Wake Up Call
A/N: Thank you to everyone who followed, favourited and reviewed!
Soundtrack:
Hurts – Stay
Dolly Parton – Jolene
Bananarama - Venus
Lacey paced back and forth in the cabin, chewing on her lip, trying to decide what to do. Over the last few days she had been getting closer and closer to the realisation that she had to stop going back in time to visit Dean. It wasn't doing either of them any favours and she was getting closer and closer to the point in tie where she would meet Dean for real. Once that happened, she couldn't mess with her own time line. She had to say goodbye. She let out a sigh as the sinking feeling in her chest returned. She had to focus on finding Dean here, in the present. It was starting to feel hopeless but she couldn't give up on him, just as she knew he wouldn't give up on her. Lacey closed her eyes and focused on Dean.
"The hell it isn't." Lacey blinked her eyes open quickly, wondering what was going on. She was standing in a clearing, the Impala parked a short way off, Sam, Bobby and Dean were stood beside it.
"Family don't end with blood boy. Besides, you need me." Bobby was the one doing the shouting, Sam and Dean looked a little taken aback. Lacey smiled to herself. She had heard the boys use that expression a few times herself, clearly it had stuck with them.
"Bobby." Dean tried to protest.
"You're playing wounded. Tell me, how many hallucinations have you had so far?"
"How'd you know?" Dean looked surprised.
"Because that's what happens when you've got hellhounds on your butt. And because I'm smart." Lacey smirked and let out a chuckle, catching Dean's attention. He nodded at her as Bobby tossed him the distributor cap he'd removed from the car.
"I'll follow." Bobby told them as he headed for his car. "Don't be stopping to pee every ten minutes either." He called over his shoulder. Dean shook his head as Sam got in the car and Lacey walked towards him.
"Hey, what's happening?" Lacey asked. Dean searched her face for a moment.
"My time's up." Lacey felt her stomach drop. "We're going after the demon that holds my contract, but yeah, tomorrows my last day." Dean told her. Lacey grabbed his hands and squeezed them, partly to reassure him and partly to ground herself.
"Dean, I don't know exactly what's going to happen now, but you're not going to face it alone. I'm coming with you guys." Dean gave her a sliver of a smile and opened the back door of the Impala for her.
Lacey sat in the back silently, watching the scenery roll by until it was too dark out to see any more than the odd pair of headlights or street light go past.
"Hey, Dean?" Sam asked.
"Yeah?"
"You know if this doesn't… if this doesn't go the way we want, I just want you to know…"
"No. No, no, no, no." Dean interrupted him.
"No what?"
"No, you're not gonna but out the misty goodbye speech, okay? And if this is my last day on earth, I do not want it to be socially awkward." Sam turned away and looked out the window trying to compose himself.
"You know what I do want?" Dean reached out and pressed a button on the radio. Bon Jovi's "Wanted Dead or Alive" started to play.
"Bon Jovi?" Sam asked, scrunching up his nose.
"Bon Jovi rocks, on occasion." Dean told him. Sam shook his head as Dean began to sing along. Dean glanced in the rear view mirror, catching Lacey's eyes. They shared a look for a moment before Dean turned his eyes back to the road. Lacey leaned forward in her seat and she and Sam began to sing along. Lacey watched as Dean's smile began to fade as the meaning of the lyrics began to sink in until Sam was the only one still singing along. Lacey felt like a freezing cold ball had been dropped into her stomach as she watched Dean and felt the lyrics vibrate through her. Feeling hopeless, she sat back against the cool leather of the impala, disappearing back into the darkness.
They continued down the highway and suddenly there was blue flashing lights behind them and a siren going off.
"We getting pulled over?" Sam asked, glancing behind them.
"I've got a busted tail light. It's not like we're in a hurry or anything." Dean said as he pulled the car over to the side of the road. Dean rolled the window down as Sam fished out the licence and registration for him.
"Problem Officer?" Dean asked as the police officer approached, flashlight in hand.
"Licence and registration please." Dean handed them to him out the window. "Do you realise you have a tail light out Mr Hagard?" Dean looked up at the officer and balked, quickly turning back to face the road. Lacey raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything.
"Yes…sir…you know, I've been meaning to….take care of that. As a matter of fact.." Dean opened the door fast, slamming it into the officers midriff.
