Thank you all for the positive comments and encouragement. I am glad you all are enjoying Jamie's journey with her brothers.

Skies on Fire

Chapter 7

The three Winchesters have been on the road for a month looking for John with no luck. However, this chapter begins with another character...

Emma looked at herself in the mirror. The girl that looked back was a stranger. The lovely blue eyes that once were full the joy of youth now were surrounded by dark circles. Her blonde hair that she once took such good care of was filthy. Her t-shirt and jeans were rumpled.

The phone rang. Once Emma would have been racing down the hall to be the first one to answer, hoping it was for her. Now, however, she only cracked open her door so she could hopefully hear her mother talking. They lived in a small apartment, so it wasn't difficult.

"Oh, Miss Deal," her mother was saying now. "I'm so glad you called."

Miss Deal was the head guidance counselor where Emma went to school. Emma had always liked her.

"No, she's no better. She refuses to go back to school and the therapist I took her to wants me to commit her, but I don't know how I'm going to afford that and I don't really want to."

'Please don't do that,' Emma thought. I couldn't bear being in a place like that. 'It's nothing but human misery.'

"Yes," her mother continued. "I think that might be a good idea."

A few minutes later there was a knock at Emma's door. She knew her mother would come in regardless, so she didn't say anything. She only held her breath waiting for what was to come.

At one time Emma had been ever so close to her mother. Even before her father left when she was ten, never to be heard from again, the two had been like best friends. Over the next four years the two had grown closer. Now Emma couldn't stand to be around her.

"Emma, I just talked to Miss Deal. She wants to see you this afternoon. She would like to talk to you."

"I don't want to go out. You know I hate going out anymore."

"We'll you're going. Miss Deal is expecting us in an hour. So wash up and put on some clean clothes."

Mother and daughter stared at each other for a moment. Then Emma winced as if a severe pain had struck her. She turned away from her mother.

"Go away," Emma snapped.

"What is it?" Kat Snyder shouted, suddenly loosing all self control.

"I've told you, Mom. I can feel all the sadness that you have at loosing Dad. I can feel how miserable you are about your jobs."

"Emma that makes no sense. How can you feel what I'm feeling or anybody else?"

"I don't know, but I do. When others are hurting it's like I'm the one going through it."

"Get cleaned up, Emma. You are going to see Miss Deal."

A half hour later, Emma was sitting next to her mother in the car. She squeezed her eyes shut as she felt her mother's sadness.

Kat's hair once was blonde like her daughter's. Now it was a solid grey. She once had dreams of romance and though she married young she at one time planned to continue on with college. Of course once Emma's father left all of those dreams were just that. Dreams. Having to work two jobs just made that impossible at this point in her life.

Eventually, they pulled into a street that was mostly town houses. Kat pulled into the second driveway on the left. She smiled reassuringly at her daughter.

"It will be alright, sweetheart. Let Miss Deal help you. I know she's helped lots of troubled kids before."

Without a word Emma climbed out of the car and headed towards the door. She rang the bell and waited. Then she could hear Miss Deal calling from inside.

"Just come on in, Emma. The door's unlocked."

'That's weird,' thought Emma. 'Why doesn't she come to the door? How can she be sure it's me?'

Shrugging, Emma walked in, closing the door behind her. Automatically she knew it was a mistake. Before she could leave though, Cathy Deal, who had been standing right next to the door the whole time, moved to block the door. The feelings Emma felt were the worst she had experienced yet. On one hand she could sense that Cathy was in agony, as if she was struggling to escape from some type of Hell. Yet, Emma also sense that the woman was happy. Still the happiness wasn't a pleasant thing. It was the most sickening feeling that she ever felt.

"I'm leaving," Emma said, her voice shaking.

"Your mother's already driven away," the counselor said in a voice that Emma hardly recognized.

"I'll just use your phone and tell her to come back. She has her cell phone with her," Emma snapped cursing herself for not bringing her own cell phone. Actually she really didn't know if her mother had her own, and she never answered while she was driving anyway.

"I don't have a house phone," Miss Deal said smiling as if she had a secret.

