Dean tugged at his collar as he and Sam approached the dorm. Next case, they would have to think of a cover story that didn't involve wearing suits. Dean glanced at his brother, whose coffee apparently hadn't kicked in yet.

"C'mon, look alive! You said you wanted to do some interviews."

"Yeah, but not after staying up all night researching. You could have helped, you know."

"Hey, you're the one who doesn't want me touching the computer. Don't blame me because you're a tight-ass."

"Porn, Dean!" Sam hissed. "I said I didn't want you downloading porn onto my computer."

Dean grinned. Sometimes it was too easy. "Hey, you have your research; I have mine."

They arrived at the dorm before Sam had a chance to respond. Dean rang the bell, and the door opened almost immediately. Callie Patterson stood staring at them from across the threshold, bracing the door with her foot as she held a pitcher in her hands.

"Oh, you're back."

"We have a few more questions for you and some of the other ladies here." Dean turned to Sam. "This is Callie, the one who found the victims."

Sam nodded in greeting, but Callie cut the brothers off before either could say anything. "I'm sorry, but this really isn't a good time." She glanced behind her into the building. "Maybe you could come back this afternoon."

Sam stepped forward. "I understand this is very hard for you, but we need some more information if we're going to get to the bottom of what's going on here. Can you just give us a few minutes?"

Callie looked into the building again, and then stepped aside to let the men enter. "Just let me finish something first." She started filling a basin beside the door with a jug she had been holding.

"Is that holy water?" asked Sam.

"Yeah," she confirmed. "Why? Do you want some?"

"No, thanks, we make our own," responded Dean, earning himself an elbow in the ribs from his brother. "You know, for religious purposes," he covered.

Callie looked at him askance and then called out toward an open doorway behind her. "Marina, can you help me with something please?"

Sam noticed his brother's reaction when he heard the name, and a few second later understood as the young blond walked into the room. He tore his eyes away from her to look up at Dean, who was still ogling. The girl's face lit up as she saw the two visitors.

"Dean! You're back, and you brought your..."

"My partner. He's working with me on the investigation."

"Marina," the other woman cut in,"can you finish up for me? They wanted to ask some more questions about Mandy."

"Actually, I needed to talk to them, too. I remembered some stuff about those storms last night, and I wrote it all down in case I forgot. It's up in my room. Maybe Dean can go up with me, and you can talk to his partner." She smiled at Dean. "I think it might be really important."

Callie gaped at her friend. "Marina..."

Dean jumped on the opportunity before it went away. "That sounds like a great idea. Sam, why don't you interview Callie while I take care of Marina upstairs?" Dean clapped his brother on the shoulder and started to follow Marina, who had already started upstairs.

"Dean..." Sam began to protest, but his brother leaned into his ear before he could form words.

"Don't ruin this for me, dude," Dean whispered, then bounded up the stairs after the girl without waiting for a response.

Sam managed to put a polite smile on his face before turning back to Callie. "We just had a few questions about some incidents that have occurred here in the past few months. I can walk with you while you finish what you're doing." It would give him the opportunity to look around, since he'd not really had a chance to look at anything when he'd sneaked into the building the day before.

Callie started walking down the hallway, past bulletin boards and doors decorated with small whiteboards and magazine cutouts. Sam trailed beside her while she spoke. "I've already told your partner everything I remember. I don't even understand why you're here. Since when does homeland security investigate lightning strikes?"

"We're really not at liber-"

"I know!" Callie snapped. She took a deep breath and continued, massaging the bridge of her nose with her free hand. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't snap at you. It's just... your partner kept saying that yesterday, and I got a little frustrated." She looked up at him sheepishly as they walked into a room at the end of the hallway. "He's kind of rude."

Sam choked back a laugh, but still felt the need to defend his brother. "He's been going through some stuff recently."

Callie stopped in front of what looked to be some sort of shrine, and filled a small bowl with the water. "Has he asked for help?" she asked him, continuing on to the next of the three shrines.

"He knows I'll do whatever I can for him."

"No, I mean, help." She indicated the religious paraphernalia on the third shrine as she filled the last of the bowls with water.

"Dean's more the type of guy to depend on himself."

"How's that working out for him?"

"He's just not very religious." It wasn't an answer, but he hoped she would let it slide.

"What about you?"

