Supernatural Fan Fic
The bitter wind whistled around Sam's neck, his arms folded and shoulders hunched, he tried to keep out the chill, but with no success. Perched on the bonnet of the Impala, he waited for Dean to finish his call to Bobby, who was giving Intel on a possible job. Finally Dean snapped shut his cell and turned towards the driver's side of the car. Sam picked himself up from the bonnet and returned to the passenger seat.
Dean started up the engine but turned the stereo down, so that he could inform Sam of his conversation with Bobby.
"Bobby picked up on a possible job in a Psychiatric hospital 5 miles from here".
Sam opens up his laptop and starts to boot it up.
"What's the name of the hospital?"
"St Elizabeth's Psychiatric Hospital; Illinois".
Sam entered the name into a search engine, and after a few seconds a newspaper headline popped up. Sam shifted the laptop so that Dean could get a view of it, and began to dictate the headline.
"Suicide at St Elizabeth's, another patient at St Elizabeth's Psychiatric Hospital committed suicide last night. This is now the tenth suicide at St Elizabeth's, within two months. Arousing Police suspicion as all the deaths have taken place on the same day and in the same way".
Finishing the article, Sam closed his laptop and looked up at Dean. Dean looked back at him, his face a mix of excitement and intrigue. "Lets check it out".
Sam nodded in agreement, and with that Dean released the handbrake and pulled out of the lay-by, spitting gravel as the Chevy picked up speed.
As the two brothers entered the town, they scanned the area, taking note of the behaviour of its inhabitants, and on the look out for a place to stay. They soon approached a bar, its windows sparkling but the wooden slats were peeling and a few tiles were missing from the roof. Sam spotted a sign in one of the windows, which read 'vacancy'. He turned to Dean, who was looking out to the other side of the road. Sam tapped his shoulder to get his attention and pointed to the bar.
"Looks like this could be the local motel".
Dean slowed the car down and pulled into what looked more like a scrap yard than a parking lot.
As the boys walked round to the entrance of the bar, Dean noticed a missing poster, pinned up on a telegraph pole; or rather it was what was on the poster that caught his attention. Doubling back, Dean took another look at the poster. Confirming what he thought he saw at his first glance, he called Sam over to look.
"What's up?" Sam asks as he walks over to where Dean has firmly planted his feet. But Dean needn't answer; Sam's head filled with exactly the same questions that were running through Dean's mind; once he saw the image printed in black and white on the tattered piece of paper.
Sam began to voice his questions, but was interrupted as Dean snatched the poster from its staples. He turned on his heels and marched up the wooden steps leading into the bar. Sam quickly followed; knowing full well that his brother is not known for his softly, softly approach when asking questions.
The smell of stale beer and cigarette smoke hit them as they entered the saloon.
Sam stepped in just as Dean approached the bar. He whipped the poster from Dean's grasp, and tried to get the attention of a woman standing behind the bar.
"Yes fellas' what can I get you?"
The raven-haired woman, who introduced herself as Karen, moved from the back of the bar, a checked tea towel draped over her shoulder.
Sam held up the poster to the woman's view, his hands shaking from the intensity of the moment.
"Do you know who put up this poster?"
Karen took the crumpled piece of paper from Sam. Dean followed it with his eyes, his expression fixed in a stern look of inpatients, wanting answers.
"Yeah sure, that was put up by Maggie Tyler".
"So you know her?"
Dean stepped in, an air of agitation in his voice.
Karen took the towel from her shoulder and began wipe down the bar top.
"She showed up about a year ago, looking for a place to stay while she looked for that guy".
Karen pointed to the picture and turned to get a couple of beers from a cooler situated behind the bar. She placed the two bottles in front of the boys.
Sam smiled a thank you and continued with his questions.
"Do you know where we can find her?"
"Well she goes out of town during the day, but she comes back in the evenings to do a night shift, pay for her board and what have you".
Dean peeled the paper from the sticky, beer stained bar top; folded it and tucked it into his jacket pocket.
"Any idea when she'll be back?"
Karen folded her arms, her expression puzzled.
"No I don't, what's with all the questions, do you know something about this guy?"
The two brothers looked at each other, neither of them wanted to divulge any information. Not until they spoke to this Maggie. Not before they found out why he she had a picture of their Dad and why she was looking for him.
