Chapter 4: Phantom Traveler
Dean was startled out of deep sleep at slam of a door. As he became more aware, he realized that Riley was lying next to him, her hand curled around his bicep as she slept. She had anchored herself to him last night to feel safe and he felt heat and smugness in his chest at the same time. He lifted his head slightly to see her on stomach, the blanket pushed down below her butt. The pajama shorts she was wearing were tight and short and he eyed her ass appreciatively. He heard the door groan as it was opened and tensed. His fingers wrapped around the knife he kept under the pillow and turned his head as someone walked around the corner. He sighed with relief to see Sam standing there with coffee and a little carboard container.
"Morning, sunshine." His tall lanky brother greeted tiredly.
Groaning, Dean turned over onto his back. Riley lifted her head from the pillow at the sound of their voices.
"Time is it?" She yawned and tugged the sheet up to her chin much to Dean's disappointment.
Sam glanced at his watch. "Uh, it's about five forty-five."
"In the morning?" She said incredulously.
Sam nodded. "Yep."
"Too early!" She grumbled and hid under the blanket much to Sam's amusement.
"Where does the day go?" Dean muttered and sat up slowly, stretching his arms.
"Did you get any sleep last night?"
Sam handed Dean a coffee cup.
"Yeah, I grabbed a couple hours." He muttered.
His big brother rolled his eyes, sipping at the coffee. "Liar. 'Cause I was up at three, and you were watching a George Foreman infomercial."
"Hey, what can I say? It's riveting TV."
"Coffee?" Riley said, thrusting her hand out from under the blanket. Dean snorted and took the cup from Sam. She sat up and took the cup from him, the blanket falling to her lap. "Thanks." She smiled at him.
He nodded at her and faced his brother. "When was the last time you got a good night's sleep?"
Sam shrugged. "I don't know, a little while, I guess. It's not a big deal."
"Yeah, it is."
"Look, I appreciate your concern-" He began, but Dean cut him off.
"Oh, I'm not concerned about you. It's your job to keep my ass alive, so I need you sharp." He smirked. "And it's my job to keep Riley's ass alive." She snorted.
"Wrong."
Dean snickered and then turned back to Sam, saying softly: "Seriously, are you still having nightmares about Jess?" Riley, much more awake, looked at Sam sadly.
The taller Winchester sat on the other bed and sighed.
"Yeah. But it's not just her. It's everything." He said and looked away for a moment. "I just forgot, you know? This job. Man, it gets to you."
"You can't let it. You can't bring it home like that." He shook his head. Riley remained quiet. She hadn't had a nightmare last night and that was rare.
Sam sighed. "So, what? All this it...never keeps you up at night?"
Dean shook his head and his brother was skeptical.
"Never? You're never afraid?"
"No, not really."
Making a face, Sam reached across to pull something out from under Dean's pillow, a hunting knife. Riley arched an eyebrow as Dean took it back from him.
"That's not fear. That is precaution." He countered and set it aside. Riley smirked at that. She didn't blame him for sleeping with something under the pillow. You never knew what might come at you at any time. Sleep could make you vulnerable.
"All right, whatever. I'm too tired to argue." The taller Winchester muttered and rubbed a hand across his face.
Dean was about to say something else when his phone began ringing. He answered it after giving the number that flashed across a glance.
"Hello?" He said and waited a moment before recognition when across his face. "Oh, right, yeah. Up in Kittanning, Pennsylvania, the poltergeist thing. It's not back, is it?"
He nodded at the answer. Riley looked at Sam who shrugged.
"What is it?" Dean looked at Sam and then at Riley. She realized that he wanted to go talk to this person. She nodded at him. Sam did too, though he looked a little reluctant.
"Yeah, sure, Jerry." Dean answered. "Tell me where to meet you."
They were at the hangar about three hours later, following an older man who introduced himself as Jerry Panowski. He was a short with a buzzcut and was a fast talker. Riley liked him.
"Thanks for making the trip so quick. I ought to be doing you guys a favor, not the other way around." He said as he led them towards a set of offices in the back. Riley was admiring the planes as she walked. "Dean and your dad really helped me out." He said to Sam who nodded.
"Yeah, he told me. It was a poltergeist?"
A worker that passed them, tilted his head. "Poltergeist? Man, I loved that movie."
"Hey, nobody's talking to you. Keep walking." He scowled at the man who passed them and Riley laughed. "Damn right it was a poltergeist, practically tore our house apart." He glanced at Dean. "Tell you something, if it wasn't for you and your dad, I probably wouldn't be alive." He nodded at Sam. "Your dad said you were off at college. Is that right?"
Sam looked taken aback. "Yeah, I was. I'm—taking some time off."
Jerry smiled. "Well, he was real proud of you. I could tell. He talked about you all the time."
"...He did?"
"Yeah, you bet he did."
Dean grinned smugly at his brother who was still blinking in shock. Jerry turned to Riley.
"And you...I knew I recognized you. John showed me a graduation picture of you. He was proud of you too. Said you liked to draw."
She looked at Dean and Sam in shock. "Yeah...I used to all the time."
Jerry smiled. "Showed me a picture you drew for him. It was amazing. I tell you, the way he spoke about you was like another one of his kids."
Riley swallowed, feeling tears trying to surface. "Oh." John hadn't seemed to take that much interest in her drawings except when she had copied something down for him. Hunting wise. A few of the pictures in the journal were made by her.
Jerry was talking to Dean again.
"Oh, hey, you know I tried to get a hold of him, but I couldn't. How's he doing, anyway?"
Dean shifted. "He's, um, wrapped up in a job right now." He lied and the man nodded.
"Well, we're missing the old man, but we get Sam and of course Riley too. Even trade, huh?"
Dean laughed and Sam shook his head.
"No, not by a long shot." He said under his breath.
Jerry opened the door to his office. "I got something I want you guys to hear."
They went inside and Dean waved at a chair next to Sam.
"Go ahead and sit."
"You sure?" She asked and he nodded, moving to stand behind her as she sat.
