OoOoO
"You're just going to leave him in there?" Kevin asked.
Dean stared at him and then looked over to Sam. Sam shrugged. Dean watched his brother wearily. Ezekiel healing Sam's body was the only option Dean had had, but it still wasn't sitting right with him. He just kept telling himself it was keeping Sam alive.
"He'll break soon enough." Dean moved to find a bottle of whiskey. They had asked Crowley for information on demons and who they were possessing. They had to have something to go on. But, of course, Crowley refused. Sam and Dean decided the silence would be enough to break him.
"Now what?" Kevin looked to the brothers.
Just then Dean's phone rang, "Hello?"
"Dean."
He let out a sigh of relief, "Cas, you okay?"
"I am fine. How is Sam?"
"Everything is okay on our end. We have Crowley locked up." Dean explained.
"I have a message for you." Castiel spoke solemnly.
"What's going on? A message from who?" Dean asked eagerly.
"God I believe." Cas said.
"Not this again." Dean rubbed his eyes.
"Dean there is someone who can help you and Sam. She is your savior." Castiel sounded very convinced that all this was true; while Dean was still trying to believe that God was contacting Castiel.
"C'mon Cas you don't believe that." Dean muttered.
"Have faith Dean."
"Yeah well my faith is wearing a little thin. I apologize." Dean said sarcastically.
"She can heal Sam." Castiel said.
Dean looked to his brother, "Sam is fine. He's walking and talking just like normal."
"This way is better."
Dean thought of the fallen angels words. He looked at his brother, who was now chatting with Kevin. He looked okay, but Dean knew if Cas was saying this, there must be some truth to it. With Crowley not talking and no leads, what was there to lose?
"Where is my so called savior?"
Sam looked up, his brow furrowed.
"A town called Mystic Falls." Castiel said.
OoOoOo
"Anything? Come on Bonnie." Elena asked urgently. For the last few weeks she had been plagued with visions and dreams of men she had never met doing thing she hadn't known existed. Trying to seal off hell and prophets and angels, everything seemed to be too much.
However, Elena could not believe that what she was seeing was false. With finding out about Stefan's vampirism and Bonnie's powers, Elena knew there was more out there. And she felt drawn to the men. She pieced together that they were brothers guided by an angel. She knew it sounded ridiculous and she would never bring herself to say any of it out loud.
She turned to Bonnie as a last ditch effort to see if she could pick anything. So far it was looking rather bleak. "No Elena. Are you sure you aren't dreaming?" Bonnie looked at her friend, searching her face for answers.
"During the day, when I'm wide awake? I don't think so." Elena muttered.
"Did you ask Stefan?" Bonnie was clearly frustrated.
"No. And don't say anything to him." Their relationship was so new; Elena did not want to bring her hallucinations into the mix.
Elena stood up and shrugged. "Look don't worry about it. I haven't seen or heard anything since two nights ago. Maybe it was temporary insanity." Elena tried to explain it away, even though she knew it was much more.
Bonnie blew out the candles and started to put everything away. Elena watched her friend, "Thank you for trying. I really appreciate it."
Bonnie nodded and gave Elena a quick hug; "I'll see you tomorrow."
Elena walked Bonnie to the door and quickly closed it behind her. What was she supposed to do? Something in her felt off, wrong. She knew she was supposed to be doing something more. Maybe she was supposed to pursue whatever she was seeing? Help them? That was what everything in her being told her. They needed her. But who were they? And most importantly where were they?
"Is Bonnie still here?" Elena's Aunt Jenna came down the stairs.
"No she just left. I think I'm going to go to the Grill." Elena looked up at her Aunt.
"Is everything alright? You've been a little strange lately."
Elena hated to worry her. "Yes, I'm just busy with the squad and classes."
"How are things with Stefan?"
"Fine. I'm going, so I'll see you tonight?" Elena leaned up and kissed her aunt on the cheek.
Elena decided to walk instead of drive. She needed to clear her head. It was bizarre to her how everything appeared to be normal, but she knew that it was all a charade. If she could handle learning about witches and vampires, why was this anything different?
