Author's Note: We don't own anything having to do with Supernatural only Grace belongs to SPNxBookworm and me.
Here we were talking about stories that we wanted to write in the future and she says "So, I was thinking about…" and lo and behold I had already started what was meant to be a one shot with the same topic! Since we were on the same wavelength we decided to write this together and it has now been turned into a short mini-series, probably only three chapters.
Just a warning before you jump into this collaboration, this is going to be different than the other fics we have written together and there will be a tragic ending and we will have a trigger warning for the last chapter.
Hope you enjoy!
Saving Grace
Grace Winchester massaged her temples with the tips of her fingers in hopes of relieving the headache that was keeping her from the term paper that was waiting to be started. She had been confident in her ability to get her point across, to be able to articulately argue her opposition on the topic, and get it handed in early but then her mind went completely blank as she sat in front of her laptop. The new document's blinding white page intensified the pain behind her eyes and the ever blinking curser seemed to mock her that the only two words typed were her name.
A sigh of relief escaped her lips when there was a knock on her dorm room door. She set her laptop on the overturned cardboard box she used as a coffee table and made sure her bathrobe was tied securely around her. Another knock came, this time a little more urgent, "I'm coming!" She swung the door open, half expecting it to be the R.A. reprimanding her for her playing her music too loudly again, but froze in her spot when she saw her brothers. "Hi! What're you doing here?!"
"Apparently saving your awesomeness," Dean replied sarcastically as he pulled a pencil out of her hair causing it to cascade over her shoulders and she gave each of them a hug in greeting.
Grace then rolled her eyes and motioned to her laptop, "I'm working on my term paper."
Sam sat down on the futon that served both as her couch and her bed eager to see what topic she had been working on. He blinked a few times and then raised an eyebrow, "All you have is your name."
"Well, I'm supposed to be working on my term paper," she corrected and sat next to him. "But, now that you're here I can take a break."
"That's my girl," Dean clapped his hand against her shoulder and rummaged through the small personal refrigerator that only consisted of a few cans of soda and something that used to be food but could now be considered Darwinism. He almost had a full pout on his face as he closed the door, "There's no pie."
Sam had caught a glimpse of the bare refrigerator and his chest tightened in worry, "Gracie, you've been eating, right?"
"Duh," she sighed and chucked her thumb over her shoulder in Dean's direction. "I have his appetite, remember? I've just been too busy to go grocery shopping so I'll either order in," she nodded to her overflowing trash can of take-out containers. "Or I grab a quick sandwich from the café."
Dean ruffled through a few of her papers, her music collection, and a pile of her clothes before he huffed in annoyance that there wasn't anything for him to playfully scold her about. Finally, looking at his sister for the first time since they'd been in the small dorm his eyebrows furrowed together, "What're you wearing?"
She looked down at herself clad in cotton pajamas with a bathrobe overtop to keep her warm and then shrugged not knowing what he was talking about. He tapped his nose and it suddenly hit her that she was still wearing her glasses. Grace quickly removed them from her face, folded them up and hid them in her lap. "They're just for reading."
Sam shot his brother an incredulous glare and Dean realized that his sister was ashamed to have to wear them. He cursed himself for speaking before thinking he was just shocked to see her with glasses for the first time. They had just visited a couple months ago, hadn't they?
"So, you guys here for the debate?" she questioned with a hopeful expression. Grace knew what the 'family business' was and that it came before everything else but at the thought of her brothers dropping everything to see her debate on Thursday was beyond exciting. Everything else in her life had been put on hold so she could prepare. She had post-it notes on the front of her small refrigerator, a stack of multi-colored index cards so she had a rebuttal for any argument made, and had spent the last four days at the campus library until it closed.
Sam's, as well as Dean's, heart shattered when they realized they both had totally forgotten about the debate she had told them about when they called last week to check in. Their calls was something that she came to cherish ever since she had been mugged a few months back but there was no way she'd ever tell her brothers. She was a Winchester after all and should have been able to protect herself. She even promised herself that after this semester was over she'd enroll in some kickboxing classes to sharpen her skills but there was too much work to be done right now. Their silence was her answer though and she tried to hide her disappointment.
Dean cleared his throat, "Caught wind of a werewolf in the area."
Grace looked in between her brothers the shock clearly written across her features. "Really?" she asked, astonished.
Dean rubbed the back of his neck tiredly, "Yeah." His eyes shot back to his sister and a frown formed on his lips, "Wait, you don't hear anything about this?"
Grace shook her head slowly clearly showing her confusion and Dean's frown deepened. Wouldn't she have at least noticed the deaths that had made the front page?
Sam gave Dean a pointed look, thinking the exact same thing. "Have you been reading the newspaper these past few days? Or maybe even surfing it on the internet?"
