Chapter Seventeen

Congratulations! I am stopping the second story I write while writing this one on account of I can't concentrate on it when I'm so close to the end of this one.

I am focusing on this one for the last few chapters here, so you'll be getting quicker updates.

Now: the big climax scene! (And guess who shows up)

He floated in a gray cloud of fog, not able to tell which way was up or down. Something was ringing in his ears, and his head was throbbing. He tried to make his way through the fog to be clear of it, but his body would not cooperate. It was as though he were trying to swim through jello. The more he struggled, the more his head would throb and that incessant ringing would sound.

Slowly, the fog became darker as the ringing subsided, and he began to hear voices. It was two voices, but he couldn't make them out. They began as mere droning hums, like Charlie Brown's teacher. As they began to clear up, he knew that he recognized them. One felt like family and home while the other gave him the distinct impression that he wanted this one to pay. He had no idea where that feeling had come from, but there it was.

And eventually, the voices began to form words…

"…gonna get your attention?"

"You were trying to get me here?"

"Of course. What, you thought I wanted your brother?"

He had no clue what these two people were discussing, but something told him he should.

Why? he wondered. Who were they?

He tried to focus on one of the voices—the one that felt more familiar than the other. As he ran that voice over and over in his mind, he began to place it.

Sammy?

And with that name came the memories of his life the past two years in Santa Cruz: Tish, Piper, Trucker, Jen, Zo—his family and life as Priestly.

No, wait, that's not right. That's all wrong.

He knew it. He knew deep down that Priestly was nothing but an amnesiac cover, not because Sam and John had told him so, but because of something else.

Something was different…

Priestly dug deep into that sense of falsehood, searching for the truth. White light exploded behind his eyelids as everything came crash-landing back in.

"Take your brother outside as fast as you can! Don't look back! Now, Dean! Go!"

"Are monsters real?"

"I need you to head over towards Santa Cruz. There's some werewolves in Soquel tearing up an assisted living home."

"I told you not to let him out of your sight!"

"You think Dad would kill me if I told him I wanted to go to college?"

"Dad lied to me. I want you to have it."

"Come on, Sammy. Time to teach my little brother how to drive."

"Good night, love. Angels are watching over you…"

Dean's eyes snapped open as he suddenly came to in the cinema's basement. He groggily brought a hand up to his head, which was still throbbing madly. He brought his hand away, finding blood on it.

The bump on the head must've jolted everything loose, Dean thought as every memory that had been missing the past two years came tumbling back into place. He glanced down at his punk clothing as his hand went back to his head, running through his dyed hair, which was still standing on end from the wedding. Wow, I really stepped out of my comfort zone.

Dean turned his head to see Sam slumped against the doorframe, staring up at John—possessed by the Yellow-Eyed Demon—as he advanced on him, giving him one heck of a monologue.

Sammy…Damn, it's good to see you…

Sam was such a sight for sore eyes, and Dean had missed him this whole time without even knowing it. As Yellow-Eyes towered over Sam (which was a unique feat in and of itself; if Dean remembered correctly from the past month or so, Sam had grown several more inches, now taller than both John and Dean), Dean's gaze fell on the Colt on the floor in front of the cell.

It must've fallen out of Dad's jacket in the fight.

Dean looked up at the Yellow-Eyed Demon as he slowly began to sneak over to the gun.

************************************************** *****SPN/TIH************************************** ********************

Tish watched Priestly as he lay unconscious, blood dripping down from his head. Tears ran down her face as she prayed that he wasn't dead. She moved her gaze to Yellow-Eyes as he turned towards the cell, her teary frown morphing into an angry glare.

"Looks like—" Yellow-Eyes frowned, "Priestly, is it?—won't be helping out anymore." He smiled wickedly at her.

"If you killed him, I swear I will—" began Tish.

"You'll what?" asked Yellow-Eyes. "Waitress me to death?" He shuddered in mock fear. "Ooh, I'm so scared." He looked over at Sam, who pulled himself over to the doorframe, leaning against it.

From what Tish could see as Sam clasped his arm close to his chest, he had broken his wrist as he fell on it. Sam glared up at the demon after a concerned glance over at Priestly.

"Oh, Sammy, Sammy, Sammy," sighed Yellow-Eyes as he faced him. "What am I going to do with you? I can't hurt you—not too much, anyway. I mean, you did get that this was all about you, right? Yeah, sure, I kidnapped Dean's friends—" he waved his hand back at the cage, "but how else was I gonna get your attention?"

Sam frowned. "You were trying to get me here?"

"Of course," said Yellow-Eyes. "What, you thought I wanted your brother? He's a big, dull caveman of a hunter. But you…" he stepped forward and squatted down in front of Sam, "you're special. Your gifts have matured perfectly on the hunt. Did you notice how you called that last vision to you?"

Sam froze in confusion. "I called?"

