Thanks to everyone who has been following and/or reviewing this story, this is the last chapter, but there will be an epilogue to come. This chapter was a hard one to write, I hope that you enjoy it.
Time seemed to stop as Sam and Dean carried the youngest member back to the impala and returned to the apartment. Sam felt that he was teetering on the edge of panic, as Samantha remained unconscious throughout the whole process. He was only able to relax slightly, when she was safely resting on his bed after they had patched up her wounds.
Dean sat on the edge of the bed, wiping the dirt and sweat off her face with a cool damp clothe. The lines of pain in her forehead troubled him and he tried to smooth them out as he gently brushed her hair out of her face.
Sam had spent the ride to the apartment and most the time that they were helping Samantha to tell Dean everything that had happened since he had escaped from hell to when he met Dean in the woods. Dean had kept his cool as his brother spoke, after a couple outbursts at the beginning when Sam had said that Dean was better off without him, Dean became unnaturally quiet. Sam was unsure what was worst Dean yelling or this calm silence, he knew his brother would freak out, it was just a question of when.
Now he just sat still beside his daughter watching her with a force grown from pure determination and a love for his family. Sam idly wondered who was going to receive the worst tongue-lashing, Samantha for risking her life for them or him for keeping his escape from hell a secret.
Dean wanted to yell at his brother, kick his ass for the months of worry, but he couldn't find it in him. He had started giving Sam a piece of his mind about the matter, but Sam had just listened to him with a goofy smile on his face. Not that Dean could blame him, when it came down to it he was happy to have Sammy back. Maybe what had happened before wasn't really an issue, just something that they should move on from.
Soaking the washcloth in the bucket of water again, Dean's mind traveled back to the way the brothers had been fighting before the apocalypse had ended. It seemed to him that the best course of action was to forgive Sam and move on with their lives, as to avoid any more confrontations. Well maybe yell at him then forgive him Dean thought with a slight grin.
Sam moved away from the first aid kit, which he had been staring at for the better part of a half hour, towards the opposite side of the bed. He moved the blanket and Samantha's shirt up enough to look at her bandaged wound. His brow furrowed, making Dean lean forward to take a look as well. The bandages beginning to be soaked with fresh blood.
Dean stood up and went to dump the water into the sink, stating, "We have to take her to the hospital."
He only paused when Sam answered him with a quiet, "no."
Sam's head was bowed down. He wouldn't raise it to look at Dean, but judging by the set of his shoulders he would not be backing down easily.
Dean moved forward, pointing forcefully at the young girl. "She is going to bleed out if we don't do anything."
Sam glanced up, the worry on his face showing that he was quite aware of this fact. "Dean, we don't have any insurance for her. This is not just a place we can take off from and never return. You have Lisa and Ben here."
"What do you want me to do doom her, sign my daughter's death warrant, so that I can be with Lisa and Ben?" Dean said in a voice that betrayed no emotion.
Sam watched his brother silently, unsure how to proceed. He did not want to watch Samantha die, but she had said that if Dean survived so would she in the future. Yet, he also saw that Dean was not going to see things in that way, all he saw was a young girl who he should be protecting in pain.
Anger boiling over inside of him, Dean savagely kicked out at the nightstand by his feet. He almost smiled in satisfaction as the wood splintered under his attack. Whirling around, he yelled out into thin air. "Castiel! You better get your feathery ass down here right now and save my baby girl. Or else I'm going to use your wings to stuff a duvet."
Sam quirked his eyebrow at his brother, "dude, a duvet?" trying to hide a look of amusement.
Dean shrugged lightly, his anger draining away. Sam always knew how to deal with him. "Lisa has one on our bed."
Dean felt defeat wash over him when nothing happened, what kind of a father was he if he couldn't protect his only child?
"If I had known she was injured, I would have been here sooner." a voice spoke behind him. Both Dean and Sam spun around in time to see Castiel lean over Samantha, place two fingers on her forehead and close his eyes. No one moved for a heartbeat, then the ridges of pain smooth out of the young hunters face and Samantha let out a sigh of relief in her sleep.
Dean quickly moved to the side of the bed, reaching out to shake her awake, softly saying. "Come on Samantha, open your eyes from me please."
Samantha did not comply with her father's request; instead she rolled over and borrowed into the comforter.
Dean sat back and smirked. "She's definitely as stubborn as you are Sam. I guess I name her right." He said with a chuckle.
Sam rolled his eyes. "Man, she is so like you, that it's creepy."
Dean stood up, and moved towards Castiel. Patting him on the shoulder, Dean smiled at his friend. "Thanks Cas for helping, now if you can just bring her back to her own time that would be great."
Castiel looked troubled by this request his eyes traveled to Samantha nervously. "I would Dean, but it would be quite pointless."
