okay, i know i said i'd be taking a break, but i couldn't resist writing another story...i think i'm addicted...





Chapter One


2:56 am

It was late, so late that it was actually early, but Sam Winchester was wide-awake and had been the whole night because of the nightmares that constantly plagued him, terrorizing his days and making for so many sleepless nights.

They hadn’t been so bad at first, only little snippets and sounds, but then the nightmares grew and began to scare him so badly that he was afraid to even close his bloodshot eyes lest those terrible things sneak up on him again.

The intense glow of the laptop illuminated his features and all of the shadows that he tried to hard to hide from his brother settled under his eyebrows, transforming his face into a ghoulish mask as his eyes, glittering in the darkness, flitted rapidly over the screen in search of their next job.

A muffled sound from Dean’s bed made Sam jump and he quickly shut the laptop. The glow was snuffed out and the illusion broken. Sam became himself again, the calm, intelligent, and reluctant hunter but loyal brother.

Like a deer in the headlights, Sam watched with bated breath as his brother shifted, and then sighed with relief when Dean stopped moving and resumed snoring loudly.

He looked at Dean’s unconscious face, felt a hot spark of jealousy at his brother’s peaceful slumber, and he had the irrational urge to wake Dean so that he could dump all of his problems on his older brother’s shoulders. However, as soon as the thought entered his mind, it was immediately pushed away. Sam knew deep down that it was better if Dean didn’t know how his younger brother was being eaten alive by fear from the inside out and how much emotional and physical pain it was causing him.

Sam sighed and the laptop reopened. Once again immersed in his fervent search, he didn’t see Dean’s eyes open just a slit to study him before his brother went back to sleep, resolving to talk to Sam in the morning.



so, comments? questions? concerns?

COMMENT:
This is awesome, captivating, and sad. Poor Sam.
QUESTION:
When will you be updating again?
CONCERN:
...

Great Job! I love it!!
-Cait

OMG! You started another story! Wahoo! It's off to an awesome start and I can't wait for more!

!! update soon, very awsome so fat ^_^

Great start to the story! Please update very soon! :D

THAT WAS AMAZING....SO SAD!!! I LOVED IT!!! PLEASE KEEP UPDATING LIKE RIGHT NOW!!!! PLEASE!!!

Okay - -- my only concern is that you haven't updated yet :D

Great story and I'm glad I'm not the only one who's wondered if Dean always really sleeps as deeply as Sam thinks he does....all that older brother protective stuff and all.....hmmmmmmm

So...more? Anytime now!

Kat

I thought i could smell another fic by you ;)!
That sweet scent told me that you were back with your awesome fics...and i kinda peed with excitement :blush

Me like it!! hurry and add more!

Sorry guys, might be awhile before I update, i have finals ( :bang :bang :bang )

Wow...What a great start and update. Sam not sleeping has me worried now!!

I loved the part where Dean realized how well Sam was lying to him...that was beautifully written. I can't wait for the next update. And now I'll have to go find some of your other stories.

Lots of Love and well wishes,

Isa

Okay, I lied, I was going to wait a while to update but i decided that I couldn't wait.




It was past noon when Dean woke up and found his little brother in the same spot he’d been last night.

Sam saw that Dean was awake and looked up smiling sleepily as if he’d just woken up and decided to do a little research. Dean got up and stretched, saying casually, “Morning Sam.”

“Good Morning.” Sam said, closing the laptop and stretching as well. Dean was impressed that his brother was such a good actor, he’d always thought that Sam was the sort that couldn’t lie but if he hadn’t seen him awake with his own eyes and heard the incessant tapping of computer keys all night long then he would have believed that his brother had gotten a good night’s rest.

Dean debated about whether to cut the crap and just confront his brother, but decided to stick with the casual approach. Sam would tell him when he was ready.

The older hunter got dressed and then narrowed his eyes, looking for any of the usual telltale signs that his brother was lying, as he asked innocently, “Did you get some sleep?”

“Yeah, actually, first time in a long time.” Dean watched Sam meet his eyes and lift his eyebrows enough to suggest that he was surprised as he thought his brother would be by the answer. The young man grinned convincingly and Dean's insides churned at how naturally his brother was lying to him. From Sam’s appearance Dean would have never suspected anything and he wondered how many times Sam had lied to him before.

