One Firm Spot to Stand
Disclaimer: I do not own anything Supernatural related. The only thing I do own is Lillianna and Guinevre.
Summary: Dean and Sam are investigating vampire deaths in northern Maine when they come across some unlikely, and somewhat unwilling, help. When they discover just how much in common they have with these strangers will they still be able to kill the vampires or will their personalities clash too much to be of any help to each other?
Pairings: None.
Author's Note: Alright, this is kind of a character based fic, so if you don't like back stories and such then this probably won't be your thing. Also, I'm sorry about leaving my readers hanging on my other stories but the chapters that I have been writing have been crap and this story line won't leave me alone. I finally got enough out to be happy with so here it is; hopefully it meets with some approval. You can tell me how much by hitting that little review button at the bottom. Yes I know I am a review whore but isn't that why you love me? Oh yeah and the title of this fic was inspired by the Archimedes quote, "Give me one firm spot to stand and I will move the Earth." I thought it would be fitting. Alright, now on with the fic...
Gifts and Curses
"Shh baby, it's all right. You're fine. Everything's fine." The younger man cradled a brown haired baby close to his chest as he rocked back and forth whispering nothing but comforting words into the lightly illuminated nursery.
A woman stood behind him in the doorway with a sad smile on her face. "Is she still fussy?"
"Yeah, I don't know what's wrong though. I've tried everything, I've changed her, fed her, even given her a bath and she still won't stop crying."
The woman moved to stand beside her husband and stared lovingly down at her child before holding out her arms and whispering softly, "Here honey, why don't you let me take her for awhile."
The man conceded and carefully placed the baby into the woman's arms. The moon was full outside and the sounds and smells of summer could be felt and heard through the open window.
The woman rocked the baby gently but it continued crying loudly even when a small child made its way through the door.
"Mom, Dad? Is Lily okay?" The little girl was pouting slightly and her brown curls curved around her shoulders in little pigtails. The father stepped forward and lifted the child into his arms.
"Your sister is fine honey; she's just a little upset."
"But why?" Her face wrinkled in confusion and the father smoothed away the lines with his hands.
"I'm not sure baby, but I'm sure everything will be fine soon enough. Why don't you go back to bed and try to rest, okay? I'll tuck you in once I say goodnight to Mommy and Lily okay?"
"Okay." The child smiled happily and bounded out of her father's arms and down the hall.
"I hope she stays like that forever" The woman whispered while she lowered the still fussing baby into its crib.
"I'm sure she will. Nothing can erase that kind of spirit." The father smiled gently and smoothed the babies hair lovingly off to one side.
"Come on honey, maybe she'll stop crying so much if we give her some space."
He wrapped his arms quietly around her shoulders and tried to usher her from the room, but she stopped when they reached the door. It was then that she gently shooed his hands away and pushed him playfully out the door instead.
"You go. Check on Guinevre for me. I'm just going to stay awake a little longer and then I'll be in." Her husband gave her a wry look but she simply answered him with an easy, "I promise." He only shook his head and headed down the hall.
Once he was out of sight the woman returned to the crib and grasped the sides of the wood peacefully. The baby's cries had gotten louder and the woman could be seen with a look of anguish and helplessness on her face before her spine grew rigid and she turned gracefully toward the doorway.
The baby had stopped crying and the man finished tucking his daughter into bed.
"You see Ginny; I told you everything was fine. Mommy took care of it, just like she takes care of everything." He smiled warmly and his daughter returned a smile of pure innocence.
"Did I ever tell you that your smile could light up the world? Just like your mother and your sister one-day too." The little girl giggled happily and shook her head.
"Only everyday Daddy."
"That's because it's true. Now why don't you get some sleep so that we can get up bright and early tomorrow and pick strawberries."
"Yeah!" The little girl clapped her hands enthusiastically before crawling further under the covers.
"Night Daddy, I love you."
"I love you too Princess. Now get some sleep." He kissed her lightly on the forehead before double checking the blanket and turning out the light beside her bed. With one last look at his daughter' s smiling face he shut the door quietly and made his way back down the hall.