Jerry sat behind his desk and opened up the CD-ROM drive on his computer.
"I listened to this. And, well, it sounded like it was up your alley." He placed a disc inside and closed it up. "Normally I wouldn't have access to this. It's the cockpit voice recorder for United Britannia flight 2485. It was one of ours."
They heard the recording start and everyone went quiet.
"Mayday! Mayday! Repeat! This is United Britania 2485—immediate instruction help! United Britanis 2485, I copy your message—May be experiencing some mechanical failure..."
There was a loud whooshing sound in the background and a growly sort of noise before it ended. Riley frowned deeply. There was definitely something off about the sound.
Jerry leaned back in his chair. "Took off from here, crashed about two hundred miles south. Now, they're saying mechanical failure. Cabin depressurized somehow. Nobody knows why. Over a hundred people on board. Only seven got out alive. Pilot was one. His name is Chuck Lambert. He's a good friend of mine. Chuck is, uh...well, he's pretty broken up about it. Like it was his fault."
Sam tilted his head. "You don't think it was?"
"No, I don't."
"Jerry, we're gonna need passenger manifests, um, a list of survivors-" Sam listed.
"We need to see the wreckage." Riley spoke up and Jerry looked at her.
"The other stuff is no problem. But the wreckage...the NTSB has it locked down in an evidence warehouse. No way I've got that kind of clearance."
Dean smirked. "No problem."
"What's taking so long?" Riley asked and Sam shrugged.
They heard the door open and looked over at the shop. Dean came swaggering out with something in his hand, smirking at the lady that passed him. Riley rolled her eyes.
"What took so long?" She demanded and he grinned at her.
"You can't rush perfection, sugarpie." He grinned and held up IDs. Riley tried her best not to react at his name for her. Blondie she was used to because it was used all the time. This one however sounded more...personal.
Sam took one of the cards and read it over. "Homeland Security? That's pretty illegal, even for us."
Dean shrugged. "Yeah, well, it's something new. You know? People haven't seen it a thousand times." He went around and got in the car, the other two getting in as well.
"All right, so, what do you got?" He asked them and Riley held up a tape.
"Well, there's definitely EVP on the cockpit voice recorder."
"Yeah?"
Sam took the tape from Riley and popped it into the cassette player. "Listen."
The strange sound from earlier happened, but it turned into a scratchy voice saying: No survivors!
Dean frowned. ""No survivors"?" He repeated. "What's that supposed to mean? There were seven survivors."
His brother shrugged. "Got me."
"So, what are you thinking? A haunted flight?" He looked from Riley to Sam.
"There's a long history of spirits and death omens on planes and ships, like phantom travelers." Sam pointed out.
Dean nodded. "Mm-hmm."
"Or remember flight 401?"
"Right. The one that crashed, the airline salvaged some of its parts, put it in other planes, then the spirit of the pilot and copilot haunted those flights."
"Something similar?" Riley offered and Dean nodded.
"All right, so, survivors, which one do you want to talk to first?"
Sam held up the paper. "Third on the list: Max Jaffey."
"Why him?"
"Well, for one, he's from around here. And two, if anyone saw anything weird, he did."
Dean looked confused. "What makes you say that?"
"Well, I spoke to his mother. And she told me where to find him."
"A psychiatric hospital." Riley chimed in and Dean's eyebrows rose.
"Huh."
Riley straightened her skirt, smiling at Max. Dean was trying his best not to eye her ass as she walked ahead of him and Sam. His brother shook his head and elbowed him.
Dean glanced at him. "What?"
"Do you have a thing for her?"
"Huh? Who?"
"Riley."
Sam smirked at his brother's open-mouthed response. He resembled a fish.
"What? No." Dean said quickly, stumbling over his words. "Me and Riles? Uh, no...She's like a sister." He scowled. Sam snorted.
"Uh-huh."
"I don't understand. I already spoke with Homeland Security." Max said from ahead of them.
"I know and I'm sorry. But it's only a few questions, Mr. Jaffey." She told the man pleasantly as they walked. "We're the more thorough group. We often have extra questions." Max merely nodded at her, mesmerized.
"Yeah, sure. Anything." He said and Dean rolled his eyes.
They went to a picnic table outside and sat down.
"Just before the plane went down, did you notice anything...unusual?" Sam asked and Max frowned.
"Like what?"
"Strange lights, weird noises, maybe. Voices." Dean listed and he shook his head.
"No, nothing."
"Mr. Jaffey." Riley said getting his attention.
"Call me Max."
She smiled brightly and nodded. "Max." She said and he grinned like a lovestuck idiot. Dean scowled. "You checked yourself in here. Why?"
"I was a little stressed. I survived a plane crash." He said simply, hiding the truth.
Riley leaned across the table. Max's eyes lowered to her cleavage and back up again slowly. "Something scared you. Made you so terrified that you put yourself in here."
"I don't...I don't want to talk about this anymore."
She put her hand on his. "Please, Max. We need to know what you saw. We know you saw something. It's okay."
"No. No, I was...delusional. Seeing things." He insisted.
Dean snorted. "He was seeing things."
"What is it, Max. Tell me what you thought you saw."
Max swallowed and nodded slowly. "There was...this—man. And, uh, he had these...eyes—these, uh...black eyes." Riley sat back, rigid in her seat. Sam saw the change and frowned. "And I saw him—or I thought I saw him..."
"What?" She asked softly.
"He opened the emergency exit. But that's...that's impossible, right? I mean, I looked it up. There's something like two tons of pressure on that door." He said nervously, looking from Riley to Sam to Dean and back again.
Dean nodded. "Yeah."
"This man, uh, did he seem to appear and disappear rapidly? It would look something like a mirage?" Sam inquired, guessing that Riley wasn't going to speak again.
Max snorted at him. "What are you, nuts? He was a passenger. He was sitting right in front of me."
Dean glanced in the rearview mirror. Riley was staring out the window, quiet. She had been withdrawn since talking to Max.
