Title: Since I Found Serenity (8/8)
Fandom: Firefly, Highlander, SPN & SV
Characters: From FF: Mal, Zoe, Wash, River, Jayne, Simon, Inara, Kaylee. From I!D 'Verse: Dean Winchester, Duncan MacLeod, Richie Ryan, Methos, Chloe Sullivan and Sam Winchester.
Spoilers: The story begins in the middle of the Firefly Movie "Serenity". You will be spoiled if you haven't seen it.
Disclaimer: The characters you know and love all belong to their respective creators.
Chapter Summary: SamandDean - need I say more
A/N: This story takes place 6 years after chapter 5 of 5 Times Immortal!Dean met Meta!Chloe.
A/N2: Richie's capture and torture by the Alliance is told in "Into the black"
Chapter 8: Since I Found Serenity
As Dean, Duncan and Chloe approached Serenity, they spotted Richie waiting with Mal and Wash. "
"Our boy look nervous to you?" Duncan asked.
Dean watched as Richie put his hands in his pockets, kicked around some dirt by his boot, then pulled his hands out only to put them back in again and then bounce expectantly on his heels. "Got a real twicher going." Dean observed.
"Did he sound nervous on the phone?" Chloe asked.
"Nope. Just mentioned he'd met Wash and it was time for us to make an appearance." Dean replied. As they entered Buzz range and Richie looked over relief and nervousness played war across his face. Dean figured Richie would eventually spill what was bugging him. He wasn't one for being stoic.
"Hey guys," the young-looking Immortal waved them over. "Mal, Wash: this is Dean, Chloe and Duncan." The appropriate greetings were exchanged between the two groups.
"So, I'm not feeling anything from you." Wash observed as he shook Chloe's hand. "You're not a member of the club?"
"No, I'm not. Guess you could say I'm a bit of an Immortal groupie." Chloe smiled as she slipped her hand into Dean's.
Wash laughed. "Richie mentioned your relationship with Dean. Maybe you can talk to my wife about life with Immortals."
"I'm happy to. I'm sure you still have a lot of questions."
"Not really. I'm good."
"You seem to be handling it well, Wash." Duncan observed. "Most new Immortals are a bit thrown by the prospect."
"Well, we sort of already knew about most of it." The newest Immortal replied. "Richie just filled in the blanks."
"Great. Then we should get right to your training."
"Training? Not sword training?" Wash gulped
Mac laughed at the stricken look on the newbie's face. "There are some hand to hand techniques that you should be aware of and I do think some rudimentary sword training might be wise."
"I don't know why. I travel with a pretty heavily armed group." Wash insisted. "Not really sure I need all that."
"Seriously Mac, you don't even carry your sword any more, why should Wash have to learn?" Richie put in.
"That's not the point. He needs to be prepared for the possibility that there are rogues out there." Duncan said. Richie could tell Mac was gearing up for one of his mentor lectures and he wasn't in the mood.
"Mac this conversation can wait. There's something more important I need to tell you all." He said as his gaze came to rest on Dean.
Dean eyed Richie with concern. "What's going on Dude?" He knew that his friend had been dying to tell him something.
Richie cleared his throat. Opened his mouth and then closed it.
"Shen sheng de gao wan. Spit it out." Dean growled.
Richie sighed. "There is just no easy way to say this is there?" he admitted looking at his former sergeant.
Mal decided to help get Richie started. "Wash ain't the only Immortal that's part of my crew. Rich says the other fellow is someone you know."
"Don't tell me it's that Corey guy. You hate him." Dean joked trying to lighten his friend's mood.
"No Dean. The other guy is a new immortal too and…," Richie paused and took a deep breath. He reached out to take hold of his friend's shoulders, as much to steady himself as to prevent Dean from doing anything rash. "It's Sam. The other Immortal; it's your brother."
Dean's eyes went murderous, "Not funny Richie." He growled as he tried to shake off the iron grip. "Let go of me."
"No, you have to listen to me. It's not some kind of double. It's really Sam. I ran through all the tests: chants, holy water, silver. But more than that, I have this gut feeling that it really is your brother. It's Sam. Somehow he's been transported here."
"Bullshit! I don't know what the hell is going on but we're being played." Dean finally shrugged off Richie's grip and stepped back.
"Richie, where is this guy?" Duncan asked. "We need to talk to him."
"He's waiting in the galley. Mal and I thought we should break the news to Dean; prepare him for when he sees Sam."
"Stop calling him that." Dean yelled and stormed toward the ship. "I'm going to kill the evil Wang ba dan and then we'll see who's Immortal."
Mal stepped in front of Dean. "It's customary to ask permission to board a person's ship. But I reckon I'm gonna have to deny you entrance if you fixin' to shoot one of mine." Although he said the words casually, his stance promised imminent violence if Dean took another step.
"I don't plan to shoot the Gorram imposter," Dean said with icy calm. "I'm gonna take his head," and he pulled a large hunting knife out of his belt. "Now get out of my way."
Duncan and Richie came up behind Dean. Richie grabbed one arm while Mac took the other to stop him from charging Mal.
"Let go, Rich. You may have been fooled but this ends now." Dean shouted.
Richie's grip tightened on Dean's arm and he placed his other on his chest, pushing Dean back a few steps.
"You have to listen to me." Richie commanded. "This is not the way to do this."
In the confusion, Chloe stepped in front and addressed Mal. "Can we meet this crewman? Maybe in your cargo bay." Chloe pointed to the open space she could see just beyond the end of the ramp. "We promise to keep Dean under control but we need to see Sam." She pleaded. "Crazy things are happening all over the 'verse as you know from Miranda. This may be a key to that puzzle."
