Supernatural: Chronicles of the Order 5

Chapter 17: Baby Takes a Drive

(DISCLAIMER: No, I don't own Supernatural because it belongs to Eric Kripke and Warner Bros. So, enjoy the show! Rated M for graphic violence, adult content, and adult language.)

Four years ago on Gehenna…

I was busy cleaning up the chicken house as I made sure that the fowl inside were secure from the upcoming winter weather that was dominant all over the planet. Even though I was almost done, I was ready to call it a day until I noticed Dean approaching with a grin on his face. He was enrolling into the Hunter Corps as I promised as I had high hopes for him at that time, but I didn't want any of the glory for myself for the rest of my days. By the time I finished up in the chicken house, I had to stay out of sight from Sylvanus as I didn't want him to punish me for just being there in the fort. In the long run, I was busy hiding from sight as I saw Dean searching for me from top to bottom. Even though the coast was clear, I sprinted towards the main house of the fort as I made it to my room without delay.

It wasn't long until I went to the bathroom as I took off my clothes and got into the tub the moment I turned on the hot water. I was safe for the time being as I felt the hot water filling up to the brim until I turned it off. I was warming up as I was also cleaning myself off with the soap and hair care that was near the tub. I was very soapy as I later rinsed off and continued to relax in the tub that was my sanctuary. Just as I was about to enjoy the bath a little further, I heard the door open up as I noticed Dean walking in here for no reason. He was ready to pounce, but I didn't want to deal with his everyday troubles as I just wanted to get out and go straight to bed after this.

"You just had to find me, didn't you?" I said.

"You've been working your ass off, Sam. It's about time that you took a break from the work around here and play a game of ping-pong," said Dean. "You can't occupy yourself in books and quilts forever, you know 'cause it's not healthy for you."

"Servants aren't allowed to converse with the soldiers from the barracks, Dean, you know that."

"So? The head asshat in charge went on a hunting mission to Gethos and won't be back in a couple of days. As for your days of boredom, they're ending for one day 'cause I won't leave until you agree with me, you got that?"

"You still can't take no for an answer, can you?"

"Hey, it's better than shivering in your bed without a warm fire in your room."

At that moment, the bell calling the soldier trainees rang as Dean had no other choice but to go and report for duty. As for me, however, I was alone in the bathroom as I saw my older brother leave while closing the door behinnd him. Still, we were there in the freezing cold as our activities and structure were dictated by what was put in front of us, but all of that began to change for us in the future…

Present Day…

It was a very hot day as I was at home cleaning up the castle after the last of the townsfolk returned to their homes and businesses. It was a daunting task for me to be hard at work even after the first birthdays of Dahlia and Mizuki as I was busy on a June morning. Even though I was hard at work with my mind working overtime, I wasn't about to stop right now as I was dealing with two problems instead of one due to the presence of the Executive Division making trouble for me. Still, I had to deal with it as I was also focused on looking into the problem between Cain and Ailnoth so far, but I would soon be interrupted without warning on such a summer endeavor in mind. With the weather getting ready to dip into the nineties, I was sweating as I was in the backyard hanging up some clean clothes from the washer onto the clothesline. By the time I was finished, I was ready to go into the kitchen to get something to drink until I noticed Dean tugging me by my long hair as he had a playful look on his face. He was up to something as I was most likely to back out of it the moment I had to return to work soon.

He had that same "Devil-may-care" attitude as he was itching to get me out of my shell against my wishes. Still, I wasn't about to fall to his whim as I had so much to do due to what was going on so far on the sly. When I made Dean let go of my hair, I fled the kitchen as I was going towards the backyard in which I was staring at the berry vines that were beginning to ripen with what was stuck on there. I was safe for the time being as I didn't want to be bothered, but I was wrong. Without warning, I felt my long hair being towed as I turned around and saw Dean pulling me into the main house of the castle. When we made it into the kitchen, I was staring at him as he was ready to make his move, but I was adamant into not going on his hair-brained trip due to my days of working all the time. He was wanting me to take a break as he saw the signs of stress all over me, but I was refusing to be fodder to his constant trouble in mind.