Grace sighed as she massaged her head again, the exhaustion taking a toll on her. "Not really. At least, not for a like a week or two. It's just, we had this crap load of homework dumped on us last minute and I've been working on it every night on top of preparing for the debate. And this term paper is the last one to be handed in so…" she trailed off with an uncomfortable look on her face. Even if she'd left the life she should have been cautious and not making excuses because of something so mundane as homework. A thought suddenly occurred to her and she sat upright with a horror struck expression on her face. "Wait," she choked out, piecing together the pieces in her head. "Are you talking about the deaths of the two students and that teacher from my university?"
Sam rested his elbows on his knees. "Yeah. We thought it seemed odd that the newspaper was only stating they were killed with brute force. So we made it here and talked to the coroner. The hearts were ripped out of their chests and we checked; the lunar cycle lines up."
Grace slowly put a hand up to her face as tears welled up in her eyes. How did she not realize this? Karen was dead…because of a werewolf. "Oh my God," she whispered.
Alarmed looks appeared on the brothers' faces as Grace zoned out with silent tears running races down her cheeks. "Hey, Gracie. Come on, look at me," Dean prodded gently, but firmly, as he rested a comforting hand on her knee. Grace slowly looked to her eldest brother who was crouched in front of her. "Do you know something?"
Grace took a few breaths to calm her racing heart. She couldn't believe she didn't realize this before. "Uh, yeah. One of the students who died, Karen Morgan…she was supposed to be my first opponent for the debate. And uh, they never told us what happened. Like, the stuff about the heart missing. And since I hadn't read the news reports for the past few days…Oh my God!" Grace broke down and clung to her brothers.
Dean and Sam both shared a broken a look. Both knew what it was like to feel the guilt of not being able to save someone. They let their sister cry and their hearts shattered even further at the sound of her broken sobs.
"I'm…I'm sorry. I didn't-" Grace stammered as she heaved in large breaths, trying to get a grip on herself.
"Hey, don't apologize, Gracie. It's why we're here," Sam assured as he rubbed small circles on her back. "We'll look for the bastard that did this, okay? You just concentrate on your term paper and everything."
Grace sniffed and nodded.
"How about you get some sleep and we're going to head back to our motel," Dean suggested as he used the cuff of his sleeve to wipe away the remainder of her tears.
"No. You can stay here. I can clear up some-" Grace started to get up and move things around but Dean stopped her.
"No, sweetheart. It's okay. We paid for the rooms anyway. You take care of yourself, you hear?" Dean warned with a finger pointed in her direction. Grace smiled sadly and nodded as her brothers left.
She sighed as she walked over to her laptop and flipped it close. She could work on the term paper tomorrow. She took off her bathrobe and flopped onto her futon, pulling a blanket over top of her. Her brothers were here, they'd fix everything; they'd find Karen's killer.
SUPERNATURAL
Sam groaned as the shrill ring of a phone cut through his blissful sleep. "Dean, pick up the phone," he croaked his voice still heavy with sleep. He smirked as he heard Dean curse and sighed when the incessant ringing cut off.
"Agent Ford," Dean answered the phone. After a few seconds Dean sat straight up in bed. "What?" he snapped as he tried to keep the worry out of his tone. "Okay, thank you," he said before ending the call and getting out of bed.
"Hey, Sasquatch. Wake up," Dean smacked the side of Sam's leg as he passed the bed on the way to the bathroom. "Another teacher was killed last night."
Sam bolted straight up, much like his brother had done moments before, and untangled himself from his bed cover. Guilt washed over him. Yet another person dead. He knew Dean was silently thinking the same thing but he dreaded having to tell his sister. It might not have been their fault but every second they spent not looking for this thing, a human life was at risk, and the only part of the job that mattered was saving people.
He sighed as he rummaged through his duffel for his fake FBI badge and suit. He had just laid his suit out when his own phone started to ring. He hurried over to pick it up and stiffened in shock when he heard the voice on the other end.
"Grace?!" he exclaimed the concern creasing up his forehead as he listened to his sister's terrified voice. Dean immediately stepped out of the bathroom as he heard Sam call out his sister's name.
"What?" he demanded. "What's going on?" Sam shushed him and sent him a glare as he tried to get him to be quiet. Dean snatched the phone away from him and put in on speaker.
"Gracie? What's wrong?" Dean asked worriedly.
They heard a breath hitch on the other end and the faint sound of a sob before she answered, "I…I don't know."
"Alright, I want you to take a deep breath," Dean instructed as he shared a look with Sam. "Can you do that for me?" He paused and listened as she inhaled a shaky breath and then exhaled it slowly. "That's my girl. Now tell me exactly what happened."
"I…I went to bed last night and…I…I'm not in my room. Dean, I don't know where I am!" She cried into the phone as she got herself worked up again. "And I'm…Dean, I'm covered in blood!"
Both brothers almost lost their footing and Sam was the first to find his voice. "What?! Are you hurt?"
"No. I don't think so," Grace whispered with the fear seeping through. "Guys, I'm scared! I don't know where I am and I'm covered in blood and…what's going on?!" she yelled helplessly as she started to freak out.
