"Caught me a long wind..

Where will we go

Keep ourselves afloat.."

Feist - "Caught A Long Wind"


Hospital

Missouri, USA

"So what we just follow him around all day? No offence, but Sammy's a little bit of a drag right now, I'm not sure how much of his puppy dog eyes I can take." Dean wined, walking side by side with Aurora as they strolled down the hallway behind Sam.

They weren't sure where he was headed, but the chances were that he knew what happened with Aurora. She was just finding it strange that he hadn't brought her up at all during his one sided conversation with Dean, or with his doctor.

"You got any bright ideas?" Rory craned her neck up to meet Dean's sulking stare. He sighed in return.

"Alright then. We follow behind Sammy, and the minute we get a clue, we bounce." She said just as the younger Winchester slowed down to make a turn into John's room. He was still awake and lying in bed, his arm in a sling. Awkwardly one-handed, he pulled something out of his wallet.

"Here. Give them my insurance." He told Sam who took the card from between his fingers, smiling as he read it.

"Elroy McGillicutty?" He read aloud, earning a smirk from Rory as she and Dean rounded the other side of the room to get a better look at the two.

"And his two loving sons. So, what else did the doctor say about Dean?" John asked, earning Deans interest completely. It felt good knowing he cared as much to ask again.

"Nothing." Sam replied shortly, Rory paid close attention to the frustration brewing over him.

"..And Ariel?" John said gaining everyone's attention in the room. She took a step forward when Sam hesitated.

"C'mon Sammy, what about me?" She asked, her entire body tense as she waited for her answer.

"..Still can't find her." He finally answered earning a sigh from John.

"This doesn't make any sense." He breathed using his good hand to run it through his unkempt hair.

"I've checked every room in this hospital, I even checked the morgue. And the nurses and doctors don't even know who I'm talking about its-it's like she wasn't even in the car." Sam spoke, just as confused as everyone else in the room if not more.

"But she was." Rory's eyes snapped onto John's.

"Rory if you're not here then-

"I don't know.." She spoke just above a whisper as she glued her gaze into John. There was a familiarity in the face he was giving in that moment, one she'd seen time and time again. She knew that face.

"Dad. She's not here.." Sam voiced, worry settling in his tone.

"Okay." John brooded. Rory squinted in suspicion.

"I think your dad knows more than he's telling." She finally spoke earning a confused look from Dean in return.

"Well that's not comforting at all."

"Damn right it's not. Prime suspect number one if ya ask me." She crossed her arms over her chest and began to move around the room, pausing once she got to the spot just beside Sam across from Dean.

"We're hunting this demon, and maybe it's hunting us too. That gun may be our only card." She listened to the men converse, hanging on every word.

"It's in the trunk. They dragged the car to a yard off of I-83."

"All right. You've gotta clean out that trunk before some junk man sees what's inside."

"I already called Bobby. He's like an hour out, he's gonna tow the Impala back to his place." Sam answered, and at the mention of Bobby's name, Aurora felt her entire world shift rigidly.

"What'd you tell him about Ariel?"

"That she was fine and that she left to go and find a way to help."

"Sam."

"What else was I supposed to say? Look at least this'll buy us some time to figure out how to break it to him that his only daughter is missing because of us." Sam argued.

John shook his head sadly.

"This is why I told her to leave..I never wanted her to get in the middle of this." He spoke with a deep frown. Guilt was evident all over his features.

Sam frowned.

Rory's arms dropped to her sides as the realization slapped her hard in the face.

"..Dad." She whispered. Dean threw his eyes on hers, devastation pooling around in them as he watched her closely.

"Oh my God, my dad." Her breathing began to quicken.

"All right. You, you go meet up with Bobby. you get that Colt, and you bring it back to me. And you watch out for hospital security."

"My dad." Her eyes flickered onto Dean's. She could feel the grief clawing up her back at the thought of Bobby finding out the news.

"Hey." Dean came over to her, holding her shoulders to move her over to the nearest wall. He looked her in the eyes.

"It's gonna be okay."

"No.." Her head shook machanically as the tears burned her eyes.

"Angel, look at me."

"I died. Dean I'm dead I'm-..no one knows where I am. My dad doesn't know where I am! He won't-he won't have a body to burn or-or closure-"

"Aurora! Listen to me!" Dean shook her grabbing all of her attention.

"Nobody's burning anyone. You hear me? You're gonna be fine. I'm not gonna let anything happen to you. Got it?" He delivered a look of determination, one she couldn't ignore.

"We're gonna figure this out." Dean promised.

