A/N: Since it's been so long just a couple quick reminders: Dean is currently avoiding MJ because he can't stand to face her after the naked photo/Patrick debacle. Sam and MJ concluded that the pool table at The Patch might be what's keeping Allison's ghost around since she possessed a hockey player after Dean burned her bones and MJ's vision happened while she was at the bar, close to the pool table. Thanks for reading:)

Chapter 15

"This is Dean's cell. You know what to do."

Sam cursed out loud, slamming his hand into the steering wheel in anger. He ground his teeth together, waiting for the beep. When it finally came, the words exploded angrily from his mouth.

"Dean, if I have to listen to that fucking voicemail greeting one more time, I swear I'm gonna take your phone and shove it up your ass! Quit being a self-centered prick and get to The Patch now!" Sam huffed out a sigh. "Bring all the salt and lighter fluid that we have left."

Sam flipped the phone closed and crammed it back into his jacket pocket, glancing over at MJ who was staring at him wide eyed from the passenger seat.

"What?" He snapped, still pissed off over Dean ignoring his calls. MJ made no response, just turning back to face forward in her seat as Sam raced toward the bar. Sam felt instantly contrite for snapping at his sister, but said nothing, focusing on getting them to the bar and Jacob before it was too late.

In the back seat, Garrett was silent, hands clasped together in his lap, staring out the window. He was pale and shaking with nerves by the time Sam pulled the car to the curb outside The Patch.

The darkened street was deserted, the yellow police tape still in place around the bar entrance. There was no sign that Jacob or anyone else was inside. Sam was the first out of the car, carefully scanning the building for any signs of danger as he walked to the trunk to gather the needed supplies. MJ stood silently beside Sam, waiting for him to hand her some of the weapons. Garrett's door opened and he stepped out slowly, looking at the bar like there was a firing squad inside.

"Uh," He started in a shaky voice, looking back at the siblings, "M-maybe I should just wait out here." His eyes darted back and forth between them and the building. He looked like he was on the brink of peeing his pants.

Sam shuffled through the trunk, sparing Garrett a disgusted glance as he stuffed lighters, matches and extra salt rounds into his coat pockets. "You have to stay with us buddy and we're going in."

Garrett was shaking his head in refusal. "I'm not going in there."

"Hey!" Sam yelled sharply, over the top of the open trunk, "Pull yourself together. You stay out here alone you're an easy target for her." Sam reasoned, clearly fed up with Garrett. He handed MJ one of the shot guns.

Garrett pointed at MJ hopefully. "You can go in and she can stay here with me." He suggested desperately.

Sam loaded his shot gun, handing some shells to MJ so she could do the same. He looked incredulously at Garrett. "You think I'm leaving my little sister alone with you? Fat chance."

Indignation shone in Garrett's eyes. "I told you, I never touched that girl. I'm not a fucking criminal."

MJ saw it in Sam's eyes as he slammed the trunk closed and strode quickly around MJ: Garrett had just used up the last of her brother's patience. He grabbed up Garrett's collar with his free hand, shot gun in the other. His eyes blazed with anger as he slammed Garrett back into the side of the car.

"Sam," MJ warned, not quite as forcefully as she'd intended.

Sam ignored her, breathing hard, holding fast to Garrett. "Do you think it matters at all that you weren't one of the ones who raped Allison? Do you think you're somehow not as bad as them because you stood ten yards away and watched while they hurt an innocent girl? You're just as guilty as the rest of them and frankly, probably don't even deserve to be saved from her. So shut your mouth, nut up and stay behind me!" Sam ordered, pulling away from Garrett and walking quickly toward the bar entrance.

MJ pulled her surprised gaze away from Garrett and fell into step beside her brother.

"Sam," MJ asked cautiously, "don't you think we should wait for Dean?"

Sam stopped walking abruptly, turning to stand in front of MJ. He looked down at her, shot gun slung over his shoulder. "So, what, I'm incapable of doing the job without Dean?" He snapped.

