A/N: Vivi here! Been a while, huh? Well, I recently got the writing bug back so I decided to give ETW another go! Here's a little something just for you…
Same warnings apply. Enjoy!
Previously on Enter the World:
With his hair now a shiny black once more, I turned the water off and tossed a towel over his head just as Dean was dropping off some clothes. We left the room. I figured he'd want some privacy to change into the clothes Dean left for him.
Sam met us in the hallway, a shit-eating grin on his face and his laptop still in his arm. "Hey, Dean."
"Yeah?"
"Did you know that some birds preen each other as part of a mating ritual?"
Dean punched Sam's shoulder on the way by, ducking quickly into Bobby's room and slamming the door. He missed the pained grimace and the words 'worth it' that came from Sam in the moments after.
Of course Dean left his own clothes for Cas.
Cas slept for a long time after we scrubbed the blood away; he retreated to the room he and Sam shared before anyone even realized he'd left the bathroom. We figured he would want some alone time after the day he already had.
In the meantime, Ellen and Bobby had rounded the rest of us up, claiming our break was over. We spent hours getting ready for this big, elaborate wedding that was supposed to happen that afternoon.
Which left me none too happy when, just half an hour before the guests were supposed to arrive, Ellen pulled me aside.
"What do you mean I have to wear a dress?" I whined, trying to reign in the pout knowing that Ellen wasn't the kind of woman to give in to something like that.
"The bride was very clear that everything about her 'special day' needs to be 'top-shelf'. That means dresses, tuxes, manners, snobby attitudes, and egos the size of the black hills." Ellen crossed her arms and looked sympathetic. "I know it's a pain but we all gotta work together on this one. They're payin' big bucks and I don't like refunds, y'understand?"
"Yeah, yeah. But I don't have a nice dress."
"Jo has some."
"In case you haven't noticed, I'm a couple sizes bigger than Jo and thirteen weeks pregnant."
Ellen rolled her eyes. "You're hardly even showing, sweetheart. Go look through her closet and find something to wear. And get back here before the show starts; we're gonna need all hands on deck."
I hesitated in turning away. "Does that mean Cas, too, er…?"
"No. Are you kiddin' me? You know what normal folks would think if they saw him in all his winged glory out in the open. Now get a move on and do not tell Cas to come help. He needs to stay in tonight."
"Got it."
Turns out I wasn't the only one to be displeased by the strict dress code.
I'd never seen Sam in a tux. A fed suit, yeah, but never a tux. I'd also never drooled over a man before but I guess today was a day of firsts for me.
Dean was tugging at his own tux's collar when I walked into the back room of the barn to help prep for the ceremony and reception. When he looked up and noticed me, he grinned and wolf-whistled at me loudly. That got Sam's attention. He left his place unboxing bottles of colorful liquids and came to me, smiling. "I like purple on you." He said, motioning to the dress I borrowed from Jo's closet.
"Thanks."
"If you get cutesy, I'm leaving."
Sam rolled his eyes and turned to glare at Dean. "It's a wedding, dude."
"Yeah, but not yours."
"Whatever."
"Boys, hurry up with the bar. Ali, we're just finishing plating the desserts. Come on." Ellen grabbed my arm and off we went.
The ceremony was beautiful but I felt bad for the groom. He was red in the face and sweating, looking more nervous than I'd felt in a long time. The bride's dress was extravagant and sparkling and coated in rhinestones; it must've weighed a ton. She looked fierce. Not stylish fierce, but brutal fierce. I was pretty sure the groom's hands shook when he put the ring on her finger.
Once the ceremony was over, the 'happy' couple went outside to take pictures and we started serving drinks. Everything went swimmingly until the crowd of snobby looking relatives and friends had alcohol in them.
I was tasked with refilling the water glasses, which were going mostly unused in favor of something a bit pricier. The jug I carried from table to table was cold and droplets started to form on the outside, dripping now and then onto the floor. My hand was almost numb by the time I made it to the head table.
One drop landed on a tipsy groomsman's pant leg when I refilled his water cup.
He was not pleased.
The man grabbed my arm, making me lose my grip on the slippery container. It dropped between us, hitting the ground and splashing my legs with icy cold liquid. I gasped and tried to pull away, panic spiking in my chest.
"What the hell did you do?" The man growled, shaking my arm and squeezing so tight it hurt.
