Disclaimer: I still don't own Supernatural or its characters. I and am not making any money on this…I'm just having fun filling in the time until September!

Ghost Hollow

Chapter 8 – Lost and Found

Sam quietly opened the door and walked out into the night, his steps heading towards the source of the crying.

Sam knew that he couldn't walk the whole way and unfortunately he hadn't grabbed the keys form Dean. As he entered the parking lot, he decided that he'd have to borrow a car. After a few moments, he found a car with its door unlocked. It only took a few moments for him to hot wire the car and head off towards the bridge.

As Sam approached the bridge, he could feel the presence of Marie. This time though, Sam wasn't going to go onto the bridge. A part of him was fighting the influence of the ghost, but he couldn't resist the sobbing that seemed to fill his mind. "Marie, if you're here show yourself!" Sam called as he started to walk towards the hollow he had discovered the last time he came alone. The ground fog was thicker than usual as he entered the hollow. It wasn't long before Sam heard the sound of the horse, followed by the loud sobbing of the girl riding it.

Sam looked up as Marie appeared in front of him on the black stallion. Sam backed up, remembering the last time he had encountered the horse. He had no intention of getting too close to the horse's hoofs again. "Marie, my name is Sam. Why have you called me here?"

"You understand the pain Sam, the pain of not being with the one you love beyond life itself."

"Yes, I understand your pain, but I can help you if you let me. You don't need to kill anyone else Marie…let me and my brother help you!"

The young woman on the horse shook her head. "I've killed no one Sam…they have died by their own choice…as will you."

"What do you mean Marie…they chose to die? If so, I will never make that choice."

"You say that now, but it will change…it always does in the end I cannot stop it, but perhaps you may be the one…are you?" Marie's eyes had a sudden spark of hope in them before the despair filled them again.

"How can I stop this Marie…tell me!" Sam watched as the horse started to make signs that it was getting impatient. Marie appeared to be having trouble controlling her mount.

"Time is short Sam, I must leave before the dawn…follow me if you wish to help!" Marie turned the horse and headed back into the hollow.

Sam looked back towards the road. He really should go and get Dean, but then…he couldn't tell him any of this, assuming he'd even remember it. Sam sighed as he turned to follow the spirit further into the woods. As he walked, he tried to figure out a way that he could remember what he had learned…the conversation was important and he needed to tell Dean. As these thoughts entered his head, he once again began to experience pain.

"You cannot tell of your experiences Sam, it's not allowed. I am sorry, but only you can know what I show you." Marie had stopped and turned as Sam struggled to overcome the pain in his head once more.

"But my brother can help…why can't I tell him!"

"You may not speak of this to anyone Sam, it is how it has always been and how it must continue to be." Marie motioned for Sam to begin to follow her once more.

Sam shook his head as the pain began to slowly recede. As long as he didn't think about telling Dean, the pain seemed to subside. As Sam thought about what Marie had said, a slow smile started to form on his face. "Marie, you say I can't speak to my brother, but if he finds out on his own or by some other means than speaking…that is allowed?"

"I do not know Sam, I only know that you cannot speak to anyone about what you learn. Again it is not my rule, but the way it must be."

Sam nodded as a plan began to form in his mind. As he continued to follow the horse and the girl deeper into the woods, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his journal. As they walked, he started to write down what he had learned as well as a brief description of where he was going. As he wrote, he noticed that the pain in his head did not increase. He was merely jotting down things to remind himself later of what he had learned. The real test would come later…but he refused to think about that now.

After about 30 minutes of walking, the horse stopped and Marie looked at Sam. "This is where it began…of course the house was more grand in it's day. Papa would be so sad at what has happened to his home."

Sam looked around and could see the foundations of a building in front of him. If you looked carefully, you could see the outline of the outer buildings and even part of a stone wall that must have been part of a fence at some point. "So this is where you lived with your father?" Sam asked as he jotted down the location in his journal, along with a brief drawing of what he was seeing.

"Yes, this was my home…but no longer, I was placed to rest not far from here, up there on the hill I was laid to rest, but Barclay rests in another land. Even in death we are kept apart by impossible boundaries." Marie began to sob once more.

