Eye of the Storm
Disclaimer: I only own Haley and the unborn baby. And any random add-in characters you don't recognize.
Review Answers:
EmSyd – Thanks, good to know.
The Kiss of Death – Thanks.
Daughter of Ipswich – Yay, new reviewer. Normally I'd say something really dorky right about now, but I'm trying to avoid dorkiness, so we'll settle for a "Welcome to the Heart of Gold reviewing… place' okay, no imagination there. Anyway, glad you've enjoyed the stories so far. Yes, I've considered it a lot.
Ghostwriter – That's a relief. I have this tendency to ramble and I'm never sure if anyone ever understands it. Thanks, same here, I was so upset when they killed her (next to Dean, she's my second favourite character on the show). Will do, thanks.
Chapter 14: Surprise
A Month and a Half Later
Haley recovered from the heart attack after a couple of days, and after that, there were little-to-no signs of any side-effects from the drugs she'd been given. Everyone was released from the hospital at various points over the next few weeks, the last of which being Meg.
And now, a month and a half later, things are just starting to return to abnormal. And you know what that means: any minute now, something is going to go wrong.
"Whoever forgot to flush the toilet gets to clean up the vomit." Haley said as she half-walked, half-staggered out of the bathroom, looking a little pale and rather worn out. "I thought morning sickness was supposed to stop… before now. I'm seven and a half months pregnant; anything I could possibly have lost is up and flushed by now."
"Can you not say things like that when I'm eating breakfast?" Dean asked.
"Can you try and flush the toilet next time?" Haley shot back as she collapsed into a chair in the kitchen of the house she, Sam, Dean and Meg were currently renting. Well, she, Sam and Meg rented it and Dean just inhabited a room when he wasn't out hunting with John, Bobby and Caleb (with so few hunters left, someone had made the decision that splitting up would be a bad idea right now); though he contributed to the rent whenever he could (hustling pool was an unpredictable career at best). Sam outright-refused to even leave the house without Haley, and Meg, despite being out of hospital, was still recovering from her injuries, especially her legs, which were still incredibly weak. She could walk, but not for long or very far, so she enjoyed being pushed around in her wheelchair by Dean whenever he was around.
It was a reasonably nice house, not far from Missouri's, with a pool in the backyard, a pool table in the basement (which had been converted into something of a games room), two bedrooms on the first floor, one bedroom on the ground floor, a reasonably large living room, a decent-sized kitchen, two bathrooms, one on the ground floor and the other on the first floor, and a shed out the back where the hunters often met to make plans.
Right now, Sam was in the shower on the second floor, Meg was making pancakes, Dean was eating the pancakes, and Haley was fuming about the fact that her baby continued to wreak havoc with her bodily functions.
"You sure you don't want help?" Dean asked between mouthfuls of pancake, looking over at Meg. She was leaning back against the kitchen counter while she waited for the newest batch to finish cooking.
"We both know you don't really mean that, you're just saying it because you care," Meg said. "And because you know I'll refuse. You go ahead and enjoy my pancakes while you can."
"Damn," Dean said. "I gotta get a girlfriend who doesn't know me so well."
"So it's official then?" Haley asked, taking a bite out of her pancakes. Sugar soaked in lemon juice covered the both of the pancakes on her plate, and she tried (and failed) to savour the taste in her mouth as she waited for Dean to answer.
"What do you mean?" He asked. "It's been official for weeks."
"No, you've been having sex with her for weeks." Haley said. "There's a difference."
"In that case, yes, it is official." Dean said, looking up as Sam walked into the room, wearing a plain red t-shirt and a pair of jeans, his hair still damp from the shower. "You hear that, Sammy? Your big brother's finally found someone who's more then a one night stand."
"I heard." Sam said. He gave Haley a quick kiss, and then took a seat beside her. A moment later, a pancake dropped onto his plate, having just finished cooking in the frying pan.
"Enjoy, this is the last time I cook for you guys for at least a month. See if you can fend for yourselves in that time." Meg said, moving back over to the stove and frying pan.
"Enough with the cooking, woman; come and enjoy your handiwork." Dean said, moving into a more comfortable position in his chair. "Or at least come over and let me enjoy you."
"Can you not say things like that when I'm eating breakfast?" Haley asked mockingly, a smile on her face as she used the exact same words Dean had just a few minutes earlier. With a smile of her own, Meg turned off the frying pan, dropped the final pancake onto the pile that had been accumulating on a plate in the centre of the table, and then went and sat down beside Dean, taking a pancake for herself.
"You know, if I could actually taste this, I'm sure I'd be congratulating you on a job well done." Haley said to Meg, taking another piece out of her pancake. She glanced over at Sam. "Don't go into the downstairs bathroom; Dean's got a mess he needs to clean up." Sam grinned.
