Two Hunters and a Baby.

Disclaimer: Sigh no matter how hard I try I just don't own anything to do with Supernatural or the characters of the show. Although anything that comes from my fevered imagination is ... kind of ... that's my excuse anyway!

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Author's note: Hi all sorry it has taken so long in posting this next chapter but, it is Spring here in Australia and couple that with being in the middle of a harsh drought ... well sinus season is well and truly here. Been battling my own fever this week, but as long as my hands don't get too sweaty I will see how I go writing this chapter

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CHAPTER 6

Sam finished taping down the gauze pad over the newly stitched wound; thankfully, it was not as deep as they first thought. He passed a couple of mild pain killers to Dean and then wearily went to wash his hands again. He stopped for a moment and stared down at the empty cot, anger fuelling his bone-weary body, 'we're gonna find her and bring her back Dean.' He promised turning around to face his brother, his hazel eyes blazing with fury, 'I promise we're going to bring her back.'

'Sam, who would ... where, is she?' Dean snarled, 'where's that so-called spirit?'

'She disappeared just after we got you back here, I don't think she was involved Dean.'

'No? Well where is she then?'

'I really don't know.' Sam frowned and tilted his head as he felt a now familiar feeling, 'but I have a feeling that we're about to find out.' He turned to face Azuraus who stood just inside the door.

'What the fuck have you done to my daughter?' Dean screamed forgetting his stab wound he tried to sit up and get out of bed, intent on forcing information out of her.

'Dean!' Sam warned his brother going quickly to his brother's side he pushed him gently back onto the bed, 'no moving.'

'Dude this tone of yours I dunno.' Dean muttered, turning his attention back to the spirit? 'Well? I'm waiting ... I aint Sammy honey I don't particularly like you.'

'I know where Isabelle is.' Azuraus admitted unable to look at Dean, 'I followed the link I have with her.'

'And? So far I don't hear a lot coming from you.'

'They do have her and Merci.'

'Do I have to beat it out of you?' Dean snarled, his chest hurt like hell and the spirit was playing with him.

'I am not playing with you.' Azuraus snapped staring at him, 'I am trying to explain something that is very difficult for me to ... translate.'

'How did ... okay translate what?'

'I see things but they are not like what you see.' Azuraus tried to explain but instead she started to fade away.

'Hey where you going?' Dean demanded.

'I – ah when I get stressed I fade.' Azuraus whispered, 'please just let me tell you what I saw without anymore interruption.'

'Dean please just let her talk.' Sam said so quietly that both of them turned their attention to Sam.

'Sammy? What ... what is it?' Dean paled when he saw his brother, he had been so angry and so intent on grilling the spirit he had forgotten Sam.

'Nothing, just so tired that's all.' Sam admitted rubbing his eyes with his fingers, 'I can feel something but I dunno what.'

'What do you see Sam?' Azuraus asked as she solidified completely once more, 'relax and let it come to you.'

Sam tensed as he felt the attention like a hot poker in his face, 'umm I'm just gonna go ... ah to the bathroom.' He got out as he pulled himself up and ran to the bathroom, 'you two don't kill each other.' He shot back over his shoulder.

When he slammed the door shut he leant against it and heaved a big sigh of relief feeling the tenseness leave him immediately. Sliding down the door, he rested his aching head against it and tried to put things in order in his mind.

Someone tried to kill Dean and stole Isabelle; they have a crazy animal spirit hanging around with them and a missing Merci who is most likely a prisoner of whoever took Isabelle.

'Sam you okay?' Dean called from the other side of the door; sighing Sam hauled himself up and leant heavily against the basin. 'Sam?' Dean called sounding even more worried.

'Yeah I'm fine.' Sam answered but as he stared at his own reflection in the cracked mirror, he wondered if he was really fine.

'Sam if you don't appear soon I am coming in to check on you.' Dean snapped making Sam smile slightly, he could see his brother pacing in front of the door itching to find out what was going on.

'What is going on Sam?' He muttered aloud then he splashed water on his face, popped a couple of pain killers for his growing headache, and went to open the door.

Dean stood barely two paces away staring angrily at the door almost willing it to open when Sam finally reappeared. He took in the large rings under Sam's eyes, the paleness of his face and the tell-tale lines around his eyes of a headache.

'Where's Azuraus?' Sam asked avoiding the inquiring look on Dean's face.

'She left a while ago, Dude you've been in there for over an hour.' Dean softened his voice when he saw the look of confusion growing on Sam's face, 'what happened?'

'Over an hour?' Sam shook his head, 'only a few minutes surely.'

'Nope I thought you had fallen asleep coz there was no noise or anything.' Dean sat down on the edge of his bed and watched Sam closely. 'Did you have another vision?'

'No, no nothing like that.' Sam shook his head, 'I was really in there for over an hour?'

'Sammy start making sense Dude or I am taking you to the hospital for a check up.'

'Says he who wouldn't go and get his own injury looked at.' Sam snapped back. 'Sorry Man, I gotta killer headache, so what else did Azuraus say?'

'She saw Issy and said that she's alright being looked after by some woman but she saw Merci as well.'

'Where?'

'In a dark room, she's not so good.' Dean said still watching Sam closely, 'Sam what is it Dude and don't tell me you're fine coz I can see that you're not.'

