A/N: Thank you everyone for reading and reviewing. I would like to send a special thanks to the ever amazing SupernaturalGeek for her encouragement on this story--and a great title.

Bloodlines

Chapter 3

The sun streaming through the window woke Sam. He glanced over at the clock, 8:30. He knew he would never get back to sleep, so he got up and headed to the shower. When he was finished and opened the door, he could smell coffee.

"Hey," Hilly said as he walked into the kitchen. She handed him a cup of coffee before he could ask.

"Thanks," he said taking it.

"Dean's still asleep. He was up later than usual last night."

"Later than usual?"

"Yeah, no matter what he says we usually spend the first night with the scrapbook and he always stays up late afterwards."

"Really?" Sometimes his brother still surprised him.

"Really." She sat down at the kitchen table. Sam sat down opposite her. She was looking at him.

"What?"

"He told me he finally spoke with you about Mary," she was still looking at him.

"Yeah." The look made him a little nervous. What had Dean said about getting off easy so far?

"Thank you."

That caught him by surprise. "What for?"

"Understanding, acceptance, approval. It meant a lot to him. Means a lot to me, too," she smiled. "I wasn't really sure what I would do if you had reacted any other way. I have a problem with that, you see." She was laughing a little.

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, he will so kill me for telling you this, but," she winked at him. "When Dean showed up for Mary's first birthday he and your father had just had a huge fight." Sam nodded. "He told you? Good. Anyway, he was pretty busted up and I was furious. I stole his phone and called your father."

"You did?"

"Hell, yeah. I left a message that probably raised blisters when he played it back. And he must have listened to it, because about half an hour later the phone rings and it's John. I wouldn't let Dean get it. Your father started out by yelling, but he didn't win that one," she grinned. "After minute or two there was just silence on the other end. I don't think he was used to people talking to him like that. Before he hung up I made him apologize to Dean."

Sam was laughing. "You did?"

"Oh, yeah. I don't know if he meant it, but Dean needed to hear it. I mean how dare he question our decision or try and make Dean feel guilty about it. How dare he! I wasn't going to let him get away with it."

Sam smiled at her, shaking his head. He felt a glow of affection for her—she cared enough about Dean to stand up to their father, not many people would. "He probably didn't know what hit him," he said with a laugh.

"Damn straight." She got up and grabbed the pot to refill their cups. "On a completely different note, I called one of my contacts down at the county and asked him to check out that development. "

"Think he'll find anything?"

"The guy is a total weasel. If there is anything to find, he will find it. He said he should have something by ten. You have any ideas?"

"I'm not sure. It seems like an angry spirit, with what Mary said, but why there? Why now?" He sighed. "Usually there is something to go on, but right now I just don't know."

"Don't know what, Sammy?" Dean said coming into the kitchen. "Thanks," he took the cup of coffee Hilly handed him.

"Don't know what's going on at Mary's house."

"I thought about that a lot last night. There has to be an answer."

"There always is," Hilly said. "And you always find it." She patted him on the back. "I'm going to check email, you could start breakfast."

"Is she leaving us alone for some reason?" Dean frowned and looked at Sam suspiciously. "What have you two been talking about?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Nothing, Dean."

"Uh huh. Don't buy it."

"Why are you so freaked out?"

"I'm not freaked out at all, I just know the two of you and it could be a dangerous mix."

Sam sighed, Dean was not going to let this go, for some reason. "Ok. She said you told her you talked to me. She said she was glad I was ok with it."

"And?"

"She might have told me about when she called dad."

To Sam's surprise Dean laughed. "She told you about that? Dude, I would have loved to have seen his face when she was reading him the riot act. When he first called back I could actually hear him yelling at her. Then it was quiet and finally, I will never forget this, she said 'is there something you want to say to Dean? No? Well, if you don't, I will find you and make a pretty purse out of your skin, got it? Yeah? That's right.' and she hands me the phone and dad mumbles 'sorry' and hangs up. Man, I could not believe it." He shook his head. "She is utterly fearless sometimes. She'll just jump in with both feet, doesn't matter what's happening. It can be a problem occasionally." He said with a smile.

"It can be," Sam said. Dean looked at him quizzically "Dean? Dude, you don't see it? Of course you don't. Well, I sympathize with how you feel having dealing with someone like that."

"Fine, whatever," Dean said with a smile. "I'm making more coffee and I think I'll get breakfast started."

