Summary: After the car accident, Blaire discovers things about herself that really begin to frighten her, but on their quest to stop the yellow-eyed demon, the Winchesters realise they have to be stronger than ever before. Please R&R.
Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or its characters. I only own Blaire Winchester. I don't own some of the lines used either.
A/N: Hi! I'm putting a twist in the story to replace episode 2x07, because I'm really not sure of how to fit Blaire into it.
Hope you enjoy said twist, and I hope you enjoy the chapter!
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The Paths We Tread: Facing Our Truth
Chapter Ten
Blaire wanted time away from the case, just heading out for some fresh air away from Jo, Dean and Sam. She sat on a park bench, looking up at the sky and wondering if what her mother had warned her about was really true. If it was, her family was due to enter a situation that there was no escaping, and despite wanting to stop it from happening, she couldn't. She pushed her worries to the back of her mind again, watching children playing on the playground equipment. There was a mother encouraging her baby to take steps towards her.
That could've been Blaire. Blaire could have been teaching Ashley how to walk, encouraging him or her to speak and communicate with her, to play and to experience so many wonderful times with her. But her father had taken all that away and Blaire rested a hand on her stomach, tears falling from her eyes as she thought of her baby that she'd lost.
"I'm so sorry..."
John's spirit sat beside her and slid his hand into hers, gripping it tight and sighing as he kissed his daughter's head.
"I'm so, so, so sorry, Blaire..."
Blaire just shook her head and blinked her tears away.
"It's okay, dad...I know you were only thinking of us..."
"Don't give me that, Blaire Winchester." John replied, "What I did was selfish and cruel...I caused my own daughter so much pain...I can't believe I did that..."
"Well you did, but it's okay..." She sighed.
"It will never be okay, Blaire." John said softly, kissing her head again before nuzzling her forehead lightly, "I love you, y'know that, right?"
"I love you too, daddy."
With that she turned, finding that John had left.
"Teresa Ellis, Apartment 2F." Dean said as he entered the apartment, Sam, Jo and Blaire all searching frantically through notes, "Boyfriend reported her missing around dawn."
"And her apartment?" Jo asked.
"Cracks all over the plaster, walls, ceiling." Dean sighed, "There was ectoplasm, too."
"Oh, joy." Blaire muttered, scrubbing a hand over her face and sighing.
"Well, between that and that tuft of hair I'd say this sucker's coming from the walls." Sam said, the others nodding in response.
"But who is it?" Dean asked, "Building's history is totally clean."
"Well, maybe we're looking in the wrong place." Jo suggested, picking up a photo and studying it.
"What do you mean?" Dean asked, Sam and Blaire looking at the photo and raising eyebrows.
"An empty field?" Sam asked.
"It's where this building was built. Take a look at the one next door." Jo said, "The windows."
"Bars." Blaire breathed.
"We're next door to a prison?" Dean asked, everyone sighing.
Jo went to make a phonecall to Ash, Dean sitting by Blaire who quite frankly looked like crap.
"You okay?" He asked, the middle Winchester nodding in response before just leaning on her brother, Dean sighing softly and winding an arm around her in return, "You need to talk or anything?"
Sam stretched in his seat and looked at his siblings, watching Blaire's eyes intently as he watched so many negative emotions sweep over them like sand in the wind.
"No, thank you." Blaire replied, "But I saw Dad this morning..."
"You saw Dad?" Dean asked, "Is he okay?"
"He was saying sorry...for killing the baby..."
Dean sighed and kissed his baby sister's temple, holding her to him as a tear fell down her face. He wasn't a guy for chick-flick moments, but Blaire seemed to turn him into a big girl. They had a lot of chick-flick moments, and but he found he didn't hate them. Not with his sister. He melted with his sister, and always had a soft spot for her, which was a great weakness, he knew that, but it was the same with Sam. He'd raised the two of them himself and he knew them both better than they thought.
"Sweetheart," He said softly, "I'm sorry we never told you about Sam..."
"No, that's okay." Blaire replied, "Come on, enough of chick-flick stuff now."
