A/N – 2am this time. YAWN. But I'm having too much fun. It will catch up with me, but I'll keep updating as often and quickly as I can since people seem to be enjoying it. A little off beat this time, not quite following the TV portrayal because Beth spends some time away from the boys, hope it reads ok.
HOOK MAN
Somewhere near Ankeny, Iowa.
I sipped quietly on my coffee, Sam was on the payphone nearby, making enquiries about John – again, and Dean was hunched over the laptop tapping away at the keyboard. I closed my eyes and let the sun warm me up, as far as days went, this one was pretty good.
Sam hung up the phone and stalked back to the table, looking frustrated.
"Your, uh, half-caf, double vanilla latte is getting cold over here, Francis." Dean teased.
"Bite me." Sam said, sitting down with a sigh.
"So, anything?" I said over my coffee, meeting his eyes. He shook his head.
"I had 'em check the FBI's Missing Persons Data Bank. No John Doe's fitting Dad's description. I even ran his plates for traffic violations." Sam tossed his hand in the air, leaning back in his chair.
"Sam, I'm telling ya, I don't think Dad wants to be found." Dean said quietly, calmly, looking at the younger man. Sam looked away, disappointed. I understood what he was feeling, the absence of John was being felt by all of us, only Dean seemed to be holding up ok, but I knew deep down it was hitting him harder than he was letting on.
Dean turned the laptop to face Sam. "Check this out." He said, changing the subject. "It's a news item out of Planes Courier. Ankeny, Iowa. It's only about a hundred miles from here."
"'The mutilated body was found near the victim's car, parked on 9 Mile Road.'" Sam said, reading the article.
"Keep going." Dean waved him on.
"'Authorities are unable to provide a realistic description of the killer. The sole eyewitness, whose name has been withheld, is quoted as saying the attacker was invisible.'" Dean raised his eyebrows, nodding his head at us both.
"Could be something interesting." I said. Any distraction would be better than nothing right now, I thought.
"Or it could be nothing at all. One freaked out witness who didn't see anything? Doesn't mean it's the Invisible Man." Sam countered.
"But what if it is? Dad would check it out." Dean said.
Fraternity
I waited in the car, somehow it just wouldn't quite work trying to convince a bunch of frat boys that Dean and Sam were from a different college just seeking a place to stay while they were in town. My head was aching and had been for days, ever since the blow from the shapeshifter. I'd managed to hide it so far from Dean and Sam, but it wasn't really going away. I knocked back a couple of ibuprofen with some water, and lay my arm across my eyes, head back on the seat. Maybe if I could just get some decent sleep...
Dean banged on the roof scaring me awake.
"Rise and shine!" He called out, jumping in the front seat. I shook my head, realising I'd fallen asleep.
"Hmmm... how'd it go?" I asked as Sam got into the passenger seat.
"Victim's girlfriend was a freshman, local girl, reverend's daughter...you'd like her probably." Dean answered, looking back at me.
St. Barnabus Church
The community had gathered for afternoon service, I slipped in quietly ahead of the boys so as to not draw attention by having us all enter together. Smiling at the people in the back row, I quickly moved down about half way from the back and sat down, listening to the service.
"Our hearts go out to the family of a young man who perished. And my personal prayers of thanks go out as well because I believe he died trying to protect my daughter." Reverend Sorensen was saying. He cast a glance at a young lady in the front row, her brown hair tied back half up, half down. Lori.
"And now, as time heals all our wounds, we should reflect on what this tragedy means. To us, as a church..." The reverend's words were cut short by the sound of the door slamming as Dean and Sam entered together. I cringed, shaking my head. Way to be discreet boys.
The reverend and half the people in the church looked up at them, and Dean shrugged apologetically.
"...as a community, and as a family. The loss of a young person is particularly tragic. A life unlived is the saddest of passings." The reverend continued.
The boys sat down in the back row, Lori had turned and was staring back at them.
"So, please, let us pray. For peace, for guidance, and for the power to protect our children." The reverend said, and I bowed my head, I'd pulled my rosary out and was holding the crucifix and amulet in my hands as I said a quiet prayer for the passing of Rich, for our safety as we looked into whatever the cause had been, and for the safety of everyone in the community until we could get to the bottom of it.
After the mass, I loitered around, but did not speak to Dean and Sam. We'd decided to approach this from a dual aspect. If they were meant to be frat brothers from Ohio, then I would be posing, if the opportunity arose, as a sorority sister, recently transferred.
I was following Lori and another girl with dark skin and wavy black hair out of the church. The girl was trying to get Lori to come out with some friends, and let her hair down a little.
"I can't. It's Sunday night." Lori was saying to her.
"It's just us girls. We're gonna do tequila shots and watch Reality Blues." The other girl replied.
"My Dad makes dinner every Sunday night." Lori said, shaking her head.
"Come on, Lori. I know this has been hard, but you are allowed to have fun." The girl said, and Lori smiled, promising to try and come along. The girls hugged and the friend left.
Sam's eyes met mine and I diverted off to stand by a group of people, pretending to check my phone messages as he approached Lori.
"Are you Lori?" He asked.
"Yeah." She replied, looking up at him.
"My name is Sam. This is my brother, Dean." Sam said, and Dean waved at her saying hi. "We just transferred here to the university." Sam said without missing a beat.
"I saw you inside." Lori nodded.
"We don't wanna bother you. We just heard about what happened and..." Sam stalled.
"We wanted to say how sorry we were." Dean finished, looking sympathetically at her.
"I kind of know what you're going through. I-I saw someone..get hurt once. It's something you don't forget." Sam said, laying on the good boy charm.
