This chapter starts where the last one left off pretty much... Note: There's a lot of Dean/Buffy in this chapter so enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. Eric Kripke owns Supernatural and it's scripts and Joss Wheedon owns Buffy. This was made for fun.
I used the TwizTv script for Supernatural Season 1, Episode 10 "Asylum"
Dean drove out of Kansas and got as far as Wichita before he got tired. They stopped off at a cheap motel on the outskirts of Wichita. All three were so tired they left almost everything in the car. Buffy only took one bag that had some clothes and weapons in, just in case. As most times they booked into a motel there was only one room available but right now Buffy didn't care, she just wanted to patch herself up properly and sleep. When they got inside Dean flopped down on one of the beds and Sam stayed long enough to explain he was hungry before leaving again.
"Ahhh I could sleep for days." Dean sighed and stretched out on the bed.
Buffy sat down on the edge of the other bed and pulled out a small first aid kit from her bag, "Me too but I just want to patch my war wounds up first." She said as she removed her torn t-shirt she had been wearing for the past few days. All three of them hadn't had time to change since they got to Kansas and, unlike Buffy, they didn't seem as bothered. Buffy turned slightly so she could see Dean, he was looking intently at the bedspread like it was going to tell him the secrets of the universe. Buffy couldnt help but smile, Dean could be a gentleman at times.
"Dean."
Buffy calling his name made him practically jump and he looked up at her with sheepish eyes, "What?"
"Could you help me?" she asked him with her politest voice, "I can't reach the wounds on my back."
Dean looked at her torn back up and down, some of her wounds were almost closed but most were still open but no longer bleeding, and he cleared his throat, "Uh sure." He mumbled as he got off the bed and moved over to sit beside Buffy. He wiped his palms nervously onto his jeans before picking up the antiseptic liquid and some cotton pads and he poured the antiseptic onto one of the pads and dabbed it onto one of the biggest wounds.
"Ouch!" Buffy hissed and jumped when she felt the sting of the antiseptic hit her wounds.
Dean jerked his hand away when she hissed, "Sorry." He said quietly.
Buffy relaxed and turned her head and saw him out the corner of her eye and she smiled slightly, "It's okay, just stings." She turned her head back and looked at her knees, "I haven't had injuries this bad since the Wendigo." She jumped again when Dean moved to another wound.
"It's opened a couple of the Wendigo wounds that haven't finished healing, they're not too bad." Dean said softly.
He took a fresh cotton pad and doused it in antiseptic and moved onto the last of her wounds, which were just a few deep scratches from the glass table she was thrown into the night before. They sat in silence for a couple of minutes until Dean finally spoke, "I'm sorry." His voice was so quiet Buffy wasn't sure if she actually heard him.
"What?"
"For yesterday, when you heard me on the phone; I shouldn't... have yelled... I'm sorry."
Buffy shifted in her seat, "Don't worry about it. Sometimes... I shouldn't have snooped." She apologised back.
Dean stopped cleaning her back and he gently rested a hand on her waist and with the other hand he ran a finger along her back, feeling the pale, healed wounds dotted on her skin. Buffy's skin heated at his touch and she could feel his thumb absently stroking her waist, she closed her eyes and her breath swallowed and she leaned into his touch. Buffy dropped the t-shirt she'd been holding over her chest and it fell to the floor and her shaky hands gripped at her knees. Dean's hand that was on her waist slowly made its way up her side, over her arms and along her shoulders, each movement Buffy whimpered and leaned into him until she turned to him. Dean had never seen anybody move so fast; before he could blink she was facing him, her body pressed against his, her hands gripping his shoulders. Dean's hands travelled up her arms again and slowly moved over her shoulders, up her neck and into her hair. Buffy's hands gripped his shoulders tighter as Dean gripped a handful of her hair and tilted her head back – he smiled at her groan of pleasure – and placed his lips on the curve of her neck and placed butterfly kisses up her neck and along her jaw until finally Buffy had enough and ran her hands through his hair and pulled his head to hers and planted her lips on his violently. Dean made a noise when their mouths parted for a breath but he quickly planted them on Buffy's again hungrily. Buffy let out a little purr of pleasure as Dean kissed her and she pushed into him so he fell further onto the bed until he was lying down and she was on top. Dean's hands found his way to her ass and he pushed her closer to him, Buffy could feel his excitement pressed against her crotch and it only excited her more and she couldnt help but press closer to him to hear him gasp. Dean ran his hands along Buffy's back and held her close and suddenly Buffy screamed out in pain.
Dean was so shocked he pushed her off him, "Ohmygod" he said without taking a breath.
Buffy's cry quietened as soon as he let go and she had a tear running down her face from the pain.
Dean put a hand on her shoulder, "I'm so sorry. You okay?" he asked breathlessly.
Buffy took deep breaths, from the excitement and the pain, and nodded, "My back. It... I guess it's not fully healed yet."
Dean wiped the tear from her cheek and his thumb lingered there for a moment until Buffy let out a breath and moved her face away from his touch. Dean let out a cough and scratched his head as he shifted away from her. "I'm, uh, gonna go to bed."
Buffy let out a breath and nodded and slowly started off the bed and ran to the bathroom. Locking the door behind her she gripped the sink till her knuckles were whiter than the porcelain and she stared at herself in the mirror: her hair was a mess on the side Dean was gripping, and her lips were red from kissing him so hard, her entire face was flushed.
She shook her head as she turned the faucet, "Buffy what are you doing?" she said to herself and splashed cold water on her face. When she had finally calmed down from the pain in her back, and the excitement of kissing Dean, she went back into the room and found Dean under the covers of one of the beds and out like a light. She grabbed some pyjamas and a towel and went back into the bathroom and drew a bath. She didn't know how long she was in the bathroom for but she didn't get out the bath till she started to prune and then she sat on the toilet and plucked her eyebrows and when she finally emerged from the bathroom, with her hair almost dry and clean pyjamas on, Sam was back and asleep on the second bed; Dean on one bed and Sam on the other.
"Crap." Buffy muttered to herself. She now realised she was either on the couch or sharing with one of the boys.
Her mind was telling her to share with Sam because she could trust herself laying beside him – unlike if she shared with Dean god knows what she would end up doing to him – but he seemed to take up a lot of the bed, all six-foot-and-then-some of him, whereas Dean was asleep on one side of the bed and there was plenty of room beside him. She stood there for a good ten minutes before she started to get cold and she thought "fuck it" and climbed in beside Dean who didn't even stir when she climbed under the covers and lay next to him. She tried to keep enough distance from him and shut her eyes tightly and force herself to sleep but her body was very aware of him sleeping beside her and it wanted more of his hands on her skin. She tossed and turned for at least an hour before her mind gave up and shut down for the night.
The next morning Buffy woke feeling rested for a change, sleeping all the time on over used flat mattresses hardly gave Buffy a few good hours sleep but this had to be the first night she slept all the way through the night. When she shifted to get comfy again and go back to sleep there was another movement in her bed and a weight on her hip that made her open her eyes. The light streaming through the window blinded her for a second but when her eyes finally adjusted to the light she saw a chest inches from her face. Her eyes moved slowly upwards and saw Dean's sleeping face; shifting a little to prop herself up with one arm, she looked around the room: the bed Sam was asleep in the night before was empty and made, she couldnt hear Sam anywhere else in the room; when Dean shifted in his sleep he moved the hand that was rested on her hip around her back and snuggled closer to her and he buried his face in her neck. Buffy waited till Dean's breath evened out and he stopped moving too slowly ease her way out of bed, she gently took Dean's hand and moved it off her as she slid out of the bed. She let go of his hand when he rolled over and she took the opportunity to grab some clothes and run to the bathroom.
Once she was fully dressed she left the bathroom, finding Dean standing right outside. They both looked at each other for a second before looking at everything but at each other, they both grunted a hello to each other and Buffy stepped out the bathroom and Dean stepped in, slamming the door behind him. Buffy noticed Sam sat at the small table with food and coffee spread out; he was helping himself to the food on the table and was looking at her in a way Buffy couldnt decipher.
He held out a coffee and she took it, sitting down next to him and taking out a croissant out the paper bag in the middle of the table. She ate and drank her coffee in silence, pretending not to notice Sam watching her and glancing at the bathroom where Dean was still inside.
Buffy threw her croissant on the table and looked at Sam, "What?"
Sam widened his eyes and looked innocent and shrugged his shoulders, "Nothing."
Buffy sighed, "Just say what's on your mind Sam"
Sam took a drink of his coffee then grinned at her, "What happened with you and Dean last night?"