Elena took a turn down an alleyway, the faster way to the Grill. Her heart jumped when she was grabbed from behind. Her hands locked over whoevers had taken a hold of her. A parade of images flew into her mind. It was the brothers. She had seen their whole life in mere seconds. Every happy moment, every tear, each heartbreak. For a brief moment Elena was so overwhelmed she felt like she couldn't breathe.
"Stop moving. I'm not here to hurt you." A gruff voice halted her actions.
"Dean?" She whispered. She had no idea where the name came from. It was as if someone had just whispered it into her thoughts. She was released from his grasp.
Elena quickly turned around and stared at him. He was just as she had seen him in her thoughts. Dean was handsome and scary at the same time. He was a man who had been through hell and back, literally from what Elena had just seen. The things he had experienced. It was unreal. It appeared that he had no idea that Elena had just seen his whole life unfold.
Dean ignored her and looked back at Sam. "Come on, she's a kid. She can't save us." Dean bit out angrily, feeling like they had wasted the last two days driving to Mystic Falls.
"Dean. Castiel wouldn't send us out here for nothing. She has to be useful." Sam said. Exhaustion was starting to hit him.
Elena stared at them both, shocked to see them in person and in her hometown. She was not afraid though. In fact, when she thought about it, she seemed oddly at ease.
"I'm not a kid." Elena managed to say.
Dean stared at her and raised his eyebrow, "How old are you?"
"Seventeen." Elena told him, maintaining eye contact. Her birthday was just last week. In this moment, it seemed like it was so long ago. Dean rolled his eyes. Seventeen? No way this was going to work.
Dean looked her up and down and then scowled. "You know who we are?" Dean asked pointing to himself and Sam.
She nodded, "Dean and Sam Winchester."
"What else do you know?" Dean asked.
"Sam didn't complete the third trial. Angels have fallen. So Castiel must be human now. That's all." Elena hesitantly told them. It felt bizarre to say aloud. She decided it was best to keep quiet about seeing Dean's entire life. Perhaps, she would tell one day.
"Do you know what you are?" Sam stepped forward.
Elena shrugged, "I just had these visions of you guys and here you are."
"You need to come with us." Dean said right away. Elena could see he was in no mood to argue.
"Leave with you? I can't just pick everything up and go with you. I don't even know you." Elena gave the appropriate response. Yet, part of her was telling her to go. Stop fighting and go.
"Look my brother needs help and apparently you're the one who can do that. So when I say we're leaving, we're leaving." Dean barked at her.
"Dean. Calm down," Sam paused, "Elena it would be much appreciated if you would go home and pack some belongings. We have quite the drive to get back."
"Yeah a two day drive." Dean could not get his anger under control. He was tired of depending on others. He was tired of these situations. He was so ready to give up, but he knew that was not an option.
"No. I can't." Elena said once more.
"Elena, I know you don't understand right now, but we'll try and explain everything to you." Sam tried to ease her into subduing.
"My friends are here and family. Not to mention I have school and the team needs me. I have a life here." Elena had no idea why she was arguing. It was like her mouth just kept going, even though she knew she was going to go with the brothers.
"Here's how it's going to go. We are going to drive you home. You will pack some bags. Then we are leaving." Dean laid it out plain and simple. If she was going to be of such a help to them, there was no more room for arguing.
Elena felt a pull towards him and she wondered if he felt it too. She could not explain it. She felt like she knew him better than anyone else, but they had only just met.
Sam put his hand to Elena's shoulder, "Trust me when I say, I know this is going to be difficult. We will do what we can to protect your loved ones. It is best for them if you leave. I've seen my whole family torn apart, our friends too. Trust me, it is not something you want."
At the thought of harm coming to her family Elena tensed. She would not be able to live with herself if anything happened to Jeremy or Jenna. Dean stared at her as she came to terms with what she had to do. If he had not been so worked up he would have noticed how beautiful she was, how innocent she appeared to be.
"How am I supposed to help you?" Elena looked to both of them for guidance.
Sam gently smiled, "We'll figure it out. Together." Sam had a much more gentle approach than Dean, but Elena knew that.
Dean straightened.
Elena nodded.
"This is crap." Dean said as he turned and walked back to the Impala. A seventeen-year-old girl who had never even been exposed to their hunter culture was supposed to help them? Dean saved girls like her all the time it seemed. She was useless and was more of a hindrance in his eyes. Though part of him felt some ease due to her presence. Her deep brown eyes seemed to penetrate his and bring him an inexplicable comfort.