"Yes, you called," Yellow-Eyes told him, pointing a finger at him. "You made that vision happen. You wanted to find your father, and you did. I knew if I made you want it bad enough, you would take the initiative." He smiled at him. "You're finally ready, aren't you?"

"Why?" Sam asked, shaking his head at him. "What use are psychic visions to you?"

Yellow-Eyes shook his head pityingly. "Oh, Sammy…you have no idea who you are, do you? The things you are capable of…It's so much more than simple visions."

"What are you talking about?"

Yellow-Eyes leaned forward towards Sam, taking his time and seeming to relish in the suspense Sam must have been feeling. "I'm talking about the demon blood in your veins."

Tish's jaw dropped in shock at the revelation. Demon blood?

Sam's face twisted in horror. "What?"

Yellow-Eyes grinned maliciously. "That night wasn't about your mommy…It was about you. I needed to give you a little boost…" He leaned forward to whisper in his ear as Sam leaned his face away from him. "Better than mother's milk…"

The full magnitude of the Winchesters' past hit Tish hard in the gut. This demon had killed their mother, torn apart their family, taken their childhood to dose Sam with demon blood, making him into a powerful psychic for some purpose.

"You fed me demon blood?" Sam asked in revulsion.

"Duh," said Yellow-Eyes, leaning away from him. "You thought that psychic stuff was all you?" He stood, looking down at Sam. "See, I have big plans for you, Sammy. You…and all the children like you."

A gunshot sounded, and Yellow-Eyes jolted forward, blood bursting from his shoulder as a bullet hit it, sparks emitting from the wound. Sam and Tish's eyes widened in shock as Yellow-Eyes groaned in pain and surprise. Yellow-Eyes spun around as they looked over behind him to the shooter.

Priestly glared at the demon over the smoking barrel of the Colt. "They've just been canceled."

"Priestly!" Tish exclaimed, unbelievably happy to see him awake and—most of all—not dead.

While Priestly had the demon cornered, Sam began reciting the exorcism. Five words in, and the demon bailed out of John. Priestly aimed the gun at the demon cloud as it rushed out of the room. John fell to the ground, clutching his wounded shoulder.

Priestly lowered the gun a little, clenching his teeth in frustration. "Dammit." He kept the gun at the ready, his eyes moving towards the door.

"Don't worry," Sam told him, wincing as he grabbed his arm. "I salted everything. He's not going anywhere."

"Dad, you okay?" asked Priestly.

John grimaced in pain, gripping onto his shoulder to stop the bleeding. "I'll live."

"Alright, sit tight," Priestly told him, turning to look around the room.

Sam pulled himself to his feet, grabbing the salt gun from the floor. He held his right arm tight to his torso as he used his left to aim around the room, his back to Priestly's. The two brothers searched the room, waiting for the demon to pop back in.

Tish zeroed in on Priestly's face as he turned, looking around the room. His jaw and gaze were both set and determined, and his entire body—from his head to his gun hand and down to his firm stance—was rock solid, as though he had done this a thousand times. As Priestly turned and his gaze slid over to Tish, he looked her in the eye, and Tish just knew.

Dean…

Whatever had happened when Priestly had hit the wall, it obviously had gotten the memories moving along. The question was…was this still her Priestly? Or had the loss of amnesia driven him completely behind the façade that was Dean?

Dean gave her a quick nod before moving towards the door, glancing out into the hallway. John dragged himself over to the cell, propping himself up against the bars to try to keep his wound above his heart so the bleeding would slow. Sam eased back towards his father, keeping an eye on the room as he guarded John. Dean edged back into the room, clearly deciding that it was best to take refuge in an enclosed room than to wander out into the open.

John bit his lip as he tried to stay silent for his boys. He hunched over in pain, clutching at his shoulder. Sam knelt next to John, checking to make sure he wasn't bleeding out. Dean began turning towards the cell, facing away from Sam and John.

Suddenly, a man appeared behind Dean, his eyes yellow. Tish was about to warn Dean when she saw him freeze for an instant, his eyes tracking to the side back towards the demon. Dean kept moving, obviously trying to make the demon think he wasn't onto him. Tish quickly motioned to the others in the cell not to make a sound. Dean continued to aim at the room as his eyes stayed trained back to try to keep an eye on him. Yellow-Eyes raised his arm towards Dean, and that's when he made his move.

Dean spun around, firing the Colt and shooting the demon through the heart. The demon's yellow eyes went wide as he stared in shock at Dean, his outstretched arm slowly dropping to his side.

Dean lowered the Colt, staring at Yellow-Eyes. "That was for our mom…you son of a bitch."

Yellow-Eyes convulsed as the wound jolted with electricity, dropping to the floor. The yellow in his eyes died out as the bullet wound smoked. Dean stepped over to the demon, glaring down at him.

Sam stepped over to the demon, staring at it before looking up at Dean. "You did it…"

Dean looked up at Sam with a satisfied look on his face. "We did it."

"I can't believe it," said Sam with a small smile. "It's all finally over. I—"

Dean swiftly stepped over and pulled Sam into a hug. Sam stood, confused, for a moment before dropping the gun and hugging him back.

