>ROADKILL<

"Well, they weren't evil people, you know?" Sam was speaking to Molly in a lower, dark tone that made it clear he was this close to telling her the truth about what was going on. "A lot of them were good. Just...something happened to them. Something they couldn't control,"

"Sammy's always getting a little J. Love Hewitt when it comes to things like this," Dean broke in as they stood in the doorway of the old, wooden bedroom. Sam and Molly, who were both sitting on the bed, and Alayna who was leaning against the wall beside them looked up at them as Dean spoke. "Me, I don't like 'em, and I sure as hell ain't making apologies for 'em."

"We didn't find anything downstairs," Karoline answered before Alayna could even ask, moving farther into the room. "Did you two get anything?"

"Uh, just about every piece of mail or receipt they ever had," Alayna conveyed what they'd found, which wasn't much. "Looked through a couple, but nothing about a grave so far," Suddenly, Dean frowned at the dresser in front of them and reached out to run his hand over the faint edges.

"What?" Sam questioned.

"There's something behind here," He announced, glancing back to toss Sam his flashlight before grabbed the dresser and pulled it away from the wall, revealing a small, wooden door that Dean knocked on a few times. "It's locked from the inside," He announced as Karoline knelt beside him, shining her flashlight at the door so he could see what he was doing.

"I got it," He moved aside, and Karoline handed him her flashlight before placing her back on the floor of the short tunnel and slamming her foot against the wood. The sound of splintering wood filled the air as the door swung open. She looked into the room to see spiderwebs hanging everywhere. Karoline pulled herself out of the short tunnel and gestured for Dean to go in first. "Age before beauty." He shot her a look to which she grinned as he ducked through the hole with the girls, Molly, and Sam following.

"Smells like old lady in here," Dean commented, wrinkling his nose as his flashlight swept across the room.

"Maybe that has something to do with it," Alayna offered, jerking her chin at the skeleton that was hanging by its neck from the ceiling.

"Well, now we know why no one ever saw her again," Dean noted as Sam went to the skeleton and began untying it.

"She didn't want to live without him," Molly murmured, sounding broken.

"Dean, give me a hand," Sam told him as he realized that he couldn't untie the dead woman alone.

"Really?" Dean asked with a disgusted look, making Sam shoot him a withering glance.

"What are you gonna do?" Molly questioned, her eyes flicking back and forth between the four of them as Sam's eyes turned pleadingly to Alayna.

"We can't just leave her like this," Sam protested, and Alayna nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly with his point.

"Why not?" Dean inquired, still looking disgusted at what Sam was insinuating they should do.

"She deserves a proper burial," Alayna added, frowning sadly at the corpse in front of her. Dean gave a disgruntled sigh before going to the woman and lifting her legs slightly while Sam cut the rope that she hung from. They took the skeleton out back to a empty lot and began digging. An hour and a half later and a decent sized whole was dug up.

"So, if you manage to put Greeley to rest, too... what happens to them?" Molly questioned as Sam helped Dean out of the grave he'd dug and the girls began shoveling dirt back into it.

"Lady, that answer is way beyond our pay grade," Dean answered her churlishly.

"You hunt these things, but you don't know what happens to them?" She asked, unfazed by Dean's rudeness to her throughout this hunt.

"They don't come back to hurt people. That's the only thing that matters," Alayna replied, having thought about that before. She had decided a long time ago that they couldn't change what happened to the spirits after they'd killed them, so there was no point in wondering.

"After they let go of whatever's keeping them here, they...they just go," Sam added unhelpfully, for he knew as little about it as Dean and Alayna did. "I hope someplace better, but we don't know. No one does,"

"What happens when you burn their bones?" She continued questioning them about the afterlife.

"Um...well, my Dad used to say that was like death for ghosts, you know? But...the truth is, we still don't know. Not for sure," She slowly sunk down to crouch at the edge of the woman's grave as Karoline and Alayna kept filling it in. "Guess that's why we all hold on to life so hard, even the dead," Sam glanced back at Dean and the girls as he spoke morosely.

"Dean was right. You do turn into J. Love Hewitt." Sam shot the blonde a look and she only grinned before turning back to the grave.

"We're all just scared of the unknown," Sam wrapped up his preaching with a shrug.

"The only thing I'm scared of is losing David," Molly told them, determination lining her words. All four of them froze at her words, and Karoline glanced at Dean, whose eyes flicked away from her the moment she caught them. "I have to see him again," She muttered, shaking her head. "I have to,"

***

Karoline let out a heavy sigh as she dropped onto the beat up couch beside her sister as they debated what they should do next. There was no good course of action that didn't involve sitting on their asses doing nothing. They'd checked everywhere and had found nothing that would give them any clue about what the spirit was tied to that was causing him to kill. "I think we should tell her about her husband," Sam whispered from where he stood with Dean behind the girls.

