A/N: Sorry this took so long. My plot bunny ran away and I had to call animal control. It was a nightmare. Now he's back, safe and sound and locked in a closet so... away we go!
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters or the universe. If I did, I wouldn't be here writing about them, I'd be living there, eating pie off of Dean's tummy. :)
Dean crossed the room and finally spoke, "We need to talk."
He knew this conversation had been coming for days. He wanted answers but he could tell from the look on her face that she was just as confused as he was.
"What is going on, Raven?" Dean asked sternly but calmly. Losing it would only cause her to get defensive.
"Dean, I swear, I have no idea." Normally haughty and icy, her indigo eyes were confused even scared. He believed that she was telling the truth. At this point, she had no reason to lie. Neither of them was getting physically hurt due to the shivers but it was damned annoying.
"When did these shivers start for you?"
"They started in the back seat of the Impala, on the way to Bobby's. I didn't realize you were experiencing it too until that night at the kitchen table. Dean, I don't know what's going on or why it's happening." Her expression was pleading. It was obvious that she was rattled. Normally she walked around with a chip on her shoulder. He was unsure how to react.
Dean sighed, "I believe you, Raven. And although we aren't causing each other any harm, these chills are getting stronger. I am sure you have noticed that."
She nodded, "Yes, I have. This past one was particularly strong for me. The only explanation is that there must some connection between us."
"Yeah, I agree with that. Problem is… what do we do about it?" He kept his poker face in place. The idea of there being any sort of "connection" with her was unsettling but there was no denying it.
Raven's shoulders slumped. He actually felt some pity for her. She was dealing with a lot at once. "I have no idea what to do. It's not like it's voluntary. I do get the feeling that it's all connected; my headaches, what's going on with Sam, the connection with you. It's all tied together. I know that in my gut."
Dean straightened at the mention of his brother. "What about Sam?"
Raven looked at him, the veil of arrogance completely down, "Dean, the bond that Sam and I share can't be normal. I feel like I have known Sam all my life, like he's a part of me." She trailed off, becoming quiet and introspective, "My intentions are pure. I swear that on my family's lives. I don't want to cause any harm to Sam… or to you."
As much as Dean wanted to believe otherwise, his gut told him she was sincere. He was a long way from trusting her completely but at least he was going to sleep a little better. "So now what? How do we figure this out?"
Dean saw the proverbial wheels begin to turn in her head. "It might be a good idea for us to keep a journal. Write down when these shivers occur and what was going on at the time. Then we can compare notes and see if there are any similarities."
"Sounds like a plan," Dean replied.
Sam took that opportune moment to return with orange juice. He spotted Dean on the couch with Raven and his face darkened. "Raven, is everything ok here?"
Her answering look was warm and open, "Yes Sam, everything is fine. Dean was just keeping an eye on me."
They now shared a common mystery and in that moment, Dean knew that they might never be friends, but that things weren't going to be so strained from now on.
Sam and Dean filled Raven in on what transpired at the Historical Society. They had met with the director, Janet Caldwell, and she had given them a run down on the history of the tank as well as a list of the WWII vets from Bedford. She had also given them a list of those vets who were buried in or near Bedford as well. The boys went to the courthouse to start looking at birth records of the victims. Raven went to work on the history of the tank.
Raven read over the transcription of the sign that was posted with the tank:
At the close of WWII Bedford resident and community leader, Retired General Ludwig Conelly arranged for the Township of Bedford to receive this M5A1 Stuart Light Tank. The tank was stateside after the war and did not see combat abroad. It is one of only a few remaining tanks of this type.
The tank was powered by twin V8 Cadillac engines with Hydramatic transmissions. The M5A1 and its predecessors, including the M3 series, were the lightest of the tanks. During the Lend Lease era, many were sent to Britain and a few to China. They saw action in the North African Desert where the British nicknamed it the "Honey". They worked well in the Pacific islands. Both the M3s and the M5s were modified to fit requirements for battle. 6,810 M5s were produced.
For many years, the tank sat on Bedford Public Square; it was later moved to a city park on Taft Avenue. A third move resulted in it being stored in the City service yard. Dick Squire, director of the Bedford Historical Society 1959 – 2002, suggested that the tank be displayed between the 1874 Town Hall Museum and the 1892 Old Church- Community Building. This is where the tank stands guard today.
In 2004, VFW French-Bartlett Post 1082 with Mr. T Painting & Sandblasting and Budget Signs undertook exterior restoration and installation of the sign. It is now painted in its original color.
She was baffled. The tank had never seen any action. So the spirit's grievance couldn't be related to the tank's war record. That was peculiar. If she were a betting woman, that's what she would have went with. So how was the spirit controlling the tank? And why was it invisible?
Seeing that researching the history of the tank was a dead end, Raven started working through the list of vets buried in the area. She was diligently working through the BMV records when her cell phone rang.
"Hey Sam," She answered, "What do you need?"
"Raven, I think we have something. The vics were both related to immigrants. George Herman, the man killed at Sirna's, his parents were German immigrants. And Dakota Chandler, the Burger World vic, was the granddaughter of a Japanese immigrant. Looks like the ghost is targeting people of 'enemy' ancestry. We need to talk to families of the vets to see who held a grudge."
Raven smiled, "Sounds like a plan. I'm almost done with the list of addresses of family members. We can split the list up and get to work."
"We'll be back shortly." Sam said and hung up. Raven stood and stretched to get the kinks out of her tired muscles. The aches were worth the progress they had made on the case. Research was more gratifying than worrying about her own situation anyway.
As she was about to sit back down, a violent tremble swept through her body. Her knees gave way and if there had not been a chair under her, she would have fallen. Wow, she thought, that was forceful. Trying desperately to blink the spots out of her eyes, she reached for the notebook on the table. With the pen in her hand, she noted the date, time, what she had been doing and what she had been thinking. Hopefully, Dean had also made notes so they could compare when he returned.
After seeing the small scratch on the passenger's side quarter panel, Sam thought Dean was going to have a stroke. The choice language streaming from Dean's mouth would have caused a sailor to blush. Sam had to remind his unbelievably pissed off sibling that they were not only impersonating law enforcement officials but they were also within ear shot of about a dozen school children. Dean stopped cursing and shivered violently and went to his knees.
"Dean, you ok?" Sam knelt beside his brother, aware that Dean was dizzy and weak.
"Yeah, Sammy. I'm ok." Dean exhaled and stood. He was a little wobbly but otherwise seemed alright.
As Dean walked to the driver's side of the Impala, Sam asked, "You want me to drive?"
Dean just smiled and said, "No way. I'm cool." Sam believed him. Other than a light sheen of sweat on his forehead, Dean was his usual self.
Sam was getting into the front seat when a thought stopped him dead in his tracks. "Wait just a damn minute, Dean. You just shivered the same way Raven does. Is there something you two aren't telling me?"
A/N - Thank you all SO much for the reviews, follows, faves and reads. I am so grooving on the fact that you guys love this. I love writing it. Your encouragement is like twinkes and chocolate milk... aww crap, now I have to go to the store... ;)