July 5th - July 9th, 2007

We were sitting in Bobby's house. I sat with Bobby and Dean while they worked on the colt. Sam sat at another desk on the opposite side of the room, researching.

Sam stood up and walked over to us. "Hey."

Dean looked up. "Hey, what's up?"

"Might've found some omens in Ohio. Dry lightning, barometric-pressure drop," Sam said.

Dean raised his eyebrows. "Well, that's thrilling."

"Plus, some guy blows his head off in a church, and another goes postal in a hobby shop before the cops take him out." Sam shrugged. "Might be demonic omens."

Dean nodded. "Or it could just be a suicide and a psycho scrapbooker."

"Yeah, but it's our best lead since Lincoln," Sam said.

"Where in Ohio?" Dean asked, turning back to the colt.

"Elizabethville," Sam said, "It's a half-dead factory town in the rust belt."

Dean shrugged. "There's got to be a demon or two in South Beach."

Sam smiled. "Sorry, Hef. Maybe next time." He looked over at Bobby. "How's it going, Bobby?"

Bobby sighed. "Slow."

"Eh, I tell you, it's a little sad seeing the colt like that," Dean said.

"Well, the only thing it's good for now is figuring out what makes it tick," Bobby said.

"So, what makes it tick?" Sam asked.

Bobby looked up from his work, thoroughly unamused.

Sam held up his hands, apologizing.

Dean stood up. "So, if we want to go, check out these omens in Ohio..." He smirked and looked at Bobby. "You think you can have that thing ready by this afternoon?"

Sam chuckled.

Bobby looked up at Dean in disbelief. "Well, it won't kill demons by then... but I can promise you, it'll kill you."

Dean smiled. "All right, come on, we're wasting the daylight."

"See you, Bobby," Sam said.

"Bye, Bobby." I smiled.

He looked up from his work and gave me a small smile. I stood up and followed my brothers to the door.

"Hey! You kids run into anything. Anything... you call me," Bobby said.

Sam and Dean went into the church wearing suits, so I, of course, had to wait in the car.

They weren't gone for long though, they told me that Father Gil said that everyone in the town had gone off the deep end around two months ago. They had all changed for the worse. Everyone went to the bars every night, people were cheating on their significant others, and others were getting into fights.

This could not have been a coincidence since the gate to Hell had been opened around the same time.

We left for a motel room, and when we walked in, Dean chuckled at the mirrors on the ceiling. As he went to close the door behind us, he spotted someone in the hallway.

"Richie?" He chuckled. "I don't believe it."

Sam and I walked over to see a man, standing there in a brown and white tracksuit, he had a gold chain and a fedora on.

"Hey, Dean... Winchester, right?" Richie asked with a thick New York City accent.

Dean smiled. "Yeah."

A tall blonde woman walked out of Richie's room, her boobs were practically hanging out of her belly shirt, and her skirt stopped right below her butt.

Richie pointed to her. "This is my sister, uh, Cheryl."

"Hey." She smiled and batted her eyelashes.

Dean nodded. "Cheryl."

Richie handed Cheryl a wad of cash. "There." She walked away, and he looked over at us with a smirk. "Well, ya know... stepsister."

"Ew," I said.

Dean chuckled and put his hand on my shoulder. "Come on in. This is my sister, Maddi." He pointed to Sam. "This is my brother, Sam."

Richie walked into the room. "Hey. How you doing?"

"Not too bad. How do you two know each other?" Sam asked.

Dean closed the door. "You were in school."

"It was that succubus, in Canarsie, right?" Richie asked.

Dean nodded. "Yeah, yeah."

"Oh, man." Richie smiled at Sam. "You should have seen the rack on this broad. Friggin' tragedy when I had to gank her."

"Whoa, whoa." Dean put his hand up. "Wait. Who killed her? If I remember, your ass was toast until I showed up."

"Oh, I forgot what a comedian this guy was." Richie pointed his thumb at Dean.

"Richie, Richie, know what? I told you then, and I'll tell you again... you're not cut out for this job. You're gonna get yourself killed," Dean said.

Ring! Ring! Ring!

Richie answered his phone, "Talk to me." He looked at Dean. "FYI, Winchester... words hurt." He went back to the caller. "Yeah?" (...) "No, it's not a good time, babe. Later." He hung up.

"So, you find anything in this town, anyway?" Dean asked.

"Uh, no." Richie shook his head. "I got nothing. Oh, wait a minute. You mean as in demons and whatnot?"

Dean nodded. "Yeah."

Richie shook his head. "No, I got nothing."

"Typical." Dean scoffed. "What about your 'sister' back there?"

"Oh, honestly? She definitely had the devil in her, but she wasn't no demon, you know what I'm saying?" Richie smirked.

