Sam answered a call telling him to go up to marketing. Ian hadn't shown up that morning, so he was hoping it didn't have anything to do with that.
He got into the elevator, seeing Faith down the hall and holding the door for her.
Faith
Faith walked a little faster to make the elevator. She smiled gratefully at Sam.
"Thanks," she said, before reaching into her bag. "I have the stuff you wanted too."
Sam
"Thanks," Sam took the folder and opened it to the first page, starting to read.
"I've just been called up to marketing. I might need you to come with me."
Faith
"Sure thing," Faith said.
She pressed the button for the right floor, and stood back.
Sam
"I think I might have found something," Sam said absently, marking the page he was on before digging into his pocket for a piece of paper.
Faith
"What's this?" Faith asked, taking the paper.
Sam
"Look," Sam pointed to a point on the page.
"That's an email sent to both Paul and Ian. Ian, my friend from yesterday. No one's seen him since he was called up to HR. But the address for HR on this sheet - and which is the real one - is different to the one in the email."
Faith
"Yeah," Faith said, looking over the address.
"I thought this floor was empty."
Sam
"As far as I know it's mostly storage," Sam shrugged as the elevator came to Dean's floor.
He stepped out and began down the hallway.
"I'm sure something's going on here, I just don't know what."
Faith
"Well," Faith said, keepin stride with him.
"We should come back after hours and check it out. I'm always down for some breaking and entering."
Sam & Dean
"No, we need to sort this out now," Sam insisted before coming to the office and knocking on the open door.
"Enter," Dean didn't look up as he downed some of his detox drink.
When he did, he looked relieved until he saw Faith.
"Ms. Padalecki?"
Faith
"Mr Smith," Faith returned.
"I can wait outside, if you prefer?"
Dean & Sam
"Yeah, sure," Dean nodded, obviously shaken.
"What's wrong?" Sam stepped forward as the door closed.
Dean hesitated, then looked up at him.
"You really believe in these... ghosts and stuff?"
Sam frowned.
"I do. Did you see one?"
"No," Dean shook off, "I was panicky, and the guy just put a pen in his neck, and I was seeing things..."
"You did, didn't you," Sam squinted.
He turned and walked to the door.
"Where are you going?" Dean panicked.
Sam opened the door.
"Faith? I think we need you in here," he insisted.
"Faith?" Dean frowned, not even knowing her first name.
Faith
Faith looked up from her Blackberry and she nodded. She walked back into the office behind Sam.
"What's going on?"
Sam & Dean
"Not sure," Sam admitted, before closing the door behind her.
"I repeat her question," Dean looked confused.
"There's something going on," Sam insisted, standing between them, "we just don't know what."
He handed their paperwork to Dean and explained about the HR room.
Faith
Faith perched on one of the chairs, crossing her legs as she leaned back.
"So... what do we do, Sam?"
Sam & Dean
"I think we should check it out," Dean looked between them.
"What, now?" Sam asked.
Dean hesitated.
"Yeah you're right. It's not the time. We should break and do it later," he nodded.
Sam shook his head.
"I'm... dying to check this out," he said suddenly.
"Right?!" Dean looked excited suddenly.
"Let's go," Sam grinned, leading the way from the office and indicating for Faith to come with.
Faith
Faith led the way down to the elevator, the boys right behind her.
"This feels a little familiar," she commented as the doors opened.
"I know," Sam agreed as they stepped in.
He glanced at Dean who just gave him an odd look.
They eventually found the office and Sam tried the doorknob.
"Locked," he sighed, standing back.
A sudden yell came from the room.
Faith
Faith ripped a split in her skirt and then kicked the door in, before blinking slightly.
She led the way into the room.
Sam & Dean
The men looked at each other.
"Wow," Dean commented as they followed her in.
They stopped short at the sight of the ghost of an older man leaning over a tech worker, blue sparks flying from his fingers as he reached for the worker's temple.