Reverend Sorensen was approaching them and I headed him off at the pass, smiling and extending my hand.
"Reverend Sorensen, I just wanted to say that was a truly inspiring sermon you gave." I said, he took my hand and shook it, returning my smile.
"Thank you very much. It's so nice to find young people who are open to the Lord's message." I smiled and nodded. "Have we met before?" He asked.
"No, I've just arrived in town. I'm supposed to be meeting with someone from Theta Sorority, it's our sister sorority in Arizona. I could really use some friendly faces."
"Oh, well let me introduce you to my daughter Lori, she belongs to Theta." Reverend said and I beamed a smile at him.
"Really? What a small world!" I allowed him to lead me over to where Dean, Sam and Lori were talking. Lori looked up at us and nodded as her father and I stopped near them.
"Dad, this is Sam and Dean. They're new students." She introduced.
"Well, if it isn't the day for it." The Reverend said. "This here is..." he paused, realising he hadn't gotten my name.
"Beth." I said, smiling at them all.
"Beth..." The reverend continued. "She's from Theta's sister sorority in Arizona, and needs to meet up with whoever is in charge with relocations and memberships." He said to Lori, who was looking me over.
I felt a little self-conscious. I'd dressed in black dress slacks with a light purple blouse and white knitted vest over the top. I felt like an idiot, but I had to look the part. I started to feel for Dean when he complained about his 'monkey suits' that we made him wear on occasion.
We all stood around looking at each other awkwardly for a moment and then Dean jumped in. "Reverend, so we're new in town, actually." Dean said, stepping away slightly, the Reverend inclined his head. "And, uh, we're looking for a, um, a church group." I nodded, walking with them.
"Yes, me too, do you have anything like that, maybe a youth group?" I asked, knowing that Dean wouldn't be able to carry this conversation too long. Dean threw me a grateful look and walked with us, pretending interest in what the reverend had to say about a new group forming at the university which would be doing missionary work and spreading the Lord's word.
I glanced back and saw Sam deep in conversation with Lori, Dean nodded, encouraging me to keep the reverend talking. Eventually we got away from the Reverend, promising to stop in for more information on the youth group, before heading back to the car to wait for Sam. He showed up shortly after jumping in the back seat and leaning forward.
"So you believe her?" Dean asked, looking at him.
"I do." Sam said.
"Yeah, I think she's hot, too." Dean smiled. I rolled my eyes and Sam frowned at him.
"No, man, there's something in her eyes. And listen to this: she heard scratching from the roof. Found the bloody body suspended upside-down over the car." He leaned back, a certain look of intrigue in his eyes.
"Wait, the body suspended? That sounds like the -" Dean trailed off.
"Yeah, I know, the Hook Man legend." Sam finished.
"That's one of the most famous urban legends ever. You don't think that we're dealing with the Hook Man?" I said, running a hand across my forehead.
"Every urban legend has a source." Sam answered. "A place where it all began."
"Yeah but what about the phantom scratches and the tire punctures... and the invisible killer?" I asked.
"Well, maybe the Hook Man isn't a man at all. What if it's some kind of spirit?" Dean asked. There was only one way to find out.
Library
You've seen one library, you've seen them all, pretty much. Big, echoing, dusty halls with students or old people crammed into them. I twirled a pen in my fingers and stared at the book in front of me, the words all blurred into each other, and I blinked, hard, trying to focus. At least the lighting was better in this one, I suppose it came with being a university library, more money to pay the lighting bills.
A librarian walked over to Dean and Sam down the other end of the table and placed two archive boxes in front of them, they looked old, and dusty. I noticed the way she looked at Dean, not unlike most other women, like she'd like to get him alone in a dark corner somewhere and do unmentionable things to him. I smirked.
"Here you go. Arrest records going back to 1851." She said shaking her head and looking at us like we were nuts. Dean blew some dust of the top box and coughed.
"Thanks." He said with a grimace. The librarian walked away, flicking her long red hair behind her. She was attractive and Dean turned to give her an appraising look, I shook my head and went back to the pen I was twirling in my fingers, losing myself in my troubling thoughts again.
"So, this is how you spent four good years of your life, huh?" Dean asked Sam.
"Welcome to higher education." Sam shrugged, flipping the lid back on one of the boxes and starting to go through the contents.
Hours later and we hadn't really made any progress. I had wandered off to the bathroom and found myself in one of the back, out of the way aisles, idly running my hand along old encyclopaedias. I liked the feel of the old vinyl covers along my hand, it was comforting, in an odd way. I heard familiar footsteps coming and looked up as Dean rounded the corner.
"Hey, there you are." He said, coming closer. "What are you doing back here?"
I shrugged and forced a smile to my face. "Just looking." I said without much conviction.
"For what?" He asked, glancing at the books. "Cause I don't think you're gonna find anything about Hook Man in these old things." He gestured at the encyclopaedias.
"Yeah, I know." I said, crossing my arms over my chest to hug myself.
"Beth..." He said with a warning in his tone. "What's going on with you? You've barely said a word since we got here."
I shrugged. My mind was running wild with new, fresh, uncomfortable thoughts. Thoughts that had been planted by that shapeshifter and some of the things he had said.
"Look, I need you focused, you gotta talk to me Beth." Dean said, coming up to place a hand on my shoulder and look me in the eyes. I blew out a breath and looked away.
"It's just... do you ever wish you were somewhere else?" I said quietly.
"Hell yes!" He said, "Anywhere except this boring old library, geez. What I wouldn't give for a nice big burger right now and a cold beer..." He trailed off, realising that's not what I meant.
"What?" He asked, confused.
