Sorry this took so long, i;ve been a little under the weather. thank you all again for the great reviews, they really do mean alot to me.

please take this time to keep the families of those killed in the VT shootings in your hearts, and to anyone still waiting for word, you are in my prayers.

ETERNAL

Chapter 7

Kerri's heart beat fast as she walked down the hall, her arm still being held tightly by William Bramhurst, the very same man that had been the last to see fourteen now missing girls. And the twenty-nine year old couldn't help but shutter when the voices of the crowd grew fainter instead of louder as they walked. It was becoming painfully obvious that he was not taking her back to Sam.

But then, that had been obvious as soon as the man had laid eyes on her. Kerri wasn't blind, and she wasn't naive. She knew why she was there and she knew that Bramhurst didn't have the most honest of plans in mind. He was the bad guy, and she was the bait, no matter how else Dean tried to phrase it. She was there because she fit the profile, plain and simple.

It wasn't that Dean wouldn't have knowingly placed her in harms way, but well, he had always thought of himself as a bit of a super-hero. He said he would be there to protect her, and he meant every word of it, even if physics and reality said otherwise. So the fact that she was now in the clutches of a killer while her knight in shinning armor was trapped behind a wall, was more amusing to her that it probably should have been.

The lights flickered again, casting long shadows along the old corridor. But the millionaire just smiled down at her as they continued on, the voices of the other guests now completely lost in the distance.

"It's just a storm, no need to worry." William smiled, turning down another hall.

"Oh, it's not the storm I'm worried about."

"Then what?"

"Well, no offense, but Sam doesn't really seem to be down here."

"You see right through me, Mrs. Connors." While Bramhurst's voice was calm and pleasant, though his demeanor was anything but. And at the moment, Kerri was beyond certain that he was on to her.

"It's easy to do when you start leading someone away from the crowd." Kerri smiled, trying to keep the conversation light. She knew that she had to get out of there, but she also knew that she had to be smart about it. There were times for reckless action and there were times for skilled escapes, and right now the latter seemed to be the better choice.

"I am shameless. But when I saw you away from your husband, I knew I had to make my move."

"And what move is that?" Kerri began calmly, though her mind was screaming. Maybe now wasn't the best time to be cunning.

"Well, you see, it's hard to enjoy art when you have a man who his much taller than you watching your every move. I have to say, I don't think he trusts me."

"Sam's suspicious by nature."

"I would say that that is a bit of an understatement."

"Yes, I suppose so."

"He tells me that you are an artist yourself."

"Oh well, just for fun really."

"He also said that you were modest."

"What can I say, he definitely knows me."

William just smiled at her vague remark, pulling her slightly closer as they rounded another corner. Kerri froze when they entered the new corridor, obviously not expecting what she saw. Truth be told, she thought that she was being lured into a trap, but now, well now she wasn't so sure.

Bramhurst hadn't been lying, and that simple fact threw the girl. Because, instead of being in some dark lair, instead of walking into his private chambers, she found herself standing in an ornate gallery. And she didn't know what to make of it all. Liars and monsters she could deal with, but Bramhurst was something different entirely. He was charming, and as of yet hadn't tried anything, but he was still their prime suspect and that was something that she just couldn't ignore.

Kerri's eyes grew wide when she took in the scene before her. Everything she had heard about William Bramhurst's collection had been an understatement, in her mind, because everything she saw before her was amazing. It was almost as though she had walked into a treasure chest. The entire gallery sparkled with gold and jewels, precious stones shinning brightly against silver and bronze, painting almost alive behind ornate cases. Everything, even the hall itself was beautiful.

And as they stood there a gentle light cascaded down around them, shinning from chandeliers, spreading a multi-colored hue across the marble floors, giving the entire hall an celestial feel. And Kerri couldn't help but be amazed.

She moved forward slowly despite herself, William releasing her arm as she studied the collection. She knew that she was supposed to be on guard, knew that she was in the company of a possible murderer, but the sight before her was just too mesmerizing to be ignored. And besides, he had taken her to the gallery without trying anything, well except for lying about where they were really going, but she could see his reasons. After all, Sam was being overbearing and it was hard to relax when someone as big as Sam was staring at you like he was going to rip your head off.

"Beautiful, isn't it." William smiled, following a few feet behind Kerri.

"It's amazing." Kerri breathed, unable to pull her eyes away from the artifacts in front of her. There were enough pieces in that single hall to rival that of even the most prestigious museum. From jewelry, to statues, to paintings, William Bramhurst had it all.

And Kerri was lost to all that was around her, time having no effect on her as she wandered through the collection. She was completely unaware of the millionaires hands on her elbows, guiding her through the maze of treasures as a storm raged on outside. No, Kerri didn't notice any of it, she as too focused on a nearing object.