Sam met his gaze, shrugging his shoulders. He didn't know what was up either.
Riley turned in her seat.
"Where are we now?" She asked and the boys blinked at her change.
"George Phelps, seat 20C." Sam told her and she nodded.
"He's the one who sat in front of Max."
"Right."
Dean turned around.
"Talk to me. What's going on?"
Riley sighed.
"If I didn't know any better...I'd think it was a demon."
Sam frowned. "Are you sure?"
"Black eyes, incredible strength? Not to mention the voice on the EVP. Yeah, I'd say so."
Dean frowned. "Yeah, I don't care how strong you are. Even yoked up on PCP or something, no way you can open up an emergency door during a flight. You might be onto something, Blondie."
"A demon for sure?" Sam questioned.
"I could be wrong, it could be something else, but that's the first thing that comes to mind."
"Maybe this guy George was something else. Some kind of creature, maybe, in human form."
"This doesn't look like a creature's lair."
"Doesn't mean anything." Riley said quietly. "They can look like ordinary people."
The boys didn't question her. They knew that her mother had been killed by a demon. And she had seen it.
"You good for this?" Dean asked her and she nodded at him. She seemed okay.
"Yeah." She smiled at him. "Let's get more info before we go down that path."
Sam led the way up the steps.
"This is your late husband?" He asked, holding up a picture frame. The man in the picture was smiling widely. A friendly looking man.
Mrs. Phelps nodded. "Yes, that was my George."
Dean tilted his head. "And you said he was a...dentist?"
She nodded again. "Mm-hm. He was headed to a convention in Denver." She took a breath. "Do you know that he was petrified to fly?" They shook their heads. "For him to go like that..."
"How long were you married?" Riley asked her and the woman turned to her.
"Thirteen years."
"In all that time, did you ever notice anything...strange about him, anything out of the ordinary?" Sam questioned.
The woman frowned. "Well...uh, he had acid reflux, if that's what you mean."
Riley looked at the boys who made faces.
They came back out of the house, Riley frowning in thought.
"I mean it goes without saying. It just doesn't make any sense." Sam looked at Dean as they went down the steps of the house.
"A middle-aged dentist with an ulcer is not exactly evil personified. You know what we need to do is get inside that NTSB warehouse, check out the wreckage."
Sam nodded. "Okay. But if we're gonna go that route, we'd better look the part."
They started for the car when Sam noticed Riley was lagging behind.
She rubbed at her forehead, looking pained.
"You okay?" He asked her, looking back at her in concern. Dean was getting into the Impala. "You've been awful quiet."
"It's nothing. I'm fine."
"Riley, it's been a while, but I still know when you're hiding something." He gave her a knowing look and she couldn't help but smile. "What is it?"
Her smile faded. "I have a bad feeling about this case, Sam." She admitted. "It's weird, but I can feel it."
Sam tilted his head. "You sure?"
She nodded.
"How long have you had these feelings? Do you feel it on every case?"
"No and that's what is bothering me." She looked nervous and that wasn't like her. Sam frowned. "I only feel this way about certain cases."
"Demons?" He asked softly.
"Maybe it's not what I think. I hope I'm wrong."
Dean turned to her when they got in the car.
"Here's the plan. Sam and I are going to go into the warehouse." She opened her mouth to protest, but he plowed on. "You get to be the lookout. There are other Homeland Security guys around here and if we all go in-"
"Okay, I'll be the lookout. I get it." She waved a hand. "I'll let you know how long you have."
"Great."
Riley whistled when Sam came out of the store, now donned in suits.
"Hello there, handsome." She smirked at him who snorted.
"Shuddup."
She gaped as Dean came out next, fidgeting with his tie.
"Man, I look like one of the Blues Brothers." He griped.
Sam turned to his brother. "No, you don't. You look more like a...seventh-grader at his first dance."
Dean glared down at the suit. "I hate this thing."
"Hey. You want into that warehouse or not?"
He went to the car, but didn't notice Riley's expression. She was looking at him like a lovestruck teenager. If she could have swooned, she would have. Sam did notice, however, and smirked. She saw him looking at her and she flushed.
"What? I can look..." She muttered and he just grinned.
"Blondie." He turned and tossed something at her. She opened her hand and blinked. It was the keys.
Sam's eyes widened. He never let just anyone touch those keys or give them over willingly. The fact that he did so, just made Sam surer of his assumption of his brother's fondness for Riley.
"You're the getaway driver. Watch Baby." He indicated the car by patting the wheel lovingly and she raised an eyebrow. "No joy riding."
"Go on. I've got this. I'll be right here." She told him, getting over her shock quickly. Dean nodded at her and he and Sam headed for the warehouse.
"Dude, you let her have the keys." Sam looked back over his shoulder at Riley. She was getting into the driver's seat of the Impala.
"Yeah, so?" Dean said gruffly ignoring his brother's smirk.
"You never let anyone touch those keys. You barely let me have the keys."
"How else is she going to get us the hell out of here without them?" He countered edgily.
"You do like her." He grinned. "I knew it. How long?"
"Shut up, Sam." Dean snapped with more aggression than Sam could understand. "You don't know what the hell you're talking about."
"I'm not making fun of you, man. Talk to me." His brother ignored him. "Is this about the last hunt you did together? The one with Dad? What happened that night?"
"Drop it." Dean snarled. "Me and Riley are not happening. I only gave her the keys because I trust her."
Sam blew out a frustrated breath as his brother stalked on. What had happened?
Riley pressed her phone to her ear.
"Hey, Daddy."
"Was wondering when you would pick up a phone." Bobby said gruffly and she sighed.
"I know. I'm sorry."
"How are you? Boys treating you okay?"
She laughed. "I'm fine and so are they. I'm worried about Sam though."
"How's he doin'?"
"Better, but he wants answers. And so do I."
"Look, princess, I want you to come home. Bring the boys with you."
"Daddy-"
"Darlin', I don't know what else to tell you." He interrupted, sounding exasperated. "I want you to come home."
