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 any other original characters) and I do not own any of the story lines.

Chapter 14: Fly Over States

Dean opened the motel room door, letting Alex and Sam enter first. Dean shut the door behind him and locked it. Alex threw her stuff down at the foot of one of the two beds in the room and then collapsed down onto it. Sam laid down next to her and Dean laid down on his own bed.

"I'm so tired!" whined Alex.

Sam nodded in agreement and Dean laughed.

"Yeah, me too. I'm going to take a shower, though," said Dean.

He stood up and entered the bathroom, shutting and locking the door behind him.

Dean opened the bathroom door a few minutes later and smiled when he saw Sam and Alex already fast asleep. Alex was curled into Sam's side and Sam's arm was around her. Their shoes had been kicked off, but they were still wearing their clothes from the day. Dean walked over to Alex and kissed her forehead. Alex moved slightly and scooted closer to Sam. Dean chuckled and laid on his bed, falling asleep quickly.

Alex stirred as she heard a loud ringing noise. She opened her eyes and turned away from Sam, pulling his arm away from her body. She glanced at Dean asleep on the other bed. He was sleeping peacefully, his arm thrown over his naked chest. She looked at Sam, who was facing her and one arm was beside his head on the pillow. Both of her brothers were unfazed by the shrilly-ringing cell phone on the nightstand in between the two beds.

"Dean," called out Alex, her eyes still closed, hoping that Dean would roll over and answer the phone.

She groaned when she realized he wasn't going to wake up easily. Alex grabbed his cell phone, glancing at the caller ID. She didn't recognize the number, but she flipped the phone open and answered anyway.

"Hello?"

The person on the other end spoke and Alex shot up in bed. She hit Sam in the face accidentally and he opened his eyes.

"Daddy?"

Sam's eyes widened as he realized Alex was talking to their father. He grabbed a pillow from their bed and threw it at Dean, hitting him in the face. Dean sat up, glaring at Sam. Sam pointed to Alex on the phone and mouthed over at him.

"It's Dad."

Dean's eyes widened as he looked back at his sister.

"Are you hurt?" asked Alex.

"I'm fine," answered John Winchester from the other end of the phone.

"Dad, we've been lookin' for you everywhere. We didn't know where you were or if you were even okay."

"Honey, I'm alright. What about you and your brothers?"

Alex looked over at Sam, who was looking at her intently.

"We're fine. Daddy, where are you?" asked Alex, tears beginning to well up in her eyes.

"I'm so sorry, sweetie. But I can't tell you that."

"What? Why not?"

Alex's tears finally spilled over.

"Is that Dad?" asked Dean, watching the tears fall down Alex's cheeks.

John sighed as he heard his daughter cry.

"Look, I know this is hard for you to understand. You just… You're going to have to just trust me on this," explained John.

Alex gasped with realization.

"Oh, my God. You're after it, aren't you? The thing that killed Mom."

"Yeah. It's a demon, Alex."

"A demon? You know for sure?"

"I do. Listen, Alex. Tell Sammy that I know what happened to his girlfriend."

Alex turned to look at Sam as Dean threw on a t-shirt, standing up.

"He knows what happened to Jessica," whispered Alex.

"Alex, tell him I would've done anything to protect him from it," continued John.

"He would've done anything to protect you from it," whispered Alex, looking over at Sam sadly.

Sam nodded sadly and Alex held the phone back up to her ear.

"Do you know where it is?"

"Yeah, I think I'm finally closing in on it."

"Let us help."

"You can't."

"Why not?"

Dean reached over to Alex, his palm open as he stood beside her now.

"Give me the phone."

Alex ignored Dean.

"Alex, that's why I'm callin'. You have to stop looking for me."

John sighed deeply and then continued.

"Now, write down these names."

"Names? Daddy, talk to me!" cried Alex.

"Alex, we don't have time for this. This is bigger than you think. They're everywhere. This conversation isn't even safe."

"No way," said Alex, shaking her head.

"Take down these names. Sweetie, please," urged John.

Alex finally broke down in full-on sobs and held the phone out, Dean grabbing it from her open palm.

"Dad, it's me. Where are you?"

Dean paused for a few seconds, listening to his father.

"Yes, sir. I got a pen. What are the names?"

Dean began writing the names down on the motel stationary and Alex turned into Sam's chest, crying as he held her.

