This is my first story, so please be nice. Tell me what you think.
I do not own any of the characters (except for Alex) and I do not own any of the story lines.
Chapter 12: The House That Built Me
A woman at the window, screaming. She was banging on the window glass, screaming for help in the middle of the night. A large tree loomed beside her house. The night was dark and moonless…
Alex woke with a start, her dream seeming so real. She reached over to her nightstand and snapped on the bedside lamp. She climbed out of bed and shivered at the cold. She grabbed a sweatshirt from the floor by her bed and threw it on. It was one of Dean's old hoodies and it engulfed her completely. Alex walked to her closet and yanked the door open. She grabbed a box from the top shelf and pulled it down. She opened it and searched through it for the picture she was looking for. She finally found it and held it up. The picture was of Dean standing by the huge, old tree that had been in their front lawn in their old house in Kansas.
"That was the tree from my dream," whispered Alex.
She threw the picture back in the box and set the box on her dresser. She climbed back into bed, turning the light off and snuggling into her covers, Dean's sweatshirt still on her body.
Sam quickly sat up in his bed, sweaty and not well rested. He had dreamt of a woman screaming at the window in their old house. He looked over at Dean, who was dead asleep and snoring loudly. Sam shook it off, convincing himself that it was just a dream and went back to sleep.
Sam sat on his bed the next morning, looking at pictures that he had drawn in a notebook. The pictures were all of the same tree from his dream the night before.
"So, I found a few candidates for our next gig," said Dean.
"Cattle mutilations in West Texas, fisherman's crew disappeared… Hey!"
Sam jerked his head up at his brother.
"Am I boring you?" asked Dean.
"No, I'm listening."
Sam looked back at his notebook that was resting on his lap, flipping through the pictures.
"A man shot himself in the head three times. Any of these things blowing up your skirt, pal?" asked Dean, taking a drink from his paper coffee cup.
Sam cocked his head to the side as he looked at one of his drawings.
"I've seen this."
"Seen what?" asked Dean.
Sam grabbed his dad's journal from the foot of his bed and set it on his lap, opening it. He flipped through it quickly, settling on a page that had the same tree from his drawings on it. The tree was pictured in a family photo of Dean, Sam and Alex as they stood in front of their old house in Lawrence, Kansas.
"Dean, we have to go back home."
Sam tore the photo out of the journal and walked over to Dean.
"This photo was taken at our old house, right?"
Dean looked at the picture, squinting to see it better.
"Yeah. Why?"
"They rebuilt the house, right?"
"Yes, Sam. Why does it matter?"
Sam sat down across from Dean at the small kitchen table.
"I think the people that live in our old house might be in danger."
"Why would you think that?" asked Dean.
"I have those nightmares and sometimes, they come true."
Sam stood up and grabbed his duffel bag, setting it on the bed. He grabbed clothes from the motel room dresser and began putting them into the bag.
"Come again?" asked Dean, his eyebrows raised as he leaned forward in his chair.
He rested his elbows on his knees.
"Dean, I dreamt about Jessica's death and didn't do anything about it."
"Sammy, I swore I would never go back there."
Sam looked at Dean sadly, halting his packing for a moment.
"We have to check this out."
Dean ran his hand over his face and sighed sadly.
"I know we do."
Dean hit Sam's arm as they entered Lawrence. Sam jerked awake, stretching his arms and yawning.
"We're here," said Dean, nodding towards all of the familiar sites.
"Hey, the diner. You want to go in and eat?" asked Sam, looking at the familiar place where they had spent many a night as kids.
"Yeah, let's do it."
Dean parked the car in front of the little diner and they walked inside, sitting in a booth in the very back.
"Kellan, I have to go to work," whined Alex as Kellan kept kissing down her neck.
"Can't you miss just one time? Call in sick. Please?" begged Kellan, looking up at Alex with his bottom lip out.
Alex laughed, kissing his pouty lip.
"Nope, I'm covering for Diane. I have to go in this time."
Alex stood up from the couch and straightened her shirt. She glanced in the living room mirror and gasped when she saw a hickey on her neck. She touched it and whirled around to face Kellan, who was grinning.
"I can't believe you! I have to go to work!"
Kellan stood up and wrapped his arms around her petite waist, looking down at her upset face.
"I'm sorry. I got carried away. Will I see you after work?"
"Yes. But I really have to go now."
She stood on her tiptoes, giving him a quick peck on the lips and then stepped out of his hold on her waist, grabbing her jacket from beside the front door on her way out.
"Bye, see you later!"
Alex entered the diner through the back door only a few minutes after leaving Kellan at her apartment, shaking the rain off of her jacket as she hung it up. She set it on the hook and smiled at the cook.
"Hey, Bob. Sorry I'm late."
