October 28th – October 31st, 2005

"Come on, Maddi. We have to go," Dean said with his arms crossed, tapping his foot by the door.

"Ugh. I'm trying to hurry," I said while throwing my things into my duffel bag. "Isn't it kinda weird to show up at Sam's in the middle of the night with no warning?" I asked, annoyed, as I quickly zipped up my bag.

Dean walked over, grabbed my bag, and swung his arm around my shoulders. "No, it's not weird. Now he won't have the chance to ignore us." He smirked and winked at me.

I rolled my eyes but smiled and reluctantly followed him out to his black 1967 Chevy Impala.


As we drove, we listened to some of Dean's beloved classic rock music. Normally, I would sing along with him, but I was lost in my thoughts. I stared out of my window, thinking about how bad it was the last time I saw Sam.

Dean snapped me out of my thoughts when he ruffled my hair. "Ya all right, kiddo? You've been really quiet."

"Yeah, I'm okay. I'm just tired." I faked a yawn and stretched, hoping Dean wouldn't ask me any more questions. I gave him a small smile before I went back to staring out of my window.


When we finally arrived, my heart pounded with excitement, knowing I was about to see my brother after years of pretty much no contact.

Dean turned the engine off and looked at me. "All right..." He sighed. "I know you're gonna be mad, but I need you to stay in the car."

"What? Why?!" I shouted, "This isn't fair! Why can't I go with you?"

"I think it's just better if I go in by myself. We don't want to startle him too much," Dean said.

"Well, then you should send me in while you wait in the car." I smirked. "Sammy likes me more anyway."

Dean laughed. "All right, I'll tell you what. If I need back up, I will come out and get you. How's that sound?"

I reluctantly nodded, but sat there with my arms crossed, pouting.

"Okay, kiddo. I'm locking the doors," Dean said, "Don't talk to strangers and—"

I rolled my eyes. "Don't let anyone in. I know, I know, just go."


After waiting forever, even though it was really only like twenty minutes, Sam and Dean came walking out of the apartment. I couldn't wait any longer and felt a lump forming in my throat when I saw Sam's face. I jumped out of the car and ran to him as fast as I could. When I reached him, I jumped on him like a monkey and shoved my face into his neck.

Sam jumped back, startled, and then laughed when he realized what was happening. "Hey, Maddison." He returned my hug and rubbed my back.

When I finally felt like I had hugged him long enough, I let go, and he set me back down on the ground. I quickly wiped the few tears that had escaped before I looked up at him with a big smile. Sam smiled back and ruffled my hair, and then he looked at Dean to finish the conversation they were having before I had run over.

"So, what are you gonna do? You're just gonna live some normal, apple pie life? Is that it?" Dean asked, clearly annoyed.

Sam shook his head. "No. Not normal... safe."

Dean scoffed. "And that's why you ran away." He shook his head, frustrated with the conversation and the memories.

Talking about this made me incredibly uncomfortable, so I decided to sit in the car. I really wasn't interested in reliving everything that had happened the night Sam left. However, to my disappointment, I could still hear the conversation even though it was muffled.

"I was just going to college. It was Dad who said if I was gonna go, I should stay gone. And that's what I'm doing," Sam said.

"Yeah, well, Dad's in real trouble right now," Dean said, "If he's not dead already... I can feel it."

Sam was silent for a moment.

"I can't do this alone." Dean sighed. "I mean... I have Maddi, but she's just a little kid. I don't need her getting hurt too."

I sighed, ashamed that I couldn't do more to help my family.

"Yes, you can... and Maddi is smart. She knows when she should stay out of trouble," Sam said.

"Yeah, well, she is trying to be more involved when it comes to hunts," Dean said, "Most of the time she gets out of the car to come 'help.' Sometimes we have to leave her at the motel because she won't listen, but we have a hard time leaving her alone."

I felt guilty about that, but I wanted to be a part of what they were doing. I was tired of being left behind. I wanted to help, and I wanted to learn to hunt.

"When I was her age, you and Dad used to leave me at motels by myself all the time," Sam said.

"Yeah, but you know how Dad is with her," Dean said.

Sam sighed. "Okay, well, what was he hunting?"

They opened the trunk of the Impala, and I could hear them rummaging around back there for something.

"All right..." Dean sighed. "Let's see... where the hell did I put that thing?"