"I just meant-"

"Dean's probably not even coming, okay? So I'm it." He shrugged in a would-be nonchalant manner, that didn't reach his eyes. "Deal with it." He snapped turning back around and striding quickly forward, ducking under the police tape.

MJ sputtered for a moment, confused by what she had said to set Sam off. She shook her head as Sam picked the lock and moved forward, Garrett practically glued to her side. MJ eyed her brother warily as they entered the bar as quietly as possible. MJ knew that things between them were going to be strained for the foreseeable future. His willingness to speak to her at Garrett's apartment had been out of necessity. Even pissed as he was with her, Sam would never let anything going on between the siblings get in the way of working a case. MJ knew that. MJ also knew that once this case was solved, Sam's determination to figure out just how MJ had managed to stun that hockey player with her mind would be second only to his quest to know what had happened while she was with that demon. But MJ didn't have any answers for him. And so they would work together, but MJ realized with a sense of growing devastation that the rift between her and her brothers would still be there, driving them apart. The thought brought tears to her eyes, but she fought them back as she crept across the darkened barroom following Sam closely, Garrett nearly stepping on her heels as they went. As soon as she was through the door the smell of gas filled her nostrils. It was so strong it nearly knocked her over. Her head spun as she kept walking, close to Sam.

Very suddenly light flooded the room and MJ squinted at the sudden brightness, spinning around, gun raised until she saw Jacob standing behind the bar, one hand on the light switch, the other brandishing a Glock. He was looking across the room in their direction, but his eyes seemed unfocused, his expression almost crazed. He waved the gun in front of him a few times, giving a few snorts of almost maniacal laughter.

"Hey, guys! Welcome to the party."

Sam took a step toward Jacob and to the side, so he was standing in front of MJ.

"What's going on Jacob?" Sam asked cautiously.

Jacob moved slowly around the bar so he was standing right in front of Sam. He shook his head, a humorless smile on his face. He reached up, kneading his palms into his forehead, gun held loosely in his right hand. "I just want it to end."

Okay, so Jacoob has snapped. MJ thought as she took a step back, afraid of where this was heading.

"You want what to end?" Sam asked in that same calm tone.

Jacob gestured wildly around the room and Sam watched the gun with an anxious expression.

"Everyone is fucking dying!" Jacob exclaimed, exasperated. "We come here every night, ya know? Used to be our spot. But now…she's always here," He looked right at Sam, his eyes pleading. "I can feel her fucking watching us. Just waiting, messing with our heads!" He shook his head, half angry, half frightened. "Why the fuck is this happening?"

Sam tried to stay calm, to placate Jacob. "Listen to me, Jacob. We can help you." He gestured to himself and MJ. "We can stop her once and for all. No one else has to get hurt."

Jacob's stare was fixed on the floor in front of him. He had an almost vacant look about him and he didn't speak for a while. When he finally did, his whole body gave a jerk, like he was waking up abruptly. He looked back up at Sam, shaking his head. "Well, you see, that's not gonna work." He pointed the gun at Sam, "You," he then pointed it toward MJ who was cowering a few feet behind her brother. "And her know what happened here." He turned back toward Sam, looking resigned. "And I'm not going to prison over some slut puck bunny gone psycho poltergeist!" He finished with an angry shout, spit flying from his mouth as he moved closer to Sam.

"So you pretended to be in trouble, lured us here to kill us," MJ surmised. Jacob turned to look at her.

"Jacob," Sam demanded the other man's attention, his voice more stern and less calming now. "You don't need to do this." MJ could see Sam's other hand slowly reaching for the gun in his waistband.

"But I do." Sam had his fingers wrapped around his gun, but it was too late. Jacob swung the Glock at Sam's head, striking him in the left temple. Sam crumpled to the floor, out cold.

"Sammy!" MJ screamed, falling to her knees at Sam's side, her fear forgotten. She placed her hands on either side of his head, silently begging him to wake up. "Sammy," She sobbed, barely aware of Jacob walking past her toward Garrett.

"Why'd you have to be such a pussy, huh? What'd you run and blab to the fucking cops for? Now I have to get rid of all of you before anyone else tries to make this their business!" Jacob spat at Garrett. Garrett just stood there, wide eyed, frozen in fear.

