Point of Know Return
I
Dust in the Wind
Rylee awoke with a start, clutching the sheets to her chest as she sat up abruptly. Lee panted heavily as she tried to will the fear away. She sat there for a while before glancing at the clock. 3:47 am. Running a hand over her face, she swung her legs over the side of the bed, touching her toes to the ground cautiously before finally resting her feet completely on the wooden floorboards. Lee stood and padded to the living room, blanket wrapped around her. She collapsed onto the couch, grabbing the remote and clicking on the television. She flipped through the channels lazily, finally settling for a documentary on the History channel about "The Florida Skunk Ape." She watched for a little while, intrigued, but her weary eyes took over, and soon she drifted into a dreamless sleep.
When she opened her eyes again, it was bright, sunlight drifting in through the high windows. The sound of Bacon sizzling made her more alert. As the scent of grease and coffee drifted towards her, she sat up, stomach snarling. Lee stood, smoothing down her hair lazily and almost tripping over the blanket as she made her way to the adjoining kitchen. Lee's roommate stood at the stove, and she wordlessly handed Lee a plate of fried eggs and bacon. She took the plate, and opened her mouth to ask her something, but Rachel put up a hand, cutting her off. "Coffee will be done in a minute. Black, 2 sugars. I got you," she turned back to the pot of coffee, waving her hand in dismissal when Lee grunted appreciatively. A few minutes later, she sat down across from Lee, setting down a steaming mug of dark liquid in front of her, and setting down her own plate of food. They ate in silence. Once Lee was finished, and had drunk at least half of her coffee, she was finally ready to speak. "Thanks," she grinned at Rachel, and she smiled back. "No prob. It's my day to be kitchen slave, remember?" Lee nodded, taking another swig of coffee. The warm caffeine flowed through her pleasantly. She looked over at Rache, taking in her appearance. She was always so put together. No matter what time it was, no matter what the circumstances, she always had her things in order. Lee kind of envied that about her. Here Rachel was, at 7 in the morning, already dressed in her hospital scrubs, ready for work. Her curly brown hair was combed neatly into a ponytail, her natural makeup applied flawlessly. Lee frowned. Rachel's brown eyes flicked to her, assessing her distress. "What's up?" she asked, worried. Lee sighed."Nothing. It's just—you have everything in order all the time, and… well, look at me!" she laughed. Lee was dressed in a t-shirt that read, "I AM SHER- LOCKED," and blue pajama bottoms adorned with yellow ducks. Her dark hair was gnarled and frizzy, and her glasses were crooked. Rachel laughed. "I'm not gonna lie, you do look pretty bad," Lee glared at her, throwing a napkin at her face. She dodged it, laughing even harder. Lee gave up trying to stay mad at her and cracked a smile. She finished chuckling, exhaling. Then her smile faded. "No, but, in all seriousness, you look really bad. I mean—you've got dark circles under your eyes. When was the last time you got a full night of sleep?" Rachel stared at me. Lee looked away, clearing her throat. Grabbing their empty dishes, she headed to the sink, turning away from her. "I'm fine, Rache. Really." Lee turned back towards her roommate, and Rachel narrowed her eyes. Lee rolled hers. "Rachel, Please. I am not one of your patients. Don't go all full metal nurse on me. If I say I'm fine, I'm fine. I just have bad dreams sometimes, okay? It's perfectly no-""Don't. Don't you dare say the word normal to me right now. This? This is not normal. How long has this been going on now, Rylee? Two, maybe three years? I just want to help you, Lee, you know that, but I can't if you won't let me." Lee shook her head. "Why?" she whispered. Rachel took a step forward. "What do you mean, 'why?'" concern shone in her amber brown eyes. Lee stumbled backwards. "I mean, why would you want to help me? Why? I mean, it's not like I deserve it!" she laughed bitterly. She suddenly felt very stupid standing there in duck pajamas. Rachel reached out."It's okay, Lee-"she jerked backwards again. "No. No, it's not okay. My parents are dead. And it's my fault." she shoved past her, and Rachel dropped her hand. "I need to get ready for work," Lee muttered, leaving Rachel standing alone in the kitchen.
