AUTHORS NOTE: I realize that for Dean to have been to hell and back already and correct along with the time line that Dean would have to have been older than what I'm depicting him as. So just go with it. Not that anyone has complained about that or pointed it out, but It bothered me and I had to point that out.
I'll be honest. I don't have anything really fully planned out for a chapter before I write it. I'm too scatter brained to plan anything. usually I know how i want to start a story, but I don't know how to end it or I know how I want to end it, but I don't know how to start it. The past few chapters have taken me a day to write. I hope that isn't too obvious in what's written, the first chapter I was never going to post at all, but decided... Why not?
I'm ranting now, but I just needed to get that out there. Don't hesitate to come to me with questions if you ever happen to be a little confused. I'm more than happy to answer. Shoot me a review as well if you're feeling generous I always love hearing feed back on my writing. Let me know what you like, what you don't like, or even what you'd like to see.
As always, please, Enjoy!
Side note: Back to the scatter brained comment earlier... I forgot if I had named their father earlier or not.. If I did, then sorry for the mixup, I can't find anywhere where I gave him a name. If I didn't then disregard this.
Lacey had laid in the hospital bed for thirteen hours. She was completely unconscious and the Doctors efforts to bring her back to had failed. They had her hooked up to all sorts of machines, breathing tubes and an iv to insure she got the proper amount of fluids. To the rest of the world she was rather comatose... Showing no signs of waking up anytime soon, but in her head it was another story. In her head she was reliving some of the most trying times in her life.
-(Salina, Kansas Spring 1994)-
Little Lacey had been a little care free when she was younger, she was 13 and the daughter of two very skilled hunters. She had to mature faster than she was ready to, but her sister, Lucy who was only 10 at the time, she didn't have to. Lacey wanted to help Lucy enjoy her time growing up, to keep her from letting the monsters that their parents hunted invade her nightmares like they had her at first.
Lacey was only 13 years old, but she was rather mature beyond her years. Even then, though, she was still entitled to make a mistake or two. Like taking her sister out to gaze at the stars on a full moon.
Lacey hadn't even realized that the moon was full, not even as they were laying out on the grass in the back yard looking up at the sky. The girls had quietly slipped out of the back door of the house, which had been one hell of a challenge, that door squeaked something fierce on the hinges, but Lacey had been rather stealthy even in her younger years.
The two girls had their heads laying on their arms tucked under their heads. They had been close even then before they had lost both of their parents. The loss had only made them closer.
"What's that big one up there, Lacey?" Lucy asked pointing up to a spot high in the sky. Lacey wasn't sure of the constellations, she didn't pay much attention in school, she wasn't a dumb child, she just thought practically... In her mind she would never have a normal job or a normal life so why learn the normal things normal kids learned?
"What's it look like to you, Luc?" Lacey asked and her sister tilted her head looking up at all those stars.
"I think it looks like a horse if you add in those other stars clustered close to it." Lucy said and Lacey smiled over at her little sister.
"Then it's a horse." Lacey replied with a nod of her head.
That was when the growling commenced from the wooden area behind their house. Both girls snapped to a sitting position, just as their mom was throwing open the back door to catch the two of them sitting in the back yard after dark on a full moon.
The thing that stalked out of the woods was not human, it appeared as such, but the way it stalked towards the girls was not. It had long claws on its fingers and fangs too big for its mouth. Both girls stayed very still for a moment as their mother came charging out of the house, the werewolf began running towards where the girls sat as well.
"Run!" Their mother shouted and both girls obliged. She looked wild as she ran towards the monster that had meant to do both of her little girls harm.
Their dad was already in action as he burst through the door with a gun in hand, ushering the girls into the house before he went to his wife's aid. Lacey wanted to watch and see what happened, she wanted to make sure her parents got rid of that beast and survived. After all, it had been her fault that they were out there fighting with the thing. She couldn't watch, though, because she had to get Lucy out of there. She didn't want her to see that carnage. She was still too young. Lacey was shocked enough that Lucy wasn't crying from the encounter, she was visibly upset by it. Lacey spared a moment to glance out of the window, what she saw chilled her to the bone, there were more werewolves coming out of the woods and had her mom by the throat.
She remembered what her dad had told her, of they were ever in any trouble and Daddy wasn't around, call John Winchester. He had made her memorize the different numbers he had when she had turned 8. She still remembered them too.
"Lucy, go upstairs and hide in your special spot, OK?" Lucy was scared now, Lacey could see that. "Don't worry, we're going to be alright. Just do as I told you." Lucy nodded her head and ran from the spot by the door and up the stairs, Lacey could hear her little feet Pounding up the stairs. Lacey didn't waste any time rushing to the phone and dialing the number for John Winchester.
"Rex?" John's deep voice answered after the second ring.
"No, it's Lacey. My mom and Dad are in trouble. Werewolves. They're everywhere, one has my mom." Lacey was fighting to keep herself calm, she couldn't cry. She wouldn't cry. She had seen her parents fight monsters before, but she'd never seen so many Werewolves in one place.
