Chapter 7

"He's pulling over, why is he pulling over?" Emma threw a confused look at Sam who returned an ever helpful shrug. "Drive past or pull over?" Sam didn't answer right away so Emma repeated quicker and louder, "Drive past or pull over?" She wasn't quite sure why she wasn't making her own decision about it but she desperately needed Sam to tell her what to do at that moment.

"Pull over!" Sam shouted back at her as she was already driving past the mayor's car. Emma refrained from snapping at him for his poor timing and silently navigated the car to the curb a couple dozen yards away from the other car. No one had gotten out yet and everything seemed quiet. Emma and Sam sat still, not even daring to breathe.

"What if it's happening in the car right now?" Emma posed, finally exhaling in a sigh. She looked over at Sam who was lost in his own thoughts. "Maybe we should go check?" She watched a muscle twitch in his jaw and his eyes turned on her, indecision apparent.

Before either could decide 2 things happened simultaneously. Sam's phone rang and the back doors of the car behind them were thrown open. Emma could hardly believe the scene unfolding behind them. She vaguely heard Sam talking with Dean on the phone; the pretty secretary was holding a gun trained on the mayor. He was currently safe with the car between her and him but that wasn't going to last long. "Sam, we have to go. NOW."

Emma grabbed her gun from the console and threw her door open. She heard Sam do something similar, still on the phone with Dean. Emma aimed at the secretary before shouting for her to stop. The lady didn't even seem to hear Emma. Sam had pocketed his phone and had his gun trained on her as well. The mayor was shouting for help, crawling away from the woman trying to kill him.

"She killed my chauffeur. She's crazy!" The mayor was shouting, trying to scramble toward Sam and Emma. "Help me, please!" Emma ignored him as best she could, keeping her eyes on the woman with the gun.

"Sam, do you see that?" Emma hissed. Out of the corner or her eye she saw Sam nod. All around the secretary with the gun was a hazy, gray mist. It created a menacing aura around her and Emma could swear that she saw faces in it appear and disappear just as suddenly. "The witches?" Again, a nod. He was pulling something out of his pocket. Reaching out, he offered his phone to her. Emma grabbed it, holding it to her ear.

"Dean?" She shouted into the phone. The guns Sam and Emma had pointed at the possessed woman seemed enough to keep her from advancing any farther, though she kept her wild eyes on her prey; the mayor.

"You?" She heard Dean's voice ask.

"Shut up, are you ready?" She didn't have time for his petty anger at the moment.

"Yes!" He replied back. They were both on phones, she wasn't sure why they were shouting at each other but it seemed appropriate. "Go! Go!"

"Go, Sam!" Emma cried, still keeping her gun on the woman. Sam started speaking, ancient Latin. The words were familiar to Emma but she wasn't exactly sure of their translation. But whatever he was saying made the secretary stop and focus her attention on him, not the mayor. Sam kept reading, faster now. "Be ready Dean." She whispered quietly into the phone.

"I'm on it." He replied.

As Sam finished the incantation the woman threw her head back with an unearthly scream that echoed on the street around them. Emma flinched at the sound but luckily Sam was of presence of mind enough to throw the holy water at her. "Now!" Emma said into the phone and there was an audible click as Dean threw the switch.

"Nooooo…." A faded cry was torn from the woman as she fell. The gray mist swirled over her body for a moment before exploding in an unsubstantial cloud and dissipating into nothing. Emma realized she was shielding her eyes with her gun and she had dropped the phone. She looked over at Sam who was staring at the downed woman intently.

"What's going on? Hello? Emma? Sam!" Dean's voice could be heard from the phone on the ground. Emma bent to pick it up.

"It worked." She replied, surprised that her voice was a bit shaky. Taking a deep breath she steadied herself. "It's gone." Emma looked over at Sam who nodded in confirmation.

"Everyone's okay?" Dean's concern could be heard even over the phone.

"Yea. We're all alright." She looked over at the mayor who was staring at the two of them in awe then at the woman on the ground. She was groaning and starting to stand up. Amazingly, everyone seemed to have survived. "Meet you back at the hotel." She suggested. Dean agreed. Emma handed the phone back to Sam, holstering her gun in the back of her jeans.

"That wasn't so bad." Sam managed a half hearted grin at her before going over to help the woman up. Emma headed over to the mayor.

