Chapter 11: Goodbyes

Dean sped down the old highway toward the Halloway's house while Sam sifted through the pages of his dad's old journal. "Did you find anything?" Dean asked as he turned onto the main street of the small town.

"Not really." Sam frowned, "There are several exorcisms in here, but I'm not sure they will be enough to do the trick. I need one a little more specific to the European culture that Bogey comes from."

"Bogey?" Dean asked giving Sam a strange look. "You guys are one a first name basis now?"

"Hey Guys?"

"What else would you like me to call it? Killer Tinkerbelle?"

"Guys?"

"I don't know, it, monster, the thing, evil son of a bitch? Something… Just don't talk about it like it's your pet cat or something, that's creepy."

"Sam! Dean!"

Sam and Dean stopped arguing and gave each other confused looks when they saw the frustration on Shelly's face. Shelly rolled her eyes, glad that the pointless bickering had finally stopped and leaned forward in her seat with a smile. "I'll bet there's something in my father's library that will work. Karen collected all sorts of books when she was trying to figure out ways to get rid of her curse. She brought tons of them over from England with her. I know I've seen one all about exorcisms before."

"Alright." Dean said clapping his hands together anxiously, "Sam, you go find that book and Shelly and I will see if we can get the thing to come out of hiding."

Dean and Shelly hopped out of the car and began strapping weapons to them selves. Sam watched with concern as Shelly pulled her old lasso out of the trunk. "What are you gonna need that for?" Dean smirked, "You still thinking about playing cowboy?"

"Don't you wish?" Shelly laughed as she swung the rope over her shoulder, "I was actually thinking you could tie yourself to something this time so you don't get sucked into the closet again."

"You know that's not a bad idea Shell," Dean grinned boyishly as he pushed his pistol in his pants and grabbed his knife, "Although playing cowboys sounds like a lot more fun."

Sam joined them at the trunk and placed his hand on Shelly's shoulder. "Maybe you should wait out here for us." He said timidly, "I don't want you to get hurt."

"That's sweet of you Sam," Shelly replied, "But it's my fault that thing turned evil and the damn thing killed my step brother. Nobody wants to see it sent back to hell more than me. I'm coming with you."

Sam winced at the determination in Shelly's voice and he felt desperate to talk her out of it. "She's right Sammy." Dean assured him, "But don't worry, I've seen this little lady in action and she can definitely hold her own."

Sam frowned while Dean and Shelly walked into the house. He quickly strapped a couple of choice weapons to himself and grabbed his shotgun, slamming the trunk behind him. He hurried into the house behind his brother and once again stopped Shelly before she could walk up the stairs. "Look Sam," Shelly began when she saw the look in his eyes.

"Please Shelly, I just have a really bad feeling about this."

"It'll be ok."

"But that dream I had last night," Sam hesitated to finish his sentence, but he felt it had to be said. "It wasn't about Jess."

Dean's head whipped around to look his brother in the eyes, but Sam avoided his stare. This was a conversation he didn't want to have with his brother because he didn't want to worry him, but he knew there would be no avoiding it now.

Shelly didn't notice the tension levels rise between the brothers because she was too busy brushing off Sam's concern. "Not this again." She groaned.

"What do you mean again?" Dean asked stepping between Shelly and Sam, demanding an explanation.

Sam only glared at Dean but Shelly happily gave up the secret. "That's the reason Sam broke up with me. He kept having nightmares of me dying." Shelly turned her attention back to Sam. "They're just dreams." She pleaded, "They don't mean anything."

Dean was a little shocked to hear that Jess had not been the only girl Sam dreamt about and for a moment he was truly scared for Shelly's safety until he realized exactly what she said. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, broke up?"

"Yeah." Shelly said starting to get angry again as she remembered the day he said goodbye. "We were together for eight months, he has a couple bad dreams and suddenly he can't be in a relationship anymore?" Shelly looked back at Sam fighting hard against the tears that were stinging her eyes. "Then you just left. You went off to college and I never heard from you again."

"Trust me," Sam sighed feeling a tinge of guilt, "It was for the best."

Now Dean was truly baffled, "Eight months? Where was I during all this?" he snapped.

Dean wasn't sure what he was more angry about, the fact that his brother seemed to have this whole secret past that he wasn't willing to share, or the fact that he didn't tell him about the death visions of Shelly before now. Sam could feel Dean's anger rise and automatically became defensive. "You and Dad were always off on some hunt somewhere while I was in school." He said, beginning to raise his voice. "I practically raised myself my senior year. Dad never cared about anything I did, unless of course it got in the way of his plans."

"That's a bunch of crap Sammy!" Dean yelled becoming so angry he could almost punch the guy, "Dad always cared about what you did. It was you who never wanted us to be a part of your life."

