Two. Freaking. Months. I am so sorry. If you're still bothering to read... I LOVE YOU!
Tapping his foot, his impatience getting to him despite usually being much better at being patient when in the middle of a grand scheme, the King of Hell waits on his throne for the return of one of his most sycophantic demons. He sent him on a big task, to lure Louise into a situation in which she would hear the truth. He hopes he didn't misjudge his selection of henchmen to send off. He's a King pleaser, looking to be the biggest brown-noser there is, so it felt like a solid bet.
Black smoke rushes into the room, twisting in mid-air before finding it's intended target; a lifeless body on the floor of the dark, old throne room. It flies down the body's throat and when done its eyes open, pitch black.
"Took you long enough," Crowley complains, picking at a fingernail as he sits cross-legged on his throne. He never bothers to spare the demon a glance.
"Sorry, sir," the demon apologizes, standing up quickly and stretching out the new form he's just entered. He cracks his new neck once before focusing in. "The hunters had to travel to Derek. It took some time."
"And?"
"And… everything went as planned," the demon smiles with pride. "I followed Derek as obviously as I could. I let them trap me. I spilled my guts… and they sent me back here. Just as you so expertly planned, sir."
Crowley nods, playing it aloof. "I expected as much. And how did they react?"
"Lou and Sam both were very inquisitive as we assumed they would be. They wanted to know as much as I could let them know. Oh, and… they think I'm Bilial, so they won't come after me."
"Good," the King nods again. He stands up and adjusts his suit accordingly. He then steps down from the throne and stands before his henchman. "So, the Winchesters will be looking into this newly discovered piece of prophecy now, yes?"
"Oh, absolutely, sir," the demon continues to grin. "They looked thoroughly freaked. I can almost guarantee they'll be heading home and digging up that old coot Bobby's books to start reading up."
"Which they'll find plenty on Bilial but be unable to summon him."
"Since you killed him yourself," the demon sucks up. "Wise move, sir. Now they just have to trust whatever it is you tell them since they will undoubtedly contact you for the real story."
Crowley gives him a blasé look. "Will they be contacting me, you think?"
"I didn't even have to suggest the idea! They came up with it on their own!" The demon shrugs with the surprise outcome.
"Well done, Smith," Crowley pats him on the shoulder and walks past the demon.
"It's Simpson, sir," the demon's voice noticeably loses its excitement.
"Right. Um…" Crowley stops and turns, facing the demon once more. He narrows his eye at him. "How… was Lou?"
"Sir?" the demon questions, not understanding what Crowley wants.
"How was she? Was she obviously upset or disturbed? Was she… alright?" Crowley asks, knowing he's being obvious. "How did she look? She still have that fire in her eyes when she found out the truth?"
"I… uh… yeah. I guess so," he nods. "She looked like… Lou, uh, usually does when someone pisses her off. Just… real fired up. But we expected that from her, didn't we? She does tend to lean towards the bitchy side."
Crowley's eyes narrow. "You should respect a woman like that far more. She's a one of a kind."
"I agree, sir." The demon knows he's on thin ice if he doesn't say the right things in this moment. "Lou is… she's to be admired."
With a pause, Crowley answers with, "You're damn right, she is." He then walks away, preparing for the summoning that'll happen any day now.
"Anything else, sir?" the demon hopes, trying to continue impressing the King.
Crowley pauses, this time not even turning around to look at the random, nameless, faceless demon. "You're dismissed." He snaps his fingers and the demon explodes in smoke, disappearing for good. Crowley smirks and then walks away, already forgetting about the errand boy.
Dean knew he needed to prove that his apology was sincere. And it was. He meant it. He knows that, even if his suspicions were right and that he shouldn't just accept the entire Benny situation as it is, he should have trusted Lizzy more. He should have listened better.
Good thing he knows his way around his wife's body perfectly in order to sincerely apologize.
"Oh, fucking shit…" Lizzy leans up on her elbows once the pulsing bliss subsides enough to focus. She looks down at her husband as he lifts his head from between her legs and grins at her, chocolate sauce smeared all over his nose, chin, and cheek. It's even between his teeth. Lizzy just starts giggling at his appearance. "You look ridiculous."
"Mm," Dean hums, licking his lips. "Worth it."
"I'll say!" she laughs more, dropping her head back on the pillow beneath her as the afterglow hits.
