Disclaimer: Kripke owns them..not me.
Far From Home
Chapter Fourteen
Faster and faster she flew, for what seemed like years. She could see bursts of light so white she had to shield her eyes. Before she could even process a thought, she was standing next to a tree in a huge, green field. A butterfly flew by her, it's colors so brilliant they almost swirled together. She took a deep breath, the air cleansing her lungs. She didn't know where she was, but surprisingly she wasn't afraid. She had felt the demon leave her body. She knew that she was safe. Looking up at the sky, she couldn't believe what she was seeing. A thousand stars and what appeared to be the Aurora Borealis shining brightly down on her, but it was daylight.
"Whoa," she thought, "Straight outta Hogwart's."
She started walking through the field and it dawned on her that she had been here before. She was about eight years old and her dad had brought her here for a picnic. He had watched her climb the big tree and when she was too scared to come down, he climbed up there with her and kept her safe. He carried her on his back the whole way, reassuring her he would always take care of her. She looked at the tree and smiled to herself at the fond memory from her childhood. Walking farther away from the tree she came to a road in the middle of everything. She stopped and looked both ways, suddenly feeling apprehensive. She decided to go to the left, but as she turned, she was faced with a giant door. Andie went to turn back around to go the other way, but the road she had been on was gone. "Okay, let's see what's behind door number one," she said aloud. Grabbing the handle, she gave it a twist and pushed it open. What she saw scared the hell out of her and made her heart soar all at the same time.
"Hi sweetheart." Karen said. She was beautiful. Her blond hair shone like spun gold, her blue eyes the color of the ocean. She had her arms outstretched towards Andrea, beckoning her into her embrace.
"Mom?" Andrea asked in amazement. "Mom, is that you? I mean, really you?" Then it dawned on her what exactly was going on. "Oh shit! I'm dead aren't I?" Karen just smiled at her daughter. Taking her in her arms, she held her tightly to her. Tears welled up in Andrea's eyes. It had been so long since she had been held by her mom, she had forgotten how good it felt.
"I see you developed your father's sensibility. I do miss that Singer charm." Karen chuckled. She took Andrea's face in her hands. Seeing the tears falling down her face, Karen wiped them away with her thumbs. "Sshh honey..it's okay now." Andrea held her so tightly that if she had had to breathe, she would have surely suffocated. "Sweetheart? Andrea, honey, we need to talk."
Andrea finally let go. She looked at her mother and fresh tears formed. "What's wrong? Where are we?"
"Where do you think we are?" Karen laughed. "But honey, as much I love seeing you, you know that you don't belong here right?"
"What? Why not?" Andrea asked nervously. "I don't belong in Heaven? I mean, I know I did a few things when I was younger, told a few white lies, and there were the things with Dean…" her face flushed at the memory. There was a sharp pain in her chest at the realization that he wasn't there. "But I didn't think I was that bad.."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa baby…calm down" Karen smiled. "You belong in Heaven, just not right now. He needs you sweetheart. He needs you now more than ever before." In a few minutes, one of the angels would be here to send her back and Karen knew that she didn't have long to explain things to her precious little girl.
"But Mom, I wanna stay here with you. I need to be here. Don't you want me here?" Andrea didn't understand what her mom was talking about. Why would she wanted her to leave? "Daddy doesn't need me. He'll be fine…he is.."
Karen saw the angel coming toward her. "Not your father honey. Dean. Dean needs you. You were born for him. Born to bring him love. Born to bring him peace in that crazy world down there." Karen's eye's filled with tears. "Time's up sweetheart. It's time for you to go. Always remember that I love you so much and I am so, so proud of you. Promise me that you will remember that."
Andrea just nodded her head, sobbing uncontrollable now. She held tight to her mother, not wanting to let go. "I love you too Mommy." She felt the unseen angel touch her shoulder and the next thing she knew, she was falling so fast that she felt as if she would explode. Then silence.
