The Job is Never Done

Chapter 8

Disclaimer: See chapter 1

A/N: We still have a ways to go...

oooOOOooo

May the pain you have known and the conflict you have experienced give you the strength to walk through life facing each new situation with courage and optimism

Unknown

It is always fresh, always new, always there for the still, innocent mind that has experienced life without needing to hold on to what has gone before

Barry Long

oooOOOooo

When Kristine suggested she and the boys get dropped off at the restaurant in town, she wasn't really expecting the boys to eat. She wasn't particularly hungry herself, but she ordered a small breakfast and coffee hoping she could eat enough of it to be a good influence on Alex and Nicholas. So far, it wasn't working.

She couldn't begin to imagine what might have happened the night before if Ruby hadn't come to the rescue. She didn't think the vampires could have gotten into the houses, but would they have just gone away when the sun came up? What was the point of their coming onto the estate if they were just going to walk away?

After a long sip of coffee, Kristine put her arm around Nicholas. He leaned against her.

"You guys should try to eat something," she said. "Just a couple of bites."

"I'm not hungry," Alex said as he pushed his plate away.

"Me neither," Nicholas said.

"Yeah, neither am I," Kristine admitted.

"Are we gonna go back to the big house?" Nicholas asked.

"I don't know yet. Sam, Dean and Tom are checking it out."

"Who was that lady who helped us last night?" Alex asked.

"She sometimes helps Sam and Dean," Kristine answered. There was no reason to tell them that Ruby was a demon.

"How did she make the vampires fall down?" Nicholas asked, his voice small.

"I don't know exactly. She had some kind of machine, I guess."

"Can we have one?" Nicholas asked.

"I don't know. I'm sorry I don't have more answers, guys. Maybe Sam and Dean will know more when they come to pick us up." Kristine pulled the four-year old close and looked at Alex. "How you doin'?"

Alex shrugged.

Kristine had no idea what to do to keep the boys entertained, but she didn't think being at the diner would do it. "You guys ready to get out of here?"

"Dean said we had to stay," Nicholas reminded her.

Kristine smiled. "A friend of mine owns the inn down the street. We can go there and swim or watch television. I'll call Dean and let him know."

The brothers exchanged a look and then Alex nodded. "Okay."

At one time Kristine's family owned the bed and breakfast, but Kristine's mother had left it to her friend and the inn's long-time manager in her will. Rachel was like a second mother to Kristine and she knew about the supernatural, sometimes lending her help at the estate. Kristine had called to tell her about Ross, but hadn't seen her in several days.

Kristine didn't have her phone with her and had to wait to call Dean until they'd gotten to the inn. She introduced the boys to Rachel who immediately took over and did what she could to make them feel welcome. She took them with her to find swimming trunks in their sizes while Kristine called Dean's cell phone from the office. She wasn't sure he'd answer the call and was prepared to leave a message.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's me."

"Hey," he said. "You okay?"

"Yeah; I just wanted to let you know we're at the inn. What's going on there? I expected the call to go to voice mail."

"Ruby was here when we got here. She was burning bodies."

"Vampire bodies, I hope?"

"Yeah. She got seven of the main group. She and Tom seem to agree there are – were - twelve in the core. She said they won't be back tonight; they'll have to regroup."

"Do we believe her?"

"I don't know, but it makes sense that they wouldn't come back right away."

"Are we going to sleep there tonight?"

"I don't know that, either, babe. I'll come and get you in a little while, okay?"

"Sure."

Kristine poured a cup of coffee and went outside to the pool. Rachel was chatting with two of the inn guests while keeping an eye on the boys. After a few moments, she left the guests to their sunbathing and joined Kristine on the other side of the pool.

In quiet tones Kristine told her what had been going on and Rachel listened quietly. Once Kristine was done with her story, there really wasn't much else to say. Rachel glanced at her, then sat back in the deck chair.

"So, Dean's in town. That must make you happy."

Kristine couldn't help but laugh.

--

Sam had followed Tom into the main house after Ruby left, but stopped in the kitchen for something to drink while the other hunter continued upstairs. He opened the can of soda and sat at the kitchen table, suddenly too exhausted to go any further.