"So, am I forgiven?" Dean cheekily asks, getting up from his kneeling position on the floor at the end of the motel bed and walking for the in-room sink.
"Yes!" she answers wholeheartedly, a hand pressed over her eyes.
"Good… because we have to get to Martin's apartment, like, five minutes ago." Dean grabs a facecloth from the pile of fresh linens on the sink counter. He wets it and looks into the mirror, wiping down his face.
"I know we hashed our shit out and all… but I gotta be honest," Lizzy tells him, getting off the bed to disappear into the bathroom. "I'm nervous about including a hunter that's lost his marbles in this. I don't want him to be irrational and do something he shouldn't."
"Martin's okay," Dean promises as, for what he knows, he is.
"Just okay?" she calls out to him.
"Really okay," Dean corrects. "Sam talked to him on the phone months back and said Martin sounded good."
"Good enough to hunt."
"He wouldn't have put him on this if he didn't sound right. I trusted Sam's judgment on this," Dean reiterates, finding a smudge of chocolate by his earlobe and wiping it off. "And, I mean, they don't just release psych ward patients unless they are ready for the world."
"Our world is a little different," she reminds, keeping her tone free from judgment and harshness as she returns to the room after cleaning up to grab her underwear and jeans. Her top half is still fully clothed. "I don't want Benny getting hurt… or worse… until I can prove this wasn't him killing people."
Dean tosses the cloth into the sink and heads back into the room. He grabs his boots and plops onto the foot of the bed to put them on. "Dad trusted him."
"That was a long time ago," Lizzy reminds. She threads her legs through her panties and pulls them up.
"Yeah… but I know Martin, too. He's gonna be fine about all this." Dean hopes so, at least.
"You swear?" Lizzy asks, zipping up her jeans once they're back on and snatching up her own boots. She drops next to Dean, leaving no space between them.
Dean looks right at her, eyes locking, before leaning in to kiss her once. "I promise, L."
She smiles back and kisses him one more time. Lizzy then looks down at the lap of Dean jeans, the tight fabric doing nothing to hide the erection he's sporting. "You sure we don't have time for me to take care of that first?"
Dean also looks down and then huffs a laugh. "Sadly, no." He then stands up, reaches down the front of his pants, adjusts himself with a jump and a shimmy, then turns for the door. "But I'm good."
Lizzy just laughs hard at his antics, watching him head outside to the car.
After dropping off the poor man that had been possessed just moments ago (being the true professional businessman that he is, he had asked to go back to work once his possession ended), Lou steps out onto the busy streets of Boston and into the bright, early afternoon day. The sun is warm and happy, the people rushing past her are amid a normal, regular day… and she's in the middle of a complete personal panic.
She has a fate. A truly terrible one. Louise Becker has a fate, just like the Winchesters and her sister and her nephew… and it's horrifying.
Lou huffs a disgusted laugh at her current position in life. For a long time, despite being the fortunate one in her family that had no tragic destiny attached to her, she felt like an outsider. Every single person she loved and considered her closest kin were doomed and she couldn't truly understand them. She was on the outside.
There's a recognition within her that every single person she loves does, in fact, love her right back in return, no matter what. But it's different. Lizzy and Dean have a bond, one they've fought through and have become strong and more bonded from, invincible in their love and protectiveness concerning their child and his fate. They comprehend each other like no other couple could.
She used to envy that.
But it was all some cosmic joke. All along, she was always involved. She's always been just like them… she just didn't know it.
And now, well… now she has the worst fate she could imagine dropped right in her lap. This is it. She's a part of the massive story line.
And she knows too much.
And she can't handle this.
And everything feels too heavy… too massive… too much.
Deep breath in, Lou hyper focuses. She needs to get back to Derek and Sam. They need a next move.
Move. She needs to move.
Lou quickly becomes aware of her body once the decision to get going is made. She's been standing on the sidewalk, blocking people while unmoving with a hand pressed shakily to her lower abdomen as she gets pummeled by the knowledge of her destiny. Immediately dropping her hand, she starts marching for the corner, waving at a cab when she sees an unoccupied one heading her way. When it stops, she dives in and tells the driver Derek's address. Her brother needs her. They need to figure out the next step for him.
That will work as a solid distraction for now. She can deal with her fate later.
