Hi guys! I started writing this story, then decided to go in a different direction with it as I wasn't entirely happy with it. I'm restarting with (hopefully) a more intriguing intro. This story will center around my OC, Ariella. It's going to span across the entire Supernatural show, so buckle up because it's going to be a long ride. I really really hope you all give this story a chance and get to know this story in a whole new way. I tend to keep things mostly cannon, but will be taking the liberty of switching up a few things here and there. I, of course, hold no rights whatsoever to anything Supernatural. I own my OC and her story alone. A story, I hope, you decide to follow along and enjoy! Alright! Here we go (again)! Xoxo-NickyLynn
Stanford University – May 2, 2005
Sam was walking through the halls of campus, having just gotten out of his final class for the day. He was supposed to be meeting Jessica for dinner, but class had let out early and had hoped to have time beforehand to run back to their apartment and squeeze in a shower. He brushed past a couple of guys who were talking rather animatedly about a cool car and hot chick, their rambling reminding Sam so much of Dean that it pulled his mouth down into a frown with the thought. His brother had always teased him about liking school so much, and knew he would have never been caught dead stepping foot on a campus, but sometimes he wondered what Dean would say if he knew that he and college boys truly did have a lot in common. He shook his head to clear the thought from his mind, knowing that lingering too long on thoughts about Dean and his father would only pull him down a steep hill of painful memories. As he stepped through the doors that led outside, however, a rather bright glare from a car parked out front caught his eye and his feet faltered under him in surprise.
Parked on the curb right out front, taking up a space that clearly said 'No Parking', was a cherry red Pontiac Firebird that he knew all too well. The sun gleamed off its freshly polished exterior, drawing attention to it and the woman leaned up against its driver's door. She was wearing a pair of tight, black pants that conformed to her figure, a white tank top that dipped low in a v-style cut, and had fiery hair that nearly matched the shade of her car. Dark sunglasses were pushed up onto her eyes, blocking out the majority of the features, but Sam knew the eyes sitting behind them, scrutinizing the students milling about, were a gray as cold as steel.
He let out a breath as his surprise dissipated away, leaving him to shake his head as he picked up his speed to walk closer. As he approached, the woman's head snapped towards his direction and the smile that pulled up her lips was as wide and bright as always. "Sammy!" she exclaimed, pushing off the car's frame to rush towards him. She threw herself around him, slamming hard enough into him to elicit a grunt, before crushing him tightly to her.
Sam let out a chuckle as he wound his arms around her, a genuine smile pulling up his lips at the sight of her. "Hey, Ari." he greeted with a tight embrace of his own, chin nearly resting on top of her head. "What are you doing here?"
"I was already nearby on a job and figured I'd stop by to see my favorite person." she responded as she slipped back out of his hold, tilting her head back to flash him another smile as she pushed the frames of her glasses up onto her head, sweeping her hair back with them. Her smile dipped down in the corner as she tilted her head then. "Did you grow again?" she asked, reaching up to level one of her hands along the top of his head. "I thought we had a conversation about that already."
"Yeah, well, it's not like I can control it." he said with a roll of his eyes, reaching out to swat her playful hand away. "I'm just glad I'm not the shortest one in the room anymore."
"See?" she said with a grin, jabbing a finger into his chest. "I told you eating your vegetables would make you grow up big and strong. You're welcome."
"I think it has less to do with the canned green beans and more to do with genetics." He told her with another roll of his eyes. "Seriously, what-" he began to ask before a loud voice cut him off.
"Excuse me!" a woman called out, loud enough to pull both Sam and Ariella's eyes towards her. One of Sam's professors was marching closer, eyeing Ariella's illegally parked car with a look of displeasure. "You can't park there!" she told them, motioning towards the obvious signage that stated as much.
"Qué?" Ariella called out in response, beating the words that had been about to come from Sam. "Lo siento. No entiendo inglés! Estoy visitando a mi único hijo." She said, reaching out to grab hold of Sam's face, patting it affectionately. "Él es un buen chico!"
The woman visibly faltered as she continued rambling on in Spanish, obviously not understanding. "Oh, I-" she began, eyes flicking between her and Sam uncomfortably.
"Sorry Mrs. Jensen!" Sam called out, saving her from any more of Ariella's antics. "We were just leaving!" he said, pushing a grinning Ariella back towards her car.
"R-right. Just make sure she parks in the designated areas from now on, Sam." His professor said before heading back towards the building behind them.
"That was my Ethics professor!" he whispered as he gave Ariella a playful shove.
"Dios mío!" Ariella said over dramatically, letting out a laugh as she reveled in his embarrassment. "Get in." she told him as she opened the driver's door and slipped in.
Sam let out an exasperated breath as he made his way around the car, Ari's teasing being nothing new to him. She had always been this way. In fact, between her and Dean, Sam's entire childhood could be summed up into one constant battle with their relentless teasing. It drove him absolutely mad at times, but he supposed there was also something rather comforting about it…knowing that things between the two of them, at least, would never change.
