Life Goes On
Chapter 2
Disclaimer: See chapter 1
A/N: Told ya updates would be quick! I hope everyone who celebrates this time of year will have a good time! And here's to a happy new year to us all!
oooOOOooo
True friends are those who really know you but love you anyway
- Edna Buchanan -
Worry is a thin stream of fear trickling through the mind. If encouraged, it cuts a channel into which all other thoughts are drained
- Arthur Somers Roche -
oooOOOooo
After checking into the hotel, Kristine took a long shower. Wrapped in the plush robe that had hung on the back of the bathroom door, she settled in the overstuffed chair and dialed a number on her cell phone.
"It's about time you call. Where are you?"
Kristine smiled to herself. The voice on the other end was filled with relief. "Indiana."
"Can you be more specific?"
"No."
"Are you with Sebastian?"
Kristine hesitated, though there was no reason to consider her answer. Lori Gibbons had been her best friend since Lori's family moved to Mountain Ridge the summer before fifth grade. There was nothing Lori didn't know about her, including the truth about her family, her bouts with depression and what she was up to now.
"We're together," Kristine finally said. "Dean called again."
"And you didn't answer, right?"
"I can't talk to him right now."
"Damnit, woman! He got out of Hell for shit's sake! He deserves a phone call."
"If I call him, the next thing will be a meeting and I can't –"
"You don't think Sebastian is going to find out that Dean is alive?"
"It's not about Sebastian and you know it."
"Do I?"
There was some accusation in Lori's tone, but mainly Kristine heard concern.
"I'm not going to lose my head."
"It's not your head I'm worried about, girlfriend."
Kristine glanced toward the door when she heard a knock. "I gotta go, Lori. I'll call you tomorrow, okay?"
"You damn well better. And call Dean, too."
"Lori…."
"All right, fine. You'll do what you want anyway."
"Love you," Kristine said before ending the call.
She made her way to the door and peered through the peephole.
"You're early," she said, opening the door.
"No, I'm not."
Sebastian came into the room, though he never seemed to just walk. There was no particular flourish to his movements, but there was a definite fluidity. He'd changed into different clothes, although his attire was still primarily black.
"I'll get dressed," Kristine said as she closed the door.
Sebastian reached for her arm as she walked past. "You don't have to."
She looked at him, hoping her expression was one of disinterest.
"What I mean is, I've ordered room service and you should be comfortable." His smile didn't falter.
"I'll get dressed," she said again.
"As you wish."
Kristine grabbed the clothes she'd left out on her bed and went into the bathroom. Sebastian had suggested they get a suite, but she'd insisted on separate rooms. He'd only pointed out once that the hotel had two bedroom suites, relenting when she remained firm.
Avoiding the mirror, Kristine slipped into a pair of jeans and a sweater. She didn't have many clothes with her, which was convenient since a bigger piece of luggage probably wouldn't have fit in the car Sebastian had acquired. She knew he liked being dramatic and the car was definitely fun, but it wasn't particularly convenient for a long road trip. Besides, they were trying to call attention to themselves and once they left the major highways and big cities, that car would certainly get them noticed.
Once she was dressed, Kristine looked at her reflection. Her skin was a little more pale than usual, but she preferred that to flushed. She didn't normally wear a lot of make-up, but decided to put some foundation on in hope of keeping any reaction she didn't want known hidden from Sebastian. He was extremely observant, though, and she didn't think she'd really be able to keep anything from him.
Kristine paused; that was actually a rather disturbing thought. There were times when he looked at her in a way that made her think he knew what was going on in her head. Dean had been able to do that, too, but it was comforting coming from him. With Sebastian….Kristine shook her head. She'd promised Lori that she wouldn't lose her head, but she wasn't entirely sure that was something she had any control over.
With one last look in the mirror, Kristine opened the bathroom door. She'd heard the waiter arrive with Sebastian's order and wasn't surprised to see something entirely more stylish than was necessary. She would have been more than content with a burger and fries, but Sebastian clearly had a different idea.
"Ah, you look lovely," Sebastian smiled as Kristine joined him.
"I feel underdressed in my own room."
"Nonsense. Have a seat and I'll serve you."
"You don't have –"
"Please. Get comfortable on the couch where we'll start with some calamari."
Kristine looked into his eyes; they were an intense shade of golden brown that rarely showed any emotion. Right now, though, she saw pleading in them that she hadn't expected. With a brief hesitation, she sat on the couch with a look toward the small round table that had been placed near the balcony doors. It was covered in a rich white linen cloth decorated with a single red rose and red napkins to match.
Sebastian set the appetizer out on the coffee table. "We also have mixed green salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette, grilled halibut with Dijon mustard and smoked honey butter for you. I specially requested garlic mashed potatoes rather than the side dish normally served with it."
"Thank you," she smiled.
