Chapter 01 - Exile on Main Street
Dean groans as he slowly wakes up. He feels a familiar hand on his shoulder, pushing him down. "You need to take it easy, Dean." He opens his eyes and finds Addison sitting next to him. She looked different from when he last saw her over a year ago.
"Addison," Dean disbelievingly asks. She smiles at him. "What the fuck happened to your hair?"
Addison rolls her eyes. Her hair now fell below her ears. And instead of copper red that he was secretly fond of, her hair was now a bleach blond. "Nice to see you too," she mutters.
"Hey, Dean." Dean sits up and stares in disbelief. Sam was sitting across the dark room. Sam chuckles and stands up. "I was expecting, uh, I don't know, a hug, some holy water in the face — something."
"So, I'm dead," Dean asks, staring at his brother. Sam chuckles and Addison shoots him an unamused look. "This is Heaven? Yellow Eyes killed me and now—"
"Yellow Eyes? That's what you saw?"
Dean frowns. "Saw?"
Addison sighs. "You were poisoned. Whatever you think that you've been seeing, it isn't real."
Dean blinks. "So, then, are you…real? Or — or am I still—"
"I'm real," Sam interrupts. "Here, let me save you the trouble." He takes out a silver switchblade and cuts his forearm. Dean watches as his brother cuts open a salt shell and pours it in a jug of water with a rosary before drinking some. "All me. That's nasty."
Dean stands up. "Sammy?"
"Yeah. It's me."
Dean walks over to him and tightly embraces his brother. He couldn't believe that Sam was here. "Wait a minute, wait a minute," Dean says, pulling back. "You — you — you were — you were gone, man. I mean, that — that was it. How the hell are you—"
"I don't know," Sam confesses.
"What do you mean you don't know," Dean demands. He glances at Addison and she shrugs in response.
"I mean, no idea. I-I'm just back."
"Well, was it God or — or — or Cas? I mean, does Cas know anything about it?"
"You tell me. I've been calling. Cas hasn't answered my prayers. I don't even know where he is. I mean, I was…down there, and then, next minute, it's raining, and I'm lying in that field, alone. It's kind of hard to go looking for whatever saved you when you got no leads. But I looked. I mean, believe me, we looked…for weeks."
Dean frowns. "Wait, weeks? How long you been back?" Sam remains silent. "How long you been back, Sam?"
"About a year."
"About a year!?"
"Dean—"
"You been back practically this whole time? What, did you lose to ability to send a fucking text message?"
"You finally had what you wanted, Dean."
"I wanted my brother, alive!"
"You wanted a family. You have for a long time, maybe the whole time. I know you. You only gave it up because of the way we lived. But you had something and you were building something. Had I shown up, Dean, you would have just run off. I'm sorry. But it felt like after everything, you deserve some regular life."
Dean turns to where Addison was sitting on the thread bare cot. "Did you know?"
Addison sighs. "Yes."
"You knew this whole time and you didn't tell me! Did the fucking bleach soak into your brain, Addison?!"
Addison tenses. "Dean, you were out."
Dean shakes his head. "What have you guys been doing?"
"Hunting," Sam answers.
"You left me alone and you were two out hunting alone?"
"Not alone."
"What?"
"We hooked up with some other people."
"You're working with strangers?"
"They're more like family. And they're here."
Addison stands up and follows the boys into an adjoining room. A woman with shoulder length brown hair stands up and walks over to them. "Hey," she greets.
"Hi," Dean replies, glancing between Sam and Addison.
"My God, you have delicate features for a hunter."
"Excuse me?"
"Dean, Gwen Campbell," Sam introduces.
"Good to finally meet you. Sam and Addison have gone on and on."
"And this is Christian," Sam continues, motioning to where a man with brown hair was sitting on a table. "And Mark." He motions to where another man was sitting next to the table, cleaning a gun. "Campbell."
"Hi," Dean replies, shaking Christian's hand. "Cam — Campbell? Like…"
"Like your mom," Christian says.
