Author's Chapter Notes:
Shrtiga storyline is based on info I found online not on what happened in the show. It seems they are usually undead woman, just so you know.
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Sam stood outside his room contemplating what he wanted to happen before he took a deep breath and reached for the knob. He tapped on the open door and was surprise when Jo did not answer. He shrugged before he looked inside to see she wasn’t in the room just before a high pitched scream could be heard outside. Dean leaned up from the computer to listen for a second. He stiffened before a chill traveled the length of his spine, something was wrong.
“Dean,” Sam yelled as he ran down the stairs and out the back door.
Dean got up to go see what was wrong and crashed into Ash again.
“What’s going on? Sam ran outside,” Ash said.
He had gone to the kitchen to make coffee after he had spoken with Dean earlier. The household seemed to be in turmoil since he arrived. Though Dean looked as though he had it all in hand.
“Okay stay with the girls,” Dean directed Ash who only nodded as Dean went in search of his brother.
Ari heard the commotion outside the door before she got up to get the salt gun from the closet because she had a bad feeling. Amber watched her mother with wide eyes. Sammy Doo let out a yelp a second later.
“Mommy, Sammy Doo? I don’t want him to die,” Amber said as Ari laid the gun on the bed with them so she could pull her daughter onto her lap.
She moved the stray curls that had escaped from Amber’s braid behind her ear.
“He will be fine, Dean and Sam are taking care of him okay.”
Amber kept her eyes on her mother a she nodded before she lay her head on Ari’s chest.
Sam burst out the door to see the Shrtiga had Jo on the ground. The thing had its back to Sam. Sammy Doo was barking near the porch. Dean came out of the door with a gun in his hand as Sam yelled Jo’s name. The thing turned just after Dean threw Sam the gun so he shoot it in the heart. When the Shrtiga fell it changed into an old woman, she looked like the witch in the sleeping beauty story. Dean shook his head, now we have to get rid of the body.
“Hey is Jo okay?” Dean asked as he checked out the little shell shocked puppy.
He picked up Sammy Doo to find that he was only frightened, the poor things heart rate was way to fast. Dean sighed and considered he might need a vet.
“She looks good, I think she only fainted. She has a good heart rate,” Sam said.
“Okay Sam don’t feel her up while she is unconscious,” Dean said as he went in to take the puppy to Amber.
“Hey, I will ignore you snide remark but we need to get rid of granny witch here,” Sam said as he looked over his shoulder at his brother.
“I’ll be right back,” Dean said.
Ari jumped when the knob turned, before Dean decided to knock.
“Ari it’s me.”
She got up to open the door while Amber still watched her. The little girl was really concerned about her puppy. Her eyes lit up when Dean brought the dog over to her.
Sammy Doo licked her face and seemed to calm down as she hugged him. Ari stood with Dean at the door.
“Is everything alright out there? I kind of felt in the dark here.”
“Yeah things are fine know,” Dean said distracted as he looked pass Ari toward the window.
“I heard a shot.”
“It attacked Jo, but she is fine,” he replied as she lifted his chin to look in her eyes.
“What’s wrong?”
“I wish I could tell you, Sam is going to have to do some research.”
“Why?”
“We have a dead old woman in our back yard,” he said as he turned and walked away.
“Okay,” Ari said aloud to herself since there was no one in the spot where Dean had stood a moment before.
Jo stood up against the back door outside as she spoke with Sam when Dean came back outside. He left Ash inside to watch over Ari and Amber again. He considered getting help from Chet but decided the fewer that knew about a dead body in their yard the better.
“You okay?” he asked Jo.
She nodded, he assumed she was still shook up but in reality she was speechless. He had not been real caring as of late. It wasn’t as though he were ever mean but real compassion had disappeared between them after she slept with Sam. She also knew it wasn’t his fault. She sighed, she needed to go home for a while to get her head straight. She was crazy about Sam but parts of her where still wrapped up in the what ifs of life with with Dean; the parts of her that were insane she figured considering the facts of Dean’s life and situation. He was about to be a father for heaven’s sake.
Jo went back inside as Sam and Dean loaded the body into the back of the truck they used around town to take it to salt and burn on the edge of the property. Sam had covered it with old branches to burn in case someone approached them though burning was okay in their area. Dean got in the passenger seat without a word.
“Man, you okay?”
“Yeah I’m good,” Dean said as he buckled his seat belt and avoided eye contact with Sam.
Sam knew what was wrong with his brother without him saying. He was certain Dean was concerned about how he would protect his family. He was going to be a father to twins and he had no idea how or why he and Ari had moved so fast. Sam still envied Dean his situation though he could see how it was all too much for his brother. For someone who had not had relationship experience it was going to be a struggle. Dean’s way of shutting people out could cause problems with Ari. Sam planned to be there to help despite knowing that Dean would not ask for his assistance. Dean was too proud for his own good often and it would not do in future months when midnight feedings, diaper changes, and stress got to him. He only hoped that Dean would stay with Ari for the long haul, he wouldn’t want her to get hurt.
They were almost done with the burning when they saw headlights coming their way. The place the had chosen was directly behind their back fence since they needed to avoid the horse stable so as not to startled them. Dean shuffled the pile of ashes around in the wheel barrow to speed up the burn and gave a fake smile to the older man that got out of the truck that had approached them.
“Nice calm night for burning leaves,” the man said as he walked toward them.
“Yeah, its later than we planned hope we didn’t disturb you,” Sam said as he put his hand out to offer to the man.
“Oh no I was just coming back from the bar down the road, saw the fire. I have wanted to meet the people who bought the old Wheeler place.”
