Chapter 29
"We've not told anyone about that, but yes we've been able to connect for as long as I can remember. I didn't even know I had a brother for a long time. I was adopted but Dean wasn't and my adopted parents were waiting until I was older to tell me but I found the paperwork first. I had been having what I though were dreams of a boy older than me and I could feel him. They seemed to happen when he was stressed or hurt or just needed a kind touch. It was like I was the only one who could comfort him...I didn't even know he was my brother then. Dean had a tough time growing up, but that's his story to tell, I would never overstep my boundaries with that. He doesn't trust easily and I know the only reason he came back here was because of me. I know deep, deep down this goes against everything for him. I came looking for him when I found out I had a brother and he had been looking for me all that time too. The more we've been together; the stronger the connection we have has grown."
"And rightly so. Have you ever heard of mirrored souls?"
"Mirrored souls?" Sam asked. "Don't think I have."
"It's very rare and only a few have been noted. See you and your brother have your own personalities that make you, you, but your souls are like mirrored images of each other. You could say they're identical in a way, almost like the two together make a whole and that's why you have such a strong link with your brother. Your souls are a reflection of the other and that's why you seek each other when something's wrong or just need the support and strength of the other. Your souls thrives off the other ones. Did you feel like something was missing from your life growing up Sam? Something you couldn't understand wasn't there? "
"As a matter of fact, yes. Even at an early age there was something going on, but I was too young to understand what it was. I remember Emily telling me they had to take me to the ER a couple of times, but the doctors couldn't find anything wrong. Man! This is a lot to digest at one time." Sam said as his mind began to process this information deciding he needed to do some research.
"And the other dream?" Missouri asked. "Can you tell me about it?"
"It's about Dean again; he's tied to a bed and he's been injured but I don't know how badly. I can't tell if he's alive or not and there's this shadow in the room with him. I could feel the evil..." he said trailing off and staring hard into his cup of tea trying to keep his emotions under control.
"You're getting a peek of a possible future event Sam."
"So it's gonna come true?" he asked, fear showing in his eyes. "What can I do? How do I save him?"
"Calm down child, I said a possible future, but one that can be changed just like the first one was changed. You see our future has been mapped out in the stars but it's not a sure thing. It can change with each decision we make. Picture yourself in the middle of a forest and all around you are different trails that lead into the trees. You decide which one to take and follow it only to have it branch out into more paths. Another choice you have to make as to which one you will choose to take which in turn will change your future. You may come up against barriers that will send you back down one path only to choose another. Nothing is ever set in stone Sam, our fate is determined by the paths we choose. Some times our choices may not be the right ones, but we learn from our mistakes. You see this vision is but one path that can happen in the future. Think of a book with all its pages and each page is the same future event. The path we choose will decide the page we will be on, but the other pages are playing out right alone beside the one we are on. The trouble is we don't know which path to take to change it, but it can be changed, maybe not all of it, but some of it. I can't say that Dean won't be kidnapped or hurt, but like your first dream, it doesn't have to play out that way. We can only hope that there will be paths chosen that will alter it."
"I don't know if that's comforting or not." Sam said slumping back in his chair mulling this over and picturing himself standing in a small clearing in the forest surrounded by trees and seeing the different trails leading from it trying to decide which one to take. A quick flash of another person sitting where he was passed through his mind and he frowned trying to figure out who it was. Sam blinked quickly as the weight of everything bore down on him and exhaustion seemed to take over making his mind feel like it was going to explode before it can process the data. He needed to shutdown he thought as a yawn startled him.
"Sam, why don't ya go lay down for a bit and let your mind rest? You've had so much thrown at you, even with that huge brain; it's too much to deal with at one time. I think it's been a while since you've done that." she suggested patting his hand lovingly feeling the exhaustion in the boy. "I think you'll find this house a safe haven and you can rest without worrying about the dreams."
"Alright, I am a little tired. It'd be nice to sleep without worrying what I'll be dreaming." he sighted sipping the last of his tea before getting up to head back upstairs. He yawned again as he sat on the stairs to take off his boots so he wouldn't wake his brother.