"Third cousin," Sam explains, pointing to Gwen. He points to Christian. "Third Cousin." Sam points to Mark. "Something, something twice removed. They grew up in the life, like Mom and like us."
"I thought all of Mom's relatives were dead. And I'm sorry. It's just, you know, why didn't we know about any of you?"
"Cause they didn't know about you. Not until I brought you all together," a familiar voice says.
Dean turns to see an older, bald man enter the room. "Samuel?"
"Come here," Samuel says, pulling Dean into a hug.
"Guys, give me a second with my grandsons here, please," Samuel asks, turning to Gwen, Christian, and Mark. Addison exchanges a look with Sam as silence falls over the hunter. Samuel sighs as he moves closer to Dean. "Lot of resurrections in your face today. It's all right. Take a minute."
"It's gonna take a little more than a minute. I mean, what the hell? H-how did this happen," Dean asks, looking between his brother and grandfather.
"We're guessing whatever pulled Sam up, pulled me down," Samuel replies.
"So, whatever this is, we're both a part of it," Sam reasons.
"But you don't know what that is," Dean clarifies.
Samuel nods. "Bingo."
"And you have no leads? Nothing?" Dean shakes his head. "Well, this — this is, uh, no more doornails coming out of that door, is there?"
"No," Addison answers. "I mean, as far as we know it's just them."
"Okay. Am I the only one here that — that — that thinks that this can't all just be fine?"
"Believe me, you're not," Samuel says and Dean stares in disbelief. "I wanted to come get you, of course. Sam was adamant about leaving you out, so we did. Until this."
"Right. So, then you ended up in my garage how?"
"Ads and I got hit before you did, few days ago," Sam tells him. "Dosed up with poison."
"By?"
"A couple of djinn," Addison replies.
"Djinn? I thought those were — were cave dwelling hermit type. That's pretty exotic."
"Not anymore, at least," Sam says. "These look like regular people. They can blend in. And all they got to do to kill you is touch you. Their toxins get in your system, all of a sudden you're hallucinating your worst nightmares and pretty soon you o.d."
"Well, then how are you two breathing air?"
"Samuel had a cure."
"You got a cure for djinn poison?"
"Oh, I know a few things," Samuel responds with a smile. "Stick around, I'll show you tricks your daddy never even dreamed of."
"Uh, okay, what are these things after us?"
"You did kill one a few years ago," Addison says. "After they came after us, we were pretty sure that they were gonna go after you next."
"Lisa and Ben — they're at the house right now. If that thing comes back—"
"It's all right," Samuel interrupts. "I already sent someone over there to watch 'em."
Dean turns to Sam and Addison. "You got to take me home right now."
The moment the Charger comes to a stop in the drive way, Dean's out of the car and running into the house. Addison and Sam climb out of the car. Addison starts towards the house, but pauses when she notices that Sam's checking out the car parked across the road. "Poor Jeff," she softly says.
"C'mon," Sam says, running towards the house. They enter the house and find Dean searching for Lisa and Ben. Dean jogs into the kitchen and grabs the phone. Addison follows him and watches as he frantically dials Lisa's cell. She stands back, knowing that there's nothing she could do to ease his worry. The back door opens and the hunters turn to see Lisa and Ben enter.
"Where the hell have you been," Dean demands, pulling Lisa and Ben into a tight embrace.
"We — we were at the movies. You knew that," Lisa replies. "Dean, owe."
"What happened," Ben questions after Dean releases them.
"Go upstairs and pack a bag," Dean tells them.
"Where are we going?"
"I'm taking us to a friend's house. Go."
"It's okay. Go on up. I'll be there in a sec," Lisa tells her son, patting his shoulder.
A door closes behind her and Addison turns to see Sam. "Um," Ben says, staring at Sam and Addison.
"Oh my God," Lisa says.
Dean sighs. "Lisa, Ben, I don't know if you remember—"
"Sam and Addison."
Addison sighs as she watches the sunrise over the passing scenery. She and Sam were following behind Dean's truck, which was headed towards to Bobby's. "He's not pissed at you," Sam says, breaking the silence that had settled over the Charger.
