I'm back! Yes, really. Season two of Supernaturally Charmed is here! How cool is that? I know it's not been a super long wait, but long enough for some of you based on the messages I've been getting.

I know you really wanted to know what I could do with killing Adam off in the first season. Well, all that is answered right away. I'm sure many of you has your suspicions so I'm looking forward to sharing them with you. Anyway, here is the rollercoaster ride that I promise season two will be. I'll update weekly on a Friday to space out the posting so I don't catch up with my writing. I like to be ahead just in case something happens or I need to make tiny adjustments.

Episode 1: Starts With a Kiss

Pain. Hatred. Betrayal. Abandonment.

Those were the four emotions running through Sam Winchester right now. His baby brother was lying dead in the living room. He hated magic; everything to do with it. All it had done was bring pain. A demon had killed his mother and that same demon took his girlfriend from him. Now that same demon was responsible for his brother's death. And what had his dad and elder brother done? Taken off.

The betrayal and abandonment he felt for them was so much more than the hatred for magic right now and the pain over losing his brother. If anyone, he expected Dean to stick around. But Dean had taken off as soon as possible, after making the decision not to summon The Trickster to make him reverse time and bring Adam back.

How could the eldest Winchester brother just decide not to save his baby brother? It didn't make any sense, and just made Sam hate magic even more. If it wasn't for magic, none of this would have happened. Mary Winchester would still be alive and the three brothers would have grown up in Lawrence as normal kids.

"What do we do now?" Darryl asked, looking up at Andy mainly. Sam pulled himself back to the reality of the situation from where he sat by the window, looking out of it. His three cousins were there, the pain and sadness evident on their faces, "I mean, this is…this isn't something we can just brush under the carpet, Andy."

"I know," Andy nodded his head, and looked over at Prue, "We need to call it in, Prue. Get Adam's body down to the morgue and…"

"No, we can't do that." Sam shook his head, standing to walk around the room. He ran a hand through his longish brown locks, trying to think of the next step. He didn't know what to do right now, but he did know what not to do. One thing he did know right now was that he couldn't put Adam's body in the morgue. He couldn't let anyone know what had happened. While he hated magic, there was still the chance that it could save Adam right now. Wasn't that why Dean had said he was taking off? Would John look for a way?

"Sam, I hate to agree with Andy about this but…" Prue started, tears falling down her cheeks.

"Dean will come through," Sam wanted to put his faith in his brother. He needed to put his faith in his elder brother. There was no way that Dean would let Adam die, "He'll come through."

What Sam didn't know is that Dean had given up.

Within 10 minutes of leaving the Halliwell-Winchester Manor, Dean Winchester knew there wasn't an option. His baby brother was dead and wasn't coming back. Even if he could come back, Dean wasn't really that certain he could bring him back.

What's dead should stay dead, was something that his dad had taught him as soon as they started hunting. Finding a way to come back from the dead was unnatural. It opened the door to monsters and creatures, and Dean wouldn't allow his brother or any of his family have that happen to them.

But this was his brother.

This was his baby brother; the one he was supposed to protect from him being a baby. He'd already failed Sam by not saving Jess. Now he'd failed Adam by not saving him—and not having a way to bring him back.

Not that he should bring anyone back from the dead. John would have already done that for Mary if there was an option. Penny would have brought both her daughters back from the dead if they could. No, Dean knew deep down that there wasn't an option out there. And because of that, he could never go back. He had to let Sam and his cousins believe he was out here looking for a way to save Adam.

"Can I get you anything else, Dean?" Jo's voice pulled him out of his thoughts. He realized now that he was nursing the last dregs of his drink. He looked up at her, a sadness in his eyes that she couldn't quite understand, "What's happened?"

"Why would anything have happened?" He asked her, instantly wiping the emotion of his face. Now more than ever he needed his poker face, and he was going to make sure it stayed. Nobody else could know what happened. If hunters found out, there was a chance they'd find out that Adam was a witch.

"You just don't seem yourself," Jo shrugged her shoulders, seeing the defenses go back up. It meant something was really wrong, "Need something to take your mind off whatever it is?"

"What would you have in mind?" Dean asked, a smirk playing on his lips. She rolled her eyes at his charm, before turned around to grab a small yellow folder tucked next to the cash register. Dean frowned, looking at it as she placed it in front of him on the bar top, "What's this?"

"I was saving it for someone else, but you look like you need it more than he will." Jo shrugged her shoulders. With a deeper frown, Dean opened the folder and pieced through the separate sheets of paper. He knew right away that it was a case.

"Ellen put this together?" Dean asked, looking up to see a frown forming on Jo's soft features. He slowly nodded with a small laugh, "You did. I'm impressed, Jo."

"So, you'll take me with you?"

Shaking his head, Dean pushed the folder back to Jo, "I'm not getting anyone else killed, Jo. If you were planning on this other hunter to take you, save it for him. I'll find my own gig."

Dean stood up and started walking out of the bar. Jo scrambled to grab the folder, before rushing over to the hunter, "What do you mean get anyone else killed?"

"I don't need to share, Jo," Dean ignored the question, "You're safer here, okay?"

Jo knew when to argue and when it was just safer to back down from a fight. The mood that Dean was in right now, she knew it was best to back down. The last thing they needed was a scene in front of the customers; not all of them were hunters. Just as Dean was about to walk out of the Roadhouse, Jo Sighed, "Dean."

Her persistence would be the death of her, one day. Dean knew that deep down, and it angered him even more. He just knew that he couldn't have someone else's blood on his hands.

"I'm not taking you on a damn hunt, Jo." Dean growled, turning back to face her but he stopped in his tracks. She just held the folder out, her dark chocolate eyes told him to take it.

"You need it more than I do."

She was right, he really did need it more than she did right now. And he'd recognized something in the folder. Thanking her gruffly, he took the folder and walked towards the door again.

"Stay safe."

"I'll call ya." Dean said, before finally walking out of the Roadhouse, hunt on his mind. But deep down, Jo knew that he wouldn't call. It was just something he said to make her feel better.

Opening credits

Starring: Shannen Doherty, Jensen Ackles, Holly Marie Combs, Jared Padalecki, Alyssa Milano, Jake Abel, T.W. King and Alona Tal

While Dean was now on a hunt, giving up on his family, John had taken one trip to a place that might be able to help. He wished he'd known about this option when Mary had died. 20 years ago, he would have done anything to bring her back, including this.

Right now, it was just a legend that he was working off. Unsure whether it would really work, John had hope that there was a way to save his youngest son. Mary would never forgive him if he didn't try everything to save their baby boy; the one that she'd given her life up to save.

Rounding the corner on the dirt road, he'd finally found what he'd been looking for. A desolate crossroad. Nobody was going to bother him out here. It would be perfect to make the deal of a lifetime.

Pulling over, John quickly pulled out the items he'd need from the back of the truck, placing them in a box. The final item was a picture of himself to make sure he did the ritual right. Finding the center of the crossroad, John placed the box into the dirt and covered it back up. Now he waited, as patiently as he could, for someone to show.

"Well, well, well," a woman's voice said behind him, "If it isn't John Winchester. I knew one of you would come."

"John turned around to face the woman. She was short—shorter than he expected—with dark flowing hair. He'd heard from others that crossroad demons liked to dress in black, but that wasn't the case with this one. She wore tight-fitting blue jeans and a Rolling Stones t-shirt with a brown leather jacket. At least she seemed to have a taste in music.