"Marie if you pass over, you may be able to join Barclay…why do you remain here?" Sam couldn't figure out why she was killing people. She didn't seem vindictive, only sad.

"I…I…Oh Sam, I can't tell you, but when you find out it will be too late for you." Marie grabbed onto the horses main as the animal began to rear once more.

Sam backed up as the horse advanced towards him. He couldn't understand why Marie was doing this, she seemed to want his help and yet she appeared to be coaxing the horse to trample him. "Marie, stop!" Sam yelled before he felt his foot trip on the corner stone of the foundation. Before he could stop himself, he fell into what probably was the cellar of the house. His last thought before losing consciousness was that his brother would never find him here.

Marie reigned in the horse and slowly vanished into the morning mist. "Why must it be this way?" She asked as her cries could once more be heard on the wind.

oooooooooooooooooooooooo

Dean woke with a start as he heard a commotion outside the window of the motel. Crawling out of the bed, he assumed that Sam was in the bathroom. He noticed that his brother had left his laptop open and had marked a map with some information on the table. Deciding he could investigate that in a moment. He went to the door and opened it to see what was going on. He saw the police car at the motel office and an upset man talking to the motel manger and the police.

A number of people were standing around the police car talking. Luckily Dean was still dressed from the day before, he quickly pulled on his boots and grabbed his jacket as he walked towards the office. "So, what's going on?" He asked a pretty young woman near the back of the crowd.

"There was a car stolen from the parking lot last night…boy that man is sure mad. I'd hate to be the one who took the car!"

"Do they have any idea who it was?" Dean asked as a funny feeling started to hit him in the stomach.

"No, the police think it was probably some kid going for a joy ride. I'm glad I kept my car locked last night."

"Yeah, me too." Dean said as he turned and headed back to the motel room. As he entered the room, he headed for the bathroom and opened the door. "Sammy, sorry but I…." Dean's mouth dropped open as he realized that his brother wasn't in the room.

"Damn it Sammy, not again!" Dean said as he slammed his fist onto the table. He now knew who had taken the car. It wasn't bad enough that his brother had gone missing, but now the police would be involved.

Dean grabbed his keys and headed for the Impala. He figured he might have a few minutes head start before the cops started to search for the car. He just hoped that Sam hadn't left it in plain sight.

A few minutes later, Dean's worst nightmare was confirmed. Just before the bridge sat the stolen car and no Sam in sight. Dean decided that he better take care of the car issue first. The last thing he needed was for Sam to get arrested. Although, maybe he should let him spend a few nights in jail…at least then he wouldn't be able to disappear on his big brother.

Dean quickly got behind the wheel of the car and drove it down the road, parking it on the main street in plain view. He hoped that the cops would find it and figure that whoever had taken it was long gone. Dean then carefully wiped the car down to make sure that there were no prints from him or his brother in the car. Taking a quick look around to make sure he wasn't seen, Dean began to jog back up the road towards Ghost Hollow.

Dean walked out onto the bridge and stared fearfully into the water below. He hoped that Sam hadn't taken another dive into the river. But not seeing his brother, he decided to try to follow the river bank for a bit and then circle back into the forest to the hollow he had found the other day. Dean was deep in thought as he walked along the bank of the river, he kept looking into the woods, hoping to spot his brother. Dean wondered how long Sam had been out here. It was mid-morning now which meant it was probably at least 5-6 hours that Sam had been missing.

If Dean didn't find a way to get rid of this ghost soon, he'd have to resort to tying his brother to the bed or go without sleep…neither option being one that he was looking forward to. "Damn it Sammy…where the hell are you!" Dean thought for the hundredth time since he found Sam missing this morning. As Dean rounded a bend in the river, his heart stopped as he saw a figure laying on the bank in the distance. "SAMMY!" Dean yelled as he ran towards the figure.

But there was no answer from the unmoving form on the bank.

TBC

Raven524: Here is the bonus chapter for the day…or an early posting as it is now actually Monday here. I hope you all enjoy it!