Chapter 21 - Salvation

Addison sat on the motel bed while Sam and Dean stood. And all of them were staring at John, who was sitting at the table with a bunch of papers and the Colt sitting on the table. The walls were covered in papers. All of the papers either had something circled or highlighted. Weather reports were mixed in with various newspaper articles. "So, this is it. This is everything I know. Look, our whole lives we've been searching for this demon, right? And not a trace, just nothing, until about a year ago. For the first time, I picked up a trail," John says.

"That's when you took off," Dean comments.

John nods. "Yeah, that's right. The demon must have come out of hiding or hibernation."

"All right, so, what's this trail you found?"

"It starts in Arizona, then New Jersey, California — houses are burning down to the ground. It's going after families, just like it went after us."

"Families with infants?" Sam asks.

"Yeah — the night of the kid's six month birthday."

"I was six months old that night?"

"Exactly six months."

"So, basically, this demon is going after these kids for some reason — the same way it came for me? So, Mom's death, Jessica — it's all cause of me?"

"We don't know that, Sam," Addison softly comments.

"Oh, really, cause I'd say we're pretty damn sure, Addison."

"What happened to them is not your fault. So, stop blaming yourself."

"Yeah, you're right, it's not my fault, but it's my problem!"

"No, it's not your problem, it's our problem," Dean counters.

"Okay. That's enough," John says, stopping the argument. He stands up and they're all silent.

"So, why is it doing it," Sam asks after a moment. "What does it want?"

"Look, I wish I had more answers. I do. I've always been one step one behind it. Look, I've never gotten there in time to save..." John trails off.

"All right, so, how do we find it before it hits again," Dean asks.

"There's signs. Look, it took me a while to see the pattern, but in the days before these fires, signs crop up in the area — cattle deaths, temperature fluctuations, electrical storms. And then I went back and checked and—"

"These things happened in Lawrence."

"The week before your mother died," John replies and looks at Sam. "And in Palo Alto, before Jessica. And these things — they're starting again."

"Where," Addison asks.

"Salvation, Iowa," John answers. Addison looks between the three Winchesters, knowing what it meant. She may not have been a member of the Winchester family, but she was involved in the fight.

The Impala speeds down the road passing a sign that welcomed them to Salvation, Iowa. The black GMC truck in front of them pulls off to the side of the road and Dean does the same. They all step out. "Damn it," John lets out.

"What is it," Dean asks.

"Son of a bitch!" John takes a deep breath. "I just got a call from Caleb."

"Is he okay?"

"He's fine. Jim Murphy is dead."

"Pastor Jim," Sam asks and John nods. "How?"

"Throat was slashed - he bled out," John answers. "Caleb said they found traces of sulfur at Jim's place."

"The demon," Dean questions and John nods. "The demon?"

"I don't know. Could be he just got careless, he slipped up. Maybe the demon knows we're getting close."

"What do you want to do?"

"Now we act like every second counts. There's two hospitals and a health center in this county. We split up, we cover more ground. I want records. I want a list of every infant that's gonna be six months old in the next week."

"John, that's dozens of kids," Addison counters, speaking up for the first time. "How are we know which one is the right one?"

"We'll check 'em all, that's how," John snaps. "You got any better ideas?"

Addison shakes her head. "No."

They all turn to get back into the respective vehicles. Dean notices John pause by the door to his truck. "Dad," Dean asks.

John turns around. He shakes his head. "Yeah, it's Jim. You know, I can't..." He takes a deep breath and lets it out. A determined look appears on his face. "This ends. Now. I'm ending it. I don't care what it takes."

Sam smiles as the receptionist puts down another stack of files on the table. Addison sat across from him, going through a different stack. Instead of all of them each taking a different hospital, Addison had teamed up with him while John and Dean went their separate ways. "Does it make you feel better," Addison asks.

"What," Sam asks, confused.

Addison smiles. "Knowing you're not the only person who pisses off your dad by questioning orders." Sam chuckles and grabs a file off the top. "We'll be done before them through."

"Yeah. So, what are you and Dean fighting about this week?" A confused look appears on her face. "Ads, you and Dean are either fighting or flirting. This week you're fighting."

"And it'll be like that even when I'm married and have kids."

Sam glances at her. "You want to get married?"

"Of course. I didn't think it was that big of a shock—"

"It's not that, Ads. Sometimes I feel like I'm the only person in this family that wants a normal life."

