Dean eased into the room, his eyes taking a moment to adjust to the dim light The early morning sunshine was blocked by the vertical blinds that hung in the windows. From his vantage point, he could barely make out a vague hump in the covers. To Dean the room seemed overly stifling, the air stale and stagnant. He was surprised to say the least, Sara normally slept with the window cracked open. However, it was clear she hadn't bothered last night.
As he approached the bed on silent feet, he wasn't sure why but he'd never realized just how far it was between the door and Sara's king sized bed. Today, with his heart racing a million miles an hour, that distance seemed to grow even farther. He was working hard to convince himself that Sara had simply overslept. Yup, he thought to himself, any moment she was going to wake up and give him a ration of shit for letting her sleep in so long. Dean stared hard at the bed willing the woman he loved to wake up.
"Sara," he called as he neared her side.
He thrust away the image of Brian dead on his office floor as he took in the sight of Sara on her stomach, her face turned away from him. One pale arm was tucked under her pillow, the other lay above her head. The light blue sheet lay pooled at the small of her back, leaving one leg exposed. Despite the dimness of the room, he could clearly make out the light blue veins that marred the pallor of her flesh.
He felt the last of his courage flee as he reached the side of the bed. His intention had been to shake her awake. However, when faced with the utter stillness of her body, he found he lacked the ability to confirm what his suspicions screamed at him. So confident was he that Sara was dead, he very nearly called Sam to his side. Luckily, the thought of Michael and Jess hearing his cry was enough to cut off the scream that was building in the back of his throat.
Unable to control the shaking that wracked his form, Dean's knees gave out, dropping him to the soft beige rug. Now level with Sara, he desperately sought out some small sign of life. He forced his trembling hand to reach out to her shoulder. With one finger, he stroked a path down her satiny skin. As he came in contact with the heat of her flesh rather than the chill of death, Dean had to bite back the sobs that threatened to tear him apart.
"Thank you," he whispered, to a god he no longer believed in, when confronted with this proof of life.
Confident that she was alive if not well, Dean shook her harder and called to her, "Sara, come on honey, wake up for me."
His words and touch garnered no response, Sara's eyes remained closed, and her breathing so shallow Dean had trouble following the rise and fall of her back. Stroking her face, he called to her again, this time forcing a bit more anger into his tone.
"Sara, the kids need you, wake up," Dean cringed at his own order, knowing that it was one of the few challenges Sara couldn't resist.
Sure enough, she turned toward him and moaned softly.
"That's it. Come on, honey, open your eyes for me," Dean coaxed, as he gently brushed the hair away from her eyes. "Come on, Sara."
It took a few minutes but at last, Sara won the struggle to keep her eyes open. "What's wrong?" she rasped her voice only slightly above a whisper.
"Sara it's after eight-thirty in the morning. Jim's already on his way to school."
It was lucky for Dean that his reflexes were so good or else the back of Sara's head would of slammed into him as she jerked upright.
"Shit," she mumbled as she sat up and fumbled with the sheet, trying to cover her nakedness.
Not bothering with the sheet, she was really too tangled in it to use it anyway, Dean reached over and snagged the comforter that had been shoved aside and wrapped it around her in one swift movement. He then reached down, gathered her into his arms, and dropped down onto the bed. Even through the thickness of the blanket he could feel her shaking. So strong were the tremors that she felt as if she was going to come apart in his arms.
"D...Dean?" Sara stuttered, her voice full of confusion.
Something was wrong with Sara, of that Dean had no doubt. Right now, other than the fact that she was in her bedroom rather than the forest, she looked exactly as she had in his nightmares. Pale of skin, the flesh around her eyes nearly black in color, and lips void of any tinge of red, were only the beginning of her symptoms. Her skin felt hot to the touch and her voice sounded as if she had swallowed glass.
Over the last week, Dean had noticed that Sara was a paler version of her normally vibrant self. He had tried to convince himself that it was merely exhaustion, heartache, or even the pull of her never-ending responsibilities. However, those feeble attempts at rationalizing flew out the window in the face of Sara's current state.
Seeking to reassure himself as much as her, he replied, "It's me, you're okay. I'm sure it's just a cold. A day spent relaxing in bed and you'll be right as rain."
