Day turned into night as we stayed in the Impala. We watched the post office to make sure no one went in or out. The spirit of Ben was going to be pissed when he sees that the ones he captured are no longer there, and we didn't want anyone else to get in the crossfire.
The only time we left was to get some kind of take out for dinner, but we had to make it quick.
Once we finished our meals, I leaned up against the window, feeling myself fall asleep slowly. The amount of food I had and the numerous times we had to stay awake researching a case made me tired, and the summer heat wasn't much help either.
Sam saw that I was falling asleep and quickly went in the backseat with me. He grabbed me and put one arm around me while I rested my head on his shoulder. I knew he didn't want me to fall asleep on a harder surface but relaxing in his arms is just going to make it tougher for me to stay awake.
Dean looked to us and saw me fighting sleep. "If you need your beauty rest, don't let us stop you," he said.
I chuckled. "I don't want to sleep through anything," I said.
"I'll blast AC/DC when it gets dark," Dean said.
I rolled me eyes. "Startle me awake," I said, "Cool move, bro."
The energy to continue the banter wasn't there, though, and I felt myself going in to a deep state of sleep.
I woke up to find myself in the Impala, but Dean and Sam were nowhere to be found. The post office was still in plain sight, though.
Did they go in without me?
I looked at the rear view mirror, but I couldn't see my own reflection.
I was dreaming.
The vividness of it, though, meant that a spirit wished to talk to me.
I got out of the Impala, making my way towards the post office. Pretty soon, I saw three children running out of there, looking around frantically for someone to help them. When they saw me approach them, they immediately ran up to me and hugged my legs.
"Miss! Help us!" they said.
"What's wrong? Who are you three?" I asked.
They released me and I bent down so I can make some eye contact with them. Tears were streaming down their faces.
"It's our father," the little boy said, "He's...he's angry."
"Why is he angry?" I asked.
"Because he can't find the man that killed us," one of the little girls said.
"Is...is your father's name Ben?"
The three of them nodded.
"So...I'm guessing you three are Nellie, Alice and Howard Pitezel?"
They nodded again.
"Have you tried reaching out to him?"
"He can't see us," Nellie said, "He's too angry."
Ben didn't know he was dead. He was so full of rage and anger that he's not realizing the damage he is leaving behind.
"Please, miss," Alice said, "Help us get our daddy back..."
I practically jumped out of my seat as I woke up in a cold sweat. Sam quickly took my hand and Dean looked behind him from the driver's seat. My breathing got so much heavier and I tried really hard to keep my composure.
Dean got out of the driver's seat and into the back seat with me, grabbing my free hand and stroking it with his thumb like Sam was doing with my other hand.
"Kid, you okay?" Dean said.
I nodded. "Give...me a second," I said in between breaths.
The car stayed silent as I composed myself. I soon realized that the sky was darker and while the sun wasn't completely down, it was getting close to evening.
"Okay...I think I'm good," I said.
"What happened?" Sam asked.
"The kids..." I said, looking at both boys, "Ben Pitezel's kids...they're here..."
Sam and Dean's eyes grew wide, trying to comprehend what I just told them. "What did they say?" Dean asked.
"They said...their father is angry...REALLY angry," I said, "They tried so many times to reach out to them, but he can't see them. His spirit is so full of hate and rage that he's not seeing his own children."
"Yet he's trying to avenge their deaths..." Dean said with a scoff.
"I...I don't think he knows," I said.
I looked over to Sam and buried my head in his shoulder and he put his arms around me, trying to get me to calm down. Dean's hand met my shoulder, stroking it as I continued to shake from the dream.
"I still think this is the dumbest idea ever," Dean said, "Why can't we just find the remains and call it a day?"
As the three of us got into the building, Dean began to load his shotgun full of salt.
"Well, unless we wanna travel to Philadelphia and possibly risk more lives being lost while we dig up bones, this is what we got," I said, "I've handled pissed off spirits before."
"But anyone this angry?" Sam asked, "I don't want to say I agree with Dean, but I agree with Dean."
"And that's coming from him," Dean said.
"If my idea doesn't work, you can both give me the 'I told you so' speech when we try to travel to Philadelphia," I said, "But I'm doing this for his children. They looked so scared, and if there's a way I can reconnect them for a bit so they can get through to their father, we may have a chance to help calm him down."
"Oh, so THAT'S what this is about," Dean said, "Sarah, you should know by now that a good chunk of the time, demons can appear as children. This feels like a trap that we're easily walking into."
"Dean, you know as well as I do that I can take care of myself," I said, "I've been training for situations like this for five years."
"He's just scared something will happen to you," Sam said, "And I am as well."
Dean shot Sam a little glare. "I'm just saying..." he said.
"No, I know what you mean," I said to Sam, "At least you have the decency to admit that your worried rather than mr 'I'm really a softie inside but I'm too stubborn to admit it' knucklehead over there."
Dean just scoffed as he put in the last round of salt bullets in the shotgun.
