Authoress Note: Welcome to Chapter 10 of Temporary Home. I know that I gave Dean, Sam, and Aeron a rough time in the last episode. I cannot say that it won't be a rough episode in Croatoan. I am hoping that I will be able to slowly make Sam and Aeron fall in love with one another. I am not sure of how well that is going so far. I will try my best to have their relationship slowly start to build, but I don't think that they will be falling in love yet because I think I am going to have them not know of each other's feelings towards one another. Kind of add something in is all. Without further ado Chapter 10 of Temporary Home.
Chapter 10
Dean had decided to go on out and get a six pack of beer and something to eat. Sam was taking a nap to regain his energy from being on the road and Aeron was in the shower getting cleaned up.
Aeron wiped the mirror of the fogging from the hot shower that she had. She ran her fingers through her hair. She groaned. It was getting close to time to get it cut again. She couldn't stand having long hair. She had it short since she was 13 years old and had to go through chemo treatments like she had lost her hair which made her cut her long hair so short. Aeron quickly got dressed into a red tank top, acid wash blue jeans and slipped on a pair of ankle high socks that didn't even match. She came out of the bathroom as Dean came through the door.
Sam sat up panting from where he was on the floor.
"Sam?" Both of the hunters asked in confusion. What the hell happened?
"No…" Sam whispered.
Aeron moved quickly over to him and carefully got him up onto his feet. "Now… Sam, did you have another?" She asked him softly.
Sam nodded his head still trying to catch his breath.
Aeron looked at Dean. "I think we just might have another case." She told him.
Dean nodded his head. "Let's pack up. And Sammy tells us what this is all about."
SNSNSN
Dean was driving down a dark highway.
Sam had his phone on GPS so they wouldn't get lost going to where they were going. "There are only two towns in the US named Rivergrove." Sam explained to the two of them.
"Oh at least it is going to be easier for us to find it then." Aeron said from the back seat as she shifted around. She was still at a loss of words for what Sam had told her and Dean about his vision. It was not normal at all. She was beginning to at least get used to it now. But then coming up out of the blue it was still going to take some getting used to.
"How come you're so sure it's the one in Oregon?" Dean questioned as he drove.
Sam thought back to his vision. "There was a picture. Crater Lake."
"Okay what else?"
"I saw a dark room, some people, and a guy tied to a chair."
"And I ventilated him?" Dean asked, looking at Sam out of the corner of his eyes.
"Yeah. You thought there was something inside of him." Sam explained.
"What, a demon? Was he possessed?"
"I don't know."
"Well, all your weirdo visions are always tied to the Yellow-Eyed Demon somehow. So was there any black smoke? Did we try to exorcize it?"
Sam shook his head. "No. Nothing, you just plugged him. That's it."
"Well, I'm sure I had a good reason."
"I sure hope so."
"What does that mean?" Dean looked at him. "I mean, I'm not gonna waste an innocent man."
Sam raised his eyebrows at what Dean said.
"I wouldn't." Dean said, defending himself.
"I never said you would!"
"Boys seriously. We have to have some sort of focus here." Aeron said with a groan.
Sam rubbed his face. "But whatever this is, that guy in the chair's a part of it. So let's find him, and see what's what."
"Fine."
"Fine."
Aeron shook her head. Damn it. She felt like she was stuck in a sibling rivalry that she wanted to not be part of.
SNSNSN
They pulled into Crater Lake on River Grove Street up front of a wooden shop. The three of them got out of the Impala. They walked up to a man that was cleaning his rifle.
"Morning." Dean said with a smile.
The man looked at them. "Good morning. Can I help you?" He asked wondering why the hell the three of them were there saying good morning and what they could possibly want here in town. They seemed like drifters to him by the way that they were dressed.
Aeron slipped a hand into her back pocket.
"Yeah." Dean pulled out his badge. "Uh, Billy Gibbons, Frank Beard, and Deanna Harkness. U.S. Marshals."
"What's this about?"
"We're looking for someone."
"A young man, early twenties." Sam said and went back to his vision trying to remember other things from it of what the kid looked like. "He'd have a thin scar right below his hairline."
"What'd he do?" The man asked.
"Well, nothing. We're actually looking for someone else, but we think this young man could help us."
"Yeah, he's not in any kind of trouble, well, not yet." Dean said, glancing down at Mark's arm. "I think maybe you know who he is… Master Sergeant." Dean smiled. "My dad was in the Corps, he was a Corporal."
