Rockin' Nebraska. Your source for the classics, all night long.
"I don't know, man, why don't we just chill out, think about this." Dean asked, his eyes flicking back to Sam.
Sam leaned forward to shut off the radio. "What's there to think about?"
Piper looked out the window, letting the boys' words fade into the background. She was nervous. They had told her about Sam's visions, but this had been the first time she had witnessed one, and it had scared her. She'd never seen them both look so spooked.
Now they were on their way to the Roadhouse to talk to Ellen and her friend, Ash, about where Sam's latest vision would take place. Dean was expressing concern that other hunters would overhear any conversation they had. Piper listened back in while she pulled her violet hair into a French braid to give her hands something to do.
"Plus it could have some connection with the demon. My visions always do."
"That's my point. There's gonna be hunters there. I don't know if, if, if going in and announcing that you're some supernatural freak with a, a demonic connection is the best thing, okay?"
Piper winced at Dean's choice of words as she tied the end of her braid off.
Sam frowned and turned to Dean. "So I'm a freak now?"
Dean smiled weakly and slapped Sam on the thigh. "You've always been a freak."
xxxxx
When they pulled up to Harvelle Roadhouse, Piper was delighted. It looked like a dive, but was pretty obviously clean and well taken care if. Dean walked ahead of she and Sam, so she touched Sam's hand and asked quietly, "How are you holding up, Sam?"
He gave her a tight smile. "I'm fine, just ready to get this over with." he said quietly.
She nodded and smiled gently at him. "Whatever it is, we'll handle it, Sam." She assured him as they walked in.
The first thing she saw was Dean talking to a pretty blonde woman. Piper tried to keep the scowl off of her face. Not like you've been a nun, Piper, she reminded herself as she and Sam approached.
"Jo, where's Ash?"
The blonde stopped and looked at Sam and Piper, her eyes lingering on Piper. "In his room." Piper gave her a brief smile. "Sorry, we're on a timetable. I'm Piper!" she said as she hurried to keep up with Sam.
When they walked into the back, Piper grinned at the sign on the door that claimed "Dr. Badass" was in. Sam knocked.
"Ash? Hey, Ash?" he called through the door. Dean, having followed them back, knocked, too. "Hey, Dr. Badass?"
The door opened a crack. A skinny, pale man who was sporting a mullet looked out through them, naked as the day he was born. Sam and Dean looked away, and Piper kept her eyes on his face.
"Sam? Dean? Sam and Dean. And who is this?" He asked cheerfully as he spotted Piper, changing his stance. Piper grinned again. "Hi. I'm Piper."
He smiled at her. "Yes, yes you are."
Sam rolled his eyes. "Hey Ash. Um. We need your help."
Ash winked at Piper. "Well, hell then. Guess I need my pants."
As he shut the door, Dean looked at Piper with raised eyebrows. She was chuckling. "Be nice, Winchester. It takes a confident man to show interest in a woman standing between you two. I like him." She said cheerfully as she turned to walk back into the bar.
She slid into a chair set at a table with a laptop set up on it. A few minutes later, Ash joined her. "Hey, pretty lady."
She smiled at him as Sam sat across the table from them and Dean wandered over to the bar. "Ash, this is the logo I... Found." He finished lamely. "Can you find what bus company uses it?"
Ash was too busy looking at Piper. Without looking back, he pulled the drawing toward himself. "I can do that in my sleep, Sam."
Piper felt laughter bubbling up in her chest. "That's pretty impressive talk, Ash."
He grinned. "I can walk the walk just as easy, pretty lady." He hunched over his computer, and did a personality 180. His back straightened and his keys flew over the keyboard.
Piper was reflecting how ridiculous her life had become in the past three weeks, when Ash made a sound of triumph. "Well, I got a match. It's the logo from the Blue Ridge bus lines in Guthrie, Oklahoma."
Sam leaned forward. "Okay. Do me a favor. Check Guthrie for any demonic signs, or omens, or anything like that."
Ash's eyebrows rose. "You think the demon's there?"
Sam nodded. "Yeah, maybe."
Ash examined Sam's face, then turned to look at Piper. "Why would you think that?"
Dean, who had walked up to stand behind Piper, snapped, "Just check it, all right?"
Ash shot Dean a look, and Piper looked up to frown at him. "Be nice," she mouthed up at him.
Ash looked back toward his computer. "No, sir, nothing. No demon."
