Thanks to you all for your terrific reviews and to all the readers who have put me or this story on alert. I'm thrilled beyond words. Only one more chapter after this one.

They aren't mine, sniff, but I'm going to give them hugs this weekend. Woohoo!

Enjoy.

WWW

Chapter 5

Sam was frustrated with his research. There just wasn't much out there to help them on this case. He watched his brother sleep, listening to his even breathing and decided it wouldn't hurt him to lie down for a while, too. They didn't get regular sleep at the best of times, but on a case, they had learned to grab it when they could.

Dean hadn't moved after he drifted off, so there was plenty of room for Sam to stretch out his lanky frame and relax. Before settling down, he gently placed the back of his hand on Dean's forehead to check for any signs of fever. Satisfied his brother's temperature was normal, he lay back and got comfortable. Maybe he wouldn't sleep, but just lie there and rest — let his subconscious mind work on the situation while he shut down. He closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh. Soon, however, the quietness of the room and the soothing sound of Dean's gentle snoring lulled Sam into a dreamless sleep.

www

Something was going on; there was something different. Sam awoke but kept his eyes shut, senses suddenly on high alert. There was no sound at all. Weird. As he opened his eyes and blinked, he realized that any daylight that might have come in around the curtain was gone and there was an eerie glow to the room. Sitting up and looking around, he saw that Dean's bed had changed into the bed from the other side.

Sensing his brother's movements, Dean, who was lying on his side facing Sam, stirred and opened his eyes.

"Sammy?" he whispered, glancing up, hunters senses instantly alert.

Sam glanced down at his brother and shook his head, "The room is changing; your bed is the bed from the other side."

Eyes wide, Dean rolled over to see the other bed. He certainly hadn't doubted his brother, but he had to see it for himself. Giving an involuntary shudder at the sight, he turned back to Sam.

"How weird is this? Here we are on one regular bed while a couple of feet away there's a bed from another time and — whatever!"

"Very weird," Sam chuckled. "Are we sure we're okay over here?"

"I don't know why but I'm pretty sure we're fine. I'm not going to get up and take a chance, though. I'm staying right here and waiting for it to go away. Feel free to get up and check for yourself if you want." Dean flopped onto his back and glanced back and forth between the other bed and his brother.

"We're not going to know if we don't try." Sam made as if to get off the bed, but Dean's strong grip on his upper arm prevented it.

"Are you crazy? Stay put!"

"Why? You said I should check it out." the corner of Sam's mouth twitching as he spoke.

Dean took a swipe at his little brother's head, "Don't be an idiot!"

Both young men watched the bed in question as the lighting in the room changed again. The bed was becoming indistinct and the warm glow of the lamplight was fading as the room was becoming dark. The glow faded completely and everything appeared to have returned to normal. Dean reached out, switching on the lamp on the bed table; the other bed had returned to its original condition. There now appeared to be nothing unusual at all in the room. The older hunter turned around as he felt the bed shift; Sam was getting up.

"What're you doin', Sam?"

"We're back to normal, Dean. It's safe."

The older man pointed at his brother, "You stay put; I'll check it out!"

"Dean…"

"Sam!" Dean sat on the edge of the bed, reaching a hand out beyond the bed table, everything still seemed to be real and not an optical illusion. Glancing behind him to make sure Sam was still where he was told to be, he pushed off the bed and took a step forward. Nothing happened. Another step. Nothing. Another step put him at the bed and still nothing.

He turned back to Sam, sighed, and allowed a grin to form on his handsome face. "I guess we're okay."

"Uh huh," Sam grumbled, an angry glare on his face. "How come you had to be the first one up?"

Dean shrugged, "I was closer — and it's my job."

"Idiot!" Sam punched the bed and walked around it to stare Dean in the eyes as much as their height difference would allow. "What if you had gone to the other side and the room changed back to normal and I couldn't get to you? Huh? You'd be over there alone…in your underwear, I might add…with no back up or weapons or anything!"

The anger rolling off the younger Winchester was heavy enough to cause Dean to back up a step and look down. He was in his underwear. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to take a chance on you going over there, and I didn't think — "

"Exactly!" Sam interrupted. "You didn't think! You've got to stop being so reckless with your own safety. Your leg is injured, too … what if…" Sam huffed and lowered his head, unable to really stay angry with his brother. "How many times do I have to explain this to you? I'm twenty-four years old. I'm a big boy and can take care of myself. It's not solely your job to take care of me anymore. We're supposed to take care of each other. We have to be careful with this whole situation and be sure that neither one of us gets caught in that other room alone. We have to go together, prepared and fully armed."

