i wanted to have this up yesterday, but this site was acting up. thank you all for the great reviews, and let me know what you think of the new chapter. this one is mainly just a setup for the rest of the story so it may seem a bit slow moving, but the action will be there soon.

ETERNAL

Chapter 4

Sam adjusted his collar as he sat on the musty motel room bed, his tired eyes scanning over his pages and pages of research for what had to be the hundredth time. He didn't know why, but he hadn't been able to shake the bad feeling that had settled itself in the pit of his stomach. There was just something about this hunt that he didn't like. And it wasn't pretending to be married. No, that he thought would be fairly easy, it was everything else that was turning out to be hard.

For starters, William Bramhurst had over sixty-thousand registered pieces in his home, and lord only knew how many he had that weren't legal. He and Kerri had gone through as many of the provenances as they could find, but there was still a lot they didn't know. It was like searching for a needle in a sea of haystacks, and Sam was beginning to think that it would not be possible. The worst part of all, was that they only had one night in which to find and destroy the artifact.

They were guests at a party, a one time deal, and he knew that sneaking back in would be impossible. Not only would Mr. Bramhurst be able to recognize him, but the entire staff would know him, too. No, this whole plan required him to blow his cover, the only real advantage he ever had, and he didn't like it one bit. There were just too many things that could go wrong, and too few that could actually go right. All in all, this was definitely not going to be one of Dean's better ideas.

He cracked his neck and looked over to his brother, hoping that the older man was having better luck. Dean was sitting at the table, weapons cleaned, loaded and ready, blueprints spread out on the worn wood before him, his brown furrowed in concentration. He had been like that for the past few hours, scouring every inch of the mansion for a point of access.

Sam closed his eyes in frustration when Dean cursed yet again, rifling back through the papers with much more force than necessary. This job was going from bad to worse, and fast. Not only were there thousands upon thousands of artifacts, but the estate also had the security one would expect to find in a small fortress. Every time Dean though he had found a way in some sort of road block would pop up. And it was beginning to grate on both of their nerves.

And so, as time wore one, Sam couldn't help but worry. He and Kerri were going to be right in the line of fire, and he was afraid that they would end up being without back-up. Because, if Dean couldn't find a way in soon, that's exactly what would be happening. Add to it all the dark clouds that had been closing in all day and Sam's bad feeling was doing nothing but growing.

"Maybe we shouldn't do this."

"Shut up, Sam."

"I'm just saying that we're not as prepared as we should be."

"I know what you're saying, you've been saying it for the last two days."

"And yet, you still aren't listening."

"I never listen."

"I've noticed."

"Look, this is the only chance we're gonna get. We have to do this, tonight."

"I don't want to be in there with no back up, and no clue what we're looking for. I mean, it's not like either of us could carry in a whole load of weapons."

"You won't be without back-up. I'll find a way in."

"Dean!"

"Drop it."

"All I'm saying, is that this idea is about to go from bad to worse."

"We'll if you'd do some research instead of spending all your time trying to talk me out of it, we may be ready for the hunt by now."

"I have been researching, but there's nothing useful."

Both brothers turned when they heard a soft knock at the door that lead to Kerri's room, the redhead peering around the frame. "You two both still in once piece over here?"

"Just discussing the case." Dean answered, turning back to the papers before him.

"Really?" She began, before walking back into her room. "Because it sounded like you were about to rip each other's heads off."

"Yeah well, that's how Sammy and I seem to be communicating lately." Dean called back to her as Sam rolled his eyes.

"Lately?"

"Yeah sure, smart ass."

"Hey." Kerri smiled, coming into the room. "I'm just stating facts."

Dean and Sam both fell still and silent when they finally got a good look at her. They were so used to seeing her in either a heavy welder's jacket and coveralls, or jeans and a T-shirt, that, when she walking in wearing a black, knee-length, sleeveless dress, neither really knew how to react. Yeah, they had seen pretty girls before, but Kerri was more than just another woman to them. She was Kerri, the girl they used to spar with, the girl that spent hours a day working with metal and making ammo. She wasn't the debutante at the ball, and that was fine with her, so the stares she was getting were only making her more nervous.

