"I wanna tackle that poltergeist tonight," John said the next morning while the boys shoveled cereal into their mouths.

"Dad," Sam sighed. "It's been just over a day since you nearly had your insides ripped out."

"Exactly, can't let the bastard win," John said, pouring himself a cup of coffee.

"At least wait it Saturday," Dean sighed. He had enough to worry about without watching his dad try to kill himself. "We still school tomorrow, Olivia and I have plans tonight."

"I told you to stop hanging out with her over a month ago," John said seriously.

"Sam said to let your stitches heal," Dean shot back. "Dad, you're gonna get hurt. The thing almost killed you."

"Exactly why I wanna get rid of it," John smirked. "Your girlfriend will understand, especially since you shouldn't be around that girl in the first place."

Dean rolled his eyes. He wasn't just ditching Olivia now, not with what she was going through.

"I'm not goin' with you if you go tonight," Dean shrugged. "I'm not watching you get yourself killed. You can barely move your arm. You're not going to be able to take a poltergeist alone."

"You're picking your girlfriend over family?" John scoffed. "She got beer flavored nipples or something?"

"Dad," Sam yelled. "You really want to bleed out? Cuz I'm not re-stitching you up, and you know Dean sucks at it and freezes."

"I did not, Sammy," Dean sneered. "Don't be a dick."

"You're not helping," Sam said, eyeing Dean sidewise. "You can't fire a shotgun, you'll rip your chest open. Let yourself heal. Nothing's going to happen if you wait a few days. You said that the building was empty. Just wait til the weekend like you planned. Alright?"

"You boys got no work ethic, you know that?" John chuckled as he shook his head and sipped his coffee. "I raised you both better than that."

"Really?" Sam shook his head.

"You're gonna miss the bus," Dean whacked Sam in the chest. "Let's go."

Sam rolled his eyes and got up, following Dean out the door.

"He's a freakin' idiot," Sam said the moment the door closed behind them.

"I know," Dean nodded. "Just don't pick a fight, okay? I'll talk to him when I get home. I'm not letting him hunt with half his chest missing."

"What's going on with Olivia today?" Sam asked softly as they walked to the bus stop.

"I don't really know," Dean shrugged. "It's kind of a see as we go kind of thing."

"I know you'll do the right thing," Sam nodded. "You always do."

"I don't think I know what the right thing is right now," Dean mumbled.

"Well," Sam said, looking up at his brother when they reached the bus stop, the other kids from the neighborhood already standing around waiting. "I know you'll figure it out."

"Good luck on that test," Dean half smiled.

"You too," Sam replied.

Dean messed up Sam's hair before walking away toward the high school that horrible sinking feeling in his chest getting worse with each step he took.

Maggie was waiting for him outside the second floor girls' bathroom.

"About fucking time," she rolled her eyes.

"I have to watch my brother off on the bus," Dean glared. "I got responsibilities."

"No shit Sherlock," Maggie sighed. "You're about to have eighteen more years' worth."

"She took the test?" Dean's eyes widened.

"She's not with you?" Maggie's eyebrows pulled together in confusion.

"No," Dean shook his head. "She told me to meet her here before first bell. That you were going to get her a test and she was going to take it and let me know what's going on."

"She's not here," Maggie huffed. "What a fucking fruit cake. Just like her to get me to go to school and ditch. I knew I shoulda brought it to her house. Who gives a shit if her parents find out? She coulda just said it was mine."

"No offence, Maggie," Dean said sternly. "But right now, this isn't really about you."

"Whatever," Maggie rolled her eyes. "Do you have cell phone? You can call her."

"I only get it when my dad's outta town," Dean answered. "You really don't know where she is?"

"If I did I wouldn't be chatting it up with the moron that probably knocked her up," Maggie spat. "You couldn't, like, pull out?"

"Can we not have the conversation?" Dean whispered harshly. "Someone's gonna hear you."

Maggie rolled her eyes. "I'm not waiting here all day."