"I know, Sam. You're right. I'm an idiot. It's just hard to break the habit of a lifetime, and I'm not so sure I want to, but I will try." He pulled Sam's head down to his shoulder and patted his brother on the back. "Let's get ice and sodas and see what we can come up with, okay?"

The younger man nodded against his brother's shoulder; his idiotic, moronic, pain-in-the-ass older brother. God he loved this crazy man.

"Okay." Dean gave the back of his brother's neck a squeeze before letting go, and gave him a little shove away. "I'm going to throw my jeans on and go get the drinks. Do you think you can find anything else on the internet?"

"I don't know, Dean. There hasn't been anything helpful at all the last I checked, but I'll try again. Maybe something new has come up."

Sam moved toward the laptop as Dean sat to put his jeans on. "Okay. I'll be back in a few minutes and we can go over everything we've got again. I promise, Sammy, we won't go off half-cocked on this; we'll have a plan well in place. Okay, Princess?"

Giggling, Dean hurried out the door missing the glare and rude gesture his little brother sent in his direction.

www

Sam was lost in his research a few moments later when the door suddenly slammed open and his excited older brother, laden with drinks and a full ice bucket, burst into the room. Sam relaxed from the fighting stance he'd automatically assumed at the unexpected invasion. "What the hell, Dean?"

"Sam!" Dean unceremoniously dropped the drinks and ice bucket onto the table and grabbed his brother's arm. "Come on, Man, you're not going to believe this." Dean turned and headed out the door but was pulled back as his little brother firmly stood his ground.

"What's going on?" Sam was becoming alarmed at the older hunter's behavior.

"Dude! Come with me. You so have to hear this." Dean could hardly stand in one place he was so excited.

Sam began to slowly walk forward in confusion as his big brother behaved like an anxious dog that had to go out. "Okay, I'm coming. Tell me what's going on."

Dean grinned slyly at his brother, happy that Sam was finally moving. "You've got to hear this, Sammy . . . you're not going to believe it."

"Yeah, you said that." Sam was beginning to smile as his brother's excitement became contagious. Soon, he was moving as fast as Dean toward the office, still not knowing what was going on.

As they burst into the lobby, Sam saw Rusty standing there with a small smile on his face and he became more confused. He looked from his brother to the night clerk and back. All three men were now sporting big smiles, but to Sam, it seemed as if they had all lost their minds.

"Would one of you guys tell me what all the excitement is about . . . please?"

Dean and Rusty looked at each other and the hunter made a gallant gesture that gave Rusty permission to deliver the news to the young man with the very large question mark above his head.

"Give my brother the punch line, Rusty."

Rusty nodded and turned to Sam with a big smile still on his face, "Lora Gregory was my grandmother."

Sam blinked at Rusty, the smile still on his face, but a little less certain. He looked at Dean, whose smile was still huge, waiting for Sam to get it. Sam blinked again . . . and the light came on.

"Lora Gregory was your grandmother?" Sam's smile doubled in size as he turned back to Dean. "He's the key!"

Dean nodded and clapped his brother on the arm as he laid his other hand on Rusty's. "This man holds the key to what's going on."

"Oh my God, Dean. This man has been right here all along."

Dean was laughing and nodding his head, enjoying his brother's excitement.

"We really can come up with a plan, now. How did you guys figure this out?"

Dean shrugged "While I was getting the drinks and the ice, I stopped to talk to Rusty here and asked him how long he'd been in town. Figured we should just ask everyone, right?"

Rusty chimed in at this point, "I haven't been here all that long . . . several months, I guess. My family is all gone and I came here to be close to my grandmother's best friend. Grandma Lora used to talk about her a lot and my mother and I used to come to visit from time to time. She's the closest thing I have to family, now. I like the area and when I had nothing left to keep me in the east . . ." Rusty shrugged as if the rest of the story was obvious.

"My full name is Russell Gregory Porter. The Gregory has been kept out of respect for Grandma Lora. She kept her baby at a time when an unwed mother was a real scandal. It wasn't easy for her, but she was determined to give her daughter the best life she could and all the love in the world. That name and this cross are all that I have left of her." He lifted a gold chain out of his shirt that held a locket with a small golden cross engraved on it and showed it to the hunters. "There's an inscription on the back that says, 'Love conquers all'" Rusty quoted from memory as he squinted, trying to read the tiny words. "My eyes aren't what they used to be.