"Dean!" Sam shouted as Dean jumped out of the car and began whaling on the officer. Sam and Lacey both got out of the car as Dean stabbed the officer in the face with the demon knife. Bobby appeared, rushing towards them from his own car. Dean pulled the knife out and got to his feet, panting.
"What the hell happened?" Bobby asked.
"Dean just killed a demon. How did you know?" Sam asked, the shock still visible on his face.
"I just knew. I could see it's face. It's real face under that one."
The three of them dragged the body into the car before moving it off the side of the road. They began to cover the car with branches.
"So what, now you're seeing demons?" Sam asked, sounding perplexed.
"I've seen all kinds of things lately but nothing like this."
"Actually it's not all that crazy." Bobby told them.
"How's it not that crazy?" Dean frowned.
"Well you've got, just over five hours to go? You're piercing the veil, Dean. You're glimpsing the B side."
"A little less new-agey please."
"You're almost hell's bitch. So, you can see hell's other bitches." Lacey couldn't help but smirk a little at Bobby's wording.
"Thank you." Dean grumbled.
"Well, actually, it could come in pretty handy." Sam told him.
"Oh, well, I'm glad my doomed soul is good for something." Dean responded, sarcastically.
"Damn right it is. Lilith's probably got demons stashed all over town. We can't let them sound the alarm. She knows we're here, we're dead before we've started."
"Well, this is a terrific plan. I'm excited to be a part of it. Can we go, please?" Dean rolled his eyes and headed for the car.
They reached the neighbourhood in New Harmony where Lilith was holed up an hour later. The four of them left the Impala parked a few streets away and went the rest of the way on foot to stake out the house. Dean was looking through the binoculars into the house.
"It's the little girl." He confirmed. "Her face is awful."
"All right then, let's go, we're wasting time." Sam said, heading for the house.
"Wait!" Dean grabbed his arm.
"For what? For it to kill the rest of them?"
"Yeah and us too if we're not careful. Look. See the real go-getter mailman on the clock at 9pm?" Dean pointed to the guy. Sam held up the binoculars and looked through them.
"And Mr Rogers over there."
"Demons?" Bobby asked.
"Yes."
"Ok fine, we ninja past those guys, sneak in." Sam shrugged.
"Then what? Give a Columbian necktie to a ten year old girl?" Dean scoffed.
"Look, Dean, I know it's awful."
"You think?"
"This isn't just about saving you, Dean. This is about saving everyone." Sam told him.
"She's gotta be stopped, son." Bobby reasoned. Dean looked at Lacey and she shrugged, looking unsure.
"Damn it."
Lacey was keeping an eye on the residents of the house, waiting for the guys to take out the neighbourhood demons. She heard the sound of someone running towards her and turned around to see Dean approaching. He had almost reached her when a blonde stepped out of the darkness and shoved him into the fence. Lacey frowned and strode towards them.
"I'd like my knife back please, or your neck snaps like a chicken bone." Sam appeared before Lacey reached them, holding the demon knife to the blonde's throat.
"He doesn't have it. Take it easy." The woman backed away from Dean, hands in the air.
"How the hell did you get out?" Dean asked.
"What you don't know about me could fill a book."
"Whoa." Dean's expression changed to one of surprise tinged with disgust.
"What?" She frowned. Dean looked down at his feet.
"Nothing. I just couldn't see you before but you're one ugly broad." The blonde glared at Dean before turning to Sam.
"Sam, give me the knife before you hurt yourself."
"You'll get it when this is over." Sam told her.
"It's already over. I gave you a way to save Dean, you shot me down. Now it's too late. He's dead. And I'm not going to let you die too."
"Try and stop me and I'll kill you, bitch." Sam said, trying to sound threatening. Lacey looked between the three of them in confusion.
"Hit me with your best shot, baby." The blonde rounded on him.
"Guys! Guys! Have you're little cat fight later." Dean said, getting between the two of them. Lacey followed the direction of his gaze and realised that more demons had appeared from the neighbouring houses.
"So much for the element of surprise." Dean muttered.
"Go. Go. Run, Run!" Sam yelled at them as they headed for the front door. Sam bent down and began to pick the lock.
"What the hell is taking Bobby?" Dean grumbled, looking around as if he was going to magically appear. Which made it all the more amazing when the sprinklers came to life, dousing the advancing demons in holy water.
"Hah!" Lacey let out a laugh, watching them scramble back. Dean gave her his usual grin and for a moment everything felt normal, as it should be. Then Sam managed to pick the lock and they stepped inside, shattering the illusion as they came face to face with one of Lilith's victims, spread eagled on the floor, dead. Dean and Lacey's smiles faded.
