Thirty minutes later, Mackenzie sat in a booth across from Dean and his ten-year-old brother, Sam, in a small local pizzeria.

Dean was right; Sam was a good kid and she couldn't help but wish- like she did every day- that her sister were alive and sitting beside her. She had a feeling Quinn and Sam would have gotten alone, she figured with them being the same age they would have had a lot in common, and maybe, just maybe she wouldn't feel so alone on a daily basis.

"Hey, you okay?" Dean asked her when he saw the sad look on her face.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she answered with a forced smile. She didn't want him to think she wasn't having a good time with him, because nothing could be further from the truth- it was just hard not think of how life could have been if she never would have lost her sister and mother. Those thoughts always haunted her in her waking hours.

"You like the pizza?" Dean nodded his head toward the large pepperoni pizza sitting in the middle of the table.

"Yeah, it's good." She took a small bite from the slice, then set it back down on her plate.

"What kind of toppings do you like?" he asked, hoping to get to know her a little.

"I usually like ham and pineapple," she answered.

"Pineapple? On a pizza? Yuck!" Sam wrinkled his nose in disgust.

"Shut up, Sammy." Dean bumped his shoulder against his small one. The last thing he wanted to do was offend Mackenzie by dissing something she loves.

"But pineapples are nasty," Sam said, causing Mackenzie to laugh out loud. She couldn't help but wonder if her sister would have thought the same thing.

Dean looked over at her and couldn't help but notice how pretty she looked when she laughed. He loved the way her eyes would crinkle and the dimples that appeared when she smiled.

"It's okay, Sam, pineapples are not for everyone," she told him with a genuine smile on her face.

"He's actually never eaten pineapples." Dean laughed.

"That's 'cause they're yucky!" Sam called out.

Mackenzie laughed. "Maybe next time we'll get ham and pineapple. If you tried it, I bet you both will love it."

"Next time, huh?" Dean questioned with a smile, getting her attention. Her eyes slightly widened when she realized what she said. She didn't mean to suggest there would be a next time, she had gotten so caught up with being normal she had forgotten she would probably be gone in a few days.

"I mean if we all ever hang out again...we could try it." She shrugged, hoping to play it off.

"I like the idea of a next time." Dean flashed her a wink.

"Me too!" Sam added happily before his face fell. "But we probably won't be here for long."

"Why not?" she asked confused.

"Cause when Dad gets back, we have to leave," he answered.

"Where is your dad?" she questioned.

"Out looking for bad guys." A proud smile appeared on his young face. "Our dad is a superhero."

"Sam, why don't you go play some games?" Dean suggested before she could ask any other questions and Sam told her everything.

"I don't have any change," Sam pointed out.

"Here, I have some." Mackenzie reached into her front pant pocket and pulled out a few quarters before handing them to Sam.

"Thanks, Kenzie, you're the best," Sam called out as he quickly left the table and ran over to a pinball machine, causing her to smile at the nickname.

"So, your dad's a superhero, huh?" Mackenzie asked Dean, folding her arms in front of her on the table and giving him her full attention.

"That's just what I tell Sam," Dean said as he thought to himself that was better than the truth. He didn't want to tell her that their father moved them town to town to hunt for monsters and things that went bump in the night.

"What does your dad really do?" she asked curiously.

"He solves cases," he answered vaguely.

"So he's a cop?"

"Something like that."

"That's cool." She nodded.

"What does your dad do?" he asked, hoping to change the subject from himself.

Mackenzie looked at her watch to avoid his question. "You know what? I should be getting back before it gets dark."

"Okay." He nodded, then stood up from the table. "Sam and I will walk you home."

"No, it's okay." She jumped to her feet, ready to bolt at any moment.

"Come on, Kenz, there's no way I'm letting you walk home alone," he said, knowing about all the bad out in the world.

"Okay, fine," she said, finally giving in. She didn't know how to turn down the offer without offending him, and to be honest, a big part of her didn't want to turn him down anyway- not when he was looking at her with that smile on his face that caused her stomach to flutter.

"Great, let's go." Dean smiled and began to walk toward the front door, telling Sam to follow him when he walked by the pinball machine.

"Let's go, Kenzie!" Sam called out.

"Yeah, let's go, Kenzie," Dean repeated with a grin as he held open the door and waited for her to follow them.

Blowing out a nervous breath, she began to walk toward the door and tried to think of a way out of this. She didn't want them to know where she stayed or what she and her father did. She couldn't let them find out anything about who she really was.

It wasn't because of trust, because she honestly felt like she could trust Dean and tell him anything- the problem was she couldn't stop hearing her father's voice in her head. That little nagging voice was reminding her to never trust or get close to anyone because getting close to someone was a hunter's greatest weakness.

