Hi everyone, here is the next installment of this story, I hope you like the direction I'm taking it. The idea came to me in one of those eureka moments with the light globe over my head. Enjoy!
Please forgive all mistakes they're mine alone.
A/N: Thank you again for everyone who followed, favourited and reviewed. Thanks!
Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or any of the wonderful characters that I am taking on this journey.
Chapter 15 - Down Memory Lane
Pulling up to the storage unit building, John, Bobby and Caleb got out of Bobby's old clunker truck and Dean, Sam and Hope who was buckled tightly in her car seat, got out of the impala and moved as a group up to the storage building, Sam had to manoeuvre up an old ramp that obviously had not been designed for the disabled but to please the council who had probably made them build it to keep up to code. Luckily he was in good shape and was able to use his arm muscles to push himself up the steep ramp.
The older hunters waited for Sam at the top step, Caleb was holding Hope in his arms, talking to her in baby language, it was so unlike him and yet so normal for all the hunters now that no one blinked an eye. Hope had made them all find their inner child, acting silly had become part of their lives and they didn't seem to mind.
Walking into the complex, John walked down corridors, turning left, right then left again then they all piled into the elevator and it started moving up, two, then three levels. Once it stopped, they all looked at each other and they got out one at a time with John in the lead. At the end of the next corridor John stopped and took out a key, putting it in the lock and turning it until they all heard a rather elaborate locking system open. Sam had not seen such a unusual and theatrical entry into a storage unit before that it actually made him think twice about going inside. What if he found nothing but bad memories and unfortunate choices.
Dean out his hand in Sam's shoulder as the group of men moved into the storage locker, Dean waited until Sam started moving then followed him inside, someone flicked the light switch on and suddenly everything was bathed in artificial fluorescent lighting, Dean and Sam were frozen at the threshold looking around at the jumble of objects, from weapons to lock boxes and dust covered books to camping gear. Sam was unsure where to start, looking through all this stuff, when he looked across the room and there was a stack of photo albums, Sam pushed his wheelchair further into the room towards them and stopped just in front of them, he reached to grab the one on top when his brothers arm went across him and picked it up and handed it to him. Sam looked at his brother and smiled his appreciation.
Sam placed the old photo album on his lap as he heard the other men moving around, looking in boxes and talking softly. Sam turned the pages slowly, taking in the mixture of faces he knew well and ones he had never seen before. They all seemed to be of their father and Sam guessed his side of the family, then photos of John in his army uniform and of him with his buddies from the Marine Corps, then there were photos of their mother with her blonde hair shining in the sunlight. Sam was reminded of Jessica and her blonde hair in the Californian sunshine. He smiled to himself with his eyes swimming as he turned the page, feeling his brothers hand move from his shoulder to his neck and squeeze, he moved closer to offer additional comfort without bringing attention to the fact that his little bother was upset.
Getting to the last pages of the album, Sam and Dean cast their eyes over the photos they had never had the privilege of seeing. There was a photo of their parents wedding, their smiling faces looking back at them. Sam had not seen a more beautiful bride and his father looked so different to the father he remembered growing up. It was a time when their small family was at its happiest, before demons, death and a nomadic life that Sam had dreamt of retreating from and had been able to, for a short time, even though he had lost his father and brother then unfortunately his wife, in the process.
The next photo album, was chocked full of photos of the two brothers, growing up, from just after the fire that changed their lives, with a four year old Dean holding a baby Sam protectively, to the boys at seven and eleven respectively, Dean looked so hardened at that age, he had at that point seen his fair share of monsters and their father injured from hunting these monsters, numerous times. Sam was still in the dark about their hunting lifestyle at that young age, which only now, years later, he was genuinely glad that he had those years of ignorance. Dean looked at Sam, as he looked at these photos and was taken aback by the look of reverence and sentimentality that Sam wore, he knew their childhood was a sore point for his little brother, but he wasn't sure if after everything that he would actually remember those times fondly.
Then the photos in the albums started to change, they were all long lens surveillance photos, some of Sam at school, some of Dean, some of them together, walking home, at the corner store, from inside their motel rooms and sometimes from inside the impala. There were even a whole heap of photos of Dean driving his car after he had inherited it at eighteen, fixing her up, polishing her, just enjoying driving the car that was more like a home on four wheels. Sam smiled at these photos and remembered all the times he had stood outside a library or school, waiting from his big brother to pick him up and as soon as the black beast would arrive all his friends and the cool kids who usually picked on him, would be so envious that they would try to be his friend to get to Dean and the beautiful classic car. He was so proud to be able to ride shot gun in that car, he still was, it was his rightful place. When he left for Stanford, he had missed it and his brother like crazy. Dean was smiling in every photo and when he looked at his own face in those photos, he almost couldn't remember being that happy. It had certainly been a while since he had smiled like that, but with having Sam and Hope back in his life, he hoped those smiles wouldn't be so few and far between.