Sam was driving the Impala, his grip tight on the steering wheel. Dean was staring out the window in the passenger seat and Alex was lying down in the backseat.

"So, the names Dad gave us are all couples?" asked Sam.

"Three different couples who all went missing," answered Dean, nodding as his gaze never left the scenery out his window.

"And they're all from different states and towns?"

"Yep. Each couple took a road trip, but were never heard from again. They always disappear the second week of April in the same Indiana town."

"Dean, this is the second week of April," said Sam.

Dean nodded. Sam turned his head slightly and glanced in the backseat to see that Alex was asleep, her eyes slightly puffy from crying earlier. He turned his attention back to the conversation he and Dean were having and the road in front of him.

"Dad is sending us to Indiana to prevent another couple from vanishing?" asked Sam.

"Bingo," said Dean, now looking at a map in his lap, using the flashlight on his cell phone. He whistled lowly as he took in the map.

"Can you imagine puttin' together a pattern like this? Man's a master," said Dean, awe coloring his voice.

Sam sighed, suddenly pulling the car over to the shoulder and taking the key out of the ignition. Alex opened her eyes as the car was slowed to a stop and yawned. She sat up in the backseat, looking at Sam.

"What are you doing?"

"We're not going to Indiana," said Sam.

"We're not?" asked Dean, raising his eyebrows in a challenge and staring over at his little brother.

"No, we're not. We're going to California. Dad called from a pay phone. Sacramento area code."

Dean shook his head.

"Sam…"

"We need to be there if he's closing in on the demon that killed Mom and Jess. We've got to help," argued Sam.

"Dad doesn't want our help," said Dean.

"I don't care."

"He's given us an order."

"I don't care. We don't have to do what he says."

"Sam, Dad gives us jobs to save lives. It's important."

"I understand. But this is one week, Dean, to get answers. To get revenge."

"Look, I know how you feel," said Dean.

"Do you? How old were you when Mom died? Four? Jess died six months ago. How in the hell would you know how I feel?" asked Sam, his tone rising.

Alex watched her brothers argue, biting her lip and knowing that this particular argument wouldn't end well.

"Dad said it wasn't safe for any of us. He obviously knows something we don't, so if he says to stay away, we stay away," said Dean.

"You know, I don't understand the blind faith you have in the man. You don't even question him."

"Yeah, it's called being a good son!" yelled Dean.

Sam looked at Dean for a split second longer before opening his car door and getting out. He slammed the door shut and Alex watched through the window as Sam walked to the back of the car. Dean sighed, holding his head in his hands. Alex quickly climbed over the center console and stepped on the driver's seat. She opened the door and climbed out, running to the back of the car.

"Sammy, stop!"

Alex heard Dean get out of the car then and she felt him stand directly beside her.

"You're a selfish bastard, you know that?" yelled Dean.

Sam ignored him, opening the trunk and throwing his backpack onto his shoulders.

"Well, this selfish bastard is going to California."

Sam closed the trunk and began to walk down the road, away from Alex and Dean, who were still standing by the car.

"Come on. You're not serious?" called out Dean.

"I'm completely serious," called back Sam.

"We will leave your ass, you hear me?"

Sam finally turned around to see Dean in the distance.

"That's what I want you to do."

Sam threw out his arms in a 'so what' gesture.

"Goodbye, Sam," said Dean, his glare hard.

He walked the short distance to the driver's side door and got back into his car.

"Sam, please don't do this," begged Alex.

She ran over to Sam and hugged him tight.

"Alex. You're my twin sister and I love you, but I need to do this. I'm sorry."

Sam kissed the top of her head reverently. He hugged her a little bit longer before letting her go and continuing down the road, away from her. Alex watched him walk away until he was just a speck in the distance. She trudged back to the car, fresh tears rolling down her face. She got in slowly and Dean looked at her sadly, putting his hand on her knee comfortingly. She put her hand on top of his and leaned her head against the window, her tears subsiding slowly. Dean glanced at her every few seconds as he drove until she was fast asleep once again, their hands still placed together on her knee.

The rain was slowly coming down as Dean pulled into a little Indiana town only a few hours later, parking his car on the curb. He pulled the key out of the ignition and unbuckled his seat-belt. He stuck the key in his pocket and looked at his little sister, who was still asleep. His hand was still on her knee and her hand was on top of his hand. He took his cell phone out of his pocket using his free hand and scrolled down to Sam's number. He hit options and almost clicked delete, the word taunting him. He decided against it and shut his phone, putting it back into his pocket. He swept Alex's hair away from her sleeping face.