Behind her, she could hear Richie talking Dean down. Dean's breathing was slowing and he seemed to be relaxing.
"Richie mentioned that you were curious about our encounter with the Reavers?"
"Yes that's one of the reasons we came. We can help but first…" She let the repeated request go unspoken
"You get him to drop the knife and then I'll think about letting him onto my ship." Mal continued to stand, arms crossed, blocking the way in. "Go ahead. Talk to him. We'll wait." He indicated that Wash should join him on the ramp.
Chloe turned to face Dean. "You going to behave?" She asked bluntly.
"I don't care what Richie says, Sam is dead." Dean growled "And I will not be played by some demon using his memory this way."
Chloe quirked an eyebrow at Richie. "Why are you so sure this isn't a fake?"
"Besides the fact that he passed all the tests, some of which he suggested himself I might add; I knew Sam better than anyone, except Dean of course. I just know it's him." Richie paused before dropping the next big idea. "He thinks he may have time traveled here and I believe him."
Dean scoffed. "Richie? Come on. Time travel?"
"Talk to him. Give him a chance to convince you." Richie pleaded. "If he did time travel, he might be yanked back at any moment. Do you really want to throw away the only opportunity you might have to see Sam again? "
Dean's disbelief faded away as he stopped to consider the possibility that crazier things have happened to all of them. "But Sam never said anything about time travel." Dean said quietly; his anger spent.
Chloe placed a hand on his arm. "It's not impossible to believe that he might have kept it from you to prevent messing with the time line."
Dean touched her hand. "You think that's true?"
Chloe shrugged. "I used to work with the JLA; anything is possible."
"Dean," Mac said. "We don't often get a second chance with those mortals we love. Put the knife away and let's listen to the guy. We all have the ability to spot supernatural impostors and we'll be watching him just as carefully as you. If he's a fake, I'll be right behind you to make him regret it."
With a slow, thoughtful nod, Dean turned toward Mal. He handed the captain his knife. "Let's do this."
Mal took the weapon. "Right this way." He gestured toward the interior of the ship and then turned to Wash. "Get everyone into the cargo bay."
Dean stood unarmed in the middle of the cargo bay. Chloe, Duncan and Richie stood behind him against the far wall as Mal's crew began to gather around the perimeter.
When the Buzz came Dean's eyes drifted to the top of the stairwell. A tall, shaggy haired figure stepped out of the shadows and bounded down the steps three at a time. "Dean!"
"Sam?" Dean whispered as he watched the descent; his voice catching on the emotion in that one word. He could her Chloe's gasp of recognition behind him.
Sam raced toward him but Dean held up a hand to halt his brother in his tracks. "I want to believe this I really do," he choked out, "But I need something more then those tests can prove. Some tiny thing that only Sam would know…anything."
Sam nodded and swallowed hard. He pointed to the pendant Dean wore. "I gave you that. But it wasn't supposed to be for you. Bobby gave it to me to give to dad at Christmas but dad didn't show until three days later. I gave it to you instead." Sam smiled at the memory. "And you…well you, ripped off some toys from one the houses in the neighborhood for me. They were girl toys but it's the thought that counts. Right?"
Dean fingered the necklace. He'd never shared that story with anyone. Not even Chloe when she'd asked where the hideous thing had come from. Dean knew that it represented the moment that Sam had decided to rely on Dean and not Dad. It was the moment their bond was truly forged. "Sammy, it really is you?" Dean whispered his voice strained with hope.
Sam nodded, closed the distance between them in two steps, threw his arms around Dean's shoulders and just held on. Dean returned the hug. His head buried against Sam's shoulder. Dean's body was suddenly racked by sobs. He felt his knees buckling but Sam held him up.
Tears flowed freely down Sam's face as he recognized the profound loss that Dean had carried with him for so long. They stood holding each other with only the sound of their hitched breathing breaking the silence.
Around the bay, everyone stood captivated by the raw emotion coming off the two brothers. Chloe leaned into Duncan who pulled her close as the tears slipped down her face. She reached for Richie's hand and squeezed when she heard him snuffing back tears as well. They were over come by the happiness they knew Dean felt at this reunion.
Dean had been devastated by the loss of his brother. Finding him again would make him whole in a way that he hadn't been in almost five hundred years. The whys and wherefores could wait. DeanandSam were together again.
The brothers finally broke apart. Dean swiped at his eyes and manned up as if he hadn't shed a tear. "Sammy, you bitch, where have you been for five hundred years?"
A/N: So ends the first arc of this story. You may have realized that while Sam and Dean are reunited many of the other questions I raised have not been answered. I am currently at work on the next arc of the story which will explain how Sam got to Serenity and how/if Reavers are demons.
I want to thank everyone who has read this story for your wonderful support and feedback: hugs you all
Firefly Slang
Damn it: Zao gao
Enough of this nonsense: Gou huang tang
I don't believe my eyes!: Wo bu shin wo dah yan jing
Long time no see: Hao joh bu jian
Gdmn monsters: Tian sha de e mo
A general exclamation: Shen sheng de gao wan
Awesome: Gao gan
Wonderful!: Pai an jiao jue
Alliance: Tong meng
Monkey's butt: Hou-zi de pi-gu
Are we clear?: Dong le ma
SOB: Wang ba dan
Filthy fornicators of livestock: He chu-sheng za-jiao de zang-huo!
Baboon's arse: Fei fei pi gu
Fool: Sha gua