A/N: Well we're just a few chapters away from the end of this I think. Which means I really should get to writing the next story in the series! Thanks so much for continuing to read my stories. It means a great deal to me! I hope you enjoy this next chapter and everything that is yet to come for this story and this whole series!

Emerson nearly jumped when she heard her phone ring. She'd been lying on her couch in her living room, trying to block out the rest of the world for a bit. For a little while she'd had soft music playing, hoping to find some kind of distraction from everything that was going on right now. There was too much going on for her to process and she was starting to feel numb from it all. Emerson had never felt numb before (at least not like this) so the sensation was new and scary and she didn't like it. It had her doing everything she could to shake that feeling. She just wanted to feel okay again. The music hadn't helped so Emerson had quickly shut it off, deciding that sitting in silence would be better especially if she wanted to empty her head.

Of course the ringing phone made her snap back to attention. It could have been anyone so Emerson shook off the mental cobwebs and grabbed her phone. She couldn't afford to miss a phone call right now because it could have been her mother or some kind of an emergency. "Hello?" she said, her voice a little soft but her tone steady.

"Emerson? What's wrong?"

She took a deep breath when she heard Sam's voice on the other end of the line. There was this rush of emotion that seemed to hit her in that moment and she felt her hands softly shaking. She softly bit her lip for a moment, feeling it start to tremble just from the sound of Sam's voice. Emerson had to blink back the tears that she felt starting to form already and took a deep breath before trying to speak. "Oh my god, Sam."

"What happened?" Sam asked, concern lacing his voice.

Emerson could close her eyes and see that look of concern on Sam's face. She could hear the worry and fear in his voice. She was softly trembling and she wasn't sure why. There was just so much going on and it all felt so wrong and hearing Sam's voice seemed to bring all that rushing back. It reminded her of everything that still needed to be fixed and somehow seemed to scare the hell out of Emerson at the same time.

"We … we found a secret entrance in the old church in town," she said, taking a deep breath before continuing. She knew that she had to sound terrified right now and for as much as she didn't want to worry Sam, Emerson couldn't seem to help it. Part of her, after all, did seem to feel completely terrified. "We went down there. The room … there were these symbols all over the walls. I didn't even recognize half of them. My mother didn't either. Someone had been down there recently. There were candles burned down to almost nothing. It looked like someone had drawn a pentagram on the floor."

Her voice was trembling as she spoke. Emerson was sitting up with one elbow resting on her knee and her forehead resting against her hand. She sniffled once, the tears starting to flow before she even realized that she was crying. She was exhausted and afraid because she thought she knew what was happening and if she was right, then she knew that someone was going to wind up hurt or worse. Emerson paused for a long moment, just softly breathing to keep herself calm.

She could hear Sam just softly breathing on the other end of the line, seemingly giving her whatever time she needed to compose herself. He didn't seem to try to rush her or get her to talk until she was ready. That helped her feel more centered and calm even with the chaos going on in her head.

"I think I know what's happening, Sam," Emerson softly said. She wondered a little if he could hear the way that her voice trembled or if he could hear that she was crying right now. She wasn't even sure that he'd hear her over the phone though with how soft she was speaking. "I think I know but I don't know if I can stop it."

"Emerson, what's happening?" Sam asked, trying to press her for more information without actually pressing too hard. He might be willing to give her the time she needed to talk but that didn't mean that he didn't want to know what was going on. There was an urgency in his voice along with that concern, that fear that was present earlier.

"I …" She glanced at the clock on the wall in her living room. There was so much that she wanted to tell him, so much that she knew that she needed to tell Sam but there wasn't enough time right now. Emerson sighed heavily when she realized that and shook her head. "Shit. I have to go. I promised my mother that I'd meet her. I'll call you soon. I promise, Sam."

Sam sighed heavily on the other end of the line. "I haven't heard from you in awhile and I thought you might want someone to talk to or something," he said, speaking a little softly.

There was something in his voice. Sadness or disappointment, Emerson wasn't sure. It broke her heart to hear it though. She could feel the tears starting to flow again, a little harder now actually. She didn't want to hurt Sam. "Just hearing your voice for a bit was nice, Sam. I'm sorry to cut this short. I really am," she said, a little smile playing at the corners of her mouth now. She wasn't sure if Sam would be able to 'hear' her smile but Emerson thought that perhaps there was something different in the tone of her voice in that moment. "I promise that I'll call you. I promise. I just really have to go."

"I'm going to hold you to that promise."

Emerson smiled a little more, hearing a chuckle in Sam's voice. It was good to hear his voice right now and that heaviness in her heart seemed to be gone. She knew in that moment that maybe she hadn't hurt Sam quite as much as she thought she had and she was glad for that. His voice was a bit of brightness in an otherwise gloomy day and it seemed to be the 'pick me up' that she needed. Emerson was already standing as she spoke next, heading for the door. "I … I will. I miss you, Sam."

Sam seemed to take a soft, deep breath on the other end of the line. It seemed to take him a moment to speak again. "I miss you too, Emerson," he finally said. His voice was soft and seemed to be filled with emotion. "Bye."

"Yeah, bye." Emerson hung up the phone and grabbed her jacket as she headed for the door. Her shoes were at the door and she stepped into them, slipping her cell phone into the back pocket of her jeans before shrugging on her jacket. She was steeling herself for what was going to come next. It wasn't going to be easy and Emerson was fairly certain that she or someone else was going to wind up hurt. She wasn't sure who or how. As she turned the doorknob, she took a deep breath. She felt like she could really use Sam and Dean right now.