March 19th, 2006
Eros Inn
Loveland, Colorado
Courtney + Charlie Warren
"Well that was a waste of fucking time," Charlie stated, throwing open the hotel door and marching in. She tossed the manila folders in her hands onto the small table in the corner of the room before allowing herself to collapse face first on the bed.
Courtney couldn't help but agree as she kicked the door closed and dropped her bag to the floor. "Three days of research and optimism and what do we have to show for it?" she demanded.
Charlie screamed into the mattress as an answer.
"Right!" Courtney agreed, pointing at her. "Shit all. We have shit all."
The older Warren rolled over onto her and glared at the ceiling. "There were omens!"
"Blatant misrepresentation," she said, popping down on the end of the bed and pulling off her heels. "We should sue."
A snort left her. "And who exactly would we sue?" she questioned. "Warren Vs. Yellow-eyed Demon?"
"We'd win," Courtney stated, throwing the offending shoes into her duffle bag.
"No doubt," Charlie said, going to rub her hands across her face. "Dressed nicely for absolutely nothing," she grumbled, pushing herself up and walking into the bathroom. "Did you see the receptionist staring at your ass?"
It was Courtney's turn to snort. "I'm pretty sure everyone saw it," she stated. "God, his hair. Who the hell still has a mullet?"
Charlie laughed as she scrubbed at her lips. "30 year old male receptionists."
"Oh God," she laughed, letting herself flop backwards. "Why can't there ever be any cute ones?"
"We can go to a bar," Charlie offered.
"It's noon."
"It's never stopped us before."
Courtney laughed at that.
"Maybe we could-" she was cut off by the insistent ringing of her cellphone. She sighed and dug her hand into the pocket of her jacket. She paused to check the caller ID before answering. "Warren's house of horrors, you scream, we scream, we all get ice cream. This is Charlie speaking, how may I help you?"
"You and that smart mouth of yours."
Charlie smirked at that. "The day it's not smart is the day we should all worry," she stated. "What do you need, John?"
He sighed. "I got a call from Dean. He and Sam seem to think that there's something in our old house. Our house in Lawrence," he explained.
"Something?" she questioned. "They don't know what?"
"Dean's not sure if it's what killed Mary."
"It can't be," she denied. "There's no reason for it to be in that house. Why would it-" she cut herself off. "Wait, 'what killed Mary'?" she asked, her eyebrows furrowing. "We know it's a Demon."
John was quiet for a moment. "My boys don't know."
"What do you mean they don't know?"
"Charlie, I don't have to explain myself to you."
A sarcastic laugh left her at that. "Yes you do. If we're going to help your boys when we need to know what page they're on," she stated, turning to stand in the doorway and give her sister a look of astonishment. "How can they not know about the Demon?"
"I'm playing this real close to the chest, Charlie, and-"
"We're all playing this close to the chest, John," she interrupted. "Those boys deserve to know what happened to their mother."
"You do not get to tell me how to raise my kids."
"They're not kids anymore, John!" Charlie snapped. "Jesus Christ, what if the Demon goes after them, huh? They'll have no idea what they're dealing with."
"That Demon isn't getting anywhere near my sons."
"And how are you gonna make sure of that when you're thousands of miles away from them?" she demanded, the anger from knowing John Winchester bubbling up. "Do they even know where you are?"
John remained silent.
"Oh, that's right," she mused. "You just disappeared."
"Don't put your issues with your father on me, Charlotte."
She laughed at that. "My father answers when I call and I know exactly where he is. My issues are with you."
There was another tense silence before he cleared his throat.
"Will you go or not?"
Charlie's jaw clenched as she looked over to her sister, silently asking for her opinion.
Courtney, knowing from the argument what John had asked, nodded with a small smile.
"Yes we'll go," she answered.
"Thank you," he said before hanging up.
Charlie sneered as she closed her phone. "Miserable asshole."
"Where are we going?" Courtney asked, pushing herself up from the bed and over to her bag.
"Lawrence, Kansas."
She paused for a moment to do the math. "That's eight hours away."