"Let's just wait until the bell, maybe she's just, you know, freaked out," Dean shrugged. "I know I would be… am… really fucking freaked out." Dean leaned against the wall next to Maggie, banging the back of his head lightly against it.

"What would you do?" Maggie asked. "If she was."

"I don't really know," Dean shook his head. "I mean, like, if she is, and she keeps it, wants to raise it, I couldn't… I can't just… I wouldn't leave her. I mean, I'm eighteen; I don't really gotta listen to my dad. But I can't leave Sammy alone with him, they'd kill each other, but I'd have my own family that I had to take care of, you know? I just… I don't know. What would you do?"

"I wouldn't have it," Maggie said seriously. "I'd go to Boston and get rid of it. No one would ever know. I'm in high school. I don't need that shit."

"Nice," Dean rolled his eyes.

"Yeah well," Maggie shrugged as the bell rang. "I don't even know what my first period class is."

"If you hear from her," Dean said as Maggie started to walk away.

"I'll point her in your direction," Maggie nodded.

He wasn't much for paying attention on a regular day, he didn't even own a notebook, but that day he was so distracted there wasn't really a point in being in class at all. Olivia didn't show up at lunch, or in their sixth period British Literature class, or appear outside while he stared out the window hoping she'd just be there. He walked home in a haze of worry and confusion.

"There's a letter for you on the counter," Sam said the moment Dean opened the door. "No address, just says 'Dean Winchester' with a heart over the 'I' so I'm guessing it's from Olivia. It was in the mailbox when I got home."

His brother was sitting at the kitchen table playing with a deck of cards, going between them and a thick book propped up against his other school books.

"What are you doing?" Dean asked.

"One of my friends taught me a magic trick," Sam answered. "It was wicked cool, so I got a book of magic tricks out of the library."

"Wicked cool, huh?" Dean smirked. "Picking up on the local lingo?"

"What?" Sam said turning toward him.

"Nothing," Dean shook his head. "Where's this letter?"

"It's the only envelope on the counter," Sam replied, turning back to his cards.

Dean picked up the yellow envelope and ripped it open, finding a handwritten note on a piece of notebook paper written in Olivia's bubbly girly handwriting.

Dean,

My parents decided to head to Worcester early, I guess my great aunt or something is sick. I tried to tell you in the morning, but you'd already left when I got to your house. I'll call you Saturday night after my appointment. Sorry I couldn't get to you before we left. I know you must be freaking out. I'm freaking out too. Sorry. I'll see you next week.

Olivia

Dean crumbled the paper on the in his fist and tossed it into the trash can. This was crap. She knew he walked by her house on the way home. She knew he wouldn't come over if her parents were there. He wasn't sure what kind of game she was playing but he was going to even up in the middle of it. It wasn't okay to fuck with people like this. He wasn't the type of person that liked to be messed with, and this girl, well he wasn't sure what she was playing at, but he didn't like it at all.

"Where's Dad?"

"No idea, car wasn't here when I got off the bus," Sam answered never looking up from his cards. "Why?"

"I thought we were hunting that thing tonight," Dean said. "Wanna get this shit over with."

"What happened with Olivia?" Sam asked, looking up. "I thought you guys have had plans. Did you find out about the thing?"

"No," Dean sighed. "She just left me this dumbass note saying she's sorry she missed this morning and she's heading to her grandparents early, which is bullshit, because the minivan is her fucking driveway. She ditched school instead of taking the fucking test and I've been freaking out all fucking day. So I kinda just want to shoot something."

"Dad'll rip his stiches if anything happens," Sam said serious. "He could bleed out. Let him heal."

"You know dad's stubborn," Dean shrugged. "He's probably there now."

"What are you gonna do about Olivia?"

"I'm not playing games," Dean shook his head. "I mean, if she wants to string me along tell me she's having my kid or whatever so I won't breakup with her, I'm not playin' her game, Sammy. It's stupid."

"But what if she is?" Sam said softly. "I mean, like, what are you gonna do?"