"Alex? Sweetheart, you have to get up."

Dean watched as she opened her eyes slowly and yawned, looking over at him.

"Are we in Indiana already?"

Dean nodded.

"Yeah. We have to get out and figure out what the hell's going on here."

Alex nodded.

"So, is our cover story that we're a couple then? Since couples are disappearing?"

Dean smirked.

"Absolutely. You've always been the clever one."

Alex stepped out of the car, meeting Dean at the back of the car. Dean put his arm across her shoulders and they walked up to a place called Scotty's Café. A man was sitting on a wooden bench right outside the front door of the café and he looked up at them as they approached.

"Let me guess. Scotty?" asked Dean, smirking at the man.

The man looked up at the sign, then back at Dean.

"Yep. That's me."

"Hi. I'm John Bonum."

Alex hid a smile at Dean's choice of name.

"Isn't that the drummer for the Led Zeppelin?"

Alex's smile faded fast and Dean smiled in discomfort.

"Wow. Classic rock fan."

"What can I do for you, John?" asked Scotty, his face never leaving Dean's.

Dean removed his arm from around Alex's shoulders and reached into his jacket pocket. He handed the few pages he pulled out over to Scotty.

"I was wondering if you've seen these two."

Dean stuck his hands in his pockets as Scotty glanced down at the pages now in his hands. Alex stuck close to Dean's side.

"Nope. Who are they?"

"Friends of ours. They came to our wedding," lied Alex.

She grabbed Dean's hand and intertwined their fingers, beaming up at Dean. Dean smiled at Scotty and Alex kissed Dean's left cheek.

"They went missing about a year ago," said Dean, his smile fading into a very serious look.

"Sorry. We don't get many strangers here," said Scotty, handing the papers back to Alex.

Alex stuck them into her back pocket and Scotty looked at the two of them.

"So, you two are married, huh?"

"Yeah. Have been for almost a year," said Dean.

Alex nodded, smiling.

"Well, that's great."

Scotty still didn't smile and Dean smirked, chuckling.

"Scotty, you've got a smile that lights up a room."

Alex laughed, but stopped when she saw that Scotty hadn't smiled at all.

"We'll see you around then," said Dean.

He led Alex away from Scotty's Café and they got into their car, driving away.

Sam was standing on the side of a road, in the middle of nowhere. He turned to his left and saw a girl sitting on top of her three black duffel bags. She had headphones in and hadn't noticed him yet.

"Hey," called out Sam.

She didn't hear him, so Sam walked over to her. He tapped her on the shoulder gently and she jumped. She pulled her headphones out and stood up, looking at Sam.

"You scared the hell out of me."

"I'm sorry. I just thought you might need help," said Sam.

"I'm good. Thanks."

She stuck her phone back into her pocket, one headphone still in.

"So… where you headed?" asked Sam.

The girl looked Sam over once and then looked away from him.

"No offense, but I'm not telling you."

"Why not?"

"You could be some freak. You are hitchhiking."

"So are you," said Sam, motioning to her bags.

She smiled at him as a van slowly pulled over on the shoulder directly in front of them.

"Need a ride?" asked the driver, taking in the two of them.

"Yeah," replied Sam and the girl at the same time.

"Just her."

The driver pointed to the girl and Sam scoffed, rolling his eyes. He watched as the girl gathered her bags and climbed into the van. She leaned out the window and looked at Sam.

"You trust shady van guy and not me?" asked Sam, shaking his head.

"Definitely."

The girl put her head back into the van and the van pulled away, leaving Sam alone on the side of the road.

The bell chimed over the door as Dean and Alex entered the local general store. The woman behind the counter smiled at them as they entered.

"Hi. Can I help you?" she asked.

"We hope so. See, we're looking for our friends," said Alex.

She handed the woman the pictures of the missing couple. The woman looked at the papers briefly.

"Don't remember them."

She handed the papers back to Alex.

"Sorry, honey."

Alex smiled weakly at the woman.

"Wait. Maybe my husband will know them. Hold on."

The woman walked up a set of stairs and disappeared. A minute or so later, she came back down with a man in tow.

"I hear you have some pictures for me to look at," said the man.

Alex handed him the pictures as he wiped his hands off with the cloth in his hands. He took the pictures from her and looked at them for a split second.

