AUTHOR'S NOTE I'd like to give special mention to Alex Megan who was kind enough to help me filter my ideas and her writing is INSPIRING to say the least and EVERYONE should read her work because it's simply perfect!
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PLEASE READ...
The first "Episode" on this "DISC" is a continuation from the "Mid Season Cliffhanger" and WILL have GRAPHIIC and possibly offensive material and is why other than foul language that this story is rated "M" I did however tried to tone it down but it is an important plot point.
There have been people who have taken issue with the story seeming to be more about the character Laney BUT I promise her role is important to the plot and that things are going to get more Sam and Dean centric (along with Adam) pretty quickly after the first two "Episodes" on this "DISC" also for people who like Firefly, Serenity, Fifth Element the character of Laney is based loosly on River Tam and Leeloo (Innocent, Chosen, Strong, With KICK-ASS Fighting skills)
And here's a spoiler for my own story for those I haven't already told: Book Of Revelations from the Bible: 11:19-12:1-18 will be coming into play and is important to the plot (hence the character Laney's innocence (and importance), it has to do with her being chosen to be the mother of the prophesized child). Oh and Nephilim will plat a part in things as well.
Pretty much the whole thing's (The whole REAL Series really's) about self fufilled prophecies and how far angels, demons and "things" from purgatory will go to ensure the chips fall in their favor when all is said and done (because no one knows EVERYTHING that's REALLY written) (Oh yeah and let's just say the child everyone wants ahold of is "supposed" to be the "Comander And Chief" of a very big army... But since there's three (maybe more) armies vying for a leader...
Just some food for thought...
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Pure Ones Supernatural
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Supernatural
Season...?
"DISC" 4
Episode 12
"Despicable US"
Chapter 1
The eyes of LEGION bored into Laney with such searing ferocity and she refused to scream or show any signs of pain and fear as THEY forced Sam and Dean to burn, beat and cut her.
She held out and it took all her strength to bite back the pained cries that tried to escape her but she kept all the agony from showing. She didn't want Sam and Dean to see if they were in there somewhere being made to watch how bad LEGION was hurting her.
It was EXTREMELY painful and her ability to stay mute seemed to enrage LEGION and they showed her how bad they could really make her hurt as they forced Dean to put the torturing skills he had learned in hell to use...
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Dean was on the rack so long he lost track of time as the pains and torments of hell inflicted themselves on him.
The grueling agony made him weep as he broke again and conceded to torture once more.
The part of him that hell had hardened enough to make him into the star pupil of the "Master" torturer of the "pit" made it's comeback and there he was once again before yet another poor soul on his rack.
The soul was stubborn but he would rip it to shreds over and over again and he enjoyed it as the soul finally relented it's painful wailing.
Then he heard a familiar voice screaming in a bloody gurgle "DEAN...PLEASE...PPPPLLLLEEEEEAAAASSSSEEE!... DEAN... PLEASE...STOP...AAAHHHAAA!... STOP... DEAN... PLEASE!"
He felt blood on his hand and he brought it to his lips and tasted it.
This was HIS work and he relished the screaming of the tortured soul as he only increased the it's pain.
The soul pleaded again and again as he tore away pieces of it's flesh and he was getting carried away with HIS fun when he felt himself being pulled back because he was getting TO carried away. As he felt himself being tugged away from the soul he caught a glimpse of reality and realized what HE had just been made to do.
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She could barely withstand what they were putting her through but she managed to keep that from showing. Untill LEGION tired of her tempered resolve and found the perfect way to break it.
THEY used Dean to hiss in her ear "LET'S SEE IF YOUR FRIEND CAN MAKE YOU SCREAM." And they let her see their true form just for the purpose of letting her know they were taking a trip to the subconcious and that all the pain she was about to feel was going to be caused by Dean himself.
She steeled herself but that didn't help her much as Dean had a look of Hell's fury in his eyes. HE lashed into her with HIS belt, HE hit her with HIS fists, HE slapped her with HIS hands and HE tortured her with HIS cruelty.
Her resolve started to buckle as she seen her friend become her tormenter and it shattered when HE made slices in her skin and pulled away whole pieces of flesh.
She finally broke enough to start screaming. But then she couldn't make herself stop as she began to beg for Dean to stop and it only made HIM double the intensity of the pain he inflicted on her.
Dizzy, nauseous and shaking Laney reeled as she lost coherency for a brief moment only to be pulled out of it mercilessly by Dean as he filayed off more skin from her shoulder just to pull from her a defeated whine.
She saw his eyes going distant. He was actually fighting to stay, to enjoy the pleasure of torture a little longer and then the light of hell went out of his eyes as LEGION resurfaced saying in chorus "LOOKS LIKE YOUR FRIEND DID OUR JOB NICELY. ... AWW... SO CLOSE TO DEATH NOW LITTLE ONE... BUT YOU MUST STAY AWAKE SO THAT WE MAY BRING YOUR DESTINY TO FRUITION."...
Then LEGION used Dean to stab her in the side and collect her blood in a pewter bowl as the LEGION inside Sam accepted a jar of blood from a black eyed demon that had entered the room as if silently summoned.
"BLOOD OF THE FATALY WOUNDED PURE BLOOD VIRGIN, BLOOD OF THE DESTINED HUNTERS, BLOOD OF THE HEARTS OF A STRONG COUNTRY." LEGION chanted as THEY mixed the blood together.