"Well, you know, maybe you could have gone off to college, made friends, settled down and had a real life." I shrugged again, keeping my eyes trained on the books in front of me.
"You see me as the college type?" He asked with a laugh, shaking his head.
I smiled. "Well, no. But you never know Dean. I mean, maybe you could have been. Maybe with the right encouragement, the right person …"
"Wait... person? What's this really about?" He asked, stepping even closer and placing his hands on my arms, turning me to face him.
"Well, it's not as if we had a lot of options Dean." I said quietly, voicing what I really feared.
"You mean, us?" He asked. I nodded, biting my lip. "Are you saying you settled for me because it was convenient?" He asked, frowning.
I looked up sharply, eyes wide. "No! No, that's not what I'm saying!" I reached out and touched his face. He looked hesitant. "Dean come on, you know you're the only man I've ever..." I trailed off, looking at him. "I love you Dean Winchester, and that is never going to change."
"Then what's the problem?" He asked, looking relieved.
"Well, maybe it's the other way around. Maybe you could have... would have... chosen someone else if I wasn't around..." I said softly. "Someone like... Lori." I ventured.
"Huh?" He looked at me, now he really looked confused, and then he recalled the comment earlier where he'd told Sam that he thought she was hot.
"Oh come on, Beth, it's not like you to be jealous." He said looking at me again.
"What? No, no I'm not jealous, that's not what I mean." I shook my head. I took a deep breath, this conversation was going to hell in a hand basket, I had to get back on track.
"Then what?" He asked.
"Dean, the shapeshifter..." He tensed. We hadn't really talked about this. "It said things... things that didn't sound so far fetched." I whispered.
"Like what?" He prodded.
"Like... how you had plans, but you got stuck with Dad, and me – when Sam went off to college, and it was so angry... like Sam had gotten out and free, and you were trapped. That I was a burden, that our life was a burden." I stopped, shaking my head. I didn't want to think about it, I didn't want to consider what Dean really thought about our life.
"Beth, these things, they lie." He said, bringing my chin up so I'd look him in the eyes. He paused, looking at me, assessing what I had said. His eyes softened, and he smiled.
"I don't want another life." He said quietly, echoing the words I'd said to John so many years ago. "Sure, maybe once in a while I think about it, but what on earth would we do? Where would we go?" He asked, stressing the 'we'. I sighed. I didn't have an answer for that either, but I had asked the question a few times.
"As for wanting anyone else." He continued. "You're the only ray of light in this messed up freaked out existence we lead. How could you even think that I'd want some... Pollyanna, green cardigan wearing, wide-eyed sorority girl over you?"
I sighed, looking him in the eyes. "But the shape shifter..."
"Lied!" He finished the sentence forcefully, looking me in eyes. "It lied." He kissed my forehead before leaning his brow against mine, our noses touching. His lips softly brushed over mine. "You're all I want." He said, and we stood like this for a handful of moments.
"I know I don't say it enough." Dean said quietly.
"You say it enough." I answered back. "Without sounding all cliché... you say it best when you say nothing at all." He pulled back just a little and I saw the twitch of amusement in the corner of his mouth.
"Oh yeah?" He said, swaying in closer, his hands going to my hips and pulling me into him. "Like this?" He asked, kissing me gently on the lips. I nodded.
"Mmhmmm." I murmured.
"And... like this?" He asked again, softly catching my lip in his teeth and giving a little nip before sliding his tongue in to find mine. He moaned softly and deepened the kiss, his hand coming up to run through my hair, holding my head firmly. I felt my knees go a little weak and wrapped my arms around him for support.
He growled a little urgently and pushed me back against the wall, leaning in to me, the kiss getting more heated. He'd slid his knee between my legs and was gently rubbing it against me, I broke the kiss and trailed small kisses along his jawline, to his neck where I nuzzled him, breathing in his scent, fighting to catch my breath as he nibbled at my earlobe.
Someone cleared their throat behind us. Dean pulled away with a frustrated groan and turned, a smile on his face. One of the librarians, an old frigid looking thing with a tight bun and silver framed glasses stood at the end of the aisle giving us a disapproving look.
"Uh, hey, ma'am." Dean said, awkwardly, glancing at me as I tried to smooth out my hair, tucking it behind my ears.
"We were errr..." He grabbed one of the encyclopaedias off the shelf quickly. "Found it!" He declared triumphantly. He grabbed my wrist with his free hand and pulled me past her like we were a pair of high school teenagers who had just been busted making out in the janitor's closet.
I shrugged at the woman who hadn't said a word, just looked at me as I passed. "Can you blame me?" I asked, with a grin. "Just look at him." I winked.
"Beth!" Dean said, feigning shock, and pulling me away by the hand. I think I saw the librarian smile before we were on our way back to Sam. Maybe she's not so frigid after all I thought to myself with a smile.
Sam was waiting for us when we got back, he eyed us curiously when he saw Dean holding my hand, noting us all flushed and slightly out of breath.
"Hey," Sam said to us both. "Where have you been? Wait, don't answer that. I don't want to know." He answered for us, I blushed and he laughed.
"Seems Dean has found out some of the highlights of higher education, and study groups." He chuckled. Dean dropped my hand a little self-consciously, clearing his throat.
"Shut up!" He retorted. Sam laughed.
"OK. Well hey, check this out." He said, standing up and leading us to another table where old reports were in files. "1862. A preacher named Jacob Karns was arrested for murder. Looks like he was so angry over the red light district in town that one night he killed 13 prostitutes."
I scanned the aged piece of paper, reading out loud the part that jumped out at me. "Some of the deceased were found in their bed, sheets soaked with blood. Others suspended upside down from the limbs of trees as a warning against sins of the flesh." I looked up, grimacing.
