Title: The Boys Went Down to Georgia

Author: Razorbackgal0225

Rating: PG-13--A little language, but that's all

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, cars or situations from Supernatural, but I sure wish I did. Anything you don't recognize is mine.

Author's Note: I've been trying to update pretty regularly, but that will probably not happen for awhile. I'm right in the middle of moving, so things are pretty hectic. But I promise, as soon as I get moved, I will get back to work on this full force. Thanks again to my reviewers!!

An hour later, Katie checked to see that Lilly was settled in, watching a movie. She was sitting on the couch, next to Sam, who was watching TV with one eye and his laptop with the other. He had volunteered to keep Lilly company, insisting that he was a huge fan of Toy Story and wanted to watch it again. Katie was extremely grateful to him and hoped she had conveyed that. It had been a long day and while she was worried about Lilly, it was nice to have a moment to sort out her own thoughts. Katie walked back to the kitchen from the living room, leaned up against the nearest wall and closed her eyes.

"You okay?" Dean's deep voice interrupted her respite. She opened her eyes to see him gazing at her, a concerned expression on his handsome face. Not for the first time since this ordeal started, Katie wished she could have met Dean without immense drama being involved. Instead, she was standing in her kitchen trying to come to terms with the fact that a ghost was possibly haunting her nine-year old niece. She realized he was waiting on a response.

"I will be, eventually," she said. "Maybe. If I don't have a nervous breakdown first." She smiled slightly and then pushed herself off the wall. "I know one thing, I could definitely use a drink." She walked to the refrigerator, opened the door and removed a beer. "Can I get you anything?" she offered.

Dean followed her around the island. "I'd love a beer, if you've got another one." She handed him the bottle she had in her hand and retrieved another from the refrigerator. She grabbed a towel from the counter, twisted off the cap and took a long drink.

"So," she asked after putting her bottle down. "Do you really think there's a ghost after Lilly?"

Dean shrugged his shoulders as he responded, "Could be. I seriously doubt that whatever it is is targeting Lilly, though, since other kids have been attacked. From what you said, that planter could have taken out any number of the kids lined up for that photo."

Katie breathed a sigh of relief. "I know this sounds weird, but that actually makes me feel a little better. To know that you think it's not after Lilly. I couldn't imagine what Lill could have done to get a ghost mad at her."

Dean took a swig from his beer, and then commented, "A lot of times, it's not anything the person has done. It's more of what the ghost thinks they've done. You see, spirits will only see what they want to see. Something could have happened to the person when they were alive involving a kid, and now every kid they encounter is that kid, no matter what the reality is."

"Kind of guilt by association," Katie said. He nodded in agreement. "So, what happens now?"

"Sam," he gestured back towards the living room with his beer, "is searching through old newspaper articles, looking for anything involving the death of a ten or so year old boy. Once we find out who the ghost is, we'll decide where to go from there."

To this, Katie frowned slightly. "Sam had his computer out when we got to your motel room. Was he researching then, too?"

"Yeah," Dean replied, unsure of why she was asking.

"Is that normal? He does all the research and you get to drink beer and socialize?" she smiled crookedly at him as she asked. He realized she was joking with him, probably trying to lighten the mood. This was a concept he could understand.

Katie willed herself not to react to the killer grin Dean gave her before he took another drink from his bottle. The smile was still there when he answered her. "Sam's the geeky, freakishly tall one in the family. I'm the charming, good-looking one." She laughed out loud at this comment. "What, you don't believe me?" He managed to look slightly offended.

"Well, Sam is tall," she answered. "I'll give you that. But it's not as if he's unattractive or anything." She paused a moment and then an expression on enlightenment appeared on her face. "Wait a minute, you're the older brother, aren't you?"

Dean grimaced slightly. "He's been bad-mouthing me again, hasn't he?"

Katie chuckled a little before replying. "No, we just talked about being the youngest when ya'll were here the other day." She smiled at him again before finishing. "A lot of things make more sense now." She took another drink of her beer. Then it happened. What she had been trying to avoid since Wednesday.

Her eyes met Dean's over her bottle. She tried to concentrate on swallowing properly, and not the fact that Dean had beautiful hazel eyes ringed by lashes of a decidedly un-masculine length. Or the fact that those same eyes were causing butterflies that had long been dormant to begin fluttering around in her stomach. She mentally scolded herself for even allowing such thoughts to enter her mind with all the chaos going on. These men were tracking a ghost, for heaven's sake, not auditioning for the next 'Bachelor.' A creepy kid was possibly haunting her niece; she should not be worried about whether her hair looked good or if her mascara was running. For all she knew, Dean was looking at her like that because she had something in her hair again, not because he liked her or anything.

