We pull up to the motel parking lot then we get out, Sam and I continue laughing back what happened to Dean with that old lady. "I was sleeping with my peepers open?" Sam mimics then he and I laugh. "I almost smoked that old girl, I swear. It's not funny!" Dean grumbled at us. "Oh man, you shoulda seen your face." I snigger. "Yeah, laugh it off. Now we're back to square one." Dean said then we turn our head and see the boy from yesterday.

"Hang on." Dean said and he walks up to the boy, Sam and I follow him. "Hey what's wrong?" Dean asked the boy. "My brother's sick." The boy replied, upset. "The little guy?" Dean asked and the boy nods. "Pneumonia. He's in the hospital. It's my fault." He cries.

"Ah c'mon, how?" Dean asked him. "I shoulda made sure the window was latched. He wouldn't've got pneumonia if the window was latched." The boy said. Dean looks away as Sam and I watch him, frowning thoughtfully.

"Listen to me. I can promise you that this is not your fault. Okay?" Dean said, trying to assure the boy. "It's my job to look after him." The boy said just as his mother hurries out of the motel toward her car. "Michael, I want you to turn on the no vacancy sign while I'm gone. I've got Denise covering room service so don't bother with any of the rooms." She said. "I'm going with you." Michael said.

"Not now, Michael." His mother said, exasperated. "But I gotta see Asher!" Michael argues until Dean comes up. "Hey Michael. Hey. I know how you feel -- I'm a big brother too -- but you gotta go easy on your Mom right now, ok?" He said just as the woman drops her purse in her haste.

"Dammit!" She exclaims as Sam and I run over to her and Sam picks up her purse. "I got it." He said and he hands her the purse. "Thank you." She said, appreciatevly.

"Listen, you're in no condition to drive -- why don't you let me give you a lift to the hospital." Dean said. "No, I couldn't possibly..." the woman said but Dean shakes his head. "No, it's no trouble. I insist." He said and he takes her keys. 

"Thanks." She said then she turns to Michael. "Be good." She said and Dean helps her into her seat then turns to me and Sam. "We're gonna kill this thing. I want it dead, you hear me?" Dean said to us, firmly. Sam and I nod at him then he loads up in the car and drives away.

A few hours later, Sam and I were sitting at a microfiche machine in the library, looking for anything about this creature. After looking, Sam picks up his phone and calls Dean.

"Hey. How's the kid?" Sam asked and there was a pause before I look over at Sam. Sam looks at me and shakes his head, indicating that that boy was not doing good, and I frown as I look back through the machine.

"We're at the library. We've been trying to find out as much as we can about this Shtriga." Sam said as I flip through articles and pictures. "Well, bad news. We started with Fort Douglas around the time you said Dad and (father's name) was there? Same deal. Before that, there was, uh, Ogdenville, before that North Haverbrook, and Brockway. Every 15 to 20 years it hits a new town. Dean, this thing is just getting started in Fitzburgh. In all these other places it goes on for months. Dozens of kids before the shtriga, finally moves on. The kids just...languish in comas and then they die." Sam explained and I sighed, continuing the search.

"Ah, I don't know. The earliest mention we could find is this place called Black River Falls back in the 1890s. Talk about a horror show...." Sam said just as I stopped on an old picture.

It was of a bunch of doctors from back in the late 1800's and one of them I recognized.

"Holy crap!" I said, shocked. "(Y/n)? Everything okay?" Sam asked me and I look up at him. "Recognize anyone?" I said as I stepped away from the machine and Sam took my seat then he hands me his phone.
"Hey, Dean." I said. "(Y/n)? What's wrong?" Dean asked just as Sam said. "Whoa!"

"Found something interesting. As you and Sam were talking, I was looking at a photograph of a bunch of doctors standing around a kid's bed. One of the Doctors is Hydecker." I said and there was a moment of silence on Dean's end before he said. "And?"

"And the picture was taken in 1893." I said. "You sure?" Dean asked me. "I swear on my parents' grave, Dean." I said, in a serious tone. There was another moment of silence before Dean hangs up and I do the same as I look down at the floor.

"We should have thought of this before. A doctor's a perfect disguise. You're trusted, you can control the whole thing." Sam said after us and Dean make it back to the motel. Dean takes off his jacket then throws it as he begins pacing, agitatedly. "That son of a bitch." He growls.

