Back to Reality

Dean was looking up at her through tears with the most nervous expression she thought she had ever seen on his face. How could he even doubt my response, she wondered?

She answered without hesitation, "Yes, of course!" He slipped the ring on her finger and then rose to his feet, pulling her into a deep kiss that brought a flush to her skin and sent the tears that had been building in her eyes streaming down her cheeks.

After the kiss, Dean looked at her for a moment, keeping both arms around her. "You should know that I asked Angel's permission first," he said.

She smiled back at him, "And what did she say?"

"Well, it's about damn time!" Dean replied in his best Angel voice.

Lauren laughed at this, remembering what she had said to him after the first time that he had kissed her.

"I swear, she's just like her mother," Dean said, wrapping his arms around her from behind, resting his chin on her head as they both looked out over the water together; she lay her arms on his, taking his hands into her own. "And I wouldn't have it any other way," he smiled.

They stood there in silence for several minutes, the world standing still to smile on them in this moment, grinning like a couple of crazy teenagers at first, then just quiet and pensive.

"The ring," Lauren began, turning to face Dean.

"Oh, I nearly forgot, I can get you a bigger one," he said, a little flushed.

"Don't be silly; I love it. It's just… was that the ring box that creaked so loudly when you opened it?" He nodded. "You should have asked the jeweler for a better box, it nearly spoiled the surprise," she giggled.

He hesitated for a long moment. "I wasn't kidding when I said I wanted to do this years ago and never got the chance." He pulled the dusty ring box back out of his suit jacket pocket. "I had bought it when we were together the first time. I was going to ask you to marry me the night you disappeared. I don't know why I kept the stupid thing…" his voice trailed off as he absentmindedly rubbed some of the dust away from the velvet box.

"It's not stupid Dean, it's perfect," Lauren said. "I'm glad you kept it. Maybe it means part of you never really let me go. At least that's what I'd like to think."

"Well, I was going to get a new ring for tonight, but I know you're kind of sentimental so…"

"You thought you'd give me the original because it would mean more to me," she finished for him.

"Stupid, huh?" he asked, looking almost shy.

"Dean Winchester, you're the smartest man I ever met," she smiled. "Let's go home!"

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Despite her prompting, Dean had turned down the suggestion that he do the occasional hunt here and there. Both Sam and Lauren noticed his inability to keep still for long and he was becoming a little less patient in every day things. One day while they were in the kitchen alone, Lauren showed Dean an article in the newspaper about a string of unsolved deaths about an hour from Tampa. Hey eyed her suspiciously. She walked over to the table and turned her laptop to face him.

"When did you set that up in here?" he asked, having not noticed it when he'd walked in for his morning coffee.

"Just before you got out of the shower this morning," she answered. "Look at this."

Dean kept both feet planted firmly where they were.

"Oh come on dork!" she said.

He sighed deeply as though it pained him terribly and she smiled back at him as he started reading over her shoulder.

"Hmmm, I don't think it's our kind of gig," he replied evenly.

"Bull crap," she smacked him lightly on the head with the newspaper.

"Lauren," he began.

"Oh shut up already. Sam said he'd go with you. He's already packing his bags. You can leave after I get off work tonight," she said.

Dean nearly fell over, "Sam said he'd go!"

"Yeah, but he told me to tell you not to make it a regular thing, just now and then. Besides, you two could use some brother time without us girls around. And it'll give me a chance to hang out with Angel one-on-one like you get to do with her after school every day," Lauren answered.

"And you're completely ok with this; it doesn't scare you?" Dean asked.

"Of course it scares me, but I think Sam's right. So long as you aren't going after the demon, he seems content to leave us alone. Dean, you need this. You're pretty good at your job from all I've heard," she smiled.

Dean's eyes lit up and he couldn't stifle a huge grin. "Yeah, I am!"

"Look at you all puffed up like a damn peacock! Now pack your bags so you can go kick some paranormal ass!" she kicked at him playfully as he walked back to the bedroom. "Oh, and Dean?"

"Yeah?" he called back over his shoulder.

"While you're on the road, I need a final list of addresses for the invitations. It's only three months away," she reminded him.

He came back into the kitchen then. "Call Dad, he'll have all the info and know if I forgot anyone, what about you? I mean, I know your parents are gone,"

Lauren sighed. "What?" Dean asked.

"You don't know do you?" she asked.

"Know what? Kandace said your parents died when Angel was a baby," he answered.

"They were the only parents I really knew. I never told anybody…" her voice drifted off.

"What Lauren?"

"I was adopted, Dean," she said softly.

"Why am I just hearing this now?" Dean asked, caught a little off guard at this revelation.

"Come on Dean, does anyone want to admit their parents abandoned them?" Lauren's eyes grew dark. She was amazed at how angry she still was, all these years later.

Dean sat down at the table. "Didn't you ever want to look for them after you grew up?"

"Oh yeah, I wanted to charge into their lives and demand to know what I did wrong. Why wasn't I good enough? But the records were sealed and no one was able to give me any answers. They were cowards Dean; they didn't want me to find them," she said finally.