“Glad to hear it.” Dean said, even to his own ears the words sounded dry and forced. Sam looked up curiously at his brother but Dean had turned his back and was busing himself with cleaning his handgun. Sam stared at him for a while before shrugging and going back to the story he was reading.

Twenty-three people had gone missing, each near the same spot, around the same time, and all were still MIA. Sam wanted to be sure before he told Dean about it.

After going over the information again and again in search of some sort of non-supernatural cause, Sam finally looked up and called Dean over. The older hunter’s eyebrows shot up while he read over his little brother’s shoulder and Sam knew from the look on his brother’s face that he'd made the right call and the next place they’d be heading to was Antlers, Nebraska.

Sure enough, less than fifteen minutes later the brothers had packed and were peeling out of the motel parking lot in Dean’s black 1967 Chevy Impala on their way to solve another mystery and send another evil son of a bitch to hell.


***


Sam didn’t sleep at all while Dean drove as he usually did, he just sat staring straight ahead at something in the distance that his brother couldn’t see. So lost in his own thoughts was the young hunter that he was barely blinking. When the time came for Sam to drive, Dean relinquished the wheel reluctantly and settled into the passenger seat.

So much driving made Dean's eyelids heavy, but before he went to sleep the hunter realized that his brother probably hadn’t slept for days. He prayed fervently that Sam wouldn’t fall asleep at the wheel and crash his baby.

Yet another amazing update! I love this story so far! And you, not being evil to the core like me, have not yet killed us readers with staggering cliffhangers. (They're fun to write, annoying to read)
Despite that, I still CAN'T WAIT for more of this story! It's done more than pique my interest, it has me totally immersed.
Poor Sam, Poor Dean.
Anyway, Great, Great Job!
And now, since its almost midnight here, I'm going to go to bed, looking forward to your next update!
-Cait

I love it, its great, please update soon.
I think I am becoming addicted to this site. :rolleyes:
My husband is getting worried.

Alex

:D SOUNDS GOOD SO FAR, CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS






LUVS LORRIE

WWOOOHHHOOOO loved it!! but sammy...what are you doin to yourself!!?? why aren't you sleeping! i mean you could at least try! you're gonna kill yourself buddy!!!!

PLEASE UPDATE AGAIN LIKE RIGHT NOW!!!

:car + tired Sammy = :thud

Ack! Sammy no! Don't crash!

Okay, so why isn't he getting any sleep? You've got me worried here!

You need to update before I go insane with worry over that boy!


And that was a really good chapter! Getting a little angsty already on Dean's part!


UPDATE!

it took a while but here's the next update! by the way, i appreciate all of the feedback, it really helps!




Everything had been going smoothly for about two hours, but then the oncoming headlights blurred and began to burn into Sam’s eyes with such intensity that tears began to streak down his face.

He shook his head and wiped his tears on his sleeve, but more soon replaced them and a jagged bolt of raw pain suddenly ripped through Sam’s head. He screamed, waking Dean, and just managed to pull the car over to the shoulder and hit the brake before the vision swallowed him.

It began the same as the visions that had been attacking him for the past three nights and when Sam saw Dean standing there in the courtyard he didn’t want to go over to him but when he resisted another shock of pain hit him and he stumbled foreword quickly. Dean hadn’t moved.

Sam drew back, and then placed a shaking hand on his brother’s shoulder, but instead of soft leather, all he felt was cold, unfeeling stone. Sam choked on a sob as he jerked his hand away and walked around to look his brother in the face.

The expression of pure, unbridled hate on Dean’s face as his dead eyes accused Sam caused the young hunter's knees to buckle and he crumpled on the ground. He had seen this many times but each time was as horrible as the first.

The realization of what was coming next made Sam tear his eyes from his stone brother, and he stood and ran, trying to escape what he knew was coming, but he couldn’t. A huge, bright flash lit up the area and Sam yelled as the electrical current shot through him brutally. He was thrown through the air.

Sam groaned and lifted his head off the ground, the smell of burning flesh filled his nostrils and he opened his eyes to find himself smoking and covered in burns inches from his face. The young hunter scrambled backwards, only to hear a loud growl and see a pair of shining red eyes bounding towards him; invisible teeth ripped and tore at his skin.

