Nightmares in Dakota Part 13/18
Title: Nightmares In Dakota
Author: youaredriving (aka Scarletsptember)
Fandom: Harry Potter/ Supernatural
Rating: R
Warning: Language, WIP, Slash, HP/DW
Disclaimer: The only thing that's mine are the ideas, the characters and anything associated belong to their respective owners.
Summary: South Dakota wasn't anything special but it was the perfect place for Harry and Teddy to start over at. Nothing was going to get them there
Warning: Mature scenes, Language, Violence
"You missed something," Bobby tossed a manila folder down on the table and glared down at Sam and Dean. The both shifted uncomfortably beneath the scolding gaze. "And it was a big something. So I'm finding it a little hard to believe that you two knuckleheads missed it."
"Well, you want to clue me in to what it is, professor?" Dean flipped through the pages quickly. The victims' last names might have been different but he and Sam should have dug deeper, they should have realized they resembled each other. They should have picked up on the fact that the victims were siblings. "Damn."
"Yeah, now you see what we missed." Sam whispered. The same thoughts that were crossing his mind were filtering across Dean's eyes, plain as day. They were scared of what they were seeing, ignoring the nightmares and exhaustion in favor of getting everything over with as quickly as possible. They missed a key component and messed up. "Now you see why we started thinking what happened to us was connected to this. They're ages match up with ours, and they are siblings. The people who are doing this, they aren't afraid to move from state to state, even if they have to move a few states and start over but they know what and who they are looking for."
"They're killing siblings." Dean swallowed the bile that rose in his throat trying to reason everything out, "And we still don't understand the ritual completely. We don't understand what they're trying to summon or what they're trying to do. We just played entirely into whatever game they were playing and for all we know they could come looking for us because we got away and killed a bunch of their friends."
"They could," Bobby agreed, "But I don't think they will. At least not yet."
"Oh well, that's something to look forward to," Dean snapped the folder closed and ground his teeth together. "Cause you know the first time they had us was all rainbows and sunshine and now we've got to look forward to it again."
"Dean," Sam set a hand on Dean's arm, "Just let him finish the thought out."
"As I was saying," Bobby rolled his eyes, "I don't think you've got anything to worry about for a couple of reasons. The main reason being, if they wanted to find you they would have done so already."
"All right, what other reasons do you have?" Sam asked, his fingers tapping against the table top.
"That's," Bobby scratched at his chin and shrugged, "That's actually all I've got right now but I'm working on it. Like the two of you should be doing."
"Hey, I'm not the one who was out all night and all morning." Sam elbowed Dean in the ribs before moving away from the table. "We got a lot to figure out."
"No shit." Dean mumbled and flicked at Bobby's notes in a hopeless gesture before looking over at Sam. "Where should we start exactly?"
"We need figure the ritual out. See what they're looking for." Sam opened his mouth to breath and his jaw popped before he snapped it closed as Bobby snorted and headed out the kitchen grumbling, along the lines of sounds about right.
"Well how do you suppose we go about doing that, Sam? We don't remember what was real from what was just what really happened. We don't even have our nightmares anymore, not that I'm complaining because that was a miracle. So what do you suggest besides a lot of research and crap load of hoping?"
"We ask Harry." Sam suggested, clenching his fists trying to curb the inevitable anger that would occur from an outburst from Dean.
"I don't know," Dean rubbed the back of his hand over his lips, "Do we really want to do that, Sam?"
"He can get back into our minds and see what happened. He's able to do what we can't do ourselves, Dean."
"I can't, Sam." Dean shook his head. "I don't want to go back there, Sam."
"But we have to," Sam swallowed down the fear that had gathered. "If we don't we're never going to know and how many more people are going to be hurt because of it?"
"We can do all that by research, Sam. You haven't had nightmares or anything. We can just push and push until we figure everything out."
"What are you so afraid of, Dean?" Sam let out a shaky breath.
"Everything is good. For once in our lives, Sam, everything is good. If we let Harry into our minds and he sees what we did to those people, I'm going to lose everything. I can't take that."
"He might not have to see it all."
"But you don't know that. What if he gets stuck? What if the memory doesn't let him loose?"