That's not what you're supposed to think about, John chastised himself, before speaking, "I wanna deal."

"You know, I was expecting your son—Dean," the woman spoke, her eyes flashing red, as she grinned with a smirk, "I would have gladly dealt with him and eaten him up. He looks so delicious."

"You'll leave Dean alone."

"For now," the crossroad demon spoke, walking around John. He didn't take his eyes off her once, staring her down while she watched him cautiously, "Eventually, I might just get to play. The name's Meg, by the way."

"Why would I need to know your name?"

"Oh, you won't, but your boys will," Meg got up close to John now, running a hand down his chest seductively, "I'll make them pay for killing my father. You didn't think we'd have heard about that already? Now, what makes you think I'm going to deal with you when the one responsible for that spell that killed him is still out there somewhere? I should let you all suffer."

John let the tears form in his eyes. He'd only hoped that the crossroad legend was real. If it was, he never expected it to be this difficult to make a deal. Why would anyone pass up a human soul?

Meg smirked, running a hand over his chest as she walked around him, "Don't cry Johnny Boy. You know the tears won't work on me. I just don't care."

Meg started walking away, and John just had one thing left to do, "Please. Just bring him back. You can have me." He waited, not watching her behind him. He couldn't bear to see her leave him standing here as he pleaded for his son's life. The footsteps in the gravel stopped, and all John could think was that this woman—Meg—had gone.

"It's a good job for you that my boss has other plans," Meg's voice now called out to him. John had a renewed look of hope in his eyes, as he turned around to look at the demon. She now turned on the spot, her heels digging into the gravel, "I can bring your boyo back, but you definitely won't get the usual deal."

"Name your price."

Andy and Darryl looked at each other in the foyer of the Halliwell-Winchester Manor. They had no other option right now. It was time to call this in. Adam's body was starting to decompose and eventually they would all be able to smell it.

"What do we tell them, Andy?" Darryl now asked in a whisper. They needed to come up with their story, something that wouldn't lead to more questions. It was even harder with Andy's neck already on the line because of the I.A. investigation.

"We need to clear it with them first, especially Sam," Andy sighed, "I just wish Dean would get back to me, already. Even if it's just to admit that he can't find a way out of this. I mean, magic can't solve everything, right?"

"I still don't…this is all too much, Andy," Darryl sighed, "I mean that, whatever it was, was meant for you. You were supposed to die tonight."

"I know, and that's why I really don't want to make this call," Andy sighed, "I owe Adam my life. I owe the Winchesters everything. I can't just…I can't just make up some story that would make Adam look like part of a coop against an I.A. investigator."

As if saved by the bell, Darryl's phone started ringing. He quickly pulled it out of his pocket, checking the ID to see that it was his captain back at the station.

"Morris? I need you back at the station." The captain said, making it clear that this was not a request. Looking over at his partner, Darryl threw an apologetic look.

"I've gotta go," he said, hanging up the phone, "I won't say anything about Adam for now. But when you have a story, let me know."

Just as Darryl left the house, Andy heard shuffling in the living room. They were all rushing towards the sun room, Prue being the first to reach the door. Andy walked through the foyer and into the sun room through the other door. When he saw what they were going in for, he couldn't believe his eyes.

Adam sat up, the sheet previously over his whole body now pooling around his waist. He looked around the room, confusion clearly on his face.

"Prue?" Adam asked, his voice raspy from a dry throat. Andy frowned, looking over at the four witches just staring at the boy on the floor.

Before Andy could do anything, the four witches ran to Adam and hugged him tightly, but there was clearly something eating at him, "Wait, I was dead."

"We tried to save you," Sam said, pulling back and grabbing Adam's face in his hands. He looked into his eyes, searching for any sign that this wasn't really his little brother, "We wanted to save you, but the Trickster…and you…"

"I was supposed to stay dead," Adam nodded his head, remembering everything from his trip to the other side. Looking around the room, he realized that there were people missing, "Where's Dean? What about Dad?"

"They took off," Phoebe now admitted, knowing she wasn't the only one to wonder whether one of them had done something, "Dean a couple of hours ago, Dad a little longer…"

Sam's eyes went wide, as he quickly made a phone call. The first call went straight to voicemail, so he tried a second number. That one went straight to voicemail, too. He just looked between this brother, three cousins and the cop.

"I don't know what they'd done, but Dean and Dad aren't answering."

All eyes went straight to Adam, as he realized that his family had done something to bring him back to life.

Dean got to Wisconsin in record time. Running away was definitely helping him put the metal to the floor. He wouldn't be surprised if he ended up with a speeding ticket or something stupid; and part of him felt guilty that his cousins and brother would be the ones to get it as a reminder that he was gone.

There were times that he wanted to go back. Throughout the drive, he'd considered turning around and giving a hunter he trusted a call with the details. This case didn't need him specifically.

But then he remembered what he was going back to. A dead brother and another who was still mourning the loss of his girlfriend. Three witch cousins who were now mourning the loss of one of their own. The pain and the memories of the last nine months. It was all too much, and Dean refused to face it all. He needed to feel useless, like he was doing something. And the only way that he could do that was by hunting—saving people, hunting things; what was now turning into the family business.

That was why he was now in Wisconsin, a small town called Fitchberg. As soon as he got here, something told him that there was something going on. It was that instinct that hunters tended to get—the gut feeling that told them there was a monster or demon nearby. And Dean couldn't help but wonder whether the witch side of him was kicking in, too.

The dead giveaway was the fact that it was a little after four in the afternoon and the playground was empty. The place should have been riddled with kids. Instead, he knew from the reports that they were all in the hospital; well, the majority of them were. The doctors had no idea what it was, but there was something going around and putting children into comas.

The hospitals may not have had any idea, but Dean certainly did. He'd faced something like this in the past. It had been long before he knew anything about hunting, but he'd seen the monster. It had led to his initial belief that the monsters in the closet were real.

Despite having a feeling that he knew what it was, Dean needed confirmation. The only way he could get that was by going to the hospital and seeing it all for himself. That was why he now found himself talking to the beautiful brunette nurse at the reception desk, pretending to be from the Centers of Disease Control. It would be the best way to talk to the pediatric doctor in charge.

"Dr. Jerry Caplin, Centers of Disease Control." He flashed his pearly whites, but the nurse was not going to just let him through. She wanted to see ID. Grinning, he covered up a section on it, knowing that it was the one that said "bikini inspector." It was just supposed to be a joke, but now it could affect this case; it had been the only one he could find in the glove compartment at the time, though, "Could you direct me to the pediatrics ward, please?"

"Sure, just down the hall, turn left and up the stairs." The nurse didn't seem to care, as he put the ID back in his suit jacket pocket. Looking around, Dean walked down the hall, trying to spot any signs of what was going on here. As he reached the next level of the hospital, he couldn't help but shake a feeling of death and despair. He really hated hospitals.

Walking towards the pediatrics ward, Dean walked past one with an old, white-haired woman. She sat in a wheelchair, in front of a window just staring. Very slowly, she turned her head to look at Dean, a dark look in her eyes. But it wasn't the look that gave him the jeebies; it was the inverted cross on the wall.

Shaking his head, Dean continued his journey down the hallway, towards a doctor who stood at a nurse's station, writing on a sheet of paper.

