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Chapter 2: Imperceptible Findings

~SPN~

"Sam?"

The hunter waited for his brother to acknowledge his presence, but after practically yelling his name in his ear, Sam was still unresponsive.

Defeated, Dean fell back into his seat and stared out the window at the passing trees. His brother was either ignoring him, or there was something wrong. The way he appeared in the front seat of the Impala right after feeling discombobulated and motion sick, was alluring to something powerful of the angel origin. But that was impossible, considering the cabin was warded against them. Wasn't it? As far as he knew, there were no jailbreaks for sigils.

"Sam," Dean began, hoping that his little brother was at least listening. "I didn't mean to diss your feelings back there. If something is really bothering you, we need to talk about it. You don't even have to look at me. Just talk to me. Alright? I need to-"

Sam made a sudden swift gesture to the glove compartment and pulled out his iPod.

The hunter folded his arms, glaring daggers at him. "What did I say about you douching up my car, Sam. Don't do it. Don't you do it, Sammy."

Dean groaned as his brother set up his iPod atop the dashboard and put on an annoying song from his playlist that exceeded his listening range of what he believed was good music.

For one hour he let it go on, until he couldn't take the sharp notes and squeaky fiddles ramming into each-other anymore.

"Sam, your so called music is really hurting my ears. Now enough is enough! Turn it off!"

Dean froze as his brother reached over to tap the screen, ending the torture to his eardrums. He stared at him incredulously. Considering he'd spent about an hour trying to get his brother's attention, made his sudden heedfulness that much more of a mystery. "So you can hear me? Well, that's just rude." He turned towards the window, pretending to pout, but when Sam didn't answer, Dean let out an indignant huff. So it was just a coincidence then. He wasn't really listening, after all. Dean turned toward him again.

"Look, all I want to do is help. You don't think i've had nightmares? I've been to hell, remember. That's as nightmarish as it comes. Turn the car around so we can get back to cabin, and i'll get us a few beers and we can weed through everything?"

Sam stayed as quiet as ever, only moving to turn the wheel minute degrees.

"Alright, we do this the hard way." Dean pointed and weaved his left foot around his brothers leg, before slammed it down on the floorboard.

"What the hell?" The hunter bent sideways to get a closer look and saw that the brake pedal had sliced through the bottom of his left shoe and came out the top side. Dean had learned all his automotive knowledge from Bobby and it wasn't possible for such a blunt object to puncture skin unless Superman threw him into it. But he was witnessing the impossible at that moment. There was a chance that the pain was numbed by pure shock, but the way it was sticking up through what he thought was his skin, was undoubtedly going to hurt bad going back out. Or just rip his foot in two, in the process. Still, he had to do something or he was going to spend the rest of his life merged with the Impala. He could call Cas later after he'd given up in releasing his foot.

Gripping both armrests in a vice-like grip; which was really the air, the hunter took a deep breath and braced himself before giving his leg a sharp yank upward.

Dean grunted in pain before rubbing his now swollen eye. Yeah, kneeing himself in the face wasn't in the plan, but at least his foot was...

"Alright. I'm either a ghost or i'm dreaming. Or dreaming i'm a ghost," he added, staring down at his arms which were nearly completely buried inside the leather seat. That would explain why Sam was so unresponsive to him. Obviously he wasn't dead, at least he hoped not, so it had to have been a dream. Now all he needed was to wake himself up.

'A good bang to the head should do the trick,' he thought to himself.

Balling up his hand into a fist, he swung it right into his forehead. Though instead of waking himself up, all he managed to do was impale his fist awkwardly in his head. "So a ghost. I get it." Dean pulled out his fist from his forehead and retrieved his other set of car keys from his pocket. Even though they weren't pure iron, they'd still make some kind of mark. He scrapped a single key along the skin of his palm.

Scalding pain trailed everywhere the iron touched, making his skin sizzle and burn from the contanct. That must have been what it felt like to the poor saps he'd hit with it. "...Yep, definitely a ghost," he wheezed, teeth clenched tightly as he put the keys back in his jean pocket.

The car unexpectedly came to a halt by a brown painted house. What are we doing here, Sam? Dean roved his vision over the quaint little home. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but there was something off about the place. Not just because the windows were all barred, though that was also odd. Just a certain feeling of dread.

Dean had a split second of debating before his brotherly instincts had him following out the door after his little brother. Even if it was some kind of dream, he was sure nothing could happen to him in his ghostly state. He was going to protect Sam, even if it was just a construct of his brother.

Dean stood by the door, waiting an exasperatingly long time for his little brother to work up the nerve to knock, before an idea came to him. He might as well be the probe. Placing his hands till they were almost touching the wood, Dean pushed himself through the door.

Dean stared down at his body re-assimilating itself and smiled satisfactorily at the ceiling. "This is way cool," he exclaimed, smiling cheekily.

An unsettling energy wafted towards him, along with a dark haired woman with shifty eyes. Dean couldn't pinpoint what else turned him off about her, but their was a strong feeling tugging at his gut that she had only bad intentions for his brother. But not being tangible was the disadvantage for the moment, so he he had no choice but to watch things play out, instead of dragging his brother out of there.

"Sam, what an unexpected surprise," she smiled friendly, which reached her eyes.

The younger hunter paused, carefully contemplating his next words. "I know this is sudden, but i've been doing some thinking, and-"

She ushered him inside, before he could say anything more. "Come in, Sam. You don't need to speak to me outside."

Sam nodded and stepped inside, sitting down on one of the chairs at the table. "It's just that...my old life is over. I mean, Dean's gone, Cas is gone. All of my family is gone. Now I want to start a new one with you, leave behind everything else. But before you say it's too sudden, we would just be living together for a while, nothing too fast. I just... I want to begin anew with you, Amelia."

Dean startled as loud excited barking zeroed in on them, followed by a golden bundle of fur bounding into the kitchen, toppling Sam to the floor as he licked his face with his long slobbery tongue. That must have been the dog his brother hit with the Impala a year ago.

"Hrro... Herru... Hero", Sam finally said correctly, his mouth was now able form a complete word without fearing dog saliva. "I missed you too, buddy," he continued after the dog had relented from his position on his chest.

Amelia laughed, thoughtfully approaching them. "If a family is what you want, then I would be happy to live with you. But before this goes any further, I need you to reassure me that what you truly want is to be with me. Not just because i'm your only substitute for a family right now."

Dean glared angrily at his brother. What? Sam wasn't just gonna run off with some chick and forget the family business. Was he? It wasn't that dire of an argument.

Sam took a respite from rubbing the happy dogs underbelly, ignoring the abandonment whimpers as he walked over to the woman.

"You are my light in a dark world. The only thing that makes sense in my screwed up life and I would be lost without you. I truly love you, Amelia. Not because you're there, but because you're here. And I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

"No! You can't just run away and hide somewhere, Sam. Once a hunter always a hunter remember that? Danger will find you wherever you go. Do want her to end up like Jessica?" Dean tried fisting up his brothers shirt and shaking some sense into him, but his hands went right through his body and he fell to the floor from the forward momentum.

Picking himself off the floor with a groan, he walked back over to them, but quickly covered his eyes.

"Sammy, at least wait until I leave!" Dean complained as things were getting more touchy than what an older brother should see his younger brother doing. He swiftly left through the way he came in.

The sun was lying very low in the sky, painting it with the bleeding colors of a sunset, and darkening the shadows that were starting to fall upon the neighborhood. He was officially stuck here. How long, was unforeseeable at the moment. But the dickbag that trapped him there was gonna have a lot to answer for, if and when he showed his face at all.