Dean folded his fingers together before tapping them against his thigh, avoiding Sam's watchful eyes. If Sam said they should let Harry do his mind magic, then that's what they would do but what Dean could remember after getting out of the binds and tracking those people down. Those were memories that he didn't want to relive or have Harry witness. The people they killed might have been witches but it wasn't done the way they usually hunted. It was cold and harsh. It was meant to hurt. That was a side of himself he never wanted Harry to see and letting Harry in his mind, to witness every dark and evil thought he had.
"We'll stick with research for a little while. But they're going to kill again, Dean. There's no doubt about that. We may have a little more information to compare known rituals with, but we're running on a time limit."
"I know that," Dean snapped. "You think I don't get that. That I don't know what I'm risking? I get it, Sam. So stop trying to guilt trip me while you're ahead of yourself and get me some damn books."
Dean settled at the table and laid his head down with a heavy thwack. South Dakota just got a whole lot more complicated than it ever was. Dean ignored the weighted footsteps of his brother and grimaced when the table jolted beneath the weight of several books.
"Here's your damn books, now get me some coffee jerk."
"You're such a bitch."
~*~
Harry was nervous waiting for Teddy. In all honesty, he wasn't sure why he was so on edge. It was just an underlying sense of something watching and knowing where he was that lingering at the back of his mind that was bothering him. A cursory glance around the parking lot and nothing was nothing out of the ordinary but it didn't seem to calm his nerves any. Not even the hum of music through out the cab of the truck could manage to take the edge off.
Pulling up to the curb, Teddy swung the door open and grinned, excited about not having to wait after school and able to join his friends in the carline.
"Good day?" Harry asked making quick work of securing the seatbelt and heading for home.
"It was all right."
"Just all right?" Harry checked for oncoming traffic and pulled onto the highway before glancing at Teddy. "What's that supposed to mean, Squirt?"
"Just boring," Teddy shrugged and peered curiously at Harry. "What about you?"
"This morning, I was a little worried about you but then the rest of the day got better." Harry grinned and rubbed at the faint stubble burn Dean left right below his shirt collar before flipping on his indicator and readjusting his hold on the steering wheel. "So you sure you're okay? After everything?"
"M'fine," Teddy smiled up at Harry before watching the trees pass by.
"Promise?"
Teddy nodded before he answered out loud, "I promise."
Charlie was sitting at the table, sipping on a cup of a tea when Harry and Teddy tumbled through the door. "Hey you two."
"Uncle Charlie," Teddy dropped his bag as he walked, leaving Harry to move it out of the walkway, as Teddy headed into the kitchen to sit. "I'm mad at you."
"You are?"
"He said he was," Harry grinned. "I have a feeling this has to do with Calming Draughts?"
"You tricked me." Teddy eyes grew wide as he pointed at the red head.
"I should apologize for that." Charlie set his cup down on the table. "It was wrong of me to do that. Your Dad told me I might have dosed you a little too high."
"I would have stayed in there." Teddy huffed, "I knew something was going on and that Dad was worried. But he had Dean, Sam, Bobby, and you. He wasn't going to let anything happen to me."
"Well I am sorry, Runt."
"Good. I'm going to go practice my magic." Harry ruffled Teddy's hair, taking the glamour off as Teddy flew by him and headed for his room.
"What's up Charlie?"
"Sam called." Charlie nudged over a piece of paper. "He left a message but he rambled a lot. The few things that I actually picked up on were mind magic and Dean isn't sure if that's the right thing to do but I'm thinking you should call them back. Or at least Sam because I think Sam doesn't want Dean to know he's scheming."
"Oh." Harry bit into his lip and nodded, hoping that Charlie would leave it there.
"Mind magic?" Charlie snatched the message up off the table and waved it at Harry's face. "What did you need to use that on them for? What happened to them that you decided you had to go into their minds to help them, Harry?"
"It's not my place to say, Charlie." Harry spun around, trying to figure out how the situation spiraled so quickly out of control.
"Sorry, I'm kind of ruining the afterglow aren't I?" Charlie sipped at his tea to hide his knowing grin but sputtered when Harry reached around and popped him on the back of the head. "Okay, off limits. I got the message loud and clear."
"Just remember the message when you start up later on," Harry rolled his eyes digging around in the cupboards. "And where were you last night, not that I didn't appreciate you making yourself scarce."
"I went out to the stables and checked up on some of the horses. Wesson, one of the Quarter horses, he's been a bit temperamental so I checked on him and sat with him. Then I went to the diner. I think you should check in with Taggart."