"I've never felt this bad before. I can't get warm."
"I know, sweetheart, I know. I'm gonna get you warm okay, just hold on." Dean made as if to return her to the bed, but Sara's grip increased and she hid her face against his chest.
"Please don't leave me, I can't be alone, don't leave me."
The sound of Sara begging was the last straw for Dean. Drawing in a deep breath, he prepared to shout the house down for his brother. When something needed killing, Dean was your man, however, when faced with idea of Sara being sick, he found himself desperately wishing for his 'geekboy' brother.
"Dean, what's wrong?"
The sound of Sam's voice had Dean silently praising his brother's spidey sense. "She's sick, Sam. I don't know what's wrong."
Sam slowly approached the bed, his brow furrowed in confusion. "She wasn't sick yesterday. In fact, she was fine all week. Why now?"
Dean didn't bother to respond, he knew his brother's question was simply his way of working through what was going on.
"I set Mike and Jess up with a movie," Sam murmured as he stopped next to the bed.
Sam's mention of her children seemed to act as a catalyst for Sara. A tinge of color flooded her cheeks and the shaking seemed to subside. "My kids?" she questioned, almost as if she had forgotten them for the moment.
"The kids are fine," Dean reassured her. "What happened last night?"
At his question, Sara stared up at him in confusion. "Nothing happened, I just don't feel good." Shoving at Dean's chest, she said, "let me up."
Dean exchanged glances with Sam, he found himself suddenly grateful that his brother was here to witness Sara's transformation. Otherwise he feared his little brother would say he was exaggerating. As they watched Sara seemed to steady, her breathing eased and the shadows around her eyes seemed less obvious.
"Dean, let me up," She said as she shoved against his chest once more, this time with some force.
Half tempted to drop her on her ass, as she began to struggle in earnest, Dean instead said, "Fine, but you're buck naked. Unless you want Sammy getting a peep show, you'd better cut the wiggling."
Sara froze at Dean's words, her eyes darted toward him as she blurted out, "Why the hell am I naked?"
"Sara, was Greg here?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Sam wished he could call them back, especially as he met his brother's pain-filled gaze.
888
This time when Sara shoved against his chest, he let her go. Off his lap she went, hitting the floor with a thump. The impact drove the air out of her lungs. Unconcerned with what she might be displaying, Sara lay on the floor struggling to draw breath into her pain-filled chest. Confusion still fogged her mind as she tried to make sense of what was going on. Problem was she remembered little of what happened ten minutes ago and even less of what had happened last night.
Her last clear memory was walking Greg to the door only minutes after the Winchesters had gone off to find a drink and a game of darts. Despite how kind the older man was, Sara hadn't wanted to encourage him anymore than she already had. She remembered thinking he deserved better, he deserved a woman that could give him her heart. That would never be Sara. She'd already given her heart away, and despite the fact that Dean had tried to return it, she still considered it his.
That was it. That was all she could remember, at least until a moment ago when Sam had walked in and found her reclining on Dean's lap. "I sent Greg home last night," she snapped as she pushed herself up a bit, and gathered the blanket around her.
Dean no longer stood by her side, instead he'd crossed the room and now hovered near the door. "Fine," he said and with those words, he turned and left.
"Sara," Sam pleaded. "He's worried about you. You don't look good."
Sara ran a quick hand through her hair and grimaced. She knew she couldn't look good, not when she felt like shit. "I'm fine, Sam. It's just a cold I'm sure." Sara pulled the edges of the blanket together and tried to stand. Regardless of the fact that she was feeling better and better, her legs still felt too weak to support her. Though she'd never admit it, the feel of Sam's strong grasp helping her up was welcome.
Once she'd settled onto the bed, she waved her hands. "Go on, Sam. I'll be down in a minute."
He took a step back and nodded. "You still feel too hot, make sure you take some aspirin for your fever. It'll help the aches too."
Sara sighed and nodded, "Yes, Nurse Nightingale, I will."
As she intended, Sam rolled his eyes at the snipe and stepped back. Sara allowed her head to drop forward and tried to focus on finding the resolve to stand. She thought she felt Sam's rough hand ghost over the back of her neck for a moment before he left her in peace.