"I'm sorry, but I don't recognize them."

Alex took back the pictures and held them in her hands. A young teenage girl came down the stairs then, holding some cardboard boxes.

"Did the guy have a tattoo?" asked the girl suddenly.

She set the boxes down on a nearby table and walked over to Alex and Dean.

"Yes, he did, actually," said Alex.

The girl turned and looked at her uncle.

"Remember? They were just married."

"You know what? You're right. They stopped for gas," said the older woman.

"Do you remember anything else?" asked Dean.

"They're some of our oldest friends. You see, they attended our wedding awhile back," lied Alex.

"And we really want to find them," said Dean, adding onto Alex's lie.

"They left town. Got on the interstate," said the man, pointing behind him.

Alex was sitting in the passenger seat of the Impala an hour or so later as Dean drove down a curvy road towards the interstate. Suddenly, the EMF meter that was lying on top of the duffel bag on the backseat went crazy, emitting noises and lighting up. Alex reached into the backseat and grabbed the EMF meter. Dean pulled the car over on the shoulder and Alex handed him the machine. He looked at it.

"The only thing around here is that apple orchard," said Alex, pointing behind Dean's head.

Dean looked out his window and saw the orchard. It looked very dark and gloomy for an orchard.

"Well, let's check it out," said Dean.

He and Alex got out of the car and walked into the orchard slowly. Mist was swirling all around their feet and Alex walked close to Dean's side. They reached the middle of the orchard and saw a scarecrow above them. It was sitting high up on a wooden pole and it had a very grim face for a scarecrow. Straw was sticking out of its shirt and pants from when he had been stuffed. Alex and Dean looked at the scarecrow in disgust.

"Dude, you fugly," remarked Dean.

Alex laughed and noticed that a knife was placed in the scarecrow's right hand. Dean saw it too and climbed up the ladder that was beside the scarecrow. He looked at the knife and then noticed a small mark on the scarecrow's arm. He pushed up the scarecrow's sleeve and saw a tattoo on the scarecrow's arm.

"Hey, where are those pictures?"

Alex looked confused, but reached into her back pocket. She handed Dean the photos of the missing couple and Dean looked at the photos of the missing man.

"Scarecrow has the same tattoo," said Dean, handing the flyers back to Alex.

Alex stuck them in her back pocket and looked at the scarecrow's arm.

"Fuck."

Dean pulled the Impala up to a gas pump at the gas station in front of the local general store. He and Alex got out and stood by the gas tank as the young teenage girl they had met before in the general store came out to help them.

"You're back," she said as she unhooked the gas pump and held it in her hand, looking at Alex.

"Never left," said Alex.

"Still looking for your friends then?"

"Mind fillin' the car up, Emily?" asked Dean, becoming tired of the questions.

Emily smiled and stuck the gas hose into the gas tank.

"So, are you from here?" asked Alex.

"I came here when I was three. I lost my parents in a car accident. My aunt and uncle took me in."

"Nice people," said Dean.

"Everybody's nice here."

"So, it's the perfect little town?" asked Alex.

"Well, it's the boonies. But I love it. It's like we're blessed."

Alex nodded.

"Hey, you ever been out to the orchard?" asked Dean suddenly.

"Yeah. The scarecrow creeps me out though."

Emily shivered just thinking about it as Alex sat on the trunk of the car.

"Whose is it?"

"I don't know. It's just always been there."

Emily removed the gas pump from the car and stuck it back where it belonged. As she wiped off her hands, Dean noticed an SUV across the parking lot and nodded over to it.

"That your aunt and uncle's?"

Emily turned to look at the car.

"Customer. Havin' car troubles."

Alex looked over at Dean.

"It's not a couple, is it?"

Emily nodded. Alex sighed quietly.

Sam stood at the counter in the bus station, talking to the woman behind it. His hands were gripping the edge of the counter in frustration.

"Sorry. The Sacramento bus doesn't run again until tomorrow. At 5:05 PM," said the woman behind the counter.

"Tomorrow? There's got to be another way," said Sam.

"There is. By car."

Sam scoffed at the woman as she stared him down coldly. He bent down and picked up his duffel bag then, walking away from the counter and shaking his head. He reached into his pocket and scrolled down to Dean's number in his contacts. His thumb hovered over the green call button. Right before he hit it, he noticed the girl he had met on the side of the road earlier. She waved to him with a slight wave of her fingers and Sam slid his phone back into his pocket.

