Here it is everyone, the last chapter of Not all as it seems. thank you all so much for sticking with the story, i hope you all enjoyed it. and thank you all once again for the great reviews, they mean the world to me. as always, let me know what you think.

NOT ALL AS IT SEEMS

Chapter 14

Sam laid in the blissful darkness, his mind empty, body free of pain, free of fear. He was warm, safe, whole; the world outside the veil nothing but a fading memory. He could feel something pulling at him, trying to drag him back from the soothing envelop of nothingness he had found sanctuary in. He shrugged away from the nagging feeling, his mind fighting to remain in the darkness, even though he could feel the waking world pulling him back. There was fear there, uncertainty lurking in every corner. But here, in the darkness, all was well.

"Sa."

The small voice echoed to Sam, almost as though it was calling to him from across the distance of space, the last dying vestiges of a universe no one would remember. Slowly, Sam felt the damp carpet against his stomach, the heavy air assaulting his senses as the darkness began to dissipate.

"Sa." The small voice called again, his arm sliding uselessly across the molding floor as the small boy shook him again. "Sa."

And, in an instant, everything came back to the young hunter. Jake, the Korrigan, the Changeling, Dean, Kerri, and the Yellow Eyed Demon. The last time Sam had seen the little boy, he was in Kerri's arms, but now he was sitting beside him, tears running down his little face as he shook Sam again.

The young Winchester sprang up, the world around him tilting for a moment as he fought off a wave of nausea. So he had a concussion, wonderful, at least nothing else seemed to be out of place. He pulled the toddler up into his arms, Jake crying against his chest as Sam scanned the room. The door was wide open, swinging in an ever growing breeze, and the Yellow Eyed Demon had vanished. Making sure there was no longer a threat to face, Sam let his attention turn to his brother and Kerri.

Dean was laying on the ground, his body crumbled from what was at least a five foot fall from the wall. He was motionless, and Sam's heart beat faster and faster with each step he took toward the older man. Sam had watched his entire life flash before his eyes when Dean was pushed up the wall, all of the younger man's resolve melting away when he was faced with the reality of life without his brother. He couldn't do it, of that Sam was certain, and he prayed to god that Dean was still alive.

He let out a long sigh of relief when he reached the older man, Dean stirring beneath his brother's hands as Sam checked him over. "Dean?"

"What the hell happened?" Dean moaned, pushing himself up on his knees.

Sam could see understanding dawn on his brother as the events of the night ran back through his mind. He still couldn't believe that the Yellow Eyed Demon had been here, that it had been behind the whole hunt in the first place. And, judging by the look on his brother's face, Dean couldn't believe it either. A second later, though, their minds switched to Kerri.

She hadn't said a word since they found her, and Sam was terrified the Demon had done something to her that wouldn't be reversible. Sam had seen absolute terror reflected in her eyes, her entire body shaking when she looked at the Demon. And then, the thing had spoken. But demons lie, Sam knew that, at least, that's what he told himself over and over again. There was no way Kerri would purposefully make John leave, knowingly taking him from Dean. No, there had to be something else, another explanation.

Then again, Sam didn't really know Kerri, neither of them did. Yes, they'd grown up with her, and she was one of the the closest people in Dean's life, but that had been twelve long years ago, and now, well now she was more of a mystery. Hell, Sam had even managed to forget her all together. And, while that wasn't right or fair, it was the way their lives had turned out, and Sam knew that, no matter how much he wanted to, there was no way to change the past.

He pulled Jake back up into his arms, rubbing soothing circles around the little boy's back as Dean moved to Kerri. She was laying on the other side of one of the beds, her lean body hidden from view. She had yet to move, yet to make a sound, and Sam was afraid that the silence around them wouldn't be breakable. She had been alone with the Demon for hours, and Sam couldn't even begin to guess what it had done to her in that time. She was already sick, already weakened because of another hunt they had forced her into, and the younger Winchester didn't know how much more his friend could take.

