How to Save a Soul - ABANDONED

"No, that's perfectly fine." He said, retracting his hand and took a sip of his tea before speaking again. "So, I couldn't help but notice that you own a lot of Celtic merchandise. Is it a hobby of yours, or are you into things such as witchcraft?" He asked, scratching the back of his neck nervously. He hoped that she wasn't a witch or anything of the sort.

"Ah...well, I understand why you'd ask that, but no. I'm a Pegan, but not into witchcraft. I worship the Earth and on the nights of the full moon I sleep outside unless of course, the weather's bad. No magic needed, just dedication to my garden and love of nature," Bridget smiled, "Are you perhaps a hunter? I ran into a few in my old town. They like to frequent the bars. I imagine their line of work would make them alcoholics."

Sam blinked a few times in surprise as her words, a small breath leaving his lips as he smirked slightly to himself. "Lucky guess." He chuckled, sipping his tea before looking up at her again. "So, before the disappearances started, did you happen to notice anything strange?"

"Well...as we're talking freely now," taking a sip as well, she took a second and shook her head, "I had these lawn gnomes...I've had them for years before I moved here a month ago, and not a week after I did...they disappeared. I thought someone'd stolen them, but two weeks later my son disappeared. Then all the other children started disappearing, but mine was the first. Of course then, everyone got suspicious of me....especially since I don't go to church."

Sam leaned in slightly as he listened to her, only for his eyes to narrow in slight confusion. "Lawn gnomes...?" He blurted out, before she continued speaking. He paid closer attention to what she was saying, and his eyes widened ever so slightly. The dots were slowly starting to connect, but he had one last question he needed to ask. "These lawn gnomes... What did they look like? Were they garden gnomes? Like, the pointed hat dwarfs?" he asked, wanting to make sure that the hunch he had was right.

"Um, no...they were stone and very heavy, and there were five of them...almost didn't bring them along but I just couldn't part with them. Now...they and my son have disappeared. I don't even know if he's still alive." Bridget sighed, "I am very sorry. I had no idea any of this would happen."

The younger Winchester's eyes widened even more at the description, looking out the window to his right to find it was getting dark. It was just as Gregory said; trolls were definitely behind the kidnappings, and he had to get a hold of Kerica. He smiled at Bridget and pat her hand gently. "Thank you for your time. And don't worry... We'll find your son, and bring him home safe and sound. I promise." He said, determination in his eyes before standing on his feet and walking out of the house with his phone placed by his ear.

Kerica's phone rang a few times, then reached her voicemail. He hung up and tried again, only to end up with voicemail again. He growled deep in his throat, feeling that something was seriously wrong. "Damn it!" He cursed, a sick sensation forming in the pit of his stomach before he rushed off to go find the brunette.

~*~

Kerica had found the children's book about trolls, and also found other mythological books. The information was pretty consistent, besides what they liked like. She had made a library card and checked out what she had found so she could show them to Sam. Though...she  was leary about being out in the dark. The trolls could show up anywhere at anytime. Heading for her car as fast as possible, feeling like she was in a horror movie...and she hated horror movies.

Sure enough, she heard shuffling and scratching like stones on pavement between cars. Keys in hand, she stayed calm. She was almost to her car. Almost. Tucking the two books under her arm, she slipped her hand into her pocket for her knife.

Then, just as she wiped around a large grey mass jumped down on her. It weighed a ton...maybe 70 pounds...it was getting a boulder tossed at her chest. Knocked to the ground, disoriented and out of breath, the books and her keys were knocked away from her. The only thing she had in a death grip was her knife. Yanking it out and to the side as she heaved the troll off of her, the blood was a deep rusty orange like iron. So the chain on her boots wouldn't work. Still, she tried as she tried as as second came rushing at her. Colliding with it as she did a roundhouse kick she cried out in pain, the troll grabbing her and flinging her against a car.

OK, she had dumb ideas. Everyone did, and she was out of breath from now getting hit from the front and back. Looking up, the one she had stabbed was lumbering her direction, the cut had stopped bleeding sand was closing. Shit, fuck, crap...

The only thing she thought of before she was knocked out was...she hoped Sam could track her phone, which was in her tactical hip pack.

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Dean looked up from looking down at Amalia as she tried calling Kerica for the fifth time. This was odd...in the three weeks they'd known her, Kerica always picked up on the second try if not the first. Always! Sam also looked concerned and unhappy, "Great, now its the pixie's turn to be kidnapped!" That was the only logical explanation. "Why her, though?" Was his next question, mainly to himself. "Where was her last known location, Sammy? We'll go look for her."