"I'm surprised you didn't draw on him right there." I said to Dean. "Yeah well, first of all, I'm not going to open fire in a freakin' pediatrics ward." Dean said. "Good call." Sam and I said, in unison.

"Second, wouldn't have done any good, because the bastard's bullet proof unless he's chowing down on something. And third, I wasn't packing, which is probably a really good thing cause I probably would have just burned a clip in him on principle alone." Dean said, angrily. "You're getting wise in your old age Dean." Sam remarks. "Damn right. Cause now I know how we're going to get it." Dean said.

"What do you mean?" I asked him. "Shtriga, works through siblings right?" Dean said. "Right." Sam and I said. "Well last night...." Dean started to say. "It went after Asher." I finished his sentence and Dean nods.

"So I'm thinking tonight it's probably gonna come after Michael." Dean said. "Well we gotta get him outta here." Sam said but Dean shakes his head. "No. No, that would blow the whole deal." Dean said.

"What?" Sam said, confused. "Yeah." Dean said and I atare at him, confused. "You wanna use the kid as bait? Are you nuts? No! Forget it. That's out of the question." I exclaimed. "It's not out of the question, (y/n), it's the only way. If this thing disappears it could be years before we get another chance." Dean argues.

"Michael's a kid. And I'm not going to dangle him in front of that thing like a worm on a hook." I shout and Sam nods. "I have to agree with her, Dean. This is insane." Sam said.

"Dad did not send me here to walk away." Dean said, angrily.

"Send YOU here?" I asked, confused.

"He didn't send you here -- he sent us here." Sam shouts. "This isn't about you or (y/n), Sam. I'm the one who screwed up, all right. It's my fault. There's no telling how many kids have gotten hurt because of me." Dean shouts and he turns away from us then sits down in a chair

"What are you saying, Dean? How is it your fault?" Sam asked Dean, who stays silent for a few seconds. I sigh then walk up to Dean and kneel before him. "Dean." I said, softly, as I placed a hand on his shoulder. He looks up at me and I could see some unshed tears in his eyes. 

"You've been hiding something from the get-go. Since when does Dad and John bail on a hunt? Since when do they let something get away? Now talk to us, Dean. Tell us what's going on." I said to him, softly. He stares at me for a moment then he swallows before he speaks. "Fort Douglas, Wisconsin. It was our third night in this crap room and I was climbing the walls. (Y/n), I needed to get some air."

Flashback 

*3rd Person POV*

Dean was sitting and watching TV before he turns it off. He goes to the front door, then looks back at Sam and (y/n) to see them asleep in the other room before he leaves, locking the door behind him.

He plays and arcade game in reception until the owner comes up to him. "Kid. We're closing up." He said. Dean sighs then leaves.

As he returns to the room, he sees a strange light coming from Sam and (y/n)'s room. Seconds later, he hears a scream and he moves closer and sees the shtriga leaning over Sam before it looks over at (y/n), who had fallen out of the bed and was backing away from it. Dean reaches for the rifle by the door but the shtriga hears him cock it and rears up, hissing.

Dean hesitates, terrified, while (y/n) screams again. Then John and (father's name) bursts through the front door, their guns raised. "Get out of the way!" The two men shouted.
Dean ducks just as the two adults shoot the shtriga multiple times with their hand guns.

The shtriga jumps through the bedroom window, glass shattering, and disappears into the night. John rushes to the bed and pulls Sam close, cradling him, while (father's name) goes over to his daughter.

"Sammy. Sammy. Sammy. You ok?" John asked Sam as he wakes up and (y/n) curles up to her father's chest and cries. "Yeah Dad, what's going on? Why's (y/n) crying?" Sam asked, in a confused sleepy voice.

"You all right?" (Father's name) asked (y/n), who was still crying but nods. He holds his daughter tighter while John holds Sam close then he turns to glare at Dean.

"What happened?" John asked Dean, angrily. "I -- I -- I just went out." Dean said, hesitantly. "What!?" John yelled while (father's name) looks between the two. "Just for a second. I'm sorry." Dean said, shakily.

"I told you not to leave this room. I told you not to let them out of your sight!" John yells at Dean, who watches him sadly as John cradles Sam.

Dean then looks over at (father's name), as he holds (y/n) close to him, and he gives Dean a look of disappointment.

