Good news/bad news time.

Good news: I'm going to Adventureland... to have a fun time at Adventureland!

Bad news: Won't be back until July 3... and we don't ahve a laptop.

Good news: This chapter's really long.

Bad news: It's the last one until the third.

Good news: This will give me time to finish the story.

Bad news: What part of 'extended leave of absence' aren't we getting, here, people?

In other words, it's gonna be a while until the next update. I'm really sorry about that, but, like I said, it's a long chapter. Enjoy!

"So," Ellen began as she lay on the bed, poking her chopsticks into the container of take-out that sat in front of her, "your dad and I had a talk today."

Jaye nodded, staring down into her own container of food. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. We were, uh, discussing living arrangements."

"That's nice," the girl replied coldly.

"You ok?"

"Peachy."

"Jaye?"

Jaydin sighed. "I'm fine, mom. Really."

Ellen shook her head and kept poking at her food. It didn't take a genius to know that something was going on with the teenager. "You've been acting kind of distant tonight."

"Do we have pretzels?"

"What?"

"Pretzels," Jaye snapped, "you know, hard, curly dough covered in salt?"

"I think your dad and uncle have them."

"Can you go see? I'm craving pretzels."

"Sure," the older woman nodded, sliding off the bed, "we can talk when I get back."

"Whatever," the girl muttered, watching her mother leave the room and shuddering as a cold breeze blew through the small space.

o0o0o0o0o

"Can you believe it?' Dean asked jamming a fork through the bottom of the carry-out container, "thirteen years and now she wants to play mom? No way!"

"But you said she could," Sam pointed out. "Do you want a plate or something?"

Groaning, Dean chucked his dinner and fork at the trashcan. "Not hungry."

"That's a first."

"Not funny," the elder mutter as someone started pounding on the door. Grunting, he slid off his bed and trudged over. "What?" he asked, pulling the door open.

"Jaye wants pretzels. You got any?"

Dean looked back at his brother. "We got pretzels?"

"Somewhere," the younger brother responded, crossing the room to dig through the bags of groceries he'd gotten earlier that day.

"You want to come in?" Dean asked.

Ellen shook her head. "No. I'm just here for the pretzels."

"They're in here somewhere," Sammy muttered, throwing bags of chips and candy across the room in his search. "Got 'em." He pulled out a bag of pretzels and held them up triumphantly as the lights began to flicker.

Ellen gasped as she was shoved into the room and Dean's waiting arms in order to make room for the door to slam.

"Son of a bitch," Dean muttered, taking his arms from her shoulders and diving for the duffle bag that sat in a chair. Sam was way ahead of him, already locked, loaded, and itching to get his hands on whatever evil dared to mess with his family.

All three hunters immediately set to work trying to open the door, which refused to budge. Finally, Dean stepped back and looked around the room, mind going into a panicked state of overdrive as the lights continued to blink and a muffled scream came from the next room.

Without really thinking, he shoved the duffle bag off of the chair and, grabbing the wooden armrests, drug it across the room to the window. The sound of shattering glass filled the room and pulled Ellen and Sam from their door-busting mission.

Dean leapt through the broken window with Sam and Ellen close behind him and began to pound on the door to room 8. It gave almost instantly, and he plunged through the doorway into darkness.

Ellen flipped the switch and the empty room was bathed in a bright, buzzing fluorescent glow. Three sets of eyes darted around the small space, taking in the overturned chairs and crushed cartons of food.

"Jaye?" Dean asked, stepping cautiously into the room and looking around, hoping to find her hidden behind a bed or in the closet. "Jaydin?"

Sam followed his brother into the room. He glanced up at the ceiling and breathed a sigh of relief when he found it unoccupied. "The salt lines aren't disturbed," he observed, "and she's not here, so-"

"Don't. Don't say it, Sam."

"The only thing I've ever seen get past salt is-"

"What did I just tell you?"

"Dean…"

"I hate to do this," Ellen interrupted as she ran a finger over a thin yellow powder that covered the floor by the door, "but there's sulfur."

Dean pushed past them and walked out into the bleak night. He gazed up at the moon and stars, the tree branches shaking in the slight breeze. "Jaye," he whispered, closing his eyes and clenching his fists, "dammit."

o0o0o0o0o

His eyelids were heavy, but he couldn't bring himself to sleep, knew that nightmares awaited him. He'd wanted to start the search right away, but Sam had stopped him, saying that they'd all be able to see things more clearly in the light of day. Dean hadn't really believed that, but he'd gone along with it just the same. What did he have to lose?

He sighed, letting his eyelids droop a little, but still refusing to allow them to close. His head snapped up as he heard the door creaking open. Yellow eyes glared at him from the darkness outside.

Without missing a beat, Dean called for his brother, but Sam didn't stir, didn't even seem to notice. He looked back at the demon. "Dream, right?"

"Bingo."

Nodding, Dean settled back against the large wooden headboard and crossed his arms over his chest. "Any particular reason you've moved on from arson to kidnapping?"

The demon walked into the room, smiling brightly, the door shutting behind it as soon as it had entered. "Look, I know you miss that sweet little girl of yours, but-"

"Where is she?"

"She's safe. For now. Sleeping, actually, as we speak. Totally oblivious. She's a really pretty little thing, you know."

"You give me my daughter back."

The demon chuckled. "Don't you even want to know why I took her?"

"Not really."

"Well, I just thought that you should know that it has absolutely nothing to do with her. She's not the one I want."

"Then why take her?"

Still smiling, the demon took a seat at the foot of Dean's bed. "I want to propose a trade. Now, before you say yes, I just want you to know that I'm going to give you time to think. You'll get a whole day to talk it over with the others and consider. Aren't I generous?"

