Chapter 1

The long awaited sequel to Nightmare Beyond the Song and Gamechanger is finally here. For those of you who haven't read those, go right ahead and do so, otherwise this might be a little hard to follow. This takes place two years after the events in Gamechanger which would mean it sort of takes place in season 14. Well, that is, it takes place timewise in season 14, but does not follow the events of season 14 at all (yeah, I'm one of those people, season 14 offered us two brilliant episodes – Prophet and Loss and Lebanon, but otherwise, the rest of the plotlines that had potential were wrapped up too quickly, too neatly, and too disappointingly. Not to mention enough plotholes to last a lifetime). So there will be no Dean being possessed by Michael (I loved the idea, but they could have done so much more with it), no AU hunters (look, I liked Sam as a leader and Dean's proud looks of "look at my kid how he's grown", but the Bunker was getting hella crowded) and no un-possessed (de-possessed?) Nick (which was far-fetched even by Supernatural standards). Right…I hope I haven't alienated all of you with this rant. Just look at the story as an AU that takes place within the reality created by Nightmare and Gamechanger

A few more notes at the end

Elias Tahtinen was wrapping up things backstage at the venue of their future concert. The rehearsals were going well, better than he had expected. Of course, him being a Hunter's son and all, he always expected the worst. He just knew how to keep that hidden from others. Most of the time. Helmi, for example, had no trouble seeing right through him.

Movement behind him had him swirling round. His tense shoulders slumped when he realized he knew the younger man standing before him. His new bassist. Elias would have to get used to him.

"Reijo," he said. "I thought you'd gone home. In fact, I told you guys to scarper home, didn't I?"

"So you did," Reijo admitted. "I was a little…you know, it's just nerves. The tour is starting soon and I've got big shoes to fill."

Elias smiled tightly.

"Don't think of it as filling any shoes but your own. If things go wrong, people are gonna blame me more than they'll blame you. They probably should, too."

In truth, Elias blamed himself. His former bassist, Pekka, had decided to leave a band with a very It's not you, it's me attitude that he was definitely willing to broadcast to the public as well. Elias suspected it had to do with what had happened two years ago – their encounter with Piru in America followed by Elias' revelation about things that go bump in the night. And that he wasn't exactly who he had claimed to be. Oh, his bandmates had been understanding of Elias' secrets, but it was not only the fact that he had secrets from them in the first place as much as what those secrets had revealed: a world of monster and demons and uncertainties. Some took it in their stride – like Helmi. Others – not so much.

"Seriously," he repeated to Reijo. "Go home. Get some rest. See you at another round of rehearsals tomorrow."

Reijo watched his bandmember thoughtfully.

"What about you? You look on edge."

Elias nearly gave him a quip about always being on edge. Then he shrugged.

"I can't shake this feeling that something bad's gonna happen."

Reijo's face was blank.

"Bad like the start of the tour promoting our new album is going to suck big time or bad as in doom and gloom kind of thing?"

Reijo was part Sami and his grandfather had been a shaman. He had grown up knowing about what's out there. He knew about Hunters and about the supernatural – maybe more than even Elias knew.

"Just bad," Elias said at length. "It's hard to explain."

Reijo smiled understandingly.

"Maybe it's just nerves," he suggested. "You should consider your own advice, you know? About going home to rest and all that."

Elias waved that aside. The ringing of his phone interrupted their talk. He answered and had one of the most surreal and devastating conversations of his life. When he switched off the phone he was dazed. He allowed himself to sit down heavily in a chair.

"What's wrong?" Reijo asked concerned.

Elias shook his head.

"That was…well it's about Pekka."

Reijo tilted his head.

"He…wants his old job back?" he asked uncertainly.

Elias' heart clenched.

"He doesn't want anything anymore. He's dead."

Reijo went to sit next to him.

"Dead?" he repeated stunned.

Elias nodded. The world had taken on an unreal quality.

"He was found in his apartment. The police are saying…it looks like an animal attack."

Reijo raised his eyebrows.

"Pekka lived full smack in the center of Helsinki."

Elias didn't answer, staring into space.

"I suppose you were right. Something bad's coming. Or it's here already. What are you going to do?"