"I didn't want to live the same kind of life. That's doesn't mean I didn't want you to be a part of it."

"Whatever dude." Dean muttered bitterly.

"Do you really think I hated you that much?" Sam asked, fighting back his emotions.

Dean shrugged. "Well you sure as hell never told me you had a girlfriend. In fact, you never told me anything. It's like you have this whole secret life that you kept hidden from me."

Sam looked at his feet and shrugged. "I didn't hide it, I just didn't think you'd care."

"Why not?"

"Because I wasn't learning to practice hoodoo or bow hunting, or some other kind of military freak survival crap. I wasn't exactly as exciting as you and dad. "

Dean calmed down, feeling a little sorry for Sam. It was true he never did quite fit in, in their deranged little family. It couldn't have exactly been easy on the guy. There was an awkward silence for a moment as Sam batted at a stray tear until Dean finally slapped his little brother on the back, a wide smirk spreading across his face, "My little brother's finally getting some play? Of course I'm interested."

Sam finally cracked a smile and Dean cast his eyes back and forth between Sam and Shelly. "Eight months huh?" He teased, "So then you two have totally uh… you know?"

"Would you get your mind out of the gutter please Dean?" Sam said trying not to play into his brother's game.

Dean raised his eyebrows playfully at the guilty couple. "At a boy Sammy, you sly dog." He laughed, and then had another genius thought, "So was she your first?"

"Dean." Sam said again, glaring through the redness that frosted his cheeks, "Can we please just go send this bogart to hell already?"

Dean's grin turned into a pout and he gave a sarcastic salute. "It's a miracle you ever get laid." He grumbled under his breath as he turned to the stairs.

Sam put his hand gently on Shelly's shoulder again. "I was serious about not wanting you to go up there Shell." He whispered in one last-ditch effort.

Dean looked at Sam completely serious, now that he knew where these feelings of worry were coming from. "I'll keep her safe Sammy," He promised, "You hurry and go find that book."

Sam still felt uneasy, but he knew Dean would keep his promise so he disappeared into the library. Shelly followed Dean up the stairs and into Jeremy's room. She felt like she should be nervous, and she was, but there was something she couldn't get out of her head. "Why did you freak out when Sam said his dream was about me?"

"What are you talking about, I didn't freak out."

"I saw that look you gave him."

Dean stood for a moment trying to figure out a way out of this conversation and finally grinned. "I wasn't freaking out about that, I was just surprised that you and Sammy were together. That was something you failed to mention the last time we were alone in this room together." He looked around the bedroom letting his smirk spread even wider, "In fact I'm pretty sure you're the only girl that's ever tried both flavors."

Shelly stared at Dean confused until she fully grasped his meaning and then her face turned bright red. Dean laughed, but when he stopped the laughter continued to fill the room, in a much different tone of voice. Dean and Shelly were both on alert instantly at the sound of the familiar evil laugh.

Shelly began to tie the end of her rope to the leg of a large solid oak armoire while Dean kept watch on the closet doors. "Come on you freaky little bastard, it's playtime." He whispered as the closet door clicked ajar and creaked slowly open. "I see you." he smirked when a pair of glowing yellow eyes became visible in the vast darkness of the boy's closet.

Suddenly the eyes vanished and Dean only had enough time to blink before Shelly gasped as she was pulled into the armoire behind her. Dean whirled around just in time to see the door slam shut. He dashed across the room and tried to open the door but it wasn't going to budge. "Shelly!" he screamed as he pounded.

Dean was relieved to hear the pounding returned from the inside, but the sheer terror in Shelly's voice as she called his name was making it hard to think clearly. He thought for a moment and after tying the end of the rope tightly around his ankle, he exploded into a fit of wild rage. He began thrashing the room around him, smashing anything and everything he could find. "Come on you son of a bitch!" He yelled, "Its not her you want, she's a good girl! Why don't you come after someone who deserves it!"

Dean found a baseball bat leaning against Jeremy's toy shelf. He picked it up and began swinging fiercely at the toys sending them about the room in pieces. "Jeremy's going to be pretty upset when he comes home and finds these broken! You'd better come out and stop me!"

A strong wind began to blow about the room and Dean grinned when he realized that his plan was working. He began taking books of the shelf and ripped the pages from them, laughing as he went. "I've never liked reading all that much, but I'd bet a smart little kid like Jeremy probably loves it."

Dean picked up another book off the shelf and smiled at the irony. "There's Something In My Attic?" he read allowed and then flipped open the book. "I'll bet this is your favorite book. I bet you read it to little Jeremy before he goes to bed at night."