888
As soon as Sam pulled the bedroom door shut, he took off for the stairs intent on catching his brother. Though he'd been the one to voice the words, he had no doubt that it wasn't a lover's tryst that had left Sara looking the way she did. Dean had been right, there was something going on and Sam needed to let him know now.
Sam's boot had just touched down on the last step when the front doorbell went off. A sinking feeling gripped his chest as he contemplated the door. He honestly wasn't sure what to do, he really just did not have it in him to face Greg at that moment. His choice was taken from him as the door was suddenly flung open.
"Hello," called the short dark-haired woman as she entered the house.
Sam actually groaned, he just couldn't help himself as he watched Sara's mother-in-law walk into the house. He'd met the tiny lady a few times in the past and honestly could have gone his whole life without running into her again. Blunt to the point of cruelness, she seemed unaware of just how her words could wound. In the years since her son had died, her one joy in life seemed to be in telling Sara just how many ways she was failing her husband's memory. Luckily, Sara was born with tough skin, enabling her to ignore the woman.
"Oh," she cried out as she pulled up short at the sight of Sam. "I thought you and that drifter brother of yours were gone for good."
Sam very nearly grinned at the unrepentant tone of voice the older woman used. He'd found long ago, that the only way he could keep from strangling the nasty brunette was to laugh at her snide remarks. It wasn't hard to find the humor in her words as she was usually just brutally honest.
At Sam's barely hidden grin, the older woman chuffed and brushed past him. "I see. Just here to siphon off a bit more money and god knows what before you take off again. How nice for you. Is my foolish daughter-in-law around?"
Sam lifted a brow and didn't bother to hid his grin this time. Really, you had to give the old lady credit she pulled no punches. "Sara's upstairs, she'll be down in a minute."
"Hm...yes well I guess it must be difficult for her to arise before ten in the morning. Where are my grandchildren, or have you sold them off for cash while their mother naps."
Sam nodded toward the kitchen, where Michael and Jess now sat eating their breakfast. "They're just finishing up."
Judy didn't bother to acknowledge Sam's words, she just pushed past him and headed into the room. At her cries of greeting and words of encouragement, Sam found himself, as always, surprised to find that the woman's treatment of Sara never spilled over to her grandkids. Sara claimed that Judy hadn't always been so nasty but the loss of her only son had driven her over the edge. Then again, Sara also claimed that the woman was smart as hell, so maybe she was aware that even one mean remark to the grandchildren would be the last word she would ever utter to her son's children. Though she refused to defend herself, Sara guarded her children with a fierceness that rivaled any lioness with her cubs.
"I'll let Sara know you're here," Sam said as he left the room at a near run.
Sara was half-way down the steps when Sam neared the stairway. The widow seemed a bit more put together. She was still obviously not feeling well, but she was up and under her own steam and the shadows under her eyes seemed less pronounced.
"Judy's here," Sam said with a grimace.
"Damn, oh, double damn," Sara said with a cry as she bolted back up the stairs. Calling over her shoulder, she said, "Keep her busy, I forgot the kids were due to sleep over there tonight."
Sam watched as Sara disappeared down the hallway and let loose a curse worthy of his brother. He had yet to understand how he managed to get drawn into this crap rather than Dean. Well, actually, he had to admit that his brother had done his share of ducking the verbal barbs that Judy threw his way. The woman seemed to relish in telling him just what she thought of his lifestyle and his interest in her son's widow.
"Sure, I can do that," Sam said as he turned back toward the kitchen. Of all the crap jobs he'd had to do in his life, including grave desecration and beheading vampires, keeping Judy occupied ranked right up there as one of the worst.
As he entered the room, he found her with a sponge in hand rubbing down the kitchen table as if she were prepping it for surgery. Only this morning he'd wiped down the table himself so he knew the woman was just making a point. "Sara will be right down. She's just gathering the kid's clothes."
"Goodness, Jess, we're going to have to have you stay at mom-mom's so you can see what cleaning actually looks like," Judy said as she continued to scrub at non-existent spots. "It's a shame you're mom's too busy doing her little writing thing to keep house."
"Mom's a good cleaner," Michael stated loyally, his brows drawn down in a grimace as he watched the older woman fuss about the kitchen. The little boy never made any pretenses of liking his grandmother. In fact, he made it clear that the only reason he was willing to visit with her was to watch out for Jessica.
