Chapter 2- Make it to Me

(Sam Smith)

The three days that Sam spent in heaven were agony. He desperately wanted to be with Zoey, but Castiel forbid it. Dean and Cas decided that it was best to keep Sam away for as long as possible. They didn't know how he would react to her condition, but Cas couldn't keep Sam away any longer. He was now rushing him to her side. For reasons Castiel couldn't understand, Zoey was dying. It was a complete mystery to him why her body was shutting down, because just hours ago they had finally sealed her gaping wound. Castiel gave Sam the same speech he gave Dean, before he saw Zoey for the first time. Cas walked Sam into the room and sat him down in the same place Dean had been only a few days ago. Castiel was running out of options and decided to throw one last hell Mary to save Zoey's life. "Sam do you remember what it was like before Gadreel possessed you?" Sam was looking at Zoey in so much shock that he was starting to zone out; it took everything in him to focus on what Cas was saying. Sam cleared his throat, and choked down the lump that was forming as he held back tears. "Yes, yes I remember." "We believe Zoey is going through the same thing. She is locked away somewhere deep in her subconscious. Everything that you experienced in your mind, she is going through in her own way. She has a decision to make, but since we can't physically talk to her we need to get someone in there. We need you to bring her back. If you want Zoey to live you have to be the one to convince her to stay. It might be a fight to get her back, because frankly she's gotten too comfortable in there. It's up to you Sam. Choose your words wisely with her, because if you say the wrong thing she could decide to leave forever." Sam was quiet. He took a long deep breath and replied, "So what do we do?" "Close your eyes, take her hand, and I'll do the rest." Sam did as he was instructed, and Cas placed his hand on top of both of theirs. When he did so, Sam's soul was transferred from his body and planted directly in the middle of the world that Zoey had created.

When Sam came to he found himself standing in a field of blue bonnets as far as the eye could see. The warm sun beat down on him from a wide open blue sky as a cool breeze blew all around. In the distance he could see horses grazing, and it was there amongst the beauty of the landscape that he saw the back of Zoey; her black curls were gently being tossed in the wind. She was wearing a short, white, strapless dress, and brown distressed leather boots. Sam couldn't believe how beautiful she looked, and he understood immediately why she was still here. Sam slowly walked up behind her, and listened as she was humming a tune that was unfamiliar to him. He carefully reached out his hand and grabbed hers. "Zoey...Zoey it's me." Zoey's eyes were closed and she stopped humming. She stood very still and took slow deliberate breaths. Ever so carefully she opened her eyes to see the man standing in front of her. Zoey grinned from ear to ear, but she still didn't move. "Sam. I knew you'd come. I've been waiting for you here. Are you dead too?" "No Zoey I'm not dead, and neither are you, but you will be if you don't come with me. You have to come back to me in the real world. Your body is giving out, and right now I need you to fight. We have to leave this place and…" Sam could hear his words as they became more urgent, but Zoey wouldn't budge. "Why would I leave here when you're with me now? I like it here….it's quiet." Sam couldn't believe how calm Zoey was. When she spoke he had to listen closely as she was almost whispering. Her calm state was frightening to Sam, because he knew she was enjoying the place that she created for herself. "Zoey you're not hearing me. This isn't real none of this is real. I'm only here, because Cas sent me to retrieve you. I'm here, but this isn't my real body. This is all you this is all a dream and you have to come back with me." Zoey stood in silence for a moment and began humming her tune again. Sam was growing more flustered with every second. He didn't mean to, but he grabbed Zoey. Tightly squeezing her shoulders, he gave her a shake and shouted as he did, "ZOEY!" She quickly pulled away from him. "Stop it Sam. I'm not going back, and you can't force me!" Sam's patience was wearing thin, and he couldn't stop himself. Quickly he snatched her by the wrist and began damn near dragging her off. Zoey started to cry out in pain. "Sam! Sam stop you're hurting me! Sam let go! LET GO!" With all her might Zoey yanked away from Sam, at the same time that he let go. She stumbled backwards and fell over landing on her side; bracing herself with her forearm. At once Sam realized what he had done, and squatted down to help Zoey up. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Zoey I didn't mean to." Sam pleaded with her, but she started shoving him away. With tears pouring down her cheeks, Zoey got to her feet. She started to run off, but Sam's long legs soon carried him right in her path. Again he tried to reach for her, but she pulled away. "NO...NO SAM! I don't want to go back!" Sam had hit his boiling point. He stopped struggling with her, and instead started yelling "YOU WILL DIE ZOEY! YOU WILL DIE…AND THE BABY…." He stopped short and put his hands on his hips. He didn't know what else to say. "The baby is here Sam. It's here with us right now." Sam didn't understand what Zoey was saying. "How...how is it here?" Zoey slowly walked up to Sam. He was tall so she had to stand on her tippy toes to whisper in his ear, "Close your eyes, and listen." Sam was still confused. "Listen to what Zoey, we're the only ones here." Zoey put her finger to her lips and quietly shushed him. Sam sighed in frustration before quieting down. He stood in silence for a few seconds. He could hear nothing except the wind blowing past his ears. Again he was growing impatient. He waited a minute longer, and was almost to break the silence when he heard it.

