A/N: First of all, thank you to everyone who sent reviews—you are what keeps me going. Without your kind words, I might've given up long ago. It is, in part, for those of you who cheer me on that I've been so determined to finish this story. So, thank you, and I apologize that I didn't give you a personal response. Feel free to join me at LJ (novembersguest) to find occasional updates on delays and how the story is coming.

Also, thank you to gaelicspirit who took time out of her super busy life to give this chapter much needed improvements. Thank you to Muffy Morrigan for taking time to provide much needed support and some edits. It is that support than has enabled me to post this. Much gratitude to both of these kind ladies.

Chapter 13: Cold Enough to Chill My Bones

Coming into the living room, Chris nodded at Lori who nodded back. He stopped when he caught sight of Dean. Chris grimaced at him before dropping into the nearest seat.

"Not looking so good, there, Winchester."

"That's what people keep telling me," Dean said, huffing. "I always look good."

"Oh, no worries," Lori chimed in. "You make a pretty zombie."

Dean failed at a witty response, though he appreciated her effort. He hadn't been prepared for how hard being this close to ground zero would hit him. Worse than each time before—or maybe he was weaker than each time before. The whispering itch prodding his brain made it hard to keep track of his surroundings. The couch beneath his body barely registered; he had to concentrate to hear the words rising and falling around him—it was like the day at the beach never happened. This morning's breakfast with Sam was an ancient memory. His waking life became a fuzzy dream of slow motion chaos, and darkness oozed around his consciousness.

Dean shivered. His chest felt heavy and the air thickened in his throat—his pounding head matched the throbbing ache of his heartbeat. He blinked and the scene had changed. He didn't think anyone had spoken to him, but Nathan was back—the edges of his hair slightly damp. He blinked again, and Sam held a bottle of Gatorade out to him, urging him to drink it. As the cold liquid touched his throat, he realized how thirsty he was and gulped it down. When he became aware of Sam's worried face, he straightened up and dug his nails into his palm. The pain clarified the real world, so he stuck one hand in his coat pocket and clenched his fingers tightly around his car keys until the bite in his skin cleared his mind.

"Are you ready?" Sam asked him, maybe not for the first time.

Dean nodded and looked around at all the faces. One of these people wanted to hurt his brother. One of these people wanted revenge on Sam for reasons Dean couldn't understand. Surely if they blamed anyone for Jessica's death, it should be him—it wasn't until he reentered Sam's life anything bad had happened. Maybe if he'd stayed away…. The air thickened in his lungs and he wheezed in a breath and wondered if it was possible to drown on dry land. Gripping the key forcefully, he made himself focus.

"Okay, well," Dean began. "I know you're all wondering what this is about. We wanted to be with all of you in person to go over what we've found."

Dean looked at Sam. Sam had been the one to talk to Bobby and the one to do most of the research on this part of it, so Dean handed him the lead.

Clearing his throat, Sam leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees. "We think this began as a spell." Sam reached into his pocket and pulled out the locket, holding it up. "Remember this?" Sam looked around at the people circling them. Dean wondered if his brother evaluated each twitch of reaction as he did.

"We all pitched in to buy this for Jess that last Christmas. We had promised to stick by her gift amount limit, so we combined our allowance to make sure she got the only thing she'd really wanted."

Dean watched the faces around them. Of course, he and Lori didn't have a clue since they hadn't been around, but the others, they knew. He could see it in their faces. Shock, sadness, and pain passed over the faces of each person.

Becky reached out to take the locket from Sam.

"Yeah, I remember. Jess and I came up with the money limit—we knew you and Aaron were struggling and we didn't want you to feel bad about it…so it seemed like a fair way to handle it. Then you came up with the idea for us all to get her this."

Nathan cleared his throat, "It was a beautiful gesture, Sam. But what does the locket have to do with anything?"

"Well," Sam answered, "This locket wasn't in the apartment when she died. She'd lost it a while before. But here it is. And if you look closely, it's been passed through fire—you can see the blackening on the back and bottom edges."

Dean watched as all eyes inspected the golden surface. A wave of dizziness spun through him. He moved his arm to brush against Sam's, needing to feel his brother's solidity next to him. He gathered all of his will and pushed back at the filmy gauze clinging to his senses.

"Yeah, I see it," Lori said, eyes wide. "But what does that mean?"

"Certain spells require fire," Sam continued. "This was passed back and forth through the flame of a candle. Normally, if you wanted to raise a spirit, the personal object wouldn't be needed—just a summoning spell. But with a binding spell, it would. Something personal from the deceased and the image of the person you intend to bind the spirit to—both passed through the same flame."

"But why?" Chris's eyes flickered from the locket to Sam. "Why would anyone want to summon Jess, much less bind her? Everyone loved her."

"Revenge." Dean said simply. He leaned forward next to Sam and pointed at the necklace. "Someone intended to bring Jessica back for revenge. We think someone blames Sam for Jess's death and knew this was the most painful thing they could do to him."

"What? No. No way." Chris looked visibly upset, running a hand over his mouth as his other fist clenched. Looking at Sam he continued, "You know us, Sam. We could never do that to you. To her." Chris looked over at Becky who had silent tears ruining her makeup and then at Nathan who was shaking his head, eyes wide. "This is a crock of shit." Chris turned his blistering gaze on Dean and stabbed a finger at him. "Man, just when I thought…. This was your idea, wasn't it?"

