Chapter Twenty-One
The pain was excruciatingly, blindingly intense. Dean had felt plenty of pain in his life as a hunter, but this was worse than anything he could have imagined. It was a pain both physical and emotional and was so debilitating that when it was over, he knew that, had he been conscious, he would have wept. Even unconscious, he wanted to cry with relief.
He became aware of the girl a moment after the pain abated. He knew instinctively that it was Liz. She must have been around ten years old and had her dark hair braided in two braids. She was standing in a field of clover and smiling at him. He realized belatedly that she had a chain of the clover flowers in her hair. It was a detail that struck something inside of him. While he watched her, she threw her head back and laughed. It was a delightful sound that caused Dean's chest to swell with joy. The laughter stopped, and suddenly little Liz looked very worried.
"I'm sorry," she said.
"For what?"
She looked away guiltily. "For what's about to happen."
Dean felt the pain coming back. He fought it to no avail. There was one more spasm of joy so intense that it was almost painful, then the pain was crashing in with such overwhelming force that he screamed. Then he felt no more.
XXX
The children watched as Dean collapsed to the floor, screaming in agony. He lay on the ground, writhing in pain. Then the screams subsided, and Dean went still.
"Is he dead?" Sofie asked, her voice shaky with fear. She picked up Jaden and tried to calm her terrified crying.
Mitchell edged toward Dean and kneeled beside him. He waved his hand in front of his mouth then tried to find a pulse. He shook him in an attempt to wake him, but Dean was nonresponsive. "I don't know. I can't tell if he's breathing."
Sweat broke out on Isabelle's forehead. "He's not dead. He hurts too much to be dead. It hurts me." She shuddered in obvious discomfort.
Sofie shot an alarmed glance at Mitchell. "I think I should take the little ones to our room. You can call Mr. Bobby. He'll know what to do. I know Dean has his number on his phone. I've seen him call."
Mitchell nodded his agreement, and Sofie rounded up their siblings and herded them toward the house in which they'd been staying. When they were out of earshot, Mitchell grabbed up Dean's phone, found Bobby's number, and called it.
Bobby was not happy to be hearing from Dean. "Damn it, Dean! I thought I told you to stop calling me! You are staying there whether you like it or not!" The silence that greeted him had him confused. "Dean?"
Mitchell took a deep breath. "Mr. Bobby, I think Dean's dead."
"Mitchell?"
"Yes, it's me, Mr. Bobby. We need help. Mr. Dean was talking on the phone then he screamed and fell down. I can't tell if he's breathing, but Bells said that he's alive 'cause she can feel his pain."
Bobby sucked in a breath. "Do you know who Dean was talking to?"
"No."
"Do you know what he was talking to them about?"
"Um, maybe something about Aunt Lindsey, er, I mean Aunt Liz."
"It might take me a little bit to get someone to you. Do you think that you and Sofie can manage things until someone can get to you?"
Mitchell scoffed. "Mom lets us babysit all the time. We're not babies!"
Bobby smiled. "Duly noted. I'll send someone your way as soon as possible. They should be there by nightfall at the latest. Is that okay?"
"Yes. What do you want me to do with Dean?"
"I don't know what you can do. It's hot. Try to keep him cool if you can. That's all I know to do."
"Okay, Mr. Bobby. I'll do what I can."
XXX
Alex made the 296-mile journey to the compound in barely over three and a half hours. Cassie and Katy, who for the last two weeks had been nothing but a source of complaints about his driving, didn't comment when he nearly hit the tractor that pulled out in front of them in Mississippi or the car that slammed on its brakes in Arkansas or any of the other near misses that driving so fast can bring with it. All of them stayed silent and tense with worry.
They had some trouble finding the actual compound. Alex would have driven around until he stumbled upon it, but Cassie insisted that they stop at a convenience store and ask.
Of course, getting to the compound was only the first step. They all knew that getting inside was going to be the real problem. Bobby had given them detailed instructions, but they knew if they made one misstep, they could all die. The place had been fortified beyond what any of them had ever seen.
The community gates looked banal as they pulled up in front of them. In fact, nothing about the place seemed sinister. They knew better.