"I'm sorry," Dean said quietly. "I didn't know."

"It's no big deal really," she said, covering. Dean recognized this reaction. It meant this hurts but I'm not going to talk about it right now. She needed space and he was okay with it if that's what she needed. "Besides," she said, "my parents are the two people that raised me. That's what counts."

Lauren insisted he and Sam hit the road that weekend and find out what was responsible for those deaths. On Sunday evening when Dean walked in from the hunt, the light in his eyes was brighter than before, if that was even possible. He had more of a swagger to his walk, he looked proud and fulfilled. In that moment, she was sure she'd made the right choice when she'd encouraged him to go back to what he loved.

Over the next several weeks, Sam and Dean went on a few more hunts. Even Sam seemed to enjoy it now, since it wasn't day in day out, non-stop highway and bad motels. Sam took satisfaction in saving lives; he just didn't enjoy the kills the way Dean did.

The wedding was just a few days away and Dean and Sam were on their way back from taking care of a nasty poltergeist up in Jacksonville when Angel's voice came from Dean's jacket pocket… "Daddy, pick up the phone, it's me!"

Dean grinned at Sam and Sam just shook his head chuckling.

"Hi sweetheart," Dean answered.

"Oh, I didn't think you cared," the voice came from the other end of the phone. Dean slammed on the brakes, nearly sending Sam through the windshield of the Impala. His heart stopped.

"Meg!" It took everything Dean had to hide the terror in his voice. She called from Lauren's cell phone. Sam's eyes grew huge.

"And you recognize my voice! That's sweet," Meg replied. Dean could envision the smug smile on her face and his blood went icy.

"I thought I sent you back to hell," Dean said in a voice that was something between a hoarse whisper and a growl.

"Hell is for children Dean. You know, you promised you'd visit, but you were a no show. My father came for me though. He's got a bone to pick with you, by the way. Most fathers would do almost anything for their children, wouldn't you agree Dean? Speaking of children, do you know where your daughter is?"

This is How a Heart Breaks

Meg's voice shot straight through to Dean's spine, wrapping itself around it and pulling tight.

"Meg, you lay one hand on her and I'll…" he began, but Meg interrupted.

"She's got your eyes Dean. They're pretty, and innocent, and she has no idea of the things her father's capable of. Did you really think that you could just walk away, have a normal life, and not pay for what you've done? You killed my brother," Meg said.

"Put Lauren on the phone," Dean demanded.

"See, now that's going to be a bit of a problem," Meg said icily. "She's a little incapacitated right now."

"What have you done Meg?" Dean asked, his voice monotone. He had already gotten back on the highway and was pushing the Impala as fast as she would go.

"Oh, I'm just getting started Dean," Meg's voice was slow and calculated, clearly enunciating every word. "I'm going to pick your family off one by one. And there's nothing you can do to stop me!" The line went dead.

Dean dialed Lauren's number back but no one answered. They were an hour from Tampa.

"Where are they?" Sam asked quietly.

"I don't know Sam," he said, his voice a whisper now. "I don't know!" He looked at Sam, and for a split second, the younger brother became the older. Dean's face looked like he was eight years old, and he was terrified. Sam gulped as he looked into the eyes of the one person he could always go to for anything and saw that those eyes held no answers. Those eyes were panicked, wild, and powerless.

Then it happened. The pupils dilated, the eyes grew hard, and he was completely focused on one thing: his family. And God help anything that stood between Dean Winchester and his family.

"We salted the house Dean, we put up all the protection symbols," Sam said.

"And we sprayed Dad with holy water, but he was still possessed Sammy! Meg came back from hell; this family doesn't seem to want to play Demon Monopoly by the rules now, do they?" Dean yelled.

"We'll get there in time Dean," Sam tried to reassure him now, tried to find the words.

"Oh I know we will," Dean said. "Meg won't kill them until I'm there to see it." Dean said resolutely.

"You think she's singling you out?" Sam asked

"Yeah Sam, her exact words were I'm going to pick off your family one by one."

"Why you?" Sam asked.

"I don't know," Dean answered. "Maybe because I put a bullet in her brother's head. That would probably set me off," Dean said sarcastically.

Sam didn't know what to do. His mind raced. Lauren was as much a part of his family as Dean or Dad now. And Angel, she was only six years old. She had to be terrified. Sam couldn't even imagine what she was thinking or feeling right now. His jaw set, he straightened up his back. This was not happening, not again. This was it. "What are we going to do," he asked his brother.

"I'm going to take the Colt and I'm going to blow that bitch's brains out Sam, just like I did her brother when he was trying to kill you. That's what we're gonna do," Dean answered. That's what Dean did, went in, weapons blazing, without thought, without question, just get the job done.

"Dean, there's only one bullet left," Sam reminded him.

"You think I'm going to miss?" Dean asked.

"I don't mean that, but if we use it on Meg we won't be able to kill her father. The demon that took Mom and Jess and nearly killed you," Sam said evenly.

Dean looked at him like he had just lost his marbles. "You think I care about that right now? That's my daughter that bitch is trying to kill, and my...fiancé." God, two days, you couldn't just give me two more days so I could actually call her my wife, could you? "I don't care about the other demon Sam. I'll fight that war later. This is the only war that matters right now."