Charlie nodded. "Do you want to take the first four?"
A frustrated groan left her.
Lawrence, Kansas
Missouri Moseley's House
"I hate John Winchester," Courtney stated once she pulled up in front of Missouri's house. She threw it into park and killed the engine before looking over to her sister, a frown pulling at her lips when she found her sleeping peacefully. "Hey!"
Charlie jerked awake, her eyes darting around the car in alarm before she realized where she was and let out a frustrated sigh. "Do you think Missy knows we were coming?"
Courtney let out a snort. "She knew we were coming before we did," she answered, grabbing her bag from the backseat and climbing out of the car. "Come on, I bet she made dinner."
Charlie perked up at that and followed after her sister, her own bag lazily thrown over her shoulder. She trotted up the walk and practically jumped onto the porch.
The youngest Warren smiled when she saw the envelope tapped to the door with their names scrawled across it. She pulled it off and tore into it. "'Hello, babies, glad you two stopped by. I had to step out for a while so there's dinner in the oven and towels in the bathroom. Make yourselves at home. Missy,'" she read, her smile widening as she slid the key out.
Charlie snatched it from her and unlocked the door, the smell of roast instantly wafting out. "Oh she made pot roast," she moaned stepping into the house.
"Think she made those red potatoes?" Courtney asked, closing the door behind her.
"God I hope so."
It was a little after nine and the girls had made camp in the living room. They were dressed in their finest Pj's and their hair was damp from the much enjoyed showers. The TV had been left on a marathon of F.R.I.E.N.D.'s while they idly watched in comfort. They were half asleep when the backdoor opened and closed, keys jingling and footsteps sounding.
"I gotta say, it sure is nice that you girls stopped by."
A wide smile stretched across both girls' faces as Missouri Moseley walked into the room. "Hey, Missy!" they greeted together.
"Did you girls eat?" she asked, her motherly habits always there.
"We did, Missy, thank you," Charlie said, peeling herself off the couch to give the woman a hug.
"Best meal we've had in a long time," Courtney added, playfully moving her sister out of the way so she could give the woman a hug of her own.
Missouri giggled at that and looked the two girls over. "You two get prettier and prettier each time I see you," she praised. "How are you two?"
Courtney snorted at that. "You really have to ask us?"
Missouri gave her a look. "It's polite to ask," she stated. "I see your sister's manners have rubbed off on you."
Charlie gasped and pressed a hand over her chest. "I have perfect manners," she denied. "She's rude all on her own."
Courtney frowned and shot her arm out, her closed fist connecting with her sister's shoulder.
A hiss left her as she rubbed at the sore spot, stepping back to sit back onto the couch. "See what I put up with?"
Missouri giggled again and patted Courtney on the head before bustling back into the kitchen. "So I take it this wasn't just a friendly visit?" she asked.
Charlie let out a snort. "We're doing a favor for John," she answered, not even bothering to hide the annoyance in her voice.
"Winchester? What's he done now?"
"His boys think there's something in their old house," Courtney explained, shuffling back over and taking her place next to her sister again.
"That man, I swear to the lord," Missouri said, walking back into the room with the plate the girls had left for her in the microwave. "What is it this time?" she asked, sitting down next to Courtney.
The girl leaned over till her head rested on the woman's shoulder. "We're supposed to check up on his sons," she explained. "They think there's something in their old house."
"Dean seems to think it's what killed Mary," Charlie added.
Missouri looked up at the girls with a confused expression. "But I walked through that house after," she told them. "There's nothing there."
"The Yellow-eyed Demon killed Mary," Charlie stated with a bored tone. "It's not going to be in their old house."
"I'm sorry, did you say Demon?" Missouri asked, her confusion quickly turning to shock. "A demon killed Mary?"
Courtney nodded with a yawn. "The same one that killed ours."
"Oh, I'm sorry, girls," Missouri said, reaching her free hand out to touch Courtney's shoulder then Charlie's. "But if it was a Demon that killed your mothers then why do the boys think that it's in their old house?"