Present Day

*(y/n)'s POV*

"Dad and (father's name) just...grabbed us and booked. Dropped us off at Pastor Jim's about three hours away, but by the time they got back to Fort Douglas the shtriga had disappeared, it was just gone. It never surfaced until now. You know, Dad never spoke about it again, I didn't ask. But he...ah...he looked at me different, you know? Which was worse. Not that I blame him. Hell, even your dad looked at me different too, (y/n). Dad gave me an order and I didn't listen, I almost got you two killed." Dean explains as he looks down in guilt.

"I-I remember that. I thought it was just a nightmare." I muttered as I looked down for a moment then back to Dean. "But...You were just a kid." I said, softly. "Don't. Don't. Dad knew this was unfinished business for me. He sent me here to finish it." Dean said to me.

"But using Michael -- I don't know, Dean. I mean, how 'bout one of us hides under the covers, you know, we'll be the bait." Sam said. "No, it won't work. It's gotta get close enough to feed -- it'll see us. Believe me, I don't like it, but it's gotta be the kid." Dean said.

"You're crazy! Just go away or I'm calling the cops." Michael yelled at us as he holds up a phone from the receptionist desk. "Hang on a second. Just listen to me. You have to believe me, ok? This thing came through the window and it attacked your brother. I've seen it. I know what it looks like. Cause it attacked my brother once too." Dean said and Michael slowly hangs up the phone.

"This thing...is it...like....it has this long...black robe?" Michael asked. "You saw it last night didn't you?" I asked him and he looks at us, slightly fearful. "I thought I was having a nightmare." He said. "I know how you feel, Michael. I saw it as well when I was a kid and I thought it was a nightmare. We'd give anything not to tell you this, but sometimes nightmares are real." I said to him.

"So, why are you telling me?" Michael asked us. "Because we need your help." Dean said. "My help?" Michael asked, confused. "We can kill it. The three of us, that's what we do. But we can't do it without you." Dean said to Michael.

"What? No!" Michael shouts. "Michael, listen to me. This thing hurt Asher. And it's gonna keep hurting kids unless we stop it, understand me?" Dean said and Michael stares at him, horrified.

"Well that went crappy. Now what?" Dean asked us, sometime later after we failed to get Michael on our side, as I paced across the hotel room. "What did you expect? You can't ask a adult to do something like that, much less a kid." Sam said to Dean when there was a knock at the door.

I go to open it and see Michael. "If you kill it, will Asher get better?" Michael asked as Dean walks up next to me. "Honestly? We don't know." Dean said to him.

"You said you were a big brother." Michael said and Dean nods. "Yeah." He said. "You'd take care of your little brother? You'd do anything for him?" Michael asked him. "Yeah I would." Dean said and Michael stares at him. "Me too. I'll help." Michael said, nodding 

Dean and I completed hooking up a security camera in the corner of the room, staring into the lense. Michael is behind us in bed while Sam is watching the security feed in the other room. 

"This camera has night vision on it so we'll be able to see clear as day." Dean explains to Michael just as I turn around and shout towards Sam. "Are we good?"

"A hair to the right." Sam calls out and I adjust the camera. "There, there." Sam said and I pull my hand back and smiled.

"What do I do?" Michael asked us. "Just stay under the covers." I said as we go to Michael's bed. "And if it shows up?" Michael asked. "We'll be right in the next room. We're gonna come in with guns. So, as soon as we do, you roll off this bed and you crawl under it." Dean said to him.

"What if you shoot me?" Michael asked, worriedly. "We won't shoot you. We're good shots. We're not going to fire until you're clear ok?" Dean said and Michael nods, tentatively.

"Have you heard a gunshot before?" I asked him. "Like in the movies?" He asked me and Dean and I chuckle, lightly. "It's gonna be a lot louder than in the movies. So we want you to stay under the bed, cover your ears, do not come out until we say so. You understand?" Dean asked and Michael nods slowly, looking scared.

"Michael, you sure you wanna do this?" I asked Michael but he doesn't answer for a long moment. "You don't have to, it's ok, we won't be mad." Dean said and Michael shakes his head. "No, I'm ok. Just don't shoot me." He said. "We're not going to let anything happen to you. We promise." I assured him and he nods.

That night, the boys and I were sitting and  watching the security camera feed. "What time is it?" Dean asked. "Three." Sam said. "You sure these iron rounds are gonna work?" I asked Dean. "Consecrated iron rounds, and yeah it's what Dad and (father's name) used last time." Dean said.