"The waiter will arrive with our entrees a little later so that we can enjoy them warm. And how about some champagne?"
Kristine looked at him. "Champagne?"
"It's simply uncivilized to have a proper dinner without champagne."
"My mother used to say the same thing."
Sebastian smiled at her as he handed her a delicate stemmed glass with what was no doubt an expensive champagne. "Did she?"
Kristine nodded. "My mother was very much a fan of a good meal. Every Sunday we would have a formal dinner with all the trimmings. Though out of deference for my father, she would suspend it during football season."
"Your father was a football fan, I take it?"
"He was. He'd often take me to Atlanta for the Falcon's home games. This was years before there was a team in Charlotte. I'm sure he'd have gotten season tickets for them," she laughed. "My mother and sister were never particularly interested so it was always something special for just the two of us."
Sebastian sat next to her on the couch. "Sounds like a good time."
"It was," Kristine agreed.
Sebastian held out his glass. "A toast, then. To your father."
Kristine gently clinked her glass against his, but she didn't trust herself to speak.
"How old were you when your father died?" Sebastian asked after they'd gotten comfortable with the champagne and calamari.
"I was almost twelve," she said quietly. "He'd been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer six months before he died."
"That had to have been hard for you."
Kristine nodded. "It was. But things only got worse after that."
"Your sister and mother…."
"My nephew, brother-in-law," Kristine took a long sip of the champagne. "Mental hospitals."
"This wasn't supposed to become a sad dinner," Sebastian smiled. "How about some music?"
"Sure," Kristine said, forcing a lighter tone.
Sebastian picked up the remote for the Bose stereo and found a country music station. He set the volume low.
"How about a more pleasant topic of conversation?" Sebastian asked with a soft smile. "More fond recollections of your father, perhaps?"
Kristine shook her head. "I don't want to talk about my family. What about you?"
"There isn't much to say about my family, cariño. They've been gone for a very long time."
"There's got to be something we can talk about."
"It's cold outside."
Kristine laughed. "Something other than the weather. Seriously, Sebastian, would it bother you to talk about your family? I'm curious."
He refilled their champagne glasses. "It wouldn't bother me, but there's little point. As I said, they've been gone for a long time. What I can tell you about, though, is my home. I grew up in Seville, a most magical place."
"Magical?"
"It's not full of wizards," he joked. "It's a beautiful city with a very rich past. I didn't appreciate it as a child, but that probably isn't uncommon."
"You're right about that."
"The City of Sevilla was founded by Hercules, at least according to the legends. And the festivals are, even today, legendary themselves. The traditions of Semana Santa date back to the 16th century, for instance. Not as old is the Feria de abril de Sevilla, or Seville Spring Fair. I've been to both in modern times and they do not disappoint."
Kristine settled back on the couch, listenting to Sebastian with great interst. The more he spoke about growing up in Spain and his life there, the more pronounced his accent became. They'd all but forgotten the food until the waiter arrived with the entrees. After dealing with the waiter and moving to the table set up next to the French doors, Sebastian continued. Night had fallen and the city lights made a nice backdrop for his story.
---
There wasn't enough room in either vehicle for everyone to get to the soccer game and, not surprising, the boys wanted to go with Sam and Dean rather than their parents. It turned out to be a fairly long day, but Alex team won both of the games they'd been scheduled to play. On the sidelines, his coach announced a celebratory meal at a nearby fast food restaurant.
"Can I go?" Alex asked Angelica.
"Of course you can," she said with a smile. Keith had already taken a very tired Nicholas to the car.
"Great; thanks. Dean, will you come, too?"
"Uh, sure, yeah."
"You know," Angelica said. "We should probably get Nicholas home. Dean, would you mind chaperoning and bringing Alex home when it's over?"
"I can do that."
"Come on, everyone else is leaving!" Alex said excitedly.
"Sam?" Dean asked.
Sam waved a hand. "I think I'll head back to the house; if you don't mind another passenger, Angelica?"
"Not at all."
"See you guys later, then," Dean said as Alex grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the parking lot.
Sam couldn't contain his laughter, thinking back to a time he'd done the very same thing to his brother.
He and Angelica took a decidedly more leisurely walk to the parking lot.
"Alex really likes your brother," she said with a smile.
"Dean likes him, too. And Nicholas. I think Nicholas likes everyone, though," Sam laughed.
"He's still too young to distrust. That's really amazing considering everything."
"It is," Sam agreed. "You haven't had any problems with vampires?"
"God, what a strange question. I don't know if I'll ever get used to worrying about vampires. But no, we haven't had any problems. We follow all the instructions you and Dean gave us before and Kristine sends someone to the house once a month to check things out."
"That's good," Sam said and noticed Angelica's troubled expression. "What's wrong?"