"So, when Dad left, why didn't you guys go with him?" Sam asked.

"I was working my own gig. This, uh, voodoo thing, down in New Orleans," Dean said, "Dad wanted me to take Maddison because he was so focused on his case."

"Dad let you take Maddi on a hunting trip by yourself?" Sam asked.

"I'm twenty-six, dude," Dean snapped. There were more shuffling sounds, and then he sighed. "All right, here we go. So, Dad was checking out this two-lane blacktop just outside of Jericho, California. About a month ago, this guy... they found his car, but he vanished. Completely MIA."

"So, maybe he was kidnapped," Sam said, sounding unconvinced.

"Yeah... well, here's another one in April. Another one in December '04, '03, '98, '92. Ten of them over the past twenty years." Dean shuffled through more papers. "All men, all the same five-mile stretch of road." He pulled more out of the trunk. "It started happening more and more, so Dad went to go dig around. That was about three weeks ago. We hadn't heard from him since, which is bad enough... then I get this voicemail yesterday."

"Dean..." Dad sounded out of breath on a recording, "Something big is starting to happen— I need to try and figure out what's going on. It may—" The recording broke up. "Be very careful, Dean. We're all in danger."

"You know there's EVP on that?" Sam asked.

"Not bad, Sammy. Kinda like riding a bike, isn't it?" Dean joked.

Sam was silent.

Dean cleared his throat. "All right, I slowed the message down, I ran it through a gold wave, took out the hiss, and this is what I got."

The recording started again, but this time it was a woman's voice, "I can never go home..."

"Never go home?" Sam asked.

Dean slammed the trunk, and I felt his weight rock the car slightly as he leaned against it. "Ya know, in almost two years, we've never bothered you... never asked you for a thing."

Sam sighed after a moment. "All right. I'll go. I'll help you find him, but I have to get back first thing Monday. Just wait here."

I looked out of the window and saw that Sam was walking back to the apartment, probably to get his stuff.

"What's first thing Monday?" Dean asked.

Sam stopped and turned around. "I have this..." He sighed and shrugged. "I have an interview."

"What... a job interview?" Dean asked and shrugged. "Skip it."

Sam shook his head. "It's a law school interview, and it's my whole future on a plate."

Sam never wanted anything to do with us or the life he grew up knowing. I guess I understood, but after knowing everything that we do about what really goes bump in the night. Even if I tried, I don't think I could go through life without looking over my shoulder.

Dean scoffed. "Law school?"

"So, we got a deal or not?" Sam asked.

Dean nodded, and then Sam continued walking to the building.

Dean walked over to the Impala and got in. "Why are you sitting in the back, kiddo?"

I shrugged. "I figured if Sam were coming with us, he would want to sit up front. Plus..." I giggled and stretched out. "I have the whole back seat to myself."

Dean chuckled. "Yeah, maybe you can catch up on some Z's."


"Hey!" Dean yelled, causing me to wake up, "You want breakfast?"

I stretched and looked out of the window. I realized we had pulled over at an old gas station, and Dean was walking back to the Impala with a grocery bag.

Sam was looking through a box of cassette tapes. "No, thanks. So, how'd you pay for that stuff? You and Dad still running credit card scams?"

Dean put the gas nozzle in the tank. "Yeah, well, hunting ain't exactly a pro-ball career. Besides, all we do is apply. It's not our fault they send us the cards."

"Yeah?" Sam asked, "And what names did you write on the application this time?"

"Uh, Burt Aframian. And his son Hector." Dean smirked. "Scored two cards out of the deal." He pulled the nozzle out and got into the car with his bag of goodies and then turned to me. "Good morning. Do you want breakfast?"

I smiled. "Yes, please."

Dean smiled and tossed me a cheese danish and a bottle of peach tea. "I grabbed your favorites."

I leaned forward and kissed him on his cheek. "Thanks. You're the best."

Sam chuckled as he continued looking through the cassettes. "I swear, man, you've gotta update your cassette tape collection."

"Why?" Dean and I asked in unison.

"Well, for one, they're cassette tapes." Sam sighed. "And two... Black Sabbath? Motorhead? Metallica?"

Dean snatched the box out of Sam's hands.

Sam chuckled. "It's the greatest hits of mullet rock."

"Well, Maddi and I like them." Dean winked at me in the rear-view mirror. "And besides, house rules, Sammy." He popped one of the tapes into the player. "Driver picks the music. Shotgun shuts his cakehole."

