Blood, Sweat, and Tears ch. 9

Emma and Dean both looked up at Sam as they heard objects in the room vibrate. There was a hint of fear in Dean’s eyes as he looked at his little brother. There was something dark in the Sam’s eyes, something far beyond anger. “Sammy,” he said slowly. His brother didn’t answer and Dean began to worry more. “Sammy,” he said again. Still there was no response from the younger Winchester. Dean looked down at Emma before standing and walking over to his brother. He caught sight of the body and gagged once more. It was unbearable to look at but Dean had to be the strong one. He was all that was left to take care of Sam, he couldn’t break down now.

Dean knelt down in front of his brother and took hold of his shoulders. “Sammy,” he said shaking his brother. Sam continued to stare at the body behind Dean. “Sammy,” Dean shouted. The shaking in the room continued and grew more violent. Objects began to fall from the shelves they were on and shatter on the floor. Dean looked around and back at Sam. Was Sam doing all this? “Sammy,” he shouted shaking his brother once more.

Finally, Sam looked up at his brother. The shaking stopped and a single tear fell from Sam’s right eye. “Dean,” he whispered in a broken voice. “D... Dean,” he said beginning to tremble in his brother’s arms. Emma curled up in the corner and hugged her knees to her chest. She couldn’t get the sight out of her mind. The fear in John’s eyes, the blood on the ground, the fire that engulfed him, it would be etched in her memory for the rest of her life. Dean looked into Sam’s eyes. He tried to think of a way to help his little brother but he couldn’t think of anything. “Da… dad too,” Sam whispered.

“Sammy,” he said hugging his brother, something he didn’t do often but he thought the situation warranted it. “Sammy, don’t worry,” Dean added. He tried to remain strong. “That bitch is gonna die Sam,” Dean said strongly. “I’ll make damn sure of that.” Sam nodded slowly. He reminded Dean so much of when they were little. Sam would have a bad dream and after he woke up, he always had a headache. Dean would see it in Sam’s eyes; he knew it was the same. “Sammy,” Dean asked, “Tell me exactly what you saw back there.”

Sam looked down for a moment, trying to remember. “I… I saw Emma walking… walking down the steps,” he said softly. “She… she walked over there,” Sam said, pointing to the room off to the left. “Then… then someone came from behind her and slammed her against the wall. I… I didn’t see who or what… but-”

“Him,” Emma whispered pointing to the scorched corpse of their father. “It… It was him,” she whispered. “He… he said I was in… I was in trouble,” she whispered lowering her head. “I got too close. He… he asked where you were,” she said looking up at Dean. “If… if you were all right, how… how your heart was.”

“My heart,” Dean said a bit confused.

“I… I called him,” Sam said after a long silence. “When you were in the hospital I called Dad and told him.”

“Oh,” Dean answered with a nod.

“Then… he… he said that I have to leave. That’s… that’s when she showed up, Natasha.” There were tears in Emma’s eyes as she spoke. “She said you two shouldn’t have… have interfered.” Emma hugged her knees closer to her chest and lowered her head. “She said that you would pay. Then… then she was in front of him. It… it was just one… one swift movement. A… blade across his throat and he was gone. He didn’t fall though, he didn’t fall.” Emma shut her eyes tightly and tried to get the image out of her mind. This time Sam moved instead of Dean. He knelt in front of Emma and placed his hands comforting on her shoulder. Emma looked up at him and their eyes met once more. “She… she turned back towards the shadows,” she said softly, afraid to look anywhere but Sam’s eyes. “All she did was nod and the fire started.”

“What,” Dean said standing up quickly. The sudden realization that this thing had truly taken everything that Dean had away from him was overwhelming. He looked down at his little brother. They really were all each other had now.

Emma bit her lip and lowered her head, curling up in Sam’s arms. Under normal circumstances, Dean might get jealous at this, but he understood. They had both witnessed it. Part of him wished he had, so he would understand what his brother and Emma were going through. He knew that thought was stupid though. He leaned against the railing of the stairs and watched the two of them. There was a silent communication between Sam and Emma. “It’s… its my-”

“No its not,” Sam said quickly. He didn’t want her to blame herself for this. She didn’t know it would happen. There had always been a risk in the Winchesters’ lives. This wasn’t Emma’s fault, or at least that was what Sam was telling himself to keep calm. Sam wiped the tears from Emma’s eyes and gave her a small smile. “It’s not your fault Emma,” he said firmly. Sam rested his forehead against hers and tucked her hair behind her ear.

Dean watched them and wondered why Emma would see anything in Dean. Sam and she were so alike in experiences. He watched them and for some reason it just seemed right, the two of them close the way they were. He had opened up to her, cared for her. If it weren’t for the fact that Dean had never felt like this with anyone else he could gladly give her up to Sam. Emma made it seem like Dean was perfect. He knew he wasn’t but when he was near her he felt like he could do no wrong. When Emma was lying in his arms, he felt complete. If it weren’t for that, Dean would have left Emma for Sam. It seems cruel but it was true. If it were not for the completeness, Dean felt, Emma would have been nothing but a fling.

Emma buried her head in Sam’s chest and he wrapped his arms around her. He looked back at Dean and nodded towards Emma. He was trying to tell his brother to get over there and comfort her. It took a moment for Dean to get it. He pushed himself away from the railing and knelt in front of Emma. “I’m gonna go get the car,” Sam said simply. “Dean,” he said looking down at his brother. “There’s some sort of tunneling system in here I think it would be safer if you take her upstairs, open the windows and such.” Dean nodded and the two of them slowly walked up stairs. Sam stayed behind for a moment and looked down at the body. “I’ll find it Dad,” Sam said through gritted teeth. “I’ll kill it.” With that, Sam walked upstairs and into the living room where Emma and Dean were sitting. “We… we should do something… something with the body,” Sam said reluctantly. Those words caught in Sam’s throat and made him gag. Dean looked up at Sam and nodded slowly. “When… when I get… get back we’ll figure out something.” Dean nodded once more and watched Sam walk out of the house.

Dean looked down at Emma, whose head was buried in his shoulder, and sighed softly. He rested his chin on the top of her head and hugged her tightly. “It’ll be all right Emma,” she said softly. He found it rather ironic that Emma was the most broken over this and she had never met their father. A few tears found their way out of Dean’s eyes but he had to be strong. “We’ll stop this Emma,” he said softly. He lifted her chin to look at him and smiled at her. “I promise you Emma,” he said softly. “We’ll end this.”

Emma lowered her eyes, afraid to look at him. “I shouldn’t have said that,” she said softly. “I shouldn’t have called you a stupid lying son of a bitch,” she whispered. “Or an overprotective, testosterone driven idiot.”

“A what,” Dean said with semi-false insult. Emma just smiled guiltily and bit her lower lip. “I’m assuming you said that while I was unconscious.” She nodded. Dean smiled and wiped the tears from her eyes. “Emma, what happened down there, to our dad wasn’t your fault. That thing has been after our family for years. It was not your fault,” he said again. He smiled and kissed her lips lightly. “And, even though I know my father didn’t know you, I know he wouldn’t want you to blame yourself for what happened to him.”

Emma sighed softly. She curled herself up next to him and rested her head against his chest as he wrapped his arm around her. “He… he said he was proud of you,” she whispered. “He… he told me to tell you both… both of you that he was… he was proud of you,” she whispered. Dean smiled and a few more tears fell from his eyes but he ignored them. “I’m scared Dean,” she whispered.

Dean sighed and held her tight. “You’re going to be fine Emma,” he whispered to her. “You’re safe, don’t worry.”

“I’m not worried about me,” she said softly. “I… I have these dreams.” Dean’s first thought was the dreams that Sam has from time to time. “I… I’m her,” she said softly. “The… the other night I had one and… and I was with Sam.”

“You think she’ll go after Sam next,” he asked looking down at her. She nodded slowly. “Well it won’t happen today, he should have plenty of time to get to the car and drive it back before the sun sets.”

“What if he doesn’t,” Emma asked softly. There was something her eyes that said she knew something he didn’t. “What if it doesn’t matter?” She sighed softly. “You shouldn’t have let him go back Dean. They’ll be waiting for him,” she said with tears in her eyes.

Dean sat up quickly and stood, moving away from her. “What are you talking about Emma?”

“Dean don’t be mad at me please,” she said softly. The look in Emma’s eyes broke Dean’s heart. “They… they’ll be waiting for him there. They’ll be waiting to end it.”