Elias got up and strode to the table. He fiddled with his phone.

"I'm going to get help," he announced briskly.

xxxXXXXXXxxxxxx

Sam walked down the bunker steps surprised it was all so quiet. Dean had been gone to help out Jody with some hunting thing, but he was supposed to be back that day. If it had been anything serious, he would have called Sam. Dean had promised and he had been serious about keeping his promises lately. A lot of things had happened for either of them to be flippant about such things anymore.

Sam sat down in the empty library thinking about calling Dean. People might call him strange – people had, plenty of times and often to his face – but three days away from his brother had him climbing walls. It was as if this tight coil of anxiety fixed itself around him whenever Dean was out of Sam's sight. Of course, given Dean's tendency to get into trouble, given all that had happened, Sam was firmly convinced he had every right to be nervous.

It wasn't even only that – not entirely. The truth was, Sam had long realized he himself felt safer when Dean was around. It wasn't that he still thought Dean could fix everything – he wasn't five anymore, after all. But he was more grounded in reality when he was with Dean. He could avoid thinking about Lucifer, or his stint with the British Men of Letters, or Luohi. Dean sometimes felt like a wall to Sam, not entirely blocking every bad memory that Sam had, but still making sure not too much darkness slipped through the cracks.

Sam shook his head, huffing. If Dean heard him saying that he'd probably call him a girl and ask if he needed his hair braided. He'd be secretly pleased, though, Sam knew that. Perhaps he could risk the teasing and let Dean know. If he got back soon, that was. Otherwise Sam intended to give him a lecture about not calling when running late first.

He allowed himself to sink into the chair, closing his eyes. There was some cataloguing to do. He had actually gone to pick up some ancient parchments that had ended up in a garage sale of all places and that were supposedly stock full of summoning spells that could unleash plagues and locusts and all the other fun stuff. In the wrong hands, they could do a lot of damage, so Sam had gone to make sure no one got to them. He still had to check them out and see if they were indeed genuine. Still, he was feeling drowsy after the ride to the Bunker and not really in the mood to work. He closed his eyes.

The sound of something in the room had him instantly on the alert. He woke up, his hand on the knife he always kept with him.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. After all, you do owe me."

Sam gasped. He found himself face to face with a familiar figure. He had not seen her in two years – and he had secretly hoped she had forgotten him. And yet, here she was again.

"Mielikki."

She smiled, her eyes twinkling.

"You have not forgotten my third favor, have you, Sam Winchester?"

"Actually, I was hoping you'd forgotten," Sam answered honestly.

Mielikki's smile was tight.

"That's not how it works and you know it. I said I would come to you when I needed you. I might need you now."

Sam smiled coldly.

"How are things working out for you since I've killed Luohi?" he wanted to know. "Are you higher on the food chain now?"

Mielikki shook her head.

"That is not what it was about. Luohi had to be stopped. She was one of us, we were close once, but she had to be stopped. Sometimes, this is how things have to go."

Sam shrugged.

"If you say so. What do you want?"

She sat down across from him. Sam frowned. That was Dean's chair. He nearly told her – but he was sure she knew.

"Your friend from Finland," she began. "Elias Tahtinen."

Sam raised his eyebrows.

"If you want me to kill him I think we need to have a discussion about boundaries."

For the first time, Mielikki was starting to look irritated.

"Of course not. That is the last thing I would ask. Elias is in trouble."

Sam felt himself grow cold. Elias and Helmi had promised that they would stay away from hunting. Actually, Dean had made them swear that. As far as Sam knew, they had kept their end of the bargain. Apostles of Shadow had recently released a new album and were about to start a promotional tour. Any problems they had were of a real-world nature and not supernatural.

"What are you talking about, Mielikki?"

"A friend of his," Mielikki went on. "Pekka. He died tonight. Cut down by hiidet."

Sam shook his head in denial. He had spoken to Pekka only once, during the case with Piru in Gatlinburg. Otherwise, he knew about the controversy of him leaving the band right after the recording of the new album, but that was that.

"Pekka went as far away as he could from Elias, if rumors are true. Why would he be dead? Why would the hiided want him?"