A few silent hours later, the brothers had finished unpacking their things and returned to the bar. They sat at a table at the furthest corner of the bar. Sam had his head buried in his laptop, searching for more information and history on St Elizabeth's hospital. Dean sat perfectly still, his eyes fixed on the door of the bar.
Karen walked over to the boys, with two fresh beers in her hand. She set them down on the table and gathered up the empty bottles.
"The room to your liking boys?"
Sam lifted his gaze from the laptop to Karen who was smiling back a polite smile.
"Yes thank you".
He picked up one of the beers, took a sip; and then returned to his laptop.
Karen looked at Dean, who picked up his beer without moving his gaze from the door.
"Can I get you something to eat?" Karen offered to Dean.
"No we're fine thank you". Sam answered for his brother.
And with that, Karen made her way through the rest of the bar, collecting empty bottles, clearing used ash trays; piled high with pistachio shells and cigarette butts.
Sam was about to pull his brother up on his rudeness, when the door of the bar swung open. Through it entered a girl, her hair brunet with tousled waves, a sweeping fringe gently covering one eye. She wore a dark red top under a khaki green jacket. Her jeans were faded a frayed at the ends. A canvas bag hung from her shoulder.
Karen called over to her.
"Maggie, there's a couple of guys here who want to talk to you about your missing poster". She pointed over to Sam and Dean's table in the far corner.
Sam sat up to attention and shut his laptop.
Dean took another swig of his beer and followed the girl as she crossed the floor to their table.
Maggie approached the brothers, and stood for a second, taking in the boys appearance, before pulling up a chair from the table next to them.
As she sat down, she looked at Dean, who met her gaze with a stony look of mistrust. She then looked at Sam, who's expression was much more welcoming.
"Karen tells me you know something about John."
"Yes he's a friend of our Dad's. How do you know him? Its just that he's never mentioned you before"
Sam shuffled in his seat. His back was beginning to ache from both the tension of the situation and from sitting on a hard wooden seat for 2 hours.
Maggie also shifted in her seat, but mostly because Dean's staring at her was making her feel increasingly uncomfortable.
"I don't really know him. My mother did, they were together for weeks, then he just up and left". "I guess he couldn't handle the responsibility".
Sam looked at Dean, who had finally moved his focus from Maggie to the beer bottle in his hand, rolling its base back and forth on the table.
He knew that Dean heard Maggie fact, Dean's silence was worrying Sam, was he keeping quiet to stop himself from saying something he might regret. Or was he waiting for the opportune moment to let his fuse blow and interrogate Maggie in his usual hostile fashion.
Sam looked back to Maggie, hoping she might elaborate on her last reply.
"Responsibility?"
Maggie was starting to get frustrated at being the only one giving out answers.
"Of a kid, I guess he couldn't handle the idea being a Dad."
It was that answer that finally broke Dean's tantric state. Both he and Sam looked at each other in shock. Had they misunderstood? Sam looked Maggie strait in the eye and asked the question that could change everything.
"You're his daughter?"
"Yes". Maggie replied, agitation echoed in her voice. "Look are you going to tell me were he is or not?"
"How do you know?"
Dean stared coldly at Maggie, disbelief and anger rising from his stomach to his voice, which was stern tone as he questioned Maggie's information.
"How does your Mom know its not some other guy she met in a bar?"
"Dean"
Sam stepped in and discreetly ordered his brother to back down. But it was too late. Fiercely loyal of his family, Dean was being told something about his family that he didn't like, and he was not going to stand for it.
"Small town like this, she must have got around the few of the locals".
"Dean that's enough!" Again Sam tried to talk down his brother.
But was interrupted by Maggie. She was also not going to stand for any insult aimed toward her mother. She rose from her seat in protest, her face awash with anger and disgust.
"How dare you, you don't know a thing about my mother!"
Dean also rose from his seat in such speed that his chair fell back to the floor. He towered over Maggie and continued with his argument, his voice now raised, so much so that the other patrons in the bar had stopped in their tracks.
"Yeah and you don't know crap about my Dad!"
Maggie's expression quickly changed from a red shade of anger, to pale with shock.
Sam let out a sigh and buried his head in his hand. All he could do was watch as the aftermath of Dean's revelation unfurled.