"What company?" Mark asked, looking at Dean.
"Echo-2-1."
"So can you help us?" Sam asked hopefully that this man would be able to help them.
"Duane Tanner's got a scar like that. But I know him. Good kid, keeps his nose clean." Mark told them.
"Oh, I'm sure he does. Um. You know where he lives?" Dean asked, hoping to get an answer from him.
"With his family, up Aspen Way."
"Thank you sir." Aeron said softly.
They left the man walking across the street.
Sam bumped into a telephone pole and glanced at it in passing. He stopped causing Aeron to bump into him.
"God Sam."
"Sorry Aeron. You're alright."
Aeron rubbed her arm shyly. "Yeah I am fine."
The two of them looked at what was written on it. Croatoan.
"Hey." Sam said, calling for his brother.
Dean came back and saw it. "Croatoan?"
"Yeah."
Dean looked at him blankly.
"Roanoke? Lost colony? Ring a bell? Dean, did you pay any attention in history class?" Sam questioned his brother.
"Yeah! Shots heard 'round the world, how bills become laws."
"That's not school, that's Schoolhouse rock." Sam said, rolling his eyes.
"Whatever."
"Wait, isn't Roanoke one of the first English colonies in America in the late 1500's?" Aeron asked, looking at Sam.
Sam nodded his head.
"Oh yeah, yeah. I do remember that. The only thing they left behind was a single word carved in a tree. Croatoan." Dean said remembering it fairly well.
"Yeah. And I mean, there were theories. Indian raid, disease, but nobody knows what really happened. They were all just gone. I mean, wiped out overnight." Sam explained.
"You don't think that's what's going on here, I mean…"
"Whatever I saw in my head, it sure wasn't good. But what do you think could do that?" Sam asked, rubbing his face.
"Well, I mean, like I said, all of your weirdo visions are always tied to the Yellow-Eyed demon somehow, so…"
"We should get help. Bobby, uh, Ellen maybe?" Sam asked, looking at the two of them.
Aeron nodded her head.
"Yeah, that's a good idea."Dean said, pulling out his cell phone. He frowned. "I don't have a signal."
Sam does the same thing. "I don't either."
Aeron checked her phone. "Huh that is really strange."
The three of them went to the payphone.
Dean picked up the phone. He clicked the receiver several times. "Line's dead." He hung up the phone. Dean shook his head. "I'll tell you one thing. If I was gonna massacre a town, that's be my first step."
"We got work to do." Aeron said as the three of them moved back towards the Impala.
SPNSPN
Dean, Sam, and Aeron had gone to the Tanner home to see if they could find the boy from Sam's vision. The three of them approached the front door.
Sam knocked on the door.
A teenager opened the door. "Yeah?"
Dean flashed the badge that he had. "We're looking for Duane Tanner. He lives here, right?"
"Yeah, he's my brother." Jake replied.
"Can we talk to him?" Aeron questioned him.
Jake looked at Aeron. He had to admit that she was a pretty woman. "Oh he's not here right now."
"Do you know where he is?" Dean asked Jake.
"Yeah, he went on a fishing trip up by Roslyn Lake."
"Your parents' home?" Sam asked, tucking his hands into his pockets.
"Yeah, they're inside."
"Jake? Who is it?" Mr. Tanner asked, coming up behind his son.
"Hi, US Marshals, sir, we're looking for your son Duane." Dean told Mr. Tanner.
"Wh-why? He's not in trouble is he?" His father asked in concern.
"No, no,no, no. We just need to ask him a couple of routine questions, that's all." Dean explained.
"When's he due back from his trip?" Sam questioned hoping that it wouldn't be too long.
"I'm not sure."
"Well, maybe your wife knows."
"No, I don't know. She's not here right now."
"Your son said she was." Aeron said, looking at Jake's father. Confusion was written across her face. There was something not right here.
"Did I?" Jake asked.
"She's getting groceries. So, when Duane gets back, there's a number where he can get a hold of you?" Mr. Tanner asked.
"Oh no, we'll just check in with you later." Dean said with a forced smile.
The three of them walked down the stairs.
Aeron shook her head. "There is something really wrong."
"That was kind of creepy." Dean agreed looking at the short woman that was with them. "A little too Stepford."
"Big time." Sam even agreed to what Dean and Aeron were saying.
The three of them looked around.
"Shall we try the back of the house?" Aeron asked, looking at the brothers.