Bob smirked and motioned to the hickey on her neck with his spatula.
"I understand."
He winked at her and Alex laughed, walking past him to get to the front of the diner. She pushed open the kitchen doors and walked out front, greeting Betsy.
"Hey, Betsy."
"Hey, Alex. Nice hickey."
Alex put her hand over her neck to hide her hickey and Betsy laughed. Alex grabbed her notepad from under the counter and surveyed the diner. It wasn't very busy, just a few people in some booths in the back.
"There's some serious eye candy in your section. Booth in the very back," said Betsy.
Alex smirked.
"I'm totally serious. Super delicious. Go check it out."
"Whatever."
Alex walked out from behind the counter and walked to the booth that Betsy was raving about. She approached the booth, looking at the occupants. Her smile faded and she froze.
"Hi. I'd like…"
Dean looked up and saw Alex.
"Alex?"
Sam looked up, too and looked shocked.
"Oh, my God, Alex."
Alex took two steps back before she turned around and ran to the counter. She threw her notepad on it and looked at Betsy.
"I have to get out of here. Tell Diane I'm sorry."
Betsy watched Alex rush back into the kitchen. She turned back around to see Sam and Dean standing directly in front of her.
"Well, what can I do for you boys?"
"Um, we need to know where Alex lives. Right now," said Dean.
"Um, I'm not sure-"
"Look, she's our sister and we need to find her. Please," said Sam.
"Okay."
Betsy wrote down Alex's address on a slip of paper and handed it to Sam.
"Thank you. So much."
Sam and Dean quickly left the restaurant, heading for Alex's apartment only a few blocks away.
Alex rushed into her apartment, frantic. Kellan was sitting on her couch, a magazine in his hands. He threw it on her coffee table and stood up in one fluid motion, running over to her.
"Baby, what's wrong?"
He held her face in his hands as Alex let her tears spill over.
"M-my brothers were at t-the diner," sobbed Alex.
Kellan sighed and pulled Alex into his chest.
"Shh, it's alright."
Alex cried for a few minutes into his muscular chest. She pulled away eventually and looked up at Kellan. She pulled his face down to hers and kissed him. Alex quickly opened his lips with her tongue and kissed him passionately, her hands going to his hair. Kellan pulled away, grabbing Alex's wrists so that she couldn't move further.
"Alex, what are you doing?"
"I want to forget about them. I need you to help me forget. Please."
Alex looked up at him through her lashes, biting her bottom lip. Kellan groaned and bent down to capture her lips with his own, pulling her bottom lip from her teeth with his mouth. Alex moaned into his mouth and stood up on her tiptoes. Kellan grabbed her legs as she wrapped them around his waist and carried her into the kitchen. His arm swept across the counter, knocking her mail to the floor. Alex kissed and sucked down his neck as he did this, causing him to growl. He set her on the counter once it was cleared. She reattached her lips to his own and reached for the hem of his shirt. She grabbed it and pulled it over his head, their lips separating for a second so that she could pull his shirt off. Alex grabbed her own shirt, pulling it over her head. She was left in her black lace bra and Kellan looked at her hungrily. Alex threw her head back as Kellan kissed her cleavage, her eyes closing. Her legs were still wrapped around his waist, her knees on his hips and her ankles were crossed as they rested on his lower back. He kissed his way back up to her mouth and Alex attached her lips to his greedily. Her hands went between their bodies and began working on his belt buckle. She had gotten it undone and was working on the zipper of his jeans when Kellan grabbed her hands in his own, stopping her. He gently kissed her before he pulled away and looked at her.
"I don't think we should do this."
"You don't want me?" asked Alex, looking down.
Kellan grabbed her small chin in his palm and pulled her face up to his.
"No, I do want you. But doing this because you're upset about your brothers isn't the right time."
Alex sighed, but nodded.
"You're right. I'm sorry."
Kellan let go of her chin and smiled. He kissed the top of her head.
"Don't be sorry. It's alright."
Alex smiled and leaned forward, kissing him gently.
"That girl Betsy said this was Alex's apartment," said Dean, pointing at the door that was marked 4B.
Sam nodded curtly and knocked on the door. His hand fell to his side as they waited for the door to open.
"Dude, why isn't she answering?" asked Dean.
Sam shrugged and crouched down. He lifted up the mat outside of her door and found a spare key. He stood up, showing the key to Dean. Dean nodded and Sam inserted the key into the door. He turned the knob and the door opened. They quietly walked inside, looking around. Sam pocketed the key.
"Alex?" called Dean.
They heard a sigh from the kitchen and they began walking that way.
Alex sighed as Kellan pulled away from her.
"I better go, babe. I've got to work tomorrow."