"You can't just grab me by the hair just for kicks, you know," I said as I made Dean let go of my long hair. "There's no time to be playing right now after I had an opportunity to stop the upcoming prizefight between Cain and Ailnoth."

"Aw, c'mon, Sammy; you've been working your ass off and you deserve a break," he said. "Besides, it's unhealthy for you to be working all day and not letting off some steam."

"It's been eight days since I found that spear in the archives room, but I had to bring it back to Ginryu due to its status as a rarity that was crafted by the Draaza and plenty of angels. As for the long eight days of working, I had to clean up all over the castle after the remaining townsfolk left for their homes in Kanto Village. It's also a godsend that Herschel came and ordered some of them to help out before they left, but the messes inside were more like a college party without the alcohol involved, but with food and trash everywhere. Work is work and there's no way in hell that you're convincing me to get out of my rut after all that's been happening so far."

"Speaking of work, when's the last time you had a day off?"

"I hadn't had any since I came back to work, but there's no stopping me from trying to find Cain and Ailnoth and flush them out."

"Sorry, but that can wait 'cause I got a much better thing for you."

I saw Dean flash a familiar set of car keys as they were from the Impala of all cars. Still, I refused the offer as I left the kitchen and up towards the elevator and closing the doors behind me. I didn't want to go anywhere as I had so much to do on this long stretch of being busy. When I got out of the elevator to my floor, I went towards the bathroom as I stripped off my sweat-soaked clothes and stuffed them into the hamper. By the time I stepped into the shower, I turned on the water as I began to shiver from it due to the hot being ran out by the excess washing of clothes. I didn't mind it as the cold shower did me good in such heat in which I even cleaned myself in the chilling water coming from it. By the time I was rinsing off, I heard the door open as footsteps crept in for no apparent reason. When I heard the toilet flushing, I felt a rush of hot water burning me after I was rinsed clean. Turning off the water, I was ready to get out of the shower as I heard the footsteps creeping out of the bathroom and closing the door.

When I dried myself off with a towel and threw it into the hamper, I left the bathroom and quickly went into my room as I got dressed in clean clothes and later left afterwards. When I was ready to go towards the elevator, I had a gut feeling that the prankster behind the flush in the bathroom wasn't done with such bad sense as I had to guard myself from such bad behavior. By the time I went towards the elevator, I saw Dean walking into it as he was standing next to me the moment it was on the way down. I heard him snickering as he was basking in the glee of making my day rough so far, but I didn't have time to deal with his tricks right now.

"Oh, I just had to flush you out sooner or later, Sammy," I heard him say as he was smiling.

"You're pushing it, aren't you?" I said as I was getting testy towards him.

"Hey, someone has to get you out of your shell before you end up becoming a rotting vegetable of constant misery and too much work."

"The playtime can wait. Like the rest of us, I can't shirk my duties after what went on for a while now after the rest of the townsfolk from Kanto Village left."

"And I'm telling you that you're going for a drive just to get your ass out of the castle for the day."

"And my answer to you is no."

"You can't miss out on this nice day forever, Sam. It's not good for you and if you don't yield, I'm gonna go and get Reuben to pin your ass in the infirmary wing."

"Let him try… Besides, we all have to pull our weight just to get by."

When the elevator touched down to the main floor, I stepped out of it as I was going towards the kitchen in which I left through the backyard where I was desperate enough to hide from Dean's tricks on the sly. I didn't want to deal with him as I had so much to do. The heat was getting intense as I stripped my kimono and overrobe down to the waist and tied the sleeves. I didn't want to sweat too much as I was most likely to be rushing towards the secret place I had and closing the gate behind me in order to avoid Dean at all costs. With a few minutes going by, I was safe as I was staring at the bees buzzing all over the withered tree collecting honey. By the time I walked towards the peach tree, I saw the fruit buds growing as I was waiting for the moment to harvest them in the later months. Just as I was about to come out of hiding, I heard the gate jiggling as I had it locked up so that no one could get in it, but I was wrong.