Bobby sat in the middle of the floor holding his daughter's body. So many thoughts ran through his mind. He was remembering the day she was born, the first time she walked, the first time she rode a bike, her high school graduation, etc. Tears fell on her bruised face but he didn't bother to wipe them away. His whole world was shattered now. He thought about the gun in his desk drawer. He knew that in his heart he was too cowardly to end his life. But God knew he wanted to. He just didn't have the strength to do this job anymore. Bobby was so torn. He had seen too much and because of the life he lead, he had put Andrea in danger. Now she was gone. Bobby gently touched her cheek. She looked just like she did when she was a little girl and she was asleep. He would creep into the nursery and watch her for hours until Karen would come and get him. He had asked Cas to heal her. But the angel said that because of the nature of how she died, he was powerless. Bobby began rocking her softly, humming the song he used to when she was a baby.
*thump, thump
*thump, thump
*thump,thump
Andie could feel her heartbeat in her chest. It started slowly and got stronger with each beat. She felt like she was suffocating. "Breathe.." she told herself, "You need to breath." Suddenly, she sat up and took in a huge, gasping breath. She felt arms around her and tried to beat them off. "Get off me! Let me go!" she screamed. Then her eyes focused and she saw her father's face. He was in shock and looked down right scared to death.
"Daddy? What's going on?"
Bobby couldn't believe what he was seeing. He did the only thing he could think of.
"CAS!" he yelled "CAS! I NEED YOU IN HERE NOW!
Castiel was suddenly standing beside him, a look of surprise on his face. He looked up at the roof intently. Closing his eyes, he heard his Father's voice. "Why?" he asked. Bobby looked at him like the angel had lost his mind. "I understand." He finished with a smile to his face.
"Did you do this? I thought you said you couldn't bring her back! What's going on here Cas?" Bobby was bombarding him with questions. His daughter was looking at the two men, not quite sure what was happening. The last thing she remembered was telling Dean she loved him and to keep fighting. She looked around for him and saw he wasn't there.
Castiel put his hands up to silence Bobby. "No, I did not do this. I wish that I could take the credit for it. Her soul is intact. My Father said that she was needed down here for something, or rather someone important." Castiel squatted down and touched Andrea's shoulder. He had seen the look of fear in her eyes. Instantly she was calmed. She relaxed into her father's arms. A look of contentment showing on her face. "Andrea…do you remember what you were told before you came back?" Castiel asked her.
Andrea thought back. She tried in vain to find the memory but nothing came. Finally, she shook her head. "I just remember seeing the man in the road and hitting the tree. Then I heard this…voice, I guess…that wasn't mine inside my head telling me to get back. After that, I don't remember much else. I'm sorry." She sighed. She couldn't figure out why everything hurt from head to toe. "Dad? Where's Dean? Is he okay?"
Bobby smiled down at this daughter. He was over-joyed. Hugging her tightly, he just kept thanking God over and over. He didn't care anymore who was responsible. He didn't care about why she was back. His little girl was alive and that was all that mattered.
"Umm…Dad? Need to breath!" Andrea squeaked out. Bobby looked down and laughed. She just smiled up at him. Reaching up to touch his cheek, Andrea finally let the tears fall. She was confused, she hurt and she wanted to see Dean. She looked at the angel. Not recognizing him, she finally asked who he was.
Castiel's face softened. "All in due time Andrea. You will get the answers you need in due time. For now, just rest sweet girl. Just rest." With that he touched his fingers to her forehead and Andrea fell asleep. Bobby lifted his daughter up. He carried her upstairs to her bedroom and laid her down on the bed. Sweeping a tuft of hair behind her ear, he leaned down a placed a kiss on her forehead.
"I'll never let anything happen to you again Princess. I swear to it." Turning to face Castiel, the angel just nodded and left the room. He headed downstairs to find Dean and Sam. He was pleased to be able to give them some good news for once. But he knew that because of what his father told him, it was still going to be a long road ahead for everyone, especially Dean and Sam.