"Well, I know you must have some kind of phone or you wouldn't have been able to call my mother on a Saturday."

"Who says that I didn't?"

Suddenly the feelings that Emma felt became so strong, that she felt the room begin to spin. She knew she was going to pass out.

"Is something wrong, dear?" Miss Peel asked in the voice that Emma was used to.

Emma didn't have time to answer. She had only one thought before she hit the floor. 'Why are Miss Deal's eyes black? I always remembered them being blue.'

SoF

Two weeks later

Jamie and Dean munched on their burgers as Sam ate a Cobb salad while he worked on his computer. Jamie knew he was looking for a new case. Dean had made it clear to both her and Sam that they would do their best to find Dad, but in the meantime they were going to hunt all the evil things they could find. Or evil son's of a bitches, as Dean put it.

So far the only luck they had was a new message on his voicemail stating that he was unavailable and if anybody had an emergency they were to call Dean. It had become obvious when they took the job in Black Water that John Winchester never went there.

So they were here in Fredricksburg Virginia, having just killed a werewolf. Actually, Dean killed it, but she helped set the trap for it. Sam was even becoming amazed at some of her skills. It was she who had roasted the wendigo back in Black Water.

"Here's one that might be a case," Sam suddenly said. "A young girl of thirteen vanished around here about two weeks ago."

"That's all?" Dean remarked as if Sam had truthfully lost all his hunting abilities. "She's probably just a runaway, or if she did get kidnapped that's not our kind of thing."

"Hold on a second, Dean. I found some other cases that are similar. Another girl the same age also disappeared from Ashland and a boy disappeared from Richmond."

"Well," Dean said hesitantly. "I guess we could check out the cases. Worse case scenario is that it's nothing and we look for another case."

"Right," Sam said. "Why don't we check into a hotel and then go talk to the mother here and tomorrow we can head out for Richmond and Ashland."

Jamie groaned inwardly. She hated it when her brothers took jobs where they had to act as law officials. It was the one kind of thing where they couldn't take her. You couldn't explain why you were an FBI agent or a cop and have a thirteen year old along with you. That meant Jamie would have to stay in the hotel room and wait until they came back.

A short while later that's where Jamie found herself. The only good thing was that the hotel had HBO and she got her iPod back . Dean told her to order room service if she got hungry later, to salt the windows and doors, but to not leave the room. She knew he was still thinking about the Quarter.

Jamie tolerated being alone through one full television rerun that wasn't too bad and another that she could not stand after five minutes. The movie HBO was showing was a stupid one she already had seen twice. Sighing she turned off the TV and thought about what to do next. Sam had suggested before he left that she could keep up on her studies. That was the plan that her brothers decided upon. Sam would come up with lesson plans for her while they searched for their father. He mentioned that he tutored while he was in college to make some money. Once he told Dean that Jamie lost any say in the matter. Well, she didn't feel like doing that now, and nobody said that she had to.

Sam gave her permission to use his computer to help with her studies or to assist the boys in research. Maybe she could get a head start on her brothers and figure out what was going on with this girl. She grabbed a Pepsi out of the tiny fridge that was in the corner and logged on.

What she found was interesting at first and then disturbing. It didn't take her long to figure out what was going on with this poor girl. A half hour later Jamie turned off the computer and went to lay on her bed.

She didn't turn the TV back on. She just lay quietly thinking about what she had read and things that happened over the past few months. Things that she should have thought about before.

When Dean and Sam returned, Dean was surprised at the fact that she didn't automatically jump up asking questions about her brother's latest venture. Usually, it drove her crazy to be left out and she couldn't wait to find out about what she missed out on. Yet, she gave no more than a meek "hello" .

"You okay?" Dean asked.

"Just tired," Jamie mumbled.

"Did you do any work on the computer?" Sam now asked.

"No!" Jamie responded quickly.

Sam gave her a strange look, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he grabbed two beers for him and Dean. He was surprised when Jamie refused a Pepsi.

"Well, Dean and I think we know what was wrong with that girl."

"Really?" Jamie said with no enthusiasm.

"Yeah, she's what you call an empath. That's when somebody..."

