Chapter 11
The breakfast table was particularly silent, and awkward. Sam kept looking between Dean and Abby, and Bobby kept looking at Abby, and then glaring at Dean, and then looking to Sam for an explanation. Sam merely shrugged his shoulders; he felt it wasn't his place to say anything. Abby was the first to break, as she slammed her fork down on her plate, a crack forming on the surface of the plate.
"This is ridiculous! Yes, Dean and I had sex last night, and no, we are not together, in fact, we aren't even speaking, because Dean is the same as every other man on this earth, only out for one thing, did I leave anything out?!" she looked at Dean as she said the last part of her tirade. She was met with wide eyes, and, again, silence.
"That's fine Dean, no need to answer, that's what you're good at anyways," she yelled, as she left the room. Dean was afraid to look at Bobby, as Abby had just confessed that Dean had slept with her, and that he had merely used her. That would not sit well with Bobby, at all. Dean was definitely going to get it.
"Dean, what the hell?! What did I say? I told you to stay away from her! To leave her alone, and what do you do? You screw her up even more!" Bobby yelled, as he pushed his chair back forcefully, making it fall to the ground with a clang, as he stood up. Dean swallowed, and looked to Bobby, who looked ready to kill him.
"Bobby, seriously, you don't think that I would have just used her, do you?"He said, trying to defend himself.
"YES! That is exactly what I think that you did! Why can't you keep your stick in your pants for once, boy? I know you're dying and all, but my niece?" He yelled, looking like he was ready to swing at Dean.
"Bobby," said Dean, as he got up from his chair as well, "I will take whatever you can throw at me, I deserve it. I know that I do. I know that against my better judgement I slept with Abby, I-" he never finished as Bobby's fist connected with his nose, forcing him to fall backwards, and through the coffee table. He felt Bobby pull him up by the collar, only to punch him in the jaw, Dean fell once more on to the ground, and this time was helped up by his brother.
"Bobby, I know my brother is an idiot, but you gotta stop," he said, holding his brother up as blood poured down Dean's nose. Dean shrugged his brother off.
"Sammy, it's fine," he said, as he stood in front of Bobby, waiting for the next hit. He didn't have to wait long, as Bobby punched him square in the gut, making him double over in pain, only to have Bobby uppercut him, with so much force that he flew backwards, breaking through the glass cabinet with all the dishes in it. Of course, everything broke, and all over Dean.
"Okay, now that's enough," said Bobby, as he tried to regain his breath. Dean laid there, unable to move, as he felt as if there were cuts and broken bones all over his body. He knew that he deserved everything that he got from Bobby. He wanted it all. Unfortunately it still didn't make him feel better about Abby. Sammy came to his brother's side, and tried to help him up, with no help from Dean.
"Dean, get up," said Sam, as he pulled at his brother. Sam knew that he let Bobby beat him up, only because of how bad he felt for letting himself go with Abby. Sam knew that his brother was in love, and knew that it confused the hell out of him.
"Sammy, little help here, can you pull that piece of glass out of my shoulder, it kind of kills," he said, as he tried to point to his back. Sam looked to his shoulder, which was drenched with blood. Sam sighed as he pulled the shard of glass out, emitting a pain-filled grunt from his brother.
"Honestly, Dean, the shit you find yourself in," he said, shaking his head, as this time Dean let him help him up.
Abby watched the entire scene, thinking she should be feeling happy that her uncle was avenging her. But why were there tears in her eyes? She didn't want to see Dean get hurt, she realized now that that was the last thing that she wanted. She swallowed her pride and ran down the stairs to him, just as Sam pulled out a huge piece of glass from his back. Her intake of breath went unnoticed as Den grunted in pain. She let her hand fall away from her mouth, as she stood motionless at the bottom of the stairs. Sam was helping his brother up, when Dean's eyes locked with hers. Sam looked up as he saw his brother's attentions else where, only to find Abby standing before them, tears in her eyes.
"Dean," she breathed, as she took a tentative step towards him. Sam looked at the pained expression on Dean's face, and it wasn't from the wounds he sustained in the beating. Sam motioned for Abby to come over, and take over.
"Ab, come help, I need to go make sure Bobby is okay," he said, not just as an excuse. He really was worried about Bobby. Abby merely nodded, as she tentatively took Dean's arm around her shoulders, letting him put some of his weight on her. She led him to the downstairs bathroom, and sat him down on the toilet. She rooted around for first aid supplies, and other items she would need to heal him. That was the good thing about having a hunter for an uncle, there was always medical supplies around. Abby grabbed the gauze and antiseptic, and reached her hand up to start on the cuts on his face, that looked particularly nasty. Dean grabbed her arm before she could reach his face. Abby looked to him, surprise evident on her face.
"Abby, please, just leave me," he said, pained by his own words. He couldn't look at her. Abby's angered flared.