Chris sprang across the short distance and pulled Dean up by the collar, his face inches from Dean's.

"We're his friends, you bastard. Maybe you did this. What? Sam decided he wanted to come back and you couldn't handle it? You had to invent a reason for him to distrust us?"

The motion of being lifted from the couch made Dean's head spin faster—he no more knew which direction was up than down. As Chris spit words in Dean's face, Dean's hands came up to hang onto Chris's arms and he winced at the pain the sudden movement caused in his back.

Suddenly, Sam was there, pushing Chris back, bellowing, "Enough! Get your hands off him."

Hand were ripped from his clothing and Dean felt himself falling, impacting hard on his hip right next to the couch. Above him, Sam was huffing in Chris's face.

"He is my brother and you do not touch him. Do you get that? And Dean would never, never do something like that. I trust him with my life. My life."

Dean felt someone kneel beside him, a hand on his shoulder. "You okay?" Lori whispered in his ear. Dean nodded and let her help him sit up.

"He almost got himself killed saving you," Sam said above him. "If he was capable of such a cowardly act as this, would he have done that for you?"

Blinking, Dean cleared his blurring vision and looked up at his brother facing off with Chris. Chris swallowed hard and looked down at him, eyes burning with pain. Something passed over Chris's face, the change in emotion palpable, and he nodded, eyes closed as he breathed through his nose.

Chris said, "I know. I know, Sam, and I'm sorry. I shouldn't have—I just can't—" Chris looked around at everyone. "I just can't believe one of us would do that and I got so angry. I got so angry—it just hit me and I-I don't…."

And Dean knew he was telling the truth. Just like that, he knew. Chris was hurting just like the rest of them and this twisted thing was amplifying it and using it against him.

"I'm sorry," Dean mumbled at their shoes. "I know this is hard." He looked back up, Sam and Chris both staring down at him. "But what's important right now is setting this right before anyone else gets hurt. Blame can come later."

"He's right. You gonna be cool?" Sam asked Chris, still keeping his body in front of Dean. "Because we've got bigger problems than Jess and I need to know I can count on you—that we can count on you." Sam's eyes flickered down to Dean and back.

Chris patted the front of Sam's shoulder. "Yeah, you can count on me." Looking back down, he offered Dean a shaky hand. Sam came behind Dean and they got him seated again.

"I'm sorry, man. Not sure what came over me." Chris wiped a hand over his face, sitting down heavily. "Are you sure it's not someone else? I'm sure you guys make enemies doing this?"

"We do," Sam answered, sitting back down. "But this is too personal. This person had to have the necklace and know the significance of it."

"So, it wasn't us?" Lori broke in. She exchanged a look with Becky. "Because we didn't do any of this at our séance."

"No," Sam said, "it wasn't the séance. This was done with intent and purpose."

"You said we have bigger problems than Jess?" Chris asked.

"That's the other reason we asked you here." Sam hesitated and Dean knew some part of Sam was worried his friends would stop believing any minute and turn on him. "When the spell was cast to bring Jess back and bind her, we think a very powerful, very angry spirit was released with her—maybe became bound with her. We think maybe it's using her as its energy source to become more corporeal. It's called an Ekimmu—a very primeval type of restless spirit, usually of someone who's body was left to decompose with no resting place or last rites."

Sam folded his hands together and went into professor mode. Dean smirked to himself.

"Some cultures believe it feeds on living spirits. Other culture's think it's more like a demonic phantom. Whatever it is, it has the power to both kill the physical body with its claws, teeth and to prey on someone's life force." Sam let that sink in, rubbing his hands together until the skin reddened. "It's a mindless, roaming creature who will lash out at anyone. We think that is what's been killing people, not Jess. We think it's why Aaron is in a coma."

"What?" Lori said with a shake of her head. "It can do that? Put people in comas?" Her eyes fell on Dean. "It can steal people's souls?"

"Well, yeah—sort of. It feeds on them like an energy source," Sam answered.

She kept her eyes on Dean. "Is that what's happening to you?"

All attention fell on Dean and he shifted, shaking his head as he caught up on what had been asked. "No." He grinned wryly, "That would be too easy."

"But we know what's happening isn't exactly physical," she argued. "So what is it?"

Dean closed his eyes briefly, feeling nausea stir in his gut. Felt relief when Sam explained for him.

"What's happening to Dean has more to do with his near-death experience after our car accident. Sometimes, when someone dies and is brought back, it leaves a door open between them and the spirit world. It sounds kinda crazy, but we think Dean's contact with Jess, and perhaps the Ekimmu, is pulling his soul through that door."

Running a hand over his mouth, Sam sighed. "It may be both of them are using Dean to help give them power. With their combined pull and everything that's happening, it's taking a toll on his physical body."

Lori looked Dean over from head to toe as Sam continued.

"We think we can banish the Ekimmu and release Jess so she can move on. We're hoping that will reverse what's happening to him." Sam turned toward him. "Right?"

"Yeah," Dean admitted, releasing his lip from between his teeth. "But you're missing the important part."