When I heard the sound of footsteps approaching, I walked towards the gate as I peeked through the keyhole. When I saw Dean standing in front of the gate, he had a lockpick in his hand as he began to unlock the gate quickly. By the time he got it open, he pulled no punches as he seized me by the long hair and hauled me out of the secret place. He was desperate as he vowed not to let me out of his sights anytime soon. He wasn't letting up as he would stop at nothing to find me everywhere I went and pulled pranks on me the moment I wasn't looking, but in the end, enough was enough already.

"You're really pushing it, aren't you?" I said as I was getting angry.

"Hey, Reiko and the other women are busy like the rest of us, but when I heard the lady of the house telling me that you keep doing most of the chores around the castle, she put her foot down and demanded you to get out of the house for the day," said Dean. "It's the truth in a nutshell, but you can't back out on it, Sammy.

"It can wait, but I won't be slowing down because of a brisk walk or a quick drive when the whole castle is a mess. There's even the mess in some of the rooms on the floors in which the older children have been having to do the chores like the rest of us. It's a harsh reality, but we can't back down on it after the turn of events that came along nearly three months ago. Everything has to be cleaned up after the remainder of the townsfolk departed for their homes, but we always have to do our part into maintaining an orderly house."

"And they say that a man's home is his castle..."

"So…, the man has to clean it, doesn't he?"

"The man of the house also needs to get a break and the best way of enjoying a brisk time of brotherly love is in the car."

"If you're getting me to go for a ride in the Impala, then I will decline."

"C'mon, Sam; think of it. Our past selves spent their days zooming around in the Impala just to kick ass and take names, but all we did over the years was have weeds growing on us while staying at the fort on Gehenna. This is our time to do it and I won't take no for an answer, either."

"Why can't you take Magda along instead of me?!" I was getting more angrier as I was on the cusp of punching Dean in the face. "You know that I have work to do here after eight days of doing it since the townsfolk went back home!"

I was about to lose it as I pulled my hair free from Dean's grip and went towards the porch to go towards the kitchen door. Just as I was about to do so, I noticed that it was locked as I was desperate enough to run towards the front door of the main house. When I did so, I found it to be locked as I was blocked from entering inside. It wasn't long until I saw Dean laughing at my dull predicament as I was locked out of the castle. The nerve of him to pull a prank like that was making me get more angrier at him for pulling it until I heard the front door unlock the moment I saw Reiko emerge with an empty basket in her hands. It was my time to go straight into the main house until I saw the door close, only to have my foot block it before it was locked again. By the time I was about to get in, I noticed Magda standing in my way as she was determined like the rest of everyone here to keep me out for the day, for it was about to get much worse on the sly.

"Let me through," I said. "It's my home, you know!"

"Not until you get some air first," said Magda.

"And what about what's been going on with the sightings of Cain and Ailnoth? What about the mess around the castle after the townsfolk left for their homes and businesses here in Kanto Village? They can't be left unchecked, you know."

"And what about you, Sam? Ever since you went for answers back at the Order's main headquarters eight days ago, you've been running yourself ragged and it's not healthy for you to do so."

"And Dean's been following me just to cause trouble. Earlier, he crept into the bathroom and flushed the toilet while I was taking a shower. After that, he followed me like a dog in which he keeps wanting me to go for a ride in the Impala. All the same, it's still no."

"And you say that's a bad thing?"

"Why can't you go with Dean instead of me?"

"Hey, that's your brother and there's nothing wrong with going out on a drive with him. Besides, it will be a good thing and it'll all be great for you."

"Nothing good will ever come of it because I have work to do."

"When was the last time that you ever spent some quality time with your brother? Perhaps since getting hauled off to Gehenna? Even though the two of you keep sticking your necks out for all of us and one another, it's about time that you spend some quality time with a manly tinge instead of being cooped up in the castle all the live long. I bet that the Impala's busy collecting dust right now. If your past self's and Dean's saw this right now, they would be turning in their graves if they see you shunning a simple car ride in the Impala instead of basking in the sun all the live long."

