Chapter 4

Sam hung up the phone and put it in his pocket. He sat on Angela's bed and cradled his head in his hands, rubbing his head to ward off the remnants of the dull throb of his vision. He looked around the room once again as if hoping to see if there was something he missed; like Angela just decided to step out. Yet the overturned table had him wondering.

Even though Angela had not been traveling with him and Dean for long, he did pick up on some of her habits. They were meticulous and always bore the characteristics of being cautious and alert. She never neglected to lay down salt lines or even draw those warding sigils. Sam concluded that they were not dealing with a supernatural creature. More likely the culprit was human and he wondered who would have a beef with her. To figure that out he would need to do what he did best, according to Dean.

Deciding to semi follow Bobby's advice, Sam trudged back to his and Dean's room after pausing to find Angela's room key on the floor. Picking it up, he inspected it and deep down he knew that she had been taken no matter what anyone else said. He made sure the door was locked and picketed her key and went to his room. There he found Dean with a bag of foodstuffs and looking pleased with himself. It took effort to not outwardly shout at his brother and demand where he had been. So Sam adopted the quiet approach, "Hey Dean, took you that long to grab food?"

Dean had to admit that he had taken longer than necessary to get food but hey who was watching time when you were talking to a hot chick? Plus he had some other things to take care of that crossed his mind while he was out. He replied, "It does when you meet a hot chick in the process."

It then clicked for Sam. Dean turned his phone off in order to prevent any interruptions. It wasn't something he did all the time but only when he thought he met a girl that was in a special class of hotness. Sam resisted the eye roll because Dean claimed that Sam had a knack for calling right when he was in the middle of chatting up the girl. He replied, "She must've been something if you had to turn off your phone for two hours."

"Sam you should have seen her. Hair pitch black, rich skin and a set of brown eyes that make your puppy dog face look weak."

Sam gave a shrug that clearly said 'whatever.' He went over to his side of the room to try and tidy up his things. The bottle of aspirin was in plain sight and he moved to try and move it. He prayed that Dean didn't see that.

He wasn't to get his wish. Dean had quick reflexes and snatched up the bottle of aspirin and was examining it. He looked at Sam with a suspicious look and asked, "Had a fever or something Sam?"

Sam reverted to his usual defense. The denial and the brush off. "I'm fine Dean."

"Sam."

It was the 'I'm the big brother and you better answer me' tone and Sam knew that he was going to get it if he didn't fess up right now. He was still going to try and deflect as per his habit. Plus he was itching to go out and start looking for clues. "It's nothing Dean. Just a little headache."

"Headache my ass," Dean replied, "You had a vision didn't you?"

Sam said nothing but fiddled with Angela's room key in his pocket. What else could he say? He sat on his bed suddenly feeling tired about the whole thing.

"Sam?"

"I'm fine now Dean."

Dean sat on his bed across from Sam. A nasty feeling began to grow in the pit of his stomach. He asked, "Did it happen while I was out?"

Sam looked up and saw the look on his older brother's face. This was exactly what Bobby had warned him about and deep down Sam knew that it would happen. He was going to have to do some talking to diffuse the situation enough so that Dean wouldn't harbor any guilty feelings. He replied, "It's okay Dean. I got the aspirin and everything is fine." He left out the fact that he had called Bobby and had passed out on purpose. No need to add fuel to the fire.

"Are you sure because I checked and I have about a dozen missed calls from Bobby."

"Just checking to see how we did on the case," Sam replied. It was partially the truth for about all two seconds of the conversation he had with Bobby.

"Okay," Dean allowed. He got the feeling that Sam was hiding something from him. It didn't take a genius to figure that one out and he knew that kid better than anyone. "So what did you see? A new psychic?"

"What?"

"Come on Sam. Whenever you have a vision it usually involves one of the psychics," Dean replied a little forcefully. Sometimes he had to be rough with Sam if only to get him to talk and because Sam could graduate from being a pain in the ass to a stubborn ass.

Sam knew that Dean was not going to let this go so easily. Still something was telling him in his gut that he be circumspect with what he saw. He didn't know why but he sensed that it was necessary. He just hoped that it wouldn't bite him or Angela in the ass. He recalled his dreams before they took this job. He could use that while he figured out what to do next. He replied, "Yeah it was. Dean I don't think we finished the job here."

