Lavender's Blue

04. Phantom Traveler

As the door opened, Dean awoke and slipped a hand under his pillow for a weapon. He glanced at Kit to see her fast asleep and angled his body in front of hers.

He turned to see Sam entering, carrying coffee and pastries.

"Morning, sunshine," Sam greeted.

"What time is it?" Dean asked groggily.

"Uh, it's about 4:45."

"In the morning?"

"Yep."

"Sammy, you get any sleep?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah, I grabbed a couple hours."

"Liar. 'Cause I was up at three with a fussing Kit, and you were watching a George Foreman informercial."

"Hey, what can I say? It's riveting TV."

"When was the last time you got a good night's sleep?"

Sam shrugged. "I don't know, a little while, I guess. It's not a big deal."

"Yeah, it is."

"Look, I appreciate your concern-"

"Oh, I'm not concerned about you. It's your job to keep my ass and Kit's alive, so we need you sharp. Be honest, are you still having nightmares about Jess? 'Cause I know I am, wished I could've done something to save her."

Sam crossed the room, sat on the other bed, handed a coffee to Dean. "Yeah. But it's not just her. It's everything. I just forgot, you know? This job. Man, it gets to you."

"You can't let it," Dean told him. "You can't bring it home like that."

"So, what? All this it... never keeps you up at night?"

"Nope, never."

"Never? You're never afraid?"

"No, not really."

Sam reached under Dean's pillow, making sure not to disturb Kit, to pull out a large hunting knife and held it up as evidence.

Dean took the knife back. "That's not fear. That is precaution."

"All right, whatever. I'm too tired to argue. I'm not even gonna question Saoirse's sword."

Dean's phone rang and he answered. "Hello?"

"Dean, it's uh, it's Jerry Panowski. You and your dad helped me out a couple years back."

"Oh, right, yeah. Up in Kittanning, Pennsylvania, the poltergeist thing. It's not back, is it?"

"No. No. Thank God, no. But it's something else, and... uh, I think it could be a lot worse."

"What is it?"

"Can we talk in person?"

Dean eyed Sam and he eyed him back.

Dean pulled up his daughter who had woken up and changed her before putting a pink onesie on her. "Let's go, kiddo."

---

The Impala drove down the road and eventually, they reached the hangar.

Jerry greeted the brothers. "Thanks for making the trip so quick. I ought to be doing you guys a favor, not the other way around. Dean and your dad really helped me out."

"Yeah, he told me," Sam said with a nod. "It was a poltergeist?"

"Poltergeist? Man, I loved that movie," a man stated.

"Hey, nobody's talking to you. Keep walking," Jerry told him. "Damn right it was a poltergeist, practically tore our house apart. Tell you something. If it wasn't for you and your dad, I probably wouldn't be alive. Your dad said you were off at college. Is that right?"