A/N: Hey guys :)
I'm really not going to babble I swear haha it's nearly half twelve in the morning, so I'm tired, but I was determined to get this chapter out, as promised! It's longer than I intended, but I think it needed to be to get all the important parts in :)
Please let me know what you think!
Peace out,
xoloveJBox
Brothers and sisters are as close as hands and feet- Vietnamese proverb.
Dean: 23 years old
Sam: 19 years old
Lena: 13 years old
Lena woke up to a dark room. Dean snored loudly in the bed next to her. She hadn't needed to share a bed with anyone since Sam had left for college a few months ago. It took her a second to realised that she hadn't awoken for no reason; John was crouched next to her bed, nudging her gently.
"Dad?" She whispered, sitting up and rubbing her eyes wearily "What's going on?"
"Get dressed Princess" John instructed quickly, handing her a pile of clothes "But don't wake up your brother."
Lena furrowed her brow slightly. It was usually the other way around, with Dean being warned not to wake his sister.
Lena quickly obeyed, being careful to be silent and swift. When she was dressed, she pulled a brush through her long, darkening hair, tied it into a high ponytail and gathered up her dirty pjs. She took them to the other room, where John was waiting for her, and gently closed the door behind her, leaving Dean sleeping undisturbed.
"What's going on Dad?" Lena asked quietly, looking intently at her father's face. It didn't look like he'd had a shave for a while, so his chin was speckled in dark stubble. His eyes were ringed with bags, like he hadn't slept for a few days.
"We're going for a ride." John replied in a low mumble "Go get in the car."
"Yes Sir." Lena answered with a nod, going over to stuff her pjs in the bag of dirty laundry. She slipped on her jacket and stepped out the door. The sun was just about beginning to rise, casting a pink glow over the parking lot. The impala and John's large, black truck sat dutifully besides each other, waiting. She instinctively went for the impala before catching herself. She was used to riding with Dean, especially since Sammy left. She'd even been allowed to ride shot gun, but for a while, that had been a little weird. Since John had given Dean the impala, the front passenger seat was Sam's. There was always just an unspoken agreement on that, and it had been strange to take his place.
John had already unlocked his truck, so Lena clambered straight in. The first thing she did was flick on the radio- the truck held Beatles Cds that Lena loved, but Dean had all but forbidden in the impala. Lena leaned back and gave a small yawn with the energetic but slightly melancholy tones of 'Help!' filtered through the car. John soon followed her out; the truck rumbled to life beneath them, and they peeled out of the parking lot.
Lena guessed she must have fallen asleep, because the next thing she knew, two and half hours had passed and the morning was in full swing. She stretched and straightened up, causing John to look over and catch her eye.
"We're almost there," he assured her with a smile, though his voice portrayed anything but happiness.
"Almost where?" Lena queried, realising she still didn't know where they were headed. John nodded towards the glove compartment, so Lena pulled it open and took out the number of leaflets there. She read for a few minutes in contemplative silence, convinced she was still dreaming.
They were for a boarding school. In Portland.
"You'll like it there Princess, I promise." John told her, though Lena felt tears welling in her eyes.
"What did I do?" she asked as she inspected her lap, barely above a whisper.
"What are you talking about?" John asked with a light chuckle
"When Sam left, you told him not to come back." Lena snapped harshly, making John wince.
"That was different." He retorted defensively.
"Like hell it was!" Lena yelled back, suddenly filled with anger, ignoring dad's order to watch her language. "You didn't want Sam to go, and now you're taking me yourself? Well thanks Dad, thanks a lot."
Lena folded her arms across her chest and looked out the window, trying to blink back tears that were threatening to fall.
"Princess, this'll be better. You won't have to move around all the time. You'll be able to make friends." John tried softly, but Lena was too hurt and too mad for it to make a difference.
"Did you think that maybe I like moving all the time?" She spat accusingly "And I don't want friends, I want my brothers."
John didn't miss the fact that he wasn't included in what she wanted, but he tried to ignore it.
"And what about Dean?" Lena carried on sharply
"What do you mean?"
"When Sam left, he didn't say goodbye, and now, neither have I."
Lena couldn't help herself then; fat tears rolled over her cheeks, and she didn't even bother to try and wipe them away. John grimaced as guilt welled up in his chest.
"Please Dad," Lena sobbed desperately "I'll do better, I promise I will. Let's just go back."
John felt his foot ease from the gas pedal slightly, and he almost listened to her, but he reminded himself of why he was doing it in the first place, and forced himself to keep going.
"I'm sorry Elena, but I'm not going to change my mind. This is for the best."
John leaned over then and turned radio up. Conversation over I guess, Lena thought bitterly.
