CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

"Here, check this out." Sam says as he hands Nycole and Dean a paper to look at.

She starts to take the paper and then sighs when Dean starts talking into his radio again. "Yeah, go for Ozzie." He says as his brother and Nyx both look at him. "No, I don't have a twenty on Tara. I think she's ten-one-hundred. Okay, copy that."

"Please let me hit him." Nyx says as she looks over at Sam.

"I'm not gonna stop you." He says, and then Dean grabs her hands.

"No." He says.

"I'm not a dog." She says as she pulls her hands away from him. "But you are an idiot."

"I'm sorry. What were you saying?" Dean asks his brother.

"Elise Drummond — Scarlett back in the thirty's." Sam says as Dean takes the paper and they look at it. "Had an affair with a studio exec. He uses her up, fires her, leaves her destitute. So, Elise hangs herself from stage nine's rafters right into a scene they're shooting. Just like our dead man Brad."

"This is one of the four deaths I found out happened here." Nyx says, and Sam nods.

"So, what, she got it in for the studio brass?" Dean asks.

"Possibly. I mean it's motive, and Brad's death matches hers exactly."

"We're digging tonight, aren't we?" He asks, and Nyx sighs.

True to their job, they're in a graveyard after nightfall. "Which way?" Nyx asks.

"Uh, over here." Dean says, and she follows after the boys.

"Can we walk faster? I want to get this over with." She mumbles.

"Hey, this map was totally worth the five bucks." He laughs. "Hey, we got to go check out Johnny Ramone's grave when we're done here."

"You wanna dig him up too?" Sam asks.

"Bite your tongue, heathen." Dean says, appalled at his brother's comment.

"You know what I don't get is, why now?" He says. "I mean, after seventy-five years, Elise Drummond suddenly goes homicidal. You know, why this movie?"

"Well, maybe she's mad they're making a scary ghost flick." Dean says as they look at headstones, trying to find Elise's grave.

"Is it really that scary?"

"Not as scary as our lives." Nyx says, and Sam chuckles as he looks at her.

"Here we go." Dean says and they walk over to him. He's at Elise's grave.

"Yahtzee." She says.

They dig until they hit something, then Nyx climbs out of the grave, and Dean gets the coffin open. Once it's all opened up, he climbs out, and Sam pours salt on the remains. Dean pours the gasoline, and Nyx quickly lights the match before dropping it onto the corpse.

—

"Run-in with a giant​ fan." Sam scoffs. "Same thing happened to an electrician back in '66, a guy named Billy Beard."

"What the hell?" Dean asks.

"I don't know. It doesn't​ seem like Elise this time."

"We already torched her. Are we dealing​ with another ghost?" Nycole asks.

"Maybe." Sam says.

"Yeah, but these things don't usually tag-team." Dean says.

The hunters hear one of the guys working on the movie say that he has an announcement to make, so they walk over along with everyone else.

"In light of Jay's accident last night, and in cooperation with the authorities, we're shutting down production for a few days." He says, and everyone starts groaning. "I know, I know. Look, I'm not going to lie to you. We've had a few setbacks this week. But​ we all know what Jay and Brad wanted more than anything. And that was to see Hell Hazers 2: The Reckoning on screens all across America. Now, we owe it to them to go on and to pull together and make this damn movie, huh?" He says, and they all start clapping. "But not today. Go home. Someone will call you."

"Something tells me they really just wanted to live through production." Nyx mumbles as they walk away from them.

Instead of leaving like everyone was told, the hunters stay on set to see if they can find anything else that might be of use to them. So, now, Sam and Nycole are now in a trailer watching the dailies from set.

"It's not just me, right?" The teenager looks at Sam. "This movie sucks."

"Oh, yeah." He says, and she nods as she looks back at the screen.

The door opens then, and Dean walks back in. "Hey." He says as he walks over to the fridge.

"Please tell me you found out where the electrician's buried." Nyx says. "I need something to get this crap-tastic movie out of my head."

"He wasn't. Billy Beard was cremated." He tells them.

"Great." Sam sighs.

"You talk to Caroline?" Dean asks, and Nyx nods.

