Authors Notes: Hey guys ... thanks once again EVERYONE for your reviews. You are all amazing :-)
I went to the Pink concert with a friend tonight and it was totally awesome. She puts on a great show and sounds even better live than she does on CD. It was a nice ending to a rather crappy night. On the way to the concert a guy on a motor bike tried to overtake me on the wrong side and as i was parking he clips my car sending him into the parked car in front of me and then sliding across the pavement (Thankfully not the road). The guy was alright but it scared the crap out of me ... it could have turned out a lot worse. A truck driver stopped and started having a go at the biker telling us that he saw the whole thing and that the biker was in the wrong and has assured me that if i want him to vouch what happened for the insurance company he will and he gave me his card. We still went along to Pink (with thankfully no more accidents)
I just got back (its 2:20 am) and thought it was about time for another chapter so here ya go ... i hope you all enjoy it :-)
Chapter 19. Back Home
He loved his mother. She had been the only person besides Mary that had actually cared about him but she was suffocating him. He wasn't going to live much longer and would rather that he didn't spend his final days or weeks wasting away in bed. His childhood experiences had left him a bitter man and that hadn't helped him socially as he grew up.
The conversation he had overheard from the boys on his front lawn had sounded crazy but he couldn't help but be intrigued also.
As soon as he had convinced his mother that he was fine he had snuck out of his own house and gotten into his car. Even just travelling from the house to the car had been tiring but it was worth it to be doing something other than lying around in bed all day.
He hadn't heard the end of their conversation thanks to his mother but for some reason he knew where they would be. He couldn't explain it but he just knew and if he was going to one thing before he died he was going to do it for Mary
Xxxxxxx
Finding the house hadn't been hard. He had known the address for years now, ever since he had seen it written on an envelope that his father kept in his journal. He had done a fair amount of research on Lawrence out of sheer curiosity and had even gone as far as find out exactly where his family had lived before they had left.
He had been able to con some nice lady to buy him a bus ticket, playing on the fact that he didn't have any money to get home. She didn't have to know it hadn't been his home since he was 6 months old and technically this was what his Dad and brother trained him to do, con people.
What he hadn't expected to see was his Dad's truck parked on the street in front of the house. Suddenly all his desires to see his past were not important. If his Dad's truck was at the house then it was quite likely that he would be here also and it would also be one of the last places that Dean and Caleb would look. There had been no reason to think that their Dad would have come back here.
Sam had taken a quick look inside the truck but had found that the keys were still in the ignition but there had been nothing there that could tell him where his father had gone so the house was the only other alternative. That had been his first mistake. Going into an empty house that possibly housed a psychotic spirit with no weapons was something that his father and every other hunter he knew would kick his ass for. But he had been worried about his Dad and hadn't really been thinking. The best course of action would have been to find a telephone and call Caleb and Dean and tell them what he had found but instead he walked in alone and screwed up big time.
The hand that was covering his mouth was as cold as the arms that held him and it was all he could do to keep on his feet as he was dragged down the stairs. It had all happened so fast and Sam was still stunned. Clarity broke through as soon as they got to the bottom. The first thing that he saw was someone slumped against the opposite wall and he knew immediately that it was his father. Was this is the way his father had looked in Caleb's vision? Now wonder the psychic had been hesitant to tell him what he had seen.
Sam would not admit it to anyone, especially not John but for all of his complaining he still held a little hero worship for his father. The man always seemed invincible. He could handle any situation. But here he was lying on the floor bleeding and broken. What was scaring him the most was that he wasn't entirely sure from where he was whether his father was alive or not. It was impossible to tell.
The arms holding him loosened and the hand left his mouth. He tried to get free completely but his captor was not letting go of him. He badly wanted to make it over to his father to see if he was alright. "Dad!" Sam struggled to get free. "Let me go!" he winced when his shouting only served for his captor to tighten his hold on his arm.
"I don't think so Sammy." Carlson's voice was smug and it angered Sam further when he was called by his dreaded nickname.
"His name is Sam." Sam almost cried in relief at the familiar voice of his brother. Neither Carlson nor Sam had the chance to turn around before a gunshot blasted through the air and Sam was thrown to the ground.