Dean stared at Emma with fear visible in his eyes. “You little bitch, what did you do,” he shouted. Emma simply hugged her knees to her chest. Dean looked around and found his cell phone. He called Sam’s number but Sam didn’t pick up. “Sammy come on,” he whispered. “Shit,” He said throwing down the phone when Sam didn’t pick up. He put his coat on and headed for the door. He stopped and looked at Emma. “I trusted you,” he said softly. He looked at her and shook his head before storming out of the house to find his brother.

“Dean,” she shouted getting up and running after him. She ran down the steps and took his hand, turning him around. “I… I didn’t do anything,” she said softly. “I… I just… I heard it,” she whispered. “Just now I heard it please don’t be angry with me.” There were tears streaming from her eyes. Dean simply pushed her away and continued on his way. “DEAN,” she screamed falling to her knees. She didn’t want to lose the safe feeling she had with Dean. Her heart shattered into a million pieces. She got up and ran after him. “Dean,” she said grabbing his hand again. “Give them me,” she shouted. “That’s all she wants!” Dean stopped and looked at her. He wanted desperately to believe her but he didn’t know if he could trust her again.

“Natasha,” he whispered. Whatever killed his parents and Jessica was attached to Natasha, or at least knew her. “That might work,” he said softly. Dean thought for a moment. It killed their mother when their father was perfectly happy, Jess when Sam’s was happy. It kept taking away the thing that completed them. Why their dad then, unless it really was to punish them for their interference with her revenge. He grabbed her arm and dragged her with him towards the hotel.

Blood, Sweat, and Tears ch. 8

Dean slowly regained consciousness and noticed Emma lying next to him. She had finally fallen asleep. He took a moment to admire her. She had an innocent beauty that had never caught Dean’s eye before. He smiled at the sleeping beauty next to him. His mind quickly turned to thoughts of what would happen to her. He was quickly becoming far too attached to this girl. It was unlike anything Dean had experienced. He was close to Cassie, maybe even loved her, but Emma was something completely new for Dean. He had told Cassie his secret after two weeks together. Emma learned the truth within only hours of meeting the brothers.

Dean’s gaze slowly rose to his brother. Sam was asleep in a chair across the room. Dean smile, Sam was finally sleeping somewhat peacefully. It had been a long time since Dean had seen Sam actually sleep. The sun was beginning to rise and he was getting his strength back slowly. He jumped a little when Emma moved curled up closer to him. Dean smiled and ran his fingers through her hair. Emma’s eyes slowly opened and looked up at him. Their eyes met and for a moment Dean’s mind stopped working. She was breathtakingly beautiful in a very simple way.

She smiled at him and before she could comprehend what was happening she felt Dean’s soft lips press against hers. Emma did the only think she could think of at the time and kissed him back. There was a fire, a burning in her kiss that she didn’t fully understand. She heard a soft moan escape Dean’s lips, obviously surprised by her actions. Dean didn’t fight it though. He turned so he was on his side, facing her. Emma placed her hands on Dean’s bare but bruised and bite mark covered chest. Emma had never felt this way before. It was so much more than the obvious physical desire between the two. Emma felt safe in Dean’s arms. She was safe from pain, her family’s legacy, loneliness, loss, and even death.

She moved closer to him and felt his body just barely touch hers. Emma’s eyes rolled back and closed as Dean’s lips moved to her neck. Her heart was racing as was his as he slid his hands under her shirt. Emma opened her eyes slowly. “Dean,” she whispered breathlessly. “Dean,” she said a bit stronger this time. Her heart pounded in her chest as she slowly shook her head. “Sam,” she whispered.

Dean looked passed her to his little brother. She was right. They needed to stop before the got carried away and couldn’t stop. Dean sighed softly and looked into her eyes. He wasn’t falling for her. He couldn’t be. That just wasn’t like Dean. He had only known Emma a few days. Granted, sleeping with women he had just met wasn’t new to Dean, there was more here. It was more than just a physical attraction. There was something about Emma that made Dean feel whole. That terrified him. His dad had been happy, complete, when his mom died. Sam had been happy when Jess died; Dean didn’t want to lose Emma like that.

Emma saw it in his eyes, fear. “What,” she whispered

Dean didn’t get a chance to answer her. Right after she spoke one of their cell phones rang. Sam bolted up and picked up the phone. He was completely oblivious to the precarious position his brother and Emma were in. “Hello,” he said groggily. Sam’s eyes opened wide, which told Dean exactly who it was. Dean sat up slowly, as did Emma. Sam got up and handed Dean the phone. Emma looked back and forth between the two with a worried and confused expression.

Dad,” Dean said quietly. Emma turned to look at him. “Dad we’re,” he paused as his father interrupted him. “Dad.” Dean sounded as though he was pleading with his father. Finally, he sighed dejectedly. “Yes sir,” he said quietly before hanging up the phone. “Emma get up.” Emma stood slowly and reluctantly. Dean looked up at his younger brother. “We have to leave Dad-”

“What,” the other two said in unison.

“Dad said-”

“I don’t care what Dad said Dean. You can hardly sit up,” Sam shouted.

“Sam,” Dean said angrily. He glanced over at Emma who was fighting back tears. “Emma I’m-”

“Get out,” she said coldly, her lower lip trembling. “Get out now!”

“Emma,” Dean whispered as he slowly stood. Emma took a step back.
“Go,” she said coldly. She was unable to hold back the tears now. “Get out you stupid, lying, son of bitch,” she screamed.

Dean’s heart sank. He turned slowly and picked up his shirt and coat, then headed for the door. The sun was up now and Dean began slowly walking back to the hotel.

The instant Dean left the house Emma fell to her knees and began to cry. Sam sighed and knelt in front of her. He wrapped his arms around her and rocked her back and forth. “Shh,” he whispered. “It’s not your fault, Emma,” He said quietly. “Dean just needs to fix his priorities.” Sam sighed and looked into Emma’s eyes. “Emma I gotta go make sure Dean doesn’t drop dead on the way,” he said softly. Sam stood slowly and ran after Dean. He didn’t want to leave her like that but Dean was in no shape to walk that far. “Dean,” Sam called after his brother. He managed to get to Dean just in time to catch him. “Whoa,” he said has his brother fell into his arms. Sam slowly lowered Dean so he was sitting on the ground. “I told you Dean, you aren’t in any condition to go anywhere.” Sam sighed. “Dena I know you want to listen to Dad. I understand Dad needs us but Dean, she needs you more,” Sam told him.

“Get the car,” Dean said coldly.

“No,” Sam answered. A sudden sharp pain shot through Sam’s head and he let go of his brother. He saw small flashes of something. Emma was walking down the steps to her basement. She walked down the stairs and into the room that had all the papers. Suddenly a man pushed her against the wall and that’s all Sam saw. He was torn. He couldn’t leave Dean but at the same time he couldn’t let Emma get hurt.

Dean looked over at him. “What,” Dean asked worriedly.

“Emma,” Sam said before he stood and sprinted back to Emma’s house. He ran through the door and looked in the living room. “Emma,” Sam shouted. There was no answer. Sam ran down into the basement and stopped dead. Natasha was holding Emma against the basement wall. That’s not what horrified Sam though. Sam vaguely heard someone enter the house. He heard Dean call his name but didn’t answer. Dean slowly walked down and stopped behind Sam. What Dean saw made him turn and throw-up.

Lying on the ground in a pool of blood was their father. It wasn’t just that though. There was a look of pure horror on John’s face and he seemed badly burned. Dean couldn’t fight back the tears, though he tried. Sam on the other hand completely broke down and fell to his knees. Natasha took her attention off Emma and turned to the boys. She smiled at them. “You should not have crossed me,” she said simply. “I wanted her life, her blood, my vengeance, and nothing more. Then you two had to interfere. You had to be punished.” She made it seem as though her actions were completely justified.

Dean turned his gaze from his father to Emma. He was responsible. He should have been strong and disregarded his father’s words for once. Emma’s eyes were full of sadness. “Now is not her time yet,” Natasha said simply. “You have not suffered enough.” She let go of Emma and disappeared. Dean did his back to run over to Emma and held her in his arms. She kept telling him she was sorry. Dean comforted her and looked over at his little brother. Sam stared brokenly at the body as the room began to shake.

Blood, Sweat, and Tears ch. 7

Sam paced around the room for what seemed like hours. Emma glanced up at him every so often but her focus remained mostly on Dean. He was very pale and barely breathing. Emma began to worry about Sam though. He hadn’t slept much, definitely less than her and Dean. “Sammy,” she called very much as his brother did. Sam stopped pacing and looked over at her. “You need to get some sleep Sammy.” He looked over at her like a child pleading to stay up passed his bedtime. “Sam you’re not doin’ him any good pacing like that and you sure has hell won’t do him any good if you’re exhausted. I’ll keep an eye on him.”

