Disclaimer: The characters of Supernatural do not belong to me. The original character of Evelyn Winchester does.
A/N: This is the chapter in which the request from Ormus45 happens. Kind of. I didn't do it exactly the way it was requested, but I hope you like it. I don't want to reveal too much, so read on!
Chapter Seven
Life After Death
As soon as Evy was gone, the door disappeared. Dean and Cass were still leaning against the Impala, Sam was still staring at her. Evy pushed her long hair out of her face and laughed. She looked to Dean and Cass, then back to Cass.
"Someone say something. You're making me nervous."
"Is she okay?" Sam asked, looking towards the direction where the door had just disappeared.
"Yes." Evy answered. "She woke up the second she stepped through the door."
Sam was sleeping on Evy's bed, and scratched his nose when it started to itch. As soon as he settled back down, something was tickling his nose again. Annoyed, Sam swatted whatever it was away, and heard a laugh.
"Quit it, jerk." He said.
"It's not me, bitch."
Sam opened his eyes and heard a distinct giggle on the bed beside him. He realized that Dean was on the other side of the room, so it couldn't have been him tickling his nose. Sam's heart leapt when he realized Evy was not only awake, but sitting up and looking at him with a mischievious grin. She held Squish on her lap, gripping one of his paws. Sam realized she had tickled him awake by taking one of Squish's paws and rubbing it lightly against his nose.
"Hi, Sammy." She said.
"Oh, Cricket." Sam said as he embraced her, not wanting to ever let her go again. Sam pulled her out of the hug to look at her face and make sure she was actually awake. "How long have you been awake?" he asked.
"About five minutes." John said. "She asked us to let her wake you."
Sam hugged her again, laughing. "I love you, my silly Cricket."
Sam didn't say anything, but crossed the gap between them in three large steps and put a hand to Evy's face. He stroked her cheek for a second before grabbing her into a crushing hug. Evy hugged him just as tight. She had missed Sam as much as he'd missed her. Dean and Cass took their own turn, and when the initial shock wore off, the guys asked what was on their mind. Dean stated it for everyone.
"What the hell are you doing here?"
Evy laughed. "I can show you easier than I can tell you." She said.
Sam realized something. "Cass, did you know about this?"
"Not until yesterday." Evy explained when Cass hesitated. "He found me while you two were at the zoo. I told him about the portal opening today. I asked him to tell you about it but to keep me a secret."
"Cricket, what's going on?" Sam asked.
"I need you two to trust me for a second." Evy said, holding both her hands out. "Take my hand." Sam took one hand, Dean the other. Evy looked to Cass and nodded. "We're ready, Cass. And thank you."
"You're welcome."
The last thing Sam noticed was Cass placing two fingers on Evy's forehead. In the next second, the three of them were somewhere else. It looked familiar to Sam, and when he realized where they were, he gasped.
"Is this our apartment at Stanford?"
Evy smiled. "Very good, Sammy." She let go of their hands. "I live here. And not alone."
Evy started to walk towards the front door, followed by both Sam and Dean, who were still too shocked to say anything. When Sam stepped outside, he expected to see the street they'd lived on, but he didn't. The apartment stood by itself; to the left and right were two familiar looking houses. The first Sam only had vague memories of. It was their house in Lawrence. The second was one he knew all too well. It was Bobby's. Across the street was Harvelle's Roadhouse. All around them, the weather was gorgeous. The sky was clear, with only a couple of clouds here and there. The temperature felt about sixty-five degrees. Chilly to Sam and Dean, but Evy had always loved it a bit on the cool side. A simple, two lane road was in front of them, though Sam did not see a single car anywhere around. Not at first, anyway. He heard Dean ask excitedly,
"Hey, is that…." Dean asked, pointing to a black form across the street, tucked behind a tree.
"Yep." She said, smiling. "It's Baby. My second home."
Dean smiled, and started to follow her across the street. They got to the roadhouse, and Evy opened the door. The first thing Sam saw was Pamela, who winked and waved at him. The first thing Dean spotted was Ash flashed a peace symbol at him. Evy came in and looked around. She counted something softly to herself, then asked,
"I see almost everybody, but where's…?"