Dean was looking at another page. "Get this, the murder weapon? Looks like the preacher lost his hand in an accident. Had it replaced with a silver hook." My eyes widened at that revelation, I felt a shiver run down my back.
"And it all happened on 9 Mile Road." Sam finished. "Same place where the frat boy was killed." Dean looked impressed.
"Nice job, Dr. Venkmen. Let's check it out." Dean said. Sam gathered all the research together and we made for the door.
Theta Sorority House
Night time had fallen while we were in the library. Dean pulled up in front of the Theta Sorority house and opened the trunk of the car, tossing me a shotgun, he handed me a few shells and I loaded them into the gun. He took out a rifle and handed it to Sam.
"Here you go." He said.
"If it is a spirit, buckshot won't do much good." Sam said, pointing out the obvious.
"They're rock salt." He said, handing the same shells to Sam that he had me.
"Huh. Salt being a spirit deterrent." Sam said thoughtfully. Dean was pulling out a coil of rope and shutting the trunk.
"It won't kill them. But it'll slow them down." I said, putting the shotgun in my overnight bag. Sam had never asked how it was that I had shot at a woman in white and made it vanish when it was attacking him. I kind of thought he'd known about the rock salt ammo, but now I recalled that we'd made it after he went to college.
"That's pretty good," Sam said. "You and Dad think of this?" He asked Dean.
"Actually Beth did..." Dean said, throwing me a smile. "You don't have to be a college graduate to be a genius." He said. I felt my cheeks redden at the compliment.
"Ok," Dean said, turning to me. "You sure you're gonna be all right?" He asked, concerned, looking over at the sorority house. It suddenly occurred to me that he wasn't that keen on splitting up this time round.
"Yeah, yeah I'll be fine. It's just a sorority detail... how dangerous can it be?" I said with a smile.
"Oh I don't know... those naked pillow fights, all night truth or dares, sexy underwear..." Dean said swaggering up to me, hands on my hips. "Hmmm, come to think of it, maybe you'll need back-up." He raised his eyebrow and gave me a suggestive look. I laughed and pushed him in the shoulder.
"Get out of here you fool." I said with a smile. "Give me a call and let me know if you find anything. You know where I'll be." He nodded, giving me a look that promised we'd be finishing our 'conversation' from earlier at a later time.
The boys pulled away from the house, on their way to 9 Mile Road to see what they could find out. I took a deep breath and crossed the road to the house just in time to see Reverend Sorensen pull up to the curb with Lori. Lori waved at me through the windshield and I waved back with a smile, taking a few steps up to the porch where I decided to wait for her.
They seemed to be having a heated discussion, and suddenly Lori got out of the car, her father calling out her name as she slammed the door. She didn't look back, just kept walking up the steps where I was waiting for her.
"Hey..." She smiled, her demeanour changing instantly.
"Hi." I said. "I talked to someone, Simone, I think? About staying for a few nights, until I figure out what I'm doing?"
"Yeah, of course. Come in. There's a spare bed in the room next to mine." Lori said, opening the door.
"Perfect." I smiled, and took a look around the front porch before following her inside.
We were half way through some romantic comedy when my phone rang, it was Dean.
"Hey." I said, slipping away to the hallway.
"Hey, how's it going?" He asked, he sounded tired.
"Yeah, fine... just me and the girls doing a movie night." I said, taking the opportunity to have a look around the other rooms.
"Yeah? Any sign of our friend?"
"Nope, all quiet on the homefront." I stated, moving back down the hallway toward the living room.
"Good... so uh... what are you wearing?" Dean asked suggestively.
I laughed. "Come and see for yourself, I could use a good night kiss."
"Yeah... I'd love to. Might be a slight problem with that." He said.
"Why? What's wrong?" I asked.
"You're kind of my one phone call..." He said, chuckling.
"You're in jail?" I asked incredulously, a couple of girls near me turned to look, curious expressions. I smiled and stepped back down the hall. "What the hell happened?"
"Yeah, funny story, actually..." Dean started, he filled me in on how they'd been down at 9 Mile Road, and Sam had nearly shot a sheriff with rock salt, and they got hauled in to the police station. He was working on story to get them out though, and I wasn't to worry, just keep my eyes on Lori and make sure she was safe.
I closed my eyes and shook my head. "Ok. Well, please try not to get into any more trouble. If you're still there in the morning I'm going to have to come break you out." I said quietly. Dean chuckled.
"Wouldn't expect anything less." He said. "I gotta go, stay safe."
I hung up and let out a long breath.
"Everything ok?" Lori asked, suddenly next to me.
"Yeah, uh, every thing's fine. Just some, boyfriend issues." I shrugged. "Nothing I can do about it tonight. Besides, it's girls night in." I said with a laugh. She smiled and we headed back to the movie.
Several hours later we were all headed to bed. I did a quick search of the perimeter, and then checked all the doors and windows. Not that locks would keep out a spirit, but I felt better about it just the same.
Changing into some pyjamas, I stepped out into the hallway and crossed the hallway to Lori's room. I could hear her moving around and water running in the bathroom. I cautiously stuck my head in the room, it was dark but the light from the hallway lit the room up enough for me to see. Taylor was asleep in her bed, back turned to the door.
The bathroom light switched off and Lori stepped out into the room. I ducked back into the hallway. She hesitated at the door for a moment before getting into her own bed. There was nothing out of sorts that I could tell so I went back to my room. Celia, my new room-mate was fast asleep, so I crawled into bed, putting the shotgun under my pillow. I fluffed a second pillow and put it on top of the other, leaning back to stare out the open door across the hallway. It was going to be a long night.