"What do you mean? You ganked the sonofabitch that was messing with me and this town," Dean replied as he walked over to pull out one of the premade sandwiches he bought. He tore the wrapping and started chomping away. He reached in and pulled out a second one and tossed it to Sam. "So you know who it is?"

Sam caught the sandwich and made a slight face. He had become spoiled in terms of food. She had made the best sandwiches and now his tolerance level was shot and he was pretty sure that Dean's was as well even though Dean could eat just about anything. He tentatively took a bite while trying to ignore the flying bits of food coming out of his brother's mouth. He replied after swallowing, "Not sure but it was a girl. Black hair and twin braids. I couldn't see too much. It was dark."

Dean chomped on his sandwich as he thought about it. He relished the taste of the ham even though the sandwich was crap. He studied his younger brother and came to the conclusion that either Sam knew something and wasn't telling or that he knew something but needed time to thing about it to be sure. He decided it was the latter and decided go with the flow though eventually he would get the truth out one way or another. "Okay. You talk to Angie about it?"

"She's not here. She must be out getting your pie," Sam replied and prayed that he sounded convincing enough.

Dean took another bite of his sandwich. He thought it a little odd that Angela wasn't around. As far as he knew, she wouldn't let something that serious slip under her radar. Then again there was a first time for everything. He replied with a shrug of his shoulders, "At least she's getting pie unlike some people who just plain forget."

Sam gave an annoyed frown. This was unusual for Dean. As far as he could tell, Dean seemed grateful that someone else shared the burden of worrying over stuff and that usually fell to Angela. The fact that he was not showing as much concern about her being gone for a while was something to think about. Sam did concede that the relationship between his brother and Angela was hardly one that was considered a normal good. They ribbed each other constantly and Dean seemed to enjoy it but if did her own thing, he wasn't going to be like a concerned dad waiting up all hours while his daughter was on a date. He replied, "Whatever Dean. So I take it that you got her number?"

If Dean noticed the switch in topics, he didn't show it. It didn't matter since he was dying to tell Sam about the hot chick he had met. He replied with a mouth full of food, "No but I could tell she was into me."

Sam gave a slight roll of his eyes. "Sure Dean."

"Thing is, she has a kid too. Now I'm not a fan of kids but hell she has good taste when it comes to toys for the kid." Dean finished off his sandwich with relish while Sam took smaller bites and observed his brother. "She found a perfect model of my baby."

Sam gave a knowing grunt. He knew what that meant. That was part of the reason why he agreed to having Angela come along. It was major points in Dean's book if you had a healthy to near obsessive respect of classic cars like the Impala.

"Hey at least she has good taste in cars."

"Dude, I didn't say anything," Sam replied.

"Ya didn't have to. I practically see it on your face. Really you are a hopeless case."

"At least I don't drool over a car in the hopes of getting a car orgasm."

"Bite me bitch. At least the girl was hot. The twin black braids…"

Sam shook his head. "Whatever." Hearing Dean's description of the girl, he came to certain conclusions and he was fairly certain who it was. He then had an idea and decided to go through with it. At least Dean could sleep off whatever he was feeling and maybe he would find her before things got messy. Standing up, he threw his trash in the wastebasket and said, "I'm going to take a walk. If I think of anything I missed…" He left the sentence hanging.

Dean finished his sandwich and pulled out another, a turkey one this time. He mumbled, "Fine. Take your emo walk Samantha."

"Sam."

"Bitch."

"Jerk." Sam left closing the door quietly. He decided the best thing to do was backtrack from the moment they separated on their way back to the motel. He fingered her room key in his pocket before taking off. He was tired and passing out could hardly be called sleep but there was a reason he had that vision and why it hurt worse than the others.

Once out of the motel, he started up the street towards the store he met the Natalia girl. His head was still throbbing from earlier and it felt unusual. He squinted in response to the glare from the sun and made his way through the streets. He stopped at the closest minimart and asked the cashier.

"Yeah a girl came by. Hottest thing on two legs. Amazing she could pay attention to what is going on while talking on the phone. Ya know she told me that I counted her change wrong? And she wasn't even looking!"

Sam listened to the kid. It wasn't the first time that he heard such 'compliments' in regards to Angela. In Dean's classification of women, she would be considered the kind that every guy wanted to bang. She wasn't busty like Dean's porn girls or a blonde but Sam did have to admit that she had an attractive quality in her athletic body. Women would probably kill for her body type and if they knew the truth about her eating habits, they would have tried to gank her.