I turned around to see Dean sitting on the sidewalk in front of the main house as he was feeling cheated out of the one and only chance to get me out of my rut. Even though he was pushing it, I was trying hard to avoid a simple car ride out of Kanto Village as I walked towards the stream where I sat there staring at the water that was flowing in the pond while putting my kimono and overrobe back over me so I wouldn't get sunburnt. Still, I was not too happy with how the day is becoming as I just wanted to hide away somewhere without any interference. Just as I was about to hightail it, I felt my long hair being tugged as I turned around and saw Dean hauling me to the Impala where it was parked next to the shed. I was not too happy with him as I saw him open up the passenger's side of the car and hauled me in for no reason. With the door to the passenger's side closed, I began to sulk as I saw Dean get in on the driver's side and fished out the keys. He was ready to take me for a drive as he started up the car and drove out of the castle grounds, for this was a day that would soon go into the record books soon enough…

The drive along the dirt roads was a quiet one as I had nothing to say in this long car ride. With Dean at the wheel, he was concerned as I was giving the silent treatment towards him while the radio blared out classic rock along the way. Even though I saw him rocking out to the testosterone-fueled song, "Girls, Girls, Girls," by Motley Crue, I kept my mouth shut as I was watching the sight of pull-carts and carriages rolling along without any incidents. Even though I had so much on my mind, I also had to get back to work as I was most likely to be returning afterwards, but it wasn't happening. With the windows rolled down, I felt the breeze fill the air as I was still quiet without saying a word, but I had a feeling that my silence would be interrupted in plain sight.

"C'mon, Sammy; you gotta utter a little conversation on this trip or else it'll be an epic fail the moment we get home," I heard him say. "I've been wanting to drag you out of your rut, but all I'm getting from you is the silent treatment. Just say something, will you?"

"There's an old saying from the Elder Days: 'Driver picks the tunes while shotgun shuts his cakehole,'" I said with a sigh as I broke my silence. "You knew that I didn't want to be a part of this, but you wanted me to go anyway."

"Well, I'm sorry that you're feelings are hurt, Samantha, but you can't just be working your ass off too much and it happened after you got out the spear that was once used by Ennis Ross in the Elder Days."

"Cain is out there. Ailnoth is out there. If they faced each other in some derelict cemetery, their fight would be catastrophic if we don't stop them. There's also the retaliation from General Wetzel from the Executive Division to worry about and he won't stop until he claims me as a weapon for Project Apollo, either. As for this car ride, it's not helping because I have so much work on my plate right now and I won't stop until-"

"Hey, we might be stopping at a ramen shop soon and you keep saying that nothing good will ever come of our trip on the road together."

At that moment, we stopped at a roadhouse near the dirt road as we parked next to a set of pull-carts and wagons. Getting out and stretching my legs, I was walking into the roadhouse as I saw several freelanced hunters sitting at tables enjoying their food with al the trimmings due to what was outside of it. Peeking out the window, I noticed a huge grass field filled with beef cows as they ranged from Hereford to Angus that ranged with the many of red, white, and black in a cornucopia of farming goodness. It was a homely place, but I wanted to be here briefly until I saw Dean walk in and see a familiar tacked on the wall. It was the familiar "Steakfest!" banner that was shown at the fair almost two years ago as it was held today so far.

"Hey, Sam," he said to me. "You remember the 'Steakfest!' booth at the fair in the castle nearly two years ago? It's ba-a-ack!"

"Go figure," I said. "We're here briefly, alright?"

Without warning, I felt my stomach growl as I was starting to get hungry after the harshness I have endured earlier. Even Dean was staring at the many steaks that were being put on the grill as he saw the mother of all of them being put on display, which was the ninety-six ouncer that could be eaten in an hour or less. It was a cavalcade of meaty goodness, but I wanted to leave before anything else bad happens. Still, Dean was wanting to get his hands on one of those steaks as he seized me by the scruff of my kimono and went towards a table to order up one of those things that were cooking on the grill.

"Oh, look at them, Sammy," he said. "I can't wait to bag one of those."

"Knock yourself out, but don't involve me," I said.