I rolled over, stretching, and realised that the day had started without me. Sunlight was streaming in the window. When had I fallen asleep? Since when did I sleep?! Mentally kicking myself I jumped out of bed, looked over at Lori's room. She was still asleep. I took a breath and went into the bathroom to wash off my face and brush my hair back into a ponytail.
The stillness of the morning was shattered moments later by Lori's screams. I was across the hall in seconds, running in to find Lori on her bed, terrified. Spinning around there was blood everywhere. I wouldn't have seen it unless I was actually in the room. Taylor was gutted, lying on the bed, blood pooled all over the floor and I realised belatedly I was standing in it.
"Oh shit. Lori, Lori!" I cried, grabbing her and forcing her to look at me. "Are you ok?" I asked, she didn't reply. I shook her again. "Are you hurt?" She shook her head, trembling.
"We got to get you out of here." I pulled her from the bed, easing her around the blood and into the hallway. The other women had come to see what the screaming was about and were in shock.
"Someone call the police." I instructed them, taking Lori into my room. I grabbed a towel and wiped my feet dry. Stay calm. Stay calm. The Hook man was here and I didn't hear a thing! Swearing softly to myself, I found some shoes and pulled them on, berating myself for falling asleep.
I was outside with Lori and her father when I saw Sam and Dean – they must have followed the police here. Relief washed over me as I spotted them driving by. Lori's father was arguing with the Sheriff and insisting on taking her home. I excused myself, telling Lori I'd drop by later, and made my way back into the house. I worked my way through police and confused, upset girls who were being interviewed. I'd already given my statement, now I wanted a better look at the room.
There was another Sheriff in the room, so I waited him out across the hall. He headed down the stairs and I crossed to Lori's room, entering quietly. The door to the walk-in wardrobe started to creak and I leaned against the hall way door, crossing my arms, waiting. Sam came out first and I couldn't resist.
"You know... I'm fairly certain I could get you both arrested again for breaking into a sorority house..." Sam jumped, Dean startled behind him.
"Jesus Beth!" Sam said, "don't do that!" I laughed, and stepped away from the wall, looking over at Dean.
"You took your time." I teased, turning to look around the room, cautious not to step in the blood, again.
"Well you know, can't rush perfection." Dean quipped, stepping further out of the wardrobe. He was staring at the wall behind me and I turned to get another look at what I'd already seen.
Carved in blood on the wall read the words "Aren't you glad you didn't turn on the light?"
"That's right out of the legend." Sam said, gesturing at the wall.
"Yeah, that's classic Hook Man all right." Dean said, and tapped his nose. "It's definitely a spirit."
The room had a distinctive ozone smell to it and I nodded.
"Yeah, I've never smelled ozone this strong before." I said absently, moving to get a better look at the symbol under the writing. Dean was looking out the window at the movement below. The symbol was of a large cross with four smaller crosses in each of it's corners. "Does this look familiar to you?" I asked, looking back at Sam.
"Yeah, yeah it does." Sam said.
"Come on, we gotta get out of here," Dean said, nodding out the window. The boys went out the window they'd come in, just in case, and I slipped down the stairs with my bag, shotgun hidden safely inside, to join them at the Impala.
Sam had a folder out when I got there and was going through the articles we'd gotten at the library.
"It's the same symbol." Sam said, pointing at one of the articles. "Seems like it is the spirit of Jacob Karns."
"All right," Dean said, "so let's find the dude's grave, salt and burn the bones, and put him down."
Sam was reading from the article. "After execution, Jacob Karns was laid to rest in an Old North Cemetery. In an unmarked grave." They both looked annoyed, I crossed my arms, feeling that headache coming on again.
"Super..." Dean said.
"OK. So we know it's Jacob Karns. But we still don't know where he'll manifest next. Or why." I said. "I mean, I didn't hear a thing last night, if Taylor saw him, she didn't make a sound." They both thought about this.
"I'll take a wild guess about why. I think your little friend Lori has something to do with this." Dean said. We all got in the car, and I leaned forward.
"So where to?"
College Party
later that night
Sam and I were standing in the middle of the party, people were laughing, drinking, dancing, having fun all around us. I fought off the sinking guilt that I'd failed to protect Taylor the previous night and kept a look out for Lori, who didn't seem to be here.
"Beth," Sam said, seeming to understand what was gong through my head. "You couldn't have done anything more than what you did."
I shrugged, I wasn't so sure... if I'd just managed to stay away.
"Really!" He said, looking me in the eyes. I sighed, and nodded.
Dean came waltzing through the crowd, a smile plastered to his face as he winked at a few girls who were eyeing him off.
"Man, you've been holding out on me. This college thing is awesome!" Dean said to Sam. Sam was looking uncomfortable.
"Yeah, this wasn't really my experience." He said loudly over the music.
"Let me guess. Libraries, studying, straight A's?" Dean asked. Sam nodded.
Dean laughed and looked at me. "What a geek!" I smiled weakly.
"All right, you do your homework?" Dean asked, and Sam started to unroll a piece of paper.
"Yeah. It was bugging me, right? So how is the Hook Man tied up with Lori? So I think I came up with something." We moved into a quieter part of the house where we could talk. Dean was reading the papers Sam had passed to him.
"1932. Clergyman arrested for murder. 1967. Seminarian held in hippie rampage." Dean said.
"There's a pattern here. In both cases, the suspect was a man of religion who openly preached against immorality. And then found himself wanted for killings he claimed were the work of an invisible force. Killings, carried out – get this – with a sharp instrument." Sam filled us in.
