Chapter 3

Leah walked out of the bathroom with her shoulders pulled back and her head parallel to the floor. Her muscles pulled and twitched from the unfamiliar posture, but Leah continued her confident stride. Her heart pounded in excitement and her smile grew wider as she approached them. She stopped in front of the two beds and placed her hands on her hips. Sam and Dean opened their mouths to speak but Leah stopped them.
"Before you say anything, let me get this straight…you're Sam and Dean Winchester," Leah said as she looked from one brother to the other. In an instant their faces changed from attentive to confused and suspicious.

"How did you know our last name was Winchester?" They said in unison. Leah's hands clapped over her mouth as she let out a short, quick laugh of relief and excitement.
"Leah, how do you know our last name?" Sam asked, suspicion floating in his eyes. Leah lifted her hands from her face and pressed her palms together before lowering them to rest on her clavicle.
"This is impossible," she breathed with a smile.
"What's impossible? Leah, just tell us what's going on," Sam asked, his curiosity picking at him.

Leah looked at Sam for a moment as he gently urged her to explain herself. Then her gaze flicked over to Dean, who looked like he didn't trust her at all (and probably had a weapon ready). Leah let out a sigh and lowered her arms, her fingers tightly woven together. Leah considered her words carefully. She had so much she wanted to ask, so much she wanted to say…but all of that would have to wait.
"I don't know how it happened, or if it even happened at all. I mean, I could be dreaming right now. Though, this would be the most vivid dream I've ever experienced. So I could be in a coma…or dead."
"Just spit it out already," Dean said impatiently. Leah snapped out of her nervous rambling and took in a breath as she looked from one brother to the other. She could tell by Sam's hair that she was somewhere in season five, which meant that she not only got thrown into another universe, but she traveled back in time as well. And to make things even more unbelievable, her appearance had almost completely changed. Now that the initial shock and excitement was wearing off, Leah began to ponder these factors. The more she thought about it the more she believed that this was some elaborate hallucination or dream. For all she knew, she was in a coma from overdosing and this was all in her head.
"Come on sweetheart, we ain't got all day," Dean groaned.
On the other hand, it could be real, and Sam and Dean were her only hope of surviving and/or getting home. Either way, she didn't have much to lose.
"I'm from an alternate universe where your lives are a TV show," she told them with a soft sigh. Sam's eyebrows rose, intrigued at the concept. Dean, on the other hand, rolled his eyes and let out a soft chuckle.
"Good job Sam! You didn't just bring home a stray, you brought home a crazy stray," he quipped, a sarcastic smile spread across his face. Dean lifted himself off the bed and walked past her to the trash in the kitchen and tossed in his empty soda cup.
"Is it really that crazy? I mean, you're lives are a series of books in this universe," Leah returned as she folded her arms.
"Oh god, you've read those things?" Dean groaned. Leah's lip twitched into a smile at Dean's obvious hatred for the books.
"Wait, Dean. Even if she'd read the books, how would she know they were real? And how would she even know that we were the real Sam and Dean without us saying anything?" Sam offered as his doubt started to fade.
"Maybe she's another Becky, except ten times crazier," Dean countered as he stepped toward them, stopping where the carpet of the bedroom met the linoleum of the kitchen.
Sam cringed slightly at the memories that the subject of 'Becky' brought up, but quickly shook it off. "Dean, no one knows that stuff except for a hand full of people. Maybe Leah's telling the truth."
"Yeah and one of those people, happens to be Chuck. He's peeved that we forbade him from publishing more books, so he sent this chick to mess with our heads," Dean argued.