Sam rolled his eyes. "Ya know, Sammy is a chubby twelve-year-old. It's Sam, okay?"

"Sorry..." Dean turned the radio up. "I can't hear you, the music's too loud."

I laughed and sang along to the music while eating my breakfast as Dean drove off.


While we were driving, Sam called the local hospital and morgue to make sure Dad hadn't wound up in either of those places.

Sam hung up his phone. "All right. So, there's no one matching Dad at the hospital or morgue. So, that's something, I guess."

Down the road, I could see a bridge with two police cars and several officers walking around. "Hey, guys, look." I pointed.

Dean nodded. "Yeah, check it out." Then he pulled over on the side of the road.

We all stared for a moment, trying to figure out what was going on. Dean turned the engine off and reached over, pulling a box full of ID cards out of the glove compartment.

He picked out two and handed one to Sam. "Let's go." He turned to me as he reached for his door handle. "Maddison, stay here. I mean it." He gave me a stern look and then he and Sam got out.

I crossed my arms and pouted. "Fine, but I'm not happy about it!"

Dean gave me a smirk, and then I watched him, and Sam walk up to the police officers, displaying their IDs.

All I could do was sit and watch them helplessly. If I were old enough, I wouldn't have to sit around and wait. Although it was pretty funny to think about the looks I would get if I claimed I was an eleven-year-old police officer or FBI agent.

On their way back, I noticed the boys looked extremely annoyed. It was obvious they were mad at each other when Dean smacked Sam on the back of his head. Then they stopped and got into a little argument before leaving the bridge. I watched as two FBI agents and a sheriff walked up to them and asked the boys a couple of questions. They quickly ended their conversation and finished walking back to the car.

I sat forward once they got in. "So, what did you find out? Anything?"

"We got jack," Dean said, annoyed, "Only thing we found out was that there was another disappearance."


When we made it into town, Sam and Dean let me go with them. I knew it was just because they didn't know how long they would be gone, but I didn't care. I was just excited that I got to see what was going on with the case first-hand.

Dean put his hands on my shoulders and leaned down to look into my eyes. "All right, Maddi, stay close, you got it?"

I nodded, and he ruffled my hair and smiled before walking off. I grabbed Sam's hand before he got too far ahead. He looked down at me, not expecting that, but he smiled and kept my hand in his as we walked down the street.

Shortly after, we came across a woman hanging flyers up in front of a movie theater. The flyers were for a missing man named Troy.

"I'll bet that's her," Dean said, and then he walked up to her. "You must be Amy."

She looked at Dean, confused. "Yeah."

Dean nodded. "Yeah, Troy told us about you. We're his uncles and cousin. I'm Dean." He gestured to Sam. "This is Sammy, and..." He put his hand on my shoulder. "This is Maddi."

Amy looked us up and down and then continued walking. "He never mentioned you to me."

Dean laughed as we followed her. "Well, that's Troy, I guess. We're not around much. We're up in Modesto."

"So, we're looking for him too, and we're kinda asking around," Sam said.

Another woman came up and put her hand on Amy's arm. "Hey, are you okay?"

Amy nodded. "Yeah."

"You mind if we ask you a couple questions?" Sam asked.


We got a booth at a nearby diner. I sat between Sam and Dean, and the girls sat across from us. I could see them better now, they both wore heavy black eyeliner, one wore dark lipstick, and the other had an eyebrow piercing.

"I was on the phone with Troy. He was driving home. He said he would call me right back, and..." Amy sighed. "He never did."

Sam furrowed his brow. "He didn't say anything strange or out of the ordinary?"

Amy shook her head. "No. Nothing I can remember."

"I like your necklace." I smiled at Amy, who had a pentagram around her neck.

Amy touched her necklace. "Troy gave it to me. Mostly to scare my parents..." She laughed. "With all that devil stuff."

"Actually, it means just the opposite," Sam said, "A pentagram is protection against evil. Really powerful." He laughed and cleared his throat. "I mean, if you believe in that kind of thing."

"Okay," Dean said, "Thank you, Unsolved Mysteries." He took his arm off the back of the seat and leaned forward on the table. "Here's the deal, ladies. The way Troy disappeared, something's not right. So, if you've heard anything..."

The girls looked at each other.

Dean furrowed his brow. "What is it?"

