A/N: Sorry this took so long! I really hope you like this chapter!
Disclaimer: Supernatural and its characters are the sole property of its owners, I own rights to nothing but Mia.
Chapter 3: Something Wicked
They were driving down the open road early the next morning. Mia was in the backseat, writing in her journal. With all the excitement going on she'd decided to copy the Winchester's father and write her own journal to document the monsters she encountered. The first entry was entitled 'Vengeful Spirit' with a description of how she met Sam and Dean. The next was entitled 'Tulpa.' It recalled their experience with the Hell House.
That morning, Dean had received a text message from his father with coordinates to a city. Mia found this odd until Sam explained to her that it was how John told them where to find a new case.
Sam and Dean were arguing about the town while Mia was writing.
"Dude, I ran everything that town has and I couldn't find a red flag anywhere. Are you sure you got the coordinates right?" Sam asked.
Dean sighed, "Yes, I double-checked it's Fitchburg, Wisconsin. You know Dad wouldn't send us the coordinates if it wasn't important. Maybe he's gonna meet us there."
Mia looked up suddenly. She didn't really know anything about John Winchester except from what she'd been reading in his journal but she was curious as to why Dean and Sam were looking for him-what circumstances had separated them?
The brothers continued to argue over whether or not it was beneficial to check out the town.
"Why do you think there's gonna be something there for us to hunt?" Sam asked in irritation.
Dean smirked, "Cuz, I'm the oldest so I'm always right."
Mia rolled her eyes and Sam retorted, "No you're not."
"Yes I am." Dean countered with a small smile.
They continued on towards the little town.
When they finally arrived, Dean offered to grab some coffee from a nearby shop while Sam and Mia went out to stretch their legs.
"Man, how do you get used to such long car rides." Mia asked as she stretched her arms and back.
Sam smiled, "You get used to it. Dean usually stops every three hours but today he was really in a hurry."
Mia nodded. They'd been driving fourteen hours and only stopped once to eat and refill gas. Her entire body felt cramped from sitting in the backseat.
The two of them walked for a little until they came across a small park.
"Awesome!" Mia exclaimed before bolting towards the nearly empty space.
"Mia-" Sam started after her but stopped and shook his head when he saw her reach the monkey bars.
The long car ride must've made her crazy, he thought to himself as the brunette signaled for him to join her.
He laughed but waved back no.
Disappointed, the young girl climbed back onto the structure to play on it.
"The waitress is convinced the Freemasons are up to something but other than that, nothing strange is going on." Dean said, appearing and handing Sam a drink.
Sam's smile faded. "Dean, what's the time?"
"Uh, ten past four." He replied, checking his watch, "why?"
His brother gestured to the park in front of them. "What's wrong with this picture?"
Dean noted Mia hanging upside down from the monkey bars and laughing. "Uh, well there's that."
"Besides Mia." Sam countered.
"There's… hardly any kids." Dean replied, as he looked around the park.
His brother nodded, "Exactly. School's over, this place should be crawling with them."
Meanwhile, Mia smiled at a little girl who was also climbing the jungle gym.
"Hey," the older girl asked, "how come there are no other kids out playing today?"
The little girl shrugged, "They're all getting sick. All my friends are in the hospital."
Mia frowned in confusion as the little girl climbed down and headed to the swings.
"Hey Mia, get over here." Sam called to her.
Mia jumped off the structure and walked over to the Winchesters.
"What are you, five?" Dean challenged her as she approached them.
The girl glared back, "what are you, two?"
"Knock it off. Mia, we were talking about how there's no kids at the park." Sam explained with a contemplative expression.
She nodded, "I noticed that too. The little girl playing there said it was because all the kids are getting sick. Like, hospital sick. Poor things."
The three of them decided to investigate the hospital, but in doing so they needed to dress up, so they headed to the impala to find a place to change.
"Dude, Dude! I'm not using this ID." Sam hissed to his brother in humiliation.
"Why not?" Dean asked impatiently.
Sam huffed, "Because it says; 'bikini inspector' on it."
Mia stepped forwards, "At least yours doesn't have professional prostitute on it."
Dean looked her up and down. She wore a short blue skirt and a white blouse with black high heels. "Well you look like one."
She smacked Dean with the ID against the back of his head.
"Ow!" He exclaimed angrily.
Sam nudged his brother, "Dean-"
"Look, she won't even look that close. It's all about confidence Sammy." The older Winchester said, gently pushing him towards the hospital secretary.
Mia and Dean stood off in the corner listening to Sam's exchange with the secretary.
"What does yours say?" Mia asked curiously as Dean pulled his card out from his suit jacket.