Sam looked over at the candles and religious images before answering. "I guess my faith's been tested recently."

"Is that why you're here?"

He jerked his eyes back to Callie, suddenly remembering that he was posing as a federal agent. "What do you mean? We've told you about the investigation."

She turned from him and busied herself with putting the water away. "We know you're not from Homeland Security. We had a big dorm meeting about it last night, and our RA told us to watch out for you guys. We're supposed to call security if we see you."

Sam was confused. Not about how he had been found out, of course; their cover had been weak at best. Most of the time, though, when he and Dean were exposed, they were kicked out of town soon after. "So, why did you let us in?"

"I was trying to get rid of you, but Marina..." her voice trailed off as she looked upstairs to where Dean and Marina were up to God only knows what. Well, Sam could make a pretty good guess as well. "Anyway, she had said you weren't dangerous. I guess I was just curious why you came."

Sam started to spin a second cover story, but something about the myriad religious icons in the room constrained him. "I'm sorry we had to lie, but we are trying to help. We're not sure what's happening here yet, but we want to get the bottom of it to make sure that no one else gets hurt."

"So you two are..."

"Brothers. We just want to figure out what's going on so nobody else ends up in the hospital," he added, holding his hands up in a conciliatory gesture. "So, are you going to call security?"

"No." She peered up at him. "How were you going to try to help?"

"We have to be sure of what's happening first. We know that the lightning strikes weren't the only strange things happening lately. The residents here have been pretty lucky these last couple of months."

"Yeah, but I think there's a reason for that." She hesitated. "It just...it might sound a little crazy to you."

Sam smiled. "Believe me, nothing's too crazy."

"Right here." She pointed to the third shrine. "Saint Barbara. She's the patron saint of protection from lightning. She was protecting Mandy and Lisa."

"There's a patron saint for protection from lightning?"

Callie blinked up at him. "Of course. There's a patron saint for everything." Her voice hinted at excitement as she spoke. "But she's not just for lightning. She's for mathematicians and miners and other things, too."

"So you think that she's the one who saved them?" He'd heard much crazier theories in his lifetime, and a lot of those had turned out to be true. Still, it didn't explain the signs of demon possession that the witness had described.

"What else could it have been? They had both prayed here the morning that the lightning hit."

"And everything else that's been going on? The scholarships, the miracle cures?"

"Those were all prayer requests." She looked over at the shrines. "We didn't want to tell anybody. People get weird about that sort of thing."

Sam couldn't fault her reasoning there. Still, it was a hell of a secret to keep. "Callie," he asked gently, "have you had any prayer requests answered?"

Callie shook her head. "Nothing like that, but I haven't prayed for anything so..."

"Dramatic?" asked Sam.

"Yeah."

So if there was a coven, Callie probably wasn't a part of it. And, considering the fact that Sam had just seen her dip her fingers in the holy water, she probably wasn't possessed either. Before Sam could think any further, Shana Lincoln, the same woman who'd caught him the previous day, appeared in the doorway.

"Callie, I need you to go-" Her eyes darted over to Sam. "What are you still doing here?" she demanded.

Sam opened his mouth to say something, but Shana cut him off. "Never mind, I don't have time for this. Callie, can I talk to you over here for a minute?"

Callie walked over to the older woman, and they spoke in hushed tones for a moment. Shana hurried away, while Callie turned back to Sam.

"Sam, I have to leave. You and your brother should go, too. Come on, I'm getting Marina, anyway."

Sam hurried to follow as she strode down the hallway. "Wait, what's going on?"

She didn't answer, or even turn around for that matter. Sam didn't press the issue, knowing that whatever the situation was, he and Dean would find out eventually.

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Dean watched Marina as she sorted through the papers on her desk. After apologizing for the lack of chairs in her room, she had graciously given him a seat on her bed. Dean wasn't complaining.

"I know I left it here somewhere. I don't know where it could be." She gave him an apologetic look over her shoulder. "I know you're probably really busy. You look stressed out."

"It can be tough, knowing that so many lives depend on me," Dean confirmed, "but just thinking of all the lives that I've saved makes it worthwhile."

Marina turned around and sat on the edge of her desk, dropping any pretense of a search. "Wow, that's so...amazing."