"Well, technically—"

"You're family, Addison. No matter what anyone says, you're family," Sam tells her. Addison smiles and they continue looking through the files. A couple of hours later, they walk out of the hospital with a list of every infant ready to turn six months old in the next couple of weeks.

They walk along the street. Sam rubs his head as sharp pains erupt. "Sam," Addison asks, placing a hand on his arm. He closes his eyes and grips her shoulder. Images flash through his mind, then suddenly stop. He opens his eyes and sees a concerned look on Addison's face. "Sam, you okay?"

Sam nods. "Yeah," he pants. "Where's the map?"

Sam could feel the concerned glances from Addison as they walk down the street. Houses were on one side with a railroad behind it. A park was on the other side. He gives her a reassuring smile. "I'm fine, Ads."

"I can't help it that I worry about you, Sam," Addison replies, looping her arm around his. He stops walking when they pass a house. Her gaze goes between him and the house. "Is this the house you saw?"

"Yeah." He notices a woman pushing stroller and carrying an umbrella. Sam pulls away from Addison and walks over to the woman. "Hi," he greets. The woman smiles as she struggles to close the umbrella. He grabs the stroller as Addison reaches them. "Here, let me hold that."

"Thanks," the woman replies.

Addison smiles at the baby. "She's adorable," she says. "Is she yours?"

"Yeah."

"Oh, wow," Sam says. "I'm sorry, we're rude. I'm Sam and this is my girlfriend, Addison. We just moved in up the block."

"Oh, hey. I'm Monica," she says, shaking their hands. "This is Rosie."

"Rosie," Addison asks and Monica nods. "Hi, Rosie."

"So, welcome to the neighborhood."

"Thanks. She really is adorable and good."

"I know. I mean, she never cries. She just stares at everybody. Sometimes she looks at you, and I swear, it's like she's reading your mind."

"What about you, Monica," Sam asks. "Have you lived here long?"

"My husband and I, we bought our place just before Rosie was born."

"How old is Rosie?"

"She's six months today," Monica answers, stunning them. "She's big, right? Growing like a weed."

"Yeah. Monica." Monica looks at Sam, waiting. "Just take care of yourself, okay?"

"Yeah," Monica replies. "You too. We'll see you around."

"Yeah. Definitely."

"It was nice to meet you," Addison adds, before her and Sam walk down the street. He glances back to see a car pull into the driveway of Monica's house. He turns back around as another vision hits him. Images of Monica in a nursery, of a figure standing next to crib, then Monica pinned against the wall and moving up the ceiling, flood his mind. The vision ends and Addison is back in front of him, with a fearful look on her face.

Addison sits down at the table with a bottle of water and some aspirin for Sam. After his last vision, they had made their way to motel, meeting up with John and Dean in the process. Dean and John were sitting on the beds, listening to Sam explain his vision. "A vision," John asks after Sam finishes.

"Yes," Sam replies. "I saw the demon burning a woman on the ceiling."

"And you think it's gonna happen to this woman you met because—"

"Because these things happen exactly the way I see them."

"They were nightmares at first," Addison says. "Then he started having them while he was awake."

"Yeah," Sam agrees. "It's like the closer I get to anything involving the demon, the stronger the visions get."

"All right, when were you gonna tell me about this," John demands.

"We didn't know what it mean," Dean answers.

"All right, something like this starts happening to your brother, you pick up the phone and you call me."

"Call you? Are you kidding me? Dad, I called you from Lawrence, all right? Sam and Addison called you when I was dying. Getting you on the phone — I've got a better chance of winning the lottery."

John stares at him for a moment. "You're right. Although I'm not real crazy about this new tone of yours, you're right. I'm sorry."

"Look, guys," Sam begins. "Visions or no visions, the fact is we know the demon is coming tonight. And this family's gonna go through the same hell that we went through."

"No, they're not. No one is, ever again."

Sam's phone rings. Addison frowns as he picks it up off he table. "Hello? Who is this," he asks. A shocked look appears on his face. "Meg. Last time I saw you, you fell out of a window. Just your feelings? That was a seven story drop." Sam's gaze darts over to John. "My dad — I don't know where my dad is."

John stands up and walks over. Sam reluctantly hands him the phone. "This is John." A sad look crosses his face. "I'm here. Caleb? Caleb." Dean and Sam exchange worried looks. "You listen to me. He's got nothing to do with anything. You let him go. I don't know what you're talking about. Caleb? Caleb!" They watch as an angry look appears on John's face. "I'm gonna kill you, you know that?" He says something they don't understand. "I said okay. I'll bring you the Colt. It's gonna take about a day's drive to get there. That's impossible. I can't get there in time and I can't just carry gun on a plane."

