SHOUTOUTSANSWERS
Nicola Silvera (ch 1): Thanks. Hey, as long as you enjoy, don't worry about reviews. Thanks. Trade secret. I'd tell ya, but then I'd have to kill you. Thanks. I will.
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DISCLAIMER
Supernatural belongs to the WB, which will soon be the CW. Story has elements of the "Pilot" and "Provenance" episodes. Got information on black dogs from the Supernatural Gate site. Info will be showing up later. As I was working on this, I heard "Carry On My Wayward Son" by Kansas. How cool is that?
It was morning when the three had finally arrived in Jericho. Sam and Jessica got off the motorcycle and walked up to Dean.
"Now what?" Sam queried.
"Well, first off, I give you your stuff back," Dean answered.
"Really?" Sam questioned. Dean laughed at the look on his brother's face.
"Dude, you look like Christmas or your birthday just came early," he stated.
"Come on, man. Don't hold out on me. Give me my stuff," his younger brother urged.
"All right, all right, all right. Hold your horses," the older man said. He went to to the Impala's trunk and opened it. Once it was open, Dean started taking out various weapons, credit cards, and i.d.'s. One of the i.d.'s dropped and Jessica picked it up. To her surprise, it bore the name Brian Setzer.
"Whoa. Wha---what in the world?" she asked.
"Huntin' ain't exactly a pro-ball career," came the older man's response. Sam took the stuff given to him and went back to his bike.
"How is that all gonna fit?" his girlfriend questioned, opening the glove box.
"There's a button inside the back of the seat. Press it," he responded. Jessica did as she was told and was surprised to see a bigger compartment slide out. She watched as Sam carefully hung the weapons in their proper places. Then, he threw all but one of the credit cards and i.d.'s on the floor. Once he was finished, he pressed the button again, and the bike returned to what it previously looked like.
"Hey Dean, how you doin' on your cards?" Sam asked.
"I'm good," Dean answered. "Oh, and uh...all your cards are up-to-date and ready for usage," he continued.
"Mom and Dad think of everything," Sam noted.
"Yeah," Dean agreed.
"You guys run credit card scams?" Jessica asked in disbelief. She hadn't known that Sam's family was so shady. Just what had she gotten herself into?
"Hey, all we do is apply. It's not our fault that they actually send us the cards," Sam defended. Jessica stared in surprise. Sam was actually condoning this? He had always been such a straight arrow back in Stanford.
"So, you two comin' or what?" Dean asked.
"Yeah," Sam answered.
"Well, then hurry it up. We gotta find a hotel," Dean told him.
"So, uh...who gonna pay?" Jessica asked.
"Chris Harding, of course," Dean responded with a grin.
"But of course," Sam said with a similar grin. With that, they went to their respective vehicles and headed for the nearest hotel. Once they got there, they stopped and headed for the desk.
"You guys havin' some kind of reunion?" the desk clerk asked.
"What are you talkin' about?" Dean questioned.
"The other two---Nancy and Peter Harding. They rented out a room for a whole month," the man replied. Jessica was confused, but Sam and Dean seemed to know who the clerk was talking about. Seconds later, she stood outside watching as Sam picked the lock on the door. It opened and they walked in. Dean went over to the nightstand, picked up a hamburger, and sniffed it. The man recoiled at the stench.
"Don't think they've been here for a couple of days at least," he noted. Meanwhile, Sam had been looking around the room. Suddenly, he knelt by the bed.
"Sam? What is it?" Jessica asked.
"Salt. Cat's eye shells. They were worried. Trying to keep something out," Sam noted.
"What are you talking about?" Jessica wondered.
"Salt and cat's eye shells are spirit deterrents. But the salt has to be ring to be effective," Sam explained. He looked to his brother. "What do you think they were hunting?" he questioned.
"I don't know," Dean admitted.
"Well, how come you didn't go with them?" Jessica asked.
"I was workin' my own gig down in Texas," Dean replied.
"Mom and Dad let you go on a hunting trip by yourself?" Sam asked, almost disbelievingly.
"Dude, I'm twenty-six," Dean defended.
"Well, yeah, but after the whole carnival fiasco, I thought---" Sam began to say.
"Dude, that so wasn't my fault! How was I supposed to know the chick was gonna have friends?" Dean interrupted defensively. As Sam and Dean bickered good-naturedly, Jessica's eyes traveled to the walls. She bit back a gasp at the number of newspapers and photos that were pinned to the wall.
"Guys, check this out," she requested. Immediately, the argument stopped and the brothers joined the girl.
"Wow," Sam commented.
"I've said it before and I'll say it again: the man's a master," Dean murmured.
"Guess we know what they were hunting," Sam said.
"What?" Jessica asked.
"Black dog," Sam and Dean replied together.
AUTHOR'S NAME
Brian Setzer is the name of one of the guys in the band The Stray Cats. And don't worry. This isn't ending any time soon. There's gonna be lots of research from Sam, Dean, and Jessica, and a lot more action.