The restaurant was quiet, the town staying tucked inside in the warm while more snow fell. It made the large gathered together collection of tables seem like it filled the room and allowed space for the group to relax and move about. Amid balloons, streamers and full wine glasses, friends and relatives caught up and chatted merrily.

Two seats among the mass of tables were empty and thirty minutes after the drinks had started flowing, Lena made her entrance. She apologized profusely, her partner following behind her shaking his head and smiling fondly.

"I'm sorry!" Lena offered once again, shrugging off her winter coat and hurrying across to the table.

"It's okay, we're used to it." Tania stood and held out her arms, embracing Lena warmly.

"I was hurrying, I swear!" Lena continued, smiling a greeting at the waiting guests. "But picking an outfit is hard enough without being the size of a small hippo!"

"Oh, don't!" A greying woman stood and hugged Lena against her. "You look just wonderful."

"Thanks, Maggie." Lena smiled and took her seat. She nudged her partner as he sat down beside her and she heard him exaggerating about her indecisiveness. "Hey! We would have gotten here sooner if you'd put your foot down, Jerry."

"In ice and snow with a precious cargo on board?" Jerry protested, looking around at the group for support. "I don't think so, honey!"

Lena looked around at the eagerly agreeing friends and family that smiled warmly at her and gave a small shrug of defeat. "Well … thanks for waiting."

"Are you kidding?" Tania offered happily, "The wine here is amazing!"

"I know." Lena enthused, "This is where Jim - " She paused suddenly and closed her eyes, her smile fading.

The group fell silent for a moment, uncertain glances and concerned frowns passing between the couples sitting around the table. After a second, the woman beside Lena wrapped her arm around her shoulders and leaned against her with a sigh.

"Sorry." Lena whispered, her head hung low.

"It's okay, honey." Maggie replied quietly. "I miss him, too."

Lena nodded and sniffed back tears. Wiping her eyes and taking a deep breath, she lifted her head and managed a thin smile.

"Man, those crazy hormones, huh?" Tania smiled back at her.

"Yeah." Jerry agreed merrily, "How did I get away with not being punched out a thousand times over?"

Lena grinned up at him, "Because you're packing."

Jerry laughed and patted his hip. "Not right now!"

"Then you'd better watch your step!" Tania joined in, the group laughing fondly at the banter between them.

Lena chuckled happily and, feeling stronger now, was aware of Maggie's arm slipping back away from her. She caught the greying woman's hand and, hidden beneath the table, gave her fingers a tight squeeze.

"Right, then." Lena began firmly, "Didn't we all come here to party?" She raised her glass of water and smiled happily as the whole group quickly joined her toast.

Flicking through the worn pages of the small overflowing journal, Dean perched on the end of the bed and sighed heavily.

Closing his laptop and rubbing his fists into his tired eyes, Sam looked across the room and gave a slight shrug. "Anything?"

"Maybe." Dean mused, glancing up for a moment and then returning his attention to the journal.

Sam stood and slowly crossed the room. He leaned down to peer over Dean's shoulder and his breath caught in his throat. "What - ?"

Dean slammed the book closed and shook his head quickly. "It was just an idea - "

"No! Dean - "

"It's okay." Dean was on his feet quickly he smiled thinly up at his brother as he gave another shake of his head. "We'll find something, Sam. Call that - " He nodded towards the journal and let his hands slip away. "Call it plan B."

"Or plan never." Sam argued quietly. "Please … after last week and - " He took a step backwards and dragged a hand through his hair, "I thought we were passed all that kamikaze crap."

"It was just an idea, Sammy!"

"Yeah, well, a bad one!" Sam shouted suddenly, his voice ringing around the small room. "You wanna summon it?"

"No, Sam, I - "

"Don't lie to me, Dean! Dammit, I am not stupid, okay!" Sam closed his eyes and sank down hard on the bed behind him. "I knew it was too good to be true …"

"What … ?" Dean sat down opposite his brother and his frown deepened. "What do you mean?"

Sam hung his head and stared intently at his interlaced fingers. "It doesn't matter."

"Of course it does." Dean urged, "You matter. To me."

With a slight groan, Sam looked up suddenly and his face was tight with emotion. "That's exactly it, Dean. We don't know what we're dealing with here. And you want to summon it to you? I just … I can't let you. I can't - " He turned away and shook his head slowly.

"Okay, okay." Dean soothed, moving towards Sam a little. "I won't. I promise. It was just a thought - and a stupid one."

"Yeah." Sam stood quickly. "Well, maybe we should give Bobby another call and see what he's got." He cleared his throat and kept his back to Dean. "I'm gonna take a shower."

Dean nodded quietly, watching his brother head slowly towards the bathroom. He wiped a hand across his face and flopped backwards onto the bed with a sigh. Reaching his hands behind his head, he stared up at the plain tiled ceiling and let out a heavy sigh.

The large 4x4 came to a slow halt outside the house, the white clouds from the exhaust hanging in the freezing air. Jerry slipped the van into park and turned to see Lena was still sleeping soundly, her head resting in the seat belt as though in a sling.

"Hey …"

Lena stirred and suddenly smiled, realizing her slumped position in the passenger seat and shrugging an apology.

"I draw the line at carrying you into the house." Jerry offered softly.

Lena laughed, "You wouldn't be able to lift my weight, anyhow!" She slipped off her seat-belt and gathered the gift bags arrayed about her feet. "Thanks, Jerry." She paused before opening the door and smiled up at him. "I really appreciate the ride."

