Title: Romena
Rated for: everyone, T
Genre: Fantasy,
Fandom/Universe: Supernatural
Characters: Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester, OC
Pairings: None
Spoilers/Warning: From Season 2-3
Disclaimer: Supernatural and all related characters are copyright Eric Kripke, Kripke Enterprises & The CW Network. No infringement intended.
Summary: The heavenly host has a plan; they've twisted it, lost their purpose and maybe hope. Someone has to make things right again.
Status: Complete
Author's Note: The End even if it doesn't feel like it is.
Chapter: Parlay
Parlay
The cool water feels good on her skin. She keeps her eyes closed and pulls herself under the next wave until she no longer feels the sandy bottom. The images in her head are clear but confusing. It's a while still before she has to come up for air and by then the painful throbbing in her head has dulled considerably.
The house is haloed by the moon, glistening like a white stone among the foliage. She leaves footprints in the sand on her way up the steps long ago cut into the cliff face.
This was their home, their sanctuary for many years after her Mother died.
Romena was all he had left. The last Drakya princess…
She sits at the desk bathed in moonlight, her hand lightly skimming over the blank page. By morning there's more than one sketch, words and broken sentences adorning each one.
The last page is filled with numbers and those she has no hope of deciphering until the time is near.
The sun is high in the sky; pouring in through the open window … she slowly comes to herself.
How long has it been?
She has no idea but there's a force pulling her away from this sanctuary.
O0o0o0o0O
They closed the gates and Sam can't believe Dean sold his soul.
"You can't bring him back..."
Sam hasn't stopped thinking of that night, of the girl that almost killed him.
Now … its Dean going to Hell in less than a year.
"She'd be alive. Not with you but…"
He hasn't stopped mourning Jess-
Everything that's happened- how did she know? Sam wonders what else she might know about them- about him…
Sam can't get Dean to talk about his deal. He's intent on pretending there isn't one, to hunt like he hasn't made a tremendously bad choice. Hadn't John warned him? His last words hadn't been to sell his soul in place of Sam. But what other choice had there been for Dean? There was no one else. No family. All those days filled with long hours … Dean refuses to question his choice. For him, it's simple, he cannot and will not live without family and that means Sam.
Dean spots her across the bar. She has a tiny little piece of white in her hand- a straw with a white napkin wrapped around it.
Sam takes notice and turns.
They look at each other, curious but wary and Dean nods for her to approach.
Romena takes a seat between them at the round Bistro styled table.
"My name is Romena. I'm sorry about before."
"For shooting my brother, trying to kill him or hitting me?" Dean doesn't even bring up the fact she faked being drunk to get in his room. He's not about to forgive himself for allowing her that close to Sam.
"Dean." Sam warns tiredly. He wants answers and Dean is only going to make it difficult.
"All of it." Her eyes focus on Dean, her gaze makes him uncomfortable and she knows she failed to save him this pain.
"Why did you come after me?" Sam takes back her attention and her gaze disconcerts him as well.
"You already know."
"Bull shit." His hands fist and his knuckles are white. "We don't know who the hell you are or what the fuck your end game is but right now I'm telling you Sam's off limits. You hear me?"
Her silence unnerves them. She's calm in the face of Dean's angry threat-
"You sold your soul for him."
Dead silence at the table. They haven't told anyone, only Bobby but he guessed from the start what Dean has done.
"How do you know?" Sam splutters. "How did you know about me? How do you know anything about us?"
Romena looks from an angry brother to a confused and curious one. What can she tell them? There's a purpose …
"I don't know why… I don't- look, you don't have to know me to understand that what I've done was to change this." She can't tell them who she is, what she is – Dean already wants to strangle her. "Your brother is going to hell. For you." She points at Sam and his kicked puppy expression does its best to chisel a piece of compassion from her but Romena can't give it to them. "The choices you both make –" she frowns and shakes her head frustrated. Why do they make it so hard? "You have to be smarter. You have to stop reacting and think before you do."
"Wait a fucking minute. What the hell is this?" Dean glares, demanding an answer for what he knows she means.
"I'm trying to keep you both from screwing up any worse than I know you will." Romena tries for patience and it's difficult. They're all they have left of family and as much as she'd love to have hers back that is not possible.
Loss is part of life. A beginning and an end … to everything.
"But how do you know?" Sam leans forward in his seat, arms resting on the table in plain sight of them. "How do we know you're even telling the truth?"
It's the first time Romena shows the slightest sign of surprise.