Jess shoved a huge bite of cereal into her mouth and echoed her brother's statement, "'om's a good keener."
Sam couldn't help but drop Mike a wink as the older woman tried to find things to clean. Jess had her own way of dealing with her grandmother, the little girl staunchly refused to acknowledge the woman in any way. In fact, from what the boys said, while at Judy's house, she would speak only to them and eat only what the boys served her.
"Honey, now don't talk with your mouth filled. It's unladylike."
Jess's features screwed up tight as she exchanged glances with her brother. A shared grin later and both shoved huge spoonfuls of cereal into their mouths and broke into song.
Sam didn't bother to stay put for the encore. Confident that the kids would do a good job of keeping the older woman busy, he headed toward his bedroom. A quick glance around the empty space had Sam wondering where his brother had disappeared to. He still felt guilty for suggesting that Sara had spent the night with Greg. Especially since he hadn't meant it, he'd simply been wondering out loud whether it was possible the man had something to do with Sara's state.
Unsurprisingly, Sam finally located Dean in the garage. What was surprising was the fact that Dean was loading the car. "What are you doing?"
"Car's fixed, it's time we got out of here," Dean answered his voice devoid of emotion.
Sam stepped out into the garage and pulled the door shut behind him. Though he didn't want to leave Sara alone to face her 'monster-in-law,' as Dean had dubbed the woman, he also couldn't ignore the fact that Dean was hurting. "Dean, we can't leave, you were right."
Dean reached up and slammed the lid of the trunk closed.
Sam couldn't help but react to the pain in his brother's gaze. "Don't do this, she wasn't with him last night. You know that. Hell, you know her better than anyone, you know she would never-"
"I know, Sam, but someday there's gonna be someone and I just can't..." Dean's voice trailed off as he turned his back on his brother.
"Dean, listen, I saw a mark on Sara. I'm telling you, you were right. Something is hurting her. We can't leave," Sam blurted out. He wasn't sure what was going on, but he was sure that the bruise he'd glimpsed on the back of her neck had been too much like Brian's for his peace of mind.
The transformation was remarkable. One moment, Sam was staring at his broken-hearted brother and in next, he was facing a trained killer. "Where is she?"
Sam pointed toward the house. "Judy's here, she's taking the kids for the weekend. Sara's getting them ready to go now."
Dean clenched his jaw as he considered Sam's words. "She hates sending her kids to the in-laws."
Sam nodded and said, "Yeah but you know she won't refuse Judy's right to see them."
"She's too damn nice to the bitch. She ought to shut the door in her face."
Where Sam could see the warped humor in Sara's mother-in-law, Dean saw only the woman's censure of Sara's life. "Let's go, we'll send Judy on her way and figure out what the hell's going on."
888
Despite feeling like crap warmed over, Sara had quickly hustled toward the kid's rooms and gathered together their gear for their sleepover. She'd completely forgotten that this was Judy's weekend to keep the three children. Regardless of how Sara felt about her in-laws they were the only real family that her husband had left. She owed it to Jake to make sure his children got to know his parents. Problem was Judy had never been overly pleased with Jake's choice in wife and now that he was gone the older woman no longer bothered to temper her words. That left Sara in the awkward position of having to either cut the woman out of their lives or to simply ignore the digs. Sara chose to ignore, at least as long as she could.
She was well aware that someday, there would most likely be a rebellion and she'd no longer be able to convince her kids to go, especially Michael. The self-proclaimed protector of the family bristled every time he was forced to spend time in his grandmother's company. He didn't appreciate the way his grandparent's treated Sara and as he'd grown older and could understand more of the undertone behind their speech he was rapidly becoming more and more insistent that he wanted nothing to do with them. Right now Sara was using her very best powers of persuasion to convince the boy that Jess and Jimmy needed him to get him to go. Once he realized it wasn't necessarily true there'd be no getting him to stay over night.
Sara bent over with a sigh, she just couldn't figure out when her life had become so complicated. Back when the kids were babes she hadn't had to worry about other people's feelings, she simply did what she wanted and damn the consequences. It was only as they'd grown older and she'd begun to consider their future that she'd began to feel overwhelmed and alone.