"I guess I've just gotten used to it, being in these life or death situations every day." Dean was definitely glad that he hadn't agreed to Sam's National Weather Service idea. He wondered whether he was going too far, but Marina's entranced face assured him otherwise.

"You're so brave," she breathed, crossing the room and sitting beside him. "And your eyes, it's like they've seen so much."

Dean nodded solemnly. "It's hard, not being able to share it with anyone."

She leaned into him and gazed up through her eyelashes. "That's so... so..." she started, apparently at a loss for words.

"Yeah," replied Dean. He ran his hand up her arm, and when she didn't resist, he gently pulled her the rest of the way to him. Marina tilted her head, allowing him to press his lips firmly to hers. Dean was rewarded when her mouth opened slightly, and he accepted the implicit invitation, slipping his tongue over hers.

Dean's hands had just started their own exploration when he heard the fast approach of two pairs of footsteps, one of which was irritatingly familiar. He silently willed his brother to stay away.

Dean winced as the door flew open, then waited for Sam's commentary on his Rico Suave act.

"Incredible," came the grim voice from the doorway. Dean was used to getting that judgmental tone from his brother in situations like this, but even Sam didn't sound like that much of a girl. Dean turned to see Callie Patterson standing next to Sam in the doorway, her eyebrows drawn together as she took in the sight of the pair on the bed. "How could you ever think that you would pass as federal agents?!"

Dean couldn't believe that Sam had blown their cover in the ten minutes that they'd split up. He rose and started to reply, but Callie cut him off. "Forget it. It doesn't matter. Marina, we have to go."

"What's going on?" asked the other woman, standing up and arranging her clothes. Dean grimaced as the window of opportunity closed before his eyes. There'd better be a damn good reason that Sam was interrupting them.

"We've got to get Mandy and Jean from the hospital. They're being released today."

"Why isn't Shana doing it?"

Dean thought about adding his two cents, but he wisely chose to say nothing as his brother glowered at him from the doorway. Dean raised his eyebrows and returned the stare. He might not be able to stop Sam from wrecking his fun, but he sure as hell wasn't going to take any crap for enjoying himself.

"Shana's... busy." Callie glanced over at Dean, who suddenly took an interest in the conversation. If Sam's wet blanket buddy was trying to hide something from him, he wanted to know what it was.

Marina took Callie's hint and grabbed a jacket and set of keys from the desk. "Sorry, Dean, but I have to go."

"Wait a minute," he appealed with a grin. "Maybe we can help."

"I don't think so," Callie cut in. "You guys need to leave."

"Actually," Sam protested softly, "we really might be able to help you."

For a moment, Dean thought that Sam's earnest plea had done the trick, but Callie was just gearing up for a new tirade. "Listen, there's nothing you can do. I've got to be at the hospital in fifteen minutes to pick up my friends, one of whom is going to be completely freaking out when she finds out that the reason I'm there instead of Shana is that she's downstairs in the morgue identifying the body of another student who just happened to be in the hospital for the exact same reason four days ago. So, unless you know a way of bringing somebody back from the dead, I don't think that there's a whole lot you can contribute."

Dean caught Sam's glance at the rising from the dead remark, but figured this wasn't the best time to bring up his brother's Lazarus act. As he was piecing together the new information, Sam spoke.

"Wait, the student who died, is that Lisa Gallagher? The one who was struck by lightning last week?"

"Yes." She started down the hallway, pausing to let Marina lock her door after everyone exited.

"I thought that she had gone back home." Sam's words jogged Dean's memory. Lisa Gallagher had been all the way across the country when they arrived, or so they had thought. They hadn't even tried to find her.

Callie nodded. "Nobody knew she was back."

Dean's head was now completely back in the game. He caught Sam's arm and spoke quickly into his brother's ear. "That girl Mandy could be next. We need to get to the hospital." One of them could watch the girl while the other checked out Lisa's body.

Sam nodded and hurried to catch up with the two women, who had continued down the hall without them. "We should go with you. Your friend could be in trouble."

"No way," Callie answered as she headed down the stairwell. "You told them you were from Homeland Security. You'll just freak them out even more if you're back."

Dean gritted his teeth. The girls here were supposed to be one of the perks of the job, but this one was starting to get on his nerves. He took the last few stairs quickly and met the two students on the landing.