Charlie let out a humorless laugh. "Because John hasn't told them that it was a Demon," she answered. "He doesn't want them to get too close."
Missouri let out a disapproving sigh. "Someone needs to give that man a good whack on the head," she said, shaking her head. "When is he going to get here?"
Both girls hesitated this time.
Missouri looked between them and frowned. "He's nog going to come, is he?"
They shook their heads.
"The next time I see that man I'm going to crack him on the head so hard," she said, looking down at her plate with disappointment. "Haven't those boys been through enough?"
"You think this is bad try reading his journal sometime," Charlie muttered, glaring at the TV. "You think you dislike him now…."
Courtney's head snapped up to look at her sister. "That's why you keep picking fights with him?" she demanded. "You read his journal?"
Charlie gave a small nod. "He makes Dad look like a suburban housewife," she told her.
Courtney's eyebrows shot up but she didn't press for further explanation.
Missouri shook her head. "So that's why you think they'll come to me," she said. "I'm on the first page of John's journal."
Charlie nodded. "They'll talk to John's old friends, find out about his so called melt down, one of them is bound to know that he went to see a psychic. They'll look through the phonebook for local psychic, see your name and make the connection."
"That's a lot of faith to put into two boys you've never met before," Missouri noted.
Courtney shrugged. "They're Winchester's," she said as if it explained everything.
Missouri nodded as if it had.
March 20th, 2006
Missouri Moseley's House
Lawrence, Kansas
The next day found the girls lounging around the psychic's house in wait of the Winchester brothers. Missouri had a steady stream of clients looking for people and after a while she got tired of the girls listening in and grounded them to the kitchen.
"What are we going to tell them?"
Courtney looked up from her eighth cup of coffee. "Tell who what?"
Charlie rolled her eyes. "How are we going to explain us being here?" she elaborated. "As much as I want to tell them the truth it's not going to help us in any way. We can't just tell them that John sent us."
"Sure we can," Courtney argued with a shrug. "On the way over I had John leave a voicemail on my phone," she explained, reaching into her pocket to puller out her cellphone. A few key taps later and John's voice was coming from the speaker.
"Courtney, I'm calling in that favor. I need you and your sister to head down to Lawrence. Visit Missouri. My boys are going to find their way there. They'll fill you in."
A humorless laugh left Charlie when the message ended. "He has such a way with words, doesn't he?" she mused, taking a sip of coffee from her own cup.
"It just means we won't have answers if they ask questions," Courtney stated, flipping her phone closed and putting it back in her pocket. "We'll be just as much in the dark as they are."
Charlie watched her sister for a moment before giving an appreciative nod. "Bravo, little sister," she said, saluting her with her coffee mug.
"Yeah, well, I knew you wouldn't talk to John again so," she said with a shrug.
"That's no lie," Charlie muttered before looking over to the clock on the wall. "Missouri didn't say when they'd be here, did she?"
Courtney shook her head.
"Ugh, we don't even know if they're coming today," she said, slumping forward to rest her head on the table.
"Dean called John from Lawrence," Courtney told her. "They're in town. They just have to talk to the right person to get them here."
Charlie sighed. "The shit we do for John Winchester."
"All for the greater good, big sis, all for the greater good."
"Well, Sam and Dean, come on now already I ain't got all day."
Both girls perked up at the sound of Missouri's voice and familiar names. They got up from their chairs and tiptoed towards the den where Missouri saw her clients and peeked around the open doorway.
"Well, let me look at ya," Missouri said, standing in front of the two Winchester boys, an appraising look on her face. "Oh, you boys grew up handsome! And you were one goofy looking kid, too," she said, pointing to Dean.
The older Winchester had lost his smile, glancing up to Sam as he laughed at him.
Missouri let out another giggle before turning her attention to the taller of the two. "Sam," she said, reaching out to grab his hand, her smile falling as soon as she did. "Oh, honey, I'm sorry about your girlfriend."
The girls frowned at that, both wondering why John hadn't of mentioned it.
"And your father? He's missing?" Missouri asked, looking between the brothers.