"Anyway, this was hers, then my mother's, and now it's mine. Neither of them ever took it off and neither do I. I don't think it's worth much in the way of money, but it means a lot to me. She was a wonderful woman. My mother and I never lacked for love. When my dad died, we moved back in with Grandma Lora and never regretted it." His blue eyes twinkled as he spoke of his mother and grandmother. He had obviously loved as much as he'd been loved.

The three men stood smiling at each other, lost in their own thoughts, until Dean clapped his hands together, slightly startling the other two men. "Well, I don't know about you guys, but I think we should get down to business. Rusty, we're really gonna need your help with this. I'm sure my geek boy brother can explain what's going on while I go back to our room for the sodas I left there." Dean patted Sam on the shoulder and headed out the door, oblivious to the mouth agape expression on his brother's face.

In his glee, Dean nearly skipped to their room, only prevented by his sore leg. He stuck his key in the lock, held his breath until the light came right on, bounced inside, grabbed the sodas, and headed back out to join Rusty and Sam in the office. He felt sure his brother would have explained the situation by now, meaning that Dean wouldn't have to.

Entering the office and passing out the sodas, including one for Rusty, the elder Winchester was all smiles. He waggled his eyebrows at Sam and turned to the clerk. "So what do you think, Rusty? Did you have any clue about all of this? Were there any complaints about the room we're in from anyone else?"

Rusty shook his head in wonderment. "No, I had no idea. No one has said anything at all about that room. One couple had paid for three nights, but left after the first one; said their plans had changed and they needed to move on. I guess my plans would have changed, too, if I went through what your brother here's been telling me. It's all true, then?" His eyes moved from one Winchester to the other, hoping for some sign that they were joking, but finding none. Sighing and casting his eyes at the floor, Rusty said, "What can be done?"

The brothers let out the breaths they'd been holding, flicking eyes toward each other, but it was Sam who spoke, "We need your help. You're a descendant of Lora Gregory and you can help us do what needs to be done. You have your grandmother's necklace; whether it holds any power or not, we're not sure, but it proves your lineage. We're pretty sure you're the one to help us get this situation resolved; you're the key to it. Dean and I need to go over there to take care of the spirit or spirits that are keeping this going and there will most likely be bones that need to be salted and burned. That's going to take both of us, but you can help us get back. If you don't, we'll likely be stuck over there and probably die."

The older man looked up in horror at the thought that these two young men might not come back from the 'other side'. Dean spoke up, "It's not one hundred percent certain, but there's a good chance. We'd have to wait for the room to change on its own, but there's no way we can count on that; it just seems too random an occurrence. If you open the door from this side for us, we'll be able to get out. If not…" The young hunter let his voice trail off as he shrugged.

Sam put his hand on the motel clerk's shoulder to offer some support. "It won't be dangerous for you at all, man."

Rusty raised his eyes to the two young men before him. "You might die! Isn't there some other way? Can't we just let it go?"

The older sibling shook his head. "You said yourself that someone else has probably experienced some unpleasantness in that room. At the rate it's been happening to us, I'd say the unhappy spirit is picking up the pace. Maybe it senses your presence and who you are — wants to get to you for revenge or something. It obviously has a claim to the land and isn't going to rest until it gets what it wants or 'til we stop it. Sam and I do this kind of thing all the time. We know what we're doing and watch out for each other. With you to let us out our chances are really good of coming back from there. My brother and I will go whether you help us or not. We can't let this go on — we can't let other people get hurt. It's up to you, man. What do you say?"

The red head collapsed onto his chair, his shoulders slumping, his eyes going from one brother to the other. "If you insist on going, I'll help you. I'd never forgive myself if I let you go over there, didn't help, and you didn't come back. You're sure you'll come back?"

Both brothers nodded their heads solemnly, understanding that the older man needed the assurance. They also knew that nothing was guaranteed in their line of work, but with Rusty helping, the odds were definitely in their favor.

"Okay!" The clerk slapped his hands on his knees and sat up straight with a bright, determined look on his face. "Let's get this done. What's first and when do we start?"

Sam's shoulders sagged in relief as Dean rubbed his hands together in anticipation of getting on with the hunt. The older hunter laid a hand on the clerk's shoulder. "Thanks, man. Come on down to our room and we'll show you what we've been talking about with the door key. We can either give you one of ours, or you can make another of your own. We'll set up an amount of time to pass before you try to bring us back, then we'll go and you just have to let us out when the time comes. Okay?"

