π‘»π’˜π’ π’…π’‚π’šπ’” 𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒓, the group of five stand in front of a funeral pyre - John's. The only light comes from the wrapped, burning body. Standing behind, hands in their pockets, are Sam and Dean. Sam is near tears and fidgeting, Dean staring into the flames silently. Bobby stands off to the side with Alec and Maeve, Alec glancing between his sister and the brothers. Maeve was silent as she watched Dean, he had been different, distracted since she woke up. Like he blamed her for not saving his dad, and honestly, she blamed herself too. A frown makes its way onto her face, she couldn't remember anything after the crash, waking up to the three males in her room, giving her the news of what had happened. She instantly apologized, saying that it was her fault, but they all denied it. She couldn't shake it though, she just knew Dean blamed her.

Up front with the brothers, Sam speaks up, "Before he.. before, did he say anything to you? About anything?" Dean continues to stare into the fire, not looking at Sam. "No. Nothing." Twenty minutes later, the group of five have arrived at Bobby's, having been invited to stay there until Dean could get the Impala back onto the road. Maeve had made her way inside, stating she needed to take a shower. Dean watches her go, he was worried about her, she said she didn't remember anything after the incident, but he wasn't sure if he believed her. He knew she blamed herself, most likely thinking he blamed her too; he would have to talk to her about it soon, but he would give her the night.

"I erased her memory." Alec spoke up, causing the brothers to turn to face him in confusion. "What?" They asked together, "One of my runes allows me to erase memories, when I found her, I had too." Alec says, his face filled with sadness; "What happened?" Sam asked, looking towards the man he had grown to trust. "She was kidnapped." Alec starts, "What?!" Dean snarls, his eyes flaring with anger as his fits clenched. Alec shakes his head, "Honestly, I don't know much. I know his name is Will, and he worked at a restaurant she used to frequent before she met you guys. Apparently, he had grown obsessed, thinking she belonged to him. He had photos, he knows what she is, he's been following y'all for a while now." Alec explains, both brothers look horrified, but Dean looked ready to kill. Alec pauses, not sure if he should tell them this next part, "He branded her. I managed to use her own rune and transferred it onto me. He stabled the fucking blindfold to her face." He lifts up his shirt to show the branded W on his side.

Sam immediately moves forwards to take a look at it, "Does it hurt? Are you okay?" Sam questions, looking at Alec who blushes and shifts backwards. "Yeah, I just didn't want her to be marked; it'll heal eventually." Sam sighs, he would wrap it later. "Is he dead?" Dean asks, causing both males to look towards him, slightly flinching at the look on his face. "No. He was gone when I got there, but I burned the place down. Hopefully, it'll keep him off our tracks for a while." Alec explains, Dean stares him down. "Good." He finally says, Sam frowns, "What?" Sam and Alec ask together, "It's good you didn't kill him, because when I find him, I'm going to slaughter him for touching my girl, and that's a promise." Dean says, his voice calm but that's what scared the two males. The look in his eyes, he meant it. This man would slaughter Will when he found him, and honestly they wouldn't stop him, but they kinda felt sorry for the man.

The last thing you want to do, is mess with Dean Winchester's woman.

Dean takes a breath, before turning and making his way inside. He had a woman to take care of, and he really just wanted to hold her right now.

𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁

𝑢𝒏𝒆 π’˜π’†π’†π’Œ 𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒓, Dean is underneath his car working on the impala, only his legs sticking out. It is little more than a rusted frame, but it looks considerably less crunched than last time. Maeve sits on a car off to the side, wearing sunglasses and reading a book. She was feeling a little better than before, Dean having come in that night to talk to her. He told her that he didn't blame her, he knew she was going through her own shit, not that he told her that; but he did say that she didn't have to worry about him being mad at her. The duo spent the night together, showering one another, then having a nice night in bed. Alec had spent the last week trying to track the man down, he was more than happy to help Dean make the man, 'disappear.' Sam had been mourning in his own way, but he's slowly getting back to normal, worrying more about Dean who has become different.

Sam approaches the duo, giving Maeve a small smile when she lowers her glasses to look at him.

He turns to his brother, "How's the car coming along?" He asks, giving his brother a small smile. "Slow." Dean replies, the trio still have residual injuries from the accident. Maeve's forehead had more or less healed pretty quickly, Dean complained once about it being unfair that she could heal so quickly, which in turn caused her to offer up her blood. He laughed, saying he was joking with her and he didn't need her to use her blood for a little cut. "Yeah? Need any help?" Maeve blinks, coming out of her thoughts as Dean drops something heavily. "What, you under a hood? I'll pass." Dean grumbles, the last thing he want was his brother messing with his car. One of the two things he wouldn't share with his brother, the other being Maeve. "Need anything else, then?"

Dean pushes himself out from under the car and stands, "Stop it, Sam." The moment those words leave his mouth, Maeve sighs.

"Stop what?" With a groan, she closes her book. "Here we go." She mutters out, knowing full well that Dean was not about to share his feelings. "Stop asking if I need anything, stop asking if I'm okay. I'm okay. Really. I promise." Liar, Maeve thinks, "All right, Dean, it's just... We've been at Bobby's for over a week now and you haven't brought up Dad once." Sam explains, giving his brother a sad look. "You know what? You're right. Come here. I'm gonna lay my head gently on your shoulder. Maybe we can cry, hug, and maybe even slow dance." Maeve and Sam roll their eyes in sync, he was such a smart ass. "Don't patronize me, Dean, Dad is dead. The Colt is gone, and it seems pretty damn likely that the demon is behind all of this, and you're acting like nothing happened."

"What do you want me to say?" Dean snarls towards his brother with a glare, "Say something, all right? Hell, say anything! Aren't you angry? Don't you want revenge? But all you do is sit out here all day long buried underneath this damn car." Sam ended by yelling at his brother, Dean just scoffs in response. "Revenge, huh?" He utters out lowly, "Yeah." Sam breaths out with a small nod, glad that his brother was finally on the same page. Maeve makes eye contact with Alec who had just come outside. "Sounds good. You got any leads on where the demon is? Making heads or tails of any of Dad's research? Because I sure ain't. But you know, if we do finally find it - oh. No, wait, like you said. The Colt's gone. But I'm sure you've figured out another way to kill it. We've got nothing, Sam. Nothing, okay? So, you know the only thing I can do, is work on the car."