"And what's that?" Chris asked, a hint of incredulous creeping into his voice. Dean couldn't blame him. It was a lot to take in.

"If we're right about this thing, when we kill it, Aaron should wake up."

Chris looked at Becky who smiled tentatively. "Just like that?" he murmured.

Dean nodded, "Yeah, at least, we hope."

"What about Jess?" Nathan asked. "What's gonna happen to her?"

"Once we break the bond holding her here, she should go back to wherever she was before—Heaven, or whatever."

"And will that help you, Dean?" Lori asked.

He shrugged. Breathed in and out. "Should. If there's nothing pulling me through, then it should put everything right again."

Chris scooted to the edge of his seat. "Okay, so what's first? Ekimmu or Jess?"

"Jess, right? Because releasing her will weaken it?" Becky answered for them.

Dean dug his fingers into his thighs, clearing away the fogginess as he said, "We're hoping."

"The problem is," Sam joined in, "if we draw her here, we may draw the Ekimmu here as well—which is why we need your help."

"Whatever you need, man, just name it," Chris said, looking around to the others.

Lori nodded, "I'm in, whatever you need."

"If this gets Aaron back, you couldn't stop me from helping," Becky said.

Everyone looked at Nathan then. The kid's face had drained of color and he swallowed, but slowly he nodded his head. "Tell us what to do."

Sam smiled and nodded at them. "Okay. I'm going to go over everyone's parts thoroughly. It's important everyone understands their role. The better we stick to the plan, the less likely someone will get hurt." Turning toward Dean, Sam asked, "You going to be okay while we get this all set up?"

"Yeah, man. Do your thing, I'll be ready." Dean blinked slowly, widened his eyes in an effort to look alert, watched as Sam nodded then stood.

"Nathan and Chris, I need your help getting our gear out of the car. Becky, I need you to gather anything you might have that is iron…Lori, just, watch him for me?"

"Sure thing, Sam," Lori said.

Dean closed his eyes against his uselessness. He was supposed to help get the gear and set up, but it was obvious that a trip down to the car and back would cost him too much. So far, though, the plan seemed to be working. If the person responsible for this was here, they were oblivious that their part would be the most important part in breaking the spell. Of course, he and Sam deliberately left that part out. Dean knew who he suspected, but he'd been surprised by people before. Soon enough they'd all know, he only hoped the guilty party didn't try anything stupid in the meantime.

He opened his eyes at the loud bangs to his right and discovered he was lying back against the couch, sweat running down the sides of his face even as he shook with chill. He blew out a breath to see if the room was as cold, but nothing happened. Squeezing his eyes against the listless, floating feeling, he reached out for something to hang onto and felt a warm hand take his.

"Easy, Dean," Lori whispered. She leaned into his view and smiled. "You hanging in there?"

Slowly, he nodded and searched the room for Sam. He discovered he was no longer in Rebecca's apartment, but in Sam and Jess's old apartment. Vaguely, he recalled Sam and Chris hauling him to his feet and guiding him down the corridor to deposit him on a musty couch in a darkened room.

He found his brother leaning over the coffee table now pushed off to the side. The others were leaning in with him, listening to every instruction he spelled out as he pointed to a paper spread out in front of them. He let Sam's voice be the center of everything, let the sureness of his words ground him.

A glass of water materialized in front of him and, with it, Lori.

"Keep drinking for me, okay. You're running a little bit of a fever."

So he did. He pushed himself to sit and took the glass, but it shook in his hand and he nearly dropped it. Lori helped steady it and he managed to drink a good portion on the first go, surprise faintly registering once again at how thirsty he was.

Rubbing between his eyes, he asked, "Got any pain relievers?"

"Got some extra strength Tylenol. That work?"

"Anything," he said and felt her warm body move away. Then she was back, placing three white oblong pills in his palm, the glass refilled.

As he swallowed the pills down, he could hear Sam teaching the exorcism phrase to the others. This exorcism rite was different from the one used on demons…mostly because it was in a different language, but it was also simpler—fewer words chanted repeatedly. He blinked and then Sam was drawing small circles on the floor. The protective circles the Stanford kids would stand in.

Someone had already painted sigils on the floor—inside a medium circle well away from the smaller ones—to open up a portal to trap and banish the Ekimmu. The trick was getting the Ekimmu into the circle, but once there, the sigils would temporarily trap it while they released Jessica.

It felt like he'd only blinked a few times when he felt another warm body sit on his other side, his brother's familiar scent heavy in the air. He rolled his eyes open the minute Sam lay a hand on his arm.

"You ready?" Sam asked when he caught Dean's eyes.

Already pushing himself up, Dean nodded. "Yeah, let's do this."

This was the part he'd dreaded the most. The ritual they'd practiced required him to strip down to his underwear so Sam could paint the words and symbols on as much of his skin as he was comfortable bearing. Everything except his face. There, one circle-shaped design would be painted on his forehead and that was it.

Once his shoes and socks were off, he felt hands help him out of his coat and over-shirt and then Sam was easing his tee-shirt over each arm one at a time and then his head. Once his chest and back came into view, both Becky and Nathan made shocked noises. He'd forgotten they didn't know about his recent injuries.

"Wh-what happened to you?" Nathan asked.

