Thank you once again for reading and reviewing the last chapter, I love you guys!
Hope you enjoy! Next chapter is the last one, guys!
Goodbye Is Never Forever
Chapter Twenty-Three: Family
Missouri — Riverdale Hospital — 08:59 AM.
Hours had passed by, and Alison still hadn't woken.
Dean wasn't sure how long he had been sitting there in the same seat beside her bed, everything else that had been going on around him was a complete blur, nothing more than background noise to him. He paid little attention. Since he had entered the room he had seen nothing but his little sister. He hadn't heard a single word said by his parents or brother, he hadn't even been attempting to listen. His ears were focused on the steady beeping of the machine behind him, as if he could detect the slightest change. His eyes burned, stinging from the lack of sleep, but he barely wanted to blink. He hadn't even noticed when his parents and brother had long since retired to get something to eat from the small cafeteria the hospital had to offer. All he knew was that he couldn't leave her. Not again. He didn't want to, not after everything he had seen. He just couldn't.
For a moment inside that barn he had been so sure that she was going to die, that they really were going to lose her, and it was a feeling that he never wanted to experience again for as long as he lived. He had never known a fear or a dread like it before. Sitting in that waiting room had been nothing but antagonising.
Since arriving there it had all become so clear how close they had come to really losing her. Another hour and he was sure that she wouldn't have made it. That scared him, it terrified him, more than he wanted to admit. It was finally sinking in, now that he knew she was going to wake up, that she was going to be okay, how different it could all have ended. It occurred to him, had she not taught him what she had, had he not listened to her and trusted her like he did, had she not trusted him with the biggest secret she had ever had, there was a good chance he would have been sitting at her funeral rather than her bedside.
In the time they had been sat in the waiting room she had been cleaned up. No longer was her skin stained with blood or dirt, and the damage inflicted upon her only became more apparent without the mask. Her right eye and cheek was purple with bruising, and the deep gash at her hairline was held together with stitches and covered by a bandage. There was a large bandage around her wrist where she had been restrained with a pair of handcuffs and the visible parts of her arms were covered in bruises and cuts. Her lips were dark and cracked, and her skin was still a pale grey colour. She barely looked like the sister he knew. He didn't want to think about what she had been through while she had been there, or what those things had done to her. He didn't want to imagine the fear or hopelessness she had experienced, locked away to die there. It was unthinkable, and he found himself wondering how she had survived it, or where she had found the strength to withstand it.
It was in that moment, where Dean was too lost in his own dark thoughts to notice much of anything else, that her fingers closed gently around his hand, still holding hers in a loose grip. It took him a long moment to even realise it had happened, but his head snapped up to look at her when he did, his eyes were wide and his breathing came to a halt. Her hold on him was loose, weak, but it was definitely there, and he felt the hope leap in his chest. "Alison?" he pressed, cautious, nervous, but she didn't respond. "Ali?" he coaxed. "Ali, can you hear me?"
The softest frown came to her face and slowly she blinked open her eyes. His face broke into a grin at the sight, and he released the breath he hadn't even known that he was holding. A sense of relief washed through him, nothing like he had ever experienced before. She shifted the slightest bit, and he didn't miss how she winced in pain as she moved. Her eyebrows were furrowed together as she looked around at her blurred surroundings, and the confusion was evident in her features. Her eyes fell to him, and the curiosity only seemed to deepen.
"Hey, kiddo." he said, his voice was thick with emotion, and he found that he just couldn't hold back the smile.
Alison looked perplexed. "Dean?" Her eyes narrowed at him and her voice was hoarse. He didn't like to think it was probably down to the screaming she had done at the hands of the monsters who had taken her.
Dean nodded. "Yeah, it's me." He smiled down at her, squeezing her hand in his as if to prove it. "I'm here."
Her vision was unfocused, and she wasn't sure what was happening around her. "Where are we?" she asked him, confused. "What happened?" She blinked, hard, and frowned at him. "Dude, you're covered in blood."
Dean tried not to let the concern show in his face. "You're in the hospital." he told her. His voice was soft, understanding, because she looked like she had a headache. Hell, he would have been more surprised if there was anything that didn't ache. "Don't you remember?" he pressed. "The vampires?"