"Oh, I missed you so much, Sammy," Dean told him.

Sam's eyes widened, and he pulled away from Dean, staring at him with narrowed eyes. "Dean?"

"Yeah, Sam, it's me," smiled Dean. He shrugged. "Finally."

Sam smiled and pulled Dean in for another hug.

"Damn, kid, you got big," chuckled Dean, patting him on the back.

John reached into his pocket and pulled the cell's keys out. He struggled to his feet and unlocked the cage door. Tish stepped out of the cell, watching as Dean broke away from Sam and looked over at her. His smile of joy quickly transformed into a frown of concern as he hurried over to her.

"Tish," breathed Dean, embracing her tightly.

Tish wrapped her arms around him, taking comfort in his presence.

Dean pulled away from her, putting a hand to her cheek. "Are you okay?"

Tish nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Did he hurt you?" Dean asked.

"Just a few scrapes," Tish assured him.

"Oh, thank God," Dean sighed in relief, pulling her into his embrace again.

Tish wrapped her arms around him once more, half-heartedly hugging him. As though sensing something was off, Dean pulled back again, frowning down at her.

"What's wrong?" asked Dean.

Tish looked up at him, the worry in her eyes. "This is it, right? You got your memory back? Which means you're Dean now…not Priestly."

Dean's expression softened, and he took hold of her hands. "Hey…No matter what happens, I will always be your Priestly."

Tish smiled up at him, comforted that he still felt the same way.

Dean shrugged with a glance down at his outfit. "Although, I'm probably gonna quit dressing myself like this. You won't miss that, will you?"

Tish laughed, the relief flooding through her. She could see now: Priestly truly had been Dean the entire time. Everything she knew and loved about Priestly came from Dean. He was still the same man she knew.

Dean smiled and pulled her in for a kiss, running a hand down her face. They pulled away from each other, and Dean looked over at John as he placed a hand on Dean's shoulder. Dean stepped towards him and hugged him, being careful to avoid his shoulder wound.

"You did good tonight, Dean," said John. "I'm proud of you."

Dean pulled back from John, smiling at him. "Thank you, sir." He paused, catching himself. "Dad."

"So, you're Dean now?" asked Piper.

Dean turned to look at the others. "Yeah, but I won't yell at ya if you call me Priestly."

"Well, let's get the wounded to a hospital," said Jen.

"Good plan," said Trucker as he leaned on Jeff for support.

******************************************SPN/TIH* ************************************************** ********************

Dean walked along the beach with Tish in the early pre-dawn hours. Dean had just been discharged with a standard concussion warning from the doctor. Trucker was in the outpatient clinic for his injuries, Piper was having the baby checked over, John was in the E.R. for the gunshot wound, and Sam had had his wrist set and casted a few hours ago. Everyone else had opted to stay in the waiting area. Dean, however, was climbing the walls—probably bad hospital stay memories from his accident—and Tish had suggested a walk.

Dean held onto Tish's hand as they walked, staring at the lightening horizon. "What a night."

"What a weekend," Tish corrected him. "Which, by the way, Jen is moving the wedding to this coming weekend."

"So soon?" asked Dean.

"Well, I think she figures that the sooner, the better," said Tish. "I mean, with everything we all now know is out there, why wait?"

Dean paused for a while, finally feeling that right here, right now was the moment he had been waiting for. "Speaking of that, there's something I need to tell you. Well, ask you, would be more appropriate."

"What is it?" asked Tish, stopping and turning to face him.

Dean took a deep breath and took her hands in his. "Tish…I have loved you longer than you can imagine. You are…amazing."

Tish smiled sheepishly at the praise.

"And now that I remember what a crazy hell my entire life has been, I realize how lucky I am to have even found you," Dean went on earnestly. "And I know that if I let you slip out of my fingers, it will be the dumbest thing I have ever done, and I will regret it the rest of my life."

Tish stared at him, starting to get a feeling about where this might be heading, and yet, not able to believe it yet.

"I love you, Tish, and I can't picture one more day without you by my side…forever," Dean told her. He stepped back a little and knelt down on one knee.

Tish stared in shock as Dean pulled a small box out of his pocket and opening it to reveal a silver diamond ring. Dean held the box in one hand and took hold of her hand in the other.

"Tish…will you marry me?" asked Dean.

A smile burst out on Tish's face, happy tears forming in her eyes. "Yes." She nodded several times. "Yes!"

Dean smiled as he stood, slipping the ring from the box and sliding it onto Tish's finger. Dean looked at Tish, who burst out laughing as Dean grabbed her up into his arms, spinning her around. As he slowed their spinning, Dean leaned his head forward, capturing her lips in a passionate kiss as the sun broke over the horizon.

I know. I went overboard with the perfect porposal moment, but after all the hell I have put these characters through in this story, I thought they deserved a little fairy tale there.

Two more chapters left!