ᴺᴼᵂ ᴾᴸᴬᵞᴵᴺᴳ: "Oh you've gotta be shitting me!"
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"YOU SAID THE ISAIAH MERCHANT FAMILY, RIGHT?"

Sam sent the old man a confirming nod.

Venus and Dean stood beside him, awaiting any new information about the subjects of their haunted painting.

The youngest Winchester informed them hours earlier that the painting had somehow survived their arson attempt and was being kept in the auction house, so they made their way to the closest library in search of any context behind the painting.

"I dug up every scrap of local history I could find," the balding man told them, flipping open a large, dusty book on the table before them, "So, uh, are you kids crime buffs?"

The hunters exchanged a glance. Dean closed the weapons encyclopedia he was skimming and smiled at the man. "Kind of. Why do you ask?"

"Well," the librarian grinned, picking up an old newspaper article and turning it to the trio.

Venus leaned closer to read the headline. "Father slaughters family, kills self."

"Yeah, that sounds about right," Dean confirmed.

"The whole family was killed?" Sam asked.

The older man nodded. "It seems this Isaiah, he slits the kids' throats, then his wife, then himself," he told them, "Now, he was a barber by trade. Used a straight razor."

"Why'd he do it?"

The man then turned the article over to read it himself, "Let's look. 'People who knew him described Isaiah as having a stern and harsh temperament, and controlled his family with an iron fist...wife...two sons, adopted daughter...there were whispers that the wife was going to take the kids and leave,' which of course, in that day and age..."

Venus gestured for him to continue.

"Umm, so instead, old man Isaiah? Well, he gave them all a shave," the librarian said with an excited giggle.

Dean laughed before looking up at Venus and Sam's unamused expressions. "Does it say what happened to the bodies?"

"They were all cremated," the man sadly informed them.

Venus sighed. This just got a lot more difficult.

"Anything else?" Sam questioned.

"Yeah," the man circled the table to pick up a book, "Actually, I found a picture of the family, it's right here somewhere," he flipped through a few pages and then landed on one, "Right, here it is."

The hunters stepped forward to look down at the picture, noting that it was the same one that the portrait was based on. But Venus immediately noticed something else. "Can we get a copy of this, please?" she politely asked the librarian.

"Sure."

-ˋˏ [ ] ˎˊ-

"I'm telling you guys," Venus insisted, bringing the picture over to the table where the boys sat and placing it between them, "In the painting at the auction house, the dad is looking down. But here, he's looking out. The painting changed," she explained before taking her jacket off and pulling up another chair.

Dean looked over at her, "So you think Daddy dearest is trapped in the painting and he's handing out Columbian neckties like he did with his family?"

Venus leaned back in her seat, folding her arms across her chest, "Yup."

"But if his bones are already dusted then how are we gonna stop him?" Sam pressed.

"Well, if Isaiah's position changed then maybe some other things in the painting changed as well, it could give us some clues," Dean theorized.

Venus shrugged, "Like a 'Da Vinci Code' deal?"

Sam nodded while Dean's brows knitted together. "I don't know," the eldest said, "I'm still waiting for the movie on that one."

"Came out last month," Venus informed him.

"Really?" Dean perked up.

 She grinned, thinking he was genuinely excited, "Yeah."

"Nerd."

Venus deflated, rolling her eyes, "Bitch."

"Anyway," Dean stood to his feet, "We gotta get back in and see that painting. Which is a good thing cause you can get some more time to crush on your girlfriend," he teased Sam, flopping onto his bed with a grin.

Venus chuckled at Sam's face.

"Dude enough already," he said.

"What?" Dean innocently shrugged.

" 'What?' Ever since we got here, you've been trying to pimp me out to Sarah. Just back off, alright?" 

Venus slowly removed herself from the table, moving over to the fridge to get a bottle of water. She had her own opinions on the situation, but she truly didn't feel like arguing with either of them.

"Well, you like her, don't you? She likes you, you're both consenting adults," Dean urged.

"What's the point, Dean?" Sam argued, "We'll just leave, we always leave."

Venus frowned from where she stood across the room. She always knew Sam was a loverboy at heart, as opposed to her and Dean who could write books on one-night stands. He needed a genuine connection.