Amalia had hung up her phone after a final attempt to call the fellow Hunter, a panicked and worried look on her face. She had her hands covering her mouth and nose, trying to calm her breathing. She was incredibly worried about Kerica, and it showed in her body language and face. She turned to Sam who immediately opened his laptop and started typing away on the keyboard furiously. After several minutes of silence, he stopped typing suddenly, his eyes scanning at the words on his computer screen before he looked to his brother.

"I just got a trace on Kerica's phone." He said, causing Amalia to lift her head up more.

"Where?" She asked, her voice slightly high with worry.

"She's by a place called Tongue Cave, or something along those lines." He said, running a hand through his hair.

The red head turned to Dean with wide eyes, biting her lip before she looked back at Sam. "We'll go to her." She said, causing the younger Winchester to shake his head.

"Too risky... I'll go after her, and you two will need to head to the library. I have an idea."

"The library?" Dean groaned, "Okay. We'll go there and call you. Be careful out there, Sammy." He hadn't called him that in a while, but it was a comfort thing, something he knew Sam needed. Grabbing his keys he motioned to Amalia, "Let's go."

Amalia nodded once and quickly grabbed her purse and phone before following after him. Sam watched as they walked out of the room, a heavy sigh leaving his lips as he ran his hands through his hair. God, he felt so anxious and found it very difficult to calm down the frantic thoughts running through his head. He breathed in and out slowly, eyes closing then opening before heading out. He had some shopping to do.

~*~

Amalia and Dean had reached the library after a few minutes of driving, causing the red head to immediately get out of the impala and look around cautiously. Despite the fact that her worry was starting to consume her, Amalia knew that she had to keep a clear head, and think positive. Her eyes darted at her surroundings, soon finding a book lying on the ground and rushed over to it. "Dean!" She called out to the male, kneeling down to pick up the one book by her feet.

Dean jogged over and cursed under his breath, going to another book that was /right/ next to Kerica's car, and looking over at a staff car that had a dent in it...that was large, like a body hit it. Walking back to Amalia he knelt down and put his fingers in an orange substance... "Does this remind you of rust?" He asked his girlfriend.

Amalia bit her lip with a nod, looking up at her boyfriend beside her. "Yeah, it does..." She answered, feeling rather uneasy. If Kerica was truly taken by trolls, then they had a fearsome foe to face. The red head quickly skimmed through one of the books and stopped at one page, her eyes absorbing new information which caused them to widen. "Shit..." She muttered, turning to Dean once again. "According to this book, trolls can regenerate health. That means guns, knives or anything that could kill a demon or monster would have no effect on them. Their wounds will just heal right back up." She explained, looking through the book again and flipped to the next page. "But it also says that they can only be killed with fire..."

"Damn it...I guess we'll have to make a bonfire. Is there a way to stun them? Does it say?" Dean asked, fishing out his phone and flipping it open. Speed-dialing Sam, he waited a few seconds before his younger brother picked up, "Hey, you said Tongue Cave right? Where are you? I can bring the Impala around and haul whatever you got over there. Looks like we'll have to make a bonfire to kill these things."

Amalia skimmed through the book once more, turning to Dean while shaking her head. "It doesn't say... We'll have to improvise." She said, then listened carefully as he talked to Sam.

"Yeah, I'm at the store actually, trying to find cages to trap these things. I remember the one woman I talked to saying that there were five trolls." Sam said on the other end, a sigh leaving his lips. "This is not going to be easy... We have to hurry before the sun comes up."

"Right. Amalia skimmed through the books Kerica had and read fire can kill them. Did you think anything else would help?" Dean asked.

Sam thought for a brief moment, his eyes darting around the store before he spotted a taser of some sort. "I think I can stun them if I'm able to get them near water, if there is any in that cave. I just found a taser." He said.

"Electricity, awesome idea," Dean agreed, and he headed back to his car. They'd just have to come back for Kerica's later. "I'm heading to the store, then. Wait for me, Sam. There's too much stuff to take to that cave by yourself. I know you're itching to go find her, but keep your head on your shoulders." Sam more than likely didn't need the pep-talk, but he had learned to be save than sorry, that way he could go 'I told you so' later anyway.

"Alright... Thanks, Dean." He said, still trying to keep his cool once he hung up the phone and grabbed the taser from the shelf. He then proceeded to find at least five cages made of pure iron, which he believed would be nearly impossible. He was proven wrong, however, when he found them in various sizes in the back of the shop. He then decided to wait for Amalia and Dean to show up, knowing he couldn't carry these cages all on his own. They were way too heavy.

