Chapter 4

Despite her desire to get to where she was needed quickly, it had taken Amelia several weeks to reach the eastern border of South Dakota. She'd also drawn more attention to herself than she had intended. People were waiting for her at most rest areas and some of the rides offered had definite strings attached. She'd abandoned the interstate where it crossed the Missouri River and used smaller, back roads to keep going east. Amelia was getting close to her destination, she could feel it. When she'd left her arrival point all she knew was east, the rest was very unclear. She had discovered the place where the Leviathan had been dispatched and the other brother lost; but that was not where she was needed. She could still sense the troubled young man but he had been on the move and Amelia would never be able to find him that way. There was a place where he would go, a special place where the water cascaded down ancient steps. And there was something more there as well. Something not as old as the falling water, because it was made by men rather than glaciers, but it would be essential to her mission.

Amelia had asked the birds of the grasslands and prairies if they knew where the water falls were. The Magpies were eager to report they knew of the place she was seeking and tried to tell her how to get there. She thanked her winged scouts even though they hadn't been terribly helpful. They had given her the best directions they could, but "as the crow flies" really didn't help her earth-bound form. Amelia may not know the name of the place she sought but with both the young man and a powerful tool in the same place, she knew she was almost at her goal.

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooOooooooooooooooooooooooooO ooooo

Sam made it to the Sioux Falls area in two days. He'd left a cryptic message on the sheriff's private line, in case her phone was tapped. He stayed out of the city, driving the back roads and using the back entrance to Singer Salvage. It was just before two in the morning when he stopped the Impala by what used to be the back porch of Bobby's house. He stared at the burned out shell of the place that had been such a large part of his life. Images and memories, good and bad, from a lifetime of stays flooded back to him. He was close to having a personal 'chick flick moment' when Jody Mills drove her cruiser around the corner of the house.

The sheriff was a sight for sore eyes. He couldn't remember if Bobby had ever given her an anti-possession amulet, but he knew he hadn't. Sam knew from experience demons had infiltrated police departments. And even though the Levis were on the run, taking the shape of the one law enforcement officer the Winchesters trusted would be perfect for them. He got out of the Impala ready for anything. For her part, Jody was also glad to see the youngest of the hunting trio she had come to think of as friends. She'd also learned enough from Bobby to know the protocol and started taking off her jacket so Sam could do his tests. Even though it had only been a month, they both tested each other with salt, iron, silver and borax. When they were done they let out the breaths they hadn't noticed they were holding and smiled, somewhat sadly, at each other.

They didn't have time for small talk or pleasantries. It turned out the FBI had talked to every city police chief, county sheriff and state police head between Montana and the eastern seaboard. Jody confirmed there had been no confirmed sightings in the two days since Amelia Stone left the interstate. There had been unconfirmed reports all along the Missouri south of where I-90 crosses the river, all the way to Omaha. Sam wondered aloud if he had gotten it wrong.

"No, you didn't." A quiet voice spoke to them as Amelia stepped out of the shadows of Bobby's ruined house. "I created a few small diversions; I thought we needed some privacy to meet."

Sam and Jody both had their guns drawn before they had finished turning to the voice. Amelia stayed very still, but slowly smiled at Sam. "I knew you'd come back here. I've come a very long ways to help you find your brother."

Sheriff Mills started to relax her aim at the mysterious stranger. Sam wasn't quite as quick to trust this unknown person; hell, he wasn't even sure it was a person. It was Jody who found her voice first, "Can we assume by 'a very long way' you don't mean Spokane?"

There was that soft smile again, thought Sam, still just staring at the woman. "Yes. I'm Amelia, it's a pleasant surprise to find two of you here. You are?"

"Jody Mills, sheriff of Minnehaha County." And Sam still seemed to be stuck dumb, so she added, "This is Sam Winchester."

An expression of surprised recognition and then an outright smile crossed Amelia's face. Samuel. An ancient name meaning 'told by God' or 'God's heart'. She could see either fit this man. He could have been one of her own children, filled with love, anger, pathos and power. She sensed he had already been through as much turmoil and fought as many battles, personal and universal, as any of the gods she had given birth to. There were no questions left in her heart. He was the reason she was brought forth and together they would be able to save his brother and the planet.

At hearing his name, Sam finally came out of his trance. "Dean. My brother's name is Dean. If you're going to help me save him, you should know his name." Sam wasn't sure where that came from. Of all the things he imagined he'd say to this woman, he didn't think it would be blathering on about his brother's name.

"Thank you, Sam. I'm glad to meet you and know you and your brother's names."

He still hadn't put down his gun hand. He wanted to trust her but there were too many questions. Shit, the only thing he did know was her name. "Who…what are you?"

"I'm sure you have a great many questions, Sam." It was nice to finally have a face and a name instead of just sensing him. "I will tell you any and every thing you want to know. However, right now we need to find the key before we are discovered here."

"The key?" asked Sam. He couldn't believe how easily they were talking, like they were just regular folks. "Wait, what do mean before we are discovered?"

"There are others that have been watching this place, and you."

"I was careful, nobody followed me here." Sam knew he hadn't been followed.

"No, but Jody's vehicle was transmitting a very strong electronic signal." Amelia pointed to the sheriff's car. "I turned it off as she came down the driveway, but I fear that it was too late. Whoever is following her will know she is here."

Jody cursed under her breath. "I knew there was something off about those feds."