"You think Lilith knows we're here?" Dean asked, quietly.
"Probably." The blonde answered. The four of them crept further into the darkened house. As they moved towards the living room a closet door creaked open and a man appeared. Dean grabbed hold of him, putting a hand over his mouth to stop him from crying out.
"We're here to help. Ok?" Dean whispered. "I'm gonna move my hand and we're gonna talk, nice and quiet, ok?" The guy nodded and Dean removed his hand. The man had a look of wild panic in his eyes and his breath was coming in shallow gasps.
"Sir, where is your daughter?" Sam asked.
"It's not… it's not her anymore." The man tried to explain.
"Where is she?" Sam repeated.
"Upstairs. In her bedroom."
"Okay, okay, okay. Listen to me. I want you to go downstairs to the basement. Put a line of salt at the door behind you. Do you understand me?"
"Not without my wife." The man protested.
"Yes, without your wife."
"No." He began to argue but Dean punched him in the face, knocking him out cold.
Lacey and Dean deposited the guy in the basement and left a line of salt in front of the door, before heading upstairs to find Sam. When they reached the little girls room they found Sam standing over the bed, knife in hand as the child slept in her mothers arms. The mother had a desperate look on her face and was pleading with Sam.
"Do it! Do it! Hurry!" She whispered harshly. Sam was about to plunge the knife down when the little girl woke up and began to scream. Dean rushed forward, grabbing his arm.
"It's not her!" Dean stared at the little girls face as she sobbed in her mothers arms. "It's not in the girl anymore."
They escorted the woman and the little girl down to the basement.
"Alright, no matter what you hear, you, your husband and your daughter stay in the basement." Dean instructed them.
"Well, I hate to be a told you so." The blonde said as they headed back up to the ground floor.
"Alright, Ruby, where is she?" Sam sighed.
"I don't know."
"Ruby?" Lacey frowned. Dean raised an eyebrow at her. "That's Ruby?"
"Yeah, why?" Dean asked.
"Just haven't seen her in this vessel before." Lacey covered.
"What is he doing?" Ruby asked, looking at Dean liked he'd sprouted an extra head.
"Never mind." Sam waved it off, not bothering to explain. "Could she get past the sprinklers?"
"Her pay grade, she ain't sweating the holy water."
"Ok, you win. What do I have to do?" Sam asked, looking at her intently.
"What do you mean?!
"To save Dean. What do you need me to do?" Dean turned his attention back to Sam.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" He growled.
"Just shut up for a second. Ruby!" Ruby shook her head.
"You had your chance. You can't just flip a switch. We needed time."
"Well, there's gotta be something. There's gotta be some way, whatever it is, I'll do it." Sam pleaded. Dean grabbed hold of his arm but Sam shook him off.
"Don't, Dean! I'm not gonna let you go to hell, Dean!" Sam was almost shouting now.
"Yes you are!" Dean yelled back. They stared at each other for a moment. "I'm sorry. I mean this is all my fault, I know that. But what you're doing, it's not going to save me. It's only gonna kill you." Dean said, his voice softening a little.
"Then what am I supposed to do?" Sam asked, tears welling in his eyes.
"Keep fighting. Take care of my wheels. Sam, remember what Dad taught you, ok? And remember what I taught you." The grandfather clock in the living room began to chime midnight. Lacey's heart began to pound loudly in her chest, adrenaline coursing through her.
"I'm sorry, Dean. I wouldn't wish this upon my worst enemy." Ruby told him quietly. There were growling noises all around them.
"Hellhound." Dean said, his gaze locked onto something only he and Ruby could see.
"Where?" Sam was looking around wildly.
"There." There was a scuffling sound as the beast charged. The four of then ran as fast as they could into the adjacent room, shutting the doors behind them. Sam and Ruby leant against them as the hound began to throw itself at the doors. Dean reached into his jacket and pulled out a bag of goofer dust, emptying it in a line in front of the doors.
"Give me the knife, maybe I can fight it off." Ruby suggested as they struggled with the doors.
"What?" Sam frowned.
"Come on! That dust won't last forever." Sam pulled the knife from his pocket but before he could hand it over Dean shouted out;
"Wait!"
"You wanna die?" Ruby glared at him.