The next half a dozen pages where of Sam, locations he couldn't quite figure out at first, but then realised it was Stanford, he was always walking with books if his hands and a backpack on. He was either smiling or laughing with his friends or he looked pensive. "Why the long face Sammy?, you were finally living your dream, you should have been happy" Dean asked quietly, bending down so Sam could hear him but his voice wouldn't travel to the other men looking though boxes and on shelves for anything interesting.
Sam looked up at Dean and half smiled, he was sad that his brother hadn't figured it out. "To put it bluntly Dean... I missed you" Sam said just as quietly but fiercely so Dean wouldn't question his honesty.
Dean looked into Sam's eyes and saw sincerity. "Oh, okay then... I just thought you would have been partying, enjoying your freedom" Dean felt the sting of bitterness in his voice and instantly regretted it. His brother the only one to blame for the big fight that broke their triangle family. They all could have handled it a lot better.
"I... I had dreamed about going away to school, and I also dreamt about dad not agreeing to it, but I never dreamt about never seeing you guys again, I had hoped that maybe dad would be proud of me, or maybe you would see me off, and visit me when ever you were in town. It just... Didn't work out that way" Sam had his sad puppy dog eyes on full display and Dean felt like a heal for making him justify himself. They should be past all this, they had been past it... Maybe they had to just put it behind them, stop living in the past and move on.
"Your right Sammy, I'm sorry... I was really proud of you, I still am, but being a stubborn Winchester kind of stopped me from saying it" Dean said, his hand on his brothers shoulder, rubbing in small circles, warming the cool skin underneath his tshirt, trying to give him comfort and to silently apologise for bringing up all the hurt feelings and bitterness from so long ago.
Sam flipped a few more pages of himself until he saw a picture of himself and Jessica, they were kissing under the streetlight outside her apartment. He always walked her home after a date and waited until she was inside before he walked back to his dorm room. Another photo of them holding hands, on the next page was a photo that nearly stopped his heart, it was the day he had proposed to Jessica, they had gone hiking in the late afternoon, the sun was going down casting an orange glow over the landscape and when they got to the top, there was a picnic set up for them, with fairy lights in the large tree above it. She was so touched by the gesture she kissed him, they sat there eating their sandwiches and drinking champagne and when the sun started setting, he got down of one knee. The photo was of that moment, Sam on on knee, in front of a teary Jessica as she said yes. Sam stared at that photo for a long time, Dean was starting to get worried about him, when their dad suddenly appeared next to them, he bent down in from of Sam and pulled the photo out of its pocket and turned it over, written on the back was a note "She said yes, Sam and his bride to be, welcome to the family" Sam's eyes were swimming when he looked up at John, "You were there?" Sam cocked out.
"I didn't want to ruin the moment, I actually wanted to speak to you, to congratulate you and to welcome her to our family. I wish I had... I was such a jackass. I'm sorry Sammy" John was talking to gently to his youngest son that he almost didn't recognise his own voice. "I was so proud of you... But I was not father of the year material, so I got it wrong. I didn't blame you for leaving, I blame me, it was my fault. You did such an amazing thing, and I kicked you out of the family for it. I'm sorry" John was fighting back tears when he heard someone sniff and a cough coming from the other hunters, he looked up and the usually hardened men where all affected by the father and son moment, making John start to chuckle, then Sam joined in and then Dean, soon everyone was laughing at the sentimentality of all these badass hunters, crying in the storage locker.
"Ok, let's put away our lady parts and get back to business" Bobby chuckled while wiping his eyes, not caring that anyone saw that he had, like everyone else, been affected by the Winchester family sob fest. "Let's look in these boxes, John do you have any idea what all this stuff is?" Bobby looked at the eldest Winchester and waits for him to stand up and walk around Sam and stand beside him. They gave each other a quick smile and started looking in the boxes.
"I'm not sure, I've just accumulated all these things over the years, from fellow hunters, private collections, as gifts, some not so legit, but I checked them all out, if they were evil or nasty, I put them in a secure hex box, everything else is fair game" John looked around the room at all the boxes in the middle, the artefacts, weapons, tools and books that lined the tables in ordered chaos.