The three of them walked around to the back of the house. They weren't expecting what they had seen when they had gotten back there. They saw Mrs. Tanner tied up to a chair and gagged. The three of them armed themselves. Dean and Sam kicked the door in and went in. The three of them held their guns tightly in their hands.
Mr. Tanner rushed at them with a knife.
Dean shot him three times in the chest.
Jake jumped out the window and shattered the glass.
Sam aimed through the window and hesitated.
Aeron shoved Sam out of the way and jumped out the window.
"Aeron no!" Sam shouted for her.
Aeron was taking off after Jake.
"What the hell is she doing Sam?" Dean asked his brother.
"She's going after Jake on foot."
"Why didn't you shoot him?"
Sam shook his head. He really didn't want to shoot the teenager that had jumped out the window. He couldn't understand why Aeron had done what she did.
"Sam go and get her. We got Mrs. Tanner to the clinic." Dean told his younger brother.
Sam nodded his head and went to go and get Aeron.
SNSNSN
They slowly got out of the car. Sam helped Mrs. Tanner out of the car.
Dean got into the trunk. "You help Sam with Mrs. Tanner."
Aeron nodded her head. "Alright." She said going with Sam.
The three of them went inside of the clinic.
"Hello? Hello? We need a doctor here!" Sam yelled.
Pam rushed out to them. "Mrs. Tanner, what happened?"
"She was attacked." Aeron said softly.
"Doctor Lee?"
Dr. Lee rushed into the room. She saw the sight of Mrs. Tanner. "Bring her in."
"Okay."
Pam led them to the back.
Dr. Lee followed the four of them to the back.
Dean soon entered with Mr. Tanner hoisted over his shoulders.
"Is that…" Dr. Lee asked.
"Mr. Tanner?" Dean asked.
"Was he attacked?"
"Uh… no actually, he did the attacking and then he got himself shot."
"Shot?"
"Yeah."
"And who are you?"
"U.S. Marshal. I'd show you my badge, but uh…"
"Oh. Sorry. Bring him back here."
SNSNSN
Sam, Dean, and Aeron stood in the room as Pam and Doctor Lee took care of Beverly's wound on her shoulder.
"Wait, you said Jake helped him? Your son Jake?" Dr. Lee asked, looking at Beverly.
Beverly nodded her head. "They beat me. Tied me up."
"I don't believe it." Pam said, shaking her head.
"Pam. Beverly… Do you have any idea why they would act this way? Any history of chemical dependency?" Dr. Lee asked.
"No, of course not. I don't know why. One minute they were my husband and my son. And the next, they had the devil in them.
The three hunters looked at one another.
"We gotta talk." Dean told the two young hunters.
The three of them walked out of the lab.
"Those guys were whacked out of their gourds." Dean told the two of them.
Aeron ran her hand through her hair. "Yeah that is weird. I have never seen a demon possessed like this."
"What do you think Dean? Multiple demons, mass possession?" Sam asked, rubbing his face.
"If it is a possession there could be more. I mean, God knows how many, it could be like a friggin' Shriner convention."
"Great."
"Of course, that's one way to wipe out a town, you take it from the inside."
"I don't know man. We didn't see any of the demon smoke with Mr. Tanner, or any of the other usual signs."
"Well, whatever. Something turned him into a monster. And you know if you take out the other one there'd be one less to worry about."
"I'm sorry alright? I hesitated. Dean, it was a kid."
"No, it was an it. Not the best time for a bleeding heart Sam."
"Damn it Dean. It was a child and I ran after him and he still got away. And I am fast. I have never seen someone run that fast. I may not have long legs like you two but." Aeron shook her head. "I've never seen someone get out of some place so fast."
Dr. Lee came out of the lab.
Sam looked at her. "How's the patient?"
"Terrible! What the hell happened out there?" She demanded looking at the three of them.
"We don't know." Dean told her the truth. They really didn't know what happened.
"Yeah? Well, you just killed my next door neighbor." She snapped.
"We didn't have a choice."
"Maybe so, but we need the county Sheriff. I need the coroner…"
"Phones are down." Aeron and Sam said at the same time.
"I know, I tried. Tell me you have a police radio in the car?"
"Yeah we do. But it crapped out just like everything else." Sam told Dr. Lee.
"I don't understand what is happening."
"How far is it to the next town?" Dean asked, looking at her.
"It's about forty miles down to Sidewinder."
