Chapter 4: Discussions
"So, you met him?" Dean asks.
"Yes, I met the one who you talked to at the bar, he said his name was Derek, but you're right there's something off about that boy." Bobby frowns, "But I can't seem to put my finger on it."
"Anyways, enough of that, we found out from the Bennetts that the wife went missing in November of that year, but the husband wouldn't tell us why." Sam interjects, trying to change the subject.
"But we know why she went missing; Dad's journal tells us it's because of Elena Gilbert." Dean replies.
"Yes, Dean, I know that, but we have yet to meet her, and we also have yet to figure what the hell is actually going on." Sam says.
"Uggh…it just feels like the town's trying to hide something." Dean groans out, laying back on the bed.
"I know, something is off about this town. I agree with you, there." Sam states.
Bobby's phone starts ringing and he picks it up. "Hello?"
"Sure, yeah, we can meet you there."
"Okay, we'll see you a while."
"My nephews are coming with me."
"Okay, bye." Bobby hangs up the phone.
"Was that Ric?" Sam asks.
"Yeah, that was him, he called, saying that he's done with his classes, so we can head down the school and meet him in his classroom." Bobby answers.
"Okay, but I thought we were meeting him at the Grille?" Dean whines.
"Oh, come on, Dean, you don't need more to eat." Sam teases with a smile.
Dean groans and mutters under his breath, "Fine." He stands up and they all walk out of the room, and down to the car.
They pull up in front of the school and get out. They then proceed to walk inside, but as they approach Ric's classroom, they get stop short upon hearing voices in there.
"So, Anna, did you talk to your mom yet?" Ric asks.
They decide that this isn't for them to hear, so they make their presence known. They walk around the corner and appear in the room. The history teacher is sitting in front of a group of students.
"Hello?" Ric asks with a frown.
"Alaric?" Bobby says.
"Bobby, oh, gosh, I didn't even recognize you, and hasn't even been that long." Ric says as he approaches the man and they hug.
"We didn't want to impose, but we thought your classes were done." Bobby inquires.
"Oh, they are, study group, but it's not like I help them with anything, they just use my classroom." Ric lies easily, but Bobby can tell that it's not the truth.
"Well, Ric, this is Dean and Sam Winchester, they're my nephews." Ric smiles and shakes their hands.
"Hey, talk to your brother, and tell him that I'll meet him at the Grille after the meeting." He turns to one of his students.
"Will do, Ric. Anyways, if it's any consolation, he didn't mean it." He says as he walks up to him.
"Oh, yeah, sure, just like Hitler." Ric scoffs a little ruefully.
The boy nods his head in solemn understanding.
"Elena, tell your aunt that I said hello." Ric says as he turns to the girl, walking out with the boy.
"Sure, Ric." She says, the rest of the students follow her out.
"Rough time?" Bobby asks, once they leave the room.
"Oh, you have no idea." Ric mutters. "What exactly are you here for?"
"I was about to ask you the same question. There are people dying left and right in the town, and I know you've been down here for quite a while, are you still a hunter?" Bobby asks bluntly.
"I am, but I'm a vampire hunter, that's why I came down to this town in the first place." Ric says, "Why?"
"I know that, but what about the vengeful spirits?" Bobby asks.
"What?" Ric asks, like they're crazy.
"The vengeful spirits, my father was down here way back when and he said he even caught a glimpse of the brothers in the Salvatore boardinghouse." Dean says.
Ric struggles to understand what they're getting at, but he doesn't want to let too much get out, so he's going to try to figure out what they think is going on. Vengeful spirits, what the hell? "Salvatore boardinghouse?"
"It's a long story, but that place is haunted, legend has it that the brothers from way back when died, were gunned down, now they haunt the halls." Bobby explains.
"I haven't heard any such thing." Ric mutters, but then his eyes go wide, "What was your father's name?" He turns to Dean.
"John." Dean answers automatically.
"John Winchester." Ric mutters under his breath, too low for anyone to hear, "Damn it, Damon." Ric pinches the bridge of his nose, "Listen, this town is…is different, they don't respond well to hunters." He tries to warn them as lightly as he can.
"We've gotten that, the way they're seeming to cover for every death, it's amazing that they've kept this much to themselves, already." Bobby says, "But we're here to help you, and this town."
Ric nods slowly.
"You know about this town's history." Sam starts, "Could you lend us some history books on it?"
"Sure." Ric says as he puts a stack of books on the table.
Sam immediately is there to grab the four books, and he takes them over to a desk to start leafing through them.
"You wouldn't happen to know where the bodies of the brothers are buried, would you?" Dean asks.
"I'm sorry, what?" Ric arches an eyebrow.
"We think that everything can be traced back to them, but we can't seem to find where their bodies are buried, you wouldn't know where they're buried, would you?" Dean asks
"What exactly are you going to do when you find them?" Ric asks.
"Salt and burn, just like any other ghost. It'll destroy the spirit, and in turn it'll stop the killings." Dean says matter-of-factly.
"No, I'm sorry." Ric says slowly. Oh, crap, Damon, what have you done? He remembers Damon telling him in drunk haze once, about how he was in the town for a short while, when there was a hunter and he compelled him into leaving. "Why exactly are you here?" Ric asks again.
"My father, has a journal, and he wrote about this town, and how it was filled with vengeful spirits, the only problem is, is that we're trying to find out why he left the town as such a cold-case." Dean replies.
Ric frowns, "Vengeful spirits, huh? Wow! That certainly is…wow. Never would have thought of that." He feigns surprise.
"Are you still in the business?" Bobby asks.
"Yeah, but like I said, I hunt vampires." Ric says.
"Did you ever find the thing that killed her?" Bobby asks curiously.
Ric stops himself from responding with a yes, he has to think about this, but then again, it would be honest, "Yes." He replies shortly.
"Did you kill it?" Dean asks.
"Ummm…not exactly, but I did try." Ric says.
"What happened?" Sam asks.
"I don't exactly know." Ric replies. It's not a total lie, he did try to kill Damon, but he was killed instead, and brought back to life, and then formed a friendship with the man shortly afterwards, now that he thinks back on it like that, he honestly has no idea what really happened.
"It's still out there?" Dean asks.
"Ummm…sort of." Ric frowns, trying to conceal his smirk. Damon's going to get a kick out of this.
"I'll help you find it. You're wife will be avenged." Dean says with a matter-of-fact voice.
Ric nods, thoroughly believing him, but he's going to make sure that it doesn't happen. He's about to say something like no need, I've got it, but then Sam interrupts him.
"These books are very good, what are they?" Sam asks, trying to figure out who made them.
"Oh, my wife, studied the history of this town, she's the reason that I know what I know about vampires and ghosts. She made those books; sorry if the handwriting's a little messy or old." He explains.
"Mind if I take these back to the motel, for the rest of the night?" Sam asks.
"Sure, go right ahead." Ric replies. "I don't need them anyways." He mutters.
"Well, tonight we're going to try to look around the old ruins of the old church. If you want to join us." Dean says.
Ric thinks about that, "Why?"
"Because we're hoping that we can find the bodies of the deceased, hopefully we can get this job over with." Dean replies in a hard voice.
"I'm sorry, I can't I've got a date tonight, but you stay safe, okay?" Ric says.
They all walk out to the parking lot, to see that it's empty, and they all get in their cars and drive away from the school.