Hey everyone! First off i'm so sorry I've been MIA lately and this took so long, Yes I'm alive :) the finals didn't kill me! YES I shall live on! But I did need a break. Again sorry for the involuntary hiatus
anyways this chapter is for christmas ,which was a few days ago, hope you enjoy :)
A lot has been going on lately, that chick Bela has been screwing with us and we had to save her ass AGAIN.
Sam killed vampire Gordon, yup Vampire Gordon, sort of ironic now that I think about it.
Me and Sam are still trying to find a loop hole in Dean's deal.
On top of all of that Conor's been acting weird, distant mostly. He hasn't been around since the rabbit foot incident. I miss him and i'm still seriously confused about him. I normally know how I feel and what I want, but with Conor I don't know. I can't even think of a word that describes how I feel about him and I think thats what frustrates me most, the fact that I don't know.
It doesn't help that the other night I had the weirdest dream. I was asleep in bed and Conor was there, he walked over and lightly brushed the hair out of my face, ran his hand across my cheek, and said something in a language I didn't understand. It was a dream, it had to be. But it felt so real
Sam's voice bought me out of my thoughts, he was talking about the case.
The three of us are exhausted,though none of us will show it, its pretty obvious. We haven't had a break lately and every break we get we've been hitting the books looking for a way to save Dean. I think the longest any of us has slept in the past few weeks is no more than three hours.
Christmas is a few days away. We don't even really celebrate christmas, I mean the only tree we've ever had was made out of bear cans, courtesy of Dean.
Still I wonder what a real christmas would be like. Dean and Sam used to talk about it vaguely, how great christmas was when Mom was alive. But I stopped asking, it was obvious it hurt them to talk about.
Our tradition is hunting, because "evil doesn't take holidays" as Dean put it when I was 7 and asked him if dad was gonna be home for christmas.
Now we have a case, which is sort of like a twisted version of christmas for us, I mean the three of us are together thats what matters right?
we're on our way to the family's house right now.
"Whats the details again Sammy?" I asked.
"Mr. Walsh disappeared in the middle of the night" Sam said
"Well Merry Christmas to the Walsh's" I remarked. Dean was silent, he looked deep in thought.
"Yo! De! You with us buddy?!" I asked
"Yeah-um dude disappeared with no trace" he said.
"Any theories?" I asked
"Beats me" Sam said.
"What about you De? Any theories?" I asked, noticing he was spacing out again
"Uh-nope, i've got nothing" he replied
"You okay De? I mean nothing. No jokes, no quirky theories, nothing cause I can think of a bunch. Mr. Walsh had a naughty mistress Claus he left the family for" I suggested
"Oh god now you think like him too" Sam laughed, Dean cracked a smile
"Its like you're slowly becoming a mini Dean! Oh no there's two of him" Sam said acting distressed
"Shut it Sammy!" Me and Dean said in unison which only made Sam laugh even more.
We arrived at the house. I stayed in the car while the boys went to go do their interview thing.
Conor popped up and Scared me, I seriously wasn't expecting that
"Jesus Christ!" I yelled
"I prefer Conor" He laughed, I shot him a bitchface but ended up smirking nonetheless.
"So a naughty mistress Claus?" He smirked
"Wait you were here?" I asked.
"Yeah" he answered. Thats weird I couldn't sense him. A few moments of silence passed.
"You need a break" he suddenly said, expression turning dead serious.
"Yeah and don't I know it" I chuckled trying to lighten the mood.
"I'm being serious, you're running on empty you're going to burn out" he said
"Well then you can just heal me" I joked but his expression never left serious.
"You can't always rely on me" he stated coldly, unlike him. He wasn't acting like himself. Where the hell is this attitude coming from? Is it because of me?
"I do anything but rely on you! You're never even around and If you have more important things to do feel free to go because i'm certainly not keeping you here!" I said pissed. He looked frustrated but his expression immediately changed.
"I'm sorry, I'm not myself. It was a mistake coming here" he sighed
"No it wasn't...talk about it" I said
"I'm fine" he replied a little quicker than I would've liked
"I wasn't asking" I stated he sighed
"It's nothing to worry about. Really, just the same thing as last time" he said I got a feeling he was lying but didn't question it.
(Conor's POV)
I shouldn't have come here. It was a mistake, I don't want her to think i'm acting like this because i'm around her. Its because the longer I stay away the harder it gets. I still visit her every night but its getting harder to leave. I hate lying to her, it makes me feel guilty. I wish I could just tell her everything, whats going on, what she is, why i'm distancing myself so much. But I can't, it's not time yet. At least the spell worked, she couldn't sense me. Hopefully it'll work on superiors so they can't track me. Then maybe things will fall back into place.
(Holly's POV)
He's hiding something and I know it, but for now i'll just leave it alone. If he doesn't want to talk yet I can't make him. He's spacing out, I guess thats going around a lot today.
"Are you sticking around for the case?" I asked, snapping him out of it.
"Yeah, I'll try my best" he said I sent him a sad smile. The boys walked out
"Find anything?" I asked as they got in the car
"Nothing, how about you Sammy what'd you find?" Dean asked
Sam sighed "stocking, mistletoe, this"
He said taking something out of his pocket, it looks like a tooth.
"Is that a tooth?" I asked
"Yeah, looks like" Sam said
"A tooth? Where was it?" Dean asked
"In the chimney" Sam answered.
