Prologue
Dean was content, he was happy to have his brother back, more or less with his soul, but something was missing. Dean wanted to get away from all of this end-of-the-world nonsense that seemed to follow the brothers around like the pelage. What Dean longed for was to go back to hunting, to just look for something suspicious that reeked of supernatural activity and pack up the Impala and fix whatever the problem for. What he wanted was what they had before. Before their father died, before Sam died, before Dean was dragged to Hell, before the apocalypse, and before Sam went into the Pit, before their lives got so damn complicated.
"Dean," Sam said, interrupting is nostalgic thoughts, "I've been thinking we should go back to just hunting. Like we did before…we should just go somewhere that seems to have a supernatural problem and fix it. We should ignore the world ending and let the angle's settle their own problems."
"Is it weird that I was just thinking that?" Dean asked with a smile, "It's weird , right?"
"Maybe it's a sign." Sam suggested.
"No more talk of signs and destiny and all that crap." Dean said irritably, "Did you have a hunt in mind or were you just thinking out loud?"
"Well," Sam said getting on his laptop, "I came across this town that has a lot of weird stuff going on. I mean there's no real evidence, it almost looks like the police are covering it up. But yesterday there were reports of ghosts, numerous ghosts. Apparently everyone in town could see them."
"That's it? That's what you got? Ghosts?" Dean was expecting something more challenging.
"That's not all. I've got her." Sam said as he turned his computer for Dean to see.
He was not impressed with what his brother showed him. It was a picture of a woman, who appeared to be some sort of law enforcement officer.
"So? I mean she's hot and all, but what does she have to do with the ghosts? Or the other weird things that go on in…" He bent down to read the article, "Haven?"
"Because she also happens to be in Dad's journal." Sam said as he took the book in question out from his bag. He expertly flipped through the pages until he came to one toward the back of the book. "Dad thought she was interesting enough to put in here, even though he had very few details about her, or the town for that matter."
Sam handed the book to his brother and sat back as Dean began to read. He was confident that his brother would see that this town, and more specifically this woman were worth checking out.
Dean squinted as he read his father's journal, his old man was not known for his legible handwriting. The information about the town was fairly interesting, everyday normal people seemed to have some sort of supernatural ability. But what really caught his attention was how much information his father had on the woman, there was a picture, a name, and a question mark.
"So how is this Lucy Ripley related to that woman there?" Dean asked nodding towards the computer screen.
"Audrey Parker? I'm not sure, but what I want to know is why dad has a question mark by her name, and no information. I mean do you think this woman is supernatural? Could they be the same person?"
Dean looked from the black and white newspaper clipping to the colored picture on the screen. He thought they could be the same person, but they could also be mother and daughter. These pictures were twenty something years apart, there was no way they could be the same person, unless she was somehow a supernatural creature.
"I don't know. Why don't we just go nab us some ghosts and try and find out the rest later?" Dean suggested.
"Sounds good to me." Sam said standing up, "I already packed everything into the Impala."
Dean smiled, that's what he loved about his brother; always thinking ahead.
Chapter 1
It was a normal day in the town of Haven, as normal as the town could be anyway. There had been nothing, supernatural or otherwise, that demanded the police department's attention. Officer Audrey Parker was bored. She knew she should be glad that there was no Troubled person to go help, or someone trying to kill her, but she couldn't help to think it was a bit climatic. Everyone could see the dead, except for her, and then nothing. Not even a cow in the street. Hell she'd take a traffic call if it would give her something to do. She was tired of sitting in her office, she had already completed all the paper work, the apparent ghosts had caused, and now she was left with nothing to do except stare at the wall. She was contemplating leaving, she would just go out and wander around town, maybe something would happen, and if not she'd at least be doing something. She got up to leave just as her phone started to ring.
"Parker." She answered.
"Hey Audrey," Stan said, "I've got two men here looking for you. They say they're from the FBI."
She thought after she started working for Haven PD she would stop hearing from the FBI, after all she did have permission to quit her old job.
"Alright," She sighed, she had a feeling she was going to regret this, "send them in."
A few seconds she heard a knock on her door and after a quick 'come in' the door opened up to reveal two very young looking guys. Audrey didn't know why but for some reason she doubted they were actually part of the FBI and she felt weary of them.