"I'm not talking about marriage, Sam–"

"I don't get it," Sam cut Dean off, "What do you care if I hook up?"

"Maybe you wouldn't be so cranky all the time."

Sam's eyes widened, but no other words left his lips. He scoffed and looked off to the side, fiddling nervously with his fingers, Venus noted.

"Seriously, Sam, this isn't just about hooking up, okay?" Dean sat up, genuinely trying to reason with his younger brother, "I think that this Sarah girl could be good for you."

Sam spun on Venus. "Would you tell your boyfriend to get off my ass?"

Venus cleared her throat harshly. "He's not my..." she trailed off with a deep breath. She moved over to sit on the edge of the bed where Dean was lying, now having a direct eye-line to Sam. "Listen, in his own stupid little way, Dean's just trying to help you 'mano."

"Oh, of course, you're on his side."

Venus threw her hands up in defeat. "This is why I don't get involved in this shit," she muttered to herself before looking at Sam again. Second time's the charm. "Let's get something straight, no one's gonna force you to do anything. So, I think this is about Jess."

At the mention of the woman, Sam froze, his eyes widening slightly.

Dean moved closer to the edge of the bed, sitting next to Venus. "I mean no disrespect, and I don't know what it's like to lose somebody like that but...I would think that she would want you to be happy, God forbid have fun once in a while, wouldn't she?" he said, his tone gentle.

Venus smiled to herself at the thought of Jess. She definitely would.

"Yeah I know she would," Sam echoed Venus' feelings, his eyes glossy with unshed tears.

Dean looked over at the woman beside him, smiling at the small grin on her lips. He gently nudged her shoulder with his own, getting her attention. Venus smiled up at him and leaned her head onto his shoulder. "Good job," she whispered to him, gaining a small nod.

"You're right, part of this is about Jessica," Sam confessed, "But not the main part."

Both the older hunters' brows furrowed at the same time. "What's it about?" Dean asked.

Sam locked eyes with each of them but gave no answer, turning back to stare at the papers in front of him.

"Yeah alright," Dean gave up. Venus frowned at Sam, already having an idea of what he was thinking. "We still gotta see that painting, which means you still gotta call Sarah so..." Dean reminded him. 

Sam sighed and reluctantly reached for his cell phone.

Dean rolled his eyes and turned to look down at where Venus' eyes were struggling to stay open. He brought a hand around her shoulders and pulled her body up with him to the top of the bed, keeping her body pressed against his in a comfortable sleeping position. Venus snuggled into his side and closed her eyes, slinging her arm across his stomach. "I'm not even tired," she softly lied.

Dean closed his eyes as well, leaning his head down to rest on top of hers. "I know."

But before they could properly fall asleep, Sam sprung up from his chair, grabbing his jacket. "Who'd you sell it to?"

Venus and Dean's eyes flew open, both hunters sitting up and looking at him in question.

"Sarah, I need an address right now."

-ˋˏ [ ] ˎˊ-

Venus' bike and the Winchesters' Impala rolled into the driveway of the portrait's latest buyer to find Sarah hopping out of her Jeep.

"Sam, what's happening?" she stomped over to him.

The hunters, though surprised to see her, brushed past her and jogged up the porch of the large home.

"I told you, you shouldn't have come," Sam managed to say to her.

Venus slammed her fist against the door a few times. "Hello! Anybody home?" she yelled while the others searched the windows for a way in.

"You said Evelyn might be in danger. What kind of danger?" Sarah began to panic.

Venus kicked the door with all her might, but it still wouldn't budge. "Shit," she mumbled, realizing she'd have to pick the lock. 

Sarah watched from behind as she pulled out two tools and began working at getting the door opened. "What are you guys, burglars?"

"I wish it was that simple," Sam said from where he and Dean were trying to pry open a window, "Look you really should wait in the car, it's for your own good."

"Got it!" Venus exclaimed, pushing the door open and running in.

Dean and Sam followed, and so did Sarah.

"Evelyn?" Sarah called out into the eerily quiet house.

They got no answer but stepped into the living room to see Evelyn sitting in a chair. From their vantage point, she seemed okay but they still approached her with caution. Sarah called for her attention one more time, but the older woman didn't move.