Elena took a breath. "Okay. I don't want anyone to get hurt." She shrugged. She did not know whether she was making the wrong decision, but she felt as if she had no other choice.
Dean watched as Elena moved to the backseat of the Impala. Sam sat up front, beside Dean. They drove in complete silence except for Elena giving directions to her home. They were each consumed in their thoughts. Dean was torn about what he was supposed to do with Elena and worry for Sam. Elena was just trying to process what was happening.
"My Aunt Jenna is not going to let me just leave. Things don't work like that." Elena said to Dean as they pulled up in front of the house.
Dean rolled his eyes, "We can explain to her what is happening, but there's a small chance she will let you go anyway."
Elena exhaled roughly, "Well come on in."
They walked up to Elena's longtime home.
"Come on." Elena murmured as they walked upstairs.
Dean looked around the house trying to get a feel of who Elena was. The house was typical, nothing too special. Her bedroom was a different story. After finally having his own bedroom, Dean understood how a simple room could become a place of solace. In that moment he wanted nothing to be back in the bunker in his room.
Elena's room was filled with pictures of her and her friends. In some pictures she was in her cheerleading uniform, in others she was casually dressed. There was a picture of her and her family that Dean felt the urge to take, but didn't. He subtly watched Elena pack up her life into a few duffel bags.
"You know the Salvatore brothers?" Sam asked Elena.
"Yes." She was too busy stuffing clothes into her bag to really focus on the question.
"They are vampires." Sam said bluntly. Sam had read in their father's journal about a run in with the brothers. He had let them live, but he never knew why.
Dean flashed his eyes to his so-called savior. "Yes they are." She made a mental note to call Stefan whenever they got to where they were going. It was a horrible way break the news of her departure, but it was the best she could do. She knew she would be back to Mystic Falls one day.
"You hang around with vampires. That's just awesome." Dean said sarcastically. It kept getting better.
She threw her hands down, exasperated. "Listen Dean, I have no idea what is happening right now. And I am doing my best to just go along with it because I want to help you and Sam. So can you just knock it off for five minutes? Please?" Elena looked at him with pleading eyes. Sam eyed his brother.
Dean felt a pang of guilt for jumping on her once again. Sam watched the exchange closely, noting the shift in Dean's emotions. Before Dean could say anything else, Jenna walked into the room.
"What's going on?" She asked seeing Elena's bags.
Elena rubbed the back of her neck, "Jenna, I have to leave. I know this makes absolutely no sense to you right now. But I'm protecting you. Please trust me."
"Leave? Where are you going? And who are these men?" She eyed both of them.
"They're my friends. Please don't make this any harder than it is." Elena was doing her best to keep her emotions in check. She could see the fear and sadness creeping onto Jenna's face. And she knew she was the reason for it.
"Elena, I'm supposed to take care of you. I'm not letting you go anywhere." Jenna was usually very lenient, but not on this. She had a duty to watch and take care of Elena and Jeremy and she was going to follow through on it.
Just then Sam's demeanor changed. He stiffened and walked over to Jenna and touched two fingers to her forehead. Elena gasped and ran over to her aunt. "What are you doing?" Elena yelled.
Ezekiel turned to face Elena, "You are important to the Winchesters. You must come with us."
Dean stepped towards the angel, "Alright, alright," he turned to face Elena, "Sam was hurt, and he almost died. Look, he doesn't know that there's an angel inside of him. Your aunt is going to be fine, ok? Just, you can't say anything to Sam." Dean was trying to diffuse the situation.
Elena took a breath and nodded, "Okay, but can you at least move her to my bed?"
Ezekiel picked Jenna up effortlessly and moved her. When he turned back to face them, Sam looked around, "What happened?"
"She fainted." Dean effortlessly lied. Sam looked confused, but Elena just shrugged.
"Let's get moving." Dean motioned for everyone to leave. Dean stood in Elena's bedroom a moment longer to assess everything. Jenna was now sitting on the bed a second away from crying. He hoped this was the right decision.
"I'm going to sleep in the back." Sam muttered as soon as Dean made it out to the Impala.