Buffy tried not to look shocked, "Nothing."
Sam laughed, "Please. I went out to get food and I came back to clothes on the floor and Dean asleep."
Buffy sighed, "We didn't do anything. I went for a bath, Dean went to sleep." She explained with an edge to her voice.
Sam raised an eyebrow, "But... something happened."
Buffy flinched and picked at her croissant but didn't say anything which Sam took as a sign that something did happen but she didn't want to talk about it. When Dean came out the bathroom, cleaner and his cuts and bruises patched up and wearing a grey t-shirt with an open red shirt over it with faded jeans Buffy couldnt help but stare for a few seconds then quickly stated that she was going out for a walk and to call her if they needed her.
Sam looked over at the front door, "What's up with her?" He asked coolly.
Dean shrugged and sat on the edge of the bed, "Beat's me" he said as he put on his boots.
Sam took a drink of his coffee, "What's up with you?"
Dean looked up at his brother, "Me? I'm fine."
Sam didn't say anything for a second, he waited until Dean finished putting on his boots and as he got up and took a coffee from the polystyrene holder he said, "So I noticed you two in bed together last night. Care to explain?"
Dean hovered the coffee cup to his mouth and thought for a second, "There's nothing to explain." He said and took a swig of coffee. When he swallowed he asked, "How did finding dad go? Caleb heard from him?"
Sam was about to scoff back about there was definitely something to explain but instead he dropped it, for now, and answered, "Neither has Jefferson or Pastor Jim." Sam called them while he was out getting breakfast, "What about the journal? Any leads in there?"
Dean put down the coffee and shook his head, "No. Same last time I looked. Nothin' I can make out." A small smile played on his lips as he sat in the empty seat at the table, "I love the guy, but I swear, he writes like friggin' Yoda." Dean chuckled.
Sam smiled also and after a moment thinking his smile faded, "You know, maybe we should call the Feds. File missing persons."
Dean stuck his hand inside the brown bag on the table and pulled out a doughnut, "We talked about this. Dad would be pissed if we put the Feds on his tail." He explained and took a huge bite out of the doughnut in his hand.
Sam sighed in frustration, "I don't care anymore." He groaned as a faint ringing surrounded the room. Dean got out of his seat and went in search of the cell phone as Sam continued, "After all that happened back in Kansas, I mean…he should've been there, Dean. You said so yourself, you tried to call him, and nothing."
Dean grunted as he searched under the bed he slept in the night before, "I know. Where the hell is my cell phone?"
"You know, he could be dead for all we know." Sam said ignoring his question.
Dean got up off the floor and looked straight at Sam, "Don't say that. He's not dead. He's…he's…" he trailed off, not wanting to finish the sentence; instead he picked up his jeans he wore the night before and rummaged through the pockets.
"He's what? He's hiding? He's busy?" Sam asked irritant, he figured his father was probably drunk in a bar somewhere like his brother usually is and so it annoyed him that he was spending all this time searching for someone who wasn't missing let alone didn't care. Dean pulled the cell phone out from his jeans pocket, flipping the phone open he read the text message and his face fell. "I don't believe it." He said, his mouth lifting into a tiny smile.
Sam sat straighter, "What?"
Dean sat down on the bed and looked at Sam, "It's a text message. It's coordinates."
Sam's face fell, "What?" he asked again.
Dean jumped over his bed and over to Sam's bed and pulled the laptop from underneath the bed and sat it on the counter and opened it up and started clicking away on the keyboard.
"You think Dad was texting us?" Sam asked, getting out of his seat and moving around the table.
Dean shrugged, "He's given us coordinates before." He said as he typed every few seconds.
"The man can barely work a toaster, Dean." Sam exclaimed as he stood beside his brother and glanced at the computer screen.
Dean looked over at his brother, "Sam, this is good news. It means he's okay. Or alive, at least." He replied then went back to his research.
"Well, was there a number on the caller ID?"
Dean shook his head, "No, it said "unknown"."
Sam sighed, "Okay, well, where do the coordinates point?"
Dean sat back in his seat and turned his gaze to Sam, "That's the interesting part –- Rockford, Illinois."
Sam raised his brows, "Okay, and that's interesting how?"
Dean put his attention back onto the computer and opened a page, "I checked the local Rockford paper. Take a look at this." He turned the laptop so Sam could see the page; it was a picture of a cop with some writing beside the picture, like an article. "This cop, Walter Kelly, comes home from his shift, shoots his wife, puts the gun in his mouth, and blows his brains out. And earlier that night, Kelly and his partner responded to a call at the Roosevelt Asylum." Dean explained.
Sam nodded then sighed, "Okay, I'm not following. What does this have to do with us?"
"Dad earmarked the same asylum in the journal." Dean stated and leaned forward and picked up the journal that was in the middle of the table, he flipped through a few pages before finding the newspaper clipping about the asylum. Dean glanced up and saw Buffy coming through the door as he read part of the clipping. " Here. Seven unconfirmed sightings, two deaths –- 'til last week, at least. I think this is where he wants us to go."
Buffy shut the door behind her, "Who?"
Sam started pacing the room, "This is a job. Dad wants us to work a job."
Buffy's eyes widened in surprise, "Your dad? You found him?"
Dean swivelled in his seat and watched his brother pace, "I mean, maybe we'll meet up with him, maybe he's there."
Sam stopped pacing and turned around, "Maybe he's not. I mean, he could be sending us there by ourselves to hunt this thing."
"Um does someone want to tell me what's going on?" Buffy asked, still standing by the front door.
Dean got up and picked up his jacket, "Who cares? If he wants us there, that's good enough for me." He stated.
Sam also picked up his jacket, "This doesn't strike you as weird? The texting? The coordinates?" he asked, unable to believe it was his dad who texted them.
Dean turned and looked at his brother with authority, "Sam, Dad's tellin' us to go somewhere –- we're going."
Sam sighed but didn't respond and Buffy cleared her throat, when the boys looked at her she mock smiled, "Oh you both do remember that I'm here!" Her face and voice turned serious, "Wanna tell me what's going on?"
Dean headed for the door, he stopped when he reached Buffy and he was inches away from her, Buffy began to blush as flashbacks from the night before replayed in her mind.
"Get your stuff we're going. Sam will fill you in on what's going on." He said softly and it took him a moment to carry on walking out the door.
Sam filled Buffy in on what was going on as Dean drove to Illinois. Halfway there they decided to plan on how to get more information. Sam continued to read through Walter Kelly's police file on the laptop, "Why dont we question the partner? I mean he went with Kelly to the Asylum but he's fine. Maybe he knows something."
Buffy stretched out her legs on the back seat, "That's a good idea but how are we going to talk to him? I mean if it was me I wouldn't want to talk to anyone about it."
Dean took a quick look at Sam to get his attention, "How about we send in Blondie to flirt with him, he's bound to fold like a house of cards and tell her anything she wants to know" Dean suggested as he rounded a corner and switched gears.
Buffy snorted, "Thanks, Pimp. No way. I'm not flirting with some guy to get information. Forget it." She said as she lightly punched the back of Dean's seat.
Dean chuckled at Buffy's reaction, "Well do you have a better plan?"
Buffy moved closer so she could see both boys, "Actually. I do."
Buffy was perched on the hood of the Impala in the dark, only the light from the bar ahead and the street light beside the car helped her see around, her hands wrapped around a Styrofoam cup full of hot chocolate. After the incident of listening to Gwen Stefani in his car Dean didn't let her sit inside it by herself anymore so she had to sit outside while she waited for Dean to come back from the bar. She occasionally got a few looks from some of the drunken bikers or drunken men in general, some whistled and shouted a few obscenities but none actually approached her. She'd nearly finished her now cold hot chocolate and was shaking with cold when Dean came out of the bar with a pissed off look on his face. He quickly made his way to Buffy and she quickly jumped off the hood of the car, "Thank God, I'm freezing my butt off out here. You okay?" she asked through chattering teeth as Dean put the keys in the lock.
Dean sighed, "I'm fine. Sam just took his role a little too seriously." He said as he opened the back seat door and Buffy climbed in halfway and rummaged through the bag on the seat.
"So plan in underway. Good. How long do you reckon it'll take?" Buffy asked as she pulled her red leather jacket out from the bag. Dean was barely able to refrain himself from looking at her ass as she wiggled about inside the car, "Uhh, I dont know. Half hour to an hour at least."
Buffy finally emerged from the car and turned to face Dean and they were almost face to face. The night before raced through Buffy's mind, his lips on her's, her hand's running through his soft hair and she felt her face flush. They both cleared their throats and Dean stepped back and Buffy hastily put her jacket on and she scratched her head. "So do you think Sam will get any information?" She asked hastily to remove the tension.