"We can't," Dean stated flatly, not even bothering to glance at his brother.

"Guys, it's cruel, letting her pine for him like this. I don't like keeping her in the dark," Sam protested, glancing at where Molly was leafing through an old photo album.

"Neither do I, but it's for her own protection," Alayna defended Dean's perspective while Sam looked surprised at the side she'd taken. "Look," She began, rising from the couch to turn and look at Sam. "I know that you feel guilty about it; I do too, but we need to stick to the plan we made,"

"She's right. Let's get her out of here, then we'll tell her," Karoline agreed with her sister just as Molly came up to them.

"Tell me what?" She demanded, folding her arms across her chest. "What aren't you telling me?" She questioned again as they all remained silent. "It's about David. You know what happened to him," Her words started picking up speed as she realized what the secret was about.

"Molly-" Sam started, and Alayna could tell just by his tone that he was going to tell her everything.

"Don't," She stopped him, giving him a look that told him to be quiet.

"Don't what?" Molly pounced on the brunette's word, demanding to know what they were hiding. "Don't tell me because I'll mess up your hunt?" She spat venomously as she came closer to them. "You don't care about me or my husband,"

"That's not true," Sam tried to argue with her, but she wouldn't have it.

"Really? Then whatever it is, tell me, please," Sam hesitated, his mouth moving but no words came out. Alayna looked away from Molly not being able to meet her eyes while she begged her to tell her where the love of her life was. They were spared the answer when suddenly the radio began modulating, and House of the Rising Sun began playing. "He's coming," Molly took a terrified step back as she realized what the radio meant.

"Stay with her," Dean glanced at Sam and the girls as he spoke before setting off into the other room with Karoline following. She had expected Dean to stop her when he turned to see her following with her gun pointed at the floor, but, instead, he just grinned slightly and kept going. She knelt beside the radio, flicking the cloth to see it was turned on before her eyes flicked to the ground. She lifted the cut wire that was supposed to connect the radio to the outlet.

"Kare," Dean's soft word got her attention, and she turned to see the glass window frosting over. The words SHE'S MINE were spelled out clear as day. Suddenly, there was a deafening scream from the other room, causing Dean and Karoline to rush in.

"Guys, he's got Molly!" Alayna shouted, jumping through the shattered window with the boys and Karoline on her heels. They sprinted until they hit a clearing where they turned, shining their flashlight over every bit of their surroundings, but saw no signs. "Dammit." Alayna swore before running back to the house with both boys and Karoline following her.

"This guy is persistent," Dean muttered in annoyance.

"We got to find Molly," Sam spoke his first priority, seeming to get distracted by a book that was sitting on the table.

"And burn Greeley's bones," Karoline added, running a hand through her hair agitatedly.

"Yeah, and, uh, no pressure or anything, but we got less than two hours before sunrise," Dean commented, glancing out the window.

"Hey!" Alayna called them into the kitchen, having picked up the book from the table.

"What do you got?" Dean questioned, shining his flashlight on the book Sam was holding.

"February 6th, 1992," She read the date that was written next to the photo of Greeley and his wife. "That was two and a half weeks before the accident," Suddenly, she understood what was going on. "Wait, that's the hunting cabin except... isn't there a tree there?" She pointed to where they were standing in the photo, and Sam let out a surprised 'oh'.

"We should have thought of it," Sam whispered, glancing at Alayna to see her eyes were also wide with the realization.

"What?" Dean questioned, his eyes flicking back and forth between them. "Care to share?"

"Anytime now," Karoline added, shaking her head.

"It's an old country custom, guys," Sam informed them. "Planting a tree as a grave marker," He explained, and Dean nodded before frowning at his brother.

"You're like a walking encyclopedia of weirdness," Dean's comment made Karoline laugh slightly, and Sam glared at her as Dean walked away.

"Don't worry, Sammy," Alayna grinned at him as she brushed passed him, dropping her hand from his arm. "We love you for it,"

"Yeah, I know," He rolled his eyes with a slight grin.

***

Dean, Sam, and the girls ran to the hunter's cabin to hear a scream issue from inside. Alayna glanced through the window to see the ghost had Molly tied up in the middle of the living room. Her hands were bound with a rope, and she hung from the ceiling by them while the farmer walked around her, slicing her skin with his nails. "You two go get Molly," Karoline nodded at Sam's order and knelt down to pick the lock to the door. In thirty seconds Alayna and her were in the room behind the ghost. With a loud bang from Karoline's shotgun, the ghost vanished into thin air.