"I'll cross that bridge when I get to it," Dean flopped down in the chair next to his brother. "What's this you got going on? You a magician or something now?"

"Working on it," Sam shuffled his deck of cards and looked at his book again. "I wanna impress Crystal after vacation."

"Crystal," Dean smirked.

"Yeah," Sam nodded. "She's on the debate team. She's the one that got me to join. You kinda met her one time."

"Is she, like, your girlfriend?"

"No," Sam sighed. "She's not. We're just friends. She's pretty awesome, though. She can do all sorts of magic tricks. She shows me a new one, like, every day. I wanna impress her after vacation."

"Cool," Dean nodded.

"Are you gonna call her, Olivia?" Sam asked. "Since she's home? I mean that would make sense."

"No," Dean shook his head. "She said she'd call me Saturday. So I'm just gonna trust that she will. I mean, she can't hide from me forever. I'm just not gonna worry about it right now. I can't. It's stupid. I don't like mind games."

"Maybe she's just scared," Sam reasoned. "You seemed pretty scared when you got home yesterday."

"Yeah, well," Dean shrugged.

To be honest, Dean was completely terrified, Saturday seemed a lifetime away. He was hoping all this would be over in the morning that she'd do her thing and he'd never have to think about it again. Maybe she was trying to freak him out as much as she was; maybe she just wanted to make him sweat a little bit. If that was her plan, it was working. Dean was good at playing it cool, making it look like nothing whatsoever could bother him, but his stomach was in knots. He needed to get some of his nervous energy out. He knew his brother wouldn't like it, but he was hunting a freaking poltergeist that night.

The door slammed open and their father made his way through the door arms full of paper bags. Dean jumped up to help, grabbing one bag and dropping it on the counter. It was filled with seeming random spices.

"Called a source," John announced. "Told me we gotta make these bag things, stick 'em in the walls to cleanse the building or some shit. So that's what you boys are gonna be doing after dinner." John smiled widely as unstapled the second bag, pulling out some Chinese takeout containers and spreading them around the kitchen counter.

The boys spread out the ingredients across the kitchen table as John explained what went into the little burlap bags. John tied each one with a piece of twine and placed it back into the grocery bag on the floor.

"You boys ready for this?" John asked when they'd finished.

"Tomorrow maybe," Sam sighed. "You're going to rip yourself open again."

"I've done this before Sammy," John said sternly. "I know what I'm doing. I think I can keep myself safe."

"Like the other night?" Sam replied. "Seriously Dad, it's stupid."

"I'm ready," Dean nodded. "Leave the kid home, we can do it."

"You really think that's a good idea, Dean, with everything going on right now?" Sam rolled his eyes. "You're distracted, more likely to get seriously hurt."

"Distracted by what?" John looked between his boys.

"Nothing," Dean said with his teeth tightly clenched looking at Sam. "Absolutely nothing."

"What's going on?" John demanded.

"Nothing," Dean shook his head dismissively. "I'm ready. I can do this. Let's hunt this thing."

"I thought you had a thing with Olivia," Sam said quickly.

"Dad told me not to see her," Dean shrugged. "I'm not gonna see her." He looked sideways at Sam, who wore a pissed off face that he seen on his father about a million times.

"And when have you ever listened to me about a girl?" John chuckled.

"First time for everything apparently," Sam rolled his eyes so far Dean could feel it across the table.

"I think I can do this, Dad," Dean nodded. "We got all the intel we need, we're equipped, you got real back up. I'm ready."

"It's kinda tricky," John said leaning back to lift the front legs of his chair off the floor. "This ain't like the easy hunts we've been on. Poltergeists are mean sons of bitches."

"I can handle it," Dean said, locking eyes with his dad.

"I like to have at least one more covering our backs," John shook his head. "But they're no one else in the area. It's a big building, poltergeists are sneaky, mean, bastards. You sure you'll be able to handle it."

"What about your big test?" Sam asked quickly. "You should probably prepare of it. It could mess up your whole future."