"Grace, calm down. Turn your GPS on and I'll track your phone. I'll find you, I promise. Just calm down and take another deep breath for me." He waited to hear her do as she was told. "Alright, sweetheart, hold on. I'll be there in no time. We'll figure everything out," Dean soothed. He heard Grace's small 'okay' before he cut the phone and looked to Sam.
"You go find out about the victim. I'll go find Grace," he ordered. Sam nodded and rushed to the bathroom to get freshened up while Dean opened up their laptop to scan Grace's phone location.
What the hell was going on?
SUPERNATURAL
Dean located his sister on the opposite end of town huddled on a park bench. She had her knees pulled up to her chest and was slightly rocking herself back and forth. He had barely cut the engine of the Impala before he leapt from the car and jogged over to where she was.
"Grace," he called out trying to get her attention and as she slowly raised her eyes to meet his she broke down all over again. He slipped onto the bench next to her and pulled her into his chest with one hand in her hair and the other wrapped around her back. "Shh, you're alright."
Dean held onto his sister as she clung onto his shirt like it was her lifeline and started sobbing. He tried to erase the image of her rocking back and forth on the bench out of his mind. He'd never seen Grace look so vulnerable before. She had always been the tough girl who always stood up for herself without any help whatsoever from either of her brothers so seeing her in this state right now worried the eldest Winchester. After a few minutes, Grace sniffed and dried her eyes hastily with the back of her hand before pulling away. As her feet hit the pavement Dean could clearly see the amount of blood that had soaked into her clothes and felt nauseous. She picked up on his horrified expression and slightly shook her head, "I'm not hurt just freaked out."
"Come on," he helped her up from the bench and kept his arm around her shoulders as he guided her towards the Impala. "Let's get you back to the dorm so you can get cleaned up."
Dean felt her shake her head quickly, "Can't I just go to your motel room? I don't want…I mean if anyone sees…I can't…"
"Alright," Dean squeezed her shoulder in hopes of calming her down again and opened the passenger door for her. "We are going to figure this out, Gracie, and everything will be as good as rain you'll see."
Grace wanted to believe her eldest brother, he certainly had never steered her wrong before, but there was a knot in the pit of her stomach that just wouldn't go away. Things didn't seem 'as good as rain' from where she was standing. They were in the car for a few minutes before she spoke again. She cleared her throat to make sure the words would come out, "Where's Sam?"
Dean glanced over to his sister who looked years younger than she really was and returned his eyes to the road, "He's taking care of something. He'll meet us back at the room."
"There was another one last night, wasn't there?" Grace's bottom lip trembled but she swallowed her tears and crossed her arms over her chest. "Do you…" she trailed off and took a deep breath before she could continue. "De, do you think I'm mixed up in this?" she asked, voicing the one thing that had been nagging her ever since she woke up to find herself in a deserted park with blood covering her clothes.
"Don't start talking like that, you hear me?" Dean spoke with such conviction it was hard to doubt him.
Ashamed she glanced out the passenger side window. "People are dying, Dean, and I'm covered in blood. In any other case we wouldn't even be questioning it," she whispered.
Dean's grip tightened on the steering wheel and he shifted ever so slightly in his seat, "This isn't any other case. We'll get back to the motel room and Sam will have answers for us, you'll see."
Dean prayed his brother would have some answers because at this very moment he was just as scared as Grace was.
SUPERNATURAL
Grace was thankful to see that Sam was still out when they entered the motel room. She truly loved both her brothers but right now, she just needed time to process what the hell was going on. She didn't need both her overprotective brothers fussing over her. It seemed selfish, but she couldn't help and sigh as she walked over on shaky legs and sat down on the bed at the far end of the room.
Dean's resolve wavered slightly seeing the lost, fearful look on his sister's face. He shut the motel room door behind him and walked over to his duffel; searching for anything that could fit Grace for the time being until they could get a few of her clothes back from her dorm. He rummaged around a little before pulling out and AC/DC shirt that was too small for him and Grace's old track pants that she'd left when she'd fought with her father and had run off to university. That seemed like a different lifetime now when all she would think about was getting away from the 'family business'.
"Here," Dean said, handing over the clothes to her sister. "Wear these for the time being. I'll get your clothes from your dorm later. There's towels in the bathroom and soap is on the lower most shelf under the showerhead."
Grace smiled in spite of herself seeing her eldest brother's caring streak burst forth. She'd missed this a lot. She silently shuffled over to the bathroom and closed the door behind her.
Dean let out a shaky breath before sitting on his bed closest to the door. He ran a hand over his face as he let his walls crumble a little as Grace's words replayed in his mind like a broken record.
De, do you think I'm mixed up in this?
He wanted to believe so bad that Grace had nothing to do with what was going on. But his baby sister was right. They wouldn't even be questioning the possibility if it was someone else.
Things just didn't add up.
What the hell was going on?