It's time.
"Okay...give me some space," I said as I started to close my eyes, "But prepare yourselves."
I let the walls come down, inviting Ben to come speak to me. I suddenly felt a rush of anger and hostility and I did my best to make sure it did not manifest my emotions. The last thing I wanted was to give a spirit control of my body.
I opened my eyes and saw a tall, bloody looking man looking right back at me. His eyes were full of hurt and rage.
"Get out," he said.
"Ben Pitezel?" was all I could say in response.
"Yes, now get out. He'll be here," Ben said.
"Who's here?" I asked.
"Holmes...you're not safe here," he said, "You need to leave, now."
"Sir...what year do you think it is?" I asked.
"Wha...what year?" Ben asked, "The World's Fair was last year, and I...I let all this happened! Right under my fingers!! Now my children are dead!!!!!!"
So it wasn't just rage and anger Ben was feeling. It was also guilt. He felt responsible for what happened to his children.
"Ben...the World's Fair was over 100 years ago..." I said.
His facial expression immediately changed from anger to shock. He looked like a deer caught in the headlights.
"What are you saying?" he said.
"Ben...it's not 1894...the year is 2007..." I said, "You...you're dead."
Ben stayed silent but I felt his anger getting worse. I continued to speak, not knowing how much time I would have until he lets his anger get the better of him.
"Your children...they're here too," I said, "They've been trying to reach you...Ben...you need to let go. They've been waiting for you..."
All of the sudden, Ben lunged at me. He pinned me up to the wall by my throat, lifting me up. I tried to put in as much air as I possibly could. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Dean attempt to approach me but I held out my hand, signaling for him to stand back.
I reached in my pocket and grabbed a handful of salt, throwing a little bit in Ben's face. He screamed and disappeared, causing me to collapse on the floor as I tried REALLY hard to catch my breath.
"Sarah!" Sam said as he ran over to me.
"No...I'm fine," I said, "This...is a normal reaction for some spirits..."
"Some reaction," Dean said, "I'll go after..."
"No! Dean, if you try to do anything, this won't work," I said, "You need to back off!"
"Kid, he practically tried to choke you to death," Dean said, "This isn't going to work."
"Dean...stop," I said, "You need to trust me. I've been trained for this. Now get back into your hiding spot before Ben comes back. I can already feel his presence getting stronger."
Dean just looked at me in frustration, but Sam immediately held him back. Sighing, he finally stood back but not before giving me a little glare. Sam, meanwhile, gave me a look of concern, yet he knew that when I said "stand back," I meant it.
I gave myself a moment to recover when I saw three children appear to me.
The Pitezel kids.
"Daddy hurt you," Alice said.
"He's angry," I said, "He doesn't like what he heard."
"Why won't he come to us?" she asked.
"When grownups get angry...all they see is the anger," I said, "They don't see what's in front of them..."
"Sarah, who are you speaking to?" Dean asked.
"Who's that?" Nellie said.
"My friend, Dean," I said, "Him and my boyfriend Sam are here to help."
I looked over to Dean. "Ben's kids are here," I said, "Can either of you see them?"
Both boys shook their head.
"Kids, can you come forward to Sam and Dean?" I asked.
The three of them nodded and walked right in front of the boys.
Sam and Dean's eyes widened, indicating that they could now see the children.
"What's a boyfriend?" Nellie asked.
I chuckled, forgetting that they didn't know modern terminology.
"Um...I guess kind of...a courtship?" I said, "Look, I can't answer many questions right now. Your father...he's getting stronger and more angry."
"Please...help us get to him," Nellie said, tears streaming down her face, "We wanna go to mommy."
I felt myself tear up a bit, feeling so bad for the kids. They wanted to move on, but they didn't want to go without Ben.
Suddenly, I was thrown across the room and back on the wall. I screamed in pain as the kids yelled in surprise. I looked up to see Ben standing over me, smiling in a very disturbing way.
"Never bring up my children to me, you little bitch," he said.
I ducked out of the way as he tried to grab me, but he still managed to grab a hold of the back of my shirt. He dragged me to one of the nearby tables, placing me on top before throwing one punch to my face.
I heard Dean's gun cock but Sam held him back.
"Turn around," I said to Ben.
He punched me again.
"TURN AROUND!" I screamed.
He was about to punch me again when I took his fist and kicked him. He finally spun around and stopped in his tracks. The mood shifted again, and Ben just stood there in shock as he looked at his three children.
He could finally see them. I guess me bringing them up finally allowed him to open his mind.
"Daddy...it's us," Nellie said.
Ben got on his knees, still staring at his children in shock.
I looked over to Sam and Dean who looked just as surprised as Ben does.
"Oh...children...I'm so sorry," Ben said as he began to cry.
"It's okay, Daddy," Howard said, "We've been waiting for you to find us. Please...let's go to mommy."
"Where is mommy?" Ben asked.
"With the angels," Alice said, "We want to be with the angels, too."