Jacob spun around, eyes scanning the bar, like he was considering his next move.

He pointed his gun at Garrett. "Help me tie them up." He ordered.

MJ heard Jacob's footsteps approaching, felt Jacob's hand tighten around her upper arm, and yanked herself from his grasp, stroking Sam's head, willing him to open his eyes. She felt the cold barrel of the gun against the side of her head. "Don't make me knock you out too, sweetheart." Jacob threatened. He grabbed her arm again and this time MJ let him pull her to her feet, the gun still firmly against her skull. Jacob pulled her toward the pool table.

"Drag him over here." He called to Garrett, who was quick to obey. He grabbed Sam by the collar of his jacket, yanking with all his might to slide him across the dirty floor to where MJ and Jacob were standing. When Jacob held her roughly against the pool table, the images of what he and the others had done to Allison flooded her mind, and MJ struggled to free herself of his hold, suddenly petrified of what he was planning to do to her.

When she tried to pull away from him, eyeing the pool table in terror, Jacob seemed to figure out what she thought was about to happen and let out a derisive laugh. "Oh, please, don't flatter yourself." He pulled handcuffs from his back pocket, fastening them around her wrists so she was locked to the leg of the pool table. He crouched in front of her, considering her for a moment. MJ instinctively turned her face down and away from him. Jacob grabbed her hair, roughly pulling her back around to face him. He smirked, giving a shrug. "Hmm, maybe under different circumstances we could've had some fun."

MJ felt anger, white hot surge through her and without a second thought spit in Jacob's smirking face.

She saw his expression go from smug to pissed and she tried to move back away from him when he reached out toward her. Jacob took hold of her hair. She felt him pull her face toward the heavy wooden leg of the pool table, there was a blinding pain in her forehead and then everything was black.

MJ heard voices nearby. Male voices, arguing. Damn it, couldn't Sam and Dean ever let her sleep in? She smelled gas and opened her eyes. There was a blinding pain across her forehead. When she went to lift her arms, she realized she was cuffed. Her brain sluggishly put the pieces together. Jacob, the bar, the ghost…then she remembered Sam and was suddenly not so dazed. She scanned the room around her, as best she could from where she lay on her back, cuffed to the leg of the pool table. She couldn't see Sam anywhere. She could see Jacob and Garrett standing near the bar, the source of the arguing she'd heard when she first came to. She watched as Garrett pleaded with Jacob.

MJ heard a soft groan from somewhere on the other side of the pool table. She couldn't turn enough to see him, but could hear Sam coming to somewhere close by. Relief washed over her and right on its heels was something close to rage. She was done with this. She'd kill Jacob herself if she had to, destroy this pool table and get the hell out of this town. She began looking around the immediate area for some way to free herself of the handcuffs. The way she was laying on the floor, she could see beneath the table and as she scanned the underside of it something caught her eye…it was just peeking out from one of the side pockets, blue and white beads, shiny and familiar…and with a sickened feeling in her gut, MJ knew what she was looking at. The vision swam through her head again…

She lashed out, reaching up and scratching Jacob across his face as he was climbing on top of her. She saw anger flash in his eyes as he tightly gripped her wrist and slammed her arm back down. Her wrist connected with the side pocket of the pool table painfully, she was distantly aware of her bracelet catching on the edge of the pocket as she struggled, falling from her wrist…

MJ gasped, looking up at the homemade jewelry, knowing Allison had fashioned it herself, in those colors to show her support of the team, a team whose players treated her like trash and brutalized her. That bracelet was what was keeping Allison here. MJ knew that with certainty. She scooted along the floor toward it, but found she couldn't reach it, so she resumed searching about for a way to get rid of these damn cuffs.

Suddenly a gun shot rang out loudly, jolting MJ from her mission. She looked to her right and saw Jacob, gun still raised in his hand, standing over Garrett's lifeless body. MJ had all but forgotten about them, had tuned out their arguing. Now she watched as blood seeped out around Garrett's head, couldn't seem to make herself look away.