Maggie's eyes darted from Dean's hostile expression, to the floor, then to Sam.
"He's your Dad?"
Sam looked up at Maggie and nodded his head slowly.
Intimidated by Dean's expression, Maggie looked to Sam to talk to her. But Dean was not finished. He lowered his voice but the determination to prove Maggie wrong, still echoed in his tone.
"You see he had a family, and he wouldn't just give that up for some random chick in a bar".
Karen approached the table. She stood behind Maggie and placed a protective hand on her shoulder.
"Is there a problem boys?"
Sam quickly rose from his seat, picked up his laptop and stood beside Dean.
"No, no problem". He pulled at Dean's arm, ushering him to go to their room.
Dean reluctantly followed, keeping his eyes on Maggie until the last minute. Maggie looked at the wall in front of her. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to calm her nerves.
Upstairs, Dean blasted through the door of their room, threw his jacket onto the bed, and began to pace the room. Sam entered the room shortly after, removing his laptop bag from his shoulder and placed it on the bedside cabinet.
"Dean, I think she's telling the truth".
Sam began to attempt to reason with his brother, who was wearing out the floor as he continued to pace back and forth from one end of the room to the other.
"No, no way Sam, I'm telling you Dad wouldn't do this". Dean stopped in his tracks just long enough to reply to Sam's statement.
Sam, still perched at the end of the bed, followed Dean with his eyes as he walked over to the opposite wall and finally rested his feet.
"Why, why is it so hard to believe that after four years he was lonely and needed someone".
"Because it would mean that all we've done was for nothing!" Dean's voice trembled ever so slightly. As Sam looked back at him, he could see the anger and hurt filling up his face. Dean took a deep breath, and shook his head, trying so hard to not let his emotions show. But finally accepting defeat, he continued his argument.
"Our whole lives were spent looking for the demon, avenging Mom's death. Nothing else mattered. I will not accept that for just a couple of days with some woman, all of it meant nothing".
The brothers sat in silence, Sam, taken aback by Dean's break down, so used to his laugh it off attitude; broke the silence.
"I still think we should at least talk to her".
Dean immediately dismissed the proposal, shaking his head, as he moved from his spot against the wall, moving over to the bed to collect his jacket.
Sam rose from the bed, pleading for Dean to consider his suggestion.
"Dean, she's probably messed up about this, just as much as we are".
"Fine you want to stay and talk to her, be my guest. But in case you've forgotten we've got a job to do, and I intend to do it".
Dean picked up their bag of ammo, flung it over his shoulder and headed to the door.
"You've got five minutes to make up your mind, if you're not in the car in five, then I'm leaving without you".
And with that, Dean made his way downstairs, through the smoke filled bar and out to the Impala.
As Dean started the engine, the passenger door opened, Sam sat back in the passenger seat, closed the door and looked strait ahead. His face was creased into a frown, he loved his brother, but his sometimes, emotional immaturity was at best infuriating. Dean looked at his brother, he considered saying something to him, to break the awkward silence, but decided against it. Instead he turned around to get a view out of the back window as he reversed out of the dusty parking lot.
As the brothers walked through the corridor of the hospital, they took in their surroundings. The bare walls were painted white, cold and sterile. The floor tiles a shiny pastel green. Every so often they passed a series of stock rooms, some filled with bedding, another with medicine and medical equipment.
They soon came to a sign. It read: Nurses' Station; Red Ward; Blue Ward. At the bottom of the list, white arrow indicated you should turn left if any of the above were your desired destination. Each department was designated a coloured slat, the Nurse's Station being pink and Red and Blue ward matched their name.
To the right, would lead you to Green Ward, Morgue and Solitary Confinement.
The boys took the left turning towards the Nurses Station.
This corridor was a lot more animated. To the left they passed a room filled with patients watching a small television mounted on the wall. Further down the corridor they came to another room filled with patients, but these were doing some sort of craft- work, knitting, painting. As they neared Nurses' Station, Sam took out his fake police ID, next to his picture read the name 'Detective Mark Johnson'. Dean also removed his ID from his jacket pocket, the name on his ID read, 'Detective Andy Smith'
Dean approached a female nurse that was standing behind a large desk, situated in an alcove. The desk curved round at a bend. Patient's files and documents covered the desk.