They in turn looked to her in shock.
"How'd you know all that stuff?" Sam questioned.
"Well, you were just thinking it just now," Missouri told him.
Dean saw the opportunity. "Where is he? Is he okay?"
Missouri shook her head. "I don't know."
He didn't like that answer. "Don't know? You're supposed to be a psychic, right?"
She glared at him. "Boy, you see me sawing some bony tramp in half?" she demanded. "Do you think I'm a magician?"
Dean floundered for a comeback.
"I may be able to read thoughts and sense energies in a room, but I can't just pull facts out of thin air."
By this point it was nearly impossible for either girl to keep from laughing. They managed to duck back behind the wall when Missouri and the Winchesters looked over but there was no escaping.
"Girls, stop cackling and come introduce yourselves like normal people!" Missouri called out.
Charlie pulled in a deep breath to calm down. "Oh God," she said, looking down at her sister. "Should we run?"
Courtney leaned against the wall for support and shook her head. "She'd catch us," she stated before pushing herself up and stepped out into the den.
Charlie sighed and followed after her, a sheepish smile stretched across her face. "Sorry, Missy," she said, looking to the woman first.
"We couldn't help it," Courtney added with a small shrug before looking up to the Winchesters. "Sorry."
The brothers simply stared at them.
Charlie cleared her throat and stepped forward. "I'm Charlie Warren and this is my sister Courtney," she introduced, nodding down to her.
An easy smile spread across Dean's face as he looked her over. "Dean. Dean Winchester," he said.
Charlie huffed out of a laugh and matched Dean's smile. "Well hello, Dean," she said, honestly surprised by how much he didn't remind her of John.
Sam flashed his brother a slight glare. "I'm Sam."
"Hi, Sam," Courtney said, waving up at him with a wide smile.
He looked down to her, looking almost perplexed with the difference between his 6'4 height and her 5'3. "Uh, hi," he said, giving her a small nod.
"So," Charlie sighed out, "what are we all doing here?" she asked, doing her best to sound clueless.
"What?" Dean asked, his confusion returning.
The sister's looked to each other in sync confusion. "John didn't tell you?" they asked.
"Our dad?" Sam asked, his eyebrows raising.
"He called you?" Dean continued, all the charm leaving him to make room for repressed anger.
Courtney nodded as she pulled her phone out and once again played the voicemail.
"Courtney, I'm calling in that favor. I need you and your sister to head down to Lawrence. Visit Missouri. My boys are going to find their way there. They'll fill you in."
Sam looked surprised but Dean on the other hand looked pissed and Charlie couldn't blame him.
"How do you know our dad?" he demanded.
"We've worked with him a few times," Courtney supplied.
Sam let out a small laugh. "And you came down here? Just like that?"
Charlie resisted the urge to make a snide comment and simply shrugged. "The last time he did something like this it turned out to be pretty serious," she told them. "We didn't want to take any chances."
"Alright, but why would he send you?" Dean asked, pointing between them.
"He must have thought we could help."
Dean scoffed.
Charlie glared at that. "Why don't you tell us why we're here and we'll decide if we can help or not," she suggested, hoping that her expression worked as well as Dean as it did his father.
Dean simply glared back.
"If you know our dad then you know that's he's hunting something," Sam started.
Dean's glare shifted to his brother. "Sam."
He waved him off. "The thing that killed our mom."
Courtney looked up to Charlie with a questioning look, asking how much of the truth they should allow.
"We're hunting the same thing," Charlie told him.
The brothers' shock returned.
"It killed your mom too?" Sam asked, something that looked like hope sweeping across his face.
Charlie nodded, her jaw clenching as memories of her father coming home alone and telling her and Courtney that their mother wasn't coming back. The funeral was three days later despite there not being much left to bury. Charlie was always grateful for that, unsure if any of them would have been able to make it through an open casket.
Sam looked down to Dean with a pleading expression. They stared at each other for a moment before Dean let out a sigh of consent.
"We think that it's back in our old house," Sam told them, the sincerity in his voice almost desperate.
