Replies to reviews:
Ncsupnatfan: Thanks for the review. Sarah is currently completely clueless of the possible connection she is making with Sam, she has a lot on her mind and isn't all that in touch with her powers yet. Doesn't mean she won't be the one to help him out. We'll see.
Secretwrittenword: Yes, it is the same song, and now it is a bit more clear why Sam heard the roar of the Impala, Sarah might be channelling it all, unintentionally, of course. Thanks for the review.
Blondie20000: Yup, tis the same song. Still, I find it so funny how you keep referring to Julia/Juls as Jules. LOL Thanks for the review.
Summer: Well, thanks for taking a moment from your formal company to give a review, I really appreciate it. Glad you're as eager as Julia to see those ... Ahem... Crazy twists. Lol.
Aisha: You're welcome. *grins widely*
A/N: Wow, reached over a hundred reviews and one of the characters actually was the 101st reviewer. Thanks for all the support guys, I love you all! And a very special thanks to Secretwrittenword for helping me out with this AND the next Sam chapter. You really are awesome!
Happy Valentine's day everyone!
Chapter 20: River of dreams
Thud! BANG! "Oooouf!"
"You ok there, Sam?"
"Yeah, yup." Sam responded, his voice concealing the pain. "Just tripped over... Something."
"Seriously, if you can't even get out of bed without falling, how do you expect to reach the storage room and fetch the flashlights?" Julia teased. "Lemme help."
"No, no... You stay here..." Sam protested and could hear her scoff at that. He managed to get on his feet and feel around, using his hands as his eyes seeing the room was pitch dark. He felt the dresser that he knew was next to the door and then caressed the wall all the way to the door frame, clasping it with his palm. He turned to where he thought the bed was, as if Juls could see him and said "I'll be right back."
"And I'll wait right here, Schwarzenegger." Juls tease and then heard another loud thud followed by a grunt. She giggled imagining Sam either hitting a wall, or the door, trying to find his way around in the dark. He was a hunter, didn't anyone ever teach him stealth?
Sam moved quietly out of the bedroom and following the wall opposite of the bedroom door, he moved down the hallway. The soft carpet under his feet absorbed all sounds of movement, making Sam almost miss the sound of old boards in creepy houses he used to sneak around in. He took a left turn and felt with his fingers all the way to the Mass Hall door. Moving further down the hallway, he remembered the security doors, the ones he and Juls left wide open, they had a threshold, and he slowly felt around for it with his feet, not wanting to bump into it, trip and fall. He successfully moved past that and, still hugging the left wall, he proceeded to the maintenance room.
Thud! "Aaagh!" Sam yelled, catching his foot on something unexpected, which caused him to stagger and then hit the wall. He took a moment to breath in and out, flinching for a second when he thought he heard something. Pausing his motions, he listened in, and when no sound came, he leaned down to feel what was it that caught his foot. He found a heavy long, rod like object that curved at one end. Ah, yes, the forgotten crowbar. For a moment Sam wished he could just throw it away in anger, but he didn't want to make unnecessary noise and besides... A crowbar could be a decent weapon if you swing it right.
Finally, after ten or so minutes, Sam reached the storage room and was now going to have to go through it all to find the flashlights, because he did not remember where they were. The silence of the room was shortly replaced by noises of moving boxes, small thuds and a few louder bangs as Sam would knock something over. Ten more minutes of rummaging through the room left Sam with small cuts and bruises, but without the flashlights.
Suddenly, there was a noise by the door and Sam spun around, holding the crowbar high when he was blinded by a light. He raised his hand high and tried to block it, all the while squinting, trying to see who is holding the light.
"Relax, Ninja Turtle, it is only me, April." Julia joked, lowering the light. "Oh, I forgot to tell you, the box with the flashlights was right by the door – see..." She added, pointing her light at the cardboard box by the door. Sam just nodded and reached for an extra flashlight. He felt just a bit unnerved that he didn't hear her coming at all, but chalked it off to her being a good hunter. He wasn't getting old, na-huh.