"All right, try something else for me," Sam said. "Search Guthrie for a house fire. It would be 1983, fire's origin would be a baby's nursery, night of the kid's six month birthday."
Dean looked around to see if someone was listening in, while Ash looked shocked. "Okay, now that is just weird, man. Why the hell would I be looking for that?"
Sam pulled out a beer bottle and set it next to the laptop. "'Cause there's a PBR in it for you."
Ash shrugged and wiggled his eyebrows at Piper. "Give me fifteen minutes."
xxxxx
Piper was still sitting next to Ash, watching him work, letting her mind wander and worry.
She was shaken out of her musings when REO Speedwagon started playing through the bar. She smiled. "Oh, REO, how long has it been?" she muttered softly.
Ash looked up at her. "Any time away from REO is too long, pretty lady." She grinned at him, which he returned as he shouted, "Winchesters! Got something!"
xxxxx
An hour later, the three of them were back in the Impala. Sam was looking over the paperwork Ash had given him. Dean was humming. He couldn't get that damn song out of his head. He flicked his eyes to the rear view mirror, watching Piper look out the window. Her hair had started falling down from whatever she had put it in, and it lay against her face. He didn't know what he thought of her new hair color, but the way it shone in the periodic light of the streetlamps they passed was distracting as hell.
Distracting enough that he didn't see Sam staring at him. "You're kidding, right? 'Can't Fight This Feeling?'"
"Hey, it's a classic. REO." Piper objected, leaning forward to rest her arms against the back of the front seat, and to rest her head on her hands.
Dean glanced at Sam. "I heard the song somewhere, I can't get it out of my head, I don't know, man. Whaddya got?"
Dean saw Sam and Piper share a glance, then Sam started rifling through the papers in his lap again. "Andrew Gallagher. Born in eighty three, like me. Lost his mother in a nursery fire exactly six months later, also like me."
Piper tilted her head to look at Sam. "You think the demon killed his mom?"
"Sure looks like it."
It was quiet for a moment, then, "How did you even know to look for this guy?" Dean asked.
Sam glanced at Piper. "Every premonition I've had, if they're not about the demon they're about the other kids the demon visited. Like Max Miller, remember him?"
Dean saw Piper tilt her head to look at him. "Yeah, but Max Miller was a pasty little psycho."
"The point is he was killing people. And I was having the same type of visions about him. And now it could be happening all over again with this Gallagher guy."
Piper tilted back to Sam. "Well, how do we find him?"
Sam looked through his papers again. "Don't know. No current address, no current employment.
He still owes money on all his bills. Phone, credit, utilities…"
"Any collection agency flags?" Piper asked.
Sam shook his head. "None in the system."
"They just let him take a walk?" Dean asked incredulously.
Sam shrugged. "Seems like it. There's a work address from his last W-2, about a year ago. Let's start there."
xxxxx
"I'm sorry, I'm starting to like this guy." Dean chuckled as they looked across the street.
They were sitting in the Impala looking across the street at an obnoxiously painted van. A barbarian queen was riding a polar bear on it. Rock music poured out onto the street from the open window.
A woman in a coffee shop had told them where to find Andy, and had also told them that they were going to have some trouble getting anything out of him.
Piper crossed her arms and looked around the street, looking for someone who might be Andy. She was on edge and jumpy. She hated this situation.
She looked back at the boys to see Sam looking at Dean quizzically.
"What's wrong?" Dean asked.
Sam looked away. "Nothing."
Dean and Piper shared a look. "Sam, you look like you're sucking on a lemon, what's going on?" Dean asked again.
Sam sighed. "This Andrew Gallagher, he's the second guy like this we've found, Dean. Demon came to them when they were kids, now they're killing people."
"We don't know what Andrew Gallagher is, all right? He could be innocent."
Sam leveled Dean with a look. "My visions haven't been wrong yet."
"What's your point?"
Sam sighed again. "My point is, I'm one of them."
Piper frowned. "No, you're not."
Sam looked at both of them. "Guys, the demon said he had plans for me and children like me."
Dean flung his arms out wide. "Yeah?"
"Yeah, maybe this is his plan, maybe we're all a bunch of psychic freaks, maybe we're all supposed to be-"
Piper scoffed. "What, killers?"
Sam swallowed hard. "Yeah."
"So the demon wants you out there killing with your minds, is that it?" Dean threw his hands up. "Come on, give me a break. You're not a murderer, Sam! You don't have it in your bones."