"Oh, thank God," She whispered in relief.

"Call me, Kare," Alayna let out a small laugh at Karoline's reply, but the laugh died when she saw Molly's terrified expression and heard the grunt behind them. Alayna whipped around only to fly backwards as the farmer extended a hand at her. "Alayna!" Karoline's yell was followed by a moan as she hit the wall across from her, the gun clattering to the floor.

"Sam! Dean! Hurry up!" Alayna screamed out to them as the farmer made a knife fly towards himself before turning to Karoline, who was on the ground and struggling against an invisible force. Alayna shook her head helplessly as the farmer knelt beside Karoline, holding the knife up to kill her. Alayna took a deep breath and concentrated on him, trying to stop the knife from hitting her sister. Suddenly, the farmer froze, the knife inches from Karoline's throat. He reared back and tried again, but the knife stopped at the same place, inches from her throat. Karoline's eyes flicked back to Alayna, but she kept her's trained on the knife. The harder the farmer pressed, the more strength it took to keep the knife from Karoline's s throat. That's when the farmer let out a low, guttural noise and began stumbling backwards, pawing at his chest as if in pain. Sam and Dean had done it. Alayna released her concentration on the knife and felt her whole body grow heavy and weak. She hadn't realized how much of her energy was being sapped until she barely had the power to lift her hand. The farmer screamed and vanished in a reddish orange blaze. Molly let out a shout as well as the blade embedded itself in the ground when the farmer dropped it. Whatever invisible restraints had been holding the girls disappeared, and Alayna crumpled to the floor, feeling too weak to move.

"'Layna? Alayna!" Karoline winced as she flipped her sister over and propped her against the wall, shaking her shoulder's slight. Her face relaxed in relief as Alayna's eyes moved to look at her.

"Hey," she murmured in exhaustion. "You okay?"

"Yeah," She grinned slightly, looking her younger sister over for any injuries, relieved when she saw the cuts heal and the bruises fade slightly. "That back there," Karoline jerked her chin as the knife embedded in the ground. "Was pretty bad ass, Lil' one."

"Don't call me little." Alayna's retort made the blonde laugh.

"Is she okay?" Sam knelt beside them with a worried expression that mirrored Dean's as he came up behind them.

"She's fine," Karoline told them straightening.

"I'm taking her to the car. You get Molly," Sam ordered and Karoline nodded hesitantly, glancing at Alayna in concern for a moment before reluctantly rising and going over to Molly, with Dean. Alayna tried to stand only to find that she could barely move without beginning to tremble at the effort it took. Sam shrugged off his jacket and wrapped it around her tightly, making the brunette realize how cold she'd become. Alayna let out a small noise of surprise as Sam lifted her into his arms and headed towards the door.

"Sammy, I can walk," She protested weakly, but even to her own ears her words sounded faint and hoarse. In response, Sam let out a small chuckle and shook his head.

"You wouldn't be saying that if you could see how you look right now," He informed her as she rested her head on his shoulder, her mind going back to what had just happened. She'd stopped the knife from hitting Karoline. She'd stopped it. She'd felt... She couldn't explain it. She'd felt powerful, for a moment. Now she felt so drained she couldn't even stand up by herself. Sam shifted her, so he could open the Impala door before laying her down gently in the back seat. A moment later, he slid in next to her, and they waited for Karoline, Dean, and Molly to get back.

"Sammy, something happened," She finally spoke up catching Sam's attention.

"What-"

"I stopped it," She answered his unasked question. "The ghost was going to kill Karoline and I was able to stop him... with my mind or... whatever. I don't know how I did, but I concentrated on the knife, and I stopped it," A dark feeling twisted in the pit of her stomach as this horrible feeling passed over her. "Sammy, what if I..." She trailed off softly.

"Hey," She turned her head to see Sam's determined eyes as he wrapped an arm around her waist. "We're going to figure this out, okay? You saved your sister's life. That's the farthest thing from a Monster," He had a point. Before she could reply, Karoline opened the back door, stopping short and quirking an eyebrow at the position her sister and Sam were in. Alayna ducked her head and Sam let out an awkward cough causing Karoline to grin before backing up to let Molly slide in beside them before getting into the front with Dean. Dean gunned the engine and Alayna rested her head on Sam's shoulder as they drove away.

***

"He's in that house right there," Sam's words woke Alayna as Dean slowed the car to a stop in front of David's house. She lifted her head off of Sam's shoulder, making him shift slightly and pull her closer.

