So firstly, thank you to anyone whose still with me. I have not abandoned this story and it has been inexcusably long since I've updated and I deeply apologize. Secondly, you guys are awesome and thank you. So please read, reread some old chapters if you need a refresher I know it's been a hott minute. Much love guys!
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Chapter 9: Welcome Back
The first thing I noticed was it was really warm and bright, why the hell was it so bright? "Fuuuuck" I grumbled trying to get myself to snap out of whatever haze I was in. When I started to sit up I was hit with a massive headache. "Okay, no more waffles and beer for me in the morning...Is this what hangovers are like?" I mumbled to myself. "Wait, where the hell am I?" I was laying on a soft patch of tall grass it was a sunny and it felt like summer. That makes no sense, it was February in Pennsylvania. Right? As I began to fully come to and my eyes started to adjust to the sunlight I started to digest my surroundings. "Ho-ly shit." I gasped standing up and looking around. The small clearing of grass I was standing on was surrounded by trees. Well, it used to be surrounded by trees; the trees were knocked over like a bomb went off and I was in the center of it. Finally, my eyes fell upon a wooden cross sticking out of the ground next to me, like it was marking a grave... "Am I dead!?" I shrieked and hugged myself while panic set in. Where am I? What happened? How did I get here? My mind was on over drive trying to figure out what the hell was going on.
I plopped back down on the ground laying back and holding my head, trying to remember, trying to piece together how I got here. The last thing I remember was sitting at the bar eating waffles, good waffles. "Damn I'm hungry, when was the last time I ate?" I asked sidetracking my train of thought. "Focus." I chastised myself. Okay, at the bar, eating, beer, I need a beer. No! Focus dammit! Okay after the food and beer... someone started to talk to me - A man! That's right some guy came up and was chatting with me, he kept calling me "baby-doll" he had eyes like whiskey. "Ugghh" I huffed in frustration. The more I tried to remember the more painful my headache became and the memories seemed to slip just out of my grasp. Okay, trying to remember what happened isn't working at the moment. New plan, try and find out where the hell I am and stop talking to myself like a crazy person. "Solid plan, okay. 3 - 2 - 1 Go!"
As soon as I was getting ready to sit up and put my new plan into action, it felt like the ground was moving beneath me. I will not confirm or deny whether I screamed like a girl in an overly dramatic horror film, but it may have happened. I scrambled to get away from the two hands coming up through the ground. "Are you fucking kidding me! Zombies are real too?" I was in full blown panic mode, again. I was about the start searching for a weapon when I noticed the ring and watch on the appendages protruding from the Earth. "Dean!? Holy sh- Dean, hold on!" I screamed and frantically started digging at the ground with my hands to help get him to the surface.
Once he was top side and had moment to collect himself he looked to see who had helped him. "Olivia?" he almost whispered.
"Olivia? What happened to Princess or Sweetheart?" I lightly chuckled.
"No! Who are you!? How did you bring me back? What the fuck do you want?" He was yelling now and the confusion and rage in his eyes honestly scared me.
"Dean, it's me! Come on dude, please! I have no idea what's going on. I'm just as lost as you are? And what are you talking about? Bring you back from where? Where were you?" I was mad, tired, confused, just a hurricane of emotions and the tears starting to rim my eyes were out of utter frustration. "Dean..." I reached out slowly, lightly ghosting his arm afraid he may attack on pure instinct if I moved too quickly. Which is exactly what he did. Before I had a chance to react he was on top of me pinning both my hands behind my back and straddling me from behind. "Fucking shit, Dean! It's me, okay!? I don't know how to prove it to you or what I can say but tell me and I'll do it! I'm just as confused as you are!"
"If you're really Olivia, where were you?" he asked rage still filling his voice. I couldn't see his face but I was willing to bet his signature scowl was there.
"What do you mean where was I?" I spat back.
His grip tightened on my wrists and I started to squirm beneath him trying to get to a less compromising position, in reality I was probably just digging myself deeper into the dirt. "We looked for you, for months, where were you?" he spat.
I stopped moving. "Months?" I whispered. How is that possible? "I- I don't know... the last thing I remember is sitting in a bar having beer and eating waffles waiting for you. Some guy came up and started talking to me, I can't remember his face, I can't remember anything after that. Please, Dean, please, you gotta believe me!" I was begging now. He was going to kill me and I couldn't even be mad about it, he was just protecting himself.