Dean crouches by the car again, getting back to work. "Well, we've got something, all right?" Sam pulls out a cell phone as Alec comes to stand next to Maeve. "It's what I came by here to tell you. This is one of dad's old phones. Took me a while, but I cracked his voicemail code. Listen to this." Sam hands the cell phone to Dean, who stands and takes it reluctantly, he gives his brother a look before putting it on speaker for Maeve and Alec to hear as well. A woman's voice comes through the speaker, "John, it's Ellen. Again. Look, don't be stubborn, you know I can help you. Call me." Dean's brows furrow in confusion as Sam nods to his brother. Maeve and Alec give one another a look, "That message is four months old." Sam says, breaking the silence. "Dad saved that chick's message for four months?"

"Yeah." Sam breaths out, nodding his head. "Well, who's Ellen? Any mention of her in Dad's journal?" Dean asks, Sam shakes his head once more. "No. But I ran a trace on her phone number and I got an address." Sam replies, Dean nods, giving Maeve a look who nods back in return. "Ask Bobby if we can use one of his cars."

...

In a beat-up, poorly maintained minivan, Dean, Maeve and Sam pull up to the Roadhouse Saloon. Alec was gone on his own, something about following up with a lead, so it was just the three of them for the moment. "This is humiliating. I feel like a friggin' soccer mom!" Dean snarls as he slams the door, Maeve laughs gently, giving him a kiss. "Poor baby." She coos, he hums, moving to quickly pull her back into his body. "It's the only car Bobby had running, seriously guys!" Dean and Maeve pull away as Sam watches them with a grimace. Dean clicks his tongue, shooting Maeve a wink as they start looking around. "Hello? Anybody here?" Sam calls out as the trio make their way towards the old roadhouse. "Hey. You bring the, uh..." Sam nods, interrupting his brother. "Of course."He tosses something to Dean, who catches it. They open the door and go inside, the saloon is quiet except for a fly buzzing. A light bulb blows out, they go to the back and see a man passed out on the bar.

"Hey, buddy?" He pauses, turning back to Maeve and Dean with a small laugh. "I'm guessing that isn't Ellen." Dean raises a brow, "Yeah." Sam goes into a back room, looking around. Dean goes down the steps, then pauses as he feels the point of a gun touch his back. "Oh god, please let that be a rifle." The gun cocks, "No, I'm just real happy to see you. Don't move." The sound of another gun cocking, causes Dean to smirk. "How about you put the rifle down, blondie or I'll make you wish you did." Maeve's voice speaks up, causing the blonde to sigh and close her eyes. Just as she moves to pull the rifle away, Dean spins around, grabbing the rifle and cocking it. The blonde female back up, holding her hands up with a glare. "That's far enough, don't think I don't know about the gun under the bar top." Maeve says, giving her a look, the blonde just glares back. "Sam?!"

The back door opens to reveal Sam, both hands on his head. He enters slowly, "Sorry, Dean, I'm a... little tied up." He nods his head, indicating Ellen, who is behind him with a handgun pointed at his head.

"Sam? Dean? Winchester?" The woman calls out, causing Sam and Dean to respond. "Yeah." They speak in sync, Maeve continues to hold her gun on the blonde until the woman lowers her weapon on Sam. "Son of a bitch." She breaths out, coming closer as the blonde moves towards her mother. "Mom, you know these guys?" She asks, "Yeah, I think these are John Winchester's boys." Sam and Dean give each other frowns. "I'm Ellen. This is my daughter Jo." The trio all raise brows in realization.

A few minutes later, the trio are sitting at the bar, on the other side, stands Jo and Ellen. Ellen hands each one of them a beer, "Here you go." Dean gives the woman a nod, Maeve is currently watching Jo who can't seem to keep her eyes off Dean. She jumps when Sam places a hand on her shoulder, she turns towards him and he gives her a small smile back. His eyes practically saying what Maeve wanted to believe, Dean wasn't interested. "Thanks. You called our dad, said you could help. Help with what?" Dean's voice brings Maeve and Sam back to the party. "Well, the demon, of course. I heard he was closing in on it." Dean and Sam tense up at her words, Maeve looks down guilty, which leads Dean to grab her hand and squeeze it. She gives him a small smile in response, to which he gives her another smile.

"What, was there an article in the Demon Hunters Quarterly that I missed? I mean, who, who are you? How do you know about all this?" Dean questions, turning back to face the female duo, his hand still in Maeve's. "Hey, I just run a saloon. But hunters have been known to pass through now and again. Including your dad a long time ago. John was like family once." Ellen explains to them, a tense look appears on her face, before she gives them a small smile. "Oh yeah? How come he never mentioned you before?" Dean asks, Ellen shrugs. "You'd have to ask him that." She replies, "So, why exactly do we need your help?" Maeve asks, finally speaking up for the first time.

"Hey, don't do me any favors. Look, if you don't want my help, fine. Don't let the door smack your ass on the way out. But John wouldn't have sent you if..." She stops, realizing. "He didn't send you." Dean looks down, tightening his grip on Maeve's hand, then looks back at Sam. "He's all right, isn't he?" She asks, looking between them, taking note of their faces. "No. No, he isn't. It was the demon, we think. It, um, it just got him before he got it, I guess." Ellen lets out a breath, "I'm so sorry." She gives them a sad look, before she clears her throat. "It's okay. We're all right." Sam gives the woman a small smile, "Really? I know how close you and your dad were." Dean glares at her, not liking how this random woman was trying to nose her way into his life. "Really, lady, I'm fine." Sam flares his throat, "So look, if you can help, we could use all the help we can get."