And then he saw the realization wash through her face. If possible, she seemed to become paler. "Oh." The colour drained right out of her, and he was sure that she was about to be sick. "Yeah, I remember." She shook her head slowly, and he could see her beginning to come around. He could see his sister again. "For a minute I thought that was just some screwed up dream." And then something else seemed to click in her mind, and she turned to look up at him. "What are you doing home?"
Dean shrugged, nonchalant. "I'm on compassionate leave." he commented simply, as though it was nothing to worry about.
But her face contorted to a frown, and he could have laughed at how clueless she looked. "Who died?"
A smile came to his face, and he rolled his eyes at her, amused. "You did." he stated. "Ali, everyone thought that you were dead. Mom identified your body."
It took a long moment for her to process what he had said, and for a moment she was sure that she had heard him wrong. "Oh." That was all she said. Her face didn't change, she appeared as calm as ever. "Shit."
Dean huffed a dry laugh. "Shit is right." he agreed.
Tentative, she looked up, she had to ask. "Are they here?" He didn't miss the worry in her tone.
"Yeah," He nodded. "We're all here."
Alison nodded, and he could see something swimming around in her mind. She looked as though she didn't want to ask him, as if she were afraid, and he couldn't understand what it might be. Her eyes fell to her lap, refusing to face him. "Did you tell them?" she asked him, her voice soft, as though she already knew what his answer was going to be.
Dean sighed, remorseful. "I didn't have a choice, kid." He threw her an apologetic look, but he noticed, she didn't appear mad. "They're not angry with you." Gently, he reached out and smoothed the hair from her face. "My sister the Ghostbuster."
"Dean—"
"Alison the vampire slayer." He snickered.
Alison rolled her eyes at him, and there was a smile playing on her face no matter how hard she tried to hide it. "You're not funny."
Dean smiled at her. "Maybe a little." he quipped.
Alison reached out towards him, and her fingertips gently traced the side of his face. "I see they improved your face." she commented, sarcastic. "Nice shiner you've got there, bro." He could tell it was meant as a joke, but the concern came through clearly in her words.
But all Dean did was chuckle. "Well, you've got one to match it." he countered.
"You decapitated four vampires." He raised an eyebrow, questioning. "That's a little reckless, don't you think?"
"I learned from the best." he stated. But the smile faded slightly from his face at the thought, and he knew then that he couldn't avoid asking the truth forever. Sooner or later he was going to have to know. "What happened to you, Ali? All that blood in your room—"
"Oh my god." Her eyes went wide, and she sat up quickly. "Dean, we need to go."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Dean held out his hands to stop her, a little taken aback by the sudden alarm. "What?"
"That room could put us all behind bars for murder, we need to go." She made a move to get out of bed, but he stopped her.
"Calm down." He shook his head at her, and coaxed her to lie back down. "Chill out, alright? It's taken care of." She frowned at him, as if to say that she didn't understand, and he smiled. "I met your buddy Dylan. He was up there looking for you. I called him, he said he'd clean it up, he's gonna get rid of the bodies, make sure there are no more of them up there, and he's already sent your stuff back to the house. It's fine. No one's ever gonna know what happened in there. You're safe, kiddo. I promise. We all are."
Alison seemed to consider his words for a moment. "Oh." She relaxed a little and leaned back against the pillows. "Dylan, huh?"
"Yeah." Dean threw her a look, and the one he got in return was expectant. He held up his hands, defensive. "I admit it, I was wrong about him, I jumped the gun. He's not just some punk ass kid. He's a good guy." She smiled, as if a little smug. "But that's not what we're talking about here." he continued. "The room? What happened in there, Ali? It looked like a murder scene. And your jacket? Internet searches on how to treat a stab wound? Who the hell stabbed you?"
Alison looked away from him. "You saw that, huh?" She huffed a laugh. "Wow. You really did go all out with your investigation."
"Well, it was kinda hard to miss it." he remarked, but she threw him a look. "Oh. You meant the laptop."
"Wait, how did you even guess my password?" she frowned, confused, accusing.