"Why?" Harry set the ground chuck on the counter and waited for Charlie to explain. "Did he say something?"
"It's what he didn't say that has me worried." Charlie stood up and started pulling out pans and took over the cooking as he spoke. "He didn't talk to anyone, at all. He just stayed in the kitchen and when I did catch a glance at the guy he looked like he hadn't slept in a few days."
"He told me he'd call or find me if anything big happened." Harry watched as Charlie browned the meat and watched as he attempted to make something out of it. "What are you making?"
"I don't know, I thought I should help." Charlie growled and Harry smirked.
"Boil some water and we'll have Spaghetti." Harry grabbed the pasta and grabbed a jar of Ragu he kept on hand and set it on the counter next to Charlie. "Now finish up."
"Oh thanks," Charlie elbowed Harry.
"I should go see Taggart tomorrow, see what's going on."
"You should, especially if he isn't coming to you like he said he would." Charlie nodded, crossing his feet at his ankles as he waited for the water to boil. "Why does it feel like something big is about to happen here?"
"Because that's the general feeling," Harry answered honestly, "It's just, there's a lot and I think everything is starting to fall apart. Or at least it's beginning to feel like it."
Harry watched silently as Charlie set the pasta to cook. The calm that South Dakota had one provided wasn't here any longer and it wouldn't be until everything was figured out. But what was really bothering Harry, was the fact that everything was starting to feel like it was falling through his fingers and there was nothing he could do to stop it.
Harry was in the middle of doing the dishes, while Charlie and Teddy were arguing over the finer points of Mario when there was a hesitant knocking on the door. Harry wiped his hands off with a dishtowel before heading Teddy off and checking to see who was outside when he saw a bedraggled Taggart leaning against the porch railing, his eyes drooping shut.
"What are you doing here, Taggart?" Harry asked opening the door and gesturing him in and Taggart snorted at the salt he had to step over.
"Smart, but what's coming after you probably isn't going to have a problem getting over that. That's just what I'm thinking." Taggart nodded to Charlie and gave a wave to Teddy. "Can we talk where the little one isn't going to over here this?"
"Yeah, sure. Are you hungry, or do you want anything to drink?"
"No, I don't think I can handle any food right now." Taggart followed quietly behind Harry into the office and sighed as he set in a chair. "Something bad is coming."
"Dreams?"
"I think," Taggart nodded and rubbed at his eyes, "It's hard to tell anymore what's going on. It's like there's a fog but I can hear chanting, and I can smell blood. There's so much blood I can smell it."
Harry sat quiet, waiting for Taggart to gather himself as he mentally took notes of what the man was saying.
"The dreams happen when I'm awake and when I'm asleep so I've been going to the cards and they all say the same thing. Someone is going to die." Taggart looked up his eyes rimmed red in exhaustion and fear. "Someone is going to die and I keep seeing blood and blackness. Then you and the Winchesters are there. It's all I can see and it won't leave me alone."
"Taggart," Harry ignored the pang of guilt that fluttered across his chest, "You have to tell me exactly what you're seeing."
"I don't know what I'm seeing!" Taggart yelled and he wiped a hand over his lips, "Sorry. It's just, when I say that there's a fog, I mean that there's a fog. It's like someone doesn't want me to see. I catch bits and pieces."
"What have you seen?"
"A weird ass pentagram or something on the floor covered in blood. There's so much blood and then there's you three. You're always there, trying to figure something out but you can't."
"Can you draw it?"
"Draw what?"
"The symbol on the floor, can you draw it."
"I guess. You got a pen and some paper?" Taggart grabbed the offered items and Harry watched as Taggart expertly drew out a pentagram with a few added on jagged swirls at the tips and the inside he scribbled something. "There are words here, but I can never make them out."
"This just looks like a regular pentagram and those aren't evil."
"This is," Taggart shoved the paper in Harry's hands. "Then it isn't a normal pentagram, because that is evil. Every inch of it is evil and I'm sick and tired of seeing it."
"I'll figure it out, Taggart."
"Someone needs to," Taggart nodded before standing, "It's what's been happening. Hopefully it'll get you somewhere."
"Yeah, you need a ride home?"
"Nah," Taggart shook his head. "The walk will do me good."
"Let Charlie bring you home, after everything that's been going on I can't let you walk home."