"Alright, I'm gonna go down there, see if I can find some help." Dean clapped Sam on the shoulder. "My partner will stick around to keep you guys safe."
"Safe from what?"
"We'll get back to you on that."
"And what about me?" Aeron questioned Dean.
"Well I think you'll be better off here after all you did jump out of the window."
"Okay if you say so."
"I will come back as soon as I can. You two just try not to get into any trouble." Dean said, walking towards the door.
Aeron looked at Sam. "I have a feeling he doesn't want to work with me."
"That's not Aeron."
"I think it is." She said, shaking her head. "All because of what I didn't tell him and told you."
"Dean isn't holding that against you." Sam told her softly.
"I think he is."
SPNSPN
Sam leaned up against the counter looking at the body of Mr. Tanner. He pushed himself off of the counter and began to pace.
Aeron looked up at Sam and saw him pacing back and forth. She closed her eyes. She hated giving warnings to the Winchester boys when it came to their pacing back and forth. She told Dean on occasion to sit down because pacing always made her a wreck. It put her nerves on end. Because pacing always meant waiting and it was time that they didn't have. And hell she was sleep deprived so it made it worse. "Sam sit or I will make you sit."
Sam looked at her with wide eyes. She was going to make him sit?
"Pacing." She muttered rolling her eyes.
Sam's cheeks flushed. He hadn't meant to pace. But he really wanted to know what was going on. Waiting was hard. He wanted to be able to do something to help. Dean was off going to the next town and he and Aeron were stuck here.
"Huh." Dr Lee said in confusion. She was looking at the blood that she had gotten from Mr. Tanner.
"What?" Sam asked, looking at her.
"His lymphocyte percentage is pretty high. His body was fighting off a viral infection."
"Really? What kind of virus?"
"Can't say for sure."
"Do you think an infection could have made him act like that?"
"None that I've ever heard of. I mean some can cause dementia, but not that kind of violence. And besides, I've never heard of one that did this to the blood."
"Did what?" Sam and Aeron asked at the same time.
"There's this… weird residue. If I didn't know better I'd say it was sulfur."
Aeron and Sam shared a look.
"Sulfur." Sam looked at Dr. Lee and then went over to look at it to confirm it himself. He looked at Aeron. "It's sulfur."
Aeron ran her hand through her hair. "Damn it."
SNSNSN
Sam looked at Beverly intently. Aeron was next to him. He had to admit that it was rather strange to see sulfur in Mr. Tanner's blood. But could Beverley have it?
"I don't understand. Are you saying my husband and Jake had a disease?" Beverly asked Dr. Lee.
"That's what we're trying to find out. Now, during the attack, do you remember… did you have any direct contact with their blood?" Dr. Lee asked, looking at Beverly.
Beverly's eyes went wide. "Oh my god. You don't think I got the virus, do you?"
"Beverly, I don't know what to think. But with your permission, we'll take a blood sample." Dr. Lee said, going over to her and patting Beverly's leg lightly.
Beverly nodded her head and put her hand on top of Dr. Lee's. She grabbed Dr. Lee's wrist and yelled in rage, lashing out.
Aeron moved quickly towards Beverly.
Beverly took a swing at her hitting her in the chest sending her into the glass cabinet which shattered.
Sam picked up a fire extinguisher from the wall as Beverly picked up a scalpel.
Beverly went after Sam yelling about to attack him.
Sam knocked her out with the fire extinguisher. "Put her into the other room." He ordered Dr. Lee.
Dr. Lee nodded her head.
Sam quickly went over to Aeron. "Ry? Ry?"
Aeron groaned. "Damn."
"You alright?" He asked softly.
"Glass on my shoulder."
Sam helped her up off of the ground. "We will get it taken care of."
"Okay. I think she dislocated it too." She said resting her head against his chest.
"I'll fix that too." He told her softly.
SNSNSN
Dean drove back into town. He was not expecting to run into trouble on his way out of town. Part of him wished that Aeron would have caught up with Jake and killed him. Then maybe there wouldn't have been a problem getting to the next town.
Mark stepped into Dean's path causing him to stop. He held the rifle tightly in his hands. "Hands up where I can see 'em!" He shouted.
"Okay." Dean said putting the car in park. His hands went up slowly.
"Get out of the car! Out of the car!"
Dean opened the door slowly and slowly got out of his car. "Alright, easy there, big guy." Dean got to his feet and he pulled out his handgun pointing it at Mark. "Alright, put it down!"
"Lower it now!"
"Put it down!"