Amy's friend, Rachel, leaned forward. "Well, it's just... I mean, with all these guys going missing... people talk."

"What do they talk about?" Sam and Dean asked in unison.

"It's kinda local legend," Rachel said, "This one girl? She got murdered out on Centennial, like a decade ago... well, supposedly, she's still out there." She was talking about it like she was excited. "She hitchhikes, and whoever picks her up? Well, they disappear forever."


When we made it back to the Impala, Sam and Dean decided we needed to go to the library to do some research.

Before we drove off, Dean turned to me. "Maddi, promise when you get older... you aren't going to wear makeup and piercings like that."

"I'm not going to promise that, Dean," I sassed.

"Makeup I guess I can deal with, but piercings?" Dean shook his head. "That's never going to happen."

I rolled my eyes and stuck my tongue out at him.

Dean gave Sam a look as if he was asking for assistance, but Sam just shrugged and laughed.


In the library, Dean typed, Female Murder Hitchhiking, into the search box at the first open computer we found. After he hit GO, a screen popped up saying, (0) Results for Search. He then decided to replace Hitchhiking, with Centennial Highway but got the same result.

Sam sighed. "Let me try." He reached over to start typing, but Dean smacked his hand away.

I poked Dean in the back. "Dean, you asked for his help... let him help."

Dean looked at me and frowned, so Sam shoved Dean's chair out of the way and took over. I giggled at them. Sometimes I missed their stupid bickering.

"Dude!" Dean hit Sam in the shoulder. "You're such a control freak."

"So, angry spirits are born out of violent death, right?" Sam asked.

Dean nodded. "Yeah."

Sam shrugged. "Well, maybe it's not murder." He replaced Murder, with Suicide, in the search box, and found an article entitled, Suicide on Centennial. He opened the article, and he read, "This was 1981. 'Constance Welch, twenty-four-years-old, jumps off Sylvania Bridge, drowns in the river.'"

"Does it say why she did it?" I asked.

Sam nodded. "Yeah."

"What?" Dean asked.

Sam continued scrolling. "An hour before they found her, she calls 9-1-1. Apparently, her two little kids are in the bathtub. She leaves them alone for a minute, and when she comes back, they aren't breathing. Both die," he continued reading, "'Our babies were gone, and Constance just couldn't bear it,' said husband, Joseph Welch."

The article had a picture of Joseph next to the Sylvania Bridge.

"The bridge look familiar to you?" Dean asked.


When night fell, we went back to the bridge we were at earlier in the day. We walked along it and stopped to look over the railing at the river.

"So, this is where Constance took the swan dive," Dean said.

I frowned at him and rolled my eyes, and he shrugged back.

"So, you think Dad would have been here?" Sam asked.

"Well, he's chasing the same story, and we're chasing him," Dean said and continued walking.

"Okay, so now what?" Sam asked.

Dean shrugged. "Now we keep digging until we find him. Might take a while."

Sam stopped walking and sighed. "Dean, I told you... I've gotta get back by Monday..."

Dean turned around and nodded. "Monday... right. The interview."

Sam nodded. "Yeah."

Dean scoffed. "Yeah, I forgot." He furrowed his brow. "You're really serious about this, aren't you? You think you're just gonna become some lawyer?" He shrugged. "Marry your girl?"

Sam nodded. "Maybe." He shrugged. "Why not?"

"Does Jessica know the truth about you?" Dean asked, "I mean, does she know about the things you've done?"

Sam's jaw tightened, and he stepped closer to Dean. "No, and she's not ever going to know."

I stood there awkwardly, staring down at my shoes, waiting for them to finish arguing.

Dean scoffed. "Well, that's healthy." He shook his head. "You can pretend all you want, Sammy. But sooner or later, you're going to have to fess up to who you really are." He turned and continued walking, and Sam, and I followed.

"And who's that?" Sam snapped.

"You're one of us," Dean said, nudging my shoulder and giving me a wink.

I smiled uncomfortably at him, not really wanting to be involved.

Sam stepped in front of Dean and stopped walking. "No, I'm not like you. This is not going to be my life."

Dean shook his head. "You have a responsibility to—"

"To Dad?" Sam interrupted, "And his crusade?" He shook his head. "If it weren't for pictures... I wouldn't even know what Mom looked like." He furrowed his brow. "And what difference would it make? Even if we do find the thing that killed her... Mom's gone." He shook his head. "And she isn't coming back."