"Hi, there, I'm Dr. Jerry Caplin from the CDC, I'm look…"

Dean was cut off by the doctor, who looked at him with raised eyebrows, "I was just about to call the CDC. I'm glad you're here. How'd you find out about this?"

"Oh, some GP, can't remember his name," Dean easily lied, feeling like he hadn't been out of the hunting game at all, "He called Atlanta and, uh, he must've beat you to the punch, Dr…"

"Heidecker," the doctor smiled, "So, I'll get straight into it, shall I? I've got six cases so far. Six cases in five weeks. At first, we thought it was garden variety bacterial pneumonia. Not that newsworthy, but now…" Dean frowned, waiting for the doctor to continue. Heidecker looked towards the doorway to the pedatrics ward and then back at Dean, "The kids aren't responding to antibiotics. Their white cell counts keep doing down. Their immune systems just aren't doing their job. It's like their bodies are…wearing out."

"Have you ever seen anything like this before?" Dean asked, frown deepening. The more he heard from the doctor, the more he was certain that this was something he'd seen in the past. His family had just been lucky at the time.

"Never this severe." The doctor shook his head, as a nurse walked over with some paperwork for him to sign. While he did that, the nurse picked up the conversation, explaining that it was spreading in a very strange way. It worked through families—the children at least—on sibling after another, and all the children were left in comatose states.

"Can I, erm, talk to the parents?"

"If you think it'll help." Dr. Heidecker nodded his head, and led Dean through the ward to the most recent admission. For Dean, the interviewing was just part of the course to make sure he had all the information he needed. But he was still certain that he'd already faced something like this.

"Hey, Dad. Can I ask you something?" 19-year-old Dean asked, as he and John drove to Texas for another case. He'd enjoyed the last year being on the road with his dad, but there'd been something playing at his mind for a couple of months.

"What about Dean?"

"Well, I was just thinking back a few years," Dean sighed, "You remember that monster that I said I saw floating over Adam's bed? You and Grams rushed in and scared it away…"

"Dean, that was just a dream," John shook his head, "We told you that."

"Yeah, Grams told me that. I was 10, Dad. I'm guessing Grams didn't want me knowing about monsters and demons at that age," Dean glanced over at his dad and waited. He could tell from the lack of facial expression that Dean was on the right lines, "That was a real monster, right? One after Adam?"

"Yeah, son, it was," John finally resigned, "It was one that I'd been hunting for a while. I'm still hunting it—whenever it shows up again."

"You didn't get it? But I know I saw you shoot it. That definitely wasn't a dream, Dad."

"I shot it but…" John sighed, running his hand over his face, "It's one I failed on. You wanna know what it was?"

"Yeah, Dad, I do."

"Okay then."

That was the night that Dean found out the truth about the creature that had attacked them in their home. It was one that not only had the guts to go up against John but also against Penny. That was one crazy and suicidal creature; or one that knew it wasn't that easy to kill it.

The more he talked to the father of the most recent admission, the more he was sure it was this thing coming back. The one creature that John Winchester had not managed to get yet. With a sigh, he knew there was one place he would have to go first, just to make sure this was the creature and not something else just as if not more dangerous.

Darryl walked through the station to the jail cells. He couldn't believe what he'd just heard. A man was here, taking credit for the killing of an I.A. investigator and trying to pin it all on Andy Trudeau. Not just that, but the man was even saying that he'd been working with Inspector Rodriguez this whole time; the inspector he'd seen vanquished not that long ago.

What was even worse was that Darryl had a name—one that he couldn't believe. As he reached the jail cell, he stopped and shook his head, "What are you doing, John?"

John Winchester looked up from where he sat on the squeaky, uncomfortable bed, tears in his eyes. He was leaning forward on his legs, eyes previously closed almost as if he'd been praying to someone or something.

"This is the best way," John sighed, "I had to save him, Darryl."

"Save him?" Darryl now frowned, fear filling his dark eyes, "Save who? Andy? We would have found a way around that…"

"Not just Andy," John shook his head, "I needed to save my boy. I couldn't let him rot."

"Oh God, John, what did you do?"

It was then that Darryl realized that John hadn't just turned himself in for something he didn't do. He didn't just risk himself being locked up behind bars for the rest of his life. Or he had, but only because he knew something that nobody else didn't. It all started to make sense once he got a phone call from Andy. Hanging up, Darryl looked over at John with a frown.

"Adam's alive," he said, and didn't miss the look of relief on the father of three's face, "He just woke up suddenly, asking why he's not dead anymore."

"Can you get him here so I can see him? Can you get all of them here?" John asked, standing up and walking over to the bars, "I need to see them all."

"I'll see what I can do, but I can't promise anything," Darryl sighed, "But I can't get all of them here. Dean…he took off shortly after you."

"Dean left?" John asked, panic filling his eyes, "No, please don't tell me he's done what I just did."

"What did you do, John?"

"It's best you don't know," John shook his head, "Just please...get them here if you can."

Darryl sighed with a nod of his head, walking away from the jail cell. John suddenly had a thought, and shouted out to stop the detective, "I get a phone call, right?"

"Yeah, you want your lawyer?"

"No, I need to call Dean."

To be on the safe side, as Dean walked around the bedroom of one of the most recent victims, he had his EMF meter out. He wasn't sure if he'd get anything from it, but it was worth a shot. When he got nothing, he sighed and put it back into the jacket of his suit.

There was the chance that the kids had come down with a strange case of pneumonia, like the doctor suspected. He wouldn't know the first thing about the tests that were done in there, but something deep down told him that this was a case.

Walking over to the window, Dean looked at a possible entrance point. That was when he saw it. There was a handprint rotted into the wood. Considering the weather in the area, it was possible for rot to set into the wood, but surely someone would have seen something like this sooner? And how did rot form in the shape of a handprint.

No, he definitely knew what this was. He was becoming more and more certain that it was the thing his dad had told him all about.

"So, it came after Adam?" Dean asked, looking at his dad incredulously, "It was going to put him in a coma."

"Him, and then Sammy and then you, Dean," John nodded, "I'd spent weeks tracking this creature but I thought you were all safe. Your Grams had promised me that you'd be safe. But then she left you with the babysitter for that one night. If it wasn't for me getting back home to you in time and if it wasn't for you walking in the way you did, Adam…well, I'm not sure what would have happened to him."

"But you didn't go after the creature?"

"I couldn't, Dean," John sighed, rubbing his face as he kept his eyes on the road, "This creature can only been killed while it's feeding and it wouldn't come back after realizing I was onto it. It left town that night and I haven't seen it since. Promise me that if you ever see the signs that its back, you'll go after it and kill it dead."

"Yes, sir." Dean nodded, and knew right there and then that it was a promise he was going to keep.

Now he was seeing the signs. He'd been through it all, and he was certain. This was that creature and it was time to kill it dead, as his dad had put it. Somehow, Jo had collected all the information about the case, everything he needed to know that he was definitely dealing with the one thing that he'd faced before he even knew that this stuff had existed.

As he went back to his car to get to the nearest motel, he made a quick phone call. He owed someone for this and he needed a bit of help for the rest of it.

"Harvelle's Roadhouse." A voice said on the other side of the phone, making Dean smile. It was just who he wanted to speak to.

"Hey, Jo, it's Dean. Erm, thanks for the case."

"Solved it already? That was quick!"

"Not quite," Dean sighed, "I could do with your help. I'm trying to find a motel right now, but could do with some info. Think you could do some research for me?"

