The Untruth Told

(missing scenes)

To talk of luck and chance only shows how little we really know

of the laws which govern cause and effect.
Hosea Ballou

She sat at her kitchen table filled with clippings and notes and pictures. I'm as bad as John, she mused. She usually didn't do a whole lot of research, instead relying on her instinct and intuition, but this had to be done just right. And it had to be done soon.

The sooner the better, she had told her team. She knew that the longer she waited, the longer they lived in their fantasy worlds, the harder it would be to pull them out. And the world needed them as they were, not as they are now. Too many lives are at stake, she kept reminding herself.

In her business, there was a certain amount of belief in fate, destiny, what have you. But, you could not depend on destiny to make everything work out fine – especially when there are others out there that manipulate fate. It's an unfair game if only one side gets to play. So, she appointed herself captain and began assembling her team.

Getting telephone numbers had not been as difficult as she had thought. After all, she had already been in contact with Bobby. And, since he was the one to retrieve the Impala, he was able to get a hold of John's journal – a journal which the boys (mostly Sam) had kept up to date, which included contact information.

From there, she simply needed to formulate a plan. She new where they each lived – the challenge was getting them together. Absence, in this case, wouldn't make their hearts grow fonder – it would make them forgetful. She was sure that, if they could just see one another again, there was hope and everything could be put right once more.

She could foresee some things – Mark breaking his leg, for example. No, she was not responsible for that. She would never intentionally harm someone – greater good aside. Cassidy going into labor was another strange coincidence. As was Sam picking the same day to get married as Dean had – although, she should have seen that one coming.

There were things, though, that she had a hand in…

"Did you get the pamphlets I sent? The website?"

"Yes," Sarah told her. "I got it all. And, I added Eileen Morris to the guest list."

"And you'll have lunch with her?"

"Don't worry. I got the photo you sent. I'll be able to pick her out of the crowd. And I will study this Cliff House place and make sure to mention it… several times."

Miss Blake, she heard someone say, I need someone to sign for this.

I'll be there in a minute, Sarah told him.

"Are you sure we're doing the right thing?" Sarah asked. "I mean, I like Sam. I do. But, I would rather see him happy…"

"But his happiness right now isn't real," she said, though there was a part of her that felt wrong as well. But, now was not the time to falter. She had a job to do and she would see it through.

"All right," Sarah told her. "I have to go. I'll call you after I have lunch with Eileen."

Asking Bobby to empty the Impala and then donate it to John's school had been an easy enough task. Well, easy from her end – she chose not to think about how difficult it was to get the blood out of the interior. And fixing it so that Mrs. Robins won a free trip…

"Hello?"

"Hello," Lori said, the smile present in her voice. "Am I speaking with Teresa Robins?" she asked, knowing already that she was.

"Yes, this is she."

"Ms. Robins, my name is Lori and I am happy to inform you that you have won a trip to San Francisco. How does that sound?"

"San Francisco? I don't remember entering a contest…"

"Ah, this was an on-line contest," Lori told her – and that was all she really needed to say, though she rambled on with the script given to her, mentioning things like 'perfect for newlyweds' or second honeymoons.

As soon as she hung up with Mrs. Robins, her intercom buzzed.

Miss Sorenson? There's a call for you on line two.

"Hello?"

"Did it work?"

"I don't know," Lori told her. "She asked where she could pick up the tickets and I mentioned the second honeymoon thing, but she didn't say anything…"

"It's all right," she told the girl, "as long as she accepted the tickets, I know she will offer them to her daughter and Dean."

So, she knew that the boys would come face to face – now all that was left was John. Once again, fate (or maybe luck) was on her side and John's youngest son was friends with Sam's fiancé's cousin. She shook her head when she looked at her notes and saw the strange crisscross arrows running through them.

But, that's when she realized her opponent's goal. She may not have caused Mark to break his leg, but the other side had. She needed to start running interference and, as luck would have it, one of the boys' early cases provided the perfect plan…

"Hello, Mrs. Winchester," Charlotte said with a smile.

"Hello," Maria returned, "how's my baby doing?"

Mo-om! they both heard coming from the room Charlotte had just left. They smiled at one another.

"He's doing great," Charlotte told her. "How's the plane ticket search going?"

"Not so good. You were right about the prices."

"That's a shame. Too bad he can't get a ride with someone."

"Well, Drew and I are taking it in turns to help Cassidy with the twins. And Shane just got the internship he has been working for."

"And Mr. Winchester can't go…" Charlotte said, leading Maria on.

"Actually, John could…"

"He probably has work."

"School will be out, so he won't he teaching," Maria said, clearly to herself. "And he owns the garage – and has plenty of help during the holidays…"

"Mrs. Winchester?"

"You know," Maria said, "I don't see why John couldn't take the time off… Thank you Charlotte," the woman said as she entered her son's room.

"You can call me Charlie."

Amanda had told her that she could request Dean's flight. Knowing Dean's fear of flying was a variable she didn't want to leave to chance – and Amanda kept an eye on him and made sure he boarded. She checked on the queasy young man on more than one occasion. And, just as she was instructed, she offered him a headset to calm his nerves. As she demonstrated how to use it, she turned the dial to the metal station – and as predicted, Dean left it and was soothed by the sounds of Metallica for the remainder of the flight.

The young flight attendant called her once the plane landed. It was all coming together – time to call Emily, the last member of her team.

"This is Miss Jorgenson. How may I help you?"

"Emily, they're on their way. How is everything going on your end?" The poor young woman had had quite a large part to play. Her notepad full of lists and instructions almost rivaled her captain's.

"So far, so good," the professional tone replaced by one trying to hide her nervousness. "I've instructed the Sutro's staff to allow the wedding couple to come in early for a bite to eat," she began rattling off her list of accomplishments. "And, I told the maid of honor, and she's passing the word to Jenn and Sam. Also, the staff already takes pick up orders early, so that won't be a problem. I have Stacey's family in the Bistro, so they'll be out of the way."

"You've done a great job, Emily," she reassured the young woman. "You've set the stage and, if I know the Winchesters, they will each arrive on cue."

The line was silent for a moment and she could tell Emily wanted to ask something.

"Well," she told her, "spit it out. What is it?"

"How do you know that it will all come together? I mean…"

"I know what you mean. How do I know they will act the way they are supposed to – that they will each be in that bar at the same time? That they will recognize one another and choose their former lives over their current ones… Well, I don't. Not for sure," Missouri told her. "But there is only so much that we can do – the rest is up to them."