"Well, we can't. But Ash will." Ellen says, placing her hand on her hip and she uses the other to lean on the bar. "Who's Ash?" Sam and Dean ask together, Ellen smirks. "Ash!" The man passed out on the bar jerks awake and sits up, flailing. "What? It closin' time?" He asks, wide eyed with wild hair. "That's Ash?" Sam and Maeve ask together, raising their brows in silent judgement. "Mm-hmm. He's a genius, by the way, what's your name, lady?" Maeve shoots Jo a glare as Ellen smacks her daughter on the shoulder. Sam snorts slightly, "Name's Maeve, little girl." Maeve snarls back, giving her a sarcastic smile. Dean laughs, moving to grab Maeve and pull her away from the bar towards Ash.

A brown folder is slapped down on the bar; Sam and Ash are sitting, Dean standing behind them with Maeve pulled to his front. Jo is on the other side of the bar pouring glasses of water, still trying to gain Dean's attention. He's not paying attention at all, "You've gotta be kidding me, this guy's no genius. He's a Lynyrd Skynyrd roadie." Dean geeks out, Ash and Maeve smiling at him. "I like you." Ash says, giving the man a fist bump. "Thanks." Dean moves, pulling Maeve along with him, sitting down, pulling her into his lap and opens the folder. "All right. This stuff's about a year's worth of our dad's work, so uh, let's see what you make of it." Ash pulls out the papers and starts rifling through them. He shakes his head. "Come on. This crap ain't real. There ain't nobody can track a demon like this."

"Our dad could."

"There are non-parametrics, statistical overviews, prospects and correlations, I mean.. damn! They're signs. Omens. Uh, if you can track 'em, you can track this demon. You know, like crop failures, electrical storms... You ever been struck by lightening? It ain't fun."

"Can you track it or not?"

"Yeah, with this, I think so. But it's gonna take time, uh, give me... fifty one hours."

He gets up to leave, "Hey, man?" Dena calls out awkwardly, shifting Maeve slightly as he moves too. "Yeah." Ash raises a brow at the man, "I, uh, I dig the haircut." Dean complimented, Ash immediately nods happily. "All business up front, party in the back." As he leaves, Jo walks by, trying to flirt a little with Dean. He scoffs slightly, giving her an awkward smile, pulling Maeve in closer. Sam sees something behind the bar, moving to check it out. "Hey, Ellen, what is that?" Maeve and Dean turn in Sam's direction, now paying attention to him and his questions. "It's a police scanner. We keep tabs on things, we..." Ellen pauses, when Sam shakes his head and points to something else. "No, no, no, no, the, um, the folder." Ellen raises a brow, clearing her throat. "Uh, I was gonna give this to a friend of mine. But take a look, if you want."

She takes a folder from the wall and places it in front of same. It has some newspaper clippings attached to the front, and on the front, in red marker. It reads, 'Couple murdered, child left alive. Medford, Wisconsin.' Maeve sighs, getting up to Maeve towards a table by the window. Dean frowns, quickly following after her, he slips in the booth beside her. "Hey, sweetheart, what's wrong?" He asks, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. She gives him a small smile, "I don't know, I'm just not feeling well. My head hurts, like I'm forgetting something. Alec's been avoiding me, and now I gotta worry about a blonde hunter trying to take you from me." Dean pauses, staring at her before he lets out a laugh, she immediately smacks him on his chest. "Dean! Don't laugh." She cries out, but he continues to laugh, a few moments later, he's smiling at her. Leaning in, he gives her a deep kiss, "First of all." He starts, pulling away as he stares at her with adoration. "I ain't interested, you know I love you, when was the last time I looked at another female." She sighs, "I know. Just she's a hunter."

"So are you, and you're way more badass than she is, far more interesting." She blushes at his words, "Look, I don't know what Alec is going through, but I do know that he loves you. Give him time." She nods, Dean gives her another smile as he leans in to kiss her on the forehead. He feels bad for lying about Alec, but for now it was better than watching her worry about him. The couple jump slightly when Jo slides into the booth across from them. "So, are you two together?" Jo asks, cocking her head, Maeve scoffs slightly as Dean nods with a proud smile. "Yep, me and my girl against the world. So, since we're asking personal questions, how did your mom get into this stuff, anyway?" Jo flinches slightly at Dean's smirk, "From my dad. He was a hunter. He passed away." She explains, giving them a sad look, both Dean and Maeve give her a look of sadness. "I'm sorry." They speak together.

"It was a long time ago. I was just a kid. Sorry to hear about your dad." Jo gives Dean a small smile, "Yeah. So. I guess I've got fifty one hours to waste." He pauses, slowly turning to look at Maeve with a smirk. Clicking his tongue, "Wanna get out of here, sweetheart?" Maeve laughs lightly, giving him a small nod, Dean in turn stands, holding out his hand to her. Just as she takes his hand, Sam calls out to them. "Maeve, Dean, come here, check this out." Dean groans, moving towards his brother with a glare. "Cockblock, Sammy. Cockblock." Sam winces slightly, "Sorry, we gotta case, I think. A few murders, not far from here, that Ellen caught wind of. Looks to me like there might be a hunt."

"Yeah. So?"

"So, I told her we'd check it out."

...

It's nighttime, in the minivan, Dean is driving, while Maeve sleeps in the back. It's raining; Sam has the research open in his lap, he starts talking lowly, but his brother responds louder than usual; which wakes Maeve. "You've gotta be kidding me. A killer clown? Sorry, sweetheart." She hums slightly as she rubs her eyes, leaning forward to check over Sam's shoulder. Reading the research, "Yeah. He left the daughter unharmed and killed the parents. Ripped them to pieces, actually." Sam says, an uncomfortable look crossing over his face. "And this family was at some carnival that night?" Maeve asks, cocking her head to the side. "Right, right. The, uh, Cooper Carnivals." Dean frowns in confusion, "So, how do you know we're not dealing with some psycho carnie in a clown suit?" Sam clears his throat. "Well, the cops have no viable leads, and all the employees were tearing down shop. Alibis all around. Plus this girl said she saw a clown vanish into thin air. Cops are saying trauma, of course."

