Alyssa smiled warmly at Sam. "It'll be great, Sam. Don't worry about it."
Sam offered a nervous laugh, revealing just how nervous he was. It wasn't so apparent in his features, just in the way his dimple was a little slower to flash and in the hesitancy in his eyes.
"Trust me," she insisted. "They'll love you."
Sam smiled a little. "I know, I know. It's just this is… new."
"It's new for me too! You're the first boyfriend I'm bringing home. Cheer up."
"Yeah but you're their precious daughter."
"And you could be their precious son-in-law one of these days," Alyssa teased. "If you ever get around to proposing or anything." She laughed. It wasn't a source of pressure between the two of them, but for the last few months her parents had been insistent to meet Sam. The two of them had been dating for two years already and were taking Christmas break off from work in order to go visit them.
Her mother's words on their last Skype call had been "And bring your boyfriend home for dinner, why don't you? I want to meet him before you two are off and getting married." So Alyssa had managed to convince Sam to take a few weeks off from the family business in order to actually meet her family. Part of her suspected that Kat would be thrilled to have Dean home as well. The two of them were insistent to go to the business meetings together or not at all -sometimes Bobby would go with them. Jo had tagged along a couple of times as well. Alyssa wasn't really interested in attending boring business meetings, and had more than enough to do with her school work. Another year and she would be graduating from Stanford with a degree in Forensic Psychology which she couldn't wait to have.
It was probably one of the happiest days of her life when she was able to get back in contact with him after Jess' death. They hit off like nothing had changed since he left without a word of explanation. He just said that he needed time to sort out what had happened and he was in the city for a business meeting. They had several coffee dates, a movie and one very long, memorable night that cemented their relationship. They didn't really talk about Jess, but it wasn't necessary either. Sam didn't seem to be plagued with guilt or grief anymore and he was looking better than he had in ages. He made sure to visit at least once a month. Six months into their relationship and Alyssa was finally introduced to Dean and his fiancée Kat. Kat and Alyssa made quick friends after that.
"Aly!" gushed her mother, throwing her arms around her daughter. "It is so good to see you!"
Alyssa laughed shyly. "Hey Mom. I missed you too."
She didn't miss the look that was passing between her father and her boyfriend. She reached over, grabbing Sam's hand. He smiled nervously.
"And this is my boyfriend Sam. Sam this is my Mom and Dad."
Her Mom gave Sam a warm smile and a quick hug while her father and Sam shook hands. Alyssa showed Sam to the guest room, where they put their bags down before she showed him her old bedroom. It really did feel like forever ago since she had been here. She touched the lilac painted walls, looking around at a not-quite-barren bedroom that screamed "Innocent little girl" in every style. Not that she was so different from then, but still. Sam laughed, picking up a picture and turning it so she could see.
Alyssa flushed. "I was three," she defended.
"Aw look at how cute you are though," he chuckled.
The visit went better than either of them could have hoped. Her parents were almost as in love with Sam as she was. His sweet charm and warm dimpled smiles did half the work for him. But his sharp wit and good manners helped out a great deal, even when her father broke out the tough questions. Questions that he must have been saving up for quite sometime.
"How do you feel about children?" he asked, not quite staring Sam down (but it was a near thing).
"They're great?" Sam offered hesitantly. "I mean, it's not like I'm not -I'm in a place in my life where I could be comfortable with having children. There wouldn't be much financial strain. But I don't have any experience of my own in being with children."
"Then how can you possibly want them?"
"I can take Sam out tomorrow," Alyssa offered quickly. "Katie just had a baby right? I'm sure she'd be grateful to have some free babysitters." Turning to Sam she explained, "Katie is my cousin and her husband is in the army right now. Things have been a little stressful around them."
"That sounds excellent," her mother agreed. "Just last week Katie was talking about how she would love to have some extra help."