As Sara straightened she gasped in pain. A bolt of lightening seemed to ricochet through her head, leaving her breathless from the agony. Unable to help herself she dropped to her knees with a cry, her hands gripping the sides of her head. Suddenly Dean's earlier insistence that she seemed unwell was driven home. In fact, it was driven straight through her forehead with what felt like a large iron spike. The tiredness she could ignore, after all, things had been tense lately to say the least, but the headache was definitely new. The pain was unlike anything she'd ever experienced before and even as it eased she still wasn't sure that she wasn't about to lose what was left of Dean's spaghetti dinner right there on Jess's light purple carpet.
It took nearly ten minutes of deep breathing before the pain finally eased slightly, allowing Sara to lift her head from the carpet. With a groan she realized that she'd dropped Jessie's bag, spilling her clothes onto the floor. Sara quickly gathered up the contents of the bag and gained her feet. As she stood, one hand out to try and steady herself, she realized that she'd left her mother-in-law alone with the Winchesters for nearly a half-hour. Expecting the worse, Sara made her way downstairs.
She entered the kitchen and set the two bags she'd gathered on the kitchen table. Unsurprisingly, Judy held a sponge in her hand and was busy scrubbing down the oven. "You don't have to do that, Mom," Sara said, internally cringing at using the word mom around this woman.
"Nonsense, I don't mind. Besides," she said with a disparaging glance, "I can see you must be too exhausted to clean properly."
Sara shut her eyes at the woman's comment and counted to ten. Then she counted to ten again, hoping that this time she'd actually feel calmer. "Yes, well, knock yourself out. I have the kids stuff and the keys to the van."
Whenever the kids stayed with Judy, Sara lent the older woman her van. Her excuse was that it was easier than installing Jess's car seat in Judy's car but the reality was it made the kids feel better about the separation. Separation wasn't something the Powers' family dealt well with, as a whole Sara and her children preferred to stick together.
For Sara it was a matter of protection. Like any mother, she worried about the dangers that could befall her children every time they left the house. However, unlike other mother's those dangers weren't limited to car crashes and 'stranger danger'. For Sara she not only worried about the everyday evil that lurked outside her front door, but also the supernatural evil. The house though not a deterrent to human devils, was protected with every type of spell, symbol and icon that Bobby and the Winchesters could think of.
Despite the attempt by Gordon to hurt her family there was no place on earth that Sara felt safer. With a sigh, she called to the kids. "Alright, kiddo's as much as mom-mom likes to clean our house she needs to get going." Sara turned toward her mother-in-law and asked, "Mike's to be at school by noon, and you'll be picking them both up at three-fifteen. I already notified the school."
Judy held her arms out to Jess and said, "Yup, come on baby, let's hustle."
Predictably, Jess crossed her arms and shot Judy the dirtiest look she could manage. "I not a baby, I a big girl."
"Well, big girl, why don't you grab your wubby and give your mom a hug. Mom-mom wants to head out," Dean said as he entered the kitchen.
The little blond sent Dean a heartfelt smile and jumped from her seat with her ragged wubby in hand. Holding her arms out to Sara, she smiled and said, "Bye, mom, I wuv you."
Sara felt the little girl's smile pierce her heart. Taking a knee, she swooped the child up into her arms and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Behave, Jess, you here me. And remember this time no using Pop-pop's toothbrush, he doesn't like it."
Jess scrunched her face and said, "Put it on the sink."
With a sigh Sara reminded the little girl, "It's not that you didn't put it back, babe, it's that people don't share toothbrushes." Sara had been trying with little success to explain that there were simply certain things you didn't share.
"Come on, Michael, how about you get Jessie in the car?" Sam asked as he gestured to the children.
Michael paused only long enough to wrap his slim arms around Sara's waist and then he was gone, chattering to Jessie as he headed for the garage, Sam trailing behind with the kids bags.
As Dean's entered the room Judy's lips had pursed in irritation and he couldn't help but grin in response. The woman hated him and the feeling was quite mutual. As determined as Judy was to have Sara re-marry, she made it clear that she wanted to pick the prospective husband. That left Dean Winchester far out of the running. The fact that Sara was obviously drawn to the elder Winchester only served to piss her mother-in-law off. For that reason alone, Dean broke his no touching rule and approached Sara's side. Unconcerned that Sara would re-buff him, Dean wrapped his arm around her waist and watched as the tiny brunette's face flushed red with anger.