After a few moments idling, they all got out of the car and stood around starting at the gates. Alex took a deep breath and let it out. "Let's talk about this a second. Are we sure we want to get ourselves stuck in that place? Bobby made no bones about the fact we won't be able to leave until he lets us out."
Katy rolled her eyes and started walking toward the gate with a determined stride. "Do what you want," she called over her shoulder. "I'm going to save Dean."
"Katy, stop!" Alex called after her. There was panic in his voice.
Katy wheeled around. "No! I am going in there, and you can't stop me!"
Alex smiled grimly. "You are three steps away from a charm that will cause you to spontaneously combust."
Katy went a little white. "Oh. Well, thanks," she said sheepishly.
Alex shrugged. "No problem." He looked to Cassie. "Well? What do you think? I'm going in. What about you?"
Cassie sighed. "Like I'd let the two of you out of my sight. Who knows what kind of trouble you'd get into."
Alex grinned. "Then we're agreed. Knights-in-shining-armor it is."
"That's us," Katy agreed ironically. They reached the gate, and Alex said a silent prayer that he wouldn't screw anything up. Ten minutes later, they were inside the gates searching for the children. They weren't hard to find; they just followed the sounds of crying.
When they reached the kids, the youngest was crying inconsolably. The oldest was trying his best to calm her, but his patience had run out at some point long before. The relief the children felt to see adults was palpable.
"You're here!" one of the little ones said and flung herself at them. Katy caught her a little awkwardly. She turned a pleading look on Alex and Cassie. Alex scooped the girl out of Katy's arms and patted her back until she relaxed against him. "Where's Dean?" he asked the children.
The oldest stood up. "He fell outside. We couldn't move him because he was too heavy. Mr. Bobby told us to keep him cool, so we made a fort around him to keep the sun off of him. We've been putting a wet washcloth on his forehead every once in a while. That's what Mom does when one of us has a fever."
Alex smiled at the kids. "That was very thoughtful of you. Can you take us to him?"
The children led them to their makeshift fort. The sheets had done a good job of keeping the worst of the sun off of Dean. He lay beneath them, completely still.
Alex understood the children's fear that Dean was dead. He checked Dean's breathing to be sure.
"He mumbled something once," Jaden supplied helpfully.
"That's good to know," Cassie said and patted the girl's head. She turned away dismissively and looked to Alex. "What are we going to do? This place is not equipped to support someone in a coma. He needs fluids. He won't be able to last too much longer without them."
"This place was designed to be a battle station. Bobby and Liz have been stocking up for years. There have to be some IVs somewhere around here."
Katy and Cassie agreed. They decided that Alex should be in charge of the children while they searched the grounds for medical supplies. Thirty minutes later, Cassie stumbled upon the med station, which was thankfully fully stocked with everything they needed. They wrangled Dean into the room on a rigged up stretcher then did the only thing they could: they waited on Dean to wake up.
XXX
The pain stopped. Dean didn't know why, and he didn't care. All that mattered was that it had stopped. He floated weightlessly in the empty darkness that remained after the pain subsided. He didn't know how long he drifted before the chair appeared. When he saw it, he moved toward it without really meaning to. He sat in it, and the world stopped being weightless. A slow, haunting song began floating out of the ether. Dean listened, entranced, as the notes surrounded him. A spotlight switched on and revealed Liz in a ballet outfit.
It never occurred to Dean to go to her. He merely watched as she began to sing and dance en pointe.
"Well, I heard there was a secret chord
That David played and it pleased the Lord
But you don't really care for music, do you?
Well, it goes like this, the fourth, the fifth
The minor fall and the major lift
The baffled king composing hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelu-u-u-jah"
The spotlight widened to reveal Jason. Jason picked up the next verse, singing to Dean and aiding Liz in her dancing when she need a lift or to be spun.
"Well, your faith was strong but you needed proof
You saw her bathing on the roof
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you
She tied you to her kitchen chair
She broke your throne and she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelu-u-u-jah"
The light went out and appeared some distance away. Dean recognized himself sitting at a piano with Liz. The Dean at the piano sang to Liz, who looked into the distance as if she did not hear him. After a few lines, he turned Liz's head so she was looking at him as he sang to her.