"Yeah, I guess that would be cool. Just watch out for yourself, Harry. There's a lot out there and it's not nearly as interested in me as it is in you."
~*~
Harry pulled up outside the garage to Sam sitting against one of the bay doors and Harry groaned.
"I take it you didn't get my message?" Sam questioned as he pushed himself up off the ground and followed Harry into the garage.
"I did," Harry admitted sheepishly, "I just forgot to call you in a bit of a mix up last night."
"Do I even want to know?"
"Taggart stopped by and he was a wreck." Harry shook his head. "It's getting to be like a train station at my house with the way people are coming and going. Anyways, when Charlie told me you called we had a bit of a tiff and then Taggart showed up and long evening."
"We had a bit of a day here too," Sam followed Harry's lead and flicked on the computer system as Harry started opening the bay doors to let air flow into the garage. "But I wanted to see if you would do me a favor. Well Dean and I a favor if it came down to it."
"What is it?"
"Let me start from the beginning," Sam told Harry about what they had thought about the rituals and started to go into how they were researching but Harry stopped him.
"I may have something that could help you," Harry pulled out the paper with Taggart's sketch on it and passed it Sam. "He drew that last night. I know it looks like a regular pentagram but he swears its evil and by the things he is seeing I'm with him on this."
"He isn't able to see the words or make out any of the lettering?"
"No, I asked." Harry shrugged, "That might help you in your research."
"It should," Sam nodded, "No doubt."
"But there was more than talk about research and asking me to help in that aspect. What was the main reason for you to sneak over here while your brother is out this early?"
"We think the rituals are connected to what happened to us. If we can't figure it out soon, we need you to go back in and tell us what you see. To tell us what's real and what is just a nightmare."
"I could just do that for you and it would save a lot of time in the long run. Unless there is some reason for not wanting to do it right away?"
"We did some things we're not proud of, and we don't want you to see it."
Harry rolled his lips together and nodded. "Dean's worried about something so you're humoring him with the research?"
"Pretty much," Sam rocked back and forth on his heels.
"Have you ever wondered how I got these scars, Sam?" Harry asked pointing to the burns on his arms. Sam nodded once without looking down at Harry's arms and Harry had to give him points for that. "I was in a war. I'm sure you heard Charlie mention it a few times. He says things without a thought. But the thing Dean has to realize is that we all do things that we aren't proud of and we don't want people knowing about. If he thinks that I'm going to get upset with him about what I may or may not see, while it is an honest reaction, he doesn't need to worry. I might have done worse than kill them."
"How did you get the scars?" Sam asked ignoring the fire that had ignited behind Harry's eyes.
"I got caught." Harry shrugged. "Torture is never a fun thing, Sam. You should go before your brother shows up and gets mad at you."
"Will you help, if we need it?" Sam asked, already backing through the doors.
"Why wouldn't I?"
Harry had just got off the phone with a customer when a pair of lips settled on the back of his neck. Harry grinned before spinning around on the stool and looking up at Dean. "Good morning?"
"Needed a break from the books, thought I'd see what you were doing. Doesn't look like you're up to, too much."
"Not really," Harry moistened his lips. "How is the research coming?"
"Uh, after Sammy's unnamed source gave him a pentagram to look up?" Dean gave Harry a knowing look, "We still have nothing. Bobby hasn't even seen it, so we're still stuck at ground zero."
Harry toyed with the edge of Dean's shirt, grinning when Dean's muscles jumped when his fingers brushed against warm skin. "But other than the lack of progression in research your day is going okay?"
Dean leaned in close enough to tease, "Would be better if you and Sam weren't plotting something behind my back."
"We're not plotting." Harry rubbed a hand over his face as he leaned back to explain, "He asked, if it came to it, would I be willing to go back in your minds. To help you figure this out when it came down to it."
"Is that how you got the pentagram?"
"No, I actually got that from Taggart." Harry answered. "He isn't doing to well with all this. If you aren't accustomed to these things, it's hard on you."
"Oh," Dean nodded and turned, "Well I'll just let you get back to whatever you were doing."
"You don't have to leave." Harry grasped Dean's wrist. "I've got a car I could use some help on that should be here in a few minutes if you want a break from the books."
"If you want the company." Dean slipped a hand into his pocket before grasping at the belt loops of Harry's pants.