He had known that his role in hunting wouldn't end once the demon that killed his mom and girlfriend was destroyed. He hadn't thought much about it after going back on the road with Dean, but there would always be evil to hunt down and kill. That was a sad fact that would probably always be true, but he hadn't really ever considered that the demon would be replaced by something just as vile.

Sam didn't want to start all over again; particularly knowing Dean wouldn't be around to fight at his side. They had so much information and it all pointed to the same thing – there was a new demon hat seemed to be following in Azazel's footsteps. Add to that what had been said about something rising up in the west….how was he ever going to make a difference when the second one horrible monster was dead something else took its place?

He covered his face with his hands, trying to garner the strength to just sit up straight and start thinking about what needed to be done. It all just seemed so overwhelming and he found himself thinking about his dad. Sam had grown up with the supernatural – well, after the age of 9 when he'd learned the truth about what their father did anyway and he felt beaten down with this new situation. He couldn't imagine how his dad had managed to cope being slapped in the face with it the way he was.

Sam missed his father, but it was still rare that he found himself wishing for his help. It wasn't like that had been in abundance when the man was alive. He really wanted some fatherly advice right now, but he knew there was none to come. And what he'd always been able to depend on, his brother's love and advice, would also soon be gone. He doubted they were going to find any answers any time soon and he would have to keep working at it alone.

"Sam."

Startled, he turned to see Dean sitting across from him, his face full of concern. He hadn't even heard the door open, let alone heard his brother walk across the room. He tried to seem unaffected, but the look on Dean's face said he wasn't buying it.

"So," Sam cleared his throat. "What do we do now? Stay here? Find somewhere else to go?"

Dean stared at him for another moment, then sat back in his chair. "I don't know. There's gonna be a houseful of hunters soon for Ross' service. Here's probably gonna be as safe as anywhere."

Sam nodded thoughtfully.

"I feel like we should be in Atlanta helping to look for Joey," Dean said. "Probably wouldn't do any good."

"You know what I can't figure out," Sam said. "Is where the demon that brought Alex and Nicholas here fits into the equation."

"Yeah, I don't get that either."

"I guess I can believe a demon recruited vampires, but…." Sam shook his head.

"It's a mind-bender," Dean agreed.

Sam looked at him, a little surprised at Dean's choice of phrase.

"You know," Sam began slowly. "We can't stay here forever."

"Kinda depends on how long your forever is," Dean said levelly.

"I guess….." Sam tried to figure out what was going on in his brother's head, but Dean's expression was blank. "Do you want to stay here? I mean, if you do…."

"No. I mean, yeah, but no. There aren't any answers here. We just need to find a safe place for Nicholas and Alex to live."

"Dean, if you want to stay with Kristine until –"

"No," Dean said, his expression darkening. "It's hard enough to watch you dealing with this. I can't watch her do it, too. Maybe that's selfish of me, but I think I get to be a little selfish."

"It's up to you. But I just want you to know that if you want to stay, I'll stay, too."

Dean nodded, his eyes softer than just a moment ago. "I think I'll go into town and get Kristine and the kids. We need to really get on finding a place for them. Hey, you mind calling Bobby and filling him in?"

"Sure," Sam agreed as Dean headed out the back door.

oooOOOooo

They stayed at the main house that night. Everyone was nervous, but there were no unwelcome visitors and the night passed without incident. When hunters started showing up the following day, Sam, Dean, Kristine and the boys moved to the cottage as planned. Bobby's arrival helped to ease some of the tension that had been building, even though he had no new ideas.

Dean watched Kristine closely as she went through the next few days. She played hostess to the hunters who came into town for Ross' service and took care of all the necessary details. She spent time with the boys, though with Bobby's help he and Sam made sure they were entertained and taken care of. In the little bit of spare time she had, Kristine was on the phone making inquiries about a home for them.

Things were stressful and hectic even into the late hours, but Dean allowed himself enjoy the few minutes he and Kristine were able to spend alone before they fell asleep after the long days.