The hunters all examined the room from where they stood, first locking eyes with the painting. And, just like Venus said, the dad was looking down.

"Evelyn, it's Sarah Blake," she continued to approach the woman, "Are you alright?"

Venus and Dean moved to stand in front of Evelyn, each spotting the blood darkening the top of the older woman's turtleneck sweater. "Sarah, don't!" Venus shouted, spotting her reaching out to touch the woman's body. But she was too late.

Sarah's hand jerked her shoulder and caused her head to slowly fly backward at an unnatural angle due to her newly revealed slit throat. The hunters grimaced at the sight but Sarah jumped back into Sam's arms and released a horrified scream. She looked up at the painting in time to see the father's head move, and screamed even more. Thankfully, Sam brought her outside before she could see anything else.

Venus and Dean gave Evelyn's body another glance and followed. "That poor girl's not gonna sleep for a week," Venus muttered to Dean.

The next morning, bright and early, a frantic knock sounded at the hunters' room door. Venus and Dean remained seated at the table, in the middle of doing research, while Sam opened the door to reveal Sarah. "Hey, you alright?" he asked her.

The young woman stormed into the room, her two pigtails jumping with every step. "No, actually, I just lied to the cops and told them that I went to Evelyn's alone and found her like that," she answered, standing across from Sam as the others sat watching with small smiles.

"I told you she'd do it," Venus whispered to Dean, holding out her hand.

Dean shushed her and pulled out a ten-dollar bill before putting it in her open palm, still keeping his eyes on the unfolding conversation.

Venus smiled at her money and shoved it in her back pocket then turned her eyes and ears back to the conversation.

"Thank you," Sam spoke genuinely.

"Don't thank me," Sarah shook her head angrily, "I'm about to call them right back if you don't tell me what the hell is going on. Who's killing these people?" she asked, finally locking eyes with Venus and Dean.

Sam turned to them in question, gaining a shrug of approval from Venus and a nod from Dean. No use hiding it after last night.

"What." Sam corrected her.

"What?"

"It's not 'who', it's 'what' is killing those people."

Sarah's brows furrowed in confusion, prompting Sam to continue.

"Sarah, you saw that painting move."

Sarah scoffed, turning to pace the room. "No. I was...I was seeing things. It's impossible," she tried to reason.

Venus raised the mug she was drinking from. "Welcome to our world," she cheered, sending the young girl an awkward smile.

Sarah stopped and looked between the three of them, fear and disbelief etched into her soft features.

"Sarah, I know this sounds crazy..." Sam took a step closer to her, "But we think the painting is haunted."

She smiled and laughed to herself for a moment. "You're joking." Sarah soon noticed that none of the hunters had a smile on their faces. "You're not joking," she sighed, "God, the guys I go out with."

Sam slowly approached the woman, "Sarah, think about it—Evelyn, the Telescas— they both had the painting, and there have been others before that. Wherever this thing goes, people die and we're just trying to stop it. That's the truth."

Sarah took in the information, knowing deep in her gut that he wasn't lying. "Well, then I guess you better show me. I'm coming with you," she decided, making her way over to the front door.

Venus' brows furrowed, but a smile rested on her lips. The balls on this chick...

"What? No," Sam argued, stopping her in her tracks, "Sarah, no, you should go home. This stuff can get dangerous and..." he paused and deeply inhaled, "I don't want you to get hurt."

Dean and Venus shared a look from where they sat, this was the second part of why he was hesitant to try things with Sarah. 

"Look, you guys are probably crazy. But if you're right about this, when me and my dad sold that painting, we might have gotten these people killed," Sarah realized, "I'm not saying I'm not scared, 'cause I am scared as hell, but I'm not gonna run and hide either. So are we going or what?" she asked them, pulling the front door open and walking through it, leaving no room for arguments.

Venus brought her hands up to dole out a round of applause, nodding in approval.

"Sam," Dean called out, "Marry that girl."

-ˋˏ [ ] ˎˊ-

The hunters, now accompanied by Sarah, snuck into Evelyn's sealed-up home an hour later and carefully pulled the painting off the wall. Sam held it and carefully examined it, even trying to listen for anything inside the painting.