She knew it was futile to keep at it. To keep searching for answers.
"I'm helping the boys track down John. He's disappeared."
Bobby snorted. "Probably leading you all on."
She sighed. "Probably. It's just weird that he stopped answering his phone."
Bobby was silent for a moment. "He'll turn up. He's too stubborn to be in real trouble." Riley laughed and then grew quiet.
"It should have killed me too." She said at last. "Why didn't it?"
"Because you weren't there. That wasn't your fault, do you understand me? You couldn't have known that would happen, princess. Now stop blamin' yourself for it! And stop thinking that you should be dead!"
Riley sighed. "I know, okay? I know it's just like a fluke or something that kept me from going to that hotel room."
"Then let it go, darlin'. For me. Your dad."
She smiled and wiped at her eyes. "I love you too."
He grumbled unintelligibly and she giggled.
She spotted a dark car pull up to the front of the hangar and two men in suits got out. She frowned.
"I gotta go. Dean and Sam are about to run into trouble. I'll call you later."
"Go bail the two idjits out."
She laughed and hung up before dialing Sam's number.
"Hey, Sam, you and Dean better hightail it to the back door. Real feds coming in."
She laughed as the boys sprinted out of the hangar and climbed up and over the fence. Alarms were blaring loudly behind them. Dean used his coat to make rolling over the top easier and he dropped down before Sam did. He smirked at his brother saying something Riley couldn't understand and then they headed in her direction.
Sam leapt into the backseat at the same time Dean slid into the passenger seat and Riley didn't hesitate to drive quickly away from the scene.
"Thanks for the heads up." Dean panted from next to her and slung his coat into the back with Sam who shook his head.
"No problem." She said and turned to him. "Where to?"
"Back to Jerry." Sam leaned forward and held something in a baggy out for her to see. "Got this off the plane."
"What do you think it is?" She asked lightly, already having a guess, and he shrugged.
"Dunno, yet." Dean shrugged.
Sam eyed her. "Riles?"
"Well...It looks a lot like sulfur."
Dean cut his eyes toward her, she was frowning in concentration.
Riley paced behind the boys as they watched Jerry examine the sample from the plane.
"Huh." He said at last and they looked at him. Riley stopped pacing, tense.
"This stuff is covered in sulfur."
Sam swallowed. "You're sure?"
The man nodded and came out from behind his desk. "Take a look for yourself." A loud banging noise came from outside the office and a worker was yelling. Rolling his eyes, Jerry headed for the door. "If you'll excuse me, I have an idiot to fire." He went out the door. "Hey, Einstein!"
Riley snickered and then turned back to the boys.
Dean went to peer down into the microscope and then looked back up at them.
"You know, there's not too many things that leave behind a sulfuric residue." He met her eyes and she nodded.
"Demonic possession?" Sam said hesitantly.
Dean nodded. "It would explain how a mortal man would have the strength to open up an emergency hatch."
Sam looked at her. "If the guy was possessed, it's possible. What do you think?"
"Yeah. I mean, the guy was completely normal. It's got to be a demon possession."
Dean sighed. "This goes way beyond floating over a bed or barfing pea soup." He frowned in thought. "I mean it's one thing to possess a person, but to use them to take down an entire airplane?"
"You ever heard of something like this before?" Sam looked from Riley to Dean.
"Never." His brother said and they glanced at Riley.
She shook her head, but didn't speak.
Dean looked up from the paper in his hand and frowned.
Riley was rubbing at her temples.
"You okay, Riles?"
Sam looked up too.
"Hm?" She looked over at him. "Yeah, just got a headache."
He didn't believe her and neither did Sam. There was something else going on with her.
Sam leaned back with his computer. "So, every religion in every world culture has the concept of demons and demonic possession, right? I mean Christian, Native American, Hindu, you name it."
Dean nodded. "Yeah, but none of them describe anything like this."
His brother shook his head. "Well, that's not exactly true. You see according to Japanese beliefs, certain demons are behind certain disasters, both natural and man-made. One causes earthquakes, another causes disease."
"And this one causes plane crashes?" He frowned and then stood up. "All right, so, what? We have a demon that's evolved with the times and found a way to ratchet up the body count?"
"Yeah." Sam said and then added softly: "You know, who knows how many planes it's brought down before this one?"
His brother snorted and turned away.
"What?"
He sighed. "I don't know, man. This isn't our normal gig. I mean, demons, they don't want anything, just death and destruction for its own sake. This is big. And I wish Dad was here." He sat back down on the bed and Sam grimaced.
"Yeah. Me too." He agreed softly.
He glanced over at Riley who had been silent most of the whole time. She was staring out the window, a faraway look in her eyes. Something was bothering her, but he wasn't about to ask in front of Dean because he had a feeling, she wouldn't tell him. After her headache explanation, he doubted she'd tell him either.
Dean's cell went off on the table and his brother went over to answer it.
"Hello?" Dean answered. "Oh, hey, Jerry." His brow furrowed. "Wha—Jerry, I'm sorry. What happened?"
Sam and Riley exchanged glances and then looked at Dean.
He met their gazes and silently they got ready to hit the road again. "Where'd this happen?" He snorted at the answer. "I'll try to ignore the irony in that. Nothing. Jerry, hang in there, all right? We'll catch up with you soon."
He hung up and Riley frowned. "Another crash?"
"Yeah."
"Where?" She and Sam asked together. Dean shook his head at them and then grimaced.
"Nazareth."
"That's definitely a demon."
After examining the wreckage, the trio headed back to Jerry with another sample of what they were positive was sulfur.
The man was looking at the sample under a microscope.
"Sulfur?" Riley asked when he leaned back.
"Yep." He nodded.
Dean scowled. "Well, that's great. All right, that's two plane crashes involving Chuck Lambert. This demon sounds like it was after him."
"With all due respect to Chuck, if that's the case, that would be the good news." Sam interjected.
His brother looked at him. "What's the bad news?"
"Forty." Riley answered for him. "Chuck's plane went down in exactly forty minutes into flight."
