Chapter Thirty- Eight

The apartment sized hotel room was quiet and dark. Lana and Dean had called it an early night that night, both exhausted from the last two days of drinking and experiencing New Orleans the way it was meant to be—indulgently.

That night, Lana had sung at a small little bar. Dean could hear her voice in his sleep and pictured her figure slowly moving side-to-side. The slow, beautiful song echoed through his memories, but somehow, Sam's voice began to blend with Lana's. It echoed around Lana's melody until it was all Dean could hear.

"Dean!" Sam yelled in the doorway.

Dean sat up, finding Lana's spot next to him empty. "What is it?" He demanded as his feet touched the floor, panic and adrenaline pulsing through his body.

"It's Hayley."

Dean rushed past Sam to see Lana in one of his white shirts leaning over Hayley. He could see Hayley's face, looking peaceful, but unresponsive.

"What happened?"

"She was trying to call the cross-road's demon. To summon her."

"How did this happen?" Lana demanded. "A summoning spell doesn't work like this."

Sam, looking sympathetic, shrugged. "I don't know."

She paused. "Her life force is being drained."

"How do we make it stop?" Sam asked.

Lana stood up. "We need to get her to my grandparent's. They'll know what to do."

Without hesitation, Sam scooped Hayley in his arms. "I'll meet you in the car."

"I'm not leaving her," Lana said touching her forehead.

Dean, standing in his boxers, ran to put on more clothes and when he got to the Impala, he saw that Lana and Hayley were in the backseat,

Hayley's head in Lana's lap.

No one spoke as Dean sped down the road. Lana called her grandmother to prepare her for what was coming. Lana tried to remember an incantation that could help, but her mind was still foggy. She closed her eyes and tried to communicate to Hayley, but Hayley's essence wasn't there.

When they arrived, both Anca and Marius were standing on the front porch. Sam carried Hayley to them. Anca lifted up Hayley's shirt where a red ring had appeared around her naval. Anca nodded. "Inside, upstairs bathroom."

Lana led Sam to the bathroom, where Anca had a circle of Himalayan pink salt in the middle of the room.

"Put her there."

Sam did as he was asked and stepped back.

As Lana looked around the room, a feeling of uneasiness crept into her soul. The bath tub was filled with ice water.

"I can feel her essence. She's trapped," Anca said to Lana. She looked at the bathtub.

Lana nodded, backing away. "I can't."

Anca held onto Lana's hands. "You must," she said in a soothing tone.

"What?" Dean asked.
Anca moved strands of hair out of Lana's face. "Draga mea. Trebuie. Ea ar face acest lucru pentru tine. Acesta va durea doar pentru câteva momente. Vă vom aduce înapoi."

With shaking hands, Lana bit her lower lip and looked at her sister. She nodded.

Anca smiled lovingly. "We do not have much time." She looked at the Winchester brothers. "Are you willing to help?"

"Of course," Sam answered.

Dean made eye contact with Lana. "What is it?"

Suddenly, the doubt and fear was wiped from her facial expression. "I'll be fine," she said first. "I won't die."

"Lana, what the hell is going on?"

"Hayley's life force is trapped. A demon wants to collect her soul and it is keeping Hayley's soul locked away until it can push through the veil," Anca said.

"What do we do?" Sam asked.

"We retrieve it first," Marius said.

"How?" Dean asked.

"You drown me," Lana said.

Dean stepped backwards. "What? That doesn't make sense."

"Her soul, our souls, the gypsies, is connected to mine by water. I can find her soul in the underwater of the underworld. I can bring her back."

Dean shook his head. "There has to be another way."

"There's not," Anca said.

"I can't watch you do this," Dean said grabbing onto her.

Lana tore her eyes away from the bathtub. "You don't have to. But you have to hold me down." She looked at Sam. "Both of you."

Sam ran his hands through his hair, a nervous habit that he couldn't shake, and felt ill.

Lana placed one hand on Dean's shoulder and one on Sam's. "Please. You're her siblings too. I have a better chance of finding her with your help."

"Lana, this isn't a god damn potion, this is-"

"What will save your sister," Anca interrupted. "I would never put Lana in danger. She can do this." She paused. "All of you can."

"Please," Lana whispered.

Dean remained silent but nodded.

Anca smiled softly and nodded to Marius. He left the room to retrieve the remaining ingredients, which were all to be put in the tub.

"Will you help him, Sam?" Anca asked.

Sam replied by walking out of the room to find Marius.

Without being asked, Lana undressed. Anca held a glass bottle of rose oil in her hands and dripped the oil on top of Lana's head. Dean stood

with his back to the wall watching. Anca then pulled out a white, silk slip for Lana to put on. When Lana had put on the garment, Anca braided

Lana's hair and hummed a tune that Dean wasn't familiar with.

Marius and Sam entered the bathroom and Marius handed Anca the herbs needed for the ritual. Anca, in turn, gave them to Lana.

Lana's hands shook as she took the bottles from her grandmother. She needed to be strong if only for Dean. She couldn't imagine doing to him what he was about to do for her.

Lana sprinkled the herbs into the tub as she leaned over it. Marius handed her the necklace that Hayley was wearing that day. Lana dropped the necklace into the tub and sat on the edge of it.

"Can you just explain what we're doing?" Dean finally asked.

"Electrical impulses," Anca answered. "You, Sam, and Lana will be part of a circuit. The circuit cannot be broken. This is extremely important."

Lana sat on her knees and held onto the edge of the bathtub. "You can't let go," Lana clarified. "I'll be fine."

"It may not look that way," Marius added. "But she will make it out alive."

"If you don't let go," Anca repeated.

"Do you know what you're doing?" Dean asked.

Lana nodded.

"Promise me you know."

"I promise."

Dean and Sam looked at each other before they took their spot behind her.