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Laney felt herself fading fast and she was certain it was over as LEGION used Dean to bandage her pierced side.
"NO." She pleaded as she felt her escape through death being taken away.
"SAM" pulled Laney's ankles free from the chains as "DEAN" pulled her still chained wrists free from the wall.
There was no remorse in either of THEM as her weakened body fell to the floor.
She laid there crumpled at THEIR feet struggling to make an attempt at crawling away.
"SAM" placed a well aimed kick right into her wounded side and the force of the blow flipped her onto her back.
Laney still didn't stop struggling as "SAM'S" foot came down onto her chest in a vicious stomp and knocked the wind out of her.
Wheezing she tried to block the strikes that "SAM" and "DEAN" layed into her with.
"DEAN" climbed on top of her, grabbed her hair and pulled hard as he slammed her head into the floor.
The force of the impacted momentarily dazed her but she kept fighting back with everything she could muster getting in her own well placed hits, kicks, bites and scratches as well.
When "SAM" pinned her wrists above her head she became helpless as "DEAN" began to remove his pants.
Realizing what LEGION had planned Laney put all her force into kicking "DEAN" away and she managed to knock him back a few times untill "DEAN" grabbed the chains from the pillar and wrapped them around her ankles and stretching them so that her legs were forced apart.
It became nearly impossible to move but Laney still tried to writhe from "SAM'S" grip.
She kept fighting even as "DEAN" pressed his now naked body against hers.
When "DEAN" forced himself inside of her the pain of the entry made her give a wracked sob as she begged "No.. please..."
Ripping pain seared through her as "DEAN" deliberatly pushed into her roughly. She could no longer hold back her cries as the cramping tears wratcheted through her groin and abdomen.
"DEAN" wouldn't stop, didn't care that this hurt her, didn't care that this humiliated her, didn't care that she fought, that she begged for it to stop, nothing was going to make LEGION stop IT'S assault.
When "DEAN" emptied his seed inside her she thought it was over but Dean's seed did not fertilize her womb and LEGION had to ensure the conception of the prophesized child no matter who the father may be...
When "DEAN" climbed away from her, Laney gave a silent prayer for it to be over and for LEGION to just end her life now. But there was no such luck as "SAM" moved to take his place at her entrance.
She couldn't bear to be taken again and she struck out with a firm punch to "SAM'S face which earned her one right back before "DEAN" pinned her wrists again.
Laney didn't know where one violation of her body ended and another began as "SAM" and "DEAN" kept taking her over and over again.
As oblivion beckoned her Laney knew this would never be over that LEGION would never stop and she would never see her friends as themselves ever again. . . . . . . . .
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Dean didn't know where he was or why he was completely naked as he opened his eyes but when he saw that Sam was in the same state he began to panic.
"What... ..." Sam muttered as he tried to sit up.
"SAM ARE YOU HURT?" Dean yelled from the far side of the room that he had scrambled to.
Sam worked his way to sitting and he groaned as he said "Actually yeah. Not bad but I feel like.. .. It just hurts... everywhere..." Then he felt burning pains on his arms and he held them up to examin them as he said "Been clawed up a bit to and... Oh man..."
"What?" Dean asked worried. Sam didn't sound like he was okay.
"Bite marks." Sam stated.
"BITE MARKS!" Yelled Dean freaking out now as he rushed to his brothers side with the worst possible outcomes on his mind.
Sam held out his arms for Dean to see.
"Oh... holy...crap...don't ever scare me like that again man." Said Dean in a relieved sigh as he realized the bites were from a human.
Then his blood ran cold as he looked over his own body and realized he'd been clawed up and bitten as well.
Flashes of what had happened bombarded him and he clutched his head from the pain as memories of all the things LEGION had made him do hit him in wave after sickening wave.
It seemed to happen to Sam as well to even though it was to a lesser extent and Dean could suddenly see the haze of Sam's original memory loss had been shrouding alot from him.
Dean knew he and Sam had to find Laney and get to safety. He just hoped she was alive and that they wouldn't run into anymore LEGION while they searched for her.
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TEN MINUTES AGO
LEGION watched as the destined seeds took hold in the womb. It was suprising to say the least because even THEY had not expected this outcome. But of course even THEY do not know EVERYTHING that is really written.
The girl was impregnated with the prophesized child at last and LEGION recited an incantation over the mixed blood.
THEY needed her awake for this part of the ritual and "DEAN" slapped her hard to bring her around.
The girl cracked open her swollen eyes and LEGION could tell she wasn't all there.
Oh well semi-conscious would have to do...
"SAM" foced her to open her mouth as DEAN poured the mixture of blood into her throat.
"SAM" clamped her nose to ensure that she swallowed it all down.
Then "SAM" and "DEAN" took the same knife THEY'D been torturing the girl with and sliced open the palms of THEIR hands and dripped Sam and Dean's blood into her mouth and LEGION recited the last of the incantation.
She began to wretch and writhe as she fought the power of the ritual and gold and silver light emminated from her body and enveloped her into a cocoon.
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Dean tore through the building having decided to forgo caring about his or Sam's humiliating nudity.