"I don't understand," Molly sounded confused as Alayna swallowed hard, dreading what they'd have to explain to her.

"Come on," Karoline pushed open the door catching their attention as she stood up, they all followed suit, Alayna standing shakily.

"You okay?" Sam asked worried.

"Yeah," she nodded, turning to look for Molly, who was running up the steps. "We should catch up," She realized, hurrying after the spirit.

"That's not..." She trailed off as she looked at David through the glass of the window. She frowned, taking a step towards the window before shaking her head. "It can't be," Alayna glanced at Karoline and then the boys before looking back at Molly, who was watching a black-haired woman come up to David and kiss him. "What's happening?" She turned back to them furiously, pointing at the window. "Who is that?" She demanded.

"She's David's wife," Alayna told her sadly, watching her face break slightly. "I'm so sorry," She murmured, knowing the words wouldn't comfort her in the least.

"Fifteen years ago, you and your husband hit Jonah Greeley with your car. David survived," Sam told her what really happened that night.

"What are you saying?" Molly questioned, coming closer to them, and they could tell she was beginning to realize what they were saying.

"We're saying there isn't just one spirit haunting highway 41. There are two. Jonah Greeley and you," Dean informed her sadly.

"For the past fifteen years, one night each year you would appear on the highway," Karoline added, and she shook her head, backing away from them.

"No. That's not possible," She muttered, denying what we were telling her. "It was our anniversary - February 22nd..."

"1992," Sam finished for her.

"Yes," She replied, fearing what they'd say next.

"Molly, I'm sorry, but it's 2007 now," Alayna told her, watching as the woman seemed to shatter before her eyes.

"Oh, god," She whispered brokenly as she finally realized what had happened. "And Greeley?" She wanted to know.

"Each year he chases and tortures you to punish you for he and his wife's deaths," Karoline told her sadly.

"But, I don't remember any of it," She whispered sorrowfully, still trying to hold on to some hope that it was all a lie.

"Because you couldn't see the truth, Molly," Alayna answered her.

"So that's why he won't let me off the highway," She realized, taking a shaky breath as she accepted what was happening. "Because... I killed him. I killed us both," She slowly sunk down to sit on the front steps of the house as the sun began to come up. "Why didn't you tell me when you first saw me? Why wait until now?"

"You wouldn't have believed us," Dean spoke the truth, and everyone knew it.

"And you needed me for bait," Molly grew slightly angry as she finished Dean's thought for him.

"Yeah," Karoline answered, keeping as truthful as possible. "We needed you to stop the killings that were happening on that highway every year,"

"David," She whispered his name again.

"Molly, we brought you here so you could move on," Sam tried to reason with her, but she shook her head emphatically, the confusion in her eyes clearing.

"No. I have to tell him," She whispered, turning back to the house.

"What're you going to say?" Karoline questioned, making her turn back. "That you love him? That you're sorry? Molly, he knows all of that. Trust me," She kept her eyes trained on her as she spoke, ignoring Dean's gaze on her face.

"Look, if you want to go in there, we're not gonna stop you," Sam told her gently.

"Yeah, but you are gonna freak him right out," Alayna nudged Dean harshly, causing him to give her a 'what' look. "For life," He added, making the brunette glare at him.

"David's already said his goodbyes, Molly. Now it's your turn," Sam was only saying what Molly already knew. "This is your unfinished business,"

"What am I supposed to do?" She questioned, her voice cracking.

"You need to just... let go of him," Her eyes traveled to Alayna as she spoke. "Then, we think, you'll move on," She glanced at Karoline and the boys before looking back to Molly.

"But, you don't know where," She pointed out in fear.

"No," Sam admitted. "But Molly, you don't belong here. Haven't you suffered long enough?" Molly let out a small sob, looking back at the house. She nodded, slowly walking a ways down the road as the sun began coming up. A soft, white glow began emanating from her chest, and it grew bigger and bigger until it engulfed her. When the light died down, she was gone.

"I guess she wasn't so bad...for a ghost," Dean commented, making the girls laugh lightly.

"We've met worse," Karoline added, making both boys and Alayna chuckle.

"You think she's really going to a better place?" Alayna questioned as they gazed at the sunrise coming up over the trees.

"I hope so," Sam answered, his voice gruff.

"I guess we'll never know. Not until we take the plunge ourselves, huh?" Karoline frowned at Dean's words.

"I don't think it matters. I think, maybe hope is the whole point," Alayna mused, still gazing at where Molly had been standing a moment before.

"Alright, Haley Joel," Alayna laughed at her sister's quip, turning back to the others. "Let's go, we need to go get my Love from the motel."