Dean perched on the hood of the car and shrugged, "Let's hope. This guy's our only lead." He mumbled.
Buffy sighed, she knew this was going to happen, she knew he was going to avoid her as much as he could. She moved in front of him and poked him in the stomach, "Hey."
When Dean looked up Buffy gave him a small smile, "Look about what happened last night... I don't want it to get between us okay? I mean we were both wired up from adrenaline and well you know the rest but I dont want that to interfere with what we're doing. We're around each other all the time; I don't want it to be awkward." She said, her teeth still chattering from the cold.
Dean didn't speak for a few minutes then nodded, "You're right. Let's just say last night never happened. Let's forget all about it and go back to normal. Can you do that?"
No, Buffy thought but she nodded instead, "Can you?" was the question she wanted to know.
Dean nodded, "I can." I can try, was what he wanted to say.
Buffy smiled a little, "So we're good?"
Dean smiled and nodded, "We're good. You still cold?"
Buffy nodded and violently shivered, "I think I need to invest in a warmer coat, I didn't think it was going to be this cold here."
Dean laughed, "Wuss. Here." He removed his black jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders, Buffy held it close, their fingers touched and neither moved them away.
"Thank you." Buffy said softly as she pulled his jacket tighter around her shoulders and Dean moved his hand away and crossed his arms.
They both stayed like that for a while, Dean sat on his car and Buffy in front of him, either standing in silence or saying the occasional mundane thing to fill the awkward silence. Eventually Sam exited the bar and walked to the car where Dean was waiting with a pissed expression.
"You shoved me kind of hard in there, buddy boy." Dean stated as Sam stopped next to him.
Sam looked from Dean to Buffy, noticing she had Dean's jacket wrapped around her shoulders, and back to Dean, "I had to sell it, didn't I? It's method acting."
Dean arched an eyebrow, "Huh?"
Sam shook his head, "Never mind." He said and walked around to the passenger side of the car.
"What'd you find out from Gunderson?" Dean asked as he turned around to face Sam.
Sam rested his arms on the top of the car, "So, Walter Kelly was a good cop: Head of his class, even-keeled. He had a bright future ahead of him."
Buffy, who was still stood beside Dean, spoke, "What about at home?"
"He and his wife had a few fights, like everybody, but it was mostly smooth sailing. They were even talking about having kids." Sam explained.
Dean nodded, "All right, so, either Kelly had some deep-seated crazy way to bust out, or somethin' else did it to him."
Sam nodded, "Right."
"What'd Gunderson tell you about the asylum?" Dean asked.
Sam looked straight at Dean and gave one quick smile, "A lot."
"So we should go check it out?" Buffy asked moving her way to open the back of the car to get inside.
"Let's look tomorrow, I'm pretty tired." Dean stated as he opened the driver door.
"You're tired?" Sam asked with a little laugh.
Dean nodded, took a quick glance at Buffy then back at Sam, "You know... from driving." He said and got inside.
Sam looked at Buffy, whose face was almost red as she climbed inside the car, and smiled, "Yeah, right." He said and got inside.
They found a motel pretty quickly and got two rooms out and Buffy took all her stuff to her own room and shut herself inside. She didn't talk to either of them until Sam knocked on her door the next morning to wake her up. They drove out to Roosevelt Asylum, the whole thing was fenced off and the place looked like nobody had been inside for years. They parked out of sight and they all stood by the fence.
"Looks like we have to jump" Sam sighed and put his hands on his hips, he hated jumping fences.
Dean looked at Buffy with a smile, "Bad day to wear heals huh?" he said with a chuckle.
Buffy looked down at her boots, the heal was barely an inch, then back to Dean with a smile, "you underestimate me." She said then jumped; as she jumped she grabbed the fence and pushed herself – almost like a cartwheel – over the fence. She landed in a crouch and she turned as she stood to see the stunned faces of the pair. Sam then grabbed the fence and climbed his way up and landing on his feet on the other side, followed quickly by Dean. Sam started up the steps and Dean walked beside Buffy, "Show off." He said as they both followed behind Sam.
The front door to the Asylum was open and all three started to look around, every inch of the building was covered in graffiti, empty beer bottles and cans thrown about the place. It smelled of dust, smoke and stale beer.
"So apparently, the cops chased the kid's here-" Sam stopped when he reached the centre of the room and pointed to a chained up door to his right, "-into the south wing." Above the door was an old paint sign with "South Wing" written in red but was not heavily chipped.
Dean looked at the door, "The south wing, huh? Wait a second." He pulled out his father's journal from the inside pocket of his jacket and flipped through the pages until he found the one he was looking for.
"Listen. 'In 1972, three kids broke into the south wing. Only one survived.' The way he tells it, one of his friends went nuts and started lightin' up the place." Dean stated.
Buffy came back from wandering around the room and stood beside Sam, "So, whatever's going on, the south wing seems like the heart of it."
Dean nodded, "Yeah, but if kids are spelunking the asylum, why aren't there a ton more deaths?" he asked rhetorically as he flipped through a few more pages.
Sam took a closer look at the door and noticed the chains to keep the door locked have been cut. "Looks like the doors are usually chained. Could have been chained up for years." He said as he made his way closer to the door.
Dean put the journal back inside his jacket, "Yeah, to keep people out –- or to keep somethin' in." He said as he stood beside Sam.
Sam gently pushed one of the double doors and it slowly opened, eerily creaking as it did so, and all three of them shared an uneasy look. Dean pulled out his EMF meter and went inside the south wing, Buffy and Sam walked either side of him.
As they walked down the hallway through the south wing Buffy noticed the peeling paint on the walls, the patches of mould forming on the ceilings and the corners of the walls and the entire place was dark except for the light of day pouring through the windows.
"Let me know if you see any dead people, Haley Joel." Dean said with an amused tone to Sam as he walked in front with the EMF meter.
"Dude, enough." Sam said hastily.
Dean chuckled, "No, I'm serious, you've gotta be careful, all right? Ghosts are attracted to that whole ESP thing you've got goin' on." He said as he looked at the EMF meter.
"I told you, it's not ESP. I just have... strange vibes sometimes, weird dreams." Sam explained.
"Yeah, whatever. Don't ask, don't tell." Dean muttered as he looked from the meter to the hallway in front of him.
Buffy cleared her throat and placed a reassuring hand on Sam's shoulder, "You gettin' a reading on that thing or not?" She asked mainly to change the subject, she wasn't that interested.
"Nope. Of course, it doesn't mean nobody's home." Dean stated
"Spirits can appear during certain hours of the day." Sam suggested.
"And the freaks come out at night." Dean sighed and both Sam and Buffy nodded in agreement, "Hey, Sam, who do you think is a hotter psychic –- Patricia Arquette, Jennifer Love Hewitt, or you?" he asked, still looking at the meter. Buffy laughed, Sam smiled and hit Dean on the arm and Dean cracked up the rest of the way down the corridor until they finally found a door.
All three grimaced as they entered the room, Buffy actually groaned as she grimaced – despite her slayer activities she did before she met the boys she was still disgusted by some of the things they found. There were several tables in the room and there were jars on almost every table, and each jar held a different body part inside. There were various tools scattered around the room, there was even a beheaded doll on one of the table. Dean tapped at the EMF meter in his hand and eventually decided it wasn't going to work so he put it away inside his jacket. They all walked around different parts of the room to take a closer look at things.
"Man. Electroshock, lobotomies –- they did some twisted stuff to these people. Kind of like my man, Jack in Cuckoo's Nest." Dean stopped and grinned wickedly towards Sam and Buffy at the last part, Sam rolled his eyes and continued looking around and Buffy just started at him with a "how can you make a joke right now?" face and Dean's smile faded and he carried on looking, "So, what do you think? Ghosts are possessing people?" he asked seriously.
Sam stopped and just looked around where he stood, "Maybe. Or maybe it's more like, uh, like Amityville or the Smurl haunting." He stated.
Dean turned around, "Yeah, spirits driving them insane." He started walking to where Sam was stood, "Kind of like my man Jack in The Shining." He smiled. Buffy smiled and let out a little laugh as she continued to wander around the room but Sam still didn't smile at Dean's jokes.
Sam quickly glanced at Buffy and when she was at the other side of the room he looked at his brother, "Dean…when are we gonna talk about it?" he asked quietly.
Dean stopped in front of Sam and turned to face him, "Talk about what?"