"Aren't you worried that it's gonna, y'know, kill us?" Sarah questioned from beside Venus and Dean.

"No, it seems to do its thing at night. I think we're alright in the daylight," Sam explained.

Dean took the paper copy of the Merchant family portrait from Venus' hands, noticing something. Venus watched him look between the paper and the painting before pointing at the razor. "Check it out," he called for Sam's attention, "The razor, it's closed in this one, but it's open in that one."

Venus looked between the two to see that he was right.

"What are you guys looking for?" Sarah asked.

"If the spirit's changing aspects of the painting, maybe it's doing so for a reason," Dean informed her.

Venus took a step closer to the painting, looking at the paper in Sam's hand. "The painting in the painting," she called out, directing everyone's attention to it, "Is that a crypt or a mausoleum or something?"

Dean grabbed a crystal ashtray to use as a magnifying glass. "Merchant," he read from the top of the crypt.

That took the hunters on a search of the town's cemeteries for the Merchant Crypt.

"This is the third boneyard we've checked," Dean complained as they trudged through yet another cemetery, "I think this ghost is jerking us around."

"Relax, viejo," Venus hummed from where she walked alongside the older hunter, "We'll get you back to the motel for nap time soon enough," she teased, laughing when Dean sent her a sarcastic grin and flipped her off.

"So, this is what you guys do for a living?" Sarah questioned from behind them.

Venus grinned, turning to face the woman. "Hell yeah, comes with great dental benefits too!" she joked.

Sam chuckled to himself then looked down at a confused Sarah, "We don't get paid."

"Well, Mazel Tov," she replied, her tone sarcastic.

Dean came to a stop at the front of the group, locking eyes with the Merchant's tomb. "Over there," he called out to them, pulling his bolt cutters out of his jacket.

Once they swatted through the layers of cobweb, the group came face to face with a dimly lit crypt, each family member's name clearly etched on one side, while the other held framed antique toys.

"Okay, that right there is the creepiest thing I've ever seen," Sarah eyed one of the porcelain pieces.

Sam chuckled fondly at her reaction, not going unnoticed by Venus and Dean behind them, "It was sort of a tradition at the time— whenever a child died, they'd preserve the kid's favorite toy in a glass case and put it next to the headstone in the crypt."

Venus' head turned at the feeling of a chill in the air nipping at her neck. But she couldn't focus too much on it because she noticed something.

"Notice anything strange here?" Dean's voice rang out from her side.

She looked up at him, realizing he saw it too, "The urns," she directed Sam and Sarah's attention to it, "There's only four."

"Mom and the three kids. Daddy dearest isn't here."

Sam raised a brow in question. "So where is he?"

Lying and subterfuge got Venus and Dean the answer they needed from the County Records office. That left Sarah and Sam sitting outside in the sunny courtyard engaging in what Venus spotted to be a serious conversation.

Until Dean decided to comically poke his head in between them and interrupt.

The brunette held back a grimace at the awkwardness in the air, looking up at the sky while the lovebirds eyed Dean strangely.

"Am I interrupting something?" he smugly asked.

"Not at all," Sarah sighed, backing away from Sam.

"Apparently," Dean muttered.

Sam looked over at Venus, forcing down the lingering emotions of his previous conversation. "So, what'd you get?"

She brandished a rolled-up piece of paper from her jacket pocket with a triumphant grin, "The mother lode, hermano." She carefully unrolled it and held it out for him to see, "The surviving relatives of the Merchant family hated Isaiah's guts so much that they didn't want him interred with the family so they handed him over to the county."

"And the county gave him a pauper's funeral, economy style," Dean happily chimed in, "Turns out he wasn't cremated, he was buried in a pine box."

"So there are bones to burn," Sam concluded.

"There are bones to burn," Dean repeated, nodding.

"Tell me you know where."

Venus clutched her heart in faux offense. "Of course I do, I'm not some amateur." 

-ˋˏ [ ] ˎˊ-

The hunters wasted the rest of the day away in their motel room until night fell, then grabbed their shovels and headed over to Isaiah's unmarked grave on the other side of town.