Dean scoffed. "Really, Alison?" He shook his head at her. "You might be smart, but you're not that smart. And, look, I'm not judging you for anything, and I'm not mad, I just wanna know what happened to you. All that blood, something bad went down in that room."
Alison was silent for a long moment, as though contemplating her words carefully. "I, uh, I went up to Missouri to take care of a shifter, I thought it'd be a simple job, you know? And it was. More or less. The thing put up more of a fight than I'd expected. It was so trippy, I mean, I literally got stabbed by myself."
Dean frowned. "Wait, so it was the shifter that stabbed you? Not the vamps?"
"Yeah," She nodded. "It was the shifter. That thing was tough. I was ready to come home, and then I got a lead on some vampires. Obviously they'd gotten a lead on me, too. They found me before I found them. One of them showed up at the motel, barged through the door." She offered a lame shrug. "It wasn't my blood. Well, most of it wasn't. I killed it. I got rid of the body, came back to the room, but two of them followed me there. We fought, they got the jump on me, and they took me to that place. I'm guessing you can work out the rest."
Dean shook his head slowly, the look on her face wasn't one he recognized. Her words scared him. It didn't feel real. "Oh my god, Ali."
Alison looked up to face him again, and the hurt was visible in her eyes. She felt the guilt, and she knew then that she had been in the wrong. "I owe you an apology." she said, her voice little, and he could have sworn that she sounded ashamed.
But Dean simply shook his head, automatic. "You don't owe me anything." he stated, serious, dismissing any notion of the idea.
But Alison didn't look convinced. "You told me, Dean, over and over, and I never listened to you. All I thought about in that place was how I should have done what you asked me to, that, maybe if I had, I wouldn't have ended up there." She looked down for a moment, twisting the plastic hospital bracelet around her wrist. "You were right, all along."
Dean's eyebrows raised. "Did you just say that I was right? Wow, never thought I'd see the day. Can I have it in writing?" A smirk came to his face, and she offered a weak smile. He was trying to cheer her up, she knew that, but she felt nothing but awful inside. The last thing she wanted from him was a joke, because it was the last thing she thought she deserved. And he could see that. "Look, Ali, maybe I was right, but that doesn't mean that you were wrong. I understand, I get it now. I sat in that waiting room and I thought, you know what, maybe I shouldn't go back, maybe I should stay home, maybe I should have stayed home the last time. But, then I thought, I don't go back, maybe there's someone over there who I don't get to save, maybe there's someone over there I'm supposed to help, and, if I don't go back, they don't get saved. My friends don't have that extra backup, and maybe someone gets hurt." Her eyes narrowed at him, something about what he was saying sounded so familiar to what she had said to him in Ohio, and she knew that he was thinking the same thing. "Crazy, right?" he chuckled. "God help me if I'm on the same wave length as you. But, just so you know, I do get it now. I get why you did what you did, and I get why you went back to it. I don't think there's anything wrong about it. Reckless, yeah. But not wrong."
There was a soft smile on her face, but there was a sadness to it that he just didn't understand. "How did you even find me?"
Dean shrugged, as though it hadn't been a big deal. "I just knew that you couldn't be dead. I don't know what it was, but somewhere I knew it. I knew you were out there somewhere." She studied his face, trying to understand. "You know, they told me you were dead and I just, I don't even know how to explain it, it didn't seem like it could be real. Guess I wasn't ready to say goodbye to you forever." He smiled down at her. "These last few days I've learned something."
"Yeah?" she pressed, curious. "What's that?"
"This world is a darker place without you in it, Ali." His voice was kind, his words sincere. "It's just not the same. Home wasn't home without you there. Mom and dad weren't mom and dad. Sam wasn't Sam. It was just... different. It's hard to explain it."
Alison squeezed his hand softly. "You never give up on me, do you?" She looked as though she was going to cry, tears were shining in her eyes, clinging to her lashes, and her voice was thick. "No matter how stupid I get."
