**Sorry this took so long! I've been super busy, but I'm gonna try to update as much as I can, even though that may not be that much. I really love all of the reviews! They really do inspire me to keep writing so thank you to everyone that reviewed!**

Scarecrow

"Hello?" I answered into the phone groggily, glancing over at a still sleeping Sam before looking at the clock that read 3:30 in red glowing numbers.

"Mel, is that you?" The gruff voice on the end of the line dispelled any remnants of sleep from my mind, and I shot upright in shock.

"John?" I whispered disbelievingly. "Are you alright? Are you close by?"

"I'm fine," He told me, cutting off my rapid questions.

"Sam, Dean, and I have been looking for you everywhere. How could you just leave like that?" A bit of anger at John seeped into my voice as my eyes found Dean's sleeping, peaceful face. "Where are you?" My voice grew thick with emotion and relief that he was okay.

"I know, Mel. I'm so sorry. I wish I could explain, but a lot has happened," I smiled, just his voice was enough to make my shoulders slump with relief.

"But you're okay?" I checked, still talking quietly so as not to wake the boys.

"Yeah, I'm okay, Mel," I smiled again in relief. "What about you, Sam, and Dean?" Dean groaned beside me and shifted, waking up.

"We're fine, John, but where are you?" I repeated my question from earlier a little more urgently now.

"Who is that?" Dean asked, his voice laced with sleep.

"Is that Dean?" John asked, and I realized that he probably didn't know that Dean and I were together again.

"Where are you?" I reiterated, not letting him change the subject.

"Sorry, kiddo, I can't tell you that," I frowned at his firm response.

"Why not?" I asked, knowing he wouldn't tell me but hoping he would.

"Is that Dad?" Dean asked from beside me, sitting up. I glanced at him before closing my eyes to try to hear John's surroundings through the phone and get an idea of where he was.

"Look, Mel, you know you've always been a daughter to me," John spoke hesitantly.

"Yeah, of course, I know. What's wrong?" I started to get worried.

"You're just going to have to trust me on this," He told me seriously.

"Mel, is that Dad?" Sam echoed Dean's question. "Give me the phone," He demanded holding out his hand while I ignored him.

"Whatever happens, you need to take care of the boys, alright? Keep 'em out of trouble,"

"I always do," I answered lightly, trying to mask my worry.

"And take care of yourself-" Sam snatched the phone out of my grasp, and I glared after him.

"You're after it, aren't you? The thing that killed mom," Sam wasted no time in asking the question breathlessly.

Yeah. Came John's voice over the line. It's a demon, Sam.

"A demon?" Sam repeated, glancing at Dean and me as Dean reached for his shirt. "You know for sure?"

"A demon? What's he saying?" Dean questioned eagerly, putting on his shirt as I focused on John.

I do. John confirmed. Listen, Sammy, I, uh… I also know what happened to your girlfriend. Sam looked heartbroken all over again. I'm so sorry. I would have done anything to protect you from that.

"You know where it is?" Sam asked, getting to the point.

Yeah, I think I'm finally closing in on it. John's words made my heart leap into my throat and my eyes widen. After all these years, we were finally getting somewhere.

"Let us help," Sam practically begged.

You can't. You can't be any part of it. I frowned at John's words, and my eyes met Sam's angry ones.

"Why not?" He asked.

"Give me the phone," Dean demanded, but I put a hand on his arm, stopping him.

Listen, Sammy, that's why I'm calling. You and your brother and sister, you've got to stop looking for me. My eyes widened in surprise at his words. He only called me their sister when he was scared or protective. I need you to write down these names.

"Names?" Sam echoed incredulously. "what names, dad? Talk to me. Tell me what's going on,"

Look, we don't have time for this. John started to get annoyed. This is bigger than you thing. They're everywhere. Even us talking right now, it's not safe.

"No. Alright? No way," Sam shook his head even though John couldn't see him.

"Give me the phone," Dean demanded again impatiently.

I've given you an order. I winced as John's soft voice turned hard and cold. Now you stop following me, and you do your job. You understand me? Now take down these names. Dean snatched the phone from Sam before he could answer and pressed it to his ear.

"Dad, it's me. Where are you?" Dean asked worriedly.

Dean, you, Sam, and Mel will stop looking for me and do your job. Understood? Dean glanced at me and then Sam.

"Yes, sir," Dean answered, looking down with resignation etched into his features.

Now, I have a list of names I need you to write down. Do you have something to write with? John's drill-sergent voice came across the phone.

"Uh… yeah, I got a pen," Dean answered, grabbing a pen and pad from the nightstand. "What are the names?" Sam's mouth twisted in a scowl.

-SPN-

"All right, so the names Dad gave us - they're all couples?" Sam checked as he drove us through the early morning darkness.

"Yeah," I answered, holding a flashlight over the sheets we'd printed before we left the room. "Three different couples who all went missing," "And they're all from different towns, different states?" Sam asked again.

"Hmm," I hummed in distracted agreement as I scanned the sheets for home towns. "Washington, New York, Colorado,"

"Each couple took a road trip cross-country," Dean took over. "None of them arrive at their destination,"

"None of them were ever seen or heard from again," I added, trying to manage the flashlight while flipping through the pages.

"Well, it's a big country, guys," Sam pointed out. "They could have disappeared anywhere,"

"Yeah, they could have," Dean agreed pointedly.

"But?" Sam prompted, glancing at me in the mirror.

"But all of their trips took them through the same part of Indiana," I informed him.

"And always on the second week of April," Dean added. "One year after another after another,"

"this is the second week of April," Sam put the pieces together.

"Yep," Dean agreed cheerfully without looking up from the map he was holding.

"So Dad is sending us to Indiana to go hunting for something before another couple vanishes?" The more Sam spoke the more angry and biting his words came out.

"Yahtzee," Dean answered as the sun started to come up, and I clicked off the flashlight.

"Can you imagine putting together a pattern like this though?" I changed the subject as I leaned up to look over Dean's shoulder at the map.

"Yeah, the different obit Dad had to go through-" Dean started in awe of John. "the man's a master," The car slowed as Sam pulled over, and I glanced up at the rearview to see his jaw set. My heart sunk at his furious expression; this wouldn't go well.

"What are you doing?" Dean asked in confusion as we stopped.

"We're not going to Indiana," Sam informed us firmly, and Dean and I exchanged a glance.

"We're not?" I echoed, treading lightly.

"No, we're going to California," He announced. "Dad called from a pay phone- Sacramento area code,"

"Sam," Dean began in a warning tone.

"Guys, if this demon killed our moms and Jess and Dad's closing in, we got to be there," He reasoned, and I half agreed with him. "We've got to help,"

"Dad doesn't want our help," Dean reminded him.

"Well, I don't care," Sam brushed off.

"Sam, he's asking us to save lives with this hunt. If we don't go a couple is going to die," I added, trying to reason with him.

"I don't care!" He snapped, and my eyebrow raised at his hostility.

"He's given us an order," Dean told him with conviction.

"I don't care," Sam repeated, and Dean and I both looked at him incredulously. "We don't always have to do what he says. Mel, come on, you know I'm right,"

"Sam, John-" I started.

"Forget him! He's not God!" Sam snapped in annoyance.