"Well, I know what you're thinking, Sam. Why did it have to be clowns?" Maeve looks in between them in confusion, her eyes slowly widening in realization. "Oh, give me a break." Sam scoffs, blushing slightly under her gaze. Dean laughs, "You didn't think I'd remember, did you? I mean, come on, you still bust out crying whenever you see Ronald McDonald on the television." Maeve's mouth drops open in an o shape of realization. "Well, at least I'm not afraid of flying." Sam shoots back, glaring at his brother. "Planes crash!" Dean snarls, "And apparently clowns kill!" Sam replies, raising a brow towards Dean who scoffs; Maeve snorts slightly as she shakes her head. "I'm scared of spiders." Both brothers look at her, Dean through the mirror as Sam turns back. "What?! Just because I'm a snake goddess, doesn't mean I can't be scared of them!" A moment of silence, before both brothers laugh; leaving Maeve to pout in response.

"Don't worry, sweetheart. I'll be your professional spider killer."

"Bite me, Winchester."

"Anytime, Sweetheart."

"Guys!"

The group of three have smiles on their faces, before it gets serious again. "So, these types of murders, they ever happen before?" Dean asks his brother, Sam clears his throat. "Uh, according to the file, 1981, the Bunker Brothers Circus, Same M.O. It happened three times, three different locales." Sam explains to the duo, "It's weird, though, I'm mean if it is a spirit it's usually bound to a specific locale, you know, a house, or a town." Dean states with a frown, "So, how's this one moving from city to city, carnival to carnival?" Maeve asks, raising a brow. "Cursed object, maybe. Spirit attaches itself to something and the, uh, carnival carries it around with them." Dean explains, causing Sam to sigh. "Great. Paranormal scavenger hunt." Dean turns to look at his brother with a smirk. "Well, this case was your idea, could've gotten laid by now." Maeve smacks his shoulder as he laughs, "By the way, why is that? You were awfully quick to jump on this job." Dean asks, raising a brow towards his brother.

"So?" Sam shrugs, not wanting to admit the reasons why he jumped on this case. For the reason of his own way of mourning his father, for keeping Maeve from remembering what happened that night; and to keep his worries off Alec. "It's just... not like you, that's all. I thought you were hell-bent for leather on the demon hunt." Dean says, his voice low. "I don't know, I just think, this job, it's what Dad would have wanted us to do." Sam replies, shrugging once more. "What Dad would have wanted?" Dean asks, raising a brow as a small scoffs leaves his voice. "Yeah. So?"

"Nothin'."

𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒙𝒕 π’Žπ’π’“π’π’Šπ’π’ˆ, the trio in the squeaky minivan pull up outside the carnival. They see what appear to be detectives talking to some carnies. "Check it out. Five-oh." Sam stands with his hands in his pockets as a three-foot-tall woman in a clown outfit passes him; Maeve stands quietly next to him in amusement. He stares at her, nervous, and she stares back before moving on. Dean approaches. "Did you get her number?" Sam turns to his brother with a scowl as Maeve snorts slightly. Dean was such an ass, "More murders?" Maeve asks, raising a brow towards her boyfriend. "Two more last night. Apparently they were ripped to shreds. And they had a little boy with them." Dean explains, wrapping his arm around her waist.

"Who fingered a clown?" Maeve blinks, Dean pauses, giving Sam a weird look. "What?" Another moment of silence crosses over the duo before Dean clears his throat and speaks again. "Yeah, a clown, who apparently vanished into thin air." He explains, Sam sighs in annoyance. "Dean, you know, looking for a cursed object is like trying to find a needle in a stack of needles. They could be anything." Maeve groans in annoyance, it would never be easy. "Well, it's bound to give off EMF, so we'll just have to scan everything." Dean says, shrugging his shoulders. "Oh, good, that's nice and... inconspicuous." Sam speaks, sarcasm dripping from his voice. Dean sees a, 'Help wanted.. S. Cooper,' sign. "I guess we'll just have to blend in." Maeve and Sam groan at Dean's smirk as he leads them towards the tent.

The trio enter, to see a man is throwing knives at a target; they all land near, but not quite on bulls-eye. "Excuse me, we're looking for a Mr. Cooper, have you seen him around?" The man turns at Dean's question, "What is that, some kind of joke?" He pulls off his sunglasses; he's blind. Dean's eyes widen in horror as Sam snorts lowly, Maeve just sighs. This wasn't going to end well. "Oh. God, I'm, I'm sorry." Dean apologizes, Maeve smiles as she grabs his hand. Despite his reputation for being an asshole, he really was the sweetest man with the kindest heart. "You think I wouldn't give my eyeteeth to see Mr. Cooper? Or a sunset, or anything at all?" Dean leaned back, quietly speaking to Sam. "Wanna give me a little help here?"

"Not really."

"Hey man, is there a problem?" Dean turns, then looks down to see an extremely short man in a red cape. "Yeah, this guy hates blind people." The blind man curses, Dean grows even more anxious as Sam continues to laugh. "No, I don't, I..." The shorter male turns to glare at Dean, "Hey buddy, what's your problem?" Maeve moves to step in front of him with her arms crossed. "It's just a misunderstanding, we didn't know he was blind.." She turns to glare at the blind man who was smirking smugly. "And it's not fair of you to do that to him, you find this funny; but it's not. You're the reason we get into situations that we don't have to be in. Be a man and grow up, the both of you." Maeve snarls towards the two clowns that thought it was funny to pick on her man. She really wasn't trying to be a bitch, she knew topics such as these were sensitive for some, but it wasn't cool to bring in people and make them out to be the bad guy when they weren't.

