Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things.

CHAPTER SIX , SOME PEOPLE SHOULD JUST STAY DEAD

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Sydney stood near the Impala while Sam took his time at Mary's grave. She didn't mind stopping by the gravesite for the brother's to see their mom. But the thing is there was only one brother that was interested in visiting their mother's gave. Her eyes follow Dean, watching him walk over to a tree. Sydney then shifts her gaze to where Sam was and she sucks in a breath.

Ever since the hunt with Gordon, Dean has been nice to Sydney. The brunette wanted to say she was relieved, but in all honesty...

She thought it was weird. It felt easier to have Dean be mad at her. Then Dean wouldn't care about her or her past. But now all he wants is to talk about her. Sydney hated talking about herself.

If anything, she didn't want to think about her past any longer.

As if in cue, her phone began to ring. Sydney pulls herself from her own mind and grabs her phone. She looks at the caller id of her sister and her stomach drops. Sydney hadn't seen her sister in years. Sydney remembers Matthew isolating her. She pulled away from Bobby and Laura. The two most important people in her life. The night Sydney was going to leave Matthew, she saw Laura at the grocery store. Laura had so many questions for her and she wouldn't stop crying. All Sydney wanted to do was wrap her arms around her sister and promise to never leave her again.

But she did leave her.

Sydney's chest tightens and her thumb hovers over the accept call button. There should be nothing holding her back. This is her little sister.

Laura would ask questions about where she's been. Where Matthew was. What happened to him...

Sydney couldn't face that. She told Sam and Dean, and she was just waiting for one of them to say something to her. "How could you murder your husband?"

"What kind of person just leaves someone to die?"

Sydney exhales a quick breath and declines the call. I'm sorry.

The brunette hears the brother's voices coming closer to her. She hurriedly sticks her phone into her back pocket. Sydney lifts her gaze to the Winchesters with a poker face. But her brows quickly furrow when she hears their conversation.

"It's just stumbling onto a hunt...here of all places?" Sam sighs.

"So?"

"So, are you sure this is about a hunt, not something else?" Sam questions.

Dean knows what Sam was getting at, but he decided to entertain it. Sydney sucks in a breath and softly groans.

"What else would this be about?"

Sam sighs, "Just forget it."

"Believe what you want, Sam." Dean says. "But I let you drag my ass out here. The least we can do is check this out."

Sam presses his lips together. "Yeah, fine."

"The girl's dad works in town. He's a professor at the school." Dean says and quickly gets into the Impala.

Sam exhales and looks at Sydney who bunches her shoulders. The brunette gets into the car with Sam following.

The three hunters made it to the professor's office in a few minutes. They introduced themselves as Angela's friends and he let them into his office.

Dr. Mason had a photo book out, he opened it—revealing the photos of his daughter.

"She was beautiful."

"Yes, she was."

"This is an unusual book."

Sydney lifts her gaze to Dean and slightly opens her mouth. Dean closes it, revealing the scriptures across the hard cover.

"It's Ancient Greek." Dr. Mason states. "I teach a course."

Dean puts the book back into the shelf. "So, a car accident." He walks over to them. "That's—that's horrible."

"Angie was only a mile away from home when..." Dr. Mason trails off his words and his voice trembles.

"It's got to be hard losing someone like that." Dean states. "Sometimes it's like they're still around, almost like you can still sense their presence."

Sydney pulls her brows together. Dean wasn't being very subtle at what he was trying to say. And it astonished Sydney how they were able to hunt under the radar for this long without her.

"You ever feel anything like that?" Dean questions.

Dr. Mason swallows, "I do, as a matter of fact."

"That perfectly normal, Dr. Mason states, especially with that you're going through." Sam assured the professor. He keeps his eyes on his brother, not liking his attitude towards the professor.

"You know, I still phone her." Dr. Mason tells them. "And the phone's ringing before I remember that, uh," he looks from each of the young hunters.

Sydney presses her lips into a small smile. She always thought that was ridiculous. Calling someone who is dead. But listening to Dr. Mason say that he's done it absentmindedly made her sympathetic. "family's everything, you know? Angie was the most important thing in my life. And now I'm just lost without her."

Sydney swallows the painful lump in her throat. "I'm so sorry."

☆

Sydney was seated at the table, looking through a book of unholy ground. Sam has been questioning this case ever since Dean mentioned it. Sydney still didn't know how to feel about it. If the grave digger stated he didn't use pesticide in the area of Angela's grave, what was the harm in looking. But Sam was right about one thing, Dean was running away from his feelings.

"I'm telling you there's something going on." Dean voices from his spot on his bed. "We just haven't found it yet."

Sam softly scoffs from the bathroom. "Dean, so far you got a patch of dead grass and nothing."