Sam stepped forward and was flung suddenly against a piece of metal shelving, which fell down on top of him. Dean looked to the side and grabbed a large iron wrench, stepping forward and swinging it at the ghost. It disappeared.
"What the hell was that?!" he exclaimed, looking around in panic.
Faith
Faith pulled the shelving off Sam easily, and extended her hand to him.
"You ok?"
Sam & Dean
"Yeah, sure," Sam nodded, as she pulled him up.
"How did you do that?" he asked as Dean dropped the wrench and told the other employee to get out.
Faith
"Do what?" Faith asked, helping him to his feet.
She looked around for Dean.
Sam
"Just... lift that like it was nothing," Sam said as he brushed himself off.
"And... lift me like I'm nothing."
Faith
"I... I don't know," Faith replied.
"It was just sorta... easy."
Sam & Dean
"Dean?!" Sam called.
"Yeah?" he called back.
"You ok?" Sam asked, rounding the corner.
"Peachy," Dean scorned, "I just hit the damn thing and it vanished! What the hell?!"
Faith
"Well, this was suitably weird and yet not at the same time."
Faith looked between the two boys.
"Drinking time."
Dean & Sam
"Good idea," Dean nodded.
~*~
By the time the sun set, all three were up in Dean's loft.
"I could use a drink," Sam reiterated Faith's earlier statement.
"Sorry, got no beer. Detoxing. Got rid of all the carbs in the house," Dean was pacing.
"Then soda?" Sam's eyebrows rose.
"Fridge," Dean pointed to it, shuddering suddenly for some reason.
Faith
Faith leaned against the side of the couch, crossing her ankles delicately.
"So, this afternoon was... interesting."
Sam & Dean
"Understatement," Sam held out a bottle to ask if Faith wanted it.
"I don't know guys, my head is spinning," Dean shook his head, gulping down more solution, "I can't process what's happening in my head."
Faith
"Yeah, thanks," Faith said to Sam.
"I don't know, as crazy as it is, it felt... normal."
Sam & Dean
Sam grabbed two bottles and walked over to hand one to Faith.
"That was anything but normal," Dean insisted.
"I can't process that as normal."
Sam walked over to where Dean's laptop was set up and started surfing the internet for information.
Faith
Faith took a sip of the soda, and swallowed thoughtfully.
"I don't know, I just... I feel like none of this life is real."
Dean & Sam
"What do you mean?" Dean frowned.
"I know what she means," Sam looked up for a second.
"I feel like I don't belong where I am. I feel like I was supposed to... be something more."
"I think everyone who's ever worked in a cubicle thinks that," Dean assured.
"That's not what I meant," Sam sighed, "I don't feel like I belong in my apartment. I don't feel like I know my friends. I feel like I don't even know my own family, and I don't even like my own last name."
Faith
Faith nodded slowly.
"I feel sorta the same," she agreed. "I don't feel like this is who I am. The suits, the car, the nine to five... that's not me."
Sam & Dean
"Exactly," Sam nodded.
"Well I'm glad you two are happy in your little pity party, but my life is fine," Dean insisted.
"I am a successful businessman. My Mom's name is Ellen, my father is Robert, and I have a sister named Jo. I live here practically for free, and I'm going places with my life. I'm sorry if you two have such terrible lives that you have to make up these stories to make yourselves feel better."
Faith
"When was the last time you spoke to your family," Faith asked suddenly.
"Because me? I can't remember speaking to them in at least three weeks. Ever since I took on this new job. I can't shake the feeling that none of this is real."
Dean & Sam
"How could it not be real?" Dean demanded.
"I haven't spoken to anyone in three weeks either, I've just been coming to work here," Sam frowned.
He looked at Dean expectantly.
"What?" Dean demanded.
"Have you spoken to anyone?"
"No, but I don't see why that's such an odd thing."
Faith
"Because it's your family," Faith said, shrugging.