"Full-time model." He grinned.
"Really? I thought it would say professional race car driver or Hugh Hefner protégé." She answered sarcastically.
Dean opened his mouth to retort but was silenced when Sam, humiliated, joined the two of them.
Dean stifled a laugh at his brother's expense. Sam, unamused by his antics, led them into the children's ward.
They walked by various hospital rooms. Sam took the lead and Dean followed with Mia on his trail.
Suddenly, Dean stopped in front of one of the hospital rooms.
Mia crashed into him. "Dean! What the hell-"
He cut her off with a finger to his lips and shushed her.
They both looked into the hospital room of an old, wheelchair bound woman. She had tangled grey hair and oddest of all, an upside down cross on the wall in front of her.
At the commotion outside, she turned and glared at them with her misty blue eyes.
Mia flinched away in apprehension while Dean continued his staring contest with the crone.
"Dean, Mia-come on!" Sam called from down the hallway.
Mia and Dean exchanged strange looks before hurrying to catch up with Sam.
"Thanks for seeing us Doctor," Dean greeted as he, Sam, Mia and the doctor walked down the children's hospital ward together.
"Oh no problem," the young man replied, "I'm glad to see someone finally called the CDC."
Sam nodded, "So you say you got six cases so far?"
The doctor stopped in front of one of the rooms and sighed sadly. "At first we thought it was garden-variety bacteria pneumonia but now…the kids aren't responding to antibiotics. Their immune systems just aren't doing their job- like their bodies are fading."
Mia and Sam exchanged somber glances. It broke both of their hearts to see kids so young getting sick. Kids should have fun, be free and not have to worry about diseases.
Mia, like Dean, silently began to hope the diseases were being caused by something supernatural because at least then there would be some way for them to help.
"Have you ever seen anything like it?" Mia asked just as a nurse appeared by the doctor's side.
The nurse answered for the doctor, "Nothing, especially the way it spreads."
"What do you mean?" Sam asked in confusion.
"It works its way through families, but only the children- it infects one sibling at a time." She explained.
Dean frowned in bewilderment at the science of the disease- it was definitely off. "Do you mind if we interview some of the children?"
The nurse just looked at him sadly. "They're not conscious-not any of them."
Sam's eyes widened in disbelief; "Can we talk to the parents?"
"If you think it will help," The doctor replied skeptically.
"Sure," Nodded Dean, "who was your most recent admission?"
They met up with a pale and tired looking father of two daughters, both affected by the strange epidemic.
"Look," He sighed tiredly, "I really should be getting back-"
"We understand that, and we're sorry- but this will just take a moment." Sam replied sympathetically.
"So you say Mary is the oldest, and she came down with it first?" Mia asked gently. She couldn't even begin to imagine how hopeless the man in front of them must feel.
He nodded, "Yes, then Bethany came down with it the next night."
"So, within 24 hours?" Sam added.
The man sighed, "Yes, I guess so. Look, I've already been through this with the doctor."
Dean stepped up, "We know, we just need you to answer a few more questions."
The father looked up at him tiredly and Dean took it as a sign to continue; "How do you think they caught pneumonia?"
"We think it was an open window," The man answered sheepishly, "but I know, I closed it-both times."
"So you think your daughters might have opened it?" Sam clarified.
"It's a second story window, no ledge. There's no one else who could have."
Mia gave the man a sympathetic look. "Thank you for your time and we hope for the best for you and your family."
The father stood and left Mia, Dean and Sam to their thoughts.
"You know, this might not be anything supernatural-just pneumonia." Sam told Dean as they began to head out.
Dean's faith in his father was unwavering as he replied; "Maybe, but I dunno man, Dad sent us out here for a reason. Something might have opened that window."
"I'll tell you one thing," Sam added, "that guy we just talked to- it's gonna be a while until he goes home."
Mia frowned in confusion. Of course, she thought to herself. The poor guy probably wouldn't even sleep until his daughters were healthy again but what did this have to do Dean's theory?
Dean caught what Sam was saying and smiled as they headed out of the hospital but Mia was still confused.
It wasn't until they were picking the lock of that man's house did it register that they were going to break into it.
"I don't like this." She told Sam nervously as she watched the road for any potential witnesses to their crime in progress.
He cocked his head at her, "What? You've never broken into a house before?"
She shuffled anxiously, "No. Only once because I forgot my house key and had to improvise."
"What about the hell house-we broke in there." Dean said as he continued fiddling with the lock.
Mia shook her head, "That was abandoned; it doesn't count."
Dean rolled his eyes at her and opened the door. "Well congratulations on your first successful break-in. Your prize is to shut up and look for clues."