The girls paused to let that sink in, both of them knowing that they wouldn't be able to argue with them at this point. They would have to go along with it for now.
Charlie pulled in a deep breath and looked over to Missouri. "Missy?"
The woman sighed, knowing the situation the girls had gotten themselves in. "Come on, let's get this started," she said, walking over to the far armchair and sitting down.
The girls followed in behind her, Courtney dropping down into the armchair beside Missouri while Charlie perched on the arm.
Dean and Sam took the couch opposite the women, both of them looking far from comfortable.
"Boy, if you put your foot on my coffee table I'll whack you with a spoon," Missouri threatened, pointing to Dean.
The man in question looked at her startled. "I didn't do anything," he denied.
"You were thinking about it."
The girls snickered at that while the younger Winchester beamed.
"Uh, okay, so our dad," Sam started, "when did you first meet him?"
Missouri thought for a moment. "He came for a reading a few days after the fire. I just told him what was really out there in the dark. I guess you could say…I drew back the curtains."
Dean leaned closer to her. "What about the fire?" he asked. "Do you- do you know about what killed our mom?"
Charlie slumped further back against the chair, her hand sliding down to squeeze her knee.
Courtney laid her hand atop her sister's, knowing that this was the reason why she didn't want to come down here in the first place. She understood Charlie's anger towards John and was starting to grow some of her own. They both knew how much damage secrets could cause.
"Your daddy took me to your house," Missouri said, almost hesitantly. "He was hoping I could sense the echoes, the fingerprints, of this thing."
"And could you?" Sam hoped.
She shook her head remorsefully.
"What was it?" he pressed.
"I don't know, but it was evil," she said, her voice shaking. "You think there's something back in that house?"
"Definitely," Sam answered with no hesitation.
Missouri shook her head as she sighed. "I don't understand."
Sam frowned. "What?"
"I haven't been back but I've been keeping an eye on the place and it's been quiet. No sudden deaths or freak accidents. Why is it acting up now?"
"I don't know," Sam answered. "But Dad going missing and with Jessica dying and now this house. All of it happening at once just feels like something starting."
"I hate to ask," Charlie spoke up, catching their attention, "but how did Jessica die?"
The tension returned to the room as Sam paled several shades.
"She, uh-" he cut off to clear his throat. "The same as our mom."
She hesitated. "John is getting close to whatever this thing is," she told them, "and it wouldn't be unreasonable to assume that it's trying to distract him."
Courtney nodded in agreement. "This thing is smart and it would know that you two are John's weakens," she continued. "Did John show up after Jessica died?"
Both brother shook their head.
"What's happening with the house could be another attempt at shaking him off."
"But that being said, the chances of it actually being there if he shows up are minuscule. This is just a distraction, not an opportunity," Charlie stated.
"And John will know that."
"So we're on our own."
Dean's eyebrows shot up as he gave them an unamused look. "That's a comforting thought."
Charlie gave him a strained smile. "You've been to the house?"
Dean nodded. "Yeah, uh, a woman and her two kids are living there," he answered. "Jenny, Sari, and Ritchie."
"Have they noticed anything odd about the place?"
He laughed lightly. "Oh yeah, lights flickering, scratching in the walls."
"Sounds like a Poltergeist," Courtney mused.
Sam nodded. "Maybe but the daughter told us that there's something in her closet," he said, leaning closer to them. "A figure on fire."
The sisters shared a moment of worry.
"That's specific," Courtney said, looking up to her sister. "You ever find something like that?"
Charlie pursed her lips in thought. "Some Jinns are depicted as beings made of smokeless fire but it's utterly ridiculous to even consider one being in a child's closet," she said, looking over to Missouri. "There really weren't any echoes?"
The woman shook her head.
"Do you think if you went in again you could pick something up?" she asked. "Something that would point us in the right direction?"
Everyone turned to Missouri with the same silent question.
She looked to each of the boys before nodding with a smile. "It's worth a try."