"Hey guys," She said trying to sound a bit more cheery than she was feeling, "why don't you have a seat?"
The two men looked at each other, the taller one with brown saggy hair shook his head at the shorter dark haired man.
"No thanks," the dark haired man said with a charming smile, "we're just here to ask some quick questions and then we'll be on our way."
"Alright," she said sitting back in her seat, "shoot."
"What can you tell us about these ghosts?" The taller man asked.
Audrey couldn't help it as a laugh escaped her lips. She didn't think anyone at the FBI would believe a (literal) ghost story, and the way the man asked the question made her think he was absolutely serious.
"Sorry," Audrey said at their confused looks she added, "I don't know many people at the FBI that would believe any of the things that happen in this town. I personally did not see any ghosts, but apparently a bunch of people did, if you want I can ask Nathan to come by and tell you about it."
"That'd be great." The shorter man said casually leaning against the wall.
Audrey picked up her phone and called Nathan, all the while trying her best to ignore the two men in her office.
"Wuornos." He answered on the second ring.
"It's Audrey. I've got two guys in here from the FBI that would like to speak to you about the ghosts."
"Why can't you tell them about it?" He asked.
"Because I didn't see them, Nathan. It was a Trouble and since the Troubles don't affect me you know I can't give a first person account." She said quietly, "And, they won't have to come back if they get a firsthand account of the incident." She said the last part louder hoping he would get the hint.
"I'll be there in five." He said and hung up.
"He'll be here in-" Audrey was interrupted
"We heard," the dark haired man said with a smile, "five minutes."
She hung up the phone and asked, "So how do you guys want to pass the time?" She asked with a smile.
"We could talk about you." The taller man suggested.
"Me?" Audrey asked her voice a few octaves higher than normal as he daughter her off guard. "What about me?" She asked as she sat up straight, abandoning her relaxed position for a more offensive one.
"Why didn't you see the ghosts?" he asked.
She could lie and say something, anything, but the truth. But she had a feeling he would know she was lying and she really just wanted to get rid of them.
"The troubles don't affect me." She answered softly.
"And why is that?" he asked.
"I don't know." She knew it sounded lame, and like a lie but she really didn't know, she'd give almost anything to find out the secrets of her pass.
"Oh come on, Ms. Ripley su-" The black haired man's outburst was interrupted when the taller man elbowed him in the ribs.
"I mean, surly you could think of a better lie, Officer Parker." He said, oblivious to the fact Audrey was no longer paying any attention to what he said.
The taller man seemed to notice through. She couldn't escape his gaze, and when she tensed at the name Ripley he saw it. When her eyes became guarded and she looked at them with suspicion he saw it.
"Dean, I don't think this is going to work." The taller man said.
"What do you mean, Sammy? We came here to find answers and she's got them," the shorter man glanced at Audrey, "or the man with the answers is coming in a matter of minutes."
"No, what I mean is, she's no longer going to talk to us." Sam said, and when Audrey made no remark he looked to Dean with a smug look on his face, "See?"
"Oh. I see." Dean said as he reached in his pocket and brought out a silver flask. "Want some?" He gestured it towards Audrey. She took it in shaking hands and took a sip. She made a face at the taste and handed it back to him.
"Why do you have water in a flask?" She asked.
"Don't drink." He answered like it was the most natural thing in the world.
"You guys have five seconds to tell me what's really going on before I throw you out of my office and into a jail cell for impersonating a federal agent."
"What are you talking about?" Dean asked, "we're FBI"
"No you're not. I used to be FBI and you don't slip up when interrogating a suspect. I know I'm a suspect, of what I'm not sure, but when the name Lucy Ripley gets dropped I know it can't be good."
"Do you know her?" Sam asked.
Audrey let out a laugh that sounded more like a bark, "I am her."
"Oh." Was all Dean could think to say.
In that next instant Audrey was slammed up against the back wall of her office. Sam's strong hands holding her shoulders in place as Dean came around his brother with a knife in his hands.
"What the hell is going on?" Audrey yelled.
Sam put his hand over her mouth to stop her from yelling again, he brought his face close to her ears and whispered, "Like you don't know."