"No? Last I checked, I kill all kinds of things."
"Those things were asking for it. There's a difference."
"Guys," Piper interrupted. "Got him."
The man they were looking for was wearing pajamas and a robe. He waved up to an extremely busty woman who was blowing kisses at him from a third story window. He began to walk down the street toward them. He spoke with someone he passed on the street, who smiled and handed Andy his coffee.
Sam pointed to a different man walking on the opposite sidewalk. "Look. There's the shooter."
Piper nodded. "Sam, stay with him, Dean and I will follow Andy."
Sam nodded and walked away, following the shooter at a reasonable distance. Dean and Piper got back into the Impala and followed Andy, who had driven off.
A few minutes later, Andy pulled his van over. Dean pulled the Impala over a few spaces behind it. "Winchester?" Piper asked nervously.
Andy walked up to the driver's side window. "Hey."
"Hey hey." Dean responded cheerfully.
Andy examined Baby. "This is a cherry ride."
Dean grinned, and Piper bit back a groan. "Yeah, thanks."
"Man, the '67? Impala's best year if you ask me. This is a serious classic."
Dean was practically preening. Piper could have strangled him. "Yeah. You know, I just rebuilt her, too."
Andy smiled. "Yeah? And who is this lovely lady?" He turned his smile onto Piper.
She felt herself smile back cheerfully. What the hell? "Hi! I'm Piper!"
Andy smiled. "Hi Piper." He leaned back to look at Baby again. "You know, this is a pretty great car. Hey, can you give it to me?" He made eye contact with Dean, and then with Piper
"Sure, man." Dean smiled and got out of the car. Piper smiled and did the same on the other side, walking around to stand next to Dean.
Andy climbed in. "Sweet. Take it easy. And give your girl a kiss for me," He winked at Piper. She giggled.
"All right." Dean wrapped an arm around Piper's waist, and she smiled into his eyes as he leaned closer. Something was happening to her, her heart stopped and her breath quickened, but in her head a voice was screaming. No, no, no! Her mind screamed at her, even as she lifted herself onto her toes to meet him halfway.
When Dean's lips touched hers, however, all thought stopped. Piper felt like the universe was holding it's breath, and it wasn't just the part of her being controlled that wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed close to him. He put his hands on her hips and pressed into her and let his tongue run gently along her bottom lip. Piper had gone from a normal, functioning woman to a being that was controlled completely by sensory input.
It ended abruptly when Dean lifted his head away from hers and looked to where Andy was driving away. He stepped away from her and she stumbled, looking in the same direction, her fingers coming to gently touch her lips. She felt the start of a blush coming on. "What the hell?" she asked softly.
xxxxx
They were walking back to the last place they'd seen Sam when he called Dean. "Dean! Andy's got the Impala!"
Dean groaned. "I know! He just sorta asked me for it and I, I let him take it."
"You what?"
"He full-on Obi-Wanned me. It's mind control, man!"
"Well, is Piper with you? Is she okay?"
Dean snuck a look at Piper. He'd been trying not to make eye contact with her since they'd kissed. "Yeah, she's here." And it looked like she was avoiding him, too.
Sam abruptly ended the call. "Sam?" Dean looked at his phone. "Piper, something's wrong. Come on." He reached to her and placed his hand on the small of her back.
A few minutes later, they came upon Sam, looking shocked, and paramedics running around. Piper jogged over to where Sam was sitting on the curb, sitting next to him with a hand on his back. "Sam? What happened?"
Dean followed and crouched behind them, looking around. It looked like the good doctor had stepped in front of a bus. "I kept him out of the gun store," Sam said. Dean watched Piper's face pinch in sympathy. "I thought he was okay. I thought he was past it, at least... I should have stayed with him."
Dean met Piper's eyes, hating the helplessness he felt and that he saw in her eyes. He stood. "Let's go find Andy."
xxxxx
A few minutes later, they found Baby parked. Dean rushed to her. "Thank god! Oh. I'm sorry, baby. I'll never leave you again." Piper rolled her eyes. "Well, at least he left the keys in it."
"Yeah. Real Samaritan, this guy." Sam scoffed.
Piper thought for a moment. "Well, it looks like he can't use his powers just by twitching his nose, he has to use verbal commands. "
Sam looked at her. "The doctor had just gotten off his cell phone when he stepped in front of that bus. Andy must have called him or something."
Dean was still cooing over the Impala. "I don't know, maybe."