"Chimney?" I asked in disbelief
"No way a man fits up a chimney. It's too narrow" Dean said
"No way he fits up in one piece" I shrugged
"Alright, so, if the dad went up the chimney—" Dean started
"We need to find out what dragged him up there" Sam finished
I looked to Conor, he seemed to be deep in thought again
"I have to go" he said disappearing.
"Annnnnd he's gone" I said
"What?" Dean asked
"Conor was here but he took off" I explained he looked like he was about to say something but I didn't want to talk about it.
"So is it to early to rule out evil santa" I joked, changing the subject. The boys looked at me like I was crazy before we busted out laughing.
We headed back to the motel, Dean went to ask around town. So its research time for me and Sam.
He was buried in some book from the library. I took my laptop and went to a site I have saved. It's hundreds of pages on crossroad deals. I'm about half way through, the boys don't know but I wake up an hour or two before them every morning and search books, the web, anything that even mentions a demon deal.
I'm not really sure how much time passed. I was just about finished on the very last page, I stopped on one paragraph
"there is no way known to get out of a crossroads deal. The soul of anyone who has made a deal resides in hell for eternity, there is few people who escape but it doesn't take long for the black dogs, commonly known as hellhounds, to track them down. Once they have your scent you can only run for so long, it's safe to say once a deal is made there is no hope"
I felt the tears run down my cheeks. That hit me hard, it can't be hopeless. I just wasted a few days Dean doesn't have on that stupid site.
I didn't even hear Sam call my name he walked over and glanced at what I was reading, he closed my laptop and hugged me which only made me cry more.
This whole situation is screwed, my life is screwed. If I save one brother I lose the other and I can't live with one of them dead. Why'd the demon come for us, there were plenty of other families on that street to ruin. Why us? I wish we just had a boring suburban life, I wish this never would be alive and we wouldn't be in this mess.
"Sammy it says there's no hope. That can't be right, it can't be hopeless" I cried into his shoulder
"its not, i'm not letting him die" Sam said
"What if-" I started
"Stop" Sam cut me off as we separated from the hug. He put his hands on my shoulders and looked into my eyes.
"Stop, you can't think like that. I need you to be strong and so does Dean. I need my little sister who never gives up, who is stubborn as hell, who doesn't take no for an answer, who laughs in the face of evil, and who never thinks what if... I need you back 100% Alright?" He said
"Yeah, i'm sorry you're right" I said wiping tears from my eyes
"Don't apologize kiddo. Now we're taking this day by day. One step at a time" he said.
"Lets get back to the case, I need some help" he said I nodded and walked over to the table
"Evil Santa?" I laughed reading off a paper
He just smirked and shrugged
"Wait you're serious?" I asked
"Sort of wish I wasn't" he laughed
"Oh this is gonna be good" I said grabbing a stack of papers and sitting across from him at the table.
A few hours later Dean walked in
"So, was I right? Is it the serial-killing chimney sweep?" Dean asked
"Wish it was" I remarked
"Yep. It's, uh, it's actually Dick Van Dyke" Sam said
"Who?" Dean asked
"Dude Mary Poppins" I said incredulously
"Who's that?" Dean asked
"Oh come on— never mind" Sam waved him off
"It turns out that Walsh is the second guy in town grabbed out of his house this month" Dean said
"Really?" I asked
"Mhm" he said
"The other guy get dragged up the chimney, too?" Sam asked
"Don't know. Witnesses said they heard a thump on the roof. So, what the hell do you think we're dealing with?" Dean asked I chuckled
"Actually, I have an idea" Sam said
"Yeah?" Dean asked
"Oh yeah" I chuckled Dean sent me a weird look
"Uh, it's gonna sound crazy" Sam said
"What could either of you possibly say that sounds crazy to me?" Dean asked
"Holly's theory on Um… evil Santa" Sam said, Dean smiled
"Yeah, that's crazy" Dean nodded
"Yeah… I mean, I'm just saying that there's some version of the anti-Claus in every culture" Sam said.
"You got Belsnickel, Krampus, Black Peter" I showed pictures to Dean
"Whatever you want to call it, there's all sorts of lore" Sam added
"Saying what?" Dean asked
"Saying back in the day, Santa's brother went rogue and now he shows up around Christmas time, but instead of bringing presents, he punishes the wicked" I said
"By hauling their ass up chimneys" Dean said
"For starters, yeah" Sam said
"So, this is your theory, huh? Santa's shady brother?" Dean asked amused
"Well, I'm just saying that's what the lore says" Sam said
"Santa doesn't have a brother. There is no Santa" Dean said
"Yeah, We know. You're the one who told us that in the first place, remember" I said
Sam looked down and sighed "Yeah, you know what, this sounds pretty crazy we could be wrong" Sam said
"Maybe, maybe not" Dean said
"What?" I asked
"I did a little digging. Turns out both victims visited the Same place before they got snatched" Sam said
"Where?" I asked
"A place called Santa's village" Dean said
"Well this should be fun" I remarked
"You don't have to go if you don't want to" Dean said
"Yeah she does. I need her help" Sam said shooting me a look, he knows if I stay alone all i'm gonna do is bury myself in more books on crossroad deals.
"Well alright then, lets head out" Dean said giving me a whats-was-that-about? look, I just shrugged.
We arrived at the place the last two vics went.
"You've gotta be kidding me" I remarked getting out of the car. Christmas music is playing and there's a bunch of people dressed as elves. I took a few steps before slipping on ice, I was about to fall on my ass but arms that I recognized as Conor's caught me.