"What's the connection to Lori?" Dean asked, looking at the papers.
"A man of religion? Who openly preaches against immorality?" Sam said. It made sense and I was nodding.
"Except maybe this time, instead of saving the whole town, he's just trying to save his only daughter?" I said. Dean looked at both of us.
"Reverend Sorensen... you think he's summoning the spirit?" He asked.
"Maybe," Sam said. "Or you know how a poltergeist can haunt a person instead of a place?"
"Either way, you should keep an eye on Lori tonight." Dean said, looking at me. I nodded, swallowing hard. "And you keep an eye on her." Dean instructed Sam, pointing at me. I opened my mouth to protest and was met with a steely gaze. I closed it again, wasn't going to argue this one.
"What about you?" Sam asked. Dean looked around the party with a sigh.
"I'm gonna go see if I can find that unmarked grave." He said reluctantly, shaking his head in disappointment. I patted him on the back – our party days were way behind us, in fact they'd never really started.
Lori's House
Lori and her father were arguing in the upstairs window. Sam and I watched silently for a while, and suddenly the light went out. "Guess that's my cue." I said, starting to cross the street to knock on the door. Instead, the door opened and Lori stepped on to the porch, looking at us both.
"Oops." I said, busted.
Lori crossed to us, smiling. "I saw you both from upstairs," She said. "What are you guys doing here, together?"
"Uh, we're not together." Sam said, looking at me. I looked at Lori, shaking my head.
"No, we just bumped into each other..." I said. "I was coming to see how you were."
Lori smiled gratefully, and looked questioningly at Sam.
"I was just keeping an eye on the place." He said, looking shyly at the ground. "I was worried."
"About me?" She asked, a tentative smile playing on her lips.
"Yeah. Sorry." Sam said.
"I'm uh... I'm gonna just, head off," I said, winging it. Sam frowned at me and I shook my head. She was clearly more interested in seeing him than me. "I mean, you look like you're ok, and I just wanted to check. And now Sam is here... well, you know." I grabbed my phone. "I should probably check on that boyfriend of mine anyway." I said, Lori nodded at me with a smile. I gave her a quick hug and told her to call if she needed anything, then I headed off down the street.
As soon as I was out of sight I doubled back around through the bushes. Thankfully there was a park opposite the Sorensen house, so I had plenty of cover. Sam and Lori were now sitting on a bench, talking.
"It's like I'm cursed or something." Lori was saying. "People around me keep dying."
"I know how you feel." Sam said honestly, a sadness passing over his eyes as I knew he was thinking about Jess. Lori leaned in to him and looked at him, like she was about to bare her soul.
"No one will talk to me any more. Except you. The sheriff thinks I'm a suspect. And you know what my dad will say? Pray. Have faith. What does he know about faith?" Lori said, looking at Sam. She was wringing her hands and getting upset.
"I heard you guys fighting before." Sam said.
"He's seeing a woman. A married woman. I just found out. She comes to our church with her husband. I know her kids. And he talks to me about religion? About morality? It's like, on one hand, you know, just do what you want and be happy. But he taught me, raised me to believe that if you do something wrong you will get punished. I just don't know what to think any-more." She was clearly conflicted, and in the back of my mind alarm bells started going off.
She reached over, slowly, and hugged Sam. He hesitated at first, but then returned the hug. I watched, uncomfortably, as she ran her hand up into his hair, coming around to kiss him. I looked down, feeling wrong, like I was watching something I shouldn't. Sam kissed her back at first, but then pulled away.
"Sam?" She asked, confused.
"Lori, I can't." Sam whispered.
"That someone you lost?" She asked, seeming to understand. Sam stared at her before nodding. "I'm sorry." She said softly.
Reverend Sorensen appeared in the doorway, looking across the road at them.
"Lori! Come inside, please." He called out.
"I'll come in when I'm ready!" Lori yelled at him, getting angry.
Suddenly I watched as the Hook Man appeared behind the Reverend out of nowhere, and the glint of silver as his hook pierced the Reverend's shoulder. I pulled my gun out of my bag and was running across the street, Sam hot on my heels with his own gun. We entered the house, the Reverend was screaming from upstairs.
"No! No, please! No!" We took the stairs two at a time, Sam slightly in the lead. The bedroom door slammed shut and Sam kicked it open. I entered, gun at the ready. The Hook Man was on top of the Reverend, his hook raised in the air. "No! No, no!" The reverend screamed again. I didn't hesitate, and shot the Hook Man in the side.
The Hook Man turned to attack, and Sam shot him again. There was a shatter of dust, and glass as the window in the bedroom shattered from the bullet flying through it. I turned to Sam, catching my breath and we exchanged a concerned look.
Lori ran into the room. "Dad! Dad!" She knelt down next to the reverend, telling him he would be ok. We watched on, vaguely I wondered how we were going to explain my reappearance to Lori.
Hospital
We were at the hospital, Lori's Dad was in the emergency room, he was stable, but he wouldn't be awake for some time. I had just finished giving my statement to the Sheriff, explaining that I'd been to visit Lori, was walking home when I heard the screams from her Dad, so I'd run back to help. I left out the fact that I'd been carrying a shotgun, it had been back in my bag by the time Lori made it into the room. Now I was standing in the hallway listening to Sam give his version of the story.
"We were just talking. Then Lori's dad came out. And then he appeared." Sam said.
"A big man? Carrying a weapon, some kind of a hook?" The Sheriff asked.
Sam nodded in earnest. "Yes, sir."
"Ever seen him before?" The Sheriff asked.
"No, sir." Sam answered.