"I think she's plotting a way to steal the twins from us." She tells him, and he chuckles.

"What now?" Sam asks.

"No idea." Dean says as he sits down next to Nyx. "Anymore ghost cameos in the dailies?"

"Not in the first six hours." She tells him as he wraps his arm around her shoulders.

"Maybe the spirits are trying to shut down the movie 'cause they think it sucks." Sam says. "'Cause, I mean, it kinda does."

"If that's the case, how do I help them?" Nyx asks, and Sam smirks as he glances at her.

They keep watching, and Tara starts reading out of the book in her hands. Sam quickly rewinds it, and Dean and Nyx both look at him.

"Listen to the invocation." He says as he replays where Tara's reading. "Guys, that's the real deal — a necromantic summoning ritual." He tells them.

"What the hell is that doing in a Hollywood movie?" She questions.

—

"Should'a kept Walter's original script. It's actually pretty good." Nyx says as they read it.

The boys found out that someone that they all thought was a P.A. is actually the guy who wrote the script that this crap movie is based on. They changed it and added everything that Nycole and Sam were saying sucks.

"Yeah." Sam says. "And it reads like a how-to manual of conjuration, like a textbook on how to summon ghosts and get them to do whatever​ you want."

"Yeah, like kill people." Dean says.

"Yep."

"Okay," Nyx turns and looks at Sam because his brother's still reading. "So, let's say somewhere down the line, Walter learned some black magic."

"Yeah," Dean looks up from the script. "And let's say he's pissed at these people for wrecking his movie."

"Motive and means." Sam agrees.

"It's worth checking out."

"Let's go." Nyx gets up, and they grab a few weapons before heading​ back to the stage where the movie's being made.

Nyx hears screaming coming from inside and takes off running as fast as she can. She sees a ghost dragging one of the studio executives toward a large, high powered fan that's currently running. She quickly raises her gun and shoots the ghost with the rock salt inside. She then shuts off the fan and moves closer to the guy that she just saved as the boys run up behind her.

"You're one​ hell of a P.A." The exec. says, and she looks down at him.

"Yeah, I know." She says as she helps him to his feet.

"What are you doing?" Walter questions as Sam walks over to him.

"Could ask you the same thing, Walter." The Winchester boy says as Walter starts running up a set of stairs. "Raising those spirits from the dead? Making them murder for you? That's playing with fire, Walter."

"You don't understand." He says before continuing up the steps.

"You know what? You're right, I don't understand."

"Wait, look. You put your heart and soul into something, years of hard work — years. And then they take it and they crap all over it!"

"You know I can catch him in like five seconds, right?" Nyx whispers as she looks at Dean, who's standing right next to her.

"Hold on." He says.

"And then—" Walter continues. "And then they want you to smile and say thank you."

"Walter, listen." Sam says. "It's just a movie, that's it."

He sighs. "Look... I got nothing against you, man. You're not part of this. Just please— Please, just leave. But Martin's gotta stay."

"Sorry, can't do that." Dean tells him. "It's not that we like him or anything. It's a matter of principle."

"Then I'm sorry too." He raises the talisman in his hand and starts chanting in Latin.

"Now?" Nyx asks Dean.

He nods. "Now."

But​ the incantation was too short, and he's already done. There's a rumbling, and then the set seems to shake. Nyx sees the ghost.

"Damn it." She says as two more appear on either side of the one that she shot. "Baby..."

Dean turns then as she quickly raises her gun. "Sam!" He yells as he raises his own. "Come on, come on." He says as they watch the spirits slowly walk closer. And then they disappear.

"What the hell?"

They look around, and then Sam suddenly​ flies away from them. They run over to him, and then the four of them start running once he's back on his feet. Lights explode as they pass them, and Dean shoots behind them. They run into the cabin on the set and immediately slam the door behind them.

"Guys." Nyx gets their attention as she looks at the other end of the cabin. The part that's non-existent because this is a movie set.

"Ah, man." Dean sighs as they both reload their shotguns.

"I can't frickin' believe this." Martin — the studio exec. — says. "Ghosts are real."

"What makes you say that?" Dean asks.