Unlocking the front door of the Smith Center home, Castiel holds it open for Sammy to run through. The little boy bolts for his toys in the living room, grabbing his favorite dump truck and pickup truck first. As he drives them around the rug printed with roads in the corner of the room, Castiel locks the door behind him.
Pressing his back into the front door, his body melts a little and he sighs. One outing, just one, and he's already a creep. That did not go the way he assumed it would.
And he's tired. Angels don't normally get tired, maybe in seriously conflict or something of the sort, but he is nearly dead on his feet. Granted, his power level is nothing like it had been just years back, but he's unaccustomed to feeling this type of fatigue.
"Cassie! You can play trucks now!" Sammy shouts loudly over to him.
The angel closes his eyes, another deep breath in and out. "Sammy, I think I need a moment to gather myself."
"To what?" he asks, kneeling on the floor and sitting up, looking at his best friend with a confused face.
Castiel drags his feet over to the couch and sits down on one end. He closes his eyes and leans his head onto the back of the furniture. "I need a moment to rest. You are very tiring."
One full day together and he has to wonder how parents do it. Sammy is very active. In one hour, they walked a few trails, skipped rocks at the pond, fed ducks, and checked out the dogs at the dog park on site. Only then did they go to the playground. Normally when Castiel goes to a park, he's alone. And sitting the whole time. And meditating. Not running around with an unstoppable force disguised as a child.
"You tired?"
Castiel smiles at the innocent question. "Very."
The room goes silent for a moment and, instead of being suspicious of it like most parents would be, Castiel enjoys it. After a few second of bliss, he feels something dropping over his legs before he can feel a small human form crawling up his body.
Lifting his head, Castiel watches as Sammy climbs up his legs and settles into his lap. He tucks himself under Castiel's arm by taking the angel's wrist and wrapping his arm around his small shoulders. Sammy then pulls over the blanket he brought from the recliner and spreads it over them both.
"What are you doing?" Castiel asks him as he tucks Sammy in where he is.
"You tired. We take a nap," Sammy answers as if it was the only answer in the world for their situation. He leans his head onto Castiel's chest and closes his eyes.
"I don't sleep all that much, Samuel," Castiel warns him as he pulls him in a little closer until the child looks very comfortable, his tiny body fitting perfectly in the nook of Castiel's arm.
"I not tired," Sammy says and then immediately yawns.
"I'm sure you're not," Castiel sarcastically smiles out and watches as Sammy almost immediately falls asleep.
They both had a big day, apparently.
Leaning his cheek down onto the top of Sammy's head, Castiel settles in and allows that meditative feeling wash over him in the suddenly quiet room. This boy has changed his life. He may not be Sammy's father but that doesn't stop Castiel from feeling like maybe he is in some weird way. Without him, Sammy wouldn't exist. Castiel's meddling with birth control pills lead to Lizzy's pregnancy happening. And like every parent, he'd give his life for Sammy in a second and without thought.
Love used to be a foreign concept. It hasn't been completely misunderstood by the angel for a few years now, not since his acceptance into the Winchester family, but love is a much clearer concept than ever before now that he's had Samuel in his life.
He's an angel with an actual family and with a true concept of what love feels like. The meaning of life has an actual answer for Castiel. It's this. It's loving one another and being good. It's experiencing true adoration.
The meaning in life is love, Castiel is certain of that. He's sure that's what his father intended and he's gotten to experience the human meaning of life unlike any angel before him. For that, he's very thankful.
Castiel drops an uncharacteristic kiss onto Sammy's head and silently, just in case his Father is still listening and maybe even cares, he thanks God for what he has.
Dean stands in front of the splintered motel door on the third floor, glancing to his side at Lizzy. He raises his eyebrows, asking for her to once more follow his lead and give Martin a chance. She rolls her eyes, stubbornly agreeing, and Dean raises a fist to knock.
Before he can, the old door flies open to reveal a balding man with wide, darting eyes.
"You said look for an eruption? How's Mount Vesuvius?" he asks in harried way and opens the door for the two hunters to come in.
Now it's Lizzy with the wide eyes, shocked by the greeting they're getting.
Dean ignores the worry and enters the basic, bare motel room. Lizzy follows, Martin shutting the door with a slam behind them. "I got into town about a week ago. Up until last night, nothing. He's been clean."
"Doing what?" Lizzy asks.
"And who are you?" Martin turns to focus on the woman in the room he's never met.