"Dean Winchester calling for help?" Jo asked with a laugh, but it sounded like she was switching the phone to the other side; possibly to make a note of something, "What do you need?"

"I need information about a shtriga," Dean replied, "They're kinda like witches, I think. All I know is my dad once faced one and…"

"So, why don't you talk to your dad about it?" Jo asked, bringing up something Dean kicked himself for. He'd been trying to avoid this whole subject. When he told her that he couldn't talk to his dad, of course more questions came up. He just couldn't face it right now, "Well, what about asking your brothers or cousins to do this research?"

Dean fought back the tears that threatened as he thought about his family. This had been part of the reason for taking the case. He needed to forget about everything that had happened, "I can't, Jo. Do you wanna help with this hunt or not?"

The shortness in his tone made it clear that he wasn't up for discussing anything. Laughter disappeared from Jo's voice, as she quickly asked for more information so she could start her research, "I'll get back to you as soon as I can, okay?"

"Thanks, Jo."

Dean hung up, just as he spotted a motel. Pulling in, he thought back to his family. What hadn't helped was when he walked in to check in to find two small children. One had been about nine or 10, and was pouring his little brother some cereal.

"Here you go." A 13-year-old Dean said, placing a bowl on the kitchen table. Six-year-old Adam sat at the table, looking down at the bowl with a frown.

"But I wanted Lucky Charms, Dean."

"There aren't any more, Ads," Dean sighed, walking back over to grab a cup off the draining board so he could pour some juice for his brother.

"I saw the box." Adam moaned, all he ever wanted was Lucky Charms. Between him and Sam, they were pretty much all gone. But Dean really wanted a bowl. It wasn't often that he thought of himself first. Living with three cousins, two brothers and an aging grandmother had made him put other people first. His dad constantly on the road could have led to Dean being selfish, but his family meant the world to him and he would do anything for them.

"Okay, so maybe there's enough for one bowl," Dean sighed, not sure why he was making such a big deal about this. It wasn't like Grams wouldn't get them some more. Maybe it was just the fact that he gave everything for his brothers and younger cousins. Both he and Prue always did, and they missed out on a lot because of it. Hitting puberty really wasn't helping him, either, "I haven't had any yet."

Adam threw his brother his puppy dog eyes. While Sam's were more effective, Adam's were good. Dean knew that when Adam got older, he'd be a heartbreaker. Dean tried his hardest to not give into the look, but eventually the 13-year-old broke. He was going to have to change that when it came to girlfriends; he knew that now.

"Okay, fine," Dean sighed, grabbing the box of Lucky Charms from behind the breadbin. He passed the box to his brother and then a fresh bowl. He'd take the other cereal he'd poured this morning, "Just don't tell the others I gave in that easily."

"Promise, Dean." Adam grinned, and then pulled the toy out of the box. Looking at it, the six-year-old handed it to his big brother.

"Sir?"

Dean was pulled from his thoughts as the woman behind the counter gave him his credit card back. Dean took it with a small smile, mentioning just how much she had a great kid in there looking after his brother. It wasn't an easy job being an older sibling, and even when the baby sibling died, the job didn't stop. Dean was now feeling even guiltily for leaving them all behind to deal with his brothers body.

Prue, Piper, Phoebe, Sam and Adam followed Andy through the police station as quickly as possible. They couldn't believe what they'd been told. John Winchester had turned himself in for a crime he hadn't committed. Sure, it was to help Andy, but they couldn't understand why he'd done this. And if he'd done this, how had Adam been brought back to life?

Sam fretted as he walked. Nobody had heard from Dean yet. They had no idea where he was, or whether he was even still alive. Had he somehow switched his own life for Adam's? Was that even possible? Surely he wouldn't do something like that.

The five witches and police officer walked into a room. Darryl had managed to pull some strings to get John into an interview room, the camera turned off. It was the only way they were allowed to have this chat, and John had stressed that the chat was important.

John looked up as his family walked into the room. He was more concerned that one certain person was there. As soon as he saw Adam, he stood up with a grin and rushed to his boy, "I'm so sorry, Adam."

"What did you do, Dad?" Adam asked. He didn't have the fears that Sam had. He didn't think that Dean was involved. Something told him that John was, and that was why he'd turned himself in for something he didn't do; something that he couldn't have done if people really looked into it, "What the hell did you do?"

"I had to, Adam. I couldn't let you rot. I wouldn't."

"Oh, Uncle John," Prue sighed, "What have you done? How could you turn yourself in like this?"

John looked over at Andy, a small smile on his face, "There is no way you were going to lose your job for protecting my family. If I can do one thing, it will be to make sure you can continue the work that you do."

"John, you can't do this," Andy shook his head, "I won't let you. Neither will Darryl…they'll find out…"

"There'll be questions about where Rodriguez is," John shook his head, "You'll still be blamed for it all, unless I do this. Will you just thank me already?"

Andy didn't want to, but he knew it was the only thing that he could do. With John turning himself in, the police investigation wouldn't be as strict. His captain would eventually exonerate him and put all the blame on John, but he couldn't let the hunter do this, "I can't let you do this. You won't be able to save people behind bars."

"There's not much I can do now," John shook his head, before turning to his second son, "Sammy, I am so proud of you. I always had high aspirations for you boys and you've surpassed them. Even after getting your powers and Jess' death, you've shown such strength, Sammy. You amaze me so much."

"Thanks, Dad." Sam frowned, feeling like this was a goodbye message. Before he could even ask about it, John turned to his nieces.

"You three have grown up to be such beautiful, kind, caring women. You take after your mother, all of you. She would be proud of you all. Prue, keep taking care of your sisters but don't forget to have some fun yourself. Piper, you are a smart, kind, strong woman. It's time you remind people that. Don't hide behind those bangs. Phoebe, oh sweet Phoebe. You have always been the little hell-raiser. You and Dean together…" John's voice cracked as he thought about his eldest son and the chance that he would never get to say what he wanted to him. Clearing his throat, he looked back at Phoebe, "You and Dean together drove your Grams crazy. I think when Dean left she was a little relieved."

Phoebe couldn't help but laugh, tears falling down her cheeks. She knew deep down that this was a goodbye. There was something in John's posture and his words that told her that. She had no idea what had happened or how Adam was back, but she knew it was a goodbye. All of them did.

"Dad…" Adam croaked, tears forming in his eyes, "What did you do?"

"You don't need to know, son," John hugged his youngest son again, "You really don't need to know. Just know that I love you. I always have and I always will. I want you to put all this behind you. Protect the innocents that need you and go to college. I know you're thinking about taking time off, but you need to go. You always wanted to be a doctor, Adam. Now you get to live that dream."

"John, I'm sorry, but I gotta take you back." Darryl sighed, looking at his watch. There was only so much time he could give the man with his family. He hated this, especially knowing that he was an innocent man, but John had confessed; that was worth more than anything else.

John nodded, looking at Darryl, "I get that call first though, right? I need to call him, Darryl."

"You'll get your call."

"I need it tonight."

"What's going to happen, Dad?" Sam grabbed his father's arm, looking into the man's dark eyes, "Let us help you? We can stop this."

"No, you can't and I don't want you to." John argued, before turning back to Darryl, asking him to take him back to his cell—suggesting they go via a phone. The five witches and Andy were left alone, all knowing deep down that it was going to be the last time they saw John Winchester.

