Title: Calls Me Home

Summary: A journey through seven seasons of Supernatural through the eyes of two Winchesters and a Singer.

Characters: Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester, Ruby Singer, Bobby Singer, John Winchester, and a whole ton of others.

Disclaimer: Everything you see here belongs to Eric Kripke & Co. The title belongs to the song "Calls Me Home" by Shannon LaBrie.

Author's Note: I would just like to say that the timeline is so screwed up at some points. It's almost mind boggling.

Chapter Seven

"I had them check the FBI's Missing Persons Data Bank. No John Doe's fitting Dad's description. I even ran his plates for traffic violations." Sam sighed as he sat back down at the table outside the cafe they had stopped at.

Ruby nodded her head at Sam passing the information along to her father before ending the call, "Alright, Dad hasn't heard anything about John either."

"You know, I don't think Dad wants to be found, Sam. Check this out. News item out of Ankeny, Iowa. It's only about a hundred miles from here." The older Winchester brother turned the laptop towards Sam and Ruby.

" 'The mutilated body was found near the victim's car, parked on 9 Mile Road.' " The younger Winchester read aloud before looking at Dean.

"Keep reading."

" 'Authorities are unable to provide a realistic description of the killer. The sole eyewitness, whose name has been withheld, is quoted as saying the attacker was invisible.' " Sam paused before looking at Dean, "One freaked out witness doesn't mean this is our type of case."

The blonde hunter rolled her bright blue eyes as she took a sip of her coffee, "It doesn't mean that it isn't, either. John and my dad would both check it out, Sam. Worst case scenario, it's actually a case for us. Look, if my dad gets a lead on John, you guys will be the first to know. I promise."

Sam reluctantly agreed and before he knew it, they were in Ankeny, Iowa. While the boys started their investigation at the fraternity house, Ruby made her way over to the sorority house posing as the new girl on campus. It was easier than she had expected it to be. Gossip flew around quite freely so it wasn't hard for her to gather information. After a quick change of her clothes, Ruby made her way to the church and slipped quietly into the mass sitting in an empty back pew. She listened as Reverend Sorenson spoke and took a good look at his daughter as all attention went to her. Then the sound of the doors slamming shut caught everyone's attention and they turned to look only for Ruby to swear inwardly when she saw the Winchesters looking rather mortified. The reverend continued speaking as the congregation returned their full attention to him. He then instructed everyone to bow their heads in a moment of prayer. Sam did as so and as Ruby bowed her head, Dean took a good look at her. The necklace that was around her neck that she constantly wore was clutched between her fingers as she prayed. His gaze was interrupted by the sharp elbow to the side from Sam and Dean quickly bowed his head as well.

Once the service concluded, the boys approached the Reverend's daughter Lori while Ruby chatted up the Reverend. It wasn't long before he approached the boys with her in tow and Dean took the initiative to walk away with the Reverend talking to him as a distraction while Sam spoke to Lori. Ruby, on the other hand, returned to the sorority house to change before getting a text from Sam to meet up with them at the library which she did.

"So you believe her?" Dean asked glancing at Sam as they walked through the library.

"I do." The taller Winchester nodded affirmatively as Ruby approached them.

"Yeah, I think she's hot too." He responded only to groan when Ruby socked him in the stomach.

The blonde rolled her bright blue eyes as they approached a table, "Focus."

"Listen to this, she heard scratching on the roof and found the bloody body suspended upside down over the car." Sam informed them as he sat down.

Ruby and Dean looked over at Sam while speaking simultaneously, "That sounds like the Hook man legend."

"But that's one of the most famous urban legends ever. You don't think we're actually dealing with the actual Hook Man here, do you?" The elder Winchester looked reasonably skeptical at the idea.

"Every urban legend has a source. A place where it all began." He shrugged as the librarian approached the table setting down a few dusty boxes containing arrest records dating back to 1851 in front of them.

The three of them coughed and then Ruby chose to speak up once the librarian was out of earshot, "Yeah, but what about the phantom scratches? The tire punctures? The invisible killer?"

"Well, maybe the Hook Man isn't a man at all. Maybe he's a spirit." Sam suggested as they began to look through the files.

Hours later, the trio were still looking through the arrest records when Sam found one that was particularly interesting. A preacher Jacob Karns was arrested in 1862 for murder. He was so angry he went down to the town's red light district and killed thirteen prostitutes. Some were found in bed with their sheets soaked in their blood. Others were strung upside down from trees as a warning against sins of the flesh.