Four days later, things were quieter on the estate. The service was over and in addition to Tom and Bobby, only hunters in need of some rest were there. It was still busier for Kristine than normal since she didn't have Ross to depend on, but her friend, Rachel, came by every day to cook and help where she could.

Kristine knew that wasn't a long-term solution and in addition to still trying to find a place for the boys to live, she tried to come up with a plan for the estate.

--

It had been a week since Ross' service and the main house was all but deserted. Bobby was still in town, but Tom had gone back to tracking the vampires and trying to save children. So far, of the children they knew about, only Joey was missing. No one expected him to be found and it had been decided not to tell Nicholas and Alex about him. Sam and Dean had considered going with Tom, but it was decided they'd be better use to the boys if they stuck around for a little longer.

Even though there'd been no trouble at the estate for over a week, Kristine was still nervous at night. She didn't go outside or even very close to the windows. She'd gotten into the habit of pulling the curtains closed, though that was never something she'd worried about before. With no neighbors nearby, it had never been a concern.

The boys seemed to have recovered better than Kristine, but she was okay with that. She wanted them to feel safe and she'd deal with her own issues at some point; including those surrounding Ross' death. She was planning to go back to work the following week, but still had no idea how she was going to run the estate. Rachel had offered to help, but she hadn't seemed entirely comfortable about it and Kristine suspected she'd only made it out of a feeling of obligation. She preferred to have someone at the estate with more experience around hunters, anyway.

Kristine had moved everyone back to the main house so that she was there in case new guests arrived. She'd had trouble going to sleep the second night back, so Kristine had relocated to the den with a book and a mug of cocoa. Even in the mountains it generally wasn't cold enough for warm cocoa at night, but she was aiming for comfort.

She stopped reading when she heard something outside. It hadn't been a very loud noise and could have been anything, but Kristine's heart was racing nonetheless. There was no reason to think anything could get into the house, but that didn't make her feel any better. A few moments later, she heard the noise again. She couldn't make out what it was or where it was coming from, so she put the book aside and turned off the lights. When her eyes had adjusted to the darkness, she took one of the guns hidden in the room and went to the window.

Pulling aside the curtain slightly, she had a good view of the yard outside. The moon was full and there was plenty of light, but she didn't see anything that shouldn't have been there. She noticed the leaves of the trees across the yard blowing and thought maybe the noise she'd heard was caused by the wind.

Kristine had just relaxed enough to sit back down on the couch when she heard the front doorbell ring. There were security cameras trained on the porch, but she was afraid the doorbell would wake the boys, so she decided not to take the time to check the monitors.

She carried the rifle to the door and looked out the peephole. At first she didn't see anything, but when the visitor reached for the doorbell again, she stepped into view.

"Holy shit," Kristine muttered. She put aside the gun and opened the door.

The woman looked at her, a little wide-eyed, but then she smiled.

"Hey, kid, got room for one more?"

"Jesus….Ellen!" Kristine hesitated then pulled the woman into the house and threw her arms around her.

Ellen Harvelle had been a friend of John Winchester's and though they'd lost touch years before, his sons found her after his death. She had helped them out a few times, but had been in hiding since the Hell Gate opened. Her bar, a haven for hunters, had been destroyed by a demon and many of her friends and contacts had died. She'd only survived because she'd gone out to run an errand just before it happened. She'd called Sam and Dean less than a handful of times since then and they'd been worried about her.

Kristine could feel Ellen shaking despite the relative warmth outside.

"Where have you been?" Kristine asked. She pushed the door closed and made sure to lock it before leading Ellen into the kitchen.

The older woman sat down at the table while Kristine went about warming up more cocoa. She put a shot of whiskey into each of the mugs before serving them.

"We've been so worried about you," Kristine said. She'd tried to make conversation while she was working, but Ellen had remained quiet. "I didn't hear a car. How did you get here?"

"I hitched a ride and got dropped off on the road."

"Hitched a ride from where?"

"Not really sure. Been moving around a lot."

"Sam and Dean are here," Kristine said. She watched Ellen closely.

"I saw the Impala."

"Bobby's here, too."

Ellen took a sip of the cocoa and nodded.

