May the Circle... Chp 9
This is the last chapter, so it's a bit longer. As I said before, this is the first of a series. I'm basically creating a whole AU with Tommy. Thank you so much for the reviews.
"I'm still not sure that I can force myself to have a vision, " Sam said, getting comfortable on one of the hotel beds.
"You don't have to Sam. This is just a test to see if I can connect to you. Me seeing whatever it is you are seeing, or possibly thinking, is entirely on my end, not yours." Tommy replied, sitting across from Sam on the bed and trying to get comfortable as well.
It had been a little over three weeks since Tommy had been reunited with his brothers and released from the hospital. It turns out that he had cracked his sternum as well, but that had been missed on the first X-rays they had done. When he had almost passed out when Bryan pressed on the area during his exam the next morning, a new set had been done, revealing the three inch crack that ran vertically along the left side. So today was the first time that they had gotten Dean to agree to them working on their joint ability to see and draw what was to come. Granted, there had been a few days when Tommy could barely move or raise his head, but they had slowly passed.
Dean and Sam had also used the time to recover from their own milder injuries and get some real rest for a change. Then Dean had forced them both to wait for three headache-free days for both of them before trying anything. It was probably a good idea, but he nor Sam had ever been good at waiting.
It had taken a bit of convincing to get Dean to let them practice before eating anything, but now they were ready to at least try.
"Just relax, Sam. Close your eyes, take a couple of deep breaths and pick an image to focus on in your mind. We'll know if this works if I can draw what you're seeing."
Sam nodded, then closed his eyes and took a deep breath, releasing it slowly. As he breathed, Sam pictured a park near Stanford that Jess liked and couldn't help but think on those times.
Dean watched Sam a few minutes, then looked at Tommy. "If I think either one of you are in any kind of trouble or pain, I'm stopping it."
Tommy nodded. "Just move me, don't touch Sam until you've broken the contact between us."
Frowning, Dean couldn't help himself as he asked. "Why?"
"Because it can be a shock if this works. And I'm better able to deal with it than Sam." He settled the pencil and paper in his lap. "Remember, I trained with some of this. Sam hasn't." Without another word, he reached out his left hand and put it on Sam's knee, generating the contact that he needed. Almost instantly he was assaulted by the images flooding Sam's mind and he began drawing rapidly.
Gently rolling hills and green trees surrounded the area in front of a glassy lake. Tommy looked around and saw Sam standing close to the shore of the lake. He walked over to him, but said nothing as he watched Jess slowly approach his brother. That was when he realized the area he was seeing was in Palo Alto and was probably a special place for his brother and girlfriend.
Dean had been watching worriedly as Tommy started drawing, but it was the quickening of first Sam's and then Tommy's breathing that had prompted him to pull his brothers apart. It was only after he'd settled Sam on the other bed that he realized Tommy was still drawing what Sam was seeing. Unsure of what to do with both his brothers still unresponsive, Dean called the one person he trusted to help.
Jim Parks had been a Pastor for many years. As a hunter before that, he had seen and done many things. While he still helped those in the profession, he no longer actively hunted. He also helped those that had 'special' gifts learn to control and use them, so when he received the call from Dean he was not entirely surprised. Caleb had called him shortly after Tommy had been released from the hospital and filled him in. He was happy that the brothers were back together again and could only hope that John Winchester had come to terms with what his middle child could do. Considering what he now knew about Sam, it was possibly that Dean had some sort of ability as well, even if it was just being sensitive enough to be receptive to either one of his brothers should they be in trouble and seek him out mentally.
"Hello Dean. I had a feeling I would be hearing from you."
"Pastor Jim. I've got a problem." He rapidly told the older man about what had happened the first time Tommy and Sam had done this before moving on to the day's events. Then he waited.