"Sorry, Ma'am. We were just kidding with ya, Kid." The older male smacks Dean on his shoulder, causing Dean to look surprised that he knew where he stood. "Uh, it's okay?" Dean was super confused, and slightly hot for Maeve at the moment, but he blinked and spoke up again. "Could somebody tell me where Mr. Cooper is?" Sam laughs gently, pausing with a wince as Maeve turns to him with a pointed look and a finger in his direction. "I'll deal with you later." Now, he looked like a kicked puppy, Dean puffs out his chest slightly as Maeve turns back to the blind man and short one. "Please?" She smiles softly, all four of the men under her spell.

A few minutes later, the trio enter Mr. Coopers tent, the man smiling at them in greeting. "You three picked a hell of a time to join up. Take a seat." Dean looks at the available chairs; one is normal, the other is pink, with a giant clownface on it. He beats Sam to the normal chair, as slight revenge for earlier, before he pulls Maeve into his lap. Sam scowls, fidgeting before sitting gingerly in the clown chair. "We've got all kinds of local trouble." Mr. Cooper starts, the trio growing confused at his words. "What do you mean?" Dean and Maeve ask together, "Oh, a couple of folks got themselves murdered." Maeve scoffs lowly, he really knew how to put it bluntly. "Cops always seem to start here first. So, you three ever worked the circuit before?"

"Yes sir, last year through Texas and Arkansas."

"Yeah."

"Doing what? Ride jockies? Butcher? ANS men? The magical trio?"

"Yeah, it's, uh, little bit of everything, I guess."

"You three have never worked a show in your lives before, have you?"

Dean laughs awkwardly, looking slightly bashful. "Nope. But we really need the work. Oh, and uh, Sam here's got a thing for the bearded lady." Maeve rolls her eyes as Sam shoots his brother a bitch face. "Ignore him, he's just being a jerk." Maeve speaks up causing the older man to laugh, she may still be a little annoyed with Sam about earlier, but him sitting in the clown chair was torture enough. "You see that picture? That's my daddy." The trio look towards the picture that showed a man who looked exactly like the one before them. "You look just like him." Sam says, staring at the man with suspicion. "He was in the business. Ran a freakshow. Till they outlawed them, most places. Apparently displaying the deformed isn't dignified. So most of the performers went from honest work to rotting in hospitals and asylums. That's progress. I guess. You see, this place, it's a refuge for outcasts. Always has been. For folks that don't fit in nowhere else. But you two? You should go to school. Find a couple of girls. Have two point five kids. Live regular."

Dean is about to say something, but Sam leans forward, eyes serious. "Sir? We don't want to go to school. And we don't want regular. We want this." Dean looks at Sam, then up at Maeve who just nods in agreement. This was the only way they could find whatever this thing was, blend in and kill it.

The trio exit the tent, Dean shooting his brother a suspicious look. "Huh." Dean's voice breaks the silence as they look around. Maeve moves off to the side as her phone rings, Alec was calling. "Alec? You good?" She asks, glancing back towards the brothers who were talking. "Yeah..Uh.. I'm almost finished up here, then I'll meet up with you guys. I just wanted to check in on my little sis." A small laugh escaped her lips, "We both know I'm older than you, but I'll let you have your moment." The siblings laugh, "I'm glad you're okay, I've gotta go now. See ya later." Alec says over the phone, a smile on his lips. "Yeah, see ya; and don't worry, I'll tell Sam you said hi." She smirks as she hangs up, vaguely hearing Alec complaining from the other end as she does.

As she makes her way back over to her boys, she raises a brow at Sam's words. "I'm having second thoughts." She cocks her head to the side in confusion. "Second thoughts about what?" She looks between them, Dean quickly pulls her up to speed. "Yeah. I think. Dad would have wanted me to stick with the job." Sam says, continuing off where he was after Dean finished explaining. "Since when do you give a damn what Dad wanted? You spent half your life doing exactly what he didn't want, Sam." Dean's question makes sense to Maeve, she knew Sam had always butted heads with his father and it was safe to say that she didn't like John either. She couldn't stand the man, but she knew Dean didn't need to hear that from her. "Since he died, okay? Do you have a problem with that?"

"Nah, I don't have a problem at all." He gives a fake smile, leaving Maeve and Sam watching after him. She looks towards the taller male, "Just give him some time, I'm gonna go get dressed." She smiles, patting him on the shoulder, leaving him alone.

...

Later, the brother meet up after scanning the area with EMF; the duo pausing as they come stand together. "You seen Maeve?" Dean asks, frowning at his brother. Sam frowns back, shaking his head, "No, I tried her cell, but got nothing." The brothers immediately go tense, looking around in panic. "Mommy, look at the clown!" Dean and Sam both look over to see a little girl pointing at something. "What clown?" They look to where the little girl is pointing; there is nothing. "Come on, sweetie, come on." Dean and Sam share a look, "You couldn't see it, could you?" The brothers both jump at the sound of Maeve's voice from behind them. They spin to face her, Dean sagging with relief as he pulls her into his chest. "Woman, you scared the hell out of us. Where were you?" Dean asks, pulling back as he looks down at her. She frowns, looking up at him in confusion; "Doing the job, what's up with you two?" She looks between them, Sam clears his throat and lets out a small laugh.

"You didn't answer your phone so we got worried." Her eyes widen, "Oh, yeah. Sorry, that's my bad. My phone died, I'm sorry baby." Maeve says softly, placing her hand on his cheek. He closes his eyes, leaning into her hand. "Just glad you're okay, sweetheart." Sam watches with a small smile, "Alright, you two. Let's get going, we've got a clown to hunt." Dean pulls away, smacking Sam on his shoulder with a laugh.

𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁

𝑰𝒕'𝒔 π’…π’‚π’“π’Œ, Maeve, Dean and Sam are on stakeout outside the family's home. "Dean, I cannot believe you told Papazian about the homicidal phantom clown." Maeve groans lowly at Sam's words; this has been the topic of conversation for the last thirty minutes. She loved Sam, really, she did, but she wished he wouldn't bitch so damn much. Although, she definitely understood why he and Alec got along so well; despite barely knowing one another. Dean was still stiff around her brother, which made her heart soar; she liked the fact that he was so protective. It was nice being cared for, being protected instead prosecuted and hunted. "I told him an urban legend about a homicidal phantom clown, I never said it was real." Dean pulls a gun and cocks it. Sam grabs at it, pushing Dean's hands down. Maeve looks between them with a raised eyebrow, "Keep that down!" Sam hisses with a glare, "Oh, and get this. I mentioned the Bunker Brother's Circus in '81 and their, uh, evil clown apocalypse? Guess what."