Dean grabbed Sam by the collar and shoved him up against the railing of the bridge. "Don't talk about her like that," he growled and then released Sam to continue walking.

I turned away and spotted what looked to be a woman standing on the railing, ready to jump. She was wearing a white dress and slowly turned her head to look at me. "Sam..." I pointed down the bridge at her. "Dean..."

They came running up on either side of me, and then she stepped forward over the edge. Sam and Dean ran to the railing and looked over. I jumped when I heard the Impala's engine rev, and the headlights turned on. The car jerked into motion, and it was headed straight toward us.

"Maddison!" Sam yelled, "Run! Go! Go!"

I started running and screamed when I was grabbed and suddenly flung over the railing. My heart was pounding, and I slowly opened my eyes to realize I was dangling by my hood over the rushing river. Sam had one hand on the railing of the bridge and one hand holding onto my jacket. I whimpered and closed my eyes.

"Maddi... everything is going to be fine," Sam said, calmly, "Just grab onto my leg and hang on tight for a second."

I did what he told me and clung to his leg, completely terrified. When I felt the pressure release after Sam let go of my hood, my heart pounded harder. He eventually pulled himself up, so he had his footing. He reached down and pulled me up, so I was in the same position.

Sam looked down below us. "Dean?! Dean?!"

"Sam, look." I pointed down at a filthy and annoyed Dean. He was crawling out of the water onto the mud.

"Hey! Are you all right?!" Sam shouted.

Dean held up an "okay" sign. "I'm super!"

Sam and I chuckled, and then he climbed over the railing. He picked me up and placed me down on the ground next to him.


When we got back to the Impala, Dean checked it to make sure everything was all right. When he finished, he shut the hood and leaned against it.

"Your car all right?" Sam asked.

Dean nodded. "Yeah, whatever she did to it... seems all right now. That Constance chick, what a bitch!" he shouted angrily.

"Well, she doesn't want us digging around, that's for sure. So, where's the job go from here, genius?" Sam asked as he settled onto the hood next to Dean.

Dean flicked some mud off his shoulder. Sam and I sniffed and frowned at him.

"You smell like a toilet." Sam smirked.

I giggled and nodded in agreement.

Dean looked down at me. "Think that's funny, huh?" He reached over and forced me into a very unwanted hug.

"Great, now I smell like one too." I gave him a dirty look.


After we drove to a motel in town, Dean put a VersaBank MasterCard in the name of Hector Aframian on the counter.

"One room, please." Dean smiled.

The clerk picked up the card, read it, and gave Dean a look of confusion. "You guys having a reunion or something?"

"What do you mean?" Sam asked.

The clerk shrugged. "I had another guy, Burt Aframian. He came and bought out a room for the whole month."


We found the room Dad had been staying in, and Sam picked the lock while Dean kept an eye out. The motel door swung open a minute later, and Sam walked in. He looked around the room and then signaled for us to go in. Dean was facing the other way, so, Sam grabbed his shoulder and yanked him into the room, then he closed the door behind us. Every single wall had papers pinned to it. There were maps, newspaper clippings, pictures, and notes everywhere. There were books on the desk and an assortment of junk on the floor and bed.

Sam looked around in disbelief. "Whoa."

Dean switched on a light by the bed and picked up a half-eaten hamburger. He sniffed the burger and jumped back in disgust. "I don't think he's been here for a couple days, at least."

Sam stepped over a white, powdery line on the floor near the door. He crouched down and picked up some of it. "Salt, cats-eye shells... he was worried. Trying to keep something from coming in."

Dean walked over and read some of the papers covering the walls.

"What have you got here?" Sam asked as he walked over to Dean.

"Centennial Highway victims." Dean gestured to some of the clippings.

I sat on the bed and read some of the papers. The victims on the walls included Mark somebody, William Durrell, Scott Nifong, who disappeared in 1987 at age twenty-five, and somebody Parks.

"I don't get it." Dean shrugged. "I mean, different men, different jobs... ages, ethnicities. There's always a connection, right? What do these guys have in common?"

Sam walked along the walls and read some of the other papers.

There were papers about the Bell Witch, two people being burned alive, a skeletal person blowing a horn at several scared people with the note, MORTIS DANSE, a column titled, Devils and Demons, another titled, Sirens, Witches, the Possessed, a wooden pentacle, and a note that said, Woman in White, above a printout of the Jericho Herald article on Constance's suicide.

