Chapter 1

My feet hurt from running. But I was finally in a place where no one was around. She'd let me take control again, understanding that I needed to. But it had taken every ounce of effort to get away from her family. But finally. It had worked. I was alone on the trail. It wasn't ideal but it would be enough to do what I needed to do without her family thinking she was a monster.

"Alright, El. I'll see you next time I die ok?" I said in a voice that wasn't my own, knowing even if I was in control of her body that she could hear me.

It took half an hour but I drew the symbol perfectly before taking my place in the center. This would hopefully take me home. I took a deep breath and started saying the incantation.

"Animi corporisque transitum." I closed my eyes and repeated the phrase as the circle of swirls and Latin symbols started to glow around me. "Animi corpori…"

The sense of passing out washed over me before I could finish the last verse. I knew I'd be home soon.

I sucked in a sharp breath as my eyes shot open. I was in a very different place. Looking around I seemed to be in an old shed, or maybe a basement. The walls were concrete, so I was going with the basement. There was a half window high up on the wall to my left, just giving enough light to know it was daylight outside. There was a long table under the window. On it was tools and instruments used for torture I'd guess. Hammers, wrenches, pliers, knives, ropes, etc. I was sitting down in the center of the room. Moving told me I was tied to the chair, my wrists bound behind its back, and my ankles tied to the legs.

I took a deep breath, steadying myself so I could calm myself. Right. What else was there? I sat silently, listening. I could hear nature outside the window, but no cars. I was out in the country somewhere. I refocused on the room around me as I heard voices. There must be a door behind me that someone was talking behind. I strained to hear anything.

"It won't hurt her, just get the answers out." I was sure I recognized that voice but I wasn't sure. "Yes I'm sure she's alive," they said again after a pause, they must be on the phone with someone. "She has a strange ability to switch bodies. I have no idea where the other one is." So they know me, and well. That narrowed the list. "The drug lasts an hour. There's very little I can do in that time period." I heard the accent now. It was deep, dark, sultry, and English. That gave it away. "You don't have to be so demanding, I already work for you and you know how good I am. We'll get what we want. Just give me an hour, two tops." Arthur Ketch, one of my biggest threats. The British bad boy was a fine assassin. Good at his job by any means necessary. He'd been trying to get to me for years now since he found out about my family connections. "Deal." Among other things, there was a bigger problem with him.

The door behind me opened and I resisted the urge to tense as I heard him walking toward me. No doubt he would be dressed nicely as he always was. A crisp suit came into view as he rounded the corner of my vision. The man was of average height, only a little taller than me. His hair was black and kept neat and short. His smile was cocky and tempting. His eyes were a poisonous mercury color. Altogether, a beautiful specimen of a man. And that was the problem. We had a history, and he constantly used it against me.

"You're awake." He said it as if he was shocked.

"You're observant." I quipped.

"Are you hungry, love? You've been away for a while now." His charm was sickening.

"Don't call me that. I have a name, Ketch." I Glared at him. What game was he playing this time?

"Why don't you call me Arthur? You were keen on it the last time we met." He was teasing me now.

"That meant nothing to me. I just needed answers and you gave them to me." That was mostly true. Unfortunately, sex hadn't been part of that plan. But he didn't need to know that.

"You'll have to say it, Ms. Winchester. If you want this to end anytime soon that is." He took a few steps closer to me.

In the few seconds that I was going to take to question what he had in mind, a small pinch occurred in my neck. A warm sensation followed, spreading from the site of injection to fill my whole body. It made me uncomfortable.

"What was that?" I asked as Ketch moved away from me.

"A new drug we've been developing."

"We?"

"Wouldn't you'd like to know?" He smiled that cocky crooked smile again as he moved a chair in front of me. "Now, I have some questions for you." He took a seat.

"Ha. You really think I'm just going to answer them like that?" But I was already starting to sweat. The warmth was now a burning feeling.

"Do you feel it yet?" He asked. "I can make it better. But I need answers for that."

"You won't get them," I said, talking through the quick-growing pain.

"I like the determination, love. But do stop being stubborn. It'll only get worse before it gets better." His face was serious now. "Now. Should I ask my first question? Or do you need more time to sit?"

