Dig My Way Home
Sequel to Touch of a Stranger
Chapter One: Home again, home again…
"Welcome to Ashland," Sam read the sign aloud, rubbing his eyes against the bright sun. "Why does that sound familiar?"
His older brother didn't answer, lost in thought as they reached the edge of the small town. Dean slowed, looking around Main Street. He'd visited several times in his dreams in the last five years, but never thought he'd actually be here again.
"Dean? Dean, are you alright?" Sam asks from the passenger seat. "Dude, you're completely stopped in the middle of the street."
"What?" the elder Winchester finally meets his brother's eyes. "Sorry, I guess I was, uh…not concentrating."
"I'll say," Sam mumbles as Dean pulls into a parking spot in front of a diner. For the first time, Sam realizes where they are. Sharply, he looks at his brother, a confused and concerned look on his face. "You didn't. Why would you do this?"
"We were close, so I had to stop. It's not like we get up this way all that often. I wonder if Charlie's still working in the diner?"
"Dean, you didn't come here to see Charlie. Why couldn't you just leave it alone? You've been planning this since the day we left, haven't you? Thinking that you could come back and sweep her off her feet again. Man, just leave it alone. Let her be happy," Sam pleads.
"Come on, we haven't had lunch yet," Dean smirks, stepping out of the black Impala.
"Oh good God," Sam sighs, following suit. "Okay, that's it, we stop, get something to eat, and then put this town back in our rearview mirror. Are you forgetting that the last time we were here, you almost died?"
"Yeah, in this town and how many others? Sam, tell me, in over five years did you ever think that I forgot? I love her. I just want to know that she's doing okay, alright?"
"Fine, but then we have got to go," Sam concedes, trailing Dean through the door. The diner doesn't look any different than it did five years ago, when they wandered in their first day in town. Although the back booth was empty today, and the place was a bit busier. Sam thought the rise in business must have been because it was, in fact, lunch hour.
"Can I get you boys anything?" a woman most likely in her late forties or early fifties asks, standing at the end of the table separating the booth benches.
"Yeah, I'll have a cheeseburger and fries with a Coke," Dean says, taking in their surroundings.
"I'll have the same," Sam nods. The woman leaves, and Sam nearly feels sorry for his brother. Granted, every time they came anywhere near someplace from Sam's former life, he has the same hopeful, memorable look. "Just what are you expecting to find? It's not like you've changed dramatically. She'll recognize you."
"Would I have it any other way?" Dean cocks an eyebrow mischievously. "Besides, it's not like I've forgotten her either."
"Why couldn't you just let her have peace?" Sam asks, now smiling himself. He couldn't help it, anytime Dean was in this sort of mood, it was contagious.
The brothers are pulled out of their conversation by a small body standing by the edge of the booth. Dean looks to the side to find a small girl standing there. Her light brown hair is curly and trails to the middle of her back. She's dressed in a yellow sundress, and her curls are held out of her face by a ribbon of the same color. She smiles when his eyes meet hers. Her face is nearly invisible, as she is outlined in bright sunlight.
"Hi," she drawls. "You're not from here, are you?"
"No, I'm not," Dean chuckles, turning his upper body to face her. "Are you?"
"Yep. Born and raised," she grins even bigger, rocking back on her heels. "What's your name?"
"My name's Dean," he says, holding out his hand to her. "What's yours?"
"Lilia," she says proudly, shaking his hand. Turning, she faces Sam. "Who're you?"
"I'm Sam, Dean's little brother," he laughs. He'd always wanted to have children, and this little girl enchanted him.
"That's funny. You look bigger than him," she states, her eyebrows knitted in confusion.
"Lilia, leave these gentlemen alone. You're supposed to be at the counter coloring, where Uncle Charlie can watch you," their waitress scolds, bringing out two Cokes.
"I was just sayin' 'Hello', Aunt Dottie. You always taught me to be nice to people," Lilia pouts, hanging her head.