"What?" Maeve asks, leaning forward between them. "Before Mr. Cooper owned Cooper Carnival, he worked for Bunker Brothers. He was their lot manager." Maeve raises a brow, "So, you think whatever the spirit's attached to, Cooper just brought it with him?" She asks, cocking her head. "Something like that." Dean states, shrugging his shoulder as Sam sighs. "I can't believe we keep talking about clowns." He grumbles, Maeve and Dean laughing at his words.

A little while later, Dean and Maeve have fallen asleep; the duo taking no notice as a light goes on in the dining room. Sam, however, notices and moves to wake them up; Maeve wakes immediately, having not fully fallen asleep, but Dean snorts awake. Inside, the little girl goes to the front door, where the phantom clown is waiting. "Wanna come in and play?" The clown nods, takes her hand and is led inside. As the girl leads the clown down the hallway, Dean and Sam are already hiding in wait, weapons ready. "Wanna see Mommy and Daddy? They're upstairs." Sam leaps out and grabs the girl, who starts screaming, Maeve wraps her whip around its legs, stopping it as Dean shoots it in the chest. It falls on its back, which allows Maeve to pull her whip back; winding about to swing it again, but the bastard gets up and leaps out the window, turning invisible as it runs away. The parents come rushing out.

"What's going on out here?" The man shouts, his eyes widening in horror at the three strangers around his daughter. "Oh my god, what are you doing to my daughter?!" The mother screams in terror, immediately the trio move, leaving the house as fast as they can. "He shot my clown!"

...

The sun is rising as Maeve, Dean and Sam have parked the minivan off the side of a road and are digging out their belongings - including the license plates. "You really think they saw our plates?" Sam asks, Maeve grunts as she quickly grabs her things. "I don't want to take the chance. Besides, I hate this friggin' thing anyway." They start walking down the road, Medusa mentally cursing the clown for making them walk. "Well, one thing's for sure." Dean starts, shooting his girl a look as she nods in agreement; the duo on the same wavelength. "What's that?" Sam asks, "We're not dealing with a spirit. I mean, that rock salt hit something solid and my girls whip actually wrapped around someone." Dean explains, Maeve nods in agreement. "He's right, I didn't even have to use my powers to connect with its body." She explains, "Yeah, a person? Or maybe a creature that can make itself invisible?" Sam asks, raising a brow at the revelation.

"Yeah, and dresses up as a clown for kicks? You see anything in Dad's journal?" Dean asks, "Nope." He pulls out his cell phone causing his brother to frown in confusion. "Who are you calling?" Maeve asks, "Maybe Ellen or that guy Ash'll know something. Hey, you think, uh, you think Dad and Ellen ever had a thing?" A pause passes over the trio as Maeve grimaces at the thought; Dean shakes his head, no doubt in his mind that his father wouldn't. "No way." Dean speaks up, his voice firm. "Then why didn't he tell us about her?" Sam questions, shooting his brother a pointed look. "I don't know, maybe they had some sort of falling out." Dean says with a shrug, "Yeah. You ever notice Dad had a falling out with just about everybody?" Dean nods casually; Sam lowers the phone. "Well, don't get all maudlin on me, man." Maeve blinks, not understanding the reference as Dean rolls his eyes with a scoff. "What do you mean?" He asks, trying to play it off. "I mean this, 'strong silent' thing of yours, it's crap."

"Oh, joy. Here we go." Maeve grumbles out as she moves to lean against a nearby tree. This would take a minute, all this tension and pain between the brothers would never go unnoticed. "I'm over it. This isn't just anyone we're talking about, this is Dad. I know how you felt about the man." Sam starts, glaring at his brother. "You know what, back off, all right? Just because I'm not caring and sharing like you want me to." Dean snarls in annoyance, "No, no, no, that's not what this is about, Dean. I don't care how you deal with this. But you have to deal with it, man. Listen, I'm your brother, all right? I just want to make sure you're okay." Sam ends it with a small sigh, Dean rolls his eyes. He hated these chick flick moments, only exception is for Maeve. "Dude, I'm okay. I'm okay, okay? I swear, the next person who asks me if I'm okay, I'm going to start throwing punches." Maeve clears her throat from off to the side, causing Dean to point towards her without looking. "You know what I mean, sweetheart." He turns his attention back to Sam, "These are your issues, quit dumping them on me!"

"What are you talking about?"

"I just think it's really interesting, this sudden obedience you have to Dad. It's like, oh, what would Dad want me to do? Sam, you spent your entire life slugging it out with that man. I mean, hell, you, you picked a fight with him the last time you ever saw him. And now that he's dead, now you want to make it right? Well, I'm sorry Sam, but you can't, it's too little, too late."

"Why are you saying this to me?"

"Because I want you to be honest with yourself about this. I'm dealing with Dad's death! Are you?"

"I'm going to call Ellen." Dena sighs as Sam walks away, Maeve silently walking over to hug him from behind. His body melts into her arms, finding that the only time he can breathe is within her arms.

Further down the road, Sam is hanging up the phone. "Thanks." He turns to face his brother and Maeve, "Rakshasa." He states, Dean raises a brow. "What's that?" Dean asks, Sam sighs, going to explain as best as he can but is interrupted by Maeve. "It's a race of ancient Hindu creatures, they appear in human form, they feed on human flesh, they can make themselves invisible, and they cannot enter a home without first being invited." She explains, giving the brothers a shrug when they shoot her questionable looks. "What? I know things, I am an ancient being too, remember." She grumbles out, crossing her arms with a huff. Dean smiles, finding her adorable. "So, they dress up like clowns, and the children invite them in." Dean utters out, a smirk on his face. "Yeah." Maeve responds with a smile, finding Dean can always make her laugh and feel good about herself.