I was gritting my teeth by now. My body was on fire. Every nerve burned as if I'd been scorched. It hurt to breathe. I closed my eyes, trying to concentrate on anything other than the pain. I nearly jumped at the cool fingers that brushed my face. The pain drifted away. I sighed as The fingers drifted across my cheek and down my neck. They lingered on my shoulder as I opened my eyes again.

"Do you get it now, love?" His silver eyes were concerned. "Only my touch can make it stop. It'll be like that for an hour. Can you survive that on your own?"

I took a second to think before I chose my answer. "What are your questions?"

"Where are your brothers?" He hardly hesitated.

"Don't you know? The BMOL track them don't they?" Wrong answer. His hand left my shoulder and the pain quickly returned. I winced, my breath leaving me again.

"I wouldn't need you if I could just do that." He said, his voice irritated. "Tell me where they are."

"They went home." I groaned, the burning was horrible now.

"Home?" A hand lifted my chin, forcing our gazes together. The pain subsided again.

"Kansas." I offered. "They're working on something."

"What kind of something?" Ketch took his hand away again. The cooling sensation was replaced with searing pain.

"I don't know," I said through clenched teeth. I bit into my lip, a small amount of blood welling up. "They never tell me specifics."

I wanted to scream. I closed my eyes as waves of sickening hot pain hit me over and over again. I dug my teeth further into my lip, causing more blood to well up. This was bad. It had only been maybe ten minutes since he'd injected me with this drug. I jolted when cool lips `kissed my neck. I calmed my breathing, taking in his sweet, musky cologne as his lips continued up my neck, and I opened my eyes. He'd moved from his chair now kneeling slightly in front of me, hands on the side of the chair to steady himself.

"When did you move?" I asked.

"When you closed your eyes again." His breath was cool on my ear. "Next question."

"You have more?" I straightened as his hands gripped my hips.

"Yes. Now listen." Ketch placed another kiss just below my ear, "What do they think of me?"

"Why are you asking me that?" Did he mean my brothers?

"Because opinions matter, love."

"They think you're a psychopathic killer. As do I."

"That's not what you said the last time we were together…" He left soft kisses along my jaw, his hands pushing under my shirt slowly.

"I already told you why I was really there. Information."

"What about the time before that?"

"That was before you tried to kill me."

"And the one before that?"

"Ketch…"

He stood and moved away from me. A wave of pain came to take his place. I curled my body as much as I could, trying to get away from it even though I knew I couldn't.

"Call me Arthur. Please, darling." He was back in his chair now.

I winced again as another wave smacked into me. His hand came to my chin again, forcing me to look at him again. This hypnotizing gaze. This beautiful, tempting silver. This is what made me fall so hard every time I let my guard down.

"Arthur…" It felt sour on my tongue. "Why am I here?"

"I'm the one asking questions here." A small smile crossed his lips.

"Just answer that one for me."

He was quiet, thinking about what I'd said. "You're here for questioning. That's all."

"Why do you need to know what you're asking?" I wanted to know who he'd called. Who was he working for?

"You said one question, love." His smile widened, "More will cost you."

"Name the price."

His fingers gently traced the line of my jaw and followed it up to my lips, wiping away the blood that had begun to pool on my chin. His eyes traced over my face, taking in all of it before coming up with an answer.

"You should be more careful, don't want to ruin that pretty face of yours," Ketch said, leaning towards me.

"Ya? And what are you going to do about it? It looks like this because of your damn drug." I said, leaning forward into his gaze.

His finger hooked under my chin and pulled me closer, just a breath away from our lips touching. I stared into that mercury gaze, letting a smile pull the corners of my mouth up.

"You really do have a nice face, it would be a shame if someone ruined it."

I pulled my head back swiftly and drove it into his nose. There was a sharp cracking sound. He stumbled away from me holding his face. I let my head fall back, laughing as if Dean had just told a good joke.

"God, that felt good!" I said as I sat up straight.

"You're fucking kidding me, right?" he demanded through a muffled voice, his fingers covering his nose and glistening with fresh crimson.

The pain through my body was almost unbearable but my smile was bright through my clenched teeth. My fingers dug into my palms, nails biting harshly, but it did nothing to distract me from whatever drug was flowing through me. "I don't like to play games, Ketch. What are you up to? It's never anything good."

"Why would I tell you anything after you just broke my nose?!" Those silver daggers were molten.

"I think you look better. It suits you." I tried to smile through the pain but another wave made me flinch.

