; vampires and werewolves roamed around freely as well as other creatures. As I listened to him, I wasn't sure whether or not this was some huge joke or if he was being serious. None of it really sunk in until John pulled a beaten journal out of his jacket, holding it out to me.

Inside there were pages among pages of things written down, among them were firsthand accounts of hunts and the monsters that were involved. Sometimes familiar names would pop up, names that I remember my dad mentioning. There was just too much in here that was familiar to me and that's what scared me.

"We were hunting a demon when your dad died," John stated.

"What kind of demon?" I asked softly.

John glanced down at the journal as he said, "The one that killed your mom."

I met his gaze with what I was sure a look of shock on my face. I was trying to wrap my mind around it. My mother died in my nursery the night I was exactly six months old. I was always told it was an electrical fire and now I'm finding out it was anything but that?

"Your father taught you everything you needed to know, but he didn't want to object you to this life unless he absolutely had too," John explained. "The weird Latin lessons, knowing your way around different types of weapons."

"You're saying my dad was teaching me how to be a hunter without me even knowing about it?" I asked, disbelief coating my voice. "You realize how crazy this sounds?"

"I've barely even scraped the surface," John admitted.

"If my dad was so adamant on protecting me from it all, why tell me now?" I asked, voicing the question that had been burning in the back of my mind.

John stood back up, placing his hand to the back of his neck and rubbing. His shoulders were tense, the tired look returning to his face as he shook his head. He was struggling to find the words.

"It found you."

"The demon that killed my mom?" I clarified, earning a nod. "Why would it want me?"

John turned back to me. "That's what I'm trying to find out."

I nodded, slowly standing up, "That's why you want me to leave. You're worried it's going to come back."

"It's just a matter of when," John confirmed, glancing towards Allie's front door. "I know you don't want to lose any more people. Allie seems like a good girl. She doesn't deserve what a demon would do to her."

Closing my eyes briefly, I shook my head, not wanting that sight in my head. Horrible visions clouded my mind of what a supposed demon would do to her. If John was telling the truth about all of this and that what killed Jeremy was a demon, I couldn't imagine what they would do to Allie. Running my fingers through my hair, I looked up at John.

"Say I believe you," I started. "This whole demon and hunters crap is real. What would I have to do to keep her safe?"

John looked from me to the house as he said, "Leave. Get the hell out of dodge and lay low for a while."

"How long?" My voice cracked.

"Until it's over," John answered honestly.

"Where would I go?"

John glanced around once more before flipping through the journal to a page towards the back. Putting a finger to his lips he then pointed to the page. Along the top it said 'The Roadhouse' along with the name Ellen and a phone number. Furrowing my brows in confusion, I looked back up at John as he closed the journal.

"You'll be safe there and you won't have to worry about hunting. Just like your daddy wanted. You can have a normal life there. Ellen will take care of you and she has a daughter your age, Jo."

I nodded, taking in everything he was saying. Despite the psychobabble that came along with it, he was offering me a fresh start. A start away from the bloodshed and devastation I had witnessed. I glanced back at the house, guilt filling my body before I nodded at John.

"Okay," I whispered.

Hello my dears! Welcome back to the wonderful depths of my mind. For those of you who may recognize this is the rewrite to my original version Never Alone. Some elements remained the same, but this is a whole new vamped up version that I'm quite proud to be presenting! Some things will be DRASTICALLY different while some will remain the same! Keep an open mind and enjoy! If you would like to share your feelings on this beginning please shoot me a message, leave a review, follow favorite, anything to let me know you're interested!

I would like to submit this disclaimer once and only once, I do not own Supernatural or any of its affiliates. This story is being written purely out of love and adoration for the fandom created by the amazing Eric Kripke.