"Hey. What happened to your ride?"

The girl sighed.

"You were right. That guy was shady. All hands."

Sam chuckled and looked outside through the bus station window. Rain was coming down in sheets and the girl followed his gaze out the window.

"What's a matter?"

"Just tryin' to get to California," sighed Sam.

He turned his gaze back to her. She stood up and walked over to stand beside him.

"Me too. You know, next bus isn't until tomorrow though. I'm Meg."

She held out her hand and Sam took it, shaking it before letting it go.

"I'm Sam."

Dean and Alex walked into Scotty's Café, the bell chiming as they entered.

"I'm getting sick of these fucking bells," whispered Dean.

Alex smirked and they watched from the front door as Scotty handed the couple that owned the SUV two pieces of apple pie. Scotty looked up at them, his permanent scowl in place.

"Hey, Scotty," said Dean.

Dean grabbed Alex's hand and led her to a table that was next to the other couple as Scotty walked behind the front counter. Dean sat across from Alex at the table and they looked down at the table.

"How you doin'?" asked Dean, glancing over at the couple.

The couple looked at him and smiled gently.

"We're fine. Road trip," answered the girl.

"Us, too."

"I'm sure they'd like to eat in peace," said Scotty, refilling the couple's drinks and glaring at Dean and Alex.

"Just a little friendly conversation. Can we get some coffee?" asked Alex, beaming at him.

Scotty glared at her, but returned to the counter and began brewing a pot of coffee.

"So, what brings you to town?" asked Dean.

The girl shrugged.

"We stopped for gas and the guy at the gas station saved our lives."

"Yeah, we had no idea one of our brake lines was leaking. He's fixin' it for us," explained the young man.

"Nice people," said Alex.

The man nodded and turned back to eating his pie.

"How long until you're up and runnin'?" asked Dean.

"Sundown."

Dean leaned in closer to them, as if to discuss plans with them privately.

"I know a thing or two about cars. I can have you up and runnin' in an hour. No charge."

"Thanks, but I think we'd rather have a mechanic do it," said the girl, a forced smiled on her lips now.

Dean smiled once and leaned away from the couple then.

"It's just... these roads aren't real safe at night," intervened Alex.

The couple looked at them then, all signs of warmth and friendliness gone.

"We're tryin' to eat, okay?" said the man, his tone forceful.

He and his wife returned to their pieces of pie and Alex looked over at Dean, biting her lip. They looked at the door when they heard the bell chime once more and saw that the Sheriff had entered. Scotty walked over to the Sheriff and they began to whisper, occasionally glancing at Dean and Alex. Dean grabbed the car keys out of his pocket and slid them across the tabletop to Alex's palm.

"You drive. Alright?"

Alex nodded and slipped the keys into her pocket as the Sheriff walked over to their table.

"We're gonna ask you two to leave town. We'll follow you to the city limits and then we'll come back. Come on."

Alex and Dean got up slowly and followed the Sheriff out the door.

Sam and Meg were sitting at a table in the bus station. Each had a beer in front of them and Sam sat across from Meg at the table.

"Are you on vacation?" asked Sam.

Meg sighed and looked down at her beer bottle.

"No. I, um, had to get away from my family."

"Why?"

"I love my parents, don't get me wrong. But they wanted what's best for me, not what I wanted. I had to do what they told me. So, I went on my own way."

Sam looked down at his beer bottle in thought.

"I'm sorry," said Meg.

Sam looked over at her.

"No, it's okay. I know how you feel, actually. Remember the brother and sister I mentioned before? It's kind of the same deal."

"That's why you're not with them anymore?" asked Meg.

Sam nodded. Meg picked up her beer and held it up in the air.

"To us. Living our own lives."

Sam held his beer up to Meg's bottle and they clinked their drinks together before each taking a swig.

Alex drove back into the small Indiana town a few hours after the cops had tried to run them out of it. She stopped the car in front of the orchard and quickly got out with Dean. Dean grabbed a shotgun from the trunk and Alex waited by the car as he rushed into the orchard. A few minutes later, the couple from the café earlier came running out of the orchard, Dean right behind them. They stood by Alex and Dean stood in front of them, his shotgun over his chest.

"What the hell was that?" asked the man, breathing heavily as he stared into the dark orchard.

"Don't ask," replied Dean, his eyes never leaving the orchard.