Dean sat on the bed in the motel room, laptop on his knees. With Jo on the phone, he was able to look at the information she'd sent to his email. Well, not exactly her. It was Ash, who Dean remembered lived at the Roadhouse. The MIT ex-student had taken to sleeping on pool tables and worked the bar when Ellen and Jo needed time off. In his off time, he had a range of computers doing all sorts, and would always bring up information that Dean was struggling to find.

"Well, you were right. Ash said that it was quite easy to find," Jo wanted to disagree considering how long she'd been searching first, "The shtriga is a type of witch. Albanian in nature but traced back to Ancient Rome."

"Yeah, I can read, Jo." Dean chuckled, looking through the email she'd sent. She muttered some reply, but Dean chose to ignore it, "Hey, what's this spiritus….spiritus vitae?"

"It's Latin," Jo replied, making Dean roll his eyes. He'd figured that part out, but needed to know what it meant, "It translates to 'breath of life.' Ash thinks it's like a life force or essence. Help at all?"

"Lots, actually, Jo. Thanks," Dean couldn't help but feel grateful that she'd put all this together and now she was coming through with the research. He couldn't help but wonder what it would have been like to have her here on the hunt, but then he remembered what he was staying away from. He wouldn't have someone else's blood on his hands, "You know, the doc said the kids' bodies were wearing out. I guess this thing could be taking the vitality and the immunity goes hell. It makes sense for pnemonia to take hold."

"Hey, Dean, it says here that shtirgas can feed off anyone, but they prefer kids," Jo seemed to ignore anything that Dean had said, but he assumed that she was still looking through some notes, "They're also invulnerable to all weapons devised by God and man. I don't think there's a way to kill it."

"There is," Dean rubbed his eyes, "She's vulnerable when she feeds. Consecrated wrought iron, buckshots or rounds…"

"How do you know that? I thought you needed help with this thing."

"There's bits that I still remember," Dean sighed, deciding to go into some of the details, "My dad once faced one and told me about it. I just don't like the idea of having to put some kid in danger to get it to feed so I can kill it."

There was a silence between the two of them, neither seeming to know what to say next. It was Jo who finally broke the silence, "You sure you want to do this alone. I can still come out…"

"I'm okay, Jo," Dean cut in, making it clear that this was not up for discussion. As much as he'd gotten used to having company the last few months, he was going to get used to working alone again. At least, he was going to get used to being alone for hunts again, "'Sides, your mom'd kill me if I got you to drive all the way out here."

After a few more minutes, Dean hung up the phone and got back to work trying to find the shtriga. He didn't want to have to wait for it to attack again, so he'd have to work out where it was staying. There was another thing that he remembered. The creatures disguised themselves when not feeding, and they would always sit within the hunting ground.

When he checked the map, he found just what he'd expected. The hospital was right in the middle of the hunting ground. That was where he'd gotten the strange vibe from the old woman. It wasn't just the woman but the inverted cross that had really caught his attention. He would need to pay her a visit tomorrow.

Sam hung up the phone and threw it on the kitchen table. Dean still wasn't answering, and Sam was now officially worried. While he was now certain that his dad had done something to bring Adam back from the dead, he worried about what his brother was doing. His voicemail was full, which indicated that he hadn't bothered checking his messages so he had no idea that Adam was alive.

"I was thinking about driving out to the Roadhouse." Prue said, walking into the kitchen, quickly followed by Phoebe and Adam.

"Why the Roadhouse?" Phoebe asked, frowning as she sat down next to Sam. Adam quickly got to work to make lunch, while Prue grabbed the keys from the hook.

"Because Dean sometimes goes there to get away from everything," Prue explained, deciding that it was time to get more proactive about looking for her eldest cousin. Sure, he could be anywhere in the United States right now, but there were a few places that he might check into first or during. All she really wanted to do was tell him that Adam was alive again. He needed to know that, "And Ellen might know where he's gone if he went on a hunt."

"I'm coming with you," Sam stood, pocketing his phone and following her out of the house, "I'm done leaving messages that he's not listening to."

The two cousins left the house, leaving Phoebe and Adam alone. Adam turned to Phoebe, holding up packs of meat, "Which one?"

Dean had managed to sneak his way up to the floor where the pediatrics ward was, so he could get to the old woman. It was late and visiting hours were definitely over, so he couldn't pass off as that. He could possibly pass off as the CDC doctor again, but he was sure nurses would say there was a better time to come. That meant he was left to sneaking around the halls and hiding as doctors and nurses passed him.

One of those doctors just leaving for the night was Dr. Heidecker. Dean hid behind a wall as the doctor said goodbye to a nurse, who encouraged him to get some sleep. By the sounds of it, he was a doctor who took his work home with him. His wife or girlfriend must love that.

Once the doctor had gone, Dean stepped back into the corridor and quickly made his way back to the woman's room. The door opened with a slight creak, making Dean wince. Luckily, the woman looked like she was asleep, and he was able to get in without any more noise. Pulling a gun from the back of his jeans, he aimed it at the woman. Her white hair glistened in the moonlight, as she sat in her wheelchair facing the wall. Dean walked around her, seeing that her eyes were closed. There was a sort of peaceful look on her face, and he hesitated about whether she was the creature or not.

"Who the hell are you?" The old woman shouted, making Dean jump back in shock. When she opened her eyes, he saw white covering her pupils. There was no way she could see, but she definitely sensed him in the room, "Who'se there? You trying to steal my stuff? They're always stealing around here." The last part was a grumble, and Dean couldn't help but frown. Someone like this? There was no way she was the shtigra.

With a sigh, Dean turned the light on and put his gun back into the back of his jean, Sorry, ma'am I'm maintenance. I thought you were sleeping."

"Nonsense," the woman laughed and then pointed towards the upside down crucifix on the wall, "Fix that, would ya? I've asked four damn times already!"

Taken aback, Dean did as he was asked and quickly got out of the room. That definitely wasn't his creature, so he was back to square one.

What he hadn't realized was that the shtigra was already out getting its next victim, and that victim was closer than he expected. It had gone after the youngest son of the owner of the motel that Dean was staying in. The next morning, the mother would wake to find her boy ill with the same strange pneumonia that had affected so many others in the area.

Prue didn't feel as out of place when she stepped through the doors this time. She'd made sure she was in comfortable clothing, and walked in with her head high and shoulders back. Sam was close behind her, a frown on his face as he surveyed the room. He was clearly looking out for Dean, just in case he was still here. Prue was sure he wasn't though, if he'd even been here in the first place.

Glancing at the bar, Prue saw Jo wiping the top. A man with long blonde hair sat at one side, a laptop without a cover on the top of it. He was typing a million miles per minute, staring intently at the screen.

"Hey, what can I get ya?" Jo looked up with a smile and then grinned when she saw Prue, "Hey, Prue. Good to see you again."

"You, too, Jo," Prue wished it could have been under better circumstances, "This is Sam…"

"I remember you from when you came to pick ya dad up," Jo grinned at the tallest Winchester. Holding her hand out, she waited for him to take it, "Nice to meet ya prop'ly. I'm Jo. So, what can I get ya both?"

Prue remained standing, too impatient to order a drink. She wanted to find out where Dean was right now. As soon as she asked, she noticed the frown forming on the blonde bartender's face, "He didn't tell you? He went on a hunt in Wisconsin."

"Wisconsin?" Sam asked, sighing as he rubbed his eyes, "He really has gone out of his way to get away."

