Hands round cookies. I hope you enjoy this one. Let me know what you guys think.
Chapter 10: - Reality Knocks.
Sam found Bob tied behind the bar, dry crusty blood matted in his silvery hair and across his face. "Here," he said, drawing a knife out of his back pocket and beginning to hack away at the rope.
"Where's Alex?" Bob mumbled, as Dean walked into view. "Is she okay?"
"She'll be fine," Dean muttered, bending down to help Sam.
Bob let out a relieved sigh. "Thank god. Your father would have killed me."
Sam and Dean stopped, pulling back and looking the older man in the face.
"How do you know our father?" they exclaimed, the knife in Sam's hand forgotten.
"He asked me to come here and keep an eye on things a couple of years ago. Didn't you know?"
Sam and Dean looked at each other perplexed.
"But-" Sam began, confused.
"Dana, Alex's mother phoned him a few years ago asking for his help. He sent me to keep an eye on things and to let him know if things changed."
"Dana?" said Dean, his mind spinning. "What the hell's going on?"
Bob looked at the pair confused by their lack of knowledge. "You are John Winchester's kids aren't ya?"
"Yes," said Sam nervously.
"Well your father helped me out a long time ago. You know he has connections right?"
"Yes, of course," said Dean.
"Well I felt I was in his debt so did this job for him as a favour. He helped me out of an extremely tricky situation. Was the least I could do."
"And Dana?" said Sam, trying to digest this new information.
"Dana was living in Missouri about twenty years ago. Your father was hunting anything and everything supernatural after your mother died, and he came across these shapeshifters. Nasty little buggers apparently. Don't you remember them Dean? I'm guessing you wouldn't Sam, you were probably very young. But I'm surprised you don't Dean. You'd have been about seven or eight right?"
Dean scowled. "I remember them. Dad wouldn't take me on the hunt, said it was too dangerous, so I got stuck babysitting Sam."
Sam raised an eyebrow, but Dean just shrugged. Tension crackled between them before Bob hastily continued.
"Anyway they met there. He saved her life. She phoned him out of the blue about four years ago and John asked me to watch over the family, wanted me to keep an eye on things and I agreed. Nothing unusual happened till a week ago when Dana died. I phoned him straight after I heard Alex's version of events."
"Why didn't you tell us this when we got here?" said Sam.
"I wasn't sure who you were till Seth and Adam died and people began to talk. You seemed to take it like it was nothing out of the ordinary so I guessed you must be John's sons."
Sam glanced at Dean, who raised his eyebrow shrugging.
"I don't mean to be rude, but could you untie me please," said Bob, as he struggled against the rope. "I don't want to be here if that mob returns."
Sam leant forwards, muttering "Sorry," as he cut through the bindings.
"Thanks," Bob replied, rubbing his sore wrists and pushing himself unsteadily to his feet.
Dean gave him a hand as they walked out to the kitchen and over to the back door. Pulling it open, Sam let the older man and his brother out before him. Dean came to a halt, Bob and Sam crashing into him as he stared at the Impala.
"Where's Alex?" he said, turning to look at the others.
Sam walked past Dean and over to the Impala, finding his father's journal lying open next to the crumpled ancestral tree.
Dean, shaking his head in annoyance, thinking he should not have left her on her own, looked around him and out over the cliffs beyond. Seeing her walking up the grassy slope, her white dress blowing in the breeze as she headed for the cliff top, he started after her at a run, shouting "Shit."
"Dean wait," Sam yelled, opening the boot and taking out a handful of weapons. "Bob get in the car and stay there!"
Bob, whose head was spinning from the nasty head injury he'd received the night before, obeyed, flopping into the back and leaning against the seat, his eyes closed too.
Sam slammed the boot shut and chased after Alex and his brother. "Wait," he called.
Dean raced up the cliff as fast as his battered body would allow. His heart was pounding against his chest as the over exertion ripped through every muscle of his body.
"Stop," he shouted, when he was within hearing distance of Alex.
Alex glanced back at him, her eyes flashing a shocking unnatural blue as she clutched her stomach and grimaced. "Go away Dean," she pleaded, backing away from him.
He reached out and grabbed her arm. She looked at him, a sneer consuming her face as her eyes changed colour glinting wildly. Dean took a step back, reaching down for the gun he didn't have. Alex grinned at him callously, grabbing a fistful of his t-shirt. "I warned you," she hissed maliciously, before throwing him away from her. He was launched into the air and thrown a good ten metres before hitting a tree, crumpling to the floor unconscious.
"No," Sam shouted, as he ran after them, lunging at Alex who simply brushed him aside.
She backed away struggling to regain control of herself. She clutched her stomach as her eyes changed from the electric blue to aqua-marine. "Stay away Sam. I don't think I can control it much longer." Sam watched as her watery eyes changed colour several times.
"What-" he tried.
"It's her," she whispered breathlessly.
Sam watched, his face creased up in concern. "What are you gonna do?" he said. Alex stared at him knowing he knew the answer. "But-"
"You burnt her bones, her spirit's still here, attached to me."
"How do you-"
Alex raised her eye brow. "Do you really need to ask?" she said, smiling weakly, her eyes connecting with his. She moved to turn away.
"Don't," said Sam, grabbing her arm.
Alex doubled over in pain, her skin white hot. "Owww," she groaned, her eyes watering. Sam stumbled backwards, flinching as he removed his burnt hand in shock. "Get out of here please!" she begged, her eyes changing colour again, burning bright blue.