~*~

"Now that we got the bonfire set up, we can light it as soon as we get out. Hopefully they aren't too deep in the cave. Sam, you got that tracking app on your phone?" Dean handed Amalia the smallest of the five cages as well as one of the tazers. Sam had one with prongs, and another where you had to jab it at whoever you wanted to taze. The later would be used when the trolls were in the cages just in case they woke up on the way back.

"Yeah, I do." He said, pulling up the tracking app to see Kerica's signal on the screen. "I found her. She's just up ahead... Let's go."

With a nod, Amalia carried the smaller cage and proceeded to follow the brother's into the cave. Once they stepped foot into the stone floor, the red head could already feel the humidity in the air. "God damn...." She whispered, hearing the droplets of water fall to the ground from the ceiling.

"I don't think our problem will be electrocuting the water...but finding a dry spot so /we/ don't get caught in the crossfire. Did that once, wasn't fun," Dean muttered as he shifted the two cages he had.

They must've walked for at least half an hour before they stopped for a rest and Sam checked his phone again. What had started as 'right up ahead' had ended up as a follow the leader, the trolls never slowing and each time the three of them did, it brought them further away. Finally, however, the trolls /had/ stopped, and Dean watched as Sam pocketed his phone to keep the light down and took out the pronged tazer. "Find a dry spot, Amalia," Dean hissed in a whisper, quickly doing the same.

Kerica felt the rocking sensation finally stop and she opened her eyes just in time to let out a yelp as she was dropped into a hole in the cave. Grunting, she hissed as her ankle hurt if she flexed the muscles, but as she reached over and wiggled it manually, she was glad that it wasn't actually broken. Probably just a bruise or sprain, but there was no way she was going to be running out of here, especially with how her chest hurt, too. Looking up, the hole was at least six feet deep, so unless she was in top-notch shape, she wouldn't be able to jump up.

She spotted a young boy huddled in the corner along with four others...all the ones that had been reported missing. Crawling onto her hands and knees, she crawled over to them. They looked hungry, but not dehydrated...fruits and water probably got thrown down to them once a night. "Is one of you Kory?" she asked softly.

"Dat me," the one boy pointed at himself, "Who you?"

"My name's Lacy," Kerica told them, going with her code name, "I have friends. They're on their way to help us," she promised.

"Will dey be here soon? Katie has broken arm," Kory sniffed.

Probably from when they threw the kids down here. Ugh. This was fantastic. "Are any of the others hurt?" At the shake of Kory's had, she relaxed. All these kids were single children...probably first borns. Of course. Fae folk preferred their kind because they were the most powerful. Quietly she was thankful she read tons of fantasy books growing up.

Amalia nodded firmly and immediately found a dry spot, placing both feet onto the stone ground away from the puddles of water before looking towards Dean and Sam. "Okay, all set!" She whispered to them, earning a nod from the younger Winchester. He knelt down and proceeded to shoot the taser prongs into the puddle by his feet, watching the electrical currents flow through the water and towards the trolls up ahead.

Amalia cringed slightly as she heard the painful screeches of the trolls, shutting her eyes tightly as the very sound hurt her ears. Sam winced as well, but found it more tolerable since he was used to much louder noises, such as gun shots. He heard loud thuds shortly after the cries faded, a sigh leaving his lips before he rushed ahead to go find Kerica. He couldn't wait any longer for Dean and Amalia to catch up; his anxiety and worry was getting the better of him.

"Sam?! Are you up there?!" Kerica called, looking up. She shifted into a sitting position and watched the edge of the pit, "The children are here, too!"

Dean and started bringing over the cages so they could trap the trolls inside, and he watched as Sam skidded on his knees, his long hair hiding his face. He could empathize...the anxiety he felt when Amalia was taken those times was rather irritating, clouding his thoughts. If Kerica hadn't been observant last time and heard the sound of rain on glass, he probably would've stormed the school in a blind rage. Kerica and Sam were near inseparable...and they touched ten times more than he touched Amalia. Even if it was light, or "accidental" because they gravitated towards each other like magnets, they kept touching.

"Sam, one of the kids has a broken arm. I'm gunna tie a loop so you can pull her up instead," Kerica called, motioned to the little girl and Kory helped her over. Taking the rope and doing a type of knot that her father had taught her, she slid it around the girl and made her sit in the loop, "Okay, ready!"