"WHAT'S UP BITCHES?"
Sam jumped when someone grabbed his shoulder and practically shouted in his ear. Between him and Dean was a familiar mop of bright red hair.
"There she is." Evy said, smiling.
"Charlie?" Sam asked.
"In the flesh." She said.
After a brief, joyful reunion with her, Sam and Dean turned to the rest of the room. They realized who else was there, and it was bittersweet. Pamela greeted them both warmly. Bobby gruffly called them both "idgits" but embraced them. Jo, Ellen, and Aileen also greeted them. Someone else came to them that caused Sam and Dean to stare in disbelief.
"Hey, boys."
"Dad?" Sam and Dean said at the same time.
After meeting with everyone, Evy, who had seated herself on a barstool and watched everyone reunite with Sam and Dean, asked them all to sit down. Everyone took a seat, and Evy started to speak, before Dean's curiosity finally got the better of him.
"So what the hell is going on here?" he asked. "How is everybody here, together?"
Evy smiled. "Well, and this is the weirdest thing I'll ever say, do you remember when you and Sam went to heaven the last time?"
Sam and Dean both nodded, neither of them bothering to acknowledge the truth of how weird her statement was.
"Well, after I got here, I helped Ash finetune his program to find other heavens. I knew where Bobby and Dad were, but I went looking for Pamela, Aileen, and Charlie." Evy explained. "They can come between here and their heavens any time they want."
"The angels don't bother you?" Dean asked.
Evy smiled. "After I came here, Chuck declared my heaven, that I share here with Dad, and everyone else's to be protected. No one, angel, human, or otherwise, is allowed in here or in any of the other heavens without permission."
"That was you at the hospital?" Sam asked. He was not at all surprised that Ash and Evy had worked out a way to travel between heavens. Something else was more important to him. "How?"
"I had some help with that." Evy replied. The door opened behind them. "Hi, mom."
"Hey, sweetie."
A familiar voice that Sam and Dean had not heard in thirty years made them both turn around and stare. Missy, Evy's mother, walked towards them slowly. She had died the day Evy was born. Missy stared at them both for a long moment before speaking.
"Well? Are you gonna hug me or not?" she asked.
Dean did so first. "It's good to see you." He said.
"You too, dear." She said. "I'm proud of you." She whispered in his ear. She let Dean go, then turned to Sam. "Sammy. The last time I saw you, you were this tall." She said, placing a hand at the top of her stomach.
"Yeah." Sam nodded. "I've missed you."
"I've missed you too, sweetie. And thank you. Thank you so much." Missy said.
"Thank you for what?" he asked.
"Taking care of my baby girl." She said.
Sam looked to Evy, then back to Missy. "My pleasure." He said.
Missy shared a hug with Sam. Evy waited a moment and spoke again. "I've got one more person here."
"Who?" Sam and Dean asked together.
Sam felt someone else grab his hand, but he didn't jump this time. He figured it to be Charlie or Pamela, which made the revelation of who it really was all the more surprising.
"Jess?" he whispered.
Jess nodded, then without a word pulled Sam in and down for a passionate kiss. Sam did nothing at first, then grabbed Jess around the waist and spun her around. The kiss went on for a while, but no one pulled them apart. Finally, Jess pulled away and looked at Sam.
"Hey, sexy."
"Hi, beautiful." He said. "God, I've missed you."
"Missed you more." Jess said playfully. She turned around and looked at Dean. "Hi."
"Hey there." Dean answered.
Without a warning, Jess took two steps towards Dean until she was right in front of his face. She drew her hand back and slapped Dean across the face. She slapped him so hard that Dean felt himself knocked backwards a bit. Holding a hand to his face, he looked at Jess with a mix of surprise and hurt.
"That was for taking Sam to Jericho and putting him back in the life."
"Jess…" Sam started, attempting to defend Dean.
Jess looked at Sam so fiercely that Sam didn't dare say another word.