"Your little white flag isn't going to stop me-"
"I don't need it to stop you from trying to kill me." She turns to Dean. "You don't scare me; get that through your thick skull." She looks between them again, her expression confused as to why they don't understand. "What you're both going to do does scare me."
After a moment of silence Sam has to ask. "What are we going to do?"
Romena's eyes fall to the table, she stares at it in silence, debating what she should tell them but there is so much she hasn't figured out. In the end she shakes her head because even she's not sure what's coming, all she has are some dates and names, either places or people and some words. The closer to the dates, the more they will make sense but … will it be in time?
Romena hopes that by being with the brothers it'll help make things clearer sooner.
When she looks up at them, they know it's not what they want to hear.
"I really am trying to help."
"You're not telling us with what." Dean points out. "You're not saying anything."
"She doesn't know."
Romena looks up at Sam and it confirms what he's said. They both ignore the questioning look from Dean. She's just a little surprised that Sam gets it though he has no idea what the hell is going on.
"What are you?" Sam wonders softly. "Really."
Romena glances at Dean. He'd kill her given the chance and what she is makes the list of 'things' he'd hunt without a second thought.
Dean notices, the sudden stiffness in her posture-as though she's ready to run off…
"Different."
Dean scoffs. They already knew that. Sam can tell she's worried, doesn't want to say what she is and that makes them wary.
"Does it matter?" Romena hopes they'll let that go, that curiosity will be stronger … she knows it does matter but hopes to put them off for a bit.
"Yes. It does. You pulled an I Dream of Jennie on us!" Dean hisses with a glance around the bar because he doesn't need to be overheard.
"Why should we trust you?" Sam's tone is not what his brother wants to hear from him right now.
"You kidding me?" Dean snaps. "She tried to kill you!" he points out wondering what the hell is going on with his brother.
"That hurt." Sam quips, hazel eyes still on Romena.
"I was telling you the truth."
Sam remembers exactly what she said and he looks at Dean who sold his soul and feels guilty for it. What little levity he felt at Dean's reaction to his curiosity is gone.
"Can you help my brother?"
"The truth?" She looks at them, longer at Dean who is doing his best not to yell at Sam they can't screw with his deal before Romena answers.
"I couldn't change anything before." She didn't kill Sam and they are living the consequences of that failure. "I don't know what I can do for your brother. I won't stop trying though."
Sam nods, he can sense she's being honest. "Okay."
"Ok? Ok-?" Dean splutters, green eyes blazing, "What the hell, Sam-"
"I'm not letting you go to hell if there's any way to save you." Sam glares right back.
"There's no screwing with my deal. I've told you! Dammit, Sam… we so much as poke at it and you go back to being a corpse. I- I can't…"
"Dean…"
They are both so hopelessly attached.
"This is why you're in this mess. This is what has to change-"
"Shut up." Dean glares at her. He blames her for this renewed vigor in Sam when everything had seemed to be going just fine.
"Dean."
He ignores Sam. "One more word out of you and I swear!" Dean leaves the threat hanging.
"Dean-."
"You don't get to tell me how I'm supposed to feel, how I should protect my family. Mine, you hear?" Dean's voice rises with each word, what he feels, all the pent up anxiety of what he's done and what's to come- he unleashes it on her.
Dean gets up and walks out. He doesn't spare a glance for either of them.
Romena watches Sam stare after his brother. He's unguarded and the guilt he feels over Dean …
"You need to understand…" Romena touches her fingers to his arm. Her eyes lock with Sam's and she doesn't hide how difficult this is for her to do. They aren't alone in this. "…that how you feel about him and his feelings for you are what make you both weak. And your enemies will use any weakness to bring you down."
Romena gets up and Sam grabs her arm before she leaves.
"Why are you here?"
She draws in a tired breath, her eyes full of shadows and he notes the shifting colors; green, blue, gray… when she answers there's a finality, an acceptance he wishes he understood.
"Because there's no one else."
Romena lightly removes his hand and walks out thinking it could've gone worse and at least they listened to her.
One of them anyway.
O0o0o0o0O
The hotel room where Dean and Sam aren't talking about Romena is silent except for the TV.
Dean can't stop thinking of John's last words to him. What if it's happening? What if this girl is right and Dean should've let her kill Sam. Because Dean knows he just can't do it. He won't be able to and it's not fair. John shouldn't have asked that of Dean.
Sam hasn't stopped staring at Dean, stolen glances and he's hoping … there has to be another way to save him.