Ellie: Chapter Four
Disclaimer: Don't own 'em
The Impala pulled into the spot in front of the motel room. To be honest it was better than what they (Sam and Dean) were used to do. Sam and Jess were collecting the bags while Dean unbuckled Ellie out of her car seat.
"Daddy?" Ellie said sleepily.
"Go back to sleep princess."
"m'kay." Ellie said laying her head back on her father's shoulder.
Dean placed Ellie on the bed and turned to Sam and Jess. "No monkey business you two. Innocent eyes are present."
"We wouldn't think of doing anything in front of Ellie." Jess said seriously.
"Ellie? We're talking about moi." Dean said smirking.
Sam just shook his head at his brother's antics.
Dean grabbed a bag of salt and started to draw salt rings around the doors and windows.
"What are you doing Dean?" Jess asked curiously.
"He's putting down salt lines. Salt is a natural deterrent for the supernatural. Putting in a ring around entryways is a way to keep them out and us relatively safe."
"Oh. I guess you do learn something new everyday." Jess said.
"You want to shower first?" Dean asked Jess.
"Sure, thanks." Jess said smiling. She grabbed her bag and walked into the bathroom.
"I need to replenish our cash." Dean said grabbing his jacket. "Keep an eye on Elle; if she wakes up just tell her I'll be right back."
"Dean."
"Relax, Sam. I'll be back in an hour."
Dean fished his keys out of his pocket and went to the closest bar.
An hour later, Dean walked back into the motel room and saw Sam sitting at the table with his laptop open, Ellie still asleep on the bed, and Jess reading one of the research books they had in the car.
"So learn anything new?" Dean asked as he took off his jacket.
Jess looked at him, "Everything I learn is new Dean. Ghosts, werewolves, I don't know anything about them."
"Well, that's not really true." Dean said. "You watched horror movies as a kid didn't you?"
"Well, yeah but Sam said the movies are so off base that you can't really trust anything they say."
Dean laughed. "Yea, they are a little farfetched but there are some bits of truth buried in them. For example, the way to kill a werewolf is with a silver bullet to the heart. That's pretty much the standard way to kill any shape shifter."
"Okay. And what about vampires? Will garlic repel them?"
Dean started laughing so hard his sides hurt. "Garlic..." He said heaving as he tried to gather enough breath to speak.
Sam looked at his brother practically dying of laughter. He looked over at Jess and saw the embarrassed look on her face. "Jess," Sam started to say.
Dean finally gathered his wits and was able to talk. "Garlic, no Jess that would be one of the things made up especially for television. The only thing to take care of a vampire would be beheading. Sunlight won't kill them only irritate them. But you don't really have to worry about coming across a vampire they're practically extinct."
"Oh" Jess said.
"Jess, Dean wasn't laughing at you. Just the stupid things Hollywood makes up for horror movies. Right Dean?"
Dean shook his head. "Yes, Sammy. You'd think they have all that money and they can't spend a little on research?"
Before anyone could retort, Ellie started moaning and thrashing around on the bed. Dean rushed over and shook the little girl gently.
"Ellie. Ellie, princess wake up. It's a bad dream. Daddy's here princess."
"Daddy?" Ellie asked sleepily.
"Right here princess."
"Bad dream, Daddy." The little girl said burrowing as close to her father as humanly possible.
"It's okay daddy won't let anything hurt you."
Sam and Jess looked at each other.
"Daddy don't let the bad thing hurt mommy kay?"
"I won't baby. Daddy will find mommy and make the bad thing go away."
Ellie was silent as she was held the protective embrace of her father.
A few minutes later Ellie began to squirm in her father's lap. "Daddy down. Hafta potty." Ellie said.
Dean smiled as he put Ellie down and followed her into the bathroom. Ellie was barely getting a hold of using the bathroom. Ellie stopped and Dean nearly face planted. "Ellie, why did you stop? Don't you have to go to the bathroom?"
"Yes. But Daddy you're a boy."
"Yes, Ellie I know that."
"Daddy can't be in the bafroom with Ellie. Ellie is a girl."
Dean smiled and shook his head as he back out of the bathroom. "I'll wait outside okay?"
"Kay." Ellie said and shut the door.
Sam and Jess looked at Dean. Sam with one eyebrow raised in question.
"Apparently I'm a boy and can't be in the bathroom at the same time as a girl." Dean said smirk firmly in place.
Sam and Jess laughed.
"Guess she's growing up huh?" Sam said smiling.