Alex smiled and Kellan pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, smiling at her. He leaned in, kissing her again.
"What the hell?" said Dean.
Kellan pulled away from Alex and looked over towards Sam and Dean.
"Are these…?" asked Kellan, trailing off as he looked at Alex.
Alex nodded and looked at him.
"Sorry."
Kellan smiled and grabbed his shirt from the counter. He slipped it on, his muscles flexing as he did. Alex looked at his biceps and bit her lip. Kellan noticed and smirked.
"I'll see you later."
He placed a quick kiss on her lips and walked over to Sam and Dean. Their arms were crossed across their chests and they were glaring at him.
"You, uh, forgot your belt," said Sam.
Kellan looked down and buckled his belt.
"Thanks, man."
Sam gave him a sarcastic smile and Kellan pushed past him, leaving the apartment. Sam and Dean looked at Alex as she threw on her shirt.
"What the fuck do you two want?" snapped Alex.
She bent down, picking up her mail from the floor.
"Well, I don't want to see that douche ever again," said Dean.
Alex glared over at him.
"I can't believe that you were making out with that guy," said Sam.
"Well, I have nothing else to do. Besides, he's not a douche."
She entered her living room and sat on the couch, looking at them as they stood in front of her.
"Alex, we want you to forgive us," said Sam.
"Oh, you want me to be with you now? I finally begin to find some semblance of normal and you want me to drop everything and come with you? Right," scoffed Alex.
"Please. We're sorry," said Dean.
"You told me to leave. My whole family left me. I just want my dad and my brothers back," said Alex, her eyes filling up with tears.
"Shit, I'm sorry," said Dean.
He sat down next to her and pulled her into a hug. Sam sat on her other side and hugged her when Dean was finished.
"So, is there a job here then?" asked Alex.
"Yep. There's a woman living in our old house. We think she could be in trouble," said Sam.
Alex nodded and looked at Dean, who was studying her intently.
"Is that my shirt?" asked Dean, pointing to the concert tee that Alex was wearing.
Alex looked down at it and nodded.
"I wear your clothes to bed every night. They, um, smelled like you and that's the only way I could sleep peacefully."
Dean smiled.
"Well, put some clothes on and we'll head to the old house."
He and Sam walked to the door and Alex quickly changed into some jeans, a t-shirt, and Sam's old Stanford hoodie that was way too big on her.
"Hey, that's mine!" said Sam, watching as Alex locked her front door.
"Yeah, and it's warm too."
She stuck out her tongue and headed for the stairs, Dean laughing and Sam smiling and shaking his head as they followed her.
Dean stopped the car across the street from their childhood home only a few minutes later. He put it into park and glanced at Sam and Alex, who were looking at the house sadly.
"You two going to be alright?"
"I'll get back to you on that," said Sam, Alex nodding with agreement.
Dean stepped out of the car, squinting as the sun hit his face. Sam and Alex joined him on the driver's side of the car and they walked up to the front doorstep. Sam knocked on the door and Alex held her breath, waiting for someone to answer.
"Yes?" said a blonde woman as she answered the door.
Alex released her breath, but frowned as she realized that this was the woman from her nightmare.
"Hi, I'm Sam Winchester. These are my siblings, Dean and Alex. We used to live here. We just wanted to see the old place."
"You know, I think I found some of your old photos the other night," said the woman.
"You did?" asked Dean, his eyebrows raised.
The woman smiled and stepped aside, letting them into her house. They followed her into the kitchen.
"This is my son, Ricky."
The woman pointed to a toddler standing in his playpen.
"And this is Sari. Sari, this is Sam, Dean, and Alex. They used to live here."
Sari waved at the three of them and Alex smiled gently over towards her.
"How do you like the house?" asked Sam, looking at the woman.
"Oh, well, this place has its issues."
"What do you mean?" asked Alex.
"There are flickering lights, rats in the basement, and the sink is backed up."
The woman warmly smiled over at the three of them.
"I'm sorry. I don't mean to complain."
"No, it's okay. Have you actually seen the rats?" asked Dean.
"No, just heard scratching."
Sari stopped doing her homework and glanced up at her mom.
"Mom?"
The woman bent down to Sari and Alex looked over at her brothers.
"Ask them about my closet," whispered Sari.
"Baby, there's nothing in your closet."
The woman straightened up and looked at the Winchesters.
"Right?"
"Right, of course not," encouraged Sam.
Sari sighed and put her pencil down on top of her homework worksheet.
"But there was something in my bedroom. And it was on fire."
"A woman on fire," said Sam, walking back to the Impala with his siblings.
"And that woman, Jenny, was in your dreams?" asked Dean.
Sam nodded and Alex bit her lip, saying nothing about her own dream.
