A/N: Sorry it took me so long to update! I had a kind of crazy weekend... And just a heads up, my computer's going kinda weird right now... it says I have to insert the Windows XP Service Pack disc, so that can't be good. So, I'm going to try and fix it... I might not be on for a while, depending on the sucess. Wish me luck!

Well anyway, to hold you over, here's that really long chapter I promised you! The songs used are "Enter Sandman" by Metallica and"Warning Sign" by Coldplay... I totally recommend listening to the latter while you read that part, it fits perfectly. :)

Mediatorsk: Haha, I love weird town names. But here's the best one of all... Mount Misery, New Jersey. Yep.

VisionGurl: Sorry to keep you hanging in "the suspense!" lol. Can't help it. :P

Oh, and because I'm such a music nerd, Dean's comment about the classic rock station where Angie used to live is true, in my opinion. She was situated somewhere in the area where you'd be able to here 105.7 The Hawk, which is the best classic rock station in NJ, in my opinion... unfortunately I'm too far south and can only get 103.7 The Shark... okay I'll shut up now. :P

...About the music, anyway. Another tidbit: Dean's comment about MythBusters is referring to an actual episode of that show... I remember seeing it and thinking, "wow, they're running out of legends to test." lol.

Last tidbit, I promise! OCD Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. "You're so OCD" is a phrase we use around here. Just so you know. And now, finally, the chapter!

CHAPTER FIFTEEN – SOMETHING REAL

"Anything?" Sam asked Dean as they walked along the railroad tracks, silently scanning.

"Nope," Dean replied.

"This is going nowhere," Sam complained.

"Well if I remember correctly, you were the one who was too much of a pussy to come here last night and just see this dude for yourself!" Dean reminded. A job this tedious and boring was bound to generate some nerves. Lucky, Sam just brushed it off. Winchester sibling rivalries were known to cause anything from a shouting match to a 1,000 mile separation.

"The only fluctuations I can get on the EMF are too small for anything to be able to stick with someone," Sam informed.

"We can't tell that for sure until we know exactly what we're dealing with," Dean reminded.

"Don't you think it would've been smart to consider all of this ahead of time, Dean?" Sam asked. "We're lucky Angela gave us some information. It's just chance that she's even here. You're not always going to be able to rely on others to tell you things."

Dean felt like retorting that Angela had been gone for an entire year and they'd done fine on their own. But Sam was sort of right. Because the legend was centered in New Jersey, he figured that Angela would be around to help. It just happened to be that he was right.

"Well, if you really think this is going nowhere, then I guess there's nothing we can do until the sun sets," he said instead.

"If we wait for the Hookerman tonight, how are we gonna protect ourselves? Just in case," Sam asked.

"We'll probably sit in the car and pour a ring of salt around it," Dean replied.

…………………………………………………………

So they did. And once the salt was in place, all they had to do was sit and wait. And wait. It was already almost eleven, and they hadn't seen anything but false alarms from headlights since nine.

"The classic rock station was so much better where Angela used to live," Dean complained as he turned off the radio, favoring his Metallica cassettes.

Exit light

Enter night

Take my hand

Off to never never land

They were about to give up and go back to the motel when they saw something in the distance. This glow was different than all the headlights that had fooled them before. It was higher off the ground, and indeed, it did look like a lantern someone was carrying. Dean and Sam remained absolutely silent as it drew closer and closer.

"Are we sure that salt works against all ghosts?" Sam whispered.

"No," Dean admitted.

"Perfect," Sam grumbled.

As soon as the light got close enough that it looked like they'd be able to see the person carrying it, it disappeared.

"This is what happens, remember?" Dean asked. "He's walking past us right now."

Sam took a flashlight and shone it around, looking for a sign of the Hookerman. It didn't take him long. Almost instantly, he came upon a gruesome figure. It looked like a walking corpse with only one arm and several deep wounds. In its remaining hand, it held an extinguished lantern. Both brothers jumped a bit when Sam had discovered him- they didn't expect the ghost to be so close to the car. Sensing the light on him, the Hookerman stopped and turned to face them. Dean and Sam sat perfectly still, waiting for when they'd have to get out their rock salt guns and defend. But to their surprise, he didn't attack. Instead, he just kept walking, the light coming back on as soon as he passed the car.

"That was really weird," Sam admitted. "Don't you think that if he wanted to attack us, he would've done it right then, when he had the chance?"

"He didn't seem like a poltergeist," Dean pointed out. "I wonder if he can interact with living people at all."

"Judging by what I got on the EMF… he can't. Too weak," Sam concluded. "Which means you led us almost 3,000 miles for a ghost that's not worth getting rid of."