"Are you okay?" Kristine asked. Something about Ellen didn't seem right. "Do you want something to eat?"

"Maybe a little something."

Kristine stood up and went about heating up the soup Rachel had made earlier.

"Are you hurt?" she asked.

"No. I…You mind if I wash up a little bit?"

"Of course not. You want to take a warm bath?"

Ellen nodded. "Yeah, that would be nice."

Kristine turned down the burner and took Ellen upstairs. She found some clothes for her and made sure the towels in the bathroom were clean. Ellen wasn't the most feminine woman in the world, but she happily accepted the bath oil that Kristine offered.

Just before Kristine was going to check on her a while later, Ellen came downstairs. She was wearing the long-sleeved t-shirt and sweat pants Kristine had found for her.

"Thanks, I feel better." Ellen said, sounding a little more like herself.

Kristine put a bowl of soup on the table and sat down at the table with the other woman.

"Have you been by yourself this whole time?" Kristine asked after giving her a few minutes to enjoy the soup.

"Off and on," Ellen said. "I was with Jo for a while."

"How is she?"

Ellen shrugged. "Still hell bent on hunting, but at least she's taking time to learn some things before she rushes headlong into it again. Are the boys doing okay?"

"Yeah, but we've had a little situation here for a couple of weeks."

"What's going on?"

Kristine hesitated, but then decided to tell Ellen about the latest events; a brief overview of them, anyway.

"Those poor little boys," Ellen said. "Are you taking them in permanently?"

"I can't, Ellen. Not with what goes on here. I think Dean would like me to take them in, but I don't think it would be the best place for them. And I'm not sure I'm the best person to take care of them."

Ellen said nothing for a few minutes, but then began speaking suddenly. "I didn't really know I was headed here. I've just been going from place to place, trying to make sense of everything that had happened. Then I realized there was no sense to it and I was just lucky to have survived when so many others didn't. I started feeling guilty for not being a part of the job any more; especially after the Gate was opened. There's a lot of work to do and I should be helping to do it. There aren't enough of us as it is."

"So what," Kristine smiled. "You're going to be a hunter?"

"I don't know. Maybe I'll open another bar; do what I used to do."

Kristine looked thoughtful. "What if you did it here?"

"What do you mean?"

"I….I left some stuff out of the story. Ross died a week or so ago. There was a vampire attack and he didn't make it. I could really use someone around here that can handle hunters."

Ellen looked at her. Some of the spark that Kristine had missed was in her eyes again. "I don't cook so much."

Kristine shrugged. "We'll figure that part out. I'd love you to stay here and your help would be so appreciated."

Ellen nodded and smiled. "I think I'd like that."

"Good. We'll work out the particulars tomorrow."

She laid a hand atop Kristine's. "I'm sorry about Ross, honey."

"Thank you."

"And about Dean."

Tears burned Kristine's eyes. "You know about that?"

She nodded. "If there's a way to get him out of this deal, Sam will find it."

Kristine said nothing.

They talked for a while longer while Ellen finished the soup, then Kristine helped her get settled upstairs. Once she was sure that Ellen would be all right until morning, which wasn't that far off, Kristine went to the room she was sharing with Dean.

She climbed back into bed quietly, but Dean woke up anyway and pulled her into his arms.

"It's late," he said. "You all right?"

"Yeah," she snuggled up to him. "Go back to sleep."

Dean kissed her head. "You stayin' this time?"

She rubbed his chest. "Yeah."

"Good." He rolled over and kissed her.

--

It was just after 8:00 when Sam went downstairs to make coffee. He could smell some already brewing as he approached the kitchen and expected to see Bobby at the table. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Ellen sitting there instead. She smiled at him.

"Hey, Sam."

"Ellen, when did you get – what are you doing here?"

She stood up and held out her arms. Sam hugged her tightly.

"I came in last night. Just kinda wandered in. Sit down, I'll get you some coffee."

Sam hesitated and Ellen slapped his arm playfully. "Sit."

"Where have you been?" Sam asked when she joined him at the table. "We've been really worried about you."

"I'm sorry about that, honey, I am. I was just….well, I wasn't in the best of shape."