He shouted in pain, but then suddenly there was instant relief. He blinked, surprised, and looked around to find that he was standing in the middle of a shop of some sort that was filled with drying herbs and jars full of various items. A woman with gleaming white hair that couldn’t have been older than Sam knelt on a soft purple cushion dealing out cards with strange symbols on them that he recognized as tarot cards. Her name was Whisper but how he knew her name was a mystery to him.

Whisper was clad in a simple yet elegant black dress that was embroidered with large, realistic lilies in silver thread. Sam crept closer warily, wishing that his brother were there. He hadn’t seen her or this place before in any of his other premonitions.

She stopped shuffling all of a sudden, seeming to sense his presence, and looked up, chills slithered up and down Sam’s spine when Whisper fixed her brilliant turquoise eyes on him, they were like sparkling chips of blue-green diamonds.

“Sam Winchester.” She called to him, and he jumped. When she stared at him it could have been a strange coincidence, but now there was no denying that she could see him.

“How can you see me and how do you know who I am? How do I know who you are?” Sam asked, not sure whether to run away or not, but instead of answering, Whisper simply smiled kindly and gracefully lifted an ornate teakettle to pour amber liquid into two equally decorative glasses she had set out before her on the stone floor. It was obvious that she'd been expecting him.

Whisper looked back up at Sam, still frozen in place, and gestured to the cushion across from her. Her eyes were mesmerizing and he walked over and sat without a second thought. Sam somehow knew that he had bigger things to worry about than his previous questions.

The young hunter studied Whisper through his shaggy bangs as she brought the cup to her lips and sipped her steaming tea, and then he did the same. The ghostly swirls of steam caressed his face and he took a tiny taste. Warm cinnamon, vanilla, and several other exotic flavors met his tongue and he took a larger drink before setting the cup deftly on the floor.

“Thank you.” Sam said, and Whisper smiled before placing her cup in front of her as well and resuming shuffling, the cards rasping together in a soothing rhythm.

Sam took a deep breath and thousands of scents filled his nostrils, none of them were unpleasant, but jasmine and lavender were the most prominent.

The hunter looked around the shop, silky curtains hung over the doorways, all of the furniture was wooden and the deep red-gold color of polished mahogany, and a soft square of light filtered in through a glass window. The stone tiles of the floor gleamed with hidden sparkles where the sunlight hit them.

The rasping ceased and Sam turned to see Whisper carefully place the tarot cards on the floor in a large pile then cut that pile into four smaller piles.

Sam found himself holding his breath while Whisper’s eyes closed in concentration and she delicately lifted a card from the first pile. She took a quick breath when she looked down.

“Oh Sam,” she whispered sadly, and then laid the card in front of him. “I’m so sorry for all you’ve had to go through.”

Sam reached out and gently lifted the card from the floor. He was both astounded and horrified at the intricacy of the details.

There was a picture of a tower being hit by lightning and catching fire, the top of the tower was crumbling and collapsing to the ground beneath, and two tall figures were falling from the top of the tower. It looked so realistic that Sam felt like he could hear their desperate shrieks.

The hunter finally set the card back on the ground and looked at Whisper. “What do you know about what I’ve gone through?” She pointed a slender finger at the card so that a black-painted nail rested in the center.

“This is the symbol for hard times, chaos, and realizing the truth.”

Sam looked a little skeptical, and she gave him a small smile. “That and your mind is so open that seeing your past is as easy as reading a book.”

Now that made more sense to Sam, he was dealing with a fellow victim of the demon! He was initially relieved but then he thought of Max and leapt to his feet.

Whisper giggled, a sound like water running over small stones. “Sorry if I startled you,” she said apologetically, “but I can assure you that I am not like Max nor am I a victim of the demon that took you mother and girlfriend.”

Sam gapped at her and realized that he had no choice but to sit back down.

Whisper looked at the hunter as if considering, and then nodded. She moved onto the second pile of cards.

The next card that she flipped over was just as bad looking as the first.

A man in a white cloak stood alone with a lantern held in his hand, the tiny flame was almost snuffed by the darkness surrounding him. The look on his face was lost and sad.

Speaking of darkness, thought Sam suddenly as he examined the card, when had the warm sunlight disappeared to be replaced by dim candles?

He pushed that thought from his mind and looked back to the card, a flicker of movement caught Sam’s attention. He looked closer. The candle in the lantern looked like it was moving.