He turned to head to the maintenance room, to see if he could do anything, even though he doubted it, but as Julia stood in his way, he couldn't help but look at her, and then feel a slight tingle in the pit of his stomach. Her loose long brown hair merged perfectly into the darkness around her, her skin looking just a bit tanned in the absence of neon lights this place had. Her dark-pink lips were curled into a half-smile and her eyebrows were raised in amusement as her deep brown eyes that mimicked the darkness watched him.
Sam cleared his throat and moved past Julia, heading off to the maintenance room. Julia followed, keeping her flashlight raised to help Sam check out the generator and its parts. Sam spent close to an hour checking the cables and switches all over the generator, Julia keeping the flashlight directed wherever he needed it, not saying a word, not moving an inch unless it was to man the flashlight at a different point. It was only upon an hour that Sam noticed the light started shivering, and he frowned before turning his head to look at Julia.
Sam felt the chill creep up his body, but he was too focused on the generator to notice just how cold the room had gotten. He turned to look at Julia and held his own flashlight upon her, seeing her blink and squint her eyes at the light. But a second later, she brought her eyes back on him as he lowered the light a little, and Sam took a shallow breath seeing the woman before him. She was still stunning under the battery's light, but her pink lip was turning slightly purple, quivering and Sam could see every breath she let out. Julia was shaking a bit, but glared at him, not saying a word. She was so stubborn, too proud to say she was cold, and Sam couldn't help but feel a pinch of guilt. He should have seen it sooner.
He looked into her eyes, clearly contemplating of what he was to do, and then, slowly, he walked over to her and raised his hands, gently pulling her into his embrace, rubbing his big hands over her arms and back, and Julia leaned into him, her body searching for the warmth and she closed her eyes, the motions of his hands making her feel not just warm, but safe as well.
"As nice as this is, you're gonna give a girl ideas..." Julia tried to joke her way out of an awkwardly pleasant situation, making Sam huff a smile. She couldn't tell if he was blushing again, seeing she was tucked into his chest at the moment, gripping at his thick hoodie. They both had three layers, an undershirt, a shirt and a hoodie, but still, she could feel the warmth of his body through it all.
When Sam didn't reply, Julia debated whether to say it, this time not wanting to sound provocative, no hidden meanings behind her words, but she also didn't want to sound weak and in need of someone. So, naturally, it came out wrong. "Can we go to bed now?"
She crewed her eyes shot, hearing Sam stutter at that, feeling his tight hug loosen and she knew she said the wrong thing at the wrong time. It wasn't until he pulled away that she finally found words to explain what she meant, trying her damnest to sound serious and sincere.
"I... I don't know what is going on here, Sam, but I do know it is cold and we... It is obvious you won't find a way to fix that generator now, to get it to work and I can only hope it starts working in the morning again like it did before, but until then... We... We need to stay warm." There was a plea in her eyes that just begged him not to have to say more, to understand and just go and do it.
This time Julia could see the slight redness in his cheeks, but he nodded and motioned his head to the door, being a gentleman and letting her lead. In complete silence, they walked back to the bedroom, both deep in their thoughts, both worried about their situation, wondering if they are even going to wake up in the morning. But neither would admit it, that if today is the day they draw their last breath, they would both be glad it was while in each other's arms.
The awkward silence followed them into the room and they both looked into each other's eyes, making sure this was acceptable, then nodded and turned away from each other. Sam stripped down to his boxers, shaking when the cool air reached his bare skin, and he quickly ducked under the mountain of blankets they had on the bed, the same ones he brought in to keep Julia warm after her little trip outside. Sam turned his back to her, thinking it is the most appropriate thing right now. Nobody's freezing to death right now, and back to back plus the blankets should keep them warm enough to make it thought the night.
He could feel it when her knee dipped in the bed and he could feel her rushing under the covers, shaking. He imagined her in nothing but a sports bra, and following down the curve of her slim waist, her underwear, bare thighs of her long legs. But he quickly shooed those images away as he felt her lay down beside him. He did not need to go there now.
Sam gasped feeling her curl up against him, leaning her stomach and her chest (no, not her breasts, they were still hidden under the bra – Sam thought) against his back. She swung one hand over his arm, but then seemed to have changed her mind and wiggled her hand and her arm under his, her hand reaching the area between his stomach and his chest, and just... Lingering there.