"Well, don't worry Dean. You keep trying, and one day you'll be able to make it all the way without having any accidents." He said, pointedly looking at his pancakes so that he couldn't see his brother's face. Haley and Meg both did their best not to laugh, while Dean made a somewhat immature face at Dean. This was how it had been just about every morning for the last couple of weeks. Supernatural activity had died down to almost nothing, and what little there was could be handled by the three older hunters, which left dean more time to spend with Meg. So they had enjoyed mornings like this one quite often lately, and it felt good for all of them, to be part of a family again. Especially Meg, who had lost her family in a fire not long after she'd been possessed. Her father had died when she was a baby, burned up on the ceiling like Sam and Dean's mother and Haley's sister, and then her family had been killed only a little over a year ago. Suffice it to say, she'd probably doubted she'd ever have a family breakfast again.
Sam glanced over at Haley and noticed a look of discomfort on her face. And colour of her skin and the way she was sitting told him it was time for her to move.
"I think you've eaten enough for this morning." He said.
"I… agree." Haley said. She pushed her chair back, and sat there for a minute. Of course, what she was really doing was trying to stand up, but to everyone else it looked like she was just sitting there. "Sam, hand please." She said, looking over at Sam. He smiled, taking another bite from his pancake. "Now, husband! I feel like a beached whale."
"Right away, Mrs. Whale." Sam said with a grin, getting to his feet to help her to hers. "Would you like me to push you back into the ocean while I'm at it?" He asked. Giving him a sarcastic laugh, Haley pulled herself to her feet with Sam's help.
"Thanks, but I'll settle for our bed." She said, leaning against Sam.
"Your command is my wish, my queen." Sam said. Behind him, Dean rolled his eyes, earning him a smile from Meg, which she tried to hide, and a glare from Haley, which she directed around Sam. Then Sam turned her around and began guiding her out of the kitchen.
They reached their first obstacle at the foot of the stairs. Actually, the stairs were the obstacle. Haley's eyes were wide as she stared at them, and she appeared to be counting just how many there were. After a minute, she leaned her head against Sam.
"I'm tired just thinking about trying to climb them," she complained. "With or without your help."
"Okay, next choice," Sam said, changing the direction they were facing, now leading her towards the bedroom that was on the ground floor; it didn't have an actual owner, though it was where Missouri slept on the occasions she spent the night. Sam figured she wouldn't mind if Haley rested in there while she regained her strength.
He practically had to lift her up off the ground to get her off the bed, and he hadn't realized just how heavy she was until the relief filled him as soon as she was no longer in his arms.
"Hey, I felt that," Haley said, sounding somewhere between accusatory and childish. "I am very self-conscious right now. I don't need comments about my weight."
"I didn't say anything." Sam complained.
"You were thinking it." Haley said, her eyes narrowed. Sam gave her a loving smile and kissed her. Any possible anger she might have felt instantly melted away. Of course, so did what little energy she had left, and she leaned her head against his shoulder, almost asleep already. She felt Sam lay her down, and gratefully rested her head on the pillow. While she enjoyed the many thrills of being pregnant, one thing she would not miss was the constant need for sleep.
-;-
Her dreams as of late had been getting more and more… well, the word insane leapt to mind quite easily. Insane as in, it could never really happen but somewhere in her gut she knew it really could.
She was standing on a hill, staring out across the landscape. In one arm she held a child, perhaps three or four years old. On the ground, a boy of seven or eight held her hand. All any of them could see for miles around was a burned out wasteland. Men, women, children, were all slaves, working tirelessly for no real reason except to be kept in line by their masters. Demons. The Demon Haley had fought so hard to destroy alongside her new family.
They'd been wondering for weeks where the Demon could possibly have gone. It had gotten Sam's blood; it should be restored. So why wasn't it attacking them? Why wasn't it bringing Haley's nightmares to life? Had her own blood been enough to kill it after all?
John and Caleb had returned to the cemetery, but all evidence of the ritual had vanished. That didn't specifically say the Demon had survived and drank from the goblet, but it also didn't confirm that it was dead.
Where was Sam in all of this? And Dean and Meg and John, and all the others? What had happened to them? Why was Haley alone with her sons?
Turning suddenly, Haley had just enough time to see a tall figure with dark hair before the figure slashed her across her chest and abdomen with a large sword…
… And then, with a sharp intake of breath, she sat bolt-upright, awakening from the dream. She quickly felt along her chest and stomach where the sword had cut into her, and as she'd expected, she was completely fine. No harm in making sure though; she never knew what was real and what wasn't when she was dreaming these days.