Sam nodded. "And get this, so did flight 2485."
Jerry raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Forty minutes? What does that mean?"
"It's biblical numerology." Dean told him. "You know Noah's ark, it rained for forty days. The number means death."
Sam added: "I went back, and there have been six plane crashes over the last decade that all went down exactly forty minutes in.
"Any survivors?"
He shook his head. "No. Or not until now, at least, not until flight 2485, for some reason. On the cockpit voice recorder, remember what the EVP Said?"
""No survivors."" Riley said aloud.
Dean began thinking hard. "It's going after all the survivors. It's trying to finish the job."
"We've got to make sure that no one else is planning on flying." She said and Sam nodded.
"Really? Well, thank you for taking our survey," Riley said brightly into the phone. Dean couldn't help but smile at her overly helpful voice. "And if you do plan to fly, please don't forget your friends at United Britannia Airlines. Thanks." She hung up and leaned back against the seat.
"All right. That takes care of Blaine Sanderson and Dennis Holloway. They're not flying anytime soon."
Sam checked them off the list.
Dean nodded. "So our only wildcard is the flight attendant Amanda Walker."
Sam leaned up between the seats. He and Riley had switched seats for a while. He had said he wanted the rest and Riley hadn't argued. He really had needed it.
"Right. Her sister Karen said her flight leaves Indianapolis at eight pm. It's her first night back on the job."
"That sounds like just our luck." Dean muttered.
"Dean, this is a five-hour drive, man, even with you behind the wheel."
"Call Amanda's cellphone again, see if we can't head her off at the pass."
Riley groaned and dug the heels of her palms into her forehead, "I already left her three voicemails. She's had to have turned her phone off for the flight."
Sam sighed. "God, we're never gonna make it."
"We'll make it." Dean gunned the gas, sending them rocketing forward.
Sam quickly grabbed the back of the seat with a yelp, while Riley whooped excitedly.
The elder Winchester just grinned.
They made it to the airport in record time. Tires squealing, Dean turned into the first available space and they were jumping out as soon as he cut the engine off.
Sam stopped his brother from walking towards the doors to the airport. "Hey, whoa, whoa, whoa." Dean looked at him. "Dean. We're about to walk into an airport?"
His brother gave him a look and huffed before opening the Impala's trunk. He divested himself of weapons, then closed the trunk.
"I feel naked." He grumbled and Riley snickered.
"You don't look it."
"In your dreams, sugarpie." He winked at her.
"Every night, handsome." She teased back and Sam rolled his eyes.
Sprinting, they ran into the crowded airport.
"There's the departure board!" Riley pointed out and led the way over to it.
Sam found the flight in seconds. "Right there. They're boarding in thirty minutes.
Dean nodded. "Okay. We still have some cards to play. We need to find a phone."
"Courtesy phone on your left." The blonde told him and they hurried over to the machines.
Dean lifted the receiver and put it to his ear.
"Airport Services." Said in the voice in his ear.
"Hi. Gate thirteen."
"Who are you calling, sir?"
"I'm trying to contact an Amanda Walker. She's a flight attendant on flight, um..." Riley held up her fingers. "Flight 4-2-4." He waited, shifting impatiently. "Come on."
"This is Amanda Walker."
Dean almost sighed with relief. "Miss Walker. Hi, this is Dr. James Hetfield from St. Francis Memorial Hospital. We have a Karen Walker here."
"Karen?"
"Nothing serious, just a minor car accident, but she was injured, so—"
Amanda cut him off. "Wa—wait, that's impossible. I just got off the phone with her."
He froze. "You what?"
"Five minutes ago. She's at her house, cramming for a final. Who is this?" She asked in annoyance and apprehension.
"Uh, well...there must be some mistake." He said quickly. Riley and Sam exchanged looks and tried to hear the conversation. Dean scowled at them in annoyance.
"And how would you even know I was here? Is this one of Vince's friends?"
Dean found something he could work with. "Guilty as charged."
"Wow. This is unbelievable." She scoffed.
"He's really sorry."
"Well, you tell him to mind his own business and stay out of my life, okay?"
"Yes, but...he really needs to see you tonight, so—"
"No, I'm sorry. It's too late."
Dean panicked. "Don't be like that. Come on. The guy's a mess. Really. It's pathetic."
"...Really?" Amanda said softly.
"Oh, yeah."
"Look, I've got to go. Um...tell him to call me when I land."
She hung up before he could speak. "No, no. Wait, Amanda. Amanda!" He slammed the phone down. "Damn it! So close."
Sam sighed. "All right, it's time for plan B. We're getting on that plane." Riley nodded and they turned to go.
"Whoa, whoa, now just hold on a second." Dean said quickly. They looked back at him. His eyes were wide.
His brother frowned. "Dean, that plane is leaving with over a hundred passengers on board, and if we're right, that plane is gonna crash."
"I know." He said simply. It wasn't like him at all. Riley watched him curiously. Something was up.
"Okay." Sam didn't see a reason not to get on the flight. "So we're getting on the plane, we need to find that demon and exorcise it. I'll get the tickets. You get whatever you can out of the trunk. Whatever that will make it through the security. Meet me back here in five minutes."
Dean shifted anxiously, looking pale. Riley's eyes widened as she realized why he looked so off.
Sam frowned in concern. "Are you okay?"
"No, not really." He muttered.
"What? What's wrong?"
He shifted again, trying not to look too out of it, but Riley could see how uncomfortable he was becoming.
"Well, I kind of have this problem with, uh..."
"Flying." Riley supplied lightly.
He nodded, eyes flickering over to her briefly.
"It's never really been an issue until now."
Sam's jaw dropped. "You're joking, right?"
"Do I look like I'm joking?" He snapped in aggravation and embarrassment. "Why do you think I drive everywhere, Sam?"
"All right. Uh, I'll go."
"What?" He said incredulously.
"I'll do this one on my own."
Dean's eyes widened comically and he sputtered out almost hysterically: "What are you, nuts? You said it yourself, the plane's gonna crash!"