"We're on our way, stay calm. Take your sister and get into a good hiding place in the house. We're about 15 minutes out, I'll be there in 10." John assured the girl. She relaxed a little as she clutched the phone to her ear.
"Thank you." She said quickly before she hung up the phone and hurried up stairs to hide with her sister. Fighting back the tears that wanted to make an appearance Lacey slipped into the special nook in the back of her sisters closet with her. The older Remington girl pulled her sister into her arms and held her closely.
The two girls stayed hidden in the closet, even when they heard commotion downstairs, Lacey and Lucy both knew that their parents knew where they would be hiding.
"Lacey? Lucy?" That was their dad's voice calling out to them, Lacey could hear his voice break though and she knew he was crying. Rex Remington didn't cry. He was a big strong burly man, the take no shit type of man. The fact that he was crying scared Lacey.
Both girls climbed out of the nook to see their father standing there inside of the room. Lucy spoke first.
"Daddy? What happened?" Her voice sounded so tiny, even for a 10 year old. Like she was scared to even ask the question that she had.
"It's your mom, girls. They got to her before any of us could do anything." Rex wasn't an uncaring man, but he wasn't the most affectionate. Trying to comfort someone was awkward for him, but the moment his little girl ran to be held in his arms, he didn't hesitate to wrap the muscular arms around her. Lacey didn't say a word. She didn't even move. She couldn't.
Lacey couldn't believe the words that her father had just told the two girls. Lucy was crying hysterically in their fathers arms, but Lacey didn't show any emotion. What her dad had said wasn't sinking in.
She didn't say a word as she slipped out of the room and walked down the hall to her own room. Silently she sat on her bed for almost an hour.
"Lace?" Her dad's deep voice was gentle as he came to open her bedroom door. She lifted her head to look at her dad, but still didn't speak.
"Lucy's asleep, John and I are going to hunt the rest of those wolves. The boys are staying here, are you going to be OK?" He was concerned.
Lacey nodded her head as her father came into the room to press a kiss to the top of her head.
"Sleep tight, sweetheart." Lacey knew then that her dad was going to go and take his frustrations out on those werewolves. He probably wouldn't shed another tear for her mother, he didn't mourn.
Once Laceys dad had left she slipped out of her room and walked down the hall and to her parents room. She slipped into the room and walked to the bed where she sat upon the side of her bed that was her mom's.
She sat there silently as she gazed out the window across from the bed. She wasn't sure how long she had been there before she heard a familiar voice.
"Lace?" It was Dean, he must have gone to check on her and noticed she had been gone from her bed. He entered the room quietly and sat beside her on the bed.
"It was all my fault." She spoke the moment he sat down, her voice cracking as the tears finally came, spilling down her cheeks. "We never should have been out there. My mom would still be alive if I didn't talk Lucy into star gazing with me." Lacey was sobbing so hard that she was surprised that Dean could even understand what she was saying. He put an arm around her, rubbing her back. He was only 15 at the time, but he knew when someone was hurting you comforted them.
"Don't blame yourself, Lacey. Those werewolves would have gotten in her one way or the other. I know that doesn't really fix anything, but it's not your fault." He assured her as her tears continued to stream down her cheeks.
Lacey didn't speak as her head rested on Deans shoulder. There was nothing intimate about their touching at all, just one friend being comforted by another. Lacey sat there crying for so long until she couldn't cry any more. Her eyes were red and her cheeks stained with tears when she finally lifted her head to look at him.
"Thank you." She said softly.
"For what?" Dean asked.
"For being here." Lacey said.
And then Dean said the one sentence that Lacey would never forget no matter how many years went by.
"I'll always be there."
-(Present day)-
Gradually Lacey was showing signs that she might wake up soon, her eye lids fluttered occasionally, a finger twitch here and there, but she was still unconscious. Still experiencing those hard times in her life.
-(Flint, Michigan Fall 2002)-
Lacey and Dean were damn near inseparable. Rex had called on the boys to give them a hand with a pack of Vetala that had been giving them and the town of Flint trouble over the past few months. They disappearances had been gradual, but the bodies all appeared the same. Drained of blood, bite marks in their necks, venom clogging up their veins. This particular pack had a high body count and Red wasn't taking any chances with them. He knew when he was in over his head. John had come to pass a few years prior, something that neither boy really talked about, Lacey didn't pry either, but she knew Dean knew she was there if he needed her.
Lacey and Dean had been sent to check out the hunting grounds of two of the Vetala. He paired Lucy and Sam as well. Although he had wanted to switch them up, Sam with Lacey and Lucy with Dean, the girls had insisted that they'd be better with the other boy. He didn't like it, Rex was still the over protective overbearing parent he had always been, but he gave in. Those girls had a way of getting what they wanted from their dad. Rex took to hunting on his lonesome, after all, he was the most experienced of all of them. He could handle a few venomous blood suckers on his own.
"I don't like the idea of being some piece of meat on display for monster chow monthly." Dean grumbled and Lacey laughed. She couldn't help it, his word choice had been rather creative.