Swinging her legs around and off the bed, Haley tried to pull herself to her feet. Somehow, she managed it, if a little unsteadily, and walked slowly out of the room. Three things had become important to her during her pregnancy: sleeping, eating, and relieving herself. Right now, she was hungry. Actually, she was starving; it seemed like hours since breakfast. For all she knew, it had been; she didn't know how long she'd been sleeping.
"An hour and a half." She looked up as she entered the kitchen and saw Dean and Meg sitting on opposite sides of the table, a chessboard placed between them, dominated mostly by white pieces.
"What do you mean?" She asked.
"I timed how long you were in bed." Dean answered without taking his eyes off the board. After a minute, he picked up a knight (a black one) and moved it in forward in an L shape.
"I didn't know you played chess." Haley said.
"He doesn't." Meg said simply, picking up her bishop and moving it onto the same square as Dean's knight, taking the knight from the board, and also leaving her bishop diagonally facing Dean's king. "Checkmate." She said cheerfully.
"Dammit." Dean said irritably. He pulled out his wallet and took out a twenty, handing it to Meg. Haley looked between the two of them.
"You were playing for money?" She asked.
"Yup," Meg said. "One dollar for every piece lost, and twenty dollars to the winner." Haley counted up all the pieces Dean had lost. Six pawns, both bishops, one castle, his queen, and one knight.
"How'd you convince him to play?" She asked.
"I told him if he won I'd-"
"Please don't tell her." Dean said quickly. Haley raised an eyebrow; was Dean blushing? A small grin spread on her lips.
"Where's Sam?" She asked, deciding to make Dean more comfortable by changing the subject.
"Upstairs in the nursery." Dean said. "Adding some 'finishing touches' as he put it." Haley groaned. That left chatting with Sam out of her plans then; the 'nursery' as Dean had called it, used to be Sam and Haley's walk-in closet, meaning in the bedroom upstairs.
"Please tell me the bathroom's been cleaned, at least." She said.
"The bathroom is sparkling clean." Dean said. He turned his attention to Meg. "I want to go again. I think I've got the hang of it now and I need that twenty back."
"Whatever you say." Meg said, already setting up the board again. Sighing, Haley got to her feet. First she'd use the toilet, then she'd eat. Then she'd probably need the toilet again. Oh well, too late now.
She did her business, and then walked over to the sink, washed her hands and then splashed her face with water, looking in the mirror. She still looked worn out, but at least now she felt a bit refreshed. Maybe she'd have a nice, relaxing bath later on. Maybe she could talk Sam into joining her.
With that thought on her mind, she left the bathroom and returned to the kitchen. She'd been gone maybe five minutes, and already Dean was losing at the second game of chess. Despite his skill on the battlefield, he just couldn't seem to get the hang of a simple chess game. Shaking her head, she walked passed the table to the fridge, grabbed a block of cheese and the butter, closed the fridge, and then searched the cupboards until she had a can of pineapples. With those two ingredients in hand, she set about making a couple of cheese and pineapple sandwiches.
With her sandwiches on a plate, she turned to join Meg and Dean at the table. She'd taken three, maybe four steps when she froze, her eyes widening, breath quickening.
The plate fell from her hands, hitting the floor and breaking into a dozen pieces, but she barely noticed it. Dean and Meg, however, did, and they both looked over. Haley just stared straight ahead, a familiar feeling rushing over her. The feeling of being trapped, but it wasn't her. But it also wasn't the same kind of trapped feeling. It wasn't suffocating, just…
"Haley." Her eyes opened, and she blinked, seeing Dean standing in front of her. "You okay." A look of discomfort crossed her face. Something was… different. Her eyes widened.
"No… I…"
"What? What is it?" Dean asked. "Is it the Demon?" He knew that she sometimes looked like she had a second ago when she was feeling something particularly strong. That brief experience, however, was the farthest thing from Haley's mind right at that moment.
"No." She said, shaking her head. "Dean, my water just broke."
-;-
A/N: Now the fun begins. Okay, not so much fun, but we are no in the second (and last) part of Eye of the Storm. I had it planned out; the first half involved the Demon taking Sam, the second part involves Haley being in labour.
I hope it wasn't too weird having them all living in a house together, I just figured Sam and Haley would get a house, plus Meg can't exactly live on her own until she's fully recovered, and, well, Dean and Meg are together, so he'd live where she lived (plus his brother and sister-in-law live there).
Oh, and I'm not really sure what the point of Haley's dream was, whether it's past or future, I just had to put something in while she was sleeping, and I couldn't think of anything to do with Dean and Meg or Sam, so I just gave Haley a dream.
I keep thinking I've made a mistake somewhere, but I can't find it. If anyone sees anythign wrong with this chapter, can you let me know? Anyway, let me know what you think. Until next time, Cyas.