Chapter: 04
Homecoming
Sam, Grace, and Dean had been on the road for about two months. Castiel had called serval times to tell them that he was getting closer to finding the book they needed.
Sam noticed that Dean hadn't been wasted in almost three months now, which he thought might be because Grace was there with them, he had asked Dean about that and he told him that he didn't want Grace to think badly about him or Sam so he kept his drinking rate low. But Sam didn't quite believe Dean, he thought there might be other reasons. Sam saw Dean was really happy around Grace, and she seemed to equally enjoy his presence. She remembered Sam a lot of Charlie, only that she couldn't really match Charlie's hacking skills. He had also begun to trust her and enjoyed having her around ,for him she was like a sister, he wasn't sure Dean saw her like that too.
It was late at night, Sam laid on his motel bed searching for a new case, Grace laid on her bed reading some e-book and Dean laid on the couch just chilling a little with a pillow on his face and his arm behind his head when Sam's cellphone rang.
"Hello, cas, what's up?" Sam answered the phone.
"Sam I have the book, come meet me at the bunker," Castiel said and then hang up.
"What did he say?", Grace asked curiously when Sam put the phone down. Sam was a little pissed because Cas was so impolite, but still answered her question: "He said that he had the book and wanted us to meet him at the bunker." Sam uttered before he got up and started to pack his things.
"Whhhat are you doooing?", Dean inquired drowsy from the couch. "He is starting to pack his things, I am going to do the same now, and you should too. "Grace responded before Sam had a chance. Dean seemed to have overslept their conversation, so he asked curiously:" What why, were are we going?" now Sam answered him: "We are going home, Cas has got the spell book and we can finally send Grace back. I can drive if you want to take a nap in the backseat." With that Dean was up and also started to put his things into his duffle bag. "No Sammy you don't have to drive, I can do that it's only a twelve-hour drive," Dean uttered, now wide awake.
After about 15 hours they arrived at the bunker and were greeted by Castiel. They were now all in the library an oppressive vibe in the air.
"I have the spell and all the ingredients, but the spell must be done at dawn. "Castiel stated. "So that means in twelve hours I am going home?", Grace said it was a fact more than a question. She couldn't believe it, she was going home, finally, but did she want to. Grace was actually very fond of living with the Winchesters, and especially Dean, she didn't know what exactly it was between her and Dean, but she really liked him, maybe a little too much. She would never admit that she considered just staying here with them, but she knew, that whatever hopes for her and Dean she had, they would never come true, and hopes were no reason not to go home, especially if they were only silly hopes of a desperate woman for some closure. Yes closure, Sam and Dean gave her things she never had before, a real family a hunter family, and she was grateful for that, grateful for the great friendship she had with Sam, and for the strange relationship she had with Dean, strange because she didn't really know what they had, sometimes she felt like a sister to him and on rare occasions like a lover, but she was sure he saw her as a sister. Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder, she knew it was Dean, she had gotten used to it, they touched each other all the time, if sometimes only casually.
"Yeah Gracey, you are finally going home!", he answered her question and called her by the nickname he had given her. Grace could hear a little sadness in his voice but ignored it right away. "So than Ima gonna go grab my stuff and pack already if that's okay for you guys?" Grace uttered after a while. "Yeah sure, but don't be late for lunch," Sam responded. "Yeah, I won't be late." Then she walked out without another word, and to her room.
She was just sorting through her stuff when a knock on her door sounded. "come in!", she exclaimed before the door opened. Dean came in and sat on her bed:" I just wanted to check on you, and maybe talk a little." He said, he actually didn't know anything else to say, he couldn't just tell her that he didn't want her to go, that he really really liked her, and not in a brotherly way. "Yeah, you wanna talk about me going home?"she mumbled while getting to sit next to him on her bed. "So what are you going to do when you get back home?" he asked.
"hmm I don't know, I think I might just have to go back to my old life and I am definitely gonna ask Cas about you two and me." She replied, slowly regarding him. She could feel the heat going out from him. "And what is that ,you never told me much about your life?", Dean inquired, he wanted to ask her so badly if she had a boyfriend, even though he was sure she had n't. "Well, my life is me hunting mostly alone, sometimes with Cas and poorly with other hunters, I am always on the road. me and Cas we don't really have a place to stay so we just meet at hunts in motels or other places ." Grace responded in a low voice, she couldn't help but get lost in the green of his eyes, they were so beautiful she couldn't stop admiring them every time she took a look them, but his eyes weren't the only beautiful thing about him, generally looked gorgeous. She never knew how the Winchesters looked like until she met them, but she surely never expected that Dean would look like that, honestly, she was sometimes turned on only by the look of him. Now Dean shifted a little near her, and she was out of her thoughts. "Sounds like my and Sams whole lives, until we found the bunker. Can I ask you a personal question?" Dean inquired . "Sure shoot." She replied. "Don't you have a boyfriend or anyone else close to you except Cas?", he asked curiously. "No, I had a boyfriend before, but he wasn't a hunter and I never met a hunter that would have fit, and there is no one of my family left only Cas and me." She said. "I can't believe that no hunter want's to be with you, I mean you are an amazing hunter, and funny and have the perfect taste in music, only your taste in movies and TV shows isn't really dazzling but that doesn't matter, you deserve people that care about you, people that love you, a family, like me, Cas, and Sam!" Dean uttered. She couldn't believe it, did he just admit that he didn't want her to go and that he really liked her. She involuntary blushed at that thought, and he seemed to notice. Dean saw her blush at his words and had to sneer, he then rose his hand to stroke a loose black hair strand out of her face and behind her ear: "what's got you so flustered all the sudden sweetheart?", he asked innocently. Grace loved it when he called her that, but she wouldn't admit it. "Oh Its nothing, I think it's just hot in here." She lied and got up to sort through her things. "Well, I guess I should go now and see if I can help cas with the preparation of the spell," Dean uttered before he got up and left. Grace was relieved, now that he was gone, she knew she couldn't fall for him, not now that she was about to go home and most likely never see him again. But she couldn't deny her feelings that were getting stronger every time she was with him.