"Excuse me, we're from the state police looking into the series of deaths that have taken place recently". He flashed his badge and a smile that made Sam roll his eyes. Dean's subtlety when flirting was something to be desired.
The Nurse tucked her blonde hair behind hair ears and leaned in to get a better view of Dean's ID.
"We already had someone from the police department come in yesterday".
Sam stepped in, sensing that Dean's sweet talk and 'charms' weren't going to get them very far.
"Well its an on going investigation, if we're going to catch who ever killed those patients we have to make sure that nothing has been missed."
"Exactly, no stone unturned". Dean's comment agitated Sam, who looked back at Dean and threw a look, a look, which Dean knew all to well. It is the look that says, 'Dean, you're an ass, stop talking'.
The nurse smiled at Dean, falling victim to his innocent yet cheeky smile.
"Okay, well Dr Burke was the on call doctor the night of the last death, his office is just down the hall there".
Dean followed the nurse's hand as she indicated the direction of the Doctor's office.
"Thank you Nurse…" Dean smiled at the nurse as he thanked her, and waited for her to divulge her name.
"Grace"
As they turned to make their way to the Doctor's office, Dean leant in to talk to Sam.
"You see Sammy it's all about connecting with people".
"Shut up". Sam shook his head at his brothers' comment and increased his speed to put some distance between himself and Dean, who sniggered at Sam's reaction.
Just as they turned the corner, Dean bumped into a girl, who was coming out of a patient's room. It was Maggie. Her cheeks glistened as the florescent lights bounced off her tears.
Realizing whom she had clashed with, Maggie hastily wiped away her tears, making her eyes even more red and sore. Shaking off the emotional storm that filling her inside, she looked at Dean. Although his expression had softened since their last meeting, she could still sense his dislike for her, and so she turned to Sam.
Sam's presence was much more welcoming. Even when Maggie told him who she was, Sam seemed empathetic. It was like he was interested in hearing her side of the story.
"Sam, what are you doing here?"
Maggie gave Sam a false smile, as she looked into his eyes, begging him not to inquire as to why she was crying.
"We're looking into the suicides".
Dean interjected a short and to the point reply. He was beginning to feel increasingly uncomfortable in the immediate vicinity of an emotional female, particularly one that he wasn't particularly that fond of. He wanted to end the conversation quickly and get on with the hunt.
Sam on the other hand wasn't going to let Dean stop him from talking to Maggie this time. He ushered Dean to carry on without him with a discreet tilt of his head. Dean registered and continued on to the Doctor's office.
Maggie looked down at her feet, leaned back against the wall and prepared herself for questioning.
"Why are you here Maggie?"
Sam joined Maggie at the wall, crossing his feet, his hands in his pockets.
"My Mom, she's a patient here. She was admitted about a year ago after we had a house fire. In fact that was why I was trying to contact John."
Sam looked at Maggie, a puzzled expression on his face.
Maggie looked up from her feet to the wall opposite them, shifted her weight from one foot to the other and continued her explanation.
"We were having a girls night in, popcorn, movie, the whole shebang. Then just out of nowhere this guy appears in the room. He looked at my Mom and she just shot to the ceiling".
Sam's face filled with dread and familiarity.
"I managed to pull her down just as the ceiling caught fire."
"You pulled her down?"
"Yes, what was I not supposed to, was I supposed to leave her there to die?"
Maggie pulled herself from her spot on the wall, almost in defence.
"No it's not that, it's just that, our Mom and my girlfriend died in that same way".
Maggie looked at Sam. She tilted her head and frowned in confusion.
Sam stood up right and attempted to show Maggie that there was method in his madness.
"The man that you saw was a demon, he was there for you. You see there are children, like you and me who have abilities".
Maggie folded her arms. The frown stretched across her forehead had grown deeper with each word.
"What are you talking about?"
"Within the last month have you been able to do things that you couldn't before, or had any strange dreams?"
"No, Sam this doesn't make any sense, how would you know that he was there for me?"
"So you believe that it was a demon." Sam smiled, relieved that Maggie didn't think he was completely mad.
"Yes, that's why I was looking for John, he told my Mom what he did for a living and I thought he could help".