Lee sighed, shuffling her tired feet through the front door and dropping her keys in the bowl next to it. "Rache? You home?" she called, stepping out of her shoes as she kicked the door closed. Silence greeted her. Must be another late shift at the hospital, she thought, glancing at the clock that read 10:53. Humming Dust in the Wind, she walked over to the fridge, flicking on the light switch. After grabbing 2 cold cans of Sprite and Ginger Ale and changing into sweats and an oversized Walking Dead t shirt, she collapsed onto the couch. It had been a long day at the shop, but she had the house to herself and the day off tomorrow. She smiled, leaning over to grab the remote. As THE ROAD SO FAR lit up the screen, the front door opened, and Rachel entered. Lee grinned at her as the Supernatural theme flickered. Rache grinned back, running to her room. A few moments later, she plopped down onto the couch next to Lee, wearing an I'm a Sam girl, but I'm Dean-curious t shirt. Lee wordlessly handed her the ginger ale, and she huddled into the blankets next to her. "So," Lee started during one of the brotherly man talks at the end of the episode. "Are you off tomorrow?" Rachel nodded. "Yes! Finally! I got Damien to take my freaking shift. I swear. My feet are going to fall off if I keep working these crazy hours all week." Lee shook her head. "You need to take it easy, Rache. Seriously. You work way too hard." Rachel shrugged. "It's what nurses do." Lee rolled her eyes. Rachel grinned, shoving her friend playfully. "We cool?" Lee smiled slightly. "Yeah, yeah," she muttered, turning back to the show. Supernatural was really important to her. Even though it was just a show to everyone else, to her, it meant something. When she had lost her parents a couple years ago, she had turned to fictional worlds to escape. It helped her get away from the pain. Sometimes, she thought that if she hadn't gotten into Supernatural, she might not have even been around anymore. To Rachel, the show meant something too. It helped her remember why she wanted to be a nurse—saving people was her passion. And if she couldn't be a hunter, she'd find a way to save people. The show had also been a place of solace for her. Growing up as an only child was harder on her than most. Her dad's lack of commitment in any relationship, including the one with his daughter, had left Rachel detached, unable to really hold on to a relationship. In a way, Supernatural was the glue that had held Rachel and Lee's friendship together. The show helped Rachel find family in a friend, and it helped Lee find the will to live.
They woke up on the couch; blankets tangled together, suffering from a major caffeine hangover. On the television, Netflix asked, you've been watching for twelve hours. Are you still watching? Rachel groaned, shifting. Something crunched underneath her, and she pulled an empty bag of gummy worms out from behind her. She looked over at Lee, who was still drooling on the pillow, dead asleep. Rachel, disgusted, kicked out. Grunting, Lee's eyes flashed open, and she snorted, pulling a long strand of hair out of her mouth. "You're disgusting," Rachel declared, shoving her friend once again with her foot. "You're disgusting… Bitch," Lee mumbled, shuffling to the coffee pot. "Jerk," Rachel responded joyfully. "Coffeeeeee…." Lee moaned, leaning onto the counter to watch the liquid caffeine drip as she rested her face on the marble surface. Rachel chuckled, picking up all the wrappers and mugs. Lee was definitely not the morning person, but Rachel was. Lee grabbed a mug and moved the carafe out from under the dripping coffee, exchanging it with the mug until it was full. She placed the pot back on the coffee maker. Rachel rolled her eyes. "So impatient." Lee whirled on her, mug already almost half empty. "Hey, if we're doing a marathon, I need to be ready." Rachel looked at Lee thoughtfully. "I like how, when you say, 'If we're doing a marathon,' it sounds like you mean exercise, but really we're just talking about Netflix." Lee laughed, sitting back down on the couch. She set her mug down on the coffee table as Rachel asked, "Hey, do you want pancakes?" Lee almost broke her neck flinging her head back in confusion. "Is that even a question?" she retorted. "Hah-hah." Rachel answered sarcastically from the kitchen. Lee blinked. Suddenly, she wasn't in her living room. She whirled around. She was in the middle of… a road? The hell? She thought. Then there was a bright flash of lights, and everything went dark.
Lee woke up feeling very sore. Also, she realized, she was being restrained. Her eyes flashed open, and she struggled against the rope. She looked around her frantically, and saw that she was in a vast, homey room with dark maroon walls and dark bookcases filled with worn-looking and ancient books. At any other time, she would have admired the room; currently, she was too panicked and confused. "Hey! What the hell?!" she yelled, furious. "HELLO? I don't know what the hell is going on, but when I get untied, I'm really gonna want to kick your ass!" she was surprised at how her voice didn't shake, considering she was freaked out of her mind. She struggled against the rope once more, wincing as it bit into her skin. Suddenly the door opened, and she whipped her head up, too surprised to glare. She froze, shocked, as Bobby Singer walked in. Ooooohh. So that's why this room looked familiar…
Wait…
What the HAIL is going on? She thought.