Marina put her hand on his shoulder and met his eyes, effectively blocking his way as she stood before him. "Dean, you've both been really sweet to help us out, but we've got to go alone. Shana's already told the hospital that you aren't really from the government." She ran her hand down his arm, and he felt his body reacting to her touch. He was reaching for her despite himself when Callie's voice snapped him out of it.

"Marina, stop messing with him and come on. They've caused enough trouble, and we don't need him hanging off you for the rest of the week." Yes, she was definitely getting on his nerves.

"Listen, sweetheart, you don't know what you're dealing with here. Something's hurting your little friends, and right now we're your best bet for keeping it from killing anyone else."

"Dean, maybe they're right."

Dean looked up at Sam in surprise. Sam was definitely the more stubborn of the two, so if he had changed his mind, something else was going on. "What?"

"Just let them go."

Marina and Callie took the opportunity and were out the door before Dean could even reply.

"What was that all about?"

Sam motioned behind his brother. "Take a look at that door handle."

Dean leaned down and studied the metal knob. "Is that-?"

"Sulfur," confirmed Sam. "I think we just found our demon."

"Okay, I'll take lookout while you pick the lock." This might be easier than they had thought. If they could lay out the devil's trap on the ceiling, all they needed to do was wait for the demon to get back. That still left the coven to deal with, but if they could get rid of the demon the witches were serving, the job would get a whole lot easier.

Dean motioned for his brother to wait as a young woman approached from the stairwell. Seeing as how the residents all knew about them, he didn't want her getting any more suspicious than she'd already be. He gave her a friendly nod as she came toward them.

"Are you looking for Shana?" she asked.

Dean cursed inwardly. If this Shana was the same one that Callie and Marina were taking orders from, then those girls were screwed. Either Shana was the demon, or she was pretty damn friendly with it. On the other hand, they could be witches, too. In fact, the entire dorm could be one gigantic coven. Shana was in charge of the damn thing, wasn't she? God, he hated witches. He gave the girl an easy smile. "Uh...yeah. This is her room, right?"

"Yeah, but I saw her leave a little while ago. She's probably at the hospital. You want to leave her a message?"

Dean looked at Sam, and saw that he was thinking the same thing. They had to get to the hospital, and fast. By the time the demon got back here, it may be too late. Dean managed to mumble a semi-coherent response before racing out to the car with his brother.

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Sam flipped through his father's journal as his brother sped the Impala through the local streets.

"I still don't get it, Dean. There's nothing in here about demons body hopping. They've always just picked a body and stuck with it until it was too damaged for them to use anymore."

"Okay, so maybe we got a persnickety one here who likes to shop around."

Sam snorted. "Dude, did you just say 'persnickety'?"

"Yes, I did. Now, get over it."

"So, that's your answer, then? No reason that the demon's switching bodies? It's just 'persnickety'?"

"You got any better ideas, Sam?"

Sam weighed the problem in his head. There had to be a reason for what the demon was doing. Demon logic was jacked up, but at least it existed.

"Maybe it's after something, and it can't get at it in the main host."

Dean nodded slowly, considering the theory. "So it jumps to another one to run some errands. Only, this demon's not picking up the dry cleaning. What's it after? And is the coven in on it?"

"Maybe they're the ones being possessed. They could be letting it happen." If that were true, then it would be hard to track the demon at all. It could jump around without any of the hosts reporting blackouts or weird experiences. The witches would be covering for it.

"So, you still think this Shana chick's the one we're after?"

Sam nodded. "I don't think that anything would be going on in that dorm without her knowing about it."

Dean grunted his agreement. "Besides, she's the one who knew that we weren't DHS agents."

"Yeah, Dean, I don't think it took a whole lot of demonic mojo to figure that one out."

"What are you talking about? Those are kick-ass IDs I made up!"

"Maybe you shouldn't have told those girls that leaving before the interview was over was a 'corporal' offense." Sam didn't quite manage to hide his smirk.

"Hey!" Dean protested. "You say Law and Order crap like that all the time."

"Yeah, but mine actually makes sense."

"Just keep telling yourself that, Sammy. You got the holy water?"

Sam smiled to himself as the Impala pulled into the hospital parking lot. Dean always had to have the last word, even if that meant changing the subject before Sam could get in a response.

"Yeah, I got it. Let's do this."