Hey, sorry for the lack of updating I've been really busy with my uni work and just a general lack of ideas to get passed this bit of the story, hopefully this chapter is moderately acceptable. Although I sway more towards bloody awful. Thanks for the reviews =]

Nope, don't own Supernatural, if I did i probably wouldn't have a huge amount of student debt.

Early, cold and beyond tired. Definitely not a good mix. Did I forget to mention I was starving? I'd been waiting up all night waiting to hear from Sam I'd hoped might be able to tell me how to stop the Sandman. I was still waiting for that call. I kept checking my phone but there were still no calls that left me starring at my laptop screen in a tired stupor. The words had turned into a blurry mass and were beyond making any sense. Resting my head on my hand I stared at it intently wishing that an answer would just pop up on the screen and make my life easier. I yawned for what must have been the hundredth time and checked my phone again even though I would hear it.

I closed my eyes, just to rest them. What a stupid move. The moment my head slid off of my hand and onto the wooden table top with a thud I realised it was a stupid move. I desperately needed the sleep but knew I couldn't however fighting it was no longer an option. With dawn threatening on the horizon I doubted the Sandman would appear now. I didn't even bother to move my head I just closed my eyes again, my head resting half on the wooden table and half on the paper I'd been scribbling or rather doodling on.

A shrill ring disrupted my slumber, only half aware of what I was doing I fumbled with my phone trying to find the answer button, "Hello?" I answered without checking the caller ID.

"Alice, hey, are you okay?" A worried voice replied.

"Hmm fine," I replied closing my eyes again.

"Okay," whoever it was didn't sound convinced, "We think," there was a pause as I heard someone shout something in the background, "well Bo-" I sat bolt upright realising who I was speaking to, my half asleep brain finally catching up.

"Sam!" immediately I was wide awake again.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

"No no, I didn't realise it was you before," I replied lamely.

With a slight chuckle Sam replied, "Were you asleep?"

I couldn't lie now could I? "I wasn't awake."

"Alice!" he scolded.

Before he could continue I jumped in to defend myself, "it's practically dawn, I was fine it wouldn't turn up now and besides there are plenty of other people in this town. Who's to say it would single me out?" Perhaps that wasn't the best thing to say, it bought home the reality of the situation. For all I knew it could have struck again last night.

Sam sighed, "Just don't fall asleep again. Bobby thinks he's found a way to stop it." I was all ears, "it sounds a bit like witchcraft to me but he seems to think it would banish it." Nothing too easy then.

"What do I need?" I scrambled about on the table for a fresh sheet of paper. Sam read out a list, none of the items were too hard to come across. A few of them I even had in the trunk of my car. "Is that it all?" I asked.

"Yeah, no wait, sand, have you got that written down?" I checked my list.

"Sand?" I didn't have it written down.

"Sand or rather the grit from the Sandman himself," Sam confirmed.

"Naturally," how silly of me, of course sand would be needed. With no idea how to get the sand from the Sandman I changed the topic, giving me time to think. "How's Dean's demon deal coming along?" I had to ask, even if it was a sore topic between them.

I could hear shuffling around in the background, I assumed that Sam was moving away from Dean, "we haven't found anything yet, Dean decided he'd had enough last night and went out to some bar."

"That's just his way of coping, don't give up on him just yet," I couldn't do much in the way of offering help, all I could do was talk to Sam and be there for him so that he could help his brother.

"If he carries on as he is he's going to kill himself before the demon deal is up," Sam ranted, although he had a point, I'd seen the grease ridden food he'd been consuming.

"Don't give him a hard time about it," I could already imagine Sam lecturing Dean when tensions were high. "So," I switched back to the Sandman, "should I perform this ritual somewhere or special or can I do it from the so called comfort of my motel room?"

"You're not going to like this," Sam didn't sound too keen on telling me.

"Try me," not much surprised me these days.

Sam read directly from the passage, "for the ritual to be successful it needs to be completed in the Sandman's lair."

Brilliant. Just brilliant. "You were right, I don't like it."