"Look, I'll go." Riley spoke up. "I've dealt with demons before. One more won't make a difference. You guys wait here."
Dean took her wrist in a tight grip, squeezing to hide his nervousness. "No."
She looked at him sympathetically. "Dean, either you let me go take care of this or we do it together. We don't have another option."
"Not alone." He said and Riley smiled.
"Not alone." She repeated and moved her hand so that he ended up holding her hand, not her wrist. That made him squeeze tighter. "Let's get what won't get taken from us at security. Get the tickets, Sam."
Sam nodded and ran off to get them before it was too late.
Riley tugged Dean out the door, still holding his hand.
Flip. Flip. Flip.
The frantic flipping of the safety card came from her left again and she looked over at Dean. His hand was shaking, but he was trying his best to not show fear. He was looking over the airplane safety card that showed what to do in emergencies. Seatbelts, airbags, etc.
Sam glanced at him too.
"Just try to relax." He murmured.
Dean glared at him. "Just try to shut up." He snapped shakily.
The plane was taking off now, rumbling down the runway. He jumped at the sounds, twitching in his seat.
"The wheels are retracting." She whispered to him when he looked panicked at the loud noise. Riley frowned at Sam when he smirked. She took one of Dean's hands between her own, holding it securely. When they find started their ascent, he leaned back against the cushioned headrest, closing his eyes.
Humming came from Dean seconds later and she tilted her head.
"You're humming Metallica?" Sam asked before she could.
Dean nodded jerkily. "Calms me down."
Sam sighed. "Look, man, I get you're nervous, all right? But you got to stay focused."
"Okay."
"I mean, we got thirty-two minutes and counting to track this thing down, or whoever it's possessing, anyway, and perform a full-on exorcism."
"That's not helping, Sam." Riley scowled at him and he shrugged helplessly.
"Yeah, on a crowded plane. That's gonna be easy." Dean snarled and she squeezed his hand.
"Let's look at what we have to work with. It'll be possessing someone with some kind of weakness, right?"
Dean nodded, looking a little like himself. "Right, a chink in the armor that the demon can worm through. Somebody with an addiction or some sort of emotional distress."
Sam nodded too. "Well, this is Amanda's first flight after the crash. If I were her, I'd be pretty messed up."
"Mm-hm." He hummed and turned to a flight attendant.
"Excuse me. Are you Amanda?" He asked her.
She shook her head. "No, I'm not."
"Oh, my mistake."
The woman left and Riley leaned across Dean to look down the aisle of the plane. Dean gripped hard at her hand. He probably thought she would get up.
"That must be Amanda in the back. Want me to go talk to her?"
"No. I-I'll go. And, uh, get a read on her mental state."
Sam nodded. "What if she's already possessed?"
"There's ways to test that." Dean leaned down, releasing Riley's hand and dug through his carry-on bag. He pulled up a Virgin Mary-shaped bottle of water. "I brought Holy Water."
"Nice bottle." Riley snickered.
Sam snatched it from him. "No. I think we can go more subtle. If she's possessed, she'll flinch at the name of God.
Dean nodded. "Oh. Nice." He unbuckled and started to get up slowly.
"Hey." Sam called, leaning across Riley.
"What?"
"Say it in Latin."
"I know." Dean muttered and started to leave.
"Hey!" Sam said again and Dean turned back, glaring daggers at him.
"What?!" He hissed.
"Uh, in Latin, it's "Christo"."
"Dude, I know! I'm not an idiot!" He scowled and took off.
Riley turned her head to watch Dean make his way to the back of the plane. She winced when the plane shook, and he had to slap a hand on the seat next to him to steady himself.
"He make it back there?" Sam asked.
"Yeah...I had no idea flying scared him."
"Me neither." He replied quietly before sighing. "Look, I know it's not my business, but seriously...what happened with you two? What happened that last hunt you did? The two of you were acting so weird that night. And then you specifically asking to go on hunts with me and not Dean. You always wanted to go with Dean."
Riley sighed heavily. "It's complicated, Sam. We had a falling out was all. It was bad."
"But you guys argue all the time."
"Sam, trust me. It's better you don't know the story. Just know that I was stupid. I was fifteen and so very stupid."
"Oh..." He wanted to ask more but decided against it.
"It doesn't matter anymore." Riley muttered. "And we need to focus on the demon. If it's not got Amanda, we need to be thinking about who else."
Dean came back and sat down.
"All right, well, she's got to be the most well-adjusted person on the planet."
"So, no demon?" Riley asked.
"No."
"You said "Christo"?" Sam question and Dean nodded.
"There's no demon in her. There's no demon getting in her."
"So, if it's on the plane, it can be anyone. Anywhere." He muttered.
Riley faced the front of the plane, frowning as she looked around. it had to be someone who could crash the plane. The pilot or co-pilot for example. She unbuckled her seatbelt.
The plane shook and Dean panicked.
"Come on! That can't be normal!" He exclaimed.
"Hey, hey, it's just a little turbulence." Sam assured him.
He whipped his head around. "Sam, this plane is going to crash, okay? So quit treating me like I'm friggin' four." Riley tried to get up and he grabbed her arm. "Where the hell are you going?! Sit down!" He panicked. "The plane is shaking."
"You need to calm down." Sam told him.
"Well, I'm sorry I can't."
"Yes, you can."
Dean scowled. "Dude, stow the touchy-feely, self-help yoga crap, it's not helping."
Riley took his face in her hands and turned her towards him. Dean's mouth went dry. "Listen to me." She said sternly and that got his attention. "If you're panicked, you're wide open to possession. So take a deep breath and try to calm down. Right now, Dean."
He nodded and inhaled slowly then exhaled harshly.
"Better," She said.
Sam pulled a book out. "I found an exorcism in here that I think is gonna work. The Rituale Romanum."
"It expels the demon and sends it down under." Riley stated.
"It's in two parts. The first part expels the demon from the victim's body. It makes it manifest, which actually makes it more powerful.