The wind had carried the sound of a child's laughter right up to him. With his eyes still shut Sam began to smile from ear to ear. He couldn't help himself he had to speak up, "Zoey that's beautiful, but that's not our baby. It's a voice in the wind; it's a whisper through the breeze. It's not the same thing as having a real child." Sam's eyes fluttered open and found Zoey lying down in the blue bonnets staring up at the sky. Again she was humming and Sam tried to keep his cool. His anxiety was building again as he watched her overly calm demeanor. Feeling a little defeated Sam plopped himself down next to her, and lay quietly gazing at the empty cloudless sea of blue.

Back in heaven, Dean nervously paced in the exam room. Himself, Castiel, and three angels stood watch over Sam and Zoey. "Damn it Cas, he's been in there for an hour now! How long is this going to take?" "You can't rush these things Dean. It's not as easy as it may seem. You would do well to remember that when Sam came back, he initially didn't want to be saved either. If Zoey's ready to die it's going to take a long time for Sam to convince her to live…if she wants to live." Dean was fuming, "What the hell's with these people. When I was in hell I couldn't wait to get an express elevator back to earth. You either get busy living or you get busy dying. That's my motto!"

Sam wasn't sure when he fell asleep, but when he woke the scenery was different and Zoey was gone. Sam stood up and looked all around; where there once sat blue bonnets, now stood rows of sunflowers and acres of pecan trees. Sam's eyes darted all around as he spun in a circle and called out to Zoey. "I'm here." She replied. Sam followed the sound of Zoey's voice and found her sitting a few yards away with her back to a tree. He took a seat beside her, and was about to start pleading again, but this time she spoke first. "So what happens if I do go back? What kind of life will I have hiding out in the bunker and being afraid for my child, and all the things that go bump in the night? Where's the logic in living anymore?" Sam draped his arm over Zoey and kissed her on her temple. "Things are shitty everywhere Zoey. This is life, it's hard and messy, but I can't make you live it. If you don't know the logic of living then maybe you should stay here, but if that's your choice I might have to join you for real. I spent a month without you and I don't want to go through that again. I don't want to go through the next thousand months and years of whatever life I have left without you. The things Dean and I do are terrifying and terrible, but no matter how bad it gets I promise that I'll always find a way back to you. If me sitting here next to you in your subconscious isn't proof of that then I don't know what is?"

"Oh no…." Castiel muttered. Dean's eyes widened as he tried to read the expression on his face, "What's happening Cas!?" With one hand still on Sam and Zoey's, Castiel could sense that something was horribly wrong. "Her pulse it's slowing, I have to get Sam out immediately. If she dies with his soul still inside then he dies too!" "What you mean she's dying right now!? What if he doesn't have her yet?!" "Dean if she's dying then she's going to die, regardless of if Sam has her yet or not. She's out of time. Her body is too weak." "NO GOD DAMN IT CAS, JUST WAIT!" "DEAN I CAN'T!"

Dean slammed his hands down on the table by Zoey, "SON OF UH BITCH!"

Leaning against the tree next to Zoey, Sam felt his body get tingly and start to go numb. Zoey squinted as she looked into the distance. "That's odd, my sun is setting. It never goes down." Sam jumped up from where he was sitting. Looking down at his feet which were starting to disappear, Sam became frantic. He quickly pulled her up, "ZOEY PLEASE PLEASE YOU HAVE TO COME WITH ME NOW!" Zoey burst into tears as she watched Sam's body dissolving in front of her. "SAM! SAM…I DON'T KNOW…." It was too late. Before she could finish her sentence he was gone.

Sam's soul was sucked back into his body, and he woke with a start. Quickly looking around the room, he grabbed Cas and shouted "NO! WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?!" "It's over Sam…its over." Sam turned his attention away from Cas and back to Zoey. He grabbed both her hands in his, placing them on her stomach. Through hysterical sobs Sam was shaking and pleading "ZOEY! COME BACK….COME BACK TO ME!" The room was so silent you could hear a pin drop. Sam's heart was beating so fast he was sure it would explode out of his chest. Seconds seemed like minutes, as Cas, Dean, and the angels watched Sam crumbled to pieces before their eyes. Sam placed his head on Zoey's lifeless chest, as he continued to cry. Trembling with fear and anger he almost didn't notice when she took the slightest of breaths. Sam raised his head, and gasped, "ZOEY….ZOEY….can you hear me?" Taking another breath, a very exhausted Zoey slowly spoke, "Sammy….I came back."