"Dean, that doesn't make any sense! Chuck wouldn't do that and you know it!" Sam pushed back, annoyance becoming evident in his voice.
"Are you about to steal the colt from Crowley?" Leah asked with concern as she tried to put together when exactly she was. By the sound of it, they had just finished 'The Real Ghostbusters' episode. Which meant they were about to hunt the devil with a useless weapon, and loose two good friends for nothing.
"How do you…" Dean began, but Leah continued rambling.
"You guys don't look terribly depressed so you couldn't have gone after the devil yet; which means we can still save Jo and Helen!" She finished with excitement, realizing that maybe now that Sam and Dean knew they might be able to save them. In that moment, another thought hit her, "Castiel..."
But Leah wasn't able to finish her thought because she was suddenly pinned against the wall. Dean's left fore-arm pushed against Leah's collar, while his right hand held a knife to her throat.
"Dean! What the hell are you doing?" Sam exclaimed as he jumped off the bed and tried to pry his brother off.
Dean stared down at her with furious eyes and Leah froze in fear. Sam could see Leah's eyes glaze over. She wasn't looking at them anymore, not really. Something was wrong.
"Dean, stop! Look at her, something's wrong!" Sam bellowed into his brother's ear as he continued to try and pull him off.
"It's an act Sammy! She's probably a demon trying to stop us from killing the devil!" Dean barked back as he shoved Sam off. Then, Leah started screaming. Her scream was loud and filled with terror. Dean's grip on Leah loosened slightly as she continues to scream, surprised by the tinge of sadness he heard mixed in.
"Dean, let her go!" a deep voice spoke from behind them. Sam and Dean turned their heads and saw Castiel. Dean hesitated for a moment but released her. As soon as she was free, Leah started to back away from them and continued to cry hysterically. Castiel quickly pushed past the brothers and walked over to Leah, who was now backed into a corner. Her crying had slowed but she still shivered and shook.
"It's alright, Leah. I'm not going to harm you," Cas spoke gently as he slowed his approach. Castiel's voice reached Leah's ears and her eyes snapped up to meet his. He gazed thoughtfully into her eyes for a moment before raising his right hand, his middle and index fingers extended.
"Just relax, everything will be alright," he told her. Then he gently touched his fingers to her forehead. Leah's wild, frightened eyes closed and she started to sink to the ground, her back still firmly pressed against the wall. Castiel casually reached forward and pulled her to him. He hooked his left arm around her back as she fell into him, and then he leaned down and scooped up her legs with his other arm. Cas carried the sleeping girl to one of the beds and gingerly lay her down.
"Cas, what the hell is going on?" Dean asked, exasperated.
"Where did you find this girl? How did she come to be here?" Cas asked quickly, stepping towards the confused brothers.
"We found this chick on the side of the road, doing her best Linda Blair impersonation," Dean said, irritated.
"We don't know where she's from, or how she even got here," Sam jumped in, trying to stop a fight before it started. "Cas, what's going on? Who is this girl?" Sam asked as the angel glanced at Leah.
"This woman is not from our version of this world," Cas replied, turning his attention back to the Winchesters. Dean let out a chuckle at Castiel's comment, "Are you telling me this chick is actually from an alternate universe?"
"Yes." Cas stated simply, as if it wasn't anything new.
"That's amazing! Dean, do you know what this means?" Sam turned to his brother excitedly.
"No, Sam I have no idea! Why don't you enlighten me?" Dean replied with feigned excitement. Sam rolled his eyes at his brother's sarcasm before replying seriously, "It means that there could be a version of us who don't hunt. There could even be a version were mom and dad are alive."