As he pulled open the passenger door and slipped inside, he tossed his bag into the back before settling into his seat. It was then that he caught sight of Ariella holding out a small package towards him. "Happy birthday, Sammy." She said, pushing the small gift closer for him to take. Sam pulled the small rectangle from her hold, fingers running over the paper covering it. It was wrapped up in what was clearly a paper grocery bag, but he took it gratefully none-the-less.
Ariella watched as he carefully pulled back the pseudo-wrapping, lips pulled together nervously. As Sam removed the layer of paper, what he found underneath sent a wave of disbelief though him. "This can't be real." He said, wide eyes snapping over to Ariella in an instant.
"I assure you it is." She said, wide smile returning upon seeing his shock.
Sam finished fishing the book out of its wrapping, marveling at the cover of it. It was a first-edition copy of The Hobbit, a book that was incredibly rare. "How did you-"
"I got it off this old guy that I did a job for." She interrupted with a wave of her hand. "It was just a simple salt-and-burn really, but he was grateful enough to offer it to me in payment." She explained.
"Ari, this is-" Sam said, shaking his head in disbelief. Memories of the two of them reading The Hobbit together during sleepless nights they spent worried about John flashed through his mind and he suddenly found it hard to form words. He flipped open the cover of the book, finding a small note tucked into it that read 'Not all those who wander are lost. I am forever proud of you, Sammy. Never stop fighting to forge your own path. -Ari'.
He brought suddenly misty eyes back up to Ariella then, finding her giving a shrug of her shoulders. "At the very least, you can always sell it and make a fortune." She added, knowing it was as good as money in the bank.
"Thank you." He told her, not sure what else he could say to fully encompass how grateful he was, not only for the book, but her as well.
Ariella reached forward to start the car then, its engine roaring to life with a loud rumble. "You could always thank me by taking me to meet that girlfriend of yours." She told him as she reached up to slide her sunglasses back down onto the bridge of her nose.
"I think I'd like that, actually." Sam said, having wanted the two of them to meet since he had begun telling Ariella about Jessica during their regular emails to each other.
"Excellent. I've got at least a dozen embarrassing stories about you loaded in the chamber." She said with a wicked grin before pressing down on the gas, propelling them away from the University.
Sam directed Ariella to the restaurant he was supposed to be meeting Jessica at then, and the two of them walked in together. Sam spotted Jessica in one of the booths at the end of the diner and as she spotted him as well a smile split across her face. Her smile faltered, however, when her eyes landed on the woman next to him. Sam guided Ariella over to the table Jessica was occupying then, the blonde slipping out of the booth with a look of confusion as they approached. Sam leaned in towards her to give her kiss in greeting before motioning towards Ariella, catching the apprehensive look marring Jessica's features as her eyes slipped over the other female.
"Jessica, I'd like you to meet Ariella." He said introduction. "Ari, this is my girlfriend, Jessica."
Jessica's eyebrows shot up in surprise as she registered the other woman. "Oh! I-it's so nice to finally meet you!" she rushed out, having heard of her through Sam before.
"Likewise." Ariella said, pushing her sunglasses back up onto her head to properly greet the woman. "I can honestly say that I am thrilled to meet you." She told the blonde with a wide grin. And she was being entirely honest. Of course she had wanted to visit Sam on his birthday, but she truly had been dying to meet the woman who had become so important to Sam. "I've got so many stories to tell you!" she gushed excitedly.
"Okay, let's just pump the brakes and order some food first before we start sharing every embarrassing detail of my life, shall we?" Sam interjected, pushing Jessica back towards the booth as the two women shared a small laugh.
"I didn't know you were going to be visiting." Jessica said as the three of them slid into the booths, her and Sam taking up one while Ariella sat opposite them. She cast Sam a look then, wishing he would have at least given her some sort of a warning for the impromptu meeting.
"I'm sorry for kind of springing this on you." Ariella told her, only now realizing that perhaps she had imposed upon plans the couple had previously made. "It was a pretty last-minute decision, really. I was nearby and figured I'd stop by while I had the chance."
And that was true as well. Ariella really hadn't been planning on dropping in of the two of them, but after finishing up a job in Las Vegas, she had decided to make the nearly eight hour drive up to visit. "If the two of you had plans I can always come back another time." She said then, suddenly feeling guilty for just showing up unexpectedly.
"No, of course not!" Jessica said instantly. "You and Sam haven't seen each other for ages, right? It's really no big deal! We were only going to do dinner anyways." She said in reassurance.
A waiter stepped up to their table then, interrupting their conversation to hand off a set of menus and take their drink order. After he left, Sam cleared his throat. "So, how have you been?" he asked.
"Busy." Ariella answered with a shrug. There was always some monster or another to hunt down, which left her with no shortage of cases to work on. She honestly was glad for the small break in cases to get some much-needed rest in, but she also knew that staying busy helped to keep her mind off other things she would rather avoid thinking about.