Dean stilled. Both Winchester men stared at the angel in confusion. Sensing a change in Dean's attitude, Sam moved forward just in time to stop Dean from charging at Castiel. Grabbing his brother's arm he pulled him back, as Dean bellowed into Cas' stony expression. "What do you mean pointless?"
"Dean calm down, this isn't helping" Sam said in the same commanding voice that John Winchester had once used.
Dean stopped fighting his brother and shrugged off Sam's hands. It wasn't until Dean shot a look over at Sam to tell him that he was not going to try that again that Sam turn his attention back to Cas.
In the same ordering tone as before Sam addressed the nervous angel. "You better have a good reason for not helping my niece. You were the one who brought her here in the first place, right?" Pausing for a moment he asked. "You are the Castiel from the future, not our Cas?"
Cas nodded his head. "I am from the future, but I can not change the fact that bringing Samantha there is not right."
Dean glared at Cas as he yelled out. "This is bullshit..."
"Dad! Stop." Came a clear voice as Samantha forced herself between her father and the heavenly being, placing her hand against her father's chest to stop any further attacks.
Dean didn't stop glaring, only moved it to take in his daughter. "Samantha, you should be in bed getting some rest."
Samantha shifted her weight onto her heels, cocking her head in question. "I would if there wasn't a yelling match going on in the same room." Turning her back to her family, Samantha smiled kindly at the angel. "You can go Castiel. Thanks for everything." Her smile slipped for an instant, forcing it back into place Samantha continued. "Just don't forget your promise, okay."
Castiel nodded solemnly, not reacting to Samantha bright smile at all. "I will not forget, Samantha. I will never forget."
With that the spot that had held the angel was vacated and only the three Winchesters remained in the room. Samantha stared at the spot intently before squaring her shoulders and turning back to the men awaiting some form of explanation.
"Let's celebrate," she all but yelled. Dean and Sam stared back at her as if she had admitted to loving demons.
Dean glanced at his brother in confusion and when he didn't receive any answers, refocused on Samantha. Dean spoke with little amusement in his voice. "Ok, I'll bite, why should be celebrating?"
"I did it." Samantha stated simply. Then her eyes softened, growing round with surprise. "I did it." She repeated this time wonder filling her voice. A laugh bubbled up from Samantha; she turned to Sam with eyes full of hope she said. "Changed the future and saved you both."
Sam and Dean stared at her in surprise as she began laughing. Sam grinned at the wonderful sound of his nieces joyful laughter, feeling that he would do a lot to get to hear her laugh like that again. The goofy look on Dean's face, suggested that he was thinking the same thing, Sam thought with a chuckle.
Dean sent Sam a sharp look at the sound then turned his attention back to his daughter who was beaming. "That's really great Samantha, but what did Castiel mean by sending you back to the future was pointless?" He tried to make himself sound in charge, but his voice sounded scared to his own ears.
Samantha gave a bored looking shrug. "Oh that's nothing. He told me that he could only send me back for a year before the future would pull me back. Something to do with the stars aligning or some heavenly business. To tell the truth I don't even know what he was talking about, because I wasn't listening to him."
Sam studied Samantha to see if she was bluffing, but he couldn't tell. Something definitely was not right. "So you will just go back when you hit a time limit?" he asked.
"Yeah I guess that's how it works. My time should be up in the next couple of days actually." Samantha said moving passed them to stretch out on the couch.
Sam nodded, not completely buying it, but knowing better then to start something now when Dean was still upset. He would wait until his brother was not angry about their hiding things from him, then they would confront Samantha together.
Dean did not seem to agree with Sam, because he moved up beside the couch and looked down at the girl. "What about the promise Cas made? What was that for?"
Samantha gave a heavy sigh, looking away from her father's glare for a moment. When she looked back at him, her expression was unreadable. "Cas promised that he would clean up my fingerprints when he was gone, okay?" she asked almost pleadingly. She waited until both Dean and Sam nodded in agreement, then she grabbed Deans arm pulled him down onto the couch and cried. "Can we please celebrate now? I just saved both your asses from a return trip to hell."
Dean smirked, stretching his arms out then clasping them behind his head. "Do you have any beer, Sammy?" He mumbled with a yawn.
Sam rolled his eyes and went to refrigerator. Tonight the Winchesters would spend some time together; they could deal with everything else in the morning.
Dean had been lying on the floor unable to sleep for what seemed like hours now. He was on the floor because both him and Sam had felt that Samantha should get the only bed. Sam was fast asleep on the couch because Dean always had to throw scissors. Dean groaned as he tried to stretch out his back again, he should really consider changing his rock, paper, scissors strategy.
He had fallen asleep easy enough, only to be woken up from a nightmare. In those seconds before waking he had believed that the events of the day were a dream and if he opened his eyes Sam would still be in hell. It was then that he noticed the soft snoring coming from nearing by. He had cracked his eyes open and pulled himself up onto his forearms to peer at the person sleeping on the couch.