Mia glowered at him as she followed Sam up the stairs to the little girls' bedrooms.
"I got nothing," Announced Sam after a while of searching for clues with his UV light.
Mia investigated the window locks, while Dean moved around the room with his EMF.
"Yeah, nothing." He sighed disappointedly when the EMF radar remained normal.
Mia turned around and called from the open window. "Hey Dean, as much as I hate to admit it, you're right."
Both brothers rushed over to the window where Mia pointed at a black, nonhuman, handprint on the outside of the windowsill.
"It's rotted," Sam remarked in shock at the coloring. "What the hell could have done that?"
Dean went in for a closer look and suddenly became lost in a memory.
He was 10, Sammy was 6; it was 1989. Dad was about to leave for a hunt, but while he was packing up, Dean came across the photograph of the very same handprint.
"You know the rules Dean," John Winchester lectured, "don't answer the phone. If it's me, it will ring once and I'll call back again."
"Yeah, yeah I know." Dean answered in annoyance.
"Hey, look alive-this is really important." His father said as he packed his bags.
"I know, it's just... We've been over this, a hundred times." Dean sighed.
"Yeah but all it takes is one mistake, one mistake can get you killed. You got that Dean?"
The little boy nodded solemnly. Oh he got it all right, the first twenty times they went through it.
"Lock all the doors and windows, if I'm not back by Sunday-"
"Call Pastor Jim." Dean finished for him.
John nodded, "Most importantly-"
"Watch out for Sammy." Dean answered as he snuck a peek at his little brother who was intensely watching his cartoons.
"If anyone tries to come in?"
"Shoot first, ask questions later." Dean responded automatically with a smile.
John smiled back fondly at his son, "That's my man." He put a hand on Dean's shoulder before walking out the door.
Dean, routinely, locked it up behind him and turned to his little brother.
"Hey Winchester, you with us?" Mia asked as she noted Dean's faraway expression.
"I know why Dad sent us here." Dean finally said, coming out of his memory.
He turned to Sam, "He's faced this thing before, and he wants us to finish it for him."
When they finally got to the motel it was pouring rain and late.
"What the hell is a shtriga?" Sam asked as he climbed out of the car.
Mia followed his lead and wrapped her jacket tightly around her body. She listened to Dean's response curiously; the creature they were hunting was not in John Winchester's journal.
"Kinda like a witch, I think- I don't know much about them." Dean replied curtly as he unloaded the trunk.
"Well I've never heard of them." Sam retorted.
Dean looked up, "Dad hunted one of them in Fort Douglas, Wisconsin about sixteen or seventeen years ago. You were there-you don't remember?"
"No," Sam answered incredulously.
"Well Dad must've caught wind of it here and sent us the coordinates."
"So you think this, shtriga, is the same one Dad hunted before?"
Dean shrugged nonchalantly, "Maybe."
Sam continued to press his brother with questions, "But if Dad was hunting it, how is it still alive?"
"Cause, it got away."
"Got away?"
"Yeah, it happens,"
"Not very often,"
Dean groaned, "Look, I don't know what to tell you, maybe Dad didn't have his Wheaties that morning or something."
Sam remained unconvinced, "What else do you remember?"
"Nothing," Dean replied in irritation, "I was a kid alright?"
He walked into the office while Sam and Mia exchanged looks.
"He's hiding something." Mia concluded from the older Winchester's defensiveness.
"I know he is." Sam agreed, "can I look at Dad's journal for a second? I just want to see if there's anything."
Mia handed it to him and shrugged, "Sure, but I've finished the thing and I don't remember any mention of a shtriga."
She walked inside the office where Dean was booking a room with a young boy.
"King or two queens?" The boy asked.
"Two queens, and a cot." Dean answered as he got his money ready.
The boy snuck a glance at Mia beside him, who was tying her hair back and then at Sam who was outside flipping through the journal.
"Yeah, I bet." The boy said under his breath. Clearly thinking they were going to have a ménage a trois or something along those lines. He'd lived long enough at the motel to think Dean wasn't serious about the three of them sleeping in different beds.
"What did you say?" Dean asked the little boy having caught the snide comment.
"Nice car." The little concierge lied with a smile.
An older woman walked into the place and smiled at Dean and Mia, "Hi, checking in?"
"Yep," Mia replied and the woman smiled and looked at the boy working the desk.
"Do me a favor and go get your brother some dinner," The woman told him.
The young blond haired boy stared at her incredulously, "I'm helping a guest!"
"Now." She told him and he groaned.
Dean smirked at the boy's predicament and the boy leered at him.