Her father agreed and so did Sam, not that he had a choice in the whole thing really. After dessert and more conversation, everyone left to get some shut eye. After breakfast Alyssa called Katie, made the plans and dragged Sam over to her cousin's for some hands on baby experience. Having grown up in a large family, Alyssa had plenty of opportunities to help out with babies. And learned early on, that she loved them. They were cute and adorable and she just knew that she was going to be the best she could be with them. Her family largely seemed to agree with her feeling on the manner. Babysitting was probably the most fun she'd ever done when working. Especially with the Newton's, when she got to help baby-sit the six month old infant. Sam didn't have any of that experience, and if he wasn't quite as enthralled with babies as Alyssa was, he tried his hardest and was willing to learn. By the time the day was over, Alyssa knew what she wanted in her life and where she wanted her relationship to go. She wanted to start a family with Sam.
Dean cuddled up to Kat, his arms gently wrapping around her body to rest on her swollen belly.
"Hey babe," she murmured sleepily, blinking groggily.
"I just got in," he murmured softly, pressing a sweet kiss to her temple.
It wasn't very often that he was so affectionate and the further along Kat got, the more she got to see this side of him. And to be honest, she was quite enjoying it.
"Sam's going to propose," Dean added.
Kat laughed softly, rolling over so she was facing her fiancé. "I told you so, didn't I? Alyssa's going to be ecstatic."
"Yeah, yeah," Dean grouched.
"So are we really just going to be running away to get married in Vegas? Sam will be so disappointed in you," Kat teased, her eyes twinkling with amusement.
"This is our best chance to do it," Dean insisted. "Sammy won't be here to throw a tantrum about it. We can take pictures for him and Alyssa."
"This wedding is all about us," she laughed.
"He's going to be the one having the big white wedding."
"Well I don't mind the idea of Vegas; Vegas sounds fun, actually. Do I get to gamble?"
Dean laughed.
Chapter Twenty-Nine, This Is How A Heart Breaks
Alyssa flinched back when the doors to her cell opened wide. Not too long ago the ones to Sam's cell had opened up. She'd heard yells and screams, punches, that unforgettable sound of a knife slicing through flesh and then nothing. The demons stepped back and Alyssa cautiously stepped out of the cell. She made sure not to look into the cells near hers, wrapping her arms around her body as the demons led her further into the dungeon and to Crowley's room.
"Did you have a nice dream?" Crowley queried, watching her like a hawk.
Alyssa bit back a response. "It was just great." More like agonizing. Show her everything she could have had only to have to wake up and realize just what she had lost. She'd lost everything she ever wanted. Her dreams, her peace, her family. Sam. Her hopes. There was nothing left of them, beyond the flat and desperate needs of survival and staying out of hell. What else was there that she could ever dream about?
Crowley smirked, turning away. At the back of the room, Alyssa could just see that there was a younger woman there. Her blonde hair haloed around her face as she wrote continuously, her arm shaking.
"Oh, wondering about her are you?" Crowley laughed. "That's Sora. She's just finishing up a little project for me. The results of your hard work, I must say. Very impressive."
"I'm done now?" Alyssa asked hesitantly. "You don't need me anymore?"
"Only if this works. Just stay awhile longer, you'll see."
Alyssa uncertainly leaned back against a pillar, watching the young girl work. Sora couldn't be more than twenty years old. She looked so young. So innocent even, with the way her bright blonde curls fell around her jaw. Alyssa glanced back to Crowley. What were his plans exactly? It didn't matter -it couldn't matter. This was going to be over very quickly.
All told, Alyssa couldn't have been standing around watching as the younger woman transcribed for more than a half hour before the door burst open and the Winchesters and Kat spilled into the room. Sam and Kat looked the worse for wear. Kat's nose was distinctly crooked, blood oozing down her face, some of it had already dried on. There was a crazed, fiery look in her eyes. Sam's face was swollen, his clothes bloodstained and he was favoring his leg heavily. If Dean even had an injury, it wasn't obvious.