"Well, something turned that grave into unholy ground." Dean says.

"There's no reason for it to be unholy ground." Sam looks at his brother. "Angela Mason was a nice girl who died in a car crash. That's it exactly vengeful-spirit material. You heard her father."

"Yeah, well, maybe daddy doesn't know everything there is to know about his little angel, huh?" Dean replies.

Sydney's shoulders sink. "Dean, come on."

Dean looks at the brunette, "What? You don't believe me too?"

"Hey, I believe you." Sydney holds her hands up. Dam snaps his eyes over to the girl. "Syd."

Sydney slightly opens her mouth, "There definitely is something going on and that unholy ground is the first clue." She then looks back at Dean to continue her point. "But, just because she's probably a vengeful spirit, it doesn't mean she's got some dark past." Her eyes soften. "That girl is dead, at least she some respect when talking about her?"

Dean lets out a small breath. But he swallows, "You're right. I'm sorry."

"But the father." Dean says. "He could be hiding something—"

"We never should have bothered that poor man." Sam cuts him off. "We shouldn't even be here anymore."

"So, what, Sam? We just bail without even figuring out what's going on?" Dean rhetorically asks.

Sam's eyes soften. "I think I know what's going on here?"

Dean pulls his brows together.

"It's the only reason I went along with you this far."

Sydney tenses. Dean still didn't understand what Sam was trying to get at. "What are you talking about?"

"This is about mom's grave." Sam clarifies.

Dean scoffs, he looks at Sydney in disbelief and she holds her hands up. "I'm not in this. Please don't put me into this."

Dean looks back down at the book in his hand. "Got nothing to do with it."

"You wouldn't step without 100 yards of it." Sam states. "Look, maybe you're imagining a hint where there isn't one so you don't have to think about mom or dad."

Having heard enough, Dean drops the book onto the bed and glowers at Sam. Sydney tenses from the way Dean was burning his eyes into Sam.

Sam inhales a nervous breath. "You want to take another swing? Go ahead if it will make you feel better."

"I don't need this crap." Dean grabs his jacket and slips it on. He grabs his keys and heads for the door.

"Dean, where are you going?" Sam asks.

Dean turns to Sam, "I'm gonna get a drink...alone." He pulls the door open and walks out of the motel.

Sydney lets out a small breath and her eyes stay on the door for a moment before looking at Sam. The brunette's body freezes when she notices Sam already looking at her. "What?"

Sam's eyes soften and she raises her brows. "You want me to?—He just said "he was going to get a drink alone"." She quotes.

Sam tilts his head. "He's gonna leave you behind."

Sydney opens her mouth, "I didn't say that I would even..." she closes her mouth and exhales through her nose. Her eyes shift back to the door and her chest tightens. She knows Sam didn't want Dean to be alone. Who knows the kind of mischief he would be up to?

"Crap." Sydney grabs her jacket and slips it on.

Sam softly laughs and Sydney's face heats up. "Screw you." She calls out before walking out of the motel. The brunette walks over to the Impala. Dean was in the driver's seat, ready to speed out of the parking lot.

Dean saw a figure out of the corner of his eye and his body immediately tensed. He turns to the window and his heart begins to race. Sydney sends Dean a timid wave. Dean lowers the window down and he swallows. "Hey."

"Hi." Sydney presses her plum tinted lips into a small smile. "Look, I know you said you wanted to get a drink by yourself, but could I join you?" She then holds her hands up. "Of course, you don't want me around then I can go right back to my room—no biggie." She nervously chuckles with her face getting hot.

Dean looks at the girl with a surprised expression. "Did Sam put you up to this?"

Sydney slightly opens her mouth. "Well, he did that puppy dog eye thing, y'know?" She chuckles. "But, I wanted to come and be with you."

Sydney's eyes widen, "If you'll have me."

The brunette could see Dean's eyes sadden. "Yeah, of course, Syddie." His chest weighs with guilt. How the hell was he going to be able to assure her that she was welcomed after the way he's treated her this past month?

☆

Sydney wasn't much of a talker at the bar. Dean didn't know if it was because of him or just the atmosphere. Her hands laid in her lap and her eyes stayed glued to the tv screen.

Dean taps his ring against the neck of his beer bottle. He didn't know what to talk to her about. If anything, Dean thought she didn't even want to talk to him. He wouldn't blame her. Especially after how he treated her. Dean just wanted Sydney to know that he truly wanted her around.

It wasn't sudden, but Dean felt a pull towards Sydney. He turns and his eyes stayed glued on the side of her face. There was a faint scar across her cheek, running through her freckles. When he first met Sydney, her freckles were barely apparent. But they're so much more visible now.