"But I don't understand. How is Walter controlling them?"

"Probably that talisman." Sam tells him.

"Like when that bitch who tried to kill me with the reaper?" Nyx asks.

"Best guess." He nods as he pulls his phone out of his pocket.

"What are you doing?" Martin asks​ him.

"If film cameras pick these sucker's up, then maybe..." Sam starts looking through the camera on his phone. "Nyx, right there!" He points, and she spins around and pulls the trigger. "You got him."

"Not bad, Sammy​." She says as they look around.

"Right there!" He points, and she shoots.

Sam and Dean go after Walter as she quickly reloads her gun. Martin's​ looking through the camera on Sam's phone, telling her where to shoot.

"They're gone." He tells her, and they run to find the others. She stays at his pace just in case she needs to protect him.

"We can't stop them now." Sam's saying as they finally reach them. Nyx sees the talisman on the ground — it's broken.

"Oh, hell." She sighs, knowing that that's gonna be really bad.

"Walter, you brought them back... Forced them to murder. They're not going to be very happy with you." He tells him.

"Yeah? Why not?" Walter asks, but then he's suddenly on the ground, it was like his feet were pulled out from under him. He screams as the back of his shirt turns all bloody.

Martin raises Sam's phone, the camera's still open. He and Nyx see the three ghosts clawing at Walter. Her jaw drops and she quickly looks away from the camera​.

"Oh my God." She looks at Dean. "That one's definitely gonna keep me up at night." She says, and he takes a step toward her, but then she disappears.

Dean looks around confused, but then it clicks in his head when his eyes land on Walter again. She could smell all the blood, and it quickly became more than she could handle. He sighs as he looks over at his younger brother.

—

"You know, you made a lot of jokes during this job about breaking up with me again." Dean says, and his girlfriend looks at him.

They're sitting on the bed, and they have Alex and Everly with them. Nyx has Alex resting on her thighs and her knees​ are bent so he's propped up. Dean's in an identical position with Em and the babies seem content to simply watch their parents.

"I was only kidding." The brunette tells him. "Sam and I were just messing around. It felt good to joke around a bit, it's been a long time."

"But why those jokes?" He says, and she just looks at him for a few seconds.

Sam and Caroline aren't at the motel anymore. They went to get some breakfast and left them so that they could spend some time together as a family, just the four of them.

"You don't think it would actually happen, do you?" She asks, and he just looks at her. "Baby, they were just jokes. Admittedly very poor jokes, but jokes, nonetheless. I love you, Dean, and this is exactly where I'd be even if the twins had never happened. I'm not going anywhere, I can promise you that."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Always."

"When did you first know that you had feelings for me?" He asks, and she smiles.

"You're not gonna believe me."

"Why not?"

"Because it was during the time we were at the lake house." She tells him.

"That long ago?" He asks, and she nods as her smile widens at the memory.

"How old are you again?" Nyx asks, and Dean looks at her.

"Twenty-six. Why?"

"'Cause you're acting like you're just six." She says, and he looks at her, confused.

"How's that?"

"There are, like, five hundred sprinkles on your ice cream." She says, and he looks at it.

"Nobody asked you to eat it."

"I couldn't eat it. I've never seen an adult with that big of a sweet tooth." She tells him.

"You want to really see me act six?"

"Sure." She says, and he flings a spoonful of ice cream at her.

She then looks down at her shirt. "Seriously?"

"How old are you? Eighty? Lighten up."

"Okay." She gets up and walks over to the kitchen.

"What are you doing?" He asks as she grabs the sprinkles and whip cream.

"Lightening​ up." She says as she pours the sprinkles all over him, and he looks at them as they fall into​ his lap and down his shirt. "And to top it off..." She puts some whip cream in his hair.

"You did not just do that." He says as he sets his bowl of ice cream down.

"Oh, but I did." She says, and he looks up at her. She smiles and then runs into the kitchen.

He chases after her, and she gets a spoonful of ice cream and flings it at him. It hits his cheek and he picks up the glass bottle of cherries. He takes them out one by one and throws them at her as she goes over to the fridge and opens it up.

