A/N: (Singing) I don't own them, I don't own them, the car can be fixed, I still don't own them. All I'll say about the season ender is that it was awesome (think I echoed someone there).
A/N 2: Thanks for the reviews, even through the site problems (I was going nuts not being able to log in), Ghostwriter, Beautiful Ally, and Kaewi. It makes my day :) Hope the first part isn't too confusing, it jumps in timing through the night.
Dean swore as the body bumped against the ground, then looked around guiltily. All was silent, and the first faint streaks of dawn were making their way across the sky. It had been a long night. He'd picked his way easily into the museum, and thanked whatever stars were smiling on him that the law-abiding town hadn't installed state of the art security. First he'd swept the so-called mummies with the EMF meter, but it only registered a low reading. 'So the kids' ghosts aren't active.' he thought.
He'd managed to carefully bring each small body one at a time to the back of the Impala, which had a sheet (stolen from the last motel) and a few towels (also taken from a motel, but a different one) covering the seats and floor. He carefully wrapped each one in another sheet and placed them gently in the car, covering them with a blanket in case of any passers-by. He debated about leaving a note in the now empty display area, but what could he say? "Sorry for taking the bodies, they're buried back in the field where they belong, don't move them again or more hikers will go missing."?
He figured that the museum officials would probably check the dig site again anyway as a possibility, but hopefully not until after he had Sam back and had dealt with the ghost. He was determined that there would be no more disappearing hikers. Lacking a better plan at the moment, he thought he would rebury the ghost's kids where she had put them and see if she showed up, preferably with her newest victim.
He'd swung by the park on his way to the field, and saw flashing lights. Pulling to the side of the road, still in the cover of darkness, he got out of the car and sneaked closer, seeing an ambulance and police car. The kindly older park official was talking animatedly to the officer, and two paramedics were busy checking out two bedraggled-looking people, a man and a woman. They looked sort of familiar, and suddenly Dean realized that they were the couple from the photo, Josh and Marie. They looked relatively okay for being missing for a week.
He grunted, and backed quietly away, getting back into his car. So the ghost had returned the others, and now only had Sam. If it followed its schedule, he would see Sam again in a week. That was a week too long. And Dean had a sneaking suspicion that somehow his brother might end up being a permanent replacement for the ghost's dead kids. Knowing the Winchester luck at these things, if he didn't do something to get Sam back then he might not see his brother again. That was simply not an option. So he drove to the field, got the bodies out of the car, brought them to the fence, and while holding one of the sheet-wrapped bundles climbed halfway up and then tossed it over. After the third body hit the ground he went back and grabbed his pack and then hoisted himself over the fence.
Sam groaned and shivered, blinking himself back awake. He'd tried to stay alert talking to the ghost but had become too drowsy. At least his head didn't hurt as much and neither did his shoulder. He looked around but the cave, which he now realized had to be the bear's den, was empty. The bear's massive presence no longer filled the area, and Sam cautiously stretched, unkinking his muscles. He closed his eyes and concentrated, trying to hear if the bear was nearby, but all was silent. Opening his eyes, he slowly got on his hands and knees and crawled to the entrance, feeling a sense of déjà vu.
The sun was gradually starting to rise and Sam looked around, trying to determine which way to go. The sound of running water drew him, and he walked until he saw the stream. He bent down, cupping his hands and splashing his face. He took a drink, careful not to have too much, and then gasped as the familiarity of the area hit him. He recognized this stream from his nightmare about the bear cubs.
If he remembered right from his quick glance at the map of the park, which seemed so long ago now, the stream should lead him not far from the welcome center. Walking slowly and trying not to make much noise, he started out, and then froze when he heard the bear's grunting.
Keeping in mind what happened the last time he ran, he turned and saw the bear. It was carrying something in its mouth towards the den. It stopped when it viewed him and dropped the object, which from Sam's vantage appeared to be a rectangular filled wrapper. 'Granola bar' he thought. He swallowed, and slowly sat down, knowing he wasn't going to get away.
"Dean, I hope you're okay and you've got a plan. I could use your help here bro." He muttered under his breath.
Dean had finally managed to bring all the bodies to the dig site and proceeded to place them back in their former resting places. He carefully tamped dirt back around the last little form and wiping off his hands he surveyed his work. The sun was rising in the sky and he hoped that the ghost would be by soon. Maybe it would leave Sam where it had left the hikers when it returned them. 'Not the best plan in the world, but hey, it could work.' He thought.
He waited, and waited some more. The sun rose steadily. It wasn't working.
"Shit. Guess I have to do this again."
He really didn't want to have to torch the kids' bodies, the museum would honor their memories, but stopping the ghost and saving his brother came first. Maybe he could fake the ghost out.
He squirted some lighter fluid near the flags on the dirt wall, having left them in when he reburied the little forms. Flicking on the lighter he'd brought, he moved it closer to the fluid.
"Here ghostie ghostie! I'm about to torch your kids unless you return my brother. How about a trade?" he called aloud.
He waved the lighter in front of the flags.
That's it for now, hope to have more up soon. How are we ever going to make it through four long months wondering what happens on the show? Thank goodness for fanfiction!