AN: Thanks to everyone who read this story. Special thanks to kandilyn for her kind review.
Dean fiercely shrugged off the hands that gripped his right arm, simultaneously throwing a punch at the man holding his left. But both of his captors had immediately dropped their hands and had backed out of reach of Dean's swing. The angry hunter could see that he was in a room full of people, but free and clear for the moment, he focused on his most pressing priority - getting back to Sam. He spun on his heel, fully intending to jump back through the glowing blue portal, when with a buzzing, popping sound it winked out of existence. Only a nondescript wall stood where the portal had been. Shifting gears, Dean put his back towards the wall while smoothly pulling his gun from the waistband of his jeans and turning to face the people in the room.
As per his training, he took stock of the room and it's inhabitants. He was standing at the end of large horseshoe formed by, burning candles, a variety of symbols marked onto the floor and 7 people who were sitting cross legged. The people on the floor looked completely exhausted and drawn. The men who had grabbed him had backed away to the very edge of the horseshoe and stood respectfully watching Dean. The people sitting on the floor looked worn out but happy. Some of the people on the floor mustered up enough energy to extinguish the candles and carefully wipe away some of the symbols, but several just them stared at him blearily, curious and not overly concerned by the gun wielding man in their midst. Dean looked past them and he could see in the dim lighting a small group of people outside the horseshoe. They were seemingly waiting patiently for the sitters to finish. A young woman took a few steps forward and raised her empty hands in a non-threatening gesture that Dean still found less than comforting.
"Hi Dean," the woman said. Now that the symbols were gone, she could approach a little closer. "I know you're a little confused, but I promise I will explain everything. No one here is going to hurt you." Dean kept his gun pointed at her chest, his hand not wavering even a little when he realized that she was pregnant.
"Where the hell am I?," Dean barked, eyes quickly scanning the room for any other threats before coming up to meet hers.
The woman calmly met his eyes and gave him a warm smile. "I promise, I will tell you everything, but I'm going to sit down to do it. Ok?" At that a man moved slowly to her side carrying a chair. After putting it down, he gently clasped her forearm and helped her lower herself onto the chair. Once she was seated, he placed a hand on her shoulder. He glanced apprehensively at the gun that was leveled at them both, but stood calmly enough beside her.
With another smile at Dean, she looked at the two men who had jumped him through the portal. "Mateo, Tyson, could you please escort the coven back to the dormitories. Make sure they get there safely and that the supplies are secured." In his peripheral vision, Dean could see both men snap to attention and nod at their orders. Moving forward, their eyes still drifting towards the gun in Dean's hand, they ushered the people who had been sitting on the floor towards the door. The small group seemed unconcerned about the weapon Dean held on the pregnant woman who was obviously their leader. She thanked them as they filed past, giving a smile or a nod to each one as they went by. Once they were gone, she patted the hand on her shoulder, "Alex, could you get a few more chairs?" The man moved to the far side of the room where more chairs were stacked.
"Ok, you're sitting. What the hell is going on here?," Dean demanded.
The pregnant woman ignored his question and looked back at the remaining people in the room who were walking forward cautiously.
The first was another woman, a redhead. Her eyes were swollen as if she had been crying recently, but she had a firm hold of the young girl she cuddled against her hip. The little girl clutched a floppy stuffed tiger in her hand, but she was half asleep against the redhead's shoulder. The woman shot a nervous look at the gun. "Lynn, can I take Melody back to our room?," she asked the seated leader.
"You're supposed to stay and witness!", another woman interjected. This one was a middle-aged, sandy blonde with a sour expression on her face.
"Relax Nancy, you, Alex and I are here to witness, let's let Katie put little Mel to bed." This speaker was a man. He had tight cropped hair and a relaxed air about him. His smile revealed white teeth that seemed extremely bright against his ebony skin. He reached out and fondly stroked the small girl's hair. Nancy grunted, obviously annoyed, but she said nothing, merely crossing her arms, waiting for her chair. The pregnant woman that her colleagues called Lynn, smiled at the man and then turned to the mother and child. "Of course Katie, we'll update you tomorrow." With that, the woman turned and carried the child from the room. She shot a last wary glance at Dean and pulled her child closer to her as she left.
Dean was getting impatient. He didn't appreciate being ignored and he wanted answers. He ground his teeth as the man called Alex brought 3 chairs back to where Lynn was sitting. Nancy took one, and the black man took another with a nod of thanks. Alex took a few steps closer to Dean and with a pointed look at the gun, set the chair down and returned to Lynn's side. The eldest Winchester stayed standing. "Look lady, where the Hell am I? I want some damn answers - NOW!" His tone and volume of his voice told those listening that he was done waiting patiently while these strangers played house.
"Ok Dean, first let me assure you that no one here means you any harm. My name is Lynn and this is my husband Alex." She gave her partner a tender look and patted his hand which had returned to her shoulder. Alex gave Dean a friendly smile despite the hunter's fierce glare. "This is Nancy Tillman and this is Max Robinson." She nodded in each of their directions as she spoke. "We've brought you from your world into ours because we need your help."
"Grabbing me against my will is a funny way of asking," Dean rumbled. He had gathered from the portal that he wasn't in Kansas anymore. "So, for the last time, where am I? Where is Sam?" At his brother's name, the woman flinched slightly.
"You're in our world, an alternative version of yours. Your brother should be safely back in your world." She leaned back and one hand drifted over her belly. "Please don't worry about Sam. We left one of our best soldiers with him to brief him on what is going on and to help protect him while you're gone." Nancy gave a soft snort at that, but kept quiet, her eyes sliding back towards the still cocked gun in Dean's hand.
"Protect him from what? How do you even know my name? How do you know that Sam is my brother? I swear, if you don't start talking I'm going to start shooting!" Dean was done. These people had pulled him here, leaving Sammy alone with a strange soldier, the Darkness was still running around his world and Dean was seriously pissed off. Max was armed, Dean could see the bulge of the gun under the man's jacket, and Dean assumed that Alex at least also had a weapon. Both men tensed slightly at his outburst, but stayed still, seemingly deferring to Lynn before taking any action.
Lynn herself seemed to be getting annoyed, she heaved a frustrated sigh and shifted in her hard wooden chair. "I wanted to ease you into this slowly, but I forgot how impatient you can get. I know your name and I know about Sam because in this world, I'm your sister." She huffed at him in a way that was very similar to how Sam always got when he was frustrated.
Dean was speechless, his mind reeling. Sister? Did that mean there was another version of him and Sam running around here somewhere? Alex stepped forward again and with pointedly slow movements, carefully removed something from his jacket pocket, he set the item on Dean's empty chair and then rejoined his wife.
Still on alert, Dean took the few steps to the chair and picked up what turned out to be a small stack of photographs. Gun still in hand, he rifled through them quickly. The majority were photos of someone who looked very much like himself with a younger version of Lynn and a man who was unmistakably a young Sam.
With his own sigh, Dean pulled the chair towards himself, turned it around and straddled it. His gun was still held loosely in his hand, but his arms were casually crossed over the back of the chair. When Dean sat, both men relaxed almost imperceptibly and Lynn gave him another warm smile. Dean looked closely at her and suddenly, it was as if something clicked in place. She had shoulder length light brown hair and hazel eyes, but it was the slight dimples caused by her smile that clinched it. Lynn looked a fair amount like Sam, and despite different colouring, a lot like pictures of Mary Winchester.
His would be sister leaned forward, eyes intently locked on his. "We need your help Dean. You might be the only chance we have to save Sammy."