So absorbed was he with watching the card that he recoiled slightly when Whisper spoke. “The hermit.” She explained and inclined her head in the card’s direction. “Symbol of reclusion, distance, and isolation.”

“What does that mean?” Sam said softly, reaching out with a finger to stroke the card’s edge, and then before his eyes the hermit’s face transformed into his own. Sam’s jaw dropped and he snatched his hand away.

“It means,” Whisper explained as if nothing had happened, “that you have mentally retreated from your brother, Dean, and unless you two once again work together as one and you stop hiding things from him, the shadows of the world will find you vulnerable to their advances.”

“T-the card!” Sam stammered.

“Sam, look at me,” Whisper demanded, “not the card.” Their eyes locked. “This place, as you have realized, is neither in you head nor in your world, it is a…a…” she seemed to pick her words carefully, “waiting room, so to speak, for souls in need of guidance. Rules of reality do not apply here, understand?”

The hunter seemed to think about Whisper’s words for a moment, and then he took a deep breath, composing himself. Sam nodded that she should go on.

Whisper flipped over the card from the third pile. She sighed in relief and smacked the card down as if to laugh out loud. Sam looked over and decided that this card was a lot nicer looking than the last two.

A regal stallion, whiter than anything Sam had ever seen before, was rearing up underneath a blazing purple sun with a field of sunflowers behind it. The horses’ lips were parted in a joyous whinny that Sam could feel more than hear resonating through the shop. The steed fixed one large eye on Sam and the hunter could see that the iris was made up of a spectrum of colors.

“This is good Sam,” Whisper said with a grin, “The Sun means joy, personal power, and good feelings.”

Sam’s heart felt buoyed by the news, and he touched the tip of his finger to the card. The picture rippled out from the contact like water and images of happiness and warmth flew through Sam’s mind.

“So, everything’s okay?” Sam asked, and Whisper’s smile slipped a little.

“Well, not really.” She admitted with obvious reluctance. “This first card, The Tower, is your troubled past, The Hermit is your solitary present, and The Sun is your bright future. Unfortunately, you still have one card left, what you will encounter in the near future.”

“But does that card really mean that much?” Sam asked and indicated The Sun card. “I’m still going to have that future right?”

Whisper’s frown deepened and her sparkly eyes dulled with sadness. “True enough, you are lucky to have the Sun for your future, but this last card is different, it can alter that.”

Sam was frowning now too. “Let’s just wait and see what the final card is before we go and assume the worst.” He said, trying to look optimistic, but he knew for a fact that if there was a card that meant nothing but bad things in that tarot deck then he’d get it.

Candles illuminating the shop flickered in a non-existent gust of wind and Sam could see that Whisper’s hand was pale and unsteady as she cautiously picked up the card on the top of the fourth pile. She didn’t look at it and quickly set it down then covered her face with her hands as if she couldn’t bear to see what it would tell her.

Sam, on the other hand, had to know. He leaned over and it only took one glance at the card before he knew that it had to be the worst.

Dead and dying people surrounded a skeleton suited in black armor riding upon a mighty black steed. The skeletal knight bore a tattered black flag in his gloved hand with a series of white flowers on it. Crashing towers not unlike those from The Tower card were in the background, a Hermit was one of the ones slain at the knight's feet, and, when Sam looked closely, he saw that the same purple sun from The Sun tarot card was setting in the distance of the picture.

It really couldn’t have gotten more ironic than that…

Whisper peeked through her fingers and all the color drained from her face. “There’s no way…” she murmured, looking at Sam.

The hunter felt sick, but he just had to ask. “What does it mean?”

Whisper took a shaky breath, “I’d rather not tell you, but I know that I must. This is the card named Death and when it is drawn it prophesizes sadness, loss, being caught in the inescapable, and, of course, death.”

Sam gulped and tried not to look at the ghastly card, but his eyes were pulled there almost against his will. The grisly face of the knight turned its skull slowly and grinned wickedly up at him. Sam shuddered and turned the card upside down so that he didn’t have to face it.

LOVED IT THAT WAS AWESOME!!!! poor sammy and his damn visions...although this one ended up not going too badly...except of course for the death card....but i thought that death wasn't always a bad thing...mostly it symbolizes change doesn't it??

anyways yes i loved it and please update more now!!! NOW!!!