Sam seemed less phased by being nude than Dean had anyway and Dean figured that right now it might be a blessing to not have a memory that told you that being naked in the open was BAD.
... Room by room the brothers searched... But they weren't finding anything.
Then they found a set of double doors that led into a large room.
The room looked empty save for two large concrete columns that supported the roof.
They were about to turn to leave when they heard a noise coming from behind one of the columns.
It was soft and barely audible but it sounded like shaky, labored breathing mixed with small pained whines.
Dean went around one side of the column and Sam went around the other.
They were both sickened and outraged by what they saw.
Laney hung chained to the column by her wrists. Her naked body was covered in burns, welts, bruises, cuts and in some places she had literally been skinned.
Her face was swollen and her lips were chapped and busted.
When Dean reached above Laney's head to release her wrists she let out a high pitched, pitiful, pleading whimper as she tried to recoil away from his touch.
As Dean undid the chains her body collapsed. When he caught her so she didn't hit the floor she gave a frightened, pained shriek and she started to fight against him.
Blindly she lashed out striking hard when the heels of her open hands could make contact.
Even in her weakened state her hits had a formidable strength and Dean had to pin her wrists together in one hand and pull her struggling body into his bare chest.
She quaked with vulnerable tremors as Dean held her. She whined loudly and tried frantically to pull away when Sam knelt beside them to try and help comfort her.
The look of what could be seen in her barely open eyes was wild with terror and disorientation
Her heart raced beating so hard from fear that it clenched in her chest and stopped...
Dean saw the light fade from her gaze and not knowing how he knew what to do he laid her down flat on her back, put his hands in the center of her chest palpatating for the right spot and when he found it he reared back and hit down hard with his fist.
The impact caused Laney to wheeze as air filled her lungs and her heart lurched back to life.
The terrified and enraged scream that tore from the depths of her told Dean that she hadn't wanted to come back for fear of the pain that she was expecting to befall her now.
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Sam and Dean stayed beside Laney untill her body went limp as unconsciousness claimed her.
Then reluctantly they moved away.
They needed to find something to cover her, to cover themselves.
Dean remembered that LEGION had made him shed his clothes somewhere in this room and when he found them and Sam's he tried not to think about the things LEGION had made them do to Laney.
Dean draped his jacket and long sleeve shirt over Laney to cover her before he dressed him self in his jeans and t-shirt.
"What do we do?" Asked Sam as tears started to streak down his face.
Dean could only look back and shake his head that he didn't know.
Something started to vibrate in the pocket of his jeans and Dean was relieved to find he had his cell phone on him.
The words on the screen told him he'd missed six calls as he started to dial Adam's number.
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NEW YEAR'S EVE...
It had been a little over six hours since his brothers and Laney had vanished.
Adam knew Dean would be pissed that he had to hotwire the Impala but he felt he needed to get the hell outa Dodge because those freaky eyed "things" could come back any second.
He tried Sam's and Dean's cell phones every hour on the hour hoping his brothers would be alive to pick up.
He just kept driving SouthWest because it felt like it was the right diretion to go.
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TWENTY MINUTES AFTER MIDNIGHT NEW YEAR'S DAY...
Adam's cell rang and he was relieved to see Dean's name flash across the caller I.D. .
"Oh thank..." He started before Dean interupted.
"Laney's hurt... Bad... I need you to track my signal and come get us.."
Adam pulled into the first place he came across that offered WI-FI and pulled out Sam's laptop..
His brothers and Laney were only a twenty-three minute drive away in the other direction back in Virgin, Utah.
If he hadn't come this way it would have taken over six hours to get to them... at least something was going right for a change.
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Adam didn't know what to expect.
He sped the whole way there because he had heard the panic in Dean's voice.
It only took him seventeen minutes at the speed he reached to get to the place his brother's cell phone signal had come from.
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Adam dialed Dean to let him know he was pulling up.
When Dean came running out he was carrying Laney. She looked... just gone and Adam thought for sure she was dead as Sam helped Dean slide her into the backseat.
Dean climbed into the seat beside her head and ordered Adam to drive the second Sam was in the front passanger seat.
Dean held Laney's head in his lap and he held her body steady as the Impala jolted and shimied over the bumpy dirt road.
He didn't know where they had been he didn't care and he didn't know where to go all Dean knew was that he wanted as far from every point they put behind them as Adam continued to steer the Impala West.
Every so often Laney would cry or lash out in semi-conscious waves that would fade as quickly as they appeared.
Dean could see the disorientation in her mind and he could feel the fear that crashed into her every time she barely came to.
Laney kept fading in and out and Dean tried to sooth her through the terrified sobs and pained groans and his efforts were only rewarded by her firm hits and shoves as she tried to writhe away from him not understanding that she was safe now.
As the Impala crossed the Californian border Dean realized they were in the mountains.
Adam explained he had a cabin up close to the Rock Creek Lodge that he always kept as a place to fall back to in case he needed to lay low and this was definatly one of the times to lay low.
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They pulled up to a meager looking one room shanty that looked like it's best days had been when it was still just a pile of lumber.
Adam instructed Dean to place Laney on the bed then told him and Sam the supplies to fetch for him from the car so he could patch her up as best as possible.
Adam had only been a first year Med Student before the ghoul had killed him but he had learned enough basics from that and living life in this line of work to make him well practiced at treating even severe injuries like the ones Laney sported.