"A regular Santa Claus." Dean growled.

"There's that humor I love so much."

"What do you want?"

"It's not so much of a what, but more of a who, really. See, I want Sam. I've always wanted Sam. You were just too stubborn to let me have him."

"You want me to trade my brother for my daughter?"

"Think about it," the demon said, standing up and brushing itself off before heading toward the door, "I'm giving you plenty of time." The door swung open and the creature disappeared into the night as Dean jumped awake and looked over at his sleeping brother.

o0o0o0o0o

"Me?" Sam asked, staring across the table at his brother with wide eyes, "it wants me in exchange for Jaye?"

Dean nodded slowly, looking down at his hands in time to catch his thumbs enter round two of a major battle with each other. "Yeah, that's what it said."

"Where are we going to meet it for the trade?"

Dean's head snapped up. "You're kidding, right?"

"No. Man, this shouldn't even be an issue for you. I'm doing it."

"Shouldn't we at least come up with some kind of plan first?" Ellen asked, leaning back in her chair and gazing at the brothers.

"I can't believe you're considering this," Dean groaned.

"You want her to stay with that thing?"

"Well, no, but there's gotta be some other way. We could trap it and kill it or something."

"And how are we gonna kill it?" Sam asked, "face it, the best way to keep Jaye safe is for me to go peacefully."

The older man sighed. "Ellen's right, then. We should have a plan."

Sam shook his head. "Won't fly. It can read minds, remember?"

"Then how are we supposed to plot against it?"

"What if," Ellen suggested, "we only plan to get the Colt from it? Sam could go in with that in mind, gaining the thing's trust and sneaking off with the gun."

"You really thing that would work?"

She shrugged. "It's a cocky son of a bitch. It'll give Sammy the gun just to get the chance to take it back from us. While Sam's getting the gun, though, Dean and I can come up with something better."

Sam nodded. "Sounds good. Don't come up with a real plan until we're separated and far from the demon. Smart."

"I have my moments."

"I can't believe you're going to just walk into that's thing's grimy claws," Dean said, "but I'm going to respect you for the rest of your painfully short life because of it."

"What can I say?" Sammy shrugged, "she's family. Besides, the kid's freakin' adorable. Now, where's this rendezvous point?"

"Dunno."

"It tried to set up a trade with you but didn't tell you where the trade was happening?" Ellen asked.

Dean shrugged. "It wanted to give me time to mull it over. Said it'll be back tonight."

"Ok, then," Sam nodded, "I guess we just have to wait."

o0o0o0o0o

The sun had long ago set and Dean was restless, pacing in his motel room and watching Sammy sleep. He glanced down at his watch and cursed. It had been an hour since he'd fallen asleep and the damn thing was still ticking.

"Come on," he muttered, finally giving up his pacing and sitting down on his bed. He looked back at his watch. What was taking it so long to show? Was Dean really that much fun to mess with?

In the other bed, Sam groaned and rolled over, turning his back on Dean. The elder hunter barely noticed, though. He was a little distracted, what with watching the freakin' second hand of his watch continue to tick laboriously slow and all.

He did notice when Sam muttered something and sat up in bed, scratching his head and scooting to the edge before swinging his freakishly long legs over the side and stretching. Dean narrowed his eyes, mind wandering from its last conundrum to this latest development.

It was possible that Dean was in some kind of limbo between wakefulness and sleep, and was therefore able to see everything that was going on in the room. Maybe Sam had to take a leak. Maybe Dean was over-thinking his dream in a desperate attempt to get his mind off the demon's tardiness.

"Yeah, that's probably it," the hunter sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face, "paranoid much, Dean?"

"Not paranoid," Sam answered, finally turning to face his brother, "just a little nutty."

Dean jumped, staring over at Sam, whose eyes were sickly yellow.

"Sorry I'm late," the demon grinned, standing up and stretching, "but I had a very important engagement tonight. Somebody just turned six months old. I had to wish her a happy birthday."

"Well," Dean said, standing up and facing the creature, "now that you're here-"

"There's just one thing I need to do before we can talk about our little deal," it interrupted, "see, I've been thinking, and it seems to me that you're really not getting much out of this, Dean."

"I think I'll live."

"Oh, no, no, no. It's just not fair of me to make you give up your little brother, your responsibility, without giving you something much greater in return."

"Honestly-"

"Let me finish. I'm willing to give you something you've always wanted, something you never thought you could have. Along with your daughter, of course."

"And what exactly would that be?"

The demon smiled, a cold expression that didn't seem to fit Sam's face. "Love," it whispered, taking a step toward him, "you won't have to be alone anymore. Even better, little Jaydin's gonna get something out of it, too. She'll finally have that mom you were too scared to find for her."

"No."

"No?" it asked, feigning shock as it back away, "you mean, you don't want to see your daughter again? You're just going to leave her with me, let me do with her what I will, all because you value the life of your brother more?"

"No, I'm not gonna let you manipulate someone into…" he trailed off.

The smile was back, still not touching those merciless eyes. "You can't even bring yourself to say it, can you? I don't blame you, really. You let someone know how you feel, they walk all over you, turn their backs, and it just hurts more. I'm offering an end to that pain. A perfect little family. Unending love. Someone to run to when times get too rough."

"I don't get to pick and choose what I get in exchange for Sammy, do I?"

"It's a package deal."

Dean nodded. "Figures."

"I thought you'd be happy. After all, you're getting so much more out of this than I was willing to offer at first. So," it walked back up to him, looking down Sam's nose and grinning wickedly, "what do you say?"

"Deal."