John hangs up, then drops the phone on the table. "So, you think Meg is a demon," Sam asks.

"Either that or she's possessed by one. It doesn't really matter."

"What do we do," Dean asks, standing up.

"I'm going to Lincoln."

"What?"

"It doesn't seem like I have a choice. If I don't go, a lot of people die. Our friends die."

"Dad, the demon is coming tonight for Monica and her family. That gun is all we've got. You can't just hand it over," Sam counters.

"Who said anything about handing it over? Look, besides us and a couple vampires, no one's really seen the gun. No one knows what it looks like."

"So, you're gonna buy a fake at a pawn shop—" Addison starts.

"Antique store."

Addison rolls her eyes. "Fine. You're gonna buy a fake at an antique store and hope that she doesn't know the difference?"

"Look, as long as it's close, she shouldn't be able to tell the difference."

"Yeah, but for how long," Dean asks. "What happens when she figures it out?"

"I just — I just need to buy a few hours, thats all."

"You mean for us," Sam states. John remains quiet. "You want us to stay here and kill this demon by ourselves?"

"No, Sam. I want to stop losing people we love. I want you to go to school. I want Dean to have a home." John turns away from them. "I want Mary alive." He shakes his head and looks at them. "I just - I just want this to be over."

Sam looks over Addison's shoulder as she works on a sudoku puzzle she had gotten out of a local newspaper. They were waiting on an abandoned road with John for Dean to come back after picking up an antique gun. John had busied himself with organizing weapons in the back of his truck. "You know that you can put a five there," he says, pointing to an empty square.

"I didn't ask for you help, Stanford," Addison says, pushing his hand away.

Sam laughs. "Is that supposed to be an insult? Cause you know that Stanford is one of the top schools in the country."

"Yeah, but it's no Yale."

A loud rumble causes them to turn and they see the Impala pull to a stop. Dean climbs out, carrying a paper bag. "Did you get it," John asks, slamming the truck gate closed.

Dean takes an antique gun out of the bag and hands it to John. "You know this is a trap, don't you," he asks. "That's why Meg wants you to come alone."

"I can handle her. I got a whole arsenal loaded — holy water, Mandaic amulets—"

"Dad..."

"What?"

"Promise me something."

"What's that?"

"This thing goes south, just get the hell out. Don't get yourself killed, all right? You're no good to us dead."

"Same goes for you," John replies after a moment. "All right, listen to me." He takes the Colt out of his jacket. "They made the bullets special for this Colt. There's only four of 'em left. Without 'em, this gun is useless. You make every shot count."

"Yes, sir," Sam tells him.

"I've been waiting a long time for this fight. Now it's here and I'm not gonna be in it. It's up to you boys now. It's your fight. You finish this. You finish what I started. You understand?"

They nod. John hands Dean the Colt. "We'll see you soon, Dad."

"I'll see you later," John replies, then climbs into his truck and drives off.

"Later," Dean softly says.

Addison was stretched out in the backseat of the Impala. Dean and Sam were sitting in the front seat and they were all watching Monica's house for any signs that the demon would appear. She yawns as she pulls her jacket close. "Maybe we can tell them there's a gas leak," Sam comments. "Might get 'em out of the house for a few hours."

"Yeah, and how many times has that actually worked for us," Dean counters.

"Could always tell 'em the truth." Addison snorts and Sam nods. "I know. I know, I know. I just — with what's coming for these people—"

"Sam, we've only got one move and you know it, alright? We've got to wait for that demon to show itself and then we get it before it gets them."

"I wonder how Dad's doing."

"I'd feel a lot better if we were there backing him up."

"I'd feel a lot better if he were here backing us up." Silence settles back over them, then Sam realizes something. "This is weird."

"What?"

"After all these years, we're finally here. It doesn't seem real."

"We just got to keep our heads and do our job like always."

"Yeah, but this isn't like always."

"True."

"Dean, Ads, uh, I wanna thank you."

"For what?"

"For everything. You guys have always had my back, you know? Even when I couldn't count on anyone, I could always count on you guys. And now, I don't know, I just wanted to let you know — just in case."