"Hey, you are not stupid." he told her bluntly. "What you were doing, it was dangerous, and I do still owe you a serious ass kicking for doing it alone like that, but you're brave. You're braver than you ever give yourself credit for. You're smarter than you even realize. And I don't think there are many people out there in this world who'd dare to do what you've been doing." He looked down at her hand in his, and he smiled. "I've never met anyone as selfless as you are, and I don't think I ever will."
"You saved my life, Dean." Her voice was small, and a single tear escaped her. "Thank you."
Dean reached up and wiped the tear away gently. "Well, you know me, always willing to hop on a plane and decapitate some vampires for my favorite sister." He paused, and a frown came to his face. "Never thought I'd hear myself say that." Alison laughed, and, for the first time that day it appeared genuine. "I've got something for you," He reached into his jacket and pulled out the necklace he had found in her motel room. "Chain needs fixing, but," He shrugged. "Here."
Alison took it from him, and he didn't miss how her fingernails were still stained with blood as she did. Her hands were still shaking slightly, but she didn't seem concerned with any of that. A soft smile came to her face as her thumb traced the words on the back of the locket. "Thank you." she said, genuine. "For everything."
Dean nodded. "You should get some rest." he offered, and the concern came through in his words. "You've been through a lot."
"No." She shook her head firmly, everything else forgotten. "I wanna see mom. Is she okay?"
Dean looked torn between lying to her and telling the truth. "She will be." he concluded. "Once she's seen you're okay, she will be." He paused, and he looked up to her. "There's, uh, there's some stuff the two of you need to talk about." She frowned, puzzled, as if asking for some kind of a hint. He smiled simply. "Let me go get her. You wouldn't believe it coming from me, kid."
But Dean didn't have to move. Before he could even think about standing from his seat, the door to her room opened, and their dad walked inside, closely followed by Sam. "Hey, Dean?" His dad's voice spoke before he had even realized what was happening there. "Have you—" But everything came to an abrupt halt when his eyes fell to her. She was awake, she was alive, and he looked like he had just been slapped around the face. "Alison?" he breathed out, his whole face the picture of shock and relief.
The smallest smile tugged at her lips, something which she struggled to hold as she fought back the tears that threatened once again to spill from her green eyes. "Hey, Dad." she whispered, and her voice cracked with emotion at the words.
Her dad didn't respond at all for a moment, he didn't look as though he had registered her words at all. He opened and closed his mouth, but nothing left him, he didn't even blink. He managed to conjure up a small yet broken smile of his own, a mixture of both happiness and pain. "Hey, sweetheart." he replied, barely audible in the quiet room. He stared at her, his eyes searching her carefully, intently, as though he was just waiting for her to dissipate into thin air right before his eyes.
Her dad took a step towards the bed, never thinking twice about it, and his arms wrapped around her tightly. His breath was held and his eyes were squeezed closed in attempt to hold back the tears that threatened to fall. He had come so close to losing his daughter, and to have her there was too much for him to understand. He didn't understand. After everything they had been through the past couple of weeks, it didn't feel real. None of it did. He felt her hands clutch to the back of his shirt, unwilling to let go, in a way that she hadn't done since she had been little.
He pulled back enough to face her, and he smiled. "Glad to see you awake." he said softly. "You really gave us a scare this time."
Alison nodded, and she looked down for a moment, shaking her head. "I'm so sorry, Dad." she whispered. "For all of it."
But John shook his head at her. There were tears in his eyes, ones that she just couldn't ignore. It was a look she had never seen in her father's face before. Alison had always been a daddy's girl, for as long as she could remember. Her father was her rock and her friend at the same time, he was someone she could share jokes and bicker with, but he was someone she knew would stand and fight for her through anything. Something about seeing the strongest man she knew sitting there looking the way he did scared her, and there was a horrible feeling of guilt in the pit of her stomach in knowing that she had been the one to cause it.
"Are you okay?" he asked her, his eyes searching hers for some kind of confirmation, or some sign that she wasn't. "Really?"
"Yeah," Alison nodded slowly, and a soft smile came to her face. "I'm okay, dad."
John nodded slowly, and he seemed to believe her. He leaned forwards and placed a soft kiss to the top of her head as he moved to stand, his hand holding hers for a short moment longer. He took a step back from her and smiled.