"Does she need help?" Jess asked.
Dean knocked on the door. "Ellie?"
"Not done yet Daddy."
"Okay." Dean said. "Apparently no help is needed."
The trio heard the toilet flush and the sink start to run. Dean popped his head into the bathroom. "All done princess."
"Yes. Daddy, Ellie is hungry. We eat now?" She asked as she lifted her arms, a signal that she wanted to be held.
"Sure baby. Sam? Jess? You guys hungry?"
"I could go for some food." Jess said standing.
"Me too." Sam said.
The quartet piled into the Impala and drove the nearest diner. Soon they were seated and handed menus to order. Ellie sat there coloring the kid's menu the waitress had brought while Sam, Jess, and Dean looked through the menu to decide what to have for dinner.
Their waitress, a young attractive blonde woman, approached and smiled at Ellie. "Hi there."
Ellie frowned at the waitress and moved closer to her father. "Daddy why she talking to Ellie?"
"Princess she wants to know what you want to eat."
"Ellie isn't suppose to talk to strangers." She retorted.
"Well how about you tell Daddy and I'll tell the waitress what you want to eat. Okay?"
"Kay. Ellie wants pancakes. And chocolate milk pease."
"Ellie its dinner time."
"Pancakes daddy. Pease…" Ellie said, her lower lip pouting just a bit.
Dean sighed, shook his head and turned to the waitress, "Any chance you guys are still serving breakfast?"
"No, but I think we can make an exception for her. She's adorable." The waitress flirtingly said.
Ellie sensing that someone was talking about her lifted her face and smiled angelically at the waitress.
"Thanks, the munchkin will have pancakes and a chocolate milk."
"And you sir?"
"I'll have a cheese burger, extra onions, with French fries, and a beer."
The waitress turned to Jess.
"I'll have a chicken salad with a coke."
"I'll have cheese burger, no onions, French fries, and a beer too." Sam said.
"Okay I'll have your food out in a few minutes."
The waitress returned with their drinks and the later their food.
Dean cut up Ellie's pancakes and drowned them in syrup.
"Tank you daddy." Ellie said as she picked her fork up and began eating.
The waitress approached them with the check and was flirting with Dean.
"Daddy why is the lady letting you look down her shirt? Don't look you're a boy."
The waitress looked startled at the little girl's comment. She blushed mumbled something about having a nice evening and hurried off. Sam and Jess barely contained their laughter until she walked away. Dean looked frustrated and shook his head in disbelief as he picked Ellie up and settled her on his lap.
While Ellie slept soundly, Dean, Jess, and Sam sat at the small table in the hotel room discussing the next hunt.
"Are we sure it's a pack of hellhounds?" Dean asked.
"Either that or a black dog. According to the calls to animal control the victims see a big black dog chasing them with glowing red eyes."
"Just one dog? If there's only one then I'm leaning towards black dog." Dean commented.
Sam leaned back in his chair thinking about it.
"Either way check and see if there's anything in Dad's journal about them?"
Dean retrieved the journal and began to flip through it. "There's an entry about black dogs but nothing about hellhounds"
"Are they same thing?" Jess asked.
"Similar but not the same." Sam said opening various websites on his laptop. "Both are said to be a portent of death. They look similar in that they're above average in size, with glowing red eyes. A black dog is a ghost. It's a portent of death. There are various urban legends about black dogs. For example in Tennessee a set of black puppies were adopted by a cruel farmer who as so evil not even Satan himself would grant him entrance into Hell. Instead he was allowed to roam the earth bringing Satan more souls. A hellhound is physical being with supernatural powers. They're bulkier than an English Mastiff and taller than an Irish Wolfhound. They can become invisible at will and is suppose to be guard the entrance to Hell or supernatural treasure. They usually have a demon owner but like with regular dogs there can be strays. It sounds like we're dealing with hellhounds that have gone a stray, which could be a problem since hellhounds are only visible to the person or people they're hunting."
"Well how do you kill a black dog or a hellhound?" Jess asked.
"A black dog would be tied to an owner. To get rid of the dog you have to get rid of the owner. Find the bones, salt and burn 'em. A hellhound has to be beheaded. It's the only way to get rid of them."
"So how do we figure out if we're dealing with a black dog or a hellhound?" Jess asked.
Sam looked at Dean. Dean sighed. "Tomorrow we head to the place where the victims saw the animals and look for tracks. Tracks means we're dealing with a hellhound. No tracks mean a black dog."