"Are you okay now?"

She shrugged. "I've only been here a few hours and I already feel better than I have in a long time."

"This place has that effect on people."

Ellen nodded in agreement. Their conversation was interrupted by Alex and Nicholas running into the room, already arguing about something that probably made sense only to them. Sam calmed them down enough long enough to make introductions, then got boxes of cereal from the cabinet as the boys continued their squabbling.

Bobby joined the group a few minutes later and was as surprised to see Ellen as Sam had been. And when Dean made his way to the kitchen, it was clear that Kristine hadn't told him about Ellen. Breakfast was a simple meal, but the atmosphere was almost party-like due to Ellen's presence; not to mention the news that she would be staying for at least a while.

oooOOOooo

Ellen seemed to settle in over the next couple of days and quickly developed quite a rapport with Nicholas and Alex. Even though things at the estate had been calm, but with Bobby's help, another layer of protection was added to the houses. Considering what the people who came to the estate routinely dealt with, more protection couldn't hurt anyway.

When Tom called to tell them that he'd located the vampires and that they seemed to have recruited more into the group, Kristine knew Sam and Dean would go after them. She tried not to react negatively when Dean confirmed her suspicions, but she had no doubt he saw the discontent in her eyes.

Sam and Bobby checked the weapons while Dean went over the Impala with Alex's help.

"Dean?" Alex looked at Dean.

"Yeah?" Dean turned his full attention to the little boy.

"Are you gonna kill the vampires?"

"Yeah. If we can," Dean said. "But we're also gonna make one of them tell us what's going on."

Alex nodded. "Then Nicky will be safe?"

Dean put his hand on Alex's shoulder. "You know you're both safe here, right?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "But we won't be here forever, will we?"

Dean didn't know what to say. He'd give anything for Nicholas and Alex not to have to go to another group home or to live with strangers, but he wasn't going to be around to take care of them for very long. He wished Kristine could take them in, but he knew that in the end, that really wouldn't be a good idea.

He pulled Alex close and hugged him. "It's gonna be okay, I promise."

--

"You all right?" Ellen asked Kristine when she found her looking out of the library window. Her arms were crossed and she was standing very still. "Kristine?"

She glanced behind her at Ellen, then turned back to the window. "Dean is talking to Alex."

"Dean's good with him."

Kristine nodded.

Ellen stood next to Kristine and put her arm around her shoulders. "It's not easy, is it? Loving a hunter?"

"No," Kristine whispered. "It isn't. But that's nothing compared to loving one who sold his soul. God, Ellen, he's….he's going to Hell. What do I do with that?"

"I don't know, honey. I'm sorry."

Kristine leaned against Ellen. "I told Sam that I wanted him to come here after….after Dean is gone."

"That's a good thing."

"He thought I'd hate him because of what Dean did."

"That sounds like Sam."

Kristine took a deep breath. "I don't want him to go. I know he will; I know he has to. It's what he does and he loves those kids…."

"He'll be back.'

"For a day or two, maybe. He won't stay. He won't give up hunting even though…."

Kristine's fragile resolve finally broke and she began to sob. Ellen pulled her closer, putting both arms around her. Kristine hung on as if she would fall otherwise and cried for a long time. When she finally pulled away from Ellen, she squared her shoulders much the same way Dean often did and she nodded.

Ellen glanced out the window. "They're coming toward the house. You'd better go wash your face."

--

"You take care of yourself," Bobby said to Ellen as they stood next to his car. "And don't go disappearing on us again."

Ellen stuck her hands in the back pockets of her jeans. "Nah, I think I'm here for a while."

Bobby nodded. "Good."

"It'll be nice to feel useful again," Ellen said looking toward Kristine and Dean as they walked away from the house. "And I think Kristine is gonna need the company."

"Can't argue with you there."

"You coming back after you're done with the vampires?'

"I don't know. I might."

Ellen reached out and touched his arm. "I think you should."

He looked at her, his expression somewhat uncertain. "Yeah. Maybe I should."

--

Dean didn't know what to say, so he just put his arms around Kristine and held her. It was always hard to say goodbye to and even though he was coming back, he knew that one day soon he would leave her for the last time.

