Chapter 9: The Trips

Dean and I had to share a room. Sure, it was a mutual decision. I mean we had no clue how long we were going to be on the road together and didn't want to spend more then we had to. But after being in the car for hours and now having to share the same room was just really hard. He was always there, whenever I turned around, whenever I just wanted to scream out of frustration, there was ever a time when he wasn't there. And I couldn't stand it.

I don't think he knew that I knew this. But every night he would stay up and wait until he thought I was asleep. Then he would come over, lightly kiss me on the forehead and tell me he loved me.

I wanted to believe it, the part of me that used to scream for me to believe him was getting stronger and harder to control. The nightmares I had were so painful to even sleep through. They were all about realm, and how I was trapped, in them I would be running and have no place to go. My powers weren't working and I couldn't do anything.

My powers were still with me… I just hadn't used them because I didn't know if the Leaders could track them if I did. So I was keeping a low profile.

Okay so I had used a freezing spell once so far on Dean… but I was about to have a mental break down and I didn't want him to see. So once I was done screaming, and crying… I reversed it. He still didn't know.

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(Gabi's POV)

Sam and I planned to be gone for no more then three or four days. I thought getting away with just the two of us would be good. And maybe it was… but Sam was calling John practically on every hour. I tried to tell him that Ellie was fine, and it wasn't that he didn't believe me, it was just he hadn't wanted to leave her in the first place.

"You know, I think I like traveling with Dean and Annie better." I randomly said.

He laughed a little. "And why is that?" Sam asked.

"Well, we could normally shove driving off on one of them, and then we could sit in the back and sleep… or do other things together." I said remembering how our old road rules. Sam laughed a little bit harder.

"Yeah, and not only was making out with you incredibly fun… but watching Dean's face was always priceless." He said. I giggled.

'Yeah, and their sarcastic comments… good times right there." I told him shaking my head and smiling.

"Man, that really doesn't seem like that long ago does it?" Sam asked.

"Because it wasn't, I mean it was just a little over a year ago. A lot of things can change in a short amount of time." I said, my smile fading.

"You don't regret it do you? I mean we are happy right? With Ellie and our jobs and everything?" He replied. I looked at him and smiled softly.

"Of course we are happy! But I mean, a year in a half ago did either of us even think that by now we would have a kid, and an apartment and be out of school? I don't know, last year I still kind of felt like that kid fresh out of college with her dreams still floating around in her head and knowing she had time to make them all come true. But they all came true so fast… I mean, I had to grow up…" I said, a little sadly.

Sam grabbed my hand and I looked back up into his eyes.

"If you had to do one thing different what would it be?" He asked me. I thought about it for a second before I had an answer.

"You really want to know the truth?" I replied. He nodded and I sighed. "I kind of wish that we hadn't had Ellie until we were a little bit older and a little bit more settled. I know that wasn't really a choice because things just happen, and it she was a great thing to happen trust me, I don't regret it at all… But I just think that maybe if it had been a few years later that maybe we would have been more ready." I told him honestly.

"So you don't think we are ready now?" He asked. He wasn't mad or anything, just curious.

"I think we do our best, and our best is pretty damn good. But we still have a lot to learn." I said.

"I think your right." He said smiling.

We sat in comfortable silence for a while. Then Sam decided it was time to call John again.

I was driving by now. He got out his cell and called the number…. No answer. He tried again… no answer.

"What is it?" I asked.

"My dad isn't answering…" He told me.

"Well maybe he just took Ellie out or something and had his phone off." I said. He shook his head.

"His phone is never off, he only doesn't answer if something is wrong, he doesn't want us to find him, or he is hunting." Sam said with worry all over his face. I could tell it wasn't just about Ellie either.

"Well, try Dean… maybe he has heard from him." I requested.

He nodded and did as I said.

"Dean! Have you heard from dad?" Sam asked. He put Dean on speaker so I heard everything.

"No, not since yesterday afternoon when he gave me some leads on this Memorian thing why?" Dean asked.