"Two queens and a cot." He told his mother mockingly.
Mia frowned at the boy's assumption and watched him disappear into the kitchen while Dean and the woman organized payment.
She looked over to Dean and again saw his wide-eyed look. He was zoning out again while watching the young boy pour his brother milk.
Dean remembered making dinner for Sammy while their dad was out on a hunt.
"When's dad gonna get back?" Sam asked his big brother who began pouring his dinner.
"Tomorrow, but you know he always comes late." Dean replied as he finished pouring.
"I'm sick of spaghetti-o's," Sammy sighed.
"What? You're the one who wanted them!" Dean remarked in surprise.
"I want lucky charms," His little brother said hungrily.
"There aren't any more lucky charms," Dean lied.
Sam stared at him, "Yes there is, I saw the box."
Dean backpedaled, "Okay, maybe there is but there's only enough for one bowl and I haven't had any yet."
The younger Winchester proceeded to give his brother his best puppy dog look, and Dean reluctantly gave in.
He tossed the spaghetti-o's and slammed the box of lucky charms down on the table for his brother.
Sam reached into the box and smiled at Dean, "Do you want the prize?"
"Dude, what is with you today? It's like you're in the twilight zone or something." Mia remarked quizzically when Dean finally returned to reality.
He rolled his eyes at her in infuriation before taking his credit card back from the motel owner.
"Thanks," He smiled at the woman as he began to fill out the paperwork.
Finally they were in their motel room. Sam and Mia pulled out their laptops and searched up shtriga while Dean made coffee.
"Well," said Sam after some time, "you were right, it was hard to find. They're sort of witch-Albanian but the legends date back to ancient Rome."
Mia scooted over on the bed to glance at Sam's laptop screen.
"It says they feed off of 'spiritus vitae'." Sam continued.
"Spirity what?" Dean asked.
"Spiritus Vitae, it's Latin for 'breath of life'." Mia answered. Latin had been her best class in high school, along with Ancient History.
Dean coughed under his breath, "Nerd."
Mia shot him a dirty look and Sam went on reading, ignoring his brother's comment.
"It's like a 'life-force' or 'essence,'" Sam explained and Dean nodded, adding that it explained why the doctor at the hospital had said the kids' bodies seemed to be 'wearing out'.
"Yeah, shtrigas can feed off of anyone but they prefer-"
"Children," Dean finished for his brother.
"Probably because they have a stronger life force." Sam added, "oh, and get this; they are immune to the weapons of God and man."
Mia groaned, "Great, how do we kill a thing with no vulnerabilities?"
Dean frowned, "That website is wrong; she's vulnerable when she feeds. That's when how we kill her."
Sam and Mia both looked up at him in surprise.
"Since when did you become a shtriga expert?" Mia asked as she crossed her arms.
"It's called listening." Dean retorted, "My dad told me, and I remembered."
"So anything else Dad might have mentioned?" Sam asked sarcastically.
"Nope that's it." Dean responded levelly.
Sam continued to stare at his older brother in disbelief. How was it Dean remembered all of this? Did his unwavering memory have to do with the fact that the monster got away?
"So, if we can shoot this thing while it's feeding, then we need to find it." Mia said, breaking the silence.
Sam stood up, "That's gonna be tough, considering they take on a human form during the day. Usually, it's a feeble old woman-probably that's how the whole witch/crone thing got started."
Mia and Dean stared at each other, "The woman at the hospital!" They cried in unison.
"It makes sense," Dean continued, "I was looking at all the houses she hit and dead center is the hospital."
Mia nodded enthusiastically, "Yes! And did you see the upside down cross? It makes perfect sense."
"What?" Sam inquired, baffled at the sight of Dean and Mia actually working together without killing each other.
The two of them explained to Sam what they saw and they immediately headed out to the hospital to see her.
They snuck into the hospital, past the doctor who was leaving for the night and headed to the room.
Dean pulled out his gun as they entered the dark room. The three of them surrounded the sleeping old woman in her wheelchair and aimed their guns on her.
Dean leant towards her when suddenly she awoke.
"WHO'S THERE?" She thundered, scaring Dean so badly he flew back against the wall.
Mia gasped loudly and Sam jumped before turning on the lights.
She accused them of stealing her things and Sam reassured her that they weren't going to hurt her and they were just sent to check on her.
"We're sorry, we thought you were asleep." Mia said relieved that she wasn't going to kill them.
"I was sleeping with my peepers open." The old woman cackled, "And fix that crucifix! I've already asked four damn times."
Mia sighed in disappointment while Dean fixed the cross. They were back to square one.