"Wait, you're having weird dreams?" asked Alex, keeping the focus entirely on Sam.
"Yeah. Are you?" asked Sam.
Alex shook her head and Dean sighed in relief.
"Do you think the thing in the house killed Mom and Jessica?" asked Sam.
"I don't know!" yelled Dean.
"Well, whatever it is, those people are in danger. They need to be out of that house," said Alex, her hands in her sweatshirt pocket.
"How do we get them out, genius? Do you have a story?" snapped Dean.
Alex flinched at his words and walked to the back of the car, leaving Sam and Dean by the driver's side door.
"Dean, don't take your frustration out on her. We just got her back, please, don't lose her again," said Sam.
Dean nodded and ran a hand over his face.
"Go apologize. I'll be in the car."
Sam walked to the passenger side and opened the door, climbing in and looking at Dean.
"Go," he mouthed and Dean walked to the back of the car where Alex was leaning against the trunk, staring off into the distance.
Dean stood next to her and looked at her.
"I'm sorry I snapped at you. I just didn't want to come back here and it's getting to me."
Alex sighed sadly and looked at her brother.
"It's okay. But don't do it again or I'll seriously hurt you."
Dean laughed and pulled her into his arms for a hug. She wrapped her arms around his torso and Dean kissed the top of her head.
Dean pulled the pump from the stand and stuck it into the gas tank of the Impala. It began to fill with gas and Alex sniffed the air, sighing as the smell of gasoline filled her nose.
"Ahh, I love the smell of gasoline. And tires."
She was hanging out of the driver's side window, her upper body all the way out of the car and she was looking at Dean.
"You are one weird chick, you know that?" asked Dean.
"Whatever. You still love me."
Dean smiled.
"That I do, little sis. That I do. Anyway, if this were any other job, what would we do?"
"We dig into the house's history," said Alex.
"So, how much do you actually remember, Dean?" asked Sam, leaning against the hood of the car, his arms folded across his chest.
"About that night? Not much. I remember the fire and the heat. Then I carried you two out the door."
Sam's forehead wrinkled.
"You did?" asked Alex and Sam at the same time.
Dean smiled at their twin thing and looked between them as he spoke.
"Yeah. You never knew that?"
They shook their heads.
"Well, you both know the rest. Mom was on the ceiling."
"Did Dad ever have a theory?" asked Sam.
"If he did, he kept it to himself."
He pulled the gas pump from the car and closed the cap. He set the pump back on the stand and sat next to Sam on the hood of the car. Alex continued to lean her upper body out of the window.
"Well, we have to figure out what's going on now and what happened then," said Alex.
"Yeah. We'll talk to Dad's friends, neighbors," said Sam.
He turned to them.
"Does this feel like just another job to you?"
"I'll be right back. Bathroom," said Dean.
Sam and Alex watched him walk away until he turned the corner. Alex then looked at Sam, shaking her head.
"No."
Dean looked behind him to make sure that Sam and Alex were still at the car. He turned the corner and pulled out his phone. He dialed a number on it, listening to it ring and ring. It went to a voicemail.
"This is John Winchester. If this is an emergency, call my son, Dean."
The message beeped and Dean began to talk.
"Dad, I know I've left you messages before. I don't even know if you get them, but I'm with Alex and Sam and we're in Lawrence. There's something in our old house and I don't know if it's the thing that killed Mom or not."
Dean's eyes filled with tears and his voice wavered.
"Dad, I don't know what to do. If you could get here, please. I need your help, Dad."
Dean flipped his phone shut and stuck it back in his pocket, wiping away his unshed tears with the back of his hand. He took a deep breath and began to walk back towards his siblings.
Dean parked the car outside the local car repair shop and they all climbed out, walking up to the mechanic that was looking at them.
"So, you used to own this garage with John Winchester, huh?" asked Dean.
"Yeah, a long time ago. It's been at least 20 years since John disappeared."
The man wiped his greasy hands on a somewhat clean towel and then threw it to the side.
"Well, we're reopening some of our old cases on the force. John's disappearance is one of them," said Dean.
"Uh huh. What do you want to know about him?"
"Whatever sticks out in your mind," said Sam.
He looked around the garage, watching another mechanic work on a car, rebuilding the engine. Alex nudged him as the man began talking and Sam paid attention to him.
"He was stubborn."
The man smiled at a memory of his before continuing.
"He hated to lose, no matter what it was at. And he loved Mary. He doted on those kids."
Alex looked at Dean, who had zoned out and she took control of the conversation.
"But that was before the fire."
The man nodded solemnly.
"Did he ever talk about that night?" asked Sam.
"Nah, I think he was in shock."
"Right. But he did eventually?" asked Alex.
She gently nudged Dean's elbow and he snapped back into the conversation.
