Sam stuffed the last french fry in his mouth as they sped towards the mansion. "So the necklace is the key?"

Dean shook his head. "I don't think so. I'm hoping the exorcism is all we need, but I don't want to take any chances. I think we should destroy the necklace at the same time."

Sam nodded in agreement. "It was the link that brought Monica's spirit back. It could be tied to the demon as well."

Sam shook his head in confusion. "It still doesn't explain how the demon was brought back."

"It must have something to do with the fact that Dad and I had already vanquished her. That must have affected the spell somehow."

Dean took his eyes off the road long enough to glance over at Sam. "So, have you figured out which ritual to perform?"

"Well, seeing as we have a demon possessing a ghost, there really wasn't a clear precedent for this sort if thing. But I've narrowed it down to the one I think will do the trick."

"Too bad you can't send Monica a psychic telegram letting her know we're on our way." The irony of the situation hit him, and he let out a laugh. "I can't believe we're risking our lives based on a vision sent to you by a ghost. That's a new one, even for us."

Sam laughed along with him. "Yeah, well, stranger things have happened."

After a beat, both brothers looked at each other and spoke at the same time. "No they haven't."

Dean resisted the urge to yell "Jinx!" as the two brothers laughed together. It had been way to long since they had shared a laugh that wasn't at each other's expense.

Their laughter died as the mansion came into view. They lapsed into an uneasy silence as Dean drove the last hundred yards to the long winding driveway.

Sam stole a quick glance at Dean as Dean turned off the engine. The bandage had been removed, revealing a nasty two inch gash on his forehead. The swelling on his cheek had gone down, but the bruise from Sam's hard left hook still remained, as did Sam's guilt. Dean caught Sam staring at him and gave a guarded, "What?"

"You sure you're ok?"

Dean rolled his eyes as he leaned his head back. "Yes, Sam, I'm fine." he answered in a bored voice. It had taken Sam a long time to get over the guilt of shooting him at the asylum; Dean could only hope Sam would make peace with his actions quicker this time. Well, they could deal with that later. Right now, he had to get Sam's mind back into the mission. "You ready?"

Sam wanted to believe that he was, but so many questions kept nagging at him. "You sure we don't need to find the book Ashley used? We might get a few more clues from the spell."

Dean tried to keep his impatience in check. They'd already been over the "what ifs" and the "maybes". "No, Sam, I don't. Like I said before, I think our best bet is to bring Monica out and do the exorcism on her; vanquish the demon. Once it's gone, we can figure out what to do with Monica…if she even survives the exorcism."

"And you're sure this will work?" Sam asked with a hint of skepticism.

Dean threw his hands up in the air. "Of course I'm not sure! Whoever heard of doing an exorcism on a freakin' ghost?"

"Well then, don't you think it would be wise to get as much information as possible?"

It was at times like these that Dean felt a strong connection with his father. Dean had been a spectator to the fights between Sam and their father all his life. Without their dad around to spar with, Sam seemed to have set his belligerent sights on his older brother. Dean found himself facing the same determined questioning that his father had often faced. But he recognized that this particular confrontation was more about Sam doubting himself than Dean. He turned in his seat and looked Sam square in the eyes.

"I'll be completely honest with you. I don't know what's going to happen when we get in there. As far as I know, no one has ever encountered this before. You called all of Dad's contacts while I was at the Morgans' and none of them had any answers. But we both agree that the demon is the main threat here, right?" He waited for Sam to nod before continuing. "We've handled demons before; we know what to do. So get your stuff and let's do this."

You're not the only actor in the family, little brother, Dean thought to himself as his words held a confidence he didn't quite feel. But judging by the determined look in Sam's eyes, his words had give Sam the assuredness he had needed.

Hoisting a duffle bag over his shoulder, Dean spared Sam one final look before walking up the front stairs. "Try not to let Ghostie Girl get a hold of you again. Remember, Sammy…bro's before ho's."

"Jackass!" Sam yelled at Dean's back as he followed him into the house.

Sam shut the door behind him and joined Dean in the middle of the room. Bottles of holy water were clenched in the two Winchester's right hands, while Sam held his father's journal in his left. Dean looked gravely at his brother as he turned on the emf reader. "You stay with me. Got it?"

Understanding the multiple meanings behind those words, Sam simply nodded. After being attacked and taken over by the demon and ghost, respectively, he was sticking as close to Dean as possible. How ironic that he had finally gained his freedom from Dean's ever-watching eye, and now he wanted nothing more than to have his life-long protector keep watch over him and shield him from harm. When it came down to it, there was no one he'd rather have at his side than Dean. Wordlessly the two men made their way further into the mansion.

Sam began to climb the stairs. Most of the activity they'd encountered happened on the second floor; it was logical that they began their search there. Sam put the holy water under his arm and used his free hand to grip the railing. No way was he falling down the stairs a second time. His heart beat painfully against his bruised ribs as he reached the landing.

Dean began up the second flight of stairs, pausing when he noticed Sam still on the landing. He watched as Sam's slightly trembling hand brushed his brown hair out of his eyes as he looked up at the painting that loomed over him. His lips barely moved as he muttered something that Dean's straining ears couldn't quite make out.

"Sam?"

Sam backed up a step. "Yeah?"

"You coming?"

"Yeah." Sam repeated as he joined his brother on the stairs.

"What were you doing?" Dean asked.

Sam's cheeks began to turn red, this time only from embarrassment. "I was trying to talk to her; let her know we're here." He waited for the inevitable wisecrack to follow. But to his surprise Dean nodded.

"Good idea." Dean said. Sam shook his head. The day he figured out his older brother would be the surefire sign of the apocalypse.

They reached the top of the stairs and stood still, unsure of what to do next. Sam sensed his brother's eyes on him, but Dean quickly averted his gaze when Sam looked over at him. They continued their game several times before an exasperated Sam finally broke. "What!"

Dean shrugged his shoulders and began to walk down the long hallway. "Nothing."

Sam knew exactly what was eating at Dean, and he also knew there was no way Dean was going to admit it. Dean was scared. Somehow it gave him comfort knowing that his big bad older brother was just as terrified as he was.

"Dean, you getting anything?" Sam aimed the words at Dean's back.

"Nope." Dean called back. Dean wiped the sweat off his brow with the back of his arm. It was starting to get really warm, just as it had during the other attacks. He supposed that was a good sign. Glancing over his shoulder, he noticed that Sam was still at the beginning of the corridor.

"What part of 'stay with me' did you not comprehend?" he said as he turned all the way around. He had only taken four steps towards Sam when the lights on his homemade device began to glow bright red. He continued onward, holding up the detector for Sam to see. But judging by the anxious expression on his face, Sam didn't need to see it.

The closer he got to the end of the hallway, the louder the emf detector shrieked. As the brothers made their way back towards the master staircase, Sam whispered ominously, "They're here."