The sarcasm and slight annoyance that shaped Dean's expression fell away s he took in Sam's words. There could be a universe where they didn't hunt, a universe where they had normal lives…a universe where their family was alive and happy. Jealousy poked at his heart lightly, as he bitterly asked himself why he was doomed to endure this shithole of a universe. But then a thought occurred to him, a thought that gave him comfort (a feeling which he had almost forgotten). Even if he could never see it, there was a universe out there where his family was normal, there was a place where they were safe.

"It is true that these universes could exist, but our concerns lie with ours and this woman's reality," Cas spoke sternly, trying to bring their focus back to the task at hand.
"Why? We don't even really exist in her universe. Just put her back and let's get on with killing the devil," Dean said nonchalantly.
"I can't simply 'put her back', Dean. There are an infinite number of realities. Even if I could find hers, I have no way of getting her there," Cas explained in slight annoyance.
"You'd also have to pinpoint the time she came from," Sam spoke up.
"What do you mean?" Castiel asked.
"Well, she knew about our plans to kill Lucifer. She also said that Jo and Helen could still be saved, as if she knows something's going to happen to them," Sam explained. Cas seemed to ponder this for a moment, quickly glancing back at Leah who still slept peacefully.
"We need to find out more about her world and what she knows. She could hold information that would help us succeed in killing Lucifer," Cas turned to walk to the bed where she lay but was stopped by Dean's firm grip on his shoulder.
"Are you sure about this, Cas? She could be working for the devil," Dean warned as his eyes flicked from the angel, to the sleeping girl, and back again. Castiel gave him a simple nod, and Dean let his arm fall to his side. Castiel reached the side of the bed and quietly sat next to Leah. He lightly touched the tips of his index and middle finger to her forehead, but nothing happened. He touched her again, but she still didn't wake up.
"Cas, what's going on?" Sam asked as he approached the bed.
"I think you might've given her a little too much juice," Dean chuckled as he followed behind Sam.
"Dean," Sam sighed in annoyance at his brother's insensitivity.
"Dean's right Sam," Cas said as he observed Leah's sleeping face.
"What?" "I am?" they said.
"This woman is from a universe without magic," Castiel said in realization as he stood and turned to face them.
"What do you mean 'a universe without magic'? What does magic have to do with anything?" Dean asked.
"I mean nothing. No being or creature, made of or possessing, supernatural powers. That means no God…" Cas trailed off, slightly saddened by the idea.
"And no angels," Sam finished, his voice sympathetic as he saw the troubled look flutter across Castiel's face.
"Okay, so there's nothing supernatural in her world…what does that have to do with her not waking up?" Dean asked.
"Every creature in our universe has some potential for magic, even if it's just a small amount. As a result, the creatures of this universe have built up a sort of immunity or resistance to it," Cas explained.
"But Leah lives in a world without magic," Sam repeated Castiel's worlds as the pieces started to make sense.
"Exactly, so she has no immunity or even the slightest resistance to it," Cas said, confirming Sam's train of thought.
"So you zap her, with something that would put us out for a couple hours, but for her…"Dean trailed off, fishing for more information.
"It could last days or even months," Cas replied. He was concerned for the woman that lay before him. He could have caused her to slip into a deep slumber, from which there was no escape. He also could have caused something far worse that they weren't aware of yet.
"Yikes," Dean deadpanned, not knowing how else to respond.

Suddenly, Leah's eyes snapped open and she sprang out of bed. "So much for it lasting days or months," Dean commented with raised eyebrows as he observed Leah.
"Whoa! Man that was the best sleep I think I've ever had! Wow, everything looks really vibrant!" Leah exclaimed, looking around the room in awe.
"It's definitely worse," Castiel sighed to himself.
"Wow, I feel like I just chugged 10 cans of Red Bull! Why do I feel like I just chugged 10 cans of Red Bull? Do you guys want to go for a run? I really wanna go for a run," Leah rambled, wringing her hands and fidgeting.
"I don't think so, Flash. You're gunna stay here so we can figure out how to stop your celestial sugar high," Dean said as he guided Leah back to the bed.
"…Celestial sugar high? Cas gave me a sugar high?" Leah asked as Dean gently pressed on her shoulder, getting her to sit down.
"Not intentionally," Cas commented defensively to everyone in the room.
"So, Cas…how do we fix this one?" Dean teased.
"Honestly, I have no idea," Castiel replied, a bit annoyed at how Dean expected him to know everything. He was only an angel…a fallen angel to be exact, not God himself.
"What do you mean 'you have no idea'?" Dean asked as he stepped towards the angel.
"Her reaction to magic is far too unpredictable. I don't dare touch her again, who knows what else could happen," Cas explained, silently pointing out that Leah was now bouncing up and down while she sat on the bed.
"Good point…" Dean said as he watched Leah. "So what, we just let her run around until it wears off?" Dean asked, turning his attention back to Cas.
"Seems like it's our only option," Sam sighed.
"Alrighty then…I'll drive and the Flash can run beside the car," Dean said with a smile as he pulled his keys out of his pocket.
"Dean, she's not a dog!" Sam scolded. "I'll go for a run with her. That way she can burn some energy…" Sam trailed off as he turned and walked over to his duffle bag. "…and one of us can keep an eye on her," Sam offered while digging through his clothes.
"Okay, well you have fun there, Lance Armstrong," Dean joked as he watched Sam pull out a bundle of dark clothes.
"Dean, that would be biking," Sam retorted, placing his duffle back on the floor beside his bed.
"Oh do we have bikes? Can we go biking?" Leah suddenly asked excitedly, while she continued to bounce on the bed.