Disclaimer: I still don't own Supernatural or its characters and am not making any money on this…I'm still just having fun!

Home Sweet House

Chapter 5 – House Hunting

Dean and Sam continued to review the materials that they had taken from Nick's house. As it turned out Nick had done quite a bit of research on the area, including the house that Dean had been told about in the bar. As the sun crept into the windows, Sam yawned and stretched. He smiled as he heard the familiar grumble of his brother's stomach.

"Well, from what I can see here, Nick was more interested in the strangelights that had been seen by local residents, especially around this time of year. The lights of course are probably trapped souls. I think our friend Nick was trying to figure out why they were trapped so he could help them cross over."

"Wait…so he goes looking for lost souls and tries to banish them? Sounds like he may also be a hunter…Dad told me there were others out there, I just never thought we would meet one" Dean suppressed a tired yawn as he headed to get another cup of coffee.

"Not banish Dean…Listen…here is an entry he made in his journal" Sam turned to a page in the tattered book and began reading:

"I heard about another house in a small town in Pennsylvania today from a woman who used to live in the town. She told me about the strange lights that appeared in the house at night. From the sound of it, there may be more than one soul trapped in the house…will leave tomorrow to see what I can do to help them…"

Sam paused and looked up at Dean "So, he helps these things…how Sammy?"

"Well, it looks like he has the ability to speak to spirits…he finds out why they are still on this plane of existence and then helps them move on. His journal is loaded with stories of spirits that he has helped…most by helping them tie up lose ends with family and friends…it doesn't look like he deals with our usual kind of customers."

"Hmmm…that makes sense…one of the girls the other night mentioned that he had spoken to her dead brother…appears her brother wanted to make sure she knew that what ever happened was not her fault…so you think he is the real deal Sammy?"

Sam thought back to his visions and shook his head. "Yeah, Dean, if what I saw in my vision is accurate…I think he is the real deal."

Dean stopped and glanced at Sam "You know, even with all this stuff, there really isn't any information that would point to what we are dealing with here. What say we take a quick break and grab a bite to eat…there was a restaurant just down the road."

"Sure Dean…maybe we can stop in at the county records on the way back…I'd like to check the ownership on the property…it doesn't look like Nick was able to get much in the way of history, other than what was mentioned in the newspaper articles and the interviews he conducted. All of which point to some kind of haunting…but nothing specific."

Dean grabbed his keys as Sam followed his brother out into the brisk morning air. "You know Dean, why don't we just drive by the house…maybe we can see something that Nick missed."

"Good idea Sam...we can do that right after we stop to check out the county records!"

After a quick meal, both brothers were on their way to the county clerk's office. Dean went in ahead of Sam, smiling at the young woman at the front desk.

"May I help you?" she asked politely.

"You sure can honey, my brother and I are looking to buy some property in this area to set up a bed and breakfast…we have an address here that we would like to pull the county records on." Sam smiled as he watched his brother charm the young girl into giving them access to the records they needed. She led them back into a large room and pointed to the place where they could get what they wanted. The young girl blushed as Dean winked at her, carefully folding up a small piece of paper and placing it in his pocket.

"Dude…do you ever turn it off?"

"What…I got us in didn't I?"

Sam laughed as he headed to find the logs they would need. An hour later, Sam closed the book he was reading and rubbed his eyes. "So, it looks like the home has had a number of owners over the years…all of which died in a mysterious manner according to the death certificates. The first owner listed was a woman call Marie Whitfield…the house appears to be over a hundred years old, one of the first built in the town as a matter of fact. The weird thing is, I couldn't find either a birth certificate or a death certificate for her in the county records…it's almost like she didn't exist."

"Let me guess…next stop the library?" groaned Dean. "How about you do the library thing while I check out the house?"

It was agreed that Sam would get what he could from the local library. Dean would pick him up in an hour out front. Dean smiled as he pulled away from the library…he always enjoyed this part of the hunt…checking out the territory.

ooooooooo

Dean pulled up in front of the old house, pausing to check out the neighborhood. The house was located at the top of a hill on a massive estate. Driving through the front gates, Dean noticed that like many homes of that era, there was a small cemetery plot…complete with a Mausoleum. Dean was surprised at the activity he saw going on at the old house, until he remembered that the Halloween Ball would he held here later this evening. Getting out of the car, Dean decided to take a quick look inside. Walking up the overgrown sidewalk, Dean couldn't suppress the shiver that ran up his spine. He might not have Sam's gift of detecting supernatural things, but he had his hunting skills…and they were telling him something wasn't right about this house.

Dean calmly walked into the front hallway, noticing the large ballroom off to one side. It looked like that would be the site of the party tonight. A large cleaning crew was hard at work. Dean frowned when he looked up and saw the empty chain that at one time may have held a chandelier. He went to stand under the chain and looked down on the ground. He could have sworn he saw blood stains on the old marble flooring. As he bent down to look closer he was startled by a hand placed on his shoulder.

"Can I help you with something young man?" A rather large older woman was standing behind Dean holding a clip board in her arms.

"Ah no…I just heard about the party tonight and wanted to check it out…is it true what they say…is this house really haunted?" Dean gave her his best smile.

"Of course not…we've been having the Halloween Ball here for years and never had any problems…but you can't beat the atmosphere!"

"But one of the girls I met mentioned there were deaths here about 6 years ago…was it during the party?"

"Pshaw…just rumors, no one actually saw those people die here in the house…they just turned up missing and were presumed dead…no bodies were ever found. I personally think that they just left town…after all, they were all people who had recently come to town or were from neighboring towns…they were just passing through and heard about our little party." The woman yelled at one of the workers to make sure all the windows were cleaned before she continued.

"You are more than welcome to attend…there is no fee, but contributions are accepted. All money earned goes to local charities…this event is one of our biggest money makers."

"So how long have you been doing this?" Dean asked as he watched the workers opening the massive shutters.

"Oh about 20 years now…before that the owners of the property would sponsor the Halloween Ball…I believe the parties go way back to the first owner of the property…so you see, if it was haunted, wouldn't we know about it by now?"

"I guess so" Dean said as he checked his watch. Obviously, he wouldn't be able to do much looking around with all these people. "Well, I guess I better let you finish with your preparations…maybe I will stop by this evening…what time did you say it starts?"

"The party starts with cocktails at 6:00…the only requirement is that you come in costume…we even have a small prize for best costumes, so be creative!" The woman smiled as she headed off to direct the workers in another task.

Man I can't wait until Sammy finds out thought Dean with glee…I can't wait to see what he does when he finds out he has to wear a costume!

ooooooooo

In a darkened cell, the lonely figure of a man lay unconscious. He could not hear the sounds of activity going on above him…he wasn't even aware of the single white orb that was sitting beside him…keeping a silent watch.

TBC

Raven524: ok…the scene is set and I've given the boys a little rest during this one (well sort of…visions excluded). But of course, that won't continue for long…Thanks for the reviews…if you want more, just keep them coming!