"Course I do, you idiot."
To Part Fourteen....
Author: youaredriving (aka Scarletsptember)
Fandom: Harry Potter/ Supernatural
Rating: R
Warning: Language, WIP, Slash, HP/DW
Disclaimer: The only thing that's mine are the ideas, the characters and anything associated belong to their respective owners.
Summary: South Dakota wasn't anything special but it was the perfect place for Harry and Teddy to start over at. Nothing was going to get them there
Warning: Mature scenes, Language, Violence
"You missed something," Bobby tossed a manila folder down on the table and glared down at Sam and Dean. The both shifted uncomfortably beneath the scolding gaze. "And it was a big something. So I'm finding it a little hard to believe that you two knuckleheads missed it."
"Well, you want to clue me in to what it is, professor?" Dean flipped through the pages quickly. The victims' last names might have been different but he and Sam should have dug deeper, they should have realized they resembled each other. They should have picked up on the fact that the victims were siblings. "Damn."
"Yeah, now you see what we missed." Sam whispered. The same thoughts that were crossing his mind were filtering across Dean's eyes, plain as day. They were scared of what they were seeing, ignoring the nightmares and exhaustion in favor of getting everything over with as quickly as possible. They missed a key component and messed up. "Now you see why we started thinking what happened to us was connected to this. They're ages match up with ours, and they are siblings. The people who are doing this, they aren't afraid to move from state to state, even if they have to move a few states and start over but they know what and who they are looking for."
"They're killing siblings." Dean swallowed the bile that rose in his throat trying to reason everything out, "And we still don't understand the ritual completely. We don't understand what they're trying to summon or what they're trying to do. We just played entirely into whatever game they were playing and for all we know they could come looking for us because we got away and killed a bunch of their friends."
"They could," Bobby agreed, "But I don't think they will. At least not yet."
"Oh well, that's something to look forward to," Dean snapped the folder closed and ground his teeth together. "Cause you know the first time they had us was all rainbows and sunshine and now we've got to look forward to it again."
"Dean," Sam set a hand on Dean's arm, "Just let him finish the thought out."
"As I was saying," Bobby rolled his eyes, "I don't think you've got anything to worry about for a couple of reasons. The main reason being, if they wanted to find you they would have done so already."
"All right, what other reasons do you have?" Sam asked, his fingers tapping against the table top.
"That's," Bobby scratched at his chin and shrugged, "That's actually all I've got right now but I'm working on it. Like the two of you should be doing."
"Hey, I'm not the one who was out all night and all morning." Sam elbowed Dean in the ribs before moving away from the table. "We got a lot to figure out."
"No shit." Dean mumbled and flicked at Bobby's notes in a hopeless gesture before looking over at Sam. "Where should we start exactly?"
"We need figure the ritual out. See what they're looking for." Sam opened his mouth to breath and his jaw popped before he snapped it closed as Bobby snorted and headed out the kitchen grumbling, along the lines of sounds about right.
"Well how do you suppose we go about doing that, Sam? We don't remember what was real from what was just what really happened. We don't even have our nightmares anymore, not that I'm complaining because that was a miracle. So what do you suggest besides a lot of research and crap load of hoping?"
"We ask Harry." Sam suggested, clenching his fists trying to curb the inevitable anger that would occur from an outburst from Dean.
"I don't know," Dean rubbed the back of his hand over his lips, "Do we really want to do that, Sam?"
"He can get back into our minds and see what happened. He's able to do what we can't do ourselves, Dean."
"I can't, Sam." Dean shook his head. "I don't want to go back there, Sam."
"But we have to," Sam swallowed down the fear that had gathered. "If we don't we're never going to know and how many more people are going to be hurt because of it?"
"We can do all that by research, Sam. You haven't had nightmares or anything. We can just push and push until we figure everything out."
"What are you so afraid of, Dean?" Sam let out a shaky breath.
"Everything is good. For once in our lives, Sam, everything is good. If we let Harry into our minds and he sees what we did to those people, I'm going to lose everything. I can't take that."
"He might not have to see it all."
"But you don't know that. What if he gets stuck? What if the memory doesn't let him loose?"