"Stop looking at me."

"Uh." Dean began, suddenly realizing that he was gawking at her. "Sorry. I just didn't think you'd clean up that nice."

"Gee, thanks."

"Hey, I just call them like I see them."

"Yeah, I've noticed."

"You look really nice, Kerri." Sam began, smirking at his brother. She had caught the older man off guard, and Sam was loving every minute of it. He was never, ever going to let Dean live this down.

"Thank you, Sam."

"Can we just focus already?" Dean began, going back to his papers.

"Hey, that's what I came in here for." Kerri stated, moving further into the room, her heels still in her hand. "It's you that started staring at me."

"I was trying to see where you could carry a weapon in that thing you're wearing."

"Oh sure, nice cover."

"Shut up."

"Hey, I just call them like a see them."

"Whatever."

"Did you guys find anything helpful?"

"Nope." Sam began, rubbing his eyes again. "Same old crap we knew before."

"Did you find a way in?" She began, turning towards Dean.

"I'll figure something out."

"Which translates to, Sam and me are gonna be stuck in there by ourselves."

"No, it means, I'll find a way in."

"How?"

"I'll charm them with my handsome face."

"Dean, be serious."

"I was."

"Look." Sam broke in, a headache growing. This was not turning out like any of them had anticipated and the hunt hadn't even started yet. "The party's in an hour, what we got is what we got. It's either go with the semi-plan we have now, or scrap the whole thing."

"We can't scrap it, Sammy, he knows who we are."

"Kerri?"

"Dean's right. If he can't find a way in now, there's no way this guy is just gonna let either of you in later."

"All right. So we go with what we got."

"Yup. And we pray that plan B is better. I don't really feel like speeding my aging process along."

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The mansion loomed up before them, the dark clouds circling around it, shrouding it in inky darkness. The drive up to the estate was long and narrow, the building itself being built on the side of a cliff. It was foreboding to say the least and both Sam and Kerri could feel the hairs on their necks stand up. They had armed themselves the best they could, bringing only what they knew they could easily conceal. They had also studied every inch of the house's blueprints, hoping that maybe they would be able to sneak around it without too much interference.

But even with their preparations, they both knew that this hunt hinged on Dean being able to get into the building. If he couldn't find a way in, and they didn't, by some miracle, destroy the artifact without causing an uproar, than this hunt would be the one that got away. And, if that happened, then many, many more girls would get hurt. They only had once chance, one night, and they were both feeling the pressure.

The firebird rounded the corner, the front gate of the mansion shinning in the lightly falling rain. They both felt more than a little out of place, even in the car. They had taken the firebird, the idea of Dean parting with his car for even a night was more than absurd. But apparently, a thirty some year old car was not the vehicle of the rich and famous. They found themselves in a slow moving line of luxury sedans and limousines, and, even though the windows of the other cars were tinted, they could still feel the stares.

But, they had agreed to do this, or rather, Dean had been too annoying to ignore, and they weren't about to turn around because a bunch of snobs didn't like the way they traveled. They both knew that, no matter how hard they tried, they would never be apart of that world. And, Sam thought as he turned towards the front doors, it was something that Dean had always known.

His big brother never tried to put on airs, never tried to pretend to be something else just so society would accept him. No, Dean seemed to enjoy living on the outskirts of civilization, nothing more than a shadow disappearing down dusty roads. It was appealing to the older man, and Sam was slowly beginning to see why. The world outside of the realm of hunters was one of innocence and arrogance, a false sense of security lulling its inhabitants to sleep.

But Dean and Sam, well, they knew the truth, and that made them as far from normal as they could get. Even at Stanford, Sam never really fit in, never really got out from under the knowledge of what lived in the shadows. Jess would often joke, telling him her mind was playing tricks on her. She never knew that every night Sam would search their home, that every night, he would stow a shotgun beneath their bed.

