Author's Note: Well here's another chapter. I just want to explain why this chapter is going to be in two parts. Because the next episode picks up at the beginning with the end of this episode, Asylum, in the show I consider it my head to be a continuation of the previous episode. In other words Scarecrow happens right after they finish up the asylum job. That is my reasoning for chapter 8 A and chapter 8 B. I just didn't want to confuse anyone. So this chapter is the whole of the Asylum episode. Thank you for reading and please, please review. I hope you enjoy the story.
Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing from Supernatural. All rights belong to the writers and creator of the t.v. show.
It had been a month since the events that had taken place in Lawrence, and things were still a little tumultuous. In spite of her best efforts tension was growing between the boys, and she found herself very much in the middle. For the first few days after they left Lawrence, she had given both boys their space. She kept quiet when they wanted silence or prattled on about memories she had regained when they needed someone to fill the void of silence. Instead of going off on her own during the night while the boys slept, she stayed in the room in case one of them had a nightmare. She had spent more than one night comforting both boys and conjoling one or both boys back to sleep. Mostly, it was Dean who woke up from nightmares, and it was a testament to how shaken up he was that he didn't complain about her watching them as they slept.
Slowly though, things had started to creep back towards normal. The nightmares went away and Fallon could leave the room at night to find her own entertainment without feeling guilty. They began to joke around in the Impala again. Dean even went so far as to purposely pick a fight with her, a fact that once would have annoyed her but now just made her feel relieved. For about a week things had seemed normal as they continued their routine of hunting and simple salt and burn jobs, but then Sam began to grow more sullen again. Fallon partially blamed Dean for this. Once things had felt back on track Dean had begun to push for details about Sam's psychic dream thing. Naturally, this had put Sam on the defensive, insisting that he didn't know any details about them and that they needed to get more serious about their search for their father.
This had led to a pretty big fight between the boys. Dean wanted to find their father as much as Sam did, but he felt that they wouldn't find him until the man in question wanted to be found. Sam was determined that if they just tried harder they could pick up a trail on the man. Both boys had tried to drag her into the fight, but she had refused to take sides causing both boys to get mad at her, although Sam apologized less than an hour later. It had taken Dean a few days to swallow his pride, but he too apologized for being a dick to her while muttering something about it being crazy to apologize to a ghost. Fallon had been tempted to not accept his apology but, desiring for things to go back to normal, had decided to let it go. Still things were tense and when Dean pulled up to the latest crap-sack motel, Fallon was relieved to get out of the car.
Fallon was sitting on the opposite bed from Dean watching him polish one of his guns while she listened to Sam's phone conversation. "No, Dad was in California last we heard from him," he was telling the Winchester's family friend, Caleb. Fallon found it amusing how the hunting world interacted with each other almost as if their job was a business. Lately, Sam had been on the phone with a lot of hunters and Fallon had realized she could tap into the phone and listen to the conversation as if they were having it face to face.
"Just call us if you hear anything," Sam sighed in frustration.
"'kay," Caleb replied.
"Thanks," Sam said and then hung up the phone, tossing it into his travel bag.
"Caleb hasn't heard from him?" Dean asked with a tone that clearly showed he already knew the answer.
"Nope," Sam returned refusing to take the bait. "And neither has Jefferson or Pastor Jim."
"Don't worry. I'm sure someone will see him soon and call you back," Fallon said, although she didn't believe it herself. For the past two weeks she'd made it her job to cheer up and reassure the boys when the topic of their father came up.
Sam smiled at her before turning to Dean. "What about the journal?" he pushed. "Any leads in there?"
Dean sighed in aggravation and put down his gun. "No, same as last time I looked," he snapped before taking a deep breath and continuing in a calmer tone. "Nothing I can make out. I love the guy, but I swear, he writes like friggin' Yoda."
"Better than my father," Fallon said. "His job as a journalist has conditioned him to only write these shorthand remarks. It was always a bitch trying to figure out the full message every time he left a note with stuff for me and my sister to do."
Dean chuckled. "Parents are never clear about what they want," he said.
"You know," Sam said, clearly having ignored the pair's conversation, "maybe we should call the Feds. File a missing person's report."
"We've talked about this," Dean replied. "Dad would be pissed if we put the Feds on his tail."
"I don't care anymore," Sam returned hotly.
"Guys," Fallon cried about to step in when one of the boys cellphones began to ring. Dean climbed off the bed to go answer it.
"After all that happened back in Kansas," Sam continued to press on, ignoring the warning look she was sending him. "I mean…he should've been there, Dean."
"Sam," Fallon said but he ignored her.
"You said so yourself," he continued.
"Sam!" Fallon warned.
"You tried to call him and…"
"SAM!" she exclaimed glaring at him. She shot Dean a concerned look. He was still looking through his duffel bag for the cellphone, but the pinched look on his face showed he was fed up with this conversation.
"You know, he could be dead for all we know," Sam pointed out harshly. Fallon dropped her face into her hands and braced herself for the fight that she was sure was about to break out.
"Don't say that!" Dean exclaimed. "He's not dead! He's... he's…"
"He's what?" Sam asked. "He's hiding? He's busy?"
"Sam, stop it," Fallon urged glancing worriedly over towards Dean. She had learned early on how attached Dean was to his father. Often, she thought that he was a little to worshipping of the man. Although she had never met the man and didn't like to make an opinion on him that might not be true she was inclined to believe Sam's point of view on John Winchester. Sam was the more clear-headed of the two and she had seen for herself that Dean turned a blind eye to the lesser traits of his family members. Fallon was sure Sam was unaware of this, but she had seen him push Dean around without seeming too concerned about what his older brother was really thinking. And after months of hearing about Dean's relationship with his father, she had come to think that Dean was even more of a pushover when it came to his father.
Sighing she waited for Dean to say something back, but he had apparently decided to ignore Sam's remarks. Instead he was staring down at a message that had been left on his phone. "Huh, I don't believe it," he huffed.
"What?" Sam asked.
"It's uh…" Dean replied sitting down at Sam's laptop and flicking the screen to life. "It's a text message. It's coordinates."
"Coordinates?" Fallon asked sidling over to Dean.
"You think Dad was texting us?" Sam questioned.
