Chapter 20

Before The Dawn

Andie snuggled deeper into Dean, pressing her back against his warm chest. She could sense sleep creeping up on her and was definitely welcoming it into her body. The bed was uncomfortable, the motel was small and smelled faintly of motor oil and there had been a TV blaring loudly in the room next door for the past two hours; yet Andie was still content. Dean's left arm was wrapped around her; holding her close to his body. His breath tingled the nape of her neck as he slumbered quietly, as unaffected by the unpleasant surroundings as his brother sleeping in the bed across the room.

Just as Andie felt sleep overcoming her, an annoyingly familiar fluttering sound entered her ears. She told herself not to open her eyes; maybe he'd just go away. But her mind knew better. When Andie opened her eyelids just a crack; she saw Castiel was sitting, looking as virtuous as he ever had, atop the kitchen table with his legs resting on one of the dining chairs.

"Y'know, you really have the perching thing down." Andie growled quietly at him as she reluctantly lifted her head off her pillow.

"I'm sorry to disturb you." He replied in his calm, monotonous voice.

"I'm sure that's not true." Andie smirked as she leant up on her elbow. "What's wrong now?"

"There's something you need to see." He told her.

Andie peered over at Dean; he was still sound asleep.

"He won't wake," Castiel assured her as he silently rose to his feet. "Don't worry."

Andie slid Dean's comfortable arm off her and sat up. "I'm not worried." Her skin shivered in the cool, night air. Crossing her arms over her chest, Andie joined Castiel across the room. "I'm curious. What is it that I need to see that the boys' don't? Is this something to do with the Hierarchy?"

"No; not exactly," The angel told her. "You'll find out. And you'll be returned right back here when you've completed your task."

Andie gulped involuntarily. "That doesn't sound good. What task?"

"Don't be afraid; you'll be safe." Castiel said with a brief smile.

"Safe? Where am I going?" Andie's heart started thumping irregularly in her chest.

Castiel held his hand to Andie's forehead with his palm down and fingers extended. Andie barely had time to gasp as an ice cold rush ran over her body and she blacked out.

Bolting out of her unconsciousness like a nasty nightmare, Andie sprang up off her mattress clutching her chest. The cool rush was ebbing away the more deep breaths she took. She sank back down on her bed to collect herself and for the first time noticed her surroundings. Andie gasped.

She was in a very homely bedroom, much like one she'd seen in a Martha Stewart catalogue she'd used to kill a cockroach with at the last motel she'd stayed in. It had a large, comfortable bed with light blue checked bedding, two end tables with matching lamps on either side and a warm, fluffy rug on the floor. It was unlike any room Andie had stayed in before; but if she was honest with herself, she didn't mind it.

Bemused, Andie got up and headed over to the window which was shrouded in lace white curtains. The view was as beautiful as glossy magazine article; a picturesque neighbourhood with healthy, green trees and well manicured lawns. There were children riding their bikes on the path and a few boys playing a game of baseball in the middle of the road. Still confused, Andie turned back to the bedroom and caught site of her reflection in the mirror above the bureau. She squealed and gasped at the same time. Instead of her well worn navy boxer shorts and the white tank top she had been wearing; she wore a pair of pale blue, flannelette pyjamas, definitely not Andie's first choice of sleepwear. Andie leant right in to the mirror scrutinizing her appearance. Her hair was a delicate shade of auburn, like brown sugar. She noticed more lines around her teal-coloured eyes and her forehead than she was accustomed too. As she pulled at the skin around her chin, Andie noticed the sparkling ring on her left ring finger. Her wedding band; it was still there. Andie's heart lifted; maybe that meant Dean was around somewhere.

Intrigued as to where exactly she was, Andie crept out of the bedroom into the hall. A clanging off pots and pans caught her ears from downstairs so she picked up her pace and jogged down the staircase. The house was just as homely and quaint as the bedroom had been. The living room had a fireplace in the corner with another rug on the floor and two comfy looking couches in the centre of the room. There were photographs lining the walls but as Andie went to inspect them; she was joined by someone else.

"Mummy! Mummy!" A little voice squealed from behind her.

Andie didn't even get a chance to turn around when she was hugged around the middle by a little girl, no more than eight years old with straight, shoulder length, golden-brown hair.

Unaccustomed to hugs from miniature strangers, Andie kept her hands up in the air as the child squeezed her. When the girl let go; she knelt down to her. "I, ah, I think you have the wrong house…definitely the wrong mummy." She said, noting the hazel speckles in the young girl's emerald eyes. Andie's breath caught in her throat; these were Dean's eyes.

"Mummy, stop kidding!" The girl giggled and threw her arms around Andie again. Then she untangled herself and bolted into the kitchen excitedly chirping on about breakfast.

Now Andie's heart was pounding. She was sure her legs were shaking as she continued to walk towards the kitchen, but she let out a huge sigh of relief when she saw Dean cooking something on the stove.

"Dean." Andie breathed happily as she walked towards him. Maybe she wasn't crazy after all. "I'm so glad you're here." She engulfed him in a tight hug and let out a relieved sigh.