"He's beyond pissed at me," Addison replies. "I lied to him for a year about you, Sam."
"Because I asked you to. And in time, he'll realize that it was the best thing for him."
"And how would you feel if you were in Dean's place?"
"I wouldn't be pissed."
A cell phone rings and Sam grabs the phone out of the cup holder. He flashes the screen at Addison. "I don't want to talk to him," she softly says, turning her gaze back out the window.
Sam sighs. "Yeah," he answers. "No, she's asleep. Addison sleeps like a rock. Yeah, I'll let her know. Yeah, you too, man." He hangs up and drops the phone back in the cup holder. "You're going to have to talk to him eventually, Ads." Addison doesn't say anything as she keeps her gaze out of the window.
A couple of hours later, they pull up in front of Bobby's house. Dean's truck was already there. Sam and Addison make their way into Bobby's house as they hear Lisa and Ben walk up stairs. "So," Dean asks.
"Hey, Bobby," Sam greets.
"Sam. Addison," Bobby replies.
Dean frowns and looks between the older hunter and his brother. "You knew," he asks as they move into the kitchen. "You knew Sam was alive."
Bobby sighs, closing the door. "Yeah."
"How long?"
"Look—"
"How long?"
"All year."
Dean looks between the three of them. "Oh, you got to be kidding me."
"And I'd do it again."
"Why?"
"Because you got out, Dean! You walked away from the life. And I was so damn grateful, you got no idea."
"Do you have any clue what walking away meant for me?"
"Yeah, a woman and a kid and not getting your guts ripped out at age thirty. That's what it meant."
"That woman and that kid — I went to them because you asked me to," Dean says, pointing at Sam and Addison.
"Good," Bobby defends.
"Good for who? I showed up on their doorstep half out of my head with grief. God knows why they even let me in. I drank too much. I had nightmares. I looked everywhere. I collected hundreds of books, trying to find anything to bust you out."
"You promised you'd leave it alone," Sam says.
"Of course, I didn't leave it alone! Sue me! A damn year? You couldn't put me out of my fucking misery?"
"Look, I get it wasn't easy. But that's life! And it's as close to happiness as I've ever seen a hunter get. It ain't like I wanted to lie to you, son. But you were out, Dean." Booby argues.
"Do I look out to you?"
Dean shoots Sam and Addison a final look before walking out of the kitchen. Addison quickly makes her way out of the back of the Bobby's house. "Everything's gonna be fine," Sam says, walking up behind her.
Addison sighs. "Yeah, I know. This just…sucks."
Sam chuckles as he pulls her against his chest. "You need to relax," he mutters, pressing his lips against hers. His hands slide under her shirt and she can't help but kiss back. Things between them had certainly changed over the last year. And there were times when she wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
A throat clears and they pull away to see Dean. "We ready," he asks as Addison avoids his gaze.
"Yeah," Sam replies, becoming all about the job. Addison stands there for a second, then walks over to the Charger.
"So, what's the plan," Dean asks as they walk into the Campbell compound. Samuel and the rest of the Campbells were gearing up to go after the djinn. Sam walks over and gets to work on going through the weapons sitting on the table.
"Well, right now, we stock up, get set," Samuel replies.
"So, you're saying there is no plan."
"We'll find 'em. Just got to be patient."
"Yeah, okay. Oh, here's an alt. Why don't we go kill the sons of bitches that broke into my home?"
"Relax, Dean. We got it handled. Djinn are hard to draw out," Christian tells him. "Now, you've been out of the game for a while. Leave it to the professionals."
"Yeah. Sure. Tiny suggestion. You see, djinn are easier to draw out when you got bait. They want Sam, me, and Ads. They know where I live. Now, I haven't been hunting in a while, but I'm gonna stick my neck out and guess that's a pretty good place for us to go. See? It's almost like I'm a professional." Addison watches as the Campbells try to fight back the smiles. She glances at Sam and finds him impassive. She sighs as she grabs a gun off the table.