All five men started looking through everything that had been compiled in the storage locker, thoroughly, efficiently and quickly. Hope was asleep on her daddies chest, snuggled in a baby carrier. Occasionally Sam would put his head forward and kiss his daughter, breathing in her smell of baby shampoo and just baby. Hope, Bobby and Dean were the most important people in his life, his father was trying his hardest to get back into his good graces and so far he was succeeding but he was still a little hurt by what had happened, but he wanted to forgive him so that was a start. Sam looked at his watch and was reminded again that he had to take his meds soon and do his exercises otherwise he would be having another round of cramps and spasms.
"Ah... Guys, I think I found something" Caleb said looking back at the old, soft leather bound book with ancient symbols from a Dean language and written on highly fragile paper. Bobby was the first one there, practically giddy with anticipation. His love of books and research was almost unprecedented, he looked over at Sam and smiled, he moved over towards the young father and bent down next to him so he could share the find with him. Sam smiled back at his substitute father, his heart rate picked up at the new discovery, when he was at Stanford sometimes he would be in the library for hours, reading from book to book, searching for the next new find.
He looked at Bobby and then at the book, scanning the open pages in front of him, the writing was small and in a language he thought he had seen once before, Bobby looked at the writing on the small pages and his eyebrows scrunched together, a symbol in particular was familiar to him, he looked up at Sam and he could see the same look on his face. "Do you recognise that symbol?" Bobby asked and Sam started to mumble to himself.
"Yeah, yes I do but... I can't remember where... Ummm" Sam sat looking at the symbol, his mind going through all his memories, trying to find the connection. Bobby stood up and walked over to a stack of books, grabbed a dusty, large gold trimmed book out from the stack and started flipping through the pages, scanning each one thoroughly. "I think it means family, or blood" Sam said as Bobby picked up another book.
Dean watched his brother in the zone with Bobby, he hadn't seen his brother this enthralled in research in quite some time and it was a pleasure to watch.
Dean, John and Caleb, continued to search through the rest of the storage locker, putting all the items of interest to one side. Books, amulets and trinkets, puzzle boxes, old letters and photo albums, all with a link to their family.
Sam was still enthralled in the little book but looked up when Bobby put his hand on his shoulder. "Sam kiddo, we should go back to our place so you can get your meds and some rest, I'll do some research on this old language and you can help me translate it once your done... Alright?" Bobby was worried, the young man in the wheelchair looked uncomfortable and tired.
Sam blinked slowly at Bobby and finally came back to himself. "Yeah, sorry I just got in my head for a bit"
"Yeah, that's always a good thing" Dean said sarcastically but knowing being in his brothers head at times was a dark, lonely place. He made it his job to help him stay away from the dark depression that had pulled him under the surface and threatened to drown the young father.
Sam shot a glare at his brother with not real heat in it but the intention of being the little brother is there for Dean to see. "Ha, ha Dean, your hilarious" Sam said sarcastically back to him. He closed his eyes momentarily as a wave of tiredness swept over him.
"Alright Sammy, let's get you inside the car, you can have a nap once you get situated okay?" Dean said gently to his brother, walking behind his brother to push his wheelchair back to the car, hazel eyes open to see Dean go behind him, closing his eyes again, silently allowing his brother to take over the reins. He knew in his heart that his brother wasn't doing it to make him feel weak but with respect.
After helping Sam into the impala and Hope back into her car seat after also falling asleep in her daddies lap. Dean gets into the black beauty and watched through the window, the other hunters get into their truck and drive slowly away so Dean can keep up.
Three and half hours later the convoy pulled into the savage yard leaving a dust wave in their wake. Dean looked over at his brother who had been softly snoring, he smirked slightly then looked serious, worried about his brother. "Sammy? Hey Sammy come on, we're here, we're home... Sammy?"
Sam startled awake and mumbles so softly that Dean almost didn't hear it, "No!... Jess, I'm sorry..." Dean watches his sadly, wishing he didn't have to have such nightmares, months after the tragedy.
"Come on Sammy, it's alright... Let's get you inside" Dean says softly to his blinking brother, pulling him out of his seat and into the waiting wheelchair. Dean looked up as Bobby pulled a still sleeping Hope out of her car seat gently, putting her head to his chest, she sighed and went back to sleep.
By the time they were all back inside, Sam was wide awake but in desperate need of his meds. Dean handed them to him with a glass of water. Watching his swallow them but make no move to go to bed. Sam moved towards the items they had collected from the storage too a nod started looking at them.
Dean was worried that he would get too obsessed, much like their father. "Hey Sammy, you should go and have a rest" Dean watched as his brothers shoulders slouched.
"I know, sorry... Man, I feel like such burden sometimes, who has naps in the middle of the day?" Sam took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves and to squash all the emotions down.