"Ok. You should probably get some rest." Elena attempted to be of help to her new cohort. Dean gave her a grateful look. He wondered if Sam's tiredness was from Ezekiel.
Sam nodded and gave her a quick smile as they loaded into the car.
OoOoOo
Ten hours into the car ride and Sam was still asleep. Dean had ACDC playing at a soft volume, while Elena just looked out the window. She felt oddly comfortable, despite how bizarre the situation was.
"She'll forgive you. You are doing what's best." Dean broke the silence. He wanted to make her feel better and he could not explain it. He had been in this lifestyle is whole life and he met a lot of people. And with that, he had become attached to a select few and most of them were gone now. But Elena was different. There was a pull towards her that he could not explain. He knew absolutely nothing about her but it did not feel that way.
Elena glanced at him.
"Are you saying that because I'm going to help you or because you mean it?" Elena asked pointedly.
Dean paused, "I guess both."
Elena smiled softly at his honesty.
"You haven't asked a lot of questions. Most seventeen year olds wouldn't be so compliant, especially when two strangers show up. Why is that?" Dean knew something was off the second she agreed so easily.
Elena thought of all she had seen. She had seen each brother die, as well as their mother, father, and friends. She had seen the hunts and the killing. Every life the brothers had touched, she had the honor of watching. She knew they weren't evil or going to hurt her. But how could she explain that to Dean without telling him everything?
"I trust you." It was not a total lie.
Dean shook his head, "Do you have any idea what you got yourself into?"
"Let's face it Dean, if I would have fought you, you would have gotten me to go with you one way or another."
"You're right about that one."
Elena cleared her throat, "You don't think I can help you, either of you."
Dean looked at the girl beside him. She was something else, he had gathered that much.
"Can you blame me? No offense Elena, but you just got thrust into a world you know nothing about. You don't know the half of what's out there and you don't have a clue on how to defend yourself." Dean told her.
She shook her head.
While she was knowledgeable about the demons and monsters that roamed the earth, she was unwise when it came to how to defend herself. She had never been in a fight, never shot a gun. She was an easy target. And that made her a liability.
"Teach me." She said simply.
Dean laughed and then realized she was being serious.
"You want to learn? You couldn't handle it." Dean had become the shell of a man he was once. His number one was Sam. That was what he cared about. This innocent girl did not deserve this life and he did not want to be the one to cast her into it.
"Try me."
"Well aside from the vampires and angels you already know about, there's demons, werewolves, ghosts, vengeful spirits, witches. Anything from your nightmares probably exists." He was expecting her to laugh or grimace, but she seemed unaffected.
"Okay. So after we get the Sam situation figured out, you'll help me? If it's my job to save you guys or whatever I'm here for, maybe I should know how to save myself first." Elena made a good point.
Dean thought for a second. Whoever she was, she was a mystery to him.
"If that's what you want." Dean stared straight ahead. He felt like he was just going to tarnish something so pure by teaching her everything he knew. But she had a point. If she was going to be part of their group, she had to know. And if she wasn't scared or disbelieving at this point, he had no clue what would faze her.
"It is." Elena told him.
Dean glanced in his rearview mirror back at Sam. He hoped that whatever Elena was here for, it was to help him. He wanted Sam back as normal.
She looked out the window and let sleep take her. Thoughts of her past life slowly slipped away from her as she geared up for what was to come.
OoOoOo
Dean and Sam took turns driving for the two-day trip. Elena slept a lot and explained to her friends and family via text why she had to leave. The drive was pretty quiet, even though it felt like there was so much to say
"Elena, wake up. We're here." Dean whispered as he gently shook her awake. Her eyes fluttered open. In a sleepy haze she smiled up at Dean as he helped her out of the car.
Her muscles felt tense as she stretched out. She could not believe she slept so late. Sam had grabbed her bags and was already headed inside the compound. Darkness had fallen, but Elena had no idea what time it was.
She followed Dean inside. Her eyes searched the bunker, fixated on what she was seeing. It was exactly how she had seen it in her visions, but to see it in real life was something completely different.
Kevin was sitting, but stood as soon as everyone came in. "Any word from Cas?" Dean asked, trying not to sound too eager. He was hoping Cas would show soon.
"Nothing," he turned towards Elena, "I'm Kevin."
