Chapter Three - The Wallace Residence

Thirty minutes later, the Impala was crawling down Langston Drive, a country road on the outskirts of town. "Did the internet article give a specific address?" Dean asked, squinting his eyes against the setting sun.

Sam shook his head. "No, but we'll find it."

Dean snorted. "How? Will there be a billboard in the front yard that says 'Wallace Residence'?"

Sam didn't dignify this remark with a response. Instead, he leaned forward in his seat to get a better look at the large white farmhouse up ahead on his right. There were two red barns behind the house, close to the line of trees that surrounded the large yard on all sides. The windows of the house were lit up, and people were visible inside, milling around and talking.

"I think this is it," Sam said, glancing at the row of cars that sat in the long driveway.

"Let me guess. Another psychic vision?" Dean asked, his voice brimming with sarcasm.

"No. I saw the news van," Sam said, pointing to the Channel Eight News van that was parked amidst the SUVs and sedans.

"Smartass."

Dean turned into the driveway, and the Impala crept slowly towards the house. Sam caught a glimpse of the bright yellow crime scene tape at the edge of the woods and briefly wondered if the police had found anything during their investigation. The Impala came to a stop, and the two brothers climbed out of the car, the Impala's doors squeaking as they did so.

Dean was positively giddy. "She's still here!" he exclaimed, craning his neck to get a better view of the news crew, all of whom were standing at the edge of the woods.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Sam asked, confused, as he gazed up at the house. It was a beautiful two-story with black shutters and a positively amazing wrap-around porch. He noticed that a figure was huddled on a porch swing, toes dragging against the wooden planks.

Meanwhile, Dean was practically drooling with excitement. "Lillian Jacobs! She's here! In the flesh!" Sam turned to stare at his older brother, a blank expression on his face, but Dean plowed on. "She's a local newscaster, Sam. You must've slept through her piece earlier. She's got this bitchin' red hair and a hot little bod... She is a total babe!"

Sam rolled his eyes. Only his brother would want to pick up chicks at a wake. "Have you forgotten why we're here?" You horny moron? he added to himself.

Dean's face fell. "Uh..."

"C'mon," Sam said, grabbing Dean by the arm and steering him towards the porch. Dean turned back for a final glimpse of Lillian Jacobs as Sam dragged him up the porch steps and toward the figure on the swing. As they got closer, Sam could see that it was a girl. She sat underneath a blanket, staring out at the sunset, the colors of which glinted off her silver wire-rimmed glasses. Her lank brown hair was pulled into a messy ponytail, and her face was streaked with tears. Despite the fact that they were standing just a few feet from her, she didn't seem to notice their presence.

Sam cleared his throat. "Um, excuse me?" The girl jumped and turned to look at the brothers. It seemed to take her a moment to focus on them, and she hastily wiped the tear stains from her round cheeks. Judging by the circles under her eyes, she hadn't slept in several days.

"Yes?" she asked, her voice hoarse.

"Is this the Wallace residence?" Sam asked.

Slowly, the girl nodded. Sam decided to continue. "I'm Sam, and this is my brother, Dean." He nodded at Dean, who was still straining to catch a glimpse of Lillian Jacobs. "We were friends with Josh, and we wanted to come by and offer our condolences to the family."

The girl got to her feet, clutching the blanket around her and ignoring Sam's outstretched hand. "I'm Ellie, Josh's older sister." There was a long pause as she took a deep, shaking breath. "Or at least I was."

Sam winced at the hurt in her voice but noted at the same time that the typical Kentucky accent was missing from it. "I'm sorry for your loss. It's a real tragedy."

Ellie nodded, pushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "Yeah, it is. Everyone's in shock."

"Do the cops have any idea who did it?" Dean asked, turning away from Lillian Jacobs to join in the conversation.

Ellie met Dean's gaze, and for a moment she seemed to be struck dumb. Her cheeks turned slightly pink, and she stuttered, "Um, they...they said...they're not really telling us anything at this point." She managed to break her gaze away from Dean and, swallowing hard, turned to talk to Sam. "So, how did you guys know Josh anyway?"

The Winchester brothers looked at each other quickly, eyebrows raised, but before either of them could think up an excuse, a teenaged blond girl came flying out the front door. She was tall and thin like a model, and she was smartly dressed in a black blouse and grey trousers -- quite the contrast to Ellie's short and curvy figure dressed in a University of Kentucky sweatshirt and jeans.