"Hey, get this. Apparently Jacob lost his hand in an accident. Had it replaced with a silver hook." Dean pointed out.

Ruby nodded before her eyes widened a bit. "Look where all this took place. 9 Mile Road."

"Same place where the frat boy was killed." Sam nodded.

Of course finding that information out was a lot easier than actually investigating 9 Mile Road itself. Ruby insisted on going and Dean insisted that she go back to the sorority house to keep an eye on Lori. So they ultimately decided to just play Rock, Paper, Scissors to decide what to do. Dean threw scissors like he always does and without thinking, Ruby threw paper. Dean chuckled as Ruby rolled her eyes and headed off back to the sorority house. The elder Winchester brother parked the car inconspicuously alongside 9 Mile Road before getting out and popping the trunk. He handed a rifle to Sam before grabbing the rock salt filled bullets.

"If it's a spirit, buck shot won't do any good." Sam remarked raising his eyebrows as Dean handed him the bullets.

"Yeah, Rock salt." He replied as he loaded up his own gun.

"Huh. Salt being a spirit deterrent." The taller brother loaded his gun as well, "You and Dad think of that?"

"I told you. You don't have to be a college graduate to be a genius."

Just then, they heard movement among the trees. They slowly walked toward the noise as Sam raised his gun and aimed only to come face to face with the Sheriff. Back at the sorority house, Ruby watched as Lori made it safely to her room. It was then that the blonde noticed the long scratch along the wall. She snapped a picture with her phone and headed back to her own room. It wasn't until mid morning that Ruby heard the screaming and made a run for Lori's room. Back in town, the boys were just leaving the Sheriff's office where Dean had successfully managed to get them both off the hook by convincing the Sheriff that Sam was just a dumb fraternity pledge. As they walked toward the Impala, several sheriffs ran out of the building and sped away in their police cars. The boys shared a look before following them in the Impala. It was only when they reached the sorority house and saw Lori very much alive that they relaxed a little. Then they remembered that Ruby had been there as well. The instrumental sounds of 'Smoke on the water' caught their attention and Dean sighed in relief when he saw that it was Ruby calling.

"Hey, we're outside the sorority house now. Where are you? What happened?" Dean asked as he answered his cell phone.

Ruby leaned against the wall of the closet as the room quieted again, "I'm fine, Dean. Thanks for asking. Oh, I'm upstairs in Lori's closet. Her roommate was killed last night."

"Sorry. I'm...We're glad you're okay. Really? Damn it."

She rolled her bright blue eyes and sighed, "I know, Dean. I screwed up. Look, the window to the room is unlocked. Trust me, you're going to want to see this crime scene."

"Ruby..." Dean started to say only to swear under his breath as he only got a dial tone in response.

The Winchesters climbed up onto the balcony of the house and Sam opened the window sliding into the room first. Dean followed him only to lose his balance and landed on top of his brother. He apologized as they both quickly got to their feet and shut the window. They began bickering in hushed whispers for each other to be quiet only to be pulled into the closet by Ruby. The closet doors shut silently behind them and they remained quiet as they listened to one of the sheriffs move around in the room. After a little bit, Sam peeked out of the closet and watched as the sheriff left the room. He waited until the guy went downstairs before walking out of the closet. Dean and Ruby attempted to walk out of the closet simultaneously only to end up pressed against each other. Their eyes met and they stayed like that for a moment until Sam's voice caught their attention. Dean stepped back to let Ruby go out first and then they joined Sam. On the wall written in blood were the words 'Aren't you glad you didn't turn on the light?' It was classic Hook Man.

"It's a spirit alright." Dean tapped his nose sensing the overly strong scent of ozone.

They had never smelled ozone that strong before. As he looked at the wall, Sam noticed something and pointed out the image of the cross which looked familiar. The three of them returned to the Impala and studied an image of a cross that they had found among their research of Jacob Karns. It was the same symbol that had been on the wall. The spirit was indeed the one of Jacob Karns. It seemed like a simple salt and burn job until Sam read aloud that Jacob was buried in an unmarked grave. They ultimately split up with Sam going to watch over Lori while Dean and Ruby headed to the Old North Cemetery to find Jacob's grave. A chill ran through Ruby as she walked through the cemetery with Dean letting their flashlights guide the way. It was Dean that found the headstone with the cross engraved into it and walked over to it beginning to dig.

"That's it. Next time, I get to watch the cute girl's house." Dean huffed as he continued to dig through the grave before his shovel finally hit the wooden casket.

Ruby raised her eyebrow appreciating the way Dean's grey tshirt clung to his sweaty torso, "Very funny."