"About the fact that Dad's not here." Sam replied still quietly, Buffy now realising that neither have learned of her powerful hearing, almost like a vampires, but she tried to make it look like she wasn't listening in and examined the stuff on the dusty table in front of her.
Dean quickly looked over at Buffy who was examining some of the jars and making some noises and curse words, "Oh, uh, let's see, never."
"I'm being serious, man."
Dean moved closer to Sam, "So am I, Sam. Look, he sent us here, he obviously wants us here. We'll just have to pick up the search later."
Sam shook his head, "It doesn't matter what he wants."
Dean pointed a finger and poked Sam in the chest, "See, that attitude right there? That is why I always get the extra cookie." He joked with a serious face.
"Dad could be in trouble. We should be looking for him. We deserve some answers, Dean, I mean; this is our family we're talkin' about."
"I understand that, Sam. But he's given us an order." Dean said his voice raising a few decibels.
Sam shrugged, "So, what? We've got to always follow Dad's orders?"
"Of course we do." Dean retorted, Sam gave him an annoyed look but Dean just turned back around and started playing with one of the machines on the table.
"Hey when you two are finished with your domestic you both might be interested in this." Buffy said as she walked towards them and handed Dean a plaque. On the plaque it read: "Chief of Staff. Sanford Ellicott, MD".
"Sanford Ellicott." Dean said as he read the plaque then looked up at Sam, "You know what we've got to do? We've gotta find out more about the south wing, and see if somethin' happened here." He spat and handed Sam the plaque as he walked past him and left the room. Sam looked at the plaque before throwing it on a nearby table and following Dean. Buffy sighed as she followed, "God who needs TV when you work with these two" she grumbled to herself.
When they reached outside Buffy waited till the boys hopped the fence before she did her fancy jump cartwheel over the fence and followed them to the car. "So what's the plan now?"
Sam stopped and looked at Buffy before getting inside the car, "Find out more about this Ellicott, see if he has any relatives or anything left and talk to them." He stated.
Buffy walked around to her side of the car and looked at Sam and Dean, "So you dont need me for that right?"
"Why?" Dean asked before she even finished her sentence.
Buffy looked to Dean, "Well you two do such a good job on the research thing and I'm so bad so I was going to go into town and get myself a new jacket cause its fucking freezing here." She stated sweetly.
Dean and Sam looked at each other for a moment and Dean finally looked back at her, "Okay. We'll drop you off in town and we'll call you when we have a plan." He said and got inside the car.
Buffy sat outside a cafe all nice and warn in her new coat. It was a long dark red leather coat, almost the same as the one she had in Sunnydale, with buttons and lots of pockets inside. She wandered around after finding her jacket for a while then decided to get a coffee before calling Dean to find out where they were to meet up with them. She sat outside a Starbucks with a latte and she called Dean.
He picked up on the third ring, "Hello?"
"Hey it's me. I'm all done here, where are you guys?" Buffy asked down the line and sipped her latte.
"We're at, uh, Creekview Medical Center – Sam's talking to Ellicott's son."
Buffy saw a sign for that earlier as she was walking around, "Okay, I'm not far from there, I'll be there in five." She said then hung up, downed the last of her latte and then jogged her way to the Medical Center .
A few minutes later Buffy spotted Dean waiting outside the building. When he saw her approach he looked at his watch, "That was hardly five minutes." He stated.
Buffy smiled, "Yeah well I'm a fast runner." She replied. "Soo?" she smiled and held out her arms and slowly spun around, she stopped when she faced Dean and put her arms down, "What do you think?"
Dean looked at the jacket and nodded, "It's nice. You look good. I mean the jacket- the jacket makes you look good. I mean... the jacket is nice." Dean stumbled on his words and sighed.
Buffy laughed, "Thanks I guess. Oh and look!" she opened the jacket to reveal the inside pockets, "It has loads of pockets and they're pretty big. Now you can teach me to shoot."
Dean shook his head, "Wait. What? You want to learn to shoot a gun?"
Buffy buttoned up her jacket and sighed, "No I want you to teach me to learn to shoot a camera. Of course I mean a gun." She stated.
Dean shook his head again, "I don't get it. I thought you hated guns?"
Buffy thought for a moment before replying, "I do but... you guys use guns all the time and I figured it wouldn't hurt to learn. I might not use one but if something happened and I had to use a gun I'd want to use it right and not accidentally shoot myself or something." She explained.
Dean listened then nodded, "Okay." He finally said.
When the door behind Dean opened they both looked to see Sam walking out.
Dean ran and walked beside Sam, "Dude, you were in there forever. What the hell were you talkin' about?"
Buffy jogged until she was walking beside them.
"Just the hospital, you know." Sam said as he walked to the car.
"And?" Dean asked impatiently.
Sam looked at Dean as he walked, "And the south wing? That's where they housed the real hard cases –- the psychotics, the criminally insane."
"Sounds cosy." Dean said dryly.
"Yeah, and one night in '64, they rioted –- attacked staff, attacked each other." Sam said as they reached the parking lot.
"So, what, the patients took over the asylum?" Buffy asked quickly following behind, her small legs working harder to catch up with their long legs.
"Apparently." Sam replied.
"Any deaths?" Dean asked.
"Some patients, some staff. I guess it was pretty gory." Sam said and slowly came to a stop at the trunk of the Impala, Buffy and Dean stopped also, "Some of the bodies were never even recovered, including our Chief of Staff, Ellicott." Sam finished.
"Wait, what do you mean, "never recovered"?" Dean asked confused.
"Cops scoured every inch of the place, but I guess the patients must have…stuffed the bodies somewhere hidden." Sam said the last few words slowly with a little grimace.
Buffy made a pained noise and Dean looked surprised, "Oh, that's grim."
Sam nodded, "Yeah. So, they transferred all the surviving patients and shut down the hospital for good."
"All right, so, to sum it up, we've got a bunch of violent deaths and a bunch of unrecovered bodies." Dean exclaimed.
"Which could mean a bunch of angry spirits." Sam replied.
"Oh, good times." Dean joked, "Let's check out the hospital tonight." He said as he walked to the driver's side and Buffy and Sam walked around the car to get in also, "in the meantime why dont we teach you how to shoot." Dean said to Buffy with a smile.
Buffy smiled and Sam looked at them confused, "Have I missed something?"
Buffy looked at Sam, "I want to learn how to use a gun. I've asked Dean to teach me." She explained.
Sam looked at her with surprise, "Oh, okay. You guys can go do that but you can drop me off at the motel first."
"Wait, you're not helping?" Dean asked quickly.
Sam laughed, "Hell no! I dont want to get shot or something. Good luck." He laughed and got inside the car.
Buffy opened the door and yelled inside "Hey I won't be that bad! Thanks for the vote of confidence"
Dean dropped Sam off at the motel, picked up some beer from the store then he and Buffy drove out to the middle of nowhere. Dean drove through a dirt road and parked beside a tree, all around them was fields, a tree, some rocks, and more fields.
"Okay I get why we're in the middle of nowhere but what's the beers for?" Buffy asked as she got out of the car.
Dean picked up the beers as he got out and put them on the top of the car, "We need something to shoot at." He said with a smile and opened up the trunk. Buffy looked over his shoulder and examined all the guns.
"What about that one?" Buffy pointed to a random gun in the pile.
Dean looked at her, "A rifle? There's no way I'm giving you a rifle." He stated and pulled out his favourite silver hand gun.
Dean lined up a few of the cans along the rocks a few feet away from them then came back to Buffy and handed her the gun. "How does that feel?"
Buffy weighed the gun in her hand a few times, "It's okay."
"Not too heavy?" he asked as he walked behind her.
Buffy weighed the gun in both hands and shook her head, "Nope."
"Okay what I want you to do is stand to the side," Dean put his hands on her hips and moved her sideways, "Spread you feet shoulder width apart," when Buffy spread her feet he continued, "okay keep both eyes open, concentrate on the first can," he took her wrist and slowly brought up her hand with the gun, "Slowly bring your arm up," he moved his hand to her shoulder and he leaned close to talk into her ear, "breathe, take your time, and shoot." A few seconds later Buffy pulled the trigger and her arm pulled back from the force of the gun, the first can flew off the rock.
Buffy smiled, "I did it!" she yelled and laughed.
Dean smiled, "Well done, now let's see if you can do it again."
Buffy calmed herself and got back into the sideways stance, she concentrated on the second beer can, slowly lifted the gun and fired a shot, this time her hand didn't get pushed back as far from the force of the shot. The second can jumped off the rock. Buffy squealed and jumped up and down.