"Well, there was a time when you let me know
What's really going on below
But now you never show that to me, do you?
But remember when I moved in you?
And the holy dove was moving, too?
And every breath we drew was hallelujah?
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelu-u-u-jah"
Dean's doppelganger turned to look at him. Suddenly, Dean was transported so that he was at the piano singing to Liz. He knew right away that she was not really Liz. He'd been around the Fates enough in the last five years to recognize one when he saw them.
"What are you doing here? I thought you couldn't help me."
She shrugged. "I am not supposed to, but my sisters do not know that I am here. They would be upset."
"Ah. Well, three guesses who you are, and I say middle sister it is. What do you want?"
"To help you remember something very important." She squinted at him. "You do not remember, do you?"
"Remember what? I didn't bring my secret decoder ring with me to Crazyland, so you're going to have to at least give me a hint."
Liz's look-alike glanced around her. "I guess this is kind of cryptic. There are rules, though. Rules by which I must play even while breaking all the others. Trust me, it would be much easier to just tell you what I want you to know than use some elaborate hallucination to make you remember it."
"Was there a hint in there somewhere? I gotta say I didn't hear it."
"The song was the hint."
Dean rolled his eyes. "Then I'm gonna need a better hint."
The Fate grabbed Dean's chin and forced him to look at her. "I should not have bogged it down with unnecessary details. Focus on this part; it is what is important," she explained and started singing again: "Remember when I moved in you, and the holy dove was moving, too? And every breath we drew was hallelujah?" She watched him, waiting for the moment when understanding lit his face. He stared at her blankly.
"You do understand what that means, right?"
The blank look remained. "All I heard was something about doves."
Frustration tightened the Fate's borrowed face. "I cannot tell you more than I already have. You have to figure it out for yourself. I have already interferred too much as it is. I have already told you everything you need to know to save Liz." She bit her bottom lip. "I know you can figure it out." She put a hand on his chest. "Remember when you moved in me." She switched her hand to her chest.
Her expectant look turned to annoyance when Dean continued to watch her blankly. "I have overstepped my boundaries as it is. I cannot tell you more than that. It is up to you to figure it out." She huffed out a breath. "Maybe Bobby can help."
Dean scowled at her. "And maybe in the future you can say something that makes some freaking sense," he retorted.
"It is your head. I just use it the best I can," the Fate said with a smile. She brushed a thumb across his lips. "There are many things I admire about you, Dean Winchester, not the least of which is your determination to help those whom you love." She looked up into his perplexed eyes. "I have broken a lot of rules for you, Dean. You could say that I have very little left to lose."
Dean watched her, trying to assess the situation. Her thumb was still skimming across his lips.
She sighed deeply. "I suppose rules were made to be broken. You need to remember the first time-" She gasped and grabbed her throat as some unseen force assaulted her. Her hands were shaking as she tore them away from her throat and pressed them against Dean's temples.
He immediately came awake. He was on some kind of a bed that was really not that comfortable. He shifted into a sitting position, giving himself a few minutes to get over the dizziness that the position change caused.
"Son of a bitch!" he muttered. "My head hurts! Mother fu-" he noticed Isabelle watching him and bit back the curse. He blinked at her a few seconds to make sure she was real. "Uh, Isabelle, what are you doing here?"
Isabelle glanced at the door. "I snuck in to check on you. We're not supposed to be in here. Mr. Alex and Ms. Cassie said we should let you rest. I just had to check on you, though."
Dean nodded. "Okay. Where are Alex and Cassie?"
Isabelle ignored the question. "Aunt Liz gave me something to give to you if you were in trouble, but I'm not sure what she meant."
"Oh yeah?" he told her, half-listening. He tried to stand, but his legs didn't support him, and he tumbled to the floor bringing the IV stand with him.
The commotion brought Alex, Cassie, and Katy in from the other room. Cassie and Katy helped Dean back onto the hospital bed while Alex shook his head at Isabelle. "Didn't we tell you to leave Dean alone and let him rest?" he demanded sharply.
Isabelle shrugged. "But I didn't do anything," she insisted. "He woke up on his own then fell down. I promise I didn't do anything."