"Son, it seems every time I turn around, I'm seeing you. I suggest you try to stay out of trouble." Sam nodded.
"Yes sir." He said giving him the puppy-dog eyes.
I stood up as I saw Dean coming down the hallway, two officers trying to restrain him.
"No, it's all right, I'm with him. He's my brother." Dean raised his arm up, calling to Sam. "Hey! Brother!" Sam and the Sheriff turned to look at Dean, who smiled and waved.
"Let him through." The Sheriff said.
Dean and Sam walked toward each other, and I pushed myself off the wall. Dean looked Sam over.
"You ok?" He asked, patting Sam on the arm, glancing back at me.
"You ok?" He asked again, moving past Sam to me, a hand protectively at my waist.
We both nodded. "Yeah." Sam said. We started walking back down the hall the way Dean had come.
"What the hell happened?" Dean asked quietly.
"Hook man." Sam answered, looking at him.
"You saw him?" Dean asked.
"Damn right. Why didn't you torch the bones?" Sam whispered urgently, turning to face Dean and stopping.
"What are you talking about, I did. You sure it's the spirit of Jacob Karns?" Dean said, shaking his head.
"It sure as hell looked like him." I said, running a hand through my hair.
"And that's not all," Sam said. "I don't think the spirit is latching on to the reverend."
"Well yeah, the guy wouldn't send the Hook Man after himself." Dean said glancing back down the hallway to the reverend's room.
"I think it's latching on to Lori. Last night she found out her father is having an affair with a married woman." Sam said.
"So what?" Dean shrugged.
"So she's upset about it. She's upset about the immorality of it. She told me she was raised to believe that if you do something wrong, you get punished." Sam explained.
"Ok, so she's conflicted. And the spirit of Preacher Karns is latching on to her repressed emotions, and maybe he's doing the punishing for her?" Dean said, thinking it through.
"Right. Rich comes on too strong, Taylor tries to make her into a party girl, Dad has an affair." I said, piecing it together.
"Remind me not to piss this girl off." Dean said looking at me. I smiled. "But I burned those bones, I buried them in salt, why didn't that stop him?" Dean asked.
"You must have missed something." Sam said.
Dean thought about it and shook his head. "No. I burned everything in that coffin."
"Did you get the hook?" I asked.
"The hook?" Dean asked, looking at me.
"Well, it was the murder weapon, and in a way, it was part of him." Sam agreed.
"So, like the bones, the hook is a source of his power." Dean said, nodding in realisation.
"So if we find the hook..." I said
"We stop the Hook Man." Dean and Sam said in unison, smiling at each other.
Library
Maybe it was just me, but I could have sworn that repressed looking librarian was giving Dean and Sam a good once-over as we stood around looking through more papers. I chuckled to myself and continued to flip through the old brown paper.
"Here's something, I think." Dean said, and I leaned over to look upside-down at what he was reading. "Log book, Iowa State Penitentiary," Dean explained. "Karns, Jacob. Personal affects: disposition thereof."
"Does it mention the hook?" I asked.
"Yeah, maybe," He read a little further, I couldn't make the writing out from my angle so stood up to walk around and join him. "Upon execution, all earthly items shall be remanded to the prisoner's house of worship, St. Barnabas Church." Dean said suddenly.
"Isn't that where Lori's father preaches?" I asked.
"Yeah." Sam said. "Where Lori lives." He added.
"Maybe that's why the Hook Man has been haunting reverends and reverend's daughters for the past 200 years." Dean said, looking thoughtful.
"Yeah, but if the hook were at the church or Lori's house, don't you think someone might have seen it? I mean, a bloodstained, silver-handled hook?" I asked, looking dubious.
"Check the church records." Dean said.
Half an hour later Sam found what we were looking for.
"St Barnabas donations, 1862." Sam read from the ledger he had in front of him. "Received silver-handled hook from state penitentiary. Reforged." He sat back with a sigh. "They melted it down. Made it into something else."
St Barnabas Church
"All right, we can't take any chances." Dean said walking toward the church. "Anything silver goes in the fire."
"I agree." Sam said. "So, Lori's still at the hospital. We'll have to break in."
"All right. Take your pick." Dean said.
"I'll take the house." Sam said looking at the front door.
"Ok." Dean grinned. "You're with me." He said to me with a wink. Sam started to walk off.
"Hey!" Dean said, getting his attention. "Stay out of her underwear drawer." He chuckled, and then headed off to the church.
We had the furnace in the basement lit in record time, Dean was tossing silver items in there as I came down the stairs with some more. I tossed them in and watched the silver start to melt.
"Well this is cosy." Dean said, taking me in his arms. "You know we never did get to finish that conversation earlier."
I laughed, running my hands along his torso. "You are incorrigible, you know that?" I said, smiling.
"Mmhmmm.." Dean said with a grin, leaning in to kiss me. We were interrupted by the sound of Sam appearing at the top of the stairs and broke apart with a sigh.
"I got everything that even looked silver." Sam said, dumping a bag of items in front of us.
"Better safe than sorry." Dean said, tossing a silver goblet into the fire. Suddenly footsteps sounded above us in the church. Dean pulled his gun out, gesturing toward the steps. "Move, move!" He whispered.
Dean led the way upstairs, followed by Sam, I brought up the rear. We exited the basement to the rear of the church, only to find Lori alone, sitting in the pew. Dean lowered his gun, indicating to me to follow, and we left Sam to talk to Lori, going back downstairs. I reached into the bag, and started tossing the rest of the items into the furnace.
We watched as all the items melted piece by piece.
"Well that should take care of that." Dean whispered and I nodded. I turned to head back up to the church, suddenly there was a scurry of feet over the floorboards above us, and I looked up to see Sam open the basement door. Only...