"Hey Conor" Sam said casually
"reaper boy! nice catch" Dean laughed, I shot him a bitchface
I then realized I was still in Conor's arms, I felt my cheeks heat up in a blush. I stood up
"Thanks for saving my ass again Conny, literally" I said, he laughed
"All in the job baby Winchester" he said, well he sounded happier
"This place is cheerful" I said sarcastically
"Why so bitter?" Conor smirked
"The holidays aren't a favorite of mine" I admitted
"Yeah shes a scrooge" Dean laughed
"This used to be my favorite time of year, well when I was alive. But as a reaper you realize people die a lot more during the holidays, its the busiest time of year" Conor said
"God look at this place" I said observing my surroundings
"It does kind of lend credence to the theory, doesn't it?" Dean said
"Yeah, but anti-Claus? Couldn't be" Sam said
"It's a Christmas miracle. Hey, speaking of, we should have one this year" Dean said
"A Christmas?" I asked
"Yeah" Dean answered
"No, thanks" Sam scoffed
"No, we'll get a tree, a little Boston market, a little egg nog just like when we were little except alcohol is mixed in the nog" Dean said
"Dean, those weren't exactly Hallmark memories for us, you know" Sam remarked, I never had a problem with our christmases growing up. This is strictly between the boys
"What are you talking about? We had some great Christmases" Dean said
"Whose childhood are you talking about?" Sam asked
"Oh, come on, Sam" Dean said
"No, just… no" Sam said
"All right, Grinch" Dean said surprised
"How about you Holls? Christmas?" Dean asked
I shook my head "this is between you and Sammy"
Dean walked away, Sam was spacing out, I was curious so I touched his arm and was in his flash back
Reindeers pull Santa's sleigh across the sky on the TV, which is playing "A Year Without Santa Claus"
Sam's on the couch wrapping something with newspaper. I'm bouncing in my playpen wanting someone to let me out. I look just about two years old, this must be their first christmas without mom.
"What is that?" Dean asked
"A present for Dad" Sam answered
"Yeah, right. Where'd you get the money? Steal it?" Dean asked seeming slightly amused
"No. Uncle Bobby gave it to me to give to him. Said it was real special" Sam said
"What is it?" Dean asked
"A pony"
"Very funny Sam" Dean scoffed sitting next to Sam on the couch
"Will dad be home for christmas?" Sam asked
"Yeah, he'll be back. Promise" Dean said
"Where is he anyway?" Sam asked
"On business" Dean routinely answered
"What kind of business?" Sam asked
"You know that. He sells stuff" Dean answered
"What kind of stuff?" Sam asked
"Stuff!" Dean answered obviously annoyed I looked at him weird for raising his voice
"Nobody ever tells me anything" Sam remarked, Dean rolled his eyes
"Then quit asking" Dean said
"Is Dad a spy?" Sam asked
"Mm-hmm. He's James Bond" Dean answered sarcastically
"Why do we move around so much?" Sam asked
" 'Cause everywhere we go, they get sick of your face" Dean spat harshly
"I'm old enough, Dean. You can tell me the truth" Sam said
"You don't wanna know the truth. Believe me" Dean said seriously
"Is that why we never talk about… Mom?" Sam asked
Dean stood up angrily
"Shut up! Don't you ever talk about Mom. Ever!" Dean yelled walking towards the door
"Wait, where are you going?" Sam asked
"Out" Dean replied angrily walking out and slamming the door behind him.
I looked To Sam and immediately started to cry, Sam walked over and picked me up, the flashback ended
Conor was looking at me weird
"Hey Sammy, we're gonna go look around back" I said
"Alright" Sam said, now out of the flashback as well
Me and Conor walked to the building in a much needed silence
"You okay?" He finally asked
"Yeah just uh- a flashback" I answered
"Talk about it" he said
"Its okay" I answered
"I wasn't asking" He said sending me a cocky smirk
"It was Sam's memory of the first christmas after our mom died. He didn't know about hunting and Dean wasn't hunting yet" I said
"And you were an adorable little toddler?" he laughed
"Yes I was" I laughed,
One of Santa's "elves" walked by
"Oh would you look at that, you two make an adorable couple" he said
"Oh we're not a couple" I said
"Oh then this will be awkward, you're under the mistletoe. And Santa's village rules you have to kiss. Can't leave until you do" he said
I froze and looked up seeing the ugly little plant. Conor smirked, the bastard knew exactly what he did.
I looked to Conor "Once and we never speak of it" I said
"Deal" he agreed, I quickly pecked him on the lips
"C'mon that doesn't count" the elf guy said
I rolled my eyes annoyed at the over enthusiastic worker.
Conor took me by surprise we we're suddenly lip locked in a passionate kiss which I immediately returned. One of his hands was on the small of my back and the other was around my waist, I wrapped my arms around his neck so our bodies were pressed closer together
"That counts you can stop" the worker said but his voice sounded so distant.
Its like everything around us melted away, like it was only me and Conor, like nothing else matters. My whole body feels like it's on fire I've never felt like this before, its amazing.
We pulled apart, and both just looked at each other for a moment speechless.
"Not a couple my ass" the worker mumbled walking away, I laughed
"We should get back to the guys" I said trying to keep a goofy grin off my face. It was just a mistletoe kiss, it probably meant nothing to him
"Yeah" he agreed. We started walking back, I felt Conor's eyes on me the whole time. The second he looked away I grabbed a handful of snow and hit him in the head with it
"What was that for?!" He said shocked
"You know exactly what you did Con" I laughed and started to walk away when I felt a snowball hit the back of my head, I turned around in disbelief as Conor sent me a smug smile he threw a second one which I dodged
"Its on!" I said, within minutes we were in a full on snow war
I finally got the best of him and tackled him playfully
"I win" I smirked pinning him
"Yes you do" He smirked transporting us back to the boys, I nearly fell on dean.
