This is the sequel to my first fan fiction, "Below the Surface" and characters and events from it will be brought up. However, the plot of this story is mostly separate from it and should make sense on its own.
Disclaimer: No...no, I do not own them...
Warning: In this story, I'd say just language and violence.
Summary: The brothers follow Sam's vision to a small town, believing they are hot on the trail of the demon they've been chasing all their lives. But what they find is not what they expect. What's really behind the mysterious fires? Can they stop it before any more women die? And when Sam has a vision of his own death, can he keep it from Dean and stop it from coming true? Be careful, boys! Things are never what they seem!
A/N: That's right! The sequel's here! What can you expect from me this time around? Well, just to list a few things, a healthy serving of limp Sammy, some over-protective Dean, vision mayhem, lots of fire, our favourite demon, and heapings of angst.
Enjoy!
Chapter One: Restless Nights
Sam Winchester sat on the floor, vaguely aware of the heat and the flames licking his skin. On a much deeper level, he was aware of the sharp sting of failure. He'd been too late. The innocent young woman had agonizingly burned to death on her ceiling. And now, as the fire spread, Sam was trapped. The house would burn down and he would burn down with it.Where's Dean? Sam couldn't help but wonder. Had his older brother even come in with him? If he had, what had happened to him? Sam coughed as he inhaled a lung full of thick smoke. But, he was dimly grateful for the smoke making it so hard to breathe. With every breath, the sickly-sweet smell of burning flesh invaded his senses. He didn't know how much more of it he could take. He closed his eyes and waited to die. Suddenly, the heat and the flames ceased. Hazel eyes stared at the room in shock. No longer was he in the midst of a roaring fire. Now, he was looking at only the charred remains of the bedroom. Although the fire was gone, he found he could still smell the same horridly sweet aroma he'd fought to avoid. His eyes quickly locked onto the source. Before him was a young woman...or rather what used to be a young woman. Her skin was charred coal black and cracked in various places where congealing blood had seeped out. There was nothing left of her eyes but boiled whites reminding him of eggs in a pan. It was the most grotesque thing he'd ever seen and he made a conscious effort to keep his food down. Yet, he found he couldn't look away. "Sam," she called, reaching out for him. He backed up as far as he could in terror. "Sam!" she said more insistently and walked towards him. As she approached, the smell got stronger. Sam closed his eyes and turned his head away, waiting in terror for the moment her charred and broken flesh would touch his.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sam woke up with a gasp, covered in sweat. He looked up to see Dean sitting next to him.
"You okay, little brother?"
"Yeah," Sam said, "Yeah, I'm f-" Sam stopped suddenly, covering his mouth with his hands. He leapt out of bed, nearly tripping on the tangle of blankets, and ran into the bathroom where he tasted his dinner for the second time that night.
"Dude," Dean called, standing outside the bathroom door, "That's a damn expensive hamburger you're throwing up in there!"
Sam came out of the bathroom, wiping his mouth with the heel of one hand and looking very sheepish.
"So," Dean said, "Nightmare or vision?"
"Nightmare," the younger brother answered promptly. Well...maybe not a normal nightmare...but it hadn't been a vision.
Dean nodded, "You know that there's nothing we could have done, right? That it's not your fault?"
Sam sighed. They had followed his vision to yet another small town...only to arrive and find out it had already happened.
"It's weird, though," he said, "The husband died in that fire too. Doesn't the demon usually only kill the mother and leave the rest of the family alive?"
"Come on, Sam," Dean said, "Does that bastard really need a reason to kill an innocent person?"
"I guess not," Sam said thoughtfully, "Still…it breaks the pattern…"
"Try not to let it bother you too much. And don't blame yourself."
Sam sighed and nodded, climbing back into bed. It still bugged him a little. His dream bugged him even more. If these freakin' spirits are going to invade my dreams, can't they at least stop with this cryptic crap and just tell me what they want? Sam closed his eyes and let sleep take him once again.
Dean sat for a moment, just watching his little brother sleep. Then he went into the bathroom and splashed water on his face.
"I'm getting too old for this," he muttered, knowing he wouldn't be getting anymore sleep that night. He'd be too worried about Sam. Little brother was hiding something from him again, he could tell. He wouldn't try and force Sammy to talk; that never worked. But he would keep an eye on his brother. He'd learned his lesson last time.
And, of course, thoughts of their last hunt led to thoughts of Leanne. She may have been dead long before he fell in love with her, but that didn't make it hurt any less.
"You know, Lea," he said, quietly so as not to disturb his brother, "That demon was right about a lot of things. About me feeling guilty, for example, and that I screwed up. But she said a lot of shit, too. Like when she said I fell in love with her. She was wrong. I fell in love with you." He found himself talking to Leanne an awful lot lately. He sighed, gently brushing Sam's sweaty hair from his brow.
"You need a haircut, Sammy-boy."
A/N: Now, just to clear something up, Leanne's not actually going to be in this story. That little bit was just to tie it in with 'Below the Surface' (and because some of my friends were fans). Don't worry, I'm going to make sure the boys get more of the spot-light in this story.
Hmm...what do I like more than reviews? I can't think of anything so why don't you leave me some?