"What, you're bailing out on such goodness in front of you?"

"I'm not hungry, but I know that-" My stomach growls loudly as I was getting more embarrassed at my predicament. "This is not what I meant..."

"Oh, yeah? That's not what your stomach says."

At that moment, we saw a huge steak come our way as it was put at our table as we noticed a white card that had the words, "The Big One! One hundred and twenty ounces of pure enjoyment!," written in black bold letters. I was staring at the well-seasoned, medium rare giant on a huge plate that was sizzling in front of us. To Dean, it was pure bliss for him as he was ready to chow down on the large meaty Bacchinalia that was there down to its sizzling greatness. As for me, however, no matter how I tried to resist temptation, my hunger got the better of me as I grabbed a knife and fork and started to eat part of the steak the moment that the clock started.

"Slow down, Sam," said Dean. "You'll choke if you don't take it easy."

I continued to eat it as my older brother started to chow down on the same steak the moment he grabbed his own knife and fork to gobble some of it on display. Even though we noticed some of the customers slowing down, we were feasting on the steak in front of us as we were down to the wire with the last bits. By the time we finally finished up, we saw the clock going as we noticed a gold ball being raised up as it later opened up and showered us with confetti. We were the winners of the Steakfest competition as we completed the hugest steak that was in front of us. By the time we noticed a waitress come to our table to get our plate, she saw us with our stomachs full as we were the toughest ones that stood in front of what was there.

"You boys certainly know how to take on the big one and live to tell the tale," she said. "Normally, I see customers come to eat a the huge hundred and twenty ouncer and end up taking the rest with them in a doggie bag, but you two sure take the cake."

"Oh, that was good steak…," said Dean as he couldn't eat another bite as he later looked at me with a sly look on his face. "And you thought that nothing good will ever come out of it, Sammy, but we conquered the big one and lived."

"Speaking of conquering the big one, you boys get a trophy and five thousand gaurhee for your efforts into taking on the bad boy."

I was elated to see that trophy shaped like a t-bone steak coming in as we noticed the prize money in an envelope in front of us. By the time we paid for our meal and left a tip, we left the roadhouse as we got back into the Impala the moment we were going on the dirt road again. At that moment, we were ready to go back towards Kanto Village until we saw smoke coming from the Impala's hood. By the time we stopped at a road leading to a bathhouse, Dean got out of the car as he opened up the hood and saw the source of the smoke in which it was the generator core that blew a fuse. When I got out of the car, I saw the generator core in the car have a crack in it as I wafted the smoke away. The day was getting worse as I wanted to go straight home right away, but I had to deal with Dean's dilemma on the sly.

"Son-of-a-bitch," he said. "I just tuned the damn thing up, didn't I?"

"The generator core that Ippei put into it is nearly shot, but I can fix it with what I have," I said.

"Didn't Ippei give you an instruction manual to fix the car with?"

"You left the manual at home, but I know how to stabilize the generator core without blowing the car up."

I went towards the trunk as I got out some smocks to cover my clothes as I put them on while I used a cap to cover my long hair. The sight of the generator core was dire as I was ready to fix it without no worries. At that moment, I used my raw power to fix the generator core as it was slowly being repaired one slow step at a time. By the time I was finished into fixing the generator core, it was restored, but the raw power I had changed me into my super-charged form without warning. Even Dean was stoked to see me in my form as it was a stronger one indeed, but he had another hair-brained idea forming. When he stared at me closing the hood, he was ready to pounce as he was most likely to be forcing me to be at the breaking point of my humiliation.

"Well, Sammy, aren't you gonna tow that thing?" he said as he got in on the driver's side of the car.

"I fixed the car, didn't I?" I said as I was getting more testy than normal.

"The Impala needs to be cooled down, so we should get it towards the bathhouse in front of us."

"I'm not gonna be towing the Impala around because there's no pull-cart that's dumb enough to get it out of this rut."

"What about your hair? If it can be used to pull me out of a pit, then it can be used to tow Baby around to the bathhouse."

