2006

"Come again?" Bobby's voice comes through the other end of my gray phone. "I don't think I heard ya quite right."

"Oh, you heard me," I tell the old hunter. "Sterling is with us right friggin' now."

"What's she doin'?" Bobby wants to know. I glance over at the motel bed where Sammy and Sterling are playing with a deck of red cards.

"Playing Go Fish with Sam," I report.

"Tell Bobby I say hi," Sterling says, not glancing up from her cards. "You got any 6's?"

"Go fish," Sammy replies with a smile.

"Sterling says hi," I relay the message to Bobby. "You guys need to learn how to play poker, by the way."

"Ghost," Sterling said pointing to herself without looking up from her cards. "We don't carry a lot of cash."

"That's so... so..." Bobby can't find the word he's looking for.

"Weird?" I finish for him.

"That works," Bobby says. "Where are you, anyway?"

"Iowa," I state.

"That is weird," Bobby comments. "How'd she end up there?"

"She walked," I report.

"I ain't heard of a ghost that could do that before," the old hunter says, clearly amused by the strange circumstance. "Normally they're tied to some place or something."

"I know," I say. "Why do you think we're calling you?"

"Beats me," Bobby almost laughs. "You've got the expert there with ya. If she ain't got any ideas, I'm not sure how much help I'm gonna be. I'll see if I got anything on the subject, though. She give you any possibilities on what could help her move on?"

"Sort of," I reply. "She's thinking it's some kind of unfinished business."

"I guess that's a start," Bobby says. "I'll look through some of my books and see if I can come up with something."

"Thanks, Bobby," I say before I end the conversation.

"What'd Bobby have to say?" Sammy asks, hardly glancing up from the cards he holds in his hands.

"He's looking into it," I reply and Sterling smiles.

"I told you he wouldn't know," she says, her own eyes on her cards. "Got any kings?"

"I've been thinking," Sammy says as he slides the king of diamonds across the green and blue bedspread towards the ghost of my friend. "Is there an object you might be attached to?"

"Yeah Sam," Sterling says with a sarcastic breath. "That's why I was able to walk to you guys."

"That's just it," Sammy goes on. "What if you were able to find us because it's something that we have. Did you see any other hunters on your way or stop anywhere for a long period of time?"

"I passed one hunter," Sterling slowly replies. "Stuck around long enough to find out about your dad, but I didn't know him well enough to pull the whole 'Boo!' thing on him. Other than him, no."

"I mean, all ghosts are different, right?" Sammy continues to explain his theory. "Maybe you took the road you did because that object was calling you to it."

"That's a thought," Sterling seems intrigued by my bother's outside the box idea. "What would you guys have that was mine, though?"

They both look to me for the answer.

"I don't have anything of yours..." I begin before I slowly trail off. It's true, I don't have anything of hers. What I do have is the bracelet she made for me years ago. It's long since become broken, worn out where a small brass charm once fit into a black leather loop to keep it around my wrist. But I still have it. I've never once thought about throwing it away and I plan on carrying it to my grave.

"What do you have, Dean?" Sammy knows I may be hiding something.

"Nothing," I shake my head. "I mean, there's a bracelet she made me, but I don't know how she could be attached to that."

"The one I made at that ski resort out in Colorado?" Sterling knows exactly what I'm talking about, her tone amused but touched at the same time. "You still have that?"

"Of course I do," I reply. "Why would I throw that away?"

"You sentimental bastard," she says with a smile.

"Is that the only thing you have from her?" Sammy interrogates.

"Yep," I reply. "Just the bracelet and a few good memories."

And that really awful one.

"Where is it?" Sammy asks and I don't respond. I know what he wants to do and I don't want him to. So instead I send him a cool stare.

"Come on, Dean," he huffs. "Just give me the bracelet. You want to help Sterling move on, don't you?"

Sort of.

We stare each other down for a moment while Sterling gives me a hopeful look.

"It's fine," she says after a moment of uncomfortable silence has passed. "I significantly doubt that's what's tying me here. If there ever was any DNA on it, it's long gone."

"It's worth a shot though, right?" Sam presses, looking to Sterling for support on his theory.

"I guess so," she just shrugs as my brother sends me that "told ya so" look he gets when he's won.

I let out a heavy sigh as I turn around. Wordlessly I rummage through my duffle bag, pretending to search for the object I know is kept safe in the side compartment. For a while, I debate pretending to have lost it. I don't want to part with it and I don't want to part with her.

No, I tell myself. You've spent your whole life trying to do the right thing. Now's not the time to start being selfish.

At last I pull out the braided black leather band with the broken loop. A single brass, dime sized charm dangles from one end, a lone ancient symbol etched across its smooth surface in black. I hold it loosely in my hand as I give Sammy a sad look.

"Please don't make me do this," I plead with him.

"Dean," Sam says my name with an air of impatience. "Come on. It's for Sterling."

I glance at my friend who returns my sad gaze. I don't want to torch this. I don't want to let her go. I haven't even told her...

"I can do it," Sammy offers, his tone settling when he notices my grave hesitance.

"No," I speak in a voice barely above a whisper. "I will."

Quietly I take out my silver Zippo. A heavy sigh passes through my lips as I let the bracelet dangle between my index finger and my thumb. I give Sterling another sorrowful glance.

"Listen, Sterling," I speak before setting my sole prize from the girl I love ablaze. "If this works, I just want you to know..."

"I know," she tells me quietly.

No she doesn't.

I flick my lighter and allow the flame to lick the worn leather. It burns slowly and I have to rush to the bathroom sink where I drop it before it can reach my fingers. I watch with tears welling in my eyes as it withers and, at last, burns away from existence.

When I return to the main room, I see Sammy standing with a disappointed look on his face next to the ghost who still remains.

"God damn it," I mutter.

"Sorry, Dean," Sam apologizes. "I really thought it would work."

"It was a good idea," Sterling gently assures my brother. "But I guess we're back to the drawing board. Got any twos?"