"Why don't they just munch on the kids?" Dean asks, turning back to his brother as he pulls Maeve into his chest; placing his chin on her shoulder. Sam rolls his eyes at the sight, slightly jealous with the couple. "No idea. Not enough meat on the bones, maybe?" Sam says, shrugging his shoulders. "What else do ya know, sweetheart?" Dean asks, rocking her back and forth. "Well, apparently, Rakshasas live in squalor. They sleep on a bed of dead insects, so I've heard. It's been a while, but usually things like them don't change their habits." She explains, Sam and Dean nodding at her words. "Nice." Dean grumbles lowly, "Yeah, and they have to feed a few times every twenty or thirty years. Slow metabolism, I guess." She finishes, "Well, that makes sense. I mean, the Carnival today, the Bunker Brothers' in '81. Probably more before that." Sam says, a sigh escaping his lips. "Hey Sam, who do we know that worked both shows?"

"Cooper?" Sam questions, raising a brow; Dean clicks his tongue and smirks. "Cooper." He confirms, "You know, that picture of his father, that looked just like him." Maeve points out, causing both brothers to raise their brows in agreement. "You think maybe it was him?" Dean asks her, "Well, who knows how old he is?" Sam responds with a shrug, Dean turns back to Maeve. "Sweetheart, you how to kill em?" She pauses for a moment, thinking back on the things she's heard about them. So many monsters in her head, so many different legends, different times. Soon, she nods, "From what I remember, a dagger made of pure brass." The brothers smile at her, "I think I know where to get one of those." Dean says, an eager look on his face. "Well, before we go stabbing things into Cooper, we're going to want to make damn sure it's him."

"Oh, you're such a stickler for details, Sammy. All right, Maeve and I'll round up the blade, you go check if Cooper's got bedbugs."

...

Later, the Blind Man is leading Dean and Maeve into his trailer. "Well, I've got all kinds of knives. I don't know if I've got a brass one, though." Maeve shivers slightly at his words, something wasn't right about this. She watches as he leads Dean in and taps a trunk with his cane, her eyes starting to glow as her bracelet slithers off her wrist. "Check the trunk." Dean opens the trunk and finds a red clown wig. He pauses, stands and spins around, "You?" Blind Man drops his cane, pulls off his glasses; his eyes look normal, then go cloudy and his face begins to melt. He waves, then disappears, but is stopped as Maeve whips her hand out, wrapping her snake whip around his body. His eyes widening in horror as she smirks, "Gotcha." She says, the problem was they still didn't have a brass dagger. "Do you?" He asks, a smug smirk appears on his face as he grabs her whip, yanking her forward.

Dean moves, grabbing Maeve before she can go flying into the monster. Her whip wraps itself back up as the man disappears once more, "Son of a bitch, I had him." She yelps when a knife comes flying at them. "No time! Come on!" Dean shouts, yanking her out of the trailer, it wasn't a big enough space for them to fight him off. Outside, Sam catches up with them, the trio meeting up in the middle of the open area. "Hey! Hey. So, Cooper thinks I'm a Peeping Tom, but it's not him." Sam exclaims, panting as he looks behind him. Dean and Maeve are panting as well, "Yeah, so we gathered. It's the blind guy, he's here somewhere; we had him, but..." Sam interrupted his brother, "Well, did you get the..." Maeve shakes her head, feeling guilty for letting the damn thing get away.

If only she was stronger.

If only she was better.

Her thoughts start spiraling out of control, until Dean grabs her hand and brings her back down. "The brass blades? No, it's been one of those days." He gives her a smile of reassurance, which almost makes her cry; even Sam shoots her a look. These boys didn't hate her for being a monster, and they didn't blame her for being weak as a human. She was just Maeve. "I got an idea. Come on." They enter the funhouse; as they go through, a door slams between them. They struggle to open it, "Sam! Maeve!" Sam and Maeve are on one side while Dean is stuck on the other. "Dean! Dean, find the maze, okay?"Sam finds a pipe organ, which is giving off steam. He grabs for one of the pipes, flinching from the heat. He takes something from his pocket and starts pulling off a pipe. "Sam." Maeve's voice causes him to stop, "I can use another rune to see him, I can make it quick." Sam pauses, he knows she shouldn't. He doesn't want her too, knows Dean would be pissed, but he also knows that she wants to prove herself.

He can see it, she needs this to feel better; to feel useful. "Maeve, you don't have to prover anything to us." Sam says, his voice soft as he moves to stand in front of her. He towers over her and looks down at her with a soft look. "I know, but I also know that if I can help in anyway; then I need too. For you and for Dean." She says, her voice soft as she pulls out her pen. "But, I need your help."

Two minutes later, Dean comes around the corner and finds Sam standing alone. "Hey, where's Maeve?" He pauses, a frown appearing on his face when he takes in Sam's look and sees the pen in his hand. "What did you do?" Suddenly, the duo jump at the sound of someone flying past them and slamming back against one of the mirrors. The man appears, his body moving around as blood slowly leaks from him, he looks like he's been in a fight with a wood chipper. "What are you?" He hisses out, slowly looking up in the direction he came flying from. The brothers look in that direction, their eyes widening in awe as Maeve slowly starts to shimmer inside the light. She was just invisible as he had been, a dark look on her face as her eyes shined bright blue. In her hand was a brass pipe, within a flash, she had the man pinned against the wall.

He yelled out in pain as she pulled him up by his neck, "I'm the last thing you'll ever see." She hisses, bringing the pipe through his stomach. The brothers watch as the man disappears for good with a shout, Maeve drops the pipe. Dean frowns, taking in her stance, "Sweetheart?" He moves to reach for her, but she pushes him back. "Don't!" She snarls, disappearing from their sight; leaving them alone in the funhouse. Dean stares at the place she had been in shock, before he turns to Sam with a glare. "What the hell did you do?!" He snarls, Sam's eyes widen in shock. "I just did what she wanted! She asked me too!" Sam replies, Dean spots the pen in his hand and snatches it from him. He glares at the damned thing, before turning to leave the funhouse.