Just caught up with this one and WOW...You've got another great story going!!!

<_< Ok, Death card...that doesn't sound too good

:blink: Poor Sam...he never seems to get a break does he!


Come on Dean...time to come to the rescue!!!


Great update...can't wait for the next one, as usual LOL! :wub:

Oh no bless Sam......Stupid card, u just gone and ruined everything :angry:

Well if a card is taking down Sam...then it is taking me down aswell.



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^LETS ALL STARE AT THE CARD!!

hmmm, the copy that I saw had a balck horse...oh well, there are many different types of each card, i saw that most of the Sun cards had a young children in them and it took me forever to track down one with only the horse. I'm glad that you guys enjoy the story so far and I'll try my best to update tomorrow as always but i have flag corps so it may be a little difficult. :unsure:

Uh oh! Sounds like trouble!

And what is going on in that vision! It doesn't sound good!

That was beautifully written! I could see it in my head with incredible clarity!

Now...update?

okay, this story is developing a life of its own and i just had to post again since i may not be able to tomorrow. :D





They just sat there for a while as the lights returned and then Whisper, still upset over Sam’s predicament, stood abruptly. “Oh, light take it! I’ve never had to deal with something like this before!” she exclaimed, then walked over and began to rummage through a mess of papers and books on a desk.

Sam cocked his head to the side as he watched, and he could barely hear her when she spoke again. “I’m very sorry for the bad news Sam,” she said, her voice a little muffled as she groped around, “and I’d like to give you something for protection if I could only find the pestersome thing!”

“Oh, that's okay; I think that I should just be getting back.” Sam said, and when his knees creaked as he got up from the cushion, he looked down inquiringly. “Just how long have I been here anyway?”

Sam had to duck as a loose bound stack of papers flew over his head, and Whisper said, “In my time or in your world’s time?”

“Uh, mine please.”

“Oh,” she said, “then only about two days.”

Sam thought he’d misheard. Two days? He couldn’t believe his ears and immediately thought of Dean. Sam feverishly hoped that his brother wasn’t too worried about him.

“Oh god, I really have to get back…” Sam groaned.

“Ah-ha!” Whisper cried, and held up a necklace with the silver charm of a dark phoenix with its wings spread wide covered in lighter flames hanging from it. “I knew it was here somewhere!”

Whisper strode over to Sam and quickly tied it around his neck. He felt safe and warm as soon as it touched him. “Thank you, Whisper.” He said, and fingered the phoenix, “I really appreciate this.”

She waved off his thanks and touched him lightly on the forehead, Sam blinked as the mystical shop and Whisper were replaced by the interior of a grungy motel room.






Chapter Two


11:59 pm

Sunlight streamed in through the windows and draped itself over Dean who sat with his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands like a warm blanket. Dean got up and moved from the golden light into the shade. He looked up at Sam hopefully when the young man mumbled something in his sleep but his brother didn’t wake up.

“Goddammit.” Dean growled, he was ashamed at how helpless he felt. The hunter jumped up angrily and punched a hole in the wall.

There the concerned brother stood, ready to take a swing at anything and everything, but then Dean looked down at his stinging hand. His knuckles were scrapped and fat drops of blood were gathering in the cuts.

As he looked at this, Dean scowled, but was deeply embarrassed of how he lost his temper and settled into the chair again. The pain brought him back to his senses and he knew that getting upset wouldn’t make Sam wake up.

The hunter absently picked up a piece of cloth from the nightstand beside him and wrapped his hand it. So much had happened in the past couple days to make him irritable.

Dean had been woken from where he slept in the passenger seat of the Impala by Sam’s anguished yell and could tell with one glance at Sammy’s tortured face that his brother was having a vision.

He was all set to jump in and maneuver the Chevy from the road, but Sam had managed it and stopped the car before he was in too much pain.

Dean, waiting for Sam to come out of the vision, was shocked when the young man began to writhe and then went limp.

“Sammy?” Dean said anxiously, putting a hand on his brother’s shoulder, but Sam didn’t respond.

Dean didn’t know what else to do, they couldn’t go to a hospital even if there had been one nearby, so the hunter carefully moved Sam from the driver’s seat and then continued driving towards the town with the hopes that his brother would wake up on the way.