"Sam, Dad is asking us to work jobs, to save lives. It's important," Dean argued, pointing to the map.

"If we don't follow this lead a couple will die in the next few days," I added.

"All right, I understand. Believe me, I understand. But I'm talking one week here, guys, to get answers, to get revenge," His eyes darkened with hidden fury as he finished.

"All right, look, we know how you feel," Dean started.

"Do you?" Sam interrupted dubiously.

"How old were you when Mom died - 4? And you were 6 months when your mom died," Sam added, looking at me. "Jess died six months ago. How the hell would either of you know how I feel?"

"Dad said it wasn't safe for any of us. I mean, he obviously knows something that we don't, so if he says to stay away, we stay away," Dean's voice raised as he spoke.

"Sam, Dean's right. John has been getting close to this thing for the past six months. If he says it's too dangerous then it's probably too dangerous," I added, meeting Sam's eyes.

"I don't understand the blind faith you have in the man," Sam scoffed, "I mean, it's like you don't even question him,"

"Yeah, it's called being a good son," Dean snarled back at him defensively. Sam pushed open the door and stepped outside, slamming it loudly behind him. "What the hell?" Dean muttered, glaring after him, but under the anger I could see the hurt and uncertainty in Dean's eyes. I opened the door and got out, stalking over to Sam.

"Sam, you can't just decide your going to disobey John and go off to find him on some half brained plan. Sacramento is huge. It could have been any pay phone in the city," Behind me I heard the car door slam as Dean got out too.

"Of course you would take his side," He glanced past me to where Dean was walking towards us. "You always defended them. What if Dad's not worth defending? He's onto something, and he won't let us anywhere near it! Don't we deserve to be a part of killing the thing that killed our moms? Don't I deserve to kill the thing that killed Jess?" Sam was yelling at me, and I finally lost whatever patience I had left.

"You're a selfish bastard!" I exploded, and his eyes widened fractionally in surprise and anger. "You just think you can do anything you want?" I managed to calm myself a bit to where I could speak at a normal volume. "Because… why? You don't care? There are people - lives - at stake and you aren't going to save them because you don't care? Because you think your revenge is more important?" Sam opened the trunk, scoffing.

"She's right," Dean backed me up. "You are being a selfish bastard. You don't care what anybody thinks,"

"That's what you really think?" Sam asked, glancing from Dean to me.

"Yes it is," Dean answered for both of us. My anger stopped short as Sam grabbed his bags from the trunk.

"Well, this selfish bastard is going to California," Sam started walking away.

"Come on. You're not serious," I called after him, still slightly pissed that he would just leave a couple to die.

"I am serious," Sam called back stubbornly without turning.

"It's the middle of the night!" Dean yelled as Sam kept walking. "Hey, we're taking off. We will leave your ass, you hear me?" Dean threatened, and Sam finally turned to face us.

"That's what I want you to do," Sam challenged him, raising his eyebrows.

"Sam, come on," I stepped toward him, but hesitated, glancing back at Dean. There was really nothing I could say. Dean gazed at me almost apologetically before turning angrily to slam the trunk shut and take the key out.

"Goodbye, Sam," Sam held my gaze as Dean walked towards the driver's seat. Dean turned to look back at Sam before glancing at me. Without a word, I tore my eyes from Sam's and tossed my hair over my shoulder as I walked to the passenger's door. Dean slid into the driver's seat a moment after I'd sat in the passenger's, and he revved the engine, driving off and leaving Sam shrinking in the rearview mirror.

"He'll come around," I spoke after a few moments of tense silence. "He's just being hotheaded as usual," Dean glanced at me and then at our joined hands, and his stormy gaze softened slightly.

"Yeah," Dean agreed with a note of doubt in his voice. I rested my head against the seat and studied Dean's face in the pale light. His jaw was tightened in frustration and anger, and his eyebrows were drawn together in worry.

"He just needs time to cool off," I knew Sam as well as Dean did, maybe even better, and Sam had always been an ass when he got impatient.

"You should get some sleep. We'll be there in a few hours," The ghost of a smile passed over my lips at Dean's concern. He always worried about Sam and me. Even when we were young. My eyes drifted shut as I listened to the sound of the engine.

"Dean, slow down!" I yelped as I realized we were going nearly 100 on a 75 mile per hour highway.

"Relax, Mels, I haven't crashed us yet," He pointed out, laughing slightly at my worry.

"That doesn't mean you won't," I grumbled, glancing at the map. "This exit!" I pointed three lanes over, jerking upright in my seat. "42! This one!" Dean yanked the wheel, and we cut across three lanes to make the exit.

"A little warning next time," He joked, and I grinned a bit, glancing back at the two near accidents we'd caused.

"Right or left?" He questioned as we approached the intersection.

"Right," I directed confidently.

"Are you sure?" He was slowing as we approached the turn, unsure of which way to go.

"Yeah, babe, I promise. It's right," I pointed, and he turned on the directional. "Other right!" He yanked the wheel again, giving me a mock glare, but he was laughing. "Are you sure John was alright with us taking the car?" I still found it hard to believe that he'd just lent Dean the keys to go chase down a lead.

"Yeah, he and Sam are at the library waiting for your dad to get here. This house is probably nothing, but we've got to chase down every lead," He sounded slightly bitter about the fact that John was sending us on what was more than likely a wild goose chase. I couldn't help the thrill of happiness that shot through me at the thought of seeing my dad again. It had been about a month and a half since we'd last seen each other. He called about every other day to make sure we were doing alright, but it was still hard not seeing him for such long stretches.

"It was this or research," I pointed out, and Dean shrugged in consent. We'd both had our fill of books about Aswang lore. "Turn right up ahead. 8th Street," Dean turned onto the street that was lined with townhouses. "So, John thinks the thing might be living in 220," I glanced at the paper he'd given us as Dean cruised past the houses, checking the numbers as we went.

"Here," He parked in the driveway, and we got out. I glanced up at the darkening sky as I opened the trunk. We had thought we'd reach the house before it started getting dark. Aswang's gain power in the dark, but they're vulnerable in the daytime. I shrugged off the bad feeling. This probably wasn't the house anyway. Dean came up behind me, wrapping his arm around my waist comfortably as he handed me a large switchblade that I shoved in my back pocket and pulled my jacket over to cover the hilt. I glanced up at him to see a worried frown etched onto his features. The frown faded into a bravado smile as soon as he realized I was watching him. He turned slightly to face me, the hand that wasn't around my waist coming up to trace my jawline.

"I love you," He smiled genuinely, and I felt a smile spreading across my lips as well. I would never, ever in a million years get tired of Dean saying those words.

"I love you, too, Dean," I raised myself on my toes and pressed my lips to his gently. He kissed me back, his arm tightening around my waist. It took every ounce of my self control to pull away. "Oh, I almost forgot," I opened the door to the car and pulled out two leather cords. I tossed one of the necklaces to Dean and slipped on the other. Dean looked at me questioningly.

"It's a salt pouch," I explained, taking the necklace from him and slipping it over his head before he could argue. "Sammy made them. Salt repels Aswangs,"

"How do I look?" He asked me, grinning down at me as I hid the necklace under his shirt. "Good enough to eat?" I gave him a look and hit his chest lightly.