The area suddenly shifted to a bedroom and Tommy saw Sam on the bed. When he saw blood drops fall on Sam's forehead, he knew what was about to happen and tried to break the contact with Sam. The nightmare Sam was having, however, was too strong and he was forced to watch as Sam relived once again the tragic events of the night that had thrown him back into the world of hunting.
Jim sighed. "Dean, I hate to say it, but you're going to have to let it run its course. If what you're saying is true, then Sam is probably reliving some nightmare. When he reaches the point that he usually awakens, they should both awaken. I know you hate waiting, but that is the only thing you can do right now. Tommy will know how to proceed the next time and if he doesn't, force him to re-read his journal. He won't like it and is likely to fight you about, however, it is imperative that he review his lessons."
"I hope you're right about this Pastor Jim." He looked over and watched Sam start to toss and turn.
"I think Sam's about there. I'll talk to you later." Dean hung up and moved closer to his youngest brother, latching onto his shoulders as Sam bolted upright screaming Jessica's name.
As Sam screamed Jessica's name, Tommy could feel his little brother breaking the connection between them. He let himself drift for a few moments before slowly coming out of the trance he'd been in.
Tommy groaned softly and fell forward onto the bed, the pencil still clenched in his hand. He didn't dare move as he worked on regaining control of his senses.
Dean helped Sam lay back again, then handed him some water. "Scared the shit out of me, both of you."
Sam took a long drink before answering. "I could feel Tommy trying to pull away when I started dreaming about Jess, but I couldn't let go."
"I pulled you both apart, like he said to do, but it still didn't help." Dean handed him two aspirin. "Go ahead and take them. Your head might not hurt right now, but I've got a feeling it might in a bit."
"Probably right." Sam took the pills and looked over at his other brother. "Think he's back with us Dean. You should probably try and get him to let go of that pencil."
Dean snorted as he moved and tried to do just that. "Yeah, right. His muscles have clamped down."
As he came back to awareness, Tommy could feel someone rubbing his right wrist, but he didn't try to pull away from the touch. "Hurts."
"Don't doubt it does. You're muscles constricted around the pencil. Trying to get them to relax a bit without giving you anything or forcing your hand open." Dean didn't stop his motions as he talked. Their dad had worked them sometimes until their muscles would constrict and clamp down on whatever weapon they were holding, so all of them had learned a few techniques that helped to remove the weapon from their grip.
"How long did it last?"
"All together about 20 minutes. You made almost 8 pages of drawings before you collapsed."
Tommy sighed. "Explains why I feel like crap." He watched Dean for a moment. "What aren't you telling me?"
Sam was the one that spoke. Dean had already told him while trying to get Tommy's hand to unclench. "He called Pastor Jim when pulling us apart didn't cause us to wake up."
"What did he say?"
"He said that you need to review your lessons and journals." Dean finally got the pencil free and started working his brother's fingers.
"That's not what I really wanted to hear, but I understand it." Tommy sighed. "Only have about 12 of them to go through, but I can tell you this." He looked at Dean. "Next time, just leave us together until it's over."
Dean frowned. "Why?"
"Because I get the feeling that pulling us apart actually contributed to the length of time that we were out of it."
Sam nodded. "That actually makes sense. Breaking the connection actually prolonged the contact we had with each other's mind because of the bond we naturally share as brothers."
"Man, I can see a lot of chick-flick moments ahead of us." Dean grumbled, finally letting his brother rest completely.
"Well, that's probably true, but I think I've found a job for us." Sam stated, bringing some information up on the laptop.
"Really? Where?" Tommy moved closer to his younger brother.
"Now wait a minute. I thought you two wanted to try and get a handle on this before we started doing jobs again." Dean looked back and forth between his two brothers.
"No, we just agreed to practice it only with you around."
"Besides, we're going to need money soon and this one might just pay a bit if Sam's right."
Dean sighed, wondering just when it was that he lost control of some of the decisions in their small family. "This is definitely going to take some getting used to." He shook his head and joined his brothers in looking at the information. "A Red Head, huh?"
Fini