Her mind was completely captured by a large painting. The canvas was held in a gold, gilded frame, that stood at least four feet high and stretched to eight feet across. Kerri stopped before it, her blue eyes never leaving the scene before her. It was painted in the richest colors she had ever seen. The fields were so green that they seemed to glow, the waters so blue that she was sure she could see it sparkling in the painting's golden sunlight. And, as she stared at it, she swore she could feel a light summer breeze flowing around her, relaxing her, calling to her. And all she wanted to do was fall into the peacefulness before her.

"Excuse me, Mr. Bramhurst."

Kerri opened her eyes, 'when had they closed?', the voice pulling her back from wherever it was she had gone.

"We were not to be disturbed." Bramhurst began, annoyance obvious in his voice.

"Sorry, Sir, but the storm has grown, and the roads have been washed out. The guests are beginning to worry."

"Please, extend my apologies and prepare the west wing for guests. I will be in the ballroom shortly."

"Yes, Sir. Ma'm?" The man began, turning towards Kerri. "Are you feeling alright?"

It was then that Kerri noticed just how tired she was, her eyes half-mast and slightly unfocused.

"Uh, a little lightheaded actually."

"I'll send Mrs. Connors to her room. Please show her husband up when you return to the other guests." William began, taking Kerri's arm once more, wrapping his other around her shoulders as he led her away, the lights flickering ominously overhead.

666666666666

Sam walked quickly down the corridors, his long legs carrying him at break neck speed. William had Kerri and, worst yet, was that the last time Dean had seen them had been over two hours before. He couldn't believe that he had managed to lose her, and that, after hours of searching, he wasn't any closer to finding her. They were in a house for god's sake. Yeah, the mansion could probably house the population of a small town, but it still shouldn't take he and Dean that long to find one girl.

The longer he scanned the halls, the more sparsely populated they became, until he found himself virtually alone in the long corridors. Sam had no idea exactly which hall he was in, and every time he tried to call Kerri he was met by nothing more than her voicemail. This plan was turning out to be a disaster and, at that moment, Sam wished that Dean had found a way out of the wall, just so he could look him in the face when he told him off.

He cursed under his breath when he rounded another corner, a long hall with no less that six other halls branching from it greeting him. He looked up, praying for patients as he moved toward the first hall. He was just about to turn when the sound of voices stopped him in his tracks. Someone was talking nearby with Bramhurst. Sam quickened his pace when he heard the men, nearly running them all over as he turned the far corner.

Bramhurst was leading Kerri by the shoulders, the red-head swaying slightly on her feet. The young hunter immediately moved toward her, wrapping an arm around her was he took in her pale skin and glazed eyes.

"What's you do to her?" Sam demanded as he pulled her closer still, alarmed at how weak she now was.

"Excuse me, Sir." The butler began, moving to stand between Sam and Bramhurst. But it was Kerri who spoke up.

"Nothing, Sam. He didn't do anything."

"Then what happened?"

"I don't know. Maybe it was whatever I was drinking? I just wanna lay down, Sam." Kerri's voice faded as she spoke , her eyes closing as she leaned against him.

"I was just about the come and speak with you." William began, turning towards the still fuming Sam, not even the least bit fazed. "Unfortunately, the storm has washed out the road. We have a room being prepared for you at the moment, I was just bringing your wife there when you came."

"We can't leave?" Sam asked, his mind suddenly running overtime. Dean was trapped inside a wall, something was wrong with Kerri, and now they couldn't leave. Yeah, this hunt was definitely going from bad to worse.

"No, I'm sorry."

"Ok." Sam began, Kerri falling slack in his arms. "Take us to our room." He ordered as he shifted her weight around, lifting her up against his chest. Kerri wrapped her arms weakly around his neck, her head on his shoulder, eyes closed.

Sam tightened his hold on the now unconscious girl, his heart beating faster with each step he took. This was bad, so very bad. He knew that her current condition had nothing to do with a drink, but he also knew that he needed to get her away from Bramhurst. Whatever he had done to the other women had already started with Kerri and Sam didn't know how much time they had.

6666666666666666

Dean cursed as he reached for his ringing phone, his elbows scraping the walls. He was really getting sick and tired of being trapped. But what was worse, was that he was worried about Kerri. I had been hours since she had disappeared with William, and ever since then Dean's mind had been going from one worst case scenario to the other. All he wanted to do was find her, safe and in one piece.

"Sam? Please tell me you have good new."

"I have news."

"Did you find her?"

"Yeah, I did. Listen, Dean, the roads are washed out. We're stuck here."

"What!"

"We're in a room over in the west wing, second floor."

"What's going on, Sam?"

"Just meet us here."

"How is she?" Dean asked, needing to know that she was alright, that he hadn't made a huge mistake.

"Just meet us here, Dean."