I frowned. Dean cleared his throat and nodded slightly at me.

Richie looked at me quickly. "Right. Seriously. Church guy, hobby-shop guy... they were lunch meat by the time I got there." He shrugged. "Hey, maybe they were possessed, but I can't prove it."

Sam nodded. "Yeah, that's where we are too. Ya know, let's just say that demons are possessing people in this town. Ya know, raising hell..."

"Yeah, but why would a demon blow his brains out?" Dean asked.

"Well, for fun? Ya know, he wrecks one body, moves to another." Richie shrugged. "Ya know, like taking a stolen car for a joyride.

"Anybody else left in the town that fits the profile..." Dean asked, "Ya know, nice guy turned douche, still breathing?"

Richie nodded. "There's Trotter."

"Who's that?" Sam asked.

"Well, he used to be head of the Rotary Club. And then people say he turned bastard all of a sudden? Brought in the gambling, the hookers... uh, he practically owns this whole town," Richie explained.

"Know where we could find him?" Sam asked.

Richie nodded. "Oh, he'll be at his bar in a few hours."

The boys left me at the motel, which was fine because I wasn't really interested in seeing what was going on in the town, especially after seeing Richie's "sister." They left me with a phone and said they would be back in a few hours.

I watched a few movies and then rolled over on the bed, picking up the phone from the nightstand. It had already been over four hours, and I was extremely bored.

I decided to look through the phone and came across Ellen's number. I thought for a moment and called her.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Hi, Ellen. It's Maddi," I said.

"Hi, sweetheart. Is everything okay?" she asked, sounding slightly concerned.

"Uh, yeah. Everything's fine. I was just wondering if Nate was around?" I asked.

"Oh, uh, he's right here," Ellen said, "Nate, you've got a call."

"What?!" he yelled in the background.

"You've got a call. Here," Ellen said.

"Hello?" Nate asked, confusion in his voice.

"Hey, Nathan." I smirked. "It's Maddi."

"Hey, dimples." He laughed. "Uh... I mean, Maddi." He laughed awkwardly.

"What's wrong?" I chuckled.

"Uh, my mom is looking at me weird," he said uncomfortably.

"Well, she's probably wondering why you're calling me dimples. plus, she sounded confused when I asked for you," I said.

Nate laughed. "Yeah... why did you call me, though?"

"I'm bored," I said.

"Oh, wow. I feel so special," Nate said. "Mom, stop looking at me like that," he complained.

"Okay, sorry. I'll go in the other room," Ellen said in the background.

"What?" I laughed. "What's she doing?"

"I don't know, she's just staring at me. It's weird," Nate said, "Anyway, why are you bored?"

"Sam and Dean went into town, and I got left at the motel," I explained.

"So, you called me... 'cause you were bored?" Nate asked.

I laughed. "What? Am I not allowed to do that?"

"No, I'm not saying that. I just haven't seen you in a while," Nate said.

"Well, there aren't very many people I like outside of my family, and you're the only one my age," I said.

"Thanks," he said sarcastically.

"Is that a bad thing?" I asked.

"No. I was just kidding." Nate laughed.

Nate and I talked for a little bit longer, about nothing really, but we made each other laugh, and it passed the time.

After we said goodbye, I hung up, but I couldn't stop smiling. I checked the time and realized that another hour had passed. I was starting to get nervous.

I dialed Dean's number, and it started ringing, but it just went to voicemail. I called a few more times and got the same result. So, I decided to call Sam, who finally did answer.

"Hey," Sam said.

"Where are you guys? You've been gone way longer than you said you would," I complained.

Sam sighed. "Yeah, I know. I'm just waiting for Dean to get back."

"He's not with you?" I asked, now getting more nervous.

"No," Sam said.

"I just tried to call, and he didn't pick up," I said.

"He probably just missed your call. He left with someone," Sam said.

"Sam, I don't care. I called like six times. I think something's wrong," I said.

"All right, you know what? I'm gonna go look for him right now, okay?" Sam tried to calm me down.

I got up, grabbed my jacket, and put it on. "I'm going right now."

"What? No, stay in the motel," Sam said urgently.

I opened the door and walked out. "Too late. I'm going to find him, finish whatever you're doing. I've got this."

"Maddi!" Sam shouted, but I hung up.

I wasn't exactly sure where to go or where to look, but I wasn't just going to sit around and wait anymore.

I started heading toward the town, it was dark out, but the town was lit up like they were throwing a party or something.

I walked for a few minutes when the Impala pulled up next to me.

"Are you crazy?!" Sam yelled at me.

I shrugged. "No."

Sam shook his head. "Get in."

I rolled my eyes and got in.

Sam pulled away and shook his head. "I'm gonna look for Dean, and you're going back to the motel."