"I just worry about Nicholas' visions. He doesn't always tell us what he's dreamed, plus now he sometimes knows things without dreaming about them," she shook her head. "I don't know. I think he tells us about most things, but I worry about what he doesn't tell us."
They walked a few more paces in silence before Angelica continued. "I encourage him to talk, we both do, but he's so young. He doesn't have any way to evaluate what's important and what isn't. Besides that, we're still new to the boys. It's going very well, but…."
"I guess the good thing is that Nicholas and Alex are so close. Nicholas trusts his brother without a doubt and Alex is old enough to know not to keep secrets."
"They didn't tell us about Dean," Angelica pointed out.
"True, but Dean is on their side. I think if Nicholas was having dreams about vampires or something else that was bad, you'd hear about it."
"I hope you're right," she said.
---
Sam and Dean hadn't wanted to displace the kids from their rooms, but they weren't particularly excited about sleeping together in the same bed for very long. Even if it was a king sized bed. They also weren't excited about leaving Nicholas and Alex so soon.
"They have to go to school on Monday," Sam pointed out after they'd been talking about it for a while in bed that night. "We could go back to the estate and spend some time with Ellen; maybe look for Kristine or –"
"She doesn't want to be found," Dean said. "Besides, Nicholas said she'd call when she was done with….whatever she's doing."
"You worried about that?"
"What? What she's doing?"
"Yeah."
"I'm worried," Dean admitted quietly. "What could she be doing that she'd have to leave the estate for? And why isn't she keeping in touch with Ellen?"
"I don't know, man. Are you worried about the guy she's with?"
"I don't own her, Sam. And I was gone."
"Yeah, but –"
"We were talking about how long to stay here," Dean said and cleared his throat. "I think we should leave on Monday and spend some time with Ellen, like you said. Maybe find a gig nearby or something and come back next weekend if that's okay with Angelica and Keith."
"Sure, Dean."
"See ya in the morning. Stay on your own side of the bed."
"Back at ya, brother."
---
The brothers discussed their plan with Angelica and Keith before bringing it up to the boys. Keith pointed out that Friday was a teacher's workday and the boys didn't have classes. He suggested that Sam and Dean come back on Thursday afternoon. Dean didn't need any encouragement.
"I don't want you to leave!" Nicholas complained later that day as the group was discussing the following weekend.
"We'll be back in a few days," Dean promised.
"But you just got here!"
"You'll be in school all day anyway and –"
"But not at night," the little boy protested.
"Yeah, but you'll have homework and soccer and…." Dean pulled Nicholas onto his lap when he began to cry. "Hey, it's okay. I promise we'll be back and we can talk every night."
Nicholas curled up in Dean's arms.
"I'm back now, Nicholas," Dean said softly, his mouth close to the little boy's ear. "And nothing is going to keep me from visiting and calling. It will be just like it was before. That was pretty good, wasn't it?"
"I guess," Nicholas sniffled.
"And you'll be busy this week with school and stuff; Thursday will be here before you know it."
"You promise?"
"Yeah, I promise."
"Okay."
Dean hugged him tighter. "Okay."
---
Sam and Dean took the boys to school the next morning and then got on the road back to Mountain Ridge. When they were closer, a light snow started to fall, but it didn't stick to the highway. They got back in time to have lunch with Ellen, who told them that three hunters had come in the night before and would be staying for a few days. She also told them that Bobby had called and after finding out the brothers were coming back, decided to visit for a few days. She expected him by dinner time.
There were only a few rules at the estate and none that included socializing with other guests. There were regular meal times, but everyone was welcome to use the kitchen whenever they wanted to. The library was also open to everyone, though some rare volumes were locked away. Each bedroom had its own television, but there was a big screen in the den with a DVD player and the latest game systems.
"Um, excuse me?"
Dean looked away from the television to see who he assumed was a hunter walking into the room. It was hard to judge his age because his face was badly scared from old injuries; his left arm was wrapped in a cast.
"Can I help you?" Dean asked. From the corner of his eye, he saw Sam sit up a little straighter in the chair where he'd been reading.
"You're Dean Winchester, aren't you?"
"Yeah," Dean answered, somewhat warily.
"I'm Leon Markus. You probably don't know me, but I knew your father," he said as he sat down on the couch next to Dean. "He was a great man."
"Yes, he was. Thank you."
"I, uh, I heard about what happened to you. You know, getting pulled out of the pit and everything. I don't want to bother you, but I just….is it true that you were pulled out by an angel?"
"Yes, sir, it is."
"Look, I ran into someone a while back; said he knew you. Tom Harper?"
"Yeah, we know Tom." Dean motioned over his shoulder to Sam. "That's my brother, Sam."
"Good to know you," Leon said, looking toward Sam. It was now obvious that he was not a young man. "Tom and I worked together on something. It happened by accident, but worked out."
"What was the job?"
