Author's Note: I changed the summary to reflect the direction the story has taken. Thanks to all of you who have stuck with me.
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Chapter 46
"Amelia knew I was coming to see you?" Sam asked the god as he sat back down.
"Of course." Apsu replied as he refilled Sam's glass. "She saw it was time. That you were ready for the final instructions of the ritual."
Sam stared at Apsu, dumbstruck; too many questions running through his head to know where to start. And swirling among all his other thoughts, was a feeling of betrayal. Amelia had known this was coming and had kept it from him.
"Sam. Please don't hold any of this against Tiamat. She was absolutely prohibited from telling you." The god said sympathetically. "This will be a lot to absorb, but we must hurry and get you back to your body." He reached over and touched Sam's knee. "Are you ready?"
Sam took a deep breath and tried focusing. "Okay. Lay it on me." The perplexed look on Apsu's face made Sam clarify. "Yes. Tell me what I need to know."
The ancient god shook his head. "There isn't time to tell you everything, most of it I will just show you." He said as he started to raise his hand towards Sam's forehead.
Sam quickly shifted back in the chair. "Now wait just a minute. I've had way too many people putting crap in my head the last couple of years."
"Yes, I know. But, there is no other way. I'm afraid you're just going to have to trust me."
Being in an alternate reality, in a small piece of metal hanging around his own neck; being asked to trust a trapped, ancient god, who happens to be the ex-consort of the woman with whom he was in love; to learn a ritual to get his brother out of Purgatory…Sam laughed nervously to himself; and this wasn't even the most messed up situation he had faced in his screwed up life.
"Can you answer a question first?" Sam asked.
"Of course."
"Is this going to work? Will I get Dean back?"
The god smiled warmly at him. "Yes. It will now." He replied cryptically. He stood and held his hand out, gesturing Sam to follow him. Apsu walked toward the large door Sam had recently come through. "Tell her, tell her I still.." He smiled sadly as he started to lift his hand. "Just, be good to her. She loves you; more than any of the others; more than me, I think." And then the god put his hand on Sam's forehead. Sam slammed his eyes shut as a blinding light hit his eyes and he felt himself being pushed through the door.
With a deep breath he felt his starved lungs fill with air. Sam blinked his eyes a few times before they fully opened. He was expecting to find himself sprawled out along the dirt road he had been running down, but instead found himself laying in the shade under a large tree. His eyes finally came into focus to see Amelia's concerned face looking down at him. It was then he realized his head was in her lap and she was soothing him with a cool, moist cloth.
Amelia stopped her ministrations when she saw he was conscious. She opened her mouth to apologize; but Sam put his fingers over her lips and shook his head. If he wasn't going to let her beg for forgiveness, she'd search his thoughts to see how deeply he was hurt. She gasped when the only thing of Sam Winchester she could 'see' was his grinning face.
"He didn't tell you, did he?" Sam asked her. For the first time since he had met Mother Nature, she was speechless. The betrayal and anger he had felt upon learning she had known about his existential journey were gone. He looked up at Amelia his mind still dizzy with all he had been shown by Apsu. But, one thought was absolutely clear; their love would save Dean and possibly the world.
He clasped her hand as she wiped his brow with the cloth, brought it to his lips and kissed her fingers. "Since you can't read my mind anymore, I'll just have to show you what I'm thinking." He let go of her hand and reached both hands up, cupped her face and gently pulled her down and kissed her.
X
Sam had been surprised he had been unconscious for over two hours after Amelia had found his body along the road. She had come out of the store, after getting the bottles of water she knew he would need after his journey; and gotten into the car to follow him. It had taken her less than five minutes to find where his empty frame had fallen; and she had him laying in the shade and was cooling down his body within minutes. He was surprised because it had felt like he had only talked to Apsu for a few minutes. He guessed he shouldn't be surprised; it wasn't like this was the first time his mind and body had experienced time differently.
By the time he had been able to stand, their itinerary to Greenwood was way off schedule. Of course, the half hour they had spent laying under the shade tree canoodling, and he hated to admit Amelia had been right-it was a really good word, didn't help their travel plans.