He gladly interrupted the kid's drooling fantasy, "So did she say anything? Did you happen to see where she went?"

"Well, she did mention something to whoever she was talking to on the phone. Something about a guy named Dean. That you?"

"My brother," Sam replied. There was no need to go into more detail about that. "So which way did she take?"

"Left the store and turned left."

"Thanks," Sam replied and left the store. Standing outside, he thought about it and determined that she came straight back to the motel after leaving the minimart. He didn't want to ask the kid if he saw anyone following her since it was obvious that the kid was thinking with the downstairs brain. Best thing he could do was head back to the shop and maybe find out where that Austin guy was.

It was a good plan and Sam was making good time. He rounded a corner that brought him to the backside of the store and started to walk towards the front when the telltale signs started creeping up. He placed a hand to his forehead. "Not again."

It wasn't a good plea since the throb became worse, forcing Sam to squint and shut his eyes. He didn't even bother pull out his phone to dial Dean. He just leaned against the wall of the building to brace himself as he saw the same thing as before but instead of his mother taking a swing, it was someone else. What the hell? Sam didn't have much time to ponder. For the second time that day, he passed out.

Austin had never touched nor ridden an animal as magnificent as Child of the Water. The animal could be considered perfect and he could believe that was why the old man named the colt as such. It surprised him that the colt was so responsive to him while still maintaining that streak of independence that he liked. His older sibling was similar but more outward and prone to react to anything. It didn't matter though since he liked both of them.

The old man wanted Child of the Water broken first so he would spend the next few days working with the animal but as it turned out, the horse was being more than cooperative. However twice though, it seemed to get a little agitated as if a burr were under its saddle. It had taken all of Austin's patience to calm the animal and start again. Patience he had a huge supply of since he had to deal with her a few times and in front of the Centurion, it was enough to try the patience of a saint.

Austin managed to convince the horse to let him put the saddle on and lead him around. The horse had followed him willingly and was sly enough to nuzzle his jacket pocket for the oats that he had hidden in there just in case he needed a bribe. At one point, he caught the old man watching him with interest and he resolutely ignored it. After all it could be that he was just checking up on him to make sure that he didn't ruin his prize colt. He wouldn't blame him since he himself had seen a few prize colts spoiled by improper breaking in.

"Knows that you are different but willing to give the benefit of the doubt," the old man said as he watched his hire lead the colt around.

Austin paused in his leading and stroked the horse's neck. It gave a slight rumble at the feeling and he smiled. He replied, "And I suppose that will help his sibling when his turn comes up."

"Yes but they need someone who can understand the relationship."

A few choice phrases entered Austin's mind. After all he wasn't a complete prude or a celibate and his sense of humor could be mind boggling. He went with the less risqué choice and replied, "So they need a therapist then? Interesting."

The old man chuckled at Austin's choice of words. The boy was good at what he did but he didn't grasp that it was someone else he was referring to. He allowed that it was because the boy was an outsider and he wouldn't completely understand in the first place unless he stopped to really think about it. He replied, "Someone who has had similar experiences. It reflects in their handling."

Austin thought about it for a moment. Child of the Water was the quieter of the two siblings and when provoked, could be a fighter. He had dealt with all types before and on some level could relate… He then shook it off. At the moment he couldn't grasp what the old man was getting at. He needed to finish the day off. He answered, "I see."

The old man knew that Austin was thinking things through when Child of the Water tossed its head and became slightly agitated. He said, "The younger one senses something/"

Really you think? Austin couldn't help but think that as he tried to settle the animal for the third time. He reached up towards the neck and tried stoking it while holding the horse with the other arm. "Easy boy. Tell me what the problem is," he whispered in the horse's ear.

The animal responded by angling its body in the direction of town. It kicked its feet up and stomped on the ground. The old man understood instantly. The horse knew that someone needed help. It truly was a descendant of Thunder of the Sky. He said, "Go with him. He will guide you."

Austin looked at the old man as if he were crazy. The colt wasn't properly broken and was too young to be put upon for that kind of work. He didn't want to spoil a fine animal. He replied, "But he is not ready. To take a colt out like that before completely trained can ruin it especially one like this one." He continued to pet the animal and it calmed down some but not enough.

"Only he knows when he is ready. Go now." The old man then turned and trudged to the house leaving Austin with the horse that was itching to go.