"Elena." Elena's stomach grumbled loudly as she introduced herself.
Dean sighed, "We'll eat after I check on Crowley."
Dean walked out of the main room and Elena followed. Dean looked over his shoulder. He had not expected her to come with him, "Elena stay back here."
"Why?" She asked, "I know who Crowley is and what you guys are doing to him. You know that, right?"
Sam looked at his brother and shrugged.
"Listen, I just don't think we need to bring in a girl who looks like you so Crowley can insult you and try and get a rise out of you. He hasn't had an audience in days so I'm sure he'll be at his best." Dean explained.
Elena blushed, "What do I look like?"
Sam pursed his lips and cleared his throat, "Okay, Dean let's go."
OoOoOo
Elena watched Kevin as he meticulously went over the angel tablets. She knew all about Kevin, well she knew what Dean knew about Kevin. She felt bad for him, but she could see he was doing his best.
"So anything about me in there?" Elena asked jokingly.
Kevin looked at her and grinned, "There could be. Castiel called you their savior. Hopefully he'll be able to fill us in a bit more when he gets here."
"When will that be?" Elena asked.
Kevin shrugged, "Things are pretty out of whack right now. Perfect time to be joining the team."
Just then, Dean and Sam walked in, smug looks on their faces. "He's close. By tomorrow I'm guessing we'll know where to go next." Sam explained
"Who wants to get some food?" Dean asked, feeling somewhat relieved.
"Yes." Kevin blurted.
"I think I'm just going to stay. I'm really tired." Elena lied. Sam could tell she was lying, as could Dean. She had slept the majority of the ride here, but it was understandable. Dean nodded, "Your room is down that hallway, second door to the left. The bathroom is right across the hall. If you need anything or something happens, call me right away." Dean proceeded to give Elena his number. Her mouth tensed when she looked at her phone, but she added his number nonetheless.
"Alright. I'll see you both tomorrow." Elena murmured and went to her room. They all left. Dean did not feel quite right about leaving, but he did anyway.
OoOoOo
Elena's bedroom was bare, stone floors and walls surrounding her. She put her bags down and sat on the edge of the bed.
She pulled her phone out, not surprised to see all the texts and missed calls. A barrage of voicemails also awaited her. Caroline, Bonnie, and Jeremy all wondering where she was and when would she be back? Calls from Jenna and Stefan made her heart hurt.
Her hands shook as she called Stefan. He picked up on the first ring.
"Elena where are you? Jenna said you were with two men she had never seen before and then you just left." Stefan sounded more worried than agitated.
Elena sighed, "Stefan, calm down. I am all right. Something came up and I didn't really have a choice. Just know that I am safe, okay?" Elena suddenly felt exhausted.
"I'm coming to get you. Tell me where you are." Stefan persisted.
"I can't do that. I'll be home as soon as I can, but I don't want you to look for me. And I don't want you to wait for me either." She struggled to finish her sentence.
"What are you saying?" Stefan asked.
"Stefan, I trust you. And you can trust me. And maybe if things were different we could have been something. But, with how things are now, where I am now, anything between us just seems impossible at the moment." Elena attempted to break the news to him as easily as she could. It was all true. She did care about Stefan and maybe in another life, things may have worked out. But she felt herself changing and along with that, her feelings were too.
"Elena, if you just-."
"Please try to understand." And with that, she hung up.
With a heavy heart, Elena lay down and closed her eyes. Elena sent out a group text explaining that she would keep in touch and she was safe, but that only came with everyone asking more questions. Frustrated, Elena slammed the phone on the nightstand. She wished she were stronger, but the tears came anyway.
OoOoOo
Dean realized how exhausted he was the second he was out of sight. He had been strong the last two days. He had no choice. But now, he was just plain tired. As he walked past Elena's room he could not mistake what he heard.
Soft sobs came from behind the wooden door. Dean paused. He knew what she was going through. He felt badly for her. But what could he do? He felt like he was in part to blame for what was happening to her.
He continued towards his bedroom.
A/N There's chapter 1! Like I said this story focuses on Supernatural and it's world, I just stole Elena ;) In later chapters some direct dialogue will be used from the show, but mostly mine! Thanks again!
Please review and let me know what thought :)