Just at that moment Sam's cell rang, it was Dean. Sam fumbled at the keys to answer.
"Dean…"
He was about to tell Dean to come back to where he had left them, but could not get a chance. No sooner had Sam picked up Dean barked an order for Sam to meet him in the cafeteria then hung up.
Sam pressed the phone against his lips as he thought about what to do. But Maggie had already come up with a plan.
"Look I'm working here today, figured I was here every day, I may as well get paid for it".
Sam smiled and slid his phone into his jeans pocket.
"You go and do your thing, I'll be around if you need me".
And with that the two parted ways.
A few minutes later Sam entered the small cafeteria. He spotted Dean sitting at a table in the far corner. He crossed the room, passing nurses in crisp white uniforms, tucking into their Jell-O pots and sandwiches. He sat down opposite Dean, who was already half way through a BLT sandwich. With a mouthful of food, Dean informed Sam of his conversation with the on-call doctor.
"So Doctor Burke is just as clueless about the deaths as the police, he said that none of the patients showed any signs of erratic behaviour…"
Dean stopped short his explanation when he looked up at Sam, who was staring into space.
"Dude, are you even listening to me?"
He snapped his fingers in Sam's face. Causing Sam to blink and take notice.
"What?" Irritated by Dean's gesture, Sam pushed his hand away from his face.
"What's wrong with you?"
Dean looked at his brother with a frown before he returned to his sandwich.
"Maggie's Mom, she's a patient here. Turns out the yellow eyed demon visited them too, sending Maggie's Mom into a mental breakdown".
"And?"
Dean answered, his cheeks bulging after taking another large bite of the BLT.
"And she might have a higher perception for the supernatural. She might have seen something".
Dean swallowed the last portion of the sandwich and crumpled up the wrapping into a ball.
"Higher perception, Sam just because she saw the demon two years ago doesn't mean that she has a "spidy- sense" of the supernatural".
"Why not? We've questioned people on a lot less Dean".
Sam was almost at the edge of his seat by the end of his argument. He was practically begging Dean to consider talking to Maggie and her Mom.
But he didn't just want to question her Mom about the suicides. He needed to know if Maggie was like him. He needed to know if she was one of the chosen.
Maggie was sitting at the end of her mother's bed in her small plain room. It was easy to see that she had been there for a while by the décor. A mahogany side table was filled with photos of the mother and daughter. The curtains were much brighter than those of the other patients. The duvet that her mother clung to was also brought from home.
Sam gently tapped on the door loud enough for Maggie to hear him but not so as to startle Miss Tyler.
Maggie turned her head and saw the boys standing in the doorway. She swung her feet to the edge of the bed and slipped on her shoes. She stroked her mother's hand in reassurance, and then walked over to Sam.
"Hi guys, did you find anything out?"
She leant against the door her arms gently folded. Sam shifted his stance, glanced at Maggie's mother then looked back to Maggie.
"No not really. Maggie would it be okay for us to talk to your Mom?"
"Yeah, but I doubt she saw anything".
Maggie looked back at her mother, who was staring at the wall opposite her, every so often her hand twitched slightly then relaxed and then tensed up once more.
Sam edged a little closer through the door; his voice was lowered at and soft.
"Actually, we think she might have, you see some people when they go through a traumatic experience, it can sometimes heighten their perception of the paranormal".
"He thinks your Mom has the sixth sense".
Dean interjected; his voice was not so lowered.
Sam looked at Dean with a frown stretched across his face. Sometimes his brother's lack of tact astounded him.
Maggie looked at the brothers with one eyebrow raised, she didn't really understand what Sam meant, most of all she was confused. But there were a lot of things that had happened lately that didn't make much sense, but if Sam thought that it might help, what could a little talk hurt.
"Okay".
She ushered the boys through the door, then passed them when they stopped at the end of the bed. Maggie sat down by her mother's side, gently brushed aside her hair from her face and explained who the two men were and what they wanted.
"Mom, these two men work with the police, they are looking into Frank and Alice's death".
Maggie's mother spoke, her voice was soft, almost like a child's.
"They're dead, my friends, they're dead".
Maggie looked up at Sam, who returned her glance with an empathetic look.
"I know Mom, and these men are trying to find out why, so they want to talk to you okay. They're not going to hurt you, they just want to talk".
