Chapter 2

Sam and Dean sat silently, driving steadily down the road. Sam looked over to Dean who seemed extremely focused on the road. That's how it seemed but in reality he just didn't want to talk. Dean was still finding it hard to deal with all that had happened.

Sam hated feeling like this. He knew it was his fault, he knew what he'd done and he like Dean was having severe problems coming to terms with it. How do you handle the fact that you're responsible for the end of the world? He took a deep breath and tried to push through.

Sam knew the only way past this was to make up for it, to make it right.

"So Castiel didn't say anything else about this Potter, just that he'd find us," Sam asked humbly.

"That's all he said." Dean answered in a monotone voice.

"Well I haven't been able to find anything on Sages or Chi, whatever they are they must operate under heavy secrecy," Sam said downcast.

Dean nodded, "well let's just hope Bobby's had more luck, we need to know all we can. This is going to be a hell of a fight, pun intended," Dean said shooting a sly grin, causing Sam to do the same. He felt grateful that while he knew his brother was still very upset with him that at least he was trying.

They pulled into the parking lot of the hospital where their friend and ally in their struggle against the worlds supernatural evil was. They hopped out of the car and quickly made their way inside, avoiding all the hospital personnel they could. They didn't want to be bombarded with a bunch of hard to answer questions. They quickly made their way to the room Bobby was now recovering in after his self inflicted wound.

Bobby looked up from a large tome he was reading and nodded as they entered.

"Hey Bobby, how you feeling," Dean asked.

"I'd be feeling a whole hell of a lot better if I didn't have to deal with these idiot docs and nurses interrupting me every five minutes, I swear I can't wait to get out of here, you know how much I hate these damn places," Bobby answered in his usual gruff rumbling tone.

Dean's face split into a wry smile, Sam still didn't feel confident enough to join him, he still felt too contrite.

"So did you find out anything Bobby," Dean asked.

"Not much, whatever a Sage is there's not much on them, that means one of two things, either they don't exist, or they've done a good job of hiding themselves from the world," Bobby answered.

"Well it has to be the latter, Castiel has never steered us wrong before," Sam chimed in, causing Dean to nod in agreement.

"I did find one thing, apparently after the first war were Lucifer was cast from Heaven into Hell there's a reference to a group set up to keep the evil he spouts from overwhelming the world, it doesn't call'em Sages, it just makes reference to the power the have, which according to this," Bobby said holding up his rather large book, "is nothing to be played with, lets just be glad that this guy whoever he is, is on our side."

"That's all it says," Dean asked, looking for hope from Bobby's revelation.

"That and a bit about their weapons, Their called Buki and they work to channel their power, they look to be things like ancient weapons, like bos, and katanas, so if you happen to meet someone who looks like he just stepped out of a Kurosawa film he'll probably be the one your looking for. In the mean time you can't just sit on your asses waiting for him, you still have jobs to do. I've heard it through the grapevine that there's something going on in Gary, Indiana, you two need to get there and check it out," Bobby said firmly, knowing that just sitting and waiting would be their undoing as a team.

"Alright then Bobby, we'll check it out, and we expect you to be on your feet before we get back, seriously, you need to quit lying around," Dean said with faux seriousness.

Bobby just laughed, "You two be careful, take care of each other, no matter what happens you all you guys got."

"Thanks Bobby," Sam said, truly grateful that Bobby was making a small attempt to repair the rift between Dean and him.

They got up and walked out of the room to face their next challenge that waited for them in Gary, whatever that was.

__________________________________

Harry and Hermione stepped up to the door of a suburban looking house in the middle of Richardson, Texas. Harry was fidgeting, pulling at his collar, obviously uncomfortable wearing the suit and tie he was now dressed in.

Hermione noticed his discomfort, "Stop doing that, your going to loosen your tie," she said straitening it for what seemed like the hundredth time. She knew how much he hated wearing muggle suits.

"I know you hate it but we have to blend in, we can't get the information we need if we show up with you in cloaks and armor, wielding a bloody sword that glows white," she said in her oh so familiar Hermioneish tone.

"We could if you'd just let me do it my way," Harry said kind of irately, knowing it would save precious time.

"Yes Harry but you know its not right, it causes pain and discomfort every time you invade someone's mind, besides you'll find you can get just as far with a smile and a kind word than a mind probe," she answered, letting her eyes tell him they were putting the issue at rest.

"Are you sure this is the place," Harry asked sifting topics now.

"Yes, I've pulled it off the internet, this is were those Ghostfacers operate out of, and from the posts I've read they've defiantly seen the Winchesters, so even if they don't know where they are now they'll at least be able to tell us a little about them, maybe even show us what they look like," Hermione answered, straightening herself, trying to look smart. She dusted of the front of the bright blue skirt she was wearing.