"I know what that is," Jamie told Sam, flippantly.

"Oh really? What is it?" Sam said, annoyed.

"It's a kind of psychic that feels all the emotions of others. The problem is that they don't pick up on just the good ones. They have to deal with the bad ones too, and that can be overwhelming for them especially in public."

Sam opened his mouth as if to say something, but then changed his mind. It wasn't that she was wrong, and he was impressed that she knew. Still, what was with the attitude, and why did she lie about using the computer? She had used it. He knew because it was moved from where he originally left it. That was okay because he had given permission, but why was she denying it? Sam wasn't sure how to handle the situation.

"Tomorrow we're going to find out about the others," Dean stated. "I still say that kid just ran away because she couldn't handle it."

"Can't say I blame her," Jamie muttered.

They ordered room service for dinner. Jamie finished hers and then claimed she was going to take a shower and go to bed. Dean raised an eyebrow at his brother. Usually Jamie tried to make any excuse to stay up late. He waited until he heard the shower running to say anything.

"What the Hell?" he said aloud.

"I really don't know what's the matter," Sam said as mystified as his sibling. "She was fine when we left and then she's all weird acting when we get back. She lied to me about using the computer."

"I thought you said she could use it."

"I did. That's why I don't get why she lied about it."

Dean didn't know what to say. Usually if his sister had a problem she had no trouble coming to him. When she was a little girl she would go to Sam sometimes too. He could see why she didn't go to Sam now. Although she had forgiven him for what had been said three years ago she was still getting used to having him back in their lives again. It would still be awhile before she would confide in him again and she had always been more apt to confide in Dean first. Yet, why was she hesitating to talk to him now? He wondered if he should confront her or wait until Sam was out of earshot. Maybe she wasn't comfortable talking about it in front of Sam.

"I guess she'll tell us when she's ready," Dean finally conceded, not wanting to offend Sam.

Sam got it right away. He felt that old tinge of jealousy coming back knowing that Jamie would go to Dean before him. A part of him knew it was ridiculous to think Jamie would confide in him after three years of silence, and he knew in many ways that Dean was like a parental figure to her as well as a brother. Still, sometimes he wished that she would talk to him more. Well, this time he wasn't going to be left out. She had lied to his face and he wanted to know why.

Their wasn't much of a chance to talk to her though. She went right to bed and the next day they checked out early and headed to Richmond. Jamie immediately put the headphones of her recently returned iPod over her ears and listened to her favorite band. When they reached the new hotel Jamie for once didn't seem irritated at being left behind. Later, Dean would realize that it should have been a warning sign. Jamie never kept her displeasure to herself.

She waited about a half hour before she made any move after her brothers left. She wrote a quick note and then grabbed her unpacked things. Jamie had a good sum of money Dean gave her just in case she ever was to be separated from her brothers. It was a good thing. Lawrence, Kansas was a long way off.

Jamie walked to the bus station which was just around the corner. She knew she was going to be in loads of trouble for this. Maybe Dean would even call their father again and he would come running. At least they would know where he was then. No matter what the case, Jamie knew she must do this.

SOF

Both Dean and Sam sat in front of the pleasant faced lady. She had been more than happy to have the FBI come in to her home to help her find her son. Darry Fox vanished one day on the way home from school. The police classified him as a runaway, but his mother refused to believe that.

"The thing is," Mrs Fox explained, "Darry was a straight A student with a lot of friends. He and I got along. I never found any drugs in his room or anything. I just don't know why he would run away."

"How about his father?" Sam asked. "How do they get along?"

Mrs Fox hesitated. Dean shot Sam a look. It was as he suspected. The kid got along with one parent, but fought like cat and dog with the other. This was no case.

"He doesn't live with us. Actually he hasn't since Darry was six months old."

"Did he and Darry get along?" Sam asked.

"He hasn't seen Darry in all those years."

"Could he have run to find his father?"

"I doubt it," the woman answered with a sad sigh. "My ex -husband probably would have turned him away."

"I don't understand," Sam replied.

"He blames Darry for what happened. You see when Darry was a baby his paternal grandmother was living with us. Her death was rather tragic. It was a fire, you see."