Alison's eyes moved from him to her younger brother, and the look she saw in his eyes scared her. He looked worn down, afraid, hurt.
"You're a hard girl to find, you know that?" Sam smiled down at her, shaky, and he took a seat on the edge of the bed.
Alison didn't hesitate, she reached forwards and wrapped her arms around him tightly. "Thank you." she whispered.
"You scared the hell out of us, Ali." he muttered. She felt his shoulders shake the slightest bit, and she held onto him a little tighter. "Don't do it again, Alison. Please?" His voice was pleading, desperate, but it was soft enough that she was sure only the two of them had heard it.
"I won't." she assured him, and her hand subconsciously rubbed the top of his back soothingly. "I promise."
The tears once again fell from her eyes, disappearing into his shirt, she was unable to hold them back. She wasn't even sure why she was crying anymore, whether it was happiness or sadness, guilt or relief. She was happy, of course she was, however overwhelming it was, she was right back where she belonged, and she was holding one of the two men who had brought her home again. For the first time since she had left to hunt that shifter, she didn't feel as though she was alone in the world. But there was something in her that couldn't let go of the guilt, the shame, the feeling that she had caused her family so much pain. And it physically hurt.
Her arms secured around him tighter, firmer, when she felt his shoulders give the smallest shake. Alison knew that he would never willingly let on that he was so upset, about anything, and so she said nothing. There was no denying his sorrow when the softest whimper escaped him, or when he drew a shaky breath and squeezed her harder as he tried to hold it all together. She still said nothing as his hands fisted tightly in the material of her hospital gown, unwilling to let go.
Alison pulled back enough to face him, and she grinned as she wiped the tears from his cheeks. "I missed you, little brother."
Sam smiled. "Yeah, I missed you, too." He let go of her, but he didn't move from where he sat on the edge of her bed.
Alison cleared her throat, looking away from them for a moment. There was only one person missing. "Where's mom?" she asked, anxious.
"She's just talking to your doctor." Her dad told her, and there was a softness to his voice. "She'll be right here."
And, as if on cue, the door to the room opened once again. Mary's eyes went wide at the sight of her, and she looked torn between laughing and crying. Tears immediately filled up in her eyes and the colour drained right from her face. "Alison?" she breathed, the relief was more than evident in her voice, and a smile came to her face. She all but ran to her and threw her arms around her, holding her tightly. "Are you okay?" she whispered, but Alison couldn't get a word out. She couldn't speak, her voice was lost. "Alison?"
Slowly, she wasn't sure how, she found the strength to nod. "I'm okay, Mom."
Mary pulled back enough to look at her but she didn't let go, her eyes found hers and she breathed out the breath she had been holding for so long. It was somewhere between a laugh and a cry, she wasn't sure which. She didn't know what to do, everything was happening at once, it was all too much, too overwhelming. "Alison." she cried, like she didn't know what else to do, as her breathing became heavier. Her arms wrapped around her once again and she clung to the daughter she had come so close to losing. "Thank God you're okay." Her arms were shaking as she held her closer.
Mary didn't know how long they sat there, arms wrapped around each other, it was like time had stopped and there was only the two of them in the world anymore. Suddenly, what had happened didn't matter so much, where she had been, what she had been doing, everything there was nothing but love and relief. Alison suddenly felt so small in her arms, so little compared to her, as if she was her little girl again. She had her back again, and that was all that mattered anymore. She pulled back enough to look at her. Her mouth opened and closed a couple of times, as though she were going to say something but her head just wouldn't allow her to bring the words together. Gently, she wiped the tears from her daughter's face and a small, shaky smile came to her face.
"I'm so sorry, Mom." Alison said, and her voice, little more than a whisper, cracked at the words. "For all of it, I'm sorry."
Mary shook her head slowly. "How could you get into something like that, Alison? I mean... How?" She didn't look angry, she just looked as though she wanted to understand. She looked confused, curious. "Why didn't you tell us what happened?"
Alison gave a small shrug. "I didn't think you'd believe me." she muttered. "I mean, it's not exactly the most convincing story to tell."