"We saved a little girl from a group of vampires. Afterward, Tom told me about the vampires that were working with that demon, Kek. You two still a part of that?"
"We haven't talked to Tom in a while," Dean admitted.
"Well, yeah, being in underground and all."
"So, there are still vampires working for the demon," Dean said, almost to himself.
"Don't seem to be too organized, but looks like. And there's something else."
"What's that?"
"Well….I got wind of the girl who owns this place."
"Kristine?"
Leon nodded. "You probably already know this since you're friends and all, but –"
"Um, I haven't actually talked to Kristine since I've been back, either."
"That explains some things."
"Explains what?" Dean asked.
"That's one of the reasons I came here. Well, that and the bum wing," Leon said, holding up his injured arm. "'Cept I'm heading home tomorrow."
"What did you hear about Kristine?" Dean asked, trying not to sound too impatient.
"Yeah, sorry. This was just a few days ago, maybe a week, but she's on the road looking for the vampires, too."
"You're sure?"
"It's what I heard. And she's with some guy; no one seems to know who he is."
"Does Tom know about this?" Dean asked.
"I don't know. I haven't been able to get in touch with him."
Dean glanced at Sam, who was already on his way out of the room. Dean assumed he was heading for the nearest phone.
"That's all I know; sorry."
Dean nodded at him, his mind a whirlwind of thoughts. "Thanks for telling me."
"Seemed like the right thing to do," he said and stood up. "I hope it works out."
Dean watched as Leon made his way toward the door, but he paused before leaving. "Your father….he was a good man. I was sorry to hear about his passing."
"Thank you," Dean said sincerely.
Dean went looking for his brother and found him in the kitchen, pacing with his cell phone in his hand. He looked at Dean and shook his head. "Tom's not answering his phone."
"Damnit. Why do I have a bad feeling?"
They both looked toward the back door when Bobby walked in.
"Hey, man, good to see you," Dean said hugging their friend.
"Hey, Bobby," Sam smiled.
"What's with the worried looks?" Bobby asked.
Dean quickly explained what Leon had told them.
Bobby sighed and reached for his phone. "Can't ever get a friggin' day off."
---
"Do you have a destination in mind?" Kristine asked as she and Sebastian got into the car.
"Of course I do," he said with a grin.
Kristine looked at him. "And that would be…?"
"There are some rumblings about a nest about 200 miles west; some nothing little town. We'll start there."
"Is there any indication this is the nest we're looking for?"
"Don't you have any faith in me?"
Kristine glanced at him again. His expression was one of mischief.
"Sebastian…."
He put an arm around her shoulders. "Yes, cariño. I believe this is the nest we're looking for."
"Was that really so hard?" she asked with a smile.
Sebastian returned her smile.
Once they'd been on the road for a few minutes, Kristine noticed Sebastian's glance and readied herself for his question.
"So, cariño, have you checked your voicemail recently?"
"Why do you ask?" she queried with mock innocence.
He smiled, but said nothing.
"You know I have," she said quietly.
"And explain to me again why you haven't called Dean?"
"I'm not entirely sure it's really him."
"Even with his brother's assurance?"
"You know as well as I do what Sam has been up to."
"And that makes him untrustworthy?"
Kristine said nothing as she stared out of the passenger side window.
"And your other friends? Ellen and Bobby?"
She shrugged.
"Is this your way of telling me to mind my own business?"
"You know I'm more direct than that," Kristine said. "I just….I don't know what to do. The grapevine doesn't have good information about Sam and –"
"I think I understand now!"
Kristine looked at him, slightly annoyed at his exuberance.
"You feel guilty about Sam!"
"What?"
"You think Dean will be disappointed in you because of what Sam did. Come on, admit it, cariño."
"What does even cariño mean?" Kristine asked irritably.
Sebastian smiled at her. "It's equivalent to sweetheart or honey, perhaps. It's a term of endearment."
"It's a little familiar, don't you think?"
"I must be right, or you wouldn't be picking this fight with me."
"Fuck off."
Sebastian laughed. "Now I know I'm right."
It took a few minutes, but Sebastian must have realized Kristine's silence indicated she was not in the mood to joke. She didn't notice his glance and didn't see his hand moving toward her until it was on her knee.
"I apologize," he said with sincerity. "I know how much these Winchesters mean to you and I shouldn't have been cruel."
She still didn't say anything, nor did she move his hand.
"Cariño….Kristine, I'm sorry."
"Thank you," she finally said, her voice quiet.
"Would you like to talk about it?"
Kristine was surprised by the sudden tears. "I lost Sam. Dean knew….he knew that Sam would head down a dangerous path and he asked me to look after him. I couldn't do it; I lost him."
"Sam is an adult; he makes his own choices."
"You don't understand."
"You're being too hard on yourself," Sebastian said kindly. "And if Dean was angry with you, he wouldn't be begging you to call him."