Sam knew she was right. He didn’t want to admit it but he knew. Sam sighed and lowered his head. “He wouldn’t take his eyes off me,” Sam told her looking over at his brother.

“Well your brother’s an overprotective, testosterone driven idiot,” she answered coldly. There was definite anger in her voice but unmistakable overwhelming fear in her eyes. “Get some sleep. My room’s upstairs go,” she said firmly.

Sam reluctantly obeyed and was asleep almost before he got to her room. Emma waited until Sam was upstairs before breaking down. A lot of stuff had happened between Dean and her the night before. She told him things she had never told anyone before, things about her boyfriend, her dreams. The two had confided in each other. Now, the closest things she had to a friend lay on the couch on the brink of death. A single tear fell from Emma’s right eye and landed on Dean’s forehead. She shut her eyes tightly to keep from crying.

Emma carefully climbed over Dean and walked into the kitchen. She got herself a glass of water and leaned against the sink. After a few hours, Emma thought she heard a faint voice. She ran back into the living room. “Sammy,” Dean whispered weakly.

Emma walked over to his side and sat next to him on the couch. She unconsciously took Dean’s hand. “He’s asleep Dean,” she whispered. “Do you want me to go get him?”

Dean shook his head slowly and opened his eyes. Emma looked down into his hazel eyes. There was fear in them, he didn’t want to show it but Emma could see it. “I feel like crap,” he muttered.

“You look worse,” she said with a smile. “Pale and sickly covered in bruises doesn’t really look good on you Winchester,” she said with a laugh. “Sammy’s been worried sick,” Emma stated, serious once more. “You should have seen him pacing. Finally, I told him to go get some sleep. He really needed it.

“I’m sure,” Dean said with a small laugh. He winced in pain as he did and groaned. “Sam’s never slept real well, at least not since Jess,” he said simply. “He has nightmares a lot.” Emma looked down for a moment, thinking about her own horrifying dreams.

“You’ll be fine,” she said with a smile. “The only thing I’m worried about is scarring,” she said looking down at his bare chest. “I mean, that looks good what happens if you have little scars all over your chest.” She shook her head and smiled at him. “You should be lucky to have a brother like him,” Emma said simply. “And he, you.”

Emma never had any siblings. That is why Sam and Dean’s relationship was so amusing to Emma. Dean smiled at her and finally noticed her hold his hand. When she wasn’t looking he glanced down and his smile widened. He squeezed her hand gently and she looked down, smiling. “You’re gonna be fine Dean,” Emma said softly. She was trying to convince herself more than to convince Dean. Her hand trembled as she held his.

He glanced down then back at her and slowly sat up. He winced as he did but pretended to be touch. It made Emma laugh a bit. Dean smiled at her and placed his hand on her face, lacing his fingers in her hair. “Don’t worry Emma,” he whispered. “It’s not your fault.” He knew that’s what she was thinking. He knew about her dreams, the dreams where she was a killer. The things she had done in her dreams almost made Dean sick. She wasn’t Emma in her dreams though, she was Natasha.

Emma bit her lower lip and rested her forehead against Dean’s. Tears fell from her eyes. “Yes it is,” she said softly. “I shouldn’t have come back,” she whispered. “I should have stayed in Dublin where I belong. I was such a fool to come here.”

“Emma,” Dean said firmly. “The kids didn’t go missing because of you,” he whispered softly. “Sam and I aren’t here investigating you, well now we are but that’s not why we decided to stay. We stayed to find those kids. This isn’t your fault,” he whispered looking into her eyes. He leaned forward and kissed her lips lightly.

She tried not to cry as he kissed her. When he pulled away, she looked into his eyes, biting her lower lip once more. “I should just let her have me,” she said brokenly. “She’ll be done with her revenge and no more people will get hurt,” she whispered with tears in her eyes.

“No way in hell I’d let you do that,” Dean said quickly. “She might turn you and I’m not having you hurt Sammy.” Emma was a little disappointed. She understood Dean’s concern for his brother, but she had hoped he had said that because he cared about her. “Emma,” he said lifting her head to look at her. “Nothing’s going to happen to you,” he whispered. Emma noticed his eyes become more distant. He was still very weak.

Emma gently pushed him back down on the couch. “You need to rest,” she said softly. She stared at him for a moment before beginning to get up.

Dean grabbed her hand and looked into her eyes. “Sam’s in your room,” he asked. Emma nodded but looked confused. “There’s room for two,” he said softly. There was something in his voice. This wasn’t just a line so he could sleep with her. He sounded like a frightened child that was afraid to sleep by itself. Emma smiled at her and curled up next to Dean on the couch, her head resting gently on his chest. She singing a song she had stuck in her head softly, “Alcohol” by Brad Paisley. “No way,” Dean said quickly. “You can get off if you’re gonna torture me with that.” Emma looked down at him, smiled slyly, and continued to hum, just to annoy him.


Emma dreamed again that night. This time it was different though, it wasn’t centuries ago. She was standing in the house, in her room and Sam lay on the bed, sleeping. She walked over to him slowly and sat down on the edge of the bed next to him. She ran her fingers through his hair gently and blew on his ear. “Sammy,” she whispered running her finger along his neck. Sam slowly opened his eyes. He seemed surprised by what he saw. ‘Emma’ simply smiled and ran her fingers gently over Sam’s lips. She leaned down and kissed him softly. Sam couldn’t resist. He kissed her back and placed one of his hands behind her head, pulling her closer. Her kisses slowly traveled down his neck. “What would you do for me Sammy,” she whispered in his ear.

“Anything,” Sam whispered breathlessly. His eyes rolled back in his head and he watched her with interest.

‘Emma’ smiled and suddenly she sank her teeth into Sam’s neck. At that precise moment both Emma and Sam sat straight up, no longer dreaming. Emma stood quickly, ran up the stairs, and actually met Sam half way. “Sammy,” she whispered staring at him.

“Emma,” he said seeming just as surprised. He looked at her; he knew that pale, sweaty look anywhere. He wore the same one. “Did you,” he asked and she nodded. They had the same dream. The two stared at each other for a moment before they heard Dean scream and they ran down stairs. Emma sat next to Dean and took his hand.

“Dean,” she called to him, hoping he’d wake up. Finally, he opened his eyes and looked up into her. She breathed a sigh of relief and looked over at Sam. “Dean what happened,” she asked softly.

“Nothing,” he said quickly. He had the same dream about their mother again. Dean looked over at Sam. He could never hurt Sammy, not even if their father had told him to. That’s where Dean drew the line with his father’s orders. There was no way that Dean could ever hurt his baby brother. He couldn’t kill the one he swore to protect with his life.

“What,” Sam asked when he noticed the way Dean was looking at him. “Dean?”

“I’ts nothing Sammy,” Dean said weakly. He looked up at Emma and smiled before slowly drifting out of consciousness one more time.

“He’s lying,” the two said in unison.

They looked at each other and smiled. “I wonder what he saw,” Emma said softly. Sam just shrugged and sat in the large chair across from them. It wasn’t long before Sam had fallen back asleep. Emma watched him sleep for a while. He was actually sleeping peacefully. Emma smiled as she lay back down next to Dean and curled up close to him.

Blood, Sweat, and Tears ch. 6

Dean left early that morning and headed toward the hotel where they had been staying. He parked his baby behind the hotel and made sure that it was hard to find. Then he went into the hotel room to get his dad’s journal and their laptop, it might come in handy later. He put it into one of the duffle bags along with some other weapons and means of defense, just in case. The car would be far away and if they needed to fight something, they needed supplies. He then sighed and looked around the room before dropping the bag on the floor and falling back on the bed. He fell sleep for a couple hours.

When Dean woke up a few hours later, he decided to go ask around town about the stories. He stopped at the diner first since everyone seemed to congregate there. Over the course of the next several hours, he asked everyone he saw about the vampire stories and what they thought. He was sure he had asked the entire town by then. Dean even found himself in the library looking up the history of Emma’s house. He didn’t find out anything more than he already knew. The citizens of Saratoga were less than helpful as well. He sighed; feeling quite defeated and left the library. It was getting late and he had to get back to Emma’s before Sam got worried.

He was running a bit late but he didn’t think much of it. The sun was setting just as he got to the cemetery. He decided to cut through the cemetery because it was the fastest way to Emma’s house. It was early still so he was sure that they wouldn’t be out. Even if they were, Dean had supplies and was ready for a fight. That’s what he thought anyway. He was half way through the cemetery, just passed the mausoleum. He stopped, hearing something behind him and turned around. There was nothing there. He turned back slowly and when he did, there was a woman in front of him.