Dean smirked down at his chest, bandages covering the worst of his lacerations. "Ekimmu happened to the front; Jess happened to my back."

When he looked back up, the kid's face was positively green. "And you want us to fight this thing?" Nathan croaked.

"Look," Sam said, calm buttering his tone, "as long as you keep the protective charms on and stay inside your circle, you'll be fine."

Nathan nodded and stepped inside his circle even though it wasn't really necessary yet. Becky, though, came to Dean and stood there looking at his chest and then going around to his back, her fingertips briefly touching his bruise-mottled skin.

Emerging from behind him, she said, "I don't know, Sam, I don't like this. Did you know about this before we had dinner the other night?"

Sam nodded. "Yes."

"And you're not worried about him being in the same room with both of them again?"

"Of course I am—which is why we have to act fast. This is the only way, though."

She looked back at Dean and he could see the wheels turning, the assumptions being made. "Dean."

He shook his head. This had nothing to do with the promise he'd made her give him, but he could understand how the reality of the danger might only now be sinking in and she might wonder. He could also see Sam gearing up to start asking question, so he held his hand up.

"This isn't why I asked for your promise," he said to Becky. "Not because I think this will go badly, okay? I meant what I said." Dean looked away and then released the words into the air. "Sam's going to stay after this is done and that's it. I promise."

He sent a charged look at Chris standing behind her—take care of my brother—watched surprised understanding dawn on his face. He hoped Chris would continue to be fiercely protective of Sam and help watch over him.

Lori looked shocked and her mouth moved wordlessly for a few seconds before she finally got out, "Are you staying too?"

Sam, who'd been completely silent, turned his head away, his jaw tight and his eyes hard. "No," Dean said. "There's still things out there that need hunting. That's what I do. But, it doesn't have to be what Sam does anymore." Dean fought the emotion creeping up the back of his throat and let his eyes drop. He coughed, refused to allow the despair to settle in. Fumbling with the button on his jeans, he said, "Times a wasting; let's get this show on the road."

WCAWCAWCA

Sam watched his brother hide himself in the struggle to get his pants unbuttoned and unzipped. He had a million questions he wanted to ask. He wanted to stop this whole thing and start grilling people—he was tired of the weird vibes. He wanted to know what promise Becky had made Dean, but more than that, he wanted to know what the look passed between his brother and Chris meant. Dean had deliberately sent an unspoken message to Chris, but Sam didn't have a clue what it was about—he knew whatever it was, it had made Chris squirm uncomfortably. Dean was right, though. Time was wasting and now that the sigils were set and the traps laid, it was better if they hurried.

Dean threw his jeans to join the rest of his clothes on the couch and stepped into the biggest circle in the center of the room and lay on his back. All the furniture had been pushed to the wall to make room for the main circle and all the other smaller circles surrounding it. The circles, however, were different. The small circles were designed to protect and keep things out. They had been made out of sigils, salt and iron. The main circle, the one Dean was lying inside, was made of herbs, candles and chalk dust. It wasn't meant to keep out, it was meant to summon forth. Then, off to the side, was the entrapment circle for the Ekimmu—it was made of more sigils, blood, iron and bone dust.

Sam drew in a deep breath and looked around at everyone. In a little while, he'd know which of his friends wished him so much torment, who had caused Dean so much pain. In a little while, they'd all be depending on each other to make it out of this safe. In a little while, he'd be speaking to his dead girlfriend with his brother as the vessel.

"Okay, everyone," he spoke with more confidence than he felt, "make sure you are in your circles and make sure you stay there. This part will take a little while, but stay in the circles and if the Ekimmu shows up, shoot it. And no matter what happens, do not leave the circle."

He waited as everyone picked up their weapons from the coffee table and stood in their designated circle. Some had guns filled with consecrated iron rounds or rock salt, some of them got stuck with iron poles to be used as a bat. But all of that was just extra precaution, more for their peace of mind than anything.

Climbing into the circle with Dean, Sam knelt next to his side and picked up his clean brush. Dipping it into the blood and herbed ink he'd made, he began drawing the pictures over Dean's body just as they had practiced, saying the words he knew by heart as he drew.

This time, Dean held perfectly still, no giggling or twitching, just perfect stillness. That was the best part about working with Dean: he always took care of the other person in whatever way he could.

Since they were using real ink this time and not paints, it wouldn't take long to see signs of the ritual working. When Sam had painted the last symbol on Dean's left leg, they all briefly glowed white and Dean sucked in a pained breath. Sam paused, waited for Dean to nod before he crawled on the other side to start on the right leg.

"Does it hurt him?" someone asked.

Sam kept painting and reciting, unable to stop once he'd started. After a minute, he heard Dean say, "Just feels like a," Dean swallowed mid-sentence and paused. Sam looked up and caught his eyes. Dean finished saying, "feels like an electric shock."

When Sam had finished the right leg, both sets of pictures on both legs flashed white and Dean grunted this time, his face creased in a grimace. When the worst had eased, Sam started on Dean's left arm. The silence around them continued until Sam had started on Dean's right arm.

"Dean?" Sam recognized this voice as Lori's and could hear the undercurrent of worry. "What happens if Sam doesn't get everything exact?"