"Um, he said that something killed Mary."
"What did it?" asked Dean.
"Nothing did it. It was an accident. I told him to get some help. So, he started to go see this palm reader in town, I don't know her name."
"Alright, well, thanks for your time."
Alex waved to him as they walked away.
Sam and Dean were sitting on the back of the car, Sam looking through the phone book at the nearest pay phone.
"There are a few palm readers in town. The mysterious Mr. Fortisky, um, Missouri Mosley."
Sam flipped the page, looking for more names.
"Wait. Missouri Mosley? That's a psychic?" asked Dean.
Sam flipped back to the page.
"Yep. Sure is."
Dean grabbed his dad's journal from beside him on the trunk and opened it.
"She's mentioned in here."
He flipped to a dog-eared page and held it out to Alex. She read the page, Sam coming over and reading it over her shoulder.
"'I went to Missouri today. I learned the truth,'" read Alex.
"Huh. I always thought that he meant the state," said Sam.
"Me, too," said Dean.
Sam tore the page out of the phone-book with the address on it and climbed into the car.
The Winchesters were at Missouri Mosley's house. They were sitting in chairs like in waiting rooms, waiting to see Missouri. Dean threw down the magazine he had been flipping through and leaned forward, putting his elbows on his knees and putting his face in his hands. Alex rubbed circles on his back to soothe him. Sam fidgeted, shifting in his chair. Alex inspected her nails on the hand that wasn't rubbing Dean's back.
"Well, you three. Come on! I ain't got all day!" yelled Missouri from the next room.
They stood up and walked through the beads hanging in the doorway, entering a medium sized living room.
"Well, let me look at you."
Missouri smiled as she looked over at them.
"You boys sure grew up handsome. And sweetheart, you are just gorgeous."
Alex smiled.
"You were one goofy looking kid, too," said Missouri, pointing at Dean.
His smile faded and Sam chuckled. Missouri took Sam's hand and looked at his face.
"Sam, I'm sorry about your girlfriend."
"And your father…"
Dean snapped his head up to look into Missouri's face.
"He's missing."
"How did you know all of that?" asked Sam.
"Honey, you were thinking it just now."
Sam's eyebrows rose in disbelief.
"Where is our dad? Is he okay?" asked Dean.
"I don't know."
"You don't know? You're supposed to be a psychic, right?"
"Boy, do you think I'm a magician? I can't just pull facts out of thin air."
Dean blanched and Alex giggled. Missouri sat down in her flowered armchair and motioned for them to join her. Dean looked at Sam, who was smirking, and they both followed Alex to the couch, sitting on either side of her.
"Boy, you put your foot on my coffee table and I'll whack you with a spoon," warned Missouri, her gaze on Dean's foot.
"I didn't do anything," said Dean, his eyes wide.
"Oh, you were thinking about it."
Dean scoffed and leaned back on the sofa, throwing his arm across the back of the couch while Alex and Sam grinned.
"So, when did you first meet our dad?" asked Alex.
"He came in for a reading a few days after the fire. I told him what was out in the dark."
"What about the fire?" asked Dean.
"Do you know about what killed our mom?" asked Sam.
"A little. Your dad took me to the house hoping I could sense the echoes of this thing."
"What was it?" whispered Alex, not sure she wanted to hear the answer.
"I don't know, but it was evil."
"We think something's back in our house," said Sam.
"Well, I've been keeping an eye on the place. It's been quiet. No freak accidents, no deaths. Why is it acting up now?"
"We don't know," said Dean.
Alex knocked on the front door of their old house. Jenny answered, looking frantic as she had Ricky perched on her hip.
"What are you doing here?"
"Hey, Jenny. This is our good friend, Missouri," said Sam.
Missouri smiled warmly at Jenny.
"You know, this really isn't a good time," said Jenny.
She turned away from them, beginning to shut the door, but Dean propped his foot in front of it.
"Listen, Jenny. It's important. Ow!"
Dean rubbed the back of his head where Missouri had smacked him.
"Leave the poor girl alone."
She turned back around to face Jenny.
"Forgive this boy. He means well, he's just not the sharpest tool in the shed. Now, you think there's something in this house that wants to hurt your family. Am I mistaken?"
Jenny forced a smile upon her panicked face.
"Who are you?" she asked Missouri.
"We're people who can help," said Alex.
Jenny looked at all of them and sighed, stepping aside and letting them inside her house.
Missouri walked up the staircase, entering a room painted powder blue with the siblings following right behind her.
"There's some dark energy here and this room should be the center of it," said Missouri, looking around the room.
"Why?" asked Sam.
Without looking at them, Missouri answered.
"This used to be your nursery. Yours and Alex's. This is where it all began."