Without any further argument, I used the bottom of my long silvery hair as I tied it towards the fender of the Impala. Even though I was pulling with all my might, I felt my raw power helping me along the way as I towed the Impala towards the bathhouse. With Dean enjoying the pull, I was feeling the burn of such strength coarsing within me as I was giving my all in this unusual turn of events. By the time I pulled the car to the bathhouse, I uncoupled from the fender as I became exhausted from towing the Impala the moment I saw Dean get out of it. I was getting more angry as I was about good and ready to slug my older brother in the jaw until I felt my knees buckling to the pressure of my folly.

"Let's call it a day, Sam," I heard him say.

"You should've driven the damn thing instead of having me pull it," I said.

"And risk getting another smoky endeavor under the hood? Not right now."

KABOOM!

The sound of thunder filled the air as we saw dozens of raindrops falling onto the ground. The rain came in droves as we were getting drenched from it. The day that I had was going from bad to worse as I was hoping to find a dry place to stay at from the storm. With Dean following me, we entered into the public bathhouse as we were safe from the rain. Even though we were there, we were soaked as we saw the rain coming down from outside. It was hell out there as we saw the huge cloudburst soaking the ground with the rain turning the dirt road into mud. By the time I went back outside again, I saw the Impala beginning to slide away as I went towards the backside and pushed it towards a garage in order to keep it from rolling away. With the rain coming down even worse, I was wet as I later slipped into the mud after preventing the Impala from sliding down the muddy dirt road. I was dirty as I got back up onto my feet with mud all over my clothes. When I walked towards the entrance of the bathhouse, I saw Dean stare at me with a stunned look on his face as he didn't know what to think after my folly outside.

"Sam, there's no need for you to get down and dirty without me right now," he said.

"There's been enough crap here today and after getting the Impala off the muddy road, I'm ready to clean myself up right now," I said as I was feeling exhausted from being in the rain. "Besides, I've had enough excitement for one day, so I suggest that we go home after this."

"Let me help you..."

"I don't need any help right now, Dean! I'm not five years old anymore!"

"You can't just say that you're fine, but I know that you're still hurting inside and it feels awful like that, Sam." Dean walks towards me as he was concerned about my mental state. "What happened to the happy-go-lucky little brother who went off to other worlds at such a young age in that room with the red rubber ball? What happened to the kid who had bunches of energy everywhere he went? What happened to the kid who enjoyed car rides with Dad on the dirt roads? Well, he's not there anymore after being stuck on Gehenna for most of his life and it sucks just to be the same bitter man you are today. Maybe I should help you get cleaned up or something..."

"I can do it myself, Dean. I'm not-"

"Yeah, you're not five anymore, but you're not gonna be wriggling out of my sight so recklessly. I know that you prefer work instead of having fun, but you can't just let it control or ruin your life like that. It's not healthy for you to be like that, despite the fact that you emerged from your cocoon and drank from the Holy Grail. When we went to Gehenna, I watched you shed from your childhood at a young age into the same bitter man that I know today. Hell, you took the full brunt of what was thrown at you in which you were mainly forced to do work around the fort for the rest of your kid days. In that sense, it's nothing but misery for you and that's an embarrassment that'll always hang over your head for years. Now, are you gonna let me help you or are you gonna be shut away in the dark? Take your pick 'cause you can't be the same withdrawn kid that gets the short end of the stick all the live long forever."

I reluctantly agreed as I followed Dean into the men's area where we saw some bathtubs that were maintained and used in this bathhouse. When we stripped off our clothes, we began to clean ourselves at the wash basin as we were getting what we needed. Out of the two of us that got dirty, I was the worst after slipping into the mud earlier as I was busy cleaning myself off, but I felt a dollop of hair care being glopped into the long silvery tresses that often posed a problem. I decided to lather it up on my hair as I began to do so until I felt a certain set of hands doing the work on my head. It wasn't long until I turned around to see Dean doing the work on my long hair as he was doing it carefully. By the time I was rinsed off and cleaned, I got up and staggered towards the bathtub as I turned on the hot water and got into it. I was exhausted as I wanted to sleep in the bathtub, but Dean was on hand to do the handiwork in the tub against my wishes.