I scribbled the word Lair in capital letters across the top of the page, not that it was something I was going to be forgetting.

"Are you okay with this?" Sam quizzed. Honestly, I was hunting before I met him I would be fine. I certainly didn't need looking after, maybe the occasional bit of help but definitely no babying. Really, I may be female but that didn't mean I wasn't incapable of completing a simple hunt. I opened my mouth to tell Sam this but checked myself. He was only worried. Instead of my full on crazy-with-sleep-deprivation feminist rant I went for a softer approach to convince him that I would be fine. He did however; make me promise to call at the slightest bit of trouble.

"Take care alright?" Sam said, or at least that's what I thought he said over Dean's 'ask her' in the background.

"Ask me what?" I curious, what Dean want, it was never anything good.

Sam sighed with frustration, "Dean wants you to take a picture of the Sandman."

"He wants me to what?" Sure, I would have plenty of time to snap a photo of deranged mythical killer. "I suppose he would like me to ask the Sandman to sign it whilst I'm at it, really Sam, you can tell Dean he can shove his picture where the sun doesn't shine."

Sam laughed, "She says no," I distinctly heard Dean swear at me in the background. On that note I said goodbye to Sam. Not wanting to drive on a lack of sleep I headed for bed for a short while. The sun was just peeking over the horizon so I would be fine.

With the arrival of mid-afternoon I headed out to get the missing items for the ritual, after stopping for coffee first. I had to get my priorities right. In no time at all I had several items lying on the passenger seat in my car. All that was left was the pure iron dish and the sand. I'd already decided that I'd find the Sandman's lair and sit and wait for it to return and somewhere get the sand from it and banish it easier said than done. It was an awful plan and was more than likely going to end badly but I'd yet to think of something less dangerous.

There weren't that many antique stores in Douglas. With one closed and the other not having a pure iron dish it left me with one more store. What can I say? Just like the other two stores it was a stereotypical antique shop. There was clutter everywhere and it smelt like old people. With its dark and dreary décor and thick layers of dust coating just about every item I couldn't wait to get out of there. The assistant, an old lady in her seventies was more than helpful. She didn't have a pure iron dish but she had a pure iron plate. That would have to do. Paying the money I went back to my car, turning the plate over in my hands. It was a shame, something so old and valuable (it had certainly cost me a small fortune) was going to be burnt for ritual purposes.

With three hours left till nightfall I went back to the motel needing to locate the Sandman's lair. There was no indication or suggestion in any of the reading I'd completed which would give me an idea on where to find the lair. The only bit I had was 'He puts their eyes in a bag and carries them to the crescent moon to feed his own children, who sit in the nest up there,' not a great help. I highly doubted it was the moon and as for it having children, well, one was bad enough thank you very much. Nevertheless, I couldn't rule out the possibility. I just had to hope and pray that the banishing spell banished them all and if everything went to plan tonight then I could leave Douglas tonight and head back to Bobby's, unless I stumbled across another hunt.

The Sandman's lair wasn't going to be on the moon, but I had an inclining that maybe, as was the case with a lot of mythological literature, it was perhaps a way of describing somewhere. Okay, the moon, so it was rocky, dusty, barren and up in the sky. There had to be somewhere like that in around the area of Douglas. I pulled up Google earth and zoomed in on the Douglas area. Bingo. To the east of the town was an uninhabited area with what looked like some rocky areas. There were, unless Google earth was deceiving me, some small raised areas of ground (that counted as being high). It was a longshot and a pretty big area but I still had time to narrow it down. I pulled out all the information I had on the victims, a pattern would be helpful. Most of the murders had taken place on the eastern side of the town, confirming my thought he was to the east. It was still a big area though. I needed coffee; this was going to take a while. Standing up something caught my eye on the image on the screen immediately I thought 'crescent shaped.' There, plain as day was a small crescent shaped rock outcrop, guess I must have missed it before. There was even a square shape on the map, a hut or maybe a shed. Either way it was worth a short.

