The Other Winchester – Part 2
Pulling up outside the cemetery Dean was instantly taken back to that day three months ago when Sam had jumped head first into the portal sending Lucifer back to his cage, taking Michael and with him Adam, his other brother.
His thoughts turning to Adam, Dean knew that there was no way to get him back. Cas had said that not being Michael's true vessel he would have burned up on the trip back to hell. Michael was now trapped with Lucifer and Sam in the cage, and was bound to be pissed. Dean didn't know how he should feel about the loss of Adam, sure he was his half-brother but he didn't know him, the boy he knew wasn't even real, but a ghoul who had taken over his form. Even though he had spent some time with him at Bobby's place before the battle he had been too concerned with saying yes to Michael to care. Thinking now he felt sad at the loss of what could have been, not what he had.
Looking up Dean could see Bobby pull up with Castiel and Haley on her 'baby' coming in behind him. Laughing, he recalled their race on the way here, his 'baby' against hers. He had to admit; she sure could ride that bike and had seriously kicked his ass. Of course he was winning at one point, it was a matter of family pride, he was confident that his baby would win.
Haley had other ideas, pulling up beside him she shouted through the window.
"That all you've got big brother," then with a wink and a laugh pulled down the visor on her helmet and took off, leaving him seriously eating her dust. When this was all over he wanted a rematch. Sammy was gonna rib him over this forever! First, she knocked him on his ass and then kicked his ass in a race; Dean Winchester is never beaten at anything by a girl, even if that girl is a Winchester.
Getting out of the car Dean walked over to where they were standing.
"Ready to do this?"
Haley grinned. "Yeah, let's get him back."
Dean could tell she was nervous; he couldn't help but remember his time in Hell. Now he was sending his little sister to Hell, a little sister that he hadn't seen in twenty years. It seriously sucked!
"Don't worry, It's gonna be alright. I'll be right here with Cas waiting to pull you back as soon as you've got Sammy," he said reassuringly, his tone more confident than he felt. He remembered the day that his dad had taken Haley away, was very aware of the fact that he'd told her it'd be okay and hadn't been able to keep that promise.
Haley smiled softly at her brother before turning Castiel. "I'm ready, where do you want me?"
They had stopped at a roadside diner on the way to eat and Castiel had explained what they needed to do. Once at the cemetery they would need to open the link between her and Sam; Castiel would then send her soul through the link to Sam. She wouldn't be able to breach the cage but would need to get Sam to come to her, he had to make the connection needed to bring him home.
"We need to go to the spot where the portal opened. I will prepare the protection circle and then we can start." Castiel replied.
Dean and Sam had always impressed him with their ability to do what needed to be done without thought to their own safety and well-being, particularly when it came to each other. It seemed that this newest addition to their family shared the same trait. She was clearly terrified of what was to come, but nothing it seemed was going to stop her doing this.
They walked together to the centre of the cemetery each lost in their own thoughts. No one spoke of their fears that this wouldn't work, fears that Haley soul would become trapped in the pit, her body left to die with no soul to animate it. Reaching the centre of the cemetery, Castiel and Bobby started to prepare the protection circle.
Dean sighed as he looked at his sister. "Are you sure you want to do this?" his brow furrowed, "I'd understand if you've changed your mind. I've been there Hales. It's not pretty and it's not fun."
Taking Dean's hand in her smaller one Haley squeezed softly.
"I need to do this Dean; I have to try to get him back. I may not have been with you both all these years, but I still know you, still love you."
"I know that if you could you would be the one doing this. You're my big brother and I know that you would do anything to protect Sam and me, but you can't do this only I can."
Stepping forward Dean enveloped Haley in his arms. "That's what big brothers are for."
Bobby watched the exchange between the siblings. He knew how hard this was for Dean, to find his sister only to risk losing her again. The thought that not only could they not get Sam back, but that Haley could become trapped too was unbearable. He wanted to take the little girl that he remembered and lock her in the panic room until they could find another way to get Sam out of the pit. Instead he walked over to the two and said simply. "We're ready."
Stepping apart, Dean and Haley walked to the centre of the protection circle, taking off his leather jacket he sat down and indicated that Haley should sit beside him. Once seated he put his arm around her and took her hand.
He looked at Castiel. "Okay, let's do this."
Kneeling in front of Haley, Castiel put two fingers to her forehead. "Haley, you must open your mind to Sam, feel the connection that you have with him. As soon as I feel the link between you, I can send you down."
Haley nodded and closed her eyes. She immediately started to remember her childhood; happy times spent growing up; Sam and her doing everything together. She remembered a time when they sat on the hood of the Impala watching the stars talking and sharing secrets, sharing their hopes and dreams. Mostly, she remembered that no matter where she was, she could always find her brother, Sam.
Suddenly she felt a pull from deep inside of her as her connection to Sam pulled her soul from her body. The last thing she heard was a terrified Dean say "I've got you Haley... Don't you dare think of not coming back, do you hear me?"