Dean folded his fingers together before tapping them against his thigh, avoiding Sam's watchful eyes. If Sam said they should let Harry do his mind magic, then that's what they would do but what Dean could remember after getting out of the binds and tracking those people down. Those were memories that he didn't want to relive or have Harry witness. The people they killed might have been witches but it wasn't done the way they usually hunted. It was cold and harsh. It was meant to hurt. That was a side of himself he never wanted Harry to see and letting Harry in his mind, to witness every dark and evil thought he had.
"We'll stick with research for a little while. But they're going to kill again, Dean. There's no doubt about that. We may have a little more information to compare known rituals with, but we're running on a time limit."
"I know that," Dean snapped. "You think I don't get that. That I don't know what I'm risking? I get it, Sam. So stop trying to guilt trip me while you're ahead of yourself and get me some damn books."
Dean settled at the table and laid his head down with a heavy thwack. South Dakota just got a whole lot more complicated than it ever was. Dean ignored the weighted footsteps of his brother and grimaced when the table jolted beneath the weight of several books.
"Here's your damn books, now get me some coffee jerk."
"You're such a bitch."
~*~
Harry was nervous waiting for Teddy. In all honesty, he wasn't sure why he was so on edge. It was just an underlying sense of something watching and knowing where he was that lingering at the back of his mind that was bothering him. A cursory glance around the parking lot and nothing was nothing out of the ordinary but it didn't seem to calm his nerves any. Not even the hum of music through out the cab of the truck could manage to take the edge off.
Pulling up to the curb, Teddy swung the door open and grinned, excited about not having to wait after school and able to join his friends in the carline.
"Good day?" Harry asked making quick work of securing the seatbelt and heading for home.
"It was all right."
"Just all right?" Harry checked for oncoming traffic and pulled onto the highway before glancing at Teddy. "What's that supposed to mean, Squirt?"
"Just boring," Teddy shrugged and peered curiously at Harry. "What about you?"
"This morning, I was a little worried about you but then the rest of the day got better." Harry grinned and rubbed at the faint stubble burn Dean left right below his shirt collar before flipping on his indicator and readjusting his hold on the steering wheel. "So you sure you're okay? After everything?"
"M'fine," Teddy smiled up at Harry before watching the trees pass by.
"Promise?"
Teddy nodded before he answered out loud, "I promise."
Charlie was sitting at the table, sipping on a cup of a tea when Harry and Teddy tumbled through the door. "Hey you two."
"Uncle Charlie," Teddy dropped his bag as he walked, leaving Harry to move it out of the walkway, as Teddy headed into the kitchen to sit. "I'm mad at you."
"You are?"
"He said he was," Harry grinned. "I have a feeling this has to do with Calming Draughts?"
"You tricked me." Teddy eyes grew wide as he pointed at the red head.
"I should apologize for that." Charlie set his cup down on the table. "It was wrong of me to do that. Your Dad told me I might have dosed you a little too high."
"I would have stayed in there." Teddy huffed, "I knew something was going on and that Dad was worried. But he had Dean, Sam, Bobby, and you. He wasn't going to let anything happen to me."
"Well I am sorry, Runt."
"Good. I'm going to go practice my magic." Harry ruffled Teddy's hair, taking the glamour off as Teddy flew by him and headed for his room.
"What's up Charlie?"
"Sam called." Charlie nudged over a piece of paper. "He left a message but he rambled a lot. The few things that I actually picked up on were mind magic and Dean isn't sure if that's the right thing to do but I'm thinking you should call them back. Or at least Sam because I think Sam doesn't want Dean to know he's scheming."
"Oh." Harry bit into his lip and nodded, hoping that Charlie would leave it there.
"Mind magic?" Charlie snatched the message up off the table and waved it at Harry's face. "What did you need to use that on them for? What happened to them that you decided you had to go into their minds to help them, Harry?"
"It's not my place to say, Charlie." Harry spun around, trying to figure out how the situation spiraled so quickly out of control.
"Sorry, I'm kind of ruining the afterglow aren't I?" Charlie sipped at his tea to hide his knowing grin but sputtered when Harry reached around and popped him on the back of the head. "Okay, off limits. I got the message loud and clear."
"Just remember the message when you start up later on," Harry rolled his eyes digging around in the cupboards. "And where were you last night, not that I didn't appreciate you making yourself scarce."
"I went out to the stables and checked up on some of the horses. Wesson, one of the Quarter horses, he's been a bit temperamental so I checked on him and sat with him. Then I went to the diner. I think you should check in with Taggart."