"You gotta hand it to these bathhouses, Sam," I heard him say as he got a bath token and placed it into the dispenser. "They're like the usual rest stops of the Elder Days, but they're lifesavers for those who travel on the dirt roads."

"There's no need to put bath salts in the tub like that," I said as I saw Dean get a pouch of them and opened them up. "It's bad enough that I slip and fall into the mud, but you don't have to wait on me hand and foot, you know."

"Hey, it's always my job to wait on you hand and foot 'cause there's no way in hell that you're gonna fall victim to some of the asshats who wanna abuse what you got in your noggin." I see Dean pour what was in the package he got with the bath token as he emptied it into the tub amid the running water that filled up. "These bath pouches are great and they come directly from the finest alps of a place that you laid low for six months." I smelled the familiar scent as I knew of it very well. "These babies are derived of the silverbell flowers in the Dabb Mountains on Shiganshina, but they have a lot of healing qualities to them."

"Silverbell flowers not only grow in the snowy region of the Dabb Mountains, they're everywhere in other parts of Shiganshina." I see Dean turn off the water as it filled to the brim of the tub. "They're also a hot commodity, but they've been banned on Kaijirin due to the monster population that loathes silver."

"Well, they're missing out on this scent, but that doesn't mean that you have to do so."

I relaxed in the tub as I was feeling the water warm me after what I went through with the rough day I had. Even though Dean got into another tub next to the one I was in, he had a packet of bath mixture of his own as he tore it open and put it in there. By the time the water filled to the brim of his own tub, he turned it off as he was relaxing in such comfort in mind. He was grinning like a Cheshire cat as he was enjoying the hot water while I was simply staring at the ceiling and worrying about what would come next afterwards. I had a terrible intention to worry as I had to face too much all at once, for it was too overwhelming for me on the sly.

"Oh, this is the life," said Dean as he was relaxing in his own tub. "You gotta live a little, Sammy, or else you'd be rotting like a vegetable right now."

"It's all too much for me…," I said as I was still staring at the ceiling.

"So? You needed to get out of the house or else you would be dropping dead from exhaustion by now and it's not a joke or a debate. You can't just be Superman and get most of the chores done in one fell swoop. That's what family and friends are for when it comes to us helping you with the tough jobs."

We both continued to relax in the tubs until we drained the water out of them and dried off with towels that were on the rack. By the time we dressed up in white robes, we were walking towards the window as we saw the rain pouring down in droves. Even though the hot day turned into one soggy mess, I didn't mind it as I gathered up my clothes and towel and went towards the laundry room to wash them. It was my own hell, but I had to deal with it with my head held up high as I was no stranger to such notions like that…

Later on in the day, Dean saw me in the laundry room as he noticed me staring at our clothes in soapy water that were washing away in one of the frontloaders near the detergent dispenser. After dealing with a long drive in the Impala, he noticed me beginning to cough as I was trying hard not to let him notice it. He was concerned as he saw me fall off my chair and onto the floor feeling dizzy after a long day with dealing with the Impala earlier. By the time he felt my forehead, he noticed that I felt hot as I was starting to get yet another fever from the stressors that paralyzed me. When I got up to my feet, I sat in my chair as I noticed Dean veering me out of the laundry room and into one of the guest rooms in the bathhouse. The room itself was a pleasant one as it had a futon by the window complete with a table and cushions. By the time I curled myself in the futon, I stared at the ceiling as I heard the rain pouring from outside. I was warm as I had no trouble at all, but the cold that stemmed from being outside towing the Impala earlier turned into something else as I was suffering from the terrible effects of the fever I had. It wasn't long until I saw Dean sitting down next to the futon as he was concerned for my health, for I wasn't doing too well after my folly from earlier.

"Well, Sammy, let's call it a day," I heard him say.

"You're the one who roped me into your little folly, didn't you?" I said as I was coughing very badly.

"As soon as the storm clears, we'll get home after this. It was a pain to get you out of the castle, but at least we had fun, didn't we?"