"Please don't be nice to me right now."
Sebastian squeezed her knee. "Don't punish yourself for something you had no control over."
"Sebastian….please."
She didn't see the sympathetic look he gave her as he moved his hand away. She leaned against the window and closed her eyes, wrapping her arms around herself.
---
Dean had decided not to call Kristine again; she had enough messages from him and she'd either call or she wouldn't. His resolve lasted less than 24 hours.
"It's Dean again. I told myself I wasn't going to call you anymore, but then I thought maybe I'd find the right words to get through to you. I was with Nicholas and Alex this weekend. I loved every minute of it, but you were missed. And Nicholas….He told me that you'd call when you were done working on something. He's quite the little psychic, but he's too young to understand most of it. Anyway, back at the estate I met a hunter who helped Tom out a few weeks ago. He told me rumor had it that you were out there looking for vampires. Babe, I know….Kristine, you're walking into something dangerous. Tom's missing and….please, call me. Let me help."
Sam stood just outside the bedroom door while Dean left his message. He knew better than to eavesdrop, but he couldn't help it. He hated the pain he heard in his brother's voice and wished there was something he could do about it. Dean had been through too much to come back and find Kristine not willing to talk to him. The worst part was, Sam had a feeling he knew what was holding her back.
It wasn't exactly true that he'd had no contact with Kristine after he left the estate. There was one encounter….He didn't know for sure when it happened, but as was usual during that time, he'd been squatting in some dump and spending most of his time drinking. He'd been sick and too drunk to stand when all of a sudden Kristine was there. Sam was sure she'd explained how she found him, but he couldn't remember and didn't think it really mattered.
She'd put him to bed, such that it was, and sat with him. He woke up a few times, he hadn't dreamed it, and every time he saw her kind face. She gave him water, fed him soup, and wiped his face with a cool cloth as his body tried to fight off the fever. He knew that all happened for a certainty because once the fever broke and he was feeling better, he'd left without a word. She'd left him alone, so she could get more supplies and he'd taken the opportunity to run out.
It wasn't long after that Ruby had found him. He was pretty sure that Kristine knew about that, too, but he'd finally gotten the bright idea to change his cell phone number and covered his tracks well enough that neither Kristine nor Bobby had been able to find him.
"Hey," Dean turned around and saw Sam standing in the doorway.
Sam was startled; he hadn't intended to let Dean know he'd been listening, but had gotten lost in thought.
"Uh, sorry. Any luck?" Sam asked.
Dean shook his head.
"Bobby got a call from a friend of his who knows Tom, too. He's been out of touch for just about a month."
"Think it's any coincidence that's when Kristine took off?"
Sam slipped his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "Probably not."
"What do you think the chances are that she really went off on her own?"
"What do you mean?"
"I don't know, just…..we've been going on based on the word of a five year old. He might not have understood what he saw. Maybe the guy that Kristine is with –"
"Maybe he forced her to go with him?" Sam finished.
Dean looked at him, an expression on his face that Sam didn't see very often. It was fear and need. "What do you think?"
"I don't know, Dean," Sam said, feeling totally inadequate. "Nicholas is usually pretty accurate."
"Yeah," Dean turned away and ran a hand over his face. He looked back at Sam a moment later. "So, does that friend of Bobby's know where Tom was last seen?"
"Uh, yeah, his place. Tom was there for a couple days, then got word from Liam, so he –"
"Liam? The demon that helped Nicholas and Alex?"
Sam nodded. "Yeah."
"Any way to get in touch with him?"
"We could summon him. I mean, he's a demon, right?"
The brothers went downstairs and found Bobby and Ellen in the library.
---
"This is a supremely stupid idea," Bobby said, not for the first time.
"What choice do we have?" Dean asked.
"I hate that question," the old man grumbled.
"We don't know anything about this demon," Ellen said.
"Yeah, we do," Dean disagreed. "He was helping Tom, he helped Nicholas and Alex. He –"
"We don't know why, do we? And Tom is missing….how do we know this demon didn't have something to do with that? Wouldn't he try to contact someone here, knowing about the relationship with the boys?"
Dean looked at Ellen, but he didn't want to admit that she had a point. "Do you have another idea?"
"I hate that question."
"We've taken precautions," Sam interrupted. "There's a devil's trap and –"
"And your ability?"
The group turned toward the door of the storage shed.
"Castiel," Sam breathed.
Bobby and Ellen exchanged a look as Dean moved to stand in front of his brother and friends.
"Don't try to stop us," Dean said. "We need some answers here. I need some answers."
Castiel looked at Dean, his eyes full of compassion. "I understand that, Dean, but –"
"You don't understand. A hunter is missing and the demon he was working with –"
"You know how we feel about that."
"Not everything is black and white," Dean said, not seeing the sharp look Sam gave him. "This demon, Liam, he helped Nicholas and Alex. He's helped other kids."