"I left my fiance and took this job, but I don't even really remember him. But I feel like there is someone I belong with. I just... don't know."
She glanced at Sam briefly.
Sam & Dean
"I found something," Sam announced, hoping it would break up the argument.
Dean made his way around to see the screen.
"'Ghostfacers'. Apparently these guys are like, real ghost hunters or something."
"They have instructional videos," Dean pointed to the option.
"You're buying ghosts, but not alternate realities?" Sam's eyebrows rose.
Dean looked at him degradingly.
"We saw this thing with our own eyes," he insisted, "we know it's a problem that's right in front of us. So let's deal with it, ok?"
Faith
Faith came around to look at the screen.
"Alright, one step at a time, I guess."
Sam & Dean
Sam played one of the videos.
"...Step one - figure out what you're up against..."
"Ok," Sam shrugged.
"Look up P. T. Sandover," Dean insisted.
"What? Why?"
"Because I'm pretty sure that's who our ghost boy looked like."
Sam shrugged and did so, and as soon as the photo came up he froze for a moment.
"That's him," he breathed.
Faith
Faith bent over a little, almost resting against Sam's shoulders. Her hair brushed his neck lightly.
"Right, next step?"
Sam & Dean
They watched as the video went on to explain what they'd need to kill a ghost. Dean jumped to the occassion by fetching containers of salt and iron rods from the fireplace.
"Wait... this says we need to burn the body," Sam looked disgusted.
"What?" Dean frowned, waving the iron poker.
Faith
"Oh good," Faith said, now leaning on Sam's shoulders.
"No night is complete until we've desecrated a grave."
Sam & Dean
Sam looked up at her in surprise, again feeling like he'd heard her say something like that before.
"So where is he buried?" Dean asked.
"He wasn't," Sam looked across at him, "he was cremated."
"So now what?"
"Apparently there's some kind of genetic material left behind tying the ghost to the place," Sam shrugged, "like hair or a fingernail or something. I guess seeing as that storage room used to be his old office, it'll be in there somewhere."
Faith
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Faith grinned.
She glanced at the boys.
Sam & Dean
Sam grinned at her and closed the laptop.
~*~
Dean drove them back to the office building and let them in.
"I can't believe we're doing this," he repeated under his breath as they got into the elevator.
Faith
"Oh come on," Faith said, a little surprised she was able to hear his comment considering he had said it nearly inaudibly.
"What's more fun than near death experiences?"
Dean & Sam
"Swimming with sharks is more fun than this," Dean insisted.
"Come on you two," Sam sighed, feeling again like he'd been here before.
He stepped out when the doors opened and led the way to the office. The door had been fixed, but left unlocked this time.
He grabbed one of the iron rods and held it over his shoulder readily. Dean did the same.
Faith
Faith followed behind Sam, almost instinctively, as they made their way back into the office.
She glanced around, eyes easily adjusting to the dark.
Dean & Sam
Dean made his way around to the back of the office as Sam opened a drawer and started sifting through some paperwork.
"Hey!" came a call over his shoulder.
Dean instinctively ducked.
Sam looked up to see a security guard.
"What are you doing in here?" he demanded, shining his flashlight between Sam and Faith.
Faith
Thinking quickly, Faith slipped her hand into Sam's.
"Oh, you know," she said, leaning in closer to Sam. "This and that."
Sam
"Right. You're going to have to come with me," the security guard insisted.
"No, dude, it's ok, I work here," Sam insisted.
"I don't care, tell it to the cops," the guard grabbed Sam by the arm and pulled him out.
Faith
Faith walked along with Sam, and she glanced up at him.
"This is just a misunderstanding," she added, as they were taken to the elevator.
Sam
The guard ignored them as they got into the elevator.
"Look, man," Sam tried again once the doors had closed.
"Maybe you could just-"
Suddenly the elevator lurched and came to a standstill, making Sam grab onto the rails.