"Dinner will be ready in a little while; if you're not up I'll wake ya." Missouri said a small smile on her face knowing that the tea had worked and made him sleepy.
spn
Sam paused in the doorway of the bedroom and looked in seeing Dean was on his side with an arm slung over his eyes. His breathing was slow and even and he was sure he was asleep. After quietly sitting his boots down he slipped sock footed to the other bed and eased down onto it letting his body relax into the mattress. He sighed quietly as he closed his tired eyes and let his mind slip into the weightlessness of the void and drift away in a sea of calmness.
Fifteen minutes pasted and Sam was snoring softly when his brother moved on the bed beside him. He turned his head and surveyed his sleeping brother before slowly pushing himself up from the bed and swinging his legs to the floor. He waited another few minutes being sure he was ok and sleeping peacefully before getting up and making his way downstairs. He heard noises in the kitchen and headed that way to find Missouri basting a ham in the oven.
"Dean, coffee's fresh why don't ya pour yourself a cup?" she said not looking up from her task.
He faltered in his step knowing he hadn't made any noise coming in. He started to say something, but decided not to and instead poured himself a cup of coffee. Dean watched Missouri close the oven door and looked over at him and to the table. He shuffled to a chair and sat down waiting for her to join him. She turned back to the stove and then to the table.
"I thought you might like a small snack before dinner's ready." she said sitting a plate with two homemade rolls and jam on the table.
"Thanks." he said eyeing the hot rolls for a moment before pulling them toward him. His mouth watered with the smell of the hot rolls and he took a knife to slice one open so he could spread jam on a piece before taking a bite. He sighed contently as the roll melted in his mouth sending his taste buds into hyper drive.
"These are amazing." he muffled around the food in his mouth.
"I see ya still like to talk with a mouth full of food." Missouri chastised him jokingly.
"Sorry." he answered blushing slightly and chewing enough to swallow the food.
"That's my great-grandmama's recipe; she called them angel bread because they melted in your mouth and made you feel warm all over. It's been passed down in the family for a long time."
"I'd say it's a keeper that's for sure."
"I take it you wanted to talk to me without your brother." she commented sipping her tea and looking at him over the rim.
Dean finished chewing the bite he had in his mouth before answering her. He took a sip of coffee staring hard into the cup before looking up at her, no fear, no worry, no emotions at all showing in his eyes.
"What's happening to my brother?" he asked bluntly not mincing his words.
"You don't beat around the bush, do you child?" she said not bothered with his tone of voice. "I know you're worried about your brother Dean."
"I know he came down to talk to you. What is it with these dreams he's having? Is it something we need to be concerned about? He's not like losing it is he? Any idea why he's having them?" he asked spreading jam on the other half of the roll.
"Your brother is gifted young man that is just coming into his abilities. He's one of the strongest I've seen in a long time." she told him. "And no Sam is not losing his mind, no far from it. His mind is growing and he's tapping into areas that are rarely used by most of us. There is something more that I can't quit read, but your brother is far from crazy. As to why, I don't know. Some people's brains are wired differently; others have had traumatic head injuries that trigger them and others we don't know. Maybe its something we don't question, we learn to accept and live with it. "
"Gifted? What abilities?" Dean questioned. "What are you saying?"
"What Sam is experiencing are glimpses of possible future events. Like I told him, it is one outcome but not necessarily the true outcome. The paths that are chosen will effect how it plays out. What he is seeing is just one of many ways that event can play out. It's like working through a maze, there are so many paths that can be chosen until you finally reach the exit. I know it sounds scary and hard to understand Dean, but I will do what I can to help him come to terms with everything. I can't stop them and I don't know if he can control them, but I can help him accept and process them maybe. He may find that he has other abilities that will come out as he gets older. "
Dean sat back in his chair and played over in his mind what Sam had told him about the dreams and what Missouri just told him. He wanted to talk to Sam about his dream again, but knew that could wait until he finished his nap and got some food in him. If Missouri's cooking was anything like these rolls, he couldn't wait to taste it.
"I agree, Sam needs to rest and thank you for the vote of confidence on my cooking."
Dean looked up squinting his eyes as he stuffed the last of his roll in his mouth trying not to choke on it and threw up a hasty wall around his mind that no one could penetrate, not even Missouri. He grabbed his coffee and sipped some to wash it down, coughing slightly as he cleared his throat. He swore she unnerved him when she did that.