He was glad that Ellen was going to live at the estate, at least for the time being. He hadn't liked her being out of touch and had been uneasy about her roaming around on her own. Ellen was certainly capable enough of taking care of herself, but her entire world had collapsed when the Roadhouse burned down and Dean would have preferred her in one, safe, place. He knew that she and Kristine would be good for each other and he almost pitied the hunters that tried to give either of them a hard time.

"I'll be back in a few days," he whispered and felt Kristine nod against his chest. She didn't say anything. "Kristine?"

A moment later she took a step back. "Be careful."

"Always."

"Liar," she smiled.

He returned the smile and then kissed her gently. "I'll call tonight."

"Okay."

"You'll be okay with the boys for a few days?"

"We'll be fine," she assured him. "You better go kick some vampire ass now."

Dean nodded and took her hand. They walked to the Impala, where Sam was waiting with Nicholas and Alex.

"All right, you two," Dean said. "We'll be back in a couple of days. You guys take care of Kristine and Ellen, okay?"

Nicholas nodded, looking very serious.

Dean crouched down and looked him in the eye. "It's gonna be okay."

He nodded. "You'll get 'em, right? You and Sam?"

"Yeah," Dean said, his throat tight. "We'll get 'em."

oooOOOooo

With a stop for gas and food, it took just over ten hours to get to the small town west of St. Louis where Tom was waiting. In a bar near the motel, Tom explained what he'd found out. As near as he could tell there were now almost 15 vampires in the group, but they all seemed to follow the orders of one in particular.

"Can we get to him?" Sam asked.

Tom nodded. "I think so. They're staying in some abandoned camp near a lake; it looks very Friday the 13th out there. Anyway, our guy doesn't seem particularly close to anyone; sleeps in a cabin alone. I went to the morgue while you guys were driving out here and loaded up on dead man's blood. I figure we can take him in the morning, torch the rest of the cabins."

"We can't set fire to a bunch of cabins in the woods," Sam said. "It'll get out of control."

"Sam's right," Dean agreed reluctantly.

"We take their leader and leave them free, they'll no doubt go back to the estate. Some of them, anyway. I know the house is protected. Kristine is good and that chick Ellen seemed scary at hell, but against a group of vampires? I don't know."

"How many cabins?" Bobby asked.

"Four; plus the one the leader sleeps in."

"First priority is to get him," Bobby said. "If we're doing this in the morning, the others will be sleeping. We'll just go in and stake them."

"Oh sure," Dean said with feigned nonchalance. "That sounds easy enough.'

"You know how deep they sleep," Bobby said and then looked at Tom. "Are they feeding here?"

Tom shook his head. "Not that I've seen. I haven't figured out what they're living off of. Some of them hang around in the tavern for a few hours. Some don't seem to leave camp."

"Maybe they're weaker than normal, then," Bobby said hopefully. "Can you draw us a layout of the camp?"

"A rough one," Tom said.

"So, that's the plan? We take the leader and hope we can kill the rest of them before they wake up?" Dean sounded incredulous.

"You got a better idea, boy?" Bobby snarled.

Sam hid a smile behind his hand and Dean shook his head. "No."

oooOOOooo

An hour after putting the boys to bed, Kristine sat in the rocking chair with Nicholas on her lap and Alex leaning forward on the side of the bed. The four year old had awakened from an apparent nightmare, but couldn't talk about it yet. With everything else that had been going on, finding someone who could help him with his ability had moved to the back burner.

She was afraid the dream had been about the vampires that Dean and the others had gone after, but there was no good way to get Nicholas to talk. Pushing him wouldn't do any good and might end up causing him harm. It was hard enough to see horrible things that would probably come true, but all that much harder for someone who was only four-years old. Nicholas wasn't much more than a baby and, as frustrating as it was, Kristine had to accept that.

Kristine felt the little boy shaking and she gathered him closer to her. Nicholas turned his face toward her body and burrowed into her. She was having a hard time keeping herself under control; she was so afraid that Nicholas had seen Dean and the others losing the battle. She was also afraid that it was already too late to do anything about it.