By the time they got back to their motel the sun had risen.
"AHAHAHA, 'I was sleepin' with my peepers open." Sam laughed loudly as they got out of the car.
"I would've smoked that old lady, it's not funny!" Dean protested but Mia began laughing too.
"You should have seen your face Dean, it was priceless! I wish we took a picture." She cried.
Dean narrowed his eyes at her, "Why are you laughing? You were just as convinced as I was that she was the witch."
"I know, but I'm sorry- the way you jumped and threw yourself at the wall was hilarious!" She said as she began laughing even harder along with Sam.
Dean grumbled, "Yeah, laugh it up. Now we're screwed, we have no idea where she could-"
He paused when he recognized the boy from the front desk sitting outside, looking miserable.
"-be." He finished.
He walked over to the boy while Sam and Mia stopped laughing.
They followed Dean over to him. The older Winchester crouched down beside him.
"Hey, what's wrong?"
With tear-filled eyes the young boy choked, "My brother-he's sick. He's in the hospital with pneumonia."
Mia's eyes widened and she nudged Sam.
That meant the monster had visited last night.
"It's all my fault," the boy lamented.
"Hey," Dean said, "no it's not."
"Yes it is; I should've made sure the window was latched. Now he's sick and there's no one to blame but me."
Dean and Sam exchanged looks.
"Look," Dean told the boy reassuringly, "I can promise you that it's not your fault."
"Yes it is," The young boy insisted, "it's my job to look after him,"
That sentence struck a chord with Dean whose face fell.
Sam and Mia saw it and both wondered what Dean was thinking.
The boy's mother emerged from the office and called him, "Michael,"
She explained to him that he needed to stay there while she went to the hospital and he protested, begging her to let him see his brother.
"Hey Michael," Dean called the boy over, "I know how you feel. I'm a big brother too but you gotta go easy on your mom, okay?"
Michael sighed dejectedly.
Dean walked over to the frantic woman who Sam was currently helping with her bags.
"Look lady, you're in no condition to drive. Let me give you a lift." Dean offered.
"Oh I couldn't possibly-oh alright." She gave in and tossed him the keys before kissing her son goodbye.
Dean walked over to them. "We're gonna kill this thing. I want it dead."
He then got in the car, leaving Michael, Sam and Mia alone.
"So," Mia started casually, "you got any board games?"
In the end, Sam decided to leave to do research at the library, Dean checked on Michael's brother, Asher, at the hospital and Mia decided to stay with Michael and keep him company.
"You know, you don't have to stay with me." Michael said as he rolled the dice for Clue.
Mia shrugged, "I know, but I figure it must be lonely here for you without your mom or brother."
Michael looked down in shame.
"Hey, don't make that face. This wasn't your fault. People get sick all the time, and that window isn't exactly made of titanium."
He glanced up, "I should have-"
Mia interrupted him, "No. You didn't do anything wrong, you're a good big brother and Asher is lucky to have you. Beating yourself up about something out of your control isn't going to make your brother any better, and I don't think he'd want you to do that anyways."
Michael smiled in spite of the circumstances.
"There you go," Mia, grinned back, "I promise, he'll get better. In the meantime, go Colonel Mustard, I want to make my assumption already."
He obliged and moved his character. "How old are you Mia?"
"Nineteen."
Michael frowned, "You seem older than nineteen."
Mia shrugged, "That's because when you road trip with Sam and Dean, sleeping is against the rules."
"Dean's the one who went to help my mom right?"
"Yep."
Michael nodded, "He seems like a nice guy."
Mia snorted sarcastically.
The young boy frowned, "You don't like him?"
Mia sighed, "It's complicated. He hates me for some reason and acts like everything I say doesn't matter."
"But, why are you staying with him if he hates you?" Michael asked.
"Because he and his younger brother, Sam, they're sort of um, training me."
Mia twirled her necklace nervously, had she said too much?
"Training you… to be like a secret agent or something?" Michael inferred and Mia smiled.
"Yeah, something like that-but it's top secret."
The boy raised his eyebrows but didn't argue.
"I'm just an amateur but I'm hoping one day to become a full-time agent, like Sam and Dean." She confided.
Just then her phone rang with Sam's caller ID.
"I need to take this, and if you peek in that confidential envelope, you're in huge trouble, mister." Mia threatened as she got up from the table.
"Sam?"
"We're on a three-way call with Dean. He said the brother isn't looking too good." Sam reported sadly.
Mia glanced back at Michael who was concentrating on his cards.
"Poor boy," she sighed.
"Yeah," Dean agreed, "Sam, what did you find out at the library?"