This question, Sam didn't let register. He heard it and he heard Dean's answer, but he let it roll off him like it was nothing. After Dean explained what could happen should Sam mess any part of the ritual up, the room fell back to silence. No sooner had he lifted the brush from Dean's skin then his brother was hissing, his body jerking with the pain of both arms and both legs lighting up. When he was able to relax again, Dean pressed both lips together and closed his eyes as he nodded. Then Dean carefully rolled onto his stomach. They had both agreed to do his back first and then his torso last. Sam had to concentrate on keeping his hand steady as he began on Dean this time. He didn't like causing Dean pain, but it was part of what made the ritual successful. Without the pain, there was no power, and it was meant to escalate as they went through each specific set. The last one, the one on the forehead, would hurt the most.

When he began working on the final few on Dean's chest, he nearly faltered. His hand shook for a bare second and his voice cracked as he uttered the word for heart.

"I trust you, Sam," Dean said. You've got this, just keep going." He felt Dean squeeze his knee. One short nod and Sam twirled the spiral-shaped symbol over Dean's heart. The last one painted on, Dean's whole body lit up and his body bowed with the pain. Dean's eyes squeezed shut and he moaned through his teeth, this one lasting longer than the rest.

Finally, Dean's body relaxed and, when his panting had eased, Sam positioned himself at Dean's head. He looked over at the others hoping he could prepare them for what came next with a look. Nervous fear etched Lori's face and Becky's too. Nathan looked sick, never able to handle other's physical pain well, and Chris, well, Chris looked like he was doing his best to be strong for Sam, but Sam could see he was as anxious as the others.

None of them were prepared for this type of thing, didn't know the Winchesters regularly suffered physical pain for the job they did. He realized nothing would make this easy for anyone, so he nodded to himself and touched the brush to Dean's forehead, enunciating the final words clearly and perfectly.

Dean's scream filled the room and ripped through Sam's gut. Helplessly, he watched as Dean stiffened and his body pushed away from the floor, a vain but unconscious attempt at getting away from the burning pain igniting his body. This time, though, the symbols didn't stop glowing. The light pierced through Dean's body and he shook from head to toe.

Another source of light began glowing in the air at Dean's feet, growing until it took on the shape of Jessica's ghost self. She hung in the air, a few feet off the floor, looking serene and beautiful. He ignored the surprised and fearful sounds of his friends, concentrating on what he had to do instead.

"Dean." Sam urged his brother to move. He looked down to see what was going on and gasped at the light pouring from Dean's eyes, round and wide. With one big gasp of air, Dean came back to himself and struggled to sit up. Being sure to avoid the inked areas, Sam carefully helped his brother kneel at Jess's feet.

Dean's head hung for a minute, but then he lifted his face toward her.

"I invite you in."

Sam began reciting the second part of the ritual and stepped out of the circle. As the words flowed, Jess lifted a transparent hand and cupped Dean's cheek. Sam heard his brother's intake of breath and kept on reading.

As Jess become more solid, Dean became pale. On the third verse, both Dean's and Jess's head snapped back, mouths gaping soundlessly. A huge wall of light surrounded them in a flash that made it impossible to see either of them. When Sam let the last word fall from his lips, the light dimmed, revealing Dean standing in the middle of the circle with Jessica transposed over him.

Sam felt the air catch on the wetness of his cheeks and he reached up to touch the tears he didn't know were sliding down his face.

"Jess, baby, can you see me?"

"Sam," Jess whispered. When she stepped forward, her image flickered and he could clearly see Dean, then with the next step, he could clearly see Jess, but always he could see them both battling for dominance. Suddenly, they both stopped and turned to look behind them.

"No," they whispered. Both Dean/Jess whipped their heads around to stare at him with huge eyes full of fear. Sam's gaze was drawn to the blood dripping from Dean's nose, covering his lips as they warned, "Sam, it's coming."

A gust of wind blew from behind and Sam spun to see a black void taking shape before him and a large, clawed hand raking down.

"Nooo!" he heard Dean's voice dominate Jess's and then felt himself being shouldered aside, crashing to the floor. "You stay away from him!" Dean shouted. His brother stood between him and the Ekimmu. He could see the bare outline of Jess flickering in and out, but she couldn't seem to gain a foothold. Dean kept himself in front of Sam, protecting him as aggressively as he always did.

Sam's eyes scanned the others, but none of them could get a clear shot without hitting Dean—they all looked frozen with fear and awe. Sam scrambled to his feet, but the Ekimmu stuttered forward and swung its arm, catching Dean by his left shoulder and lifting him into the air, sending him crashing into the wall. Sam backed up, looking for something to use as a weapon.

"Sam!" Someone yelled and then Becky was tossing him her iron bar. He caught it and brought it up before him. The Ekimmu growled low in its throat as it advanced. "Should we start chanting?" she yelled, but Sam could only shake his head, throat gone dry.

"Hey, ugly!" Dean hollered, standing with his hands out to the sides, blood dripping from the fingers of his left. "Try this on for size!" Dean's head fell back and he screamed as Jess took precedence and both of them burst into a wall of flame. Dean's pained cry and Jessica's growl of anger rang out from the fiery wall.