He had just passed the upstairs bathroom beside the nursery when he saw the light in their bedroom flicker. For a moment a look of panic crossed his face before he started toward the nursery.
"Amy? Honey? Is everything alright?" He started walking faster when he got no reply. It was then that he realized that the baby still wasn't crying. Once he arrived at the nursery door he paused and his chest rose and fell deeply before he pushed against the door.
The baby was lying quietly in her crib but something was wrong. It was hardly moving and the man's wife was nowhere to be found. He hurried to the crib and lifted his daughter out carefully inspecting her for any signs of injury. Finding none he gently cupped her face and took a deep breath.
"Amy?" Still no answer. He had started walking toward the doorway when he saw the perfect red spot land on his daughter's forehead. He stopped abruptly and wiped it away as if it was some kind of acid. But when another spot landed almost directly where the first one had he panicked and yelled out the first thing he could think of.
"Guinevre!" His voice was full of panic and fear but he still hadn't moved from the nursery. When his other daughter came running it was no surprise that she stopped in the doorway. Her face was chalk-white and she was panting.
The first words that came out of her mouth were, "Don't make me come in Daddy." But the man was too far gone to heed her words and he held out his arms in fear. The little girl hesitated for only a second before running into her father's arms and hugging him tightly. When he pulled back to look at her it was then that he noticed a red spot had landed in her perfect little pigtails. The little girl was the one to look up to discover where the liquid was coming from and she did it before her father could stop her. Her eyes widened in abject terror while her mouth opened in a silent scream. It was only when the man looked at his daughter's face that he seemed to grow the courage to look up as well. And what he saw made his whole soul explode.
His beautiful wife was pinned to the ceiling, bleeding from a long gash across her stomach. But the most horrifying thing was that her face wasn't filled with fear, it only seemed to hold regret and helplessness. As the man began to scream the little girl covered her ears and started to cry. The baby was still silent in her father's arms.
As the roof above them exploded into fire the little girl grabbed her baby sister and called to her father from the doorway.
"Daddy!" But the man didn't seem to hear her because he simply stood there staring at the ceiling full of fire in a morbid fascination that only someone who has seen their soul ripped out can do. When the flames became too much to bear the little girl ran from the nursery and down the stairs. She ran until she could no longer see the fire from the street and couldn't hear the screams of her father being burned alive beside her already deceased mother.
Lily awoke to find herself surrounded by darkness and in a moment of blind panic she almost fell off from her bed. It was only after she had hit her arm on the table beside her that her mind refocused and she was able to realize that she wasn't in any immediate danger. And when that realization sunk in she was able to relax enough to properly turn on the lamp.
The light exploded brightly and she shielded her eyes as she examined the alarm clock. It read a very early 3:03 am. She groaned slightly before extricating herself from her comforter and padding across the carpet to make her way down the hall. When she arrived at the second door down on her left she paused slightly before laying her hand against the wood and opening the door a crack.
All she could see was a small bundle of blankets piled in the center of the bed but after close inspection she could see that the blankets were indeed moving. She let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding and closed the door quietly before making her way to the kitchen to fix a cup of coffee.
"You look like hell."
Lily looked up from the table and wiped her mouth off with the side of her hand. He sister was standing in the doorway dressed dramatically in a blue, star-covered, summer dress with matching sandles.
"At least I don't look like I just fell out of the sky." Her sister only smiled and went to the fridge to pull out the orange juice. When she didn't bother looking for a glass and went to drink straight from the carton Lily sighed and the cupboard beside Ginny's head opened. Ginny looked at it with a raised eyebrow before conceding and grabbing a glass.
"So who's coming in today?" Lily took a sip of the cold coffee in front of her and cringed before pushing it away and attempted to straighten out her hair using her fingers. She failed miserably.
"That would be Mr. and Mrs. Crawford. Is there anything special you want to tell me?" Ginny didn't look at her but it was obvious to Lily that her attention was focused on her.