For the next few hours Dean taught Buffy how to shoot in different positions, crouching, hiding behind something, rolling then firing. All of which Buffy was surprisingly good at which finally convinced him to give her a bigger gun. He took his handgun and handed her a shot gun, "Now this is what we generally use the most so let's see how good you are with one of these."
Buffy took the shotgun, she could feel the weight of this one in her hand, it was a lot heavier than the handgun but it wasn't uncomfortable. Dean showed her how to open the gun and pop in some rounds and helped her pull back the pump on the bottom of the gun to load the shells ready for fire. As the gun was bigger Buffy had to use both hands to hold the gun and fire. When she pulled the trigger the force of the gun caused her to drop it and stumble backwards, luckily Dean was behind her and caught her before she fell. Buffy groaned and rubbed her shoulder where the butt of the gun hit her as she fired. "I think that one is too big for me. Can I just use the hand gun?" she asked.
Dean took the shotgun, unloaded the rounds, and put it back inside and took out his sawn-off shotgun and reloaded it. "Try this one, It's the same as the other one but smaller." He said handing it to her.
Buffy didn't have to use both hands this time as she fired and once again Buffy learnt to fire the shotgun in different positions. The last position she did was crouching, picking up the gun from the floor and quickly standing to fire, she managed to hit the can but lost her footing as she stood and again she dropped the gun and fell sideways straight into Dean. They both went tumbling to the ground, Buffy laughing her ass off and Dean a little surprised and winded from Buffy falling on him.
"Oh my god that was so much fun! I never thought shooting a gun would be. I've always thought they were useless things but who knew firing one could be so exhilarating!" she exclaimed a little breathless on top of Dean smiling down at his surprised face. Her smile faded but she continued to look down at Dean, occasionally she looked from his eyes to his lips and she felt herself blush at the thoughts coming back to her again. Suddenly Dean grabbed her shoulder and pushed her off and rolled over so he was on top and he looked at her for a few seconds before planting his lips on hers. Buffy grabbed his jacket and pulled him closer and deepened the kiss. Buffy was running her hands through his hair and smiling between kisses as he purred at her touch when she felt something vibrate on her groin then the booming sound of rock music coming from Dean's pocket. Dean broke the kiss and said a few swear words as he sat up on his knees and Buffy inched herself away from him to sit up in the grass. Flipping open his cell phone he sighed and swore again.
"This better be important." He said icily down the phone.
Buffy couldnt hear the other end but she assumed by Dean's expression that it was Sam.
"Yeah we've – uh – just finished up," Dean wiped Buffy's lip gloss from his lips and smiled a little, "She's pretty good actually... Yeah sure, we'll meet you there." Dean flipped the phone back down when he finished talking and he put it back inside his pocket.
He looked everywhere but at Buffy, "Sam thinks we should eat before we head back to the mental home... I said we would meet him there." He explained slowly again not looking directly at her.
Buffy cleared her throat and nodded, "O...Okay." she barely got the word out and slowly got to her feet when Dean stood up.
She dusted the pollen off her jacket as she walked back to the car and practically fell into Dean who was just stood there with a pained expression on his face.
"I can't do this..." he said softly, barely looking at her.
Buffy raised a brow and looked at him like he was crazy, "Do what?"
With his hand he pointed back and forth between them both, "This! US... I can't do it. Not with you."
Buffy felt like she just got slapped in the face, her expression soured, "Okay, what exactly is it you can't do with me?"
Dean didn't say anything for a few minutes, "Anything. Believe me I want to but I... I just can't" he looked straight over her shoulder, didn't make eye contact.
Buffy crossed her arms, "Is it because I'm a Slayer? You think I'm a freak right?"
Dean finally looked at her, "What? No. Look, I don't have many people I can trust and... and I dont want anything to ruin that... and believe me when I say that that's what'll happen if we... you know." Dean tried to explain as calm as possible and gave her a little smile at the end.
Buffy just stared at him for a moment. Why was he saying this now? Judging by his anatomy pressed against her some three minutes ago he definitely felt something for her and her for him. So why was he backing out now? Buffy would be stupid not to admit that the thought of them getting together going horribly wrong didn't flash through her mind but now she actually contemplated on what would happen if it did happen.
Buffy's eyes found the shotgun a few feet away from her and she picked it up and turned back to face Dean, "You're right. As far as we're concerned nothing happened here. You taught me how to fire a gun and that's all." She nodded as she walked past him and threw the gun into the trunk and got into the passenger seat of the Impala. She waited for a few minutes until Dean decided to head to the car, shut the trunk, and get inside. They didn't talk the entire ride to the diner where Sam was waiting for them.
Later that night, when the sun finally set, they set off for Roosevelt Asylum. Buffy and Dean didn't talk to each other the entire time they ate at the diner when they met up with Sam, they made polite conversation with Sam but didn't talk to each other directly. After they ate they headed straight for Roosevelt Asylum. Dean had his EMF reader out again and Sam had also brought along a video camera, Buffy was carrying the bag full of weapons, she asked to carry them as the heavy bag wouldn't slow her down. She also felt better with the guns close to her, occasionally she had to resist the urge to pull out a gun and shoot Dean in the ass. She still couldn't understand how he went hot with her to cold the next and it was pissing her off. Hence why she hasn't spoken since they left the diner.
As soon as they entered the South Wing the EMF reader was going wild, all the lights flashing and the noise a loud whirring.
"Getting readings?" Sam asked as he held out the camcorder in front of him and looked on the screen.
Dean nodded once and stopped walking, "Yeah, big time."
Buffy and Sam both stopped walking, Sam stopped beside Dean and Buffy still in behind.
"This place is orbing like crazy." Sam said. Dean and Buffy looked over Sam's shoulder at the camcorder screen and saw several white orbs floating all around the corridor.
"Seems like multiple spirits out and about." Buffy spoke up for the first time in hours which caused both Winchester's to look over at her.
Sam looked away from Buffy and back in front of him. "If these unrecovered bodies are causing the haunting…"
Dean also looked away and back infront of him, "We've gotta find 'em and burn 'em. Just be careful, though. The only thing that makes me more nervous than a pissed-off spirit is the pissed-off spirit of a psycho killer." He said and they all began walking again.
Suddenly Buffy felt a cold chill run behind her and it seemed the boys did too as they all stopped and turned around, Sam held up the flashlight but there was nothing to be seen, just the usual dusty clutter there was when they entered.
"I think we're all getting a little paranoid here." Buffy said nervously and they continued walking down the corridor.
They continued down the corridor for a few more minutes until they came to two walkways, double doors to their left and their right, one door on the left was missing and the other wide open so naturally they chose the creepiest option and Buffy followed Sam inside. Dean however walked straight past them and continued down the hallway. Sam stopped when he was a few inches into the room and scanned the area, checking the camcorder to see for any spirits, then headed further in passed a dividing wall and into a room that had rusty surgical beds, old dusty chairs, torn dividers and more creepy jars. He walked and scanned with the camera until he was at the end of the room, the door to where he entered across from him, and he still found nothing, no orbs. Buffy wasn't as far into the room as Sam, she tried to stay as close to the door as possible but far enough inside to keep her eye on Sam. A groan of metal caused Buffy to jump and Sam turned in the direction of the noise and used the flashlight but again found nothing. Buffy had just relaxed and let out a breath when she heard Sam's small scream and a yell for Dean. Looking up she saw an old woman stood in front of Sam, her face bloody with a gouge in her forehead, and she was walking slowly towards him. Instantly Buffy dropped the bag, opened it and took out a gun.
"Dean. Dean! Salt gun!" Sam kept yelling as he walked backwards away from the spirit.
Hearing his brother's cries Dean ran into the room and was pulling out his gun.
Buffy though was already in front of Dean holding up a shotgun, "Get down!" she yelled.
Sam instantly fell to his knees and Buffy aimed at the woman's head and fired a shot, the power from the gun caused her to stumble a few steps but the spirit dissipated – though she knew it wasn't gone completely. Buffy smiled, "I did it!" she laughed.
Sam and Dean, however, were not as full of enthusiasm. Sam got back up off the floor, panting, and Dean just stood behind Buffy with a bit of a pissed expression on his face, not that she could notice.
"That was weird." Sam said, still panting.
"Yeah. You're tellin' me." Dean agreed, "I mean, I never actually thought she could hit one." He finished as he walked back out the room, stopping to pick up the bag Buffy dropped.
Buffy looked on at him stunned, her hand shaking from the power of the shot she loosened her grip on the gun and dropped her hand to her side. "What the hell does that mean?" She asked, her voice echoing in the room made her sound angrier. Though she was angry. Why was he so pissed off with her right now? It was his idea to call it off before they'd even started.