Sam glanced at Meg as he held the phone to his ear and listened to Dean tell him about what he and Alex had seen the past couple of days. Meg was sleeping on the bus station floor, using one of her bags as a pillow and her other bags were resting beside her.

"So, the scarecrow came off of its cross?" asked Sam.

"Yep."

"It didn't kill the couple, did it?"

"Nah. We can cope without you, you know."

Sam sighed, smiling.

"It must be a spirit animating it."

"It's more than a spirit. It's a Pagan god."

"What makes you say that?"

"The annual cycle of its killings. And the way the locals treat them. Fatten 'em up like a Christmas turkey."

"The last meal. Sacrificial victims."

"Yeah, to appease some Pagan god."

"The god possesses a scarecrow…"

"And then the scarecrow takes its sacrifice and for another year, disease doesn't spread and crops don't wilt."

"Do you know what god you're dealin' with?"

"No, not yet."

"Well, when you figure out what it is, you can figure out how to kill it."

"I know. We're on our way to a local community college to talk to a professor since we don't have geek boy to help us."

"If you're hinting that you need my help, just ask."

"I'm not hintin' anything," said Dean.

Alex looked at him and rolled her eyes. She grabbed the phone out of Dean's hand and put it up to her ear.

"Sammy, Dean's really sorry."

Dean glared at her. Sam laughed through the phone.

"Yeah, I'm sorry, too."

"He also says you were right. You've got to live your own life."

"Are you serious, Alex?"

"Yeah. I'm agreeing with him. You've always known what you want. You stand up to Daddy and you always have. Anyway, we admire that about you. We're proud of you."

"Alex, I don't know what to say."

Alex handed the phone back to Dean.

"Sam, take care of yourself."

"I will."

"Call me if you find Dad."

"Okay. Bye, Dean."

Dean hung up the phone and threw it on the dashboard of his car. Alex smiled at him and he smiled back at her.

Sam hung up his phone and set it in front of him on the table. Meg stood up and walked over to him, sitting across from him.

"Who was that?"

"My brother and sister."

"What'd they say?"

Sam took a deep breath and then looked over towards her, smiling serenely.

"Goodbye."

"It's not every day I get questions about pagan gods," said the professor, as he walked behind his desk to sit down in his plush leather office chair.

"Yeah, well. Call it a hobby," said Dean, shrugging his shoulders.

"You said you were interested in local lore?" asked the professor.

He sat down across from Alex and Dean. Alex nodded eagerly.

"Indiana isn't really known for its pagan worship."

"What if it's imported? Wasn't this area settled by immigrants? Like, by Burkitsville?" asked Dean.

"Yes. Northern Europe."

"What can you tell us about those pagan gods?"

"There are hundreds of gods and goddesses," said the professor, chuckling humorlessly.

"Well, we're looking for a certain one. That lives in an orchard," explained Alex.

The professor stood up then and grabbed a large book from off of his bookshelf. He set it back down on the desk.

"A woods god."

He flipped to a certain page and Dean read it over the desk.

"'Practices human sacrifice. One male, one female.'"

"It says it uses a specific tree for power," said Alex, her eyes reading ahead in the large book.

"What would happen if the certain tree was torched?" asked Dean, looking over at the professor.

"These are just legends, kids."

The professor shook his head and closed the book rather abruptly. He stared over at the two siblings.

"Right, of course. Thank you for your time," said Dean.

He shook the professor's hand and walked in front of Alex to the office door. Dean opened the door and Alex screamed as the Sheriff hit Dean in the face with the butt of his gun, knocking him out. She glanced from the Sheriff to the professor, who looked at her sadly. The Sheriff entered the room slowly and shut the door behind him, walking toward Alex. Alex sighed and closed her eyes. When she felt the Sheriff close in on her, she whirled around and kicked him in the stomach, hard. He fell to the ground with a moan and grabbed his stomach. The professor looked at him on the ground, his eyes wide, and Alex took advantage of the distraction. She ran to the window and yanked it open. A fire escape was below the window and she stepped onto it, running down the steps. She ran to the Impala and threw open the driver's door, sticking the keys in the ignition and pulling away from the curb, tires squealing.

Dean looked up as the cellar door was opened, causing sunlight to stream into the dark room. He prayed to God it wasn't Alex coming down the stairs. He closed his eyes and opened them only when he heard the person reach the floor. He opened his eyes then and saw Emily crying in front of him. Her uncle let go of her arm then and walked back up the steps.