Dean looked at Amalia with a shrug, "I was just worried about Sam," he told her, then he picked up two cages. Grunting, he tightened his grip, "Oh man...if the cages were heavy before...you going to be okay carrying yours?"

Amalia nodded hesitantly, feeling that he wasn't being completely truthful with her. However, she let it drop for now and lifted the now heavier cage into her arms, breathing in and out deeply, nodding to her boyfriend. "Don't worry. I'm fine." She smiled, yet the strain in her voice and her trembling arms said otherwise. But the red head refused to be treated and coddled like a child, taking careful steps back towards the cave exit.

Sam nodded and pulled up the little girl using the rope carefully. Once he got her out of the large hole, he placed her down onto the ground carefully. "Wait right here. We'll get your friends out." He said, looking down to see that Kerica hadn't stood up yet. His brow furrowed with confusion, before his eyes widened slightly. "You're not hurt, are you?" He asked, voice etched with concern.

Kerica gave him a lopsided, apologetic smile, "Um...yeah...nothing's broken, but I am pretty sure I bruised or sprained my ankle while fighting those things. It hurts to put pressure on it." She motioned to the boy just a year or two older than Kory and got onto her knees at least, helping him get a good grip on the rope so he could start climbing. Once he and Kory were both with the other girl, she scooped up the toddler and held him close. He didn't have a diaper on...just his night jumper. The older boy or Kory must've gotten rid of it and kept the babe washed up. Slowly she got up, using the rope for support and she felt like a flamingo, "I'm gunna have to hand you this little guy, okay?"

Sam pulled as carefully as he could with Kerica hanging on, his grip on the rope tight and his face scrunched up from the effort of trying to make sure he didn't let go of the rope. Once he got the toddler first, one of the children taking the baby and backed away so Sam could pull Kerica up. The moment Kerica was near his reach, he immediately grabbed her arm and pulled her into his arms, holding her close as he sighed deeply. "Thank god.... Thank god.." He whispered to himself, eyes shut tight as he breathed in her scent.

Kerica was surprised by how tightly he was holding her, and she heard his nose whistle air as he took deep breaths. "Sam..." she whispered, bringing her hands up and rubbing his back, returning his embrace, "I'm okay, Sam. I knew you'd come to the rescue...you're the knight from the kid's book, remember?" she murmured with a smile against his chest, her body feeling hot, not just her cheeks.

Sam chuckled mutely, causing his body to shake slightly before he kissed her hair gently, pulling away from the embrace with a small smile. He shouldn't be holding her like this, he knew. But he couldn't help himself; he felt a large wave of relief was over him and he had longed to have her in his arms. With a soft breath, he helped her back on her feet, their arms wrapped around each other's waists. "Let's get you and the kids out of here." He said tenderly, a tone that caught him by surprise, but it never showed on his face.

"Right. I see Dean and Amalia are already gone...cages. Great plan...except how are you going to carry two cages and support me?" Kerica asked him, "You might as well have me piggy-back since I can't walk, or if I did try and walk I'd only slow you down. How long did it take for you guys to get this far, anyway?"

Sam chuckled a bit with a smirk on his face, carrying her on his back now while grabbing one cage in each hand. He scrunched his face as he tried to lift up the cages, but he ended up dragging them as he began to walk. "I'm guessing half an hour? But don't worry, we'll be fine." He reassured, his voice slightly strained as he continued to walk, feeling his arms shake only a little. The younger Winchester knew that the cages were heavy, but with a troll in each one, it made it much more difficult.

~*~

If it took them thirty minutes before, then it took them almost a full hour to reach the cave entrance. With the trolls regenerative abilities, they had to stop a lot in order to knock them out with the tazers, especially the big motherfucker that Kerica said she'd injured her ankle with.

Dean flipped out his lighter and after throwing his two cargos onto the bonfire, he waited for the other three before he lit the puppy up, grabbing some more gasoline so he could get it all over the cages and splash it onto the trolls.

Kerica winced as she heard the trolls scream and she slid off of Sam's back slowly, lighting down with her good foot and she tested it, "I think I can limp my way out of here, so you don't have to carry me at all. You must be tired..." She had drooped and she looked apologetic.

Amalia watched as the trolls were engulfed in flames from the bonfire, tossing the smaller cage into it before she winced at the screams and cries of the stone like creatures. She glanced at Dean from the corner of her eye again, watching him stare into the fire before she did the same.

Sam knelt down slightly so Kerica could slide off his back, throwing one cage at a time into the bonfire before he turned to the brunette with soft eyes. "Don't be sorry. It's not a big deal, really." He reassured her, soon scooping her up into his arms like a newlywed husband would his wife. "Let's take a look at that ankle." He said, smirking at her reaction before walking over and setting her down on the trunk of the impala.