"You alright?" She asked, offering a hand to help him off the ground. He looked at her hand as though it were a snake that would bite him. "Sir?" She insisted.

"No, I'm not. I was almost just assassinated. By my secretary." The mayor stood up on his own accord. "My friend was murdered in my car and I just witnessed something that common sense can't explain. I am not alright."

Emma sighed, looking over her shoulder at Sam taking care of the secretary. "She wasn't herself. She probably won't even remember it happened." Emma turned back to the mayor. "Mr. Blake, please keep that in mind."

The mayor glared at her but didn't respond. Moments like this usually ended with Emma driving away, unthanked but one less evil in the world. She would rather not be around when the authorities got involved- trying to explain things tended to be more trouble than it was worth. She looked over at Sam who was walking toward her.

"Let's go," it was half a question, half a command that she hissed under her breath but Sam heard it. He nodded, walking past her and getting in the drivers side of her car.

"Stop cheating on your wife." Emma felt a morality command wouldn't hurt this man. "It's not worth your life." She walked past him; he seemed frozen in stunned silence at her words. She climbed into the car and Sam took off the moment her door shut.

They drove in a few moments of silence. Sam was upset; it was obvious. Emma couldn't figure out why.

"Is something wrong?" She asked, unable to keep quiet anymore.

"That woman will go to jail for murder." Sam spat out.

Emma sighed. "Yes, you're probably right." She looked out the window.

"Just frustrating," Sam continued, a bit calmer. "We can't do anything to help her. But it wasn't her fault."

"Part of the job." Emma found herself saying. "The most terrible part. Not being able to help every innocent." She looked back at him. "It sucks." She agreed.

He nodded and they sunk back into silence for the rest of the way back to the motel. Dean was pacing by the Impala. His head jerked up when they pulled in. Sam parked in the only open space near the front office. Dean met them when they got out of the car. When it was apparent that neither one of them was hurt he exhaled loudly.

"Geez! Don't take your time getting back or anything." He scolded. Sam and Emma ignored him, focused on getting their crap and getting out of there. "We're going our separate ways now, right?" Dean stopped in the doorway of his and Sam's room. "Right, Sam? We're leaving? Separately?" He was being sure to be loud enough for Emma to hear.

"Dean, we're done. We have to go. Sure, separately." Emma grabbed her bag and set it in her doorway. Izzy came and sat at her feet, the dog's eyes trained on Dean. He glared back at the dog a moment until she growled. He took an involuntary step back from her.

"I don't know, Dean." Sam's voice stopped them all short.

"You don't know?" Dean asked, walking into his motel room. "What don't you know?"

"She was useful. It's less work with another person. We can get through things quicker with her. We're on the same mission," he listed off things then looked at her, standing from stuffing his clothes in his duffle bag. "It just makes sense."

"What?" Emma and Dean asked simultaneously. "You're insane." Dean added.

"Think about it, Dean. She's gonna end up in half the same places we do. We are always talking about needing another pair of hands and set of eyes. It might work." Sam was standing toe to toe with Dean at this point. Though he was younger, he was several inches taller. Still, Dean was definitely the more intimidating one.

"No." Was his one word answer.

"What is your problem-"

"No. My car, my rules. No."

Emma actually agreed with Dean. Though she could see Sam's point, she didn't feel like defending herself against Dean constantly. Maybe they could hook up and run some cases together, but 24-7 in a car with him…no way.

"It's okay, Sam. Thanks." She smiled genuinely at him. "I'll go. You have my number."

Sam looked like he wanted to protest but the death glare Dean was shooting at him stopped him. "Yeah." Was all he said in response, throwing the last of his things into his backpack.

Emma sighed and gathered her things. For some reason she felt like she was fighting herself by leaving. Her head was nagging at her that Sam was right and she should go back and fight to stay with them. But common sense and reason were winning out over intuition. She smiled to herself when she realized that barely happened anymore.

She looked up at her car when Izzy gave a sudden bark. A strange man was climbing into the driver's seat. With sudden realization, she remembered the keys were left in it. Just what she needed, to report her rental car stolen and be stranded in this town for additional days. "Hey!" She shouted, picking up her pace. "Stop!"

The guy looked at her, grinned, and turned the engine over. Emma took one more step and was stopped by the entire car being engulfed in a ball of fire. She heard the explosion and then…nothing.