Mielikki's face was blank.

"I am telling you only what I know. It happened tonight. No one has found out about this yet. But Elias will soon. And he'll call you. He'll ask for your help."

Sam shook his head.

"Even if it did happen, what can I do? I'm thousands of miles away. Europe has its own Hunters. Especially now that the British Men of Letters have backed off a bit."

The look on Mielikki's face told him it would not be that simple.

"They will ask for your help," Mielikki insisted. "And you will give it to them."

The way Mielikki was talking about what he would do, completely convinced of how things would go irritated Sam to no end.

"Is this your third favor?" he challenged.

"It will lead to it," Mielikki admitted. "But I will come to you at another time and tell you more about it."

Sam ran a weary hand through his hair.

"Look," he began reasonably. "Maybe you can pop in all over the place in the blink of an eye, but I don't know if you've noticed that Finland is not exactly next door. How am I supposed to get there? You'll – what? – zap me there yourself?"

"Of course not," Mielikki said dryly. "That would mean you'd owe me another favor. It's up to you how you get there. But I am afraid you have to get there, Sam Winchester. There's no way around it."

There never was. And Sam really did not want to know what would happen if he did not give Mielikki what she wanted. One thing he was certain of, though. He would not be able to do this alone.

"I do have one condition," he said.

Mielikki looked surprised by his daring. She tilted her head, frowning slightly.

"Conditions, Sam Winchester? I saved your brother's life. You promised me three favors – you still have one left. I do not see how conditions enter into this."

"Normally they shouldn't," Sam admitted. "But I know you. I know the conditions you put to me the last time. It can't be like it was then. I might be able to keep it secret from the rest of the world – but not from Dean. Dean comes with me and Dean knows of your involvement. We do this together, you understand me?"

Something flickered in Mielikki's eyes. It was not surprise, though. If Sam did not know better, he would say he was actually playing right into her hands.

"Dean comes with you," Mielikki agreed. "There is no need for subterfuges now, anyway."

Sam was about to ask her what she meant. However, something in Mielikki's stance told him she would not tell him anything else, not yet, at least. He nodded tiredly. What else could he do? He had bound himself to her, after all, she was right about that. He had done it to save Dean, but he had known she would not leave him alone, not until her final favor was done.

"I will come to you later, then," Mielikki said. "When the time is right."

She was gone and Sam leaned his hands against the table, taking a shaky breath. There was something in all this he did not like. Things were about to get complicated again.

The sound of the bunker door opening had him nearly jumping out of his skin. He knew the firm steps, though, and he took a deep breath, feeling finally settled.

"Sam?" Dean asked walking into the room. "You home already?"

He stopped when he noticed something in Sam's face. He frowned.

"What is it?" he asked, the sharpness in his voice belying his concern. "What happened?"

xxxxxxxXXXXxxxx

"Sam, what the hell?"

Dean had never been one for subtleties, bless him. True, Sam could see his brother had learned to rein in his temper over the years, but there were some things that still got on Dean's nerves, several deaths and almost as many apocalypses behind them. There had been no way for Sam to break the news to him gently – or, maybe, Sam would have found some way, if Dean had not spotted him so soon after Mielikki had left, when Sam was still trying to regain his composure. Like this, Sam got the complete unfiltered and uncensored Dean Winchester experience – the one where it was hard to tell if Dean was giving in to anger, mistrust, or concern – or maybe all three at once.

"No, really, Sam," Dean went on, deciding to vent everything he had on his only available target. "Do you even know what you've agreed to?"

Sam huffed, exasperated.

"Right now, only to go to Finland – and investigate a suspicious death."

Dean shook his head.

"Sam, we don't even know that Pekka's dead."

"Mielikki says he is."

Dean huffed, as if to show what he thought of Mielikki and people who took her words at face value.

"She's never lied to me, Dean," Sam pointed out. "I mean, yeah, she's keeping me bound by this third favor, but I don't think it's in her nature to lie. Pekka's dead."

"This isn't about Pekka," Dean said. "This is about Mielikki and her ridiculous request to you."

Sam ran a weary hand over his face.