Bobby… or Jim? Walked over to her slowly. "So… I heard you were causing trouble for my boys," he untwisted the cap of the small silver flask he held in his hand, peering at her. Lee stared back, eyes wide. She shook her head. I am literally never going to read another fanfiction IN MY LIFE. She thought. Suddenly, Bobby flicked his wrist, and water splashed onto Lee's face. Lee sputtered, shaking her head and coughing. "What the hell?" she looked up incredulously. "What are you?" Bobby leaned close, and Lee could smell aftershave and whiskey. "What? I don't know what you're talking about! You- you aren't real!" Lee shook her head. What is going on?! She thought for the millionth time. Bobby straightened. "well then would you mind explainin' to me just why the hell you and your friend ended up in the middle of the road, causing yourself to be hit by my boys' car while your friend seemed to know everything about Sam and Dean Winchester?" his green eyes stared at her doubtfully. Lee stared back. "Can you please untie me? Because, apparently, I am having the weirdest hallucination ever, and my wrists hurt pretty badly." She asked after a moment. Bobby grunted, pushing off of the desk behind him and cutting the ropes. Lee stood, rubbing her wrists. Bobby watched her carefully as she stepped away from the chair. He relaxed once she had stepped a few feet to the door. She glanced up behind her, sighing. "A devil's trap? Really, Bobby?" He narrowed his eyes. "Just get to walkin', 'fore I change my mind about this." he shoved her through the door.
She stumbled into the next room, where she was greeted by Rachel's worried face. "Lee! Thank God you're all right!" she caught hold of her friend's arm as bobby nuzzled the end of a shotgun into the small of Lee's back. Lee stiffened. "Do you have any idea what's happening?" she whispered. Rachel shook her head, "One minute I was making chocolate chip pancakes, the next we were in the middle of the road and you were getting hit by a…" Rachel stopped as footsteps approached. They both looked up at the same time to see the two Winchester brothers. Lee's eyes widened and she sucked in her breath. "… 1967 Chevrolet Impala." Her friend finished, frowning. Lee couldn't believe it. Dean and Sam. In front of her. And bobby was still holding a gun to her back. "Uh. Hello." She greeted the two fictional characters. Dean suddenly stepped up to her and splashed her in the face with holy water. Lee coughed as some of the water went down the wrong pipe. "Jesus!" she straightened just as he grabbed her arm, shoving the sleeve up and slicing a long cut into her forearm. She yelped, swinging her other arm up to hit him. He caught her arm, pinning it down to her side as Sam yelled from behind him, "Dean!" Rachel was suddenly next to her, pulling her away from the older hunter as Sam pulled Dean away. Shocked, Lee clamped one hand over the cut in her arm. She glared across the room at Dean as he murmured to his brother. Bobby had joined them. "Okay, that's it. I am not a vampire, or a shape shifter, or a demon, or any sort of supernatural creature. If ONE more person either stabs me, or pours holy water on me, I'm going to lose my shit." Lee declared, scowling. "Lee. Lee, it's okay. They're just taking precautions." "Yeah well a little warning next time would be great." Rachel rolled her eyes. "You're fine." She turned to the Winchesters and Bobby. "You, on the other hand, are not," she narrowed her eyes at Dean. He grunted. "Look, lady, we don't know squat about you or your little friend over there, so, until we get some answers, sorry you ain't getting the Brady bunch treatment." He held out his arms in a half-shrug, half-threatening stance. "Yeah, well, she would have cooperated. You didn't just have to go around freaking stabbing people." "Not until season nine, that is," Lee muttered, sitting in a nearby armchair. Rachel turned, giving her a shut the hell up, idiot look. "Wait. What seas-"Lee changed courses when Rachel gave her the look again. "-Ah… year. What year is it?" Lee looked questioningly at Sam. Surprised, he glanced at his brother and father figure before answering, "2009. Why?" "2009…" Lee muttered. So I'm supposed to be 13 right now, not freaking 19. She glanced at Rachel, who gazed back, clearly thinking the same thing. "Alright," Bobby pushed past the brothers. "As touching as this little meet-and-greet has been, I think it's time we skipped to the skinny and you tell us just exactly who it is you are, and what you know." Rachel and Lee looked at each other.