As Haley returned to consciousness she knew that she had made it. The heat was intense as she opened her eyes and got her first look at the pit, green eyes widening as she took in hell. It was everything that she imagined and the one place she never thought she would find herself.
She could see rows upon rows of souls lined up waiting to be placed on the racks. The screams were terrible, pain filled and terrified. She looked around, knowing that she had to find Sam and get out of there, fearful that she would lose herself in the agonies of the souls held there. How could Dean have endured forty years in this place without losing himself completely?
She looked around, wondering how she was going to find Sam in this place, wondering how long it would be before one of the demons noticed that she wasn't meant to be here.
"Haley, you came."
Turning Haley came face to face with a creäture so beautiful that she had to look away. She had heard that Lucifer was the most beautiful of the angels and he was magnificent. Trembling, she stepped back. She realised that she wasn't going to have to search for Sam after all, she had landed in the pit right next to Lucifer's cage.
"Yes, I just came to collect my brother, if you would send him out I'll be on my way." She said with a confidence she didn't feel.
Lucifer laughed. "You want Sam, you'll have to come in here and get him little girl, but wait, you can't. No one can get in or out of the cage, you came here for nothing."
He turned and walked back into the cage. "Sammy, wake up little sister came for a visit"
Sam looked up, eyes filled with pain. "I don't have a sister, only a brother Dean."
Haley couldn't understand how he couldn't know her. Castiel had said that he would remember her even here in the pit. He'll remember me, he has too! she thought frantically.
Haley watched on helpless as Lucifer pulled on Sam's hair, forcing him to look into his eyes. Her heart broke for her brother as he passed out.
"Well my dear." Lucifer said, a bit like the wolf to little red riding hood. "Since you are here why don't you stay a while, chat with me. It's not often I get to talk to someone new, someone brave enough, or foolish enough to come down just to say hello."
"Sure, why not. Can I ask you a question first?"
Lucifer nodded.
"Where's Michael, isn't he here with you. I thought Sam pulled him in too?"
"Ah Michael, he's here. Although he's not feeling to good at the moment, he's kind of tied up. Your other brother, his vessel didn't make it I'm afraid."
Haley could sense that behind the calm exterior he was angry that she was here to take Sam back.
"So, where's Dean... is he not with you? He's usually the Winchester ready to jump into hell to save his brother. We spent many an interesting night while he was here and when I say interesting night I mean when I listened to him being tortured, torn to pieces for forty years. Did you know that? Now your dad on the other hand he was a man with sticking power..." He lowered his voice to a whisper. "One hundred years and he never broke. Do you know how we tortured him; we used his guilt over sending you away to make him suffer. He saw every aspect of the life you had growing up, the punishments for running away. The psychologists you saw when they accused you of making up your brothers, you father, thinking you were crazy. The electric shock therapy they used to 'cure you'."
Haley froze, shocked by the revelation that Lucifer knew who she was, and that he had done all along. How could he the pendent was supposed to have shielded her?
"I was fairly annoyed when he climbed out of here." Lucifer continued gleefully sensing the growing despair in the young woman before him.
Haley felt her gaze drawn to Sam, who had awakened whilst Lucifer was talking. Clearly in pain, his face a mask of shock and confusion as he tried to put together what Lucifer was saying.
"Haley?"
Haley knew that she had to keep Lucifer talking, had to give Sam time for his memories of her to return and their bond to seal the connection Castiel needed to pull them out.
"That wasn't his fault, he didn't know what they would do to me..." Haley snapped., "he thought I was safe."
"Oh, but that didn't stop the guilt and the shame." Lucifer drawled. "He cried like a baby when he saw how you suffered."
He may not have been able to touch her but his words had the effect of opening wounds that Haley had thought long closed. She closed her eyes, forcing back the memories that threatened to overwhelm her.
"The saddest thing was that despite all that, his boys were still the most important thing to him, the ones that he would go to hell and back for, and did!"
Taunting Haley now with words that he knew would cut her to her very core, distract her from what she came to do. He relished the tears that spilled from her eyes, hot trails of pain streaming down her cheeks as the soul before him began to wilt. The pain of having lost a family and the uncertainty of thinking that they wouldn't want her now tearing at the very depth of her being. Finally, he said the words that would crack open the scars holding her fragile heart together.
"He never cared enough about you to come back for you did he, did he?" Peering at her with a look of glee he said "Your brothers' won't want you either."
Haley knew that she had to do something to get them out of there or Lucifer was going to win, but she struggled to find the strength, his words tearing into her soul. She fell to the floor, covering her face in her hands. She cried out for the one person who could always find her when she was lost and afraid.
"Sammy, help me, please! I can't do this without you." She sobbed. Defeat swirled within her as she realised that she would never get them home, she'd failed. "I'm sorry Dean, so sorry, I can't..."