"He's given us coordinates before," Dean said defensively.
"The man can barely work a toaster, Dean," Sam replied dryly.
"Sam, it's good news!" Dean exclaimed. "It means he's okay, or at least alive."
"Yeah, I guess that's good news," Fallon said.
Sam, however, was not as convinced. "Well, was there a number on the caller ID?" he questioned.
"Nah, it said 'unknown'," Dean replied still fiddling with the coordinates on the laptop.
"Where do the coordinates point?" Sam asked sighing.
"That's the interesting part," Dean said. "Rockford, Illinois."
"Okay, and that's interesting…how?" Sam ask deflated.
"I agree," Fallon sighed. "How come he couldn't have given us coordinates to New York City? Or L.A.?"
Dean pointedly ignored her comment. "I checked the local Rockford paper. Take a look at this," he said spinning the laptop around so she and Sam could read the article. "This cop, Walter Kelly, comes home from his shift, shoots his wife, then 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."
"I fail to see anything supernatural about that," Fallon stated. "It sounds like some guy just snapped."
"I agree," Sam said. "What has this have to do with us?"
"Dad earmarked the same asylum in the journal," Dean replied pulling said journal into his hands and flipping through the pages. "Here. Seven unconfirmed sightings, two deaths, 'til last week at least. I think this is where he wants us to go."
"This is a job," Sam snorted. "Dad wants us to work a job?"
"Well, maybe we'll meet up with him," Dean replied hopefully. "Maybe he's there."
"Dean," Fallon said a little hesitantly. "That's…that's a little far-fetched."
Sam seemed to agree with her. "He could be sending us there, by ourselves, to hunt this thing," he pointed out.
"Who cares?!" Dean cried exasperatedly. "If he wants us there, it's good enough for me!" Fallon winced as Dean stood up and quickly began packing up his things. She found his blind obedience concerning.
"This doesn't strike you as weird?" Sam asked, trying to reason with him. "The texting? The coordinates?"
"Sam!" Dean said sternly. "Dad's tellin' us to go somewhere, we're goin'." Fallon watched as Dean stormed out of the room and Sam shot him a bitchface.
"I don't like this," she stated.
"Yeah, me neither," Sam replied standing up and packing.
Fallon helped him gather up his meager belongings. "Has he always been like this?" she asked. "About your father?"
"As long as I can remember," Sam answered.
"I don't think it's healthy," Fallon said. "I mean, Deans' twenty-six. He shouldn't be so dependent towards you father. Is he… I mean, is your father…"
"Are you trying to ask if our father's abusive towards him?" Sam asked actually looking amused.
"Don't smirk like that," Fallon scolded. "It's not funny. If your father's really abusive…"
"He's not abusive," Sam said cutting her off. "He's just really controlling. You don't have anything to worry about, okay?"
Fallon looked up at him, carefully reading his expression. She wasn't entirely convinced, but she was going to let the topic go for right now. "Okay," she replied.
"Alright then. Let's go get this nonsense over with," Sam said and the two hurried to meet Dean at the Impala.
After they reached Rockford and had asked around they realized they were going to have a problem getting Kelly's partner to talk. "I hate it when police act like it's all tight knit community," Dean whined falling back onto his motel room bed.
"Dean, this isn't exactly a huge city," Fallon stated. "This region probably really is a tight knit community."
"But that doesn't work for us!" Dean cried. "We need to get the partner talking."
"And we will," Fallon said simply.
"Yeah? How?" Sam asked sounding discouraged. "No other police officer or towns' person was very open about the ordeal. What plan do you have to get Kelly's partner, Gunderson, talking."
"One of my dad's old ploys," Fallon said and smiled brightly when both boys looked over at her intrigued.
"Ploy?" Dean asked. "I thought you father was a journalist."
"He was," Fallon replied. "For most of his life. But the newspaper he works for now wasn't hiring when he got out of college so he worked as a police officer for three years. He mostly did investigative reports."
"Your father was a cop?" Dean asked sounding disgusted.
"For three years," Fallon replied tartly. "Don't start something Dean. Most people like cops."
"Not hunters," Dean grumbled.
"So what ploy of his are you talking about?" Sam cut in before they could get into a fight.
"Okay, well if he had to get information off of a witness that he knew would be unwilling to talk to a police officer he or his partner would pretend to be some stereotypical reporter who wanted to interview the witness," Fallon said explaining. "Then when the witness looked thoroughly pissed off, whichever one wasn't acting like a total douche would step in and force them to back off. This put the rescuer in good favor with the witness and they could eventually glean out information without the witness ever knowing he'd blabbed to the cops."
"That's pretty smart," Sam said.
"Uh-huh," Fallon replied. "So you two just got to decide who gets to play hero and who gets to play douchebag."
An hour later Fallon was leaning against the Impala staring up at the sky when Dean came storming out of the bar. "How'd it go, douchebag?" she asked as he walked up to her.
"Your plan worked," he said tensely and she turned to look at him, noticing the tight look to his face.
"What's wrong with you?" she asked.
"Nothing," he replied shortly. She thought about keeping at him until he told her what was wrong, but decided to let it go, turning her attention back to the night sky as they waited for Sam. They'd been waiting for a half hour when the bar door opened and Sam headed over to them.
"Shoved me kinda hard in there, buddy boy," Dean said, a tint of anger in his voice, and Fallon realized the tension from earlier that day over following the coordinates was still in play.
"I had to sell it, didn't I?" Sam stated, but Fallon could tell that he'd done it to get some of his frustration with Dean out. "It's method acting."
"Huh?" Dean questioned.
"Don't worry about it," Fallon cut into the conversation. "What did Gunderson have to say?"
"Just that Walter Kelly was a good cop," Sam replied. "Head of his class, even-keeled, he had a bright future ahead of him."
"What about at home?" Dean questioned.
"He and his wife had a few fights, like everybody, but he was mostly smooth sailing. They were even talking about having kids," Sam returned.
"Alright, so either Kelly had some deep-seated crazy waiting to bust out, or something else did it to him," Dean said.
"Either way it's such a shame," Fallon replied. "But if something did it to him it has something to do with the abandoned asylum in town. What'd Gunderson say about it?"