"There you are" Dean laughed
"And you two are covered in snow" Sam laughed
"We had a little war, now we're even Conny" I said
"Well we need to go, a worker thinks we're pervs 'cause we don't have a kid with us and i'm pretty sure she's calling the cops" Dean said, I busted out laughing
"Shut it kiddo" Sam nudged me playfully. We headed back to the motel, I jumped in the shower because the snow melted and I was covered in ice cold water. I got out and threw on a pair of Jeans and a warm jacket
"Ready to go steak out Shady Santa's place?" Dean asked
"Got the coffee?" I asked seriously
"Yup" Sam said holding up a thermos
"Then yup" I said as we walked out and got in the impala, I have no idea how long we've been sitting in front of this dudes trailer but i'm practically freezing to death, Conor handed me his jacket
"Its fine" I said
"Take it, really i'm dead the cold can't kill me" he said, I took it from him and was enveloped in its warmth
"Thanks Con" I said
"Don't mention it" he replied, it feels like things are starting to be normal with him again, besides the confused feelings i'm having about him.
Dean went to pour more coffee but the thermos was empty, I was practically sleeping on Conor's shoulder but he didn't mind
"Sam why are you the boy who hates christmas?" I groggily asked
"Holls-" Sam started
"No its a good question I mean, I admit it. You know, we had a few bumpy holidays when we were kids" Dean said
"Bumpy?" Sam asked
"That was then. We'll do it right this year" Dean said
"Look, Dean. If you want to have Christmas, knock yourself out. Just don't involve me" Sam said, me and Dean looked to him in disbelief
"Oh, yeah, that'd be great. Me and Holls making cranberry molds, no offense kiddo" Dean said
"None taken" I yawned a few moments of silence passed
"What's up with Saint Nicotine?" Conor asked
We saw him close the curtains of his trailer.
"Oh, my God!" We heard a women yell, we jumped out and ran to the trailer, guns drawn
"Huh" Sam said
"What?" I asked
"Nothing. It's just that, uh… well, you know, Mr. Gung Ho Christmas might have to blow away Santa" Sam said gesturing to Dean I chuckled
Dean kicked open the door and we ran in. I feel like I have to sanitize my eyeballs after seeing that. Santa is sitting on the couch holding a bong and a bottle of whiskey, the lady screaming was a porno on tv
" Mistle my toe. Roast my chestnut Jingle my bells?" The lady said on TV, Dean threw up his hand to cover my eyes which I didn't object to.
"What the hell are you doing here" he said, we quickly hid our guns
Dean looked to sam who just shrugged
"S-silent night… Holy… " Dean started to sing badly, he nudged me and Sam to join him
" …night" the four of us sang, the guy smiled and sat down
"all is dry" Dean sang
"Bright… " Me and Sam corrected
Round and round…The table…" we said trying to remember the lyrics As we slowly backed out of the trailer
"I'm never gonna be able to get that image out of my head" I said fake gagging The boys busted out laughing
"Yeah thats a memory for the scrap books" Conor laughed.
We headed back to the motel, I changed into my red and black flannel pajama pants and a longsleeve black V-neck, I put my hair up in a messy bun then went to bed.
I got up early in the morning, I looked at the window, all of the snow melted. It was sunny out. Strange
I grabbed a book and started reading until Conor got up from the couch, shit I forgot he was here
"So this is why you burn out so much lately?" He said
"What can I say i'm a bookworm" I replied sarcastically he closed the book
"Holls you need to stop" he said sympathetically
"Its only a few hours" I said
"A few hours of sleep you need" he said
"A few hours Dean doesn't have" I replied bitchily
"Well you're not gonna be much help if you deprive yourself of sleep" he said, I rolled my eyes
"how do you think Dean would feel if he found out your only getting a few hours of sleep, concealer can only cover up so much before the bags under your eyes get too dark" he said
"You've been watching me!" I whisper yelled
"If you don't stop this I will tell them, Sam already suspects something is up" He threatened
"You wouldn't!" I said
"Try me" he smirked
"Screw you Conor! Since when you get to decide whats best for me!" I whisper yelled being careful to not wake the boys up
"It's my job, and believe it or not I actually care!" He said
I scoffed and opened the book again and he closed it shot him the best bitchface I have and opened the book again
"God you are so frustrating" He mumbled closing the book again and tossing it
"Hey!" I said
"We can do this the easy way or the hard way, just go back to sleep" he sighed
"No" I said stubbornly feeling like a five year old
He scoffed getting up, I gave him a challenging look. He swiftly picked me up with ease and threw me over his shoulder
"Conor put me down" I said fighting him
"With pleasure" He said tossing me on the couch and putting his hand on top of my head, the entire room started to dim.
I woke up to Dean slapping my feet
"Kiddo go time!" He said
"What?" How long was I out?" I asked
"About five hours, figured we'd let you sleep" Dean said
"Oh" I remarked
"So how ya feeling" Conor asked I flipped him off, I got ready and we headed to the next crime scene.