"Get away from my sister, you evil son of a bitch!" Sam shouted at Lucifer as he freed himself from the shackles holding him to the wall. With no time to digest the onslaught of memories flooding into his mind he reached deep within himself and drew upon powers that he swore never to use again. Raising a hand he gave a hard mental push, sending Lucifer into soaring into the wall at the opposite side of the cage and away from his sister.
He rushed towards Haley, knowing that they only had a few seconds. He stretched out his hand, breaching the cage and touched her arm.
Haley looked up into the warm hazel eyes of her brother as she reached over and grabbed hold of his hand.
"Castiel... NOW!"
xxOOxx
"Cas, what's happening, this is taking too long?" Dean asked impatiently, holding tight to his sister hoping that she knew he was there and that it was giving her strength.
"Wait!" Castiel said. He looked at Dean briefly then closed his eyes. "She's got him."
"Dean."
Hearing Sam, Dean looked over and saw him lying on the ground within the circle.
"Bobby, take Haley, make sure she's okay."
Bobby rushed over and pulled the still unconscious girl from him. He tightened his hold around her and whispered a silent prayer of thanks to whoever was listening.
Dean moved quickly to Sam holding back long enough for Castiel to heal his injuries.
Haley awakened with a gasp; she raised her head in time to see Sam grab hold of Dean, both men with tears trailing down their faces.
"We did it."
Bobby hearing that Haley was awake tightened his hold on the girl in his arms and held her close. "No, you did it" His own tears falling freely on Haley's head. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, got out of hell." She replied softly. "That's always good, right?"
"Yeah, little girl, that's always a good thing." Bobby let her go. As she pulled back he got his first proper look at her. He could see that she was hurting, green eyes haunted and knew that whatever happened in the pit it wasn't good. He suspected that the girl before him was not as fine as she would have him to believe.
"Will you be okay if I go say hi to Sam?"
"I'm good." she nodded. "Go say hi. I'm just going to sit here a minute."
Haley watched Bobby with sadness as he got up and approached the point in the circle where Sam and Dean were still hugging. She could hear the tears in his voice as he said "It's good to have you back boy, we missed you."
Her heart broke at the scene before her. They were not her family anymore, they had each other, she didn't belong with them. She struggled to her feet on shaky legs. Spotting her Harley she thought that she would go leave them, they didn't need her, the words 'they won't want you either' looping like a record, broken and scratched through her mind.
She heard Dean call out concerned as she began to walk away.
"Hales... Hales are you okay?"
"I'm fine, I just need ...," she trailed off as darkness claimed her once more.
Dean was up and by her side in an instant. Sam quickly on his heels.
"Dean what the hell... Is she okay?" He looked at the young woman on the ground. Sam knew that this was his sister, could feel a deep bond between them, taunt joining his soul to hers. It seemed impossible that he could have forgotten her. Clearly there was a lot he needed to catchup on.
"What's going on Dean, where has she been all this time?"
"Long story Sammy and not one that you're going to like." Dean said "I'll explain it to you in the car on the way back to Bobby's."
Dean went to lift Haley in his arms but stopped when Sam reached down and gently picked her up. Cradling her in his arms he carried her back to Dean's car.
Dean turned to Castiel asking, "Is she okay?"
"Yes, she just needs to rest to allow her soul to reconnect to her body, she'll be fine Dean." Castiel looked beyond Dean to the man with the small woman cradled in his arms. "They both will."
"Dude, man I hate when he does that." Dean grumbled as Castiel simply disappeared. "Bobby, can you help me get Haley's bike back on the truck?"
Coming up to stand beside Dean, Bobby looked over at Sam as he got into the Impala, never letting Haley go.
"Sure don't look like Sam's going to be letting her go any time soon, does it?"
"No, it doesn't."
Seeing his brother and sister together he smiled. Yes, today was a good day and it had gone the Winchesters way for a change. He didn't know what had happened in the pit, but he knew that it couldn't have been good. Haley had been down there too long for it to have been an easy ride and who knows what Sam had endured locked in the cage with Lucifer. He'd look out for them both and they would face the consequences of that together, after all that's what big brothers did.
Following Bobby back to the truck, they loaded Haley's bike on the flat-bed and secured it tightly under the tarp careful not to damage it. Neither one relishing the prospect of telling Haley that they'd been the one to damage it.
"You coming back to mine?" Bobby asked as he got into the truck.
"Yeah, its home after all."
Bobby nodded knowing that his place was home for these kids.
Dean got into the driver seat of the Impala and looked over at his brother and sister in the back seat. Haley was still out cold and Sam was watching her intently.
"Tell me everything." Sam said, his eyes never leaving his sisters face.
Dean put the car into drive and pulled out of the cemetery and started towards Bobby's place. Telling the story of how they lost a sister and how she found her way back home.
TBC