Sarah stood on the cemetery grounds keeping watch and holding a flashlight, looking as if she was seconds away from throwing up. "You guys seem to be uncomfortably comfortable with this," she remarked. 

Venus hopped out of the now-hollow grave followed by Sam. "Well this isn't exactly the first grave we've dug," the youngest told her, "Still think I'm a catch?"

Venus chuckled from where she stood, throwing her jacket back over her favorite crop top which was now covered in dirt in some areas.

Sarah spotted the mess on her shirt and frowned, "And you're just okay getting your clothes messed up like this all the time?"

Venus used a hand to dust some specks of dirt off her exposed abdomen and shrugged. "Kinda got over it after a few years. But when my boots get messed up, that's a different story. I'll damn near cry myself to sleep."

Sarah laughed but stopped once Sam's expression told her that Venus wasn't joking.

"Think I got something!" Dean shouted from inside the grave, knocking his shovel against something solid.

Sarah leaned forward with her flashlight, Venus and Sam on her right peering down as well. They watched Dean use his shovel to break a wooden coffin, revealing a very old skeleton resting inside of it.

"Alrighty then," Venus hummed, grabbing a can of salt from the ground. Once Dean pulled himself out, she quickly opened it and emptied it inside the grave and coffin. She stood by idly while Dean emptied the jug of gasoline inside the grave, covering her mouth in a yawn that gained her a bewildered look from Sarah. She waved the young woman off and placed a box of matches into Dean's awaiting palm.

"You've been a real pain in the ass, Isaiah," Dean commented, lighting three matches, "Good riddance."

The silence was filled by the crackling flames burning Isaiah Merchant's remains, all four hoping this would permanently solve the issue of their haunted painting.

But, just to be sure, they returned to Evelyn's house.

"Dean, keep the motor running," Venus heard Sam tell his older brother as she brought her bike to a stop on Dean's side of the Impala.

She missed the rest of the conversation but saw when Sarah hopped out of the car behind Sam and sent Dean an impressed look.

"We'll stay here, you go make your move," Dean turned to Sam, "Sam, I'm serious!"

Venus chuckled, taking her glasses off and leaning back on her bike.

She missed when Dean reached into the glove compartment and pulled out one of her 'missing' cassettes labeled 'R&B' with a winking emoticon beside it and threw it into the stereo, now loudly blasting some random Keith Sweat song through the Impala's speakers.

All eyes turned to him at the sudden intrusion of the music, with Sam looking more than embarrassed, and Venus' eyes widening in recognition.

"Is that my R&B tape? I've been looking for that thing for years you thieving motherfu–"

"Turn it off!" Sam's shout interrupted her.

Dean eyed each of them then sighed, turning off the music.

Sam and Sarah carefully entered the abandoned home soon after.

Which left Dean to deal with Venus' angrily raised brow.

"So, I'm curious," she dryly began, dismounting her bike and walking over to Dean's door. She thought she saw him gulp but her eyes must've been playing tricks on her, "When do you play this tape?" she asked.

Dean watched her reach down and pull his door open, his eyes following her every move. She leaned into the car across his body and reached a hand over to the stereo while her other hand rested on his shoulder for balance that she didn't really need. "I uh..." he couldn't even think with her scent invading his thoughts and senses. She smelled like that super girly vanilla body wash she uses every day, with hints of the coconut moisturizer she uses in her curls. It was so precisely her that he could pick it out from a mile away, and he knew it wouldn't smell the same on anyone but her.

He was beyond help, Jesus Christ...

"See, I think," she continued, ignoring his inability to speak as she ejected her cassette from the stereo, "You play this when you bring chicks in here to get laid," she ended with a smirk, pulling out of the car and tucking the tape safely in her jacket pocket. She stood by the car door, looking down at Dean and waiting for some snarky response.

She got nothing more than Dean's eyes locked onto hers, his throating bobbing every few seconds. Venus snapped her fingers in his face a few times, growing slightly concerned, "Earth to Dean?"

Dean seemed to finally regain his bearings after some time, a smirk tugging on his lips. "Well, back in the day that's what we used it for."