"Well, I thought my daughter-in-law would have been smart enough to have changed the locks after your last visit," Judy said, her aim to cause pain transparent.
Dean shifted slightly, drawing Sara even closer and said, "Well, that's funny, because I could say the same thing about you."
"Ha," Sara cried with glee to Dean's utter delight.
Before she could manage to get her hand over her mouth he noticed her brilliant smile. As Dean felt the silent laughter move through her he found himself realizing that he hadn't seen her truly smile in far too long. He dropped Sara a wink before returning his gaze to Judy.
"Daughter, I understand Greg was here rather late last night," Judy stated her eyes narrowed in anticipation.
Dean felt the arrow hit home, but retained his faint grin. "Yes, we..." here Dean brushed his lips lightly against Sara's hair, "invited him for dinner."
Judy opened her mouth her intention obvious, when a voice interrupted.
"Kids are in the car, and unless you want Mike to make good on his threat to drive you might want to get going."
Dean actually found himself disappointed in Sam's interruption, he would love to have heard more about Greg from the woman that had first introduced him to Sara.
Judy frowned fiercely in Dean's direction for a moment more before she finally moved out. "I'll return them Sunday morning, do try and get out of bed to answer the door," was her parting shot as she gathered her purse, and coat, and headed for the garage.
It wasn't until he watched Judy leave the room that he realized that Sara was leaning rather heavily on him. Surprised, but grateful, she had forgiven him for his earlier desertion, he turned to her.
"Sara?" he questioned at the sight of her half-closed eyes, her rapid breathing and the trail of tears that were leaking down her cheeks.
"Sara," he repeated as he bent his knees and swept her into his arms. "Sam!"
"I'm here, let's get her to the couch," Sam said as he led the way toward the living room.
As Dean approached the caramel color suede couch he found that he couldn't bring himself to release her. Not while she was hurting, and it was obvious that she was hurting. Rather than set her down, he sat, cradling her in his arms. Speaking softly, Dean called to Sara in desperation, "Sara, Sara, honey...please Sara, open your eyes. Tell me what hurts."
"Here," Sam said quietly as he thrust a damp washcloth in Dean's hand.
Until the moment that Sam had spoken up, Dean had forgotten his brother was even in the room. Unsure of what hurt, Dean carefully applied the wet cloth to her forehead. Even in the few minutes he'd had her in his arms he'd noticed the her body heat rising. She now felt nearly as hot as she had when she woke.
"Dean?" Sara called out, her eyes opening only a fraction.
"I'm here, baby. I've got you," Dean reassured, hating the panicky sound of his own voice but unable to banish it.
"Dean...please...don't leave me, please."
Sara's plaintive words and the continued increase in her body temperature had Dean turning to his brother. "Sam, what is this? What's wrong with her?"
"I don't know, Dean. Let me see the wound again."
Unwilling to let her go, Dean shifted her slightly to allow Sam access to the back of her neck. Once Sam parted Sara's hair, Dean had no problem seeing the deep purple bruise on the base of her skull. His brother was right, the mark was perfectly round and about the size of a half-dollar. Like Brian's the center of the bruise held one small hole, similar to a mosquito bite only larger. Sam reached out and carefully traced the mark, bringing forth a cry from Sara.
"Dean, don't go," she cried out, her voice cracking in its intensity,
The familiar weight of his brother's hand fell upon Dean's shoulder. He allowed himself to take comfort from the younger man's touch for only a moment before he pleaded, "Please, Sam, find out what's wrong."
"I will, Dean I promise."
A feeling of desperation stole over Dean at sound of pity in his brother's voice. Unable to answer, Sam, Dean simply nodded and pressed the now-warming cloth to Sara's face. As he watched her twist and writhe in pain, he couldn't help but think she was caught in her own version of hell. Determined to give her comfort, Dean raised her up slightly and pressed his lips to her ear. Not bothering with any specific words, he spoke softly to her, assuring her over and over again that he was with her and would not leave.
Chapter End Notes:
Okay just a disclaimer, no Mother-in-laws were harmed in the making of this story... ;) Hope you enjoyed - Kel