"Sam said you were a home inspector." Jessica said then, it having been the best cover Sam had been able to come up with to explain the constant travelling.
Ariella blinked over at the blonde in confusion for a moment, it having been the first she heard of the supposed occupation, but she quickly schooled her features back into a normal smile. "Right." She said, quickly sliding an amused glance towards Sam. "I travel a lot for the job, as its mostly freelance work, but it keeps the bills paid."
A small laugh escaped Sam at that, knowing there was no pay in hunting, but quickly covered it with a clearing of his throat at the waiter returned with their drinks. They all placed their food orders then, and after being left in privacy once again, Jessica continued her questioning.
"It's got to be pretty interesting though." She mused. "Getting to travel and see so much."
Ariella tilted her head to the side with that, inwardly agreeing that she truly did see so much…sometimes too much. She took a long sip of her mixed drink, gulping down the alcohol, before answering as truthfully as she could. "I suppose what makes it worthwhile to me is knowing that I'm helping people….keeping them safe."
"That's exactly what drew me into nursing." Jessica said then, pausing to sip on her own drink. "Helping people….feeling like you're actually doing something to make a difference in the world."
Ariella caught the look Sam cast towards Jessica with that statement, and the love shining through his eyes was enough to make her place her seal of approval on the couple. "How are classes going for the two of you?" she asked, trying to direct the conversation as far away from her personal life as possible. The groans that question elicited from the two of them made Ariella laugh, and sprouted a whole conversation on all their classes and the drama that came with being full-time college students.
The three of them sat and talked for hours, ending up drinking more than Ariella had planned on. She found that she truly did enjoy Jessica's company, and quickly understood what had drawn Sam to her. She was a kind person…and that kindness radiated from her. After Sam had excused himself from a rather embarrassing story Ariella had been telling, offering to go get them all another round of drinks from the bar, Jessica took the opportunity to be completely candid with the other woman.
"Can I…can I ask you something." she said, fingers trailing along the condensation clinging to her latest emptied glass.
Ariella perked up at the query, the sudden shift in her tone inciting her curiosity. "Of course."
"Are you…I mean have you and Sam ever…." She began, biting at her lip hesitantly. "I mean, I know the two of you spent a lot of time together growing up. I was just wondering if you ever…" she said, eyes flicking over to Sam's back at the bar. "You know."
Ariella blinked in surprise before a loud laugh bubbled out of her throat. "I…I'm sorry." She said as she tried to stifle the laugh, seeing Jessica's embarrassment. "No." she said with a firm shake of her head, catching on to what she had been insinuating. "Sam's always been family to me, never anything more." She told her in reassurance.
"I'm sorry." Jessica said for herself, feeling bad for having to ask. "It's just…he talks about you all the time and I was just…I don't know…jealous maybe? You mean a lot to him, you know."
Ariella's laugh faded away as her eyes fell on Sam as well. "Sam's…" she said, a heavy sigh escaping her as she contemplated what he meant to her. "He's always been my rock, you know?" she said, eyes falling back on Jessica. "No matter what he's always been there…the only constant thing in my life. I just…his happiness has always been one of the most important things to me." She confessed. "I was the one to drive him out here when he decided to leave and pursue college. His family…they…well, they weren't exactly supportive of his decision and that hurt him more than I'm sure he'll ever admit to anybody." She said with a sigh, remembering the day their family had fallen apart all too vividly. "But there's light in him again, I can see it. That smile on his face tonight is real. He's happy." She said, reaching out to cup Jessica's hand with her own. "You make him happy."
Jessica's face softened at her words. Sam had always been hesitant to talk about his family apart from Ariella. There were still so many things about him that she yearned to know, but hearing those things from someone who knew a part of him she didn't…it left her with a feeling of relief.
"Besides…" Ariella said then, pulling her hand back as she let out a heavy sigh. "It was the other Winchester I was unlucky enough to get stuck with feeling for." she admitted.
"Wait. You mean Dean?" Jessica asked, what little Sam had told her about his brother painting him out as someone hard to imagine someone pining over.
"Unfortunately." Ariella said, propping her chin in her hand as memories she tried hard not to think about flitted across her mind. "And believe me when I tell you that you managed to pick the better of the two."
"What happened?" Jessica asked her curiously, seeing the shift in her eyes…the brief wave of pain that flashed across them.
"We were both young and dumb." Ariella answered with a shrug, not really wanting to open up that festering wound.
Luckily for her, Sam chose that moment to return to the table with their drinks, washing away the tense mood with that infectious smile of his. "I'd like to make a toast." He said as he pushed a drink towards each woman.
"Oh?" Ariella asked with a laugh, finding amusement in seeing Sam so blissfully intoxicated.
"To the family we find along the way." He said, lifting his glass up into the air, its contents sloshing over the rim slightly with the movement.
Ariella shot him a smile before lifting up her glass alongside his. "And to the family we manage to hold onto." She added before the three of them all clinked the sides of their glasses together. "Happy Birthday, Sammy."