Sam turned on another lamp. "Dad figured it out."

Dean turned to look. "What do you mean?"

"He found the same article we did. Constance Welch. She's a woman in white," Sam said.

"You sly dog..." Dean smiled proudly. "All right, so if we're dealing with a woman in white... Dad would have found the corpse and destroyed it."

Sam shrugged. "She might have another weakness."

"Well, Dad would want to make sure." Dean walked over to Sam. "He'd dig her up. Does it say where she's buried?"

Sam shook his head. "No, not that I can tell." He shrugged. "If I were Dad though, I'd go ask her husband." He tapped the picture of Joseph Welch.

The caption said he was thirty, but the article was dated 1981, so he would be about sixty now.

Sam shrugged. "If he's still alive."

"All right. Why don't you, uh, see if you can find an address, I'm gonna get cleaned up," Dean said and walked toward the bathroom.

"Hurry up," I said, "I have to get cleaned up too... thanks to you."

Dean put his hands up, pretending to be scared. "I'll hurry." He smirked at me before trying to walk off again.

This time his exit was interrupted by Sam, "Hey, Dean?"

He stopped again and turned to face Sam.

"What I said earlier, about Mom and Dad, I'm sorry," Sam said.

Dean held up a hand to stop Sam from going on. "No chick-flick moments."

Sam laughed and nodded. "All right. Jerk."

"Bitch." Dean smirked and started to walk off again but paused. "Are you guys good now... or are you going to stop me again?"

Sam and I looked at each other and laughed before giving Dean a thumbs up, he nodded and finally walked into the bathroom.

Sam stood up and walked over to a large mirror. It had a rosary hanging on it, and a photo of the four of us sitting on the hood of the Impala. I watched as Sam took the picture down and put it in his pocket.

He sighed loudly and walked over to me. "So, Maddi..." He sat down next to me on the bed. "How is your reading coming along?"

I looked down at the floor sheepishly. "Uh, well, Dad and Dean don't really have time to do that with me. I try to do it on my own when I can, but it isn't as fun without you."

Sam nodded. "Ya know if you come live with me, I could do that with you all the time. You could also go to a real school and have friends your age."

I looked away quickly. I never expected him to suggest that I live with him. Sam chose to leave us, but I could never do that. I'd miss Dad and Dean too much.

Sam nudged my arm. "You don't have to. I just wanted to give you the option. I miss you, ya know." He smiled at me sweetly.

"Well, you could always come back," I suggested, but his smile faded, and he leaned over to hug me and kissed my forehead.

We were silent for a few minutes, and then Dean walked out of the bathroom. After that, I walked into the bathroom to get cleaned up.

I didn't know why Sam would ask me to leave with him. He seemed so happy with his own life, but maybe he didn't want me to live the life of a hunter either. I sighed and brushed off my thoughts and hopped into the shower. Once I was finished, I just put on an old flannel and a pair of jeans. Then I pulled my long curly hair up into a ponytail. It felt good to take a shower. I mean, I wasn't deprived of them, but when you are always on the road, you never know when you'll get the chance to take another one. Before I left the bathroom, I looked at myself in the mirror. I was small for my age, which made me look younger than I was. However, because I was basically born into the lifestyle of a hunter, I was pretty mature for my age. The things you see on the road can definitely age you. I shrugged at myself in the mirror and then walked out of the bathroom to join my brothers.

Dean looked at me and smiled. He hugged me and rubbed my arm. "Ah, see? All better." He let go of me. "I'm starving. I'm gonna grab a little something to eat at that diner down the street. You guys want anything?"

"Yes, I'm starving too." I gave Dean my puppy dog eyes even though I already knew his answer. "Maybe we can get pie."

Dean laughed. "Of course, kiddo. I would never pass up pie."

Sam shook his head. "No, thanks."

"Aframian's buying." Dean smirked at him.

Sam still declined, but I was excited to go. I was starving, and I loved diner food, but that was also pretty much all I ever ate.


I was daydreaming about the cheeseburgers and pie we were going to be eating when Dean grabbed my shoulder and suddenly turned us away from the direction we were headed. I had no idea what was going on until I looked over my shoulder and saw the police officers from the day before. They were questioning the motel clerk. I looked up at Dean, waiting for him to tell me what to do as the officers approached us in their car.