"Hey, Pricilla," Dean chuckled. "Why wouldn't I be?" he wrapped his arms around her back. "You hungry?" He pulled his arms from around her and went back to cooking.

"Pricilla?" Andie repeated. "Dean…what's going on?" she asked.

Dean gave her a strange look. "What do you mean? It's Saturday, Andie, we always have pancakes on Saturday, ain't that right Maddie?"

"Right Daddy." The little girl grinned back as she sat herself at the table.

Andie's head started spinning. I'm still dreaming…, she told herself, I'm dreaming of some weird place in the future where Dean and I have a kid and for some reason he calls me Pricilla…this is all a figment of my tormenting bitch of an imagination. Andie leant against the counter to steady herself.

"Is Allie awake?" Dean asked as he poured more pancake batter into the pan.

"Hm?" Andie asked; she hadn't been paying attention.

"Did you check on Allie?" Dean asked again.

"Allie?" Andie furrowed her brow.

Dean looked at her strangely. "Are you feeling ok?" He set the spatula down and turned off the stove then held his hand to her forehead. She looked a decent shade whiter than normal. "Maddie, go get your sister for me please, baby." Dean told the little girl. She nodded and scrambled off her chair.

"No…no I'm not ok…" Andie admitted under her breath. Two kids? We have two kids?! What is this place? Hell?

"Andie," Dean rested his hands on her shoulders after Maddie was out of earshot. "What is going on?"

"This isn't real!" She replied in a hushed whisper. "Pinch me!"

"What?"

"It's a dream; and I really need to wake up, like, now." Andie picked up the spatula out of the pan and grabbed the flipping end with her hand. A white hot, searing pain steamed her skin causing Andie to let out a frightful scream.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Dean tugged her over to the sink and flicked the cold tap on, shoving Andie's hand under the stream of water.

"Dean, listen to me," Andie said firmly. "I'm not who you think I am. I mean, I am but I'm not the same. Like a minute ago I was standing in our motel room with Castiel-"

"The angel?" Dean cut in as he wrapped a damp tea towel around her burned hand.

"Yes, the angel!" Andie nodded, hoping he was following her crazy train of thought. "And he told me had to show me something, some sort of task, and…and then," Her mind went blank. "I…don't remember. I woke up here." Andie rested her forehead in her hand.

"It was a dream." Dean said soothingly rubbing her back.

"No, it wasn't!" Andie snapped, shrugging his arm off her. "Don't you get it? I don't know what's going on here! We have kids? We have a house? You call me Pricilla?! Where's Sam?! Why the hell are you cooking?!"

"Andie…" Dean looked worried now. "The angels…that was years ago. Almost ten years, actually. The apocalypse is over. We won. No more demons."

Andie felt like he'd slapped her in the face. She was ten years into the future after they had won this apocalyptic war that she was still preparing for...they were alive, apparently very happy and had a family. It was a life was so normal that it was bizarre. "No more demons?" That was a statement Andie couldn't get her head around. She'd been fighting them her whole life; demons were the reason she was telekinetic. How could they just be gone?

"No," Dean shook his head. "Not after the battle, they were all either destroyed or too scared to come back up here." He chewed on his lip. "You really don't remember any of this." He realized.

"I don't." Andie said seriously. "It hasn't happened yet. You only got out of hell a few months ago!"

"Daddy?" Maddie's anxious voice called from the doorway.

Andie looked over and saw Maddie holding what Andie thought was a doll at first, but when the doll squirmed she realized it was a living, breathing baby. This had to be Allie; she couldn't have been more than a few months old but she, too, had Dean's beautiful eyes and chestnut brown hair. Andie noticed the troubled look on Maddie's face; she'd obviously heard some of the conversation.

"It's ok, Cookie," Dean said to her in a convincingly calm, fatherly tone as he headed over to his daughter and took the infant out of her arms. "Just eat your breakfast, ok?" He indicated to Andie to join him in the living room.

Still in shock, Andie started to follow Dean.

"Mummy, can I have some orange juice?" Maddie asked her as she sat in front of her pancakes.

"Um, sure…" Andie opened the fridge and saw a jug of juice. At least something about this life is easy. She poured a glass for Maddie and then went into the living room with Dean. He was rocking baby Allie back and forth near the fireplace.

"You can't be like this around Maddie," Dean spoke, careful not to alert oldest daughter. "You're scaring her."

"I don't wanna be like this at all." Andie whispered loudly. "I'm not supposed to be here."

"You said Castiel sent you here?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, but…" She bit her lip. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do."

"Ok," Dean sighed and lifted Allie up against his shoulder and gently patted her back. "Maybe…maybe they switched your mind with the Andie who lives in this time." He suggested.

"Why?" Andie shrugged. "Why? Surely it would make more sense to send me back in time to change something? Or learn something?" She was really just throwing ideas out there; she had no idea what 'task' Castiel could have meant her to take on let alone why he'd send her to the future.

Dean's brow creased in confusion. "I don't think making sense comes into the angels' way of thinking." Allie started fidgeting in Dean's arms so he set her down in the playpen in the corner.