Jo's frown deepened, as she looked between the two witches. As Ellen walked out from the back, Jo couldn't help but prod further, "You know, he didn't look happy when he was here. It was almost like he was running away from something. What's go on? What's he running from?"

"There was a demon attack," Sam sighed, "Dean ever tell you about the Yellow-Eyed Demon?"

"Yellow Eyes?" Ellen asked, walking to stand behind her daughter as she looked between the two witches, "He's back? John know about it?"

"Yeah, erm, he's gone," Sam nodded, now looking directly at the older woman. The look in her brown eyes told him that she knew just how dangerous that demon was—and just how much it meant to his dad, "He…Long story short, Adam was killed…" Sam quickly continued before anybody could jump in with shocked remarks. He'd even seen Ash look up from the computer with uncertainty in his eyes, "He's back. Dunno how yet, but he's back. Dad's in jail right now and Dean's taken off. I need to find my brother. He doesn't know Adam's alive and he's not answering our calls."

"I haven't seen him, Sam. I'm sorry."

"He just called me last night," Jo sighed, "Needed some help with some research. Next time he calls I can get him to call you, if you want. Not sure what good it will do. I'm really learning that when Dean doesn't wanna do something, he won't do it."

"Yeah, he can be a little too stubborn," Prue sighed with a small smile playing on her lips, "But if you could even just tell him that Adam is fine, that would be great. We're still trying to work out who has done what, but we don't want Dean doing anything stupid."

As the two witches left the bar, Jo walked into the back and pulled her cell phone out of her pocket. She wasn't going to wait for Dean to call her. She was going to call him and let him know the news.

Dean had gotten up at first light the next morning. Four hours sleep was just enough for him to function on, although he'd been getting used to getting more while living at the Manor. The domesticated life was doing nothing for his hunting.

Needing breakfast, Dean quickly got a shower and got out of the motel room. He didn't have long and would need to get something to go so he could get straight back to the research. The old woman turning out to be a blind bat and not the shtigra meant that he was back to square one, and he hated being at square one.

As he walked past the office, he couldn't help but look over at the small boy sitting on a bench outside the front office. It was the elder kid of the motel owner, and Dean didn't miss the sad, scared look on his face.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Dean couldn't help but ask, sensing that this was more than just a telling off that he'd gotten. He recognized that look as the one he'd seen staring back at him in the mirror.

"My brother's sick," the boy answered, "Got pneumonia. He's in the hospital. It's my fault. I shoulda made sure the window was latched. He wouldn'ta got pneumonia if the window was latched."

Frowning, Dean knelt in front of the boy and looked into his eyes, "I can promise you that this is not your fault, okay?"

"It's my job to look after him." Dean understood that responsibility. He still remembered the order to get out of the house taking his two brothers with him as it burned to the ground. John regularly reminded Dean that he had to take care of his brothers while they all lived with their grandmother. Even now, they were his responsibility and he'd failed his baby brother.

"Michael, I want you to turn the no vacancy sign on while I'm gone," the motel owner said as she rushed out of the office, placing everything in her SUV as quickly as she could. The single mom was running at a mile a minute, "I've got Denise covering room service, so don't bother with any of the rooms."

"I'm going with you!" Michael argued back with his mother, but she wasn't going to take him. She needed to get there, and it was clear that they'd had this conversation already. Looking over at the mother, Dean quickly knew how he could help the situation.

"Hey, Michael, I know how you feel.I'm a big brother, too. But you gotta go easy on your mom right now, okay?"

As she rushed to get everything in the car, the mom dropped her purse, possessions flying everywhere. She quickly swore, before bending down to pick it all up. Helping her, Dean got a closer look at her. The woman had clearly not slept all night, and had been stressing all morning. He could only guess how it would feel having a child in the hospital, but he knew what it was like to have a brother dead.

"Listen, you're in on condition to drive. Why don't you let me give you a lift to the hospital?" Quickly making it clear that it wasn't an option for the woman, Dean got her to sit in the passenger seat of her SUV and then climbed into the driver's seat. He made the decision there and then that this thing was going to die tonight.

Jo hadn't got an answer from Dean all morning, making her worry. Finding out that Adam had died and then come back to life scared her. Prue and Sam made it clear that they thought it was something supernatural. This wasn't a case of CPR helping in the nick of time.

As she hung up from trying to call Dean again, she started wondering whether Dean had somehow found out she now knew about Adam's death or that Prue and Sam had just been to see her. She even wondered if he knew Ash was now tracing his credit card trail to see if he'd deviated from his hunt, because she had to admit she'd been wondering that. Maybe he'd taken the hunt as a ruse, but was really searching for ways to bring Dean back.

The sound of her phone ringing pulled her back to reality, and she smiled when she saw it was Dean.

"Hey, sorry I was driving someone to the hospital," Dean sighed, "Everything okay?"

"Well, erm, not quite," Jo admitted. She promised herself not to lie to Dean about this, so jumped straight into it, "Why didn't you tell me about Yellow Eyes and Adam?"

There was a tense silence on the other side of the phone, but Jo knew that Dean was still there. She could just hear him breathing, "How did you find out?"

"Sam and Prue were here," Jo admitted, "They've been trying to get hold of ya."

Dean sighed, and it was clear that he knew all this. Jo wasn't going to give him a chance to hang up on her, "Adam's alive. That's why they've been trying to call. They wanted you to know. They dunno how yet, but he's alive. Dean…"

Dean's heart had started racing as relief flooded his system. His baby brother was alive and okay...wait, no Jo just said alive. And she never said how or what the others had done to make it happen.

He was asking question after question; stuff that Jo couldn't answer because she didn't know. It was clear now that he'd run away to get away from it all because he'd beaten himself up about losing his brother. She knew what family meant to the man, always had since she met him three years ago. That was what had attracted her to him right away. He was loyal to his family, and anyone who became family.

"That's not the only reason I've been trying to all you, though, Dean," Jo now knew that he was definitely in Wisconsin for this case, and he'd want to finish it before coming home to see his brothers, "Ash has been doing some digging into the Shtriga. He mentioned a case in San Francisco about 15 years ago. We're guessing that was when your dad faced it."

"Yeah," Dean agreed, clearly snapping his head back into the game. Jo couldn't help but wish she was there with him. She'd much rather be there for him; let him know that there was someone for him to lean on right now. He didn't have to go through everything in life alone, "So, what about that case?"

"Well, there are more cases," Jo sighed, "Every 15-20 years, it moves to a new town. It's been to Ogdenville, North Haverbrook, Brockway…this thing is just getting started where you are and it'll go for months before it just disappears and moves on. The kids have never recovered. They go into comas and die."

Dean cursed on the other side of the phone, "How far back's this thing go?"

"Ash isn't too sure yet; needs more time," Jo sat down next to Ash, looking at the computer screen, "There's a mention of Black River Falls in the 1980s. It was a serious horror show. Ash is sending you everything to your email now so you can check it out. Maybe there's something that will mean more to you since you're there."

"I'll check it back at the motel. Thanks, Jo," Dean said, and then paused. Jo didn't speak, not really sure about what to say now. It was Dean who broke the silence this time, "Listen, if you speak to Sam, Prue or any of them again, will you tell 'em I'll be back as soon as I finish this case?"

"Sure thing, Dean." Jo smiled, before hanging up the phone and looking over at Ash. Her smile dropped as she clicked on something Dean had just said. He never called it home.