"No, Dean, I mean it was weird that she didn't attack me." Sam stated as he followed Dean out of the room.
Buffy rolled her eyes, "Fine, ignore me like always." She muttered as she followed them a few feet behind.
"Looked pretty aggro from where I was standing." Dean explained as he walked quicker down the corridor, the way he was going before Sam called him back.
Sam shook his head, "She didn't hurt me. She didn't even try. So if she didn't wanna hurt me, then what did she want?" He asked.
Before anyone could answer they heard another noise, like something was dropped, and they stopped right beside a room, again with a missing door, and they looked inside. Right in front of them, at the far wall was an upturned bed and looked like it was once used as a barricade. Sam turned his flashlight back on and pointed it in front, Dean held up his gun and they both headed into the room. Buffy entered with a little distance between them, gun held up, covering their backs in case of any more spirits wanting to come out to play. As they reach closer to the upturned bed Sam's flashlight picked up a blonde figure hiding behind it. Dean raised his gun higher, his finger almost twitching on the trigger, and when they reached the bed Sam pulled on the bed so it fell forward. The blonde figure screamed and turned around, She was a teenage girl and judging by her crying and panting they guessed she wasn't a spirit and so Dean lowered his gun.
"It's all right. We're not gonna hurt you. It's okay." Dean said softly and the girl slowly got to her feet. "What's your name?" he asked.
"Katherine." Her voice was so quiet Buffy hardly heard her, "Kat."
Dean nodded, "Okay. I'm Dean, this is Sam and Buffy." Dean gestured to the people standing in front of her.
"What are you doing here?" Sam asked before Dean had barely finished what he was saying.
Kat tugged nervously on the sleeves of her long wool jacket and didn't look them in the eye as she spoke. "Um…my boyfriend, Gavin-"
"Is he here?" Buffy asked hastily.
Kat looked behind Dean at Buffy nervously, "Somewhere." She squeaked, Sam and Dean exchanged one of the usual looks they shared when their plan didn't go quite right. "He thought it would be fun to try and see some ghosts." Kat explained, "I thought it was all just, you know…pretend." She wrapped her woollen jumper around herself, "I've seen things. I heard Gavin scream and-"
Dean held up a hand and Kat instantly stopped trying to explain, "Okay, Kat. Come on, Sam's gonna get you out of here, and then we're gonna find your boyfriend." He said as he headed out the room.
Kat followed but then stopped when she reached Buffy's side, "No, no. I'm not gonna leave without Gavin." She looked at all three of them directly before stopping at Dean, "I'm coming with you."
Dean shook his head "It's no joke around here, okay? It's dangerous."
"That's why I've gotta find him."
Sam and Dean shared another one of their many looks, this one was Sam trying to tell Dean "No freaking way!" and Dean defying.
"All right, I guess we're gonna split up then. Let's go." He left the room and took Kat with him and Buffy and Sam split up and headed off in different directions.
As she walked through the corridor of an old haunted Insane Asylum without a flashlight Buffy could hear Sam yelling Gavin's name but the further she walked the fainter it got. Buffy reached the end of the hallway and she was about to turn back around when she spotted a pair of feet in the room at the end of the hall. Entering the room Buffy saw it was a teenage boy, which she guessed was Gavin, with his eyes closed. She knelt beside him and shook him gently, "Gavin. Hey, Gavin." She shook him again more violently and eventually he opened his eyes, he nearly jumped to his feet when he saw Buffy.
"Hey, it's okay, it's okay. I'm here to help." Buffy said holding her hands out.
Gavin sat up and stared at her with wide eyes, "Who are you?"
"My name is Buffy." She held out a hand for him to take and she helped him to his feet, "We found your girlfriend."
"Kat? Is she all right?" Gavin asked panicked as he stood up.
Buffy let go of his hand, "She's worried about you. Are you okay?"
Gavin placed a hand on the cut on his forehead and he grimaced, "I was running. I…I think I fell."
"You were running from what?"
Gavin looked around the room then turned back to Buffy but he wasn't looking at her but like he was trying to remember who he was running from. "There was - there was this girl. H-h-her face –- it was all messed up."
Buffy placed her hands on Gavin's arms and nodded, "Okay, okay, listen, listen. This girl, did she try to hurt you?" she asked hastily.
Gavin shook his head, "What? No. She, uh…" he trailed off and looked away from her.
Buffy noticed the embarrassment on his face, "She what?"
Gavin slowly looked back at Buffy and his face was twisted in a pained expression, "She kissed me."
Buffy blinked a couple of times, unsure as to whether she actually heard what he said properly, afterwards she shook her head quickly, "But –- but she didn't hurt you physically?" she asked.
Gavin stared at her like she was an idiot, "Lady. She kissed me. I'm scarred for life." He groaned and crossed his arms.
Buffy scoffed, "Well, trust me, it could've been worse." It could have been a whole lot worse, You could have been killed, for example, "Now, do you remember anything else?"she asked.
Gavin started shaking his head but stopped and held up a hand, "She…actually, she tried to whisper something in my ear." He replied quietly.
Buffy's grip on his arms tightened, "What? What did she say?"
Gavin shook her off his arms, "I don't know, I ran like hell."
Buffy shook her head again and opened her mouth to speak when all of a sudden a scream filled the entire Asylum.
"Kat!" Gavin yelled and shoved past Buffy and ran to the scream.
Buffy chased after him and they both stopped when they saw Dean trying to pry open a door with a crowbar, the banging and screaming on the other side of the door was Kat.
"What's going on?" Buffy asked as she reached his side.
"She's inside with one of them." Dean said as he tried to open the door with the crowbar again.
"Help me!" Kat's muffled cry came from the other side of the door.
Gavin banged on the door, "Kat!"
Dean turned to Buffy, "You have to get this open. I'm not strong enough."
Buffy looked at him for a few moments then Kat's banging brought her back and she grabbed the door handle and started to pull. It wouldn't budge. Buffy pulled again and this time she didn't hold anything back and the door opened slightly before slamming shut again, the force of the door slamming shut pulled Buffy forward and her entire body was slammed into the door, she felt her elbow crack on impact and she stifled a scream as she let go and stumbled back into the wall.
"What's happening?" Buffy, clutching her elbow, looked up and saw Sam coming up beside her and looking at the commotion going on. Both Dean and Gavin were trying to break into the door.
"A spirit has Kat. It won't let her out. We've tried but... ow" Buffy tried to move her elbow but the pain was too severe.
"Get me out of here!" Kat's screams were getting louder.
Sam left Buffy's side and stood beside the door, "Kat, it's not gonna hurt you. Listen to me! You have to face it. You have to calm down."
"She's gotta what?" Dean said.
"I have to what?" Kat yelled at the same time.
Buffy moved so she was beside Sam and she looked at Dean, "Sam's right." She then spoke loud enough for Kat to hear, "The spirits –- they're not trying to hurt us, they're trying to communicate. You've gotta listen to it, you've gotta face it."
"You face it!" Came Kat's remark on the other side.
"It's the only way you're gonna get out of there." Sam yelled to her.
"No!" Kat cried.
"Just look at it, that's all. Come on, you can do it." Buffy yelled.
Kat finally stopped yelling and all four of them waited nervously.
"I hope you're both right about this." Dean said quietly to Sam and Buffy.
Buffy nodded and tried to stretch her elbow, it still gave her pain up her arm but it wasn't so bad that she couldn't move, it definitely needed to be popped back into place but she could do it later. "Yeah, me too." She agreed.
A few minutes later there was a loud click and the door holding Kat inside slowly opened, Kat was stood right at the door her face in a daze.
"Kat." Gavin called. When she heard his voice Kat came out of her trance, Dean pulled her out of the room and Sam took a look inside, Kat clung to Gavin's arm, Sam came back out the room – his facial expression telling them that the room was empty.
"One thirty-seven." Kat mumbled.
"Sorry?" Dean asked, blinking a few times.
"It whispered in my ear, "137."" She explained.
Dean looked at Sam and they both knew what it meant. "Room number." They said in unison. Sam and Dean crouched on the floor and took some weapons out of the duffel bag.
Sam took out a shotgun and filled his pockets with salt rounds, "All right, so if these spirits aren't trying to hurt anyone-"
"Then what are they tryin' to do?" Dean asked as he took out his sawn off shotgun and put it inside his jacket, also filling his pockets with salt rounds.
"Maybe that's what they've been tryin' to tell us." Buffy said leaning over and taking a handful of salt rounds and putting them in her deep coat pockets.
"I guess we'll find out." Dean said and stood up. "So…now, are you guys ready to leave this place?" he asked Kat and Gavin.
