Chapter Ten

As Hattie began to lead Sam toward the stairs, he heard something. Something familiar. He paused at the base of the staircase, turning his ear toward the front door and listened. It was there. A rumbling.

The sweetest, most wonderful sound in the whole wide world.

He had to act fast. "You know what," he said, turning to Hattie, slightening his smile just a little. "I am hungry after all. Could you maybe make me something?" Give her the eyes, Sam.

Hattie looked confused for a moment and Sam knew he had to keep her focused on him before she herself heard the car approaching.

"Please…Mom?" Sam swallowed.

How does he do that? Hattie asked herself. Albert teased her constantly about her inability to deny their son anything when he put on the puppy dog eyes, and here they were once again looking at her, melting her heart just as they always had. Hattie's smile returned and she laughed. "Never could resist those eyes. I'll go fix something right away. Manwich okay?"

"That'd be great," Sam said, smiling, sighing, filled with relief. Guess Tommy knew that trick to. Maybe there is something to the power of the puppy dog look. Dean can never seem to resist it.

Dean.

He was coming. And Dad, too. The rumbling was getting louder and Sam's heart was practically beating out of his chest. Go to the kitchen go to the kitchen go to the kitchen he chanted in his head, and finally Hattie, stroking his hair once again, went into the distant room, the door swinging closed behind her.

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NO NO NO! Albert screamed. He'd heard the rumbling approaching and prayed his wife would hear it to but she was too enraptured by her "son's" presence. They're not taking him away. Not now, not ever! He reached out to grab Sam as the boy made his way to the front window but stopped himself. No, not now! In his current state there was no way Albert would be able to make controlled contact with Sam without killing him and he wouldn't do that. He was too close to having his family back. Hattie. I have to reach Hattie. And with that he blinked out of sight.

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Dean drove the Impala up to the front porch and took in the entire house, looking for any sign of Sam. He hoped John would arrive soon with a plan. Maybe Hugh Mitchell did know something that would help them. He knew his father wouldn't quit until he got it out of the man. He just hoped John didn't kill him in the process. No, Dad's a pro. He'll get what we need.

Salt shotgun in hand, Dean ran up the stairs and began looking ito the windows. At the first he saw an empty living room. Same at the second.

At the third, looking back out at him, was Sam.

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Sam watched the car come up the driveway. Dean. He watched his older brother climb out of the car and look up at the house. Dean. He watched his brother climb the stairs and go over to the other windows. Dean I'm here! Then he saw Dean look in his window. Right at him. DEAN!

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Dean smiled. He could see Sam! There he was right in front of him just on the other side of the window, alive. "Sammy! Thank God. Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

Sam shook his head. Dean watched him turn to look at the door behind him, then back to him, fear in his eyes, still shaking his head.

"Is she there in the house with you?"

Sam nodded yes.

"Do you have anything to defend yourself with? Salt?"

Sam shook his head no.

"Sam, does she think you're her son?"

Sam nodded a very strong yes.

"Do you think she'd open the door for you, if you asked her to go outside?"

Sam seemed to think about that for a minute, then looked up at Dean, tears filling his eyes. A slow sad no.

Dean put his hand to the window. "Don't worry Sam. We're gonna get you out. I'm not gonna leave you, you hear me? I'm not going to leave you!"

Sam in turn put his hand up to Dean's, a few tears falling. He nodded yes.

Dean, keeping his hand to Sam's, took out his phone and speed dialed his father.

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John's phone buzzed in his pocket. Taking it out, he saw it was Dean calling.

"Dean?"

"Dad, he's here. He's in the house. I can see him."

"Is he okay?"

"For now. The ghost is in there with him, but I think she's in a different part of the house. Dad, we've got to get him out of there now!"

"I'm on my way son. Tell your brother to hold on."

He ended the call, emitting a small sigh of relief at hearing his youngest was alive but still aware of the complete danger Sam was in and still no clear idea how they would get him out. John turned to the back of the SUV he had commandeered and glared at the three men hog-tied and gagged lying across the back bed.

"If anything happens to my son, I swear to God I will be the last thing you ever see in this or any other life."

The way John Winchester looked right now – enraged, vengeful, a father who's baby son was in imminent danger thanks to them – Hugh and the others did not relish going to their graves (or wherever John would put them) with that last image in their minds. They began to shake and whimper as John slammed the hatch door down upon them.