With that she got up and headed to the bathroom to wash her face, Dean scubbing a hand over his face with worry. Jo emerged from the room a moment later with the phone in her hand, talking to Ash of all people. Dean was a little relieved that Blaire wasn't in the room at that moment as he didn't know how she was really coping with her and Ash being apart.
"Thanks, Ash. And if you breathe a word of this to my mom..." Jo warned, "That's right. I will. With pliers."
"Okay. Moyamensing prison. Built in 1835, torn down in 1963." Jo began, "And get this...they used to execute people by hanging them in the empty field next door."
"Well, then, we need a list." Sam said, "Of all the people executed there."
"Ash is already on it." Jo replied, everyone shutting up as soon as Blaire entered the room again, looking a little better than before.
"I kinda miss having you around here, Blaire." Ash said as he and Blaire spoke on the phone, "Anyway, hope the stuff helps on the case."
"Thanks, Ash." Blaire said softly, "And I kinda miss you too..."
"Well...I'll see you around, I guess."
"Yeah. Bye, Ash."
"Bye, gorgeous."
They hung up, Blaire sighing and smiling weakly before turning to Sam.
"He says he's just sending the stuff over."
"Okay." Sam replied, finding the information and beginning to scroll down the enormous list, "A hundred fifty seven names?"
"We've gotta narrow that down." Dean said with a sigh.
"Uh-yeah..." Blaire huffed, "Or else we're gonna be digging up a hell of a lot of stiffs."
"Herman Webster Mudgett?" Sam asked.
"Yeah?" Jo countered.
"Wait...wasn't that H. H. Holmes' real name?" Blaire asked, panic filling her system as realisation began to wash over her.
"You've gotta be kiddin' me." Dean breathed, scrubbing a hand over his face.
"Yep. Holmes was executed at Moyamensing, May 7, 1896." Blaire said as she read the information Ash had sent them.
"H. H. Holmes himself." Sam huffed, "Come on, I mean, what are the odds?"
Poor Jo, who was completely confused, looked at the Winchesters for answers.
"Who is this guy?" She asked.
"The term 'multi-murderer.'" Dean began, "They coined it to describe Holmes. He was America's first serial killer, before anybody knew what a serial killer was."
"Yeah, he confessed to twenty seven murders, but some put the death toll at over a hundred." Blaire added, Jo gaping in shock.
"And his victim flavor of choice? Pretty petite blondes." Dean said, "He, uh, he used chloroform to kill 'em."
He sighed and rubbed his forehead.
"Which is what I smelled in the hallway last night." He said quietly, "At his place, cops found human remains, bone fragments, and long locks of bloody blonde hair."
Blaire sighed and put her hands over her face, realising how vulnerable and in danger she and Jo were before glaring at the young Harvelle.
"Boy, you sure know how to pick 'em."
"Well, we just find the bones, salt 'em and burn 'em, right?" Jo said, Sam grimacing and shaking his head.
He knew his sister and Jo were both in danger, and the thought of either of them getting hurt made his blood run cold.
"Well, it's not that easy." He sighed, "His body is buried in town, but it's encased in a couple tons of concrete."
"What?" Jo asked with wide-eyes, "Why?"
"The story goes that he didn't want anybody mutilating his corpse." Dean revealed, "'Cause, you know, that's what he used to do."
"You know something..." Blaire began, "We might have an even bigger problem than that."
"How does this get bigger?" Jo snapped.
"Hey! Chill!" Blaire growled, "I'm just doing my job here."
Jo sighed and nodded, letting Blaire continue.
"Holmes built an apartment building in Chicago. He called it the Murder Castle. The whole place was a death factory, they had, uh, trap doors, acid vats, quick line pits..." She said, "He built these secret chambers inside the walls. He'd lock his victims in, keep them alive for days. Some he'd suffocate, others he'd let starve to death."
"So Teresa could still be alive." Jo said, "She could be inside these walls."
"We need sledgehammers, crowbars." Dean breathed, "We've got to smash these walls, anywhere thick enough to hide a girl."
