Downtime – Spn fic. chpt 1.

by: sifi.

Disclaimed – Yes dear.

Loved? – Dearly.

OOooOO

"I don't know what you want me to say Dean, it sounds like an average haunting and I think we've for more important things to be doing right now than busting slimer." Sam snorted derisively from the passenger seat.

Dean automatically hid the grimace that came to his face, just like he'd done for the vast majority of his life up until the last couple years anyway. Ever since the Turnbull case when he came face to face with the origins of his own soul and the knowledge of the origins of Sam's everything changed, for both of them. He's always been mine. Dad put him in my arms that night... and fifteen months before that... literally... dad's the one who did the horizontal bop but... he was MY son first, his soul was the first born of my own...shit I can't think about this right now... he needs something easy to start getting his mojo back... and we could both use the perk of a quick success.

"Come on Sammy, we can probably do this one with our eyes closed, a nice easy little haunting just to make sure we're back on top of our game y'know? Two days. One little weekend and it's not like we're the only ones looking for the bitch, Imdugud's been sniffing after her..."

"For millennia without catching her." Sam groused.

"Maybe he just didn't have the right incentive and now he does y'know?"

Sam's silence gave him hope. The younger man was no fool, he knew as well as Dean did that there was no way they would be able to face Lilith, especially if she was in full on momma-bitch mode if they weren't fully recuperated. It was likely that they might not be able to take her at all but they had to give themselves every advantage possible and that meant at the very least making sure they were healed from the wounds of their previous encounter. When the time comes will he be able to...?

"Dean..." the word came out a deflated protest, in fact a perfect reflection of his outlook on everything for the last week, ever since he'd come out from under the Asag's poison in the hospital. Dean couldn't pull him from his funk, Bobby couldn't, hearing from Laura's own lips that she was fine couldn't, and even reports of a solid lead from Imdugud couldn't. He was convinced this was the only way Sam was going to be able to start rebuilding his confidence and get back to his old self.

"Just trust me will ya Sammy?"

A shrug and a deep sigh later Sam slid down into the passenger seat leaning hard against the door, "Sure, whatever." then closed his eyes while the miles spooled out behind them.

OOooOO

Maaaan... easy tiger... concern creased his brow as he reached out grasping Sam's shoulder lightly, startling him out of his nightmare after he parked the car. "Sam."

"Mm!?" the younger man blinked himself quickly awake and looked around, "We there?"

"Yeah we're here." Dean nodded and turned to look him in the eye. He frowned as Sam's gaze darted away. "It's like your Jessica nightmares all over again Sam."

The younger man gave no reply.

Dean breathed deep, "None of it's your fault," he opened his door and slid part way out into the beautiful summer day, "if you want to talk I'll listen." then grabbed his bag out of the back seat and turned to face the old perfectly 'East Coast' structure.

"Kinda reminds me of the Pierpont," Sam noted at his side.

"Believe it or not, it kinda reminds me of that place in Louisiana..." he stopped and cocked his head at his little brother, "Wow," he breathed.

"What? What place in Louisiana?"

Dean smirked easily and shook his head, "It was while you were in college... man how many lifetimes ago was that?" he asked as they moved up the six steps to the front veranda.

Sam shrugged and smiled tightly, "How many times have either of us died in the last 5 years?"

"Too many..." the older man shook his head then smiled warmly at the receptionist, "Dean Murphy and Sam Diamond, I called this morning."

She was a pretty but anemic looking pale blonde who'd mastered the art of the dazzling smile and somehow demure but downstairs-brain-stirring flirt.

"Of course, you wanted the room with the ghost."

"That's right," Dean returned almost able to feel Sam's look of surprise, "We love a good haunting."

"So are you guys ghost hunters? Like the show?"

Dean leaned in conspiratorially and gave his best 'aw shucks' shrug, "We're location scouts for show in pre-production called Ghost Facers." then flashed his old 'prowling' grin.

"Really?" her dove blue eyes lit up and a hint of color touched her cheeks, "I could show you all the most haunted spots, not just here at the hotel but there's plenty of them around town... back in the 1700's there was a huge ... well okay maybe not huge but there was a really big battle with the redcoats, they practically slaughtered our side and the whole town is just crawling with ghosts!"

"Really? he nodded then shared a look of commiseration with Sam who played along, nodding as if he was impressed.

Dean scanned her up and down, his eyes lighting on her stuffed, padded, and pushed-up chest where her name tag shone in brass colored plastic, 'Julie'.

"Well then Julie, we just might have to take you up on that... but first thing's first..." he signed the credit card slip then slid it back to her, sweeping her fingers with his while behind him Sam rolled his eyes.

"Right, your room...everything is set up just the way you asked." She blushed again and pointed to the single elevator that had obviously been recently constructed, "Just follow the placards on the walls, the 'hail Mary' suite looks out over an old battle field toward the left and a local cemetery just over the hill to the right, behind the outdoor pool."

"'Hail Mary suite'?" Sam asked.

She nodded, "Legend has it, the first time a guest ever saw the ghost all she would do was sit there with her rosary and say her 'Hail Mary's' until the doc finally put her down with a hefty shot of heroin."

"Heroin?" Dean asked frowning.

"Well back then people used it as a cure-all," she started excitedly.

"It was sold right over the counter in your local general stores." Sam finished his voice somewhere between testy and exhausted.

"Really?" Dean asked picking up his bag again then turning to Julie with a wink and a smile, "Could you be a luv and have a listing of some of those local sites ready for me around dinner time? It'd be great to get a feel for where we're gonna need to be shooting."

"Sure." She lit up again.

"Thanks," he turned striding toward the elevator oddly tired of the game already.