"Yeah, Mr. Crawford is cheating on Mrs. Crawford." Ginny snorted orange juice out her nose.
"You saw that! You didn't get any details did you because...gross." Lily frowned at her while she used some napkins to clean up the orange juice her sister had spewed.
"No I didn't see it, well technically I did. I saw Mr. Crawford kissing the babysitter the other night when I went to drop off their appointment card." Ginny gawked at her for a minute before she burst out laughing.
"That's priceless. A psychic who doesn't even need visions to see the good gossip."
They both jumped when the doorbell rang from the front room. Ginny stood to get the door but Lily grabbed her arm tightly and wouldn't let go. "What Lily? Everything okay?" Lily's grip relaxed slowly before visibly shaking herself and smiling falsely up at her sister.
"Everything's fine. I just...I didn't get a lot of sleep last night."
"Okay." Ginny started toward the door again.
"Hey...I'm going out for some new supplies, do me a favor and don't answer the door at 2:00 unless I'm here too okay?" Ginny just frowned and nodded. She knew that even if she asked her sister to elaborate that she wouldn't so she just ignored the warning signs and went to wait on her first customer of the day.
"Good morning Mr. and Mrs. Crawford, please come in!" She gestured boldly toward a table littered with tarot cards and used pieces of paper with "Predictions" on them.
The couple maneuvered their way around a few boxes and a monkey's skull before settling into the surprisingly comfortable folding chairs on one side of the table.
"So, you guys are here for a reading huh?" The woman smiled brightly and nodded enthusiastically but her husband only grimaced and shook his head. Ginny's own smile grew wider.
"Well lets see what I can do shall we?"
An hour later and Mr. Crawford was being followed out of the house with a very quiet, very enraged Mrs. Crawford.
"I'm terribly sorry Mrs. Crawford I had no idea that the cards would show me that. I hope you will be all right."
Mrs. Crawford smiled tightly and when she spoke her voice could have frozen pond water.
"It's not your fault Ginny, I'm just glad the Powers that Be decided to let me know now." She glared at her husband before continuing. "Thank you very much for your time, you are truly gifted." And with that said she shoved her husband down the walkway and into their blue Buick. As soon as the door shut Ginny could make out Mrs. Crawford screaming profusely at her husband as he grew red in the face and backed out of the driveway.
"So everything went well I see." Ginny jumped about a foot in the air before turning to face her sister.
"Shit, don't do that, you nearly gave me a heart attack." To emphasize, she placed her hand over her chest and listened to the rapid beating of her own heart.
Lily just smiled at her and turned to head toward the kitchen with her arm full of paper bags. Ginny followed her after a minute and then helped her to unpack. They had gotten through about two of the bags when Ginny snapped at Lily to stop glancing at the clock.
"Is there something that you're not telling me?" Lily avoided making eye contact as she went to put the sandle wood incense into the cupboard over the sink. Ginny just stared at her back until Lily finally snapped.
"Someone's coming." She didn't mean for it to sound as ominous as it did but she couldn't help it. Ever since she had woken up that morning from her vision she had begun to have an increasingly bad feeling . And then when she had grabbed Ginny on her way out the door she finally knew what she had been waiting for. Someone was coming but she had no idea who they were or what they wanted. Unfortunately strangers never heralded good news in their lives.
Lucky for Lily though Ginny had taken everything in stride. "Okay, so we wait for them to show up and bash them over the heads with an umbrella, what's the problem?" Ginny said it with such an easy air that Lily had to turn and see her face to know if she was joking or not. When she realized that she was she burst out laughing. Ginny just smiled at her and went to put the milk and snakes venom into the refrigerator.
When two o'clock finally rolled around Lily was fidgeting in the hallway near the front door.
Ginny sighed and patted her lightly on the arm. "Everything's going to be fine you know."
"Nothing is ever fine" was the only reply she got before Lily went back to pacing. With all of the built up tension that Lily was exuding it was no surprise when she jumped slightly at a knock on the door. Ginny glanced over and saw that Lily had shut down any emotional output and she was tensing up like a spring.