"A lot," Sam replied. "A whole bunch of crazy stuff's gone on there over the years after it's been abandoned. A lot of kids breaking in."
"Well, that's not unusual," Fallon said as they all slipped inside the car. "Kids and abandoned buildings go hand in hand."
"Yeah, well most kids just go in, cause trouble, and get out," Sam replied. "Apparently, the ones that go in this asylum either don't come out or go insane."
"Yikes," Fallon squeaked. "So I guess we have to go check this place out?"
"Already on it," Dean said as they pulled out of the parking lot. Not long after they reached the boarded up asylum. Dean and Sam got stuck climbing over a large chain-linked fence that Fallon could simply phase through.
"This place is creepy," Fallon stated as the boys landed back on the ground. "I bet there's tons of local ghost stories about this place."
"You feeling any ghosts' presence?" Sam asked.
"Yeah, but they don't seem too upset about my own presence," Fallon replied. "I just hope it stays that way when we go inside."
"Well, let's get on that before police show up," Dean said. The three walked around the building until they came to the front door. "Ready?" She and Sam nodded and they all headed inside.
"So which way are we heading?" Fallon asked as they meandered down a hallway.
"Apparently, the cops chased the kids here into the south wing," Sam said pointing to a cobwebbed covered sign over a door.
"South wing, huh?" Dean said looking through John's journal. "1972. Three kids broke into the south wing, only one survived. Way he tells it, one of his friends went nuts and started lighting up the place."
"Lovely," Fallon replied.
"So whatever's going on, the south wing is the heart of it," Sam stated.
"But if the kids are spelunking the asylum, why aren't there a ton more deaths?" Dean questioned.
"I think I can answer that," Fallon answered telekinetically lifting up a broken chain that had been lying in front of the door.
"Looks like the doors are usually chained," Sam said. "Could've been chained up for years."
"Yeah to keep people out," Dean replied and then frowned. "Or to keep something in."
"Well, no time to lose," Fallon said and phased through the door. Dean and Sam followed after her. Fallon noticed Dean pull out his EMF meter.
"Do you need me to walk ahead?" she asked.
"No," Dean replied. "There's gonna be more than one ghost here so it doesn't matter if you're standing nearby or not." After a few moments of walking in silence Dean whispered to Sam, "Let me know if you see any dead people, Haley Joel."
"Not this again," Fallon muttered under her breath. At this point she was convinced the boys were just looking for a fight.
"Dude, enough," Sam said annoyed.
"I'm serious," Dean replied. "You gotta be careful, alright? Ghosts are attracted to that whole ESP thing you got going on. It's probably why we're now stuck with Fallon."
"What?!" Fallon cried. "Okay, that's ridiculous! I had no idea Sam could see dead people when I saw you two at the bar."
"And I've already told you," Sam said joining in, "it's not ESP! I just have strange vibes sometimes. Weird dreams. And I never dreamed about Fallon so stop trying to get a rise out of her. She looks like she's two seconds from throwing you into a wall."
"Yeah whatever," Dean replied, and Fallon smirked when he took a subtle step away from her.
"You get any reading on that thing or not?" Sam asked testily pointing at the EMF meter.
"Nope," Dean replied. "Well, only what it's picking up from Fallon, but it'd be going crazy if there was more than one spirit around. Of course, it doesn't mean no one's home."
"Spirits can't appear during certain hours of the day," Sam said.
"Yeah, the freaks come out at night," Dean stated staring right at Fallon.
She narrowed her eyes in a glare and shoved him hard into a wall. "I am not a freak," she spat keeping him pinned against the wall. "And I'm around during the day too, remember?"
"Unfortunately," Dean replied. "Now will you let me go?" She eased up and let him step away from the wall. The three continued further into the south wing. "Hey Sam, who do you think is the hotter psychic: Patricia Arquette, Jennifer Love Hewitt, or you?" Sam and Fallon both sighed as Dean continued to laugh.
"You know," Fallon said. "I've caught episodes of the Ghost Whisperer. How come you two don't ever try and help the spirits you run into move on?"
"What do you mean?" Sam asked.
"Well you guys just salt and burn them," Fallon replied. "Why not help them move on into the light."
"Alright Fallon, next time you see the light… walk into it," Dean said. "I'll wave."
"You're an ass," Fallon huffed before storming down the hall.
"What? I said I'd wave!" he called after her. A moment later the two boys caught up as they all came upon a separate room. They began to look around.
"Man, electro-shock, lobotomies," Dean whistled. "They did some twisted stuff to these people. Kinda like my man Jack in Cuckoo's Nest." Fallon and Sam pointedly ignored him as they continued searching through the room. "So whaddaya think? Ghosts possessing people?"
"Wait, what?" Fallon exclaimed. "Ghosts can possess people?"
"Some ghosts can," Sam replied. "Older ghosts who are more powerful, usually."
"Oh," Fallon said. "So do you think that's what's going on here?"
"Maybe," Sam replied. "Or maybe it's more like Amityville, or the Smurl haunting."
"Spirits driving them insane," Dean stated. "Kinda like my man Jack in The Shining."
"Will you quit it," Fallon sighed.
"Dean," Sam said bluntly. "When are we gonna talk about it?"
"Talk about what?" Dean asked although it was obvious to Fallon that he knew exactly what Sam was talking about.
"About the fact Dad's not here," Sam replied.
"Oh, I see," Dean said pretending to be thoughtful. "How 'bout…never."
"I'm being serious, man," Sam said. "He sent us here-"
"So am I," Dean interrupted. "Look, he sent us here, he obviously wants us here. We'll pick up the search later."
"It doesn't matter what he wants," Sam stated.
"See, that attitude?" Dean replied, anger clear in his voice. "That is why I always get the extra cookie."
"Okay, guys, that is enough," Fallon said rushing over to intercede, but they both pointedly ignored her.
"Dad could be in trouble," Sam stated. "We should be looking for him. We deserve some answers, Dean. I mean, this is our family we're talking about."
"I understand that, Sam," Dean said trying to sound reasonable. "But he's given us an order."
"So what, we gotta always follow Dad's orders?" Sam mocked.
"Of course we do," Dean shot back. They stood glaring at each other.
"Are you two done?" Fallon asked stepping in between them before either of them could throw a punch. "Because you're acting like children."