Sam watched Dean moving comfortably around the kitchen, making coffee, getting things out of the 'fridge for breakfast. It was nice to know that once a year Dean had a little slice of normal in his life. It doesn't take much normal to make your life less dismal, he thought.

"Have I got something for you!" Hilly said bouncing into the kitchen. "My contact got back to me…"

"The weasel?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, and check this out!" She handed Sam a small stack of papers. "Original archaeological survey, suppressed by the developer. When this is over I am so going to nail them in the paper."

"I don't believe it." Sam said rifling through the papers.

"What?" Dean asked.

"They found a cemetery it's on the original survey. On the reports I saw the cemetery was out of the development area. So, what happened to it?"

"The weasel is checking that out—he knows someone at the consulting firm that did the archaeological work. He said he would call in about 15 minutes. Wow, breakfast smells good," She turned to Dean. "I think I will make you cook all the time."

Hilly's phone rang while they were eating. "Yeah, really, you're kidding? What page? How much is this going to cost me? Ok. Thanks." She looked at Sam and Dean. "Funny what a little bribe will do. The weasel said one of the staff at the consulting firm 'arranged' to have the cemetery moved one night before they broke ground on the development. He said we should check the original survey maps, page 19."

Sam flipped through the pages. The original survey showed the cemetery on the north corner of the section. "I need to get those maps off your desk." Sam came back with the map in question. "The cemetery was originally right under the house where Mary now lives."

"So, is the spirit pissed because they moved her or did they leave something behind?" Dean said with a sigh. "Why don't people just have the good sense to salt and burn. It would make our lives so much easier."

"Most people don't want to salt and burn grandma," Hilly said.

"Most people are idiots," Dean replied.

"Well, that goes without saying," she said rolling her eyes. "Now, do we burn the whole cemetery or try and figure out who it is? It is research time?" She said with a grin.

"Yes, it is research time," Dean said. "You and Sam should get on it."

"Cute, what are you going to do?"

"Important stuff."

"Like take a nap?"

"A nap? I just got up. No, important stuff."

"Yeah, fine. Important stuff. Sam and I will get on the research."

Three hours later and Sam had gained a considerable amount of respect for Hilly's research skills. Between the two of them they had managed to uncover the names of almost everyone buried in the valley cemetery. Most of the names led no where. Sam was getting a little frustrated. Dean kept popping into the office to ask how things were going and then just shaking his head when he left. Sam wanted to throw a book at him. Or, even more annoying, he would come in and stand there, watching them. Which was what he was doing right then.

"Got something," Hilly said looking up from the book on her lap. "At least I think I do. Audrey Martins, died 1879. Her husband left her and took their daughter. The little girl died shortly there after. Her husband claimed he left because she was insane. She ended up hanging herself."

"Suicides make angry spirits, why do you think it is her?"

"Because she was buried just outside the cemetery. Typical of this area in the nineteenth century, suicides weren't usually buried in consecrated ground."

"They probably didn't get all of her when they moved the cemetery. We need to get out to where they moved it and check it out," Dean said.

"Uh, you think we should maybe wait until the sun goes down before we start digging up an historical landmark?" Hilly asked grabbing his arm before he could dash out the door.

Dean cleared his throat. "Yeah, that might be better. Good idea."

"Generous, thanks."

"Bite me."

"Not in front of Sam."

The sun had only just set over the desert mountains, but already the valley was bathed in darkness. Dean drove the Impala carefully over the dirt road, out to where the developer had moved the cemetery. He parked just outside the wooden fence. The three of them got out of the car.

"I still don't like the idea of you coming along," Dean said to Hilly.

"Drop the act."

"What act?"

"We settled this you-don't-get-to-come thing a long time ago. So stop it."

"You two want to get moving?" Sam said looking from one to the other.

Dean stalked off into the cemetery. Sam and Hilly followed. They went from gravestone to gravestone, looking for Audrey Martins. Dean found her in the corner.

"Let's get this over with," he said holding his hand out for the shovel Hilly was carrying. "Unless you want to dig?"

"I research, you dig."

Sam grabbed the other shovel and the two of them started digging. The ground was still soft from when it was moved, so the work went quickly. In a few minutes Sam's shovel hit something solid. They broke the coffin opened and poured salt on the remains. Dean dumped gas over all and lit a match.

"Hey wait," Hilly said jumping into the grave.