"He's a demon, Dean. He has his own agenda."
"What if the demon can tell us where Tom is?"
"And what happens if it can? What will you do after you have the information? Will you exorcise it?"
"I…." Dean looked away. Exorcising the demon hadn't been the plan unless there Liam had given them a problem.
"Listen to me, Dean," the angel said. "If you bring this demon here, nothing good will come of it. You won't get the information you want and…."
"And what?" Dean asked.
Castiel's eyes turned to Sam.
Dean looked over his shoulder to see his brother begin to fidget. Dean turned back to Castiel.
"Don't you dare accuse him of doing something he hasn't even had the chance to do yet," Dean said, his voice angry.
"There are other ways to go about this, Dean. Ways that aren't as dangerous."
"Enlighten me."
"Have you forgotten about your best lead?"
Dean looked at him questioningly.
"Nicholas," the angel said. "He knows more than he's told you."
"What's your interest in this?" Dean asked. "I thought you were only concerned with the Apocalypse."
"That is our main focus at the moment, yes."
"So, you're saying that Tom's disappearance has something to do with that?"
"Do you really want to get into this?" Castiel asked, casting a momentary glance toward Sam. "Now?"
Dean looked at his brother again, then back to Castiel. "I don't have any secrets from Sam."
"As you wish," Castiel said and moved further into the storage shed.
Dean took a few steps back, but stayed between Castiel and Sam.
"I told you that we knew what Azazel had done to Sam, but not why. We didn't know his endgame," Castiel paused as Dean looked at his brother again. "We don't know much about Kek, but he seems to have picked up where Azazel left off and we know that Nicholas was fed demon blood."
"I was hoping it was something else," Dean said.
"Yes, in any case –"
"So, that's your interest," Dean sighed. "Nicholas is tied to Yellow-Eyes in some way."
"Yes. And we want you to find your missing hunter, but you have to go about it carefully." Castiel cast his eyes toward Sam again and he took a step forward.
"Sam," Dean warned, his hand lifted slightly from his side.
"I'm standing right here," Sam said, looking at Castiel. "If you have something to say to me, or about me –"
"Sam," Dean said, a little firmer.
Sam's eyes locked on Dean's and after a moment, he took a step back. Dean turned to Castiel. "What about Kristine? You told me to concentrate on Nicholas, but –"
"Because he has more information than you think," Castiel said. "About Kristine as well."
A few minutes later, no one could remember Castiel leaving.
"I really don't like that angel," Sam groused.
"I know, Sammy," Dean said, his thoughts moving between sympathy for Sam and worry about everything else.
"We hadn't even summoned Liam yet and Castiel already convicted me of exorcising him with my power."
"Can we focus here, Sam?" Dean agreed that his brother had every reason to be angry, but he didn't want Sam to give into it. They had work to do.
Sam looked at him, then sighed.
"How about we focus up at the house?" Ellen suggested. "It's freakin' cold out here."
---
Back at the main house, the foursome went to the den and Ellen started a fire in the fireplace. There were gas fireplaces in other rooms, but Kristine left refused to make many changes in the den because it had been her father's favorite room.
For a while they sat in silence and Dean knew that Sam was brooding. He had a right to, Dean supposed.
"Well, it seems evident that someone needs to talk to Nicholas," Bobby finally said.
Dean looked at his watch. "He shouldn't be in bed yet."
Ellen took the cordless phone receiver from the base and tossed it to him. Dean caught it without effort and dialed the Raines' number from memory.
---
Their accommodations weren't quite as fancy as the four-star hotel they'd stayed the previous night, but it was the best the small town had to offer. After cleaning up, Kristine and Sebastian walked down the street to a casual restaurant and after being seated, ordered glasses of wine.
"Sebastian," Kristine began once the waitress had left with their drink orders. "I want to apologize for earlier. I was out of line."
"I think it was I who was out of line," Sebastian said gently.
"Still…."
"Let's just call a truce, shall we? If you don't want to call Dean, I won't say anything." He smiled. "And you won't tell me to fuck off."
Kristine couldn't help but laugh. "It's a deal."
"Good. Now, onto a little business."
"Business?"
"This is the town where the nest is supposed to be. I don't sense anyone here, but that doesn't mean much. They could be disguising their scent.'
"Their scent?" Kristine asked. "You know what? Never mind. So, how do we find them if they're….disguised?"
"We follow our plan. Make ourselves known. It likely won't be too difficult to attract their attention since they're aware of you already."
"That's comforting."
"Are you sure you want to do this?"
"It was my idea, wasn't it?"
Sebastian nodded. "That's true. But perhaps you've come to your senses."
Kristine smiled. "Nicholas and Alex are protected. Kek and his vampires know that. Without Sam and Dean, I'm their most direct route to the boys."