She felt more than heard Nicholas begin to cry. He'd only been awake for a few minutes, but it seemed like an eternity to her. Every second might make a difference, but he was still just a baby and he couldn't be pushed.

"It's all my fault,"

Kristine barely heard him. "Nothing is your fault, Nicholas. None of this."

"They want me. It's my fault."

Kristine rested her cheek on the top of his head. "Can you tell me what you saw?"

Nicholas sniffled and looked toward his brother. Kristine saw the look on Alex's face; the love for his little brother and the worry. Alex reached out and put a hand on Nicholas' arm, seeming so much older than ten.

It took a moment for Nicholas to get started, but Kristine turned cold while he talked about his dream. Dean had called a couple of hours before and told her what their plan was; Nicholas had seen one of the worst possible scenarios.

When he finished talking, Kristine kissed him. "Thank you, Nicholas. How about you stay here with Alex so I can call Dean?"

Nicholas slid from her lap and scrambled up onto the bed. Alex put an arm around his shoulders and pulled him close, making Kristine think of a young Sam and Dean as she walked from the room. Ellen was standing just down the hall; close enough to hear, but not close enough to interfere. Kristine knew that the boys liked her, but she'd not completely won their trust yet. She appreciated the older woman's insight into children, but also that she was willing to stay in the background and let Kristine handle the boys.

Ellen put a reassuring hand on Kristine's arm as she walked past.

--

"Hello?" Dean asked, his voice thick with sleep.

"Hey, it's me. Nicholas had a dream."

Dean sat up in bed and rubbed his face. "Swell. Tell me about it."

She used Nicholas' words to describe the nightmare, then said. "I think the head vampire is possessed."

"Shit, is that even possible?" Dean asked.

"I don't know; seems like it should be."

"But why?"

"Maybe the demon couldn't get other demons to help? Or maybe they're all possessed. I don't know, Dean, but the dead man's blood probably won't work on a demon-possessed vampire. And they probably know you're coming."

"Damnit," Dean growled. "All right, I'm gonna wake the others and figure something out. Nicholas okay?"

"No, but he will be."

"What about you?"

Kristine hesitated. "No, but I will be. Dean…."

"I could tell you not to worry, but you will anyway. I'll call you later, okay? Try to get some sleep."

--

"I've never heard of a vampire being possessed," Bobby said. "But that doesn't mean it's not possible."

"If it's possessed, it can be exorcised," Tom said.

"We need information before we get rid of it," Sam reminded him. "And we have something that will kill it; with or without an exorcism first."

"Kristine pointed out that if there's a demon here, it probably already knows what we're planning," Dean said.

Sam was about to say something when his cell phone started to ring. Exchanging a look with Dean, he answered it and listened to the caller while staring at his brother. He hung up a few moments later without having said a word.

"Ruby….She said we have to get out of here."

"And go where?" Dean demanded.

"Diner about a mile away."

"I know where it is," Tom said.

Sam seemed to be waiting for his brother and after a moment, Dean nodded. "I don't like it, but let's do it. The Impala is right outside."

They left the room and quickly got into the Impala. They were half a mile away when they saw a fire truck and police cars heading in the opposite direction. Suspecting something had happened at the motel and after a brief conversation, Dean turned the car around. He had to slam on the breaks to avoid hitting the woman in the middle of the road a few minutes later, but once he realized it was Ruby, he almost regretted not hitting her. Not that it wouldn't have killed her.

"I told you to get out of here!" she directed her frantic comment to Sam as the men got out of the car.

"We heard –"

"I'll handle it! Go!"

Sam looked at his brother, then back to Ruby. "What's going on here?"

She ignored him and looked at Sam. "Sam, just go, okay? I'll explain everything when I'm finished here."

Still, Sam hesitated. She looked at Dean. "If you don't want your brother to die here tonight, you'll go to the diner."

"Sam," Dean said quietly. He still didn't trust Ruby, but so far, she had seemed to keep Sam safe.

The younger man sighed and slid back into the passenger seat. Dean glared at Ruby for a moment before getting into the car himself.

TBC