"And this…" Jess continued, wrapping both arms around Dean's neck and kissing him on the cheek, "…is for taking care of him and Evy after you did."
Dean smiled and nodded. He had often felt guilty for taking Sam away from Jess, and, in extension, Evy. Had he not guilted Sam into going to Jericho with him, Sam would, most likely, have graduated, gone to law school, and had his own family. He had often wondered if Jess hated him. Now he had his answer.
Jess walked over to the barstool next to Evy. She sat down, and Sam looked around, taking note that everyone was now sitting and staring at them. Dean noticed too, and inched slightly closer to Sam.
"Why does this feel like some kind of an intervention?" he asked.
"Because it is." Evy answered. She took a deep breath. "I thought about doing this on my own, but I decided to bring everyone here so they could back me up."
"Doing what?" Sam asked, a sudden pit forming in his stomach.
"I need to ask you two to do something for me." Evy said.
"What is it, kiddo?" Dean asked.
He expected her to ask them to fight a monster, help her with something in heaven, or maybe down on Earth. Evy didn't answer him for a moment, trying to consider the best way to phrase her request. Her simple, one word request took them both by surprise.
"Live."
Dean narrowed his eyes in confusion. They were both alive; what was she asking? Sam, on the other hand, flinched. So she knew. He looked away from her, tears forming in his eyes. So he had let her down. Again.
"I know about the suicide attempts, Sammy."
Sam felt more than saw Dean's look of shock. At one week and three months after Evy's death, he had gone into the woods of the bunker with his gun, fully intending on shooting himself in the head. He wasn't sure what exactly had stopped him, but he had never truly considered doing it again.
"And I know you tried to sell your soul again to bring me back, Dean."
It was Sam's turn to be shocked. So Dean had broken his promise to Evy too. Both of them had tried to bring her back. Both of them had attempted to end their life, which would have broken their promise to her to stay together. Both of them guiltily mumbled their apologies to her.
"I'm not mad." She told them honestly. "I would've been surprised if you hadn't tried it. But I stopped it. Both of you."
"How?" Sam asked.
"Well, that's the thing about the king of Hell liking you. You can get him to do favors for you for nothing in return." Evy said, smiling. "I asked him not to take any deals from either of you."
"And me?" Sam asked.
"That was me." Evy answered. "I was there. I was hugging you, whispering in your ear asking you not to do it. That it was okay. That you'd be okay."
Sam felt incredibly guilty. Not only did she know about him trying to kill himself, she had watched him try and do it. He couldn't help crying now.
"I'm sorry, baby." He said sorrowfully. "I just miss you so much."
"I know, Sammy." She said, getting up and walking over to him. "I miss you too." Evy wiped his tears away from his face, just as he'd done for her so many times. "But like I told you, I'm right here." She pointed to Sam's heart. "I can see and hear everything you do, Sammy. In fact, visiting you in the woods wasn't the only time I've been to see you."
Sam was confused at first, then realized what she meant. "The video."
Evy nodded. "I left it in the room right before you came in." She wiped Sam's face when he started crying again. "I can hear you when you talk to me, Sammy. I'm listening. But you need to keep going."
"Why?" Dean asked.
Evy turned to him, understanding and compassion in her face.
Dean continued angrily, "Seriously, why? Look around this room. Everyone, everyone, that Sam and I have ever loved, is in this room right now. Why should we keep going?"
"Because you two are going to be the first Winchesters and Campbells ever," Evy said, "to make it to sixty. And I don't care if you don't want to." Evy said, cutting off Dean's objection before he said it. "Because if I see either of you back here before then because of something stupid you did, like trying to shoot yourself or taking some stupid risk, I will spend eternity kicking some Winchester ass. Got it?"
Sam laughed, despite the fact that he would have rather done anything else other than make her that promise. "Got it." He said.
"Dean?" Evy asked.
"Got it." He answered, mouth turned down in an angry frown, unwilling to look her in the eye.