"Ellie, what are you doing out here?" the blond asked, her eyes wide with concern and her Southern accent lilting. "It's freezing, and--" She broke off when she saw Dean and Sam standing just a few feet away. When she smiled, her entire face lit up with glee. "Why hello there! I'm Jenna. Jenna Murphy. Who might you two gentlemen be?" she asked, tilting her head to the side flirtatiously.

Sam smiled. "I'm Sam, and this is my brother, Dean." Dean dutifully waved hello.

"They were friends with Josh," Ellie added, an amused smile pulling at her lips.

Jenna gaped at Ellie in surprise. "And you didn't invite them in? You're just going to let them stand on the porch and freeze all night?"

Ellie shrugged, looking guilty. "I guess I just wasn't thinking."

"Which is perfectly understandable, what with everything that's just happened to you and your family," Dean interjected, smiling kindly at her.

Ellie smiled back, looking relieved. Jenna, meanwhile, was pulling at Sam's arm. "C'mon inside! We have plenty of food if you're hungry. My mama's macaroni and cheese is di-vine." Sam grinned and followed the bouncy blonde into the house. Dean was right behind him until he realized that Ellie was moving back towards the swing.

"Aren't you coming?" he asked, gesturing to the door.

Ellie shook her head, looking shy. "No, that's alright. I...I think I'll just stay out here."

Dean hesitated. He simply didn't feel right leaving her outside all alone in the damp night air, especially with gun-toting murderers running around on the premises. "Do you want me to stay out here with you?"

Ellie's gray eyes widened slightly behind her glasses. "No. No, you go inside. Have something to eat. Jenna's right about her mom's macaroni and cheese. It's truly divine." She giggled nervously.

Dean began to reply, but yet again the screen door swung open, interrupting their conversation. This time, a guy about Sam's age came out onto the porch. He was Dean's height, with strawberry blonde hair and deeply tanned skin. His eyes narrowed slightly when he saw Dean, and he glanced sharply at Ellie. "Who's this?" he asked.

For a split second, Dean could've sworn he saw a look of utter fear cross Ellie's face. But then she was smiling again, and Dean decided it was just a trick of the light. "This is Dean," Ellie said. "He and his brother are old friends of Josh's. Dean, I'd like you to meet my boyfriend, Luke."

Dean and Luke shook hands. "It's nice to meet you," Dean said, ignoring the fact that Luke was gripping his hand much harder than necessary.

"Likewise," Luke said, his smile obviously fake. He turned his gaze to Ellie. "Baby, what are you doing out here all alone? Shouldn't you be inside with your Mom?"

Ellie bit her lip. "I'd really rather stay out here. I don't want to be around a bunch of people right now. Besides, Phil's taking care of Mom. She doesn't need me hanging around."

Luke crossed the porch and put his arm around her. Dean noticed that Ellie flinched at his touch. Maybe there was something to that look of fear after all...

"Would you like me to bring you a plate of food?" Luke asked, gazing intently down at Ellie.

"No, that's okay. I don't feel like eating right now," Ellie replied, turning away from Luke and toward Dean. The expression on her face made it clear that she needed him to get as far away from Luke as possible. "You really should go get a plate for yourself. Try the fried chicken. My aunt made it." Dean lingered for a moment, not wanting to leave such a nice girl alone with such an obvious asshole, but after a quick glance at Luke's intense glare over Ellie's shoulder, he decided that staying would be a bigger mistake than leaving.

"I do love poultry," he said with a grin and a wink. Ellie blushed and quickly stifled a giggle as she returned to her swing. Dean took a step toward the screen door. "I suppose I'll see the two of you later. Nice to meet you, Ellie. Luke." He nodded to each of them in turn and was opening the door when Luke spoke.

"Dean?"

Dean turned back to face him, feeling slightly uneasy. "Yeah?"

"Thanks for coming. Honoring Josh's memory and all. It's appreciated."

Doing his best to not roll his eyes at Luke's falsely earnest tone, Dean nodded. "Um...you're welcome..." He turned back to face the house, his fingers just brushing the door handle, when Luke's voice rang through the air yet again.

"Dean?"

This time, Dean didn't let the irritation he was feeling toward Luke stay hidden. "Yeah?" he asked through gritted teeth. He turned back to see Luke smiling. But this time his smile was not patronizing or fake, nor was it genuine. It was a ruthless smile filled with power and hunger.

"You and your brother had better watch your backs. If Josh's death has proved anything, it's that evil lurks around every corner. Even in small towns like this."

And with that, he turned to join Ellie on the swing...but not before Dean caught a glimpse of his eyes, which had just flashed yellow.

To be continued...
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A/N: Thanks to tenaciousmetoo for the beta job. I hope you all enjoyed, and please review! Thanks!