"That's not funny," I admonished him, fighting a small smile at the pun.

"It's a little funny. You know you're laughing," I looked away, smiling fully now. He kissed me lightly on the lips before we walked towards the house. I knocked on the door.

"One second!" A male voice yelled from inside. I glanced at Dean, and he shrugged. A moment later the door opened to reveal a middle-aged man wearing a sweater vest and kaki slacks. Dean and I exchanged a dubious glance "Can I help you?" I met his eyes, and my words died on my lips. Behind his thick glasses, his eyes were bloodshot. One of the telltale signs of Aswang was bloodshot eyes.

"Yes, we go to the high school just up the road, and we are interning at the Wyatt Electric and Gas Company. They sent us to check on your power box. Some people in the neighborhood have been complaining of blackouts," I explained, smiling winningly at him.

"They sent two interns?" The man sounded severely annoyed.

"It's just a routine checkup, sir. Ten-year-olds could do it if we trained them," Dean covered for me. The man studied us, and then suddenly his eyes widened fractionally and he stepped aside.

"Fine, come on in, but you'll have to make it quick. I have dinner plans," He smiled at us, and it was an oddly chilling smile for such a shy looking man. He led us to the power box, and Dean opened it, revealing all different colored switches and plugs.

"Hey, do you have a bathroom here?" Dean questioned him, and the man smiled again.

"Yes, just up the stairs first door on your right," He directed, pointing up the stairs.

"Thanks," Dean brushed past him, and I watched him go uncertainly before turning back to the man with another smile.

"So, you see anything wrong so far?" He questioned after a minute of silence.

"Nope, everything looks good," I fiddled with some switches, hoping I wasn't close to short-circuiting his house.

"Tell me, how does a pretty girl like you end up interning for an electrical company?" I swallowed but didn't turn to face him as I answered.

"My dad was in the electric business," I glanced up at him as the lie grew easier at it fused with the truth. "I'm just following in his footsteps,"

"Oh, so you're daddy's little girl," He mused, his tone growing darker. I shifted my hand back to wrap around the hilt of the switchblade and pull it slightly out of my pocket. Suddenly there was an iron grip on my wrist that spun me around, pinning me against the staircase with a forearm across my neck. The switchblade fell from my hand as he slammed it against the wood. "And I was just beginning to like you," The creature pouted. At least, I think that is what it was supposed to be. It's canine teeth had grown longer along with the rest of it's pointed teeth. It's nose had turned up like an animals and his eyes slanted and became bigger. It reached out to grab my neck and suddenly reared back, hissing. Sammy's necklace. I kneed the distracted animal as hard as I could in the nuts, and it released me with another hiss of pain.

"Dean!" I screamed, grabbing the edge of the railing and whipping me around to start running up the stairs. "Run!" I fell painfully on the stairs as the thing grabbed my ankle, tripping me. "Get ou-" My yell was cut off by a cold hand pressed over my lips. I thrashed as he dragged me to the bottom of the stairs. I just saw a horror stricken Dean appear at the top of the stairs before the wall rushed towards me, and I was thrown into oblivion.

I jerked awake gasping, and for a brief moment I panicked before I remembered where I was. My eyes snapped up to meet Dean's concerned ones, and I calmed.

"Another nightmare?" I bit my lip and didn't answer. "When are we going to talk about this, Mel?"

"Talk about what, Dean? I'm fine. Really," I insisted.

"How long have you been having the nightmares?" I shrugged at his question.

"A couple of months," I responded with faked indifference. "Everyone gets nightmares, and it's not like they're every night,"

"How many times a week?" He asked even though he knew the answer to that. "How many times, Mel?" He repeated when I didn't respond.

"Four, five times maybe," I admitted, my eyes flicking away from his, hearing him sigh. "Dean, I don't know what's happening, alright?"

"We'll figure this out," My eyes found his green ones again, and this time it was impossible to look away. I felt like I would be safe as long as I was looking at those eyes. "We always do," This was why I loved him. I smiled slightly, leaning up to peck his lips before getting out of the car. We still had a job to do. Dean and I walked towards Scotty's Cafe where a man was sitting on the wooden bench outside, staring off into the dreary day.

"Let me guess - Scotty," Dean started the conversation with his usual level of smartass. The man slowly raised his eyes to the sign and then shrugged, turning back to us.

"Yep," He answered.

"Hi, my name is John Bonham and this is Stevie Nicks," Dean introduced, and it took every ounce of my self control not to either burst into laughter or give him a look.

"Isn't that the drummer for Led Zeppelin? And Stevie Nicks like the singer?" The man asked disbelievingly.

"Wow. Good," Dean clearly didn't expect him to know the names. "Classic-rock fan,"

"What can I do for you, John… and Stevie," He studied me for a moment before looking back to Dean. I unfolded the missing fliers I'd taken from the car and held them out to him.

"We were wondering if you've happened to see either of these people," He scanned the first page before going to the second and then shaking his head.

"Nope. Who are they?" He asked replacing the first picture on the second and handing them back to me.

"Friends of ours," I replied ambiguously.

"They went missing about a year ago," Dean added, trying to ring a bell. "They passed through somewhere around here. We've already asked around Scottsburg and Salem," He continued, lying through his teeth.

"Sorry," THe man said shortly. "We don't get many strangers around here," Dean nodded, giving him an annoyed smile, and I knew what was coming next.

"Scotty, you got a smile that lights up a room. Anybody ever tell you that?" I put a hand on his arm and gave Scotty a smile.

"We'll be going now," I steered Dean away from the glaring man on the bench.

"What?" Dean protested after we were out of earshot.

"Just call him," I told him as we walked across the street to the Jorgeson General Store.

"Sam made his choice," So it was pride then.

"Dean, it's Sammy. Call him," We went into the store and walked up to the woman and man standing at the counter before Dean could respond. "Hi, we were wondering if you've seen these people around," Dean handed her the fliers. "They're friends of ours that went missing a while back,"

"No, they don't look familiar," She answered almost immediately.

"You sure they didn't stop for gas or something?" Dean asked her, and she shook her head firmly.

"Nope, don't remember them," The man replied for both of them. "You say they were friends of yours?" "Yeah, high school buddies," I answered nodding.

"Did the guy have a tattoo?" A new voice questioned as a girl, who couldn't have been older than eighteen, came down the stairs.

"Yes, he did," Dean responded as she took the picture from me.

"You remember?" She turned to the man and woman as she spoke. "They were just married," The man put his fist to his mouth in thought, but something about the action made me feel uneasy. They were lying. It was too convenient that everyone would forget two people stopping for gas in their town. Especially a secluded town like this.

"You're right. They did stop for gas," The man remembered. "Weren't here more than ten minutes,"

"Do you remember anything else?" Dean questioned.

"Well, I told them how to get back to the interstate," The guy recalled. "They left town,"

"Could you point us in that direction, then?" I asked, and the man glanced back at the woman before shrugging.

"Sure, you just go up this main road until you reach Brooks street and then make a right and keep going. You can't miss it," Dean thanked him, and we got back into the Impala.

"Stevie Nicks?" I laughed as he pulled out.