Sam's eyebrows went up. "Beg your pardon?"
Dean shrugged. "I just don't know if he's our guy, Sam."
Sam was flabbergasted. "Dean, you had O.J. convicted before he got out of his white Bronco and you have doubts about this?"
"He just doesn't seem like the stone-cold killer type, that's all. You know."
"And O.J. was guilty." Piper added.
Sam shook his head. "Either way, how are we going to track this guy down?"
Dean chuckled. "Not a problem."
xxxxx
Later, they were sitting in the Impala, watching Andy's van. Dean was eating, Sam was staring into space, and Piper was using the moment of quiet to try to sort through her emotions.
No such luck. "Ugh." Dean groaned. "You know, I miss sitting down and eating something I didn't
have to microwave at a minimart."
"Preach." Piper said fervently.
Sam ignored them both. "What I don't get is the motive. I mean, the doctor was squeaky clean, why would Andy waste him?"
Dean shifted uncomfortably. "If it is Andy." Piper, sensing an oncoming fight, opened her mouth to try to diffuse.
Sam got there first. "Dude, enough."
"What?"
Sam glared at Dean. "The doctor was mind-controlled in front of a bus. Andy just happens to have the power of mind control. You do the math."
Dean shook his head. "I just don't think the guy's got it in him, that's all."
"Sam, I kind of agree…" Piper said quietly.
"Well, how the hell would you know?" Sam snapped. "I mean, why are you guys bending over backwards defending him?"
"'Cause you're not right about this."
Suddenly, Andy slammed his hands down on Sam's side of the car, looking in through the open window. Piper jumped and squeaked.
"Hey! You think I haven't seen you three? Why are you following me?" The last sentence reverberated in Piper's head. She looked at Dean, who also looked dazed.
Sam responded calmly. "Well, we're lawyers. See, a relative of yours has passed aw-"
"Tell the truth!" Andy shouted. Piper winced and put a hand to her head. That had hurt.
Sam tried again. "That's what I'm-"
Dean spoke up. "We hunt demons."
Andy stared. "What?"
Sam turned to his brother. "Dean!"
Dean ignored Sam to look at Andy. "Demons and spirits. Things your worst nightmares wouldn't even touch. Sam here, he's my brother. And this is Piper in the backseat. She's our best friend, probably our only friend, but I think she and I might be-"
Sam hit him. "Dean, shut up!"
Dean looked panicked. "I'm trying. He's psychic. Kind of like you. Well, not really like you, but see, he thinks you're a murderer, and he's afraid that he's going to become one himself, 'cause you're all part of something that's terrible. And, I hope to hell that he's wrong, but I'm starting to get a little scared that he might be right." He had a tight, worried smile on his face. Piper reached out and put a hand on his shoulder.
Andy shook his head. "Okay, you know what? Just leave me alone." The last sentence echoed again, and Piper shut her eyes.
Dean nodded, relieved. "Okay."
"All right?" Andy walked away.
Dean winced and held his head in his hands. Piper squeezed his shoulder in sympathy, watching as Sam got out of the car and started to follow Andy.
Andy saw him, too. "What are you doing? Look, I, I said leave me alone. All right? Get out of here, just start driving and never stop."
Sam held his arms out wide as he circled Andy. "Doesn't seem to work on me, Andy."
Andy blanched. "What?"
"You can make people do things, can't you? You can tell them what to think."
Dean and Piper got out of the car and started forward. Sam held his hand up to keep them away. Dean put his hand out and moved Piper behind him. It normally would have pissed her off, but she was afraid of Andy, so she stayed, staring over Dean's shoulder.
Andy was defending himself. "Look, tha-" he chuckled. "That's crazy."
Sam kept on it. "It all started about a year ago, didn't it? After you turned twenty-two. Little stuff at first, and then you got better at controlling it."
Andy started to sound scared. "How do you know all this?"
"Because the same thing happened to me, Andy. My mom died in a fire, too. I have abilities too. You see, we're connected, you and me."
"You know what? Just, just, just, just get out of here, all right?!"
"Why did you tell the doctor to walk in front of a bus?" Sam shouted.
Andy stared again. "What?"
Sam looked like he was having trouble concentrating. Piper squeezed Dean's arm. "Look…"
Sam squinted at Andy. "Why did you kill him?"
"I didn't!"
Sam was silent, cringing. He cried out and put his hands to his head. Dean and Piper ran to him, Dean catching him and lowering him to the ground before he could fall.