"Lizzy. I'm with him," she nods at Dean.
"Wait… where's Sam?" Martin asks Dean. "He's the one that's been contacting me. I thought he was coming with you?"
"Change of plans," Dean offers little explanation. "Lizzy is good. She's family."
"Family?" Martin asks.
"We're married, so… family," Lizzy clarifies.
The lightbulb goes off in Martin's head. "But Sam said you were the one that was friends with this vampire and you couldn't be involved! What the hell!?"
Gritting her teeth, Lizzy inhales deeply once to control her anger at Sam and Dean for going behind her back like this. "Well, Sam couldn't make it. I'm here instead. What's been going on here with Benny?"
"Oh, you mean Roy?" Martin exaggerates the alias he's found Benny to be using. "Just minding his own business. Working at the gumbo shack. Slinging hash, pouring coffee… the whole bit."
"So… he has a job," Lizzy smiles slightly. "And he's just… living like a normal person."
"Normal people don't exsanguinate people," Martin fires back.
"Funny, neither does Benny." Lizzy smirks at Martin with confidence.
Before the hunter can get upset at her, Dean diverts the conversation. "Martin, you sure you're running on a full charge?"
"Y-yeah," Martin answers unconvincingly. "L-l-little s-shock therapy in the morning, and I-I'm…." He snaps his fingers. "Good to go."
"Okay," Dean lies and nods, placating a clearly damaged man. "Why don't you tell us what happened last night."
"So, I followed him home, just like every night. He turned up a path. I hear a scream. I catch up. Then, boom… there he is. The old coot that Roy was eyeballing at the joint, vamped."
"Wait a minute," Lizzy cuts him off there. "Martin, did you actually see Benny kill the guy?"
"I saw enough." Martin gives a narrowed eye look at her, getting a feeling that Lizzy's not here to take care of the vampire situation in the way he wants to.
"Well, then, how can you be sure it was Benny if you didn't actually see him do it?" Lizzy questions him, not at all convinced.
"B-b-because I saw Benny turn up the path, and then two seconds later, I trip over a body with its throat ripped," Martin gets really riled up with this. "Look, lady, you… you ever hear of Occam's Razor? Keep it simple, stupid? It's not that complicated."
"It just seems like there's a lot of holes here, Martin," Lizzy tells him. "I don't think there's enough proof to kill Benny just like that."
"Holes!?" Martin outrages. "The only holes we should be looking at are in the vic's neck!"
Lizzy sighs and looks to Dean. "This doesn't sound like Benny."
"I don't know Benny. How would I know?" Dean responds with, only a little touch of anger in his words. Mostly, he's just being honest in that he knows nothing about her friend.
"What!? Sound like Benny? Say what!?" Martin yells turning to Dean. "Why am I getting the distinct impression that your friend here really is vouching for a vampire?"
"We're not here to argue, man," Dean attempts to calm Martin.
"Dean's right," Lizzy nods, also staying calm. "Nobody's arguing, but if this is Benny… and that's a big if…."
"Oh, it's him," Martin interrupts with certainty.
"But I have a very strong history with him, okay? I'm not about to participate in a witch hunt." Lizzy returns her focus to Dean. "Baby, I owe him more than just assuming."
"What in God's great creation could a human possibly owe a vampire!?" Martin nearly screams, losing his mind over this. "Dean? Am I hearing her right?"
"It's a long story…" he tries but doesn't get far.
"I thought we were hunting a vampire!? Aren't you the Great Dean Winchester!? Why would you bring this monster-sympathizer with you!?"
"I just want to wait until we get the facts," Lizzy remains calm and speaks to Martin in a strong yet even tone. "We need to stow the bloodlust for the time being and we work this case right. Or Dean and I work it separately. From you."
"Sounds to me that doing it right would be separating his head from his shoulders…" Martin grumbles.
"I just need some time," Lizzy promises.
"Oh, yeah. And let the fang take another life?" Martin challenges, eyes wild. "I don't think so."
Dean ignores Martin, looking only at Lizzy when he asks, "How much time you need?"
"What!?" Martin outrages, eyes hard on Dean. "You're not actually considering this."
"A couple hours, at the most," Lizzy vows to her husband. "I want this resolved fast."
"And if it turns out Benny's to blame?" Dean has to check with her, make sure she's going to do this right no matter which way it goes.