"Okay." Rusty nodded.

"Good. Let's go." Dean led the way to their room, sticking his key into the lock. It took a few tries but the light finally hesitated allowing the door to open onto the 'other side'. As he held the door open for all to see inside, he glanced at the older man to see his reaction.

"My God!" was Rusty's only statement. He stood with eyes bulging and mouth agape, his gaze flicking back and forth around the other room, trying to take it all in. "This is where you went?" His question was directed at Dean.

"Yep. When I was inside with the door closed, I turned around to see if I could get out. The door had changed to wood and opened out onto a hallway that matched the room. It was a surprise, to say the least."

Rusty took a deep breath and turned to the brothers. "Okay, so you need me to open the door for you, but not until the light blinks and hesitates to come on; just like this time? How much time will you need?"

Sam's eyes flicked to his older brother. "Time seems to travel at a different pace over there, it seems to be about double speed on this side, so you won't have to wait too long."

"I think we should be able to take care of the spirit 'over there' in an hour's time, don't you?" Dean glanced at his brother for confirmation. "We know where it is, I've been there and know what we need to take with us. The tools reacted the same way both times I was in the basement, so we know what to expect. Preparation is everything, so we'll be prepared this time and just get the freakin' job done."

Dean's smile was the confident, carefree smile that the younger Winchester loved and hated. As a child, that smile on his big brother's face always filled him with confidence and made him feel completely safe. As an adult, that smile on his big brother's face usually made him want to roll his eyes. This particular time was one of the former. He did feel confident about this. Neither of them was going to be safe, but they'd have each other's backs and could prepare as much as possible. He was sure they could do this.

"Yeah, I do think so," he chuckled. "We can do the job in an hour, Rusty. Two hours from the time we leave, you start trying to get the door open. We'll be counting on you." Sam's smile now mirrored Dean's.

The clerk stood in awe of these two young men. They had to be pulling his leg, but he was sure they weren't. It all made too much sense. It all fit — everything his grandmother had told him, all that he'd learned from Betty, and the experiences these men in front of him had on the 'other side'. He touched the necklace he was wearing thoughtfully, but then his smile widened to match the Winchesters. He was going to make a difference in something. This was important. He could help. His eyes went back and forth between the brothers. "You don't have to worry about a thing, boys. I'll be here and right on time. If you're delayed, I won't stop until I get you back. I promise!"

The brothers glanced back at each other, then at Rusty. "I know we can trust you, man." Dean pounded the older man on the back, nearly knocking him over.

www

"What do you want to use as a shield from the lawn equipment?" Sam asked as he checked the items in the weapons bag for the fourth time.

"Bedspread."

The younger man stopped his rummaging to stare at his older brother in disbelief. "A bedspread? Are you crazy? A bedspread's not going to protect us from that stuff; a pitchfork will go right through it!"

"Yeah, I know, but we don't really have anything that will shield us, so we'll have to go with something that'll at least slow the tools down or confound them. There're two in this room and one in the 'other room', so we take them and throw them over or at stuff that's trying to get to us. First thing is that pile of tools, then whatever else." Dean shrugged his shoulders and rested his eyes on Sam. "If you have any other ideas, I'm completely open."

Sam stared at his brother for several moments, trying to figure out another way to go on this. Ultimately, he had nothing and dropped to the bed where Dean was cleaning the last of the weapons. The older man glanced toward him quizzically. "I got nothin', Dean. Bedspreads it is. I can't believe this." He shook his head.

Dean leaned into his little brother's shoulder with a smirk. "It's gonna be okay, Sammy. We'll just go down there, do what we do, and get out." He shrugged one shoulder as he sat back up. "We're Winchesters and we may not come out unscathed, but we will come out, I promise." His eyes were locked on Sam's, refusing to let them go, willing his brother to accept the promise.

The younger man allowed the visual lock to continue, drawing from it, feeling his strength and confidence grow. He hadn't been afraid to do the job. He'd been raised for this kind of thing; had trained all his life, but his big brother had promised they'd come back. That was that; what they did. He smiled as he nodded to the older man. "Okay," he said as he pushed his own shoulder into Dean's. "Are you just about ready?"

"Yep. This is the last weapon and I'm all set. You brought plenty of salt, right?"