"Wha..." Sam tried, feeling the burn on his cheeks, not from her actions, but from his thoughts. He tried to ask her what she was doing, why was she spooning him now, spooning being used loosely as she was smaller then him.
"Just repaying the favor. You kept me warm last night, tonight it's my turn." Julia said softly. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna do anything..." She added and Sam could practically hear the soft, kind smile that caressed her lips. He did, however gasp when he felt her leg moving in between his thighs, but she just lodged it there and let it be. She leaned with her cheek on his back, bending the other arm under her head for support and then stilled her movements.
Sam could feel her breathe, and the small motions her chest made at every breath she took, but other than that, she didn't move, she didn't let her hand venture, nor did she set her lips on the patch his of skin that was so close to her face. Not that Sam wanted her to, no... He didn't want to feel her hand caressing his stomach, moving up to touch his chest or just simply move anywhere, her soft fingers tracing the outline of his muscles. He did not want her lips on his back, he did not want to feel her hot breath on his skin, nor did he want her to move that leg between his thighs. No, nope, not, no-sir-e.
"I'm sorry." Julia suddenly said followed by a sigh. Sam was confused for a moment, so he said nothing, allowing her to continue.
"I'm sorry. About last night and... me taking off like that... It's just that I panicked and... I … Um... It's just that..." She tried, clearly struggling about what she wanted to say. Sam listened and could hear the struggle in the tone of her voice, so he set a comforting hand over hers and whispered.
"You don't have to explain if you don't want to. I get it. And it's all right..." Sam started to say, knowing that a life of a hunter can be hard sometimes, and that sometimes you have to make tough decisions that might come back to haunt you or you get into situations that would drive a normal person mad, but Julia stopped him.
"No, it's not all right. It wasn't fair to you. I am the one that had a break down and you had to... It... It wasn't fair to you." She took a deep shuddering breath and reluctantly kept talking. "This place just reminded me of... It reminded me of the way I lost Jake, it was a warehouse similar to this station. And the feeling of being trapped here... It... It just brought so many bad memories and I... I just had to get out... I just had to get out..." By the time she finished, Sam was holding her hand firmly, wanting so badly to turn around and hug her, but the way she was holding on to him seemed enough for her so he just stayed like that.
A part of him expected to hear a soft cry, or at least feel some wetness on his back, but he had to remind himself, she was stronger or more stubborn to let the tears fall. She was so much like his brother in that department, and he knew just how difficult it was for her to say those words, to open up just a bit, and let him see what is behind that mask. Much like Dean, she kept a facade and buried all of her feelings deep inside. It wasn't healthy, but Dean was coping somehow, and by the looks of it, Julia was too.
He was brought out of his thoughts by a light snoring and Sam couldn't help but smile at how adorable it sounded. There were, of course so many things he wanted to say, to comfort her, to show her it was ok, that he understood and was glad he could be there for her, but he figured Julia already somehow knew that. Whether it was his hand on hers, or the way they were just a bit more comfortable with each other, the intimacy that was thrust upon them from the first moment making them grow closer faster than normally, making them comfortable with each other.
Still, Sam couldn't help but allow his mind to be a bit invaded by the thoughts of what could happen if they grew even closer, if they tried to form a... No, Sam couldn't go there. Not with his life as it was, not with the short life expectancy of his partners. No, Sam wouldn't, couldn't allow that to happen.
At yet, he found himself drifting off to sleep thinking about Julia's body, about the softness of her skin and the thickness of her lips and that damn smile that was somehow half shy half a smirk, like she knew your deepest darkest secret and teased you about it, but you knew she wouldn't say a thing to anyone.
It was around 10 AM when Sam jolted awake and, not feeling the warmth of another's body by his side, he lifted himself up and turned around. Julia was in fact... Not there. It was a little unnerving, thinking for a moment he did not know where she was, but he forced himself to calm, quickly dressing up. Her clothes were missing and she was most likely in the kitchen, having breakfast or in the bathroom, taking a shower. She wouldn't go out again, by herself, would she? Of course not, not after what she said last night. However, that did not stop Sam from quickening his pace, heading out the door.
There were no sounds in the bathroom and after a quick peek, Sam went on towards the kitchen. Something was telling him he would find her there. In fact, something strange was telling him he would almost always find her there, in a kitchen.