We we're walking up the drive way
"Are you seriously still mad at me?" Conor asked, I remained silent he scoffed
"Do you know what its like to have family! To care about someone?!" I cried
"I had three older brothers and two younger sisters" he answered
"Yeah! now see it my way! Watch your family members die until your down to only three, my brothers mean everything to me. They're the only ones I have left! Do the extra hours you made me loose matter now?! Because I don't mind sacrificing a little bit of my health everyday if it means finding a way to save the one person that has sacrificed everything! Everything! for me and Sam!" I said trying to wipe the tears and walking around him.
I collected myself walking into the house
The boys sent me an are-you-okay look I just waved them off.
"So, that's how your son described the attack?Santa took daddy up the chimney?" Dean asked the lady
"That's what he says, yes" She answered
"And where were you?" I asked
"I was asleep and all of a sudden… I was being dragged out of bed, screaming" she shuddered at the memory
"Did you see the attacker?" I asked she shook her head no
"It was dark, and he hit me. He knocked me out" she said
"I'm sorry. I know this is hard" Dean said as we started to walk towards the door
"Yeah… um, Mrs. Caldwell, where did you get that wreath above the fireplace?" Sam suddenly said
"Excuse me?" She asked
Me and Dean looked to Sam
"Just curious, you know" Sam said
"Wreaths, huh? Sure you didn't want to ask her about her shoes? I saw some nice handbags in the foyer" Dean said as we were walking to the car
"We've seen that wreath before, Dean" Sam said
"Where?" Dean asked
"The Walshes'. Yesterday" Sam answered
"I know. I was just testing you" Dean said
"Sure you were De" I laughed
We went back to the motel to search up more about those wreaths
Sam's on the phone with Bobby
"Yeah, all right. Well, keep looking, would you? Thanks, Bobby" he said hanging up
"Whats up?" I asked
"Well… we're not dealing with the anti-Claus. Dean: What did Bobby say? Sam: Uh, that we're morons. He also said that it was probably meadowsweet in those wreaths" Sam said
"Wow! Amazing. What the hell is meadowsweet?" Dean asked
"It's pretty rare and it's probably the most powerful plant in pagan lore" I said
"Pagan lore?" Dean asked
"Yeah. See, they used meadowsweet for human sacrifices. It was kind of like a… Chum for their gods. Gods were drawn to it and they'd stop by and snack on whatever was the nearest human" Conor further explained, i'm still pissed at him
"Why would somebody be using that for Christmas wreaths?" Dean asked
"It's not as crazy as it sound, Dean. I mean, pretty much every Christmas tradition is pagan" Sam said
"Christmas is Jesus' birthday" Dean said
"Dean Jesus is just as illusive as Santa" I let out a soft chuckle Conor sent me a strange look I just ignored him
"No, Jesus' birthday was probably in the fall. It was actually the winter solstice festival that was co-opted by the church and renamed "Christmas". But I mean, the Yule log, the tree, even Santa's red suit – that's all remnants of pagan worship" Sam said. Me and Dean looked at him in disbelief
"How do you know that?" I asked
"What are you gonna tell us next? Easter bunny's Jewish?" Dean said, I laughed
"So you think we're dealing with a pagan God?" I asked
"Yeah, probably Hold Nickar, God of the winter solstice" Sam answered
"And all these Martha Stewart wannabes, buying these fancy wreaths…" Dean said
"it's pretty much like putting a neon sign on your front door saying Come eat us" I said
"Great" Dean sighed
"Huh… When you sacrifice to Hold Nickar, guess what he gives you in return" Sam said
"Lap dances, hopefully" Dean said, me and Conor chuckled
"Mild weather" Sam answered
"Like how the snow suddenly disappeared in the middle of December in the middle of Michigan" Dean said
"For starters yeah" Sam said
"Do we know how to kill it yet?" I asked
"No, Bobby's working on that right now. We got to figure out where they're selling those wreaths" Sam said
"You think they're selling them on purpose? Feeding the victims to this thing?" I asked
"Let's find out" Sam sighed
We headed to a christmas shop in town
"Can I Help you, boys?" The man asked
"Uh, hope so. Uh, we were playing Jenga over at the Walshes' the other night, and, uh… well, she" Dean gestured to me
"hasn't shut up since about this Christmas wreath, and I don't know, you tell him" Dean said
"Sure. It was yummy" I Said stomping on Dean's foot hard and smirking, he grinned at me and squeezed my shoulder really hard.
"I sell a lot of wreaths" The guy said
"Right, right, but – but you see, this one would have been really special. It had, uh, it had, uh, green leaves, um, white buds on it. It might have been made of, uh… meadowsweet?" I said
"Well, aren't you a fussy one?" He said
Sam laughed "Yes she is..." I shot him a look that only made him laugh more
"Anyway, I know the one you're talking about. I'm all out" he said
"Huh. Seems like this meadowsweet stuff's pretty rare and expensive. Why make wreaths out of it?" Dean asked
"Beats me. I didn't make them" he said
"Who did?" I asked
"Madge Carrigan, a local lady. She said the wreaths were so special, she gave them to me for free" he shrugged
"She didn't charge you?" Sam asked
"Nope" he answered
"Did you give them away for free?" Dean asked
"Hell no. It's Christmas. People pay a buttload for this crap" he said
"That's the spirit" I smirked
We asked around about the Carrigans and didn't find much, we headed back to the motel later at night.
Conor popped up, only I could see him "we should talk" he said, I silently shook my head no
"Holly" he said
I got up from the table and moved to the couch ignoring him
"Fine" he started to whistle, I know this won't stop unless I give in.