They reached the town and Sam was still slumped on the passenger seat, so Dean checked into a trashy little motel and carried his brother inside, setting him down on the farthest lumpy bed from the door. This was nearly two days ago.

“Dean.” Sam’s raspy voice instantly shocked his brother from his thoughts and Dean ran over to the bed.

“Hey man,” Dean said, trying to contain his relief, “you okay?”

Sam winced as he tried to sit up. “Just peachy.”

Dean noted the bags underneath Sam’s eyes and how much effort it took for him to move. “You should get some rest.” The hunter said, though he didn’t want to have a repeat of the last two days, but when Sam lay back down without arguing the older brother knew that he’d made the right call. Sam was asleep in seconds and Dean went over to his own bed to catch some shut-eye as well. The hunter hadn’t slept a wink while Sam had been unconscious.

oooo a dark pheonix for protection...that's awesome...i want one!!

2 DAYS!? POOR DEAN THINKIN SAMMY WAS IN BIG TROUBLE!!

loved it! please update again soon!!

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!!!

Yay! Awesome update!

Oooohhh...pheonix...

Two day?!? Holy crap! Dean must have been out of his mind!

Poor guy...two days without sleep...

That was great!

Update?

man! you guys don't waste too much time in responding do you? yeah, phoenix necklace=awesome and Sam sleeping for 2 days=one very worried Dean.

:o Two days...poor Dean had to be beside himself

:clap A dark phoenix necklace...sounds really cool!

<_< But somehow I think this is only the beginning of trouble for our two boys


Since you were so nice and updated so quickly....any chance of another one?? Hmmmm? :wub:

:lol: :huh: <_< i still have to study for my finals but i'll see what I can do...

hehehe yes please!!! :D :D :D

we'll :wub: you so much...although we already do hehehe

anyways good luck with your exams!!!

:D thanks! and i really didn't need much encouragement to add another update. It feels like i've written twenty pages today and i think that writing is the way i put off studying for my finals! :rolleyes:




It was dark when the young hunter woke up and he was amazed to find that he’d actually slept without having any nightmares. It was a good feeling.

Sam stood, stretching with several cracks of his spine, and looked over to see that Dean was asleep. He made as little noise as possible as he went into the bathroom to take a shower.

Hot water streamed from the shower head when Sam turned the knob and he undressed quickly, eager to wash off the buildup of grime from his skin and hair that was the result of sleeping for two days. He stepped into the jet and sighed, his skin tingling pleasantly.

The hunter bent down to pick up the bar of soap on a ledge near the floor and something heavy swung down from around his neck. Sam straightened and looked at the object. It was the phoenix that Whisper had given him.

He finished his shower in a daze, hardly able to enjoy it, and dried himself with a big fluffy towel before slipping into a pair of baggy jeans and a comfortable shirt.

Sam studied his reflection in the mirror. The phoenix sat right in the center of his chest, almost glowing, and the young hunter, remembering his premonitions, knew what to do.

He reached up, then untied the necklace from around his neck and watched the charm become dull. A feeling of vulnerability enveloped Sam, and he couldn’t shake the impression that he was defenseless as he stepped from the bathroom. Dean was awake and sat on his bed watching a House MD re-run.

The older man looked up, saw Sam watching him, and clicked off the TV quickly. He coughed into his hand and said, “Can you believe some of the crap on TV?”

Sam smiled and walked over to Dean. He held out the necklace and said, “Here, you should take this.”

Dean gingerly accepted his brother’s offering and ran his fingers over the charm. “What’s this Sammy?”

“It’s something that was given to me by a friend,” Sam said, thinking quickly, “for protection.”

The hunter didn’t know what to say but put on the necklace. “Uh, thanks Sammy, but why would I need protection?”

Sam sighed, but remembered what Whisper said about keeping things from Dean. “For the past week I’ve been having these visions of you being turned into a statue.” The young hunter explained, “And I just thought that this might help to stop that from coming true.”

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner Sam?” Dean demanded, and Sam shrugged sheepishly.

“I thought that I could protect you, but the charm is my back-up.” The image of the werewolf and the flash of lightning danced through Sam’s mind and he added, “Just in case.”

Dean raised his eyebrows and Sam sighed again, realizing that he had been sighing a lot, and told Dean the whole story about his visions, Whisper, and the tarots. His older brother just listened politely until Sam was finished.