"Why?" Harry set the ground chuck on the counter and waited for Charlie to explain. "Did he say something?"
"It's what he didn't say that has me worried." Charlie stood up and started pulling out pans and took over the cooking as he spoke. "He didn't talk to anyone, at all. He just stayed in the kitchen and when I did catch a glance at the guy he looked like he hadn't slept in a few days."
"He told me he'd call or find me if anything big happened." Harry watched as Charlie browned the meat and watched as he attempted to make something out of it. "What are you making?"
"I don't know, I thought I should help." Charlie growled and Harry smirked.
"Boil some water and we'll have Spaghetti." Harry grabbed the pasta and grabbed a jar of Ragu he kept on hand and set it on the counter next to Charlie. "Now finish up."
"Oh thanks," Charlie elbowed Harry.
"I should go see Taggart tomorrow, see what's going on."
"You should, especially if he isn't coming to you like he said he would." Charlie nodded, crossing his feet at his ankles as he waited for the water to boil. "Why does it feel like something big is about to happen here?"
"Because that's the general feeling," Harry answered honestly, "It's just, there's a lot and I think everything is starting to fall apart. Or at least it's beginning to feel like it."
Harry watched silently as Charlie set the pasta to cook. The calm that South Dakota had one provided wasn't here any longer and it wouldn't be until everything was figured out. But what was really bothering Harry, was the fact that everything was starting to feel like it was falling through his fingers and there was nothing he could do to stop it.
Harry was in the middle of doing the dishes, while Charlie and Teddy were arguing over the finer points of Mario when there was a hesitant knocking on the door. Harry wiped his hands off with a dishtowel before heading Teddy off and checking to see who was outside when he saw a bedraggled Taggart leaning against the porch railing, his eyes drooping shut.
"What are you doing here, Taggart?" Harry asked opening the door and gesturing him in and Taggart snorted at the salt he had to step over.
"Smart, but what's coming after you probably isn't going to have a problem getting over that. That's just what I'm thinking." Taggart nodded to Charlie and gave a wave to Teddy. "Can we talk where the little one isn't going to over here this?"
"Yeah, sure. Are you hungry, or do you want anything to drink?"
"No, I don't think I can handle any food right now." Taggart followed quietly behind Harry into the office and sighed as he set in a chair. "Something bad is coming."
"Dreams?"
"I think," Taggart nodded and rubbed at his eyes, "It's hard to tell anymore what's going on. It's like there's a fog but I can hear chanting, and I can smell blood. There's so much blood I can smell it."
Harry sat quiet, waiting for Taggart to gather himself as he mentally took notes of what the man was saying.
"The dreams happen when I'm awake and when I'm asleep so I've been going to the cards and they all say the same thing. Someone is going to die." Taggart looked up his eyes rimmed red in exhaustion and fear. "Someone is going to die and I keep seeing blood and blackness. Then you and the Winchesters are there. It's all I can see and it won't leave me alone."
"Taggart," Harry ignored the pang of guilt that fluttered across his chest, "You have to tell me exactly what you're seeing."
"I don't know what I'm seeing!" Taggart yelled and he wiped a hand over his lips, "Sorry. It's just, when I say that there's a fog, I mean that there's a fog. It's like someone doesn't want me to see. I catch bits and pieces."
"What have you seen?"
"A weird ass pentagram or something on the floor covered in blood. There's so much blood and then there's you three. You're always there, trying to figure something out but you can't."
"Can you draw it?"
"Draw what?"
"The symbol on the floor, can you draw it."
"I guess. You got a pen and some paper?" Taggart grabbed the offered items and Harry watched as Taggart expertly drew out a pentagram with a few added on jagged swirls at the tips and the inside he scribbled something. "There are words here, but I can never make them out."
"This just looks like a regular pentagram and those aren't evil."
"This is," Taggart shoved the paper in Harry's hands. "Then it isn't a normal pentagram, because that is evil. Every inch of it is evil and I'm sick and tired of seeing it."
"I'll figure it out, Taggart."
"Someone needs to," Taggart nodded before standing, "It's what's been happening. Hopefully it'll get you somewhere."
"Yeah, you need a ride home?"
"Nah," Taggart shook his head. "The walk will do me good."
"Let Charlie bring you home, after everything that's been going on I can't let you walk home."
