Chapter 9

"Larklin, honey, time to wake up." my Mom cooed to me as she gently shook my shoulder.

I rolled over and groaned as I rubbed the sleep from my face to look up at my mother.

"I wasn't dreaming." I mumbled sitting up seeing I was still in my bedroom.

"I've got some breakfast ready downstairs."

"Okay, I'll be down in a minute." I told her swinging my legs off the bed and sitting there for a minute.

"Alright dear." she said giving me a brief smile.

After the lightheadedness went away, I went to the bathroom and then headed downstairs. My steps faltered when I saw my Dad sitting at the table drinking coffee.

"Hi Cupcake." he said when he spotted me standing there.

I couldn't say anything as memories of my nickname he called me sprang up. I gulped hard and went to him wrapping him in my embrace, never wanting to let go.

"It good to see you too." he laughed returning the hug.

"Here you go dear, your favorite." Mom said sitting a plate with an omelet in front of me.

"Thanks Mom." I said sitting down and digging into the omelet, enjoying the flavors thought I really didn't eat them. Today it was my favorite and I was going to enjoy every bite of it.

"Sam called back last night to check on you and I told him you were staying over." Mom told me. "Is everything ok between you two?"

"Umm...Yes it's fine." I said looking away because I told a lie. I didn't know if everything was okay, because I didn't know what was going on between us. "Dad, what are you doing today?" I asked trying to change the subject.

"I was going to do some yard work, maybe wash the car." he replied.

"Need some help?" I asked excitedly.

"Sure Cupcake, I'd enjoy the company." he said giving me a surprised look but didn't question it.

"I'll be finished in a minute." I said sipping my milk to wash down the omelet. I was looking forward to spending some time with my Dad. It was like when I was younger and I would help my Dad. This couldn't be more perfect and I forgot about all the unanswered questions spinning around in my head for now. They could wait until later for me to sort them out. Right now I wanted to help my Dad do some physical work. I thought it might jog something loose in my head.

"Take your time, I'm in no hurry." he told me as he finished reading the paper.

spn

I opened the garage door to the house I had woke up in and saw another car parked in there so I pulled in beside it. Taking a deep breath, I made myself ready to face the unknown. I tried to open the door but found it locked and started trying my keys until one of them opened it. I dropped the keys back into the bowl on the kitchen counter and wandered toward the bedroom not finding anyone in the other rooms. I stepped into the master bedroom and could hear the water running, figuring Sam was taking as shower. I took a seat on the end of the bed waiting for him to finish. This was going to be awkward to say the least and it went above that when Sam stepped out of the bathroom naked as the day he was born. I gawked for a moment taking in his sexy, lean body, before quickly turning my head in utter embarrassment feeling my face grow very hot.

"Hey Babe, I missed you last night." Sam said walking to the dresser to get briefs and socks. It didn't seem to bother him he was parading around stark naked in front of me.

"I fell asleep and just stayed over." I stammered keeping my eyes averted from him.

"Well you better get a shower and get ready. We're supposed to be over at your parent's house in less than two hours." he said opening a closet and looking for clothes.

"Yeah I do smell, I helped Dad with the yard work and washed both the cars." I smiled remembering the day. It was a dream come true and I savored every minute of it.

"That's nice, so how does this look?" Sam asked me holding up a shirt and slacks.

I looked his way, relieved he had at least put on his briefs, but still seeing more than I felt comfortable seeing.

"That's fine. I think I'll get my shower now." I said getting up from the bed.

"We could always have a little fun..." Sam started stepping in front of me and pulling me against his hard, fit body. "...Before you shower. We've got time." He nuzzled my neck and found my lips kissing me passionately before I could stop him.

"I...I really stink...And you're all clean..." I said pulling away from him and trying my best not to stare at him like a fool. "I really need a shower." I continued moving toward the bathroom and leaving him studying my back and frowning as I closed the door on him. I leaned back against the door trying to figure out what I was going to do. This wasn't right; I had to find out what happened to Dean and what was going on between them. I knew them, but it was like in another lifetime and they had an unbreakable bond, I know they did. I decided I needed to find Dean and talk to him and try to figure this out. I sighed deeply before turning on the water and stripping out of my sweaty smelling clothes. After adjusting the temperature of the water, I stepped under the strong spray letting it beat on my sore muscles and tired body. I looked around and saw several shampoos sitting on a shelf wondering which was mine. I looked from one to the other and just picked one guessing it didn't really matter. After shampooing my hair and washing down my body, I turned the water off and grabbed for the towel as Sam opened the door and stepped into the room. I sucked in a quick breath and hurriedly got the towel around me.

"Just need to brush my teeth." Sam said looking at me funny like as I cowered behind the shower curtain. "Lark, do we need to talk?" he asked looking into the mirror to see me still standing in the tub and peaking around the curtain at him.

"No..." I started, clearing my throat before I could continue. "I don't think so."