"Do you think it would be a problem if Charlie and I tagged along?" Courtney asked, looking to Sam. "We have a few tricks that might help."
Sam and Dean looked to each other, a silent conversation passing between them before Sam nodded.
"The more help the better."
A whistle of appreciation left Charlie when she saw the Impala sitting by the curb. "John's talked about her but he does not do her justice," she said, shaking her head.
Dean smiled over at her. "Beautiful, isn't she?" he asked.
"Very," she agreed.
"It's an Impala, right?" Courtney asked.
"'67 Chevy," both Charlie and Dean answered before sharing a laugh.
Courtney rolled her eyes. "And there's two of them," she muttered.
Sam snorted when he heard her.
"Do you mind if we ride with you too?" Charlie asked, already making a beeline for the car. "I would never forgive myself if I didn't take the chance to ride in her."
Dean's smile widened and he nodded. "Sure you can, sweetheart," he said.
"Shotgun!" she shouted before she all but sprinted to the passenger's door.
"What?" Sam asked, looking to his brother with a frown.
Dean shrugged. "She called it," he told him before climbing into the car.
Charlie beamed back at her sister as she pulled the door open. "I have died and gone to heaven," she cooed, gently closing the door as she bounced into the seat.
"Just wait," he told her before starting the engine.
Charlie had to bite her lip to keep from giggling.
"And here we see the mating ritual of the grease monkey," Courtney droned out. "Stay tuned to see what happens when the male shows the female what's under the hood."
Charlie's glare would have been more effective if Sam hadn't of been laughing so hard.
The Winchester House
Lawrence, Kansas
The Warrens + The Winchesters
While John didn't have many pictures of his life before Mary's death the few he did he showed reluctantly. Charlie had been the most curious, wanting to put faces to the names from John's stories. None of them were current or even close to the ages they are now but they had been enough to give them an idea. One of the pictures had been of all four of the Winchesters in front of their old house, a gnarled tree taking up most of the background. It had been the last picture they had taken together before the fire and John kept it stashed deep in his journal. If either girl was going to be honest it was almost fascinating to see where a man like John Winchester came from.
Dean rolled to a stop in front of the house in question, looking it over with apprehension.
Charlie knew that none of the Winchesters had been back to the house since they left the first time. She thought to ask him if he was alright but knowing how John reacted to questions like that she decided against it.
"She's a single mother, right?" Courtney asked as they climbed out of the car.
"As far as we know," Sam answered.
"That explains why she bought the house," she mused, turning back to help Missouri out of the car.
Dean's eyebrows furrowed. "What does that have to do anything?" he demanded, slamming his door and walking around the door.
"Relaters are obligated by law to inform potential buyers of all deaths that have occurred within the house," Charlie explained with a shrug.
"It lowers the selling rate," Courtney continued. "Which is why a single mother with two kids bought it; she could afford it."
The brothers looked to each other with impressed expressions.
The group walked up onto the front porch, all five of them ignoring the ridiculousness of them.
Dean knocked on the door and stepped back, that charming smirk back on his face.
The door swung open to reveal a flustered blond woman with a small boy sitting on her hip.
Charlie and Courtney frowned at the wave of worry and anxiety that came off the woman.
"Sam. Dean," she said, looking to both of them. "What are you doing here?"
"Hey, Jenny," Sam greeted, his tone all sorts of sympathetic. "These are our friends Missouri, Courtney, and Charlie," he said, gesturing back to us.
We collectively smiled at her.
"If it's not too much trouble we could show 'em the old house, you know, for old time's sake," Dean said with a shrug.
She smiled back as she glanced over at her son. "You know, now really isn't a good time," she told him. "I'm really busy."
Dean stepped forward. "Listen, Jenny, its important-"
Missouri reached out and smacked him in the back of the head.
"Ah!" he grunted, shying away from her.
"Give this poor woman a break. Can't you see she's upset?" she pointed out, stepping forward. "Forgive this boy, he means well he's just not the sharpest tool in the shed."
Dean had the sense to look offended.
"But hear me out."
Jenny was hesitant. "About what?"