"Sam, that's not Ruby. It's not Ruby!" Before Sam could do anything he was flung against the opposite wall. Dean was thrown to the other side of the room and pinned on the dining room table. Dean groaned and pulled him self up onto his elbows.
"How long you been in her?"
"Not long." Lilith replied, sweetly, from Ruby's vessel. Lacey watched her glaring, as she went to stand between Lilith and Dean.
"But I like it, it's all grown up and pretty.
"And where's Ruby?" Sam asked.
"She was a very bad girl, so I sent her far, far away."
"You know, I should have seen it before, but you all look alike to me." Dean glared at her. Lilith ignored him and zeroed him in on Sam.
"Hello, Sam. I've wanted to meet you for a very long time." When she reached him she grabbed hold of his face, forcing him to kiss her.
"Your lips are soft." Sam pulled a disgusted face.
"Right, so you have me. Let my brother go."
"Silly goose. You wanna bargain, you have to have something that I want. You don't."
"So, this is your big plan, huh? Drag me to hell. Kill Sam. And then what? Become queen bitch?"
"I don't have to answer to puppy chow." Lilith told him as she wandered over to the doors and opened them.
"Sic 'em boy."
"No! Stop!" Sam shouted. Lacey turned to the door, unable to see the hellhound but she could hear it breathing as it charged towards them. She focused all of her energy on creating a barrier and the hellhound shuddered to a stop in front of her, unable to take another step. Lilith cocked her head, unable to see what was stopping her pet. A bead of sweat ran down Lacey's forehead as she used every ounce of energy she had to hold it back. The hound backed up and tried again, bouncing off. On the third try it burst through, sending her crashing to her knees on the floor. There was a scream from behind her as the hellhound ripped into Dean, dragging him off the table. Lacey's head began to spin and she closed her eyes, trying her best to stay conscious.
"Stop it!" Sam screamed. "No! No. Stop it! STOP IT!"
"Yes." Lilith smirked at him. Lacey took a deep breath and she slowly got to her feet. She almost lost her balance, she was shaking that much, but she managed to steady herself and slowly turned around. The sight that met her eyes chilled her to the bone and she almost lost her balance again. She turned away quickly, not wanting to see anymore. When she turned back, Lilith was advancing on Sam. A white glowing light erupted from her hand and Lacey took a deep breath as the whole room became enveloped in its glow and she felt like she was falling back into her body.
Lacey stood with her arms folded looking down at the wooden cross protruding out of the ground. She waited patiently until the ground in front of the cross began to shift and a hand came up out of the dirt, closely followed by another one. Lacey leant forward and grabbed hold of them, pulling Dean up until his head breached the soil and he sucked in a breath of air, beginning to cough. Lacey helped him climb the rest of the way out and sat beside him on the ground as he caught his breath.
"You ok?" Lacey asked. Dean nodded, still just breathing.
"For a dead guy? Not bad." Dean managed to gasp out, his throat hoarse.
"Yeah, for a dead guy." Lacey smirked at him.
"What happened? Did you do this?" Dean asked, brushing the dirt from himself.
"Not me. I wouldn't even know how."
"Sam." Dean grumbled, climbing to his feet. Lacey followed suit "How stupid can you get."
"Wait, before you go." Lacey grabbed his hand before he could take off. "We need to talk."
"Ok." Dean waited for her to continue. Lacey took a deep breath.
"This is goodbye, Dean." Dean stared at her for a moment.
"What? Why?"
"Because I shouldn't be here. If I change something big it could knock over a whole lot of dominos and I can't risk that." Dean looked downcast.
"So what happens now?"
"I've already wiped everyone's memories that I came into contact with, you're the last one." Lacey told him.
"You're going to wipe my memory? So I won't even know that you existed?" Dean challenged her. Lacey gave him a small smile.
"Dean, in less than a year I'm going to fall out of the sky and land on the impala. And when that happens, you can't know about any of the stuff I've told you, because then everything could unravel, and that can't happen. You and me, we're meant to be." Dean studied her face.
"Less than a year?" He clarified.
"I promise." Lacey told him. She stood on tiptoes and reached up to kiss him. They stayed like that for a few moments, neither on wanting to pull away. When they finally did, Lacey closed her eyes and concentrated on Dean's memories. When she opened them again, she watched Dean stare down at the grave he had just climbed out of before turning and walking away. She watched him until he was out of sight, tears brimming in her eyes, unsure if she would ever see him again.