"Yeah…, but I was the one who towed the Impala here..."

I began to close my eyes as I was drifting off to sleep. As for my folly and predicament, it came to an end, but my antics would be fit for another day as I had enough embarrassment that nearly set me over the edge, for it was in the record books after all…

I was dreaming as I found myself outside in the rain. The weather was awful as I felt the pouring rain drench me by the second. Even though I was in the middle of the dirt roads, I noticed a looming battle between Cain and Ailnoth commencing as their battle shook the very ground that I stood on. Their punches and blows caused the ground to crack as I felt the tremor cause me to fall without warning. At that moment, I was holding onto the edge as I looked down to see a mixture of hot lava and black ooze from below. I was scared to death as I didn't want to fall down prematurely. When I was helping myself up, I noticed General Wetzel standing in front of me as he pushed me down to where I started from while smiling at me. He was itching to cause me harm as he wasn't about to let me go free soon.

"You should've been with the Executive Division, Sam," he said. "It's a shame that you have to live in a cage for the rest of your life, but if you went with us, we would give you the freedom that you desire."

"I will never join you!" I cried as I was barely holding onto the edge. "You only want me to be your weapon for your greedy purposes and that's it!"

"Then you choose death after all, for it's a fleeting end to the Destiny of Worlds in the making."

At that moment, I saw General Wetzel push me off with his booted foot as he saw me falling towards my death until I woke up from my sleep. The nightmare I had scared me out of my mind as I felt my heart pounding even worse. Everything was the same in the bathhouse as I saw the rain pouring down from the storm earlier, but I wanted to go and see what was outside first. Just as I was about to do so, I saw Dean enter as he brought a basket of food into the room. He was concerned for my health as he didn't want me to go without food after towing the Impala earlier.

"It's a godsend that Reiko packed a basket of goodies in the form of turnovers," he said as he got out one filled with cherry filling. "You ought to try one of these, Sammy. Reiko baked them with all love and comfort from home before we went outside to begin with."

"I'm not hungry," I said as I was shaking with fear.

"C'mon, we let our stomachs settle after downing a huge steak and winning a prize, but you can't let yourself get stunned by fear, you know."

"I had a bad dream about the battle between Cain and Ailnoth… Their fight shook the ground and caused a rift below in which I was holding onto the edge until I saw General Wetzel standing in front of me. He was betting on me coming towards the Executive Division and allowing the promise of freedom for me. When I told him that I wouldn't join him, he pushed me down into the chasm below in which I fell to my death. Perhaps I was better off with General Wetzel, but part of me still says that I shouldn't trust him after what he pulled. He's still itching to enact Project Apollo against the wishes of both the Order and the Alecrian Army in which he's risking the lives of many people on this planet to activate it"

"Hold on there…, you're not gonna be joining the Executive Division; not on my watch, you got that? There's no way in hell that you're gonna be swayed by those asshats who have no regard for others but their own greed. It's the truth in a nutshell, but you're not gonna be part of General Wetzel's chess game as yet another pawn on his board."

"Dean, I-"

"There he is!"

Without warning, I saw several members of the Medical Corps arriving as they were dressed in raincoats over their uniforms. They were aware that I used my raw power as I was also the prime target that couldn't just walk away. Even Dean was concerned as the people from the Medical Corps were ready to take me away as my day went from bad to worse, for I was about to be put under the ringer for further tests along the way.

"Where the hell are you doing here?" he asked.

"Dean Winchester," said one of the Medical Corps. "Your brother is to be taken into custody at the behest of Director Mitani for testing."

"Hold on a minute! Sam's not doing too well and I should've helped him tow the Impala earlier before the rain came along."

"Dean…, it's alright," I said as I coughed. "As soon as we go home, we'll be fine..."

It wasn't long until I was being hauled off from the room as the people from the Medical Corps were ready to go back to the Order's main headquarters. With Dean following, he was determined to stay at my side as he wasn't about to let me go astray after all that has happened a few weeks back, for two problems were brewing in the making instead of one already...

To be continued...