"It was the best I could think of," He turned away, but I caught sight of his grin before he did. "What would you have said?"

"Not Stevie Nicks. Everyone knows Stevie Nicks. Maybe Grace Slick," Dean laughed, and I hit his arm lightly but couldn't help joining in.

"Grace Slick? You are not a Grace Slick," Before I could answer there was an electronic whine from the back. "What the hell?" Dean muttered, glancing back, his joking tone gone.

"I got it," I reached back and pulled out the E.M.F. "Pull over," He complied as I showed the EMF reading. He looked at it and then out my window before putting the car into park.

"Let's go take a look," I opened my door and was greeted by a blast of cold wind, making me wrap my jacket tighter around me. "You're not a Grace Slick,"

"I could be a Grace Slick," I replied, a smile coming to my lips despite our creepy surroundings. My smile dropped as my eyes landed on a scarecrow that was placed in the middle of a small clearing. "Dean," I walked towards it cautiously. The closer I got, the more the apprehensive feeling grew in the pit of my stomach.

"Dude, you're fugly," Dean talked to the scarecrow as I took in it's appearance. Something about it seemed off. It wasn't the normal potato sack stuffed with straw. For one it had a scythe attached to it's arm instead of a hand. "Here," I glanced back as Dean moved a wooden ladder from one of the trees to the scarecrow and ascended the steps.

"Dean, check it's arm," I was playing a hunch, and Dean didn't argue. He lifted up the sleeve, revealing a mangled black symbol on the skin like surface. I took the folded missing papers from my pocket and unfolded the guys, handing it to Dean. His eyes flicked to me for a moment before back to the scarecrow.

"Nice tat," He confirmed, coming down the ladder and replacing it by the tree. "Back into town?" I nodded, and he slipped an arm around my shoulders as we walked back to the Impala. "We need gas," He pulled into the gas station back at town.

"You're back," The girl greeted us as she placed the pump into the car.

"Never left," Dean responded as we got out.

"You still looking for your friends?" She questioned curiously.

"Mind filling her up there, Emily?" Dean asked with a charming smile, and I felt an all too familiar tug in my stomach. I pushed the feeling away roughly; the girl was eighteen.

"So, you grew up here?" I asked her as I came to lean on the Impala beside Dean, who wrapped a loose arm around my waist.

"I came here when I was thirteen," She replied, glancing up at me. "I lost my parents - car accident. My aunt and uncle took me in,"

"Are they nice?" I questioned.

"Everybody's nice here," She responded, smiling.

"So, what it's like the perfect little town?" Dean asked with a tinge of sarcasm. I was calling Sammy as soon as we got to a motel.

"You know, it's the boonies, but I love it," She confided fondly, looking around at the stores. "I mean, the towns around us, people are losing their homes, their farms. But here… it's almost like we're blessed," Well, I wouldn't call it blessed exactly.

"Oh, hey, by the way, have you been out to that orchard?" I asked her, glancing back up the road. Her face immediately scrunched in distaste. "Seen that scarecrow?" I added.

"Yeah, it creeps me out,"Dean and I laughed lightly with her.

"Whose is it?" Dean asked, and she shook her head.

"I don't know. It's just always been there," She told us, and I nodded.

"That your aunt and uncle's?" Dean questioned, and I followed his gaze to the red car that was parked in the mechanics.

"Customer," My eyes snapped to Emily's face as she said that. "They had some car troubles,"

"It wouldn't happen to be a couple? A guy and a girl?" I asked her, already knowing the answer. Emily nodded in reply. "You know, I'm actually pretty hungry," I glanced at Dean.

"Yeah, me too," Dean and I smiled at Emily as we walked past her to the diner that was next door. "We're famous for our apples, so you got to try this pie," I could hear Scotty telling the couple as he placed a plate with pie in front of each of them.

"Oh, no, please," The girl shook her head, not wanting to take advantage of their hospitality.

"Nope, it's on the house," Scotty insisted.

"Hiya, Scotty," Deen greeted as we walked in. Scotty returned the greeting with a deep frown.

"Can I get a coffee - black," We strode to the table besides the couple. "She'll have cream no sugar," Dean continued without having to glance at me as we sat down. "Oh, and some of that pie, too, while you're at it," He added, sounding thrilled. "How you doing? Just passing through?" "Road trip," The guy turned and waved as the girl answered us.

"Yeah, us, too," I nodded, and the girl smiled at us before going back to her pie. Scotty came over to pour some more tea into their glasses and glare at us.

"I'm sure these people want to eat in peace," He told us, glaring all the while.

"Just a little friendly conversation," Dean defended, shrugging. "Oh, and those coffees, too," I took his hand under the table, lacing our fingers together and giving his hand a hard squeeze, silently telling him to stop acting like a dick. It was a system we'd perfect long, long ago.

"Whenever you have time," I added to Scotty, whose glare softened fractionally. "Thank you," He disappeared back into the kitchen. "So, why are you stopping in this town?" I asked, turning my attention back to the couple.

"We just stopped for gas, and the guy at the gas station saved our lives," She told us, and my eyebrows rose.

"Is that right?" Dean glanced at me skeptically.

"Yeah, one of our brake lines was leaking," The guy explained, sounding relieved. "We had no idea. He's fixing it for us,"

"Nice people," I commented, suspicion lining my words.

"Yeah," The guy agreed.

"So, how long until you're up and running?" The guy looked slightly uncomfortable and glanced at his wife.

"Sundown," He answered, still smiling and nodding.

"Really?" Dean asked, glancing at me and frowning. "To fix a break line?" He turned back to the couple. "I know a thing or two about cars. I could probably have you up and running in about an hour wouldn't charge anything," Dean offered, and I silently begged the couple to take the deal. The man turned to his wife, his face the picture of polite distrust.

"You know, thanks a lot, but I think we'd rather have a mechanic do it," The woman answered cordially.

"Actually, he is a mechanic," I lied easily, and they looked slightly surprised. "Yeah, family business,"

"Really? Where?" The woman inquired, still distrusting.

"Down in Sacramento," Dean smiled, "And, you know, it's just that these roads, they're not real safe at night," The moment those words left Dean's mouth, I knew he'd said the wrong thing.

"I'm sorry?" The woman asked incredulously.

"I know it sounds strange, but, uh, you might be in danger," Dean glanced at me, and I suppressed a wince at how that sounded.

"We're trying to eat, okay?" The man fully faced us now, putting down his silverware.

"Yeah, okay," I agreed. There was little else I could do.

"You know, my brother could give you his puppy-dog look, and you'd just buy right into it," I studied his face as he spoke with a sad smile, and I gave his hand a gentle squeeze. His hand tightened around mine in response, and I ran my thumb along the back of it. The door opened loudly.

"Thanks for coming, sheriff," My eyes shot to the door as I heard Scotty's words. Scotty walked to the man who stood at the door and spoke in low voices before they both walked over to our table.

"I'd like a word, please," The sheriff told us.

"Come on, I'm having a bad day already," Dean grumbled in annoyance. The sheriff leaned his hands against the table, looming over us threateningly.

"You don't want to make it worse," The sheriff rode behind us with the sirens on, which I thought was a little extreme, until we hit the sign for Burkitsville. I pulled out my phone and scrolled down the list of contacts until I reached Sam and pressed call.

