HOLIDAY HAUNTINGS
Chapter 1.
Christmas Day
It's a beautiful cold day. The air is clear and sharp in Sam's lungs, burns as he breathes in and out fast, running through the woods down hill. There's only one thought in his mind: Dean Dean Dean Dean...get to Dean. All he can hear is his thudding heart and pounding footfalls, fir tree branches fly by in a blur, sweeping branches leave stinging scratches on his cheeks.
He can see the clearing ahead. The stone gazebo comes into view, vines growing up it covering most of the rock, the floor though is there still cinder burned, black marks licking up the sides of the columns proof of the terrible tragedy so many years ago. The ground is soft and wet, the morning still new, foggy and dusky blue. Sam's breath clouds in front of him as he arrives, standing panting, eyes sharp and frantically searching his brother out.
He spots the pale, white specter floating gracefully above the muddy earth, dusty rags tossing in the bitter winter wind. She's the classic ghost, terrifying and old, white caked skin and eyes surrounded by black, raven hair sweeping past her waist and matted into long flat pieces. Her anger had been festering long, and the smell of death and decay follows her, spots of mold and dampness eating away at her skin.
Sam finds his brother's figure at the steps of the gazebo, his body is prone, blood growing under his temple lying against the edge of the top step. Shit. He moves to rush to his brother's side but as soon as he steps forward to enter the circle of the clearing around the gazebo he hits what feels like a wall.
He hisses in pain, his eyes watering with the impact. He puts his hand out, then the other both fists thudding frantically against the invisible barrier. Jack comes up panting behind him, couldn't have possibly kept up with Sam's long legs as the younger Winchester flew to his brother with the tug on his soul strings. The boy's eyes widen at the scene before him.
Sam screams in frustration and terror and the ghost turns and flashes a malevolent grin, her calm float drifting towards Dean.
"Don't you dare go near him, you Bitch!" He screams, banging his fists into the protective force field she's placed around her sanctum. "Get your disgusting hands off him!"
She smiles slyly at Sam again, as she runs long cold fingers down Dean's still features and then into the blood pooled on the stone. She slips two blood coated fingers into her dark slim mouth, and sucks the precious liquid off, flashing her now crimson teeth at the younger Winchester.
"He's mine." She says, voice eerie and high, floating and echoing in the wind, "You will never see him again." She moves in Sam's view, his brother disappears from his sight, covered by the dirty white rags of the ghost.
"Dean!" He screams, "Dean wake up! Let him go!" He's ceaselessly pounding on the barrier, doesn't notice his blood splatter in thin air from split knuckles on the invisible wall.
"Dean you have to wake up for me...please!"
. . .
Two days till Christmas
The impala speeds down the road, music blaring, they'd probably get pulled over if they met a cop. It's Christmas music and not the classic kind...loud new age Christmas music Sam didn't even know existed he wanted to that Dean was somehow getting down to. His brother, on the other hand, is beside him one lazy hand on the wheel and perfectly content.
He's crunching on thin ginger cookies he'd brought from the last gas station and humming along to whatever in hell this new torture is. Sam rubs his forehead and sips the apple cider Dean had bought him. Man, Dean was a sly one. He knew if he bought a nice drink for Sam the younger brother wouldn't ask him to turn the music off.
Sam rolls down his window just a bit thinking maybe he could let out some of the building sound waves he's currently being ear raped with. Dean turns and flashes him a smile nodding his head like, "You like it and you know it."
Sam's going to shoot himself.
The only thing keeping him sane is the new lead they have on Jack. A report of a strange young man turning streets lights off and on with his mind...yeah that sounded like Jack. And boy, Sam would be glad when they got him back. He could practice with his powers all he wanted, but he did need to be just a little bit more inconspicuous.
If creeping out some snooty neighborhood moms was all the nephilim had done Sam would count that as a huge win.
Dean cruises down the street slowly, the engine rumbling making kids playing in the snow on both sides of the street stop and stare. Dean waves at them serenely, not at all embarrassed by the total chick flick sappy Christmas song crooning from his badass car's speakers.
Sure enough standing in front of one particularly over-decorated house is Jack. The Christmas lights are flashing off and on and there's a woman standing in the bay windows watching him talking on the phone. Dean stops the car and they both get out slowly approaching the dangerous kid.
"Jack," Sam calls, "Hey it's us, Dean and Sam."
Jack jumps a little like he didn't realize they'd driven up but his sunny smile is clear and genuinely pleased to see them. "I knew you guys would find me soon enough."
Dean rolls his eyes, "Glad to save you all the leg work, sport."
Sam gives a look, saying now wasn't the time for sarcasm. Dean clears his throat and scratches his nose walking up to Jack fully relaxed. Sam realizes Dean honestly isn't scared of the nephilim...wow when had they switched places? Once Dean decided to put his faith in someone he never stopped, Jack now had a life long friend and protector. He believed Jack wasn't evil and he was willing to give him a chance to explain.
"I have a lot better control of my powers now." Jack states, and the Christmas lights turn off and stay off, his holds up one finger. "And also, I'm confused...what is this 'Christmas'?" His confused face is so adorable, like a cute non-warrior Cas.
"Are ya saying you're ready to come back home now?" Dean asks, sighing heavily. Not liking being played into coming and fetching Jack when he felt like he was ready.
Jack nods, "But Dean..."
Dean places a hand on his back and pulls him towards the impala, "They called the cops on you we got to go."
Jack snorts, "I didn't even do anything."
"We know," Sam consoles, "They just don't know there're people like you who can do 'stuff'."
Dean shuts the door behind him and just shrugs to Sam's 'wtf' eyes, and sits in the driver's seat shutting the door, Sam follows and Dean easily navigates them out the offended neighborhood and out onto a quiet road.
"So...what is Christmas?" Jack asks, breaking the silence. His eyes bright and inquisitive, definitely Sam and Dean's favorite part about clueless angels, they picked fun with Cas to no end and now they had Jack to tease.
"What is Christma..." Dean rubs his temples, "This poor kid."
"What?" Jack asks, looking between the two of them.
"It's not something you can really explain," Dean says, "You kinda got to see it for yourself."
"Well, let's go!" Jack says exuberantly, bouncing in his seat.
Dean laughs, "No, it's not somewhere you go, it's something you do and feel, it's something you celebrate together with family and friends...Sammy, we definitely have to do this right..."
"Dean...I don't know what you're thinking, but no." The younger Winchester draws the line right then.
"Don't listen to Sam, Jack, he's a regular grinch."
"A grinch?" Jack asks, head cocked to the side.
"A movie that we are going to watch," Dean offers as explanation.
Sam groans.
"Jack's first Christmas is going to be epic!" The older Winchester nearly yells.
"Dean..." Sam starts.
"Sam."
Dean flashes him a look that says no argument he could give would ever win. Sam sighs. "I'm going to find us somewhere Christmasy to stay since it's too close to Christmas to do it properly at the bunker," Dean decides. "We need movies, cookies, eggnog, a Christmas tree...but eggnog, lots and lots of eggnog."
"What's eggnog?" Jack asks.
"God help us all." Sam moans.
...tbc
Welcome to the annual winter hellatus fic! REVIEW WHO'S EXCITED!? ;);):):)
(((Also for the guest who requested hurt!Dean. And because I love writing holiday fics. :) )))