"Guys I'm gonna go get a soda" I said getting up
"Alright" Dean said as I walked out
I sat on the bench outside, Conor sat beside me
"Listen Holly-" he started
I looked at the ground as a person walked by, I waited until they were gone
"Do you know how hard this is for me Conor?!" I cried
"Do you know how hard it is knowing that in a few months my brother is going to be torn apart by hell hounds and there's nothing I can do to stop it?! All because a fucking demon decided to screw up my family sixteen years ago! Do you know how hard it is to pretend nothing is wrong and just carry on everyday when my life is screwed?! Dean's the one who practically raised me and Sam! Not John! He sacrificed his childhood and now his life for our family! in a few months he'll be gone, and I don't know how to deal with that!" I cried wiping the tears from my eyes
"I'm sorry" he said
"You're sorry! Sorry doesn't get me back the hours of research I lost!" I yelled
"I've been looking too" he said
"And Holland I...I am really sorry there is no answers in anything online or in a book" he said I nodded trying to hold back tears.
"Why'd you mark my soul with that warning, I would give anything! Anything! To take Dean's place" I cried
"I couldn't let that happen" he said I nodded,
"Holly I won't stop looking. But you need to stop doing this to yourself! You're tearing yourself apart over this" he said in a sad tone
"Well how'd you expect me to deal with all of this" I said
He shook his head "Holls look at me" he said, he wiped the tears off my cheek
"No more tears" he said, I laughed
"Did you just reference Ozzy to make me feel better?" I asked
"Anything to hear that laugh again baby Winchester" he smirked
"Thanks" I smiled
"Are we good?" He asked
"Yeah, we're good...except i'm getting you back for that surprise attack under the mistletoe" I laughed
"You know I could sue, I think that counts as sexual harassment in the workplace" I joked
"You act like you didn't enjoy it" He laughed being cocky as ever, I shook my head and smirked getting up and walking back to the room.
I walked in the room, Sam didn't say a word, Dean was about to but they did their silent communication thing. Sam just shook his head no. I walked over and sort of took Dean by surprise hugging him, he hugged back.
"What was that for?" He asked as we unwrapped from the hug
"for me" I answered, he nodded
"So how much do you think a meadowsweet wreath would cost?" I said changing the subject
"A couple hundred dollars, at least" Sam said
"This lady's giving them away for free? What do you think about that?" Dean asked
"Well, sounds pretty shady" I said taking a seat at the table with them
"Remember that wreath Dad brought home that one year?" Dean smiled
"You mean the one you stole from, a liquor store Dean?" Sam asked
"Oh yeah, it was made out of bear cans" I laughed
"That thing was great. I bet if I looked around hard enough, I could probably find one just like it" Dean said
"All right. Dude… What's going on with you?" Sam asked
"What?" Dean asked
"I mean since when are you Bing Crosby all of a sudden? Why do you want Christmas so bad?" Sam asked
"Why are you so against it? I mean, were your childhood memories that traumatic? Holly seems fine" Dean said
"No, that has nothing to do with it Dean" Sam said, then I knew exactly what this was about. I started to tear up for what felt like the millionth time
"Then what?" Dean asked
"I-I mean, I-I just… I don't get it. You haven't talked about Christmas in years" Sam said
"Well, yeah. This is my last year" Dean said
"I know… That's why I can't" Sam said
"What do you mean?" Dean asked, I noticed the boys getting teary eyed as well
"I mean I can't just sit around, drinking eggnog, pretending everything's okay, when I know next Christmas you'll be dead. That next christmas me and Holly will be by ourselves. I just can't" Sam shook his head, Dean nodded We fell into a silence. I was suddenly in Sam's flashback again
Sam was sitting on a couch reading a comic, I was playing with some toys in my pen.
Dean walked through the door
He took of his jacket and sat on his bed
"I know why you keep a gun under your pillow" Sam suddenly said
Dean lifted his pillow to make sure his gun was still there
"No, you don't. Stay out of my stuff" he said
"And I know why we lay salt down everywhere we go" Sam said
"No, you don't. Shut up" Dean said. Sam got up and pulled something from under his mattress and sighed tossing it on the nightstand, it was dad's journal.
"Where'd you get that?! That's Dad's! He's gonna kick your ass for reading that" Dean said
"Are monsters real?" Sam asked
"What? You're crazy" Dean said
"Tell me" Sam insisted
Dean paused "I swear, if you ever tell Dad I told you any of this, I will end you"
"Promise" Sam said
"Well, the first thing you have to know is we have the coolest dad in the world. He's a superhero" Dean said
"He is?" Sam asked
"Yeah. Monsters are real. Dad fights them. He's fighting them right now" Dean said
"But Dad said the monsters under my bed weren't real" Sam said
"That's 'cause he had already checked under there. But yeah, they're real. Almost everything's real" Dean said
"Is Santa real?" Sam asked, Dean shook his head no
"If monsters are real, then they could get us. They could get Holly" Sam said, I perked up at the mention of my name. Dean walked over and picked me up bringing me over to Sam so all three of us were on the same bed
"Dad's not gonna let them get you or Holly" Dean said as baby me gurgled happily
"But what if they get him?" Sam asked
"They aren't gonna get Dad. Dad's, like, the best" Dean said
"I read in Dad's book that they got Mom" Sam said
"It's complicated, Sammy" Dean said
"If they got Mom, they can get Dad and if they can get Dad, they can get us" Sam panicked
"It's not like that" Dean said.