Addison sits up and slaps the back of his head. "Shut up. You're not gonna say that speech, Sam. Cause the only thing that's dying tonight is that damn demon. Okay?" Sam stares at her for a moment, then nods. She settles back into the seat.

A couple of hours later, Dean hangs up his phone and shoves it into his pocket. "Dad's not answering," Dean says.

"Maybe Meg was late," Sam replies. "Maybe cell reception's bad."

"Yeah, well..." Dean turns his gaze back to the house. Static comes on the radio.

Addison leans forward. "Did you guys notice that," she asks, looking between them. Dean tries changing the station but the static continues. Sam notices lights inside the house flickering and they exchange a look.

"It's coming," Sam states and they all climb out of the Impala. Addison looks around the street as Dean picks the lock. He opens the door and they enter the house.

Suddenly a man walks in carrying a baseball bat. He swings the bat, but Dean grabs him and pins him against the wall. "Get out of my house," the man shouts. "Get out of my house!"

"Mr. Holt, please," Sam quietly tells him.

"Be quiet and listen to me," Dean says. "We're trying to help you, okay?"

"Charlie," Monica calls. Addison looks to see her standing at the top of the stairs. "Is everything okay down there?"

"Monica, get the baby," Charlie shouts.

"No, don't go in the nursery," Sam yells as Monica disappears. He runs after her with Addison on his heels. They enter the nursery. Monica was against the wall, her feet weren't touching the floor. A dark figure stood next to the crib. The figure had strange colored eyes. Sam fires the Colt, but the figure disappears in a cloud of black smoke. Monica falls to the floor and Addison runs over to help her up. "Where the hell did it go?"

Addison starts to pull Monica out of the room as Dean rushes in. "My baby," Monica screams.

"Dean has her," Addison replies, forcing the woman out of the room. Sam quickly helps her and they run out of the house as the windows in the nursery explode. Dean is right behind them, carrying a small bundle wrapped in a pink blanket.

"You get away from my family," Charlie shouts.

"Charlie, don't," Monica replies. "They saved us." Dean hands Rosie to Monica. "They saved us. Thank you."

Addison smiles at them. "It's still in there," Sam growls, starting towards the door. She looks up and sees a figure standing in the window.

"Sam, no," Dean says, pushing him away from the door.

"Dean, let me go! It's still in there!"

"Burning to the ground - it's suicide!"

"I don't care!"

"I do!"

Addison sighs as she sits down on the motel bed. Sam was sitting on the other bed. They had left Monica and Charlie's house before the police had gotten there. Dean was pacing around the room, trying to call John. "Come on, Dad. Answer your phone, damn it," he says, then hangs up. "Something's wrong." Addison glances at Sam, but he doesn't say anything. She was worried about him. He had been silent during the drive back to the motel. "You hear me? Something's happened."

"If you had just let me go in there, I could have ended all this," Sam angrily says.

"Sam," Addison softly says. "If you had done that then you've ended up killing yourself."

"You don't know that."

"So, what, you're just willing to sacrifice yourself, is that it," Dean coldly asks.

Sam stares up, glaring at his brother. "Yeah. Yeah, you're damn right I am."

"Yeah, well, that's not gonna happen - not as long as I'm around."

"What the hell are you talking about, Dean? We've been searching for this demon our whole lives. It's the only thing we've ever cared about."

"Sam, I wanna waste it. I do, okay? But it's not worth dying over."

"What?"

"I mean it. If hunting this demon means you getting yourself killed, then I hope we never find the damn thing."

"That thing killed Jess. That thing killed Mom."

"You said yourself once that no matter what we do, they're gone. And they're never coming back."

The second Sam slams Dean against the wall, Addison stands up. Thing were tense enough between them, but she didn't want them to start physically hurting each other. "Sam, let him go," she says.

"Don't you say that," Sam tells him, ignoring Addison all together. "Don't you — not after all this, don't you say that!"

"Sammy, look," Dean starts. The emotions he always kept buried were right under the surface. "The four of us — that's all we have. And that's all I have. Sometimes I feel like I'm barely holding it together, man." Sam lets go of him and steps back. "Without you and Dad and Ads..."

Sam walks away from them. He takes a deep breath, trying to compose himself. He knew Dean was right about that. Addison gives Dean a comforting smile, then walks back over to the beds. "Dad," Sam says. "He should have called by now. Try him again."

Dean grabs his cell off the table and calls John once again. An angry look appears on his face and he looks at them. "Where is he?"