Another twenty minutes bought them to the gates of the school, high and majestic. John was stopped before he could go through, giving his and Lena's names before being allowed entrance. They were directed to a large, old brick building to sign in, so John found a parking space and they slid out. Lena's duffel was in the trunk, and John grabbed it and slung it over his shoulder before they started walking. Lena guessed that it was the day everyone moved into their dorms, so they had to weave in and out of the crowd. Despite the fact that Lena was mad at her father, she found herself huddling closer to him as they got more compactly surrounded by other people. When they signed in, they were given Lena's dorm key, and offered a tour of the campus. Lena declined; it wouldn't exactly take her long to unpack, so she'd have the rest of the day to inspect the place, scope it out and work out any escape routes, just in case.
Lena's room was on the second floor of one of the smaller blocked, and the room was empty when she walked in. Lena let out sigh of relief, but it was quickly retracted when she saw two beds. That meant a roommate. John put the bag on one of them, but Lena crossed straight to the window. They might have been on the second floor, but the drop wasn't too big, easily jumpable if necessary, and the sill was a good size. Plenty of standing room for leverage, or for simply sitting on for a while. The ensuite bathroom was bigger than some motel rooms they'd stayed in before, and she wondered what Dean would say if he could see it. She also asked herself what kind of scam John was running to be able to afford the tuition. Then she decided she didn't care, because she didn't want to be there anyway.
A knock on the door bought Lena out of her thoughts. She and John spun around to see a girl in the doorway, with short blonde hair, and the biggest, bluest eyes Lena had ever seen. Lena had always thought she was small for her age, but this girl was tiny in comparison. She gave a wide grin and stepped into the room.
"I've never had a roommate before." She commented, clearly not shy. Lena, on the other hand, had no idea what to say, so she just stared.
"Right," John boomed, clearing his throat "I'll leave you to it Princess." He walked over to Lena with the intention of enveloping her in a hug, but Lena stiffened stoically, so he pressed a kiss on her forehead instead. John quickly strode from the room because he knew that if he hung around much longer, he'd be tempted to bundle Lena into the car again. Lena watched him go, but a few seconds later, she regretted being so cold, so she chased after him.
"Dad!" She called, stopping him. John turned just in time to catch her as Lena flew at him, wrapping her arms around him tightly. She breathed in his familiar smell of musty leather and car crease.
"I love you Dad," She muttered into the crook of his neck, and felt John squeeze her tighter.
"I love you too Elena Mary." He replied quietly, putting her feet back to the floor "I'll get Dean to call you later."
Lena nodded and shot her dad a watery smile before trudging back to her room. The other girl was kneeling on the floor, unpacking the first of three enormous suitcases.
"You must have been here a while," She started conversationally, nodding towards Lena's bag on the bed "if that's all you've got left to unpack."
"Actually, I haven't started." Lena corrected. At this point, she didn't see the point in lying. Eventually, the girl would see that she didn't have anything else anyway. The girl's eyes widened in surprise, and Lena shrugged dismissively "What can I say? I travel light."
"That's the understatement of the century," the girl commented with a small chuckle. "This your first time at boarding school?"
Lena nodded, and the girl smiled sympathetically "You'll get used to it." She said as she stood up and held out her hand "I'm Taylor."
John left the school quickly, but after a few miles he had to stop because tears were blurring his vision. He couldn't believe that he'd left his little girl, his baby, in the protection of people who had no idea what was out there. It didn't matter that he'd had Bobby run background checks on every single person on campus. Twice. It didn't feel like enough. The John reminded himself that Lena would be safer living a normal life, like Sam, so she pulled himself together and carried on driving.
Dean was cleaning weapons- a sign of his immense boredom- when John walked back in. It was late afternoon, and Dean hadn't heard from his dad or sister all day, so he was starting to get worried. However, that feeling didn't go away completely when John came in alone.
"Where's Le?" he asked, feigning casualness.
"Portland." John answered simply. Dean let out a laugh. He thought his dad was joking, until he saw the serious look on John's face.
"What's she doing in Portland?"
"I took her to a boarding school Dean." John explained solemnly "She's staying in Portland."
Dean sat for a second in stunned silence before jumping up and heading towards the door.
"Where are you going?" John barked.
"To get my sister." Dean replied in a low growl.
"No you're not Dean." John warned, moving to block his eldest's path.
"Dad, this is ridiculous. I-" Dean started angrily before John cut him off.
"You don't understand Dean. I had to!"
"Then make me understand Dad!" Dean yelled back.
"You're brother was right." John muttered quietly, catching Dean off guard. It was the first time John had willingly spoken about Sam since he'd left. "She's just a little girl Dean. She doesn't deserve this life I've given her, none of you do. Without Sam, the two of us just isn't enough to keep her safe. This is the best thing I've ever done for her, trust me."
As Dean came to the realisation that his was father was right, he visibly deflated. He knew John was right, but he didn't have to like it. In fact, he hated it, detested it more than he'd imagined possible. His thoughts must have been plain on his face, because John clapped him sympathetically on the shoulder.
"It's just you and me now, Ace."