"Hey, it's alright little brother, no one thinks your a burden, but you've been through a lot and your still recovering" Dean knelt down to see his brothers face. "I mean it Sam, get some rest, we can start looking over all this stuff and you can check it out yourself when you're awake... Go get your beauty sleep princess" Dean put his hand on his brother head and tussled the messy locks making his little brother to chuckle.
Sam chooses to ignore his brothers remarks "Alright, alright, I'll go have a nap. If you need anything just wake me up" he said as he rolled towards his room.
"Sure thing Sammy" Dean said sincerely watching his brother move into his room, leaving the door open.
"Is he ok Dean?" Bobby asked worriedly having heard the interaction.
"Yeah, he was being stubborn and I had to use my big brother voice and make him have his nap" Dean said smiling to himself, glad that he could be in his brother life at all, they had been separated for too long.
Now that Sam was in his room, the other hunters got to work going through each item, personal or supernatural, cataloging or researching it and discussing its origins and any supernatural properties it may have. It was tiresome work but sometimes they would get to reminiscing. Telling stories and replaying hunts that had been remarkable, they were still laughing when Sam came out of his room, sleepy eyed and messy haired.
"Hey sleeping beauty, how're you feeling!" Dean says cheekily, gaining a bitch face for his trouble.
"Ha ha... Can I please get a coffee first without you picking on me" Sam says with a hopeful look on his face.
"Yeah, keep you nickers on, here you are, one girly coffee as per your request... Hey, do you want me to get Hope?" Dean asks giddy, wanting to spend some time with his niece.
"Yeah, she's awake... She didn't seem too interested in me this morning, so you can get her" Sam says looking over the notes the hunters had made.
"Hey Bobby, how are you guys going?" Hoping that the hunters had a successful few hours doing research.
"We've found a few interesting things, but that little book has me really stumped... Just when I think I have the key to translating it, I find another symbol that just screws it all up again... I think I need your eyes on this one" Bobby looks frustrated and perplexed that his usual stellar research skills aren't cracking the code this time. He hopes the genius young father can get to the bottom of it.
Taking the book from Bobby, drinking the last of his coffee, he moves towards the desk so he can get a look at the older mans notes. "I'll have a look at it Pa, I'm sure your on the right track.
Hours later the silence is broken by a gasp and Sam's surprised voice "Oh my god... Uh Bobby, I think I know what this is" Sam said to the quiet room making everyone look in his direction, his eyes were wide and his heart beating widely.
"What Sam, what have you got?" John asks as he walks towards his son and stands behind him to see what his son had found.
Sam was sitting in his wheelchair in front of a small desk, he had the book open on one side with a note pad and a number of other books open at various pages. His note pad had pages and pages of notes and translation ideas. He looked up at his father, Bobby and over to his brother "This book refers to a medallion, they call it the Helix Trinity. Supposedly it has the power to protect all those who bind themselves to it by blood. Unfortunately the medallion is in three separate parts, probably lost over the years. It says something about proving yourself worthy, reciting a spell to activate that part of the medallion"
"Wow, that sounds like it could be some sort of ancient torture test. Prove yourself worthy, what does that mean? ... Please tell me you're not thinking about actually doing this?" Dean asks Sam jokingly, looking him in his eyes and not liking what he sees. He looked to Bobby who has the exact some look on his face. Putting his face up to the ceiling and letting out a sigh of frustrated resignation. He nods his head and looks over at John and says "Ok look, I'm down with finding these pieces and reciting these spells or whatever, but you have to do more research on what you have to do to 'prove yourself' alright! What if you have to kill someone or cut your own arm off or something, the people who came up with this crap were usually crazy"
"Ok, fine, more research, One, on what exactly we have to do to prove ourselves, and Two, where these three pieces are located" Sam says looking at all the hunters around him.
"Sounds like a plan dude!" Caleb says a little high on caffeine, having had five cups in the last hour.
"Yeah, thanks Cal... Hey do we know what these pieces look like?" John asks thoughtfully.
Caleb grabs the book and flicks to the first few pages, on one of the the pages is a drawing of a medallion, separated into three pieces, one larger piece like a ring, then two half circle pieces, one with a single finger, then the other with two fingers which overlap to fit together. There are engravings all around the ring shape and symbols on each of the circle halves.
"Whoa, wait, I think I've seen that... I think your mother had that ring piece.. She wore it all the time...on a chain that I gave her... for an anniversary or something" Dean and Sam looked at each other and when they looked over at their father, his face a mixture of grief and untold stories, they realised that maybe this wasn't going to be just a fun treasure hunt, this may open up some old wounds that they might not want to open.