'Dean I – I ah really don't know, just so tired.' Sam admitted wincing as the headache started to intensify again, 'ah my head ... hurts ... Dean.' He collapsed to his knees holding his head, 'ahh stop it Dean please stop it hurting.' Tears escaped from his eyes as he squeezed them closed trying to block out the blinding light. 'The light Dude the light.'

The images slowly came into focus, a cot next to a window with a mobile of butterflies over it. A window open with a breeze flowing in through lace curtains. Warm spring weather he could smell the daisies.

A shadow lurked behind the door slamming it shut and moved towards him, gliding on air it raised a hand and sent him smashing against the wall winding him. Then slowly he felt himself lifted upwards propelled to the ceiling and across until he hung over the cot. He could see a young dark haired woman huddled in a corner, her wrists trapped in metal cuffs, her pitifully thin body shaking with sobs she seemed oblivious to what was happening around her.

He could feel the breeze wash over him, filling the room with the scent of daisies before it changed, and all he could smell was an acrid stench of burning sulphur. He choked on the foul stench, his tears falling down on the baby sleeping in the cot. Isabelle slept soundly when she opened her eyes and looked up at him, a smile on the infants face as she recognised him. A blinding pain blasted through him he could feel a knife slicing his abdomen open and the blood flowing freely, he tried to scream but something cut across his throat silencing him.

He watched in horror, feeling his life force leave him as the shadowy figure picked Isabelle up and played with her, making tiny flames dance in front of her eyes. Another voice caught his attention weakly he tried to focus on another body huddled in a corner opposite the young woman. Dean lay curled in a ball, his body shaking in pain, wearing only his jeans, and his body laced with long bleeding welts; he watched the shadow playing with Isabelle and he cried out in frustration and anger. Unable to free himself he had to lie in his own blood and watch the demon take his baby away in a flash of flames.

Sam blinked and let out a hoarse cry, tears streamed down his face and his throat bore a red welt starting from under one ear and ending under the other. Panicked he pulled up his T-shirt and stared at the welt on his stomach. 'What the fuck.'

'Sammy, Sam come on Dude breath just breath and calm down.' Dean had to force himself to keep his own voice steady when he saw the marks appear on his brother's body.

'We have to find them now Dean.' Sam's voice came out hoarse and rough, 'Merci and Issy, he has them.'

'Whoa slow down Sammy, we are gonna go get them back but I need you to be honest and tell me exactly what you saw.'

'Dean I ah.'

'No Sam I know when you try and play down the vision thinking to protect me but not this time I need you to be totally honest and tell me what you saw.'

'I ah, okay a room, like a nursery ... the cot with a mobile of butterflies ... open window, umm breeze and the smell of daisies.' Sam half smiled at the memory it felt so good to begin with, then as he finished explaining the vision he no longer smiled. 'Then it changed, the demon ... the shadow, was there he slammed the door shut and, and umm pushed me up against the wall, and ah.' Sam stood up and ran his hand through his hair; he couldn't stop the shaking as the vision scorched itself into his memory, nightmare fodder. 'He pushed me up onto the ceiling until I was over the cot.'

Sam I...'

'Isabelle was in the cot sleeping then she woke up and smiled at me.' Sam kept talking, his eyes starting to glaze over as he spoke, 'I – I felt the knife cut my stomach, and then when I tried to yell I felt my throat being cut. I could see Merci she was chained and huddled in a corner sobbing and out of it, you were in another corner, you – you were pretty cut up and bleeding badly, demanding that he give Issy back, he ah picked her up out of the crib and they disappeared in a large flame.' The words tumbled out, as Sam finished recounting what he saw wanting to finish as quickly as possible.

'Fuck Dude.' Dean breathed his eyes wide open and his own breathing harsh and forced. 'Okay focus, Merci could you see her clearly.'

'Yeah, uh very pretty, black hair, really long and she had a tattoo.'

'Tattoo of a Celtic crescent moon on the base of her neck?' Dean finished for him.

'Yeah her hair was pushed to the side and I could see it clearly, Dude do you remember Merci?'

'Yeah except her name aint Merci, well it wasn't when I went out with her.' Dean admitted, 'why didn't I think of her before?'

'Who Dean?'

'Ah sorry Dude, her name's Meredith Larousse we went out for a couple of months then bang she was gone, vanished just like that.'

'She dumped you?' Sam gave a little chuckle, 'what did you do?'

'Nothing, actually I was going to tell her everything about us.'

'Like you did with Cassie?'

'Meredith was different Dude, she was umm into what we did, her Dad was a hunter that's how we met. Dad knew her Dad.'

'So how come you never told me about her?'

'Dude do we have to go there again?'

'Okay so what made Meredith spook like that when you were going out?'

'Dunno, I hadn't long broken up with Cassie I guess I was a little commitment phobic.' Dean frowned when Sam let out a snort and started to laugh, 'Sammy focus.'

'I would never believe you to be commitment phobic.' Sam laughed, 'ahh sorry Dude.'

'My guess would be ... ah fuck Sam she must have found out she was pregnant.'

'Oh dude, I am sorry.' Sam said feeling for his older brother.

'She must have thought she was protecting me, as well as herself and the baby.'

'So why find you now? I mean Issy is five months old why wait until now to lay it on you about being a daddy?'

'Because she knew that the demon was after her.' Azuraus answered as she materialised in front of the two brothers.