UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES

The Under Series

Part 22

"You chase monsters." Neal said. "Don't tell me Friday the 13th freaks you out."

"It's weird. All kinds of bad juju floating around." Dean replied.

"Juju?" Neal chuckled."

"Sam's word, not mine." Dean said, sneering at his brother.

Sam stuck out his tongue.

"Real mature, Samantha." Dean retorted.

"Dean is right. Their weirdness is like...doubled."

"It's a day. Just like any other."

Both Winchester shook their heads.

"I don't believe..." Neal said, shaking his head.

"Don't make it any less true, Neal." Sam said.

They all sit quietly at Neal's kitchen table. Neal sipping his wine and Sam and Dean with her customary beers.

There was a knock at the door. The brothers immediately stood, beers in hand. They look towards the door to the back stairs.

Neal looked at the brothers and pointed in that direction. He then headed to his apartment door. He waited half a second, for them to leave the room.

Neal opened the door. He stared, in confusion, at the empty Landing. He then stepped out his door to stare down the staircase. It was empty also. There was no way anyone could have gotten down the stairs, even to the second floor in the few seconds it took him to open the door and step out.

Neal shook his head, went back in, and closed the door. As soon as he did there was another knock. He looked at the door again, trying to decide what to do. A few moments later Sam and Dean came back into the room.

"That was a quick visit." Sam stated, thinking June come up to tell Neal something.

"No one was there... There was no one on stairs."

Neal shook his head, as soon as I closed the door, there was another knock."

Dean looked at Sam as he pulled a vial of holy water out of the inside pocket of his jacket.

Sam immediately started opening cabinet doors looking for salt.

"Neal, go sit down!" Dean instructed. "Pull a chair out away from the table."

Neal did as he was told.

Sam poured a ring salt around him. "Stay put!" He said after he finished.

"There's nothing..." Neal said, watching the brothers.

"We're not taking any chances, Neal." Dean said.

"Whatever this is followed us here... I think." Dean said.

"You think?" Neal asked, more than annoyed.

Things just... Like I said... Friday the 13th, it's jacked up!" Dean explained.

Neal swallowed and gripped the chair with both hands.

Dean opened the door and started to chant in Latin. He sprayed the landing with water. He quickly closed the door.

"What?" Neal asked.

"There's… it's there, but it's not." Dean sounded, as confused as his explanation. both Sam and Neal just stared.

Neal hated Sam's and Dean's world. He really, honestly, truly hated it.

"It's weakened without a physical form." Sam told Neal, getting what Dean was saying.

"June!" Neal said.

June was home. But, he had not seen her all day. And, that was unusual.

Sam and Dean looked at one another, in shock. Dean yanked the door open they both bounded down the stairs.

Neal started to get up and follow. But, remembered what the brothers have told him about the salt protection and possession. He decided to remain seated.

"June?" Dean asked if he and Sam reached the second story landing.

"June, where are you?" Sam called out to the seemingly empty house.

"Well, Sam Winchester..."June/not-June appeared at the first-floor landing and looked up.

"Ms. Wellington has...stepped out for a while."

"You b****!" Dean yelled as he and his brother hurried to the ground floor.

"You wouldn't hurt the old lady." Not-June stated, an evil grin on her face.

"No…." Dean answered. "But I, sure as hell, am going to kill you!"

Not-June grinned. "Good luck with that."

Dean pulled his bottle of holy water out of his jacket and splashed Not-June in the face. She screamed She was distracted enough that she didn't see Sam pull back the large area rug in the middle of the living room and begin to draw on the floor. The cygil was completed in moments and Sam and Dean guided the still distracted demon into the chair Sam had placed in the circle.

Not-June screamed in anger when she realized she was trapped. She glared at Dean. "You're going to die!" She screamed.

"Not at your hand, b****!" Dean retarded.

Not, June, growled at him.

Dean stepped a bit closer and leaned forward. "You hurt her..." He said with measured words and breath..." And I will hunt you down and...!"