By midnight I had everything laid out across the table. Everything I owned was all packed up in my car, ready for a quick escape if things went pear shaped. I double checked the list Sam had given me against what was on the table for what must have been the hundredth time (talk about prepared) before packing it into my backpack. Feeling very optimistic I grabbed my last bag and climbed into my car.

The lights from the houses soon disappeared and gave way to nothing but darkness. Talk about eerie. I had to keep checking the hand drawn map I'd made to check I was going in the right direction. I'd text Sam before I left telling him I'd call him when I was finished and if he didn't get a call then I was probably lying dead in the middle of nowhere, I had to be cheerful now didn't I.

If the Sandman was out, after it's pray for the evening then great. I would have to set everything up. If not well, I would cross that bridge when I got to it. After turning onto a dirt track, not far from where I was planning the stop the car, the nerves finally caught up to me. This was my first hunt in a long time without anyone there to watch my back; I had to keep reminding myself that I'd managed before I could sure as hell do it again. The self-fulfilling prophecy, if I thought I could do it then I probably would do it. I'd always thought that was just some psychological bullshit that people like to hear to help motivate themselves but, on this particular occasion I was actually buying into it.

Turning off the ignition I took a deep breath before reaching for back pack and heading roughly in the direction of the hut I'd seen. Hoping that I wouldn't get lost. Everything looked the same in the dark. If the Sandman didn't get me then the environment would sure as hell claim me. I'd probably be found days later after being munched on by some kind of ravenous critter.

There it was, clear as day in the dead of night. An old hut that had seen better days, I had no idea what it had been used for in the past but now I would put money on it being the Sandman's lair. I crept up and peered through a small filthy window. The room was dark but I could just about pick out a large dark mass in the corner bent over something. Sandman, it had to be. Well, that shot my lie in wait plan out the window. Back to the drawing board.

I didn't have to think of a grand elaborate plan. The first thing I needed to do was silently prepare the items for the ritual. I crouched down beneath the window and got to work. With that complete I peeked in through the window again. I bit my lip in concentration. There was only one chance of success and I wasn't going to waste it. I needed to get inside without being seen. A distraction that was what I needed. I left my backpack to the side of the hut but close enough that I could at least grab the plate on my way inside. I picked up a rock and turned it over in my hands, I could throw it through the window. No, that would never work.

Maybe I didn't need a distraction; maybe what I needed to do was catch it by surprise. Not knowing what to do I flipped a coin; oh this was definitely not going to end well. Tails for distraction and heads for surprise. Heads it was. Great. Just great.

I took out my gun, maybe I could at least pop a cap in its ass giving me time to grab some sand (I was counting it on having a bag, how else would it carry the sand around?) and start the ritual. My nerves were starting to surface; or rather I was only now just noticing them. They'd been there all along. I counted to ten and reached for the door handle, flinging the door open.

The creature sprung to its feet, it was beyond hideous definitely a thing of nightmares. I hesitated with shock but trying not to look at the rotting flesh, sharp teeth and hollow eyes I squeezed the trigger. The bang echoed around the room. I watched as the Sandman staggered back against the wall. This time I didn't waste any time, I couldn't afford another hesitation. I ran towards it, gun outstretched. In the darkness I'd managed to locate a satchel on the floor next to a pile of round glistening object. Eyes, it had to be. I couldn't spare them much thought, I needed the sand. Reaching in to the satchel I grasped a handful of the gritty sand and dropped it onto the plate I'd immediately put on the floor after firing my gun. I began to read the words I'd memorised as I took out my lighter ready to drop it onto the iron plate on the floor.

Midway through my recital the Sandman lashed out at me, I stepped away from the dish hastily but it lunged again. With only three more lines to recite I had to finish it. I held my gun out again but the Sandman was too close. It lashed out again, its long nail like claws snagging my top and breaking through the skin on my right arm. I dropped the lighter in surprise. It advanced towards me again. I couldn't afford another close call.

I could feel the sticky blood trickling down my arm as I bent down to retrieve the lighter, narrowly missing another swipe from the Sandman. Closing my hand around it I finished the last line and scrambled to feet, racing towards the iron plate to drop the lighter on it.