"Why are you doing this?" cried Emily, staring after her only family.

"For the common good," replied her aunt from the doorway, looking down at her niece.

She shut the cellar door, causing Dean and now Emily to be thrust into darkness.

"Hey. Our bus came in," said Meg.

She turned to look back at Sam, who was sitting at a table alone. He shook his head once.

"Well, you better catch it then. I've got to go."

He stood up and threw his backpack onto his shoulders, grabbing his duffel bag and holding it tightly in his right hand.

"Where are you going?"

"Burkitsville," said Sam.

He turned and began to walk away, but Meg grabbed his arm and spun him around to face her.

"Sam, wait!"

"Look, I've been trying to call my brother for the last three hours. I keep getting his voicemail."

"Maybe his phone's turned off."

"That's just not like him. Meg, I think he might be in trouble."

"What kind of trouble?"

Sam began to answer her, but his phone rang.

"Hold on."

He looked down briefly at the caller ID and sighed in relief when he saw that it was Alex. He hit the answer button and held the phone to his ear.

"Hello?"

Sam's brow furrowed as he listened to Alex sob through the phone.

"Alex? What's wrong?"

Alex pulled the Impala over to the side of the road and pulled out her phone. She dialed Sam's number and held the phone to her ear, waiting patiently.

"Hello?' said Sam's deep, reassuring voice.

Alex began to tear up when she heard his voice.

"S-Sam…"

"Alex? What's wrong?"

"Um, Dean and I went to see that professor, right? And, um, it was all a set up. See, we told them when we first got to town that we were a married couple and they bought it, so they were gonna kidnap us to use for their ritual. They got Dean, but I nailed the Sheriff right in the stomach and ran away. Sammy, I need your help," sobbed Alex.

"Okay. Alex, I'm on my way, alright? Just hold on, I'm coming."

"Okay."

Alex hung up and sat in the Impala, sobbing.

Sam hung up his cell phone and looked over at Meg.

"I've really got to go. I'm sorry."

"Wait, you're running back to them because they won't answer their phones?"

Sam sighed.

"I have to go. They're my family."

He turned and left Meg staring after him in the bus station.

Dean and Emily were locked in the dark cellar, Emily crying profusely. Dean was sitting on an overturned bucket he had found and Emily was pacing in front of him as she cried.

"I just don't understand. They're going to kill us?"

"We're sacrifices," explained Dean.

He got up and stood directly in front of her.

"You really didn't know anything about this, did you?"

"About the scarecrow god?" asked Emily.

Dean nodded and Emily shook her head.

"I just can't believe this."

"You better start believin'. Because I'm going to need your help," said Dean.

Emily nodded, resolute. She wiped her tears away.

"Okay."

"Good. Now, we can destroy the scarecrow, but we've gotta find a certain tree."

Dean sat back down on his bucket and Emily sat on the dirt ground next to him.

"What tree?" she asked.

"Maybe you can help me with that. It'll be very old. The locals would treat it with respect," explained Dean.

"There's this one apple tree. The immigrants brought it over with them. They call it The First Tree."

"Is it in the orchard?" asked Dean.

"Yeah, but I don't know where."

Suddenly, light poured into the room and Dean shielded his eyes with his hand. He and Emily looked up to see Emily's aunt and uncle standing in the middle of the cellar doorway along with the Sheriff and Scotty.

"It's time," said Emily's aunt in a monotone voice.

Dean helped Emily up the steps and he followed behind her. They were pushed in between the adults and led to the orchard, Emily pleading with her aunt and uncle the whole way there.

"How much blood is on your hands?" asked Dean as the Sheriff tied Dean and Emily to a large apple tree in the orchard.

Night was falling and mist was swirling around in the air as they roughly forced Dean and Emily as close to the old tree as possible.

"We don't kill them," said the Sheriff.

He stood up when he finished tying the rope and looked at Dean.

"Yeah, but you cover it up. How many cars have you hidden?"

"Uncle Harley? Please," cried Emily as the Sheriff glared at Dean.

Harley sighed and looked away from Emily's heartbroken face.

"I'm sorry, Em. I wish it wasn't you. But his…"

Harley pointed over to Dean.

"…wife got away somehow."

"Yeah. She's a bad-ass! And she's my sister, you motherfuckers."