The older Winchester grabbed a few items from his bag pouring salt over the remains of the preacher and then squirting lighter fluid down on top of that. Ruby watched as Dean lit a match and then tossed it onto the remains which then caught on fire. Once they were done there, Dean packed up the bag and walked back to the Impala with her.

She made a face laughing slightly as she walked alongside him, "God, you need a shower."

Before he could respond, though, his phone buzzed indicating he had a message. He checked it and the message was from Sam. Apparently he was at the hospital with Lori and her father. Dean dropped Ruby off at the hospital before returning to the motel for a quick shower and change. The blonde saw the sheriffs standing guard and swore under her breath before going the opposite way to reach Sam. She gave him a hug relieved to see that he was okay and it wasn't long before they were joined by Dean.

"What the hell happened?" He asked after making sure that his little brother was alright.

"The Hookman."

Ruby's eyes widened at that, "Wait, you saw him?"

"Damn right. Why didn't you guys torch the bones?" Sam responded as he looked at them.

The blonde shook her head in disbelief. "Sam, Dean did torch the bones. We saw them burn."

"Did you get the hook?"

Ruby looked at the taller Winchester and raised her eyebrow. "The hook?"

"It was the murder weapon and in a way, it was a part of him." Sam explained to both of them.

"So, like the bones, the hook is a source of his power." Dean nodded his head looking over at Sam.

"So if we find the hook..." Sam started before all three of them spoke simultaneously, "We stop the Hook Man."

The trio of hunters returned to the library and looked through more papers regarding Jacob Karns. Dean found the log book from the Iowa State Penitentiary. All of Jacob's earthly possessions including the hook had been donated to the St. Barnabas Church where Lori's father preached and Lori lived with her father. Checking the church records, Ruby read one entry aloud revealing that the hook had been melted down. With that information in hand, Dean drove the three of them over to St. Barnabas.

"Alright, we can't take any chances. Anything silver goes in the fire." Dean instructed as they stood outside the building.

"Lori should still be at the hospital so we'll have to break in." Sam added.

"Alright, take your pick."

"I'll take the house." Sam nodded as he walked toward the house.

"Hey Sam! Stay out of her underwear drawer." Dean teased before heading toward the church.

Ruby shook her head before following Sam, "I'll sort through her room."

In the basement of the church, a roaring fire was illuminating the fireplace as Dean tossed various silver objects into the scorching flames. Sam approached him with a bag followed by Ruby who also had a bag. The three of them tossed everything silver they could find into the fire. The sound of footsteps above them caught their attention and they crept upstairs prepared to shoot the spirit. The three of them relaxed when they realized it was just Lori sitting in the church.

As Sam spoke with Lori assuring she wasn't to blame, Dean headed back downstairs while Ruby looked around to make sure they hadn't missed anything else that was made of silver. A cold breeze brushed past turning the flames of the candles into mere wisps of smoke. Sam and Lori run through the building trying to escape the wrath of the hookman only to end up in a back room. The hookman chases them around swinging his hook at them missing a few times before finally striking Sam in the shoulder eliciting a painful scream from his lips.

Narrowing her eyes, the blonde hunter entered the room swinging an iron rod that she had found in the basement making the spirit temporarily disappear, "Not on my watch."

The hookman reappeared though behind Ruby as she stared down in concern at Sam.

"Ruby, drop!" Dean's voice called out before he shot at the ghost once she had dropped down to the floor.

"I thought we got all of the silver. Why is he still here?" Sam winced as he looked up at Dean and Ruby.

She rolled her eyes as she stood up glancing around. "Obviously we missed something."

It was then that they looked around only for Sam to spot the silver cross necklace that Lori was wearing around her neck.

"Lori, where did you get that chain?" Sam gestured to the chain around her neck.

"My dad gave it to me. He said it was a church heirloom."

Ruby looked over at her with wide eyes, "Is it silver?"

When the girl confirmed that her necklace was indeed silver, Ruby could only watch as Sam ripped the chain off of Lori's neck. He tossed the necklace at Dean and Dean tossed a rifle with rock salt to Sam simultaneously. As Dean ran downstairs tossing the necklace into the flames, the hook made a long scratch along the wall across from Sam and the two girls. Sam aimed at the scratch shooting at it and attempted to reload again only for the rifle to be knocked from his hands by the ghost. The ghost raised its hook at the three of them as Ruby raised the iron rod she was holding in her hand. Before either could strike, the hook melted and the rest of the spirit's body crumbled into nothing.