Dean glanced at the email alerts coming through to his phone. Ash had been quick at getting the information to him. He was a genius when it came to research—and there was a fair bit connected to this case. Looking through bits of the information from his phone, he saw that there was a pattern. Every 15-20 years this thing would move on. It was probably the easiest way to avoid suspicious and prevent too many officials getting word of this strange pneumonia doing the rounds.

Opening up and attachment, Dean saw that it was an image. He was about to close it, deciding that it would be better to look at it from a laptop, when he noticed something peculiar. The sepia-toned photograph had a few children laying in hospital beds, surrounded by doctors. There was one of those doctors that looked mighty familiar, even though the picture had been taken in 1893.

"So, what's the CDC come up with so far?" A voice asked him, making Dean look up from where he sat in the waiting area. Quickly closing down his phone, Dean stood up and glared at the familiar face from the photograph.

"We're still working on a few theories, Dr. Heidecker," Dean nodded with a forced smile, "You'll know something as soon as we do."

"Well, nothing's more important to me than these kids. Just let me know if I can help."

Dean just nodded and waited for the doctor to walk away. One thing he couldn't know right now was that Dean was onto him. He wasn't going to let this creature disappear again. He wouldn't see it again for another 15 years, and he didn't want any of these kids to die.

Piper was just getting out of her car as Andy pulled up. Deciding to wait for her sister's boyfriend, she hoped there was some good news. While she'd been at work at Quake, she'd found out that Dean had gone off on a hunt, wasn't answering his phone and there was a high chance that he was getting himself killed. At least, that was the way that Sam had put it. Dean was blaming himself for Adam's death—and still didn't know that he was alive—so was running away from it all; because that was just how Dean dealt with things.

And then when it came to John Winchester, she found out that Andy was trying to get him out of jail. After all, he was there for a crime that he didn't commit.

"So, how'd it go?"

"Darryl's still trying, Piper," Andy sighed, walking into the house with her. Prue, Phoebe and Adam were sitting around the dining table, waiting for any news, "I can't get him out, though. There is some good news—but I don't like the way it's happened. I have officially been exonerated."

"But that means John…" Piper started, and stopped mid-sentence. Nobody needed to hear her finish it, and Andy was nodding as if she had anyway. It meant that John was being charged with everything he had "confessed" to.

"Did he get to make the call he wanted to make?" Adam asked, hope filling his eyes. He was sure his dad had done something. That call had seemed far too important; like he needed to tell Dean something as a dying wish.

That was when recognition filled Adam's brown eyes. He looked over to Phoebe, quickly, "Have you ever come across anything in the Book of Shadows about switching souls?"

"What do you mean?" Phoebe asked, taken aback by the question, "As in body switching?"

"No, as in someone switching their soul for someone else's in the afterlife," Adam shook his head, looking around the room at everyone, "As in my dad switching his soul for mine."

"But if that happened, John would be dead, wouldn't he?" Phoebe frowned, trying to get her head around the idea. Surely both of them couldn't live at the same time. As soon as Adam had woken up, John would have died. As much as it seemed to make sense, it couldn't have been the case. Not exactly, anyway.

"Thanks, Jo. Just let me know if you hear from him again or if you find out anything different." Sam hung up the phone as he walked in from the kitchen. Sitting down, he informed them all about Dean's plan to come back once he was finished with the case. One thing was certain, Dean wasn't letting innocents die, despite now knowing that his baby brother was alive.

Dean threw his jacket onto the chair as he walked into the room. He should have thought of all this before. It was the perfect disguise. Who would bat an eyelid if a doctor was constantly around a sick kid? Especially a pediatric specialist! A doctor was trusted and would be able to control the whole situation. Of course Hiedecker had been involved in the whole thing.

The knowledge helped the case, but it also helped to make him more agitated. It had taken so much control not to attack the son of bitch right there and then, but he couldn't. If he had, it would have meant he'd have gotten away. The weakness was while he was feeding. It also didn't help they were on the pediatrics ward. Like he could have open fired on there.

It also didn't help that he wasn't armed at the time. He hadn't thought about arming up before getting there, but that was a good thing. For once, not being armed had helped him keep his calm.

The only good thing was that he now had a plan to get the creature, but it meant putting someone at risk. Shtrigas worked through siblings, and right now there was a young boy's brother still in the motel. Michael was just going to end up being a meal if Dean didn't stay with him tonight, and he wasn't about to let that happen. Even though his brother was alive—and he really wanted to know how that was possible—he still didn't want anyone else to die. He would make sure this kid didn't become the next meal, and instead was the reason everyone was saved.

He knew if he called Jo she'd call him nuts. Hell, he was even thinking that he was nuts. How could he even suggest using a 10-year-old kid as bait for a monster? But it was the only choice he had right now, as crazy as it sounded.

He still felt guilty for Adam almost dying 15 years ago. Had Dean not walked in, there was a chance John would have gotten the creature then, but no he'd walked in just as the creature was feeding. John had gotten there too late. The shtriga had already bolted to protect itself and then disappeared. Adam was safe, but the other kids had died from their comatose states.

But using Michael? Wouldn't it be better if it was you hiding under the covers? Dean could almost hear the voices of his cousins and brothers. They were like the angels on his shoulder, while his own thoughts were the devil. Hiding under the covers wouldn't work. He needed to make sure this creature fed, and that meant it had to get close enough to him. He really didn't like the idea, but it was the only one he had.

The trouble was convincing Michael to go through with it. At first, the 10-year-old didn't want to believe that this creature was real. Of course he didn't. He shouldn't have to know that the things that went bump in the night really existed. Kids should believe that the monster in the closet wasn't real. Hell, Dean would have given anything for his brothers and cousins to believe that the monsters were still myths and legends.

Michael was panicking, holding the phone up so that he could use it, "Just go away or I'm calling the cops."

"Hang on a second," Dean held his hands up in defense, trying to make his eyes as warm as possible, "This thing came through the window and it attacked your brother. I've seen it and I know what it looks like, 'cause it attacked my brother once, too."

Narrowing his eyes, Michael slowing hunt up the phone before he started talking, "This thing…is it…like…it has this long black robe?"

Dean suddenly realized that the poor boy had seen it last night. He wanted to believe it was a nightmare, and he'd give anything to be able to tell him that it was but there were times that nightmares are real. The only reason he was letting him know was that the knowledge was power right now, and he desperately needed the 10-year-old's help.

"I can kill it," Dean made it very clear that this boy was not going to end up in harm's way. The 27-year-old hunter would be there every step of the way, but he needed the kid to act as bait. Of course, he didn't put it that way. One thing that Dean did have was a knack with words. He played the big brother card; focusing on the kid's little brother Asher, who was still in the hospital right now. Asher wasn't going to be safe until the creature was dead.

It did the trick. Despite Michael looking at the hunter with terrified eyes, he nodded and agreed to being the bait that Dean desperately needed right now.

It was a lot to ask of a kid. Dean knew that, but he also knew that it was so important. Luckily, Michael seemed to accept it, too. That didn't mean he wasn't scared. Dean could see from the security feed in the other room, while Michael pretended to sleep in his own bed that he was terrified of what was about to happen.

Just before they got to this point, Dean had told Michael all about the security camera he was setting up. It would have night vision, so there was no need to keep a light on. For the shtriga, it would be like nothing was different; like they weren't onto him. Something in Michael seemed to settle, but he was still scared and Dean got it. If roles were reversed and Dean had been asked to do this when he was a kid, he'd be terrified. It was bad enough finding out that nightmares were real.