It was almost six o'clock when they got back on the interstate, with about two hours to Memphis. Sam had refused to talk about his visit, or the things he had been shown, during their time under the shade tree or while driving. He told Amelia they would talk about once they had stopped for the night, and agreed they shouldn't try to make Mississippi tonight. Sam could see the curiosity, and her inability to read his mind, was annoying Amelia no end. He took a small, perverse pleasure in watching her squirm for a change; at least partly because he knew she couldn't see how much he was enjoying her discomfort.
By the time they found a diner, ate, and checked into a motel on the outskirts of Memphis, and had brought all the gear in from the car; Amelia was ready to explode. As Sam put the last bag on the floor next to his bed, she pushed him face-down onto the bed and sat on him, pinning him to the bed. "Time's up! Tell me already."
Sam laughed as he easily rolled out from under the much smaller woman, and now had her pinned down. He leaned down for a kiss, but she turned her head and all Sam got was a mouthful of hair. "Really?" He asked as he raised his head up. "You've wanted to have sex for a week."
"True." Amelia said, and then she reminded him who he was dealing with; flipping him over as easily as a pancake. She was standing at the bedside before Sam knew what was happening. "Except, I believe I said 'make love', not have sex." She said as she assumed the same stance she had at Missouri's and when buying the Tahoe; except different because hurt was clearly in her eyes.
He realized his teasing had gone too far. "I'm sorry. Please come sit" and he patted the bed, "here with me; and I'll tell you everything Apsu said."
X
Sam gave her the choice to ask about the topics she wanted to hear; or just have him recite everything the, rather long-winded in Sam's opinion, trapped god had shown him. Since she thought she knew a lot, if not most, of what Sam was to learn; she opted to ask questions. She started with the part that had taken her by surprise.
"Why can I no longer read your mind?"
Sam smiled, but when she glared at him, he quickly replied with a straight face. "It was his gift to me." When she looked at him in disbelief, he elaborated. "He asked if there was anything I wanted, as a reward for what I had and will go through. I said 'getting Dean back is all I want'. Then he said he didn't mean as a reward for the ritual; he said 'as a gift for taking care of you'"
"What!" Amelia asked, jumping up from where she had sat down next to him. "What does that mean? That I'm some troublesome diva that you've had to put up with or protect!" She was pacing back and forth. "Who does he think he is?" She turned on Sam. "Who do you think you are; that you accepted a gift from him?"
Sam had watched her rant and fought back laughing at her. "When you quit yelling at me and sit back down, I'll explain."
She stared at him, but then remembered she couldn't read his thoughts. "It better be good; or you're both in a world of trouble." She said as she sat back down, but on the far side of the bed.
"Well, despite your little display," he started but stopped when she narrowed her eyes and he could almost feel the anger shooting out of them. "He meant,' taking care of you', as in my loving you as much as he did." Sam turned to look at her, the glare was gone, and so, he continued. "He said he knew it wasn't easy for a mere mortal to be in love with a goddess, and was there anything he could do to help us." He looked again, and saw tears welling in her eyes. "I don't know what he had in mind, maybe some kind of power, or maybe a bigger penis, who knows."
He smiled and hoped she knew he was trying to lighten the mood. "I told him 'I want to have some mystery, be able to surprise her, be able to express my feelings in words. That I thought knowing what I'm feeling, sometimes before I even do, was cheating." He avoided looking at her this time. "I don't know how he did it, but he said he could prevent you from reading my mind." He looked at her now. "Amelia, Mother Nature, Tiamat, whatever you want to call yourself; your ex thought I was worthy of you, wanted to help us be happy, so you're stuck with me. It's just; now, you'll have to trust me as much as I trust you; no more peeking behind the curtain."
She had no idea what a curtain had to do with anything since she had never seen The Wizard of Oz, and now, she was unable to understand cultural idioms by reading his mind. But, she didn't need to read his mind to know what he said was true; his face was an open book. All her other questions disappeared and she scooted around the edge of the bed and sat right next to him. She thought she probably owed him an apology for her outburst, but knew he'd never accept a straight forward expression of remorse.
"Huh. Tell you what." She said with in a dead pan tone. "You've got about ten seconds to start making it up to me." Then she stood, sat in his lap, straddling his legs and stared him in the eyes. "Ten, nine, eig" She didn't get any further before he pulled her face to his and kissed her like the world might end if he didn't.