Dean felt the same rush of joy and comfort as he had in the forest, at his brother's peaceful face. Sam always looked so much younger when he was asleep and Dean could feel his old protectiveness rising to the surface. He wasn't angry with Sam anymore, not that he was going to let him know that. He'd let Sam try to make it up to him for a while then he'd tell him that they were okay.
He had decided about an hour ago, that he could not watch Sam sleep all night, it was just too weird; so he settled with lying back and listening to him breathe.
He heard a rustle from the bedroom, followed by quiet footsteps approaching the door. Samantha must be going to the bathroom, he thought idly as the bedroom door creaked open.
Dean didn't say anything in order to not scare the poor girl or to wake up Sam. Samantha moved into the living room area, stopping silently at the couch, then to Dean's utter surprise crept out the front door.
Dean sat up and stared at the closed door, not understanding what had just occurred. Where did his daughter think she was going? He glanced over at Sam to see that his brother was watching him. Sam had never been a heavy sleeper.
Sam pulled himself out of bed and moved towards his pile of clothes. Looking over his shoulder to see Dean was doing the same. Sam spoke in a measured voice. "We should go see what she's doing."
A couple of minutes later the brothers stepped out of the apartment into the streetlight.
On the other side of the parking lot, mostly covered in shadow was the impala and they could see the lone figure perched on the hood.
Samantha did not look up from the ground as they approach her, but they could tell that she knew they were there.
Dean stopped a couple of feet in front of her and crossed his arms. "There you are. Good, I thought that you were running away."
Samantha lifted her eyes to take in her father. They were wide and round, and Sam could not help feeling that she was lost. "I was trying to run away." Samantha answered in a soft voice. She rubbed her hand over the surface of the car lovingly. "I guess I didn't get very far," she chuckled half-heartedly.
Dean moved forward and leaned against the hood to Samantha's left. Sam moved to take the place at her right, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Well, this car was pretty much home for Dean and me," Sam said after a minute of silence. "It would make sense if it meant the same to you."
Samantha looked at Sam out of the corner of her eye. She seemed to be measuring him, judging his mood. Sam schooled his emotions, he knew how secretive she could be and he didn't want to discourage whatever she needed to say.
Samantha stared off ahead of her, her eyes seeing things that had yet to be. "When I was about eight years old, I was having terrible nightmares." She paused to gather her thoughts, then continued. "One night when they were really bad, Dad got me bundled up, got us some drinks and took us outside to the impala."
"Drinks?" Dean asked slightly worried about his future paternal skills.
"Jus boxes." Samantha replied, much to Sam's amusement. Dean shot Sam a look that told him clearly to shut it. Samantha continued. "You sat us on the hood like we are now, then you told me about my Uncle Sam." Samantha twisted her hands in front of her nervously. "You had never really told me too much about him until that night. You told me about how he had wanted to go to school, and that if I ever wanted to then you would do everything in your power to get me there. You told me about how you gave your life for him. You told me about how Sam said yes."
Sam felt a rush of cold air fill his lungs; he didn't want his niece knowing his shame. Samantha turned and looked straight at him. "My dad told me how strong and brave you were to save him that day in the cemetery. How proud he was of you that day. That's when I understood what this family was about."
Unable to meet the young girl's eyes, which were looking at him with such love and approval, he looked up at Dean. There was a half smile playing on Dean's mouth and his eyes told Sam that everything she was saying was true.
Dean chuckled trying to rid Sam of his stricken look. "You remember that story pretty well for being eight at the time."
To his delight Samantha smirked for a moment. "What can I say? It was a good story. You had to do quite a few repeat performances over the years."
Samantha then went back to staring ahead of her. Dean waited then leaned back casually, though his face remained concerned. "So why were you leaving, Samantha?"
Samantha began to speak then stopped herself shaking her head. "Every action you take is a choice about what is important, you taught me that." She said then continued with renewed strength. "This is my choice."
"What choice is that?" Dean asked in a voice so quiet that Sam almost did not hear it.
"I chose family." She said lifting her chin up and smiling sadly.
The world around the impala fell away as Sam remembered their conversation in the cabin. Samantha must have known all along that this was where she was leading.
"Why can't you go back to the future?" Sam asked her again, knowing that the answer would be different this time.
Samantha's gaze never flickered, but she set her jaw before she spoke. "I changed the future. I can't go back to a future where I do not exist."
Dean's heart clenched at those words. He had known that she had been hiding something, but this seemed unbearable. It was as if someone had dangled food in front of a dying man to rip it away before he could taste it.
Dean spoke up needed to understand what she meant. "So I'm never going to have you as my daughter because of what you've done?"
Samantha nodded. "I knew the risks."
Dean felt the sadness be overtaken by anger. She had done this intentionally nothing that she could be destroying herself.