"About this house," Missouri answered, looking around through the doorway.
She shook her head. "What are you talking about?"
Missouri gave her a soft smile. "I think you know what I'm talking about. You think there's something in this house, something that wants to hurt your family. Am I mistaken?"
Jenny once again glanced to her son. "Who are you?"
"We're people who can help. Who can stop this thing, but you're gonna have to trust us a little."
Jenny looked to each of us with hesitation before letting out a shaky breath and nodding. "Alright," she said, stepping aside to let us in.
The filed in, Missouri instantly observing the house while the girls focused on Jenny and Ritchie.
"Is he okay?" Courtney asked, running the back of her hand across Ritchie's cheek.
Jenny bounced him several times. "Why wouldn't he be?"
"You're worried about him," Charlie stated, putting on an overdramatic smile as she looked to the little boy. "What happened before we got here?"
Jenny swallowed hard and hugged Ritchie a little tighter to her. "We was in the fridge," she answered, her voice breaking. "The shelves were down and all the food was rearranged so he would fit."
"Poor baby," Courtney cooed, stroking his cheek again. "Did something put you in the fridge?"
Charlie grimaced at that and looked over to the kitchen. "What else has happened?" she asked, unable to shake the feelings of carnage.
She sighed and shook her head. "The plumber was trying to fix the garbage disposal," she told them. "It went off on its own and there was blood everywhere. That poor man."
"Sam said that your daughter sees something in her closet? A figure on fire?" Courtney asked.
"I've never seen anything but Sari's adamant about it," Jenny answered.
"Have you smelt anything odd?" Charlie asked. "Like smoke or rotting meat?"
Jenny shook her head. "No, nothing like that."
Charlie frowned at that. "Would you mind if we walked through the house? It should only take us a few minutes."
Jenny hesitated. "What do you think you'll find?" she asked, bouncing Ritchie higher up on her hip.
"There are a few possibilities right now but we don't want to make assumptions. We should know for sure before we leave."
"Do whatever you have to."
Courtney beamed at her. "Thank you, Jenny," she said. "We need you to stay down here with Ritchie and when we find something we'll let you know."
Jenny nodded hesitantly, still unsure of the whole thing.
Both girls gave her an appreciative smile before walking back over to the brothers.
"We should start in the daughter's room," Charlie suggested.
Missouri nodded. "I can already feel it," she said as she made her way towards the stairs.
Despite the overbearing pinkness of the room Charlie still recognized it as the room from John's memory, the same hardwood floor and the same box ceiling. Even the same knot as before twisted her stomach.
"There's a dark energy around here, this room should be the center of it," Missouri said as soon as she walked in, her voice going soft.
Sam's brow furrowed. "Why?"
"This used to me your nursery, Sam. This is where it all happened."
Neither girl missed the fear that flashed across Dean and Sam's faces, the older of the two taking a few steps back with his eyes locked on the center of the ceiling. He reached into his pocket and pulled out what looked like a homemade EMF reader, the high pitched squeal it gave off making all three women grimace.
"That an EMF?" Missouri asked, looking back at him.
"Yeah," Dean answered without looking up from the lights.
"Armature."
Dean shot her a glare.
Courtney frowned as she looked over to the closet, her eyes narrowing before she walked over.
Charlie watched her with caution, still a little put off about not knowing what the figure on fire was. She glanced back at the bed and sat down on the end of it, putting herself at the same level that Sari would look at the closet.
Courtney looked back to her sister before pulling open the closet and stepping in. She pulled in a deep breath as she turned in a slow circle, trying to pick up any trace of sulfur.
Missouri let out a disappointed sigh and looked back to the brothers. "I don't know if you boys should be relieved or not but this isn't the thing that took your mom," she told them.
The disappointment seemed to be mutual.
Sam shifted a little closer to her. "Are you sure?"
She nodded remorsefully.
"How do you know?"
Missouri sighed again as she looked around the room. "This isn't the same energy I felt the last time I was here. It's something different."
"What is it?" Dean asked, sounding far from happy.