"Are you one of 'em?" Mark questioned still not lowering the gun that held.
"No! Are you?"
"No!"
"You could be lying!"
"So could you!"
"Alright! Alright. We could do this all day, alright? Let's just uh, let's take it easy before we kill each other."
Mark relaxed a little bit. "What's going on with everybody?"
"I don't know."
"My neighbor…" Mark swallowed the lump in his throat. "Mr. Rogers, he…"
"You've got a neighbor named Mr. Rogers?"
"Not anymore."
Dean shook his head.
"He came at me with a hatchet. I put him down. He's not the only one, I mean, it's happening to everyone."
"I'm heading over to the Doc's place, there's still some people left. "
"No , no way. I'm getting the hell out."
"There's no way out, they got the bridge covered, come on."
"I don't believe you."
"Fine, stay here, be my guest."
Mark hesitated and then nodded his head. He pulled out his gun and pointed it at Dean as he got into the car.
Dean pointed his gun at Mark. He pulled the car into gear. "Well, this ought to be a relaxing drive."
SNSNSN
Sam had put Aeron's shoulder in place and was stitching it up from the glass wound.
Dr. Lee was looking through the microscope at a blood sample.
Pam was huddled against the wall in fear. "What if we all have it? What if we all go crazy?"
Aeron rolled her eyes as she felt another pinch of the sewing needle going into her tender flesh.
"You've got to stay calm. All we can do is wait. The Marshal's bringing help." Dr. Lee told her assistant.
"I can't, I… I've gotta go."
"Pam!"
"No, you don't understand. My boyfriend's out there, I gotta make sure he's okay." She said running out of the lab.
Aeron looked at Sam. "Go and check to make sure she's okay."
"What about your shoulder?"
"Check on her please."
Sam quickly followed out of the room.
Dr. Lee looked at her. "Do you want me to finish stitching your shoulder?" She asked her softly.
Aeron shook her head. "Thanks, but no thanks."
Sam and Pam returned, but they weren't alone. They had Dean and Mark with them.
"You're gonna kill Beverly Tanner?" Pam asked in shock.
"Doctor, could there be any treatment? Some kind of cure for this?" Sam asked, looking at the Doctor.
"Can you cure it?" Dean questioned her wanting the answer now.
"For God's sake, I don't even know what it is!" The Doctor said in agitation.
"I told you, it's just a matter of time before she breaks through."
"Just leave her in there, you can't shoot her like an animal!" Pam yelled.
"Dean." Aeron said, looking at Dean.
Dean looked at Sam. "Sam."
The three men went towards the room where Beverly is being held. Dean and Mark held their guns ready to shoot if they needed to.
Sam slowly opened the door.
Dean and Mark went into offensive positions. They saw Beverly huddled on the floor, knees drawn up.
Beverly jumped looking up at them. "Mark, what are you doing? Mark, it's, it's them! They locked me in here, they tried to kill me! They're infected, not me! Please, Mark! You've known me all your life! Please!"
Dean looked over at Sam. "You sure she's one of 'em?"
Sam nodded his head. His face was twisted in distress. He didn't want to do that.
Mark pulled back. He couldn't do that.
Dean went forward and fired twice.
Sam went back over to Aeron and went back to stitching her shoulder up.
Dean came out and looked at Aeron. "What the hell…"
"Beverly threw her into the glass cabinet."
"Did she…"
"Beverly didn't bleed on her." Sam said, looking over at his brother.
"That's good." Dean said, rubbing his face.
"Dean, we really have to figure out what is going on here."
"Ouch. Sam." Aeron said, looking up at him.
Sam looked at her and his face flushed. "Sorry."
Aeron shook her head. "Careful where you are putting that needle."
"Sorry. Sorry."
"I know…"
SPNSPN
The shades were drawn in the clinic.
Mark peered through them cautiously.
Sam pulled out his hunting knife and checked his blade over.
Dean loaded his gun up.
Aeron pulled out her gun from the back of her jeans. She checked to make sure that it was loaded.
A scream alerted them that something had happened. The four of them ran into the lab.
"You're clean, you're okay." Dr. Lee told Pam who was freaking out because she had dropped the vial of blood.
"Why are we staying here? Please, let's just go." Pam pleaded with them.
"No, we can't, because those things are everywhere." Dean said, shaking his head.
"Oh god…" Pam said, sinking down to the floor.
"Hey, shh, shh…" Dr. Lee said, trying to sooth Pam.