"What the hell are you doing?" Dean yelled.

"Hold on," she was looking in the coffin. "I think something's missing."

"What?" Sam dropped back into the hole.

"I am sure the records said she was buried with a locket that contained a lock of her hair and her daughter's hair. Where is it?" She was moving the remains around with the shovel. "She's missing part of her left leg, too. Femur."

"She's right, femur's missing, Dean."

"Let's burn this and worry about the leg and locket when that's done, ok?" Dean said.

"Good idea, help me out," Hilly said.

"You jumped in, you get out," Dean said with a grin.

"Bite me."

"Not in front of Sam." He did hold his hand out and gave her a lift out of the grave. Sam pulled himself out and Dean dropped a lighted match. The remains burned quickly as they stood watching.

"Hey, I think that's my phone," Hilly said reaching in her pocket. "What? Oh my god, we're on our way." She looked at them "That was Katherine, she's there, Audrey's there, and she's got Mary, they can't get to her!"

Dean didn't need to hear anything else, he was sprinting towards the car. Hilly and Sam were barely in the Impala when he slammed the car in gear and took off.

The Impala was careening down the dark road at breakneck speed. Sam looked over at Dean, his knuckles were white on the steering wheel. It looked like his jaw was clenched too, at the rate they were going it would only take three or four minutes to get to the development.

"Oh, my god!" Hilly said from the backseat.

"What?" Dean asked.

"Over the fireplace at Mary's. There is a picture or something—I think the locket is there."

"How can you know that?" Sam said.

"She knows, dude, she remembers things she's seen." He looked in the rearview mirror. "Are you sure."

"Pretty damn sure, sure enough to say it."

"Ok," Dean swung the car into the development. "When we get there, Sam you see if you can locate the missing grave."

"I'll get the locket," Hilly said.

"Hell, no. I'll get the locket, you stay out of that house."

"Who's going to help Mary, genius? That's what you need to do and if you open your mouth again I'll kill you. When this is over of course."

"She's right Dean. It's a good plan"

Dean pulled to a screeching stop. "I knew getting the two of you together was going to be a big mistake. " He opened the trunk, Sam grabbed the shovel, salt and gas. Hilly grabbed some salt and the bottle of lighter fluid. Dean stuffed shotgun shells in his pocket and grabbed the shotgun. He and Hilly ran towards the house and Sam headed to the corner of the property where he thought the original cemetery had been.

Sam was desperately trying to remember the maps he had been looking at that morning, trying to figure out where the north corner of the property was. He stopped. "I am so stupid," he said aloud. He looked up at the moon, got his bearings and headed towards the north side of the house. He was pretty sure he found the right place and started to dig. It didn't take long, the leg bone had been clumsily reburied about eighteen inches underground. He could hear screams and the shotgun from the house. He just dumped the salt and gas on the bone and torched it, turning he ran towards the house.

He could still hear Mary's screams and Dean's voice. The shotgun again. His brother shouted for Hilly as Sam ran through the front door.

"Sam, in here, I can't get it to burn—she's trying to stop me," Hilly yelled from the living room.

As badly as he needed to get to Dean, Sam knew they had to destroy the locket first. He looked at Hilly, there was blood on her face. She had the locket in her hands.

"I'm going to throw it into the fireplace, but you have to salt and burn it fast. I've tried twice and she's not happy about it," she said.

Sam nodded understanding. He picked up the salt and lighter fluid. "Ok, ready to go." She tossed the locket into the fireplace and Sam poured salt on it. Audrey suddenly appeared. She moved towards Hilly, Sam got the lighter fluid into the fireplace and threw his lighter in. The locket started to burn, Audrey disappeared in a burst of flame.

Sam took off for the upstairs, Hilly was just behind him. He stopped when he got to Mary's room. The child was kneeling beside his brother, patting his head and sobbing "Wake up, wake up." Sam ran over to them, Hilly picked up Mary and held her. Sam gently turned Dean over and felt for a pulse. There, there it was. He let out the breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

"He's alive," Sam said.

Katherine ran into the room and grabbed Mary from Hilly. Mary was still sobbing. "She wanted to take me, he wouldn't let her. He won't wake up." Over and over.

"Rescue is on the way, Sam. They should be here in a few minutes. You go with Dean. I'll bring the car," Hilly said.

"Thank you," Sam said. He was grateful that she understood his need to be with Dean. He could hear the helicopter as it approached.