Amelia turned back to the house. "It's here, I can feel it nearby."

"Wait. Where are you going? And what key?" Sam instinctively took a couple of steps to follow Amelia. If she was right about somebody following the sheriff, they probably didn't have long.

She didn't stop moving into the rubble of Bobby's house. "I feel that it's here. An ancient talisman of great power we will need to open a door to get your brother out of Purgatory." Amelia turned back to face Sam. She could see his mind flash an image of the talisman. "Yes. Sam. That's it. You do know what we seek."

Sam had seen a hundred ancient relics over the years at Bobby's. How was he supposed to know which one she had seen him remember. He would wait to ask how she was able to read his mind. Cas had pretty much gotten them over being pissed about the whole privacy-invading thing. "Bobby had lots of ancient pieces. Can you be more specific as to what we're looking for?"

"It wasn't of the man who lived here. It was your broth ..….Dean's. He wore it next to his heart and it was like a piece of his heart and soul. You've been protecting it for him."

Sam knew immediately what she meant. Dean's amulet. He had retrieved it from a garbage can, almost three years ago, when Dean had lost faith in him. "It was in the fireplace. There was a loose brick and a secret compartment."

He put his gun back into his waistband as they went deeper into the house. Sam knew he should be demanding answers and testing her with silver or borax, and all the other things they had to test a supernatural being. But she just gave off this sense of calm serenity and power. She hadn't been afraid of him or Jody when they had pointed their guns at her. But she hadn't threatened or unarmed them either. And he was pretty sure she could have taken the guns, and maybe thrown them halfway across the yard, if she had wanted to.

They carefully picked a path through what had been the parlor making their way towards the fireplace, which had come through the explosion and fire with little damage. Jody stayed out by the cars to act as watch. As Sam pulled back a hunk of ceiling that had fallen against the mantle he noticed a glow shining between the cracks in the mortar. It got brighter as Amelia approached the fireplace. Sam lifted out the loose brick and had to turn his face away from the light. He turned to stare at Amelia, she seemed to be glowing as well. She reached out and took the amulet in her hand and they both suddenly stopped glowing.

"What was that all about?" Sam asked as Amelia stared at the amulet like she was trying to listen to something it was saying. Since she smiled and nodded at it, she may have been for all Sam knew. She started to reach out to put the string around Sam's neck. Sam took a startled step back, "Whoa! What are you doing?"

"Sam, we will need his help to get Dean back. It would be better if you kept it close to your heart." Amelia still had her arms out with the necklace hanging between her hands.

"What. You explain the glowing first, because it's never done that before. Not even when Castiel was looking for God…." Sam remembered what Cas had said, that 'it burns hot in God's presence'. "Are you God?"

"Not the god you were seeking then. Not even a god in the way you've come to think of the gods. I know you've met a few and had unpleasant encounters with them." Amelia sighed and put the necklace around her own neck and turned to leave.

"Okay, you need to wait a minute. This is all going a little too fast." Sam was trying to get in front of Amelia and stop her from leaving, until he heard sirens way in the distance. "Shit."

"Those are not for us, but others are approaching quietly on the main road. It is time we left."

"What's coming?" Sam was now moving as quickly as she was out the back door.

Jody was listening to her scanner when they cleared the porch. "The feebs are a couple miles out"

"There is at least one demon among those approaching."

"You got that partly right. Demons are already here." Sam and Jody started to turn to the male voice coming from just the other side of the cars. "And what have we here, Sa….."

Before he could even finish his sentence the demon fell to the ground dead. Now Sam and Jody both turned back to where Amelia was just lowering her hand from grasping the amulet around her neck. "They are almost here. Jody you must go now! Sam and I will prevent them from following you."

Jody started to argue, but Sam cut her off. "She's right. You can't be found here, even if it's just the feds."

Amelia quickly added, "Jody, I know you want to protect Sam, but you can't this time. I can."

Somehow Jody knew what Amelia spoke was right. She jumped in her cruiser, hit the gas and was out of sight before the first engine could be heard coming up the long driveway from the road. "So what's the plan?" Sam asked as they turned to face the approaching vehicles.

"You must not be seen. They are mostly humans and if they see you, you will be blamed for what I am about to do." Amelia turned back to Sam and pointed to the Impala, "Sam, please get in the car, now."

"Uh, what are you about to do?" Sam just managed to get out before Amelia turned and walked to the front of the house.

Sam followed her and they could just make out the shapes of their vehicles coming around the last bend in the drive. She took a deep breath and a dust cloud suddenly rose up from the driveway. Amelia turned back to Sam with a look somewhere between 'I'm sorry and I told you so' and clapped her hands together very hard. Sam felt an intense burning pain in his head. As he started falling to his knees from the pain he could see a dust cloud so thick the black SUVs had to stop. She grabbed the talisman around her neck again and killed any demons in the cars. The real police officers wouldn't be able to see anything until the dust settled, which she had arranged would last several minutes.

Amelia went back to where Sam lay on the ground and pushed the hair away from his grimacing face. In a sad but soothing voice she said, "I'm sorry. You'll better when you wake, go to sleep now." With her words the pain was gone and he slipped into unconsciousness. She picked him up as gently as she could and carried him back to the car. Amelia tucked him into the passenger seat and got behind the wheel.

She started the car and took off the way Sam had come in and Jody had gone a few minutes earlier.