"Wow … I can't believe that worked." That was definitely Caleb and Sam had never been happier to hear the psychic's voice. He quickly turned around as he heard two sets of footsteps rushing down the stairs.
"Sammy!" Dean called as he made it to his brother who was still on the ground. "Are you alright?" he knelt in front of the younger boy and grasped his upper arm.
Sam nodded. "Dean, Dad's hurt bad."
Dean helped his brother up and looked to where Sam was pointing across the room to where Caleb was already kneeling in front of his father. Both brothers raced over to where the prone man lay. "Dad?" Dean called, his hand hovering over his fathers body afraid to touch him.
"Is he okay?" Sam asked from where he stood behind Dean.
"He's alive." Caleb could tell just by looking at the older hunter that he was pretty messed up at the moment but he was definitely alive and that's all that mattered right now.
He looked at Dean and saw his wide eyes. "He's gonna be okay guys." He looked up at Sam, giving a reassuring smile before looking back at Dean. "But we need to get him out of here now because I'm not sure how long that silver has sent psycho Gaylord away for. I'm shocked it even worked in the first place."
The single silver bullet actually causing Carlson's double to disappear like that had surprised him. Carlson had disappeared much like a ghost did when shot with rock salt and as surprised as he was Caleb was not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. He would take what he could get.
John shifted suddenly and moaned. "Looks like Johnny decided to join the party after all" Caleb quipped but he couldn't hide the concern from showing on his face.
"Dad, are you okay?" Dean asked, anxious to hear his father speak.
"Dean?" John whispered with his eyes still closed. The older hunter frowned in confusion.
"Yeah Dad, open your eyes."
Dean watched as his father tried his best to do what was asked of him and he was rewarded as a sliver of brown could be seen. He could see Caleb glance around the room out of the corner of his eye and he could feel Sam standing nervously behind him.
"Dean," he said weakly. "You … you need to get out of here."
"We're working on that Johnny." Caleb confirmed causing John to look towards him.
"Reaves?"
"The one and only, what do you say we get out of here?"
"Does it … involve … me moving?"
"I'm afraid so." Caleb looked at Dean. "Deuce he's not gonna be able to walk out of here and I think his arm is broken."
"I'll carry him." Dean responded automatically.
Caleb shook his head. "No I will. I want you to watch my back." He looked up at Sam. The kid looked like he was waiting for orders. "Here Sammy, take this." Sam took the pistol Caleb passed him and nodded. "You see Carlson's evil twin and you shoot. Don't hesitate, okay kiddo."
Sam nodded. "Got it." He would ask what he meant about the evil twin later.
"Dean, help me get ya Dad into a fireman's carry."
"I'm alright," John mumbled from where he still was on the ground.
Caleb shared a knowing look with Dean before they both reached down to lift the man up. John's cry of pain couldn't be helped as the movement brought home all his injuries. "We got ya." Caleb tried to comfort.
It was a struggle but before long John was on Caleb's shoulder, once again unconscious which Dean thought was probably a blessing on all them.
"Ready?" Dean asked.
"Ready." Caleb and Sam replied simultaneously.
Caleb headed for the stairs, trying to accommodate John's weight. Sam followed behind him and placed a hand on Caleb's back to make sure he didn't fall backwards. Dean looked behind him once before following up the stairs.
Just as Caleb and Sam made it through the door Dean found himself flying down the stairs. The breath was knocked out of him as he hit the ground and the gun was thrown from his hand. "Get them out of here Caleb!" Dean managed to shout before the basement door slammed shut in his little brother's face.
Dean coughed as he tried to get up. He saw the foot coming towards his head only seconds before it connected sending sparks behind his eyes.
As soon as his senses came back to him the first thing Dean heard was his brother's muffled screams as he pounded on the door. The kid was panicking and he probably had every right to because the last he remembered he had been attacked by the returned doppelganger and from all the pounding Sam was doing on the door he was obviously locked in with the thing.
His head was pounding; a sharp pain right behind his eyes. It was kind of hard to think straight at all. At least Caleb had gotten his Dad and his brother out of there. That was the most important thing. What he needed was his gun. That would temporarily put the evil bastard out of commission.