"I'll get it." She pushed her sister lightly down on to the steps and went to open the door before she could act.
She was surprised to find herself face to face with two of the most beautiful men she had ever seen. For a minute she just stood there and stared at them before she cleared her throat and plastered on a smile.
"Hi. Welcome to Ginny's House of Tarot, can I help you?" Her voice was grating even to her own ears but whenever she got nervous her voice grew overly pleasant. Now was no exception.
"Yeah, hi. We're here to see Ginny. I'm Dean and this is my brother Sam." He pointed accordingly and smiled back full force. Ginny almost fell over, that is until she saw the bracelet hanging off from his right wrist. It was a simple piece of black cord but it caused her to reexamine both of their faces. It was only when she looked into their eyes and saw that same emptiness that she knew who they were. Suddenly her sister's foreboding manner didn't seem so off-key.
"I'm Ginny." Her voice was no longer warm or welcoming and the brother's were slightly taken back. "You're the Winchester brother's aren't you." Once she said the name she could hear her sister shifting behind her. Unlike her sister though she grew quiet and still instead of eager and excited.
"Yeah, that's right. Do we know you?" He was looking at her with an expression that told her that he had no idea who she was but that he knew why he was there.
"We knew your father." That got their full attention and for a moment Dean looked both thoughtful and weary. After a few more seconds of silence and close inspection Dean finally spoke.
"You're Ginny. Ginny Duval. My father mentioned you, he just never told me what you looked like." He was quiet for another minute before he took a step forward. "You're sister's name is Lily right?" She nodded silently. He was thoughtful again for another minute before he spoke again. "You're not the psychic, your sister is..." He left it as an open-ended question and Ginny briefly thought about closing the door in their faces. Unfortunately her sister was tired of being ignored.
"That's right." Lily gently pushed her sister to the side and held out her hand. All of her previous anxiety seemed to have vanished into the air because now she only showed happiness. Ginny wasn't all that surprised though considering how much Lily had liked the elder Winchester.
Dean meanwhile glanced at her hand almost reproachfully before shaking it and waiting while she shook Sam's hand. They locked eyes for a moment before breaking away, this time Lily was smiling.
"So your gift finally caught up with you. Congratulations, welcome to the world of the freaks." Ginny gaped at her and pulled her slowly back into the house while staring at Sam as well.
Sam meanwhile was gaping as well and for some odd reason or another was blushing too.
"Well..." Dean cleared his throat loudly. "Now that we have that out of the way, do you think we could come in for a few minutes."
Ginny thought about it and decided that she didn't want them anywhere near their house.
"I don't think so." Lily was taken by the most surprise at her sister's curt reply.
"Ginny..."
"No." Ginny cut her off swiftly and refused to meet her eyes, she just continued staring at the two men that stood on her walkway. "I'm sorry, but there is no way in hell that they are stepping into this house, not with everything that we have done to protect ourselves." Ginny could practically feel Lily tensing behind her.
"You mean everything that I have done." Her voice was just as cold and it reminded Ginny of some of the graves she visited, some of the people she raised.
"Fine, everything that you have done. But Lily, there is no way..." Her voice grew challenging and she knew that Lily would back down soon because she always did. Her little sister was always obsessively protective of her and Ginny knew that if she made it clear that there could be danger then Lily would back down just to protect her big sister.
"I want to hear what they have to say first." Now it was Ginny's turn to be surprised.
"What?" Never, in either of their twenty-something years of existence, had her sister ever pressed an issue when Ginny had made it clear how she felt.
"You heard me." It was when Ginny met Lily's eyes that she knew that something had just shifted. What scared her the most though was that she had no idea what it could be, or what implications it might have.
Author's Note 2: Alright, that's it for now. The next chapter will most likely be from the boy's point of view. Tell me if you like it enough for me to continue. If not I'll try and find a way to end it quick. Okay? Thanks.