Dean pulled out his phone and called Sam, "Dude, five-o, take off."

I tugged Dean's jacket and whispered under my breath, "They're coming."

"Uh, they kinda spotted us. Go find Dad," Dean instructed, then hung up the phone and looked down at me. "Just follow my lead. It'll be fine." He winked at me before we turned around to face the officers as they approached us.

I noticed the names on their badges, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Dean grinning at them.

"Problem, officers?" Dean asked.

"Where's your partner?" Officer Jaffe asked.

"Partner? Wha— What partner?" Dean stuttered.

Officer Jaffe glanced over his shoulder and jerked his thumb toward the motel room. Officer Hein turned and walked over to our room. Dean began fidgeting a little, which made my heart race. I was ready to run if Dean gave me the signal.

"So, fake U.S. Marshal. Fake credit cards. You got anything that's real?" Officer Jaffe asked.

Dean smirked and shrugged. "My boobs."

Officer Hein caught Dean's sarcasm and slammed him over the hood of the police car. I jumped back, not knowing what to do.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked up at Officer Jaffe. "It's all right, but you're coming with us too, young lady." He looked back at Dean, but he held his grip on me as he started to list off Dean's rights. "You have the right to remain silent..."


When we arrived at the station, Officer Hein pulled Dean out of the car and pushed him toward the entrance. Officer Jaffe helped me out of the car, but when I saw Dean getting shoved away, I started to get nervous.

"Dean!" I shouted and started to run after him, but Officer Jaffe grabbed my arm.

Dean looked back at me. "It's all right, Maddi. These nice officers and I are going to get everything sorted out, and I will see you soon."

I felt a little better knowing my brother wasn't taking this situation seriously. So, I relaxed and willingly walked with Officer Jaffe into the building.

He brought me into a small white room with chairs along the walls. I turned around to ask him what was going to happen with Dean, but he had already closed the door and left. I grabbed the handle and jiggled it, but it was locked, so I decided to sit down and wait. A few minutes later, I stood up and started pacing.

Finally, after what felt like forever, the door opened, and Dean popped his head in.

I furrowed my brow, surprised to see him. "How did you—"

He held his finger up to his mouth and peeked out of the door. He made sure the coast was clear before turning and signaling me to follow him. We continued that process throughout the entire station until we were finally outside. By the time we stepped out, it was dark. I hadn't even realized how many hours had passed, but we ran off into the dark until we found a phone booth and called Sam.

"Fake 9-1-1 phone call? Sammy, I don't know... that's pretty illegal." Dean smiled. (...) "Listen, we gotta talk." (...) "Sammy, would you shut up for a second?" (...) He sighed. "Well, that's what I'm trying to tell you. He's gone... Dad left Jericho." (...) "I've got his journal."

How did Dean get Dad's journal? Dad doesn't go anywhere without that thing. That thought made me worry more about what could have happened to him.

"Sam?" Dean asked, worried. "Sam!"


I don't know how we got to Sam so quickly. It was all a blur. I snapped out of it when Dean started shooting into the Impala at a ghostly skeletal woman who had her hand stuck into Sam's chest. He shot her, and she vanished long enough for Sam to start the car.

"I'm taking you home!" Sam yelled and then drove the car straight into the dilapidated house that stood before us.

Dean and I ran through the giant hole in the wall.

"Sam!" Dean shouted, "Sam! You okay?"

Sam groaned. "I think..."

"Can you move?" Dean asked.

"Yeah." Sam nodded. "Help me."

Dean leaned through the window to give Sam a hand.

Suddenly, Constance appeared and picked up a large framed photograph of her and what must've been her children. She stared down at it with a sad expression on her face. She glared up at us and threw the picture down. A bureau slid toward us, but Dean shoved me out of the way before I got hit. I fell to the ground and looked up at my brothers, who were now pinned against the Impala, unable to move the bureau. Then the lights started to flicker, and Constance looked terrified. Water began to pour down the staircase and at the top, stood the boy and girl from the photograph.

They were holding hands and spoke in unison, "You've come home to us, Mommy."

Constance looked up at them, clearly distraught. Suddenly, they appeared beside her. As they embraced her, she screamed, and her ghost started to flicker. In a massive surge of energy, still screaming, Constance and her children melted into a puddle on the floor. Sam and Dean were finally able to shove the bureau over. We all walked over and looked down at the puddle.