“You’re the one he spoke of,” she said simply. There was a melody in her voice. Dean wouldn’t let it shake him though. He would gladly admit that she was the hottest enemy they had come across yet.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said with a shrug and continued on his way.

The woman laughed and seemed to have disappeared, only to reappear in front of Dean. “He was very worried about what you would think,” she said simply. She walked up to Dean and looked into his eyes. She smiled and placed her hand gently on his chest then slowly circled him, looking him over. Dean followed her with his eyes. Her touch was like ice, but he could feel a fire inside him. “You are his brother,” she asked.

Dean nodded slowly as he watched her. He noticed his heart was racing. This couldn’t possibly be a good thing. Did he just nod? Now they know Sam was still there. His heart seemed to stop when he realized that he just sealed his brother’s fate. He tried desperately to move and continue on his way to the house so he could warn Sam, but it was useless. The woman, Natasha, simply smiled at him. “What are you afraid of,” she whispered in his ear. Her voice was like a song. Dean’s eyes rolled back for a moment. His mind turned to the fire and him carrying his crying baby brother out of the house. That baby in his arms was his responsibility. Dean knew it’s what his mother would want. Then he saw something that he knew wasn’t a memory. He opened his eyes and looked over at Natasha. He had seen his brother lying on the ground covered in blood. His skin was dead white. Dean’s breathing was now very heavy and his heart was racing.

“Do not be afraid Dean,” she whispered with a smile. “I can protect him. He will be safe with me.”

“No way,” Dean said instantly. He may be distracted by her beauty and obvious power but he would never just hand Sam to her.

She smiled at him and placed her hand on his face and Dean closed his eyes. Dean felt Natasha’s lips lightly touch his. Stop. Dean stop her what’s wrong with you, he thought. However, he did just the opposite. Dean found himself leaning into her kiss. He dropped the bag he had brought with him and cupped her face in his hands as he kissed her. He didn’t notice his feet moving, leaving the bag behind. He was following her into the mausoleum. Natasha ran her hands down Dean’s chest and pulled at his shirt.

He finally backed off when he noticed he was inside the mausoleum. The doors slammed shut. “Shit,” he whispered. He turned to leave but Natasha pulled him back and sank her teeth into his neck. Dean clenched his mouth shut to keep from screaming as he felt his blood leave his body. It only got worse though. Moments later he felt something tear at his leg, he looked down and saw the figure of another man there. He couldn’t hold back the screaming as he felt more biting. He noticed Natasha stood and smiled at him. There were at least eight others surrounding him. He felt himself becoming weaker, drifting in and out of consciousness. He watched Natasha disappear in the mausoleum.

Relief swelled when Dean vaguely heard the sounds of bickering. They were fighting over him. Soon it turned into fistfights. Now was Dean’s chance. He pushed them off with what little strength he had and made a break for the door. Dean had always been amazingly strong; it came from years of hunting. He through the mausoleum doors open and ran for Emma’s house. He didn’t get very far before he felt someone tackle him. He felt teeth sink into his chest once more and he screamed, pushing the man off him with all his strength. Dean looked over and noticed his shotgun on the ground next to him. He grabbed it and slammed it against the vampire’s head. Then he stood and ran for the house again.

He noticed he got to the door and fell to his knees. He lifted his arms several times to knock on the door but nothing happened. He didn’t know how much longer he could stay conscious. He couldn’t go, he had to protect Sammy. He had to. That was the only thing keeping him open. He finally managed to knock lightly on the door. When the door opened, he saw Emma and swore he was looking on the face of an angel. He fell forward and his world went black. He could feel his brother pick him up and lay him on the couch. Vaguely, he heard the two of them talking. Emma told Sam to be careful. Why? The thought that he might turn hadn’t occurred to him until that moment. Dean was terrified now that he would. He couldn’t hurt Sammy. He would rather die. Dean managed to gain the strength to open his eyes. He wanted to tell Sam, to tell him if Dean turned, Sam had to kill him. He wouldn’t let himself hurt Sam. He wanted to tell all of this and more to his baby brother but he couldn’t move. He just looked up into his brother’s devastated eyes. He tried to lift his arm to comfort his brother but he couldn’t. Dean was not conscious long. Seconds later his world became, not only black, but also silent.

He thought he could hear faint whispers, a woman’s voice, a woman’s song. It reminded him of the lullabies his mother would sing to him when he was little. He wanted to call out to his mother but he couldn’t. Then he saw her. He was in Sammy’s nursery. She was standing over his crib. Dean walked up behind her, knowing what he was seeing wasn’t real. He stood behind her silent and just watched her. “How could you Dean,” she asked with tears in her eyes. She looked back at him. Her eyes were red from crying. Dean looked confused. “He’s your brother. You’re supposed to protect your brother.” Worry enveloped Dean as he took a few steps toward Sammy’s crib. He stopped when he saw the inside. There was blood everywhere, but no one was in the crib.

“W…. where’s Sammy mom,” he asked quietly. His words were like a child’s but his voice was his own. “Mom,” he said, his voice beginning to crack. “Where’s Sammy?”

Mary turned toward her oldest son and placed her hand gently on his face to comfort him. “I’m sorry Dean,” she whispered. “I shouldn’t have said that.”

“Where’s Sammy mom,” he asked again, staring into his mother’s eyes. He noticed his lower lips trembling. It always did that when he was really upset or scared.

“Sammy’s gone Dean,” she whispered. He stared at her terrified now. “Don’t you remember Dean,” she asked. “You killed him.”

“No,” he whispered taking a step back.

“Yes, Dean. But its all right, I’m not angry with you.” She smiled at him and kissed her son’s forehead. “You were only doing what your father told you,” she said simply. “Like a good little boy.” She smiled at him. Dean was terrified as he stared at his mother. Seconds later, she burst into flames.

“MOM,” Dean screamed reaching for her. He felt something pulling at him though. “NO,” he shouted. He could see Sam standing behind her burning figure. He was smiling. His smile was cold, inhuman, and almost demonic. Dean just stared then everything went black once more.

Blood, Sweat, and Tears ch. 5

Dean left to take the car back. Sam was left with Emma. They sat across from each other in Emma’s living room. Emma had changed into a pair of blue jeans and a black tank top. She sat on the couch hugging her knees to her chest. There was a long awkward silence as the morning sun shined through the window behind Sam. “Is he always like that,” she asked, finally ending the silence.

“Like what,” Sam asked. He had been lost in though. Sam remembered what Dean had said about what happened. He knew Dean was right and hated that. He should have known better, been stronger. He would have to be extremely alert from now on.

“So cocky and such of himself,” Emma answered.

Sam gave a small laugh and lowered his head. He was leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. He looked up at her ad their eyes met. There was something familiar in her eyes. He smiled and shook his head. “Usually,” he said.

“He just seems so… so,” she paused trying to think of the nicest way to say it, “arrogant.”

This made Sam laugh aloud. Emma was one of the few people that had seen passed the lies that Dean told. His laughter quickly faded though. “Sometimes,” he said distantly. Sam thought back on all the times Dean had been there to save his life. He was sure there were times he was too young to remember, like the fire when his mom died. Sam’s mind also traveled to the recent near loss of his brother. He still worried about that.

Emma noticed the sudden change in Sam’s voice. She studied him for a moment. “You’re close aren’t you,” she asked softly.

“I guess,” Sam answered. He wasn’t really sure what to say. “He’s my brother,” Sam said simply. He sighed softly and lowered his head once more. “Dean’s not always so shallow and conceited. Usually, but not always,” he said simply. “There’s more to him.” Sam wasn’t really sure how to explain it.

“What happened to you mom,” Emma asked quickly almost interrupting Sam. Sam’s head shot up at that and he stared at her. “Was Jessica his girlfriend?”

Sam almost laughed at that thought. “Did… did Dean tell you?”

“Not technically,” Emma said looking down. “Does he always talk in his sleep?”

Sam stifled a small laugh. “I’ve heard him on occasion.” Sam sighed and ran his hands through his hair. “Our mom died when I was a baby. There was a fire.” Sam paused. “Something…. killed our mother. And, to answer your other question, no, Jess wasn’t Dean’s girlfriend,” he said sadly. Emma understood by the look in Sam’s eyes.

“Sorry,” she said softly. There was another long awkward silence. “Are you hungry,” Emma asked quickly. She didn’t like awkward silences and she was pretty much stuck with Sam all day. Dean had said he was going to ask around town about the stories. She didn’t want her entire day to be one awkward silence. “I don’t have much, just cereal really.” Sam shook his head. “All right, well I’m gonna get some.” She smiled at him and stood. “So Dean mentioned you were in college,” she called from the kitchen.