"Who are you calling?" Dean asked, and I briefly debated lying.

"Sam," I answered firmly, and he sighed. "I know you miss him, too, Dean. I'm just making sure he's okay," The phone was snatched out of my hand for the second time that day. Dean snapped it shut while I glared at him.

"He chose to leave. We're not calling him," Dean stated stubbornly.

"What if he found something on John?" I tried a different angle. "Come on, I know you're worried about him. It's Sammy,"

"Fine, but just wait till tomorrow," He finally relented, and then, seeing my hesitance he continued. "First thing tomorrow you can call him, I promise,"

"Fine," I nodded, trying to stifle the bad feeling.

-SPN-

Dean and I sped along the road towards the orchard where the EMF had gone crazy. I tried to focus on the orchard to hear if the couple had reached it yet. It was quiet. I strained my hearing to catch any small noise that might tell me what was happening. What if they were already dead? I dispelled that thought from my mind the second it appeared. A scream shattered the silence of our car ride, and I glanced at Dean to see he hadn't heard it. The sound of heavy footsteps followed by faster, lighter ones. They were being chased. Dean pulled over, and I scrambled out of the car.

"I'll get the couple to the car," I grabbed a shotgun as soon as Dean opened the trunk and bolted towards the noise. I cocked the gun as the couple stopped short in front of Dean and I. "Come on," I grabbed the woman's arm, pushing her in front of me. "You have to get back to the car," The scarecrow came around the corner, breathing heavily.

"Go! Go!" Dean yelled, and I hesitated as the couple ran. "Go, Mel!" Dean pushed me back with one hand, and my eyes slid past him to the scarecrow and then back to him before reluctantly running after the couple. I heard a shot and then Dean's footsteps were behind me. Another shot rang out. We reached the car, and I spun around, shooting the thing between the eyes. I turned back to the couple as Dean reached us.

"What - what the hell was that?" The guy panted, terrified.

"Don't ask, you don't want to know" I responded, knowing the thing had vanished. "Get in the car. We'll drive you back for your car in the morning," Thankfully they didn't argue with my order and slid into the backseat. I handed Dean my shotgun, and he put them in the trunk before getting into the driver's seat.

"Thank you," The woman whispered from the back after a few minutes of silence had passed.

"Don't mention it," I replied. "Are you two alright?"

"Yeah, I think so," The man nodded, clearly shaken.

"You're not a mechanic, are you?" She asked softly after another few minutes had passed.

"What gave it away?" Dean's sarcastic response stopped all further questions from them. We reached the motel we'd been staying at, and they checked in while we went to our room.

"Mel!" I slowly blinked awake and immediately became aware of the pounding in the back of my head. The next thing I noticed was my hands were bound behind a pole and my ankles were tied in front of me. A groan escaped my lips as blurred shapes sharpened. Suddenly the grogginess dissipated. Dean. "Mel, are you alright," My tense muscles relaxed slightly as I heard his voice to my left. I turned to see scarlet staining his collar. I must've looked pretty bad too because when I turned fully I saw his face darken. "I'm gonna kill him," He practically growled.

"I'm fine, are you?" I asked him, more worried about him than me. "Dean, you're bleeding,"

"Yeah, so are you," He pointed out, and I suddenly became aware of the hot, sticky liquid that was oozing down my face.

"How're we getting out of here?" I whispered, scanning the room for an escape. My eyes landed on a table in the middle of the room where four bowls sat neatly stacked on top of each other with an array of knives.

"Hunters," My head snapped to the stairs where the thing was descending with a gruesome smile on it's hairy face. "Haven't seen hunters in a while. Of course, you two don't really count as hunters,"

"We can still kick your ass," I strained against the ropes as the Aswang smacked Dean across the face. I looked around desperately for a way out, and my eyes focused on our phones and weapons that were in a pile on the floor a few yards away along with both our necklaces. That was when my phone started ringing. The Aswang looked at it and then back at me suspiciously and then grabbed it and pressed the knife to my throat threateningly.

"You're going to tell your hunter friends that you stopped for dinner," My eyes flicked to Dean's furious ones, and the knife was pressed harder against my skin, drawing a thin line of red. "Is that clear?"

"Clear as mud," I sassed him, glaring. John had raised us to fight against captors, with knives and words. He smirked, standing from where he'd been crouching beside me and began walking over to Dean.

"Remember, I only need one of you," He drew back the knife, and I jerked forward, my heart going a million miles a minute and tears starting to form in my eyes. Dean held my gaze with his terrified forest green eyes, and even as far as I was from him, I could clearly see he was shaking.

"No!" I screamed the word, and the knife stopped short, inches from Dean's heart. The phone still rang. "It's clear," My entire body remained tense as he stood and made his way over to me, flipping the phone open and putting it on speaker.

"Hello?" I asked, still somewhat shakily. The knife dug into my skin.

"Mel? Your dad just met us. He finished his hunt earlier than he'd thought. Is something wrong?" Sam's voice came across the line.

"No, Dean and I just stopped for some fries on the way to the motel," We hadn't gotten a motel yet.

"You'll be at the motel soon?" Sam asked, his voice giving nothing away.

"Yeah, the one on 2nd street. You know, Two Bitt inn. It has zero to drink though, tell John to pick something up," I hoped Sam would get the message. 2nd street, 2 bitt inn, 0 to drink. 220. The knife was dug a bit harder, making it impossible to swallow.

"Okay, see you there, then," The Aswang snapped the phone shut, smiling chillingly before tossing it to the side and removed the knife from my neck.

"See, that wasn't so bad," It had taken us ten minutes to get here from the library. John speeds even worse than Dean, so they should make it in seven or eight. We had to stall for seven or eight minutes. At least. I swallowed hard. The creature trailed the blade down the side of my face that was covered in blood. The blade came away crimson, and the thing licked the red off like it was berry juice. I pressed myself into the pole in disgust as it sighed in content. "Children blood is the best," He informed me like he was telling me the weather for tomorrow. "I usually prefer younger children. Newborns are the best, but you'll have to do,"

"You son of a bitch. Don't touch her," Dean snarled, and the creature tore it's golden eyes from me to study Dean curiously before sighing.

"Now, usually the girl would be first. Girl's always taste the sweetest," He trailed the blade down my cheek again and licked the blood off the blade. "But I am a sucker young love," He leaned closer as he said that, his foul breath making my face scrunch.

"We're not together," I immediately tried to convince him. If we weren't together, he'd take me first, which meant Dean would live.

"Don't bother denying it," He interrupted my protest, straightening. "I saw you by the car," I closed my eyes. Damn it. "So, as I was saying, I'm going to let you choose who I drain first,"

"Me," Dean spoke almost before he finished talking.

"No! Take me," I insisted, and the Aswang laughed at us.

"So eager," He gasped and tapped the blade against his lips in thought. "Einie, meenie, minie, moe," His blade danced between Dean and I, and my heart pounded painfully hard in my chest. His blade landed on Dean, and I shook my head vigorously.