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Sam wanted to cry out to Dean, but he knew Hattie would hear him. After all, he could hear the pan on the stove, drawers opening and closing, a place setting being arranged only a few feet behind him. With his hand to Dean's, he answered his brother's questions as best he could with only nods to work with. He was terrified that this would be the last contact he'd have with his family and his dad wasn't even here yet. He'd watch Dean call his father and knew he was on his way. Sam only hoped Dad had the key to get him the hell out of here. He just wanted to get out.

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Dean could tell Sam was about to lose it. He had to keep him calm, keep him focused, but he just didn't know how much time they had. He had no idea where the ghost was exactly, but he figured Sam did as he saw Sam glance behind him every so often at the door behind him. Looking around, Dean still could only see an empty room, but somehow he knew it wasn't the same for his brother. That Sam was seeing a completely different view from the inside. Keep looking at me, Sammy. Keep your eyes on me. Dean tapped his hand against the glass as Sam again looked behind him.

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Hearing the tap against the glass, Sam turned back to again look at Dean. Stay, dean, please. Don't leave me.

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Hattie had just put the meat in the skillet when she felt a cold wisp of air brush her neck. "Albert?" she said aloud. The draft felt different. It wasn't soft like it was at night or warm when he was being playful. This time it was more of a chill. And a desperate one at that.

"Albert what's wrong?"

Then she heard it. Quiet, breathy, almost an echo.

Tommy…

"What about Tommy?" Hattie, asked, her fear growing.

The voice was stronger but still too far away.

They're going to take him…

"What? Who? Whose going to take him?"

The voice became stronger still.

Don't let them.

Suddenly before her, Albert appeared. She could see him. She had never been able to before but here he was, standing right before her.

"Don't let them take our boy, Hattie."

"Albert?" Even though she knew he had been here with them all along, to be seeing her late husband standing here before her now was unsettling. But she pushed her shock aside and listened to his desperate warning.

Albert's voice was solid now. "They'll take him away, Hattie. They'll take him and we'll never see him again. You can stop it."

"How?" Hattie pleaded.

"Tommy can be with us. We can all be together again at last. You can make that happen."

Hattie began to hear instructions in her head and listened, eyes drifting off to the side, tears pouring down her cheeks. "Yes. Uh huh." She looked into Albert's eyes with sadness but certainty. "Alright, Albert."

With that, she went to the door.

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Dean saw the door swing open behind Sam but saw nothing walk through it. Then it swung closed again. He watched as Sam turned, went rigid with fear, then turned back and cried out.

"DEAN!"

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Sam saw Dean's eyes open wide with fear just as he heard the door swing open behind him. He turned and saw Hattie looking at him, sad and…cold. He turned back to his brother and cried out to him.

"DEAN!"

"SAM!" he saw Dean yell back. Then Sam saw a man suddenly appear behind Dean.

"DEAN, BEHIND YOU!"

Suddenly Sam felt Hattie's arms around him, pulling him away from the window. Away from Dean who Sam knew was now in just as much danger as he was, if not more.

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Dean watched as Sam was pulled away from the window but not before he heard his brother cry out a warning for him to look behind. As Dean did, he caught just a glimpse before he felt himself struck on the right side, sending him sprawling toward the side railing.

"My family." the spirit spat, filled with anger.

"No, MINE!" Dean spat back, firing a salt-filled shell from the shotgun he'd managed to hold onto at the spirit, dissipating it immediately.

Dean got up and went back to the window but didn't see Sam. He went to the next window over in time to see Sam being pulled up the staircase by an invisible force.

"SAMMY!"

Dean kicked at the door, pounded on it, rammed it with his shoulder but it wouldn't budge. Looking around, his eyes fell upon the car. The car he treasured, loved and hoped would be his one day but for right now the car he hoped would get him past the barrier and to his brother.

Dean climbed behind the wheel of the Impala, started the engine and backed it up the driveway. Shifting into drive, he revved the engine, clasped the steering wheel hard and released the brake, driving the car full speed toward the house – his beautiful, black battering ram.

This is gonna hurt…

As Dean prepared for the impact, the car's engine suddenly died and it came rolling to a harmless stop before the front porch.

"DAMMIT!" dean shouted, hitting the steering wheel. He climbed out and ran tot the trunk, grabbing his father's axe. Just then he heard another vehicle coming up the driveway. A silver SUV.

As the car pulled up next to Dean, Dean ran back to the house, shouting at his father.

"Dad! Sammy's in trouble!"

John ran to the Impala, grabbing a second axe and running to the back of the house to work on the other door.

They had just run out of time.