He needed to find his girl.

𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁𐄁

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒙𝒕 π’Žπ’π’“π’π’Šπ’π’ˆ, Dean and Sam are sitting at the bar; Ellen lays down a couple of beers. After a long night of searching, Maeve had yet to be found. Dean had apologized later for yelling at his brother, Sam immediately telling him not to worry about it. Neither holding a grudge, Dean was worried, his leg wouldn't stop bouncing and Sam was trying to get ahold of Alec, but couldn't. "You boys did a hell of a job. Your dad would be proud." Ellen's voice snaps them back to reality, "Thanks." Jo, sitting down on the other side of Dean, gives Sam a look. Sam shoots her a bitch face, but she just glares back. As he opens his mouth to argue, the door opens and they all turn to see Maeve standing there.

She looks worse for wear, tired as hell. Dean moves immediately, rushing to pull her into his chest. "Sweetheart, where the hell have you been?" He asks, pulling back to look down at her. Sam moves over to stand next to them, "I'm sorry. I couldn't control the voices, I needed to make sure I wouldn't hurt you two." She explains lowly, both brothers pull her into a three-way hug. "We do this together, remember? No, running off, Dean almost had a heart attack." Sam says, a small smile appearing on his face as he pulls back. Dean shoots his brother a look, but doesn't let go of his girl. Maeve laughs, keeping her head in his chest. "I'm sorry. Really." He hums lightly, tightening his grip on her.

The duo break apart when the back door opens and Ash enters, carrying the folder and a bizarre looking laptop. "Where you guys been? Been waitin' for ya." The trio make their way over to the man with the crazy hair style. "We were working a job, Ash. Clowns?" Sam says, raising a brow towards the man who looks confused as hell. "Clowns? What the f..." Maeve laughs as Dean interjects the man's words. "You got something for us, Ash?" Ash sets the laptop down on a table. It looks homemade, with exposed wiring. "Did you find the demon?" Maeve asks, looking at him with an impressed look. "It's nowhere around. At least, nowhere I can find. But if this fugly bastard raises his head, I'll know. I mean, I'm on it like Divine on dog dookie."

"What do you mean?" Maeve asks, finding herself more confused at his expression than the brothers. "I mean, any of those signs or omens appear, anywhere in the world. my rig'll go off. Like a fire alarm." Dean reaches for the laptop, Ash gives him a look. "Do you mind...yeah." Dean laughs awkwardly, Ash pauses for a moment. "Hey, what's up, man?" He asks, a smirk appearing on his lips. "Ash, where did you learn to do all this?" Sam asks, highly impressed by the males skills. "M.I.T. Before I got bounced for... fighting."

"M.I.T.?"

"It's a school in Boston."

"Okay. You give us a call as soon as you know something?"

"Si, si, compadre."

Dean takes another sip of his beer, then sets it down. Ash picks it up, while Maeve, Dean and Sam get up to leave. "Hey, listen, if you guys need a place to stay I've got a couple beds out back." Ellen calls out, staring at the trio about to leave. "Thanks, but no. There's something I gotta finish." Dean says, grabbing Maeve's hand and pulling her out of the bar; leaving Jo glaring in annoyance. "Okay." Ellen calls out, slightly saddened at his words.

...

A few hours later, Dean is working on the car again, Maeve sits on the hood of a nearby car; a book in her lap, but she's not paying attention. Her attention is on Sam, who is pacing nearby. "You were right." Sam starts, moving in closer to his brother. "About what?" Dean asks, pausing for a moment. "About me and dad. I'm sorry that the last time I was with him I tried to pick a fight. I'm sorry that I spent most of my life angry at him. I mean, for all I know he died thinking that I hate him. So you're right. What I'm doing right now, it's too little. It's too late."

Sam pauses, "I miss him, man. And I feel guilty as hell. And I'm not all right. Not at all. But neither are you. That much I know." He stares at his brother, waiting to see if he would respond, but all he gets is silence. "I'll let you get back to work." Sam leaves, giving Maeve a small sad smile as he passes her on the way inside. Dean is still for a moment, he then picks up a crowbar and smashes the window of a nearby car. Then he starts slamming it into the trunk of his own car, over and over. He hits it for his father, for the secret he has to keep, he hits it for his brother, the one he has failed to protect and he hits it for his girl, for the bastard who touched her. The sick bastard, who he would destroy when he found him. He hit the car, for her brother who holds the brand on his body, and for the memories he had to erase so she could still have a smile on her lips.

Finally, he stops, the crowbar clatters to the ground, and Dean looks after where Sam has gone, lip trembling. Maeve slowly moves, walking to stand in front of him as a tear slips from his eye. He looks to her, before quickly snatching her by the waist and pulling her into a tight hug. She wraps her arms around him as he sobs into her shoulder, "I've got you, baby. I've got you." She breaths out, causing him to tighten his grip on her.

The duo holding each other for a long time, both finding peace within each other's arms.

.β€’*β€’.β€’*β€’.β€’*β€’.β€’*β€’.β€’*β€’.β€’*β€’.

Alright guys, I'm back again, I guess. Sorry for not giving y'all much lately; if you haven't already seen my profile updates, then you probably should go check them out.

I've been busy and I've become depressed about life so I haven't been very motivated about things.

Sorry guys, anyway, I hope y'all enjoyed.

Yes, Maeve has removed another rune; this one is on her back lower right hip, it gives her the ability to turn invisible and see invisible creatures.

This one took a lot out of her, seeming as she's not fully herself. With Alec taking her memories and the mental/physical scares from recent events; she just needed time.

Anyway, thank you all for the love and support.

If I missed anything, please let me know; but be nice.

Thank you!

9,602 Words