“Yeah,” he answered standing right behind her. She jumped and turned around. He smiled and leaned against the counter before pushing himself up onto it. “Stanford. I was studying law.”

Emma did the same then picked up her bowl of Golden Grahams. “Why’d you quit,” she asked with her mouth full of food.

“Dean showed up.” He laughed at how simple it sounded. “Really, it was to help find my dad, and Jessica’s killer.”

“Oh,” she said turning a bit red. Emma caught sight of Sam laughing. “Hell of a lot better reason than mine.”

“Really,” Sam asked.” What’s yours?”

“You’re sitting on it.”

Sam looked down then over at Emma with a questioning look. “You left college and moved half way around the world for countertops,” Sam asked with a smile.

Emma laughed and set her empty bowl down. “Have you really looked at the countertops though? I mean these are antiques.”

“And hand made no doubt,” Sam answered.

“During the American Revolution.” She looked at him and smiled before they both burst out laughing. She liked this Sam more than the depressed brooding once. She looked over at him and smiled, their eyes met again. There was something about his eyes that always seemed to catch her attention, a innocence in them that shouldn’t be there. “That’s quite a hickey you got there,” she said with a smile referring to the bite from the night before. “If you’re not careful you’ll get a reputation.”

Sam laughed. “Dean has enough reputation for the both of us,” he said simply.

“Ah, so Dean’s the ladies’ man then,” she asked with a slight laugh. “Well he’s got the looks for it I’m not denying that,” she said simply. “And I can see how women would be attracted to his confidence.” Sam just rolled his eyes and shook his head. “But seriously, I think he tries to hard.”

“I’ve tried to tell him that,” Sam said with a laugh. “He doesn’t listen to me though. You know, I’m the younger brother so my word means nothing.”

Emma laughed and pushed herself off the counter, Sam did the same. “I wouldn’t know much about that,” she said simply. “I never had any siblings.” She smiled and put her cereal bowl in the sink then turned to Sam. “So wait, let me see if I’ve got this figured out? You’re the brain and Dean’s the brawn,” she said with a smile. Sam laughed and nodded, leaning against the wall on the other side of her. “You don’t like it,” she said simply. “What you and your brother do. You don’t like it do you.”

“Its not a matter of whether I like it or not, its something I have to do,” Sam answered simply.

“Yes, but still you don’t like it.” She studied him for a minute. “I get it now,” she said with a small, excited smile. “I read that journal entry to Dean and he went white, he told you about it and you had a similar reaction. “It’s a parallel,” she said simply. “I mean you’re not chasing a vampire, right,” she said simply. “But still, it’s a parallel. I found another one last night it was dated about three weeks after the first. The younger brother, Daniel, he was supposed to get married. They came home from one of their missions and he found his fiancé dead.” Sam lowered his head and turned just as white as Dean did. She paused for a moment to think. “Sam,” she said softly. She walked up to him and lifted his head. “Not that it will make you feel any better but what happened to Jessica isn’t as bad as what happened to this guys fiancé. It ended for her, right,” she asked looking up into the man’s broken eyes. “Daniel Brennan’s fiancé, ironically named Jessica, was turned. It didn’t end for her for another two centuries,” she said softly.

She couldn’t get over the look in Sam’s eyes. There was pain in there that no one should have to feel. She unconsciously placed her hand gently on his face. “I’m sorry Sam,” she whispered. “I wish there was something I could say to make it not hurt but,” she paused and lowered her head. She knew how he felt, or at least she had some idea. Her first boyfriend, her first love, had been killed in a car accident seven months earlier, sometime in early November. She let her hand fall to her side and lowered her head. “It seems like it will never go away,” she said softly.

Sam looked down at her. He could tell she had lost someone too. She could relate a little and that was comforting to him, at least a little bit. He smiled at her and the two walked back out into the living room. They ended up talking all day, mostly about college life and stuff they did while they were there. Then Sam looked out the window and realized that it was dark. Dean wasn’t back yet. “I wonder where he is,” he said now starting to get worried. “Dean said he’d be back before dark.” Sam sighed and pulled out his cell phone. He dialed Dean’s number but soon found that it was pointless. They heard the phone ringing from the basement Dean had forgotten it. “Great,” Sam said with a sigh.

“I’m sure he’s fine,” Emma said biting her lower lip. In truth, she was worried about Dean too. However, most her worry came from the fact that if anything happened to Dean, Sam would be devastated.

“Its not like Dean,” Sam said quickly. “If he was gonna be late he would have called first.” Sam sighed and paced around the house. To pass the time they, read more of the pieces of parchment in the basement. Several hours had passed and Dean still hadn’t returned. Sam walked upstairs and looked out the window. Emma followed and watched Sam. “Damn it,” Sam shouted in frustration. Then suddenly there was a soft knock at the door. Emma and Sam both ran to the door. When they opened it Dean fell forward in the doorway. He was covered in blood. Emma jumped back, surprised but not frightened. Sam and Emma picked up Dean and carried him to the couch. There were several large wounds across his chest and along his neck. When Sam looked at them closely, he realized that they were all bite marks. “Shit,” Sam whispered as Emma ran into the kitchen. She got some water and a cloth then ran back to the living room and handed it to Sam. She climbed up on the couch and sat on the back of it looking down at Dean.

He seemed to be unconscious now. Emma was worried more about what sort of affect those marks had, how much blood they had gotten. She was worried less for Dean’s health and safety, and more about her and Sam’s. “Sam be careful,” she said softly.

“I know,” he snapped at her. Sam wiped away as much blood as he could from Dean’s chest and neck. He looked down at his brother who was now ghostly pale. Worry and fear emanated from Sam. Emma noticed Dean move, just slightly, before opening his eyes slowly. “Dean,” Sam said quickly. Dean didn’t say anything though before he fell unconscious again on the couch. Sam quickly checked to see if he was breathing and still had a pulse. His breathing was shallow but there, as was his pulse. Emma stared down at the beaten bloody body that lay at her feet. She looked over at Sam and saw him clench his brother’s hand until Sam’s knuckles were white. His hand was trembling. Sam stared down at his brother. He thought it was over. Dean had already done this to him once, Sam wasn’t sure he could handle it again.

Blood, Sweat, and Tears ch. 4

Emma looked over at Dean. His face was ghostly white. Emma gave him a questioning look. She turned her gaze to the parchment in his hand after a moment. “Vengeance,” she whispered. “They were looking for vengeance.” She looked over at Dean once more. He still hadn’t spoken. “Hey, you all right? Dean?” She studied him for a moment. “That story,” she whispered. “What James Brennan recorded, that means something to you doesn’t it?”

Dean seemed to suddenly snap out of whatever train of thought he was in. He looked over at her. “No,” he said quickly. Then he picked up a few more papers and began reading them. It was obvious to Emma that he was avoiding something.

“Fine then,” she said bitterly. She got up and moved back to where she had been before, mumbling about his secrets.



Sam made his way through the cemetery. Along with the handgun he had in his belt, he had several stakes and other precautions in a bag over his shoulder. Something in him kept telling him that this was a bad idea. He pushed those thoughts away, determined to stay on the ball. He wouldn’t get caught off guard by anything. Dean would never let him forget it if he did. He finally reached the mausoleum and opened the door that had been unlocked by the kids before. After taking a few steps inside, the door slammed shut behind him. “Great,” he said with a sigh. The room suddenly became very cold. He moved the flashlight around the room. On several occasions, he thought he felt something brush passed him.

After what seemed like only five minutes in there, Sam’s flashlight flickered and went out. “Damn it,” he muttered. He looked around, his eyes slowly getting used to the darkness. He sighed loudly; again, he felt something brush passed him. He turned quickly. He could hear soft footsteps around him. He took the gun out and opened the bag. Before he could grab anything from the back something hit him from behind. He felt himself fly across the room and hit the wall on the other side. He got up slowly and looked around.

“Stop,” he heard a female’s voice whisper. The whisper seemed to echo in the room. “Maybe I jumped to conclusions last time,” the woman’s voice said softly. All sounds around him stopped. He stood slowly and tried to find the voice. His hand clenched around the gun. “This one is gifted, powerful.”

“Natasha,” Sam heard a young man’s voice call out.

“Silence child, I have no need for you,” she snapped. “Kill him.” Moments later Sam heard someone scream. “This boy has power, great power.” Slowly Sam saw the figure of the woman. Then he could see her. She was beautiful, unlike anything Sam had seen. Sam knew better. He could see the trick that this creature was using. She approached Sam and ran her hand gently over his face. Her fingers were like ice. A chill shot down Sam’s spine. He tried to keep his mind on what he was supposed to be doing. “What is your name child,” she whispered in his ear. Sam felt her lips lightly touch his neck. Sam’s eyes rolled back. Again, he tried to fight it. He knew what Dean would say if Sam let anything happen. He felt Natasha’s teeth pierce Sam’s skin. Instantly he pushed her away with all his strength. He ran for the bag across the room. Natasha grabbed him and threw him against the wall once more. “Your name,” she shouted.

