The Runt of the Litter

Outsiders, Both of Us

Note: Holy crap, it's been a long week. Thank you so much to everybody for the reads, votes, and comments. I really appreciate everybody's engagement and love!

I have had a really busy and stressful week, so it's a miracle that I managed to finish this today, but I refuse to skip a week without warning. So here it is! This chapter is a request from the incredible idk_kinda_gal (which is one of my favorite usernames I've ever seen), who asked for a chapter about Mary's return and about one of the boys dying. 

So: this chapter takes place surrounding the events of the season 11 finale and the first handful of episodes from season twelve, but I didn't stick closely to the show by any means, because I really don't think much about the episodes would have been the same with Anna there. Anything recognizable, though, is obviously not my work and comes from the show and its astoundingly creative and intelligent writers.

Before shutting up so you can read the story, I just want to mention that I have another really difficult week coming up and, because this chapter officially means that I've caught up on all the requests I had backed up for a hot minute, I might not post anything next weekend. If I do make a post, it'll probably be short. I will most definitely post something the week after that, though. I am by no means giving up. I don't even have any plans to change the usual posting schedule (I will still post weekly on Saturdays). I just don't see myself getting anything substantial written this week on top of everything I have going on. I'm sorry to do that, but I don't see a way around it.

Enough from me. Anna is seventeen in this chapter.

Outsiders, Both of Us

The sun came up and the world went dark. Not literally, of course. Literally, Dean had saved them all. But Anna couldn't think about that part. All she could think about, all she could feel, was the utter lack of Dean in the world. It was dark.

She couldn't stand looking at the light, so Anna turned instead and opened the bunker door, Sam and Cas right behind her. Maybe they felt the same way staring at Dean's last gift. Empty.

"I'm so sorry," Cas said as they began to move down the stairs. He placed a hand on Anna's shoulder, and if it hadn't been Cas, she would have grabbed that hand and shoved it away from her. Instead, she looked over her shoulder at him, let him see in her eyes that she just couldn't, and he pulled his hand away himself. It went to Sam's shoulder, and he didn't shrug it off either. "Sam. If you want to talk... I'm here if either of you need anything."

There were no more words as they all walked numbly down the stairs, so the only sounds were the dull thuds of their feet landing heavily against each step. As soon as they reached the bottom, though, the hair on the back of Anna's neck stood up, and she was surprised when Sam's arm shot across the front of her chest, nearly knocking the breath out of her.

"Hello, hello," came a feminine voice.

Anna stared in confusion as a thin blonde woman with her hair pulled back into a slick bun placed her hand against the wall. She realized quickly that there'd been a banishing sigil drawn there when Cas vanished in a flash of blinding light. "Cas!"

Sam reached for his gun in the back of his jeans, but the action was cut short when the woman drew a gun and, without a moment's hesitation, pulled the trigger. Anna didn't even realize what had happened until she was on the ground, Sam's fists in the collar of her jacket trying to hold her up even. "Anna," he said numbly, then pressed his hands against her stomach where blood was already gushing. She couldn't even feel it yet, but she knew the pain would hit her like a brick wall, any second. She'd been shot before, after all. There was horror in Sam's eyes when he looked down at her and then turned his eyes on the intruder.