“So, what does this mean for us?” Dean asked.

“Well, I guess it means that we should be on our guard.” Sam said. “I still think that we need to check out that case of the missing people though.”

“Yeah,” Dean agreed, slightly disappointed, “but if I see any red eyes or feel so much as a raindrop I’m draggin’ your psychic ass as far from this town as possible, no way am I gonna let you get mauled or hit by lightning.”

Sam smiled and nodded, it was a good thing that he didn’t tell Dean about Whisper giving him the amulet or else he would have tried to give it back because he'd think that his brother needed it more than he did.

“Hey, Psychic wonder!” Dean was nearly out the door when Sam looked up. “You ready to get sleuthing or do you need to sleep for a couple more days?”

“Hilarious.” Sam called sarcastically as Dean disappeared around the corner, but he ran after his brother, determined to keep an eye on him.


***


The brother’s both decided that the best place to start their search would be the place where everyone disappeared so they parked the Impala on the side of the road and set off into the forest on foot. They kept their eyes peeled for anything that could help them figure out what was going on.

They walked passed a bush and a clump of silvery fur stuck in the twigs caught Sam’s eye. He crouched down to take a closer look and pulled the fur off the brambles. It was as thick and coarse.

“Hey Dean!” Sam called, and straightened.

“What?” Dean replied, rushing back to see what Sam had found, and Sam handed him the clump.

“You know what this is?”

Dean felt the hair, studied the color, and then sniffed it. “Just a big dog I think, not a werewolf or anything supernatural that’s for sure. He threw that hair over his shoulder and they continued walking but Sam's stomach was tying itself in knots. He still had a bad feeling.

An elegant stone house surrounded by a gothic fence slowly came into view ahead of them and Sam and Dean shared a look before creeping along the fence to the back of the house.

The backyard was huge, about the size of a football field, and there were almost two dozen life-sized sculptures of people scattered about. Both brothers saw the figures and had the same thought. These could be the missing people.

It was tough to get over the fence, the tips of the bars were covered with wicked spikes, but Sam and Dean managed it without impaling themselves and snuck over to the closest statue. It was at least fifty feet into the yard.

They reached the sculpture and were momentarily stunned by the look of fear on its face. Sam pulled out a list of the people that had disappeared and their descriptions, this statue was an exact match to a man named Robert Hill.

“Robert.” Sam said, and pointed to the paper.

Dean looked from the stone figure to the paper and gulped. “Well, I hate to say it, but I think we found out where everyone went.”

Sam opened his mouth to respond but was interrupted when a huge, grey beast of a dog came around the side of the house and spotted them. It bared its sharp fangs and eyed them hungrily.

The two brothers and the beast-dog stared each other down, both waiting for the other to make the first move, and it was Sam and Dean who did. They took off, adrenaline burning in their veins, and the dog howled wildly as it bounded after.

Hearts fluttering like birds' wings, Sam and Dean scrambled over the fence and barely made it over. It was so close that they could feel the heat of the dog’s breath.

The brothers gasped for air, looking back at the dog snarling through the bars of the fence, and then they watched as the beast glared at them and stalked away.

When the dog was out of sight behind one of the many bushes dotting the yard, something suddenly occurred to Sam. “Dean, the fur we found in the forest as that dog’s.”

“Brilliant deduction collage boy.” Dean panted, still winded from their sprint. “But that’s kind of obvious.”

“No, I meant that the fur was in the forest.” Sam clarified and Dean still didn’t understand. “Dean, I think that the dog can get out!”




*jaws theme...* spooky...

oooohhhh snap!! the dog can get out!!

mmmmm the middle of his chest....can i be the dark pheonix now? screw jean grey. lol

but why did he give it to dean...it glowed for sammy but did it for dean? will it even protect dean? sammy get that necklace back!!

then again that was a very noble thing he did by giving it up!

BUT WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN NEXT!!?? PLEASE UPDATE SOON!!!!

:lol: Oh my god! i just realized that was a total X-man reference! wow...but the necklace is in the shape of an actual phoenix, not the person. :rolleyes:

lol yah i figured it would be an actual pheonix which is why i wanted it...but now?? i want to be it!!! *drools**sighs* me hanging around sam's or dean's neck.....*sighs again and continues drooling* anyways i'm back....wait why am i here again?