The wind began to grow stronger and the laughing turned into a fierce growl. Dean looked around the room again and then flipped the page of the book. "Aww what a cute little monster. There's no way you're as cute as he is, are ya? I bet you're a nasty looking son of a bitch. That's why Jeremy's so afraid of you isn't it?" Dean looked back at the book in his hands, "Since you won't be needing this anymore... I bet it pisses you off that Jeremy doesn't want to play with you anymore."

Dean ripped the pages from the book one by one and the evil eyes appeared in the doorway of the closet one more time. Dean stared them down without a hint of fear. "Come on." He challenged, "Come and get me!"

The creature suddenly lunged from the closet with so much force that it knocked Dean off his feet, sending him smashing into the armoire and then to the floor. "Sam!" he screamed as loud as he could but his voice was barely audible over the noise of the wind.

The creature sank its teeth into Dean's shoulder and began thrashing at his body with his razor claws, forcing his to scream out in pain. Dean wrestled with the creature, trying to get it off of him, but it was quick and powerful and left a new cut on his body with every move it made.

Sam burst into the room holding an old dusty book in his hands. "I think I found one." He was saying as he entered the room but stopped mid sentence at the sight of his brother wrestling the bogart and bleeding all over the place. "Dean!"

"I got him Sammy!" Dean screamed as he struggled, "Hurry up and do it!"

Sam glanced at his brother again and then rushed to the closet squirting it with holy water. He held up a silver cross and began to chant an old Latin prayer. "Praecipio tibi, quicumque es, spiritus immunde, et omnibus sociis tuis hunc Die famulumobsidentibus: ut per mysteria incarnationis, passionis, resurrectionis, et ascensionis Domini nostri Jesu Christi, per missionem Spiritus Sancti."

As Sam began to spout his command of departure, the creature spun around, tearing painfully deep into Dean's skin. At the mention of the name of God it squealed a wretched scream and leapt at Sam's back with all its might, knocking him forward into the closet. Dean scrambled to his feet, wiping the blood from his face as the closet door began to close. "I don't think so!" He muttered as he dove across the floor, stopping the door with his forearm. "You're not getting my brother!"

Dean's hand grabbed Sam's foot just before he could be pulled fully into the vast darkness. "Dean!" Sam yelled, "I got this! You have to finish the exorcism!"

"If I let go you disappear and the damn thing gets away."

"He'll pull us both in."

Dean glanced down at the rope that was now tearing into his ankle. It hurt like hell, but looked like it would hold. "I got it covered!" He yelled, "Can you reach the book?"

Sam looked down and reached for the book but the monster jumped on him again, digging his claws into the wounds that were already on his chest. Sam screamed as fresh trails of blood stained his clothes. "Sammy!" Dean yelled reaching for the salt-filled pistol in his pants.

Sam saw his brother take aim and yelled, "No! Dean, you can't shoot him! He has to be here for this to work!"

Dean gritted his teeth in frustration and tried to reach for the book without letting go of Sam. Sam reached to his ankle where he kept a small silver blade. It wouldn't kill the devil, but it would sure hurt like hell. He grabbed the knife and took a swing surprising the monster with the pain it caused. He let out another painful scream and tried to run away but Sam caught it by the leg.

The air in the room stopped swirling about and the force that had been keeping the armoire closed vanished as the creature now fought for its escape. Shelly came tumbling out of the armoire and gasped at the sight of the bloody boys hanging out of the closet by only a rope. "Shelly!" Dean screamed, "Get the book!"

Shelly dashed for the book and began flipping the pages. "Where?"

"Page 67!" Sam shouted, "Read it word for word!"

Shelly turned to the page and began nervously reciting the text. "Praecipio tibi, quicumque es, spiritus immunde, et omnibus sociis tuis hunc Die famulumobsidentibus: ut per mysteria incarnationis, passionis, resurrectionis, et ascensionis Domini nostri Jesu Christi, per missionem Spiritus Sancti."

"Faster!" Sam shouted as the monster struggled with even more force.

"Et per adventum ejusdem Domini as judicium, dicas mihi nomen tuum, diem, et horam exitus tui, cum aliquo signo:"

Dean's hand slipped and he caught Sam's ankle by the cuff of his pant leg but it ripped under the pressure. In a single moment Sam disappeared into the darkness along with the monster and the slack on the rope loosened. "SAM!" Dean screamed, terror taking over his mind, "SAM!"

Tears filled Shelly's eyes at the sound of Dean's cry, but she continued to read the last few lines, praying that it would work. "Et un mihi Die ministro licet indigno, prorsus in omnibus obedias: neque hanc creaturam Die, vel circumstantes, aut eorum bona ullo modo offendas!"