Venus fought a smile at the memories. She returned to her motorcycle, swinging a leg over the seat and securing her body there, "Who knows, maybe we still can," she shrugged, pulling away from Dean's very heated stare.

"Oh we definitely are," she heard him mumble faintly.

But before she could dwell on what the future could hold for her R&B tape and the backseat of the Impala, the previously ajar door slammed shut and a faint chill entered the air.

Venus hopped off her bike and pulled out her phone within seconds, Dean jumping out of the Impala and following her onto the porch. "Sam, you weren't the one who slammed the door were you?" she frantically spoke once he answered, watching Dean jiggle the lock to no avail.

"No it wasn't me," he confirmed. Venus pressed the speakerphone button in time for him to say, "I think it was the little girl."

Dean paused his attempts to break down the door and shared a confused look with Venus. "Girl? What girl?"

"I think she's out the painting," Sam explained, "I think it might have been her the whole time."

Venus' eyes widened. "The dad was looking down at her," she remembered.

"Maybe he was trying to warn us," Dean added, reaching into Venus' pocket for her lock-picking kit and getting to work.

"Hey, let's recap later, alright? Just get us out of here," Sam was starting to panic.

"Dean's trying to pick the lock and it won't budge," Venus told him, worry beginning to rise within her.

"Well then break it down!"

Venus rolled her eyes, though he couldn't see it. Sam heard the harsh kick of her boot before her words came through, "This is all I got for you, hermano, maybe Dean's got a battering ram in the Impala."

"V, the damn thing's coming!"

"Breathe," she tried to soothe him, "Go find some salt and iron around the house and hold the thing off while me and Dean figure something out."

She listened as Sam's steps echoed around the house as well as the sounds of him and Sarah rummaging through drawers and cabinets.

Dean, in the meantime, used his elbows, feet, and shoulders to try and break down the door. But nothing seemed to work.

Venus moved to the side of the house, looking for a cracked window when she took note of the silence on the call. "Sam, you okay?" she called out worriedly.

"Yeah, for now."

Dean rounded the corner. "How are we gonna waste her?" he asked both Venus and Sam.

"I don't know, she was already cremated. There's nothing left to burn."

"Then how's she still around?" Dean yelled into the phone, his brows furrowing angrily.

Venus sighed, thinking to herself and walking back to the front of the house. Dean's eyes darted to the top of the house, considering climbing up to the second floor for a way in. 

Sam's voice came through sometime later, "Guys? Sarah says the doll might have the kid's hair. Human remains—same as bones."

Venus fished out her motorcycle keys. "The mausoleum."

Within five minutes, the Impala had crashed through the gates of Brunswick Cemetery with Venus speeding behind, both with the Merchants' crypt in their sights.

Venus' bike reached the tomb's entrance first, the brunette's leg coming down to kick out the sidestand as she pulled her glasses up onto her forehead. She hauled a crowbar out of the compartment beneath the seat of the motorcycle and lightly jogged over, hearing Dean's footsteps behind her.

She used the iron weapon to yank the doors open and then ran over to the glass case holding a doll. But Dean sprung forward and attempted to use his fist to break it.

"Hey, dumbass!" she said after a few punches, waving the crowbar in his face.

Dean stepped back and hurriedly gestured for her to step up.

Venus held the crowbar with both hands and aimed a harsh swing at the center case holding the antique doll. She groaned in defeat upon seeing that she only managed a small crack in the case.

Dean laughed at her and rushed forward with his gun. "Step aside, princess," he said before doing something so stupid that would've made Venus laugh if Sam and Sarah's lives weren't on the line.

He used the butt of his gun to try and shatter the case.

Venus watched dumbfounded as he smacked the weapon against the glass. "You can't be serious," she gaped.

Dean turned to her in question before looking down at the gun. It took him three seconds to realize what Venus meant. He reached out a hand and pulled her behind him then blocked his face. One singular gunshot was all it took to destroy the case.

Venus used her crowbar to get rid of the remaining glass and reached in for the doll. She held it out in front of Dean for him to light it on fire, but his lighter refused to produce a flame. "Oh you've gotta be shitting me!" she loudly cursed while Dean fumbled with the silver lighter.

"Well, I can't exactly get the damn thing to work if you're yelling in my ears, Venus!"