Sam felt her pin him against the wall. He struggled to get away, until he caught her eyes. He was mesmerized if only for a moment. “Sa… Sam Win… Winchester,” he whispered. He saw her lean forward to bite him again. For a second time Sam pushed her away. He ran as fast as he could for the door, grabbing the bag on the way. Once he opened the door, he knew he was safe. The sun was up now. He didn’t stop running though until he got back to the mansion. He caught sight of the clock as he ran inside. He had been gone for nearly five hours. “DEAN,” he shouted as he ran down the stairs. He found the room Emma had mentioned earlier and stopped dead when he looked inside. He rolled his eyes and sighed.

The two had fallen asleep. Dean never was very good at researching. Dean was lying on the ground with his coat under his head. Emma was laying perpendicular to Dean with her had on his stomach. Sam assumed that Dean had fallen asleep first. “Dean,” Sam said quickly. He walked into the room and shook his brother. Dean jumped awake, but didn’t sit up, realizing that Emma was there. When he looked down and saw her he smiled almost triumphantly.

Sam sighed and shook his head. Dean looked up at his brother and saw blood dripping from Sam’s neck. “Sam,” he said getting up quickly. He let Emma’s head hit the ground and she woke up instantly. Dean looked down at her. “Sorry,” he whispered. “Damn it Sam what happened.”

Sam looked down and saw the blood on his shirt. “Its not as bad as it could have been,” he snapped. “The stories, the vampire stories, they’re true. There’s… there’s a whole coven in there,” he said quickly. “I’m assuming they’re all Wilkes.” He looked down at Emma and Dean. “What?”

“We read this journal entry from my family in Ireland. James Brennan and his brother hunted a vampire. It said they had been hunting it for almost a year after the disappearance of their father. They father started hunting it looking for vengeance after it killed their mother.” She stopped when she saw the same reaction on Sam that Dean had. The two looked at each other. “Now I want you to tell me why you both keep reacting like that.”

“We have a lot in common with them apparently,” Sam answered. He wouldn’t go into detail about it though. “Did you find anything about a woman named Natasha?”

Emma looked through some of the papers. She thought she had seen the name before but she couldn’t remember where. “Sam,” Dean said loudly. “What the hell happened?”

“Nothing Dean,” Sam snapped. “I got out of there before anything could happen.”

“This… this Natasha, she’s one of them?” Sam nodded and watched Emma searching for the papers. “She’s a vampire Emma,” Dean said and Emma stopped searching. She gave him a somewhat bitter glare but he ignored it. To Emma, his personality had completely changed. He was no very upset, almost parental. It slightly amused Emma. “Sam, what happened, how did that happen,” he snapped pointing at the wound on his brother’s neck.

“I told you I got out before anything bad happened.”

“Sam if she bit you something bad already happened,” Dean shouted. “It may not have been enough for her to have any power over you but still.” Dean sighed and stepped out of the room with his brother. “Sam you’ve got that vibe, ESP thing. She knows now.” He ran his hands through his hair and walked around almost nervously. “Sam,” he said with a sigh. “Don’t you think?”

“It was your idea for me to go Dean,” he shouted. “So you could stay here and put moves on her.”

“Hey,” Emma shouted indignantly. She walked out of the room and up to them. “Don’t involve me in your sibling rivalry.”

Sam just shot her an icy glare and Emma took a step back. “Dean, nothing’s gonna happen.”

“Oh no, now she’s tasted psychic boy blood. Nothing bad is gonna happen at all,” he said coldly.

“Dean!” Sam sighed and sat down. “Its fine, you’re getting way too worked up about this.”

“Sorry if I don’t like the idea of my brother being a vampire, you know what with he’s psychic. Oh, and MY BROTHER!!!”

Emma stood leaning against the wall watching them. They had real issues Emma could see that now. They’re relationship was an entertaining one to watch though. “Then maybe you should just leave,” she suggested. She didn’t want to seem rude. “They don’t leave the town because they’re bound to the house, the cemetery, my family. I finished reading after dopey here fell asleep. You move around too much when you sleep,” she said glaring at him. “Anyway,” she said shaking her head. “If this woman is now looking towards your brother then maybe you should just leave.”

“We can’t do that,” Dean said quickly.

“Why,” Emma asked instantly. “I can handle it myself. There’s nothing keeping you here.”

“We can’t just… up and… and leave,” Dean said simply, though his voice told Emma that he wasn’t sure why. She glared at him and Dean looked over at Sam. “It… it just doesn’t seem right,” Dean said quickly.

Sam sighed and ran his hands through his hair, much the same way Dean had before. “We could hide the car, make it seem like we left,” Sam said looking back and forth between Dean and Emma. “We could leave the car at the hotel in town. Then come back here. We’d have plenty of time to do that today.”

Emma watched them for a moment. “We’d have to walk back Sam,” Dean said simply. They both looked like they were considering it. “That actually is a pretty good idea,” he said leaning against the wall opposite Emma. “So I’ll take the car back today and you stay here with Emma.”

Emma laughed at all their planning. “And you’ll stay where,” she asked somewhat coldly. “Didn’t either of you think it would be a good idea to ask me first?”

“Would you mind if we stayed with you,” Sam asked looking over at Emma.

Emma looked back and forth between Sam and Dean. Finally she pushed herself away from the wall and sighed. “Fine,” she said reluctantly. She walked up to Sam and stopped, standing up on her toes. Sam looked at her and leaned down, since he was a good foot taller than she was. “Keep him away from me,” she whispered, looking over at Dean. Then she walked upstairs. Sam looked over at Dean and smile, laughing quietly.

“What,” Dean said looking confused. “What’d she say,” he asked quickly as he followed his brother upstairs.

“Nothing,” Sam answered simply with a smile on his face.

Blood, Sweat, and Tears ch. 3

Emma sat on the couch with her knees hugged to her chest. She looked over at the boys in wonder. There was more there, she could tell. “Why are you here? I want the truth.”

Dean looked at her and sighed. “We were hired by the Matthews family to find they’re missing son,” he answered simply, though he sounded reluctant to answer.

“Missing son,” she asked. She realized it was a bit suspicious that she didn’t know since it was in all the papers and on the news. “I haven’t been in town since I moved in. Why would you come here investigating the boy’s disappearance?”

“A couple of days ago police found the bodies of three students in the cemetery. They said that four students went there that night. The police are still looking for the body of Ben Matthews,” Sam told her. Emma thought back on the screams she heard the week before. “They were investigating the local stories about the cemetery.”

“I heard something about a week ago,” she said softly.

“Did you see anything?” Emma shook her head.

“Actually,” she said quickly. “For the past week there’s been a man standing outside. He just stood there so I didn’t think much of it. Actually I thought it was a ghost. So much has happened here I wouldn’t have been surprised. Then, last night, I looked out the window. He was standing there as usual. I blinked and he was gone. When I turned around he was there in front of me.”

“Really,” Sam said sitting forward and looking over at Dean. “Did he say anything?”

“He said my name,” she said softly thinking back on that night. “Then he said ‘Come with me’. Honestly I think he was hitting on me,” she said, sounding a bit disgusted. “His hands were like ice.”

“Then you two…,” Dean began.

“Are you insane? What do you take me for? He took my hand at one point and touched my face.” She shook her head and rolled her eyes.

“Did he look like this,” Sam asked. He took out a picture of Ben and handed it to Emma.

Emma stared at the picture of the smiling boy. “Yes,” She whispered. She looked back up at them and studied them for a moment. “Tell me, do you believe the stories of the vampires here?”

“We’re investigating any leads at this point,” Dean answered sounding very official. “The boy was a local history buff, or at least a legend seeker. Its said that murders like this haven’t happened here since your family moved away. It might be connected to you. Do you have any idea why?”

Emma thought about it for a moment. “There’s a small room in the basement. I just found it today. It has old books among other things. I haven’t really gotten a chance to look at any of it yet though.”

“All right,” Dean said with a look of excitement on his face. “Sammy, you go check out the cemetery, se what you can find. I’ll stay with Emma and look at these books and such.” Sam gave Dean a skeptical look but heeded his brother’s wishes anyway. As Sam turned and began to walk away, Dean called to him, “Watch your back Sam.” Sam simply smiled and left the house. There was an awkward silence as Dean turned to Emma. She had a small smirk on her face. “What,” he asked defensively.