Dean only smiled while Sam looked as though he and the old timer might want to sit a spell and chat.
“I am Geoffrey,” the man said.
“Oh, I’m Sam and that’s my brother Dean.”
“Nice to meet you.”
Dean still said nothing he only put his hands in his pockets and wished they were already back at the house.
“Well we are done here,” Sam said as he put the tarp they had brought over the ashes and placed a couple of bricks over it.
“I don’t like it Sam,” Dean said when they got back in the truck.
“What?”
“That guy seeing us out here.”
“That is why I took the ashes, there is no evidence now that we were there. The guy has to be eighty, no one would believe he saw us there if it ever becomes a big deal.”
“I guess.”
“Dean what is wrong with you tonight?”
“Just a lot on my mind. Hey we have to find out who that was that died and why she was at the house.”
“I was thinking the same thing. We checked the house history before we bought it and until know we have had no problems that did not come from the outside.”
Dean nodded.
“Do you think its odd that Ash showed up like he did?” Sam asked.
“I do, normally Ellen let’s us know when someone from her end is coming our way.”
“Unless she figured that we know Ash and it wouldn’t matter.”
Dean sighed.
“Maybe,.. I kind of want a do over from the time you guys came back,” Dean said with a grin.
“Had a good morning huh?”
Dean smirked.
{Flashback}
After they made love the first time Dean got up to make Ari breakfast and brought it to the bedroom. She grinned as he put the tray in front of her.
“That was sweet, is it the pregnant me you are trying to impress or……..”
He leaned over to kiss her, she pulled his head and caressed the sides of his face. After ward he went back to get his coffee cup from the stove. When he returned they shared the breakfast of waffles, sausages, eggs, toast and fruit.
“Okay that was a lot,” Ari said around the food in her mouth.
Dean laughed as he waited for her to finish chewing before he handed her the juice. She thanked him for the treat as he moved the tray to the bedside table. Ari smiled as she leaned back to rub her tummy.
“I am so full.”
“Well I think you ate enough to feed all three of you,” he teased as he leaned down for another kiss.
She arched her eyebrow at him.
“No fat jokes, remember,” she teased.
“Again it was a fact.”
She put her arms around his neck.
“I can see my hormones are going to drive you bonkers.”
Dean held her close to him. He didn’t mean to be crass, he wasn’t one to weigh his words. He sighed. What have we done?
“Dean I was joking with you, earlier the tears, that was real.”
“All I can say is I love you and I want this to work,” he said with a frown.
She bit her lip as she looked in his eyes. He seemed serious and concerned.
“I know, I haven’t doubted that.”
She straddled his body with her own as she looked down at him. Her intentions had never included being pregnant, at least not any time in the first few months or years. She kissed his nose as he caressed her cheeks.
“Sam says things happen for a reason, do you believe that?” he asked.
“I do, I also know all of this is hard for you. I have an idea what your life was like before me and I hope you don’t regret ….”
“No, I don’t,” he said as he pulled her face down for a new kiss.
This time it was leisurely as his hands roamed her back and hers his face. He leaned up to push her on her back.
“How could I regret you?” he asked as he put his lips on her neck and she moaned.
{End Flashback}
When they arrived back at the house Sam went downstairs with a promise to do research before he went to bed. Dean went in the room with hopes of moving Amber. He opened the door to find all three in the bed; Ari, Amber and Sammy Doo. He couldn’t help but to smile as he closed the door and went to the linen closet to grab a blanket so he could sleep on the sofa.
He had his feet up as he watched bad late night television when he heard someone behind him and found himself face to face with Jo. She stood uncomfortable beside the sofa.
“Hey, um I am leaving in the morning for a bit. Maybe a couple of weeks thought I would let someone know,” she said as she looked as though she might run if he actually said something in return.
“Why?”
“Just to recuperate from tonight and I need to think.”
“If that is what you want you are welcome back whenever you feel better,” he said with a slight smile.
Oh now he is nice since I am leaving.
“Thanks Dean,” she replied as she quickly retreated back to Sam’s room.
Two hours later, Ari found Dean on the sofa. She was not certain if he had chosen it by choice or if he had felt there was not room for him in the bed. She watched him for several minutes. He lay on his side with his arm under his head, his long lashes kissed his freckled cheek. She hesitated to disturb him but she took a chance to slide in beside him. He smiled when he opened one eye to see who it was that had pressed their warm body to his. He lay his arm over her to hold her to his chest as the both faced outward. She smiled to her self as she listened to his heartbeat before she dozed off again.
The next morning Sam let Dean know that he had found the origins of the Shrtiga they had killed. It was a woman who had been into witchcraft in Hustisford she had been hanged because of her beliefs and every thirteen years she returned to the area to attempt to suck the life out of a young child.
“I checked the records and she had succeeded every time until now. Dean she was after Amber,” Sam said sadly as watched Dean as he watched Amber play with the Sammy Doo outside with Ari.
What have I done? Am I helping them or hindering them? Dean thought.
***
Two Days Later,
Dean finally got into the car after his usual ten minute goodbye to Ari. Sam even saw a glint of longing in his brother eyes. Sam understood that Dean wanted to get the son of a bitch that was after Ari but he was not certain how they were going to do it. It wasn’t as though they could go to Chicago and have him put away. The pimping business was good money and usually funded by higher ups in the justice system, unfortunately. He frowned as he noticed the look on Dean’s face had changed to determination. His jaw was set and he was focused on the road.
“Dean we can’t just kill the guy,” Sam insisted.
“Why the hell not?”
TBC