The most immediately life threatening of Laney's injuries was a stab wound in her side that had actually been bandaged well enough to save her life and Adam comended his brothers for what he assumed was their life saving action only to find out that the bandage had been the work of LEGION.
"WHY... would they take her to the point of near death... STAB her...then patch her up?" Adam asked astounded.
"They needed her to be fataly wounded before they bled her." Said Dean in a hollow tone as he remembered the horror he'd been forced to inflict on her.
"But they couldn't let her actually die... but they... if I hadn't... she.." He stammered as he couldn't hold back the anger that coursed through him.
Dean slammed his fist into the wall before the guilt of what happened washed over him and he had to take a knee as he couldn't keep back the urge to vomit.
Sam went down to his level and waved Adam back to his post at Laney's side saying "I've got him, you take care of her."
"Dean." Sam said as his throat clenched in revulsion from the things he could remember and the things he saw in Dean's mind.
"Dean." Sam said again not knowing how long his brother could hold together, how long he could hold together.
When Dean didn't respond past giving a shudder Sam grabbed him by the soulders, lifted him back to his feet and guided him to the sofa.
"Dean can you her me?" Sam asked while making Dean look him in the eyes.
"I'm... okay." Groaned Dean and he swallowed hard as he forced himself back to the here and now. "I..just.."
Sam nodded and put a sympathetic hand on Dean's shoulder to let him know he understood.
Sam knew what it was like to have flashbacks and he could only imagine how bad it would be if he had to carry the knowledge AND memories of what caused them.
Chapter 2
Laney wouldn't wake and that made it feel like time had frozen despite the rising and setting of the sun that proved otherwise.
Days passed into weeks and it was the longest time any of the brothers were aware of seeing someone down so long without them being dead.
The only signs Laney was still alive was her shallow breathing and the now rare occurance of her becoming semi-conscious for brief moments here and there.
Mostly she lay still..so still that Dean continuously needed to place his hand on her chest to assure himself she did indeed have a heartbeat despite the fact that he, Adam and Sam were already taking shifts to keep her vitals checked on every fifteen minutes.
The brothers spent most of their time close to her side as her body began to show signs of healing.
The days blurred together as they cared for her.
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Laney could feel darkness binding itself to her and refusing to release her from it's clutches.
And she was content to allow herself to be held captive by it.
But awareness beckoned her and tugged against darkness's stubborn hold.
She gave a whine to show awareness that she didn't want to leave darkness but the darkness grinned evily at her as it betrayed her and let her slip from it. No matter how hard she fought to cling to darkness she was still defeated and mercilessly pried away by awareness and with darkness no longer fighting to keep her she was forced to comply to awareness.
Her body ached and her skin crawled and she groaned to awareness her discomfort and begged it to allow her to return to darkness. But it held her steady and pulled her further away from the edge of the abyss.
She was afraid to open her eyes THEY would hurt again if she showed signs of waking.
But awareness prodded her and her pain intensified and she tried and failed to bite back the noise it forced from her.
Now something gentle, caring even coaxed her to be brave and she felt the weight of a hand on hers and the softness of a matress beneath her. Instinct and reflex forced her to pull away from the touch and it nearly sent her into a panicked flight as the hand made contact again.
With a gasp her eyes flew open and she bolted upright despite her body's disgruntled protest at moving at all.
Hands reaching for her, voices she couldn't comprehend sent her to the floor as she tried to get away.
Awareness didn't leave her when strong arms gathered her up and placed her back to where she had lain.
Despit confusion and fear she tried to focus, her life depended on it. She managed to bat away the onslaught of hands that went to reach for her again.
Awareness beckoned her to see with her already opened eyes and the fog rolled away. She saw the faces of those that had tortured her and she cursed awareness for being a bitch as she now sat face to face with her tormenters.
Their voices were calm not quite the chorus of millions that she'd remembered them speaking in and they seemed to refrain from reaching out to her again as one held up his hands for her to see and without moving it's mouth it spoke to her saying "It's okay it's us... it's really us we got you out of there... you're safe now."
Laney shook her head in disbelief.. but when she realized that the faces that hovered over her were worried, tired and one of them belonged to Adam who she knew hadn't been in that place, Dean's words rang true.
It was over. She wondered how, why she'd even survived.
She only nodded her comprehension to show awareness that she'd received it's messege and begged it to let her slip away again. This time it was out of humiliation more than fear that she begged awareness to release her. And it still refused.
Awareness told her that she needed to take the final steps to healing on her own and it wouldn't have things any other way.
When it was obvious Laney's senses had come back to her Sam reached out to try and place a comforting hand on hers.
She let out a quiet gasp as she pulled her hand away and scooted herself further back breathing heavily and yelling a frigtened " "DON'T TOUCH ME! Then she softened as she reigned her panic in "Sam .. I just... I need time to wrap my mind around everything.. please I can't handle..not.." She cried through quivering lips and chattering teeth.
Realizing she was shaking and that she had her hand extended in front of her in a simple "STOP! FREEZE!" gesture she eyed her hand wondering exactly when she'd thrown it up and wondering why she was shivering despite the fact she wasn't cold.
Taking in her hand in front of her she pulled her focus together, took a deep breath to steady herself and said calmly not knowing where it was coming from "Just give me an hour and a half... alone. Wait outside the.."