As she finished the words the echo of the creature's scream sounded so loudly it shook the walls. The wind howled about the room blowing the debris in every direction and then, in a sudden blinding flash of light, everything was still. "Sam!" Dean screamed as he struggled to free himself of the rope, "Sammy!"

He looked into the closet where an endless sea of nothingness had turned into a pile of toys and clothes, and he screamed for his brother once more. He heard a slight groan and then Sam pushed himself to a sitting position. "Well that takes care of that." He grunted, holding his hand over his bleeding chest.

"Oh God Sammy!" Dean groaned, reaching for his own wounded shoulder, "Don't you ever scare me like that again, you hear me?"

"Sorry Dean, but you're not going to get rid of me that easy." Sam laughed and then winced because it hurt to do so.

Shelly, who was still a bit shell shocked, pushed her way into the closet and finally breathed when she saw Sam. She rushed to his side tripping over something as she went and all three of them paused when they heard a soft moan. They all glanced at one another and then began sifting through the junk on the floor. "Brent!" Shelly screamed when she recognized the frail, tattered boy curled up on the floor beneath her.

"Help me get him up." Dean said exchanging mystified glances with Sam.

The boy was in really bad shape, cuts all over his body and beaten to what looked like the near end of his life, but he was alive. Sam and Dean gently helped the boy to his feet and practically carried him out of the room. They got him safely in the passenger seat of the impala and as the car sped out of the driveway in the direction of the nearest hospital, Sam smirked. "Hey Dean?"

"Yeah?"

"You still think fairies are hot?"

Hours later after Shelly, Sam and Dean finished giving their statements to the local authorities, they stood anxiously when the doctor approached them. "Well it looks like you kids found that boy just in time." The man smiled cheerfully, "He's stable now and it looks like he'll make a full recovery."

All three of them breathed a giant sigh of relief and hugged each other cheerfully. Mitch and Karen joined the group with tears in their eyes. "I don't know how I can ever thank you." Karen cried, pulling Sam into her arms while Mitch hugged Dean.

Sam simply smiled because there really were no words appropriate for the occasion and when Karen pulled away he asked one more question. "How's Jeremy doing?"

Karen spilled more tears and wrapped her arms around Sam again. "He's going to be just fine." She cried, "He's not even scared anymore. Whatever that thing was, he said he could feel it when it left. They're going to keep him overnight to be sure, but he should be able to come home tomorrow. He's really anxious to see his brother."

"I'll bet." Sam said, his eyes glowing at the good news.

Sam and Dean said their goodbyes to Mitch and Karen and Shelly walked them outside. She hugged Dean tightly and lightly kissed his cheek as she whispered a sweet, "Thank you."

"We couldn't have done it without you." Dean replied.

Shelly's gaze then turned to Sam and Dean smiled at her one last time. "Bye Shelly. Take care of yourself now."

"You too Dean. Thanks again."

Dean nudged Shelly Sam's direction and then made a quick escape to his car. Shelly looked into Sam's eyes and began to tear up again. "You don't have to go." She whispered.

"Yes I do."

"Sam." Shelly pleaded desperately.

Sam wiped the tears from Shelly's face and gently placed his lips on hers. Shelly lost herself in his kiss no matter how final it felt. Sam pulled away from her and smiled despite the pain in his heart. "Goodbye Shelly."

Sam turned to leave before he had to see any more tears fall from her eyes and as he walked away he spilled a few of his own. He batted them away subtly as he climbed into the car, but he couldn't fool his brother. "We could stay." Dean suggested.

Sam took a moment to catch his breath and then looked at Dean with cold eyes. "No we can't."

"Oh come on Sammy." Dean said, desperately wanting his brother to be happy for once. "Its obvious you still have feelings for her, and you know you're not gonna find another girl like that any time soon."

"You don't get it Dean, I don't want to find another girl like that. Ever."

"You said it yourself, that dream you had last night wasn't a vision, it was just a dream."

"For now."

"So what? You're just going to go your whole life never getting close to anyone?"

"I don't see that I have any other choice."

"Of course you do."

Sam's eyes tried to fill with tears again but he pushed them back, "Dean Jessica is dead because of me. I had those dreams about Shelly a long time ago and it scared the crap out of me. When I had them about Jess I ignored them, not wanting to believe what I knew deep down was true. I don't want Shelly to end up like that."

"Maybe she won't." Dean said softly, knowing he was losing this argument.

"I can't take that chance."

Dean stared at Sam for a minute and deep down in his heart he knew his brother was right. He felt bad for him, but knew there was nothing he could do about it so he sighed and pushed the car into gear. He pulled out of the hospital parking lot and headed out of town without a word. When he pulled back onto the highway in the direction of Detroit Sam sighed. "So where to now?"

"I was thinking Cincinnati." Dean shrugged, "I heard there were some missing kids there that might need our help."