Venus' yelling transcended to a string of Spanish expletives that Dean didn't understand but had definitely heard on many previous occasions.

Dean managed to get the lighter working a few seconds later and set the small doll on fire, tossing it to the ground. "You think we got it in time?" he turned and asked her, his brows furrowing in worry.

Venus pulled her phone from her back pocket. "Only one way to find out," she took a deep breath, dialing Sam's number. It rang for a few seconds too long before Sam's panting came through the line.

"You okay, Sammy?" Dean asked once she put the phone on speaker.

"Not bad," Sam replied, panting slightly.

Venus gave the burning doll one more glance, ended the call, and walked out of the crypt, relief flaring through her and Dean.

"Hey," he called out to her after some time.

Venus looked over at where he sat behind the Impala's wheel with a raised brow. "What's up?"

"Wanna race back to Evelyn's house?"

Venus chuckled, pulling her nightglasses down to cover her eyes. "You don't want this smoke, Winchester."

Dean revved Baby's engine with a smirk. "Gimme all the smoke you got, Princess."

Venus started her bike's engine and revved its engine in response. "I warned you."

-ˋˏ [ ] ˎˊ-

Dean entered the auction house the next morning with Venus by his side and new information in his hands.

The pair walked over to Sam and Sarah to find them overseeing the repackaging of their haunted painting. Sarah looked a lot more relaxed yet confident as opposed to the previous night, her dark hair framing her face in neat waves as she beamed up at Sam.

"This was archived in the county records," Dean announced, looking down at a few pieces of paper, "The Merchant's adopted daughter Melanie. Do you know why she was up for adoption? 'Cause her real family was murdered in their beds."

Sarah scoffed, looking down at the small girl depicted in the portrait, "She killed them?"

"Yeah, who would suspect her, a sweet little girl?" Venus shrugged, her hands resting comfortably in her hoodie pockets.

"So then she kills Isaiah and his family, and the old man takes the blame," Dean continued, "His spirit's been trying to warn people ever since."

One of the men handling the panting looked over at Sarah, "Where does this one go?"

"Take it out back and burn it," she said without an ounce of hesitation.

The hunters and auction house employees all gave her strange looks.

"I'm serious guys, thanks."

The workers carted away the painting, leaving the hunters alone with Sarah.

"So why'd the girl do it?" she turned and asked them.

"Killing others, killing herself," Sam sighed, meeting her eyes directly, "Some people are just born tortured. So when they die, their spirits are just as dark."

Dean shrugged, "Maybe. I don't really care. It's over, we move on."

At his words, Sarah looked back at Sam, her green eyes awkwardly darting between the men and Venus. "I guess this means you're leaving," she said after some time.

Venus, being able to take a hint, nudged Dean's bicep and silently gestured for them to leave. Sam looked over and used his eyes to relay the same message.

Dean sighed deeply. "We'll go wait outside. See ya, Sarah," he gave the woman a tight smile.

Sarah returned his smile and sent one to Venus as well who waved goodbye.

"I'm the one who burned the doll and destroyed the spirit but don't thank me or anything," she heard him mutter under his breath as they walked to the exit.

Venus rolled her eyes at his dramatics and caught up with him. She used her hands to tug on his shoulder, effectively bringing him down to her height, and rose onto her tippy toes to place a sweet kiss on his cheek. "Thank you," she whispered once she released him, her rose-colored lipgloss leaving an outline of her lips there.

Dean's eyes widened slightly, the taller man using everything he could to fight the blush that threatened to spill onto his face. "Y-You're welcome," he choked out.

Venus giggled at his reaction and walked away, missing the huge, stupid grin that spilled onto his lips as he used a finger to touch the spot she had just kissed.

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A/N: Dean being horrendously down bad for Venus part #347:
This chapter was supposed to drop on Tuesday
but I've been slacking this week.

THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH FOR 12K!!
I love everyone who's read this book whether you got this
far ahead or just read one chapter and gave up lmao.
Stick around cause I promise it's just gonna get better with
the seasons (everybody knows season one really drags on for a while)

Translations:
Viejo - Old man

Lovely GIF banner up above made by the incredibly talented prodigybitxhhh

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