"So, this is where she drowned her kids?" Dean asked.

Sam nodded. "That's why she could never go home. She was too scared to face them."

"You found her weak spot. Nice work, Sammy." Dean slapped Sam's open wound on his chest and walked away.

Sam laughed through the pain. "Yeah, I wish I could say the same for you. What were you thinking shooting Casper in the face, you freak?"

"Hey. Saved your ass." Dean leaned over to look at the car. "I'll tell you another thing. If you screwed up my car?" He looked at Sam. "I'll kill you."

Sam laughed.

Dean wrapped his arm around my shoulders. "You all right, kid?"

I smiled at him. "It was nothing I couldn't handle."

Dean laughed and gave me a noogie. I frowned and looked up at him while fixing my hair. He laughed again, then kicked the rubble out of the way and opened the car door for me.


As we drove, Sam looked through Dad's journal. All I could see was, DEAN 35-111, reflected on my window. If we ever got separated, Dad would leave us coordinates, so it would be harder for people to track us.

"Okay, here's where Dad went..." Sam pointed to a location on a map on his lap. "It's called Blackwater Ridge, Colorado."

Dean nodded. "Sounds charming. How far?"

"About 600-miles," Sam said.

"Hey, if we shag ass, we could make it by morning," Dean said.

Sam looked over at him. "Dean, I, um—"

Dean nodded. "You're not going."

"The interview's in like, ten hours." Sam sighed. "I gotta be there."

Dean nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, whatever." He sighed. "I'll take you home."


I woke up to Sam ruffling my hair, and I realized we were already at his apartment.

Sam got out of the car and leaned down to look through the window. "Call me if you find him?"

Dean nodded.

Sam shrugged. "And maybe I can meet up with you later, huh?"

Dean gave him a small smile. "Yeah, all right."

Sam looked at me. "Bye, Maddi." He smiled and then patted the car door twice and turned to walk away.

Dean leaned toward the passenger door, one arm hanging over the back of the seat. "Sam?"

Sam stopped and turned back.

"Ya know, we made a hell of a team back there." Dean smiled.

Sam nodded and smiled. "Yeah."

I watched as he turned away again, and before it was too late, I got out of the car and ran to him.

"Hey, where are you..." Dean's voice trailed off behind me.

"Sam, wait!" I yelled and ran up to him, hugging him as hard as I could.

He hugged me back. "Don't forget what I said, okay?"

I loosened my hug and looked up at him. A tear rolled down my cheek as I nodded.

Sam put his hand on my cheek and wiped my tear away with his thumb. "I love you, Maddi." He pulled me into another hug and kissed the top of my head.

I looked up at him sadly. "I love you too, Sammy."

We looked at each other one last time, and then I ran back to Dean.

When I hopped into the front seat, Dean gave me a concerned look. "You all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just happy we got to see Sammy." I smiled at him with tears in my eyes.

Dean rubbed my shoulder. "Yeah me too." He smiled at me and then drove off into the night.

I turned to watch Sam walk into his building as we drove away.


We were driving for a few minutes before I felt something in the pit of my stomach. "Dean, something doesn't feel right."

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I— I'm not sure," I said.

Dean hesitated and then nodded. "Yeah, I think I know what you mean." He quickly turned the Impala around.


When we drove up to Sam's building, we could see that it was in flames.

I was about to get out when Dean locked the doors. "No way. You're staying here." He looked at me sternly.

I nodded, there was no point in arguing if it meant stalling Dean from getting to Sam.

"I'll be back as soon as possible," Dean said.

"Promise?" I asked.

"Promise," he said and then got out.

I watched as Dean ran into the building. I nervously twitched around, waiting for my brothers to come out.

Eventually, they ran out, and I felt instant relief. Sam looked extremely upset, he was crying, and his girlfriend wasn't with him. I decided it was probably best if I stayed out of the way, so I hopped over the seat into the back of the car.

A bunch of other people ran out of the burning building, and after a few minutes, I heard sirens. Firefighters were running in and out of the building, making sure everyone was out.

I hadn't noticed that Dean had walked over to watch the scene with the rest of the crowd until I saw him walking back toward the car. He looked in to make sure I was still there. Then he walked toward the back to Sam.

"We got work to do," Sam said angrily and then slammed the trunk.