I did the only thing that came to my panic-frozen mind. "Sam!" The scream bounced off the decorative beams high in the barn's ceiling, giving it a near-echo. The roar of the crowd hushed for barely a split second before resuming their conversations.
"You better clean that up now, bitch. Is this the kind of service you provide here?" I could smell the alcohol on his breath and tried to pull away again.
Not good not good not good-
Before I could reply, a big hand engulfed the man's wrist, another hand moving to pry his fingers off of my arm. As soon as I was freed, I jerked my reddened digits to my chest and backed up several feet. Sam. I realized. He moves quick. Wow.
"What's the problem here?" Sam asked, a professional mask of calm on his face. He glanced back at me, then to the floor. "Did your- that's not your water breaking, is it?" He whispered. I shook my head to let him know I was okay. He turned back to the man and moved to stand so that I couldn't see the guy and he couldn't see me.
I responded in a very sincere, very typical female protagonist fashion. My hero. Complete with butterflies in my stomach, a sigh, and a pounding heart.
"She dumped water in my lap." The groomsman slurred, motioning to me around Sam.
"From what I saw, you assaulted her and there's no water on your pants."
"What the hell do you know, waiter boy?"
"Don't touch her, or any of our staff, again. Especially not my pregnant girlfriend. You will be asked to leave."
The man didn't reply. He just stood, sent a clumsy punch at Sam, and threw himself off balance. Sam, ever the forward thinker, stepped back and gently pushed me a few more feet away so that we were well out of the man's range.
The guy landed in the puddle of ice water, swearing like a sailor as the bridal party looked on.
"I got that all on video." I looked to my right and saw a bridesmaid with her camera phone out, a glass of champagne in her other hand, dangerously close to spilling as she stumbled around the table. "I'm gonna call the cops on you."
"What's going on?"
Ellen cleared everything up after 'asking' Sam and I to go work in the back and send Bobby and Jo out in our places. I didn't mind. It was all too overwhelming, being in such a large, loud, drunk crowd. I could handle situations like those normally- they weren't all that bad- but I'd never been pregnant and worried about protecting a tiny life while navigating those waters before. As it turned out, Sam and I were perfectly content to just prep food, do dishes, restock the bar, and talk quietly amongst ourselves for the rest of the night.
It was three in the morning when a man named Caleb showed up. The last of the cars in the parking lot had departed, most of the vomit was cleaned from the barn floor, and the bar had been hastily restocked for some reason.
Two minutes after Caleb arrived, some guy named Roger arrived. Bobby greeted both warmly, followed by Ellen, then Dean, then Sam, who pulled away from me with a surprised smile on his face. Apparently they knew each other.
And I was exhausted.
No one told us that tonight was the Hunter Pack Night.
By four in the morning, over a hundred men, women, and children, all hunters of some sort or family of hunters, were crowded into the barn, talking merrily, sparring in rings of people, or drinking at the cash bar Ellen was manning with renewed vigor.
I was helping bartend, as was Sam. Dean wandered off early on in the night. A few hunters noted my growing belly and the alcohol in my hands, but I assured them I would not partake for any amount of money. Nothing in the world could make me hurt my baby like that.
And apparently, nothing in the world could keep Sam from proudly explaining that the baby in my belly was his. He got a few pats on the back, many handshakes, and some enthused yet slightly disappointed hugs from a few less than sober women.
"Quite the catch." Ellen said as she poured a drink next to me. I could barely hear her over the dull roar of the crowd.
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"You've got the Sam Winchester, honey. Bit of a legend around these parts."
"Is he really?" I asked tiredly, handing a beer to one bearded man.
"Oh sure. You haven't been hearing all the conversations pop up about those boys through the night?"
"No, I'm, uh… kinda nauseous. Not really paying attention to much else."
"Baby got you feelin' that way?"
"Yeah."
"You know Sam's excited about all this, right?"
I shrugged. "I'm not so sure. He told me-" I was interrupted by a newcomer enthusiastically requesting a beer at the end of the bar. I continued when I returned to the center, where most of our patrons were crowding. "Before he found out, we talked about kids a little. Now's not a good time, and the life is rough on kids and… people like me."
"Doesn't mean he can't be happy to have both of you around."
"I know he likes me-"
"Loves you, dear. Just listen to him talk about you over there."
