Emerson was walking around the familiar home, eyeing everything. Not a single detail was out of place, not one piece of furniture changed. The baby grand piano sat in the rear living room where she and Dean were a moment before. The dining room housed the antique dining set which so many holidays were spent around, talking and laughing. The curio cabinet was filled with wedgewood china that had a royal blue pattern that she'd grown to associate with her grandmother.
Couple that with the fact that the beautiful old farmhouse had burned down several years earlier.
"There you are, sweetheart." Dean's voice made her jump and whirl around to find him standing behind her, an easy smile on his face. "Let's eat, shall we?" Emerson felt his warm hand on her lower back as he led her to the kitchen. Dean pulled out her chair and she sat down, watching him sit across from her. Her gray eyes narrowed when she asked him, "How was your day?" It seemed like a normal question to ask, but something about this felt off.
He pulled the meatloaf from the oven and the smell made her stomach growl loudly. He chuckled and set it on top of the stove to cool for a moment. Dean pulled out two glassses and opened the refrigerator, taking out a pitcher of sweet tea. Emerson watched him close the door and fill each glass with some ice cubes from the ice despenser. His eyes slid to hers after he filled the two glasses with tea and brought them to the table.
"The usual." Dean took a drink of his tea, the ice cubes clinking softly in his glass. "That guy I was telling you about down at the garage.. William? Wife went into labor today, so I let him go a few hours early. He's gonna keep me posted. I finished up his brake job so he could go." He set his glass down near hers at the table and moved to get two plates from the cabinet.
"Brake job?" What in the hell was Dean even talking about?
He smiled warmly at her before he sliced into the meatloaf. "Yes, brake job and a couple of oil changes. It wasn't a huge deal. Family is important and he needed to go."
"Oil changes?" Why the hell were they in her late grandmother's home?
"Are you alright?"
"Nothing about this is alright." Tears were imminent now and the redhead pushed back from the table. "I'm gonna be sick." She left the kitchen and left the kitchen abruptly, her hand over her mouth. Dean was calling her name behind her.
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"Son of a bitch." Dean hung up his phone and looked to Sam, worry on his features. "Where the hell is she?" They'd agreed to meet back in the main hallway in twenty minutes and Emerson was a no show. "Fuck."
"C'mon." Sam nudged his brother in the direction the redhead had gone, towards the school's boiler room. "She's fine..."
"How do you know?"
"It's Emerson, Dean." Sam smirked, the light from his flashlight leading the way towards the basement level of the elementary school. "She's-," His sentence died in the quiet hallway as they rounded the corner. The door was open and they stopped. Dean moved in front of Sam and thumbed his safety off silently before slipping inside the boiler room.
To their surprise, the two children were laying on the table. Sam checked the pulses and was relieved to find them. He sighed with relief. "Where's Emmy?" His whispered to the older man as he swept his light around the room. Dean was calling her again and they both froze when they head the vibration a few feet away.
Dean's hand lowered from his face slowly, his eyes falling on her cellphone on the floor, the front screen of her flip phone lighting up, his name flashing on the front. "Sam...?"
Sam's eyes met Dean's and they were both thinking the same thing.
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"Agents, you boys saved their lives." The elderly doctor at the hospital smiled at the two men. "Their electrolytes are depleted and they're dehydrated, but I'm glad you got to them when you did." He closed the folder he'd been looking at. "Off the record, what do you think happened here?"
The brothers shared a look. "We're still not sure yet. We still haven't located that teacher."
"Well, I can assure you both... the whole community's mighty thankful. Please excuse me." The man shuffled by them to see one of the nurses at the front station.
"We're hunting a fucking djinn, Dean." Sam breathed once the intensive care doctor was out of earshot. "Remember how they suck your life force? Drain you? How'd they get to Emmy?" He nudged Dean's arm and they headed out to the emergency room exit. "We gotta get back to that school." It was nearly 3am now and they were half exhausted, but wide awake with worry.
"This is so messed up." Dean murmured as they got into Baby outside the emergency department where they'd parked after following the ambulance to the local hospital. "We never should have let her go looking in there alone." He turned over the engine, intent on heading back to the school. The ten minute ride was silent and they parked in the same place, arming themselves this time with silver blades and lamb's blood from the trunk.
"We'll get her back, Dean."
"Well, when we do get her back, I'm gonna give her the lecture of a lifetime." Sam looked over at Dean as they moved stealthily towards the brick building. "She's never hunting without one of us again." The overprotective, big brotherly tone made Sam smile.
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"Why are you crying, love?" Dean's gentle voice made her jump and when he put his warm hands on her, she shoved him away, turning to face him as she stood outside the farmhouse. He looked hurt and concerned. "Sweetheart?"
"Don't you touch me." She ran back into the house and slammed and locked the front door behind her, hearing his footsteps on the old creaky front porch. She moved somewhat clumsily into the kitchen with her pregnant belly and yanked open the silverware drawer, her steely eyes falling on the shiny bread knife.
She pulled it out and slammed the door closed, rattling the flatware inside. Emerson ran the sharpened edge across the soft skin on the underside of her forearm. She let out a soft sob at the sting and her stomach turned as the crimson warmth spilled out and down her elbow, splattering onto the white tiled kitchen floor.
"What are you doing?" She heard Dean shout as everything faded into darkness.
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Good morning!
This will be the last update for about two weeks as I'm leaving for vacation, but I wanted to get this posted before I get on spring break time. :) Let me know what you think! Thanks for stopping by and leave me a review. Happy Tuesday!
CitrineMama