"And?" Sam asked, although he knew what was coming.

"Well my mother-in law was in Darry's nursery when it happened. My ex -husband was able to get Darry out but he couldn't save his mother. After that he came up with some crazy story about how she was pinned on the ceiling. Then he said it was all Darry's fault. He had to go away for awhile, but when he came back he would never get close to the child again. I told him to get it together, but he just wouldn't do it. So we divorced and neither Darry or I ever saw him again."

By the time the interview was over Sam was shaking all over. He followed Dean out to the car. Neither said anything until Dean sped away.

"Dean!" Sam shouted. "It's that thing again! It went after our mother and Jamie's mother. Then it went after that kid's grandmother."

"But that girl's mother that we talked to yesterday," Dean answered trying to keep his voice under control. "she said she was divorced. She didn't say any thing about a family member dying in the nursery."

Sam shook his head. None of it made sense. Dean looked nervously at his brother. He wished he had a better answer. They drove to Ashland next. When they were done questioning the father in that family Dean was almost a nervous wreck himself.

It seemed that thirteen year old Becca Jordan had vanished on the way school. For awhile the father had been under suspicion because he was not considered quite right upstairs. He had been cleared because he had an alibi for the afternoon she vanished. Still after talking to him and his neighbors it was clear that both he and his daughter where thought to be strange.

When Becca was six months old her mother had died in a nursery room fire. By this point neither Winchester brother was shocked to hear the whole story. It was her father who had saved her from the blazes, but according to all the neighbors Mr. Jordan swore to this day that he could not save his wife because she was pinned on the ceiling. Most people just attributed it to the shock of the loss. For most of her life Becca seemed to be a normal child. Then she had begun to act oddly as well.

According to the neighbors Becca claimed that she developed the ability to communicate with spirits. All her friends and teachers thought she had gone crazy. It didn't really surprise any of them when she ran away.

"Well all we know is that the thing is coming back and taking the kids of the parents it killed. Not the older ones like you, but the ones that are.." Dean felt his stomach drop. "Oh my God!"

"What?"Sam wanted to know.

"Don't you see? Those kids are Jamie's age!"

Dean didn't wait for a response. He hit the pedal, going twice as fast as he usually did, which made it a miracle that they didn't wreck or get stopped. Sam tried to call Jamie but got no response.

Once they returned to the hotel, both men jumped out of the car racing upstairs to their current residence. Dean already had his hotel key out and wrenched it in the lock.

"Jamie?" he yelled. "Jamie!"

She wasn't anywhere in the room. Could she have left to walk down to one of the nearby stores? Gone to the lobby? Then he noticed her bag was gone and mat were gone. Yet her phone was on the table.

"She left a note," Sam said breathlessly. He opened it and began to read:

"Dear Dean and Sam,"

I know the both of you are going to be mad at me! I don't blame you, but I had to do this. There are some things I have to find out about myself. Yeah, I get that it's hard to understand, but please try. When I get this all figured out I will call you. I'm going somewhere where I'll be safe. Don't try to find me. Keep looking for Dad. I love all of you.

Jamie."

"I'm gonna kill that kid!" Dean proclaimed, his face turning blood red. "What the Hell does she mean she has to work things out?"

Sam was angry with his sister as well, but for the moment he knew they needed to figure out where she may have gone.

"Listen Dean I know you're pissed. So am I. But we have to think of where she may have gone. Her letter sounded like she was going to somewhere that she felt safe and comfortable. Could she have gone to Bobby?"

"I doubt it. A short time after you left, Dad and Bobby had a falling out. We haven't talked to him in about three years. Still, that doesn't mean Jamie wouldn't go there, I guess. The two of them used to be pretty close. Come to think of it she still sent him Christmas cards, so you might have made a good guess. Doesn't hurt to call him, not that she would be there yet. I have the number in my phone."

" I do too," Sam said. "He would still call me at college from time to time. I'll call him and you call anybody else that you can think of. Just make sure that they don't let her know that you and I are on the way. She may bolt again."

After making several calls and getting promises to hold onto Jamie, Dean collapsed on the bed and Sam rested his head on the table. All they could do now was wait. Both didn't feel as angry now as they did fearful.