"Oh come one, Fallon, you agree with me…" Sam started but Fallon cut him off.
"No, I don't," she stated plainly. "I think you're wasting your time spending all this effort looking for your father. He obviously doesn't want to be found. And you." She turned to Dean. "You need to stop bossing me and Sam around because you're trying to follow some insane order from your dad. You're a big boy, make your own decisions. Now I'm sick of you two fighting. You've been at each other's throats for the past two weeks, and you both keep trying to drag me into your fights. I don't want to pick sides. So, back off of each other for now. And Dean, quit it with the psychic jokes, they're just annoying."
"Okay mom," Dean snorted.
"Yeah, we'll behave," Sam replied testily.
Fallon sighed and started to walk away from them when she saw a sign on the table. 'Sanford Ellicott'. She turned back around and showed the sign to the boys. "I say we dig into this. We need to know more about what went on in this wing," she said and began to head out of the room. "And you better not be giving me your bitchface Sam!"
A few hours later they were all back at the hotel digging for clues of the asylum's past. They were also pointedly ignoring each other. Finally, Sam sighed and snapped his laptop shut. "Alright, I have no leads," he said in frustration.
"Same here," Dean replied. "Seems like the people of this town don't want to give away their dirty little secrets."
"It's probably a really big embarrassment," Fallon agreed. "But I think I know how we can find out the full details of the asylum."
"How?" both boys asked?
"You remember that sign with the name, Sanford Ellicott?" she prompted, and waited for both boys to nod before continuing. "Well, I looked him up, and honestly didn't come up with much. He must be involved in whatever they don't want people to find out about the asylum, but his obituary listed surviving relatives. He has a son, Dr. James Ellicott."
"Doctor?" Dean questioned.
"Uh-huh," Fallon replied. "And he takes after daddy. He's got a psychiatrist office in town."
"And you think he'd be willing to talk?" Sam asked not sounding entirely convinced.
"I think he's our best shot to finding out the whole truth," she said. "Even if we find a random person from town, their description is likely to be skewered with exaggerations from stories being passed down after so many years." She focused on Sam's cellphone and slid it across the table towards him, using her telekinesis. "Make an appointment Sam."
"Why me?" Sam asked indignantly.
"Because if we send Dean in they'll slap him in a strait jacket," she replied sniggering.
"Hey!" Dean cried throwing his pillow at her, only for it to phase right through her.
"Smart," she said.
"Okay, so you know what you gotta do, right?" Fallon asked as they walked towards the psychiatrist's building.
"Yeah, get Dr. Ellicott to open up about the old asylum," Sam muttered, unhappy with the plan. "I've got it."
"Don't look so glum, Sam," Fallon said. "Plenty of people talk to psychiatrists."
"Yeah, crazy people," Dean mumbled. Fallon shot him a glare.
"Plenty of sane, normal people who just need to talk to someone about stress in their lives," she stated. "Okay? No one's gonna think you're a nutcase."
"Fine," Sam sighed. "But you owe me." Fallon rolled her eyes as he stormed into the building.
"So how long do you think this is going to take?" Dean asked leaning against the building.
"Dean, you know how long this is gonna take," Fallon sighed. "It's an hour long appointment."
"Ugh!" Dean groaned.
"You're acting like a five year old," she stated. He didn't comment and the two stood in silence for a few minutes.
"Do you really think I'm bossy?" Dean asked when no one was around.
"You can be," Fallon replied. "Sometimes you're down right controlling."
"I'm sorry," he murmured.
Fallon blinked and stared at him dumbly for a moment. "Could you repeat that?" she asked. "I don't think my ears were working properly."
"Cute," he replied and then blanched as a lady walking by glared at him, clearing thinking he'd been talking about her. "I didn't mean you! I was just talking to my friend." He pointed at her.
"Um, Dean," Fallon said. "She can't see me, remember?" Sure enough the woman gave Dean a funny look before her eyes glanced up and saw the sign for the psychiatrist building. The woman glanced back at Dean before hurriedly continuing on down the street. "Well, she thinks you're crazy."
"Shut up," Dean replied. Fallon smiled but didn't say anything else. The two waited in silence until Sam came rushing out of the building, walking right past them. "Dude! You were in there forever. What the hell were you talking about?"
"Just the hospital, you know," Sam replied, a hint of annoyance in his voice.
"And?" Dean inquired.
"And the south wing?" Sam replied. "It's where the hospital housed the really hard cases. The psychotics, the criminally insane."
"Oh joy," Fallon cried sarcastically.
"Sounds cozy," Dean said equally sarcastic.
"Yeah, and one night in '64, they rioted," Sam explained. "Attacked staff. Attacked each other."
"So the patients took over the asylum?" Dean asked.
"Apparently," Sam replied.
"Any deaths?" Dean inquired.
"Some patients, some staff," Sam answered. "I guess it was pretty gory. Some of the bodies were never even recovered, including our chief of staff, Ellicott."
"Whaddaya mean never recovered?" Dean asked.
"Cops searched every inch of the place, but I guess patients must've…stuffed the bodies somewhere," Sam explained.
"That's grim," Dean replied, disgusted.
"Ew," Fallon moaned.
"Yeah, so they transferred all the remaining patients and closed the hospital down," Sam finished.
"That has to be the worst true story I have ever heard," Fallon said.
"So to sum it up, we've got a bunch of violent deaths and a bunch of unrecovered bodies," Dean stated.
"And a bunch of angry spirits," Sam added.
"Good times," Dean replied sarcastically. "Let's check out the hospital tonight."
"Great," Fallon sighed. "You know if someone had asked me a few years ago if I'd ever step into a building I knew was haunted I would have said no."
"Yeah, well things change," Dean replied slipping into the driver seat.
"I hate change," Fallon muttered petulantly.
Once night hit they returned to the asylum, and re-entered through the front doors. Sam was holding a video camera out in front of him, and Dean had his EMF reader out again. "Getting readings?" Sam asked as they walked further into the building.
"Yeah, big time," Dean replied.
"This place is orbing like crazy," Sam stated.
"Orbing?" Fallon questioned.
"It's supposedly what a ghost looks like on film," Sam gave a brief explanation.
"So do I look like an orb?" Fallon asked.