"No, please don't," He cut Dean's bonds, and as soon as he did, Dean punched him across the face, making his head snap sideways. The Aswang grabbed Dean's shirt and threw him into a bookcase so hard the shelves snapped and books tumbled down onto his dazed form. The Aswang hauled him onto the table, ignoring my pleas. I needed to find a way out. My eyes focused on the pile of weapons that he'd gotten off of Dean and I. I needed to reach them. Dean's chest was tied to the table with rope, pinning his arms by his sides despite his struggling.

"Are you ready for the show?" The thing asked delightedly, grabbing my chin and forcing my gaze to Dean's terrified one.

"Please stop. Take me instead. Please, I'll do anything," The Aswang just laughed again, throwing my chin away from him.

"Where should I start?" There was nothing I could do. The sight before me blurred, and I felt hot wetness slide down my cheek.

"I'll tell the other hunters not to come," I played my last card. "They're coming. I called them before we arrived. They're on their way right now, and they'll kill you," The Aswang crouched beside me, leaning in until his face was inches from mine.

"I don't believe you," It hissed before turning back to Dean and tying his legs to the table. "Your girlfriend must really love you,"

"Well, you wouldn't know what that's like, would you?" Dean smartassed with a false smile. The thing smacked him before laughing.

"Look at her," He forced Dean to look at me. "The things I'm going to do to her after I kill you," It shook it's head, smiling in sick delight while Dean strained against the ropes, rage burning in his eyes. "It's a shame you won't be around to see it," It grabbed Dean's hand and forced it to lie palm up on the table before grabbing a bowl and placing it on the ground.

"Stop!" I hurled the word at him desperately as he drew the knife across Dean's wrist and Dean yelled in pain. Scarlet ran down Dean's wrist, dripping into the bowl, and the thing cackled with delight. It went around to the other side of the table and made a symmetrical slice. It stopped to lick the bloody knife.

"Where should I make the next cut, hmm?" It regarded me as it asked, but I could barely hear the question. Blood was roaring in my ears, and my heart pounded. He was dying. He was dying, and there was nothing I could do.

"Go to hell, you piece of shit," I snapped at the thing and earned myself a slap across the face. I didn't even feel it.

"Don't… don't touch her," Dean ground out, his voice strained, and the Aswang turned to him with an evil smile of pleasure.

"Well, you won't have to worry about that much longer," It put another bowl under the edge of the table, throwing a horrid smile back at me. It traced the blade down the side of Dean's stomach and paused halfway down, piercing the skin. Dean screamed. The blade sunk in all the way to the hilt before it was yanked out. Blood trickled into the bowl in a steady stream of crimson. Dean grew paler and paler as the minutes passed and he'd stopped struggling now as the creature made another cut across his abs and another along his calf.

"Don't watch," He whispered, gazing at me with scared, determined eyes. "I love you," Tears blurred my vision, and I thrashed wildly against the bonds.

"Let him go!" I knew it wouldn't do anything, but I had to yell. I had to scream at him. I was going to kill the bastard. I was going to kill him. "Let him go, you son of a bitch!"

"Don't watch," I stopped struggling, and met Dean's green eyes as more tears made their way down my face. "Please, Mel, don't watch," There was a bang from upstairs, and the Aswang's head jerked up. It hissed furiously, glaring at me. Then the basement door was kicked in, and my dad rushed the creature with a machete in his hand, John following close behind. Sam ran in only to freeze, his eyes wide with horror as he took in Dean and me.

"Sam!" I snapped with white hot fury that wasn't directed at him. He blinked and knelt by me, cutting my bonds. I leapt off the floor and sprinted to the weapons pile, grabbing the switchblade and flipping it out to cut Dean's bonds. I whirled around just in time to see the beast lunge at me. I swung the knife and in a spray of blood and a scream, the thing lay beheaded on the floor. I didn't stop. I ran to Dean's side where Sammy had already started cutting away the ropes.

"What the damn hell happened?" John demanded, gathering his son in his arms and setting him down gently on the floor.

"Sam, get towels from upstairs, and hydrogen peroxide. Anything you can find to clean wounds!" I ordered, harshly blinking away the terror that was threatening to overtake me.

"Are you alright?" My dad demanded, kneeling beside Dean, and I answered him in a brief nod.

"I'm calling 911," I left Dean's side for two seconds to grab a phone and flip it open, dialing the numbers with shaky fingers.

"This is 911. What's your emergency?" The operator answered.

"My boyfriend's hurt," I spoke breathlessly into the phone, drawing a trembling breath. "220 8th Street,"

"An ambulance will be with you shortly," She spoke calmly. I didn't bother to wait for the rest and snapped the phone shut, throwing it away.

"We can't be here," My dad's gruff voice spoke after a moment of silence. Sammy came running down the stairs with the towels and bottles. He dropped to his knees beside me, and I grabbed a smaller towel, pressing it to Dean's wrist wounds, trying to stem the bleeding. "We have to go," My dad pulled John to his feet.

"I can't - he's my son!" John barked, taking a step towards Dean.

"You have to - if they catch you here they'll arrest you," My dad spoke reasonably while John struggled.

"Go," Dean's voice was weak, but it was there. "Go. Take Mel and Sammy. They can't catch any of you here-" He broke off with a scream of pain as I poured hydrogen peroxide onto his bloody abdomen.

"Come on," My dad shoved a reluctant John roughly towards the stairs as he gathered the weapons in a bag.

"I'm staying," I spoke determinedly, a note of steel in my voice.

"Me too," Sam announced, pressing a towel to the other wrist.

"Call us from the hospital," John instructed gruffly, his eyes not leaving his son as my dad pulled him up the stairs. "As soon as you get there,"

"We will," Sam told him, glancing up briefly before looking back down at Dean.

"Mel, go," Dean's hand moved to catch my wrist and stop it from tying the towel.

"I'm not leaving you," I met his eyes determinedly, running my free hand through his short hair, and he smiled softly. I wrapped a towel around his stomach, and crimson began staining the white towel within seconds.

"I'm going to have to take a rain check on that driving lesson, Sammy," Sammy looked up at him. His face was stained with tears, but he managed a strangled laugh.

"That's fine as long as I get to pick the music," Dean laughed softly. I switched the towel on his stomach quickly and then stopped. There was nothing else I could do. I had to wait for the ambulance.

"Mel-" He began in a tone I knew all too well.

"Don't," I stopped him, shaking my head. "You're not going to die, Dean," His eyes were drifting shut but he kept jerking them open. "Just stay awake until the ambulance gets here, okay? Come on, Dean. Stay with me,"

"Okay," He raised his hand with an effort and trailed his fingers down my face. I caught his hand in mine, lacing my fingers though his and kissing the back of it lightly.

"I love you, Dean," I whispered, a tear making it's way down my cheek. He smiled tiredly as I said those words, he wrenched his eyes open again.

"Love you too," His eyes slowly moved to Sammy and then back to me. "You have to take care of her, Sammy," I shook my head.

"No, you have to take care of me. You're not gonna die," A small sob tore it's way out of my throat. "You can't. You can't leave me. I need you,"

"I'm tired," He mumbled, his words slurring together, and my heart clenched in fear.

"Hey, no, no sleeping, okay?" Sammy spoke up, his voice trembling. There was a yell from upstairs and my head shot up. My eyes met Sammy's. The ambulance was here. "I'll get them," Sammy had barely spoken the words, and he was already halfway up the stairs.