Dean smirked and the Sheriff hit him in the face with the butt of his gun. Dean's head snapped to the side and he glared at the Sheriff as he turned his head back around. Emily's aunt looked over at Emily sadly.

"Try and understand. There's just no other choice."

"But I'm your family," cried Emily.

"Sweetheart, that's what sacrifice means," said her uncle.

They gave her one last, heartbroken glance before turning around and leaving the orchard with the Sheriff and Scotty in tow.

"I hope your apple pie is freakin' worth it!" yelled Dean after them.

When they were out of sight, Dean began to struggle against his ropes.

"So, what's the plan?" asked Emily, struggling as well.

"I'm workin' on it," replied Dean, keeping his eyes peeled for any signs of movement around them.

"You don't have a plan, do you?" asked Emily.

"I'm workin' on it!" yelled Dean once more.

Emily sighed and stopped struggling. A few minutes later, they heard footsteps.

"Oh, my God, oh, my God," chanted Emily, scared.

"Dean?" called out Sam as he stepped into view.

"Oh, I take everything back that I said. I'm so glad to see you. Is Alex with you?" asked Dean.

"I'm here, big bro."

Alex walked up to stand directly beside Sam, a shotgun in her hands.

"Thank God. Sam, how'd you get here?"

Alex's face broke into a huge grin as Sam looked sheepish, looking down at the ground as he spoke.

"I, um, stole a car."

Dean laughed.

"That's my boy. Keep an eye on that scarecrow."

Alex looked at Dean, her face panic-stricken.

"What scarecrow?" asked Sam.

Alex, Sam, Dean and Emily were running through the apple orchard only a few minutes later, watching out for the scarecrow.

"We have to find that tree and burn it," said Alex.

"We'll do that in the morning. Let's just get out of here," said Dean.

They finally saw the edge of the orchard and pushed forward. They stuttered to a stop when they saw the Sheriff, Scotty, and Emily's aunt and uncle standing on the outskirts of the orchard.

"Please. Let us go," pleaded Emily.

"It'll be over quickly, I promise," said her uncle.

"Emily, you have to let him take you," said her aunt.

Suddenly, Emily and her aunt screamed as they saw her uncle being dragged into the orchard, a knife punctured straight through his chest. The scarecrow then grabbed Emily's aunt and dragged her and Emily's uncle deep into the apple orchard, their screams fading away.

"Come on, let's go!" yelled Dean.

He grabbed Emily's elbow and dragged her with him as he followed Alex and Sam out of the orchard.

The next morning, Alex, Sam, Emily, and Dean were standing in front of The First Tree. Dean walked around it, pouring gasoline all around the trunk of the tree. When he finished, he joined the other three and pulled a match out of his pocket. As he went to throw the match onto the tree trunk, Emily reached out a hand, stopping him.

"Let me do it," whispered Emily.

Dean looked over at her and handed her the match.

"You realize that the whole town's going to die," stated Dean.

"Good," said Emily, her face resolute.

She walked forward, the match between her fingers. She threw it onto the gasoline surrounding the tree trunk, the tree immediately bursting into flames as they all watched it burn.

Alex and Sam sat on the trunk of the Impala as Dean stood beside it, his arms crossed over his chest. They looked at Emily as she stood in front of them, a bus ticket in one of her hands and a duffel bag in her other.

"Thanks for everything."

"It's our job," said Dean.

"Well, thanks again."

Emily looked behind her as she heard the bus pull up.

"I better go. Bye."

She waved to them and turned, walking away and getting onto the bus.

"Think she'll be alright?" asked Alex, watching as the bus pulled away a short while later.

"I sure hope so," said Dean.

He walked around to the front of the car, Alex and Sam following.

"So. Can I drop you off somewhere?" asked Dean as he looked over towards Sam.

"No, I think you're stuck with me, actually."

"What made you change your mind?"

Sam sighed deeply.

"Family. I can't leave you guys again. We're all that's left."

"Hold me, Sam. That was beautiful."

Dean pretended to brush away a tear as he held out his arms and walked towards Sam. Sam pushed his arms away and pulled Alex into him instead, Alex grinning.

"You should be kissin' our asses, dude. You were dead meat, man."

Alex laughed and hugged Sam back. Dean rolled his eyes and opened his car door.

"I had a plan."

He climbed into his car and shut the door.

"No, you didn't. Come on," said Alex.

She opened the passenger side door and climbed into the backseat, Sam climbing into the passenger seat after her.