Rory took a momnent to process, but shook her head anyway, moving her gaze onto Sam as he pushed up to stand from his seat.

Dean sighed and turned to follow her gaze whilst thinking of a plan.

"Hey. Here. I made a list of things I need, have Bobby pick them up for me." She stepped around him and went back over to Sam to better read the list John had given him. She squinted, not understanding most of his writing, but made out a couple ingredients.

"Acacia? Oil of Abramelin? What's this stuff for?" Sam asked.

"Protection." John answered.

"He's lying. This stuff is hardcore." Rory shook her head and said to Dean.

"How do you know?" He asked leaning one side of his body against the wall.

"I read." Rory quipped, earning an eye roll from him.

"Hey, Dad? You know, the demon, he said he had plans for me, and children like me. Do you have any idea what he meant by that?" Sam asked.

Rory grew confused throwing a glance at Dean as he stood against the wall with a steely expression.

"No, I don't." John answered. Sam left the room shortly after.

"What's he talking about?" Rory asked Dean.

"The demon..told him that stuff. I think it was just to poke fun though. Don't worry about it." He answered, waving her off and casting his gaze over to his father.

Rory blinked with a thoughtful look, passing her eyes on John who lay in his bed wearing the same empty stare.

"Well, you sure know something." Dean spoke to him.

Rory shifted her weight.

"Told ya." She said.

"Come on. Sammy's gone and he's on bed rest so looks like we're on our own." Dean spoke leaving the room without giving her a chance to reply.

Rory sighed delivering one last look to John.

"You better not be planning anything stupid Winchester." She warned before walking off to follow Dean.


Rory and Dean paced down the halls quick and in a hurry to find help. They needed to figure things out and fast before it was too late. They weren't sure how, but they knew time was running out. And Rory couldn't help but feel weaker with every passing second.

She looked from room to room as she walked by, hoping to find a sign or help of any kind, but came up short every time. It felt as though they were chasing their tails. She looked ahead, and faltered for half a second when her eyes landed on the familiar face up ahead at the end of the hall. He stared intensely back at her.

She squinted, noticing that Dean hadn't said a word about it.

"..You don't see him do you." She spoke to him as he walked by her side. She kept her eyes taped on the stranger.

"What? Who?" Dean asked, looking down at her finding her eyes facing forward. He tried to find the person she spoke of, but the hall was clear.

"That guy. Right ahead of us. He's standing right there." She pointed to a spot.

It was empty, causing him to grow wildly confused.

"Guy? What guy?" Dean questioned.

"The guy from my dreams.." Rory's gaze was fixed on him, not wanting to lose him for a second as they neared him.

"Guy from your dreams? There's a guy from your dreams that isn't me?"

"Dean focus."

"On a man of your dreams? Why?" He screwed up his face, not understanding why she'd ask such a thing from him.

"Because. I think he can help us." She spoke absently, just before the man could turn around and disappear behind the corner.

"Uh how?"

"That's the thing. I have no idea. I don't even know who he is, but he's in every one of my dreams. So he must know something." She told him, following her gut.

"Hold on wait a minute. How the hell are we supposed to get help from a dude who lives inside of your head? He's not real."

"That's just it. He's never been real until..until now. I'd only see him in my dreams, but now I'm seeing him awake."

"Or dead."

"Point is. He's here, and that can either mean a good thing, or a very very bad thing." She prayed to god it wasn't the latter.

She looked to her right when she received no reply and noticed that Dean was no longer by her side. She stopped in her tracks and looked behind her to find him standing there with a look on his face.

"What is that?" He asked. Rory frowned.

"What's what? Dean come on we have to follow him!" Rory told him just as a gust of wind rushed passed her nearly knocking her off her feet. Dean jumped back hurrying over to Rory as she doubled over, cradling her stomach as the nausea clouded over her.

"Was that a spirit?!" She breathed, using his hell to stand straight.

"I think so. Come on."

"No Dean wait! We have to follow that guy."

"Angel there's a spirit in a hospital full of dying innocent people, including me. I think following some figment of your imagination is a little low on the priority list." Dean argued.

"He's not a figment of my imagination you tool, I'm following him. You go after the spirit and find me afterwards." Rory didn't give him the chance.

"No wait Aurora wait! Angel!" She was turning the corner by the time Dean called out for her, but he knew she wasn't coming back. It was always hard to turn her attention onto another situation whenever she attached herself to something else.

She always followed her gut instinct.

It was what he loved and hated about her.

"Dammit!" He cursed, turning to jog down the hall to stalk the spirit.