Just knowing that there was still new things Dean could discover about Sydney made a heat of excitement form in his belly.

And Sydney was so in her head about which team got the turnover. But out of curiosity, she turns her head and meets Dean's gaze. Dean's eyes widen and his jaw goes slack. "Uh, hi." His brows furrow. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to stare."

Sydney gently smiles, "It's fine. Really." Her voice was soft, it's hardly heard over the bar chatter. Sydney looks at her pineapple daiquiri. "Do you think..." her throat tightens and so do her hands. There was a fear embedded deep inside of her that made her stomach turn and her right leg bounce. She didn't want to pry. Not when she and Dean just got back to being civil.

Dean could hear the hesitance and fear in her voice even though she had trailed off her question. "You don't have to be afraid with me." His voice was gentle.

A lump forms in her throat and guilt settles into her stomach. "That's easier said than done, y'know?" She forces her eyes back on his.

Dean presses his lips into a small line and nods. "Yeah, I know." He softly breathes. "I've treated you like shit since you've been with us." His hand covers his eyes.

Sydney bites the inside of her cheek and looks back at the tv. "It's okay. For the most part..." she replies. "I get being upset about me not answering, but everything else was so...excessive." She looks back at Dean. His hand was still covering his eyes and she could see how red his ears had gotten. There was actually a small bit of relief Sydney felt from seeing Dean embarrassed for his actions.

"I appreciate you wanting to make it up to me, but...it's gonna take a while." Sydney admits. "Is that okay?" Please let that be okay.

Dean takes his hand off his face and Sydney holds her breath. His forest green eyes meet Sydney's soft doe eyes and his body relaxes. "Of course, that's okay, Syddie."

Sydney softly exhales. She presses her lips into a small smile and Dean's heart skips.

"So, are you gonna drink that daiquiri or just admit that I practically flushed 11 bucks down the drain?"

Sydney softly giggles. "Oh, you definitely wasted 11 bucks. I'm not gonna drink this whole thing. It's huge!"

Dean tilts his head back and laughs which causes the smile to grow on Sydney's lips. He looks back at his beer as his laughter settles. "So, what were you trying to say before?"

Sydney softly hums. "Oh, well..." she stirs her drink and moves her head from side to side. "...what Sam was saying back at the room. Do you think he was right? About this being about your parents?"

Dean tenses. Sydney could feel her own body tense and she shakes her head. "I'm pushing. You don't have to answer." She immediately tries to backtrack.

"There is a case going on."

Sydney holds her breath and averts her eyes to her drink. She braces herself for any form of anger or disappointment in Dean's voice.

"But, I wanted to get out of that graveyard as quick as possible." Dean admits. Sydney's body relaxes but she looks back at Dean with surprise written across her face.

"Even being in the same vicinity as my mom's grave makes me think of her dying. Then it makes me think of how my dad never got revenge for her because of that demon." Dean's hand tightens around his beer bottle. "I know I'm trying to run from this with the help of this case. But, I need this."

"You kind of said the same thing with the last case." Sydney winces. "I swear I'm not trying to start anything, it's just..."

"I get it." Dean sighs. "And you're right."

His mind never left the case with Gordon. He thinks about how he could've easily turned into Gordon without Sam and Sydney there to stop him from making certain choices.

Dean never forgot how much he's missed Sydney. And the case with Gordon proved it.

"Thank you."

Sydney blinks, "For what?"

Dean shrugs, "For holding me accountable."

The brunette moves some of her hair behind her ear. "Well, Sam's been doing the same thing."

"Sam's not really nice about it."

Sydney chuckles, "Yeah, well. Just let me know and I will...continue to help you out."

Dean nods with a smile on his lips and a fluttering feeling in his stomach he hasn't felt in years.

☆

Sydney couldn't get what Dr. Mason said out of her head. "You know, I still phone her."

She's heard about people calling a person's phone after they'd past. Just to hear their voice. Or even to get closure.

Sydney looks down at the wedding band around her necklace. Maybe she could get closure. Maybe she would be able to sleep at night without nightmares being added to the mix.

Sydney just wanted to be able to breathe again without thinking about Matthew. That man hurt her and would've killed her, like Sam told her. She needed to let him go. The brunette grabs her phone and scrolls through her caller list. She clicks on Matthew's phone number and presses her phone against her ear.

Sydney was nervous. Even if she was just going to be hearing his voicemail, it made her stomach twist up in knots. The only time she hears his voice is either in her nightmares or when her thoughts get so horribly self deprecating—his voice is the only one around.

Sydney is pulled from her thoughts when she hears the phone click. Then she hears a voice.

"Hello?"