Sam drew back from at the onslaught of heat and shouted, "Dean, no!"

But it was no use, Dean was beyond listening.

"We have to get it in the circle!" he shouted at the others. They stared back helplessly, their weapons held in front of them in a protective stance.

"What do you want us to do?" Becky shrilly asked.

But Dean/Jess charged forward, the thing backing up, roaring right before they impacted—wailing voices and desperate animal cries mixed together as it swung its arm, sending Dean/Jess crashing at Chris's feet. Chris stared at them, but then the creature roared again and he looked up to see it was coming towards him. He brought the gun up and shot the thing point blank, but that only made it stumble back for a second before it was heading straight for him again. The salt didn't seem to affect it.

Sam shouted at Nathan, "Here!" He held his hand up and waited for Nathan to toss him his iron-loaded sawed off. He was going to be too late, too late! Just as Chris threw his arms over his face, Dean/Jess sprang up and tackled the thing, rolling in a fiery heap across the floor. Sam aimed his gun, waiting for his chance, but Dean hung on with both arms as he wrestled the bucking thing into standing, fire blazing around all three of them. Dean lost his grip as it turned and twisted in his arms.

Sam ran to intervene, but the Ekimmu kicked out and caught him in the stomach, forcing him backwards, knocking him breathless—but he hung onto the thing as he went down. As it fell back with Sam, the Ekimmu's claws caught Dean across his chest right along a similar path as the first time, stitches sliced away with more skin as it fell.

The glow from the symbols stuttered and Jess with them. For a few seconds, it was just Dean standing on his own and he immediately crashed to his knees. Without the haze of Jess and flame obscuring him, Sam could see the blood trickling from Dean's ears and nose and the rivers of it coming from the gouges in his shoulder and chest. He could see the pale of Dean's face and the shadows around his eyes—how he looked like an aged photograph. He realized with startling clarity what this was costing Dean.

The Ekimmu gained its feet, but before Sam could call out, move or even twitch in Dean's direction, the symbols flashed to life and the fire and Jess were back, not quite as bright, but hot as ever. Gaining strength from Jess, Dean sprang back up and flew into the Ekimmu shoulder first, finally knocking it into the trap. He and Jess fell to the side as a flash of bright blue light held the creature fast. No matter how much it struggled and wailed, it was stuck.

"Okay, we have an hour before that shield weakens," Sam reminded everyone as he grabbed Dean by the elbow and pulled him to his feet. "You alright," he asked his brother.

Dean didn't answer, his eyes a dull, gray-green. Jess did, though. She smiled at him, sadness pulling the corners down.

"Sam," she whispered, but made no move toward him. Her smile fell and she turned toward Nathan instead, moving to stand in front of him.

"Jessica, please." Nathan blurt, all color gone from his skin.

"Why?" she asked. "Why would you do this?"

Deep inside, of all his friends, Sam had suspected Nathan. Although his friend was timid, meek, Sam knew Nathan had been different ever since his sister had died. Nathan had become emotionally unpredictable and depressed. Still, hurt bloomed sharply in Sam's chest.

Nathan's face crumpled and he fell to his knees, his shoulders shaking.

"I'm sorry, so so sorry. I never meant to harm you. I thought you wouldn't feel anything…I didn't think you'd be you. I'm so sorry, Jessica. I would never hurt you."

Her voice sharp, she said, "And Sam? Why would you hurt him? He is your friend."

Nathan's head jerked up and his face became a knot of pain. "Because he deserved to hurt. Deserved to be haunted like I'm haunted." Nathan turned his agonized eyes on Sam and continued, "Did I ever tell you, Sam? Did I tell you when Rachel died, I felt her die? I felt her hopelessness—the pain she felt! Did I tell you that? Her face, her screams haunted me for months, MONTHS! Every night when I closed my eyes I saw her—felt her dying—crying out for help."

Nathan began weeping, his voice shrill with anguish. "And why? Why, Sam? You should've known! You could've stopped it. You knew about ghosts and possessions and stuff like that. You knew about the weird things going on with her, but you did nothing. 'Cause, you didn't want to see it. You were supposed to be our friend, but you let her die!"

Right up to that moment, Sam had expected to feel self-righteous anger, to feel enraged at the person who had done this to Jess, to Dean. But all Sam could feel was sharp guilt and deep remorse because Nathan was right. The signs had all been there, he had known something was going on, but he had chosen not to look too closely. He convinced himself he was done with all that. He had been selfish. The agony on his friend's face would live in his memory for a long while.

"You're right, I failed you. I failed Rachel. I was so busy running away from who I am, I didn't think about anyone else. I should've done something."

Sam's confession only seemed to upset Nathan further and he began to sob hysterically. "Don't," he cried when he'd calmed enough to talk. "Don't be nice to me. I did a cruel, terrible thing. People died because of me." He looked to Jess. "Kill me, I deserve it. I did this, all of it and I deserve to die."

Jessica reached out and cupped his face, smiling down at him, she said, "Release me and I will forgive you."

Nathan gaped at her, blinked uncomprehendingly at her, his mouth working but his voice gone.

"Please, release me and I will forgive you."

Slowly, Nathan began nodding his head. On wobbly legs, Sam came to stand next to Jess, facing her. She turned to face him, her eyes seeking his.