Dean closed his eyes and sighed deeply. "I get the results this weeked, Sammy," Dean planted a thin fake smile across his face. "Nothing I can do about it until then."

"What test?" John said looking between his boys.

"Nothin' sir," Dean replied. "Just a kid over reacting to something I said a few days ago. I can handle it. You're always saying how I need to experience different kinds of hunts. I'm eighteen, I can handle it. I'm ready."

John rolled his eyes, dropped the chair back onto all four legs, and clapped. "Great, let's pack up the car!"

It wasn't a very long drive, almost seemed pointless to take the car, but they had a lot of gear to carry, and a disgruntled thirteen year old lookout that didn't want to be anywhere near this hunt, so it was best to try to keep him in the car.

"You take the east and north walls, staring on the first floor," John explained handing Dean a plastic bag full of the pouches the boys had put together earlier. "I was here earlier, poked some holes in the walls, all you gotta do it drop one of these in the hole on each floor, alright?"

Dean nodded and popped the car door.

"After you finish that, met me right here," John said seriously. "I'm starting on the top and working down, hopefully that will confuse it enough, but these fuckers are gonna realize what we're going pretty fast, you keep your gun loaded. Understand?"

"Yes sir," Dean nodded. "Got extra salt shells in my pocket." He patted his right breast pocket of his shirt. "I can do this."

"Alright," John nodded. "If I'm not here when you finish, don't do nothing stupid like come look for me. You could get yourself hurt."

"Yes sir," Dean nodded.

"You're a moron," Sam sighed from the backseat. "You're both gonna get yourselves killed."

"Nice sendoff Sammy," Dean rolled his eyes.

John stepped out of the car and slammed the door, started walking toward the building.

"You're gonna get killed and leave Olivia by herself," Sam hissed. "What if she is having your kid right now?"

"I know Sam what's at stake here," Dean shook his head. "Four people died in that building, Dad and I are gonna stop anyone else from dying. I don't need this from you right now. If Olivia wanted me to know what was going on, she'd of shown up and school today, she wouldn't have written that bullshit note. So you don't get to guilt trip me into not doing this. This is what I want to do. And you know what, if I did knock her up, this is probably gonna be the last one I ever do. So shut up, Sammy."

Dean stepped out of the car and slammed the door way harder than was necessary before Sam could respond. He walked toward his father as he shoulder his sawed off.

"Let's do this."

The first floor went pretty simply, the hardest part was finding the where his dad had sledge hammered the holes into the wall. When he got to the second floor he started to hear shot gun blasts coming from above him. He dropped another bag into a whole and started toward the East wall, hyper aware of his surroundings. He expected to see an entity like the ghosts he'd hunted before; what he got, however, was an unseen force shoving him up against a wall face first. It took a lot of struggle but he was able to get out a shot that sent whatever was holding him against the cold concrete to let go. He started to hurry, running up the next set of stairs. His dad had placed the holes in the middle of each of the walls, so Dean rushed to longer East wall to find it. Before he was able to get to it, the equipment the construction crew that was refurbishing the building started to move. He heard his father's gun go off across on the other side of the building, distracting him just enough to not see the table saw sliding across the floor toward him. He shot at the nothing in the room when it hit him, but it didn't stop anything.

He was pinned against the wall trying to push at a table saw that was pushing back. He kept firing and reloading his gun trying to stop it, but nothing happened. Tools and building materials were flying around him. He heard his father's gun go off below him, making it pointless to try to call out. He couldn't move, he'd failed, again. He took a deep breath and shoved has hard as he could at the table saw, finally moving it enough to squeeze out and run toward the hole in the wall. He dropped the canvas bag inside and heading back toward the stairs, the other wall, trying his best to avoid all the flying objects.

As he reached the next hole in the wall, a two by four started came flying toward him. He fired the gun toward it, but it didn't stop coming. He was helpless as it hit him in forehead, sending him down to the floor in complete blackness.