The clang of the lighter clashing with the iron confirmed that the ritual was complete. With a horrifying screech the Sandman wailed and from its crooked feet upwards it began to turn to sand. I fell to the floor on my knees in front of the pile of sand, not believing my luck. Was it really gone? Well it wasn't here, it had to be.

I waited for the flames to die out on the plate before picking it up using my jacket, the last thing I needed was a nice burn to go with the agonising scratch on my arm. How would I explain that to Sam? I needed to go back unharmed, just to prove I could do this on my own.

Still in a daze I returned to my car, my hand covering the wound on my arm. I did my best to patch it up and wrap it in a bandage; it wasn't too deep it just hurt like hell. Before heading back to Bobby's I changed my top, stashing the torn one back into my bag. There, now Sam needn't know I'd hurt myself.

Once I pulled onto the highway I called Sam, "And you're okay?" was the first thing he asked once I'd told I'd banished, well more like destroyed the Sandman.

"I'm fine," I replied.

"You are?"

"Don't sound so surprised, anyways, I'm driving so I'll see you later," We said our goodbyes and hung up. I flicked the radio on for company and watched as dawn arrived. The first thing I was going to do when I got back to Bobby's was shower and sleep.

The sun was high in the sky when I arrived at Bobby's. Upon hearing my car Sam had appeared on the front steps, there was no sign of Dean or Bobby. Even though it had only been a few days I was glad to be back with Sam. I hadn't meant to but I had missed him more than I thought I would, "hey," he greeted, wrapping his arms around me tightly. I winced at the pressure on my arm but managed to hide it well. We pulled apart and holding me at arm's length he looked at me, "you look exhausted."

"Hmmm," I replied, the tiredness finally catching up now that I'd stopped. Sam ran his hands from my shoulders down my arms, intent on taking my hands in his. I tensed up as he reached just above my left elbow. This didn't go unnoticed by him.

"Alice?" seeing the look of concern on his face I immediately felt guilty. He lightly ran his hand over my arm, the bandage clearly noticeable through the jacket I was wearing. I averted my gaze from Sam's questioning eyes, "what happened?"

"Nothing, its fine," I wanted to kick myself. I hated when people said that when quite clearly they weren't and here I was doing that very thing.

Sam sighed, "It doesn't seem like nothing."

I snapped at Sam, I didn't mean to, I was just overly tired and worn out, "can you just leave it alone, it's just a scratch, nothing more than that." I tore myself from his grasp and stomped up the steps into the house.

"Alice!" he wasn't far behind me. As soon as I'd snapped I regretted it but I couldn't help myself. I didn't anyone making a fuss, there was enough going on without me needing any attention.

I made it all the way up to the room I'd been using and flopped down on my bed, waiting for Sam to catch up. "Sorry," I said as soon as he appeared in the doorway. For someone who hated attention I'd certainly managed to make a spectacle of myself within the first few minutes of my arrival. Smooth start. Sam stood awkwardly in the doorway, I couldn't blame him. For all he knew I could bite his off again. Honestly, men could be cowards at times. I needed to apologise, more than just a sorry. An explanation was needed, "I didn't mean to snap I'm just tired and it is honestly only a small scratch nothing to make a fuss about."

"What happened?" he asked watching me as I took off my jacket. I struggled to get it off my left arm, within seconds Sam had crossed the room and sat next to me on my bed to help me. Talk about pathetic.

I sighed, "I wasn't fast enough, totally my mistake. We all make them right?" I needed to know that he wasn't going to think that I couldn't hunt on my own anymore.

"Yeah, I just wish you'd told me and not tried to hide it," and now I really felt bad.

I needed to explain, how was he to know what I'd been thinking, "I didn't want any of you to think that I couldn't do this, I wanted to prove that I didn't need anyone watching me like a hawk."

"I know you can hunt you don't need to prove anything," he said as he held me closer. I was intending on grabbing a shower but lying in Sam's arms was making me sleepy.

"I don't want you to worry," I mumbled, fighting off sleep. I didn't hear what Sam said in response, I was too far gone in the land of the nod.

Chapter 5