Sam let out a sigh. "She's right about one thing. We can't stay here. We've gotta get out of here, get to the Roadhouse? Somewhere. Let people know what's coming." Sam said softly to the two hunters.
"Yeah, good point. Night of the Living Dead didn't exactly end pretty." Dean said, rolling his eyes.
"Oh Dean, come off of it. Life isn't a god damned movie." Aeron snapped at him.
"Well, I'm not sure we've got a choice. Lots of folks up here are good with rifles. Even with all your hardware we're, we're easy targets. So unless you've got some explosives…"
Sam glanced up at a shelf of medical supplies. An idea comes to him. "We could make some." He said going to the shelf to take down the potassium chloride.
Aeron smiled. "Good thinking Sam. "
They turned sharply.
The boys scrambled out of the room.
Aeron continued to get the potassium chloride down and whatever they needed to make some homemade explosives. Aeron looked up and saw Dean dragging in Duane.
"Hey Doc! Give Duane a good once over would you?" Dean ordered the doctor.
"Pam?" Dr. Lee said to her helper.
"Who are you?" Duane asked, looking at Dean.
"Never mind who I am. Doc." Dean said, looking at Dr. Lee.
"Yeah, okay."
"Duane. Where have you been?" Mark asked the boy.
"On a fishing trip up by Roslyn." Duane told him. "I came back this afternoon. I… I saw Roger McGill being dragged out of his house by people we know! They started cutting him with knives. I ran, I've been hiding in the woods ever since. Has anybody seen my mom and dad."
Dean turned to Sam and Aeron. "Awkward…"
Duane sat down on a stool. He had a gash on his left leg.
"You're bleeding." Dr. Lee said in shock.
"Where'd you get that?" Dean asked, narrowing his eyes.
"I was running, I must have tripped." Duane said nervously.
"Tie him up, there's rope in there."
"Wait…"
Dean pulled his gun on Duane. "Sit down!"
"I'm sorry, Duane, he's right. We've gotta be careful." Mark apologized to him.
"Careful? About what?" Duane asked, scared.
"Did they bleed on you?" Dean questioned his lip curling in rage. He wanted to know.
"No, what the hell? No!"
"Doc? Any way to know for sure, any test?" Sam asked, looking at the Doctor.
"I've studied Beverly's blood work backwards and forwards."
"My mom!"
"It took three hours for the virus to incubate. The sulfur didn't appear in the blood until then, so… no, there'd be no way of knowing. Not until after Duane turns."
"Dean, I gotta talk to you. Now." Sam said, looking at his brother.
Dean glanced at Mark.
Mark nodded his head.
"I'll just stay here." Aeron told the brothers.
Dean followed Sam out of the room.
"Sit in that chair." Mark ordered Duane.
Aeron began to tie the rope around Duane's wrists.
Mark looked at the young woman. He had to admit that she was dangerous with how she stood. He figured that she was not a US Marshal. She didn't have that look. She had to be something else.
Aeron finished tying him up. "Those should hold." She said nodding to the knots that she had tied.
Dean came back into the room. "Get out." He said looking at Aeron.
"Dean what the hell."
"Get out!" He grabbed onto her and shoved her out pushing her out with Sam.
Aeron stumbled into Sam. She turned and hit on the door. She looked at Sam. "What the hell is he doing?"
"I tried to stop him." Sam said softly. "He's gonna kill him even though we don't know if he has it or not."
"Damn it!" Aeron pounded on the door again. "Dean!"
"Ry…" Sam placed a hand on her good shoulder. "We can only hope that he doesn't kill him."
"And if he does. There might be a chance that he doesn't do it." Aeron said sadly. "I still can't believe he threw me out of the room."
"Aeron he's just trying…"
"He is spiraling Sam. Out of control. Hell he takes it out on me more than he does on you." She shook her head.
"Aeron… he misses dad."
"I know. But that gives him no right. No right to treat me that way."
The door opened and Dean was standing there.
Sam looked at his brother.
"We got explosives to make." Dean told Sam. "That means you are too Red."
Aeron nodded her head.
SNSNSN
The three hunters were preparing explosives with rags and glass bottles.
Dr. Lee came into the room. "It's been over four hours. Duane's blood is still clean. I don't think he's infected. I'd like to untie him, if that's alright." She said, crossing her arms.
The brothers looked at one another.
Sam nodded his head. "Yeah sure."