Ghostfacers, Harry scoffed slightly at the idea, muggles really need to learn not to meddle with the unseen world, not unless they were prepared to handle it, like these Winchesters seemed to be. Hermione put a warm and inviting smile across her beautiful face and reached out and knocked firmly on the white door.

A minute later a man answered, he wasn't very tall, he had short black hair and wore a slightly harassed look on his face, "Can I help you," he asked.

"Yes, I'm Hermione Lewis, and this is my colleague Harry Starnton, we're from The Daily Mirror in London and we're doing a piece on supernatural phenomenon and we were wondering if you'd answer a few questions for us," Hermione answered brightly, having already decided that it best to used false identities.

"Really, you want to do a story on us, yeah, I'd be happy to, please come in," He answered excitedly opening the door fully, inviting them both in.

Harry and Hermione stepped through the door into the rather normal, pedestrian house. Once inside the man directed them into the den and invited them to take a seat.

"Well let me introduce myself, I'm Harry Spangler, but you already know that don't you," Spangler asked coyly.

"Of course, but it's a real pleasure to meet you," Hermione answered extending her hand and shaking Spangler's warmly. Harry did the same, perhaps squeezing a bit too hard, causing Spangler to wince. Hermione shot him an annoyed look, at once Harry eased his grip. He really didn't mean to do it, he just didn't know his own strength sometimes.

They settled in and Hermione withdrew a note pad from the depths of her bag, making it seem she was indeed there for an interview.

"Well let's begin with how you first formed this interesting group of paranormal investigators," Hermione asked, seeming intrigued, Harry just sat stone faced, irritated by the waste of time he perceived this pretense to be.

They went on for about an hour, Hermione looking interested the entire time, taking notes and nodding as Spangler went into great detail about the origins of the Ghostfacers. Harry used the time to focus and scan the room for memories of past events, seeing scenes flash that had once happened here, after a while he had to conceit that neither Sam nor Dean Winchester had ever been here.

After Spangler was going into detail about a particular nasty encounter he and his team had with a certain ghost Hermione chimed in, "This encounter you speak of, I believe I read about it on your site, wasn't this the one where you had the help of a Sam and Dean Winchester, please could you tell me what you know about them?"

Spangler scoffed, "The Winchesters, don't make me sick, they didn't help, in fact if it weren't for us they'd have eaten it that night, but you really want to know about them, OK I'll tell you, their a couple of douchey ass clowns who think their important and mysterious but all they are, are a couple of posers who give honest paranormal investigators like us a bad name," Spangler said in a tone of utter contempt.

"Well I can see your not big fans of the Winchesters, but please for the piece could you tell us if you know where they are now," Hermione asked hopefully.

Spangler shook his head, "No and I really don't care to, honestly I'd be perfectly happy to never see them again, now back to us," Spangler said smiling once again.

"Please if you'd allow me to linger on this for a moment you don't happen to have any pictures, or video of them do you," Hermione asked.

Again Spangler shook his head, "Nope, it was erased somehow, but why are you so interested," Spangler now asked looking suspicious.

Harry began to feel very irritated, "You way's not working Hermione, its time for mine," he said firmly.

Hermione let out an exacerbated sigh and simply nodded her head, "OK but don't be too harsh."

Harry quickly rose and made his way over to Spangler, who looked frightened at Harry's approach, "Hey what the hell are you doing, get away from me," Spangler cried trying to pull himself away from Harry who had now pulled Spangler to his feet and had a hand placed firmly on his head, forcing his eye open with his thumb.

"Don't struggle, it will only make this harder, I am sorry for having to do this but I need information, if it's any comfort you wont remember any of this anyway," Harry said as he stared fiercely into Spangler's eye with a fevered intensity.

At once thousands of images begin to flash through Harry's mind, he went through them quickly, trying desperately to find the ones he needed. Finally after some focus he found them, an encounter with a murderous ghost and the intervention of two brothers. Both tall, one with sandy hair that sort of curled, the other with straight dark hair, both wearing grim looks that spoke to a service Harry was all to familiar with, a lifetime of service fighting the world's darkness. These were them, the men Harry and Hermione had to now find. The Winchesters.

Harry released Spangler who fell back into his chair unconscious. "I got it, we can go," Harry said to Hermione who rose, now making her way over to were Harry stood. Harry waved his hand over Spangler's face, wiping his memory of this encounter and leaving a blank and serene expression.

Harry felt they had made some progress, at least he knew what Sam and Dean looked like now, and a piece of their true nature. But that didn't bring them any closer to finding them. Harry sighed heavily, as he thought about this as he extended his hand, taking Hermione's in his, at once they spun on the spot and vanished.