OH YEAH



UPDATE AGAIN SOON!!!!

wow! u amaze me ...really

Wonderful updates I can't wait to see where the repurcussions of the necklace take them...

Lots of love and well wishes,

Isa

;) *rubs eyes tiredly* hey look! I have replies! with all this praise for my stories and no criticism i'm getting spoiled... <_< CRITICISE ME I SAY!

...please? :halo





No sooner had he said this then did a shadow pass over their heads and they saw the huge dog land in front of them. It hadn’t been leaving, just getting a running start. Now it wasn’t confined by the fence and was severely pissed. Dean and Sam sighed before bolting again with the dog on their heels.

Sam chanced a look over his shoulder and then found himself flying through the air; his foot had caught of a tree root. The dog roared, throwing himself with open jaws at the fallen hunter, and Sam cringed while Dean, remembering the vision, turned and pulled a gun. A gunshot and a high-pitched yelp both echoed through the woods.

The dog lay on the ground, dead, and Sam, unharmed, slowly got to his feet. “Thanks Dean.”

Dean grinned while he shrugged and put away his gun. “Don’t mention it.”

Sam watched as Dean touched the dog’s body with his boot, making sure that it was really dead, and then the brothers walked back to the house to find the dog’s owner.

“I wonder if Cujo has any friends waiting for us.” Dean said when they had returned to the house and Sam ignored him while he picked the lock on the front door. To the young hunter’s surprise, the door suddenly opened by itself. Dean looked over at his brother, but Sam shook his head and shrugged. The door had been locked a second ago.

Dean walked into the house with his hand on his gun, this whole set up just screamed “trap”, and Sam’s spidey-senses tingled like crazy as he followed him.

Both the first an second floors of the house were clean, no EMF readings or signs of life, but as soon as they had walked down the basement stairs and stepped onto the dusty ground the necklace around Dean’s neck flared to life. A huge, billowing cloud of black dust burst from the shadows underneath the staircase, swarmed around the Winchesters like a tornado, and the door leading back to the upstairs slammed shut.

“What are you doing here?” The voice coming from the cloud was surprisingly kind and did not sound malicious in the least. Sam and Dean looked sideways at each other and then Sam spoke.

“We came because we heard that people were disappearing, we came about your statues.” Dean watched, dumbfounded, as a pair of indigo eyes appeared in front of his brother followed by the body of a young girl wearing a cornflower blue dress with a matching ribbon in her long blonde hair. When Sam talked, even to the supernatural, things felt like they could trust him.

“Oh yeah,” the demon child said, smiling at the tall hunter. “What about them?”

Sam was a little taken aback by the demon’s appearance, it was Whisper but she obviously didn’t recognize him. “I think that you should set them free.”

The girl’s rosy lips came out in a pout. “But I like having them there and I don’t think that they mind being stones.”

“Would you want to be a stone?” Sam asked, and the girl looked down, scuffing her feet on the floor.

“Guess not.” She said in a small voice. “I’ll fix them.”

Sam walked over to her and put a large hand on her shoulder. “That would be very good of you.”

The demon beamed up at him while Dean, standing behind and feeling left out, felt his jaw drop. Sam, warrior of light, had made friends with a demon!

“Okay then,” Dean said, hoping to be included in the conversation, “what do you say we go and set those people right?”

“Okay!” The demon child chirruped happily, and the brothers heard the front door bang shut. “I’ll have to ask Daddy first though.”

Sam and Dean’s eyes widened as they were thrown into the far wall, sticking there by some invisible force, and a tall man came down the stairs with eyes of molten gold. The demon girl’s daddy was home.



*sigh* i knew i'd have some issues with writing this...be gentle...

lmao, Sam making friends with the demon girl just struck me as funny...I can just imagine the look on Dean's face...

Uh oh...Daddy's home...that's going to be trouble...

At least Dean has the pheonix...

But Sam's unprotected...

And poor statue people...

That was an absolutely awesome update!

More please! :D


btw, how could we ever critisize you? There is just nothing in your stories that I don't like!

:D thanks tears, your kind updates never fail to make me grin foolishly!

:o OH GREAT HERE COMES DADDY, NOW THEY R IN TROUBLE UMM YEAHHHHHHH BRING IT ON WE'RE READY COME ON I DARE YA LOL




LUVS LORRIE