Sam turned the camera to face her and peered through the lens. "Yeah, actually you do," he chuckled.
"Cool," Fallon said.
"Will you two quit playing around?" Dean snapped. "There's probably multiple spirits out and about."
"Oh there are," Fallon stated. "I can feel them."
"And if these unrecovered bodies are causing the haunting…" Sam started.
"We gotta find em' and burn 'em," Dean finished.
"It's cute when you guys do that," Fallon teased.
"Yeah adorable," Dean muttered before getting serious. He gave both of them hard looks. "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."
"I could see why that would make you nervous," Fallon replied. "If it makes you feel any better though, I don't feel any outright hostility."
"That only makes me feel marginally better," Dean said as they continued slowly walking down the hallway and checking the rooms they passed. They split up a little when they came across a large room. Fallon was looking around for a space where a body could be hidden when she heard Sam crying out for help. She immediately teleported to him and saw the spirit of an old woman leaning close to him. She started to make her way over to him when the sound of a shot gun went off and the old woman disappeared.
"That was weird," Sam said panting.
"Yeah, you're telling me," Dean replied entering the room.
"No, Dean, I mean it was weird that she didn't attack me," Sam said.
"Well that's a good thing isn't it?" Fallon asked.
"Looked pretty agro from where I was standing," Dean said.
"She didn't hurt me," Sam insisted. "She didn't even try! So if she didn't wanna hurt me then what did she want?" Dean was about to reply when they all heard a noise from a room they'd been about to walk past. Fallon tensed and Dean raised his shot gun back up as they stepped into the room and approached a flipped over metal bed. From where she was standing she could barely make out the top of a head peeking over the bedframe. Sam quickly knocked the bedframe over and revealed that the head belonged to a teenage girl who looked terrified out of her mind.
"It's alright, we're not going to hurt you," Dean said lowering his gun. "What's your name?"
"Katherine," the girl replied. "Kat."
"Okay. I'm Dean, this is Sam," Dean said.
"Who's the girl that's with you?" Kat asked.
"You can see me?" Fallon asked surprised at the same time the boys asked, "You can see her?"
Kat looked at them like they were crazy for a few seconds before her eyes widened in fear. "Oh my god, are you a ghost?" she gasped. "Are you all ghosts?"
"I am, but they're not," Fallon answered taking a slow step forward towards the girl. "My name's Fallon. I'm not going to hurt you, okay?" The girl looked unsure, but nodded her head and stood up.
"What are you doing here?" Sam asked her.
"Um, my boyfriend, Gavin," Kat answered.
"Sounds like my old boyfriend," Fallon snorted. "Mason probably could've convinced me to come to some abandoned asylum, too. Where is your boyfriend?"
"Somewhere," Kat replied flatly. "He thought it would be fun, try and see some ghosts. I thought it all just, you know, pretend. I've seen things. I heard Gavin scream and…" Fallon felt her heart twinge for the poor girl. She was close to tears.
"Alright, Kat?" Dean said. "Come one. Sam's gonna get you out of here and then we're gonna find your boyfriend."
"No!" Kat exclaimed. "No. I'm not going to leave without Gavin. I'm coming with you."
"It's no joke around here, okay," Dean said sternly. "It's dangerous. Not every ghost is like Fallon."
"That's why I gotta find him," Kat insisted.
"I like her," Fallon stated. "She's got spunk. She's old enough to make her own decisions. If she wants to come with us, let her come."
Dean sighed but gave in. "Alright," he sighed. "I guess we're gonna split up."
"I call Sam!" Fallon exclaimed wrapping an arm through his. "You two have fun."
"Yeah, we'll have a blast," Dean replied sarcastically as he and Kat traveled down the hallway in a different direction from Sam and Fallon.
"I thought you two were getting along better?" Sam asked amused.
Fallon snorted. "Yeah like I could ever get along with someone as obnoxious as him," she stated. "Let's just find this kid. Gavin!"
"Gavin!" Sam joined in with her call. "Gavin!"
"Come out, come out wherever you are!" Fallon called.
"We want to find the kid, Fallon, not scare him to death," Sam said.
"Fine! Ruin my fun," she sighed before calling for the kid again. "Gavin!" Not long after they came across the boy only to find him sprawled across the hard floor.
"Hey, Gavin," Sam called shaking the boy into consciousness. "It's okay, I'm here to help."
"Who are you?" Gavin asked sounding dazed as he sat up.
"My name is Sam. Uh, we found your girlfriend," Sam replied.
"Kat?" Gavin asked climbing to his feet. "Is she alright? Who's the girl with you?"
Fallon blinked in surprise. It was rare for one person to see her. It was odd to have two people notice her in one night. "Fallon," she replied. "Your girlfriend's fine."
"She's worried about you," Sam told him. "Are you okay?"
"I was running," Gavin replied slowly. "I think I fell."
"You were running from what?" Sam asked.
"There was… there was this girl," Gavin answered. "Her face. It was all messed up."
"Okay listen, did this girl… did she try to hurt you?" Sam asked.
"What?" Gavin asked before he suddenly looked extremely uncomfortable. "No, she…uh…"
"She what?" Sam prompted.
"She…kissed me," Gavin said disgusted. Fallon burst out laughing.
Sam spluttered, choking back a laugh of his own. "Uh…um… but she didn't hurt you physically?" he continued to press.
"Dude! She kissed me!" Gavin exclaimed. "I'm scarred for life!"
"I bet you'd be singing a different tune if I kissed you," Fallon teased, tears pouring down her face from laughing so hard.
"Yeah, but you're…" Gavin replied before staring at her in horror. "Wait, you're a ghost?!"
"'Fraid so," Fallon answered. "But don't worry. I'm not gonna hurt you. Or kiss you." The boy only looked mildly assured.
"Trust me, it could have been worse," Sam said pulling the boy's attention back towards him. "Now, do you remember anything else?"
"She uh… actually, she tried to whisper something in my ear," Gavin replied.
"What?" Sam asked.
"I don't know. I ran like hell," Gavin said giving Sam a weird look.
Fallon laughed out loud before shooting the kid a bright smile. "I don't blame you," she said. "Let's go find your girlfriend and get the two of you out of here." The three traveled back down the hall they had come from in silence until they heard screaming and someone pounding against a door up ahead. "Uh oh. Looks like they ran into trouble." The three ran towards the sound.