"What's going on?" Dean questioned softly, his eyes half closed.

"You have to hold on, okay? They're going to help you," Paramedics lifted him onto a stretcher, and I followed them out of the house to the ambulance.

"Go," I turned at the sound of Sam's voice. "Go, I'll call our dads," I hesitated, glancing at the ambulance.

"Miss, are you coming?" One of them asked, holding out a hand to help me in. I took her hand.

I flipped out my phone and called Sam, pressing the speaker to my ear. I'd had another dream last night. For the past week I'd been having the same reoccurring dream. The Aswang hunt. The one that had made me break up with Dean in high school. Before a week ago I'd wake up sweating and panting remembering nothing of what I'd been dreaming about. Lately, I could remember every excruciating detail, like I'd gone back in time and relived the horrible experience over and over again. Waking up didn't help. If I woke up in the middle of the nightmare, the next dream would pick up where I'd left off. It was a wretched cycle.

"Hey, Mel. What's happening?" I was snapped out of my thoughts by Sammy's relieved voice. I shook my head to rid myself of the lingering worry, and I focused on relief that Sam was okay.

"Sammy," I breathed, catching Dean's relieved look as he drove. I put the phone on speaker, and Dean and I filled him in on everything that had happened that day.

"Wait, so the thing just climbed off it's cross?" Sam asked incredulously.

"Yeah, I'm telling you, Burkitsville, Indiana - fun town," Dean answered.

"It didn't kill the couple, did it?" Sam sounded guilty as he asked the question.

"No, we can manage without your all-knowing mind, Sammy," I quipped.

"So something must be animating it. A spirit," Sam figured, ignoring my jab.

"No, it's gotta be more than a spirit. It's a god. A pagan god, anyway. At least that's what Mel came up with," Dean answered, glancing at me. It taken us an hour of bouncing around ideas for me to pitch that one. It had seemed like our best bet.

"What makes you say that?" Sam asked, talking to me now.

"First, the victims are always a man and a woman. I figured that was some kind of fertility right. It's every year at the same time, and something about the way they treated the couple. It was like the last supper," I explained my thinking.

"The last meal. Given to sacrificial victims," Sam realized, and I could almost see the wheels turning in his head.

"Yeah, we're thinking a ritual sacrifice to appease some pagan god," Dean told him, glancing at me.

"So, a god possesses the scarecrow…" Sam started.

"And the scarecrow does the dirty work - killing the sacrifices," I finished.

"Do you know which god you're dealing with?" Sam questioned.

"No, not yet," I answered, biting the inside of my cheek. "It has to be specific to the town, though,"

"Well, you figure out what it is, you can figure out a way to kill it," Dean and I exchanged a glance at his obvious statement.

"We know," Dean answered him.

"We're actually on our way to a local community college. We have an appointment with the professor. See if he can help," I explained, throwing a brief glance down at the map to make sure we were going the right way. I was never the best with directions, but somehow I always ended up the navigator anyway.

"You know, since we don't have our trusty sidekick geek boy to do all the research," I laughed at Dean's quip, and Sam joined.

"You know, if you two are hinting you need my help, just ask," Sam wanted to hear Dean ask for his help. Men and their pride. Dean glanced at me, and I raised an eyebrow, motioning for him to go ahead. He glanced back at the phone and then back at me.

"I'm not hinting anything," Dean's eyes flicked between me and the phone in a rare moment of nervousness as he talked. "Actually, um, I want you to know… I mean, don't think-"

"We're sorry," I cut in, putting an hand on Dean's arm to stop his stammering. "For everything we said. Really, we didn't mean any of it,"

"Yeah, I'm sorry too," Sam answered, and I could hear the smile in his voice as he spoke.

"Sam," Dean spoke more firmly now. "You were right. You got to do your own thing, You got to live your own life,"

"You serious?" Sam questioned, surprised at Dean's sudden 180.

"Yeah, you've always known what you want, and you go after it," Dean told him, gazing out the windshield. "You stand up to Dad, and you always have. Hell, I wish I'd-" He broke off, glancing at me, a look of regret in his eyes. I took his hand gently, knowing what he was thinking of. I'd been sixteen, and Dean and I had been stealing some food. I'd gotten caught, and John left me in a home for the next couple of months. It had been this farm out in the countryside. I think Dean still blamed himself for getting me sent there - for not standing up to John. "Anyway, I admire that about you. I'm proud of you, Sammy. We're proud of you," He added,, and a smile overtook my lips.

"I don't even know what to say," Sammy spoke softly, groping for the words.

"Say you'll take care of yourself," I told him simply.

"I will," He promised, and I smiled again.

"Call us when you find Dad," Dean reminded him, clearing his throat.

"Okay. Bye, guys," Dean snapped the phone shut without responding.

-SPN-

"It's not every day I get a research question on pagan ideology," The professor told us as we descended the stairs.

"Well, call it a hobby," Dean smiled winningly at the man.

"But you said you were interested in local lore?" The man pressed, and I got an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. On a hunch, I stretched my hearing; the man's heartbeat was going crazy. "I'm afraid Indiana isn't really known for it's pagan worship,"

"Well, what if it was brought over with the colonists?" I questioned, blinking into reality. "Like the pilgrims brought their religion. Isn't there a town near here?" I looked to Dean with a forgetful look, as if it was right on the tip of my tongue.

"Yeah, Burkitsville," Dean 'remembered'. "Where are their ancestors from?"

"Uh, northern Europe, I believe. Skandinavia," He answered hesitantly and led us down a hallway.

"What can you tell me about those pagan gods?" Dean asked, causing the professor to laugh nervously.

"Well, there are hundreds of norse gods and goddesses," He rambled, and we paused, the man coming around to face us.

"We're actually just looking for one. It might live in an orchard," I specified, and the man's eyes widened fractionally.

"Um, this way, then," He led us into a room and made us wait by a big wooden table while he retrieved the book on norse gods. He set the book down with a rather loud clunk and flipped it open, fishing out his glasses from his shirt pocket. "Woods god," He explained, pointing to the picture. "Well, let's see," He flipped through the pages, all illustrated with lovely images of people getting sacrificed.

"Wait, wait," Dean and I spoke over each other as he turned to the page with a scarecrow pinned to a wooden cross in the middle of a farm. "Which ones that?"

"Oh, that's not a woods god," He cleaned his glasses and shifted uncomfortably.

"The V-Vanir," Dean pronounced hesitantly, glancing at the professor to make sure he was correct. The professor nodded, and Dean continued. "The Vanir were Norse gods of protection and prosperity, keeping the local settlements safe from harm. The villages built effigies in honor in their fields. Other villages practiced human sacrifice, one male and one female," That was it. I exchanged a glance with Dean. So now we knew what it was. Time for step two: how to kill it. "Kinda looks like a scarecrow, huh?" Dean questioned the man.

"Well, I suppose," He mumbled, shifting from foot to foot. The bad feeling came crashing back, and it was all I could do not to double over with nausea. "Are you alright?" The man asked me, frowning. Dean turned to study me intently while I kept my eyes trained on the man in front of us.

"I'm fine," I told him, managing a smile.