"That's an understatement." Kat sighed.
Dean nodded, "Okay." He looked at Sam and handed him the duffel, "You get 'em outta here. I'm gonna go find room 137." When he heard Buffy clear her throat he sighed, "Sorry. We will find room 137" he nodded once with his head and he and Buffy went in one direction and Sam left in the other with Kat and Gavin.
Sam led Kat and Gavin back the way they came, past the room where they found Kat earlier, past rooms Sam knew he'd seen before. Unlike Dean, Sam had a good sense of direction. Sam took the lead with Kat and Gavin behind him.
"So, how do you guys know about all this ghost stuff?" Kat asked, trying to fill the uneasy silence.
"It's kind of our job." Sam said without looking at her, he kept his focus on the way out, his flashlight scanning every area of the hall.
Kat sighed, "Why would anyone want a job like that?"
Sam snorted and glanced at Kat, who was now beside him, "I had a crappy guidance counsellor."
"And Dean? He's your boss?"
Sam looked down at Kat and smiled slightly, "No." He said as he turned a corner.
"Is Buffy your boss?" She asked as she followed him out.
Sam didn't bother replying, instead he just sighed.
In the opposite direction Buffy was definitely lost, there was no way she'd be able to find her way out alone. They headed up a flight of stairs and were now in the 100's so she knew they were going the right way. With his flashlight Dean gestured to the doors on her side of the hall, "You keep your eye out for 137 on this side. I'll check my side." He said to her. Buffy just nodded and concentrated on every number she walked past, trying to ignore the thoughts in her head. Why did she have to come with him? Why couldn't she have taken the kids out and Sam could have come with him? It wouldn't have been as awkward then. Well, it was awkward for her. It seemed like Dean really was able to forget what happened earlier that day but that was something she wouldn't be forgetting for a while.
"Buffy!" Dean called her so loudly she practically jumped out her skin. He was stood a few feet behind her beside a door, he shone the flashlight on the door to show it was room 137. "Away with the fairies were we?" he joked.
Buffy glared at him and pushed the door open. There was something behind the door so it was difficult to open but nothing she couldn't do. She pushed the door open with her hip until it swung open and hit the wall beside it. Dean entered first as he had the only flashlight, he stopped a few feet in and picked up a plaque, "Dr. Sanford Ellicott" was written on it. Buffy pushed her way through all the debris and upturned furniture and started snooping. "Jesus this place is a mess!" she stated then sneezed when she kicked papers around and dust flew everywhere.
Dean flicked through the open filing cabinet draw for a few seconds, knowing what he was looking for wouldn't be in there. Dean continued searching and found a waste paper bin beside the upturned desk, he pulled out a few scraps of paper, an old file and sighed knowing what he was looking for wasn't there either. He threw the files back in the bin and his light caught a shadow of something, there was a hole in the wall, putting his finger in the hole he opened it and the entire section came off the wall. Inside he found a leather case.
"I found something." He spoke up and pulled the case out the hole and took the case to the upturned desk.
Buffy joined his side as he opened up the case, "What is it?"
"This is why I get paid the big bucks." He replied, handing her the flashlight so he could take the papers out. A book inside caught his eye, "'Patients' Journal'" He mumbled the title of the book. Buffy held the light on the book as he flipped through. On every page there was tiny writing that filled up the entire page and some pages had horrifying pictures of ways to torture people. Both Dean and Buffy groaned in disgust, "That's horrifying." Buffy muttered.
"All work and no play makes Dr. Ellicott a very dull boy." Dean stated as he turned the page.
As they read the pages Buffy felt the same cold chill run past her again and Dean must have too as they both looked out into the hallway at the same time.
"Did you hear something?" Dean asked.
Buffy sighed, she hoped she was going crazy, "Maybe its Sam. We should show him what you found." She suggested, really though she just wanted any excuse to get out of this room.
Dean looked around for a second before nodding, "Yeah. Let's go." He put the papers and the book back inside the leather case and put it under his arm, he then took out his shotgun and turned to Buffy, "You okay with the flashlight?"
Buffy glanced at the torch in her hand, "Y-yeah I'm... good. Let's find Sam" she followed Dean out into the hallway and back the way they had come.
Buffy walked beside Dean in silence she past rooms she'd seen before, she past the room Kat got trapped in, the room she found Gavin and past the room where she shot the ghost going for Sam.
"Do you think he got them out okay?" Buffy spoke up after long minutes of them saying nothing.
"Who?"
"Sam. You think he got them out alright?"
Dean sighed, "It's Sam. If anyone could do it he could. I mean-"
Buffy cut Dean off by pulling him backwards. They both narrowly missed getting shot. As they rounded the corner while Dean spoke Buffy saw Kat stand and shoot and lucky for her Slayer reflexes she was fast enough to pull Dean back around the corner and on the floor and the shot to hit the wall instead.
"Damn it, damn it. Don't shoot, it's us!" Dean yelled.
"Fuck!" Buffy mumbled.
"Sorry! Sorry." Kat yelled and lowered the gun.
Buffy and Dean got up off the floor and walked the corner and saw both Kat and Gavin standing in a dead end.
"What are you still doin' here? Where's Sam?" Dean asked as they stopped in front of the teens.
"He went to the basement. You called him." Gavin pointed to Dean.
Dean shook his head, "I didn't call him."
Dean turned to Buffy but she shook her head, "I didn't call him either."
"His cell phone rang. He said it was you." Kat said shakily with wide eyes.
Dean thought for a moment, "Basement, huh?" spotting the duffel on the floor he took out his silver hand gun and put it inside his jacket pocket and took another flashlight before putting the duffel over her shoulder. He turned to Buffy "All right. Watch them." He then turned to Kat and glared, "And watch out for me." He said before turning around and heading for the basement.
When he finally reached the basement Dean started yelling, "Sammy? Sam, you down here?" with his flashlight he searched the basement but it was full of junk and bolted doors, "Sam? Sam!" Turning around he found Sam standing in front of him and Dean nearly jumped out of his skin, he scared him enough that he held his gun out "Man! Answer me when I'm callin' you." He said startled, "You all right?" he asked lowering his gun.
Sam stared at Dean carefully, "Yeah, I'm fine."
"You know that wasn't me who called your cell, right?"
Sam nodded, "Yeah, I know. I think somethin' lured me down here."
"I think I know who –- Dr. Ellicott. That's what the spirits have been tryin' to tell us. You haven't seen him, have you?"
Sam looked shocked, "No. How do you know it was him?"
"'Cause I found his log book. Apparently, he was experimenting on his patients –- some awful stuff. It makes lobotomies look like a couple aspirin." He answered dryly.
"But it was the patients who rioted." Sam replied.
Dean nodded, "Yeah, they were rioting against Dr. Ellicott. Dr. Feelgood was workin' on some sort of, like, extreme rage therapy. He thought that if he could get his patients to vent their anger, then they'd be cured of it. Instead, it only made 'em worse and worse, and angrier and angrier. So I'm thinkin', what if his spirit is doin' the same thing? To the cop, to the kids in the seventies –- making them so angry they become homicidal." Finally Sam looked like he understood, "Come on. We gotta find his bones and torch 'em." Dean said as he walked past Sam and continuing through the basement.
Sam turned to face Dean's back, "How? The police never found his body."
Dean turned enough to look at him, "The log book said he had some sort of hidden procedure room down here somewhere, where he'd work on his patients. So if I was a patient, I'd drag his ass down here, do a little work on him myself."
Sam shrugged as Dean carried on walking, "I don't know. It sounds kind of-"
"Crazy?" Dean called back.
"Yeah." Sam nodded, watching Dean almost turn a corner but open the door beside him instead.
"Yeah, exactly." Dean said as he pulled the door open wide, held his gun out in front and entered the room. Sam followed him inside. The room was tiny barely enough space for both of them to fit.
"I told you, I looked everywhere. I didn't find a hidden room." Sam said as he entered.
Dean was stood near the center of the room scanning with his flashlight, "Well, that's why they call it hidden." They were both silent for a moment as Dean scanned the room and he could hear a whooshing noise behind him, "You hear that?"
"What?" Sam asked.
Dean continued to listen to the noise until he was sure he found where it was coming from, he crouched down on the floor and hovered his hand over the space between the wall and the floor.
"There's a door here." He stated and tried to push it open without any luck.
"Dean." Hearing his name he looked up at his brother, confused as to why he looked so angry and then he noticed the gun pointed at him. Sam's nose started to bleed and he wiped it from his face with his jacket sleeve, "Step back from the door."