"I checked out where it was around the date you said Dad was in Fort Douglas- same deal. Before that it was Ogdenville, North Havenbrooke- it seems like this happens regularly, every fifteen to twenty years. And guys; this thing is just getting started. It goes on for months, puts dozens of kids into comas then they all die."
Mia covered her mouth so Michael wouldn't hear her gasp of shock.
"How far back does this thing go?" She asked.
"About the 1890's," Sam replied as he flipped through old newspaper headlines.
"Wow." Sam exclaimed.
"What?" Dean asked.
"I'm looking at a photograph of the doctors in the 1890's and guess who's there? Hydecker-the doctor who helped us."
Mia smacked her own forehead, "Of course! It makes perfect sense; nobody would ever suspect the doctor. He's the kind of person everyone trusts and with his position he could continue draining life forces without anyone suspecting."
"You sure about this?" Dean asked his brother and Sam affirmed it.
"Okay," Dean said, "How's Michael holding up?"
Mia looked back to the young boy, "He's okay, he still blames himself for everything. I am trying to cheer him up."
"Well, tell him his mom sends her love," Dean added, "I'll talk later."
He hung up the phone.
"I'll meet you back at the motel in fifteen minutes." Sam told Mia before hanging up as well.
She put away her phone and returned to Michael's game.
"Your mom says hi." Mia told him and he smiled.
"Since it's still my turn I want to make an accusation."
"You do that," Mia encouraged and Michael sat up straighter.
"It was Mrs. Peacock, in the Study with the wrench." He announced.
Mia checked her cards. "You're, you're right. You little cheater; I told you not to open the confidential envelope!"
Michael laughed at her surprise, "Yeah, but you never said I couldn't look at your cards."
The girl shook her head and smiled, "Well played."
"That son of a bitch, he just leered at me, 'all I care about are those kids'. Liar, rotten dirty, asshole." Dean cursed as he threw his jacket on the bed.
"Personally I'm surprised you didn't shoot him right there." Sam said and Mia made a sound of agreement.
"No for two reasons; I'm not gonna open fire on a frickin' pediatrics ward, and it wouldn't even leave a mark on him. Three, I didn't have my gun."
"So you mean, you didn't because you didn't have your gun basically." Mia figured.
"Yeah, good thing too or that place would have probably blown to bits."
"You've grown wise in your old age Dean." Sam smirked.
"At least now, we can get him." Mia sighed as she sat on the couch.
"How?" Dean asked.
"Simple- the shtriga works through families. Since Asher got attacked last night, he's gonna go for Michael tonight."
Sam's eyes widened at Mia's words, "Then we gotta get him out of here."
"No," Said Dean, "we can use him as bait."
"Are you nuts?! No way, forget it!" Sam yelled in disbelief.
"It's the only way we can get this thing." Dean shouted back.
"Michael's a kid! It's out of the question. Can you believe this Mia?" He asked his friend but Mia was staring at Dean curiously.
"Sam, Dad did not send me here so I could walk away. I'm the one who screwed up and there's no telling how many kids got hurt because of me." Dean admitted in shame.
"Wait, what?" Mia questioned, "Is this why the shtriga got away? You did something?"
Dean didn't reply.
"Dean, we know you've been hiding something." Sam told his brother.
"Tell us what's going on." He added.
"Fort Douglas, Wisconsin." Dean started.
"We were stuck in the motel for three days and I was climbing the walls. I left while you were asleep, Sam. I went next door to play at the arcade- it was just for a half hour; that was it. When I got back to the motel, the shtriga was in your bedroom, bent over you. I panicked, I grabbed Dad's gun and went to take my shot but I couldn't do it. I was too weak, and scared. It was going to get you, but then Dad came home and he shot the thing ten times until it jumped out the window and got away. Luckily, you were okay. Dad was pissed, he yelled at me for leaving you and ever since he's never looked at me the same. I don't blame him; he gave me an order and I didn't listen-almost got you killed. Anyways, he grabbed us and dropped us off at Pastor Jim's but by the time he got back to Fort Douglas, the shtriga disappeared. It hasn't resurfaced until now."
"Dean, you were just a kid." Sam replied sympathetically.
"Don't... Dad knew this was unfinished business for me and that's why I have to finish it." Dean said.
"But using Michael as bait, I just…" Sam sighed.
"Believe me, I don't like it either, but it's the only way." Dean then looked at Mia who was staring at the ground.
"What do you have to say, Princess?" He mocked, believing Mia was going to make fun of him for his mistakes.
Instead, she looked him square in the face. "Let's do it."
The first attempt of asking Michael ended in disaster. He refused to help them and called them all insane. Despite all that, Dean had been extremely kind and understanding towards the boy.