"No!" she said, as if a petulant child, "I will not leave you alone, I will make sure all your wounds are healed," she said stubbornly. Dean looked up at her.
"Abby, just do as you're told for once, will you?" he said, his temper getting the best of him. Angry tears started to replace the scared ones in Abby's eyes, as her own temper flared.
"Stop it! Just stop it Dean! Stop pushing me away like this, I'm not going anywhere, okay?"
"What are you talking about? Just leave, now! It is better this way,"
"Oh, stop being the martyr, Dean, and let me clean your cuts," she said, as she ripped her arm out of his grasp, and placed the gauze on the long cut across his forehead. He winced in pain, as the alcohol burned.
"Abby, why can't you ever listen to reason? Why can't you just leave me alone?" he said, completely miserable.
"Because I don't know how to listen to reason," she stated simply, as she continued her ministrations on his wounds.
"Stubborn," was all he said in response, as she continued to clean his wounds. He wanted to be with her, he knew that, but he also knew that they were fighting a loosing battle. He would be 'dead' in less than a year.
Abby looked at Dean, and sighed.
"Stop looking like somebody just ran over your car, Dean, and listen to me," she said, not looking him in the eye. "I know that you don't have much longer, I am not naive to think that it would be easy to get out of a deal with a Demon, I am living proof of that. But I also know that I want to be with you, no matter if you die tomorrow or in fifty years. And you don't get to choose whether or not I get to be with you, that is not fair. So, as I see it, you're stuck with me, Winchester, whether you like it or not," She finished her confession, still not looking at his eyes to gage his reaction, as she started on his busted nose. She let her words sink in with Dean, not wanting to overload him, knowing he was not one to listen to what other people have to say or his heart. After ten minutes, Dean cleared his throat.
"I guess, well, that it would be, uh, selfish of me to decide for you. But I also have a say, Abigail, don't forget that." He said, trying to word in such a way. Abby started, looking at him for the first time since she said what she needed to say.
"What are you saying Dean, and why are you calling me Abigail?" she said, not sure where he was going with this.
"I am saying that what if I don't want to be with you. Shouldn't I have a say?" he smirked, as her face flushed red.
"Fine. If that is they way that you feel, Winchester, then I'll leave. I am not just going to stay around and watch you die, that is just not my thing," she said, overly angry, as she threw down the gauze, and stomping out of the bathroom. She ran up the stairs to her room, and grabbed her bag, throwing her items in it. She wanted, needed to get out of there. That hurt. A lot. More than she thought it would. She didn't know if this was another tactic to get her away, but it felt real. The look in his eyes, made her body shake with sadness.
Abby ran back down the stairs and out the front door to her car. She ran right past Sam and her uncle, not stopping to say goodbye, or to explain her rash behaviour. As she peeled out of there, she didn't see Dean come out on to the porch to watch her leave. He really didn't care. She wiped angrily at the tears that came to her eyes, not allowing herself to grieve for someone she never really had.
Two months after Abby left in a whirl of dust and rage, Dean still remembered how it felt to watch her leave, to see the hurt and regret in her face. The conversation he had with Bobby and Sam was not exactly fun, either. They wanted answers he didn't want to give. Ever. Bobby still hadn't talked to him since then. Dean had made the decision on his own to make her leave, he felt it was to protect her, but he also realized now she was on her own, to fight against the Demon that wanted her. So far they had made progress with her fighting against he demonic side of her soul, but what would happen when she was all alone, and susceptible to the Demon's games? He shuddered as he though about Abby, completely changed, her bright eyes no longer bright, her smile no longer sweet, but scary. Evil. And it would be his entire fault. Bobby had left early last week to try and find her, not wanting to leave it to chance. Dean was torn, he wanted Bobby to bring her back, and he didn't, for it would bring up so many shallowly buried emotions. One look from her, and they would all become uncovered. Dean couldn't survive that.
Bobby was ecstatic; he finally found the whereabouts of his niece. She had made it to the next state, in the two months and a half, and he found that she had become somewhat of a hunter. He heard from some of his hunter buddies that she was the newest on the scene, and was solving cases faster then some of the pros. She was making quite a name for herself, gaining respect from some of the most seasoned hunters. Bobby wondered what they would think if they knew that she was part Demon, and could change at any moment. He knocked on the door to the cheap motel room, smiling slightly at the hunter M.O.
"Who is it?" she yelled, as he heard her cock her glock, ready to fire if it was someone she wasn't particularly fond of seeing.
"Abby, it's me, it's your uncle Bobby," he said, thankful that she was up so early in the morning. He had thought about waiting till mid day to bother her, but he couldn't wait to see her. He heard some scuffling, and then a lock being slid out of its home, as the door opened for him. Bobby took in her appearance; she looked older, as if she had been through a lot in the past two months. She also looked tired, as if she never slept, like she was trying to stay one step ahead of everything.