I glanced past Ellen further down the bar to see Sam grinning and talking with an overweight, older looking man who kept looking at me and smiling. The barn was too loud to hear a word they were saying, but Sam looked to me and winked before turning back to the man. Shrugging with a slight blush on my face, I returned to cleaning out a glass with a washcloth. "Yeah. And I feel the same way, but I can't help but wonder if this happening kinda forced his hand. What if he feels like he has to love me instead of actually just letting it happen?"
"Those boys won't be forced into anything, honey. They're too smart for that."
"What if he just loves me for the kid?" I sighed, filling the glass with ice and whiskey for a gentleman who had been waiting patiently for about thirty seconds now.
"Ali, where are these thoughts coming from? I may not a' known you long, but this doesn't seem like you."
I handed the man his drink and got a few more orders before running my fingers through my hair and taking a deep breath. "All this shit is my fault, Ellen. They're in danger because of me. We're all in danger because of me. If I just left, you would all be fine."
"Don't go talkin' like that. You're family, hun; they wouldn't let you leave even if you wanted to. Not with that little Winchester on the way."
"Don't remind me." I groaned, holding back a gag as my stomach rolled. "How long does this thing go?"
Ellen laughed, which made me nervous. "Until everyone leaves. Barn's not booked out for another three days."
My eyes widened in shock and I almost dropped the beer I was handing to a tall woman with blonde hair. "Three days?"
"Crowd usually thins out after the booze is gone."
"Three fucking days of this?" I asked again, letting the beer go when the woman reached forward and took it out of my hand.
Ellen smiled and nodded. "You don't have to help the whole time, Ali. Why don't you and Sam take a break? Go work the room, spread the news."
"About Francesca and Tristram?" Confusion swept over me. I mean, sure, having more help hunting them down would be nice, but it seemed kind of like a personal thing at this point. They were only after me. Why drag anyone else down with us?
"No, honey, the baby. Hunter women love hearing about hunter babies, as long as they're being taken care of properly. Now go on." Ellen nudged my shoulder towards Sam and took over taking and filling orders before I'd even agreed to leave the bar.
"Fine." I grumbled, going to Sam and touching his arm lightly to get his attention. He paused in talking with a young man across the bar and looked down at me.
"Everything okay?" Concern was instantly thick in his voice, seeing how tired and worn I looked.
"Yeah… yeah. Ellen says we should take a break. 'Go work the room'." I air-quoted her words, frowning at having to spend more time in this loud, smelly room with my feet and belly as sore as they were.
"Sounds good. Hey, man, good to see you again."
The man replied and turned to leave. Sam leaned down and kissed my forehead, earning a dull roar of 'aww' and gagging sounds with some wolf whistles in there, too. I blushed and couldn't hide my grin as he took my hand and lead me out from behind the bar.
The next half hour was a blur. I shook so many hands, got so many hugs, heard and forgot so many names that I felt like I was drowning in it. We didn't spend particularly long with any one person, maybe a two minute conversation at the most. Just enough time for Sam to introduce me and catch up with the person. Surprisingly, he usually didn't bring up that I was pregnant. He left that to whoever we were talking with.
He did, however, bring up what a talented hunter I was. That prompted quite a few conversations on techniques and tips and tricks of the trade. I learned a lot from a lot of different people. Like you can fill a tranquilizer dart with dead man's blood to incapacitate a vampire. Or that djinn dreams weren't always dreams; sometimes they were terrible nightmares. It just depends on what flavor the creature likes better.
The only time Sam brought up that I was pregnant was when a kindly red-headed woman who was as tall as me and about my size asked if she and I could spar so she could see how well the Winchesters taught me. I hesitated just long enough for Sam to put his hand out in front of me.
"She can't." Sam said loudly, battling the crowd to be heard.
"Why not?" Amy, the red-head, asked us.
"It's not that I don't want to, it's just that I'm pregnant." I shrugged.
"She's pregnant." Sam said sympathetically at the same time I said it.
"Pregnant, huh? You know who the father is?" Amy asked curiously, not seeming to mean any harm with her question. "Or is it a highway baby?"
Sam raised his hand with a wide grin. "He's mine."
Amy smiled as her eyes widened in shock. "No way! There's gonna be another generation of Winchesters?"
"Yeah." I said, running my hands over my belly as Sam snaked his arm around my shoulders. "In about five months."
"Congratulations, guys! Wow, so are you quitting the life, then?" She asked, crossing her arms as she looked at Sam and I.