"What's going on?!" Sam yelled as they ran towards Dean, who looked like he was struggling to open the door in front of him.
"She's inside with one of them," Dean exclaimed.
"Help me!" Kat's cry sounded muffled from the other side of the thick door.
"Kat!" Gavin cried dismayed.
"Get me outta here!" Kat screamed.
"Let me handle this," Fallon said and then phased through the door and into the room with Kat before Sam or Dean could protest. She looked around the room and saw Kat cowering against the wall, cringing away from the figure of a man in front of her. "Kat, you need to calm down. He's not going to hurt you. He wants to tell you something. You need to listen to him."
"What? You listen to him!" Kat cried. "You're a ghost too."
"He won't speak with me," Fallon said restraining herself from stepping towards the girl. The ghost in the room wasn't showing her any hostility but she didn't want to push it. If she crossed boundaries she could put both herself and the young girl in a dangerous situation. "I know you're scared, but you need to listen to him. If you do he'll let you go." Kat's breathing picked up and Fallon knew she was close to losing her. "Kat, I know you have no reason to trust me. Not only am a total stranger, but I'm a ghost. I get it. But you need to listen to me, because if you think things are bad now, well you haven't seen bad."
Kat closed her eyes but nodded and stopped struggling to get away from the spirit in front of her. Fallon held her breath, ready to intervene if the spirit decided to attack, and watched as it leaned in close to the teenager's ear. Shortly after, it disappeared and the door unlocked. Fallon ushered the shaken girl out of the room.
"Oh Kat," Gavin sighed in relief as they stepped out of the room.
"One thirty-seven," Kat whispered.
"Sorry?" Dean replied.
"It whispered in my ear," Kat said blankly. "One thirty-seven."
"Room number," Fallon, Sam, and Dean replied in unison.
"Okay you two stay there for a minute," Dean ordered. "Try and calm down." He motioned for Sam and Fallon to follow him and they walked a few paces away from the two teens. "Fallon, what were you thinking?"
"That we needed to figure out what the spirits were trying to tell us, and she needed to calm down," Fallon replied confused. "I thought I was helping."
"And what if your presence had set the other spirit off?" Dean snapped.
Fallon sighed. "I thought about that before going in, but I rationed that I could stop him if he tried to hurt her," Fallon argued and was shocked when Dean grabbed her shoulders and shook her violently.
"I don't care about her!" he hissed. "What if the spirit had attacked you?!"
Fallon blinked in surprise. "Don't tell me you care," Fallon said mockingly, trying to cover the fluttering she felt in her stomach.
"What?" Dean asked and seemed to realize what he'd just said. "Well, no, of course not…"
"We both care," Sam said sounding just as stern as Dean had a few seconds ago. "Fallon, don't do that again."
"Okay," Fallon said a gentle smile crossing her lips. "I won't."
"Okay, well, now that that's settled," Dean said breaking the silence. "Let's get these kids out of here." They turned around and walked back over to the kids. "So, now, are you guys ready to leave this place?"
"That's an understatement," Kat replied.
"Okay," Dean said before turning to Sam and Fallon. "You two get them outta here. I'm going to go find room 137."
"No problem," Fallon said. "Let's go." She and Sam led the two teens back towards the entrance.
"So how do you and your brother know about all this ghost stuff?" Kat asked.
"It's kinda our job," Sam replied.
"Why would anyone want a job like that?" Kat exclaimed.
"I had a crappy guidance counselor," Sam chuckled.
"And Dean? He's your boss?" Kat questioned.
Sam froze his shoulders tensing. Fallon stifled back a groan. "No," Sam replied sharply before continuing on. Fallon sighed. This ongoing fight between the two really needed to end.
"What about you?" Gavin asked. "Did one of the spirits here kill you?"
"No, I didn't die here," she answered.
"Then what are you doing here?" the kid asked.
Fallon shrugged. "Why are any of us here?" she replied.
"That's deep," Gavin said as they continued on to the exit. They reached the exit and immediately tried to open the doors only to find them locked.
"Alright, I think we have a problem," Sam stated.
"Then break it down," Gavin ordered, beginning to panic.
"I don't think that's gonna work," Sam replied.
"Then a window," Gavin cried.
"They're barred," Kat pointed out sounding glum.
"Then how are we supposed to get out?!" Gavin exclaimed.
"I think you're missing the point kid," Fallon replied. "We're not. Something in here doesn't want us to leave."
"Those patients…" Kat murmured. Fallon shook her head. She was positive the patients were benign spirits.
Sam, apparently, agreed with her. "No. Something else," he said quietly.
"Something else?" Kat squeaked. "Like what?"
"I don't know," Sam replied. "Fallon, can you tell?"
"No," she replied. "I don't feel any ominous presence. Look, why don't you search for another way out? I'll stick with these two. A spirit's not gonna bother them if I'm with them."
Sam nodded his head in agreement. "I'll be right back," he assured them all. "Just stay here with Fallon."
"How come the other ghosts won't bother you?" Kat asked her.
"We're not a very sociable crowd," she replied. "Sometimes we're even hostile towards each other, although that's not the case here. They've all more or less ignored me here."
"And you're ignoring them?" Gavin questioned.
"I'm not acknowledging them," Fallon said. "I wouldn't say I'm ignoring them." The three waited silently for a few minutes, waiting for Sam to return. Footsteps sounded towards them and the two teenagers tensed stepping closer to each other. Fallon stood up and stood guardedly in front of the two, only relaxing when Sam turned the corner.
"Alright, I've looked everywhere," Sam sighed. "There's no other way out."
"So what the hell are we gonna do?" Gavin asked dismayed.
"Well for starters we're not gonna panic," Sam said pointedly.
"Why the hell not?!" Gavin practically screeched. Sam was about to answer when his cell rang.
"Hey," he said answering the call. Fallon tapped into the phone so she could hear the conversation.
"Sam, it's me," she heard Dean say and frowned at the fear in his voice. "I see it. It's coming at me."
"Where are you?" Sam asked concerned.
"I'm in the basement," Dean said. "Hurry up!" Fallon frowned as she lost the connection. Something wasn't right.