When Lana felt their hands on her shoulders she took a deep breath and plunged her face into the water. The first thirty seconds seemed

smooth but when Lana began lashing under the brothers' grip, Dean voiced his concerns.

"She's drowning," he yelled over her splashing to Anca.

Anca shook her head. "Trust her."

Sam looked at Dean. "Tell me what you want me to do."

"You can't let go, now," Marius said. "Her soul is in-between worlds."

Then the thrashing ceased and Lana's body went limp.

Dean turned his head to the side and fought back the nausea he was feeling. "How much longer?" He asked. When neither Marius nor Anca responded, his temper flared. "How much longer!" He yelled as he held Lana under water.

"Not much," Marius promised.

Anca sat on her knees next to Hayley, waiting for her to wake. "Any moment now."

Hayley unexpectedly gasped for air. Anca held a glass of water out for Hayley to drink, which she did greedily.

"Welcome back," Marius smiled down at his granddaughter.

Dean was overjoyed to see that Hayley was back with the living, but he didn't understand why Lana wasn't. "Hails," he said relieved. "Anca,

what's taking so long?" He asked.

Anca stood up and looked at Lana's motionless body. "She should be back."

"What do you mean should?" Dean asked.

Hayley scrambled to her feet and held onto the edge of the tub. "Lana!" She shouted. She looked at Sam and Dean. "I saw her. She pulled me out. She was right behind me."

"Come on, Lana," Dean begged as he held onto her.

"She's going to come back," Sam assured. He looked back at Anca and Marius, who both displayed worried looks.

"Bunica?" Hayley asked, her voice cracking.

Suddenly Lana threw her head backwards and gasped for air. She held onto the edge of the bathtub coughing as Marius wrapped a towel around her. She pushed her hair out of her face and looked for Hayley. "Hails," she said out of breath as she pulled her into her.

Hayley wrapped her arms around her sister and buried her face into her sister's wet hair. "Thank you."

Lana grabbed onto Dean and pulled him into her as well. "Thank you," she said to him and then to Sam.

Dean held onto her waist, gripping the soft silk under his fingernails.

Hayley hugged Sam as she stood up, giving Dean and Lana a moment.

"Come," Anca said to Hayley. "Let's do a protection spell."

She took Sam's hand and the two siblings followed Anca and Marius out of the room.

Lana was taking several deep breaths when Dean finally let go of her. Water was dripping down her face when she turned to look at Dean.

Dean hadn't taken his eyes off of her.

"How are you?" Dean asked.

"I've been better," she replied honestly. "Drowning sucks." She barely got to her feet, even with Dean's help.

"Wow," he said softly. "Let's take it easy."

She took a step, but collapsed into his arms. "Fuck," she cursed.

"I got you," he said as he picked her up, bride and groom style and carried her to the nearest bedroom.

Anca had took it upon herself to leave out a sundress- one of her daughter's old dresses for Lana- on the bed.

Dean put Lana down gently next to the dress and helped to dry her off. "Can I get you anything?"

She shook her head as she raised her arms. Dean understood and he peeled off the wet slip from her body. He tossed it to the side and it made a thud as it hit the wood floor. Dean finished drying her before he slipped the dress over her head. It was a red sleeveless dress with scalloped edges along the straps and bust. He fastened the three buttons before sitting down next to her.

"What can I do?"

"I'm fine, really," she said forcefully. She had a splitting headache that made her vision blurry and her throat was on fire, so much so that it was painful to swallow. Her entire body felt drained, as if her limbs all weighed a ton a piece. Just keeping her eyes open was a struggle.

Marius knocked on the doorframe before walking in. "This will help," he said offering her a mug with a brown liquid inside.

"Coffee?" She asked hopeful.

He smiled shaking his head. "Much better than coffee."

Lana sniffed the liquid before making a disgusted face.

"It's best to drink it in one gulp."

Lana did as was suggested, and was still barely able to keep it down. "How's Hayley?" She asked.

"She's good. She's sleeping. Something you should do."

Lana pushed herself off the bed. "We'll get going then."

"Your bunica and I would love it for you to stay." He looked at Dean. "All of you."

"That's kind of you, but it isn't necessary."

Marius wanted to insist, but he knew how mentally and physically exhausting Lana must have been and didn't want to add to her discomfort.

"Of course."

Lana turned to Dean. "Will you get Hayley?"

He nodded.

Lana made her way through the living room and outside onto the front porch. She took in the fresh air greedily and waited for her sister and

the Winchester brothers.

The screen door closed behind her and she turned, thinking it was Dean.

"How are you feeling?" Sam asked.

She smiled sleepily. "I'm okay." She was clinging onto the porch rail as they spoke.

"It took a lot out of you," he observed.

She nodded.

They stood in silence for several minutes, letting the cool night air sooth them.

"Sam, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"If something happens to me… will you look after them?"

He furrowed his brows together. "Lana…"

"It was hard to get back," she admitted. "I almost didn't. I thought about what would happen if I didn't." She paused. "I need to know that

Hayley will be protected and that Dean will be okay."

Sam started to say something, be paused. He looked at her and finally said, "I will always protect Hayley and take care of Dean the best of my abilities."

She squeezed his shoulder. "Thank you." She turned back to look at the front door and then back at Sam. "I'm going to wait in the car."

"I'll see what's taking them so long," Sam volunteered. He watched as Lana made her way to the Impala before he turned to walk inside. As he stepped through the front door, Dean was walking out with a sleeping Hayley in his arms. He held the door open for Dean to walk through and as they walked to the car, Sam let out a deep breath. "It's time to tell her, Dean."

Dean stopped in mid step and he knew what Sam meant. Dean had been putting off telling Lana that the crossroads demon spell was about him. He knew the time had come.