"Dean, I owe her a favor. There's no way around that. If I don't do what she asks…"

He stopped and swallowed harshly. He sensed Dean's eyes on him and he knew his brother's anger had vanished from his face. Sam still did not want to look at him. Not now when he was feeling so vulnerable.

"Sammy, she might not do anything to me," Dean said, his tone suddenly devoid of his previous hard edge. "Not that I would put her past her, but she might not be able to. It's been two years, Sam. A lot has happened since then."

Sam's hands clenched.

"I have to do this," he said. "This third favor, it's been hanging over my head all this time. It's not only about you, Dean. I've made my bed, I have to lie in it, now."

He heard Dean's impatient huff and looked up. Dean wasn't looking at him.

"Finland, Sam," he pointed out. "It's not exactly around the corner. Hell, the way security is for transatlantic flights, we'll be lucky if we make it out of check-in."

"We can ask Ketch to give us credible identities," Sam said. "Or, at least, give me."

He knew immediately he had said the wrong thing.

"You," Dean repeated flatly. "You mean you want to go alone."

No. no, that was the last thing he wanted. He had a feeling he would need Dean before this was over.

"It's not about wanting to go alone, Dean. It's just that…you have a thing with flying."

Dean huffed.

"I know I have a thing, Sam. It's my "thing". I'm well aware of it."

"All I'm saying is, you can stay here. Coordinate stuff from this side."

Dean looked at Sam as if he was suggesting Dean should go to Crowley and declare undying love and loyalty to him.

"So let me get this straight, Sam," he began, his voice tight. "You want to fly miles away from here to a place where you know about a handful of people – where someone was already killed by monsters you know are hard to defeat – to grant a favor to this person who doesn't exactly have a good track record when it comes to easy favors. I mean, if the first favor was for you to kill a mythical swan and the second you had to kill a goddess – do you think the third will be a piece of cake, Sam? And you want to do this all on your lonesome? With no one to help?"

Sam hesitated.

"Well," he began. "There's Elias and Helmi, you know."

Dean snorted.

"Right, you'll have the singer and the keyboard player for backup. This makes me feel so much better."

The corners of Sam's mouth twisted upwards.

"Perhaps Ketch can swing by if I get into trouble. He's closer."

Dean's face darkened.

"OK, now you're pushing it. It's like you think I'd actually leave you alone."

Sam shrugged, avoiding Dean's searching eyes.

"I mean, you don't want to fly."

Dean scoffed.

"Of course I don't want to fly, Sam. No one wants to cross the ocean in a claustrophobic box full of puking and screaming kids. But that's beside the point. If you're going I'm going. There's no question about it."

The corners of Sam's moth lifted up briefly, feeling relieved for the first time since he had set eyes on Mielikki again.

"Thanks, Dean," he said softly.

Dean waved that aside.

"Part of the service, Sammy. I thought you knew by now."

Sam was almost ready to ask which service that would be when his phone rang. He glanced at the ID and frowned.

"It's Elias."

There was too much to hope that he was calling just to say hi or to offer them free tickets for the upcoming US tour.

"Guess we're going to Finland," Dean said.

I promise a long and difficult road full of twists and turns for everyone involved (you know me!)

I know I've been posting pretty much once a week for almost a year, but I hope you won't mind a brief two weeks' absence as I'm going camping next week with my family and won't have time to post. I'll see you again on the second Sunday of July, when I'll start again my regular Sunday updates.

On another note, this is where I might need to clear some things up. Like I mentioned in Nightmare Beyond the Song, Elias' band Apostles of Shadow is heavily based on the Finnish band Nightwish so, yeah, certain similarities with recent events aren't exactly a coincidence – I'm referring to their old bass player of 20+years suddenly announcing his departure (citing mental health reasons, so quite justifiable and understandable). However, while this did provide me with a what if scenario for my own story and while my twisted mind went further and killed Pekka of Apostles of Shadow, this does not in any way reflect my feelings towards Nightwish's own bass player. I'll miss him terribly but I wish him health and happiness and good luck in any future endeavor (and after Nightwish's unbelievable virtual concerts in May, I welcome their new bassist with open arms).