"No, I'm going with you," I said.

"You can't just tell me what you're going to do!" Sam yelled. "Dean and I tell you what to do. You really need to start listening."

"You never say anything any other time! Why is this a problem now?" I asked.

"Because..." Sam said, his jaw clenching.

"Because?" I asked, "That's your answer?"

"'Cause I need to make sure that if something happens to Dean, you will listen to me when it matters," Sam said.

I looked down. "I will... but right now, it doesn't."

"Maddison!" Sam yelled, pulling into the motel parking lot.

"I'm not staying here! I'm going with you!" I yelled, "If something happened to Dean, I want to be there!"

Sam stared at me, waiting for me to get out.

I shrugged. "If you leave me here, I'm just gonna leave again."

Sam sighed and shook his head. "Maddison..." He looked over at me, took a deep breath, and then started driving again.

We pulled up in front of a large house that a bartender had told Sam about. He said that the girl Dean had left with lived there.

Sam sighed. "I'm guessing if I tell you to stay in the car, you're not going to."

"How long are you gonna be mad at me?" I asked.

"Let's go," Sam said, ignoring my question and getting out.

I followed. "Sam?"

"We're looking for Dean." He knocked on the door, but it swung open.

We looked at each other for a second and then walked in.

"Dean?" Sam asked.

We walked through the house until we found a small pile of yellow powder.

Sam stuck his finger in it and sniffed. "Sulfur."

We left and made our way into town.

"So?" I asked.

"So, what?" Sam asked.

"You haven't said anything since we left the house. How long are you gonna be mad at me?" I asked.

Sam sighed. "I'm not mad."

I furrowed my brow at him.

"I'm not. Really, I'm not. I remember how I felt when I was your age." Sam sighed. "I wanted to help Dad and Dean too." He shook his head. "I just— I just can't lose you too."

I sighed. "Sam, I—"

"It's okay. I think it would be better if you knew how to protect yourself anyway," Sam said as he parked the Impala in front of Trotter's Bar.

My throat tightened, thinking back to Renee's house. I gave him a half-smile and nodded. "Yeah."

Sam patted my leg. "Come on, let's find Dean."

On our way in, Sam made a call to Bobby, but he didn't answer. "Bobby, It's Sam. We got a big problem. Maddi and I found some sulfur, and now we can't find Dean. Call me as soon as you get this." He hung up. He stopped at the bar and nodded at the bartender. "Hey, excuse me. Um, they weren't there."

The bartender shrugged. "I guess you got to catch your jollies another night. Here." He poured Sam a shot of whiskey. "Why don't you have a drink... and relax?"

"Yeah, I don't want to relax. What is it with the people in this town?" Sam asked angrily.

The bartender shrugged. "Suit yourself... princess." He took the shot himself and looked down at me. "How old are you?" He shrugged. "Ah, who cares. You want one?"

I furrowed my brow at him. "Uh... no, thank you."

Sam sighed, put his hand on my shoulder, and led me away from the bar. We approached a priest sitting in a booth with a glass of whiskey.

"Father Gil?" Sam asked.

"Yes?" Father Gil looked up.

"Um... can I— can I talk to you for a sec?" Sam asked.

Father Gil nodded.

"So, the— the bartender the other night, Casey. You know her pretty well?" Sam asked.

He nodded. "Since she was in pigtails."

"Well, um, she and my brother, they, uh..." Sam sighed. "They... left tonight... together."

Father Gil nodded. "Ah. Well... not that I approve, but they are consenting adults."

"Right." Sam sighed.

Father Gil shook his head. "I— I'm sorry. You said, 'brother.' I thought the two of you were insurance investigators?"

"Right... right. Well— Well we are. Um, it's like— it's like a family business, ya know?" Sam patted my shoulder. "We're teaching our sister, Maddi, here, too."

Father Gil raised his eyebrows. "Ah."

Sam cleared his throat. "Anyways, um, so— so, we went to Casey's apartment, and they weren't there. I— I— I just have this feeling that they— that they might be in trouble."

"What kind of trouble?" Father Gil asked.

"Just... trouble. Look, please, Father, we— we need your help. Is there anything you could tell us about Casey... anyplace she'd go, maybe...?" Sam asked.

Father Gil nodded. "Yes, there is a place. Let me get my jacket."

Sam put his hand up. "No, wait, wait, wait... Father. You don't have to come."

Father Gil shook his head. "Son, if Casey's really in trouble, then there's nothing to talk about." He stood and put his coat on. "Shall we go?"

We got in the car and left for Dean and Casey.

"So, insurance investigating. You enjoy the work?" Father Gil asked.

Sam nodded. "Yeah... yeah... yeah, I... like being able to help people."

"Ever think about doing anything else?" Father Gil asked.