Then Jacob was walking toward her, a crazed look in his eyes. Once he walked past her, MJ could only see his legs and torso from under the table. He was in his own world as he grabbed up a gas can sitting against the wall and began dousing it over the pool table, splashing some down on MJ. He was muttering to himself while he worked. MJ could only make out a few words here and there, but it sounded like "had to" and "no other way" were repeated a few times. He tossed the gas can onto the floor and MJ's heart sank when she watched him pull a lighter from his jeans pocket.

"Jacob, wait!" MJ shouted, desperately. "You don't have to do this! Listen to me, Allison's bracelet is in this table. I can see it, in the side pocket! If we burn it she'll be gone forever, I promise! Please, my brother and I will just walk away, okay? It'll be over!"

She couldn't see Jacob's face, but heard him flick the lighter and toss it onto the pool table. MJ heard a whoosh as the bright flames engulfed the table over her head. The smell of smoke was instant and nearly overwhelming. MJ began pulling frantically against the cuffs, the metal digging into her wrists. She could hear Jacob laughing maniacally nearby. Then he stopped very abruptly and walked back toward her, stood over her for a moment.

"Help me!" She begged still yanking on the cuffs with all of her might. She didn't think he even heard her as he looked back down at her.

"It is over." He said, responding to her pleading from before. He turned and walked toward the exit, ignoring MJ's shouted protests.

Out of nowhere, Sam was suddenly standing in front of Jacob, blocking the door. His hand shot out, squeezing around Jacob's throat as he seethed at him, "It isn't over."

MJ's mouth dropped open. That was so not her brother right now…

She watched horrified as Sam pushed a stunned Jacob backward, knocking him to the floor and kneeling over him, grip still firm on his throat. Jacob clawed at Sam's arm feebly, but it was over in a matter of seconds. Sam's crushing strength won out and Jacob Miller was dead. Sam looked down on Jacob, hate in his eyes. "Now it's over." He said.

MJ gaped. It was Sam's voice, Sam's body, but Sam was not in control here…no, this was Allison. MJ knew it and tried to take a deep breath, despite the smoke surrounding her. There was only one way she was getting herself and her brother out of here alive.

"Allison!" She called as loudly as she could, between racking coughs. "Please help me!"

Sam's head turned quickly, as if startled to look over at MJ. He considered her for a moment, totally still, eyes hard, before rising slowly to his feet.

"Allison, please!" MJ rasped. The flames were lapping down the wooden leg of the pool table now, inches from where her arms were locked around it. The fire was heating the metal cuffs, and with a sick feeling MJ realized that the sudden smell of burning flesh was coming from her own wrists. "Please, we'll die in here!" MJ called frantically, giving a yelp as the skin on her arms continued to burn.

Allison stared down at her through Sam's eyes for another agonizing moment, until finally moving forward quickly, bending over MJ and pulling the handcuffs apart with one quick movement. If the fire burned her, she didn't seem to feel it at all. Without hesitation she threw MJ over her shoulder and carried her out the front door, a plume of smoke following after them.

Once they were away from the flames and smoke, Allison set her down on the curb. MJ pulled quick breaths in as fast as she could, looking up at her brother's body and someone else's eyes.

Allison looked back down at her. Her eyes haunted. She crouched down in front of MJ, an earnest expression on her face.

"Tell my brother that I love him. And that it's over. It's all over now." She said. Then she closed her eyes and MJ watched as a shiver ran through Sam's body. When he opened his eyes MJ knew he was her brother again. He looked around himself confused before his eyes landed on his sister.

"How did-" He took a ragged breath, looking down at the shining red burn marks on his palms where he'd gripped the hot metal of the cuffs. His head quickly shot up again, looking MJ over, eyes going wide at the burns covering her wrists and forearms. "Are you okay?" He asked, alarmed.

MJ's only response was to pull him to her in a fierce embrace. Then suddenly the excruciating pain and the inability to pull air into her lungs won out and for the second time that night everything went black and her head fell onto Sam's shoulder.