Sam stared at the newspaper articles spread out on the table. Something didn't add up.

People visiting at a 200 year old mansion in Nowhere, USA were being attacked. A survivor said she saw someone standing in her bathroom when there was no one there. Sounds like a simple salt and burn right?

Only it wasn't. And Sam knew that. He just didn't know he knew it.

"What's up Sammy?" Dean asked from the bed. He had been watching his brother stare at the papers for a few minutes.

"Something's wrong here," Sam mumbled. Dean got up and joined his brother.

"What are you talking about?"

"I don't think the ghost is harming people. I think she's warning them."

Dean looked at the papers. People died violent deaths. Too violent.

"So what?"

"Well it was a murder suicide right?"

"Right."

"Well it wasn't the girl who was murdered."

"I'm not following."

Sam groaned and shoved one of the articles in his brother's face.

"Look. Jane and Smith Jones. He was abusive to her. All those things people died of, he actually did to her. Pushing her down stairs, smashing her head against an anvil, running her over with a car, except back then it was a buggy. On their 5th wedding anniversary, she murdered him. Then she got scared and killed herself."

"Vengeful spirit?"

"Vengeful spirit with an already abusive soul."

"I'll call Dad," Dean said, reaching for his cell. John had decided to go alone, given that it was such a simple mission. Well, at the time.

This is John-

"Damn it," Dean said, hanging up. "What else did he do to her?"

"Trampled by a horse."

"There any horses up there?"

"Not live ones."

Dean grabbed his jacket and started walking out the hotel door.

"Where are you going?" Sam asked, jumping up from the table.

"Going to save Dad's ass."

"Wait I'm coming!" Sam said, running over to his bed and grabbing his hoodie.

"Whoa whoa whoa, what?"

"I'm coming. I'm helping."

"Oh so NOW you wanna hunt?"

"I'm the one that figured it out Dean!"

"Dad doesn't need both of us!"

"You're going, I'm going," Sam said. He looked Dean straight in the eye, which wasn't easy given the height difference.

"Fine. But you're staying in the car," Dean said, grabbing his keys.

"WHAT? WHY?"

"Because this could get dangerous Sammy!"

"BUT DEAN-"

"I'm leaving Sammy. You coming or what?" Dean asked. He walked out the door and out to the car. Sam ran after him.

Sam played with his fingers while sitting in the front seat of the Impala. Dean had been gone too long. Something didn't feel right to Sam.

He opened the door and walked up the front porch. He never understood why people intentionally visited haunted places, knowing they were haunted.

Sam tiptoed through the mansion. He kept his hand on the gun in the back of his jeans. Guns were still too powerful for Sam. One shot and he's on the ground from the kickback. He's not even supposed to have one within his reach without Dean or his dad around. But Sam knew his knife would be nothing against a vengeful spirit.

"Dean?" Sam called out. No answer. He pulled the gun out of his jeans. "Dad?"

Sam continued walking around the mansion. He heard something in the study. Sam cocked the gun and held it up. He walked into the room and saw nothing. Then a door slammed.

Sam started breathing heavy. His heart was pounding.

He followed the noise. Adrenaline was building in him. His hands were so sweaty he was scared that he would drop the gun.

Suddenly the lights went out. And Sam saw it. A figure standing in the doorway. Too short to be his dad or brother, so he shot. Only to hear a cry and watch the figure fall. That's when the lights came on and Dean appeared.

"Sam?" Dean said, running over to him. "Hey, are you okay?"

Sam bit his lip and nodded. He raised his shaky hand and pointed to the ground where the figure fell. Dean looked over and saw Sarah Rivers. Oh but of course, the haunted mansion has an obsessed caretaker who's determined to solve the mysterious deaths all by herself. He ran over to her and started taking care of her wound. She was shot in the stomach and fading fast.

"Dean!" John called out. He ran down the hall to the room. "Sam?"

Sam burst into tears the second he saw his father. He pinched his arm but the nightmare wouldn't end. He wouldn't wake up.

Sam blacked out. Not literally. He froze as John and Dean tended to Sarah. Next thing he knew, she was being rushed away in an ambulance and his brother and dad were standing on the porch talking. Sam sat in the car. He knew they were talking about him.

John walked over and knocked on the window. Sam opened the door and slowly climbed out of the car.

"You wanna tell me what happened tonight?"

Sam looked at the ground and kicked a rock with his foot.

"Because it looks to me," John continued, "like you disobeyed your brother's orders, went in alone with a gun I might add, and shot an innocent civilian!"

Sam continued looking at the ground. He knew exactly what his father's face looked like without looking at it. He had been getting it a lot more these days.

"He had good intentions Dad," Dean spoke up.

"Going against orders-"

"GOD! YOU THINK HE WANTED THIS TO HAPPEN?"

"DEAN-"

"YOU KNOW HE'S THE ONE WHO FIGURED IT OUT RIGHT? WITHOUT HIM, WHO KNOWS WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED TO YOU?"

"THE JOB ISN'T EVEN DONE DEAN! AND TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE, I HAVE TO STAY HERE AND CLEAN UP HIS MESS!"

Sam ran over to them and tugged on his dad's sleeve.

"Dad I'm so-"

"BOY IF YOU DON'T GET OUT OF MY FACE!" John said, pushing him away. Sam stumbled backwards and landed on the ground. He was on the verge of tears again. "Dean, take your brother home."

"Dad-"

"DAMN IT DEAN DON'T YOU START TOO!"

Dean cleared his throat and helped Sam off the ground. They walked over to the Impala and John walked over to his truck. He was the first one to drive off, probably to the hospital or police station. The boys drove back to the hotel, no one saying a word the whole way.

198913