"Well how good of you to join us, Dean," Crowley laughed. "I'm sad to say that this little party is too elite for you. No invitation, no entry."
"What the hell is going on here?" Kat spat out some blood, grimacing even as she walked closer, keeping her arm close to her body. Another injury, it would seem.
"Where's Alyssa?" Sam asked, scanning the room.
Alyssa glanced at Crowley, noticed the way he didn't even look at her. Maybe from their positions her old friends just weren't able to see her. "Does it really matter that much to you?" Crowley sighed, dramatically raising his hand and snapping his fingers.
Just like that there were howls and ferocious snarls from all around them and every hair on Alyssa's body tried to rebel against gravity and rise. Chills curled down her arms, winding down to her wrists before disappearing entirely as one snarl sounded right next to her ear and she froze entirely. She could smell the putrid decaying flesh-scent that was on its breath, feeling the way the hound's breath was burying itself in the back of her head.
Slowly Sam and Dean stood back to back, Kat moving to take the rear guard position as they turned cautiously, keeping an eye out.
"What are you going to do now?" Crowley tutted, twirling the demon-killing knife in his hand.
Part of Alyssa wanted to lunge, to dive and grab the knife from his hand and toss it to her friends. Another part of her wanted to do nothing more than close her eyes and pretend this was a nightmare, some remnant of Lucifer's torture.
"Here all defenseless, angel-less… friendless." He grinned at them. "Well boys, it was nice knowing you…"
"No!" the defiant shout rang throughout the room.
At first Alyssa thought it had come from her, but then she realized that she was still frozen in place. She turned slowly, staring at the blonde woman who was clutching the wooden chair nearest her.
"You swore Crowley! You made a deal, I have the contract! If you hurt anyone else…"
Crowley sighed frustrated. "Since when were you such a negotiator, sweetheart? Let it go."
"Not on your life!" Sora snapped back, clutching the papers in her hand. She waved them threateningly. "You want these? You let them go! All four of them!"
"Not even going to bargain for your own safety?" Crowley asked amusedly, ignoring the four hunters in the room. He also didn't call off his demon hounds.
"Now Crowley!" she growled, moving her hand as though to tear the paper up.
"Fine, fine, fine." He heaved a put-upon sigh and with another snap of his fingers, the hell hounds were disappearing. "Read the words out, Sora. I won't hurt them. Alyssa can take care of that."
Against her will, Alyssa walked forward until she was standing between the Winchesters, Kat and Crowley. She stared wide-eyed at her friends, unsure of how or when she had willingly moved her body -and unable to come up with an explanation for how she had moved without her consent.
"Aly… what have you done?" asked Sam, his expression of both shock and horror.
"I knew it!" Dean snapped. "I knew there was something off!"
"Alyssa…"
They didn't get the opportunity to ask another question when Dean took a step forward and Alyssa clumsily lunged towards him, her movements awkward and completely unnatural to her body. Also, entirely devoid of her will. There was nothing she could do -she tried to move back, away from her friends but nothing happened. She consciously focused on making her legs move, on simply willing them to move but it was as though she was completely separate from the physical control of her body.
Dean blocked her blow easily, going in to physically grapple with her and Alyssa found that her body was moving unexpectedly, her leg flying up like some karate expert and slamming her foot down on the back of his calf. She shouldn't have been able to do that -Alyssa didn't know how to do that. Dean went down with a pained shout and in the same moment there was a blinding light that exploded the room into white nothingness. When Alyssa was able to see again, Sam had his arms wrapped around her, keeping her pinned to the floor. Beside her Kat was walking towards the origins of the light, Dean at her side.
"Gabriel?" Dean asked warily.
Alyssa turned her head with difficultly, blinking the afterimages from her eyes to see that there was a middle aged man standing across from Crowley. Sora was still standing, reciting the lines hoarsely.
"Cease this immediately," the angel demanded, his voice too cold and harsh to resemble the humane appearance he was wearing.
"You know him?" Alyssa heard Kat ask Dean, incredulity coloring her tone.