Dean, Alex, and Sam all looked up towards the ceiling. Alex scooted closer to Sam's side and he pulled her close, keeping his arm around her shoulders. Dean took the EMF meter out of his pocket and Missouri walked around the room.
"Well, I don't know if y'all should be disappointed or relieved," began Missouri.
The EMF began beeping frantically and they all looked at Missouri.
"This isn't the thing that took your mom from you all."
"Are you sure?" asked Alex.
Missouri nodded.
"How do you know?" asked Sam.
"It's not the same energy I felt the last time I was here."
She stopped in front of the closet.
"What is it?" asked Dean.
Missouri pulled the door open and walked into the middle of the closet.
"Not it. Them."
Alex gasped and curled into Sam, putting her face into his chest.
"They're here because of what happened to your family."
She walked out of the closet and stepped in front of Sam and Alex, who still had her head resting on Sam's chest, but was looking over at Missouri.
"All those years ago, a real evil came to you."
Sam's arm tightened around Alex's shoulders and Alex reached up, tangling her fingers with his and squeezing them in reassurance.
"That kind of evil leaves wounds that sometimes get infected."
Sam shook his head, not understanding her.
"We don't understand," said Alex.
"This house has attracted a poltergeist that won't rest until Jenny is dead."
"You said there was more than one spirit," said Sam, still holding onto Alex's hand and his arm also still around her shoulders.
"There is. I just can't make out the second one."
"Well, one thing is for sure. No one is dying in this house ever again," said Dean.
"Okay. How do we stop whatever is here?" asked Sam.
Missouri looked at them.
"Follow me."
She stepped out of the room and began walking down the stairs. Dean followed and Sam let go of Alex, following them. Alex pulled at his hand, which she was still holding and she pulled him back to her, hugging him.
"Sam, we're in this together. Don't forget that," said Alex, her voice muffled against Sam's chest.
Sam nodded as his cheek rested against the top of her head.
"I know."
He pulled away and kissed her forehead.
"Come on. Let's go help Dean and Missouri."
Dean sat at the kitchen table, his shirtsleeves rolled up to his elbows. He was filling small bags with some sort of powder that Missouri had concocted. Alex was sitting next to Dean and Sam was standing behind her chair, his hands on the head of her chair.
"What is this stuff, anyway?" asked Dean.
"Some special roots and crossroad dirt," answered Missouri, filling her own bag.
"What are we supposed to do with it?" asked Sam.
"We're going to put them in the walls on each floor of this house," answered Missouri.
"And this will destroy the spirits?" asked Alex, watching Dean fill another bag, his arms flexing as he filled the bag.
"It should purify the house completely."
Alex watched as Dean held up one of the roots that he was putting in the bags. He sniffed it and then he licked it. He gagged and threw the root back down onto the table. Alex giggled and Dean smiled.
After Jenny and her kids had left the house for the night, Sam, Dean, Alex, and Missouri split up to insert the bags into the walls of the house.
Sam entered the home office on the third floor. He began tapping at the wall to find the right place to insert the bag. He was tapping the wall and didn't notice as a cord to a lamp on the desk unplugged itself from the electrical outlet. It began slithering over to Sam silently.
Dean and Alex were inserting bags into the kitchen walls. Dean began tapping on the wall and Alex watched him. Neither one of them noticed as a drawer opened by itself as Dean began tearing a hole into the wall with a hatchet.
"Dean, do you hear anything?" asked Alex.
They both turned around and quickly ducked down to the ground as a large butcher knife flew at them. It flew over their heads and stuck itself into a cabinet door. Dean crawled forward and grabbed the kitchen table, flinging it over to use as a shield. He grabbed Alex and wrapped his body around hers as more knives flew at them. The knives got stuck into the table that Dean had just flung over and Dean sighed in relief.
Sam heard the desk lamp fall as the cord wrapped around his neck. It began strangling him and Sam tried to pull it off, but it wouldn't budge. Suddenly, Dean and Alex ran into the room.
"Sam!" yelled Alex.
Dean grabbed at the cord and tried to pull it off of Sam's neck, but it would not budge. He kept trying to pull it away. Sam began making strangled sounds as Alex ran over to the wall, kicking a hole into it. A hole appeared as she kicked and once the hole was large enough, she grabbed the bag and threw it in the wall. There was a white flash of light and the cord disappeared from around Sam's neck. Sam gulped in large amounts of air and Alex sat on the floor, exhausted.
After getting the bags into all of the walls, they all congregated in the kitchen.
"You sure this is over?" asked Sam.
"I'm sure. Why?"
"Never mind."
They turned to see Jenny and Sari enter the kitchen, Ricky perched on Jenny's hip.
"What happened?" asked Jenny as she surveyed the kitchen.