Sydney pulls her brows together. Matthew's voicemail was longer than "hello". She remembers it clear as day.

"Hello? Anyone there?"

Sydney's ear began to ring. The familiar voice on the other end continued to talk, but she only heard muffled noises. That wasn't someone else on the other line who now had his phone number. No, that was the man that would tell her how worthless her life would be without him. This was the same man who told her that they would never be apart. "Together forever. Even in our final breaths."

Sydney's eyes were filled with tears and her breathing had quickened. She couldn't hear clearly until the ringing in her ears had settled. That's when she heard the voice again.

"Stupid kids."

And the phone call ends.

Sydney drops her phone and sits on the edge of the bed with her breathing still quick. Her fingers had gone numb and her legs were Jelly-O. Matthew is—

A knock is heard at the door which causes her to gasp. Sydney snaps her eyes over to the door.

"Hey, Syd?"

Sydney lets out a small breath and walks over to the door. She shakes her hand and wipes her upper lip before opening the door. Sydney plasters on a smile, "Hey, what's up?"

"Uh, so it turns out. Dean is right. There's a case here." Sam says. "Wanna tag along?"

Sydney keeps her eyes on Sam's for a moment, still trying to process everything that she discovered a couple minutes ago. Sam could see from the shakiness in her face, she wasn't aware of what he had just said.

"Sydney?"

The brunette blinks and refocuses on Sam. The Winchester pulls his brows together, noticing the spaced out look that was still across her face.

Sydney slightly shakes her head, trying to focus on what Sam told her. "Uh, Dean's right and you're wrong? That's something I never thought I'd hear." She chuckles. "Let me just grab my jacket and I'll meet you guys at the car."

Sam hesitantly nods his head. Sydney closes the door and presses her back against it with a small whimper. Her hand flies over her stomach and her face begins to flush with heat. Then she feels it.

Sydney runs into the bathroom and sticks her head in the toilet—throwing up.

...

"I didn't realize the college employee grief counselors."

Sydney slightly opens her mouth. "Yes, well. They just recently implemented it. Make it easier to connect with others dealing with grief."

"Yeah, you talk, we listen. And maybe throw in a little therapeutic collage—whatever helps jump-start the healing." Dean adds with a coy smile.

The man looks between the three. "Well, I think I'm okay. Thank." He goes to retreat back into his house.

"Well, you heard what happened to Matt Harrison, right?" Sam asks.

He turns back to them. "Yeah, I did."

"We just wanted to make sure you were okay."

The boy slightly tilts his chin up.

"Grief can make people do crazy things." Sydney adds. Sam didn't stop himself when he glanced at the girl. His mind going back to the night she told him about Matthew.

He looks between the three, understanding what they're getting at. "Look, I'm sorry about what happened to him. I am." He admits. "But if Matt killed himself, it wasn't cause of grief."

"No? Then why?"

"It was guilt. Angie's death was Matt's fault, and he knew it."

Sam pulls his brows together. "How was Matt responsible?"

"She really loved that guy, but the night of the accident, she walked in on him with another girl." The boy explains. "She was really torn up. That's why she crashed the car."

"Um, look, I got to get ready for work, so thanks for the concern, but, seriously, I'll be okay." He gives them a small smile before walking back into his house.

Sydney lets out a small breath. "Well, that's one sign of this being a vengeful spirit." She starts down the porch steps with the brothers.

"Yeah, it's starting to make a little more sense." Dean adds. "I mean, Hell Hath No Fury."

The three thunders get to the car and Sam speaks. "So, if Angela got her revenge on Matt, you think it's over?"

"Well, there's one way to be sure." Dean voices while getting into the car. Sam and Sydney follow.

"Yeah? What's that?"

"Burn the bones."

Sam's eyes widen. Just to make sure he heard his brother right, he turns to Sydney in the back seat. The brunette's mouth was open and her eyes dart over to Sam.

"B-Burn the bones?" Sydney stammers.

"Are you high?" Sam lets out a chuckle of disbelief. "Angela died last week."

"So?"

Sydney swallows, "There won't be any bones for us to burn." She says. "Just rotting flesh."

Dean waves a hand, dismissing the two. "Since when are you guys afraid to get dirty, huh?"

Sydney blows a nervous breath out of her mouth. "Well, I'm still rusty and I have a weak stomach. So, I would say I'm very afraid—very."

Dean frowns and shrugs, "You know what? I get it." He then points at Sam. "But you've got no excuse."

Sam's mouth drops open. "You're kidding."

Instead of answering, Dean begins to drive down the street.

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author's note.

Hey, so Sydney's phone call???

IN. SANE.

When I said this story starts off fast, I meant that. But I am sooooo excited for it!!!

words : 3770