It was a twisted existence, and a hard life, but it was his life, and nothing short of a time machine would change that. The past was the past and there was no sense running from it, because, no matter how fast he ran, it would always catch up. Thinking of the past he looked over at Kerri, the older girl staring out the passenger side window, body tense. She was one of the most normal and grounding elements of his life, and he couldn't help but be grateful for her.

"You ready for this?" He asked softly, sensing her unease.

"No, but if I back out now I think your brother might shoot me."

"Look, if Dean can't get in, we'll just scrap it, all right?"

"We can at least look."

"Fine, we'll look. But the minute people start asking questions, we're done."

"I'm more worried about Mr. Millionaire then a bunch of curious guests."

"Don't worry, I won't let you out of my sight." Sam stated sincerely, squeezing her hand. He wasn't going to let anything or anyone get her. Not now, not ever.

"Thanks, Sam." Kerri's smile was warm and thankful, the tension slowly releasing its hold over her frame. Sam could tell that she was nervous, the man they were going to meet obviously having some kind of power over the women he chose. But Sam knew her, she was as stubborn as they came and he was sure that no amount of charm could sway her. He just hoped that Bramhurst wasn't using some kind of spell to lure the girls to him.

Both hunters nearly jumped when a uniformed man pulled open the passenger door, holding a large umbrella above Kerri as he held his hand to her, helping her from the car. He stood there a moment as Sam rounded the car, moving towards the covered walk when both he and Kerri were ready. The man bowed politely to them once they were in the dry confines of the entryway, both Sam and Kerri nodding back awkwardly as he made his way back to the next car.

Sam squeezed Kerri's shoulder as the pair looked towards the open door, the richly dressed guests mingling on the other side. Kerri looked up into Sam's eyes and he offered her a weak smile before hooking his arm around her's and leading her into the party, and possibly into the hands of a monster.

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Dean cursed for what had to be the thousandth time that day when a cold rain began to fall. Things could never be easy for him, could they? He thought back over his life as he wormed his way through the narrow drainpipe, trying to count all the mirrors he must have broken. There was the hunt with Bloody Mary, and a good dozen in various motels and apartment, oh, and that one at Kerri's house when they were kids. That hadn't actually been him, but fate didn't seem to care so he counted it anyway. All in all, he calculated that he was probably due for about two hundred years bad luck.

He sighed in relief when he finally reached the end of the tunnel. He broke through the grate with trained precision, taking in the small subbasement he found himself in. If he was right, there would be a hatch there that would allow him access to the walls. It was the one and only weak spot he could find, obviously there so plumbers could work around the old structure without being seen. But, at that moment, Dean didn't give a rat's ass what it was built for, as long as it got him in that house and near his brother and Kerri.

In all honesty, had he not found a way in, he would have called them both and told them to turn back. He didn't want them in the line of fire if he couldn't be there to back them up. And besides, if worse came to worse, he could always just shoot Bramhurst and be done with it. But somehow, he didn't think Sam would see that as a viable plan B.

He made his way through the small space as fast as he could, his mind wishing that the pathway in the walls was wider with each passing moment. It wasn't that he was afraid of small spaces, no, he was Dean, he wasn't afraid of anything. He just didn't really like to be confined like that. He liked to run, to stretch out, to move from side to side, not be trapped in a small, dark, narrow, movement confining area. But no, he wasn't claustrophobic or anything.

The sound of voices brought him back from his mind just as he was sure that the walls were actually moving closer and closer together. He shook himself, kneeling down to peer through a vent. God forbid Sam ever found out that he wasn't having the best of times in the wall, the guy would never let him live it down.

He guessed that he was in the ballroom, if that's what they were really called, he thought they had stopped adding those to houses back in the seventeen hundreds. But then, the room was far too big to be considered anything else. He cursed under his breath as he tried to get a better look around. There were so many people milling about, and the grate he was watching through was so small that it made it nearly impossible to find Sam and Kerri. And he knew, then and there, that this was going to be a whole lot harder than they thought, and he wasn't going to be much help stuck inside a wall.