"Sure." Jerry nodded, "No problem."

Lena opened the door and climbed down from the van, turning to offer him another smile. "Have fun with Chuck."

"Oh god," Jerry groaned, "I'd forgotten I'm driving that old-timer about while you're away."

"I'm sure you'll have a blast."

"Yeah, right. Think of me while you're doing jack-shit."

Lena grinned merrily, "I'd happily swap you, dude. Riding with Chuck or 24 hours of labour? I'll take the wrinkly old fart any day!"

"I guess."

"Thanks again, Jerry. I'll stay in touch."

"Do." Jerry agreed merrily, "And I wanna know the second the baby makes an appearance, okay?"

"You got it." Lena nodded and closed the door. She watched the 4x4 drive away and waved merrily as she heard the horn give a quick few melodic blasts. When Jerry was out of sight, she turned towards the house and climbed carefully up the snow-covered driveway.

Stepping inside the front door, Lena paused and listened to the quiet that greeted her. Resting her gifts inside the hall and slipping off her coat, she kicked off her shoes and headed through to the lounge.

"Hey, Mrs Hamilton." The young girl seated before the television turned and smiled in greeting. Switching off the TV with the remote, she stood slowly and headed across the room. "How was your party?"

"Awesome. Thanks, Kelly."

Kelly nodded, her long plaits dancing on her shoulders.

"How were things here?" Lena asked, heading back towards the hall.

"Fine." Kelly followed, shoving her hands in her pockets. "Not a problem."

"Good." Lena sought out her purse and counted out a handful of notes.

"Wo, that's way more than we agreed!" Kelly raised her hands quickly, "Mrs Hamilton, I - "

"It's close to the holidays and I'm not gonna need you for a while." Lena shrugged, offering the money, "I know how much you rely on your baby-sitting cash and I'm so grateful for how amenable you've been, sometimes getting here on short notice. "

Kelly timidly took the cash and then smiled in delight. "God, that's so nice of you."

"You're welcome." Lena smiled back.

Pocketing the money, Kelly suddenly hurried forwards and threw her arms around Lena's neck. "Thanks."

"Sure!" Lena laughed, patting Kelly's back.

A gentle blast from a car horn interrupted their embrace and Kelly stepped back, a little embarrassed. "That'll be my dad."

Lena nodded and opened the door. "Bye, Kelly. Take care."

"Bye." Kelly tugged on her coat and stepped through the door. "I hope all goes well." She patted her stomach and glanced at Lena's. "Let me know, yeah?"

"Of course!" Lena agreed merrily, waving a greeting to Kelly's dad and closing the door. Fastening the many locks and then again checking they were secure, Lena toured the first level to ensure the house was safe before heading upstairs.

The dull bedside lamp glowed through the partially open door and Lena followed the soft beam of light across the landing. Standing in the doorway, she peered within and smiled fondly.

Even in the gentle amber light from the lamp, Lena could see the teddy bears and toys that littered the floor. She stepped into the room with caution, placing her feet carefully in the gaps amid the mess. Crossing to the bed, she paused for a moment and watched the sleeping form.

She was curled up in the rumpled bed clothes, her dark curls scattered over the pillow. Frowning in concern, Lena watched her daughter sleeping and could imagine the tossing and turning that must have disturbed her dreams. It would not be anything unexpected; the small girl had been troubled for many months now and - despite her brave front during waking hours - Lena knew her daughter was having nightmares again.

Leaning down and placing a kiss on her daughter's forehead, Lena exited the room equally carefully and strode along to her bedroom. Pulling off her tightly clinging dress and rolling her tights from her aching legs, Lena slipped into her generous cotton pajamas and tugged on a thick pair of socks. She unclipped her long black hair from it's neat style and combed her fingers through the loose curls. The unexpected ringing of the phone then made Lena jump slightly and she perched on the edge of the double bed, grabbing the handset.

"Hey, honey. I just wanted to say goodnight."

"Maggie." Lena smiled fondly, "Thanks for organizing dinner. I had such a great time."

"You're welcome, sweetie."

Lena heard the pause and closed her eyes, able to guess what was coming.

"You seemed so sad, honey. I worry about you out there alone in that house."

"I'm fine, Maggie." Lena sighed, "I've got the nursery to finish and Morgan to get to and from school every day. I'll not have time to sit around and mope."

"Not that anyone would blame you if you did."

"I guess." Lena crossed her legs beneath her and played with a loose thread on the toe of her sock.

"Just promise you'll call if you need anything?"

"Sure."

"I know what you're going through, sweetie. Well, I mean … I know what it's like to lose a husband but … with the baby as well …"

"Maggie, I swear you worry enough for the both of us." Maggie smiled and shook her head, sudden tears building. "But I love you for it."

"I love you, too." Maggie agreed quietly, "And - yeah - I worry but … well … this weather doesn't help. And as for this weird sickness that's going round."

"Four kids isn't exactly 'going round'." Lena pointed out carefully.

"Five." Maggie sighed, "It was just on the news. Another girl. In Billings this time."

"What?" Lena unlaced her legs and climbed from the bed, listening to Maggie explaining the details as she hurried down the stairs.

Grabbing her road atlas from the book shelf in the lounge, Lena flicked through the pages and held her breath as she studied a map of the local area. "Oh my god…"

"What?"

Lena closed her eyes and ran a hand through her hair. "Maggie, whatever is happening to these kids … it's coming this way."

- tbc -