He revealed a caring side to him that Mia never knew existed. She thought Dean was a selfish jerk, but now she could see that above everything, he really cared about Sam, and he truly wanted to help those kids.
Don't get me wrong, she thought to herself, I still think he's an ass, but he does have many layers-like an onion.
She respected him for believing he needed to fix his mistakes and after Michael had kicked them all out. She decided to try talking to the boy again.
"I thought I told you guys to go away." Michael said as Mia walked into the office.
"Relax, I'm not here to yell at you. I just want to talk to you about what Dean said."
He shook his head, "That was a crazy idea, me being bait. I could get killed!"
"Or you couldn't," Mia chimed in, " I know it's a lot to soak in, trust me-I have been in your shoes before. But I swear to you, Sam and Dean are the best shots I've ever met. You can trust them, I promise. Dean would never let you get hurt, he told me so himself."
Michael looked at her skeptically, "I thought you didn't like Dean."
Mia sighed, "I know, but I respect him. That monster came after his brother when he was about your age and he couldn't stop it, that guilt has haunted him for years. Now, he can finally get a chance to finish this if you help us."
The boy looked down, thinking it all over. "If I help you, will my brother and all those kids at the hospital get better."
"I don't honestly know. I believe they will." Mia replied, " I believe Dean and Sam will kill it and you won't ever have to worry about it hurting you, your brother or anyone ever again."
He seemed to be seriously contemplating it and Mia decided to leave him with his thoughts.
"I know it seems really scary, but if you do it, you'll be a hero. Anyways, in case you change your mind, you know where to find us."
She walked out of the office and back to the motel room, hoping that Michael would decide to help them. A lot of children's lives were at stake, and she knew if they missed their chance they'd have to wait another fifteen to twenty years for another shot.
Moments after she got into the motel room there was a knock at the door.
Dean answered it and spoke to Michael who stood anxiously outside.
"You said; you're a big brother." He said.
"Yeah," Dean replied.
"You'd take care of him- do anything for him, right?"
Dean looked back at Sam who was watching the exchange with interest.
"Yeah I would."
"Me too," Michael said courageously. He glanced over to Mia then back to Dean. "I'll do it."
The three hunters sighed in relief and gratitude.
They got to work. Mia set up a hidden camera in the bedroom that linked to Sam's laptop in the main room.
In the meantime, Dean was instructing Michael on what to do.
"That camera she's setting up links to the next room, we'll be able to see when it comes in. Then we'll come in here with guns, as soon as we come in I want you to hide under the bed okay?"
"What if you shoot me?"
Dean replied calmly, "We won't shoot you. We have very good aim. Well, some of us do."
He gestured over to Mia who rolled her eyes at him, "Hey, 3 out of 5 isn't bad, and I'm getting better."
Dean smirked but then resumed his composure, "Don't worry, we won't shoot until you're out of the way. Have you ever heard a real gunshot before?"
Michael shook his head.
"Okay, well it's gonna be really loud- a lot louder than the ones you hear in the movies. So when we come in, get under the bed and cover your ears; don't come out until we call you, okay?"
The boy began looking scared and Mia noticed.
"You sure you wanna do this? You know you don't have to, we won't be mad." She told him honestly.
He shook his head vigorously, "No, no I'm fine just don't shoot me."
Dean nodded, "We won't let anything happen to you, I promise."
He then stood up and left Mia and Michael in the room together.
"Is this what you said you were training for?" Michael asked, "Hunting these monsters?"
Mia turned around and smiled at him. "Yeah, I want to help them hunt and kill monsters so I can save people like you and your brother from getting hurt."
"I think you'll be a great monster hunter." He told her and she smiled graciously.
"Thank you. Well, I'm gonna go now, but I promise, you can trust us okay? We know what we're doing, and we can't thank you enough for doing this."
She joined the Winchesters in the living room.
"Please tell me this is going to work." She sighed as she sat down on the couch beside them.
"I can't." Dean replied as he glued his eyes to the screen.
"Some comfort you are." Mia muttered.
Sometime later Mia fell asleep and woke up startled.
"What time is it?!" She rasped as she sat up.
"Shut up!" Dean hissed, "you'll scare it away."
"It's 3," Sam whispered to her, "still no shtriga."
Mia sighed and stared at the monitor. She hated herself for falling asleep, granted it was only an hour but she felt like she'd betrayed Michael.
Dean and Sam began having a deep conversation as Sam apologized for always yelling at his brother for following their dad's orders.
Mia watched the screen closely; Michael was still awake. Then again, she didn't blame the kid, if she was in his position she wouldn't sleep a wink.