"Sorry. We'll pay for all of this," said Alex.
"Oh, don't worry. Dean's going to clean up this large mess," said Missouri.
Jenny smiled and walked up the stairs with Sari and Ricky. Missouri turned to Dean, cutting him off as he began to open his mouth in protest.
"Get the mop. And don't cuss at me."
That night, the Impala was sitting across the street from Jenny's house. Sam, Dean and Alex were watching for any sort of movement from inside of the house. Alex was in the backseat, looking out the window and popping her gum. Dean and Sam were looking out of Dean's window at Jenny's bedroom window.
"Alright, so, tell me again why we're doing this?" asked Dean.
"I don't know. I just still have a bad feeling," said Sam, his eyes never leaving the window.
Dean rolled his eyes and set his head on the headrest.
"I could be sleeping in a bed right now."
He closed his eyes. Sam squinted and saw Jenny banging on her window, screaming.
"Dean!" yelled Alex, kicking the back of his chair.
Dean shot up and clambered out of the car with his siblings.
"You two grab the kids. I'll get Jenny," said Dean.
They ran up to the front doorstep and Dean kicked down the front door. They rushed up the stairs, separating at the top of the stairs.
"Jenny?" called Dean as he stood outside of Jenny's bedroom door.
"Dean! I can't open the door."
Jenny began struggling with the doorknob, Dean seeing it turn from his side of the door as she struggled.
"Get back!"
Jenny moved away from the door and Dean kicked it open. He ran inside, grabbing her hand and pulling her out of the room.
"Wait, my kids!"
"Sam and Alex have them. Let's go!"
Dean ran down the stairs, pulling Jenny along with him.
Alex ran into Ricky's room. He was standing in his crib, crying, and she rushed into the room, picking him up.
"Shh, you're alright."
She made her way out of his room and ran to the top of the steps. She saw Dean and Jenny at the front door and she sighed, knowing Sam was still in the house.
"Damn it."
She ran down the hall to Sari's room, Ricky's hands fisting in her shirt. She stopped next to Sam in the doorway of the room. They were shocked at the figure that was standing in the middle of the room, engulfed in flames.
"Help!" cried Sari, tears streaming down her face as she sat in her bed.
Sam quickly ran into the room, hovering close to the walls. He grabbed Sari from her bed and ran out of the room quickly. He ran with Alex down the stairs, each of them holding a kid.
At the bottom of the stairs, Sam and Alex set Sari and Ricky down on their feet. Sam crouched down to Sari's eye level.
"Sari, take your brother outside as fast as you can and don't look back."
Suddenly, Alex was yanked into the darkness of the house by an unseen force. Sam was yanked into the shadows as well and Sari screamed. Sari grabbed Ricky's hand and ran out the front door, meeting Dean and her mom outside on the front lawn.
"Are you alright, baby?" asked Jenny, picking up Ricky and setting him on her hip as she reached for Sari's hand.
"Sari, where are Sam and Alex?" asked Dean, looking frantic.
"They're inside. Something's got them."
Dean looked up at the front door just as it slammed shut. Dean ran to the trunk of the Impala, opening it. He grabbed a shotgun and an ax, running to the front door. He tried to kick the door down, but it didn't even buckle when he kicked it.
"Come on, damn it."
Sam's back hit the living room wall with a thud. He began to catch his breath, but the unseen force flung him into the coffee table and it shattered under his weight.
"Sam!" screamed Alex.
She was stuck to the wall, the spirit not allowing her to move.
Dean swung the ax at the front door as Jenny and her kids looked on. Sari was huddled into her mom's side and Jenny had a hand on Sari's back, rubbing it. Ricky's head was on Jenny's shoulder as he watched Dean try to break down the door.
Sam groaned as he stood up from the floor, swiping the stuff off the front of his jacket. Alex watched him stand up and was suddenly flung into the kitchen, screaming.
"Fuck," muttered Sam, looking around the room.
He was then swept up into the air once more and thrown against the kitchen wall next to Alex. They both tried to get away, but they were stuck.
Dean swung the ax at the door with everything he had in him, causing a large chunk of the door to fall to the ground. He sighed, but kept going.
Alex's eyes went wide with fear as she saw the same figure from Sari's room walking towards them. It was still engulfed in flames and Sam's eyes were wide as he watched it get closer as he still struggled to get away.
Dean swung the ax a final time and threw it to the side, climbing through the large hole he had created. He grabbed his gun from his waistband and began walking around the house, trying to find his siblings. They weren't in the living room, so Dean walked to the kitchen. There, he saw Sam and Alex stuck on the wall, their eyes wide as they looked at the figure in front of them. Dean raised his gun, aiming at the figure.