"Then…" Lizzy sighs heavily, still having that sliver of doubt that Benny may have actually done this. "I'll deal with it."
"Okay. Okay, a couple hours, L. But no more," Dean fairly warns her. "We need to move on this. Whatever vamp that did this, they get wind we're here and they'll skip town before we can catch 'em."
"Fair enough," Lizzy slightly smile through her worry. She presses up on her toes and kisses his cheek. "I'll call when I know anything."
"You better," Dean gives her a solid warning.
Avoiding Martin's harsh gaze, Lizzy leaves and shuts the door behind her.
"You're joking, right!?" Martin questions everything that just happened the moment the door clicks in place. "We're doing this as soon as she pulls away."
"Nah."
Martin stares at Dean a beat before echoing, "Nah!?"
"We're gonna give her a little bit of time."
"Uh… well… I don't know who this family member of yours is…."
"She's my wife, Martin," Dean reminds with a sharp edge to his voice. "Tread lightly."
"Hey, she's…she's your wife. I get it," he nods nervously, backing off with the harsh warning. "It's your call."
"Yes, it is," Dean easily agrees.
"How long are you gonna let her go on like this? It's staring her right in the face."
Dean sighs, looking at the floor for a second before returning to Martin's eyes. "Well, sometimes it's not easy to see things for what they are. She's knows Benny in a different capacity than we do. I don't understand it but I understand her. And I trust her. We're giving her some time."
Martin huffs and puffs a bit over the refusal for action, but eventually he calms back down. He walks to the vintage refrigerator in the room and pulls a couple bottles of beer out. He sits at the splintered table in the room and twists off both bottlecaps from the cheap beers. Sipping from one, Martin places the other in the open spot across from him.
With a little relief, Dean happily plops into the other chair and takes a long swig of beer. The resounding 'ah' he lets out after makes it clear he's had a rough day or two. Even if he made up with Lizzy after all the tension they'd managed to create, he's still feeling the stress of the situation itself.
"So… Lizzy's your wife," Martin strikes up a conversation.
"Few years now, yeah."
"But… you're a… h-h-hunter."
"Yes, I am."
"And she's a h-hunter?" Martin keeps inquiring, stuttering over the word hunter twice in a row.
"Since she was twenty. Bobby Singer trained her and her sister."
"Huh," Martin nods to himself, picking at his beer label. He then sharply looks up at Dean. "She's pretty."
"She's smokin' hot," Dean corrects.
"She is," Martin nods nervously.
"Yeah," Dean half laughs.
"And she's very sure of herself."
"She's a damn good hunter. She should be."
"So, then…." Martin thinks before asking. "How'd you manage to get her?"
Dean smiles a little. "I have no freakin' idea," he answers, tipping back more beer.
Arriving at Derek's apartment, Lou looks up at the several story complex. With a deep breath, she wipes the black, dripping makeup under her red eyes and attempts to compose herself. It was embarrassing enough that she had to ride the subway out of the city midday while crying. She doesn't need her little brother and husband seeing how weak she is right now. She hates when Derek used to look at her with sad, helpless eyes when things went wrong and she can't stand how Sam becomes this coddling, claustrophobic caretaker when anything is wrong. He's learning to back off until she's ready… but he hasn't totally figured it out. Which is weird to her because when his brother is dealing with anything heavy, Sam backs way off. Sometimes she wants that treatment.
Alright. Stow her shit. Get in there, make a plan, move on. That's what she needs right now. A task.
When they get home, they can figure out the rest. They can figure out the destiny set before them.
Derek buzzes her in and once she walks through the door she knows everything is exactly as she hoped it wouldn't be.
"Derek, don't look at me like that," Lou tells him as she kicks the door closed behind her and marches across the room. She drops her bag and grabs Sam's laptop that he'd left on the coffee table. "And don't! More time!" she warns with a finger point as Sam reaches out for her from his spot next to her on the couch.
"Okay," Sam disappointedly responds, awkwardly placing his hands in his lap.
"I'm not talking about it because it's never going to happen," Lou states with confidence, though her voice breaks a little at the end. "No need. First… we need to talk about what happens now. And then Sam and I gotta get back."
"We don't need to rush back," Sam counters. "You can stay here for a minute."