And there Juls was, standing over a counter, scooping up the leftover ice-cream for one of the many buckets they have. She lifted her head when he entered and smiled so brightly at him, he felt his knees buckle for a second. She had her hair loose again, the ends of it wet, indicating she took a shower. Her cheeks were a bit flushed and her skin a bit pale under the neon lights and it was only then that Sam realized that the power and heat was back on.
He couldn't believe he didn't notice it before. His mind was so occupied with thoughts of Julia that he completely missed the fact that it was light and warm in the station. What was happening to him?
"Morning, sunshine. - Julia said with a smile – You look like you were electrocuted, you know that? Want some breakfast?"
Sam nervously ran his hand through the mess of his hair, trying to straighten it, all the while sporting a shy smile. "I think I'll take a shower first... When, um... When did the power..."
"Around 8 AM. Woke me up. So I took a shower and then roamed the place for a while, tried to fix the radio, but I need a few jacks to replace, so..." Julia spoke as she sat down at the table, taking a mouthful of ice-cream and then kept talking. "I was thinking of looking for that later, and that we could maybe... Gear up and... Head out..." She spoke between chews, seeming like she couldn't speak straight because her mouth was full, and not because of that lump in her throat.
"Of course, after you shower and eat..." She added with a smile, and unconsciously she took that spoon in her mouth and licked it clean in a bit of a seductive way. She didn't really mean to do that, not like that, but she did, and Sam felt a jolt going through his system. Blushing only a bit (he was getting better at controlling his blushes), he huffed a smile and agreed with her.
He excused himself and after picking up some clean clothes, he took a quick shower, lingering maybe a bit too long in front of the mirror. He shooed off all the thoughts about his age and moved away from the mirror, like he was offended that it showed him this image of an older man. He didn't even want to ponder about where have the years gone. No, he had better things to do.
"What, no ice-cream for breakfast?" Julia asked in a cheery voice, looking over at Sam who microwaved a can of beans for himself, knowing it isn't really the healthiest thing, but it was the best they had. This is where Julia learned Sam was one of those – tofu eating, veggie slushy slurping people. She actually groaned at that, and swore that "after this was all over, I'm taking you to the best burger joint you have ever been to." Sam agreed with a smile.
It took them both a moment to realize what they both did there, not just expecting it to be an 'after this', but also expecting it to be a 'them' after this, at least as friends. Still, neither said a thing about it, and once Sam was finished with his meal, they headed to the storage room to gear up.
Aside from the snow suit they took the first time around, they also took thick jackets, gloves, googles and special snow boots. They made sure they brought enough water and a few cans of fruit and headed out towards the building.
A mile in, Sam turned back to glance at the station and he saw something that could be described as a big drill, probably used to drill into the snow in search for samples of soil or something similar. It was weird as to why all this equipment was still here when the place was clearly abandoned for a while. It took them close to three hours to reach the building and another half an hour to get it's generator running and the heat going.
It seemed like an annex building, and a garage for the snowmobiles that weren't there anymore, but not Sam nor Juls could figure out why it was this far away from the main building. There was a big area where they used to store the snowmobiles and where the generator was and two small rooms, one like an office with some paperwork and the other a storage room. They agreed for each to take a room and look what they could find.
Sam's eyes darkened and his brows kept deepening the frown as he looked through the papers in the office and read about the station's progress. His breath became heavier and he seemed to grow tired with each passing second. The small seed of depression grew and not even the appearance of Julia as she leaned on the office door and smiled could bring him up for this feeling of helplessness.
Julia's bright face quickly turned to worry as she asked "What's up? What did you find?"
Sam pushed the papers away from him and sighed heavily. "I... I was hoping to find something here that indicated someone might come back, someone might return and get us out of here. That someone might come back for all these old equipment and get us out. Or that we would at least find the snowmobiles and maybe try to reach the next station, but... It is pointless... It is abandoned, and nobody is coming..."
"Why do you think so?" Julia asked, nothing but curiosity in her eyes. Sam looked up at her, some strange guilt in his eyes before he responded.
"Because this station used to belong to the Roman Industries... And we... My brother and I... We killed Dick Roman."
