It felt wrong. Very wrong. But then, it always did. Sam loosened his tie and gave his brother his best, albeit brief, 'I've had enough of this' shrug. He saw Dean nod in quick understanding and then turn back to the woman sat before them, smiling in sympathy as she wiped her eyes.

"Lucy was just playing." The woman explained in a husked whisper. "We were all downstairs watching the game and … well, she hates football." She gave a small brave smile and shrugged her shoulders. "So she went upstairs to play. During a break I went to check on her and I heard her singing to herself."

Seeing the woman look away at the memory, Sam took the chance to shake his head and take a deep breath. He could feel sweat making his shirt stick to his back and he fidgeted uncomfortably.

"I left her to it and went back downstairs." The woman continued, blotting at her puffy eyes with her sodden tissue. "It was about twenty minutes later that I heard her screaming and I ran upstairs and - oh god!" She collapsed in tears and Sam turned away, having seen enough of her suffering.

"What was she singing?"

"What?" Both Sam and the grieving mother asked in unison.

"I …" Dean shrugged, "Really, ma'am, any clue at this point will be of great help."

The woman frowned at Dean in confusion and shook her head. "A nursery rhyme." She answered quietly. 'I don't really remember … erm … 'ring around the rosie', I think.."

Dean nodded thoughtfully, "Okay … thanks for your time, ma'am." He glanced at Sam and knew it was past time that they made their exit. "We really hope your daughter gets better soon."

Sam gave a thin smile of agreement and sighed in relief as they turned and walked away from the isolation room. He hurried past his brother and practically ran from the hospital, glad for the fresh, clear night outside - despite the fact that it was below freezing.

"You okay?" Dean asked quietly, already able to guess the response.

"No." Sam husked, clenching his teeth and his angry panting lingering in misty clouds in front of his pale face. "We gotta find this son-of-a-bitch, Dean. And fast."

"I know." Dean nodded, watching Sam in concern. "We will, Sammy."

They headed for the car park and hurried inside the car, shuddering as Dean started the engine and fired up the heaters.

"Y'know, maybe your idea is worth a second thought."

Dean slipped the car back into park and sat back from the steering wheel to frown across at his brother.

Sam shrugged, "When Bobby gets here. Maybe we could set a trap and summon the son of a bitch into it?"

"Sure,Wile E. That'll work."

"What?" Sam protested, "You got anything better?"

"I'm working on it."

Sam groaned and shook his head in annoyance. "And in the meantime, kids are dying!"

"Hey!" Dean flinched back, "I'm on your side here, Sammy!"

Closing his eyes and letting out a long loud sigh, Sam nodded and hung his head. "I know, I know … I'm sorry …"

Dean watched Sam for a moment and then shoved the car back into gear, throwing his attention into reversing from the parking space. He guided the Impala back out onto the recently plowed road and took a deep breath. "At least the snow's given up for a while."

"Yeah. Hopefully Bobby has a window to get down here."

"In the meantime." Dean sighed heavily, "Research and cocoa beckon."

Sam's scowl fell away and he laughed warmly. "Man, you're really addicted to that stuff!"

"I can think of worse vices."

"Yeah, I'll bet! But don't, alright." Sam grinned, "Cocoa I can cope with. Seeing you naked again I definitely cannot."

Dean gave a loud, throaty laugh and sighed at the memory. "Good times, little brother. Good times!"

Lena sipped at her tea and leaned back from the laptop screen. She frowned in thought at the files open before her and glanced at the time. Deciding he would be home by now and that it was not too late to call, she grabbed the phone.

"Why didn't you tell me about the kids?"

"Hey? What? Lenny, are you okay?"

"Jerry, why did you all keep this from me?"

"Because … god, honey, because you've been through enough."

Lena closed her eyes and set her mug down on the desk before her. "My husband died and I'm having a baby." She grated, her anger barely held in check, "I'm not a child!"

"I know that, Lena, I - "

"You should have told me."

"You were so close to your leave. I didn't think you should get caught up in this."

"It's heading this way."

"What?"

"The disease - or whatever it is - it's moving from town to town and Custer could be next." Lena urged, her voice tight in her throat. "It's following the river, Jerry. It's coming here."

"What? Lena, it's a virus or something. The CDC are on it now and they'll get to the bottom of it. You've got nothing to worry about."

"God … " Lena groaned in dismay, "I'm so sorry, Jerry, I just …" She smiled suddenly and dragged a hand through her hair. "I guess this is just why you kept this away from me."

"I was just trying to protect you. I'm so sorry."

"No. You were right." Lena sighed, "I'm sorry, Jerry. I'll … I'd better get some sleep."

"Sure. Take care."

Lena ended the call and hissed under her breath as she stood slowly, arching her back wearily. Pacing the room and laughing at herself for panicking so needlessly, she closed down the laptop and headed from the study.

Again negotiating the assault course that was the floor of her daughter's room, Lena perched on the edge of the bed and reached out to stroke the small girl's hair. She frowned in concern as her daughter began to stir and then blinked her eyes open.

"Sorry, baby." Lena whispered. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"You okay, Mommy?"

Smiling at her daughter's sleepy concern, Lena smiled warmly and nodded in response.

"You had a bad dream?"

Seeing the opportunity, Lena's smile grew. "Yeah, Morgan. You mind sleeping in with me tonight?"

Grinning in delight and nodding her head, Morgan sat up slowly and held out her arms.