Austin realized that he was given an order and since he technically was still a hired hand, he knew that he had to do what he was told. With a reluctant sigh, he moved and swung himself up on the saddle. "Okay boy take it easy."

The colt though started off and would have broken into a canter if Austin hadn't held him in check. He didn't want the animal to injure itself needlessly and he wasn't in the mood to put down an animal because of stupidity. He had done it before and it still bothered him to a degree. He kept the horse at a steady pace that was not too slow but slow enough to avoid any serious consequences.

The colt though had other ideas. Once its feet touched the road, it started to pick up the pace until it was galloping despite the protests the rider was giving him. It sensed it on the wind and it needed to move. It started moving faster while Austin tried to keep it at an easy pace.

The colt though had enough. He liked the trainer but he was too cautious right now. Besides he knew what he was doing and his brother told him that he needed to go. Even though he was reluctant, he was going to have to get rid of the rider and take off on his own speed. His chance came when he rounded the corner on the road.

There was a dip and he needed to make a jump. At the right moment, the colt took the chance. With an extra spring, he leapt over and in the process managed a couple of hard bucks. When the weight was gone off of his back, he took off running.

Austin hadn't expected the bucking and he fell hard on his ass. It hurt but it would take a lot more to break anything in his body. He sat up and watched as the horse took off running. If he didn't know any better, he would have thought that the horse had a mind of its own. Well at least one that was comparable to a human's.

A slight chuckle occurred and then, "For someone willing to take risks in the ongoing war of dark and light, you sure balk at the simple things."

Austin stood up and dusted himself off. He gave a slight scowl at the goddess. "I appreciate fine things and dislike it when they are spoiled by stupidity."

"A fine quality but unfortunately it seems that others have something else in mind."

"Bollocks," Austin replied. "Now I have to chase after the friggin' horse and I can't use my speed without attracting notice."

"You already did when you met the younger Winchester," Isis countered. "You've confirmed that there is such a thing as a good vampire even though he had witnessed it before with the 'vegetarian' group."

"I would think that he would have known after having met Angie. She's the epitome of being an enigma."

Isis couldn't help but laugh. She watched as Austin scowled at her. She knew what was going on with the horses after witnessing him interact with them. She suspected that the brothers had a hand in this but then again the animals were descendant from their prize pet that used to roam wild and free.

"What's so funny to you?"

Isis knew that she had to direct Austin back to the animal and ultimately to Sam Winchester. The two had to work together again on this one if they were to find her favorite daughter. Ever since she had been lost to her sight, she had been worried. She couldn't interfere since dire consequences have happened before in the past and manifesting as a mortal curtailed severely her powers, not that she could sense much anyway for the girl. No they had to do it. "The fact that you are way behind and in dire need to catch up."

Austin scowled as started at a jog in the direction the horse had taken. He didn't hear the goddess as she gave a few soft words for luck. He concentrated on the scent of the horse and followed it. It surprised him that it stuck to the road since it wasn't a trained horse like you saw in the movies but then again it could be that the animal was just being nice after what it did to get rid of him. "I'll never understand them the way they understand Chris or you Angie."

Meanwhile the colt made it into town within good time. Its hooves clacked on the pavement as it slowed to a trot. Not too many people were out so that was a good thing. Continuing its trot, he waltzed down the street like he was following a line of sugar; similar to his trainer hiding oats in his pocket. He rounded a corner, disregarding the stares of people passing through and would dance away from people trying to catch him. .

The colt passed by a black car just parked there and it paused a moment. Giving a slight whinny. He continued forward. The colt was in an alley at the back of a row of stores. The hoof beats were echoing off of the walls as he trotted forward. The colt paused as he heard something and he stopped. He perked his ears and then hearing it again, he walked slowly forward.

The colt found what he was looking for and rubbed his nose on the face looking up at him. He gave a grunt as well and all that earned was a moan. The colt gave a chortle that could have been mistaken for annoyance while he gave another bump with his nose. Having failed to achieve his purpose, the colt reared up and kicked the wall and made a racket.

Suddenly a door opened in the back. It slammed against the wall. The colt whinnied at the person who came out and then nuzzled the body. He calmed down when he felt an old weathered hand touch his neck. Now his job was done. He gave a deep rumble and a slight chortle when his ears picked up his trainer's tread.

"Good horse," a voice said and the hand patted his neck.

A/N: Oh teh noes! Sam passed out again. What the hell? And what about that horse? Something funky is going on. Find out next time on Dark Secrets...