Hiraeth

The shower was one of the only places Coralee had ever felt completely safe and comfortable. It was ironic, because she was the type of woman who didn't like the feeling of vulnerability that being nude came with. There was just something about the way the hot water seemed to ease those every day tensions from her muscles, the water taking with it her anxiety as it swirled down into the drain. When she was in the shower, she felt safe enough to let out all of her emotions.

So when she was startled out of her relaxed state of mind by the sound of loud banging on the door to her hotel room, she was quite shaken. Had whatever was terrorizing the patients at Two Rivers followed her to her hotel room? She liked to think she didn't give off the typical hunter vibe, but maybe she was wrong. After all, she'd only been doing this for a couple of years. Most everyone else in this profession had been doing it for twice the amount of time she had.

The banging persisted and she stepped out of the shower, turning the water off. She pulled her robe tightly around herself and grabbed her knife, slowly walking out of the bathroom. She checked the peephole and frowned when she saw the front desk agent standing there with a stack of towels in hand. She slid the chain lock into place and then opened the door a crack, looking out at him.

"Can I help you?"

"I've been standing here for quite awhile, ma'am. I was called to deliver some fresh towels."

"I didn't--" She started.

She was cut off as the man suddenly pushed the door open, breaking the chain lock easily as he overpowered Coralee. A groan fell from her lips as she was slammed hard against the wall behind the door.

"You know, all of you hunters are the same. You all have the same stench," the man spoke, glaring down at her with a small grin.

She winced, looking up at the hotel man. Her vision was already starting to blur, and she cursed under her breath as she realized that she'd seen the man before - not at the front desk when she'd checked in, but at the hospital. He had been an orderly, and had helped Clarice back to her room.

She looked for the silver knife she'd had in hand when opening the door and mentally cursed when she realized that it was lying a few feet away from her. It would be hard to overpower the wraith; it was at least twice her size, and she was definitely feeling less than a hundred percent after having been shoved with such force.

The wraith saw the silver blade and chuckled, kicking underneath the hotel couch before leaning down to Coralee, its spike already extended. He slid it along her throat, grinning as she struggled against him.

"You know...I didn't even have to amp up the anxiety and the paranoia in your mind, Coralee. It's been there for a long time, hasn't it? Hm...Yes, that's right...It's been this way ever since your sister died."

"Shut up!" She screamed at the monster, looking for any way out of this situation. She finally found it in the form of her purse. It was only a few feet away. If she could move just a little towards the wall...

She found an opening when the wraith looked up as the door was slammed open for the second time that night. She took advantage of the situation and took the silver knife in hand, pushing it through the wraith's chest, breaking through its ribs to pierce it's heart. She watched as it died beneath her and breathed hard as she fell back against the wall.

"Long time no see, Coralee," Dean Winchester spoke with a grin. "See what I did there? See, Lee...no?" He frowned, mumbling under his breath. Coralee frowned, slowly moving to her feet with Sam's help.

"Bobby sent you?" She growled. "I told him I could handle it myself."

"Yeah, well. You know Bobby," Sam told her, looking down at the wraith. He couldn't say he wasn't impressed that she'd taken on the thing by herself. Sure, they'd helped by busting the door down and distracting it. But she'd killed it, and probably would have done so on her own either way. Coralee McAlister had come a long way in the five years since he'd seen her back in Greenwood.

She sighed, pulling her robe tighter around herself when she noticed Dean's eyes wandering. She flipped him off before looking up at Sam. "So, where are you guys headed? You surely didn't come here solely on my behalf."

"Actually, we're on our way to a case in Flat Creek, Georgia. We were wondering if you wanted to tag team this one."

"What's the case?"

"We think we're looking at a vengeful spirit. See, Flat Creek is off the banks of Lake Lanier, and urban legend is that vengeful spirits drag people down to the bottom of the lake. There's been a rash of disappearances lately around one area in particular, but it's going to be a tough case."

Coralee ran over the options in her mind. On one hand, it would be nice to get a change of scenery, and having a partner always made for an interesting time. And no one could say that Sam and Dean Winchester weren't interesting guys. But on the other hand...Coralee had other things she was trying to get accomplished. She had been on her way to South Dakota to go over a new case that could be related to her sister's death.

But when she realized that they were heading to Georgia - near Atlanta, where her sister's life had been built, she bit down on her bottom lip. Vivian had been the kind of person who would have wanted her to take this case to help the people who were being affected.

"Sure, what the hell. Bobby Singer can wait to see me," she answered Sam. "When do we leave?"

"After you get dressed," Dean told her, staring at her legs once again. She rolled her eyes and flipped him off once more before making her way towards the bathroom to finish getting dressed. She wasn't sure what kind of adventure she'd just signed up for, but she was certain that it would be memorable if what she'd heard about the Winchester brothers was to be believed.