"God, you're getting heavy." Lena groaned, lifting her daughter from the bed and smiling as Morgan wrapped her arms around her neck and hugged her tightly.

Carrying her through to the main bedroom, Lena could hear her daughter giggling in excitement at the notion of sleeping in her mom's bed. It made her smile and her chest tightened as she felt her fears moving away from her.

Curling up beside her daughter, Lena snuggled down under the covers and pulled Morgan closer.

"Mommy, your belly is too big." Morgan complained wearily.

Lena laughed softly and nuzzled her face against her daughter's forehead. "Only for a few more weeks, baby." She closed her eyes and allowed herself to slowly drift to sleep.

Dean wiped a trickle of creamy cocoa from the side of his mug and licked his finger clean. Taking hold of his spoon, he ladled a dollop of melted marshmallow and cream into his mouth and closed his eyes, groaning in contentment.

Sam took a sip of his less sugar-laden drink and smiled as he watched his brother savoring his. "You two need some time alone?"

Dean licked every last sticky pink remnant from the spoon and grinned in delight.

"I swear you're getting younger with each mug." Sam teased, "You'll be eight years old and smeared with peanut butter cups in no time."

"Aw, man!" Dean enthused, "We should get some of those!"

"Yeah. And it's me that has to deal with the resultant sugar high."

"Oh, come on, Sammy! Connect with your inner child and - " Dean paused suddenly and put down his spoon.

"What is it?"

Dean gasped and licked his lips clean. "Hey. Do me a favor, Sammy. You bring your laptop?"

Sam nodded and frowned in intrigue, pulling his computer from the ruck sack on the bench beside him.

"Look up that nursery rhyme. What was it? Rings and roses?"

Laughing in amusement, Sam shook his head. "It's a children's song, not a rock band."

"Whatever." Dean sipped at his cocoa and licked cream from his top lip. "You got a connection in here, Mr Wizard?"

Sam nodded once more and then frowned in thought. "Okay … oh man …"

"What?"

"There'shundreds of versions of that rhyme …" He entered in a command and read through the file. "Okay, North American version goes: 'Ring around the rosie, a pocket full of posie, ashes ashes, we all fall down." Sam narrated. He looked up and saw his brother grinning merrily across at him. "What?" Sam demanded with a sigh.

"Dude, you so wanted to sing that."

"Shut up." Sam groaned, "And what is it with this rhyme, anyhow?"

"I don't know …" Dean's smile faded, "Something about it just bugs me …" He gulped down a long mouthful of his drink and frowned in thought. "Where's it from?"

Sam entered more commands and raised his eyebrows in interest. "Mother Goose."

"Oh god … more fairy-tales?" Dean groaned.

"You asked about the damned rhyme!" Sam protested, smiling as he flung his hands in the air. "You're the one obsessed with childhood all of a sudden!"

"Screw you, smart-ass." Dean smiled and held out his hands. "Pass the laptop."

"You better not have sticky fingers."

Dean flipped a middle finger at his brother and took the computer carefully. Reading through the web pages and opening a few more, his heart began to race. "Shit…"

"What?"

"The British one. It's all about the plague."

"Nuh-huh." Sam shook his head quickly, "That's just a myth. The rhyme was written a few hundred years after the bubonic plague."

"Well, excuse me, Professor." Dean sighed, smiling in amusement, returning his focus to reading through the file. His frown deepened and he leaned closer to the computer. "It sure fits though …"

"What does?"

"The plague."

"What?" Sam laughed in wonder. "That was centuries ago."

"Maybe. Doesn't mean it can't come back." Dean turned the laptop round and showed Sam the current page he had found. "Rings of red blotchy skin, respiratory distress, collapse and eventually death."

Sam's smile fell from his face. "Oh my god …"

Something had woken her. Rolling onto her back, her heart thudding against her chest, Lena opened her eyes and looked around her dark bedroom. Seeing nothing unusual, she sighed in relief and curled back onto her side. And then she knew what was wrong; Morgan was not beside her.

Stepping out into the hall and shivering in the chill of the night, Lena followed the sound of her daughter's voice and frowned in interest. She reached Morgans room and paused at the door.

Her daughter was sat amid a circle of her dollies and cuddly toys, chatting animatedly. She then started humming and laughed gently as she rocked back and forth in her cross-legged position.

"Morgan?" Lena stepped into the room and smiled in greeting. "What are you doing up, sweetie?"

"Playing with my new friend."

Lena's smile grew and she nodded in understanding. "Really? And why is your new friend awake so early?" She watched in interest as her daughter turned to the window and frowned in thought.

"She said she only likes playing at night time." Morgan answered easily.

"She?"

Morgan nodded, "She came here yesterday. Kelly wouldn't let her play. She doesn't like Kelly."

Lena's heart was in her throat and she folded her arms across her chest. "Okay, baby. It's too late to be playing. Come on. Time to go to sleep."

"But, Mommy. She says I have to play."

"Okay, that's enough Morgan. Let's go back to bed." She watched her daughter shake her head and saw the fear that hid behind Morgans tired eyes.

"She said now she doesn't like you, either." Morgan offered in a quiet voice and glanced at the window.

Lena followed her gaze and screamed.

There beside the window, stood a pale girl with long blonde hair and grubby clothes. She was almost translucent, her form flickering as if projected against the wall. The girl stared calmly back and then suddenly her face broke into a smile that sent a chill through Lena. With a sob of fright, Lena quickly grabbed her daughter and fled from the room.

- tbc -