"Look," Dean remarked as he pointed at the moving shape in the window-it was the shtriga.
Mia grabbed her gun and the brothers did the same as they waited for it to begin feeding.
"Now?" asked Sam as the creature crawled into the window.
"Not yet." Dean replied.
Mia's heart hammered in her chest.
"Now?" She asked Dean, as it got closer to the bed.
He shook his head.
Unable to take the anticipation, Mia stood up.
"Now!" Dean cried softly.
The three of them ran to the door and kicked it open to reveal the black-cloaked shtriga that began feeding on Michael.
"HEY!" Dean shouted as loudly as he could.
The monster looked up and Michael rolled out of his bed.
The moment he hit the ground, the Winchesters and Mia began shooting.
They unloaded bullets until the creature fell to the ground.
Dean called, "Hey Mike, you alright?"
"Yeah," came the boy's terrified reply.
Dean told him to stay down while he went to check on the shtriga.
"I think we got him." He sighed in relief as he looked over to his brother.
Just then, the monster sprung to his feet, grabbed Dean around the neck and threw him into the bookshelf.
"Dean!" Sam cried out.
Mia began shooting again but the creature grabbed her by the head and slammed her onto the floor.
It went for Sam next, taking him in a chokehold and pushing him onto the bed.
Sam fought with the creature as he attempted to reach his gun and shoot it but the creature forced him down and began feeding on him.
Dean got up and shot the creature dead.
"You okay, little brother?" Dean asked, glaring at the shtriga's dead body.
Sam replied that he was fine, and Michael crawled out from under his bed.
Dean got up, and fired more bullets into the dead creature until it began disintegrating.
"It's okay Michael, you can come out." Dean cried.
"Is she gonna be okay?" Michael called back.
Sam and Dean turned around in confusion until they realized he meant Mia.
Sam sank to his knees, "Mia!"
Dean shook her; "Mia, Mia wake up."
Finally, she began to come to.
"Did you get it?" She asked with her eyes still shut.
Dean smiled in relief and patted Michael on the back. "Yeah, we got him."
Mia held an ice pack to the back of her head, which was bruised greatly.
"So, you shot the shtriga as it was trying to kill Sam?" She asked Dean while he packed up the car.
"Yep."
"How fortuitous." She remarked as she leant against the car.
"That was a big word," Dean commented insultingly, "Is your head okay?"
Mia said nothing because as Dean asked the question, Michael's mom drove up.
"Joanna, is Asher okay?" Sam asked when he recognized the woman.
"Yes! Have you seen Michael?"
No sooner had his mother called his name that the boy came running out of the office to hug his mom.
"Does this mean Asher is doing better?"
"Uh huh, it's a miracle! Him and the rest of the kids started to magically recover, Dr. Travis says they'll all be able to come home soon." She told him happily.
"Travis? What about Dr. Hydecker?" Sam queried.
"Umm, I think he was sick."
Mia and the Winchester brothers exchanged secret smiles. How ironic.
Do you want to see Ash now?" She asked Michael with a smile.
The boy jumped in excitement and ran to the car.
"I'd better go before he hotwires the car-thanks for your help." Joanna said before darting into her van.
"You know, it's too bad. Michael having to grow up now, knowing there's things to fear in the dark." Sam commented, "Sometimes…sometimes I wish I could have that childhood innocence."
Mia looked down. She didn't. She was glad she knew what lurked in the night because then she could protect herself and others. She believed she was better off, knowing creatures like the shtriga exist.
"If it means anything, I wish you could too." Dean sighed remorsefully.
They all climbed into the car and drove off.
If this hunt has taught me anything, Mia recorded in her journal, it's taught me that being a hunter means being a protector. You have to protect people from demons, ghosts, and monsters, and keep them from seeing the creepy things in the dark because you have to protect their innocence.
She put down her pen and looked at the older Winchester who had popped in one of his tapes.
As much as he drove her crazy, she did have to admit he was a good big brother with the capacity to care a lot about people, even if the people weren't her.
Dean loved Sam more than anything, and he'd proven that many times throughout this trip. Mia felt envious, she wished she had a sibling as devoted as Dean was to protecting his little brother.
Also, she recorded, when you wake up after being knocked out, your head hurts like a bitch.
Thanks to everyone for reading and please keep reviewing! Let me know what you think so far-I've got big plans for this fic! Reviews are the best-they inspire me to keep writing! Keep on reading and I just wanna let you guys know that I'm super grateful you're reading this!
Next: Dean, Sam and Mia investigate a haunted picture that kills its owners.