Reaching into his pocket, Sam drew out the locket and let it swing from his fingers. Not taking his eyes from Jess, he said, "Destroy this and it will set her free and break the curse."

"How?" Nathan asked. "How do I destroy it?"

Sam turned to look into Nathan's red-rimmed eyes. "There, in my duffle, you'll find a propane torch. Toss the locket in the steel bowl I gave you earlier and melt it down."

Nathan gave the Ekimmu a wide berth as he hurried away to find the items. Sam faced Jessica again.

His head bent low. "I'm so sorry, Jess. I should've saved you. I'm sorry I didn't."

"No, Sam, you couldn't have helped me. I was already gone by the time you got home."

"But I dreamed about it for months…I should've taken precautions, protected you."

"C'mon on, Sam," she said gently. "You were just a kid—how were you supposed to know they were visions of the future?"

Sam looked up with confusion. "I never told you. How—?"

"Oh, Sam. Lots of things become clear from this side. Nothing is kept secret." She and Dean turned to gaze at the rest of the Stanford kids. Moving away from Sam, she and Dean stood in front of Becky.

"Becky, I am so happy for you and Aaron. I always knew you'd make a perfect couple."

Laughing through tears, Becky said, "You kept telling me to take a chance. You were right. I miss you so much, my friend."

Jess touched Becky's hand. "I miss you too—but don't waste any more time grieving for me. Don't miss out on chances to make new friends and live your life fully."

Becky stretched her hand into the lighted area that was Jess's hand, grazing the tips of Dean's fingers, and said, "I won't. I promise."

Jessica smiled and then turned toward Chris. At first she gave him a glare, but she couldn't maintain it and it melted into a sympathetic smile.

"Chris, you are wrong."

Chris's eyes grew anguished. "What?"

"About Dean," she continued, she lay her fingers along the side of his temple and he flinched once before his eyes widened. "Dean is not who you thought he was. He's not a danger to Sam—he's Sam's most ardent protector. Sam needs Dean to save him. He will need him over and over in this job they do. Make no mistake, Sam is meant for this life." Letting her fingers fall to his shoulder, she whispered, "You owe them an apology."

Facing twisting, Chris licked his lips and then nodded. "Yeah. I'm sorry—I..."

Jessica held a finger up to his mouth. "Not now. You'll know when the time is right. Sam will forgive you. They both will." She gave his shoulder a pat and let her arm fall to her side. "It's also time you let go of your guilt over your brother. He loves you and he doesn't want you to keep punishing yourself and others for what happened. There was nothing you could have done to make things different."

"Yeah, okay," Chris squeaked out, voice shattered with emotion. Jessica rubbed his arm and then moved in front of Lori.

"Take care of them for me."

Lori could only nod, her face lit with wonder.

Jessica came full circle back to Sam, Nathan standing just behind him. Nathan kept side-eyeing the Ekimmu, obviously terrified of the dark presence still struggling inside the blue light. She reached out toward Nathan, who was holding the bowl with the necklace in it and the torch in the other hand. He came forward, head hanging low.

"I'm still angry with you," she began, "but I forgive you because I know your anguish. Forgive Sam, Nathan. He loves you and I know, deep down, you understand why he made the choices he made. He was a scared kid himself."

Nathan was shaking like a leaf, full tremors making his voice vibrate. "I do—I-I understand." He shrugged his shoulders, "After all I've done, how can I be mad at Sam? People died because of what I did. His brother's been hurt because of me. You and Sam have been hurt because of what I did." His voice became a whisper. "I don't think I can live with this."

Jessica looked at him sadly. "Please, try. For me."

He nodded, but didn't look convinced.

Turning to Sam, she said. "He needs help, Sam. Please make sure he gets it. He has a chance, but he can't do it alone."

"Of course," Sam whispered. "We'll make sure he gets the help he needs."

Tears began to roll down her cheeks as she drew her gaze from the locket to Sam's.

"I guess this—" she sniffed, "This is goodbye."

Sam swallowed hard, eyes blurring instantly. Clearing his throat, he croaked, "Yeah, I guess so. Once the necklace melts, nothing will hold you here."

With a sniff-hiccup, she said, "Nothing but you."

"No, no, Jess. I don't want that for you. Move on, don't stay here for me."

"I-I won't. I promise. When I know you'll be okay—you'll both be okay—I'll go."

"I am okay. I am."

"No, Sam. I decide. I promise I will. But I decide when the time is right." Jess smiled. "Be happy."

Sam looked down. "I will."

Cupping a hand to his face, a combination of Jess's delicate fingers and Dean's more sturdy ones, she tilted his face up. Both hands of the two people dearest to him.

"Sam, listen to me. Happiness isn't what you do or where you are, but who you're with and who you are. What you and Dean do? I can't imagine anything more important or heroic. I am so proud of you. Stop fighting yourself and you will find contentment."

Nodding, Sam used his thumb to wipe the tears gathering thickly in his lashes. "Yeah, okay."

She giggled and rolled her eyes.

"What?" he asked.

"Your brother is cussing me. Doesn't want you giving up on your dreams…he doesn't realize how the world needs you both—and the role he plays in your life."

"What do you mean?"