"I might have to head to New Orleans," Lou reminds him. "I'll call Lizzy and see if I'm needed. If not, we should go relieve Cass from Sammy duty. He's probably going nuts by now."
Sam huffs the smallest of laughs at the very thought.
"Uh…." Sam and Lou both turn to see Derek walking meekly into the room. He sits at a chair facing them and leans forward on his knees with his elbows. "I, um… I think I need more time. With you. At least to let me know what the hell is going on. And I need to know how to defend myself, probably. Once you leave… I'll be alone again."
Lou closes her eyes. There's just so much she needs to be responsible for right now, she needs to be a big sister… but she just wants to be home and alone and given time to think.
Lou sucks it up. "Well, first of all, you should know that dad was a cheating whore."
"What!?" Derek nearly shouts with shock, not at all expecting his sister to lead off with that.
"Oh, yeah," she nods. "Cheated on mom for years. I caught him, he didn't stop, I didn't have the heart to tell mom. And Lizzy is our half-sister."
Derek's eyes bug out of his head. "That was real?"
"Demon got a lot right. Dad and Cathy got hammered one night years and years ago and they fucked. Lizzy came from that. They never told anyone. Lizzy found out a few years back."
"What the fuck, Louie!?" Derek gets mad. "You say this like it's no big fucking deal. This is a big fucking deal!"
"I've had time to adjust, I guess," Lou shrugs with an apologetic expression. "And I was a vampire. That's why I died. I was put down. But I came back because we know an angel."
Derek's speechless.
Sam places a hand out to stop Lou. "Why don't we slow down and stop tossing massive bombs at your brother for a second," he says with a small smile. "Take this one thing at a time." He lifts his eyebrows in question.
Lou reluctantly nods to agree. "Okay. So… dad and Cathy had a onetime affair…."
As she starts at the very beginning, Sam sits back and listens to it all, from half-sisters to death to coming back to angels and demons and ghost, oh my! He adds in his two cents to help clarify now and then, but he mostly lets her do the talking. By the end, Lou's visibly more relaxed. She and Derek had a real dialogue going the whole time, they spoke easily and without the previous hostility. Lou didn't appear to once think about the massive fate they just discovered. It was good for her.
"So… I think that's it," Lou finally sums up hours later, the sky outside dark.
"Jesus…" Derek sits back, runs his hand through his hair, and sighs.
"You know, that whole story sucked ass. Most of my life has sucked in the past few years," it finally dawns on Lou with the summation of her story. She turns to Sam. "Why the fuck was it again that I wanted to get into hunting?"
"No idea," he laughs a little but grabs her hand in his, kissing the back of it once. Through the whole conversation, he saw the glimpses of Lou, the real Lou that he loves the most. She smiled with the good memories, her frown was deep for the toughest parts, but she owned it all because it's her life and she chose it. His heart's full right now, even if it should be broken for her. "But I'm damn glad you did."
"You're a fucking girl," she rolls her eyes but smiles. She knows he means that they wouldn't have met if she never became a hunter.
"So, like… what are you two?" Derek speaks up about their connection finally. "You're totally together, right?"
"Right…" Lou nods. "We, uh… we're married."
"You're married!?" Derek disbelieves and when Lou nods he bursts out laughing.
"Wow, thanks, asshole."
"Ha! Married!? You!?" Derek continues to laugh and then looks at Sam. "Are you fucking insane!?"
"Probably, yeah," he answers without having to think, adding into the laughter.
"Dick," Lou elbows him for that.
"Hey, you know you're not easy," Sam reminds gently.
"Neither are you!" Lou turns it around.
Sam just smirks at her and kisses her lips quickly once.
"Oh! Oh, man! That's fucking crazy," Derek huffs out through the last of his laughing fit. "My stomach hurts."
"Why is it so hard to believe that I would get married!?" Lou gets defensive.
"Uh, because you always told me marriage was a sham created to keep women from becoming more than just placating housewives and that marriage was a male established fantasy," Derek tells her, recalling the old Lou as she was.
"Whoa," Sam comments, eyes wide on his wife. "Hippie much?"
"Feminist," she corrects. "And I still am one. I just realize now that I was partially wrong about the institution. It can be a bond between two people in a way that is equal in both respect and responsibility. Our marriage is nothing like my parents'."
"Thank god," Derek mutters.