Now all the two had to do was wait. It didn't take long for the shtriga to turn up, and then it was on with the plan. Dean had already explained that Michael was to stay down. Dean would have a gun when he entered the room, so Michael would need to get off the bed right away and crawl under it. He wasn't going to put the boy's life at risk anymore than it needed to be. While Michael worried about getting shot, Dean threw him a cocky, confident grin. He was a good shot and he wouldn't fire until he was clear.

Once the shtriga was in the room, Dean watched it crawl over to Michael, long fingers and nails reaching out to him. Impatiently he waited for the creature to get to Michael and start feeding. It seemed like it was going to take forever, but Dean knew that the extra time meant more time for him to plan. He just needed to stay calm right now. The last thing they both needed was for him to jump the gun and let the shtriga know he was onto it. He couldn't let it get away like it had caused the last time.

Dean just watched as the shtriga leaved over the bed, over the top of a terrified and frozen Michael. The hunter couldn't help but wonder whether Michael would be able to act fast enough when he went into the room. He couldn't worry about that right now, though.

Just as a white fog appeared between Michael and the creature, Dean took it as his cue to burst into the room. The doors slammed open as Dean raised his gun with the consecrated iron rounds.

"Michael, now!" Dean ordered, waiting a couple of seconds for Michael to roll off the bed and onto the floor. Dean open fired on the creature, hitting it a couple of times in the chest. Once he was happy that it was gone, Dean rushed over to the young boy, "Michael, you okay?"

"Yeah." Michael nodded, and Dean could just about make him out under the bed. Like Dean had previously told him, he stayed there with his hands covering his ears. After all, real gun shots were much louder than they were in the movies. He'd need to protect his hearing.

"Sit tight, okay?" Dean said, before holding his gun ready. There may have been no movement, but the hunter wasn't taking any chances. Kicking the creature once, Dean visibly sighed with release. He was gone.

At least, that's what he thought. Just as Dean told Michael it was safe to come out, the shtriga jumped up and grabbed Dean, throwing him hard into a wall. Dean was disorientated for a moment, as the shtriga grabbed Michael and started sucking the life force out of him. The 10-year-old screamed before turning grey. There was only one thing that Dean could do.

With a flick of his wrists, Dean froze the scene. Both the shtriga and Michael froze on the spot. The best thing was, the creature froze in the middle of eating. Despite not wanting to risk the kid's life, Dean knew this was the best chance at shooting and finally killing this thing. Dean got into a position so he wouldn't catch Michael, even accidentally, and then shot the creature right between the eyes.

Michael and the shtriga unfroze at that moment, with the shtriga letting go of the boy and screaming out loud. White fog released from the bullet wound, as well as the creature's mouth, eyes, ears and nose. It was the life force leaving and—hopefully—returning to the kids. While this happened, Dean raised the gun again, and from a point-blank range shot the creature three more time in the head. He wasn't taking any chances this time.

Once the shtriga disintegrated into nothing, leaving behind just a black cloak, Dean rushed over to Michael, "You okay?"

"Yeah," Michael nodded, "Is he gone?"

"Yeah, kiddo," Dean nodded with a proud smile, "You did good. Well done." He didn't miss the proud grin that Michael let off after getting the praise, and Dean couldn't help but wonder whether he didn't get that much on a regular basis from his mom.

The next morning, Dean was packing his belongings into the Impala when Michael's mom pulled up into the parking lot. His job was done, and that was clarified when he heard that all the children in the hospital had woken up. It was like a miracle, but Dean knew that really it was just one creature down. Unfortunately, there were plenty more out there.

One of those could have been back in San Francisco. During the hunt, he'd been able to take his mind off the situation back there. Adam was alive and Dean couldn't help but fear the worse. Something had to have happened for Adam to come back from the dead. Dean certainly hadn't found a way—not that he'd managed to look very hard. He'd just accepted that what was dead should stay dead.

Making the journey back home wasn't easy. All he could think about was his own little brothers and the evil that they'd faced over the last year. It wasn't something that he could go back to doing. He couldn't put their lives at risk anymore. That was going to be a difficult conversation to have.

Andy walked through the jail, hoping that he could talk some sense into John. It wasn't right that he was going to send himself away for the rest of his life for a crime that he didn't commit. Sure, Andy was now cleared of all charges and working again. He'd even had an apology from his captain, but that wasn't right. He wanted John to be a free man, too.

As he walked up to John's cell, something didn't look right. He could see a hand reaching out through the iron bars, laying along the floor. The hand wasn't moving, and was open with limp fingers.

"John?" Andy called out, rushing over to the cell. As soon as he saw John laying on the floor, he knew that it was too late. Calling for help, he just had to hope that his instincts were wrong. John Winchester couldn't be dead.

The Halliwells and two Winchester brothers sat impatiently in the Halliwell-Winchester Manor. Jo had called to say that Dean looked like he was on his way back. He hadn't called, but Ash's trace on his credit cards indicated that he was leaving Wisconsin and heading back for them. Now they just had to wait for him to get there.

It didn't take Dean too long to get back from Wisconsin, hinting that he hadn't decided to take any detours. The front door opened and slammed closed, Dean urgently walking into the house.

"Adam?" Dean called out, instantly looking over at his baby brother. Adam jumped up from where he sat on the couch, locking eyes with Dean. The two of them stared for a few moments, before finally rushing over to each other. It was soon clear that Dean wasn't going to let go now that he had his youngest brother in a bear hug, "How? You were dead. You were…"

"I know," Adam nodded, now getting out of his brother's grasp so he could look into his eyes, "I was but…I don't know. I don't know what happened."

Dean looked around the room, but everyone had the same confused but happy expressions. They were just relieved that the Charmed Ones were back together again.

Prue's cell phone brought everyone back to the moment. Checking the caller ID, she started rushing out of the room, "It's Andy."

"So, what do you remember?" Dean asked, more concerned about his brother coming back from the dead. He knew it didn't just happen. There was help from somewhere, whether it was good or bad.

"I was…somewhere, Dean. I was with Grams and Mom and Aunt Patty…"

"Mom?"

Adam nodded his head, tears forming in his brown eyes, "I was with them and then I was pulled away. I woke up here."

"Erm, guys," Prue spoke, walking back into the room, tears in her own blue eyes. She looked between the Winchester brothers, her hand at her mouth, "Andy…he…that…it's your dad…"

Guest Cast List:

Samantha Ferris as Ellen Harvelle

Jeffrey Dean Morgan as John Winchester

Dorian Gregory as Darryl Morris

Rachel Miner as Meg

Brock Kelly as 19-year-old Dean

Dylan Everett as 13-year-old Dean

Jackson Brundage as 6-year-old Adam (think Jamie Scott in One Tree Hill)

Colby Paul as Michael

Venus Terzo as Michael's mom

Mary Black as Old Woman

Jeannie Epper as The Striga

Adrian Hough as Dr. Heidecker

Phew! That's the first episode out of the way. What do you think? Were your theories right about how I would deal with Adam's death and Andy's issues with the police force?

I'll be back next week with an episode. It's a conversion of Skin and Everybody Hates a Clown...yup two Supernatural episodes but needed. I'm having fun with Supernatural more than Charmed this season.

Please R&R as I'd love to hear your thoughts. Reviews fuel me to keep writing, even when I'm struggling with time and motivation.