"Okay? Dad's fine. We're fine. Trust me" Dean said, Sam looks sad and worried
"You okay?" Dean asked bouncing me on his knee.
"Yeah" Sam answered looking away
"Hey, Dad's gonna be here for Christmas. Just like he always is" Dean said
"I just want to go to sleep, okay?" Sam said bitting back tears
"Yeah, okay" Dean said
Sam lies down on the bed and cries quietly.
"S-my" I made a weird noise, I must've just started to talk, I crawled of Dean's arms to Sam. I was protective of my boys before I could even walk. I curled up next to Sam's chest and started to fall asleep, he chuckled softly and kissed the top of my head
"It'll all be better when you wake up. You'll see. Promise" Dean said
Back to the now:
"We should check out the Carrigans
In the morning" I said wiping my eyes and standing up
"Yeah, good idea" Dean said
We headed to the address in the morning
We walked up the driveway, something was defiantly off about this place. Its to neat, I knocked on the door and a lady answered
"Please tell me you're the Madge Carrigan who makes the meadowsweet wreaths" Dean asked
"Why, yes I am" she answered
"Ha! Bingo" Dean said
"Yeah? Uh, well, we were just admiring your wreaths in the Walsh's place the other day" I said
"You were? Well, isn't that meadowsweet just the finest-smelling thing you ever smelled?" She said
"It is, it sure is. But the problem is, is that all you wreaths had sold out before we got the chance to buy one" I said
"Oh, fudge!" She said
"You wouldn't have another one that we could buy from you, would you?" I asked
"Oh, no, I'm afraid those were the only ones I had for this season" she said
"Aww…" Dean said
"Tell me something, why did you decide to make them out of meadowsweet?" Sam asked
"Why, the smell, of course! I don't think I've ever smelled anything finer" she said as Mr. Carrigan joined her at the door
"Yeah… um, you mentioned that" I said
"What's going on, honey?" Mr. Carrigan asked
"Well, just some nice kids asking about my wreaths, dear" she answered
"Oh, the wreaths are fine. Fine wreaths. Oh, care for some peanut brittle?" He offered some, Dean was about to take some but Sam slapped his hand
"Thanks but be should really get going" I said
We headed back to the motel
Me and Dean are sharpening stakes while Sam is searching up on the Carrigans
"I knew it. Something was way off with those two" Sam exclaimed
"What'd you find Sammy?" I asked
"The Carrigans lived in Seattle, last year, where two abductions took place right around Christmas. They moved here in January. All that Christmas crap in their house – that wasn't boughs of holly. It was vervain and mint" Sam said
"Pagan stuff?" Dean asked
"Serious pagan stuff" I answered
"So what, Ozzie and Harriet are keeping a pagan god hidden underneath their plastic-covered couch?" Dean said, I laughed at tge irony
"I don't know. All I know we've gotta check them out. So, what about Bobby? He's sure evergreen stakes will kill this thing, right?" Sam asked
"Yup" I said popping the P
We headed back to the Carrigan's place at night, The boys were going in the front, I took the back.
I picked the lock and snuck in, I walked in the kitchen and saw meat on the counter, human looking meat, I grimaced. When I turned around I got a strong punch in the face from Mrs. Carrigan, it should've knocked me out
"Oh you bitch!" I exclaimed
"Ooh such language" she said then I was hit in the head with something.
I came to and noticed the boys were tied up in chairs but they were up side down, actually I looked to see my feet tied to the ceiling. I felt blood from my forehead, I looked down to see a bowl that my blood was slowly dripping in,fan-friggin-tastic
"You guys okay?" Sam asked
"Yeah, I think so" Dean answered
"How about you Holls?" Dean asked
"Oh i'm just peachy, you know hanging in there" I remarked sarcastically
"So, I guess we're dealing with Mr. and Mrs. God" Sam sighed Dean nodded
"Nice to know" I remarked
The Carrigans walked into the kitchen
"Ooh, and here we thought you three lazybones were gonna sleep straight through all the fun stuff" She said
"Miss all this? Nah, we're partyers" Dean answered
"Isn't he a kick in the pants, honey?" He said
"Why am I upside down?" I asked
"Oh sweetie we're saving you for last, Virgin blood is the purest and we want every last drop" she said
"Really? Does everyone have to keep throwing that in my face, I mean its not like i've had many opportunities to have sex with someone" I said
"Damn straight" Dean said
"You're hunters, is what you are" he said
"And you're pagan gods. So, why don't we just call it even and go our separate ways?" Dean asked
"What, so you can bring more hunters and kill us? I don't think so" he laughed
"Maybe you should have thought about that before you went snacking on humans" Sam said
"Oh now, don't get all wet" he said
"Oh, why, we used to take over a hundred tributes a year and that's a fact. Now what do we take? What, two? Three?" She asked
"Hardy boys and little miss Virgin here make six" he said
"Now, that's not so bad, is it?" She said
"Well, you say it like that – I guess you guys are the Cunninghams" I remarked
"You, missy, better show us a little respect" he said
"Or what? You'll eat us?" Sam said sarcastically
"Not so fast" he said
"There's rituals to be followed first" he added
"Oh, we're just sticklers for ritual" she said
"And you know what kicks off the whole shebang?" He asked
"Let me guess… meadowsweet" Dean said
"Oh shucks, you're all out of wreaths. I guess we'll just have to cancel the sacrifice, huh?" I said
"Oh, don't be such a gloomy Gus" she said putting wreaths around the three of us
"There. Ohh… Don't they just look darling?" She asked, i'm almost a hundred percent sure we all sent them the exact same bitchface at the same time.