"I don't get it, Sam," Dean said. "What was it that she had to figure out that she couldn't tell us?"

"I wish I knew," Sam replied with a mixture of ire and sadness. "She's always confided in you more than me. Is there anything you can think of?"

"Wouldn't have asked if I knew."

The two were quiet for awhile, both thinking of what they could do to find their sister. Dean had left a message with their father. He sat waiting for the man to call back and start yelling at them all. Then suddenly Dean had a thought.

"Wait a moment, Sam." He sat up and looked at Sam. "Those kids that vanished. All of them had some kind of ability. Most of them lost a family member in a nursery fire at six months old. Sam, is there something you haven't told me yet?"

Sam hesitated for a moment. He knew this moment would come, that he couldn't keep his secret from Dean forever. "Yes," was his quiet answer.

SOF

Jamie laid her head back on the bus seat. A part of her was wishing that she never had done this. She was getting cold and her jacket wasn't thick enough for the change in weather the further west she got. If you read one of those maps on mapquest it tells you that the trip from Fredricksburg to Lawrence Kansas is a little over eighteen hours. That doesn't include bathroom and meal breaks. On a bus there's more stops because of picking up people at other stops. So in reality the trip is almost a day and a half.

Jamie wasn't even sure if she was going to the right place for help. She had considered going to her Uncle Bobby, but somehow she knew that would be one of the first places her brothers would guess. Besides she knew Uncle Bobby would insist she call them at once.

Even though she had been on the road for a long time now she still felt nervous. It was ridiculous, but she still kept expecting to see the Impala pulling up to the side of the bus. She knew perfectly well how angry Dean was going to be at her when they met again. Sam would be upset too, but not as much as Dean, and God help her if either of them called her father. Jamie knew that she had two strikes against her with him. The deal with the Quarter and now this. Still she believed that what she was doing was right.

A young woman sat in the seat across from Jamie. She looked to be in her twenties and had short blonde hair. Looking up from her magazine the woman smiled at her. Jamie wasn't really in the mood for conversation, but to be polite she smiled back. Taking this as a sign that she could start to speak, the girl asked:

"Where are you headed for?"

"To visit my aunt. ,"Jamie replied, using the lie her father and Dean had gone over with her in case she ever got separated from them and had somebody ask why she was traveling alone.

"Where at?"

"Kansas."

"Are you kidding? That's where I'm going. To see my fiancee."

"That's cool. What part?" Jamie wanted to know, her interest piqued now.

"Lawrence."

"Me too," Jamie answered, letting her guard completely down.

"Well, I guess where stuck with each other for the rest of the trip," the woman said. "My name's Meg."

SOF

Dean stared at Sam. Sam had explained but Dean was still having a hard time believing what he was hearing.

"Come again?" Dean asked.

"I have these dreams and sometimes they come true. I dreamed about Jessica's death before it happened. I didn't think it would really happen but it did. I've had dreams about other things that have really happened that were not as major."

"And you think that Jamie …?"

"Dean, think about those kids that vanished. We know they all had some type of ability and at least some of them lost a parent or grandparent to that thing. Why should Jamie be any different?"

"I'm just trying to take all this in," Dean whispered, as he sat down.

Sam looked thoughtful for a moment. Then as if a light bulb had gone off in his head he headed for the computer. There was something that he had thought of. Quickly his long fingers went over the keys.

"Damn," he said loudly.

"What now,?" Dean asked wearily.

"I know she was on my computer. Come look at what she was looking at."

Dean looked over Sam's shoulder and could see all the articles that Jamie had looked at. There was one about psychic abilities and starting storms that she had apparently studied more than the others. Apparently she had not bothered to erase the history on her brother's computer. Now both Dean and Sam understood what upset their sister so much.

"But I still don't get where she went to work this out," Dean said loudly in frustration.

"I don't ..."

Suddenly Sam was on the ground grabbing at his head. Pain seared through his brain as if a long knife was stuck in his skull.

"Sam," Dean screamed. "What's wrong? Sam, talk to me! Sam!"