Net Knots Chapter 15, a supernatural fanfic

Disclaimer etc, see Chapter 1

NET KNOTS

Chapter 15

The next page came up with the payment form for the fifty dollars. Sam came and leaned over, typing a code in the lines so Dean didn't have to 'pay' the fee, ignoring his brother's sarcastic "'Why, thank you so very much'" with the effortless ease of a lifetime's practice.

Dean watched incredulously as Sam typed in…"Peanut M&Ms?"

Huge smug grin across Sam's face as he mock-cooed, "What can I say, you're my inspiration."

Dean's eyes narrowed. "Watch it, Geek Boy, or I'm gonna lay some big brother smack-down on your ass."

If anything Sam's grin got bigger. "Dude, you haven't been my big brother since I had that growth spurt at thirteen."

Nice one, Sammy, but… "Sammy, Sammy, it's not size that matters, it's what you do with it that counts!" Dean leered in a grotesque parody of licentiousness, "and you didn't have that growth spurt until you were fifteen."

Gotcha…Sam didn't try to hide his broad smirk as he shot back, "Dude, I wasn't talking about my height."

Dean scrunched up his face in an expression of disgust as he caught on to what anatomy Sam was referring to. "Ugh, ack!"

Sam laughed aloud, almost bouncing slightly on the bed with delight at having got one over on his elder brother.

Enjoying the brief levity, Dean turned back to where the page had skipped the payment and was on the personal information page. Equally as unfussy as the previous pages, this was a plain white page again with larger than normal black type, less threatening than the previous 'wasp yellow'. The page was pretty standard, 'Name, date of birth, occupation, nationality, ethnicity' and so forth.

Under 'title' it asked for any designation such as Reverend, Cardinal, Major, Professor; at the bottom it asked the enquirer YES or NO if they were a practising member of any religious belief system and if so, what.

Rapidly typing in the bare minimum of information, Dean clicked for the next screen, which consisted of different bold-headed sections and those little radio buttons you could click on to make a choice. Quickly he scanned the instructions and options:

Please look at the choices below. Read each one carefully and then pick the one that most applies to your problem. Is your paranormal problem about:

PEOPLE (for Animals, see Next Section):

Yourself

Blood-related family member living in your household (e.g., son, sister)

Non-blood-related family member living in your household (e.g., wife)

Non-blood-related non-family household resident (e.g., lodger, servant)

Blood-relative not living in your household (e.g., child, sibling, cousin)

Non-blood-relative not living in your household (e.g., father-in-law)

Divorced/separated spouse or partner

Friend

Workmate or work colleague (not your superior)

Schoolmate or fellow pupil/college student attending same institution

Person of direct authority over you OR the person with the paranormal problem – e.g., schoolteacher, employer, supervisor, manager

Person of indirect authority over you OR the person with the paranormal problem – e.g., local sheriff, bank manager, Federal official

Neighbour (next-door)

Neighbour (next-door-but-one, across the street, etc)

Local citizen of your town

Other person, please specify:

"Wow." Dean sat back.

"What?" Sam asked anxiously.

"I just…" Dean gestured towards the list, which was exactly the sort of detail he and Sam often needed yet struggled hard to get.

The sort of paranormal nasty the Winchesters might end up facing often varied enormously depending on the sex, age, race, religion and personal lifestyle of the individual being targeted.

Many supernatural entities 'went for' teenagers because adolescence made them much more prone to emotional distress. Likewise women, because women were more in tune with their emotions – than, okay, I'll admit it, insensitive guys – whereas men tended to be more oblivious to the poltergeist in the corner trying to get their attention. Anyone going through a personal trauma, such as a divorce or bereavement, was also a prime candidate.

"Dean, it needs to be detailed –"

"I know, Sam, that's what I'm trying to say," Dean interjected with a lot more gentleness than he usually allowed himself to demonstrate. "I thought this website was something you'd knocked together in thirty minutes."

He didn't verbalise the you've obviously put a lot of work and thought into it but the words hung in the air and Sam's cheeks flushed slightly with happiness at this approval.

Continued in Chapter 16…