"Our whole supply. I'll go get Rusty, then." Sam headed for the door, pausing before opening it to look back at the older Winchester, watching his brother's efficiency and confidence as he put the last weapon in the bag and began to gather the bedspreads. Sam left before the other man noticed his gaze. His brother didn't want to have a 'moment', he knew. As he walked toward the office and Rusty, he couldn't help wondering how much longer his brother would be able to keep that promise.

www

Rusty looked up at the sound of the bell as the door opened, surprised to be a little nervous when he realized it was Sam. His heart skipped a beat, then began hammering in his chest. This was it, then. They were ready to start and wanted him at their room to go over any last-minute details. Taking a deep breath, holding it for a moment, he let it out and greeted the young hunter before him with a nod. "Sam. Time to go?"

"It is. We're all set. We'd like you to come down to our room to 'see us off', sort of. Are you ready?"

"I am, but I'm not the one going to the 'other side' to do battle with a spirit, for crying out loud. Are you boys ready — sure you want to do this?"

"This is what we do and who we are. We've been doing this all our lives and we're pretty good at it. Dean's waiting, so let's get going." Sam was suddenly struck with the need to get going with this and just get it done so they could move on. They needed to do this job; they couldn't allow anyone else to get hurt, but he'd thought his brother was dead, or worse — no there wasn't anything worse — and that was unacceptable. He wanted to take this bitch down. As they left the office, he smirked at the sound of his big brother's voice in his head.

Approaching the Winchester's motel room, Dean was standing outside, having just put down the last bag. The bedspreads were folded — sort of — and piled beside the weapons bag. He was holding his favorite shotgun and the two large flashlights along with Sam's .45. He offered his little brother one of the flashlights and the .45 as the two men approached. The older hunter offered their new friend a smile of reassurance as he glanced toward the motel clerk.

"You should take my key, I think. It might connect you to us and make the lock work in our favor, okay?" Dean said as he handed his key over.

Rusty looked at it and shrugged. "Makes as much sense as anything else I've heard or seen today." He took the proffered key, put it in his pocket, and held his hand out to Dean and then to Sam. I'll be here opening the door at the end of two hours on this side. You can count on that. I sure am going to have something to tell Betty about the next time I see her!"

Dean's face lit up at the mention of the frail old woman's name. "I'll bet she was quite a girl in her day."

Chuckling, Rusty replied, "That's what Grandma said. They were quite a pair." His tone turned serious suddenly, "You boys be careful, now."

The Winchesters nodded and all three men looked at their watches. No one spoke as no words were necessary. Sam took out his key, stuck it into the lock, hesitated as he glanced at Dean, and pulled it out again. The light came on immediately, causing the three men to deflate in unison.

"I guess it was too much to expect success on the first try, huh? One more time, Sammy."

Once again, they took a collective breath as Sam pushed his key into the lock and pulled it out. This time the light blinked a couple of times before coming on solidly. The youngest Winchester pushed down on the handle and opened the door, exposing the 'other room'. Turning to look at the motel clerk, the young hunter couldn't help but chuckle. The older man, even though he'd known what to expect, was once again standing with mouth agape.

Rusty glanced at Sam, the younger man's chuckle breaking the older man's trance-like state. "Sorry. Even though I knew what I'd see, it was still a surprise. I'd been trying to convince myself that it had all been a dream, the motel wasn't haunted, you boys weren't headed out to do battle with an evil spirit, and this was nothing more than a motel room." He grinned sheepishly as he made this confession.

Both brothers laughed at that. "Not to worry, Rusty, Sam and I have felt that way our whole lives. Unfortunately, it's not a dream and we need to get in there. It's becoming way too easy to get to that room so the spirit is stepping things up a bit. We so can't have that!"

The hunters picked up their supplies, walked through the door, and turned to wave at the clerk. "Two hours, man, okay?" Dean pointed at his wristwatch, causing Rusty to glance at his own.

"I'll be here, don't worry."

The older hunter nodded and closed the door. Rusty waited a couple of seconds, thrust the key he'd been given into the lock, and pulled it back out. The light came on immediately and he opened the door . . . onto a regular motel room. Closing the door and shaking his head, he turned to go back to the motel office. I just don't believe it! This surely isn't possible, but I saw them go with my own eyes. I've got to be sure and bring them back; they're counting on me." The red-headed man glanced again at his watch and hurried back to his chair, determined to stay awake so as not to let the hunters down. Pacing back and forth behind the desk, completely unable to relax enough even to sit down for a moment, the man realized that staying awake was not going to be an issue. Just for something to do, he made a fresh pot of coffee.

WWW

Please let me know what you think. :D