Eventually, Grace had finished tidying her room and started to cook lunch, she cooked mashed potatoes and baked chicken.
They all ate in silence, except for the comments on how amazing her cooking was. After their last meal together Grace went to the library to read a little and take pictures of lore with her phone. She tried to avoid all unnecessary contact with Dean, so the farewell wouldn't be too painful. She couldn't let herself feel something for the elder Winchester, It was just not meant to be. She was a twenty-six-year-old hunter from 2053 and he was a 37-year-old hunter from 2016, there was no way the two of them could have a relationship that was more than a simple friendship. So Grace accepted it and tried to look forward to going home. In her opinion there was no point in staying with the Winchesters, they were never even supposed to meet. If she only knew how wrong she was. But she didn't and so she just kept on reading through books and trying not to think about the fact that she would never see Sam or Dean again. Eventually, she lost herself between the pages of countless lore books and was surprised to see that it was only half an hour before sundown.
Sam, Cas, Dean, and Grace were standing around the big table in the middle of the library. "So this is it, this is goodbye ."Grace stated a little too sad, so she earned concerned looks from both Winchesters. "Aren't you happy to finally get home?" Sam asked. She thought about telling the truth, but decided against it:" Yeah I can't wait to finally get home, you're right, but I will miss you guys." Dean regarded her carefully, she was wearing an army-style trouser, brown hiking boots and a leather jacket, he remembered when they went to the shop and got them for her, she was so happy back then. Unlike now, she now seemed to be really sad, what surprised him most was that nobody seemed to notice, but him. Dean figured that he was the only one who could look through her lies and pretending and see the real Grace. He certainly didn't want her to go, even though he didn't know her that long, she for sure became one of the very few people he wanted to protect and who he cared for. "The spell will open a portal for one minute, and we need something that has been where the portal should lead. Cas broke the silence. "Can we take my old t-shirt, it has been where I want to go?" Grace inquired. "Yes, that should work," Cas mumbled while preparing the spell. Now Sam walked toward Grace and wrapped his arms around her in a long and gentle embrace. "I will miss you Grace, I never met a hunter like you. You are so young and still so an amazing hunter, never let anyone tell you otherwise!" Sam uttered in a raspy and almost sad voice. "Thank you, Sam, and I'll miss you too. Take care of Dean and Cas for me would you?" Grace whispered in his ear. "Yeah sure will do !" Then Sam took his arms off her and stepped back. Now Cas headed for her and took her into a long embrace. "I don't think this is goodbye for us, but I will certainly miss you, Grace," Cas spoke in a low voice. "Yeah you're right Cas, but goodbye for now." With that Cas ended the embrace and she turned to face Dean. Dean looked at her with a little hurt in his eyes, but eventually, he took her in a strong and long embrace. She could even hear his heart as her head rested against his chest. She squeezed him tight and waited for him to say something. When he did n't and ended the hug without another word, she felt her heart ache in her chest. He didn't even say goodbye. "So let's open that portal ."He said instead. Now Cas started to read the spell and put some ingredients into a bottle and lit them on fire. It wasn't until a bright spark appeared in front of them and Grace started walking towards it, that she felt Deans' hand wrap around her upper arm. "Wait, " He said in a sad voice. She turned and looked him in the eyes, now she could definitely see grief in them. She wanted to say something, but was stopped as he jerked her towards him and hugged her again, he locked eyes with her and wanted so badly to kiss her. Grace fought with the urge to kiss his lips as he lowered his head and gave her a kiss on her temple, and said: "Take care sweetheart!" She almost couldn't answer, because she was fighting back tears but eventually brought out the words:" I will Dean, but you have to promise me that you'll too!" He whispered a "Yes" into her ear, right before he let her off. Grace got to her tiptoes and gave Dean a kiss on the cheek, she would have given him one on the temple too, but he was just too big. She smiled a sad smile and walked towards the yellow glowing rip before her, closer and closer until all she could see was white. And suddenly she was standing in a dessert, the strange thing was that it was a gray dessert wit strange slim pyramids in it. She immediately knew that this certainly wasn't earth, and almost instantly turned around and jumped into what was left of the rift. She fell on the floor of the library and breathlessly exclaimed: "I don't know what this is, but this isn't earth!" Sam stepped forward to help her up and said: "What do you mean ?" Now the rift got smaller and suddenly glowed and two lightning's struck, Sam and Grace. One second later they both and what was left of the rift were gone. "Sammy, Grace!!" Dean screamed, but they were gone. Now he turned to cas anger In his expression: "Damn it Cas what did you do?!" Dean roared. "I don't know Dean, the spell was supposed to create a portal into the future! I don't know what happened, or where they are!" Dean couldn't believe it and shouted:" What you don't know where they are? what's that supposed to mean Cas?!" Cas didn't know the answer so he didn't respond and silently watched as Dean cleared the table with his hands and crushed the bottle with the spell ingredients with his bare hands.
TO BE CONTINUED.