"Abby, it is so good to see you," he said, as he grabbed her in a quick hug, then let her go, hugging not being his thing. Abby smiled at her uncle.
"It's good to see you, too, now come inside," she said, smiling, stepping back to let him in. The two relatives talked for about an hour about her escapades since she had left his home not that long ago. She loved hunting; it really gave her a sense of purpose, and helped her face her fears on a daily basis. And it was such an adrenaline rush, she had said with a smile. Bobby didn't dare bring up that day that she had left, and the reason why.
"It must run in the family, I guess, " Bobby laughed, as she told him about this particularly hard case in Milwaukee. She was about to reply, when her face went green, and she ran to the bathroom. Bobby jumped up in alarm, as he rushed to the closed door, thinking that maybe she was having an episode like the one she had had at his home.
"Abby, you okay? What's wrong?" he asked, tense. He heard her flush the toilet, and run some water. She opened the door, a towel in her hands as she wiped at her mouth.
"I'm okay, Uncle Bobby, just a little morning sickness," she replied, as if it were the simplest thing in the world.
"Oh, okay,-wait, what?!" he screeched, as Abby walked to her bed, to sit down. She sighed, as she looked up to her Uncle.
"I am two and a half months pregnant with Dean's child," she said, her face full of the emotions she had been trying to hide from him.
A bomb could have dropped, and Bobby would have been none the wiser. Well, it felt like a bomb did drop. His niece was pregnant with a dead man's baby. Perfect.
"Abby, what the hell are you doing hunting in this condition?" he asked, completely astounded that she was still able to hunt. Abby scoffed at his words.
"What else am I supposed to do? Just sit around and wait for the demon to completely change me? How else was I supposed to hone my skills, without you guys teaching me? I had to learn on my own, and I think it turned out just fine," she said, a smirk on her face. Abby was happy with her progress, for she had killed a lot of evil, and saved a lot of people while doing it. When she found out she was pregnant not that long ago, she had freaked out. She had no clue how to react, and felt completely alone. She had no one, and almost decided to go back. But Abigail is stubborn, if she is anything, so she couldn't go back. That would mean admitting defeat to Dean, admitting that she couldn't, or wouldn't make it without being near him. That she needed him. So what if she did, it was a need she knew that she could live without. Better to learn how now, then a year from now when he was really gone.
"Abby, please come home with me, please," Bobby begged, as he sat beside his only family. Abby shook her head.
"I can't, Uncle Bobby, I'm sorry," she said, not able to look him in the eyes.
"That's horse shit, and you know it! You are just too stupid and stubborn to go back there, and face that good for nothin' hunter, and tell him exactly what is going on. It wouldn't mean that he won, Abby, it wouldn't!" he yelled. Abby became angry from his words. If he thought that she was moody before, he was in for a surprise.
"How dare you! How can you say that about me?" she asked, anger set rigidly on her features, as she pushed herself off of the bed to face him. The anger quickly dissipated, as she saw Dean's face in her head. "How can I face him, Uncle Bobby, when he doesn't want me? I told him I loved him, and he wanted nothing more than to be rid of me," she cried, as she wiped furiously at the tears streaming down her face. Bobby had no idea how to react to the distraught woman in front of him, for he was not so good with that emotional crap. He wished that she had stayed angry, he could deal with angry. He hesitated, not knowing whether he should go and hug her, or let her cry it out. "What am I supposed to do about my baby? I can't tell him that I'm pregnant; he will hate me even more! I can't go back, do you understand? I can't go back!" Abby's knees shook, and Bobby took that as his cue to go to her before she lost her ability to stand.
"Abby, you will never know how he really feels unless you go back. As much as I hate that little shit right now, he deserves to know that he is going to be a father. And he needs to know that he is leaving behind something in this world that means something, other than a trail of broken hearts and dead demons. Do you understand, Abby? But don't go back for him, go back for yourself, and your baby. Your baby deserves to know its father. This is its only chance."
Those words delved deep into Abby's soul, what was left of it, for Dean really was going to die in less than a year. He was really going to leave her forever. That is why when she first found out, she was elated for she would always have a piece of Dean with her. Even though she wanted a piece of his heart, she knew that this child would be more than enough. Abby nodded against her uncle's shoulder, signifying that she would come home with him.
"I will come with you, but on one condition," she stated, looking up into his face. Bobby nodded for her to continue.
"You can't tell Dean that he is going to be a father," she stated.
"Abby, he deserves to know," Abby nodded.
"I know he does, but please don't tell him right away. I need it to be my way, and I need to find out if he is ready for that big of a change in his life, okay?" After a moment, Bobby nodded, knowing that if he didn't agree, Abby wouldn't come home. He needed her home, he needed to know that she was okay, and that he could be there for her if she ever needed anything. Now, especially, he wanted her home. She was going to become a mother. A mother! She needed him now more than ever before, even if she didn't realize it. All he knew is that his mission succeeded for Abby was coming home.