"Yeah. He's a dick, but he… helped us out."
"Oh, now isn't this just cute. Naomi's got you as her lapdog, doesn't she?" Crowley laughed. "You must be half dead inside of there, archangel. And an archangel without his powers, isn't much of a threat to the King of Hell."
"You fashioned that title for yourself," Gabriel sneered, adjusting to his full height. It wasn't very intimidating -he wasn't even taller than Crowley was, and he didn't carry a presence with him. "Crowley, dealer of souls, you have control only so long as you take it for yourself." Gabriel paused, turning to the young woman at the back of the room. "Stop your pointless recitation -it will get you nothing. Hand the Word of God over to me and you can go free, prophetess."
"Who do you think you are?" Crowley snapped, lunging towards the archangel. In a single moment the demon killing blade was gone, replaced with an angel blade. It was a brutal clash, filled with noise as the two powerful entities collided against each other.
"Give up Crowley!" taunted Gabriel.
Alyssa felt Sam's hands tighten on her shoulders and she glanced up at him, to see that his attention was entirely focused on the Dean and Kat as they picked their way across to the back of the room where Sora was standing paralyzed. In the next instant, Crowley and Gabriel disengaged and Crowley shoved his way past Dean and Kat, grabbing hold of Sora. If Alyssa hadn't been so riveted she might have noticed that Gabriel was bleeding in several places and Crowley didn't even appear to be fazed by whatever injuries he had incurred. He smirked and suddenly the world flew upside down as Alyssa slammed her elbow back into Sam's gut and squirmed her way out of his grasp. Crowley grabbed a bottle of blood, twisting the cap off.
Gabriel took four unsteady steps towards Crowley; Sora covered her eyes.
Dean and Kat each got a hand on the young woman's shoulders.
Alyssa practically flew across the room, skirting every obstacle in her way -almost as though she knew exactly where they were without seeing them. She tried to trip, to will herself to trip and fall like the clumsy child she had been. Gabriel was at her side in the same moment, his hazel eyes warm and more gentle than she would have expected from his harsh and emotionless exterior. He set his hand on her shoulder.
Alyssa faltered suddenly, her legs getting caught on the underside of a desk when she had meant to jump like some kind of parkour expert. Intense pain followed, and not from her shins which had collided with the desk -she whimpered, grabbing her head as she fell back off the desk.
Gabriel continued forward.
Dean and Kat walked Sora away, keeping one eye on Crowley and the other on Gabriel.
Sam was just starting to stand back up as Crowley began painting on the wall.
It was messy and crude and Crowley gave a great laugh as a hole blasted through the wall. Gabriel slammed into him from the side, knocking Crowley away and swiping at the blood as he stopped in front of the portal just as souls started to pour out. Suddenly the entire room reverberated and there was a soundless boom that Alyssa could feel all the way in her bones.
When she looked up next, there wasn't a trace of anyone but Sam. He stood on shaky feet, looking around the empty room. No sign of Crowley. No sign of Gabriel. Where were Kat and Dean? Alyssa slowly got to her feet, the room suddenly eerily silent. Above them they could hear the monsters roaring and screeching, yowling ferociously, as though they too, knew that their master and torturer was gone.
Alyssa took a half step towards Sam, saw the look of utter desperation and confusion and loss that she stopped. What had she done? He had to know, clearly. Hesitantly she took another step, ignoring the aches in her body. She hadn't been beaten up by demons or monsters. How was she ever supposed to trust herself again? What had even happened in the first place?
"Sam," she whispered, hating the way his name tumbled from her lips like an apology.
He shook his head, and walked towards the crumbling wall that Crowley had broken with his portal. Alyssa didn't follow. Sam walked outside. And he didn't come back.
So... this'll be the last you'll hear of me until April.
This is the culmination of approximately three plots and I hope they're not too hastily arranged.
I'll see you all in April, and I hope you like this cliffhanger. Thank you for reading, see you in two months.