He backed away from her cautiously, his other hand moving instinctively to where his gun rested in the back of his jeans. Alex waved her hand aside, knocking him to the floor, the gun shooting across the grassy bank away from him. She stalked towards him, grabbing his wrist and dragging him to his feet, looking into his eyes.
The grip around his wrist was like a clamp, blocking the blood flow to his tingling hand, her eyes prying into his very soul.
"You're quite the tragic little hero aren't you?" she cackled.
"Shut up," he said, trying to drag his eyes away from hers.
"What's the matter college boy?" she sneered, her eyes dancing. "Feeling sorry for yourself now?"
"Let go of me Elizabeth!" he warned, looking into Alex's eyes.
"Clever, very clever," she snapped.
"Leave Alex alone," he continued, pressing his luck and wishing he had some salt.
"Umm let me think. How about no!" she spat, her grip around his arm tightening, her eyes glinting dangerously.
His wrist began to burn white hot under her grip making him let out a strangled scream.
She grinned at him. "Why couldn't you just die like the others," she sighed.
"That was you," he hissed through gritted teeth, wincing with pain. "Down on the beach."
"In a manner of speaking, yes. Unfortunately Alex saved you. She still has to learn what men are really like."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Sam snapped, struggling to free his blistering arm.
Elizabeth looked him in the eye with a piercing and probing look. He let out a yell of pain, his legs buckling beneath him as he sank to his knees, clutching his head with his free hand.
"What's wrong Sammy? Don't like the taste of your own medicine?"
Sam's face contorted in pain, his body writhing in agony. Tormented tears trickled down his face; his head feeling like it would explode. Grinning down at him, she pried into his deeply hidden and concealed memories, memories of pain and anguish, memories of his visions and worst nightmares, and memories of his mom and Jess.
"You killed her … your girlfriend, she whispered contemptuously. "You men are all the same. You lust after and destroy everything. You know nothing of love."
Sam lay writhing on the floor, terror surging through his veins as he watched Jess burst into flames in his mind.
"You've lost all the women close to you and you're about to lose the last one!" She backed away from him, not letting up Sam's torture. "This town will die! And so will she!"
Her eyes flashed and changed colour, Alex struggling to regain control. "No!" she shouted through clenched teeth, trying to break Elizabeth's grip. Looking down at Sam who lay on the ground at her feet, she whispered, "I'm sorry," before Elizabeth could regain control. She turned away, stumbling as she climbed up the cliff.
Sam watched her go helplessly as he lay unable to move in agony on the soft sweet-smelling grass. From his right, he heard a low moan. Tilting his head to the side, he saw Dean, a nasty gash across his face, trying to sit up, pain contorting his features.
"Sam," he groaned, as he forced himself to his feet and touched the wound gingerly.
"Yeah?" Sam grimaced, drawing in a sharp breath of air.
Dean, shaking off his drowsiness, looked over at his brother's writhing body. Eyes widening, he half crawled half stumbled his way over to Sam's side, cradling his little brother's face in his hands as he leant down beside him. "What happened Sammy? Talk to me. What did she do to you?"
"DEAN!" Sam butted in, looking into his brother's face through tear-blurred eyes. "Shut up and listen. It's love … it's the key."
"Oh man, please don't go all chick flick on me. You'll be fine," he muttered, looking into Sam's tortured face.
Sam grimaced. "Dean … the spirit … Elizabeth … she wants vengeance … she hates men."
"Ah no man, not a nineteenth century pissed off feminist," Dean groaned, looking both perplexed and slightly amused at the idea.
Sam, though still having to relive his worst memories, managed to thump him.
"What?" Dean exclaimed with a grin.
"She was never shown any kind of love or affection by a guy. She's angry, Get it?"
"Great," said Dean. "And how am I supposed to show affection to a hormonally imbalanced spirit who has a tendency to cause death and destruction and also likes to possess people?"
Sam rolled his eyes. "There's more than one type of love Dean."
Dean raised an eyebrow. Sam shuddered involuntarily, clutching his head. "Dean!" he breathed.
Dean, holding Sam's face in his outstretched hands for one last lingering moment, looked down at his younger brother with nothing but love and absolute devotion. Pushing himself to his feet, he muttered, "Hang on Sammy." Tearing his eyes away from him, he ran up the cliff after Alex as fast as his battered body would permit.
"Alex stop!" he shouted, as she reached the cliff edge. He ran towards her as she turned round.
'Aww man,' he thought. 'This slushy stuff is Sam's forte, not mine.' An awkward tension filled the air as Dean slowed to a breathless walk and stopped in front of her.
Alex looked at him questioningly. He shifted uncomfortably under her gaze, trying to avoid eye contact. 'Damn it Sammy,' he thought.
"Look your brother's dying down there," she tried, pleadingly.
Dean gulped down hard, not knowing what to do, hating his awkwardness that couldn't be hidden by his normal cheeky manner. Gently, he reached out and touched her arm, feeling the cool soft skin beneath his fingers. He reached forwards, drawing her to him in a hug, delicately kissing her forehead and whispering in her ear, "There are people who'll miss you greatly if you do this."
Alex leant her cheek gently against his shoulder. "Thank you," she breathed. Drawing back from him, her sparkling eyes looking up into his own, her face fell as she let out a desperate gasp and lost her balance.
"NO!" Dean shouted.