"Don't!" yelled Sam.
"What? Why?" asked Dean, his gun still raised.
"Because I know who it is."
"I do, too. I can see her now," said Alex.
Suddenly, the flames disappeared and the figure appeared as Mary Winchester. Dean lowered the gun.
"Mom?" he whispered.
She smiled and turned around to look over at him.
"Dean."
She turned back to Sam and Alex, Dean's eyes following her every movement. Sam smiled and Alex's eyes welled with tears.
"Sam. Alex. I'm sorry."
"For what?" asked Sam.
Mary didn't answer. Instead, she looked up at the ceiling.
"You. Get out of my house."
She put her head back down, smiled at each of her kids, and disappeared into a wall of bright orange flames. Sam and Alex were released from the wall, falling to the floor. They stood up, Sam wincing as he did. Dean looked around frantically for his mother, but she was nowhere to be found.
"It's over now," said Sam.
Alex stepped up next to him and together with Dean, they left their childhood home.
The next morning, Dean was leaning against his car door, Jenny walking over to him. She handed him a stack of pictures when she was standing directly in front of him and Dean flipped through them. He saw some of him and his dad and some more of him and his siblings. He stopped on the picture of all five of them, Dean, Alex, Sam, John, and Mary. He smiled, remembering how they had gotten Sam to stop crying just long enough to take the picture. Jenny looked at the picture he was holding and smiled.
"I saw that one when I was looking through them. That's my favorite."
Dean looked up from the pictures in his hands and looked up at her.
"Thanks for these."
"No problem."
She turned and began walking back to her front porch, Dean opening his car door and setting the pictures on Sam's seat.
Sam and Alex were sitting on the front steps of Jenny's house, Missouri doing a quick run-through of the house. Alex watched as Sari and Ricky ran to their mom as she crossed the front lawn. She hugged them both to her chest and Alex sighed wistfully. Sam followed her line of sight and saw the family whom they had just saved last night. He put his arm around Alex and she leaned her head on his shoulder. He moved her hair aside and kissed her temple.
"Well, there are no spirits in there anymore," said Missouri as she stepped out of the house and onto the front porch.
She sat down next to Alex on the front steps.
"Not even our mom?" asked Sam.
Missouri shook her head sadly.
"What happened then?" asked Alex.
"The energies cancelled each other out. Your mom destroyed herself going after the thing."
"Why would she do that?"
"To protect her babies," said Missouri, smiling as Alex snuggled into Sam's side.
She stood up from the steps and patted Alex's hand that rested on Sam's knee.
"Y'all ready?" called Dean from the Impala.
"Yep," said Sam.
He and Alex stood up, walking past Missouri to get to the car. They climbed inside and Alex watched Jenny and her kids wave to all of them as they pulled away.
Missouri entered her apartment and walked into her kitchen. She set her purse on the counter.
"Sam has such powerful abilities. Alex does, too, but she won't tell her brothers. Now, why they can't sense their own father… I have no idea," said Missouri as she walked into her living room, looking at John Winchester, as he was currently sitting on her patterned couch.
His elbows were resting on his knees like Dean always did. He had a five o'clock shadow and there were dark circles under his eyes like he hadn't slept in weeks.
"Do you really think that Mary's spirit saved my kids?" asked John in a whisper.
Missouri nodded.
"I do."
John sighed, rubbing his left hand over his face. He looked at his wedding band, twisting it around his finger. Missouri sighed.
"John, I could just slap you. Why won't you go and talk to your children?"
John shook his head.
"I can't. You have no idea I much I want to see 'em. It's killing me, Missouri. But I can't. Not yet."
He looked at Missouri.
"Not until I know the truth."
"Alex, please open the door," called Kellan.
After no one answered, he sighed and rested his forehead on her apartment door. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath.
"Are you looking for Alex?" asked a voice from the end of the hall.
Kellan whirled his head around and saw Betsy standing at the end of the hall. He stood up and began walking towards her.
"Yeah. Where is she?"
"Um, she was working with me at the diner the other day. These two guys came in and said they were her brothers. She just took off with them and I haven't seen her since."
"Oh. Well, that really sucks."
"Yeah."
Betsy patted Kellan's shoulder in comfort.
"Sorry, hon. I know you two had some sort of thing. Anyway, I've got to go and do my laundry."
Betsy hefted her laundry basket full of clothes onto her hip and began walking down the stairs.
"See you around, sugar."
Kellan gave her a slight wave of his fingers and walked back to his own apartment. Once he was inside, he sat on his couch, leaning his head back. He grabbed his cell phone from directly beside him and dialed an all too familiar number.
"Hello?" answered a woman's voice.
"Mom?"
Kellan took in a deep breath before talking again.
"I'm coming home."