"Well, I guess I did," Dottie answers, smiling down at her.
"She's fine, honestly," Sam grins up at the older woman. "If she wants, she can bring her stuff over and color here."
Lilia turns to him, a surprised, ecstatic smile on her face. Without waiting for Dottie's answer, the little girl takes off for the counter to get her things.
"If you're sure," the woman chuckles. "She's a handful, but her mama should be gettin' back soon."
"Did you say that Charlie's her uncle?" Dean asks, looking toward the counter.
"Well, not by blood, but this town's small enough to be a family itself. Why, do you know Charlie?" Dottie answers.
"He's an acquaintance," Dean answers. With that, Dottie heads for a table of teenagers who have just seated themselves.
"Do you like to color, Sam?" Lilia asks, returning to the table and climbing up into the booth next to the younger Winchester.
"I sure do," Sam answers. He looks straight down into her eyes, and the light is finally just right for him to see that her large orbs are of a very unique, bright green. "You have very pretty eyes, Lilia."
"Thank you," she smiles sheepishly, blushing. "Do you want to color, Dean?"
"Sure, why not?" he answers, and she hands him a piece of paper and a red crayon. "How old are you?"
"I'll be five in August. That's in two months," she states smartly. "That's when I start Kindergarten, too."
For a moment, Sam is silent, looking down at the tiny angel next to him, doing the math. When realization hits, he looks up at his brother, who is obviously clueless, coloring a tree or something on his paper.
Maybe I'm wrong, he thinks to himself. She couldn't be…could she?
Trying to push it out of his mind, he joins the other two in quiet coloring. Absently, he hears the bell above the door chime, signaling someone entering, but thinks nothing of it, until he hears Lilia's name spoken between two adults. Unable to quell his own curiosity, Sam turns to look in the direction of the door.
Standing there, bathed in sunlight, is a much more grown up, happier looking Micah. With any luck, he thinks, Dean won't notice too soon, and all with go smoothly. That was not what the gods of decency had in mind.
"Mama!" Lilia shouts, turning toward the front of the diner. Excitedly, she jumps out of the booth and runs toward Micah.
As if in slow motion, Sam watches Dean look up toward Lilia's destination. The look in his older brother's eyes is nearly enough to break Sam's heart. He obviously hasn't put two and two together, he thinks. He doesn't know…
"Hey sweetheart, what are you up to?" Micah smiles down at her small daughter. Dean had seen that smile so often in his dreams…as well as in the daylight.
"Mama, come meet my new friends!" the bubbly miniature girl exclaims, grabbing her mother's hand and pulling her toward the booth.
Micah looks up and immediately makes eye contact with Dean. She stops, Lilia letting go of her hand, and begins to shake as tears spring to her eyes. Dean stands, striding over to her.
"Hey," he says softly, smiling down on her. Gently, he wipes away a single tear with his thumb.
She just stares up at him, not wanting to look away, in case this is only a dream. His hand caresses her cheek, and she grabs hold of it in hers, clinging to it for dear life.
"It's really you?" she asks none too loudly, in case he shatters in front of her.
"The one and only. She's beautiful," he grins, turning to look at Lilia, who is held tightly in Sam's lap.
"Thank you," she says, following his gaze.
Carefully, he scoops her into his arms, lifting her up off the floor. He laughs heartily, the first time Sam's heard him truly laugh since they left that day in November. "I missed you," he states, setting her back down on the floor.
"Me too," she replies. "Sammy, don't just sit there. Come here."
He smiles. To this day, she's the only person he's let get away with calling him 'Sammy'. Setting Lilia on the floor, he walks up to Micah, wrapping her in his arms.
"She's wonderful," he says in her ear, referring to Lilia. "You have to tell him, though. She has his smile."
A/N: Well, that's chapter one for the sequel…I have a lot of ideas swimming around in my brain for this. I told you that it would be more about the characters than anything else. Let me know what you think about it and if you'd like to see more…