Audrey was shaking her head back in forth, she had unshed tears in her eyes. She was not going to give these men the satisfaction of seeing her cry, no matter what they did, she was stronger than that.
"Holy water and silver had no effect." Dean said as he brought the knife close to Audrey's arm, "how about iron?" he placed the blade on her arm, careful not to cut her. He pulled it back and looked at her smooth unmarked skin.
"Nothing," he was beginning to think they made a mistake and that this woman wasn't supernatural, "Sam?"
Sam looked Audrey straight in the eyes, her struggling apparently had not effect on him, as he began to calmly chant in Latin. Audrey stopped struggling and looked at Sam in confusion.
"You think I'm a demon?" She asked, sounding angry.
Sam stopped chanting and looked at Dean with a questioning look that he then returned with a shrug.
"You speak Latin?" Sam asked.
"Yes, no, I don't know." Audrey answered honestly, she had no idea if she did or didn't, she didn't remember learning it, but there were a lot of things that she had apparently done, but didn't remember.
"Wait I have an idea." Dean said as he brought up the knife he used earlier and placed it on her arm again, but this time he pulled the blade down roughly.
"Ow!" Audrey tried to pull back, but Sam held her firmly in place. "What the hell was that for?" She asked glaring at Dean.
She didn't receive an answer as both of the men seemed to be fascinated by the blood that was now pouring out of her arm in a skinny scarlet stream that ended when it dripped from her fingertips.
She was pissed, beyond pissed. These two men, who were obviously not FBI agents, had barged into her office, asked questions about Lucy, and then slit her arm with a rusty knife. She was so pissed that her stomach had started to hurt, but what she had originally thought was pain was in fact a feeling of warmth. It spread from her stomach to her body, and continued to grow warmer until the cut that Dean had bestowed upon her felt like it was on fire.
"Audrey, what's so important…" Nathan let his sentence trail off has he took in the scene in from of him. Audrey was pinned against the wall by a big guy, while a shorter man had apparently cut her with a knife. She was bleeding, badly, and it looked like she was about to pass out.
"Hey!" He shouted as he charged towards the two men, he was about to tackle the smaller one with the knife when he glanced at Audrey, and what he saw stopped him cold. He watched in awe as Audrey's wound seemed to rapidly heal, he could see her bone through the cut one second, and the next her skin was back to being as smooth as it was the last time he saw her. He looked at her face and saw that she was staring at her arm fascinated like he was.
The two men seemed to recover before Audrey, the taller one still held her against the wall, as the smaller one started to draw on her desk, in her blood. That got Nathan moving again, the reminder that she was hurt and that these men had hurt her.
"Let her go." Nathan said in his best threatening voice. The taller man looked back toward the smaller man's drawing before he nodded his head and released Audrey. She seemed a bit dizzy, but she didn't appear to need immediate medical attention, so Nathan returned his attention to the two men, who were talking amongst themselves.
"Seriously?" The smaller man said, "that's what she is? How did Dad not know, I mean it's pretty obvious."
"Come on Dean, you didn't even know until a few seconds ago. You thought she was a demon." The taller guy said.
"You thought so too, Sammy." Dean said, "The question is what to do now?"
"Do it, send her away. You know they cause nothing but trouble anyways." Sam answered.
"What are you two talking about?" Audrey asked, "I don't cause the Troubles."
"Sure you don't." Dean said, "What side were you on during the apocalypse?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about." She said.
"I'm sure you don't. That's what they all say." Dean said as he turned back towards his drawing.
"Wait. You know that won't work, it's in my blood, not yours." She said confidently, but then her brow furrowed in confusion, "What am I talking about? Do you seriously think that you can send me away? Will that take the Troubles away too?"
"I don't know what troubles you're talking about, but they follow you guys around. So, sure they'll be going with you."
"No. You can't send Audrey away," Nathan said finally joining in on the very confusing conversation, "the town needs her. She's the only way to end the Troubles."
"We have to send her away, before she calls for help, and you guys have even more trouble on your hands." Sam said calmly.
"Who is she going to call for help?" Nathan asked genuinely confused.
"Angles." Dean said calmly as he brought his hand, now covered in Audrey's blood, down upon the symbol he drew.
The room was filled with a white light as Audrey disappeared.