Piper fretted, moving his hands so she could look at his face. "Sam? What is it?"
Andy was nervous, standing behind them. "Look, I didn't do anything to him."
Sam muttered, "A woman. A woman burning alive."
Dean nodded. "What else'd you get?"
"A gas station, a woman is gonna kill herself."
Andy was starting to panic. "What does he mean, going to? What is he, what is-"
Piper glared at him. "You're going to want to shut the hell up, Andy," she snapped, turning back to Sam.
Sam was looking at Dean. "She gets triggered by a call on her cell."
"When?"
Sam shook his head and tried to stand. Piper helped him. "I don't know. But as long as we keep our eyes on this son of a bitch, he can't hurt her."
Andy cried out, "I didn't hurt anybody!"
Sam gave him an even look. "Yeah, not yet."
The four of them turned to watch a fire engine roared past, siren blaring.
Sam looked at Dean. "Go."
Dean ran to the Impala, and Andy tried to step past Sam. Sam put a hand on his chest. "No, not you. You're staying here with me." He swung his arm around to keep Piper behind him, which she let happen again. Seriously, Andy was freaking her the hell out.
xxxxx
Later, Piper and Sam were sitting across from Andy at a picnic table. Dean had called, letting them know that the woman was dead before he got there. The men were talking about their powers.
Andy was trying to grasp the concept. "So you get these premonitions of people about to die?"
Sam nodded. "But that's impossible." Piper laughed. "A lot of people would say the same thing about what you do."
"But... death visions." Andy looked back at Sam.
"Yeah."
Andy shook his head. "Dude, that sucks. I mean, like, when I got my mind thing? It was like a gift, you know, it was, it was like I won the Lotto."
Piper tilted her head to look at him. "But you still live in a van. I don't get it, I mean, you could have anything you ever wanted."
Andy shrugged. "I mean, I, I got everything I need." Piper smiled at him, which he returned.
Sam looked at him. "So you're really not a killer, huh?"
Andy laughed. "That's what I've been trying to tell you!"
"That's good. Means there's hope for both of us," Sam said. Piper put her hand on his and squeezed, hoping to convey comfort.
They stood as Dean pulled up in the Impala. He got out and walked toward them. "Victim's name was Holly Beckett, forty-one, single. "
Sam looked at Andy. "Who is she?"
Andy shrugged. "Never heard of her."
"Called Ash on the way over here," Dean continued as he met them. "He came up with a little something. Apparently Holly Beckett gave birth when she was eighteen years old, back in 1983. Same day you were born, Andy."
Piper turned to the man in pajamas. "Andy, were you adopted?"
Andy nodded. "Well, yeah."
Dean glared. "You were? And you neglected to mention that?"
"Never really came up. I mean, I, I never knew my birth parents, and, and like you said my adopted mom died when I was a baby. Do you, do you think this Holly woman could actually be my m-"
Dean sighed. "I don't know. I tried to get a copy of the birth records, but they're hard copy only, sealed in the county office."
"Well, screw that."
xxxxx
They were going through files while Andy spoke to the security guard. Piper had tuned them out, but she did look up to see Andy waving a hand at the guard's retreating back. "These are not the 'droids you're looking for."
Dean was grinning. "Awesome." Piper smiled and elbowed him in the side.
"I got it," Sam said from the other side of the room.
Dean and Piper stopped and looked up at him. "Yeah?" Dean said.
Sam nodded. "Yeah. Andy, it's true. Holly Beckett was your birth mother."
Andy sat down. "Huh. Does anyone have a Vicodin?"
"Dr. Jennings was her doctor, too, I mean, he oversaw the adoption. You have a solid connection to both of them."
Andy swung his head to look at them. "Yeah, but I, I didn't kill them."
Piper came to stand next to him. She put her hand on his shoulder. "We believe you."
The Winchesters nodded.
Dean cleared his throat. "But uh, who did?"
Sam held the file up. "I think I got a pretty good guess. Holly Beckett gave birth to twins."
xxxxx
A/N: Hi, everyone! Here's my notes:
I own only Piper Finley, the original character. I don't own Supernatural, or the characters (heartbroken).
Reviews and comments give me the warm fuzzies and keep me going.
If there are any mistakes in continuity, canon, or geography, blame me
**I know, I tweaked Andy's powers a little to fit my own needs. My bad, y'all.