"How're you holding up?" he asked once they were shut into the car.

"Beat."

"Good."

Sam turned, spocking his eyebrow at his big brother as the door opened and they stepped into the hallway.

"Yep good, then I made the perfect arrangement."

"Yeah what's that about? What did you do Dean?"

"You trust me Sammy?"

They halted just outside the door, "Dude if you got hookers in there..." Sam started.

Dean pulled back pretending to be shocked, "No way... this is even better."

Sam shook his head, "Whatever it is, if it's not about busting the ghost you go right ahead, count me out."

Dean keyed open the door into the suite's anteroom where a massage table was set up with a young woman sitting on it talking with another woman.

Sam leaned forward his eyes drawn to the bedroom where another table was set up.

"Hi," the older woman greeted cheerfully, "I'm Diane, this is Becky. Julie told us you wanted to get going right away but if you want a little time to unpack or something we can go get coffee."

Dean shook his head then grinned at his little brother, "You still want out?"

"Excuse us a second," Sam grabbed him by the upper arm, dragging him around the corner into the bedroom where he whispered tightly, "Dean tell me this isn't some twisted little 'happy ending' thing you got..."

"Dude... these are REAL masseuses... nothing hinky I swear... look if that was the game I'da called Kitsune and had her waiting here for you... this... just a little R&R Sam... we both deserve it." the elder Winchester insisted easily reading his little brothers uncertainty. "I promise just a little rest and recuperation." He glanced back out into the front room, "You want yours in here or out there?"

Sam half frowned, "I'm not taking any chances on walking out into anything... I'll take the front room. Just try to keep the noise down."

Dean frowned and huffed as Sam turned to head back out, "It's not that kind of massage," then shot a grin to the older woman, "We're set..."

OOooOO

"Sounds like Mr. Diamond's sawing some wood out there." Diane's voice smiled.

Dean chuckled reveling in the feel of her hands on the back of his neck, stretching the muscles there while pushing against his shoulder, "Mmm, I hear 'im. Does Becky have to wake him?" he murmured.

"Uh uh, tables belong to the hotel he can sleep as long as he wants."

"Good," he sighed, "He needs it."

"So what happened here?" she asked lightly tapping some of the bright pink scar tissue on his chest.

"We were checking out a site a couple weeks ago and crossed a bear, we both got hit pretty bad...lucky to be alive."

"Wow..."

"Yeah," he nodded. There was a faint smile pulling at the corners of his mouth while her warm thumbs smoothed the lines from his forehead, "He got it worse than I did though, still tires out real quick."

She touched one of the pink points on his chest again, "Whoever sewed you up did nice work, give it a couple years you'll barely see the scars."

"Mm too bad... chicks dig scars." He muttered sounding very much like he was about to drift off to sleep as well. She chuckled but made no reply as her eyes fell to the ruby-tinged ring on the fourth finger of his left hand.

From somewhere a long ways away he felt those warm strong hands slide into his hair with a gentle tug while a soothing voice said something about going to sleep and getting some rest. Then on the other side of his eyelids the light abruptly went out, something warm and comfortably heavy was draped over him and from the other room Sam's soft snores meant 'home'.

OOooOO

"Y'look better." Dean appraised the young man as he stepped out of the bathroom, "How do you feel?"

"They got one of those 32 jet showers in there... between that and the massage... almost human," Sam smiled loosely and just sat taking a moment on the edge of his king sized bed. "How 'bout you?"

"Rested, recreated and ready for hunting." He smiled relieved to hear some of the stress gone from his little brother's voice.

"I gotta hand it to ya Dean, that was a great idea."

"Hey, who knows hedonism better than me huh?"

"So Laura suggested it huh?"

Dean nodded, "Yep, woman knows what she's talking about. I was leaning toward getting you plastered and leaving you alone with some Latin Spice for the night." He grinned.

Sam nodded, "Glad you went with her idea," he said softly barely sweeping his eyes up to his brothers, "You have fathered the murderer of the world." he wondered if he'd ever stop hearing Lilith's sneering voice, "his child has been slain and ours will rule the heavens and the earth. You will be worshipped forever, revered as the sire whose son destroyed the human plague." A shudder stormed through him though he hid it with a quick pop of his neck before rising to get dressed. He was inside my head... does he know?

Casting a curious glance at the younger man Dean started the process of dragging his little brother out of his own head, "So I did some research... seems our little Julie is either a victim of mis-information... or just towing the tourist party line..."

"About this place being haunted?" Sam asked pulling on his freshest pair of jeans.

"And about the town too, I couldn't find a damned thing about any battles between unions or confederates let alone colonists and redcoats. The town wasn't even founded until 1794. Now there WERE Indian burial grounds within the town limits so it's not a total bust..."

"Any violent deaths in the hotel or on the property?" Sam asked.

"Not that I could find on the computer."

"Hall of records here we come."

Dean nodded, "That and I did a sweep with the EMF, there's a couple hot spots down by the pools, and a I felt a couple cold spots out toward the cemetery."

"How long have you been up?" Sam asked incredulous.

"Just a couple hours... slept like a log though."

"Yeah... out like a light."

"I heard." Dean ribbed good naturedly.

Sam stretched forward, grabbing the gold globes on the pillow of his bed and tossing one to Dean.

"Aw man these are awesome!" he grinned stuffing one of the specialty candies into his mouth.

"Yeah they are," Sam nodded relishing his own, "So how do you wanna work this?"

As they headed out into the early evening, Dean with his list of haunted places in town and a map, and Sam with directions to the town hall each seemed to step a little more lightly, some of the weight of their burdens conspicuously absent.

OOooOO

tbc.

please R&R

Thank You.

sifi