"Gun!" I yelled to Dean who reacted instantly, tossing me the shotgun I'd put on the ground. The Hook Man had appeared behind the basement door and sent his hook through it in Sam's directio. I raced for the stairs, taking a shot, but he had disappeared.
We ran up the stairs, I heard Lori scream and Sam lead her away. Breaking glass told us they had run to the front of the church again, and past the altar into the rectory. Lori screamed again and we moved toward them, hearing a struggle behind the wall in front. More items crashed and then I heard Sam yell in pain.
Lori went flying past us along the aisle, pulled by an invisible force. I swung the gun around, looking for the Hook Man, he was nowhere to be seen. Sam struggled into view, blood seeping through his jacket at his shoulder. Dean ran to Lori and grabbed her arm as she lay on the ground.
"Lori. You ok?" He asked, looking around. She nodded and started to get up, but the Hook Man appeared and knocked Dean flying into a wall where he crashed into a bookshelf, it collapsed on top of him. I swung my gun around and pulled the trigger but the Hook Man had moved too quick. He was moving toward Lori who was scrambling backwards while the Hook Man approached and I was out of ammo. I pulled the only other shell I had out of my jeans pocked and reloaded the gun. Sam went to grab the Hook Man. I had other plans.
"Sam, drop!" I ordered and when he hit the ground I shot the Hook Man clean through the back, he disappeared into dust.
"I thought we got all the silver." Sam said.
"So did I." I said, helping him up. Dean was groaning and standing up.
"Then why is he still here?" He asked, breathing hard.
"Well maybe we missed something." Sam said, looking around the church.
My eyes caught sight of the silver cross around Lori's neck, I'd seen her wearing it before, but never given it a second thought.
"Lori, where did you get that chain?" I asked quickly.
"My father gave it to me." She said as Sam pulled her to her feet.
"Where'd your dad get it?" Dean asked.
"He said it was a church heirloom, he gave it to me when I started school." She answered. More noise was starting, the walls seemed to shake, the Hook Man wasn't gone yet.
"Is it silver?!" Sam yelled.
"Yes!" She exclaimed.
Sam ripped the chain from her neck.
"I'm out of ammo." I said, emptying the shell cases from my gun. Dean tossed me a couple of rock salt rounds and I smiled, reloading. There was a sound in the hallway, a screech. I looked out to see a long scratch piercing through the plaster, but there was no Hook Man – he was invisible.
"Sam!" Dean threw his rifle and rock salt to his brother, Sam tossed Dean the necklace and Dean ran back toward the basement stairs. I moved to cover him, taking a couple of shots at the scratch, blasting the plaster to pieces.
Sam was struggling to reload his gun with his injured shoulder and hand, he snapped the barrel closed, but the Hook Man appeared and knocked the gun from his hands, it slid across the floor. I dove after it, needing the reloaded gun. The Hook Man was standing over Sam and Lori who had crawled into a corner. I swung the gun around just in time to see him stop, his arm raised in the air. Suddenly the hook started to melt, and the rest of his body flared up in fire, burning to ash before my very eyes.
I sunk back against the wall I was at and sighed, closing my eyes with a silent prayer of thanks.
"And you saw him too? The man with the hook?" The Sheriff was looking at Dean very suspiciously, as if he didn't quiet believe him.
"Yes, I told you, we all saw him. We fought him off and then he ran." Dean said.
"And that's all?" The Sheriff asked.
"Yeah, that's all." Dean said, his arm around me. I leaned in to him gratefully, tired, I felt like I hadn't slept in days.
The Sheriff started to say something. "Listen. You and your brother..."
"Oh don't worry, we're leaving town!" Dean interrupted, and led me away to the car, leaving the Sheriff with his mouth hanging open.
Lori walked up to me and gave me a hug.
"So... not really a sorority sister, right?" She asked.
"Not really." I confessed with a smile.
"Well, whatever, whoever you guys are. I'm glad you were around when you were." She smiled at us both.
"You take care of her." Lori said to Dean, nodding at me.
"Oh I will, don't you worry about that." Dean said with a grin, putting his arm around me again. "We do a pretty good job of taking care of each other."
She smiled and walked off to Sam, who was sitting on the back of an ambulance having his arm patched up.
I turned to Dean, pulling him into a hug. "You know, we really need a holiday." I said.
"You're not wrong there." He said, wincing as he flexed his shoulder.
"Come on, let's get you in the car." I said, leading him to the Impala. We were sitting in there, watching Sam as he walked away, a contemplative look on his face. Dean had his deep in thought face on, which usually meant he was up to no good. He watched in the side view mirror as Sam walked up to the car, getting into the back seat.
Dean looked back at him. "We could stay." He said simply. Sam shook his head sullenly. Dean looked back at Lori through the mirror and shook his head in disappointment. As Dean drove us away, I turned to chat to Sam, worried he might be taking Dean's advice to stay away from attachments a little too much to heart.
Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, I'm glad you're liking the story so far :) And hello to all my new followers! Good to have you here :)
WeAsHuman – You'll see Beth has her moments with feeling insecure and unworthy of Dean's love – that shape shifter didn't do her any favours, but it's not quite jealousy, more that she thinks he could do better; we all have our inner demons, no? I absolutely LOVE Castiel and I can't wait until I get to write him. I'm seeing a lot of fun conversations between Beth and him. She is religious, so she's going to be a bit floored I think when Cas shows up – kind of awe struck perhaps? Not sure yet, but can't wait to get there with it :D
PS. Does anyone know if I can rename the pages in my Document Manager?