"Hey, sorry. How was I supposed to know it was gonna be a dead end?" Dean asked. "If you ever watch MythBusters, most of the time they don't get the cool stuff either. It's all just what happens when you mix dog pee with baking soda."

"Whatever. I'd just like to go back to the motel, get as much sleep as possible from the night you wasted, and head on to something real."

………………………………………………

"Dean, are you gonna go to sleep or what?" Sam asked. "It's kind of creepy if you're just sitting in the corner like that."

Dean doubted that he'd be able to sleep, even if he got into bed. They were leaving the next day. He remembered what he'd concluded earlier- he'd have to talk to her sometime before they finished here, or he might not ever get to. He also remembered that it was going to be awkward. Dean took a deep breath.

"I'll be back in a little while. There's something I've gotta do," he announced.

"Where are you going?" Sam asked.

"Uh… over to Angela's," Dean admitted. "Depending on how early we start out tomorrow, we might not remember to give her back that cassette tape she left."

It was a pathetic lie, and he knew it. But for some reason, Sam bought it. It was probably because he was dead tired. All he said was, "Dude, you're so OCD."

Rather than stick around to find out what OCD meant, Dean decided to head out the door. While driving, he realized that it was already midnight. Everyone in town was sleeping. As he stopped the car and walked up to Angela's door, he hoped that she was still as much of a night owl as she had been a year ago.

A warning sign

I missed the good part, then I realized

I started looking, and the bubble burst

I started looking for excuses

He knocked on the door, and Angela answered. Luckily, she didn't look tired. "Dean, what are you doing here?" she asked. "Don't you have a ghost to catch?"

"Already taken care of," Dean replied.

"Really?"

"Well… we decided to let him be. He's not hurting anyone. Those kind of stories are false."

"I tried to tell you that…"

"Well, you know how stubborn I am," Dean joked. "Anyway, I came to give you this." He took Angela's Queen tape out of his pocket.

"So that's where this has been! Thank you," she said as she took it.

"You're welcome."

"So… you came out here in the middle of the night just to give me back one cassette?"

"Uh… well…"

Angela smirked. "Come inside." Dean obliged.

Come on in

I've gotta tell you what a state I'm in

I've gotta tell you in my loudest tones

That I started looking for a warning sign

"I got the late shift at the diner today. It just ended, so I was making dinner. You're welcome to have something, as long as you don't mind leftover take out," Angela offered.

"KFC mac & cheese. Sweet," Dean said as he snatched the styrofoam container.

"So…" Angela began. "What are you here for?"

When the truth is…

I miss you

Yeah, the truth is…

That I miss you so

Dean froze. What would he say? He began to chew his mouthful of macaroni at an increasingly slow rate. "Well…" he began, beating around the bush as much as possible. "I was just wondering… y'know… last time we saw each other, we kissed."

A warning sign

You came back to haunt me, and I realized

That you were an island and I passed you by

You were an island to discover

"And…?" Angela asked.

"And, so… how do you feel-"

"About you?" Angela concluded for him.

"Yeah," Dean replied awkwardly.

"Well… I like you, Dean. You're a really nice guy. If it wasn't for my mom last year, I probably would've stayed. But now, you travel all over the place, and I'm comfortable here. It wouldn't work."

"You could come with us," Dean offered once again.

Angela shook her head. "Sorry, Dean. I've had one too many sleepless nights to know that I'm done with that stuff. It was fun for a little while, but it's damn freaky, too."

"Okay," Dean replied, feeling slightly crestfallen. "Well…" he trailed off, giving up every attempt to make up some lie that he was fine with that. He knew that Angela could see straight through him.

Come on in

I've gotta tell you what a state I'm in

I've gotta tell you in my loudest tones

That I started looking for a warning sign

"You asked me how I feel about you…" she began. "…how do you feel about me?"

When the truth is…

I miss you

Yeah the truth is…

That I miss you so

And I'm tired

I should not have let you go

Dean froze again. Now what? Tell her about every time he'd tried to ask himself that same question? He sat there wide-eyed. "I… I…"

Without warning, Angela suddenly leaned over and kissed him. It was in that moment that Dean realized just how much he'd really missed her.

"I think I love you," he concluded. On the way over to her house, Dean had vowed not to be the sappy open-feelings guy. But now, he really didn't care. Perhaps he should've said that when he and Sam first came into town.

"I love you too, Dean," Angela answered. He pulled her into another kiss.

So I crawl back into your open arms

Yes I crawl back into your open arms

And I crawl back into your open arms

Yes I crawl back into your open arms…