Maggie's mother nodded her head ever so slightly, and so Maggie rose from the bed and let Sam sit in her place.
"Mrs Tyler, on the night that Frank and Alice died, did you see anything?"
Sam kept his voice to a gentle low tone, treading carefully.
Dean stayed standing behind Sam. He looked at the frail shell of a woman, who for a second looked him in the eye. Dean took a step back; there was something about that glance that was unsettling.
Sam continued with his questions.
"Mrs Tyler?"
"I didn't see anything, but I know who did it".
Sam shifted on the bed, leaning in slightly so as not to miss anything that Mrs Tyler was about to say.
"Who was it?"
"The yellow eyed man, he was there, he's always there, he never leaves me alone".
Mrs Tyler's voice had risen now from a soft whisper to an agitated tone. She had sat upright and looked strait at Maggie.
"You have to find John, he can help; you have to. I don't want to die, you have to find him".
Maggie moved to her mother's side, held her head to her chest and gently stroked her hair. Trying to calm her down before any of the nurses came to see what the problem was.
"Its okay Mom I will, nothing is going to happen to you, I promise".
She looked at Sam, her eyes begging him to help, although she knew there was nothing he could do to help, not really. The only one that was going to get her mother out of this state was her mother.
Sam turned and looked up at Dean, the two looked at each other. They knew that it couldn't have been the Yellow Eyed Demon that killed those people. But it wasn't just that what made Dean's face creased with a frown and frustration. He was still thinking about the way Mrs Tyler had looked at him. He felt a sense of emptiness in her eyes, a cold that seemed to go all the way to her heart.
Sam and Dean emptied out of the hospital room. They walked a little down the corridor so that they were out of earshot.
Dean stopped and turned to talk to Sam, but had to hold off as a male nurse walked towards them. Dean looked at him, urging him to keep walking.
Once the nurse had turned the corner, Dean voiced his concerns to Sam.
"I think she's hiding something".
Sam looked at Dean, puzzled by his statement.
"What do you mean?"
"I don't know what, but there's something not right about her".
"Uh yeah Dean, she's two years into a mental breakdown".
"No besides that, it was the way she looked at me."
Sam shook his head and smiled at Dean, feeling that his brother was clutching at straws.
"She was probably wondering what we were doing there".
Dean scoffed and shook his head, agitated by Sam's naivety.
He was about to carry on his argument, but was interrupted by a sudden burst of noise coming from down the hall.
They turned the corner to find Maggie yelling at one of the male nurses, whom she had backed against the wall.
She held a magazine in her hand and was waving it around as she spoke.
"All magazines have to be checked and all pictures containing yellow eyes have to be removed before they are given to my Mother!"
Maggie's face was tense with anger.
Sam and Dean approached the commotion, they looked past Maggie and the nurse and caught a glimpse of Maggie's mother restrained on a gurney, being wheeled away.
They looked back to Maggie, who was still letting rip to the nurse.
Beginning to tire of being shouted at, he had begun to defend himself.
"I'm sorry".
His apology was cut short when Maggie slammed the magazine to the floor.
"That's not good enough!" "This isn't the first time this has happened. Now my mother is going to be stuck in solitary and comatose, all because you cant do your job properly!"
And with that Maggie turned on her heals and went back into her mother's bedroom.
Sam and Dean gingerly walked up to the bedroom door. The room was a mess; all the photos on the dresser had been knocked down. One curtain had been pulled down and the other was barely hanging on.
Sam went in to help Maggie clear up the floor, but Dean stayed in the doorway. He leant against the doorframe and scanned the room with his eyes.
Sam knelt down beside Maggie.
"Are you okay?"
"No." "I wish I had more money so I could get her out of this dump".
Maggie sat up against the bed. Her hand rested on her knee as she held a curled hand to her face.
"What happened?"
Sam joined her by the bed resting his hands on his knees.
Dean shifted from his spot against the doorframe. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed a strange substance in the groove of the frame.
He lifted a sample with his thumb then rubbed it together with his finger to get a feel of it. As soon as he did this, he knew exactly what the substance was.
He turned on his heals and disappeared down the hall.
Sam looked up just as Dean ducked out of the doorway. He frowned, wondering why Dean had left so hastily, but stayed to hear what had sparked the argument between Maggie and the carer.