Dean opened his eyes and quickly closed them again. The whole room was spinning. He opened his eyes again this time and he jumped as he saw Carlson leaning over him. Actually it was more like he saw two Carlson's leaning over him but the teen was sure that it was more to do with the kick to the head than there actually being two Carlson's in the room with him.
He blearily looked around him for his gun. He had no idea where it had been thrown but he needed to find it. He jumped when he felt a cold hand on the side of his face forcing him to look at Carlson. "Remarkable." Dean heard one Carlson talking but he could still see two of him. His double vision and the cold touch of the doppelgangers hand was making him feel sick.
"It's almost like I'm looking at Mary." Dean flinched as his mother's name was once again brought up. He tried to pull back but his motor functions were slow and he was beginning to worry that maybe there was only so many hits a persons head could take.
Carlson turned Dean's head towards him and looked directly into his glazed eyes. "Your eyes are just like hers, it's amazing."
Dean closed his eyes and took some deep breaths as the feeling of Carlson's hands on him continued to make him feel ill. When he opened them again his vision had somewhat cleared. He acted fast bringing his hands up and connecting with the doppelgangers arms, catching him off guard. He rolled away to the side and got shakily to his knees. A sudden attack of vertigo caught him but he managed to remain upright and get to his feet.
Carlson was up and standing before him again and Dean made sure to keep his back to the wall. He didn't want any surprise attacks from behind. He was at a disadvantage as it was.
The noise from upstairs had stopped and he could no longer hear Sam calling for him. He wondered briefly what the other two were doing before putting his whole attention back on the doppelganger.
"You ruined my plans Dean."
Dean gave his trademark shit eating grin and shrugged his shoulder. "Sorry to be a killjoy but I don't really appreciate you trying to kill my family."
Carlson stalked back and forth in front of him with a smile as he realized that he had that young man cornered. "You know I'm surprised your father can even look at you Dean."
Dean blinked as his vision blurred again. He placed his hands against the wall for support. "What?"
"I mean I'm sure every time he looks at you he is reminded of the pain he felt when your beautiful mother died."
Dean closed his eyes against the cruel words. Is that what his father saw when he looked at him? Don't be stupid Dean he thought. He knew that the doppelganger was just trying to get to him but with his head spinning the way it was it was hard to think straight. But he would be lying if somewhere deep down inside he didn't wonder just a little bit.
"Truth is your mother never loved dear old John and she was disgusted with the thought of having children with him." Carlson explained as Dean moved away from him always keeping his back to the wall. "She never wanted you or your brother. She was just biding her time until I could take her away."
"You don't know what the hell you're talking about." Dean growled, feeling along the wall.
"I know more than you think boy. In fact your mother hated life with you Winchesters so much that your father probably did her a favour when he got her killed."
Dean's vision cleared again and he glared at Carlson's double. The man was truly delusional and Dean briefly wondered whether the original was just as delusional as the copy.
Carlson smiled knowing that he was getting to the boy but he realized that he wasn't getting very far in taking him down. He sneered once more at the teen and then disappeared.
At first Dean thought that his vision was playing tricks on him but after a few moments of silence he realized that he was alone in the room. He brought a hand up to his head and blinked a few times. He didn't trust that the doppelganger was totally gone. It was too convenient but Dean knew that couldn't very well just stand there and wait for something to happen. He could see his gun near the steps and decided that should try and go for the gun and then the stairs.
He pushed away from the wall and kept a hand to his head as he shakily made his way over to the gun. Halfway there he felt a presence behind him just before he felt something strike him in the back and send him sliding across the floor and come to a stop right in front of a support beam.
He had stupidly fallen right into the doppelgangers trap and he cursed himself for it as it lifted him up against the beam with one arm. Dean saw the knife just before the doppelganger attempted to strike home in his stomach. Dean's right hand caught the doppelgangers wrist, halting the action. They were in a stalemate. The knife suspended between them. The doppelganger was stronger than the teen and they both knew it.
"It's time for you to pay Dean."
Dean held on as tightly as he could to the doppelgangers wrist but could feel himself slipping. It wasn't going to be long before he found himself on the receiving end of a knife and end up another casualty of the sick bastard's delusions.
TBC ...
Okay so we are getting there slowly ... dont worry Dean's head issues will be dealt with :-). I hope you all liked it and i'll hopefully see you soon :-)
Tara x0x