"Like what?" Sam asked.

Father Gil shrugged. "Hmm, anything. You seem like a pretty smart kid. Somehow, I see you out in front of the pack. You could do some great things."

Sam shook his head. "I don't know. I like doing what I'm doing, I guess."

"Well, it's your life. Does—" Father Gil thought for a second. "Um... Dean?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah, Dean."

"Does he find trouble often?" Father Gil asked.

Sam laughed softly. "Yeah. Yeah, Dean finds his fair share."

"Well, it's a good thing he has you... his brother's keeper," Father Gil said.

We pulled up to a house a few seconds later, and we got out.

"Dean?! Dean!" Sam called, pounding on the door. He turned to Father Gil and pointed toward the side of the house. "Check that way."

Sam and I walked in the opposite direction around the house and then heard Dean yelling, "Sam!"

Sam and I looked at each other.

"Dean?!" Sam yelled.

"Down here! The basement caved in!" Dean yelled.

We ran along the side of the house and stopped when we found a grate with Dean standing below it.

Sam leaned down into the grate so Dean could see him. "Dean. Hey, hold on, okay? We're coming."

"Who's we?" Dean asked.

"I'm here with Maddi and the Father," Sam said.

I peered over Sam's shoulder and waved down to Dean.

"Be careful," Dean warned.

We nodded and then walked back around to the front of the house to see Father Gil standing there with black eyes.

Suddenly, a shot was fired past the demon, which hit a small statue and shattered it. We looked over to see Bobby aiming the colt at the demon. The demon looked over at Bobby and sent him flying in the air. He then sent me and Sam crashing against the Impala and then ran into the house. Sam landed on the windshield and shattered it. I hit my back hard against the grill.

Sam groaned and rolled off of the hood of the Impala and walked around to me. "You all right?" He put his hand out to me.

I grabbed it and stood up. "Yeah, I'll be fine." I leaned back and cracked my back.

Sam walked over and knelt next to Bobby. "Bobby, you, all right?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

Sam shook his head. "How did you know where we—"

Bobby handed Sam the rebuilt colt. "Go!"

Sam furrowed his brow, looking confused.

Ruby appeared out of nowhere. "You heard the man. Go!"

Sam left me with Bobby, and a few minutes later, we heard two shots fired. Then Sam and Dean joined us outside shortly after.

We dropped Sam off at the motel, and Bobby, Dean, and I went into town to grab some food. The town hadn't changed much, though. It was like the people were throwing a perpetual party.

"Well, what do you think, Bobby? About what we did here, you think it made a difference?" Dean asked.

Bobby shrugged. "Two less demons to worry about. That's not nothing."

Dean nodded. "Yeah, but Trotter's still alive."

"Humans ain't our job," Bobby said.

Dean nodded. "Yeah, but you think anything's really gonna change? I mean, maybe these people do just want to really destroy themselves. Maybe it is... a losing battle."

"Is that you or the demon girl talking?" Bobby asked.

"Oh, it's me. Demon is dead, and so is that hot girl it was possessing," Dean said.

Bobby sighed. "Well, had to be done. Sam was saving your life."

Dean nodded. "Yeah, but you didn't see it, Bobby. It was cold." He stopped in front of the Impala and turned to face Bobby. "Bobby?"

"Yeah?" Bobby asked, looking concerned.

"Back in Wyoming, uh, there was this moment. Yellow-eyes said something to me," Dean said.

"What'd he say?" Bobby asked.

"That maybe when... Sam came back from..." Dean shrugged. "Well, wherever... that maybe he came back different."

"Different how?" Bobby asked.

Dean sighed. "I don't know. Whatever it was, it didn't sound good. You think... something's wrong with my brother?"

Bobby paused for a moment. "No. Demons lie. I'm sure Sam's okay."

Dean nodded hesitantly. "Yeah. Yeah, me too."

I understood where Dean was coming from, but I really didn't think Sam was acting differently because he was brought back. I think he was acting differently because he was scared to lose Dean. The only thing I was worried about was how Sam and I were going to get by without him.

Back at the motel, we parted ways with Bobby and brought our food into our room. Sam had his bag packed up and was sitting at the table waiting for us.

Dean set the food down on the table and looked at me. "All right. We need to talk."

"About?" I asked.

"I think you know," Dean said.

"Is this about me leaving the motel?" I asked. "Because I—"

"What?" Dean shook his head. "No... no... back in that basement, that demon told me about something that you've been hiding from us."

My heart dropped, and I shook my head. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"About your mom and what Yellow-eyes said back at the cemetery," Dean said and sat down at the table with Sam.

Sam looked back and forth between Dean and me with a curious expression.

I sighed and sat down on the bed with my head down. "Yeah, I probably should've told you a while ago anyway."