It was this moment Laney really took in her surroundings...
To her left was an old clawfoot tub that had an old fashioned reach over shower with a toilet right next to it, only maybe an arms reach or a little more away was a refrigerator that was shorter and skinnier than a regular full sized one with a counter next to it on which sat a microwave, next to that was a kichen sink a bare counter and a small range with oven, then an old potbelly stove that's pipe vented out through the wall.
The small space of floor between "kitchen" and "living room" held a small table not much bigger than a fold up T.V. tray.
In front of her was a couch that sat facing away from the bed and well..towards a bookshelf that only bore food then a little to the right of that was the door that opened into what would be a cozy place for one person but to add three more well... it made this place an otrocity.
To her right she felt a pang of guilt when she saw that the floor was lined with three sleeping bags.
And at her imediate left was a chair that held Dean, and to her imediate right were two more that held Sam and Adam.
"Outside of the.. Just go outside.. please all of you." Said Laney giving up the attempt to define where she was now.
"And please pass me my duffle so I can..." She started.
"You shouldn't be moving around..." Dean said firmly. "Not without help."
"Okay." Laney conceded. " You and Sam wait outside. Adam can help me to a stand then he'll come out to join you once I have my feet under me... But I need at least an hour... alone."
"That's not..." Dean started and Laney interupted with.
"If any of you were ever really my friends... right now you'll respect what I'm asking... I just need at least an hour... alone... you don't have to go far you can wait right outside the door but I need some privacy.. I need a moment to wrap my mind around this."
Dean shook his head in frustration and gave an irritated sigh that told her she'd get her way and Dean walked over and guided Sam through the door.
Once Sam and Dean were gone Laney instructed Adam on how he should go about handling her without another freakout.. but with him.. yes she was touchy.. but it was no where near what almost happened with Sam.
She braced herself for Adam's touch, her skin still crawled and lurched nervously from the contact but she managed to bear it as he gingerly helped her to her feet.
Adam allowed Laney to experament with how much weight she could handle on her shaky legs and eventually she was able to take small steps with less and less support.
When Laney managed her footing on her own Adam passed her, her duffle and left her to the quiet of solitude like she had requested.
...
Once alone Laney took in the fact that she was naked.. understandibly... enough.. though because she knew that it was hard to care for someone medically while in the field and maintain the change of clothing with all the functions of someone's body if that someone was out of it and couldn't do it themselves.
She saw her injuries... yet another good cause for the nudity.. because there was hardly an inch of her skin that hadn't needed some kind of bandage or stitching and she knew that took a lot of maintnance just to keep from getting infected.
There were going to be scars... LOTS of scars..
Bathing or showering was out of the question no matter how bad she REALLY wanted that because there were still stitched up wounds that hadn't fully healed.
So Laney took a rag from the "bathroom" wet it in the "kitchen" sink and cleansed herself down that way.
It wasn't that she wasn't already clean, the brothers had taken very good care of her, but this was about how she needed to feel and right now it was hard for Laney to keep from attempting to scrub her own flesh off.
The part of her that subconsiously craved the mentally therapeutic act of washing "it all" away was disappointed to find that this wasn't really helping. So she did the only other thing she could think to do.
As she pulled the clothes from her duffle she really wanted to just slip into some comfy sweat pants and a nice baggy shirt. But something made her make up her mind that she was leaving as soon as she was dressed and repacked so she resigned to the right now much hated denim of well fitting jeans that pressed uncomfortably into her aching abdomen and thighs and a simple long sleeved shirt.
The marks of violence were sufficiantly covered save for what she knew her face bore and Laney just hadn't had the guts to actually look in a mirror to really take them in.
She ignored the cramps and aches of her protesting body as she pulled on her boots, then she repacked what she could find of her belongings and started to head for the door.
About that time a knock wrapped from the other side and Dean's voice called "Hour's up we're coming back in."
She had temporarily, blissfully, for one second forgotten about the brothers outside and why she was in the state she was in. She had apparently gone mostly into an auto-pilot mode as she moved about and lost track of time. But when she did remember the brothers, she knew Dean had probably seen her choice to leave and that meant there was probably going to be a confrontation when they came back in.
Dean opened the door and strolled back to the chair in which he had been sitting, took a seat and said with a reprimanding look "What do you think you're doing?"
Sam and Adam came in looking confused and took a place by along the wall next to the sleeping bags.
Laney looked back at Dean then to Adam and Sam and said "I'm doing what I should have done a long time ago."
"You're still to hurt to go anywhere." Dean stated as Laney reached for the doorknob.
"I can take care of myself." Laney said as she started to open the door.
"If you were ever really my friend ... you'll stay." Dean ultimatumed.
Laney took a shaky breath and the door shut...she pressed her forehead into the door and when she turned around tears were streaming down her face.
"Why did you have to say that?" She whined. Placing her hands to her face she slid down the door. The dam burst, the tears came hard and sobbing she laid down on her left side hiding her face against the wall behind the door.
Curling into a ball she just sobbed so hard as painful shudders wracked her.
Sam was never one to be able to sit by when someone was in so much pain even before his memory loss and now the same still rang true as he went to her.
He ignored her protest when he placed his hand on her back and she screamed for him to not touch her.