The brunette grabs the ketchup and opens it. She turns and starts spraying him with it. It gets all over his clothes, and he stops throwing cherries. She goes for the whip cream that she put back on the counter before, and he grabs the pitcher of lemonade that she made yesterday.

"You wouldn't." She says as he opens up the top. It's​ less than half full, but there's still plenty in there.

"Try me." He challenges, and she starts spraying him with whip cream.

He dumps the lemonade on her head, and it soaks her hair and all down her shoulders. Her jaw drops as she looks at him, and he laughs.

She tries to go around him to get something else to throw, but she slips on the lemonade that puddled up on the tile. Dean quickly grabs her, trying to catch her, and they both fall to the kitchen floor. Nyx lands on him, and his arms are wrapped around her.

"That was your fault." She says as she looks down at him, and he laughs. She likes hearing him laugh, he doesn't do it nearly often enough.

"Are you okay?" He asks.

"You mean, besides the fact that I don't want to clean this mess up? Yeah, I'm fine." She tells him, and he smiles as he looks at her.

He then reaches up and pulls a sprinkle out of her hair. She starts laughing, and they hear footsteps moving toward them. They both look in the direction that it's coming from, and they see his dad walk into the kitchen.

"I was gone for an hour." John says as he looks at the mess that they made, and she and Dean both start laughing.

The brunette puts her hands on his chest and pushes herself up. She stands, and he gets to his feet as well. They both turn to face John.

Nyx slips on the puddle again, and Dean puts his hands on her waist, steadying her so that she won't fall all over again.

"We'll clean this up." Dean says, and his dad just nods before walking away from them. The two both start laughing all over again as they look at each other.

"That was when you first realized that you had feelings for me?" Dean asks.

"It was the first time you'd ever been... I don't know, a regular person. There was no serious hunting trainer or Colonel Hard-Ass telling me what to do. While we were throwing things in that kitchen, you were just Dean." She tells him. "And I liked seeing that side of you. The part that actually knew how to have some fun. Some good, clean fun."

"You know, that night, my dad came outside while I was having a beer. He wanted to talk to me about you." He tells her.

"About me?" She asks, confused.

"Where's Nycole?" John asks as he walks out onto the porch, and Dean looks up at him.

"I think she said she was gonna shower. She was all sticky from the lemonade." He tells his dad, letting out a low chuckle, as he looks back out at the lake.

"She's a special girl, you know?" He says, and his son gives him a puzzled look, not sure where this is going. "I've never seen you the way you are with her. Not just the food fight, but when you two are training."

"What do you mean?"

"The way you talk to each other. You go from bickering, to full blown arguing, and then one of you makes a comment to get the other one laughing all in a matter of just a few minutes." He explains. "Normally I'd say you should keep your distance, that our line of work is too dangerous for a connection like you've got with her, but... I don't know, even I like this girl. And I can tell that she's gonna be an important part of your life."

"Whoa, whoa." Dean shakes his head. "The kid's a pain in my ass."

"Kid? She's seventeen."

"Yeah, and I'm twenty-six."

"And nine years may seem like a lot now, but trust me, there's gonna come a day where that doesn't matter so much anymore." John tells him. "She's gonna need you, Dean. And you may come to find that you need her just as much."

"Well, I don't know about all that, but I don't see us going our separate ways anytime soon." He says as he takes another drink from his beer.

"He really said all that?" Nyx asks, and Dean nods. "And you believe it?"

"Still the best damn job I ever worked." He says, and she smiles. "I really do love you."

"I love you too." She leans toward him, and he closes the distance between them to press his lips against hers. Everly starts giggling, and they both look down at her. "Is that right?" Nyx asks as she starts gently rocking their daughter.

Everly reaches toward Dean, and he moves his hand toward her. She wraps her tiny fist around his finger, and he smiles down at her. Nyx looks at Alex, and he's just watching Dean with those big green eyes that match his father's almost perfectly. There's definitely nowhere that she'd rather be. Not in a million years.

"This moment right here..." Nyx says, and Dean looks at her. "I've never been happier than this moment right here, and it's all thanks to you." She smiles, and he leans down to kiss her cheek.