"So you decided the best course of action was to give up your life to save Sam and my future?" Dean said barely keeping himself on the verge of yelling.
Samantha squared her shoulder and addressed her father. "I couldn't let you guys spend eternity in hell, not after you had already been there." The Winchester stubbornness flaring up on her face.
"Why would you think signing away your life for us was a good idea?" Dean shot back.
"You did it for Sam!" she cried in return. Dean face dropped at her words and Samantha immediately backed down at the expression.
Closing his eyes, Dean let out an empty laugh. "I guess I would bring up a child that was as self-sacrificing and suicidal as I was."
Samantha looked at Sam, silently asking for help. When he did not offer any she turned back to her father. "Dad?" she said cautiously. "You always told me how important I was to you. I knew how much you loved me, I always knew. But you also taught me that family comes first."
She paused, when Dean did not move she continued in a humourless voice. "Come on guys, dying and not existing are very different." With that they all fell into silence, the weight of what was to come resting heavily on their hearts.
"It's the same to us." Sam spoke out suddenly. Samantha looked questionably at her uncle. "It will feel like a loss either way to us."
Samantha's eyes filled with tears, though they did not fall. "I know," she answered. "Look, I can feel it pulling at me away now. It's been doing it since Sam escaped from the cabin, when you decided to go get Dean, but it's stronger now. I don't think I have much time left."
Pushing herself off the hood of the impala she began to walk away. "So I'm going to be on my way…"
"No." Dean stated flatly. Samantha paused and turned back to find him watching her with a stern look. "What you are going to do is sit down on this beautiful car with us like a..like a…" Dean trailed off, his commanding father act falling apart.
"Like a family." Sam supplied.
Dean looked at his brother in thanks, smiling sadly. "Yeah a dysfunctional one, but a family until the end."
No one moved for a moment, then Samantha launched herself at her father burying her face in his chest. Dean brought his arms up around her and placed his face in her blond hair. He tried to record exactly how this felt, to have a child rely on you, to be the most important person to a little life. He closed his eyes and knew that he loved her in returned. Wasn't that what father's do? Neither spoke because even now they knew each other well enough to know what the other felt.
Sam watched the pair silently, fighting back the tears that were forming. Samantha raised her head and pulled away from Dean. She moved over to Sam wrapping her arms around him. "I used to be angry at you for leaving my dad, but I understand why you did it now Sam. For the same reason as I did this." She whispered into his ear. "I love you uncle Sammy."
Sammy tightened his hold on his niece who had been his partner for weeks now. He had grown used to having her around, their earlier strained partnership had moved towards friendship. "I love you too kiddo." He answered, knowing that it was true. That was just the way it was with family.
Samantha pulled back and brushed at the tears that were trailing down her face. Sam absent-mindedly moved his arm to take care of the ones coating his face.
Dean groaned. "Great now I have two bawling Sammys on my hands."
Both Sammys laughed in relief at something to break the tension. Samantha settled herself back on the impala between the brothers. This time though they sat closer so that their arms were just brushing.
Dean slung a careless arm over Samantha's shoulder. "Did I ever tell you about the time that I had to save Sasquatch here from some human hunting crazies?" Samantha relaxed, shaking her head though the smile on her face told them that she knew the tale.
Sam smiled cutting into his brother's narration. "As I remember it, you were taken out by a little girl." He brightened at the glare Dean sent his way.
They sat like that for about an hour. Dean and Sam telling various tales from their past, with Samantha piping up to add how Dean had embellished the stories over the years. As time past, Samantha grew quieter, the unseen force pulling on her more and more. Still, they kept on talking, until Samantha pulled away with a gasp.
Samantha's face suddenly lit up and she breathed out a single "oh". Then a rush of wind blew from behind and Samantha disappeared into the air as if she was made of sand. For an instant she was there before them, then she was completely gone as if she had never been there to begin with.
Sam looked at Dean, tears running down his face, this time he made no move to stop them. He wanted Dean to do something to make the pain lessen, but when he looked at him, Sam knew that he was not alone in this suffering.
A single tear escaped from Dean's filled eyes and Sam watched it make its way down his face and drip off his chin. Dean stared at the space where Samantha had filled the air, as if he would will her back if he could.
Neither spoke because there was really nothing to say. The youngest member of their family had given everything to bring them back together because she knew that they needed each other. What could they really say now, that would change all of that? So they sat into the night in silence, finding comfort in the presence of the other near by.
Castiel stood in the shadows, unseen by those at the car, though he had watched everything. He had not left as he said he would. Castiel started this journey with Samantha and was going to see it to the end. He sighed as she left this world, the crushing feeling of being helpless taken him over.
He sighed and whispered to the girl who was no longer there. "I will keep my promise and wipe away your fingerprints." He looked up at the stars in the night sky. "I will remember you Samantha. I will remember you in the morning.