Faith
Faith stayed perfectly balanced, and she glanced up at the roof.
"That can't be good," she commented.
Sam
Sam gulped as the guard went to the doors and pulled them apart. The lift was in between two floors, the top one having more room.
"Come on, let's go," the guard insisted.
"You're kidding," Sam looked at him incredulously.
"Last time this happened we were stuck here for two hours. Come on."
Faith
"No way," Faith said, backing up and running into Sam.
"This has horror movie written all over it."
Sam
Sam put his hands on her shoulders protectively.
The guard jumped up and made it through the gap fine. He turned back and leant in to the elevator again.
"Come on, it's fine," he insisted, just as the elevator snapped and fell.
Sam jumped as blood sprayed over him.
Faith
"Oh God," Faith made a face, feeling the blood all over her.
"That was... oh my God."
Sam
Sam blanched as his phone started ringing. He raised it and answered the call.
"Sam? I think I mighta found something. Sam?" came Dean's voice.
Sam gulped again, frozen in shock.
"I'll have to call you back," he squeaked, before hanging up.
Faith
Faith wiped her face and neck with the towel, coming over to meet Sam.
"What did Dean say?"
Sam & Dean
"He found a pair of gloves that the building has kept in a display case that belonged to Sandover," Sam explained after he'd hung up.
"We have to meet him on the twentysecond floor. Those gloves are bound to have some hair or skin or something."
Faith
"Well," Faith said, almost reaching for Sam's hand again.
"I vote we take the stairs."
Sam & Dean
"Agreed," Sam nodded.
They made their way up and met Dean in the hallway.
"You made it," Dean looked surprised.
"Yeah," Sam shrugged.
"Let's get this over with," Dean took a moment to think of what his life would be like after he destroyed this piece of Sandover history, before breaking the glass case.
Suddenly Sam was sent flying as the ghost appeared in front of them.
Faith
"Sam!" Faith exclaimed.
She picked up one of the iron rods and swung it through the ghost.
Sam & Dean
Sam's eyes widened as Dean ducked.
The ghost reappeared behind Dean.
"Dean!" Sam exclaimed, throwing him another rod.
Dean caught it in one hand and swung it forcefully. The ghost disappeared again.
"Nice catch," Sam's eyebrows rose.
Dean looked at the rod in his hands, still running purely on adrenaline.
"Faith look out!"
Faith
Faith dropped and rolled to the side, bringing the rod through the ghosts legs as she did so.
"Sam! Burn the glove, we'll play possum."
Dean & Sam
Dean looked around worriedly, before he was suddenly thrown square across the hall and hit the far wall.
He looked up just as the ghost started reaching his sparks for Dean's temple.
Sam scrambled to his feet and started trying to light his lighter. By the time he got it lit and set it to the gloves, Dean had decided he was already dead. But in the moment before the ghost touched his head, his spirit started burning up.
He watched with wide eyes as the spirit demolished itself right in front of him.
Faith
Faith watched in surprise, before coming up to Dean and holding her hand out to help him up.
"You ok, handsome?" she drawled.
Dean & Sam
"No," Dean insisted, "I'm not."
He let her pull him up, then looked up at Sam.
Sam just sighed and nodded to him.
Faith
Faith looked at Sam and smiled faintly.
"Let's get out of here," she said, before adding. "You owe me dinner, I believe."
Dean & Sam
Dean's eyebrows rose as Sam smiled a little.
"I guess I do," he agreed.
He and Dean shared a glance.
"Guess we'll see you tomorrow."
"Right," Dean nodded, still entirely freaked out but trying not to make it obvious.
Faith
As Faith walked alone with Sam, she slipped her hand into his.
"I think consulting isn't for me anymore."
Sam & Dean
"Why, want to go into ghost hunting?" Sam teased as they walked.
Dean watched after them, wondering what the heck he was going to do to clean this up.