"Amen," Lou concurs. "Mom, though a strong-willed woman, was a hippie… and a housewife. She was a total contradiction. And dad was always banging other skanks behind her back while she raised us and kept a household."
"I can see why marriage was a four-letter word for you," Sam lets her know he understands.
"But we're nothing like that so… marriage can be awesome." Lou smiles a little, unable to keep herself from feeling the awesomeness of their relationship.
Sam grins and bows his head, still lovestruck by the woman he's sitting next to.
"Plus… I mean, look at him," Lou jerks a thumb Sam's way. "Dude's fucking hot as hell."
"Alright, I'll give you that," Derek agrees, grinning. "You bagged a hottie."
Sam's head whips up, looking between the two of them. "I'm right here."
"Yes, you are," Derek winks obviously and watches Sam blush.
"Oh, right… I didn't tell you Derek was gay," Lou realizes now. "So, uh… Derek's gay."
"I'm getting that," Sam nods, super uncomfortable with not just one but now two people checking him out. "So… uh… I'm gonna go grab us something to eat or whatever…."
"There's a pizza place around the corner that's good," Derek tells him without getting up from his seat. He reaches into his back pocket of his suit-pants and pulls out his wallet before tossing it to Sam. "Dinner's on me. You guys saved my ass and had a rough one."
With the mention of their rough day, Sam and Lou lock eyes, terrified of the other speaking up about the huge fate they've just discovered. Lou panics internally before blurting out, "Sausage, pepper, and onion!"
Sam's forehead wrinkles, recognizing how desperate his wife is to not speak about anything yet. He goes along with it for now, knowing they'll have to talk about it all soon enough. When they get home.
"Alright. Anything else?" Sam directs the Question to Derek.
"They have a really good Greek salad. Oh, and get some of their hummus and pita."
Sam smiles. His kind of food. "I'll be back soon."
He leaves quickly and then it's just the long-lost siblings.
"I like him," Derek mentions, finally feeling more comfortable with his sister now that they've had time to talk and he's caught up. Perspective is everything and he can now understand her better than ever before.
"Yeah, figured you would," Lou jokes, looking down and picking nervously at her nails.
"I mean, he's gorgeous…."
"Duh."
"And he's super tall. Built like a fucking Greek god… and he's quiet." Derek smirks and waits for Lou to look at him.
When her head whips up, Derek lets go of a real laugh.
"Really?"
"I grew up with Lizzy and you. I value silence in a partner," Derek jokes. "But seriously. He's clearly smart, he's caring, and, for whatever reason, he thinks you hung moon. Dude's completely in love with you. I really like him and… I'm glad you have him."
Lizzy smiles, once more looking down at her hands. Meant to be or not, Sam is everything she's ever needed but never knew she needed. And Derek saw it all in no time. "Me fucking too. He… Sam's better than I deserve and I have no idea where I'd be without him."
"Eh… you're a hardheaded bitch. You'd be fine," Derek semi-compliments.
"What about you?" Lou asks. "You know everything about me the past ten years. What's happening with you? Work? Boyfriend?"
"Uh, I finished college," Derek shrugs. "Got my masters. Got a really cushy job that lets me buy Armani suits and drive a Jag. I work sometimes seventy hours a week during busy seasons and… I hate it."
Lou's expression wrinkles with upset. "You hate your job?"
"I always thought I wanted what dad had. The big house, the family, the trophy husband in an apron at home making me dinner…."
"Delusional."
"Exactly," Derek agrees. "I realize now that… I don't want all that. If it costs a soul-crushing job and pretending to like working at a desk among dozens of other slaves… I can't do it. The past year, I've been trying to figure out how to get out, what to do with my life."
"Hell, you can do anything. You're still young," Lou tells him.
"And after today, after what I've seen and getting second chance to see you again," Derek sighs and pauses. "Maybe… maybe you were right. And you made the right choice."
With frozen fear in her chest, Lou stares with wide, shocked eyes and simply says, "No."
"Why not?" Derek complains.
"A million reasons why not!" Lou fires out. "Do I look happy!?"
"Yes!"
"I'm not! This life sucks! Did you miss the whole story I just laid out to you!? I was a vampire! I died!"