She simply laughed and stood. She rolled her eyes as she passed him. “This way,” she told Dean, motioning for him to follow her. She led him down into the basement. Once Dean was down stairs Emma stopped and turned to him. “You’re not looking for a missing boy,” she said simply.

“What gives you that idea,” Dean asked coolly.

“Well, for one thing you don’t look the part, though I know appearances can be deceiving. For another, the students didn’t come here so you really have no reason to be here. This home isn’t under investigation. Finally, you’ve asked more questions about the stories than you have about the boy. You’re investigating the vampire legends. What I don’t know is why. Now, for the last time, who are you?”

Dean stared at her for a moment in a bit of shock. “I told you,” he said simply. “I’m Dean Winchester.” He told her no more than that.

Emma glared at him but after a moment realized he wouldn’t tell her anything else. She rolled her eyes and sighed before showing him a tiny room. Inside they found old books and scrolls along with some paintings. There were also weapons, swords and daggers with the same crest on the hilt. “So why did you come here,” Dean asked as they sat there sorting through artifacts.

“My stepfather died,” she answered him. “He left the house to me.” She looked over at him and realized that her answer wouldn’t satisfy. “The house had belonged to my great grandmother on my mom’s side. When my mom died she left it to my stepfather and when he died he left it to me.” She paused and sighed softly. “My mother used to tell me stories about the house. I guess I always believed them. So I decided I would see for myself. I was only planning on staying for a few months.”

“Brennan,” Dean said as he read through some of the older documents. “Brennan, was that the original name for your family,” he asked. Emma nodded. “Have you seen this? Do you know anything about your family when they were still Brennans?” Emma got up and moved to where Dean was sitting, taking a seat by him. She leaned over and read the parchment Dean was holding. She was leaning against his shoulder as she read but she didn’t notice. Dean on the other hand was rather quick to notice. He looked down at her with a mischievous half smile. It was moments like this that made Dean love his job. He was alone in a dark, small, room with a ‘hot’ girl. What’s not to love?

Emma sat straight up when the contents of what se read finally sunk in. As she bolted up the back of her head slammed into Dean’s chin. “Ow,” they said in unison. Emma glared at him before looking back down at the paper. It was almost like a journal entry dated January, 12, 1328. It read:

“The demon eluded us once more. My brother and I have been hunting it for almost a year. Though our hunt pales in comparison to our father’s. For as long as I can remember, our father has hunted this monster. My brother questions me often. He doubts that we will ever find this thing. I believe our father is dead now, or worse. He has been gone for months and I fear the demon finally caught up with him.

Daniel wishes to settle down. He is engaged now and wishes to have a family. I do not understand how he can just abandon her memory so easily. Then I remember that he was only four when the night creature stole our mother from us. I was eight; every night that memory haunts me. My father must have greatly angered the demon. I fear for Jessica’s life. She knows nothing of the history in the family she is about to join. I would write more but for now I must end.

~James Brennan”

Blood, Sweat, and Tears ch. 2

It had been a week since Dean’s ‘miraculous’ healing and his encounter with the Reaper. They had been driving for three days straight, Dean driving most of the way. Sam was driving now though, as Dean nearly ran off the road. Sam looked over at his brother, who was staring out the window. “You wanna talk about it,” Sam asked as they headed through Pennsylvania. Dean looked over at him with a questioning look.

“Talk about what?” Sam knew what he was doing; he was avoiding the subject. What the subject was, Sam had no idea. It was either Layla, the fact that Dean almost died, the fact that someone else died because of Dean, or a combination of all three. Dean looked up and saw a sign for a small town as they passed by. “You wanna stop for a while,” he asked Sam. Sam looked over at him and nodded. “There,” he said pointing to an exit. They passed a sign that read: “Saratoga Pop. 265”. “Little town,” he said with a laugh.

They pulled up to a small diner. After finding a seat inside, they looked at the menus they were given. It was early in the morning. A young waitress, about Sam's age walked up to them. Dean flashed his usual charming smile and Sam rolled his eyes. They got some coffee and something to eat. On the middle of the table, there was a newspaper. It was the headline on the front page that caught Dean's attention. He picked it up. It read:

Massacre at Saratoga Memorial Cemetery

Tuesday morning investigators found the bodies of three high school students in the Saratoga Memorial Cemetery. The students had been missing for a week when the bodies were finally found. According to friends a group of four of them were planning to investigate the local legends behind the Wilkes Mausoleum in the cemetery. After going to a basketball game the students never returned home. The victims were identified as, Alec Brown, Logan Walker, and Sarah Matthews. The body of Sarah’s twin brother Ben has yet to be found.

“When will these kids learn not to go into places that are supposed to be haunted,” Dean said with a sigh. He looked around and noticed people were looking at them. He smiled and nodded at the people around them. “So what d’ya say? Should we stick around and check it out? It does seem to be our kinda thing?”

Sam sighed and looked at the paper. “I guess so,” he said quietly. “After we get some sleep.”




“Miss Grey,” a man’s voice on the phone asked. “We were finally able to find your step-father’s will. We would like you to come to have a look at it.”

“What,” she said utterly amazed, her Irish accent ringing in the silent air. “Of course,” she answered softly. With that the young woman was on a plane from Dublin to London. She arrived and found lawyers surrounding her. Emma Grey was a young woman of twenty-five years of age. She was born in London but raised by a wealthy lawyer in Dublin. Her family heritage, on her mother’s side, was full of mystery and ghost stories. Emma is now a student at Trinity College in Dublin, studying history and mythology.

“Now, Miss Grey as we understand it, your step-father left you a manor in Pennsylvania. Apparently, it had belonged to your mother and when she died she gave it to Mr. Grey.” She nodded, not sure what the point was. “We are willing to arrange transportation if you want to the estate.”

“No,” she said quickly. “I’ll… I’ll go myself.” After a few more legal arrangements, she returned to her hotel room. She remembered her mother telling her stories of the house. It had been in her family for generations. She used to tell Emma ghosts stories about. They always excited the young imaginative girl. Emma flew back to her home in Dublin and packed up her belongings. She withdrew from her classes, telling her professors about the estate in Pennsylvania.

She arranged to fly there and move in by herself. She was always an independent girl. Before leaving though, she did some research on the house and her family. Excitement filled her as she found out more. She decided it wouldn’t be a great idea to tell the citizens who she was since they used to think her family was cursed. She was just a visitor to them.

She arrived and saw the place. It wasn’t in the best shape it could have been in but she was surprised since it hadn’t been inhabited in almost a century. She moved some of her things in. She looked around the house. In the basement, she found bloodstains on the cement walls. She ran her fingers over them with a small smile, it was just as her mother had told her, and her grandmother had said. She found a box in the basement with news clippings and writings on her family. It went back to the fourteenth century in Ireland.

The nights there were restless. She constantly thought she was hearing footsteps. She could hear a faint whisper in her sleep. When she would open her eyes there would be nothing there. She didn’t scare easily though. All these events made her want to stay longer. That all changed one night about a week or so after she arrived. She was thrown from her sleep when she swore she heard screaming coming from the cemetery bordering her house. She walked to the window but saw nothing.

The next night though she looked out the window and saw a young man standing outside her home. When she went downstairs and went outside the man was gone. She saw the same man the night after that. She opened her window this time and called out to him but he didn’t answer. She thought maybe he was a ghost but that made little sense because of his dress. If he was the ghost of someone who lived in the house his clothes would be old.

The clothes this young man wore were new, a simple blue t-shirt, a leather jacket, white tennis shoes and blue jeans. She saw him every night for a week. She began to wait up for him, she would look out her window at 1 o’clock in the morning every night, and there he was. One night though she looked and he wasn’t there. When she turned, she was amazed to see the young man standing behind her. Her heart skipped a beat and she took a step back.

“Who… who are you,” she asked softly. The young man was pale and seemed to glow when the moonlight hit him. He was tall, taller than she was anyway, with penetrating eye. He didn’t speak. There was something about him that captured the young woman. He took a step closer to her and she backed against the wall.

“Don’t be afraid,” he whispered. His voice was melodic and soothing. He took a step forward as did she. Her heart was racing though she didn’t know why. Emma thought she heard something outside and she turned to look out the window. She saw nothing, when she turned around she found the man was gone. She took a few steps forward and looked around. “Emma,” a faint whisper came from behind her. A chill shot down her spine and she felt icy cold hands wrap around her. “Come with me Emma,” he whispered in her ear. He ran the tips of his fingers of her neck sending more chills through her. After that though he disappeared and she didn’t see him again.