"Dean's important to you, Sam." Her eyes stared through him, as if seeing something else. "He will save you—keep him close and listen to him." Her eyes refocused on his. "I'm sorry I've hurt him."

Sam shook his head. "I know you didn't mean to—he knows it too. He will be okay?"

Growing serious, she said, "I don't know, Sam. I'm using a lot of his energy to be here like this. We need to finish this."

His face crumpled and tears fell in earnest. Torn between having to say goodbye too quickly and causing his brother irreparable harm.

"Baby, please don't cry," she said, "you know I can't let anyone cry alone." She placed her other hand on the other side of his face and drew him close. For a second she struggled, then glowed brighter, became solid and there as she leaned toward him.

"Please, just let me…." Her image broke away from Dean and her lips met Sam's in a firm, icy kiss. Under his lips, she felt the same as always, only cold, like kissing a snowflake.

Sam brought his hands up to her arms and curled his fingers around her frozen flesh. Caught up in being able to touch her one last time, it took a while for him to be aware of Dean making soft grunting sounds, like he was the one plunged into icy waters. Eyes springing open, Sam saw his brother over Jessica's mostly solid shoulder. His upper torso was free of Jess and he stood rigid and gasping, face scrunched in pain, his lips blue.

Jessica jerked back. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that."

She and Dean merged once again, her pale glow superseding his earthly solidness.

"Sam, hurry, Dean needs us to hurry. I took too much."

Nodding, Sam sniffed. "Nathan, melt it when I tell you." Behind him, Nathan knelt and fired up the torch, ready for Sam's command.

"I love you, Jess," Sam whispered.

"I know you do. I love you, too."

"You'll be okay?"
"Of course I will. I don't remember much before I was brought here, but I'm sure I was happy."

Sam nodded with a smile. "That's good, that's good." His voice cracked and tears dripped off his nose.

"You're gonna be okay, too, Sam," she said. "Remember I love you, I want you to be happy and I have faith in you. You and Dean."

Sam hiccupped and no words made it out of his throat. All he could do was keep nodding as his eyes studied her every inch. The delicate bones of her collar bone, the blue of her eyes, the shape of her lips.

"Do it now, Sam. Now."

Clearing his throat and keeping his eyes fixed on her, he whispered, "Okay, Nathan. Do it."

Nathan buried the necklace in a wall of flame and instantly Jessica began to flicker. Dean swayed and nearly went down.

"Whoa!" Catching him, Sam lowered Dean to the ground, Jess still flickering over Dean's body. When Jessica began to glow as if lit from within, Dean cried out in pain, fingers gripping Sam's shirt until Jessica was so bright, Sam couldn't see Dean anymore.

He held on tight. Dean was burning against him, but solid and there, so he held on, closing his eyes against the brightness. When the light suddenly winked out, he opened his eyes. Colorful spots swam in and out of his vision, a whisper of wind blew his hair and he knew it was Jess, though he could no longer see her. Looking down, Dean smiled weakly at him, his skin waxen and colorless.

"Finish it, Sam," Dean said, voice barely a scrape of sound.

"Are you okay?"

Dean's grip on Sam's arm tightened. "Finish it. Now."

Sam swallowed and then nodded. He eased Dean down to the floor. "Stay with him," he said to Lori as she came forward and knelt on his other side, a huge medical duffle now appearing from where she'd hidden it earlier. She nodded, already wiping away the blood, and Sam stood and turned to face the Ekimmu.

Still writhing and twisting in its trap, the creature was wailing piteously. Less solid now, it was more of a boiling black cloud—still with the yellow cat's eyes—tendrils swirled and undulated around it. It kept bumping against the blue shield that surrounded it, crying out each time.

"Everybody ready?" Sam asked. Sam stood and scanned the semi-circle his friends made around him. Everyone nodded, though most had saucer-wide eyes. "Together!"

He began the chant himself, the others joining in slowly, then with more certainty and strength. Together they chanted the words over and over, each word eliciting horrifying warbles and moans from the creature as it twisted and writhed.

Sam felt sweat pool along his brow and run between his shoulder blades, using all his inner strength and focus, giving as much of himself to it as he humanly could. As the exorcism began to take effect, the thing become less and less corporeal and began to turn to black, smoky mist that churned perfectly inside the circle. Finally, the mist seemed to simply catch fire and the blaze consumed the mist in a bright flare before it winked out completely, all going silent.

Sam sank to his knees, one hand thrown out to keep him upright, exhausted and numb. A frantic scuffle next to him made him look. Lori was urgently trying to rouse Dean.

"Dean, Dean, c'mon Dean," she chanted as she lightly shook him. Laying her fingers across his lips she held still for a minute. Sam's chest tightened in fear as her face transformed into panic.

"Sam!" Lori called. "He's not breathing!"

Sam scuttled across the floor pushing Lori away as he dug two fingers into Dean's carotid. He found a heartbeat, but it was weak and the rhythm wasn't right. Pulling Dean into his arms, he shook him hard.

"Dean, don't you do this. Please, man, please. Dean!" Sam looked around helplessly. "Call an ambulance, now!"

TBC

A/N 2: So, so sorry for the cliffhanger-I didn't see any other clean way to end this chapter. Next chapter should be the last.