"You. Don't. Scare. Me." Not-June replied.

"Then that makes you an idiotic piece of demon scum." Dean replied.

Not-June growled again.

"You ready, Sam?" Dean have been talking just so that Sam can prepare for the exorcism.

Dean step back just as the demon lashed out at him. She caught his cheek, ripping it open with her sharp fingernails.

Dean pulled back in immediately and put his hand to his left cheek.

"You b****?!" Dean exploded, angry at her and at himself for getting so close.

"Get her, Sammy!" Dean said nursing is facial wound.

Moments later June Ellington was back to herself. She looked at the brothers very confused. She had no idea of the symbols drawn on her floor. Nor did she understand the ring of salt. She tried to stand up. But, the experience he drained her, and she stumbled. Deans stepped forward and caught her. It was then that June noticed the scratch on Dean's face and the blood on her own fingers.

June stood up to step out of the circle. But, the experience had drained her and she stumbled. Dean stepped forward and caught her. It was then that June noticed the scratch on Dean's face. And the blood on her own hand.

"Dean?! What...?" June asked.

Dean caught her and guided her to another chair in the room.

"Darling... What happened?" June asked and she gently touched Dean's cheek.

Dean shook his head. He had much worse injuries. He was bleeding a little. But, he could fix himself up.

Dean opened his mouth to speak. ¶

June looked at the blood on her fingers, then at Dean. She was in shock.

"I did that." June stated. "I've not felt myself all day." She shook her head. "This sounds…. I've been doing things... I don't mean to do, or had no thoughts of doing... All day long." She shook her head again. "It's... It's like I don't have control." She sighed.

Dean knelt down in front of her and took her hand. "It wasn't you, June."

June shook her head, the blood was on her hands. "How...?"

Dean sighed. He was silent for a moment, searching for the right words. "I know what happened to you, June."

June just stared.

"You were possessed." The older Winchester finally said.

June's eyes went wide. "Wait... What? That only happens in the movies!"

"And, in Upper Manhattan, unfortunately." Sam said.

It was only then that June saw what Sam was doing. He was cleaning salt and markings off the floor. She looked at the brothers in fear. She also noticed that Neal seemed a little shell-shocked.

What Neal had seen shook him. He had said nothing this entire time. He was trying to absorb it all. He had chanced getting up when the brothers didn't return to the apartment.

"Neal…?" June said, seemingly noticing him for the first time. "Neal, you okay ?

Neal looked at Jean, he seemed to be startled to see her. "Neal? You okay, Darlin'."

Neal jumped when June said his name.

"I am very far from okay." Neal admitted, finally lowered himself to the stairs so that he wouldn't fall.

Sam and Dean had not known that Neal had seen a great deal of the exorcism.

Sam what up the first few steps and sat down beside his friend.

Neal kept his head down try to make sense of what he's seen.

"How do you...?" Neal finally said, looking at Sam. "That was..."he shook his head.

"That wasn't June." Sam said, understanding his friend's shock and bewilderment.

Neal nodded. "When you guys didn't come back upstairs, I had to come see..." He shook his head again.

"I'm okay, Neal." June said, trying to reassure the young man.

"This is…. This is too much." Neal admitted. "That was the scariest damned thing that I…." Neal's voice was shaking so badly that he could not even finish his sentence.

Sam had no words. He had seen so many people go through this working their cases. But, neither he nor Dean could ever come up with anything, any words that were even adequate.

"I'm good, Neal. Whatever it is, whatever it was…." June started.

Neal shook his head. "This is real, June. This is freakin' real. And now…this thing knows you."

June looked at both Sam and Dean. "What does that mean?"

The brothers looked at one another, then at June.

"How do you feel about tattoos?" Sam asked.

June Ellington had never had any kind of permanent marking grace her body before. But, somehow, this bit of ink in her skin made her feel safe. Especially after she saw that Sam, Dean and even Neal had them. And the tiny symbol that she had placed on her upper right arm near her shoulder was pretty much unnoticeable on her dark skin.

THE END