"Yeah, I guess that would be cool. Just watch out for yourself, Harry. There's a lot out there and it's not nearly as interested in me as it is in you."
~*~
Harry pulled up outside the garage to Sam sitting against one of the bay doors and Harry groaned.
"I take it you didn't get my message?" Sam questioned as he pushed himself up off the ground and followed Harry into the garage.
"I did," Harry admitted sheepishly, "I just forgot to call you in a bit of a mix up last night."
"Do I even want to know?"
"Taggart stopped by and he was a wreck." Harry shook his head. "It's getting to be like a train station at my house with the way people are coming and going. Anyways, when Charlie told me you called we had a bit of a tiff and then Taggart showed up and long evening."
"We had a bit of a day here too," Sam followed Harry's lead and flicked on the computer system as Harry started opening the bay doors to let air flow into the garage. "But I wanted to see if you would do me a favor. Well Dean and I a favor if it came down to it."
"What is it?"
"Let me start from the beginning," Sam told Harry about what they had thought about the rituals and started to go into how they were researching but Harry stopped him.
"I may have something that could help you," Harry pulled out the paper with Taggart's sketch on it and passed it Sam. "He drew that last night. I know it looks like a regular pentagram but he swears its evil and by the things he is seeing I'm with him on this."
"He isn't able to see the words or make out any of the lettering?"
"No, I asked." Harry shrugged, "That might help you in your research."
"It should," Sam nodded, "No doubt."
"But there was more than talk about research and asking me to help in that aspect. What was the main reason for you to sneak over here while your brother is out this early?"
"We think the rituals are connected to what happened to us. If we can't figure it out soon, we need you to go back in and tell us what you see. To tell us what's real and what is just a nightmare."
"I could just do that for you and it would save a lot of time in the long run. Unless there is some reason for not wanting to do it right away?"
"We did some things we're not proud of, and we don't want you to see it."
Harry rolled his lips together and nodded. "Dean's worried about something so you're humoring him with the research?"
"Pretty much," Sam rocked back and forth on his heels.
"Have you ever wondered how I got these scars, Sam?" Harry asked pointing to the burns on his arms. Sam nodded once without looking down at Harry's arms and Harry had to give him points for that. "I was in a war. I'm sure you heard Charlie mention it a few times. He says things without a thought. But the thing Dean has to realize is that we all do things that we aren't proud of and we don't want people knowing about. If he thinks that I'm going to get upset with him about what I may or may not see, while it is an honest reaction, he doesn't need to worry. I might have done worse than kill them."
"How did you get the scars?" Sam asked ignoring the fire that had ignited behind Harry's eyes.
"I got caught." Harry shrugged. "Torture is never a fun thing, Sam. You should go before your brother shows up and gets mad at you."
"Will you help, if we need it?" Sam asked, already backing through the doors.
"Why wouldn't I?"
Harry had just got off the phone with a customer when a pair of lips settled on the back of his neck. Harry grinned before spinning around on the stool and looking up at Dean. "Good morning?"
"Needed a break from the books, thought I'd see what you were doing. Doesn't look like you're up to, too much."
"Not really," Harry moistened his lips. "How is the research coming?"
"Uh, after Sammy's unnamed source gave him a pentagram to look up?" Dean gave Harry a knowing look, "We still have nothing. Bobby hasn't even seen it, so we're still stuck at ground zero."
Harry toyed with the edge of Dean's shirt, grinning when Dean's muscles jumped when his fingers brushed against warm skin. "But other than the lack of progression in research your day is going okay?"
Dean leaned in close enough to tease, "Would be better if you and Sam weren't plotting something behind my back."
"We're not plotting." Harry rubbed a hand over his face as he leaned back to explain, "He asked, if it came to it, would I be willing to go back in your minds. To help you figure this out when it came down to it."
"Is that how you got the pentagram?"
"No, I actually got that from Taggart." Harry answered. "He isn't doing to well with all this. If you aren't accustomed to these things, it's hard on you."
"Oh," Dean nodded and turned, "Well I'll just let you get back to whatever you were doing."
"You don't have to leave." Harry grasped Dean's wrist. "I've got a car I could use some help on that should be here in a few minutes if you want a break from the books."
"If you want the company." Dean slipped a hand into his pocket before grasping at the belt loops of Harry's pants.
"Course I do, you idiot."
To Part Fourteen....