Missouri looked over at the young man and could feel the barrier he had put up keeping her out. She had expected it and didn't try to force her way in knowing she didn't want to make Dean doubt her in any way. She wanted to help Sam and the only way to do that was having his brother on her side. Even though Dean didn't have the abilities that Sam did, he had enough to protect his brother. She didn't think he even realized what he was doing or how strong he really was. This was good; they were going to need every bit of strength between them to survive what was going to be thrown their way.
spn
The hike through the forest was no easier than the first time as John made his way toward the mine entrance. Humidity hung heavy in the air around him. He adjusted his backpack and wiped the dripping sweat from his face. He wasn't sure how long he would have to wait for the being to show itself. Missouri had mixed a brew that he hoped would lure it out so he could trap it. He knew he was getting close and looked up through the branches tracking the sun as it made its way across the blue sky. He wasn't stopping until he got there and got set up. He wasn't wasting anymore time, he wanted this over with and what was taken from him back. Even if he died in the process, this being with no name was dying right alone with him. He was not letting it escape him this time. It would end here one way or the other.
The mouth of the mine loomed just ahead of him as he worked his way cautiously alone the edge of the trees, stopping every few feet to listen to the sounds around him trying to determine if it was safe. He made his way to the entrance and stopped long enough to pull out a flashlight before making his way along the left side of the cave. He ventured deeper and turned on the light, shielding it with his hand so only a small sliver of light helped him see. He worked his way down the wall shivering slightly as the temperature dropped the further he crept. John came to a small room that had two tunnels leading off it and carefully examined the floor and tunnels to see which way he should go. He saw a disturbance of the dirt heading down the right tunnel and proceeded to follow it a short distance suddenly feeling a change in air of the cave. He knew he was close now and studied his surroundings. He found some boulders to set up behind and dropped his pack there. John knelt beside it and opened it to remove the items inside. He pulled out the bombs he had constructed and laid them to the side. After taking out the ingredients for the spell, he pulled out the coil of rope that Missouri had blessed and cast a binding spell on for him. All he had to do was get the rope around the being and it would be trapped so he could perform the spell like Missouri taught him.
After everything was laid out behind the boulders, he took out a small twelve inch iron bar and began to draw a sigil on the cave floor before pulling out the sickly smelling jar of bait and opened it, setting it out as close to the middle of the sigil as he could. He wanted to have space to maneuver because he was only going to have one chance at this and there was no room for mistakes. John took two candles and positioned them near the jar at two different points on the sigil and lit them before backing back behind the boulders to hide and wait. He slipped on a light jacket and thin gloves to keep warm and his hands pliable so he would be able to use the rope. He allowed himself some water and got comfortable not knowing how long he would have to wait. John checked everything one last time to be sure it was all in place before settling back against the wall of the cave. He watched the flicker of the candle flames dance across the cave wall as he tuned in to the sounds in the cave around him. He was surprised at the noises in here and listened for the one that didn't belong.
spn
The air around him was wet with the humidity that hug heavy in the air. Sam looked around wondering what brought him to this place. He didn't recognize it as he turned 360 degrees surveying the forest for anything that would tell him where he was. Quiet footsteps caught his attention and he quickly ducked behind a tree to hide until he saw who it was. He stared hard at the man that walked out from between some trees and glanced around before deciding which way to go.
Sam looked at him closely. He was tall and older than Dean but not as old as Bobby. He seemed strong and tough with a look of determination on his face like he was on a mission. His hair was grey streaked and his beard looked the same. Sam had no idea who he was or why he would be dreaming about him. He knew this was a dream because he was at Missouri's with Dean. Sam stood perfectly still as the stranger continued on into the forest disappearing from his sight. He needed to wake up and ask Dean if he might know this man but his mind had other ideas and pulled him deeper down the rabbit hole. His dreams began to replay times in his life from his younger days. He remembered the first time of seeing the ocean, hitting his first home run, winning the science fair, going to the cabin, but the one that stuck in his mind was that moment in that motel room when he saw Dean and knew who he was. That was the happiest time for him. He sighed in his sleep and relished that strong, warm embrace that made him feel safe and whole. He had found what was missing in his life, it was his brother.
A/N: Thank you to all who are reading my story and a special thanks to those who had checked out some of my other stories. It got a little complicated, so I hope I didn't lose anyone or confuse you. If there are questions, please ask and I will try to answer. If you have a moment, review are always welcome. NC