Alex turned to Katy. "Would you please take Isabelle to Sofie?"
Isabelle crossed her arms over her chest and stuck her lip out. "I'm not leaving! You can't make me!"
"We can so!" Katy rebutted, scooping her up.
Dean put a hand to his head. "Stop yelling. Isabelle doesn't bother me. She can stay if she wants. I just want everyone to stop yelling."
Katy considered Dean for a moment then put Isabelle down. "Fine. Half-pint stays. Are you okay?"
Dean shrugged. "I guess we'll see. I do have a question, though. If you were to say that you moved in someone, what would you be talking about?"
Cassie looked at Dean like he had lost his mind. "Are you serious?"
Dean nodded. "Yeah. It's important, so just answer."
The other adults were obviously confused and a bit worried by the bizarre question. Alex shrugged at Cassie and Katy before settling his gaze back on Dean. He reached down and covered Isabelle's ears. "It sounds like you're talking about sex, Dean."
"Sex? Oh. Well, that makes sense." He began laughing hysterically. He eventually calmed himself enough to speak. "I know where Liz is," he admitted. "I've known all along."
"What?" Katy wondered. "Is it just me on the slow train here, or does that need some explanation?"
Dean laughed some more. "Five years ago, one of the Fates told me exactly where I could find Liz when she was captured. Now I need to get out of this place so I can do just that. Surely Bobby gave you the key out of here."
Alex shook his head. "Sorry, dude. We're as stuck as you."
"I'm sure we could call Bobby and he would-" Cassie began only to be interrupted by Dean.
"-laugh at us," he finished bitterly. "I need to get out of here, and Bobby's not going to help. He thinks that he's on top of the Liz situation."
Isabelle wiggled her way out of Alex's grasp and darted to Dean. "Do you really know where Aunt Liz is?" she asked, the very picture of seriousness.
Dean nodded. "Yep."
Isabelle turned contemplative. Finally, she sighed dramatically and placed her hand over Dean's. "I know how to get out of here," she admitted.
All eyes swung to Isabelle. "How do you know?" Katy asked skeptically.
"Aunt Liz told me before she left."
"Why would she have entrusted something that important to a little kid?"
"Hey! I'm almost five! I'm not a little kid!"
"Well, excuse me," Katy rebutted sarcastically. "Now that you put it that way, I think I'll put everyone's lives in your hands like Liz did."
"Enough," Alex told Katy.
"You mean you could have gotten us out of here any time you wanted to?" Dean asked.
Isabelle's eyes widened, and she glanced around uncertainly. "Aunt Liz said I should only tell you if it was an emergency and absolutely necessary."
"Liz has been taken by some very bad people. You didn't think me saving her qualified as an emergency?"
Isabelle shook her head. "Aunt Liz said I should only let you know about the way out if we were under attack and you looked worried. I promised her that would be the only way I would tell you, but if you really know where she is, well, I'd rather she'd be mad at me than have anyone hurt her."
Weariness seeped out of Dean. "I'm beyond caring. Isabelle, tell us how to get out of here, and we'll be on our way."
Isabelle looked alarmed. "Us? No. Not us. You. You are the only one going."
Cassie sputtered. "I am not staying here to watch a bunch of kids. No way. Not while Liz needs saving."
"Then no one is leaving," Isabelle responded defiantly.
"I think she's serious, and I think we should listen to her," Dean said.
"Easy for you to say!" Cassie rebutted almost hysterically. "You get to walk out of this place."
Alex placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's for Liz, Cass. It might save her life."
Cassie threw her hands in the air. "Fine! Just remember that I am not happy about this."
"I know you're not," Alex replied. He looked to Katy. "And you? You cool with staying?"
Katy shrugged. "Why not? I guess I owe the bitch that much."
The matter settled, Alex, Katy, and Cassie left Isabelle alone with Dean. When she was sure they were gone, Isabelle pulled a delicate necklace off her neck and handed it to Dean. "First things first, put this on."
"And then?"
"And then you walk out the front gate."
"Just like that?"
"Just like that. When you come back, you had better have Aunt Liz or I'll be very mad at you."
Dean grinned. "Deal."