"I just tried to call him a couple times and he didn't answer… he never does that." Sam said.

Dean laughed a little. "Maybe he is just sick of you calling every ten minutes! You know he can take care of her." He teased. I laughed a little, and Sam shot me a bad look. I tried to stop but it didn't help much.

"Something just doesn't feel right." Sam said. Then I knew he was serious.

"Sammy, don't worry. I am sure she is fine." Dean said… but now he didn't sound so sure either.

"It isn't just Ellie, it is dad to…" He said skeptically.

"If I hear from him I will let you know." Dean replied.

They hung up and Sam sighed.

"Everything is ok…" I said, getting a little bit worried myself. It was never good when Sam had strange feelings.

He closed his eyes and nodded slowly before getting his phone and trying to call John all over again.

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(Annie's POV)

Dean had just gotten off the phone with Sam and had a weird look on his face.

"Is everything ok?" I asked.

"I don't know… Sam is probably just freaking out over nothing." He said, obviously trying to shrug it off.

I nodded, figuring if Sam was freaking out it would be over Ellie and he very well could be overreacting.

Dean shook it off and came back over to where I was with my laptop.

"Do you have anything?" He asked. I shrugged.

"Well, in Kentucky there have been some weird things that go along the lines of Memorian's ways. Mostly with little kids and adults. There is actually a pretty big age gap." I told him.

"What are the specifics?" He replied.

"Basically, the little kids are forgetting who their parents are. Then freaking out because they don't know anything around them, after that they are going insane and doing strange things. Like trying to terrorize places and just being pretty bad. They are saying things kids there age shouldn't even know about, it is like feeding off their innocence… that is from about age five to age twelve. But that doesn't sound like Memorian. It is the adults that fit that profile." I said never taking my eyes off the screen.

"What is going on with them?" Dean asked.

"Well, after their kids forget about them and go insane, they are forgetting things like the fact that they are married, or the fact that they even had kids… basically this whole town has been screwed." I said.

"So we need to go to Kentucky?" He asked. I shook my head.

"No, that was a while ago. Memorian and whatever he is traveling with has moved on. I found these patterns…" I pulled out a map and showed him where I had been marking.

"These are the states he has been going to… it looks like they skip a couple then move on. Things stay quiet, then they move on again." I told him and I pointed to the states. Right now we were in Colorado, we thought it had been moving East. We were wrong.

"But by the looks of this, it looks like he is heading for California…" Dean said. Then his head shot up.

"Do you think he is already there?" I asked.

"Possibly…" Then he got out his phone and dialed. "Shit…" He muttered.

"What is it?" I said.

"Dad isn't answering his phone… Sam is right something is wrong. We have to go." He told me.

Within ten minutes we were out of there and headed back to California.

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(John's POV)

I had no idea what happened. One minute I was holding Ellie trying to get her to go back to sleep, then the next minute everything went black.

When I opened my eyes I heard my phone ringing. But my hands were tied to some kind of wooden pole above my head and I couldn't get to it.

My phone must have been a waking point for something else to… well two of them.

"Who the hell are you?" I asked the two shadows. It was a man and a woman. Shit, they were demons. I could tell by their eyes.

"I think you know what we are." The woman said. I looked back up at the man; he had something that I recognized… I stared for a while then I caught it.

Annie's eyes. Ever since she had gotten back the ocean deep blue that used to be in them had been drained into a pale, almost white and lifeless blue. But this guy had them.

"You're Memorian." I said harshly. He laughed.

"That would be correct… but how could you tell?" He asked cruelly.

"You're eyes. You don't just take someone's worst fear and make it true… you take something that expressed that feeling. Annie always had her expression through her eyes."

"Annie? Was she one of my victims? Were you in love with her?" This guy was curious.

"No, she is my daughter in law. And now she and my son are both suffering because of you." I told him.

"It happens." He said with out a care in the world.

I hadn't expected him to, he was a demon. Then I was hit with fear as I realized something important was missing.

"Where the hell is my granddaughter?" I asked. Both of them smiled cruelly.