Sam hung up the phone and turned to face them. "Can either of you handle a shotgun?" he asked.
"What? No!" Gavin cried.
"I can," Kat said. "My dad took me skeet shooting a coupla times."
"Alright, here," Sam replied handing her his shotgun. "It's loaded with rock salt. It may not kill a spirit, but it will repel it. So if you see something, shoot."
"Okay," Kat said.
Sam nodded. "Fallon, stay with them," Sam ordered turning to walk away.
"What? No, you need my help," Fallon argued.
"No, they need your help," Sam said. "Just please…" Fallon sighed. She really felt there was something wrong, but since she couldn't say what, gave in. She nodded and stepped back towards the two teenagers.
"Hey, Gavin?" Kat said breaking the silence that had filled the hall for the past ten minutes.
"Yeah?" Gavin replied.
"If we make it out of here alive… we are so breaking up," Kat stated. They all froze then as they heard someone approaching. "Did you hear that?"
"Something's coming," Gavin whispered fearfully.
"No one panic," Fallon ordered quietly. "Just stay calm." Kat kept the shotgun trained on the corner and shot it when she saw a shadow. Fallon heard a deep voice cursing and instantly relaxed. "Lower the gun. It's Dean."
"Sorry," Kat said as Dean turned the corner.
"What are you still doing here?!" Dean asked. "Where's Sam?"
Fallon frowned as fear spiked through her. "You called him," she said slowly. "I heard you on the phone. You called him for help."
"I didn't call anybody," Dean replied.
"His cell phone rang," Kat said. "He said it was you."
Dean sighed. "Where did you say he went?" he asked.
"The basement," Fallon answered.
"Okay, Fallon…"
"No, I'm coming with you," she said before he could finish his order. "I let Sam go alone before and looked what happened! I'm coming with you."
"Fine," Dean sighed. "You two wait here."
"This is my fault," Fallon said as she and Dean wandered through the basement. "I knew something was off about the call, and I let him go by himself."
"You were just trying to keep the kids safe," Dean replied. "Don't work yourself up over it."
"What if he's hurt?" Fallon said. "What if he's dead?"
"Fallon!" Dean said sharply. "Sam's a big boy and can take care of himself. Now will you quit making me more worried than I already am?"
"I'm sorry," she mumbled. "I don't care how badass you two think you are. I always worry about what might happen when I'm not there to protect you two."
"Aww you worry about us," Dean teased pushing her shoulder gently.
"Shut up," she muttered. "Let's just find Sam."
"Sammy?" Dean called out. "Sam, you down here? Sam? Sam!" They turned around as they reached the end of the hallway and both jumped when they saw Sam right behind them. "Man, answer me when I'm calling you! You alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," Sam replied woodenly. Fallon gazed cautiously over at him. Something was beginning to make her skin tingle, and she was growing increasingly concerned.
"You know it wasn't me who called your cell, right?" Dean asked.
"Yeah, I know," Sam replied. "I think something lured me down here."
"I think I know who," Dean returned. "Dr. Ellicott. That's what the spirits have been trying to tell us. You haven't seen him, have you?"
"No," Sam answered. "How do you know it was him?"
"Cause I found his log book," Dean said holding it up. "Apparently he was experimenting on his patients, awful stuff. Makes lobotomies look like a coupla aspirin."
"Oh god," Fallon murmured. "This place is a nightmare."
"But it was the patients who rioted," Sam pointed out.
"You would too if someone had been experimenting on you," Fallon cried.
"Yeah, they were rioting against Dr. Ellicott," Dean explained. "Dr. Feelgood was working on some sort of, like, extreme rage therapy. He thought that if he could get his patients to vent their anger then they would be cured of it. Instead it only made them worse and angrier. So I'm thinking, what if his spirit is doing the same thing? To the cop? To the kids in the seventies, making them so angry they become homicidal."
"Sounds like a good theory to me," Fallon replied.
"Come on, we gotta find his bones and torch 'em," Dean ordered.
"How?" Sam deadpanned. "The police never found his body."
"The log book said he had some sort of hidden procedure room down here where he'd work on his patients," Dean answered looking around. "So, if I was a patient I'd drag his ass down here, do a little work on it myself."
"I don't know, it sounds kinda…" Sam paused looking for the right word.
"Crazy?" Dean supplied.
"Yeah," Sam replied.
"Well this is an asylum," Fallon muttered. "The crazy answer probably fits the bill." The three continued to search the basement.
"I told you I looked everywhere," Sam said annoyed. "I didn't find a hidden room."
"Well that's why they call it hidden," Dean retorted and then paused. "You hear that?"
"What?" Sam asked uninterested.
Dean edged closer to one wall in the room. "There's a door here," he stated. Fallon stepped up to him and helped him look for a way to open it. They both froze when they heard a gun cock. They glanced back at Sam to find him pointing a gun at them. Well, pointing a gun at Dean anyway.
"Dean," Sam said softly…warningly. "Step back from the door."
Dean rose up, keeping his eyes on his brother. "Sam, put the gun down," he said.
"Is that an order?" Sam barked.
"Nah, it's more of a friendly request," Dean replied looking nervous.
Sam pointed the gun at Dean's chest. "Cause I'm getting pretty tired of taking your orders," Sam continued ignoring Dean's reply.
"Sam, what are you doing?" Fallon asked, beginning to panic.
"I knew it," Dean said suddenly. "Ellicott did something to you."
"For once in your life, just shut your mouth," Sam hissed.
"What are you gonna do, Sam?" Dean taunted. "Gun's filled with rock salt. It's not gonna kill me." Sam shot the gun then, the force of the shot shooting Dean back through the door before landing hard on the ground.
Fallon screamed and ran forward before dropping to her knees beside Dean's prone figure. "Dean!" she cried placing her hands on both sides of his shoulders and staring down at him in concern. She glanced back up at Sam as he entered the room, and for the first time since she'd met him, felt truly afraid of him.
"Sorry Fallon," Sam said, "but I can't have you interfering." She gasped as he pointed the gun at her and pulled the trigger. She quickly dodged the bullet. But he sent two more at her and although she missed the first shot the second hit her. She felt unbearable pain for a second before blacking out.