"It's not an it," Courtney spoke up, peeking her head out of the closet. "There's two of them."
"What are they doing here?" Dean demanded.
Charlie grimaced and looked up to the ceiling. "Real evil leaves scars," she answered, her frown dipping lower when she was the vague outline of Mary. "Some creatures can feed off of them, grow stronger."
"Poltergeists are the most common," Courtney added.
Charlie nodded. "With the scratching in the walls, the flickering lights, and all the injuries I would say one of them is a Poltergeist," she told them.
"The Poltergeist is the figure on fire?" Sam asked in confusion.
She shook her head. "If it was then it would have hurt Sari long before now," she reasoned.
"This Poltergeist won't rest till Jenny and her babies are dead," Missouri said in agreement.
"Then what's the other one?" Sam demanded, looking over to Charlie.
"I still have no idea what that figure on fire is," she admitted, looking over to Missouri in question.
The woman shook her head in answer.
"Court?" she asked. "You getting anything?"
The youngest Warren shook her head. "Just that there's something here."
Dean's jaw clenched before he stepped closer to the women. "Well there's one thing we know for damn sure," he started, "no one's dying in this house ever again. So whatever is here how do we stop it?"
Missouri thought for a moment before nodding to herself. "I have everything we need at the house," she told them.
"Okay," Charlie sighed, "why don't you and the Winchesters go get the supplies and Courtney and I will stay with Jenny. We should be able to stop anything serious from happening till you guys get back."
Courtney nodded in agreement. "We can't leave Jenny by herself now that she knows there's something in the house."
Sam nodded quickly. "No, of course not," he agreed.
Missouri sighed. "Well boys, let's get going," she said, starting for the door. "We don't have a lot of time."
The Warren's watched as the Impala pulled away from the curb.
"How long do you think we have?" Courtney asked, letting the curtain fall back over the window.
"15-20 minutes," Charlie answered before turning back to look at Jenny. "Do you mind if we go back up to Sari's room? We want to double check something."
Jenny shook her head. "Go ahead."
"Thank you," they chorused before heading back up the stairs.
"You got the chalk?" Charlie asked as she closed the bedroom door.
Courtney nodded and rifled through her bag to pull out her box of chalk. "Here," she said, tossing Charlie a piece before turning the closet light on and kneeling down to start the seal.
"I'm a little surprised that Dean and Sam haven't questioned us," Charlie mused as she joined her sister. "We never told them that we're psychic but they accepted our answers."
Courtney let out a snort. "John vouched for us," she reminded her. "That's better than God coming down and blessing us."
"That's not sad at all," she muttered.
"Okay, what the hell was in that journal that pissed you off so much?" Courtney demanded, pausing to look up at her sister.
Charlie kept her eyes on the floor. "It's just the things he wrote about Dean and Sam," she answered.
"Like what?" she pressed.
Charlie sighed. "You know how Sam went to Stanford?"
Courtney nodded. "Yeah?"
"He said that him and Dean didn't protect him his whole life just for him to quit and go to college," she told her. "Then when he left John told him that if he was going it was permanent, that he wasn't allowed back. Could you imagine that? A full ride to Stanford and your father disowns you."
Courtney let that sink it. "Honestly, I've never considered John as a Human being, only as a Hunter," she said, looking back down to continue drawing the seal, "and Hunters like John shouldn't be allowed children."
Charlie nodded in agreement. "I can't even begin to tell you what he's done to Dean," she said.
Courtney paused to ask herself if she did want to know but ended up shaking her head. "I don't want to know."
"Ignorance is bliss," Charlie agreed before dusting her hands off and looking the seal over. "Does anything look off to you?"
Courtney shook her head as she pushed herself up. "It looks right to me," she said, jumping over the seal and out of the closet.
Charlie stepped back. "Ready?"
Courtney nodded.
"De Cruinne-ce agus Akasha seal me do solas," they chorused, their voices fracturing into four as a bright light filled the room.
"Holy shit," Courtney whispered when a figure appeared in the center of the seal.
"We need to call John."
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