She was never sure if she believed that or not. In her opinion having someone to confide in, having that closeness and knowing they would always support you was an asset, not a weakness.

To her, being alone all the time was the real weakness, but she had never argued that thought to her dad. The last thing she wanted to do was disappoint her father- not that he would notice- but she still tried to be the perfect daughter and not make his life worse.

While deep in thought, she was aware of Dean walking along beside her, the heat of his body making her feel safe and less alone in the great big world. She couldn't help but smile when every so often she saw Sam running ahead of them to pick up rocks or loose change from the sidewalk.

"Don't get too far ahead," Dean warned his brother as his hand brushed against hers.

Turning his head to look at her, he smiled and decided to take a chance by laying the palm of his hand against her before lacing their fingers together. She lowered her head for a minute, a dimpled smile permanent on her face as she felt butterflies in her stomach.

"So which one is your house?" Dean asked her after they had walked for a few minutes. They had turned down a few different streets, but so far she hasn't pointed out where she lived- not that he was complaining though, he was enjoying this walk around town hand in hand.

"Um...there." She pointed toward a dark abandoned house at the end of a dead-end street.

"It doesn't look like anyone is home," Dean commented as they walked closer to the small brick house.

He lowered his eyebrows as he took in the overgrown grass and weeds leading up to the dilapidated porch. Not only did it look like no one was there, but it looked like no one had been there in years.

"Dad must still be at work," she lied.

"What about your mom?" he asked in concern.

"She's probably asleep...she drinks a lot," she lied again as she took a step toward the house.

"Kenz, wait." He lightly grabbed her arm to stop her from leaving.

"What?" she asked, confused as he took a step closer to her.

Dean didn't know what came over him as he leaned forward and pressed his lips against her for a sweet kiss. Mackenzie raised her eyebrows in surprise and felt a tingle from head to toe. She had never kissed a boy before but she had a feeling if she did, it would never feel the way it did when Dean kissed her.

Dean pulled back a minute later when Sam began laughing and making kissing noises at them. He wanted to punch him in the arm for being so lame, but he couldn't drag himself away from her. Truthfully he wanted nothing more than to kiss her again but figured he better not push his luck.

"Sorry, I probably shouldn't have done that," Dean whispered to her. He wasn't usually this forward, this fast, but he had a feeling she was different and he feared if he didn't make his move now it would be too late.

"No, it-it's okay," she whispered back with a genuine smile on her face.

"Want to hang out tomorrow?" Dean asked, hoping she would say yes. "We can get that pineapple pizza you say is so great."

"I'll try." She laughed. A huge part of her wanted to, she wanted to say yes so badly, but she didn't know when her father would be back. Her life revolved around his quest for revenge.

"See you later." Dean smiled.

"Bye." She flashed him a huge grin, then glanced over at the younger boy. "Bye, Sammy."

"Bye, Kenzie," Sam called out.

She walked toward the house and made her way carefully up the porch steps. Once at the front door, she turned around and waved to the brothers. She laid a finger on her lips and smiled as she watched them walk down the sidewalk, she couldn't believe she just had her first kiss.

She waited until Dean and Sam were out of sight before walking down the stairs and running all the way back to the motel with a huge smile on her face.

•••

While the kids hung out, Michael had been all over town showing people the sketch of the demon and asking if they had seen him. After getting nowhere on the case, he made his way inside a small rundown bar.

Once inside, he made his way over to the bar and flashed the sketch to the bartender. After getting the same answer he had gotten all day, he finally ordered a beer and sat down with a tired sigh.

He sat the piece of paper down on the bar, then took a sip from the ice-cold beer bottle. He was lost in thought as an unfamiliar man sat down beside him to order a shot of whiskey.

"Friend of yours?" the man asked Michael as he nodded his head toward the paper.

"Not hardly," Michael answered bitterly.

"Why are you looking for him then?"

"He did a bad thing and he needs to pay." Michael looked over at the man. He reminded Michael a lot of himself- they were around the same age, height, build and had the same hair color. But even though they had different eye colors, Michael could see the same pain in this man's eyes that he had seen in his own.

"What if I told you, I could help you find him," the man said.

"I would say, who the hell are you and why do you care?"

"The name's John Winchester." He held out a hand.

"Michael Cole." He shook his hand.

"I know who you are." John picked up the shot glass and drank the dark liquor in one swallow.

"How?" Michael asked confused.

"Finish your beer and meet me outside. We need to talk." He stood up and made his way outside the bar, knowing the other man would follow him. After all, it's what he would have done.

•••

A/N; Thank you to everyone reading!

Happy reading!

xx