"Well…" I looked to Sam, unsure of the answer.
He looked back at me and frowned. "We haven't actually talked about it yet."
"Oh, okay. Well you have some time, right? You're not hunting now, are you?" Amy asked, suddenly somewhat concerned.
"I'm not doing anything besides ground support." I said quickly, putting her concerns to rest.
"Dean and I are still working cases, but we, uh, we have a little bit of a demon problem right now, so that needs resolved before we can make any big plans." Sam pulled me closer, seemingly without realizing it.
"Oh, is that the whole possession thing I've been hearing about?" Amy asked, her eyebrows coming together.
"You heard about it?" I asked, confused.
"Yeah, yeah. Tristram and Francesca and their gang wanting you for some spell or something? I thought it was just a rumor that was going around. So that's true?"
"Yeah. We've been trying to track them down, but no luck yet." Sam said with a frown.
"Well, I'll spread the word and make sure if anyone hears anything, they phone you guys. You must be wreck gettin' chased like that while you're pregnant." Amy clicked her tongue a few times. "At least you have a good team on your side."
"Yeah, I do. The best, actually." I forced a smile and leaned into Sam.
"If you say so. Well, I'll see you around." Amy waved at us and smiled, walking away before we replied.
"Hey, we're gonna figure this out, okay?" Sam said, pulling me in close for a hug. He kissed the top of my head as I laid it on his chest. "Everything will be just fine."
"I hope so."
Unsurprisingly, by the end of the night it felt like everyone in the world knew I was having Sam's baby. Word spreads fast during Hunter Pack Night. Sam and I had to keep swatting drunk hands away from my belly every few minutes. I could only hope that word of our predicament was also spreading and getting us some quality allies in the process.
Inevitably, we found Dean doing shots with a small group near the entrance to the building, where the wedding card table usually sat.
"Heya, Sammy! Hey, Princess!" He exclaimed, grinning like a fool.
Sam laughed at the sight before him. Four tipsy hunters, four empty bottles of whiskey and two half empty bottles of tequila sat on the table they crowded around. Someone had spilled something on the table; it was going to be a sticky mess tomorrow, like half the building. "Hey, Dean."
"Everybody, this's Li. She's the best." Dean took another shot and shook his head quickly to clear the burn while he huffed and slammed the shot glass down on the table.
"The best, huh? At what? Gettin' knocked up?" A man with a red beard grinned at his own joke, motioning to his belly as if it were huge and making a dumb face. "Oh, hey, big guy. Put a baby in me. I'll let you fuck me hard and fast just like you want so you'll protect my sweet ass from the big bad demon. Am I right?" He exaggerated a wink and laughed, looking around at his companions.
No one at the table laughed with him. They were looking at Dean, who'd lost his merriment and was now staring the man down in a way I'd only seen a few times. Usually the objects of those stares died shortly after.
Sam's arm moved from around my shoulders to around my waist and tightened, like he might want to move me back a few feet and needed better leverage. My cheeks flushed with embarrassment and shame and I lowered my gaze to the dirty, sticky floor, letting the roar of the room drown out the hateful thoughts that filled my head.
Is that really how I'm gonna be seen now? Like I'm… like I'm a fuck toy for Sam? Like I'm taking advantage of him- of them? Is he right? I glanced up at Sam, who didn't notice my action. My hands ghosted over my belly, regret filling me. Should never have told them. Should've tried harder to run.
Dean stood and leaned over the table, closer to the man. "Say one more thing like that about her, I'll rip your fucking lungs out." His growl was low enough that no one besides those at the table could hear, but he emphasized every word.
The man quickly stopped laughing and his smile faded. "Whoa, man, easy. I was just havin' fun."
"You don't have fun with her, you understand me? Poke fun all you want at me or Sam, but never her. She didn't do shit to deserve that."
"Geez, alright. Cool it."
"Apologize."
"Look, dude, I was just-"
"Did I fucking stutter?" Dean roared, causing a brief quiet to come over the whole crowd. Hundreds of eyes turned our way, curious, before returning to their own business and starting up the low rumble once more.
"Sorry, Li."
"It's Ali." I said quietly but insistently.
"Ali?" He looked between me and Dean a few times.
"You heard her." Dean growled.
"He's the only one who gets to call me Li." I nodded to Dean, who sat back down and looked smugly at the guy.