Dean scowled. "More powerful?"
"Well, it doesn't need to possess someone anymore. It can just wreak havoc on its own."
"Because you can send the sucker back down to hell. Ignore that powerful part. The second part is where you need to focus on. I know it front and back. I don't need the book. We just need to pinpoint the bastard."
Riley went towards the front of the plane where Sam and Dean were talking quietly. She turned her head to see Dean eyeing the copilot as he headed in her direction and she narrowed her eyes as the man drew closer.
"Christo." She said and his eyes blinked black. He knocked her out of the way with a wave of his hand and winking at her, disappeared into the cockpit.
Sam grabbed her arm and helped her up.
"You okay?"
"Yeah. That son of a bitch. We've got to get him out of there before he makes us crash."
The went towards the back of the plane to where Amanda was.
"She's not gonna believe this." Sam muttered and Dean scowled.
"Twelve minutes, dude."
Amanda turned to them and smiled. "Oh, hi. Flight's not too bumpy for you, I hope."
"Actually, that's kind of what we need to talk to you about." Dean told her and she tilted her head. Sam pulled the curtains closed.
"Um, okay. What can I do for you?"
Dean shifted. "All right, this is gonna sound nuts, but we just don't have time for the whole "the truth is out there" speech right now."
Riley took over. "We know you were on flight 2485."
The attendant's smile faded. "Who are you guys?"
"We're not here to hurt you. we're here to help." Riley told her. "We've spoken to some of the other survivors. We know something brought down that plane and it wasn't a mechanical failure."
Dean nodded. "We need your help because we need to stop it from happening again. Here. Now."
She looked frightened. "I'm sorry, I—I'm very busy. I have to go back—" She tried to pass them, but Dean stopped her.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait a second. I'm not gonna hurt you, okay? But listen to me, uh...The pilot in 2485, Chuck Lambert. He's dead."
Amanda froze. "Wait. What? What, Chuck is dead?"
"He died in a plane crash. Now, that's two plane crashes in two months. That doesn't strike you as strange?"
"I—" She was at a loss for words.
Sam sighed. "Look, there was something wrong with 2485. Now maybe you sensed it, maybe you didn't. But there's something wrong with this flight, too."
Riley could see something in the woman's eyes. "What Amanda? What did you see?"
"On...on 2485, there was this man. He...had these eyes."
The shorter blonde nodded. "Yes, that's what we're trying to tell you."
"I don't understand, what are you asking me to do?"
Dean frowned. "Okay. The copilot, we need you to bring him back here."
"Why? What does he have to do with anything?" She asked in confusion.
"Don't have time to explain. We just need to talk to him. Okay?"
Amanda bit her lip. "How am I supposed to go in the cockpit and get the copilot—"
"Do whatever it takes." Sam interrupted. "Tell him there's something broken back here, whatever will get him out of that cockpit."
She swallowed. "Do you know that I could lose my job if you—"
"We're trying to prevent another crash." Riley said desperately. "Please Amanda, you've got to help us."
The woman hesitated and then sighed. "Okay."
She went out of the curtain and Riley dug out duct tape, Holy Water, and John's journal form Dean's bag while he and Sam watched Amanda talk to the co-pilot.
"Yeah, what's the problem?" The co-pilot asked, stepping behind the curtain. Dean punched him in the face and the man fell to the ground. He jumped him and pinned him to the ground, duct taping his mouth.
"Wait. What are you doing? You said you were just gonna talk to him." Amanda yelped.
"We are gonna to talk to him." Sam tossed Holy Water on the man's face. He screamed behind the duct tape, his skin sizzling.
"Oh, my god. What's wrong with him?!" The flight attendant shrieked.
Riley turned to her. "Trust us. Go wait outside the curtain. Don't let anyone in. Okay?" The woman nodded and left.
She knelt by the demon.
Hurry up, Sam. I don't know how much longer I can hold him." Dean grunted, but Riley pushed past Sam.
"Regna terrae, cantate Deo, psallite Domino—" She began, much to the Winchesters' amazement.
The demon broke loose from Dean and kicked Riley backward in the wall. She wasn't deterred however and kept going as the boys wrestled him down again. with a snarl, the demon bucked the guys off of him and ripped the tape off his mouth. It grabbed Riley by the throat and jerked her close.
"Shut up, bitch!" It tossed her into the wall, where she slammed hard and fell.
"Riley!" Sam tried to go to her, but the demon grabbed his collar.
"I know what happened to your girlfriend!" It hissed. "She must have died screaming! Even now, she's burning!"
Dean tackled the demon off his brother and sparred Riley a glance. She was coming to slowly, moaning.
"Sam!"
His brother was sitting there, stunned, but got over it quickly at the shout of his name. Sam grabbed his dad's journal and started reading again from where Riley had stopped.
He had to put the book down to help hold the demon however and it kicked the book and send it sliding down the aisle.
With a scream, the demon lurched up out of the man in inky black smoke. Slowly it rose and then disappeared into the air vent.
"Where'd it go?" Riley asked, slowly getting up out of the floor. Blood was trickling down her forehead.
"It's in the plane. Hurry up. We got to finish it." Dean said and wrapped an arm around her to help steady her.
Without warning, the plane dipped and heaved violently. People screamed and panicked as they were tossed about. Dean was thrown backward and against the exit door with a cry, holding onto the wall for dear life. Riley hit the floor next to him and he scrambled to get a hold of her. They were hidden behind the curtain.
She was pressed against his body tightly and he had his face in her neck, terrified as the plane started its horrible, stomach jerking decline.
From his arms, Riley started loudly reciting the rest of the exorcism, shouting over the screams of the people. Dean, listened to her, her confident voice soothing him and held her tighter. He was too worried about the crash to really take in that he was holding her.
The plane began to shake, and a bright electrical change ran through the entire thing, startling everyone. Just as suddenly as the plane had dipped. it evened over, stabilizing.
The demon was gone. They had won.
Dean slumped against the wall and she turned to him.
"You okay?"