She lost it, she'd couldn't fight back, she couldn't take anymore and she couldn't escape and she started to yell "GET YOUR HANDS OFF ME... STOP... DON'T TOUCH ME!"
But Sam kept his hand there and he slid to the floor to curl himself behind her. Then Laney started to shriek and writhe but Sam still stayed even when she shrieked angrily " GET OFF ME... I HATE YOU!"
And now the battle was lost as even that didn't force him to let go and she began to beg "Please.. stop.. please.. no.. please.. no.. no...no more...please." Now of all the times awareness allows her to slip away as she felt her now limp body lifted from the ground and placed back onto the bed.
...
Dean had been about to go to Laney's aid he knew Sam didn't fully comprehend what effect just being touched was having on her.
But then he saw that even though Sam might not know what he was doing that he was actually doing the right thing.
Laney needed the ability to just shatter like that or she would never be able to rebuild herself.
Dean remained silently frozen as he watched Sam take the brunt of all the things Laney said as she broke into shards. He could see Sam knew she didn't mean anything she'd just said and her words only made him hold her even closer.
Only when she grew quiet and still did Sam move and that was to pull her from the floor, cradle her to him and carry her back to the bed.
Dean could see Sam's tear streaked face and knew that Sam had needed what had just happened as well.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Sam had just needed to hold her to make it all okay and he knew she needed comfort even when she adamatly refused. He paid no heed to her panicked and angry words as he curled himself to her and he let her ride out the storm as she lay in the safety of his embrace. Only when she stilled finally spent by the raging swirl of emotions that had gripped her did he pull her from the floor and carry her to the bed not knowing when he to had started to cry as well in the sharing of her sorrow.
And Adam was lost to the tide as he didn't have the conection that his brothers had with Laney though he felt he still needed to be there for her if she needed him.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
THREE WEEKS AGO...
NEW YEARS DAY...
THIRTY-EIGHT MINUTES AFTER MIDNIGHT...
LEGION had succesfully completed the ritual along with having a bit of THEIR, OWN demented fun. ...And THEY no longer had any use for keeping the Pure Ones captive... So THEY watched from the nearby treeline as the eldest Winchester carried the mother of the prophsized child away ...
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
NEW YEAR'S EVE...
FIVE TWENTY-EIGHT P.M. ...
It wasn't really a stand off, the other side didn't stand ANY chance of escaping or hurting THEM...
LEGION reached out for the Pure Ones and spirited them off to the place of the long foretold ritual.. Leaving the other mortal alone and alive as he still had his own part to play...
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
When Laney woke this time only four hours had passed and she was able to sit up and really take in everything that had happened.
She looked over to Dean who met her eyes with an expectant gaze.
She swallowed hard, looked around and seen that no one else was there other than Dean.
"Where are the others?" Laney asked weakly.
"Went into town to get supplies..should be back in about an hour." Answered Dean and he knew that it was just to start to breaking the ice..
"How long was I out?" She asked.
"Before this last time?... Three weeks" Answered Dean.
Laney gave Dean a compassionate look as she could feel his guilt.
Now it was time for the hard stuff and they could both see it in eachother's minds...
"What happened isn't...You shouldn't.." Said Laney as she tried to relieve Dean's burrden.
"Don't." Dean stated simply. He hadn't reached that stage of his own healing process yet. He couldn't just forgive himself for his part in what happened.
Laney pouted out her lips as she tried to force herself to not cry, to not scream, to not break something. How where they all going to get past this?
She took a deep breath and slammed her head back against the headboard asking no one impaticulair "Why is everything so messed up?"
Dean shrugged as he wondered the exact same thing...
There were things they both knew about what happened that neither of them wanted to mention outloud but it had to be addressed...
"Listen." Dean said trying to keep his voice steady. "I know you know what... why.."
"LEGION did... what THEY did?" Said Laney taking a whistling breath through her nose before exhaling "I think I got enough of the general jist... I just don't know why...they let us..why was what's supposed to be my fate even mattering to something like that."
Then Laney shook her head in denial as she asked through newly appearing sobs of distress "Do you know for sure...maybe I'm not..maybe they couldn't..please tell me I'm...I don't want.. It's not supposed to be this way."
Now her shoulders shook violently through her outcries as the final thread that unraveled everything was pulled and she fell apart as she had to come to terms with it, had to voice it outloud "Am I pregnant?"
And she felt the pain of her heart tearing and clentching in her chest as Dean mutely nodded.
The outraged scream, the fury that broke from her as she exploded to a stand and rampaged through the room throwing and breaking everything she lay her hands on was explosive. "WHY?...EVERYTHING I'VE EVER BELIEVED... THAT THERE WAS A JUST GOD! THAT I COULD CHOOSE MY OWN FATE DESPITE...! WHAT JUST GOD WOULD ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN?..WHY DID MY CHOICES HAVE TO BE TAKEN AWAY?
She didn't know when she puddled into the floor or when Dean had come down to her and pulled her into him.. All she knew was that when awareness flooded her again she was clinging to him for dear life and sobbing hard into his chest and he was crying with her, wanting to say he was sorry, wanting to tell her it would be okay...wanting for whatever creator existed, if there was one, whether it be GOD or what, whoever, for once to stop being so cruel and to stop toying with his life and the lives of those he cared for.