"You'll be fine. I'll be in there to rescue your ass before you know it." Lacey assured him, the look that Dean shot her way caused her to lift a hand to her mouth to hide her laughter.
"I'm supposed to be the night in shining armor here... Not you. Besides, the armor looks much better on me." He adjusted the jacket of his coat, a mock smug look on his face.
"Oh shut up and get out there." Lacey said, shoving him playfully a grin on her lips.
"Wait... Can't a guy get a good luck kiss first?" He asked.
Lacey couldn't help but grin at that, she was so smitten by Dean, had been for years. She leaned over the seat and placed a soft tender kiss to his lips.
"Good Luck, Winchester."
Dean and Lacey had Iced the two Vetala before they even knew what was coming. They had been too eager for what they thought was an easy meal to notice Lacey sneaking up behind the little group. There had been a fight, but with the two of them, they were able to handle it and rid of a portion of Flint's Vetala problem.
It was as the two of them began to head back to the motel where her Dad had said they should meet up that Lacey was nearly knocked over by a sudden bad feeling.
"Do you remember where that Park was that my dad said he was scoping out?" Lacey asked and Dean nodded.
"Let's go there first. I want to make sure my dad's Ok." Dean didn't question her as he turned the car in the appropriate direction to head to the very Park that Rex had mentioned.
The scene they pulled up to was empty and Lacey visibly relaxed for a moment, but the fact that she didn't see her dad didn't put her entirely at ease. She palmed her silver blade and stepped out of the impala, Dean followed.
The moment they were out of the impala, they were able to hear a commotion coming from the far end of the park, it was surrounded by trees, but as they hurried towards the noise they spotted a clearing. In it were the others, Rex, Sam, and Lucy. There were 6 Vetala they were fighting against and Lacey could see the were struggling. Although Rex did manage to plunge a blade into the heart of one, with a twist and a yank he was retrieving his blade out of the chest of the creature which fell to the ground and began to shrivel up already.
The odds evened at that point as Lacey and Dean ran into the scene. Lacey went after one of the Vetala that had Lucy pinned to the ground, she put all her strength into the push and she went tumbling around on the ground with the thing. She lashed out with her blade, striking the thing across the face. It hissed and lunged for her neck, but Lacey pushed her knife into its chest before it reached her neck. Instantly the woman like creature began to shrivel up and Lacey kicked it off from her before standing again. Her eyes zeroed in on Lucy and her dad. For some reason these things were really going after Lucy. Two were on her as Sam and Dean fought one for each of them. Rex was trying to help his youngest daughter... And Lacey could see then why she had been experiencing such a bad feeling, one of the Vatala, faster than they eye could really catch, turned around and sunk it's fangs dead center into Rex's throat before retching it's head back and tearing a hole into his neck.
The scream that ripped through Lacey sounded nearly animalistic as she saw what had happened to her dad. She didn't see anything else as she charged at the Vetala with the blood covered face, her aim was precise as her knife plunged and twisted into its chest. Even though the thing was already dead and shriveled she retracted her knife and continued to stab the thing repeatedly.
She wasn't sure how long she had been stabbing the thing, but she was sure it had been a while before she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her and pull her off from the corpse. It was nearly dust at that point. She was kicking and screaming as she thrashed in in the arms holding her.
She knew it was Dean holding her even though he didn't speak, she still knew those familiar arms. Finally she stopped flailing, she was sobbing, her shoulder shook with the force of the tears streaming down her cheeks. She had slid to the ground, and Dean sat with her holding the girl. The rest of the world was gone to her. He was the only thing holding her in place as her entire world seemed to be falling apart. Neither of them moved as they sat surrounded by the corpses of the Vetala, the corpse of her father, and her grieving sister being comforted by Sam.
The four of them stood around the funeral pyre. Both girls held hands as they watched their fathers dead body burning. Silent tears slipped down their cheeks, the fire glistened in them as it illuminated their faces. Sam and Dean stood back as they allowed the girls the privacy they deserved.
Lacey felt comfort in her sister as they stood by their fathers burning body, they were sad, yes, they were hurting,but if their father had ever taught them anything it was to not let your sadness cripple you. They had learned that at a young age, it was nearly one of the most important lessons to teach someone in their line of business.
After a moment Lacey glanced over her shoulder and motioned for Sam and Dean to come forward. The boys stepped forward, neither hesitated when it came to comforting the girls. Lucy had her best friend at her side and Lacey had her best friend and her lover at her side. Dean wrapped an arm around the girl. She rested her head on his shoulder, grateful for his presence.
Lacey knew then that she had relieved the hardest days of her life for a reason, they were showing her something. They were showing her who had always been there as he had promise he would be. Dean. They were showing her that he would never leave her side. Even then as she lay in a hospital bed unconscious she could feel him by her side. His presence became stronger as she could slowly feel herself being pulled from her comatose state and waking up.
-(Present day)-
The first thing she saw as she opened her eyes was the face of her savior, her rock, the one person who would never leave her side other than her sister, Dean. She realized then that she was madly and deeply in love with him, all thanks to the twisted little imp cupid.
-More about cupid in the next chapter. :) -