Evy sighed. "Look, guys, I know you don't want to do this. I know you're tired of losing people. Watching them suffer and die. News flash-I am too." Sam and Dean both looked at her now. "Which is why I want you to break the cycle. I don't care what you do. Keep hunting. Some nieces and nephews would be nice, but I'm not pushing." She winked at them, and finally drew a smile from them both. "Whatever you do, just live. Please. Do it for me."
Sam put a hand to her cheek. "I promise, Cricket."
"Dean?"
Dean was back to looking around the room, not wanting to make the promise.
Ellen walked over and slapped the back of his head hard. "You don't make this promise to her, boy, she won't be the only one kicking your ass."
"I second that, idjit." Bobby said from the corner.
"Yeah." Pamela and Charlie said at the same time.
"Dean." John said in his best 'you better do it or else' voice.
"Fine." Dean said, still rubbing the back of his head and shooting nasty glances at Ellen. "Fine. I promise.
Evy smiled, satisfied now that they were going to keep their promises to her. "Thank you, Deanie."
The use of the nickname that only she had ever used softened Dean's expression, and he grabbed her and gave her a hug. Sam held her too, and for a minute the three of them were in a group hug. Sam thought of Evy as a small child, maybe two or three. She'd been hurt when she fell off Sam's shoulders during a piggyback ride. Dean had tried to comfort her, but she hadn't been satisfied until Dean and Sam both hugged her together.
"Want. Sammy. Too." She kept saying as tears dripped down her face, each word punctuated by a sob. "Won't get better without both of you." She'd declared.
"Sam. Dean."
Both boys looked towards the door. Cass had come to join them.
"It's time to go."
Dean nodded, but Sam tightened his hold on Evy. "No." he said, devastated.
"Sammy. Listen to me." Evy said, pulling him around and grabbing his face with both hands. "I'm okay. I'm at peace. Daddy's here, Bobby, my mom, Jo, Ellen, Jess…I'll be fine. But I need you. I need you to go back and keep going. Please." Evy was pleading now, desperate for Sam to listen to her.
Sam got control of himself, and promised Evy one more time that he would do his best to stay alive. Evy smiled and kissed his cheek. After putting a hand to his heart and reminding him again "I'm right here. I love you.", Evy looked to Cass and nodded. The world around Sam and Dean went black, and a few seconds later, they were standing outside the bunker, next to the Impala. Sam still had tear stains on his cheeks, which he quickly wiped away. Dean put a hand on his arm.
"Sam?" He asked. "You okay?"
Sam started to shake his head 'no'. How could he be okay? He'd lost Evy not once, not twice, but three times now. First at the park as a small child, then when she'd died three years earlier, and now. But a chirping noise stopped him. Sam looked on his shoulder. Sitting there was the biggest cricket that he'd ever seen in his life. Normally, as he'd had to deal with so many of them on hunts, bugs weirded him out. But this one seemed to be staring at him. Sam held a hand out, and the cricket climbed into it. Sam started to laugh.
"What's so funny?" Dean asked.
Sam showed him what was in his hand. Dean had heard but hadn't seen the bug. Sam expected him to scoff, or try and flick the cricket away, but he didn't. He smiled.
"Bye, baby girl." He said.
Sam knelt down and put the cricket on the ground. It left his hand, but turned back towards him. It chirped again, quite loudly. Sam laughed; he imagined it was annoyed.
"Bye, Cricket." He said.
The cricket chirped loudly again, then turned and headed into the woods. Sam watched it until it was out of sight. When he saw the direction the cricket was headed, he suddenly got an idea.
"Hey, Dean?" he asked.
"Yeah."
"Come on. I need to show you something." Sam said.
He started walking with Dean into the woods. Cass, who had been silently observing them, debated on whether or not to come. Sam simply turned and smiled at him, waving at Cass to join them. He led them in the direction of Evy's gravestone. As the three of them visited her, Sam could have sworn he felt a hand slip into his. He wasn't frightened, and squeezed the invisible hand. He closed his eyes and whispered to himself,
"Good night, my angel. Rest in peace."