"Good enough to eat" he answered smacking his lips.
"All righty-roo. Step number two" he walked over and cut a deep gash in Sam's arm causing him to yell in pain as he collected his blood in the bowl
"Sammy?!" I yelled "don't touch him you son of a bitch!" I yelled
"Sam!" Dean yelled
"Hear how they talk to us? To Gods?" He said
"Listen, back in the day, we were worshiped by millions" She said
"Yeah well, times have changed!" Dean yelled
"Tell me about it. All of a sudden, this Jesus character is the hot new thing in town. All of a sudden, our – our altars are being burned down, and we're being hunted down like common monsters" he said
"But did we say a peep? Oh… no, no, no, we did not" she said
"We kept a low profile; we got jobs, a mortgage. Wh-What was that word, dear?" She asked
"We assimilated" he answered
"Yeah, we assimilated" she agreed
"Why, we play bridge on Tuesday and Fridays" she said
"We're just like everybody else" he said
"You're not blending in as smooth as you think" Dean said, I started to get dizzy.
Madge walked over and sliced Dean's arm collecting his blood
"You bitch!" Dean yelled in pain
"Oh, my goodness me! Somebody owes a nickel to the swear jar. Oh, do you know what I say when I feel like swearing? Fudge." She said
"I'll try and remember that!" Dean said
"You three have no idea how lucky you are. There was a time when kids came from miles around, just to be sitting where you are" he said
"What do you think you're doing with those?" Sam asked him,
I grimaced as he tore Sam's nail off, he screamed in pain.
"You fudging touch me again and I'll fudging kill you!" Deal yelled
"Very good!" She said slicing Dean's other arm
They mixed everything in the bowls
"What are we forgetting dear?" She asked
"Well, let's see. Uh, fingernail, blood. Oh…sweet Peter on a popsicle stick…forgot the tooth" he said grabbing pliers and walking over to Dean, he forced the pliers in Dean's mouth just as the door bell rang
"You gonna get that?" Dean asked
"You should really get that" I said. They left the room
The boys quickly cut them selves free, Sam held me up as Dean cut the ropes he placed me on my feet and practically dragged me out of the room, we locked the Carrigans in the kitchen
"You okay, you don't look to good kiddo" Sam said
"Yeah just a little woozy" I said just as I threw up
"You good?" Dean asked
"Yeah" I answered
"We need more evergreen" Dean said
"Found some" I said pushing over the tree.
We all grabbed sharp branches, the Carrigans came running in. I got hit hard again and everything went black. I woke up to a decorated motel room with Sam
"Welcome back Kiddo!" Sam exclaimed
"Whats all this?" I asked
"Christmas" Conor answered
"So what changed your mind Sammy" I asked
"Dean, and everything" Sam answered
"Oh god" I said feeling the gash on my head
"Let me see" Conor sighed. He healed my injuries
"I thought it had to be life threatening Conny" I smirked
"Merry Christmas" he replied
Sam was having another flashback,
It was christmas, Dean shook him awake saying dad was there and bought presents.
Sam opened them and found chick presents.
"Dad was never here was he?" Sam asked
"No" Dean said, he took the presents from Sam and handed them to me I smiled Happily
"Here" Sam said handing Dean dad's present
"Thats dads" Dean said
"I want you to have it" Sam said
Dean opened it and its the necklace he never takes off even to this day
"Thanks Sam, I love it" Dean said
"What are we gonna do?" Sam asked
"What?" Dean asked
"About Holly, I mean are we gonna tell her about dad, Dean I don't want her to know" Sam said, they both looked to me as I played with my new toys
"She won't, not if I can help it" Dean said
Back to now:
Dean walked through the door
"Whoa! whats this?" Dean asked
"Merry christmas De!" I exclaimed
"Here have some nog tell me if it needs more of a kick" Sam said handing it to him
I snatched a cup and took a sip
"No you're good" I said coughing slightly
"Hey!" All three boys said in unison
"Hey if Con gets a cup I get a cup" I laughed the boys looked at him
"Don't look at me like that i'm older then everyone here. And have a much higher tolerance than you" he said taking my cup
"Hey!" I exclaimed
"Can't really argue with that" Dean said
So Dean said pulling presents from a bag wrapped in brown paper, he handed one to me and one to Sam
"Great minds think alike" Sam said, he got Dean fuel, I got Dean peanut m&ms, I got Sam shaving cream
I opened up my present from Dean i'm pretty sure He handed me Sam's it was skin mags
I held them up, and Sam held up a package of bobby pins. Dean quickly switched them I laughed
"Hey fuel for me and fuel for my baby!" Dean exclaimed
"Skin mags! And shaving cream! Thanks guys" Sam said
I opened up a package of sour belts from Sam
"Aw you're the best" I laughed snatching my egg nog back from Conor, I took a sip and handed it back to him, he shot me a bitchface but smirked and finished it nonetheless.
"Wanna watch the game?!" I asked excitedly, I love Hockey
"Yeah" the guys answered, I sat down in between the boys. If pretending that everything is fine makes my brothers happy then i'm taking this one day at at time
Thanks for Reading! And I hope you those of you who celebrate had a FANTASTIC christmas! And I hope you all have a HAPPY NEW YEARS! And remember to be safe, this story means nothing without the readers! And thanks to all of you for your amazing support, you guys are great! :)