"Whatever. Sorry, Ali."
No conversation started up at the table after that.
"Maybe we should get back to the bar." Sam said quietly, bending to speak into my ear.
"Why were you at the bar?" Dean asked, getting up and leaving the table to join us a few feet away. I wondered how he heard that from so far in such a loud room.
"Bartending. Ellen needed help." Sam said before glancing over his shoulder at the large mob surrounding what I knew to be the bar area. "Looks like she still needs it."
"You weren't drinking, right?" Dean looked pointedly at me, serious as could be.
I was offended. "No, Dean. Alcohol and babies don't mix. You know that." I said, wondering why he asked such a dumb question.
"And you?" Dean then looked to Sam, the same serious look on his face.
"I, uh, had a shot or two. Why?" Sam's face contorted in confusion, his grip on my hip adjusting slightly so he could rub his thumb over the bare skin under my shirt.
"Don't want you getting shit-faced and her ending up in the hospital. I don't want either of them getting hurting." Dean said, looking Sam up and down, appraising his truthfulness before turning to me and doing the same.
"I wouldn't hurt her even if I drank. Dean, what's this about? Are you drunk?"
"Not you, Sam. I know you won't hurt 'em. It's everyone else I'm worried about. And I have a three beer limit, remember? That's the same liquor in like four shots. And I've only had three." Dean crossed his arms, his gaze scanning the room. I wondered what he could see, since he and Sam were so much taller than I was. "I just, uh… I don't want what we got to get messed up again. Listen, don't stay too much later, okay? Both of you. These things get rough after a few hours and I don't want anything to happen to Junior."
"He'll be fine, Dean. Really." I said as convincingly as possible. "I'm a big girl. I can handle it."
"Not against a two hundred pound drunk guy who's only looking for one thing. Ellen told me the house is open to anyone who needs a place to sleep, so Sam? Don't leave her alone tonight. And if you have to, come find me. Everybody here can pick locks, remember?"
I looked around. Dean was right. A lot of these people were bigger than me and probably stronger, too. And with the amount of alcohol I'd dispensed alone, everyone in the room could be buzzed. Just mix a few too many hormones into that and bang. Recipe for rape. I leaned into Sam a bit more, my hand finding its way to his back. "Maybe Dean has a point…"
"She's safe with me." Sam said pulling me a little closer. I wound my arm around his back and leaned in, feeling cared for by both men. "I won't lose her again."
"Good." Dean nodded and walked past us, probably to find someone else to sit with for the next few hours or until he was needed.
"Sam, I don't feel so good." I said suddenly, placing a hand flat on my stomach as another bout of nausea nearly overtook me.
In the blink of an eye he was before me, bent down to look me over. "What doesn't feel good? The baby?"
I shook my head and frowned. "I'm just nauseous and tired and my feet hurt and I wanna go home." Tears filled my eyes as the rush of emotions took me by surprise. "I wanna go home to the bunker."
Sam sighed and pulled me into strong hug before leading me out into the cool of the night. It was quieter out here, even though there were a few people chatting in groups near the haphazardly parked cars or on the lawn. "You know we can't go home right now." We stopped at the edge of the glow provided by a big floodlight on the outside of the barn. The roar from inside could still be heard, but it was dampened quite a bit.
"I know, I just…"
"The road isn't easy on you. I can tell. That's why we're here and not driving all the time."
"Yeah, but this doesn't feel like home."
He pulled me close and I rested my head on his chest, listening to the slow, steady thump of his heartbeat. "You're tired. It's late. Why don't we go to bed?"
I glanced nervously at the house, watching the shadows pass by windows. "There are already people in there. What if they…?" What if they want to hurt me?
"Dean put ideas in your head, didn't he?" Sam kissed my hair and sighed. "It's a nice night. Why don't we sleep in the Impala? Lock the doors and all that."
I liked the sound of that. Far from people who could get handsy or say nasty things and close to the one I loved most. "Okay."
Sam took me by the hand and led me to the spot behind the house where we'd parked the Impala for the big event. He tugged the blanket out of the trunk and we snuggled down, the two of us barely managing to spoon in the backseat, me using his arm as a pillow. It was the best night's sleep I'd gotten since we arrived.
A/N: Man, I had the worst writer's block for the past few months. Feeling better now, though. Let me know what you think of the story! I thrive on reviews... See you soon!