John shook his head, and he stepped forwards. "More to the point, why didn't you tell us?" he asked, turning to Dean.
Dean sighed, shaking his head, and he leaned back a little in his seat. He looked at a loss, like he didn't know what to say. "This wasn't his fault." Alison cut it, automatic, before he even had the chance to think up a response. "I asked him not to tell you. He wanted to, don't blame him."
"No, they're right." Dean told her, giving a shrug. "I should have said something. I should have stopped you. I'm sorry, Ali. This shouldn't have happened to you."
"Dean," Alison sighed. "This isn't your fault, alright? You warned me, you told me to stop—"
"Yeah, and I should have made sure that you did." he countered, defensive. "I knew what you were doing out there. I'd seen it. I knew how dangerous it was, and I let you carry on."
"You didn't know, Dean." she insisted. "You didn't know that this would happen. Neither of us did."
Dean scoffed, as though the idea amused him. "Well, I should have known." he muttered. He pulled a hand down his face and looked away from her, from all of them. She could see, the only person he was angry with was himself.
Mary looked between them slowly, and there was a fond smile on her face. "Do you two ever stop fighting?" She sighed. "Look, no one's to blame for this, and no one's in trouble. It's over, all that matters is you're all safe." She looked back to John, and he offered her an encouraging nod. It was time she knew. "Would you mind giving us a minute?"
John nodded slowly, and he made a move towards the door, gesturing for his sons to follow.
Missouri — Riverdale Hospital — 09:37 AM.
Dean headed through the waiting room of the hospital, aimless. It was much quieter than it had been before they had been allowed into Alison's room, but that had been hours ago. They were all tired, they were all stressed, and it had been the longest night of their lives. He looked over towards Sam and he sighed. There was a thoughtful frown fixed deep within his features, and he wasn't sure he wanted to know what it was running through his mind. He looked miles away, staring ahead at the floor blankly. A part of him knew he was probably still pissed at him about everything that had happened, and maybe he didn't want to speak to him. But he looked too distracted for Dean to just ignore it, and so he headed towards him.
He dropped down into the empty seat beside him, but Sam didn't look up, or even seem to notice his presence. "You alright, bro?" he asked, calm, casual.
Sam gave a slow nod but he didn't blink. "I can't believe this." he admitted quietly. "I can't believe any of this is real."
Dean nodded in agreement. "Yeah, tell me about it." he muttered. "Wacky night, huh?"
Sam looked up to face him, and it was only now that things had started to make more sense to him. Dean had known all along that Alison had been sneaking around hunting monsters, he had done it with her, and that was the only reason he'd had to believe that she might still be out there somewhere. He couldn't even imagine the fear he'd experienced knowing what was out there with her, knowing that something not human had taken her, and it was only now that he understood his reluctance to tell him everything.
"Hey," He cleared his throat and steadied his voice. "About what I said to you—"
"You were right." Dean stopped him before he could even think up an apology.
"No, I wasn't." Sam replied bluntly. "Same situation, I don't know what I'd have done. You saved her life, Dean."
Dean sighed lightly and leaned back a little in his seat. "Little Ali," he pondered. "Who would've thought it, huh?"
Sam nodded. "She always was tougher than we ever gave her credit for."
"You both are." Dean said simply. "I mean, I know we didn't really talk about what happened before I got home, but," He shrugged. "I know, situations reversed, if I'd have been at home through all of that, the cops, identifying her body, I couldn't have done it." Sam didn't respond to his words, but he saw his face darken as he thought back and he instantly regretted saying anything about it at all. "I'm not asking you to talk about it, but I just wanted you to know that. I don't know anyone else who could've done what you did yesterday. I know you probably thought that I was crazy, and you still stuck with me."
Sam smiled a little. "It might have crossed my mind." he quipped. "But I'm glad I did. I'm glad she's safe."
Dean nodded slowly. "Where's Dad?" he pressed, curious.
"He, uh, went to get coffee, I think." Sam shrugged. "I don't know."
"Hm. Coffee sounds kinda good to me right now, you want one?" he asked, pushing himself to his feet.