"I'm not understanding why you're acting so shy and timid all of a sudden. It's not like we haven't seen each other naked before, hell we've lived together for four years now and shared the same bed. You're acting like we've never even kissed before. Lark what's going on with you?" he asked leaning against the counter and looking down into the sink. "Won't you talk to me?"

"Sam, please...I just need a little time to figure some things out. Okay? I'm not trying to hurt you or upset you...It's just my mind is all jumbled and things aren't adding up. I've gotta figure this out, please bear with me." I pleaded with him.

Sam sighed and bit his lower lip before speaking again.

"So where do we go from here?"

"I think I'll see if I can stay with my parents for a few days." I said cautiously.

"You don't have to do that, I can move to the guest bedroom until you sort things out." he said picking up his toothbrush and a couple of other things from the counter.

"No, I wanna spend a little time with them. It's not fair to make you move out of your own bedroom. I need to do this for me. I might not get another chance..." I trailed off thinking why did that sound strange to say. What underlying truth was behind that, she thought.

"You know I love you, don't you?" he asked waiting for a response that didn't come. He turned to leave, a look of worry on his face, but he didn't say anything else to me as he quietly shut the door, but I could read the look on his face and knew I had hurt him, but how could I say I loved him back when I knew this wasn't how it should be, right?

I frowned thinking about what he said, that we had lived together for the past four years. Four years? Why didn't I have memories of that time? And where was Dean at? Why was my mind so messed up? What had happened to me?

"No, no, that wasn't right, not right at all." I mumbled rubbing my temple as the ache returned with more emphasis. I didn't know what was giving me these headaches. I rarely got one, if my memory could be trusted, but right now I was having doubts about everything.

spn

I looked around in the medicine cabinet for some Tylenol to take wondering what had happened to me. I slipped the pills into my mouth and washed them down with some water before drawing in several slow breaths. Why couldn't I remember things from the past like my parents being alive and living with Sam and what happened to Dean...I peaked out the bathroom door to see if Sam was in the bedroom but didn't see him. I stepped into the room and went to my dresser to get panties and a bra. Once I had them on, I opened the closet that was mine looking for something to wear. I thumbed through a number of dresses and skirts and wrinkled my nose wondering why I would have them. I didn't wear dresses. The last time I remembered wearing one on was in high school and that was a long time ago. I finally settled on black slacks and a mauve silk top. This was far fancier than what I would normally dress in I thought as images of jeans, tank tops and flannel shirts flitted through my mind along with a pair of comfortable, broke in boots.

I looked through the closet, my dresser and the nightstands looking for weapons, but couldn't find anything in here. I had this underlying need to be armed in some way. It was like I felt naked without it. I looked to Sam's dresser and saw a pocket knife lying on top and picked it up putting it in my slack's pocket. It wasn't the best fit but it would have to do for now until I could get better. I didn't put on any makeup and brushed my hair out before clipping it up letting a few strands hang down. Satisfied with my reflection in the mirror, I started to turn away but the image of a young woman who looked in distress standing behind me caught my eye. I quickly turned around but no one was there. I looked back at the mirror but didn't see her again. My brow creased as I tried to figure out what it was I just saw.

"You about ready?" Sam called to before knocking and opening the bedroom door enough to look in.

"Yes, I was just coming." I said looking behind me one more time before walking toward the door.

"You look nice Lark, but I thought you bought a new dress to wear tonight?" he questioned stepping back so I could walk down the hall.

"Did I? I don't know, I feel more comfortable in pants."

"Since when? You love to dress up and go out. We do it a couple times a week."

"Oh." I said filing that away as another fact that didn't feel right to me. "Are we meeting them at the restaurant or their house?"

"The restaurant. Do you want a glass of wine before we leave?"

"God no, never touch that crap." I said without thinking and realized that must of been the wrong answer from Sam's reaction.

Sam stopped walking toward the fridge and looked back at me for a moment like he was going to say something, but closed his mouth and remained quiet.

"Are we taking my car or yours?" I asked changing the subject and hoped I could do this.

"Mine." Sam said fishing around in the bowl on the counter for a set of keys. Once he had them, he headed toward the door that led into the garage. He opened it and waited for me to go through first and followed locking the door behind him. Sam opened the passenger door, like a gentleman, and allowed me to get in before shutting it. He went around the car and got in on the driver's side, punching the remote to open the door before starting the car. He backed from the garage and headed toward town.

I looked out the side window hoping I could do this. I wish I knew what was going on with me. It was like I was walking in two parallel lives and one was bleeding into the other. Brief memories of a different life kept playing on the edge of my mind. I saw a black Impala and two brothers in it and there was something else, but I couldn't see it clearly. I rubbed my temple for a moment not noticing Sam watching me closely as he drove. I stilled myself and pushed every troubling thing aside for now just wanting to enjoy a quiet dinner with my parents. I still didn't know why that seemed so special, like I was yearning for it. I remained quiet throughout the drive and only looked up when Sam slowed the car as we pulled into the restaurant parking lot. I studied the restaurant a moment thinking it looked a little...step up from what I was use to. I frowned as that thought crossed my mind and wondered what it meant.