"Never. Never again." He said, closing his eyes briefly, and she smiled.
"I think I'd rather ride in the Impala too."
He gave her a shaky smile back.
"That was impressive. That whole thing." He awkwardly got out.
"Comes in handy." She stood and offered her hand to him. "Soon as we land, I'll buy you a drink." He took her hand and she pulled him up.
Sam met them at the curtain. "You guys okay?"
"Yeah. Riles kicked its ass." Dean told him and the younger man smiled.
"I'm glad you knew that. I couldn't reach dad's journal from where I was."
They stuck around the airport long enough to listen to Amanda answer the FBI agent's questions. She never gave them away. She mouthed "thank you" to them and they nodded at her before leaving.
"Let's get out of here." Dean muttered.
Sam was shuffling along quietly, and he turned to him.
"You okay?"
He shook his head. "Dean, it knew about Jessica."
"Sam don't listen to it. Demons lie and manipulate. That's all it was." Riley told him. "Their goal is to catch you off guard and sometimes they read minds or something."
"Yeah." He muttered quietly.
"Come on. Riley's buying beer." Dean said and went towards the exit. Sam glanced at him and then at Riley.
"I know, Sam, but demons are capable of a lot of things." She turned to him. "There's been plenty of times that I've had one say something personal to me. That's just how they are. Manipulating and twisting things around. Making you vulnerable to mistakes."
"They can't read minds, can they?"
"No, but Sam?"
He looked at her.
"They do lie. A lot. To hurt. Don't listen to it."
He only nodded.
Jerry met them at the car.
"Nobody knows what you guys did, but I do. A lot of people could have been killed." He shook their hands. "Your dad's gonna be real proud." He smiled at Riley. "At you too, young lady." She laughed and hugged the man.
"Thanks. We'll see you around, Jerry."
Sam and Riley started to get into the car and Dean hesitated.
"You know, Jerry."
"Yeah?"
"I meant to ask you, how did you get my cellphone number, anyway? I've only had it for like six months."
Jerry looked confused. "Your dad gave it to me."
Sam paused. "What?"
Dean frowned. "When did you talk to him?"
The man rubbed his neck. "I mean, I didn't exactly talk to him, but I called his number. His voice message said to give you a call. Thanks again, guys."
Sitting on the hood of the Impala, the trio looked at Dean's cellphone. They were parked just outside the airport grounds. From where they were, they could watch the planes come and go overhead to the runway.
Sam scowled. "This doesn't make any sense, man. I've called Dad's number like fifty times. It's been out of service."
"I called him for help on a case a week before Dean found me. His voicemail was his normal one." Riley murmured.
Dean dialed their dad's number, putting the phone on speaker.
"This is John Winchester. I can't be reached. If this is an emergency, call my son, Dean. 785-555-0179. He can help." The voicemail ended.
Frustrated, Sam jumped off the hood and got inside the car.
Riley turned to Dean who was staring at his phone.
"What is he doing, Dean? Why is he doing this"
"I don't know." He said softly. "It's frustrating as hell though." He slid off the car and Riley followed suit. They got into the car, Sam had gotten in the back and was staring moodily out the window.
Dean rolled onto his side, frowning when he saw Riley's bed was empty. Sitting up, he saw the light on under the door to the bathroom. Sam had wanted to be alone and his brother knew better than to argue that. So he was in the adjacent room.
"Riles?" He knocked softly on the door and frowned when he heard retching. Pressing open the door, he saw her leaning over the toilet, her hair in a messy bun on her head.
"You okay?"
She flushed the toilet and wiped at her mouth with a towel before turning towards him.
"I'll be fine. It happens."
"When? I've never seen you do that. At least recently. You get a concussion from that demon throwing you?" He went over and tilted her head back, examining the bandage on her head.
"No. I-I get sick after dealing with demons."
Dean's hand fell. "Oh. Why?"
"Trauma? PTSD? I don't know." She admitted. "I just get ill. Lasts about a day or so. I'll be fine." She got up from the floor and went to brush her teeth. "Did I wake you?"
"I was already waking up." He said, shaking his head.
"Nightmares?"
"Can't shut off my thinking."
Riley finished brushing her teeth and rinsed her mouth out with mouthwash. She knew he was trying not to show weakness. That he was still scared about the plane experience.
"Dean, can I sleep with you?"
He blinked at her. What did she just say?
"Huh?"
"I'm not...I can't leave it at the door. I bring it in. I can't shake cases sometimes."
His confusion faded. "Yeah, come on. It's late." He went back to bed and Riley turned off the bathroom light.
He lay stiffly on his side of the bed, mind wandering to places it shouldn't when he heard clothing hitting the floor. She was changing into her pajama shorts. She claimed she couldn't sleep comfortably in pants.
He felt the bed dip down and rolled over to face the window, his back to her.
"Riley?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks for...you know. not making a big deal."
She moved in the bed, sitting up and he rolled onto his back.
"You thought I'd make fun of you?"
He shrugged.
"I know how it feels to be scared of something. When I was eight, Bobby took me fishing. We were waiting on the fish to bite when I felt a tug on mine. I don't remember what I snagged it on. Could have been a fish, but anyway, it was too big and heavy, and it drug me off the boat. I had taken my lifejacket off to eat lunch and wasn't expecting my line to move."
Dean listened attentively.
"It got dark and I couldn't breathe...It was so dark and cold... Bobby pulled me out, but after that I stayed out of the deep water." She shrugged. "Never learned to swim because of it."
She yawned and so did he.
She slid back down under the covers and Dean turned on his side to face her. They stared at each other for a moment.
"Goodnight." She murmured and rolled onto her stomach. Dean resisted the urge to stroke her hair, to kiss her and rolled to face the opposite direction. He thought for a moment that he wouldn't be able to sleep, but his eyes were shutting tiredly. Maybe it was because she was next to him. He wasn't sure, but he welcomed the sleep all the more and shut his eyes.
He felt Riley move and press her back against his and he smiled, eyes still closed and drifted off.
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