As Dean and Sam got ready, Jo turned to Blaire and smirked.
"I'll go with Dean." She said, "Sexy piece of ass, your brother."
"Keep your pants on, sweetheart." Blaire spat, "And keep your dirty hands off of him too."
"Blaire, I want you off of this case." Dean said as he entered the room from the bedroom, "I'm not risking you."
"No, but you'll risk Jo." Blaire pointed out, Dean sighing and putting his hands on his hips.
"Jo's a stubborn bitch who doesn't know the meaning of no." He replied, turning to Jo. "No offence, honey."
"Here we go again, Dean!" Blaire bit, "Treating me like I'm a four year old!"
"Blaire, you aren't going and that's an order!"
The words escaped Dean's mouth before he could control it and everyone just stood staring at Dean and Blaire, tears filling both their eyes.
"Blaire...I..."
"You're just like Dad!" Blaire yelled, "Fine! You don't want me on this case, you won't have me! That's fine."
"Blaire, where are you going?" Sam asked, "Blaire?"
"Bobby's! I'm going to Bobby's!" Blaire snapped, "Because he doesn't treat me like I can't do the fucking job! And by the way, when there's a case you think I can handle, come and get me, huh? Or in fact, don't bother! I'M DONE WITH YOU!"
With that, she stormed into the bedroom and grabbed her bags, throwing her things in them before storming back through and out again, leaving the apartment and her broken brothers behind. It was like being with John all over again, and as much as Blaire loved her father, the orders and the constant I'm-always-right attitude pissed her off more than anything. She made her way to Bobby's, crying almost the whole way.
"You left again?" Bobby asked, "Blaire, you can't keep doing this!"
"I know!" Blaire cried, "I know..."
"If I hear from 'em what do you want me to tell 'em?"
"That they can't come and get me..." Blaire said, "I don't want to hunt with them anymore. I know I'm behaving like a stroppy teenager, but I've just had enough, Bobby...I've had enough..."
"Get yourself comfortable upstairs." He said, "I'll make us some dinner."
Blaire nodded sadly and headed up to the spare room, collapsing onto the bed in tears. She was sick of running away, but she was also sick of being treated like a child. Her brothers did care a lot about her, wanting to protect her the best they could, but it was hard for her to deal with the way they treated her sometimes. She wiped her eyes, not wanting Bobby to see her tears. He knocked on the door gently, opening it and smiling softly at her.
"I was gonna head out to Ohio tomorrow...couple in Avon, Ohio were murdered in their home and the cops can't find a damn fingerprint, fibre or nothin' in the place..." He said, "Wanna come with me? I'll even let you drive."
Blaire smiled widely and nodded, standing up and hugging the older man tight.
"Thanks Bobby."
"Anytime."
"No, Dean. You can't come and get her." Bobby said, hearing Dean's shaky sigh on the other end of the line.
"Why not?" Dean asked, "I wanna see her."
"Well tough." Bobby replied, "I'm taking her on a hunt with me any minute now, so after your next job you can come pick her up."
"Keep me posted, okay?" Dean said quietly, "I need to know she's safe, Bobby..."
"Well, maybe next time you hunt with her you'll treat her with a little more respect and give her a little more responsibility, huh?"
"Yeah." Dean replied, "Thanks."
"No problem."
The two of them hung up and Bobby turned to see Blaire, the young girl standing with her bags in hand and a smile on her face, looking healthier than she had in a long time.
"You ready?" He asked, earning a nod, "Let's go then."
This was going to be interesting for Bobby and Blaire, both of them working together on a case which they hadn't really done before. They had whilst John had been there, but he and Bobby had led the whole thing, Blaire just following orders as always. Bobby had felt sorry for Blaire on that hunt, seeing how defeated she looked and how John sometimes belittled her, never intentionally but he had once or twice. Bobby had faith that Blaire would do just fine, and he knew that if her dad had taught her right, this hunt would go smoother than one of Dean's chat-up lines.
-TBC-
Really hope you liked the twist and that hunt will cover the next chapter or two!
I'll update ASAP!
Thanks for reading so far!
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