𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧

Chapter 193-Getting Close To Figuring Them Out

After searching around the town for the wreaths for a few hours, we finally stumbled upon something promising. We made our way into a Christmas shop, and when we walked in, Deck the Halls was playing, and a shopkeeper stood behind the counter "can I help you?" He asked as we approached "uh, hope so. Uh, we were playing Jenga over at the Walsh's the other night, and, uh...well, he hasn't shut up since about this Christmas wreath, and...I don't know, you tell him." Dean said.

"Sure. It was yummy." Sam said "I sell a lot of wreaths, guys." The shop owner said "right, right, but.....but you see, this one would have been really special. It had, uh.....it had, uh, green leaves, um, white buds on it. It might have been made of, uh...meadowsweet?" Sam said "well...aren't you a fussy one?" The shopkeeper asked as Sam looked embarrassed and annoyed all at once "he is..." Dean nodded "anyway, I know the one you're talking about. I'm all out." The shopkeeper said.

"Huh. Seems like this meadowsweet stuff's pretty rare and expensive. Why make wreaths out of it?" Dean asked "beats me. I didn't make them." The shopkeeper said "who did?" Dean asked "Madge Carrigan, a local lady. She said the wreaths were so special. She gave them to me for free." The shopkeeper said "she didn't charge you?" Sam asked "nope." The shopkeeper said "did you sell them for free?" Dean asked "hell no. It's Christmas. People pay a buttload for this crap." The shopkeeper laughed.

"Well, that's one way to spread Christmas cheer." I said sarcastically. When we made our way back to the motel, it was dark out, and we walked in and took our jackets off "how much do you think a meadowsweet wreath would cost?" Dean asked "a couple hundred dollars, at least." Sam said "this lady's giving them away for free? What do you think about that?" Dean asked "well. sounds pretty suspicious." Sam said as they sat down on their beds, and I sat on the couch "remember that wreath Dad brought home that one year?" Dean sighed "nope." I said as I shook my head at him.

"You were too young. Actually, I don't even think you were born yet." Dean said "you mean the one he stole from, like, a liquor store?" Sam asked "yeah, it was a bunch of empty beer cans. That thing was great. I bet if I looked around hard enough, I could probably find one just like it." Dean said "all right. Dude...what's going on with you?" Sam asked him "what?" Dean shrugged "I mean, since when are you Bing Crosby all of a sudden? Why do you want Christmas so bad?" Sam asked "why are you so against it? I mean, were your childhood memories that traumatic?" Dean said.

"No, that has nothing to do with it." Sam said "then what?" Dean asked "I-I mean, I-I just....I don't get it. You haven't talked about Christmas in years." Sam said "well, yeah. This is my last year." Dean said as I looked up at him I knew that's what had brought his Christmas spirit on "I know. That's why I can't." Sam said "what do you mean?" Dean asked him "I mean, I can't just sit around, drinking eggnog, pretending everything's okay when I know next Christmas, you'll be dead." Sam said sadly as I got choked up and teary-eyed, just thinking about it "I just can't." Sam whimpered as Dean looked at Sam and me, sadness on his own face. And we all were silent for the rest of the night.

The next morning, Sam found out where Madge Carrigan lived, so we made our way over to her house. When we arrived, we pulled over in front of a large white house with tons of Christmas decorations on the lawn. We all got out and started making our way up to the door "this is where Mrs. Wreath lives, huh? Can't you just feel the evil pagan vibe?" Dean asked as we made it to the door and knocked. A few moments later, the smell of evergreen and gingerbread hit us as an overly cheerful woman in a very modest pink and white sweater answered the door.

"Yes?" She asked in almost too sweet of a voice "please tell me you're the Madge Carrigan who makes the meadowsweet wreaths." Dean said as I peered into her house and could see Christmas decorations everywhere and handmade gingerbread houses on almost every counter and table "why, yes, I am." She smiled proudly as Dean looked at Sam and me and smiled "ha! Bingo." Dean said "yeah? Uh, well, we were just admiring your wreaths in Mr. Sylar's place the other day?" Sam asked her.

"You were? Well, isn't that meadowsweet just the finest-smelling thing you ever smelled?" Madge asked "it is. It sure is. But the problem is, is that all your wreaths had sold out before we got the chance to buy one." Sam said "oh, fudge!" Madge shouted "you wouldn't have another one that we could buy from you, would you?" Dean asked "oh, no, I'm afraid those were the only ones I had for this season." Madge said "aw..." Sam said, feigning disappointment "tell me something. Why did you decide to make them out of meadowsweet?" Dean asked.

As a man walked down the stairs and joined us at the door. He was weary a cardigan and was using an old-fashioned pipe. Their hairstyles and clothing made it seem like they had walked out of a movie from the 1950s "why, the smell, of course! I don't think I've ever smelled anything finer." Madge smiled "yeah...um, you mentioned that." Sam said "what's going on, honey?" The man asked her "well, just some nice kids asking about my wreaths, dear." Madge smiled at her husband.

"Oh, the wreaths are fine. Fine wreaths. Oh, care for some peanut brittle?" Mr. Carrigan offered us some peanut brittle from a red tin. A
Dean reached for a piece, but Sam pulled his arm away and smiled "we're okay." Sam said. On our way back to the motel, Dean had gotten a call from Bobby. He informed him that stakes made of evergreen could kill our pagan god, so he got to work on that right away while Dean taught me to carve the stakes, Sam researched the Carrigan's "I knew it! Something was way off with those two." Sam exclaimed "yeah, they were pretty creepy." I said as I looked up at him.

"Hey, watch what you're doing." Dean scolded as I looked back down and started carving "jeez...sorry." I said "I just don't want you losing a finger." Dean said as I put the stake and knife down on the floor so I could look up without getting scolded "can you say dramatic?" I joked "can you say safety?" Dean asked "since when is safety the first thing on your mind?" I asked him "when it comes to you. Have you ever heard of the saying...do as I say, not as I do?" Dean asked "I mean from past experiences...I think it's safe to say I'm not always the greatest at doing what you say." | smirked.

As Dean and I just stared at each other for a few moments when Sam cleared his throat while Dean sighed at me and then looked over at Sam "what'd you find?" Dean asked him "the Carrigan's lived in Seattle last year, where two abductions took place right around Christmas. They moved here in January. All that Christmas crap in their house...that wasn't boughs of holly. It was vervain and mint." Sam said "pagan stuff?" Dean asked him "serious pagan stuff." Sam said "so, what, Ozzie and Harriet, are keeping a pagan god hidden underneath their plastic-covered couch?" Dean asked.

"I don't know. All I know is we gotta check them out. So, what about Bobby? He's sure evergreen stakes will kill this thing, right." Sam asked "yeah, he's sure." Dean nodded.