"You see what this got you? I could've helped you. But now you'll rot in this basement until I see fit. How does that sound, love?" His demeanor had changed. He was no longer flirty and charming. No, he'd switched to the man that had tried to kill me and my brothers. This was the cruel, heartless, bastard that would always win out against the other. He was going to leave me here in pain and not care about it one bit.

"Bastard," I hissed out, head falling forward, eyes squeezed shut as tears blurred my vision. "Why do you hate us so much? You're just going to leave me here?"

"I'm not feeling very sentimental at the moment, love," he answered, his footsteps coming closer to me. "I was going to play nice, but now I don't think I will."

"You said you loved me."

"I said a lot of things." There was sniffing and I opened my eyes just enough to see him wiping at his nose with a handkerchief that he kept in his suit pocket at all times. "Doesn't mean they're true."

I groaned as nausea swept over me, leaning even further forward. "You said this was a new drug?"

"First time testing it. Be honest, are you enjoying it? Because at the moment, I am."

"It fucking sucks." I cursed through my teeth, I felt like I was going to die here. Would he kill me? He said he needed answers but how badly did he want to have to find one of my brothers to replace me? They'd put up more of a fight than I had, granted I was unconscious whenever I was kidnapped but still. Neither would give up as easily. I had to play this right.

I let all the air escape from my body and went limp, trying to hold my breath long enough to seem dead. Even with my eyes shut, the world around me spun. It was hard to remain still as the pain shot through me, but if I was going to play roadkill I had to remain convincing.

"Give it a rest, a little pain won't kill you?" He chuckled.

I remained as still as possible, thanking god for John's drowning training. I could hold my breath for up to 15 minutes if I needed to. Hopefully just long enough to get out of here. I could hear his footsteps approaching me.

"You're not dead, stop pretending or I'll really have to torture you." Although he was threatening me, I could hear the concern at the edge of his tone. Maybe he did still have some sort of heart. "Hey." He kicked at my leg with his dress shoe.

I let my leg move limply to the side. I could feel the burning begin in my lungs just over the pain of the drug. I felt his fingers on my neck. He was looking for a pulse. Thankfully it had weakened to a point of being unnoticeable.

"No, this wasn't supposed to happen," There was true worry in his voice now, all play and warfare went from it, "It wasn't a high enough dose to kill her…..fuck!"

As if on cue, there was a ringing from Ketch's phone and another string of swears left his mouth. His footsteps slowly retreated and disappeared before there was a loud slam from a heavy door. I stayed still for a moment more before sitting upright with a deep inhale, doing my best to hold back my cry of pain as my muscles screamed at me. If I could just somehow get to the knife in my boot.

I tried to wriggle my wrists free of the rope that held them together, really only succeeding in creating a rash. I cursed silently as another wave of pain passed over me. I needed to get out of here. I felt around the back of the chair until I found a small loose screw. It wouldn't be easy but it would be a start to my escape. I worked as fast as I could to unscrew it, trying not to drop it as I worked it into my hands.

With the screw secured, I began to saw at my bindings, working as quickly as I could. I had no idea when his phone call would be over and I needed to be out before he returned, but using a screw to cut through thick rope wasn't the fastest escape plan ever. But I'd done it before and knew how to use the threads of the screw to my advantage. The whole time I was straining to listen for footsteps or the door opening again. It took maybe two long minutes to cut through the rope enough that I could pull my hands apart and snap it the rest of the way. From there I was able to lean forward and grab my knife from my boot, thank god it was still there.

What a lousy assassin, too cocky to even check for hidden weapons. When my legs were free, I stood up and tried to walk towards the nearest window, only to almost fall flat on my face. Right. Not only had it been a few weeks since my body had had to move this fast, the fire that filled my limbs nearly made my knees lock up. The top half of me had woken up but my legs were still asleep and crying with aches and pains.

Mentally cursing myself for not at least moving my toes, I got to my feet again and, as slowly as I dared, made my way to the table of torture devices. I scanned it for anything that would be useful once I was outside, finding only a thick serrated blade and another syringe full of a gray liquid. I assumed this was the drug that was currently trying to kill me. I grabbed both the items, shoving the syringe into my pocket and the blade into my boot to replace the smaller one.