As she watched him set the baby down, for the first time Andie took notice of the pictures against the wall. She'd been so shocked when she had been hugged by Maddie that she hadn't noticed the playpen or the array of children's toys stacked in the corner let alone the photos that adorned the bookcase and surrounding walls. They were like a timeline, a photographed memory lane that Andie visually wandered down trying to comprehend being in her own life, just ten years into the future. The photos mostly depicted Maddie at various ages, although there was a family portrait that appeared to be from a recent Christmas with Dean, Maddie and a very pregnant Andie. And behind Dean, was Sam.

"Sam!" Andie cried with relief as she grabbed the frame off the bookcase. "Where is he?"

"He lives close." Dean told her. "Just down the road, in fact."

"So he's ok…we're all ok?" Andie held the picture to her chest. Maybe this was what she was here to learn? Maybe they would all make it through the apocalypse. "By the way, what's with that Pricilla thing?" she asked.

Dean shrugged. "It's what we do. You call me Elvis; I call you Pricilla." He smiled. "I'm not even sure how it started...I think you did it to piss me off; I retaliated and – boom – we had nicknames."

Andie nodded slowly, digesting this information. Was this Castiel's plan all along? Having Andie see that they did make it through the battle? Maybe that might give her the confidence to fight to the end since this future was the outcome. "Wait, Cass?!" She suddenly remembered.

"She's ok, too," Dean chuckled. "She's travelling; sends us postcards all the time." He lifted a shoebox off one of the bookshelves and opened it up, sifting through the contents. "I think the last one was from Hawaii." He handed Andie a postcard with a shot of a picturesque beach scene at sunset.

"Having fun, glad you're not here, love you, Cass." Andie read with a smirk. At least someone was acting the same.

"Daddy; have you seen my soccer ball?" Maddie asked as she came in from the kitchen licking maple syrup off her fingers.

For the first time Andie noticed the little girl was dressed in a red uniform, apparently a soccer one, and bright red socks pulled up to her knees.

"It's out the back, baby," Dean told her. "Make sure your bag's ready for when Carole picks you up."

Maddie nodded and skipped back through the kitchen.

"She has a game today," Dean explained to Andie when he saw her puzzled expression. "Carole's one of the mum's from the school; she takes a bunch of the girls to this pre-game practice thing." He peered through the kitchen to make sure Maddie was outside than started in on Andie. "Ok, so where exactly are you from?" He asked, folding his arms across his chest. "I mean, what year?"

"2009." Andie answered as she sat herself in one of the comfy chairs and rubbed her temples; a sharp headache forming between her eyes.

Dean raised his eyebrows. "Wow...so you and I are still bickering every day?"

"Pretty much." Andie replied vaguely; gazing out the window at the perfect neighbourhood. "How long does it last?"

"Guess it doesn't ever really go away." He smirked. "Alright...I'll give Sam a call; explain this to him...maybe he can help us figure out what you're doing here."

"Thanks." Andie smiled appreciatively.

"Can you watch the baby?" Dean asked on his way into the kitchen.

"Oh, ah..." Andie got to her feet, babies weren't her thing. Aside from baby Charlie, who she'd been enlisted to save, Andie had an aversion to children and on a whole they didn't really like her.

"Right; 2009." Dean smiled. "You're still anti-baby. Forget it," He scooped Allie up out of the playpen and held her to his chest. "I can take her."

Andie took another deep breath; this life was a tough one to digest; but it seemed to be a pretty great life. Apparently she'd gotten over her issues and did have a happy future ahead of her. She understood that; so if that was what Castiel wanted her to learn...why was she still here?

Honk! Honk!

"Carpool!" Maddie called from out the back.

Andie peered out the window and saw a dark green SUV sitting out the front of the house. There were four or five girls about Maddie's age in the back in the same soccer uniform.

"Good luck, Pop-tart, we'll be there for your game." Dean slapped Maddie a high five as she bolted past him with a red and white soccer ball tucked under one arm and a water bottle under the other.

"Yeah, ah, good luck." Andie echoed awkwardly as the little girl passed her.

Maddie paused in front of her mother and cocked her head; Andie recognized this expression as one of her own. The little girl glanced back into the kitchen and saw her father busy on the phone, so she leant in closer to her mother. "Don't worry, Mummy." She whispered with a smile. "I'll do what you asked. I won't use my magic again; ever." She smiled and squeezed Andie tightly around the neck.

Back to being confused, Andie just stroked the back of Maddie's soft, auburn hair. The little girl detached herself from her mother and sped excitedly out the front door. Andie watched her get into the van with her teammates. A woman, the carpool driver Carole, waved to Andie as did Maddie. Andie plastered on a fake grin and waved back. She then waited until the car drove off down the street before she let her false smile fall back down until her mouth formed a small O. Her daughter had powers and for some reason the Andie in this time had told her not to use them. Andie had no idea why; as a child she loved her powers. Granted; her telekinesis was the only thing that kept her safe when she had lived on the street but even so; she loved that she had something that was only hers; nobody else's. When she had discovered she was destined to bear a magical daughter of her own; she had the rare thought that it would be very exciting to be able to teach said daughter how to use her powers to the best and most accurate ability that she could. So why on earth would she have told Maddie never to use them?