Aeron got up from the table. "I'll go and untie him." She walked with Dr. Lee.
"Thank you."
"For what?" Aeron asked, looking at the doctor.
"For keeping us safe. You and those boys. You've been a great help."
Aeron smiled a small smile. "You're welcome. It is something that we thrive on doing. We protect people." She told the woman as they walked into the lab.
SNSNSN
Sam sat on the stool holding a bandage to his chest. He looked down at his knees. How could he allow this to happen? Him getting cut and infected? He would be leaving Dean and Aeron and knowing that the two of them would most likely kill one another.
Dean paced back and forth angrily.
Aeron's eyes were averted. She had tears in her eyes. How did it come to this? When Dean brought Sam in she had never expected the worst. He was the one Winchester that she could handle.
"Doc, check his wound again, would you?" Dean saw the doctor made no move. "Doctor!"
"What's she need to examine him for? You saw what happened." Mark snapped at Dean.
"Did her blood actually enter your wound?" Dr. Lee asked, looking at Sam.
"Come on, of course it did!"
"We don't know that for sure."
"We can't take a chance." Duane said, looking at Dean.
"You know what we have to do."
Aeron whipped her gun out pointing it at Mark. "No."
"Nobody's shooting my brother." Dean looked at Aeron. "Put the gun away Red."
Aeron put the gun away.
"He isn't gonna be your brother much longer. You said it yourself."
"Nobody is shooting anyone!" Dean yelled.
"You were gonna shoot me!"
"Oh shut the fucking hell up!" Aeron snapped. "He still just might shoot you if you don't shut your damn trap."
"Dean, Aeron. They're right. I'm infected, just give me the gun and I'll do it myself."
"Forget it."
"Aeron?"
"No Sam." Aeron said, swallowing the thickness that had formed in her throat.
"Dean, Aeron, I'm not gonna become one of those things." Sam pleaded with the two of them.
"Sam, we've still got time." Dean said, looking at his brother. He wasn't about to allow Sam to kill himself.
"Time for what? Look, I understand he's your brother, and I'm sorry, I am. But we gotta take care of this." Mark pulled out his handgun.
Aeron stood in front of Mark blocking his shot.
"I'm gonna say this one time. You make a move on him, you'll be dead before you hit the ground. Do you understand me? I mean, do I make myself clear?"
"Then what are we supposed to do?!"
Dean tossed Mark his keys to the Impala. "Get the hell out of here, that's what. Take my car. You've got the explosives, there's an arsenal in there. You three go with him. You've got enough firepower to handle anything now."
"What about you?" Mark asked, looking at him.
"Dean no. No go with them. This is your only chance!"
"You're not gonna get rid of me that easily." Dean said, looking at his brother.
"No, he's right. Come with us." Mark said, looking at Dean.
Aeron shook her head. "Dean, I'm not gonna go with them."
Dean looked at her with wide eyes. What the hell was she doing? She had a chance to get out of there and she wasn't going to take it?
Mark let out a sigh. "Okay, it's your funeral." Mark led Duane and Dr. Lee out of the room.
Dean looked at Aeron. "You should've gone with them."
"No." Aeron said, shaking her head.
Dr. Lee stopped at the door. "I'm sorry. Thanks for everything, Marshalls."
Dean looked at Doctor Lee. "Oh, actually we're not really Marshals." Dean said with a small smile.
"Um. Oh." Dr. Lee left them.
Dean shut the door. Dean turned and faced Sam.
Sam felt the tears fall from his eyes.
"Wish we had a deck of cards, or a foosball table or something." Dean said softly trying to make these last whatever moments that they had together bearable.
"Guys don't do this. Just get the hell out of here."
"No way." Dean said, shaking his head.
"Sorry Sam. I ain't going nowhere." Aeron said, crossing her arms.
"Give me my gun, and leave." Sam pleaded with the two of them.
"For the last time, Sam. No." Dean said, shaking his head.
Sam slammed the table. "This is the dumbest thing you've ever done Dean."
"Oh, I don't know about that. Remember that waitress in Tampa?" Dean shuddered.
"Dean, Aeron, I'm sick. It's over for me. It doesn't have to be for you two."
"Sorry Sam. I should have been dead years ago. So what is the difference now?" Aeron asked, swallowing the lump in her throat.
"No?" Dean questioned his brother.
"No, you can keep going."
"Who says I want to?"
"What?"