I stumbled my way to the nearest window, using the wall as support when the pain became too much to bear. But I needed to hurry. He'd be back any second now, his conversation with whoever his employer was couldn't have gone on for this long. Although I'm sure he was getting his pompous ass handed to him. I reached for the window sill, finding it just within reach.

"Fucking hate being short, why couldn't I have been tall like Sam?" I whispered to myself. I turned around and walked back to the chair I'd been in and dragged it over to the window. I stepped up onto it and was relieved to be collarbone level with the base of the window. I traced my fingers along the edge of the frame, finding the sections that were meant to pull the screen free for cleaning, and yanking it out. I let it fall to the floor as I shuddered with pain again. Fuck. I was so close. I had to keep going.

I pushed against the window, hoping that the connections to the frame had been weakened by age. After a few tries, I was rewarded with a popping sound and the feeling of a cool breeze on my face. The glass pane fell forward onto the soft grass outside, making a dull poof sound. I'd have to be careful not to break it on my way out.

With great effort, I began pulling myself up and through the window, arms first so I didn't get stuck at the shoulders. I stopped halfway around my ribs to breathe through another round of searing pain. When it was over I took a deep breath and squeezed my way out of the window, using my feet to help push once I was far enough out. When I was completely out and laying on the cool grass, I took a minute to look up at the sky and just breathe. It didn't last long before another round of nauseating pain made the experience unpleasant but it didn't matter anyway. I had work to do and I needed to get out of here to do it.

I was about to get up when the crunching of feet on the gravel made me freeze, once more holding my breath. I tilted my head to the side and watched as Ketch's form came into view, phone still plastered to his ear, talking rather loudly as if he didn't care if anyone could hear. Not that they would be able to. As far as I could tell from the minimal glances around me, we were surrounded by trees and nothing else. Just an old house in a clearing in who knew where.

My hands turned to fists, clutching handfuls of the grass waiting for the wave of pain that I could only compare to what I thought dropping a hair dryer into a bathtub might feel like, to pass. I continued to watch his pacing while I waited for it to pass. He stepped out of view every 15 seconds and would stay out of view for 20. I was sure it was enough time for me to book it behind the building and wait for him to go inside, but I'd have to time it perfectly and not trip on the way. The pain was already subsiding and my body was tensing to stand and run as fast as I could. I'd run away with a broken leg before, I could run with a little pain. I started to slowly count down the seconds until I had to bolt.

4..

3..

2..

Now!

I stood, almost falling back over from the head rush but managed to catch myself and sprinted to the end of the building, only stopping when I was fully around the corner and safely out of sight. My lungs ached, not used to all this physical strain. I panted, catching my breath and allowing another wave of pain to come, this one weaker than the last. The drug must be wearing off, and must not be as effective as they thought.

I took a deep breath and stalked to the opposite corner of the building, looking around the edge before slinking into the shadows. I carefully made my way, hugging the cool bricks and trying my hardest not to make a sound, the waves of pain still getting weaker. I slowed my pace as I came up on the final corner. I could barely make out Ketch's voice, he must have still been pacing on the other side. Good. That gave me a good chance of going undiscovered.

I watched him pace back and forth on the phone for another minute or so before he angrily hung up and went back inside. I barely waited for the front door to close properly before bolting into the open and towards the only car I saw in the otherwise empty lot. It was a sleek black chevy. I was sure it was fast and would get me out of here quickly, which was exactly what I needed. I tried the door handle and was surprised when it easily came open. Dumbass must have thought this whole interrogation thing would be done sooner rather than later. Lucky me.

I slid into the driver's seat and began to work the panel under the steering wheel free. It popped off seconds later with a satisfying pop! and showed me all the lovely wires beneath it.

"Jackpot." I breathed.

I searched around for the wiring harness and pulled it out to have a better look at it. I pulled away the wires that lead to the battery and the starter and used the knife I'd grabbed earlier to scrape back the insulation, revealing the shiny copper beneath. I pushed the two wires together and gently pushed on the gas pedal, making the engine roar to life.

"Winchester!"

That was my cue to go. I slammed the gear selector into drive, cranked the steering wheel hard right, and smashed my foot into the gas pedal, not bothering to close up the drive shaft or put a seatbelt on. I rolled down the window and stuck my hand out to flip Ketch off as I sped away, tearing down the dirt road and away from the house that was just my prison.