"The only real wildcard is whether or not they'll take the bait –"
"Me."
Sebastian nodded. "And, of course, if Nicholas is important enough to them."
"He's good, Sebastian. He knows so much; more than he realizes. And it's not just dreams any more. He just…he just somehow knows things."
"Once we've determined they're really in town, I can get my people here almost immediately. They're not far away. But we don't allow you to be taken until they're here."
"And you swoop in to rescue the damsel in distress," Kristine smiled.
"Here's hoping. We don't like vampires siding with demons, but…."
"But what?"
"Kek may find others. Or find another way to get to the boys."
"How many vampires have to die before the word is out that working for Kek is a bad idea?"
"It may take more than my group can kill."
They paused their conversation when the waitress dropped off their drinks. Sebastian ordered an appetizer and then turned his attention back to Kristine.
"You were saying?" she asked.
He held up his wine glass. "To this idiotic plan."
Kristine smiled and clinked her glass against his. After a long sip, she put it down and leaned back in her chair.
"I'm not trying to pick a fight here, but don't you think it might be a good idea to have more backup?"
"We've talked about hunters, but that would put you and your people in danger. I don't need that kind of war in my hands."
"I wasn't talking about just any hunters."
Kristine glared at him.
"I told you, I'm not trying to start a fight. I just….Sam and Dean know that not all vampires are out to destroy humanity. And they know how to exorcise demons."
"Be honest about what you're suggesting, Sebastian. You want Sam to use his power."
"It would be…efficient."
"No."
"But –"
"I said no. That isn't an option."
Sebastian looked away and took a long drink from the wine glass before speaking. "If that's the way you want it. But remember, until Kek is destroyed, Nicholas is still in danger."
"I know that. But first we have to get rid of his support."
"The vampires."
Kristine nodded. "Once that's done, there are other hunters who can summon and destroy Kek."
"And tell me again why that can't happen until the vampires are dead?"
"They're protecting him."
"And we know this how?"
"Nicholas knows," Kristine said. "I've told you all this, Sebastian."
"I know. I'm just….reprocessing."
"If you have a better idea, let's hear it."
"I don't," Sebastian said after a few moments of thought. "But I wish I did. This is dangerous."
"I know."
"Those vampires could turn you to get you to talk."
"You'll just have to get there before that happens," Kristine said.
Sebastian looked at her over his wine glass.
"Don't analyze me," she said.
"We have a truce, remember?"
Kristine nodded.
---
Dean listened to the phone at the Raines house ring, hoping he wasn't calling too late. After what seemed like an eternity, Keith answered.
"Hey, Keith, it's Dean Winchester."
"I was about to call you."
"Why?" Dean asked, casting a worried glance at Sam.
"Nicholas wants to talk to you."
"Is he all right?"
"Hold on."
A moment later, Nicholas was on the phone. "You have to stop it, Dean!"
"Stop what, Nicholas?" he asked, another anxious look at his brother.
"Kristine. She's gonna get hurt."
"Calm down, okay? Just take a deep breath and tell me what you know."
"She's gonna get hurt, Dean! The vampires are gonna get her."
"Vampires? Do you know where?"
Nicholas started to cry and then Dean heard Angelica's voice. "Dean?"
"Is he okay?"
"He's scared. I can't get him to calm down enough to focus him on what he saw. He knows more than he's saying; he knows more than he thinks he does. I can tell."
"Angelica, you have to find out where Kristine is. If there are vampires –"
"I know, Dean," she said with more exasperation than anger. "Let me do what I can and I'll call you back."
Dean dropped his phone onto the coffee table in front of him.
"Vampires?" Sam asked.
Dean filled the others in on what little Nicholas had told him. Then he grabbed his phone again.
"Who are you –"
"Kristine. Even if she won't talk to me, I have to let her know I know…" Dean said and stood up. "Can you boot up your computer and get online?"
"Sure….what am I looking for?" Sam asked.
"I'm gonna see if I can get her cell phone company to turn on the GPS."
"The computer is upstairs," Sam said and headed for the hallway.
"I'm gonna make some calls," Bobby said. "Not sure to who, exactly, but maybe someone knows something."
Ellen followed Bobby as Dean dialed Kristine's number.
"Kristine, it's Dean. I don't even know if you're listening to these messages, but if you are, call me. Please. And get somewhere safe. Nicholas just called me, hysterical – he said the vampires are going to hurt you. What the hell are you up to? Just….make sure you're safe and call me. For God's sake, Kristine, please."
Dean rushed up the stairs and got to the bedroom just as Sam had pulled up his web browser. Without a word, he stood up so Dean could have the chair. While navigating to the company Dean hoped still had Kristine's cell account, he scrolled through the contacts on his phone hoping there was someone who might be able to help.
"I should have done this days ago," he grumbled.