Sam was brought back into the moment by Dean's voice, his brother sounding far younger then he ever had before. His usually gruff voice was soft against the smothering darkness of the abandoned motel, the heavy air muffling all that was around them, wrapping them in a fog, taking them even further away from the fringe they were already on.

"Kerri?" Dean asked, brushing back her long hair. She was still motionless, her skin pale beneath Dean's touch, but Sam could see that she was breathing and, at the moment, it was enough for him. "Come on, Kerri, open your eyes."

"Dean?" Kerri stirred a few minuted later, her voice so quiet that Sam nearly missed it.

She stirred a little, rolling onto her back as she looked up at Dean. Sam could see the confusion written all over her face, her mind coming back slowly from whatever darkness she had been lost to. "What happened?"

"Yellow Eyes paid us a visit." Dean stated, checking over Kerri as he spoke.

The instant he mentioned the Demon's name, though, Sam saw something change in Kerri. She sat up so quick, that she nearly head butted Dean in the process, her blue eyes darting around the room frantically, almost as though she expected the Demon to be standing there, waiting for her. Sam could see his brother tense at Kerri's reaction, his hands flying to her shoulders, soothing words growing louder as they both watched panic fall over her like a fog.

"Hey, Ker, it's ok, it's gone."

But Kerri remained silent, her eyes continuing to dart around the room as her body began to shiver. She looked back and forth from Dean to the wall, tremors wreaking havoc on her frame, her eyes growing wider and wider as she continued to free fall. Sam had never seen the older girl so terrified in all his life. She had always been stronger, always been quieter, stoic in her views of both the light and the dark. Now, though, for the first time ever, she was truly and utterly afraid.

"Kerri." Dean began again, his hands on her shoulders, holding her tight as he spoke. "Kerri, you have to listen to me. It's gone. I'm here, we're all here. Just breath, ok. I'm not gonna let it get you."

"How're you gonna stop it?" Kerri asked, her voice still surprisingly weak, though the tremors were beginning to lessen.

Sam's entire body went cold at the statement. It was something he'd asked Kerri when they'd first returned, a fear he'd voiced that long gone night. Dean wasn't immortal, and no matter what Sam thought as a child, his brother wasn't superman. Something was going to kill him, it was just a matter of when. And, when it came to the Yellow Eyed Demon, Sam had no idea how his brother would ever beat it. Yes, it had left him alive twice now, but he was certain that, when the thing finally decided to end the older Winchester's life, it would do so in the blink of an eye.

"I will." The statement was so final, so strong, that, for a moment, Sam believed it. But he'd seen Dean that night, had watched in horror as his brother was pulled helplessly up the wall. He'd seen it happen to Jessica, and he knew that Kerri had watched it happen to Evelyn. When the Demon came for those it chose, there was nowhere to run.

"Where is it?" Kerri asked, her voice growing a bit stronger. She seemed to be latching onto Dean's statement, pulling all the strength she could from him, letting his words wash over her, keep her safe. And Sam felt himself doing the same thing. Something would take his brother away from them, it was inevitable, but Dean's words, Dean's soul were enough to bury those fears-- for a little while at least.

"I don't know. Did it say anything to you before we got here?"

"Oh my god, Jake. Where is he?" Kerri suddenly looked around, her voice taking on a frantic tone.

"I've got him." Sam broke it, turning so she could see Jake's tear streaked face. "He's alright."

"The Korrigan?"

"He got it." Dean answered, pulling Kerri to her feet. "It's over."

"And Jake's fine?"

"Yeah. Scared as hell and super psychic but otherwise alright."

Sam was a bit taken aback at his brother's tone, the older man not looking at Jake or Sam as he spoke. The younger Winchester knew his brother kept a lot bottled up, but ever since they had learned of Jake's abilities he'd seen a change. Dean, who'd been best buddies with the little boy, now seemed to shy away from him, building walls against the child he had previously been so open around.

"It was lying."

"What was lying?"

"The Demon. It told me that if the Korrigan died, so would Jake."

"Did it say anything else?"