"Convenient story." Dean quipped.
"Look, I get it. Okay! But I don't know what to tell you. I'm me, the real me the clumsy, sarcastic, little pain in the ass you've grown begrudgingly fond of. I have no idea where I am, how I got here, or even when this is apparently but whatever you gotta do just fucking do it because this interrogation shit is getting old!" I was getting mad. I didn't have answers and it scared me, there was a very real chance I was about to die at the hands of one of my best friends, and I literally had no idea what to do.
"Fine." Dean huffed. I heard it before I felt it, the distinct sound of a belt buckle being undone and then the soft leather being pulled through his belt loops. He made quick work of binding my wrists behind my back with his belt.
"Under different circumstances this could be incredibly erotic." I quipped.
"Shuddup." he half laughed despite his best effort to stay in bad ass mode. "Stay in front of me so I can keep an eye on you, no funny business." he said firmly. While hoisting me up to my feet.
"Oh, you little shit! I like this shirt!" I gasped as looked down at myself trying to appraise any damage, my once clean white shirt was now covered with dirt, grass stains, and it seemed to have gained a few small holes from our struggle. I'm seriously never wearing white again. "When you finally get it through you thick skull that I'm telling you the truth I expect an apology and a new shirt." I mumbled trudging forward deciding that I'm probably better off just going with the flow.
"Yeah, yeah, move it." he pushed me forward and we began our march to where ever the hell we were going.
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We'd been walking for what I'm guessing was an hour, I had a horrible sense of time and not having any idea where I was to begin with didn't help. However, we finally came across a small gas station like thing. Dean was currently breaking in and scavenging for anything useful while I was being a good little girl, hands still bound behind my back, and doing as I was told sitting on the abandoned car out front. Dean was taking his merry time inside and all I could do was sit, wait, and hope he'd bring me some water.
As I sat and looked at the clouds aimlessly trying to pass the time my ears began to ring. At first it was just annoying but slowly it grew louder, almost painful. Then I heard it. It wasn't clear and the it was somewhat difficult to make out, almost like a badly tuned radio but I knew I heard someone or something say "Dean Winchester" right as the all the windows in the gas station imploded.
"Dean!" I screamed hopping off the hood of the car and running to the gas station. "Dean! Dean?! Are you okay? Can you hear me?" I was afraid maybe he got knocked out or hurt in the blast. Unfortunately, with my hands still tied behind my back it was proving to be incredibly difficult to open the door and physically check on him.
"Yeah, I'm fine. What the hell was that? Did you see anything?" he asked clearly stunned.
"No, I didn't see anything." sighing with relief that he sounded alright.
"Well, I'm sure as hell not hanging around here. Let's move." Dean spoke firmly walking out of the convenient store towards a pay phone by the car I was previously sitting on. "Comin' Princess?"
I smiled fondly at the nickname unsure if he noticed his slip up or not. Honestly, I never really cared for the "Princess" thing but hearing him say it now made my heart flutter with unexpected happiness, even if he wasn't convinced I was really me, at least we were making progress.
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Finally, we pulled into what I was begining to think was my favorite place in the world, Bobby's house.
"Wait here." Dean said getting out of the car.
"What? No way!" I protested.
Dean huffed and turned back to face me "Look, if you are who you say you are then you've been missing for about 7 months and Bobby is likely to react the same way I did. I know Bobby is going to flip a shit to see my face up and walking around let me handle it and then we'll figure it out from there." He looked in my eyes like he was silently pleading even if his voice was firm and authoritative.
"Fine." I pouted. "Can you at least untie me?"I asked while batting my eyelashes and smiling sweetly.
"Funny." Was all Dean said in response and promptly closed the door and stalked towards Bobby's front door.
I sat in the car a few minutes, left with my thoughts. I had been missing for 7 months? That would make it what? September? How is that possible and why can't I remember anything? September... that would mean Dean's deal was up months ago...
Shouting and the sound of a scuffle brought me out of my thoughts. "Shit" was the only thought that really crossed my mind and summed up all my feelings at the moment. With a little effort I was able to maneuver my hand to the door handle and open the door. Sadly, I did not take into account my clumsy nature and landed in the dirt awkwardly on my back once the car door opened, effectively knocking the wind out of myself. "Why can't I catch just one break?" I groaned quietly to the universe as I rolled to get to my feet and began to haul ass to Bobby's front door.