"You save lives," Derek calmly counters. "You help people all the time. You keep families together and happy. You make it so that evil pieces of shit like the demon that came after Lizzy won't do the same to other families." He stops and takes a deep breath. "I know I was… rude. And awful. And I let you down by cutting you off. But I didn't get it. I didn't see it and understand it. I just saw you leaving me high and dry but… you were on a mission to help people. The only thing I help is corporations that want to save cash at the tax deadline." He stands up and plops down onto the couch next to Lou. "I know you feel bad about ditching me but I'm over it. I forgive you. And you can make it up to me by letting me come back with you and Sam."
"No way," Lou denies.
"Why not?"
"Because I won't let you live like this. It's bad enough…. Just, please Derek, don't do this."
Staring back at her, she knows Derek's thinking, the gears turning as he figures out a way to make things work out for him. He always was smart.
"Take me with you," he tries again. "Take me to Kansas. At least let me live with you guys for a little bit. I want to see Lizzy and I want to meet my nephew." Derek grins wide. "Fuck. Ha! I'm a goddamn uncle. I gotta meet that kid."
Lou nods once, knowing he's right. "You should see them. And meet Dean. You'll like him."
"Yeah?" Derek smirks. "He look like Sam?"
"Not at all, weirdly," Lou responds. "But Dean's actually more your type… if your type is still the same as when you were in high school."
Derek's eyes light up. "Well, now I really have to meet him. He's my family after all."
"Fine," Lou gives in. "You can come with. But only to visit. You're not getting involved in any hunting shit. You hear me?"
"For now… yes," Derek lets her know his ultimate goal. "I'll just hang around and get to know them."
"Okay," Lou nods. This isn't going to be easy but she knows she can't stop him from seeing his family. "What about work?"
"What about it?" Derek asks.
"Uh… what are you gonna tell them? That you're just ditching for a sudden vaca?"
"I'm gonna quit," he flippantly explains.
"Just like that!?" Lou disbelieves.
"Been looking for an excuse," Derek shrugs. "I've been saving most of my money. This apartment is a shit hole and cost nothing. Honestly, aside from a couple friends and drinking buddies… I got nothing tying me here."
Lou sits back in her seat. "Well, look at you, being all spontaneous."
"Maybe I'm more like Jane than I ever thought."
"You and me both," Lou laughs a little. Neither of them saw that coming.
Derek bites his lower lip with worry before growing some balls and asking, "So, uh… you learned some pretty heavy shit about your future today…."
"So… you're basically moving then. To Kansas. With me." Lou gives him a hard stare down, letting him know that she is not talking about that. Not right now.
Derek's face softens up, his expression the complete opposite of what he had shown her when she arrived. "Ten years is a fucking long time. And in those ten years… Lou, I'm lonely. I'm… I'm alone and all I've ever wanted from the minute you were all gone was a family. And look at this place." He gestures around the clean and tidy yet small apartment. "Does it look like I'm on my way to a white picket fence here?"
"No boyfriend, then?" Lou asks again.
"No. The last guy… it ended bad," Derek shakes his head. "He was super feminine and a total drama case. I have no idea why I got with him in the first place but… I was probably just desperate for something. Anything. Instead, I dumped him when we went to a club and he took E and made out with every dude in a mesh tank top."
Lou blinks a few times. "Everything you just said sounds nothing like you."
"Exactly the point."
"You're not a clubbing and cosmos kinda guy," Lou smiles at the very thought.
"Can of beer and Sunday football… followed by sucking a really nice-looking dick. That's my kinda date."
Lou actually laughs, having thought she'd never manage such a thing after the day she's had. "Good to know you haven't changed all that much! And seriously, you're gonna love Dean."
"Just keep reminding me he's taken, will you?"
"Will do."
"Sweet. I'm gonna pack and get a plane ticket. You leaving tomorrow?" Derek gets up.
"Haven't bought tickets yet. Book three. We'll get you back."
"Don't worry about it. You want a beer?"
"Nah, thanks," Lou denies as Derek disappears to grab a beer and pack up.
Sitting there, waiting for Sam, Lou closes her eyes as she listens to Derek move about the apartment. Taking a few deep breaths, she fights the tears pricking at the back of her eyes. Even through the long-winded conversation that may have just saved her and her brother's relationship, she couldn't stop thinking about one thing. She wants to throw up. Or scream. Can a person throw up while screaming? She wants to do that if it's possible.
Lizzy. She needs Lizzy. She's literally been here before. She found out about Sammy's fate while pregnant with him.
She needs to talk to her sister.