I laughed hysterically at the image of Ketch trying to run after me only to eat a face full of dirt in my rearview mirror. It was a beautiful sight.

I stopped in the third town I passed, figuring it was safer than the first one if Ketch were to be coming after me. And knowing who his bosses were, or at least who the last ones were, that wouldn't surprise me. I went to the closest pay phone, checking around the ground near it for dropped change. After finding just enough, I put the phone to my ear and dialed the only number that I had memorized, the rest on my phone that was still with Ketch, if I had to guess. I would have to get another, but that was a problem for future Alex.

"Alex?" Dean's concerned voice demanded through the line as if he already knew who it was going to be.

"Dean," I muttered, a hand going to my head as my body went slack, the tiredness finally filling my limbs. I needed to rest. My body had been through more than enough. Even taking strength from the other side wasn't enough to get me upright. "Where are you?"

"Where are we?" he demanded, his concern filling with a bit more anger. "Where the fuck have you been? We've been worried sick. No phone call, no letter, no nothing. Alex, it's been weeks!"

"I told you she was fine," Sam's distant voice said somewhere in the background.

"You shut your cake hole," Dean shot back. "Where are you?"

"Some payphone somewhere. I don't know," I muttered, ready to cut off whatever explosion came from the hot-headed man.

"What do you mean you don't-"

But I didn't have to. The phone was snatched away and by the muffled sounds passed over to Sam. "We're doing a case right outside of the bunker, just a few towns over. Are you ok?"

"Ya, I'm fine. Had a rough trip on the other plane. You know how those usually go. I think I was on a vamp hunt the last I remember anything from over here. Woke up tied to a chair in a basement. Guess Ketch found me." I sighed with exhaustion, "I can fill you in properly when I find you guys. Gotta get a new phone first and ditch the ride. Can't afford to be tagged."

"Well you know Dean's number, I guess just text him when you get a new phone and we'll send you the address. Probably best to just lay low until then and find out exactly where you are. Any guesses at all?"

"None. The best I can give is somewhere in the Midwest. Maybe Ohio or Illinois. I haven't really paid attention to town names yet, I was more worried about getting away." I yawned, "Hey Sam, I'll give you guys a call tomorrow alright? I need to find a place to stay, I'm exhausted."

"No worries. Just let us know you're ok in the morning, deal?" I could hear Dean grumble something in the background.

"Deal. Tell Dean not to get so worked up, I'm fine."

"No promises," Sam chuckled.

"And Sam, watch out for Ketch. He's probably going to come looking for you next if he can't find me. He was asking where to find you."

"We'll keep an eye out."

I was finally able to place where I was the next morning after going for breakfast. I sat in a small diner and finally saw the name of the state on a newspaper that someone had their nose in. Iowa. It would be a long 7-hour drive back to the bunker, but at least I wasn't in Ohio.

I had texted Sam from my new phone a few hours ago, letting him and Dean know where I was and that I'd meet them at the bunker. It was still early morning and I knew I could make it home in a decent time, but it seemed my body was still recovering from being on the other side and whatever drug had been used on me yesterday. I was tired and ached everywhere. But I needed to keep going. Needed a new ride. Who knew what kind of tracking Ketch had on his own vehicle? And I was sure he wouldn't have just had his car lying around. That would have been too negligent if he planned anything correctly. As stupid as I liked to say he was, he really was quite smart. He wouldn't be so good at his job if he weren't. So I needed to scoot, I'd already spent too much time in this town for my liking.

I stalked around the block in the center of town, looking for an easy, inconspicuous car to pick off and steal. It had to be older than 2002, but younger than the '80s. Those would be the easiest to hotwire Before long I found the perfect one stashed away in an alley. A beautiful Bugatti EB 110. A classic and a good find to add to the collection at home. I casually walked up to the driver's side and tried the door. It was locked tight.

"Gotta play the hard way, huh?" I sighed to myself.

I pulled my arm back, looking away and slamming my elbow into the glass. It shattered into a billion glittering pieces and rained down onto the seat inside, but at least the door was open now. I shook my arm free of any shards before reaching in and unlocking the door. I brushed off the seat and slid inside. The interior was nice. I could tell it had been refinished recently. Almost felt bad for carjacking it, but not badly enough to not pull the drive shaft open and get to work hotwiring it to life. In a few minutes, I had it purring and rolled out onto the street and towards the direction of home.