When the website loaded, Dean looked for the customer service number and dialed it quickly once he found it. He spoke to several levels of people, using a law enforcement cover story, but Dean wasn't able to talk his way into getting the GPS system turned on.
Frustrated and angry, Dean tossed his phone aside and paced the room. There was no other option than for Nicholas to help them. Dean knew Angelica knew how to talk to him; she had premonitions herself, after all. But Dean wished that he was with Nicholas.
Dean knew that Sam was struggling to come up with an idea, or for even something to say, but to his credit, Sam didn't try to placate him with empty promises.
A few tense minutes later, Dean's cell phone rang. "Hello?"
"It's Keith."
"What's going on? Is Nicholas okay?"
"Angelica got him calmed down. The main thing she got out of him was that whatever he saw happening wasn't going to happen for a few days. It's truly amazing what that boy can see."
"Is Angelica sure that it's not happening for a few days?" Dean asked. He hadn't realized that Nicholas' abilities now extended to seeing things further than a few minutes away.
"Reasonably. I mean, as sure as she can be."
"Does he know where Kristine is? Or where this is going to happen?
Keith didn't answer immediately and Dean heard voices in the background. A moment later, Nicholas was back on the phone. He sounded very young and more than a little scared.
"Dean?"
"Hey, Nicky," he said, trying not to sound as impatient as he felt.
"I saw Kristine. Not for real and not in a dream, but…."
"I know what you mean," Dean said, even though he wasn't sure at all. He didn't think it mattered, though. "Do you know where she is?"
"Me and Angelica tried to figure it out, but…."
"How about we try? I'll put you on speaker so Sam can hear, too."
"Okay."
Dean set the phone on the desk and looked at Sam.
"Hi, Nicholas."
"Hi, Sam."
"Okay," Dean said, hoping something brilliant would occur to him. "Can you tell us what you saw?"
"I told you. Vampires."
"Yeah, I know. But what else? Is Kristine inside or outside?"
"Um….outside."
"What's around her? Buildings? Trees?"
"There are some trees, but mostly buildings."
"Are they big? Remember when we saw the football game? Did you see big buildings like around the stadium?
"Uh-uh."
"What about houses like where you live?"
"Well…."
Dean could almost picture Nicholas as he sat, probably on the couch, thinking and trying to remember what he'd seen in his visions. The adult was forced to be much more patient than he wanted to be.
"Oh!"
"What?" Dean asked, a little startled by Nicholas' sudden enthusiasm.
"That place we went, remember? With all the rides? And where we saw those gunfights?"
Dean thought for a moment, looking at Sam. It suddenly came to him. "Ghost Town?"
"Yeah! 'Member we took that train ride?"
"So, you saw a place with buildings like at Ghost Town?" Dean asked, not wanting him to get off on a tangent about the North Carolina theme park.
"Yeah, sorta."
Dean thought for another moment, then started off on a series of questions about the scenery around the buildings and other things the little boy saw. It was a tedious process, but the only option they had. Once he was sure he had all the information he could get, Dean spent a few more minutes on the phone with Nicholas to make sure he was all right and before ending the call, he talked to Angelica again. He turned to Sam after closing his phone.
"We need a vampire nest in the Midwest; probably Oklahoma."
He saw Sam's surprise. "How the hell –"
"Doesn't matter." Dean nodded toward the computer. "See if you can find anything. I'm gonna go find Bobby."
"Yeah."
Bobby and Ellen were downstairs, both on the phone. Seeing his expression, they ended their calls quickly.
"I think we're looking for a nest in Oklahoma. Sam's seeing if he can work his magic on the 'Net and we'll get on the road as soon as he has something. Bobby, you think you can go to Charlotte? I don't think anything will happen, but if we get on the right trail…"
"Yeah, sure. Whatever you need."
Dean nodded. "Thanks. I told Angelica you'd be calling later with an update; told her I was gonna ask you to go. I also asked if she or Keith could give Kristine a call….she won't answer mine, but maybe theirs."
"Good idea," Ellen said.
Dean paced nervously knowing Sam was doing all he could upstairs. He spoke with Keith again; Nicholas was asleep and a message had been left on Kristine's voicemail. Dean had just gotten off the phone when Sam raced into the room.
"Please tell me you found something," Dean said.
"Yeah. I mean, I don't know if it's really the place we're looking for, but –"
"Tell me while we pack."
"I already did that. Our bags are by the back door."
After a flurry of activity, Sam and Dean were on the road in under half an hour. It was just before 9:00 and with good time, they'd be in Painter, Oklahoma in just over 12 hours. Ellen had brewed coffee for them and put some in two commuter mugs with the rest of it going into a thermos.
Dean was running on pure adrenaline and probably didn't need the caffeine, but he drank the coffee anyway. It gave him something else to concentrate on other than the dark highway in front of him.
tbc