Dean glanced over as he felt his eyes shift, that...almost primal spot inside him enjoying how she glowed in the firelight. They shifted back and he took deep breaths. He had had to use his demon strength to carry those cages, often staying ahead of the other two, so he was trying to calm down from exerting himself like that. When he felt well enough to speak without it having a growl, he decided to compliment Amalia, "You look like a fire angel. The light plays off your hair really nicely, making you look fierce."

Kerica blushed darkly and clung to Sam's neck tightly, curling her body against his as he carried her that way. She felt insecure and like she had no control, which made her nervous in this type of hold. She also was terrified of falling...and the thought of being dropped made her afraid. Breathing deeply when he reached the Impala and set her down, she rolled up her pants leg and tugged down the zipper to her boot so it'd be easier to take off, though she did hiss when it was, then gritted her teeth when her sock was removed. Sure enough, after nearly two hours since she'd gotten the injury, there as a solid bruise on the top part of her foot where it met her shin.

Amalia immediately turned to him when she heard him speak, her face heating up ever so slightly. Did he just...compliment her? The fact that he called her an angel made her heart skip a beat and a smile graced her lips. "Thank you..." She said sweetly, looking down at her feet in a shy manner before looking up at him again. "I have to say, you look pretty good yourself. I love how your eyes stand out more when the light of the fire hits them. They're uh..." She paused for a moment, her ears turning red now before she looked down nervously. "They're very beautiful."

Sam grew wide eyed at the sight of her bruise, biting his lip as he imagined how much pain she was currently in. Not to mention that it was badly swollen. "When we get back to the hotel, we should grab an ice pack. That should stop the swelling." He said, looking up at her with worry.

"You should see them in really bright sunlight," Dean smirked at her, "They're more vivid. It's been rather gloomy lately with all the rain, but it's the first week of June. Things will start clearing up. I bet ya we can stop by a lake or something and go swimming, too," he winked, "I know a lot of places are regulated these days, but I know some back ways. We'd just have to go on foot and leave the Impala in the bushes. Kerica's red car might stand out, but we'll think of something."

Dean sighed and looked over at the bonfire where the kids were huddled together, "We should get the kids back to the families. These trolls are as good as dead. That little girl needs to go to the hospital. I'm going to go tell Sam and Kerica they need to stay here for a little while. Would you sit in the back with them?"

"Good. I'll just keep my boot off for right now..." She blushed a bit, "Would you...sit in the back with me when we go back to the hotel? I won't be able to drive with this...so I might have to give you my keys. Warning, my mustang is zippy."

The red head felt her heart beat quicken at his suggestion and wink, a bright smile creasing her lips before she giggled gently. "I'd like that, actually." She said, then turned to the children with soft eyes. She looked back at Dean with a nod, her smile growing. "Of course." She agreed, soon walking over to him and gave him a gentle peck on his cheek, smiling up at him before walking over to the group of kids.

Sam softened his gaze at her question, a small hint of a smile lifting at the corners of his lips as he placed his hand on hers. "Sure. I can do that." He said, soon hearing the sound of footsteps heading their way and turned his head to see Dean walking over. "What's up?"

"Hey, Sammy, there's not enough room in the Impala, but the kids take priority right now. Mind hoppin' off my hood? It'd also be a good idea if you two stay here just in case anyone comes by. You can show them your IDs." He paused then reached into his pocket and handed Kerica her pocket knife, "Found this along with the books you'd checked out. Figure you'd like it back."

"Yes, thank you," Kerica laughed a little and took it. Flipping it out she checked it before she put it back in it's rightful place.

Sometime later, Dean glanced back in his rear-view mirror at how Kerica was curled up against Sam. His brother had one leg stretched out over the seat, the other supporting him by being firmly planted on the floor, and Kerica had her head on his chest, eyes closed as she'd passed out not too long after the car'd started moving. Sam was lightly playing with the ends of Kerica's hair, and Dean smirked a bit, "Enjoying yourself?"

Having Kerica fast asleep in his arms like this made Sam think that maybe it wouldn't be so bad to be close to someone besides his brother. Her hair felt so soft to the touch, and she looked so peaceful. If he was being honest, he would stare at her sleeping face forever if he truly wanted to. However, Dean's voice snapped him out of his daydreaming state and he looked up briefly with a small smirk threatening to tug at his lips with a small shake of his head, before looking down at the brunette.

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