"Bobby! Dean!" Was all I managed to call out before tripping on the steps and landing face first on the front porch. "Fuck my life." I heard laughing, legit laughing. Those two assholes were fucking laughing at me. "Ha-ha, very funny you pricks! A little help?"
"Well, I suppose there is no question on whether that's Liv or not." Bobby chuckled.
"To think I was worried about you two... but seriously one of you two asshats help me." I huffed pathetically from my spot on the dirty floor boards.
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Quietly, I sat bandaging a fresh cut from a silver knife while looking like a wet rat after being splashed with holy water. I didn't really have much to add to the conversation going on between Bobby and Dean. After the heart felt hugs and mushy stuff was done with, there wasn't much else I could say. I had no idea where I was for the past 7 months, I had no idea how I ended up at Dean's grave, fuck, I didn't even know Dean died and had apparently been in Hell for the past several months. I was completely lost, so I stayed silent and only half listened to the two hunters speculate over the current events and hunting down the location of the youngest Winchester.
"Hey Liv." Dean paused at the door leading into the kitchen where I sat.
"What's up Dean?" I asked blankly. It wasn't that I wasn't thrilled to see him, it was quite the opposite in fact. I just felt so drained from the reality of today's events.
"Look, I just wanted to say sorr-" I cut him off mid apology.
"No need to apologize, pretty boy. I get it." I smiled looking him in the eyes. His eyes were different now, not literally of course, they were still beautiful green but they looked almost haunted. It liked as if he was afraid this was just a dream he was going to be ripped away from at a moments notice. "But I do need something from you, other than a new shirt." I smiled.
"Name it, sweetheart." He looked concerned like maybe i was injured and need help.
I simply stood and walked over to him wrapping my arms tightly around his torso, I snuggled my face into his chest inhaling his scent, and hummed in satisfaction. "I'm glad you're back, Dean." I may not have memory of him or even me being gone but I knew logically we were. I couldn't even begin to imagine what he went threw and even if it didn't feel like we'd been gone for that long to me, I could see it in his face, he felt it and I wanted to comfort him.
He froze for a moment before wrapping his strong arms around me, returning my embrace. "Likewise, Princess." he whispered into my hair, relaxing into my show of affection.
"Ahem." Bobby cleared his throat. "Let's go say hello to that other idjit." Bobby said, obviously referring to Sam.
"Yeah, alright." He nodded to Bobby, breaking off our hug. I started to walk towards the door ready to follow Bobby but I felt a hand grasp around my wrist pulling me back. "Hey, Sammy may react the same way I did to seeing you, so try and stay behind us until we get things straight with him. If he's the one who did this and was dumb enough to make a deal he's maybe expecting one of us but not both. No way he could make that big of a play." he said firmly. I already knew if Sam had made a deal he did it to save Dean, not me. I wasn't stupid. Sam was not going to expect to see me, at all and would most likely lash out much like his brother had. Dean probably thought he was saving my feeling by making it sound as if Sam might do the same for me but I wasn't mad about it, those were just the facts. Dean was his brother and in the grand scheme of things was infinitely more important than me in this war and I was okay with that. Of course I didn't tell Dean I knew this, I simple nodded and started walking towards the door again.
After a moment I noticed Dean wasn't fallowing me. I looked over my shoulder and the expression on his face was one that almost made me worry he could hear what I was thinking about how I am in fact insignificant compared to the boys and how okay I was with the prospect of loosing myself in this war to ensure they survive. I knew that was my paranoia speaking but the way he was looking at me made me feel like he was trying to read my soul. "Dean?" I asked hesitantly. "Coming?"
He seemed to snap out of it and the dark haze lifted from his features and was replaced by the mask of cockiness he loved to wear. "Not yet, but I'm sure you could get me there." he winked while walking up and placing his arm over my shoulder.
I pushed him playfully "Come on playboy, plenty of time for the fun, kinky stuff later." I smiled, he smiled. I don't think either of our smiles really reached our eyes. We had too many questions, just too much shit going on, we were both tired and it showed but it's nice to pretend and lord knows I'm never too tired to flirt with this man.
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