They were silent the rest of the way home.

Sam's stomach lurched as they turned onto their street and he saw the lights of the house flickering on and off like they were synchronized to a rock concert. Dean flew out of the car before it had fully stopped, leaving Sam scrambling to the trunk for weapons. "Dean!" he yelled for his brother to wait, but Dean was already kicking in the front door of the house, Colt in hand, searching.

The house was dark and quiet. He looked everywhere and found no sign of Lauren or Angel. "Dean?" he heard Sam quietly call his name. He found him in the living room. "Look," he pointed out the back window to a small stable that he and Dean had built for a pony that Angel wanted.

The lights were dancing there too and Dean could see Meg's shadow pacing back and forth, watching and waiting. He saw Lauren's body inside the front entrance and knew Angel was there too. There was no getting to the stable without being seen and that's why Meg had picked it instead of the main house. She knew the boys would check the house first and they would walk right into her trap, unable to catch her by surprise.

As he walked into the stable, Dean saw Lauren starting to move and realized she wasn't dead. Thank God.

"Oh good, looks like the party's ready to start," Meg said.

"I'm a little confused," Dean said, trying to distract her and buy time. "I thought the blonde died."

"Oh yeah, my other host," Meg replied. "She did. But I really liked that body, this body. Don't you? Her twin sister was so distraught over the whole thing that she was easy pickings. I had to cut my hair though; she kept it much too long for my taste."

Sam walked in and was immediately thrown into the wall by an unseen force, sliding down until he was half sitting, half laying, gasping for air. Lauren was dazed, unable to stand, not yet fully aware of what was going on. Meg was crouched behind Angel with a dagger at her throat.

"Daddy," Angel was crying, terrified. Dean aimed the Colt toward Meg, but he couldn't get a clear shot. There was no way to shoot Meg without risking hitting Angel.

"It's ok honey, Daddy's here," Dean said, trying to reassure her, his voice cracking, tears blinding him. He already knew how this was going to end. She's going to die and it's going to be my fault. He thought about knocking Lauren back out again so that she didn't have to witness this. No parent should have to see this. She won't recover from it and she'll never forgive me. God Angel, I'm sorry. This isn't how it was supposed to be. You're not supposed to go before me, before your mom. I'm supposed to save you, that's what I do, that's what I've always done is protect my family, keep them safe. I'm supposed to be the first one to go.

"Get away from her Meg," Dean said.

"Or what, you'll shoot me?" Meg taunted.

"What do you want?" Dean asked.

"Round and round we go," Meg said in a sing-song voice. "The Colt, of course."

"Let her go and you can have the Colt," Dean said evenly.

"And give you a clean shot? Not a chance, sweetheart!"

"Give her the gun Dean," Lauren said, rising to her feet, still unsteady.

"Meg," Sam's voice came slow, raspy, still trying to catch his breath. He thought he might have cracked a rib. "Take me instead. I'm who your father wants, not her." Dean looked at Sam, one arm out, soothing, trying to make Meg feel less cornered. My brother is offering his own life for my daughter's. Sammy, she doesn't want to take Angel and she doesn't want us…yet. She's going to kill her and she's going to make me watch her do it. My God, I am such a failure!

Meg seemed to think about it for a minute. "No deal," she said. "My father will come back for you, for now I'll settle for the Colt."

"Ok, ok," Dean said, lowering the gun to the ground, kicking it toward Meg. She bent down to pick it up but couldn't quite reach it. It's over now. I have no leverage to make Meg give her up. Goodbye sweetheart, I've loved you every minute since I knew you were mine. I would give absolutely anything to make this different.

Angel was too panicked to know any better and began to run towards Dean when Meg had reached for the gun. Meg yanked her back by the hair just as the blade nicked her neck, a single drop of red blood dripping onto her pale pink pajamas.

Dean was an animal now, stalking back and forth, the sight of that one drop of Angel's blood drawing him into a rage he had never known before. "You've got the gun, Meg. If you want the slightest chance in hell of living through this, let my daughter go! You don't want what this will bring down on you if you go through with it!"

Meg looked around and saw Lauren and Sam recovering, the odds about to go to three on one. She thought that she had better cut her losses.

Everything happened so quickly that it was a blur. Dean saw the motion, he saw the blood, he heard Lauren scream, and he heard Angel's choking voice calling him, "Daddy!" Dean saw Sam pick up the gun as Meg backed away, a wall of fire coming out of nowhere. A wall too thick to find a target through; a wall quickly approaching them; a wall starting to swallow his daughter as she choked on her own blood.

It was too late for Angel, but Lauren didn't understand. She hadn't seen what Dean and Sam had seen in their work. All Lauren knew was that her baby was still moving, still breathing. She ran toward the fire, desperate to pull Angel out. Dean caught her and began to carry her out of the stable, Sam beside them, Colt in hand, Meg long gone. And Lauren kicked and screamed and cried and swore at Dean until the force of the explosion knocked them to the ground and she lost consciousness.