The group of hunters quickly make their way to Dean's house and set up shop. While the others had no problem with setting up, Addison had felt awkward being in the house. She had stood back and watched the others while Dean was protective over the house. "You okay," Sam asks when Addison walks out of the bathroom.
"Fine," Addison softly replies. Sam nods and she follows him back down into the living room. Samuel was standing by a table, with a map of the area spread out on it.
"Those djinn are just sitting out there, watching us," Dean announces, walking through the front door. "Everybody's got to clear out."
Samuel frowns. "What?"
"They're not gonna come in here until me, Sam, and Ads are alone."
"So, what, I'm supposed to leave you here with no backup?"
"Dean's right," Sam says. "They're smart. They'd wait till they weren't outnumbered."
Samuel sighs with realization that the boys were right. "All right, we won't be far. You call when they come, you hear?"
"You bet."
"All right, pack up. We're out of here," Samuel says, walking over to the Campbells.
Addison lightly smiles as she looks over the photos of Dean with Lisa and Ben. It was obvious that Dean was happy. Through it hurt, she knew that deep down she had made the right choice. "You okay," Sam asks as Dean enters the kitchen.
Dean scoffs. "Oh, yeah. Yeah. No, this is — this is crazy. I mean, you, Grandpa. Whoever brought you back—"
"They don't want to be found."
"Yeah, I get that. But who are they, and what do they — what do they want? Why?"
"That's a good question."
"Do you remember it?"
"What?"
"The cage."
"Yeah."
"You want to—"
"No."
"Well, if anybody can relate—"
"Dean, I don't want to talk about it. I'm back. I get to breathe fresh air, have a beer, hunt with my family, see you again. So why exactly would I want to think about Hell?"
"And you really think…" Dean trails as he moves towards the window. Addison looks out the window and sees a family across the yard getting attacked by the djinn. Dean rushes over to a duffle bag and grabs two syringes of the cure Samuel had made.
"Dean, they're already dead and you know it."
"This is happening because of me!"
"Dean," Addison shouts as he runs out of the house.
"Go," Sam orders and Addison takes off after Dean.
Addison runs into the neighbors house and finds Dean checking the bodies of his neighbors. He glances up at her and she sighs. "Dean, I'm sorry," she tells him.
Suddenly, arms grab Addison and she struggles against the djinns hold. Another djinn had grabbed Dean, causing him to drop the syringes on the ground. A brunette woman walks over to them. "You made it through that last trip, so how about a big, fat double dose," the djinn asks. She grabs Dean's chin as a blue tattoo snakes up her arm. "Bad news — it'll kill you. The good news? At least you'll go fast. That's for our father, you son of a bitch."
"Dean," Addison shouts, struggling against the djinn's hold. The djinn wraps a hand around her throat and she watches as blue tattoos snake up his bare forearm. Addison's eyes roll back in her head and the djinn drops her on the floor. The djinn holding Dean releases him and he falls to the floor.
Addison gasps as she sits up in the back seat of a car. A gentle hand grabs her shoulder and she blinks to find Patrick kneeling next to the car. "Whoa, whoa, take it easy," he softly says. He picks up a bottle of water and holds it out to her.
"What — what are you doing here," Addison asks.
"Samuel called me, told me about you guys going after the djinn. I figured this was the best way to get you to talk to me."
"Where's Sam?"
"He stayed back to check on Dean." Patrick sighs. "Look, Addison, I know things aren't good between us—"
"You lied to me," Addison angrily snaps. "You made think that you were dead for ten years, Dad. It's not that easy to forgive."
"I know. And I'm sorry. But I'm just asking that you give me a chance."
Addison stares at her father. Her life had been turned upside down when he had waltzed back into her life seven months ago. Samuel had been the one of the find Patrick. "Why'd you do it," she softly asks. It had been the one question she had wanted to know since he had showed up.
"Because I thought I was protecting you, Addison."
Addison frowns. "Protecting me from what?"