Neither of them knew how long they stayed that way, but it was well after Sam and Adam had returned and Dean's brothers had just left them be, probably trying to avoid reality themselves, by behaving like there weren't two quaking, terrified, huddled forms wailing despairigently in the middle of the floor with a pile of debris surrounding them.
When Dean pulled himself out of it he took notice of his brothers quietly cleaning up Laney's path of destruction.
There were shattered chairs, glass shards from multiple items and chunks of porcelain from where Laney kicked in part of the side of the tub in her powerful torrent of rage.
Dean helped Laney back to the bed, she was exausted, understandibly so was he.
He softly apologized to Adam for all of the broken things and tried to explain what had caused Laney's outburst and Adam nodded that he understood and let Dean know that it really wasn't a big deal.
Dean's heart was heavy as he lay the girl with now vacant eyes back onto the pillow. Laney's eyes were open wide but she was somewhere else.. she was seeing flashes of the things that had been done to her and in her mind she pleaded to Dean to help make THEM stop.
Dean was seeing what she was seeing and hearing her mental cries and he wanted so badly to save her from the place she was in.. but how could he when he was always finding himself helplessly trapped there to...
The days grueled on and Laney tried to show improvement through forced smiles and the continued repitition of "I'm okay... I'm fine... It's alright really I'm fine."
But she still had her moments where the wild looks of fear or anger would cloud her eyes and the brothers found it unwise to crowd her during those times because when they did it almost always wound up with them injured and her apologizing.
And even for Dean it was hard to tell the "Touch me and I'll claw your eyes out, break your nose or crack your ribs" moments from the "Please I just need to let it out..Hold me" moments.
It took a lot of trial and error for all four of them to figure out a coping system as everyone's emmotions ran high.
Sam was actually the one to eventually discover that when Laney made herself as small as possible that it was then that she needed to feel safe and that was when, most of the time, she needed to be held and that when she stood upright and tense and paced about looking demented that it was then it was best to give her a wide berth.
It was bad enough having one case of Post Traumatic Stress in such cramped quarters. But the fact was that both Sam and Dean were suffering from it as well and they both had systems of their own that everyone needed to comply to.
Nights were almost always sleepless for if it wasn't one waking with screams it was another and Adam was helpless as he watched the only three people he could really rely on in this world fell apart, rebuilt themselves only to fall apart and start the whole cycle all over again.
It took a while to figure out there wasn't really any guide book for something like this as one's moments of flashbacks or nightmares could trigger another into their own and it became pretty common for all three to go off at once.
A lot of the time Adam just fell to the sidelines, as the other three helped put eachother back together.
At times it gave them all a very strong bond while in others it was tearing them apart at the seams.
A month passed from the time Laney first opened her eyes to when she insisted that whatever her issues were, the world was quickly going to hell around them and she needed to get back in the fight..
It didn't really take alot to convince the other three restless hunters that she was right as this clastrophobia causing space was a big factor to everyone's mentalities..
The freshness of the open air took away a great deal of the fog that still shrouded Laney's mind and she was able to breath a little freer as they packed their things into the trunk of the Impala and hit the road at last...
Chapter 3
ONE MONTH, THREE WEEKS, THIRTEEN AND A HALF HOURS AGO...
NEW YEAR'S EVE
FIVE P.M.
Gabriel was close to where he knew his charge would soon be and he looked to the heavens and said "I hope you know what you're doing up there."
TWENTY-THREE MINUTES LATER...
Gabriel had watched as the Winchesters and his charge rounded the corner only to have their escape blocked by the plague of LEGION..
He allowed them to take her for he had strict orders to not interfere and he followed to where she was held captive and watched as she was defiled wondering "How could THIS possibly be a part of the plan? Why this way?" as he forced himself to not intervine on his charge's behalf.
Gabriel knew Sam and Dean were both good men and he hated how destiny of all things had been what brought them here... And he hated even more to stand by and watch as the girl he was tasked to watching over was hurt in what felt like a needless and cruel manner, but SUPPOSEDLY this is what was written.
He had to admit he was beggining to understand why some of his brothers fell..Destiny was truely cruel..even for angels..
He stayed out of sight as he hard his charges angry screams that there was no Just GOD and he thought she may be right.. Because really if there were then why did she have to go through all this?
Gabriel was glad to see his charge's strength hadn't completely ebbed from her and that, though slightly marred her innocence still held intact... but even that had it's own nefarious purpose and he honestly debated over which he thought would be better.. Her innocence to hold and her destiny still lead where it was "supposed" to go or for her to become corrupt, even slightly and have her destiny play itself out anyway. No matter what, she would be made to suffer even more and it was hard to see if there was even a lesser evil to be had.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The four hunters knew they could not stand to fight LEGION... hell there was beggining to become a rather long list of "things" they really had no chance against.
But there were still things they COULD do something about and that's what mattered to them so they headed out to Franklin, Vermont where the town was suffering a series of catstrophic mishaps including crop failure and livestock deaths.
With good old fashioned demonic omens being the first thought, the hunters couldn't resist a chance at laying into a few demons they could kill right now... When the Impala pulled into the parking lot of the Swanton Motel Laney drew a line in the sand that she was going to get her own room and said she'd had enough cramped quarters with the brothers to last a lifetime.