A week and a half after she first saw him she looked out the window and saw nothing. She took a step back and looked rather disappointed.

She stopped dead though when she heard footsteps in the house. She walked downstairs and looked around. When she entered the ballroom she saw a man there, a different man. He was tall, he looked to be around her age though his back was to her so she couldn’t tell. He was wearing boots, faded blue jeans, and a leather coat. In his right hand was a shotgun. She took a step forward and the floor creaked. The man stood straight and turned around, aiming the shotgun at her. “Who the hell are you,” he said quickly.

Emma turned when she heard footsteps behind her. She saw another man, younger than the first but taller. He had longer hair as well. “I could ask both of you the same question,” she said quickly. “You can put that down in my house,” she snapped. The man looked at her shocked and reluctantly lowered the gun. “I’m Emma Grey,” she answered simply. Then she turned to the first man. “You’re turn.”

“Dean Winchester, that’s my little brother Sam,” he answered pointing to the taller of the two. “You’re house?”

“Yes, mine, as in I own it. As in you’re trespassing and I could have you arrested.”

“We were told that this place was abandoned, that no one had lived her for a century.”

“True,” she said simply. “My family moved to Ireland long ago, I inherited the house when my step-father died last month.” She looked back and forth between the two of them. “Now, I’m going to ask you one more time. What the hell are you doing in my house,” she snapped.

Dean obviously looked a little taken aback. “We’re…,” he paused trying to think of something. They didn’t come up with a cover story since they thought no one lived there. “We’re…..” He looked to Sam for help.

“We heard stories about the house all our lives,” Sam said quickly. “We just wanted to check it out.”

“Oh,” she said simply. “Well, you’ve checked it out, now you can leave. Good-bye.”

Dean stepped forward. “Actually we’re heard stories of vampires,” he said simply. “We wanted to see if there was any evidence here.” Dean had noticed all the papers spread around the room. He could tell she was into that type of thing. “Maybe you can help us out. See, there were these murders in the cemetery over there about a week ago. Rumor has it that vampires did it.”

“Do you believe these rumors,” she asked with a small smile.

“Maybe,” he said smirking. “We already checked out the place. Have you seen the paintings inside? Gaelic markings, they’re repeated like a chant or something.” He paused noticing her accent. “You’re from Ireland,” he said with a smile. “How ironic.”

“Is there a point to this,” she asked impatiently. Sam looked completely clueless.

“Do you happen to know Gaelic?”

She paused, wondering how he knew that. Then she looked down and saw the papers she had been writing. She smiled at him and nodded. “Come on in,” she said with a smile. “You want something to drink, either of you?”

“No, I’m good,” Sam said with a smile. He walked into the room and sat down on a large chair.

“What about you,” she asked. Dean shook his head. “All right then,” she said simply. She went into the kitchen and got a beer. Over the month she had been there she had gotten electricity and internet access set up in the house. She walked back into the room and sat down across from Dean. Dean looked a little upset that she had the beer. “I asked,” she said simply. She paused and looked at him. “So what is it you want to know,” she said with a smile. “I don’t know much myself. I just got here and found a lot of this stuff.”

Dean sighed and looked over at his brother. Sam handed her a folder full of pictures from the mausoleum. “Do you think you can tell us what it says,” he asked with a sweet smile.

She looked down at the pictures and took out some of her notes from school. “Ummm…,” she paused and tried to match it up. “It doesn’t make sense. It’s the same three words over again: fear, fire, blood,” she said softly. “Fear, fire, blood.”

NEW STORY: Blood, Sweat, and Tears Ch. 1

“Don’t tell me you’re scared. Seriously, Sarah, they’re only stories,” eighteen-year-old Alec Brown told his girlfriend. There were four students at Saratoga Memorial Cemetery that night, Alec Brown, Logan Walker, and twins, Sarah and Ben Matthews. They had heard stories of the mausoleum in the cemetery. It was blackened, as if burned but there was never any fire there. The name that once existed above the entrance was all but gone now. Inside, many graves filled the structure but no bodies or remains of any kind have ever been found in the mausoleum.

The Walls inside had archaic markings on them, written in what was rumored to be blood. It’s been washed away numerous times but the markings always returned. Legend says that the markings were vampric symbols. The legends were what brought the four Saratoga High seniors to the cemetery that night. The brought cameras in order to catch some footage of so-called vampric activities.

The idea had actually belonged to Ben. Alec, being the most adventurous one of the group, and Ben’s best friend since they were in diapers, instantly agreed. Logan, the intellectual one of the group, only agreed once Ben mentioned the markings. Sarah on the other hand was firmly against it. Alec didn’t want to leave his girlfriend out of this adventure so he asked Ben to try to convince her. Eventually he was able to coerce his sister into going. As they approached the mausoleum, Alec looked over and saw Sarah’s hand tremble. He walked up next to her and laced his fingers with hers. “Relax,” he whispered in her ear. Logan managed to easily picked the lock keeping unwanted visitors out. The four lifelong friends entered, Ben taking his usual position in the front of the group. They looked around and found the place just as they had heard, empty. Ben sighed in disappointment. He had hoped to find something more concrete to prove this was real. They continued to explore, taking pictures and video of the symbols painted on the wall.

“Dude, looks like someone got a little too into Lord of the Rings,” Alec said with a laugh.

“They look like Celtic symbols actually, not Tolkien’s elvish but what he based it off of,” Logan said distantly as the took pictures and notes about what he saw.

Alec shined his flashlight on him. “So do you like know everything Logan,” he asked with a smile. It warranted a punch in the shoulder from Sarah.

“Why do you gotta be such an ass,” she asked rolling her eyes.

“Just my nature I guess,” he said with a smile. “But you love it.”

She just rolled her eyes again and sighed. “Damn,” Logan muttered as the batteries in his camera died. Moments later, his light went out too.

“Looks like electronics aren’t your thing man,” Alec said sarcastically. Again, Sarah punched him in the shoulder. “What?”

“Can we go now,” Sarah asked impatiently.

“Just a little longer sis,” Ben answered still taking photographs. “I want to get as much of these markings as possible so maybe our professor here can find a translation, right Logan,” Ben said with a smile. He stood up and turned around when there was no answer. “Logan,” he called out again. Still there was no answer.

“Logan this isn’t funny,” Sarah said beginning to get worried. Logan wasn’t the practical joker that Alec was. Alec’s light flickered then went out, that was shortly followed by Ben’s light, the last flashlight. They were left in pitch darkness now. “Logan,” she called again. She reached her hand out for Alec’s, her heart was pounding in her chest. She calmed a little when she felt Alec’s fingers lace with hers. They were cold, but she assumed he was just scared. “Ben, I think we should go now,” she said softly. There was no answer. “B… Ben,” she said again with a broken voice. “Alec what are you doing,” she asked when she felt his arms wrap around her and his lips lightly touch her neck. “Alec stop it,” she said angrily, now was not the time, nor place for this. Sarah shoved him away when he did not listen. She took a step back and tripped, falling backwards. One of the flashlights came back on and Sarah turned to look at it. What she saw however made her heart stop. She screamed and tried to back away. Lying on the ground with his eyes wide open and look of horror on his face was Logan Walker. He was covered in blood. Sarah picked up the flashlight and looked around the room. She stopped the light on another body.

Sarah ran to it as fast as she could. It was Alec. Tears filled her eyes and she dropped to her knees. She picked him up and held him in her arms, rocking back and forth. She loved him; they had been together all their lives. She couldn’t imagine life without him. “Sar… Sarah,” Ben’s voice choked. She lifted the light, searching for her brother. She finally found him in the corner and ran to him. She stumbled though and the flashlight flew out of her hand, shattering on the stone floor. Moments later, Ben heard her scream. “Sarah,” he called out. He stood slowly rubbing his head. Ben could hear footsteps all around him. They were getting closer. Then suddenly they stopped.

“Spare this one,” a woman’s voice said. She had the most amazing voice and accent. Ben could barely make out the figure of a beautiful young woman in the darkness. She seemed to glow and her voice was like a song. It invaded every part of Ben’s mind. She approached him slowly and gracefully. Her magnificent blue eyes captivated him and he couldn’t look away. “He belongs to me. He has great potential,” she said to the others that were around them. She then turned her attention back to Ben and ran her fingers across his face. Her touch was cold, but fire at the same time. “What is your name child?”

“Be… Ben Matthews,” he said softly.

She smiled at him and leaned forward, kissing him lightly. Her soft lips then moved to his neck. “Its nice to meet you Ben Matthews,” she whispered in his ear. His eyes rolled back in his head. The world seemed to fade away, then he heard and saw no more.