"Hey, I think I found something," Sam interrupted, breaking the spell cast over the room. Katie smiled at him gratefully, causing Sam to wonder what he had walked into. He was carrying his laptop and sat it down on the counter between Dean and Katie.

"What've you got?" Dean asked. He too was thankful for his little brother disrupting the serious moment he thought Katie and he were sharing. This was not the time to decide he might like a girl, and Katie wasn't the love 'em and leave 'em type, he could tell. He turned his attention back to the job.

"Jacob Smith," Sam said, pointed to the newspaper article displayed on the computer screen. Katie's sudden intake of breath answered what would have been Sam's first question. She did recognize the boy pictured in the story as the same one she had photographed with Lilly's class.

"Oh my God, it's him," she whispered. She reached out, as if to touch the picture, but froze before completing the move. She pulled her hand back towards her body, almost protectively. Up until now, she had held out hope that this mess would have a reasonable explanation. Unfortunately this article proved that wasn't the case. This was really happening.

Sam continued summarizing the story. "Jacob was 10 years old when he died in 1975. He was found beat to death at the orphanage he was living in." He checked the article again. "Hilltop Orphanage. The police investigated but never found out who did it. They suspected the guy who ran the place, Tom Bennett, but he had an alibi for when Jacob died."

Katie skimmed the article while Sam and Dean continued discussing the case. "So we need to find where this Jacob kid is buried," Dean decided.

"Story says Jacob was cremated. Since he was an orphan, there was no one to claim the body or do anything with his remains." Sam countered.

Dean rolled his eyes and shifted his weight in frustration. "Great, so how is this kid haunting people if his remains are gone?"

Before Sam could answer, Katie exclaimed, "Hey, I know where this is." She pointed at a particular line in the story that gave the location of the orphanage. "It says the orphanage was in Banks Crossing off Rural Route 3. That's where Myer's Petting Zoo is now. That place had been abandoned for years before Mr. Myer's moved in and opened up the zoo."

Dean and Sam exchanged knowing looks. "How long ago did it open?" Sam asked.

Katie thought for a moment before answering, "I'd say about a month and a half ago. It couldn't have been much more than that. I remember, because we sent Mr. Myer's a flower basket as a 'Welcome to the Community' gift."

"Which would have been around the same time that the first attack happened, right?" Sam was trying to remember the original article that had caused their trip to Commerce. Katie nodded in response.

The older Winchester snapped his fingers as an idea came to him. "Didn't Lilly go to the zoo on a class trip awhile back? That's where the goat got after that girl she doesn't like."

Katie smiled a little, surprised that Dean remembered the story Lilly had told him during their first visit. She nodded affirmatively. "Yeah, last week. I think almost all the grade school classes went at one point." Her eyes grew wide. "You think the opening of the zoo somehow stirred up Jacob's ghost?"

"It's a possibility," Sam agreed with her. "We should check out the zoo," he said, mainly to Dean. "Can you tell us how to get there?" he asked Katie.

"I've got a better idea," she said, "if you wait until tomorrow to go, I can show you how to get there. I know the zoo is closed on Saturdays and Lilly has her standing play-date at Casey's house. We can go tomorrow afternoon." She was surprised when both men shook their heads at this suggestion. "What, I don't get to go?"

"No," both men answered together. Dean's response was slightly more adamant than Sam's.

"Why not?" She asked. "It's my niece that's in danger and this is my town this is happening to. Besides," she placed her hands on her hips, "you'll never find the place if I don't go with you. Banks Crossing is seriously out in the boondocks."

Sam glanced at Dean and could tell he wasn't convinced. "Katie, we know you want to help, but it would be safer for you to stay here," he told her, his voice soft and compelling.

This time it was Katie who was determined. "No, I want to go. I'll do whatever you tell me to, if you want me to stay in the car, I will."

Dean sighed out loud. Sam ran his hand through his hair, and then looked at his brother. When Katie saw they were still deciding, she added, "Please? I really want to know what's going on."

"Okay," Dean relented, hesitantly. "But only if you stay in the car and if anything happens, you'll leave when we tell you to."

Katie backed away from the computer and headed towards the living room. "I will, I promise. After I get Lilly upstairs and getting ready for bed, I'll make up ya'll's beds. One of you can have the guest room and the other can have the sofa bed." She walked through the door and back to where Lilly was watching TV.

Sam waited until she was out of sight before whispering to Dean, "Do you really think we should let her go with us? You know it might not be safe for her."

Dean shrugged and took his final drink of beer. "Couldn't you tell that she wasn't going to give up? If she stays with us, she'll be fine. And I don't want to get lost out in middle of nowhere."

Sam narrowed his eyes and then grinned at his brother. "You like her, don't you?"

"Oh, shut up," Dean muttered as he threw his bottle in the trash. "I'll take the sofa bed, you freakin' giant."