They came together at dinner time to research the job and something about the gig seemed more vengeful spirit than demon...
Sam pulled up the result of something called a Tiddy Mun that was said to be a bog spirit and omen of pestilence...
The words "omen of pestilence" gave Dean chills as he remembered the run in with the horseman himself...
Boy Destiny really is a cruel bitch after all...
The only way to vanquish this spirit was under the new moon... which luckily was in two days time...
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
RICHARD ROMAN ENTERPRISES
FOUR DAYS AGO...
Dick Roman was pleased to find that his little worker bees had finally created the perfect concoction of epidemic poportions and not only was it, demonic, fast acting and incurable but now it was also going to be easily distributed through food to the masses all across the globe and no one would ever be the wiser untill it was to late that is.
"Who needs the plan when I have you?" Dick crooned to the petrie dish that held the newly formed, more agressive strain of Croatoan.. If only he knew that he to had just played right into Destiny's hands...
. . . . . . . . . . .
"Really? All we have to do is pour water into a dyke and apologize for the damage we've caused to the enviroment?" Dean asked as Sam read the lore on how to go about ganking the Tiddy Mun.
"Um no I think it has to be a resident of the town because here it clearly states the banishing ritual has always been performed by villagers." Sam responded.
"Oh great! First Casper goes green and now...What are the chances we gonna get a resident of the town to just up and follow the instructions on how to off a ghost?" Said Dean tossing up his hands in frustration.
"Actually I think I have an idea.." Adam said. "It says someone who lives here pretty much right?"
Sam nodded.
"Well it didn't specify how long." Said Adam.
Dean got the idea "So one of us could.."
"I could go into town and get a new I.D. that says I'm legally recognized as a resident of this town.." Said Adam proudly. "Think it'll work?"
Sam smiled and said "It's actually a really good idea.. I think we can pull it off."
Laney smiled at the social dynamic that she thought had been lost between them all with everything that had happened and for a moment things felt like they could really go back to normal... well normal for them.
All it took was a hunt to go right and easily so for a change to increase the feeling of camradery between the four of them.
Once again all that mattered to them was holding on to what was left of their friends and family and getting the job done and Destiny could suck it if it did't like that.
. . . . . .
That night after the banishing ritual went well Dean knocked on Laney's door.
Something had been weighing on him and it had just dawned on him what it was.
To be honest subconsciously he had known the odds but he just hadn't been able to come to grips with the matter...
It was now or never..
When Laney opened the door he could see she was reluctant... "Stupid telepathy." Dean cursed in his mind.
She already knew his thoughts, probably days ago to and now she looked apprehensive and he could see this wasn't something she had really come to grips with either but more just numbed her mind to it.. maybe that's why he couldn't see it before.
Dean gave her a look that said it was time and she knew it as well as he did.
She sighed and stepped back pulling open the door.
Dean took a seat at the small table and and gave a loud breath as he said "If this kid's mine I want to be..."
"It's okay Dean.. no matter what you're gonna be a part of this child's life...even if you're not the father you'd still be the uncle and I would never keep my child's family away from them if they really wanted to be there." Said Laney surprised that he thought for a second that he'd need to request things she always would have extended no matter what.
Then Dean pondered as he couldn't get a read on her thoughts "What do you want?" he asked realizing he didn't want her to feel she had no choice in the matter. "I'll give you anything you need just tell me.. any time no matter what"
Laney gave him a sad smile as she said "Dean there's some things you can't give me and there are things I'd never ask of you.. all I can offer I'd gladly give just for you and Sam to not feel guilty anymore...But I know that's not up to me..even if I asked.. you couldn't give me that."
Dean pulled his mouth tight at one corner and pursed his lips as he nodded then he asked "You said there were things you'd never ask of me... what are they?"
"Dean I said I'd never ask that means I can't just tell you. . ." Laney started.
"Is it something you want?" He asked.
"Look it's selfish of me to even think of really and it's something I could never have so it's pointless to tell... and I don't even know how something like that would even work out if it did happen ..." Laney ranted.
Dean could tell whatever it was it meant alot to Laney but she kept her mind guarded from him. He was going to have to pry untill she opened up.
He gave her a stern look that said she couldn't get off the hook untill she caved and let him know what it was that she wanted.
She snapped her mouth shut and refused to think or speak in hopes he'd give up and drop it.
But he could take the silent treatment and he could keep at it untill she cracked either mentally or verbally.
It turned out she was tougher to crack than he had originally thought and he realized he wasn't going to get anywhere with her.. right now.
When he returned to the room he shared with his brothers and lay down on the couch he opened his mind in hopes she'd slip.. thinking he was out of range or maybe after she fell asleep he could see what she was trying to hide.
It was hopeless Laney was getting better at keeping her mind hidden and stronger at breaking his defenses if she wanted into his.
Gabriel could see how Laney felt. She was with child and she was going to be bearing them into this horrible world and she knew the prophesized child had the all to cruel destiny of being a pawn in a sick and twisted game where all of the players on the board would fight for the right to control of them.
Sam, Dean, Adam and Laney had always kind of been a packaged deal and every single interaction by every single angle, demon, creature, or spirit they've ever incountered, even when they didn't know those "things" were there, had, had their purposes...
"Poor souls." Gabriel thought as he remebered how even his role had been to get Laney and the brothers to this point.
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