Ben continued to sob and all three children approached him, bringing him in a group hug. A bright light soon appeared, shielding the family and almost blinding Sam, Dean and myself.
Once the light disappeared, the four spirits were gone. The feeling of rage and anger was also gone.
The pain I was feeling in my back right now...that's not going to be gone anytime soon, though.
Sam and Dean rushed over to me as I tried to move but hissed in pain.
"You okay?" Sam asked.
I nodded. "Going be dealing with back pain for a bit, but I'm doing okay either way," I said.
"And Ben?" Dean asked.
"He's moved on," I said, "The anger is all gone. All I can pick up is sadness and confusion from the people that have died here, but they aren't dangerous."
"Can you help them move on?" Sam said as he began to pick me up bridal style.
"I don't have the energy," I said, "But tomorrow I can send the post office a couple white roses to help keep any dark spirits from coming back."
The three of us headed back to the Impala, Sam still carrying me as Dean moved ahead of us, taking out the car keys and popping open the trunk to put the guns away.
"Well, I still say we burn the bones," Dean said, "We can't be too cautious."
Once the last of our items were in the trunk, Dean got in the front seat and drove off. Sam continued to cradle me, not letting go until we got to the motel.
I hissed as Sam put more ice on my injured back.
"Sorry, sweetheart," he said, "It's bruised up pretty bad back here."
"Well, dude did know how to throw someone across the room there," I said.
He gave me a sympathetic smile, kissing me on the head before adding a little more ice.
I did begin to feel the pain going down but not by a whole lot. I knew that I was going to be really sore the next day.
Dean walked in the door, coming back from the nearby CVS with some Ibuprofen and what looked to be an "Icy Hot" patch. He looked at my bare lower back and let out a hiss.
"That's gonna leave a mark," he said.
"Yeah and I'm certainly feeling it," I said, rolling my eyes.
Dean placed the bag of items next to me before sitting down on his bed.
"How much longer Sam?" I asked.
"Five more minutes," he said.
I groaned. I really hated being in this position. Anything involving laying flat on my stomach just sucked.
"Dean, I swear if you start the 'I told you so' speech..." I said.
"I'm not," Dean interrupted, "What you did back there...that took a lot."
I nodded.
"Honestly...I underestimated you back there," he said, "And I'm sorry. I just hate seeing you get hurt by these ass clowns because...I guess I still see you as a kid."
I looked at Dean, stunned at what I was hearing. Was he really admitting to me that he was wrong?
"Don't get too used to me saying things like that," he said.
"Oh I won't," I said, "I'll just have to dangle it over your head for a bit now."
Sam chuckled at my statement while Dean just rolled his eyes.
"So I guess I can give you the 'I told you so' speech now," I joked, "Considering that I was the one who made the right call?"
"Don't you have more important things to worry about now?" Dean said, "Like a back to heal, or are you hoping they not heal so I won't be able to tell which bruise marks one are ones my little brother left on you and which ones the ghost did?"
"Oh please," I said, "Like YOU haven't walked around with marks MULTIPLE times when we all had to share the same motel room, and not just on your back. There was also your neck, your shoulder, your chin...like...pot calling the kettle black much?"
Dean just huffed and put the covers over him.
"Just saying, if you're going to come up with some kind of smartass comeback, don't come up with one that will bite you in the ass later," I said.
All I got was Dean flipping me off as he turned the light off next to him.
"At least I got laid at those points," he mumbled.
"Yeah well, look who's getting laid more now that I'm here? Keep it up, Winchester, or I will have sex with Sam in the Impala," I said.
"Jesus Christ," Dean said, "I think I liked it better when you weren't with him."
Sam chuckled a bit but I also could tell he was blushing.
I started to hear Dean snore, indicating that he finally fell asleep. Sam started to get the ice off my back and the warm air threw me off a bit. "We're just about done," he said, "We'll see about getting the patches on in the morning before we leave for Philadelphia."
I nodded and started to sit up the best I could. I winced a bit in pain as Sam rushed to my side, helping me lay on my back. He put one arm around me as I laid my head on his shoulder.
"Sam...I know you stopped Dean multiple times from getting into the fight," I said, "What...stopped you?"
"The fact that I was not going to hear the end of it if I even tried," he said chuckling.
I smiled a little bit because it was true.
"In all honesty," he said, "I wanted to step in, badly. Seeing you get hurt like that, I so much wanted to shoot the rock salt in his direction. However...you have a gift that Dean and I don't have, something that works in your favor. I trusted that you knew what you were doing, and that if it got too much, you would say the word or if there was no other options."
I nodded. "I understand why Dean wanted to step in, though. He does the same thing with you."
"Which annoys the hell out of me," he said.
"But you know he does that because he doesn't want to see you get hurt," I said.
Sam just nodded in response before pulling me a bit closer. I found myself falling into a deep sleep, and I dreamed of Ben and his kids crossing to the other side, meeting up with everyone else minus H.H. Holmes.