Dean closed his eyes, taking a few calming breaths, as he pocket his phone and turned towards what he hoped was the west hall. Something was wrong with Kerri, there was no denying that, and Dean just prayed that he would be able to get to her in time to keep whatever was happening from getting any worse.

He had brought this on her, on all of them. He hadn't thought this hunt through, he knew that from the start, and his brother and Kerri were going to be the ones to pay the price. Dean shook himself as he walked. This was like the watcher all over again, and he didn't know if he could handle seeing her that hurt again. After all, it was his fault that that spirit had taken her all those years ago, just like it was his fault that Bramhurst had gotten her now.

After a good forty-five minutes of searching, and a few colorful curses later, Dean found the west hall. It wasn't that he had suddenly figured out which was was west, instead, he had just followed the slow moving stream of rather annoyed guests. Obviously, none of them were all the fond of spending the night. Dean scanned every room he could, moving through the wall with a precision gained from being stuck there for several long hours. Honestly, the first thing he was going to do when he got out was a cartwheel.

Dean nearly cried out in relief a few moments later when he turned the corner to see a grate, nearly two feet high shinning before him.

"Finally." Dean breathed, his smile growing wider when he saw Sam's lanky legs on the other side of the vent. Oh yes, things were finally going his way.

He pushed hard on the metal, smiling when Sam jumped nearly a mile. Dean couldn't help the slightly manic laughter that was escaping him as his little brother undid the screws, the elder hunter's freedom mere moments away.

"What the hell's so funny?"

"Sweet freedom. You don't know how much I just wanna stretch my arms out right now."

"You're insane."

"Just unscrew faster."

A few moment's later, Dean could have sang he was so happy, his back laying against the cool tiles of the bathroom, arms stretched out as wide as they could possibly go, legs still in the wall. It was one of the sweetest feelings ever. Not that he was claustrophobic or anything, he was just getting sick of that dark little space.

"Are you done?"

"Nope, gotta stretch my legs out."

"You know, you have only yourself to blame for this."

"Yeah, yeah." Dean sighed, pushing himself to his feet, Sam shouldering the duffle as the pair made it into the main room.

If this was what all the guest rooms were like then Dean had no idea what the other guests were complaining about. It was quite possibly the nicest room he had ever been in in his life. The space was triple the size on any motel room, with it's own bathroom and small kitchenette. Really, it was more like a small apartment than anything else. And it was stuffed full of the most comfortable looking furniture he had ever seen. From the large, plush sofa, to the double sized king bed, everything about the room was perfect. Except, that is, for the pale and still form of Kerri laying atop the silken sheets.

If Dean didn't know any better, he would have thought that she was in the grips of a long and trying illness. Her face was drawn and pale, dark circles beneath her eyes, her chest rising and falling slower than he knew it should have. But she hadn't been sick, hell, two hours ago she had been making fun of him.

"What happened to her?" He asked as he moved toward her, feeling for her pulse as he sat on the bed. It was slow, but steady.

"I don't know. I found her with Bramhurst. She said he didn't do anything, but I just don't know."

"How long's she been like this?"

"About an hour. Her color's come back a little, though."

"You mean she looked worse than this?"

"I'm sorry, Dean."

"It's not your fault."

"I should have kept an eye on her."

"Yeah well, I never should have brought her here in the first place. I should have just let her live her life."

"Dean."

"Don't, Sam."

"What are you doing in my bed, Winchester?" Kerri mumbled, her eyes half opened, but strangely unfocused. It was immediately and painfully obvious that she didn't know where they were.

"Well, you know." Dean forced a smile, raising his eyebrows.

"Keep dreaming."

"How're you feeling?" Dean asked, brushing back her bangs, searching her eyes for any hint of fever or pain.

"Ok. What happened?"

"Crazy millionaire gotcha." Dean helped Kerri to sit up, the girl before him staring around the room in a daze, trying to connect the memories that were streaming through her head.

"Please tell me I'm not old." She said suddenly, reaching a hesitant hand towards her face.

"Not a day over twenty-nine."

"Thank god."

"What happened, Kerri?" Sam asked, handing her a glass of water as he too sat on the bed.

"Uh, he brought me to one of the galleries. It was beautiful. I couldn't help myself, I just had to look. There was this painting, I swear, I could feel it. It was like I was standing on a field in the summer. All I wanted to do was just lay down and stay there."

"How'd you get away from it?"

"The butler. He came by to talk to Bramhurst, that kind of broke me from the trance. William said that we weren't supposed to be disturbed, he seemed kinda pissed about it."

"I never thought I'd say this but, thank god for the jackass butler." Dean began as he paced the room, mind running a mile a minute.

This had been so much closer than he had thought, Kerri mere moments away from being lost, from being stolen. This had to end, and it had to end tonight. Because nothing in heaven or hell would be able to stop him if that bastard stole Kerri.