Dean's P.O.V.
"Fallon!" Dean cried gasping for breath and staring at where the girl had just been shot. "Sam! We gotta burn Ellicott's bones and all this will be over, and you'll be back to normal."
"I am normal," Sam replied stepping closer. "I'm just telling the truth for the first time. I mean, why are we even here? Cause you're following Dad's orders like a good little soldier? Because you always do what he says without question? Are you that desperate for his approval?"
"This isn't you talking, Sam," Dean said as his brother closed in on him.
"That's the difference between you and me," Sam continued. "I have a mind of my own. I'm not pathetic, like you."
Dean felt the words like a stab to the heart, and his already low opinion of himself plummeted. Sam had hit home, but he couldn't afford to let him go on. He had to finish this. "So what are you gonna do, huh?" he asked baiting his brother. "Are you gonna kill me?"
"You know what, I am sick of doing what you tell me to do," Sam said. "Fallon's tired of it too, you know? She thinks you're a complete waste of space. She pities you. And you know, because of you we're no closer to finding Dad today than we were six months ago."
"Well, then here," Dean replied taking out his own gun. "Let me make it easier for you. Real bullets are gonna work a hell of a lot better than rock salt." Sam took the gun and aimed it at his head. "You hate me that much? Then go ahead. Do it!" He smirked as Sam pulled the trigger and heard the blank click of the gun. He quickly punched Sam, knocking his brother to the ground, and knocking him unconscious. "Sorry, Sammy." He quickly got to work then, scouring the room for a place where a body could be stored.
He wished Fallon was back in action already. She could keep an eye out for the crazy doctor while he searched for the body. Although he hated to admit it the girl had her uses, including being some very nice eye candy. He then made a face as he realized he was thinking about a ghost. Still, it was hard to think of her as a ghost when her bright blue eyes were shining like the stars, or when she was screaming bloody murder at him for teasing her.
He shook her out of his thoughts as his eyes landed on a cabinet beneath the sink. "Oh, don't tell me that tossed him there," he muttered grimacing as he opened the cabinet to reveal the dried up corpse of the mad doctor. "That's just gross." He hurried to prepare the body to be burned. He was just about to torch it when he heard something rolling towards him.
"Dean!" he head Fallon's voice cry out and he looked up. But he was too late to dodge out of the way of the hospital gurney.
"Fallon!" Dean shouted glancing around the room for her, but he didn't see her, and she didn't call out again. Unfortunately though, he wasn't alone. The spirit of Dr. Ellicott was quickly approaching him. He tried to move but the doctor had him pinned. Dean struggled against the doctor, and managed to get his hands on his lighter. He flicked it on and tossed the flame onto the kerosene covered remains. The ghost of Dr. Ellicott went up in flames before disappearing all together. Dean sighed in relief. He heard a groan from across the room and turned his head to see his younger brother waking up.
"You're not going to try and kill me, are ya?" he asked unamused.
Sam sat up, rubbing his jaw. "No," Sam replied.
"Good," Dean stated. "Because that would be awkward." He saw Fallon flicker back into the room. Her form kept jumping in and out of focus, but he felt relief flow through him at the sight of her. "You okay?" She nodded her head once sharply and Dean was surprised to see the hard look on her face. He watched as Fallon turned to look at Sam who looked honestly ashamed of himself.
"Asshole!" the ghost finally shrieked, and Dean laughed as Fallon blasted Sam's gun at him, making sure the shot missed by a few inches.
"I guess I deserved that," Sam murmured softly.
"You guess!" Fallon cried shaking her head. "Honestly Sam, I could almost kill you." Dean chuckled but went silent as she glanced back at him. Her face softened and she walked over to kneel in front of him, one hand landing precariously close to the wound on his chest. "You okay?"
"I'm fine," he assured her. "Let's get out of here."
Fallon's P.O.V.
They silently made their way back to the two teens they'd left at the asylum's entrance. "You guys ready to go?" she asked as they approached them.
"You have no idea," Kat replied handing Sam his shotgun back. They all stepped out into the light of a new day. "Thanks, guys."
"Yeah, thanks," Gavin said.
"No more haunted asylums, okay?" Dean said.
"No worries there," Gavin replied. Fallon watched the two walk away before heading back to the Impala with the boys. None of them knew exactly what to say to each other. Frankly, she was still fuming over the fact that Sam shot her.
"Hey, Dean?" Sam asked finally breaking the silence. Dean turned to look at him. "I'm sorry, man. I said some awful things back there. And Fallon, I can't even express how sorry I am that I hurt you."
"You remember all that?" Dean questioned.
"Yeah," Sam replied. "It's like I couldn't control it. But I didn't mean it, any of it."
"You didn't, huh?" Dean replied not sounding convinced. She herself was not entirely sure about that herself. She knew Sam would never have said any of it on his own accord, but she knew how Sam felt on the inside.
"No, of course not!" Sam cried. "Do we need to talk about this?"
"No," Dean replied shortly. "I'm not really in the sharing and caring kinda mood. I just wanna get some sleep." He got in the car, slamming the door. Fallon saw Sam flinch as he turned towards her.
"Fallon…" he began but she held up a hand, cutting him off.
"I'll get over it," she said. "But right now I really don't want to talk to you." It was an awkward ride back to the motel room. She helped Dean patch up the wound from the rock salt shot, trying hard not to blush at his muscular chest. Dean yawned as she finished up and she nearly choked when he pulled her flush against his chest and settled them down against the pillows. She desperately tried to pull out of his hold, knowing that he'd flip out in the morning when he was back in his right state of mind, but he only held on tighter. Sam smirked at her from where his own bed. She glared at him. "Help me."
"You'll survive," he teased before rolling over. Fallon sighed giving up on escape and closed her eyes. She'd just pretend she could sleep. It had been quiet for a while when Dean's cell phone suddenly rang. She raised her head up a little. She heard Sam groan.
"Dean," Sam grunted. Dean didn't move.
Fallon sighed. "Dean," she said shaking him slightly, but still he didn't wake up.
Sam sighed and reached over for the phone. "Hello," he answered sleepily. Fallon watched as surprise flitted across Sam's face. She felt it flicker across her own as Sam sat straight up in bed. "Dad?"