"We're pretty much done here. Why don't you go wait in the car. I'll finish up," I stiffened at Dean's suggestion, glancing distrustingly at the professor.

"Are you sure? I could stay," Dean smiled slightly at my answer, but his eyes were filled with worry.

"Yeah, just a few more questions. I'll be down in five, and we can stop to eat on the way back to the motel," Even though we both knew it wasn't hunger that was the problem, food didn't sound like such a bad idea.

"Alright," I agreed hesitantly, leaning up to kiss Dean briefly before leaving the room against my better judgment and heading back to the car.

After ten minutes I started to get slightly nervous. After twenty I was definitely worried. I waited thirty minutes before going back upstairs to find the professor. Of course, I wasn't dumb enough to go in alone. I brought my trust handgun with me. Just in case. The feeling had passed within the first five minutes of standing by the car, and now I was left with a cold dread in my stomach. Upstairs was deserted. No Dean. No professor. No anyone. I hurried back down the stairs and to the Impala, grabbing the keys from my back pocket. Dean and I had got the key copied back when we were eighteen, and John lent us the car.

I broke the speed limit by thirty miles as I drove down the highway. Dean must've figured something out. Something about the god. So, the god was Vanir, and if I had a name, I could research it. Chances are, he was probably going to be sacrificed to the god. The thought made my stomach churn, and I pressed the accelerator harder. Library. I needed to go to the library and find out if I could kill this thing before dark.

It turned out that there was a particular Vanir that lived in orchards and required sacrifices - one boy, one girl. This Vanir had a sacred tree that it was tethered to like a spirit tethered to an object. If the Vanir was tied to the tree then kill the tree you kill the Vanir.

"Mel?" Sammy's voice came across the line, and I breathed a small sigh of relief as I drove.

"Sammy, thank god. It's Dean. I don't know where he is. We were at the college, but then I went to the car, and he never came back, so-"

"Mel!" Sam cut off my rambling, and I pulled myself together. "What happened?"

"There's no time," I replied, glancing out the window and then at the clock. "How fast can you get here?" I parked the car in front of our room, and let myself inside.

"I'll need to catch ride first," I let out an irritated groan.

"Sammy, this is not the time for your morals. Just steal one," I heard his defeated sigh and knew I'd won the argument.

"I can make it in an hour, what's your address?" I gave him the address of the motel and the room number and shut the phone, throwing it onto the bed before running my fingers through my hair nervously.

-SPN-

It was already dark by the time Sam came, and I'd called him, telling him to meet me at the orchard. I just prayed we weren't too late. Sammy and I were walking through the forest, searching for Dean when we heard a breathless 'oh my god'.

"Dean?" I asked, relief clear in my voice as my eyes fell upon his face.

"I take everything back I said," He spoked to Sammy while looking at me as I knelt beside him to untie his bonds. "I'm so happy to see you two," His eyes flicked briefly to Sammy and then back to me. "God, I love you," I smiled, pressing my lips to his.

"You owe me lunch," I reminded him in answer, untying his other hand. He grinned at me before turning his attention to Sammy.

"How'd you get here?" He asked, and I grinned, awaiting Sammy's reply.

"I, uh, I stole a car," Sam admitted a bit sheepishly.

"That's my boy," I joined Dean in laughing and glanced at Emily, who was giving us a strange look. "Keep your eye on that scarecrow. It could come alive any minute,"

"What scarecrow?" I froze at Sam's words, and then shot to my fee, turning to face where the scarecrow should've been.

"Come on," I moved over to pull Emily to her feet and push her in front of us as we jogged back to where Sam and I parked. Dean filled in Sam on what I'd missed as we ran.

"Alright, now this sacred tree your talking about…

"It's the source of it's power," Dean supplied.

"So let's find it and burn it," Sam reasoned.

"In the morning," Dean told him. "Let's just shag ass before the thing catches up," We turned to face two flashlight beams pointed at us along with one shotgun. We skidded to a stop, backing away from the two people from the shop. "This way," Dean pulled my arm to the right only to find Scotty aiming another shotgun at us. We turned again only to realize we were surrounded by the townspeople. I could hear the deep, throaty breaths of the creature as he stalked us.

"Please," Emily begged her aunt and uncle. "Let us go,"

"It'll be over quickly. I promise," Her uncle tried poorly to comfort her. "Emily, you have to let him take you. You have to-" He was cut off with a grunt of pain, and the scarecrow's sickle protruded from his bloodying chest. Her aunt began screaming, and Emily threw herself into Dean's chest while I took a startled step back, pulling Sam with me. The scarecrow grabbed Emily's aunt in a deadlock and then duck his scythe into her uncle's leg and dragged them both into the night.

"We need to go," I shoved a stunned Sam down the path roughly. "Now!" I ordered urgently, and then we were running.

-SPN-

Sammy carried the red gasoline can as we walked towards the sacred tree. We stopped a few feet in front of it, and Sam started to pour the thick liquid over the scarred bark. Dean picked up a broken tree branch and held it out to me, and I lit the end of it. I took the burning branch from Dean and offered it to Emily.

"Do you want to?" She nodded, setting her jaw determinedly.

"Yes, let me," She accepted the torch and walked slowly towards the tree.

"You know the whole town's gonna die," Dean reminded her, and her gaze turned hateful.

"Good," She reached the tree as Sammy came to stand on my other side and watch her destroy her home. Without hesitating, she tossed the burning stick onto the gasoline soaked tree, and the tree went up in flames.

We gave Emily a ride to the bus stop; she'd wisely decided to leave the dying, small town behind in favor of Boston (I may or may not have recommended it). The bus pulled up, and the doors opened invitingly for her. She paused at the top of the steps and gave us a small wave through the glass. We returned the gesture, and she turned as the bus pulled away.

"Think she's gonna be all right?" Sammy asked us as we watched the bus disappear around the corner.

"Yeah, I do," I answered truthfully.

"And the rest of the townspeople… they just get away with it?" Sam's jaw clenched in anger at the thought.

"What'll happen to the town has to be punishment enough," Dean slipped an arm around my waist, and we began walking back to the Impala. "So, we drop you off somewhere?"

"No, I think you're stuck with me," I smiled widely at Sam's words and turned to face him.

"What made you change your mind?" I questioned him curiously.

"I didn't," He replied. "I still want to find Dad, and you're still a pain in the ass," He turned to Dean as he spoke the last few words. "But our moms and Jess - they're all gone. Dad is God knows where. You two and me - we're all that's left, so, uh, if we're gonna see this through we're gonna do it together,"

"Hold me, Sam," Was Dean's smartass reply as he placed a hand on Sam's shoulder and I started laughing. "That was beautiful,"

"You should be kissing my ass," Sam told him as I went around to the passenger's seat. "You were dead meat, dude,"

"Yeah, right. I had a plan I would've gotten out," Dean denied, and I grinned at Sam as I opened the door.

"He means I would've saved his hide," Sam's laugh followed me as I slid into the seat. For a moment, a feeling of trepidation ripped through me like an electrical current, and I could hear the electricity crackling around me. Then, as soon as it had started, it stopped. I shook my head and blinked hard, trying to focus on what was important. Find John Winchester. The rest would follow.