Dean slowly stood up, "Sam, put the gun down."
Sam smiled, "Is that an order?"
"No, it's more of a friendly request." He smiled back.
Sam lifted the shotgun higher and pointed it at Dean's chest, "'Cause I'm gettin' pretty tired of takin' your orders." He spat.
Dean scoffed, "I knew it. Ellicott did somethin' to you, didn't he?"
Sam shuffled from foot to foot, "For once in your life, just shut your mouth." He spat again.
"What are you gonna do, Sam? The gun's filled with rock salt. Not gonna kill me." Dean stated.
Suddenly Sam fired the gun and shot Dean in the chest, sending him crashing through the wall behind him.
"No. But it'll hurt like hell." Sam replied with a small smile on his lips.
Buffy paced back and forth nervously, both Kat and Gavin watching her uneasily. "Why are they taking so long, this shouldn't be taking so long?" Buffy asked, more to herself than for them to answer.
Kat, who was sat on the floor still with the shotgun in her hand, spoke reassuringly, "Maybe they are killing the ghost right now"
Gavin scoffed and slid down the wall to sit beside her, "Yeah or a ghost got Sam and it's killed him and is now killing Dean as we speak."
Buffy spun around and stared at Gavin, "What did you just say?"
"He-he was just joking. Right Gavin?" Kat asked.
The look on Buffy's face said it all, "Yeah... sure... I was just joking. Sorry."
Buffy started pacing again, "What if your right? What if Dr. Ellicott got to Sam and was now trying to get Dean?"
"Who's Dr. Ellicott?" Gavin asked.
Buffy turned around to face them again, she looked down at Kat, "Do you have any bullets left?"
Kat nodded, "Yeah why?"
"'Cause I'm going to the basement to look for them." She said, handing them the flashlight and pulling the gun out of her inside jacket pocket, she filled up the empty round and loaded it ready. "You guys stay here." They barely had time to nod before Buffy ran down the hallway and tried to find the basement. The shot fired turned Buffy in the right direction and in no time she found the basement and she could hear Sam talking in one of the rooms.
"...I mean, why are we even here? Because you're following Dad's order's like a good little soldier? 'Cause you always do what he says without question? Are you that desperate for his approval?" he yelled. Buffy entered the room, Sam's back was to her and Dean was on the floor in the other room, she hid behind the open door until the right moment revealed itself.
"This isn't you talking, Sam." Dean said through coughs.
"That's the difference between you and me." Sam held the gun up to point to his head, "I have a mind of my own." He pointed the gun back down at his brother, "I'm not pathetic like you."
"So what are you gonna do, huh? You gonna kill me?" he asked tiredly.
"You know what? I am sick of doing what you tell me to do. We're no closer to finding Dad today than we were six months ago." Sam replied.
"Well, then, here. Let me make it easier for you." Buffy watched Dean take the pistol out of his jacket pocket and hand it to Sam, "Go on. Take it. Real bullets are gonna work a hell of a lot better than rock salt. Take it!" Sam grabbed the pistol and dropped the shotgun. He pointed the gun directly at Dean, Buffy's legs started to twitch, ready to pounce.
"You hate me that much? You think you could kill your own brother? Then go ahead. Pull the trigger." Dean said.
Buffy came out behind the door, gun up pointed at Sam, "Do it!" Dean yelled and Sam pulled the trigger, Buffy was just about to shoot Sam herself but was able to stop when she realised no bullets were coming from the pistol.
Sam repeatedly pulled the trigger but nothing happened, while he was distracted Dean grabbed his wrist and pulled him closer then punched him hard enough in the face that Sam reeled backwards. Far enough away for Dean to stand. He walked over to Sam, who was trying to get up himself, "Man, I'm not gonna give you a loaded pistol." He stated then punched Sam again and this time Sam didn't try to get back up. He patted Sam as he stood back up, "Sorry, Sammy." He whispered.
Buffy stayed where she was, she let Dean search the room on his own while she kept her eye on Sam. Sam didn't move for a few good minutes, Buffy saw Dean found the body of Dr. Ellicott, judging by the gagging noises he made anyway. While he covered the body in salt Buffy saw Sam start to wake and try to get up. When he got to his knees Buffy held the gun at his head, "Oh no you don't stay exactly where you are." She spoke quietly so Dean couldn't hear so he wouldn't get distracted from salting and burning the body. Sam turned slightly and smiled when he saw Buffy standing behind him.
"So you think you can take on anything now you can shoot?" Sam asked.
"Actually I could take on anything before I knew how to shoot at least this way my hands won't get dirty as much." She stated with a little hint of amusement in her voice.
Sam just continued to smile at her. The pause of silence was enough for Buffy to catch a glimpse of Dean being sent across the room.
"You know one thing Dean forgot to teach you was not to hold your gun so close to the person without them wearing handcuffs." Sam talking distracted Buffy away from what was happening to Dean.
When she looked down at Sam his smile was bigger, "It makes it easy for them to do this!" Sam slapped Buffy's hands sideways with such force that the gun fell from her hand and she was so stunned that she didn't have time to protect herself when he spun his leg out and knocked her onto the floor. She saw Sam scramble to get one of the shotguns and she flipped back onto her feet as Sam held a shotgun up pointing to Dean – who was being chocked/electrocuted by Dr. Ellicott at that moment – and without hesitation Buffy ran and tackled him to the floor just before he fired the gun and the salt rounds hit the ceiling. Buffy got in a few punches on Sam before his height and weight got the better of hers and he was able to roll her over so he was the one on top, he got in a few punches on her before picking up the shotgun beside her and placing it directly on her forehead. The look on Sam's face as he was about to pull the trigger caused Buffy's heart to sink, the look on his face really was like he didn't care about her and would kill her without a second thought. She closed her eyes as she braced for the salt rounds to enter her skull but instead her ears were filled with a gut wrenching scream and her nose was filled with the smell of burning flesh. When she screaming stopped Buffy opened her eyes and she saw the look of horror on Sam's face, he still had the gun to her head but as soon as she looked at him he let it go and he scrambled off her and sat with his back to the edge of the wall they knocked down.
Dean got up off the floor and when he saw Buffy laying in the room opposite he helped her up and he looked at Sam, "You're not gonna try to kill us, are you?"
Sam could barely look at either of them, "No" he said quietly.
Dean nodded once, "Good... Because that would be awkward." He said a little relieved.
Buffy rubbed her jaw and then moved her elbow to find that it was mostly okay now, her scuffle with Sam seemed to pop it back into place, just the pain from it popping out and in again was all she had left.
"Maybe we should get the hell outta here" She spoke up.
Both Sam and Dean nodded, "I couldn't think of anything better to do right now." Dean stated and picked up his duffel.
Buffy picked up her shotgun and put it inside the bag, Sam did the same with the shotgun and pistol beside him and they all headed back up to Kat and Gavin.
When they finally got outside the sun was out. It didn't seem like they'd spent all night in there. Though when you are trying to get killed by psycho patients and their doctor time really does fly by. They all jumped the fence and out onto the parking lot, Gavin and Kat's car was parked a few feet away from the Impala.
"Thanks, guys." Kat said with a smile.
Gavin nodded, "Yeah, thanks." He smiled also.
"No more haunted asylums, okay?" Dean asked seriously. Both Gavin and Kat nodded sheepishly and headed to their car.
Dean turned around and headed to the car. Buffy took the duffel from Dean and headed to the trunk.
"Hey, Dean. I'm sorry, man. I said some awful things back there." Sam said to him then looked at Buffy, "to both of you. I'm sorry." Buffy just nodded and popped the trunk and threw in the duffel.
"You remember all that?" Dean asked surprised.
Sam nodded lightly, "Yeah. It's like I couldn't control it. But I didn't mean it –- any of it."
Dean looked unconvinced, "You didn't, huh?"
"No, of course not." Sam replied, when Dean shrugged it off he spoke again, "Do we need to talk about this?"
"No. I'm not really in the sharing, caring kind of mood. I just wanna get some sleep." He stated and got inside the car.
Both Buffy and Sam walked to their side of the car and Buffy placed a hand on his arm to get his attention, "If it helps, you're not the only one he's pissed at." She said.
Sam looked at her confused, "Why would he be pissed at you?"
Buffy started to blush and opened the car door, "Long story..." she muttered as she got inside. This was going to be a long drive back to the motel.
Okay that is my version of "Asylum" let me know what you guys think!
Also im torn to do the next episode "Scarecrow" purely for Sam leaving meaning Buffy and Dean alone time or to skip that one and do "Faith" where Buffy reunites with an old enemy...