"Just that it was here to check up on Jake and Sam."

"So this really was just a test for us." Dean began, scanning the room around them, starting down each and every shadow as if willing the Demon to attack again.

Sam knew his brother was effected by the mind games the creature played on them, knew his brother took them to heart, and let them warp and grow in his already troubled mind. No matter how many walls Dean put around himself, no matter how many defenses he laid on the way to his heart, Sam could always see right through him. Dean never let it show, but it was obvious to the younger Winchester that the things the Demon said cut his brother to the core.

They had more important things to worry about, though, and Sam knew that time was running out for them at that moment. They were still on the FBI's most wanted list, and, Demon interference or not, they still had a reportedly kidnapped child with them. They had to find some way to get Jake back to his parents, then they had to put as much distance between them and Colorado as they could.

"Any ideas on how we're gonna get Jake back?" Sam spoke up, the trio already heading toward the impala.

"Let's head back to the room and get packed up." Dean began, his hand on the back of Kerri's neck, trying to comfort her as they walked. "I think one of us should take Kerri's car and just drop him off somewhere we know he'll be found."

"There was a church out on the south side of town, seems like as good a place as any."

"Alright. Sammy, I want you to run there with Jake, Kerri and I will meet you out in Laramie."

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Kerri sat in the passenger seat of the impala, her heart racing as the car charged down the dark highway. She could still see those sickly yellow eyes, still hear the Demon's voice, the sounds boring into her heart, wrapping around her soul. She couldn't believe it had come back again, after all this time, after Evelyn. Kerri thought she was done with the creature, thought that that night was the last time she would be forced into its presence. But now she was terrified she was wrong.

"You ok?" Dean asked, his voice breaking the heavy silence that had wrapped around her.

She wanted to tell him no, wanted to tell him about the Demon, about what had happened, but she couldn't. She was different enough as is, lonely enough and the last thing she wanted to do was give Dean a reason to leave. After all, she'd told John her secret, and look were that got them.

"Yeah, Dean, I'm fine."

The music on the radio changed before either of them had a chance to speak. The rock beats that had been pumping out before were suddenly replaced by a series of chimes, followed shortly by the way too chipper voice of a reporter.

"A happy ending to what could have been a terrible tragedy. Missing toddler Jacob Robinson was found mere hours ago at the old church down on Mission road. Police don't know how the little boy ended up there, but the boy appeared to be doing well and has since been reunited with his grief stricken parents. There are no new leads in the case, but police insist they will continue on with their investigation."

"Well." Dean began, switching off the radio as the report changed into a series of interviews. "At least something went right, tonight."

"Yeah. It doesn't change who he is, though." Kerri knew that the reality of what Jake really was had taken a toll on her friend. Dean never let it show, but ever since he learned that all the six month babies were psychic, including his brother, Dean had never really been the same. And Kerri could understand.

It was like having the rug ripped out from beneath you; everything you believed, everything you cherished, gone with one secret. She had known Sam since he was a baby, had watching him and Evelyn grow up, the pair a little oasis of normal in the twisted world of hunters. So, to hear that that normal, that comfort, was actually the reason for everything, that it was actually a supernatural power stronger then they could have imagined, was more then a little heartbreaking.

"We'll keep an eye on him." Dean spoke evenly, still staring out the windscreen. "We'll find a way to stop it, Kerri. We've still got time."

"The last twenty years didn't really seem to make much of a difference."

"I know. Ker." Dean began, glancing at her before turning his troubled eyes back to the road. "I can't let it win, I can't let it get, Sammy. I can't."

She knew what he meant, knew what he couldn't say. He could never be like her, never be alone, forgotten, left behind. And she didn't blame him. Being the one left behind was like a never ending nightmare. She would often wake up in the middle of the night, and swear that her family was still there, somewhere in the house, like always. But reality fell down upon her as the darkness dissipated. She was alone, and that's all she ever would be.

And, in that moment, Kerri decided that some secrets are better left hidden, because, now that she had the brothers back, there was no way she was going to risk losing them again.