"Ever since the fire, Mom gets freaked out every time she sees someone with yellow eyes".
Sam looked back, sympathy in his expression, listening attentively listening to every word.
"She was never this bad, not before she came here". "It's happened at least 5 times this month, she shouts and screams for about 10 minutes then goes into a catatonic state for about 5 days".
"What have the doctors said about it?"
Sam enquired, becoming increasingly concerned by what he was hearing.
"They can't explain it." "And it only lasts for 5 days, but if you try and move her out of solitary before hand and she'll scream bloody murder.
Sam's empathetic expression had now changed into a look of worry. A frown had appeared across his forehead.
Disturbed that he was even considering the possibility, Sam looked at the wall opposite. Trying to find something to blow his theory out of the water, but he couldn't ignore his gut feeling. He had to tell Dean.
"Dean, I think Maggie's Mom is involved with the murders".
"She is".
Dean's blunt answer took Sam slightly aback. It was his certainty that shocked Sam more than anything.
Dean looked up from the abandoned nurses desk that he was sitting behind. A folder was opened out in front of him and another under it.
"I found sulphur on the frame of her door".
Sam's face fell; he really wanted to be wrong. He moved round the desk to Dean's side. Dean continued to inform Sam of his findings.
"So I checked out the patients files, all the attacks coincide with her Mom being in solitary".
Sam looked over Dean's shoulder at the files. He was right, the space between attacks, the timing. It all fitted.
"So do you think she's possessed?"
"Yep. Id say she has been since the fire".
"I guess you would have to be pretty lucky to survive something like that".
Sam turned round and perched on the edge of the desk, his arms folded.
"Well that and being protected by a demonic virus". Dean replied; he looked up at Sam, then back down to the files on the desk.
"We need to tell Maggie, if her Mom has been possessed since the fire, then there's a good chance she wont make it through the exorcism".
Dean closed the files and let out a sigh. He may not like Maggie that much, but no one deserved this. He knew what it was like to loose a parent.
Maggie was getting a drink from a dispenser when the brothers eventually found her. She saw them walking up the corridor and met them half way.
"Hey, you had any luck finding out who behind it yet?"
Dean looked at Maggie strait in the eye, which made Maggie slightly dubious. Since they had met, this was the first time Dean had looked at her with concern.
"What's gong on?"
Maggie kept her eyes on Dean, slightly un-nerved by his sudden change of heart.
"Maggie, we think your Mom is responsible for the murders".
Maggie switched her gaze to Sam, a frown stretched across her forehead.
"All the murders happened when your Mom had an episode".
Dean continued to explain but Maggie quickly interrupted him.
"Nice, its not enough that you have to insult my Mom and call her a slut, now you have to brand her a murderer too!"
Sam quickly interjected in defence.
"It's not like that okay, your Mom doesn't know she's doing it, she's possessed".
"What?"
"She's possessed by a demon and we think she has been since you had the fire"
Dean completed their theory.
Maggie lifted a hand to her head and pulled back her hair. She looked down at the floor trying to make sense of what she had just been told.
"Well what can we do, can you help her?"
"We can, we can exorcise the demon and send it back to hell". Sam answered.
Maggie shook her head in disbelief, rubbing her head with her fingers.
She looked Sam in the eyes, something told her, that as insane as it all sounded, they were telling the truth.
"Okay, I'll get the nurse on watch to go on a break, just give me five minutes".
As suggested, Sam and Dean arrived outside Solitary Confinement five minutes later.
Dean looked through the small window in the door and reached for the door handle. Sam held a bottle ready in his hand. Maggie looked at the bottle and then at Sam. He noticed the puzzled look on Maggie's face.
"It's holy water, don't worry it wont your Mom".
"But the demon wont like it much". Dean interjected still looking into the room. Mrs Tyler was huddled in a corner, her eyes closed.
Dean looked at Sam, looking for the signal to go ahead. Sam gave a nod and Dean opened the door. He jumped in first then Sam followed in behind.
Just at that moment Mrs Tyler's eyes opened, they were black and cold. She looked at Sam dead in the eye and he flew sideways and slammed strait into the wall. She then lifted up her hand and Dean side flew back out of the door.