"Hey Dean, I'm sorry." Sam said and Dean turns to him. "For what?" Dean asked. "You know, I've really given you a lot of crap, for always following Dad's orders. But I know why you do it." Sam said. "Oh, God, kill me now." Dean groans and Sam and I laugh, softly. We sit in silence for a moment then Dean jumps slightly.

"Wait, look." He said and we see movement outside the window, which slides open. We pick up our guns just as the shtriga is inside the room.

"Now?" I asked Dean. "Not yet." Dean said as the shtriga moves closer and leans over the bed, Michael was terrified but frozen, unable to move. The shtriga leans closer and opens his mouth, starting to draw Michael's energy.

At that moment, Dean and I burst in. "Hey!" Sam said. "Michael, down!" Dean shouts and Michael rolls off and under the bed. Dean, Sam and I open fire, shooting the shtriga multiple times each until it falls to the ground.

"Mike, you all right?" I asked, concerned. "Yeah." Michael said from under his bed. "Just sit tight." Dean said as he approaches the shtriga, gun at the ready. There is no movement.

Dean relaxes slightly and glances at us. But then the shtriga suddenly rises, grabs Dean by the throat and throws him against the wall. "Dean!" Sam and I shout as the Shtriga comes to me and throws me to the side. I hit the wall and my vision goes black.

I groan and blink then shake my head as I look up. My vision was blurry but it finally focused when I see the shtriga drawing Sam's energy. "Sam!" I screamed just as Dean said. "Hey!"

The shtriga looks up and Dean shoots it between the eyes. He falls backwards and Sam lies, gasping for breath. "You ok, little brother?" Dean asked him. Sam nods and unsteadily holds up two thumbs-up. "(y/n), you alright?" Dean asked me. "Yeah....super." I groaned and we pull ourselves to our feet and look at the shtriga.

The energy the shtriga stole begins to escape from its mouth. Dean and I raise our guns and shoot it a few more times at point blank range, making more energy escape. The shtriga falls in on itself, disintegrating.

Michael peeks from the side of the bed. "It's ok, Michael, you can come on out." Dean said and Michael comes to stand beside us, smiling tentatively. Dean places his hand on Michael's shoulder and smiles.

The next day, we were packing the Impala, getting ready to head out. Michael's mom comes out of the back of reception. "Hey, Joanna. How's Asher doing?" Dean asked her. "Have you seen Michael?" She asked just as we hear running footsteps.

"Mom! Mom!" Michael shouts as he runs into his mom's arms. "Hey!" She said as she hugs him. "How's Ash?" Michael asked once he pulls out of the embrace. "Got some good news. Your brother's gonna fine." Joanna said and Michael grins.

"Really?" He asked. "Yeah. Really. No one can explain it -- it's a miracle. They're going to keep him in overnight for observation and then he's coming home." She said as she looks over at us. "That's great." I said, smiling.

"How are all the other kids doing?" Sam asked her. "Good. Real good. A bunch of them should be checking out in a few days. Dr. Travis says the ward's going to be like a ghost town." She said and I raise an eyebrow at her.

"Dr. Travis? What about Dr. Hydecker?" I asked. "Oh he wasn't in today. Must have been sick or something." She replied. "Yeah. Yeah must have." Dean mutters and he shares a knowing look to me and Sam while Joanna turns to Michael.

"So, did anything happen while I was gone?" She asked him. Michael glances over at us then back to his mother. "Nah, same old stuff." He said. "Ok. You can go see Ash." She said and Michael becomes excited. "Now?" He asked then he looks up at Dean, who nods slightly.

"Only if you want to." Joanna said and Michael runs to the car. "I, ah, I'd better get going before he hotwires the car and drives himself." She laughs. Smiling goodbye, she leaves and the boys and I turn back to the Impala. 

"It's too bad." Sam said. "Oh, they'll be fine." Dean said. "That's not what I meant. I meant Michael. He'll always know there are things out there in the dark -- he'll never be the same, you know?" Sam said then he pauses for a moment.

"Sometimes I wish that...." Sam started to say but stops. "What...?" Dean and I asked him. "I wish I could have that kinda innocence." Sam replied. "Yeah, same here." I said as we watch Joanna and Michael drive away

"If it means anything, sometimes I wish you two could too." Dean said and we exchange a look. Dean climbs in the car and starts the engine as Sam and I follow. We pull out of the motel parking lot and back onto the freeway.