But Sam shook his head. "I'm good." He gave a tired smile. "I'm just gonna wait here."
Dean gave a nod and he crossed the waiting room of the hospital. He turned the corner at the reception desk and his eyes fell to his father. Something dropped in his stomach, and he was torn between heading towards him and turning back. He sat at the table he and his mother had been sitting at, his head in his hands. There was something about the look on his face that he just didn't like, and he knew he was thinking about Alison, and how close they had all come to losing her that night. He couldn't determine whether or not he was angry with him or simply worried about his daughter, but he couldn't avoid him forever, that much he did know. Shaking his head to himself, and plucking up the courage, he walked over to him, cautious. He didn't even appear to have noticed that he was standing there, either that or he was choosing not to acknowledge him. Dean couldn't decide.
"Dad?" he pressed, wary. "Look, I get why you're pissed at me, I know that I should have said something—"
"Dean, I'm not angry at you." he said simply. His hands dropped to the table and he sat up a little straighter to look at him. There was a frown on his face as though Dean's words had confused him.
Taking the chance, and admittedly a little surprised, Dean sat opposite him. "You're not?"
John shook his head. "No. I know how hard it must have been for you, I know how it all sounds." A small smile crossed his face. "I remember the day your mom told me. First image that came to mind wasn't a vampire, wasn't a werewolf, wasn't even a demon. You know what it was?"
Dean smiled. "You visiting mom in a straight jacket?"
John chuckled. "I'm guessing you had the same one?"
Dean huffed a laugh. "More than once."
"You knew that something was wrong. From the minute you came home, you knew there was something off with her." He shook his head slowly, there was a look of guilt behind his eyes, and he knew that he blamed no one but himself for what had happened. "We should have noticed. I should have noticed. I mean, if you hadn't, if you hadn't followed her that day—"
"Don't, Dad." He thought back to his mom's words, and he knew that she had been right. They had to let it go. "Ali's safe. That's all that matters anymore."
His dad nodded in agreement. "You saved your sister's life tonight, Dean. I don't know anyone else who could have done what you did. I'm proud of you." He paused, and a smile crossed his face. "All of you."
Missouri — Riverdale Hospital — 09:53 AM.
Mary smiled a little as she relaxed back against the pillows behind her. Alison was lying beside her on the bed with her head rested against her shoulder, and her hand gently smoothed through her blonde hair. The only thought on her mind was that she finally had her daughter back in her arms, and how close she had come to losing her. Neither of them had spoken for a long time, and she knew that it was time to say something, it was time for her to know everything she had already told her brothers. It was time that she finally understood the family she came from.
"Alison," Her voice was soft as it broke the silence. "I need you to listen to me when I tell you this." She sighed, and Alison shifted a little to look up at her, seeming to note the seriousness in her tone. "I've done this myself, I hunted for a long, long time before I met your dad. And, I know it's exciting, and I know how easy it is to get pulled into it, I was exactly the same at your age, but, trust me, it doesn't stay that way forever. It gets harder and harder the longer you do it, and once it goes too face there's no getting out of it again. Believe me."
Alison was silent for a long moment, and there was a frown on her face that indicated nothing but confusion. "What?" She sat up to face her properly. Her eyes were wide, unblinking. "What do you mean you've done this before? When? How? Why?" She frowned deeper, lost. "What?"
"I hunted, Alison. For a long, long time." Her voice remained nothing but calm, and she offered a small shrug. "You could have told me."
Alison simply stared at her, as though she couldn't comprehend what she was being told. There were a million different thoughts running through her mind and she couldn't even think of which to voice first. "Mom," She shook her head. "What are you talking about?"
"I'll tell you everything, I promise. But, Alison, please, don't do this anymore." There was a plea in her eyes. "You're so young, you don't need that kind of darkness in your life. I don't want to lose you again." Tears filled up in her eyes. "I can't lose you."
"Mom," Alison sighed. "I'm sorry."
But Mary simply shook her head. "You don't have to apologize, Alison." she said softly. "I understand, I really do. And I'm not angry. I just want you to be safe."
Alison nodded. "I won't do it again, Mom." she said softly. "I promise."