Maggie, who was standing outside, watched Dean as he was thrown into the wall. She stepped into the doorway, shocked by what she had just seen.
Suddenly she was pulled into the room. She hit the wall face first then was spun round so that her back was to the wall. She tried to peel her self off, but she was pinned down with such force, any movement was made impossible.
Sam tried to get up and help but he too was held back by Mrs Tyler's simple hand gesture.
"Mom it's me, it's Maggie. I know you're in there, you don't want to do this".
Maggie pleaded to her mother, but she just stared back coldly. She tilted her head slightly; looking Maggie in the eyes she gave a small eerie smile.
Suddenly Maggie struggled for breath, her mother was crushing her throat with a mere thought.
A tear rolled down Maggie's cheek. The colour was draining from her face.
Just then a gunshot ran out. Maggie gasped for air; the hold on her throat had been lifted.
Suddenly Mrs Tyler threw her head back and a long trail of black smoke spilled out of her mouth and disappeared out of the door. Maggie looked at her Mom; her blue eyes sparkled for a second.
"Maggie".
Her mother spoke in a gentle whisper; she touched Maggie's cheek tenderly.
Maggie's eyes filled with tears when she saw the blood seeping through her mother's gown. She closed her eyes as her mother slumped to the floor in a lifeless heap and started shaking as a cold numbness crept up from her stomach.
Dean edged through, still holding the gun in his hand. He looked at Sam, who looked back, a sense of regret and guilt filled his expression.
They stood by Maggie's side. She was crouched by her mother's side; she brushed away and stroked her face.
"Maggie I'm so sorry".
"You should get out of here before security turns up". Maggie kept her eyes on her mothers pale, still body; tears streaming down her face.
"Maggie…"
Sam tried to offer his help but Maggie interrupted his efforts.
"Just go". Maggie looked up at Sam, barley able to see through the tears that were still filling her eyes.
"Come on Sam". Dean pulled on his brother's arm, knowing that Sam felt too guilty to leave.
Reluctantly Sam turned and the two made their way out of the hospital through the nearest fire exit.
Back at the motel, Sam and Dean were packing their things in silence. Dean looked at Sam; he could sense that Sam was beating himself up about what happened. He was about to try and console his brother when they heard a knock at the door.
Dean opened it to see Maggie standing on the other side. Her eyes were red and face a pale white.
"Hey can I come in". Maggie asked, her voice was low and soft.
Dean stepped aside, ushering her inside. Maggie stood in the middle of the room, her arms folded.
"I want to know, were John is".
Dean sat on the bed, not knowing were to look.
"He died about a year ago".
Sam answered; he spoke softly, as if it would make the answer easier to hear, as if it would hurt less.
"What happened?"
"It was the yellow eyed demon, it killed him".
Dean looked up at his brother, glad that Sam had not gone into details about that day.
"Well where's the demon now?"
"I killed it". Dean replied, finally lifting his eyes from the floor.
"Oh… that's great. Wow, you're quite the hero aren't you"?
Maggie scoffed; her voice trembled, trying to fight back more tears. She felt a sudden sense of worthlessness, like she no longer had a purpose.
"Maggie…" Sam tried to intervene, trying to build bridges that were rapidly burning.
"I'm sorry…I'm gunna go". She knew that Dean did what he had to, but it wouldn't stop it hurting, it wouldn't change the fact that he killed her mom.
"Maggie wait, your welcome to stay with us if you want". Sam offered.
"No, I need some time…alone, hey I've lasted this long on my own, what's a few more years?"
Maggie gave a fake smile that wasn't fooling anybody.
"Okay, well if you need anything, just give me a call okay". Sam held out a piece of paper with his cell phone number on it. Maggie took it and slipped it into her jeans pocket.
"Thanks". Maggie gave a sad smile and Sam smiled back.
"Take care Sam…Dean".
Dean nodded back, but Maggie had already turned to the door, she couldn't bring herself to look at him.
Maggie closed the door behind her. She got half way down the hall before she had to lean against the wall. She slid down to her knees and buried her head in her hands. She couldn't fight back the tears any longer.
She didn't want to be alone, but she couldn't stay with Sam and Dean, not after all that had happened. Too much had been done, too much had been said to just be forgotten.