Dean crossed over to the other wall and pulled the handgun out of the waistband of his pants and sat down on the filing cabinet. "I'm tired, Sam. I'm tired of this job, this life… this weight on my shoulders, man. I'm tired of it."
"So what, so you're just going to give up? You're just gonna lay down and die? Look, Dean, I know this stuff with dad has…."
"You're wrong. It's not about dad. I mean, part of it is, sure, but…."
"What is it about?"
There was a knock on the door.
Dean picked up both of the handguns and went to the door.
Dr Lee looked at him. "You'd better come see this."
SNSNSN
The six of them stood outside looking around. No one was there and it was deathly silent.
"There's no one. Not anywhere. They've all just…. vanished." Dr. Lee told them.
"Just like Roanoke." Aeron said softly, shaking her head.
SNSNSN
Dr Lee was looking through the microscope looking at Sam's blood.
Sam was seated next to Aeron on the exam table. He wasn't sure why the strawberry blonde wanted to even be next to him. But her fingers laced with his made it more real. He was her rock he guessed.
Dr. Lee looked at Sam. "Well, it's been five hours and your blood's still clean. I don't understand it but I think you dodged a bullet."
"But I was exposed. How could I not be infected?" Sam asked in confusion.
"I don't know. But you're just not. I mean, you compare it with the Tanner samples." She looked through another microscope. "What the hell?"
"What?"
"Their blood. There's no trace of the virus. No sulfur, nothing."
"That is very odd." Aeron said in confusion.
SNSNSN
Sam, Dean and Aeron leaned against the Impala.
"Hey, Sarge and I are getting the hell out of here, heading south. You should come." Duane said, looking at Dr. Lee.
"I'd better get over to Sidewinder, get the authorities up here. If they'll believe me. Take care."
Mark waved to her and then to the three hunters.
"What about him?" Dean asked, watching Mark and Duane getting into the truck.
"He's going to be fine. No signs of infection." She went back inside of the clinic.
Dean turned to Sam and Aeron.
"Hey man, don't look at me. I have no clue." Sam said, holding his hands up.
"I swear, I'm gonna lose sleep over this one. I mean, why here, why now? And where the hell did everybody go? It's like they just friggin' melted."
"Why was I immune?"
'Yeah. You know what? That's a good question. You know, I'm already starting to feel like this is the one that got away."
The three of them got into the car.
Dean pulled the car out of its spot. Dean looked at Aeron through the rearview mirror. "Why did you stay?"
"Cause. You heard me. Dean, I should have been dead at 14. Well 15…" She let out a sigh. "I am not going into it."
SNSNSN
Dean had pulled the Impala onto the side of the road.
The two brothers were leaning against the fence while Aeron was sitting on the ground. The three of them were drinking beer.
"So last night. You want to tell me what the hell you were talking about?" Sam asked Dean.
"What do you mean?"
"What do I mean? I mean you said you were tired of the job. And that it wasn't just because of Dad."
"Forget it." Dean said, shaking his head.
"No I can't. No way."
"Come on man, I thought we were both going to die. With Red here, you can't hold that over me."
"No, no, no, no. You can't pull that crap with me, man. You're talking."
"And what if I don't?"
"Then I guess I'll just have to keep asking until you do."
"I don't know, man. I just think maybe we ought to… go to the Grand Canyon."
"What?"
"Yeah, you know, all this driving back and forth across the country. You know I've never been to the Grand Canyon? Or should we go to T.J. or Hollywood, see if we can bang Lindsay Lohan and maybe Johnny Depp?"
"You're not making any sense."
"I just think we should take a break from all this. Why do we gotta get stuck with all the responsibility you know? Why can't we live life a little bit?"
"Why are you saying all this?"
Aeron looked at the brothers in confusion. This was the oddest conversation that she had ever heard between the two of them.
Dean shook his head and turned away from Sam.
"No, no, no, no, Dean. You're my brother alright? So whatever weight you're carrying, let me help a little bit."
"I can't. I promised."
"Who?"
"Dad."
"What are you talking about?"
Dean looked down. "Right before dad died, he told me something." Dean took a breath and looked up at Sam. "He told me something about you."
"What? Dean, what did he tell you?" Sam said in confusion. He wanted to know what his father had told Dean.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
This is the end of Chapter 10. I hope that you enjoyed it. Please let me know what you think of it. I can tell you that Aeron will yell at Dean again. This time about how he treats her during the next episode, but I can't say which chapter it will be. Please if there is anything that you would like to see please let me know. Until next time.