"Argh!"
CRASH!
"You useless whore!"
"Pathetic."
Abaddon laughs at Crowley laying on the floor.
"And you called yourself a king."
"Better than a pathetic wannabe." He laughs. He tried not to flinch at his torture. A few hours later he grinned. Even with his vessel's guts sticking out, and his face peeled, he laughed. "Good to be the King."
Abaddon spits and storms out. Crowley, she had to admire his restraint. She did way worse than what her master did, but Crowley didn't break.
'I need a new strategy.' She needed leverage. But where can she find it?
Leith, Scotland 1723
Fiona Duncan was walking hand and hand with her fiance.
"Cold my lass?" Gavin McCloud says as he puts his coat around her shoulders.
"Aye. But we have to expect it. It's been unusually cold these last few days."
"It's a sign of ill omens." Gavin never believed in that crap, although he attended church every Sunday, but he couldn't help but have a dreadful feeling in his belly. "The new world, we can start over."
"America." Fiona sighed dreamily. "I heard the streets are paved with gold." She dreamed of starting over, other than Gavin, she had nothing left to live for after her family died of smallpox a few months ago. Thankfully she was away working as a governess.
"More like saorsa. There, the new land has no limits. We can own land, become landowners." Gavin couldn't wait, as much as he loved Scotland, he had many bad memories of it. Like his father. "Bastard."
"You say something love?"
"Nae." He shook his head. Fergus McCloud was dead. Gavin peed on his corpse the day before he was buried. Wild dogs killed that monster. "Hey! There's Alec!" He waved to his best friend. "About time! The boat is about to leave!"
"Then I'm in time." He tips his hat at Fiona. "Hullo Miss."
Fiona gives a slight curtsy.
"Why so formal?" Alec asked.
"I am a lady." She didn't mind Alec, although she considered him a buffoon.
"Well time to board, you and me, we are on kitchen duty."
"And I'm working in laundry." All three were working on the ship, it was the only way they could afford tickets. "Shall we?"
"Aye!" All three climb on the boat, aptly named The Star. "To us, may we head to the new world!"
"Aye!"
Present Day
San Francisco, California
"How are you feeling these days?" Sam asked his wife.
"Fine. The baby isn't making me hover anymore, thank goodness." Piper had no control over the baby's powers. "Ow!" She rubbed her belly.
"You okay?"
"Fine. Just a hard kick in the ribs." Piper rubs her hand on Sam's leg. "It's been awhile, you want, you know..." She starts kissing his neck. When he pulled away, Piper sighs.
"I'm actually pretty tired." He kisses her belly. "Night little one."
"And there was soon only one." Piper picks up the remote control. "The joys of home birth. Might as well."
After an hour, she grimaces.
"Not gonna happen." Magical baby or not, she was going to go to a hospital to have this baby.
Wes Bailey opens the door to his kitchen. Another long shift, another dollar. He went through the motions, he didn't care about anything, not since the accident. Taking out a beer from the fridge, he goes to sit down on his favorite chair.
"Honey? I'm home!"
Wes looks up.
"Erica?" He blinks. "You shouldn't be here." Erica was dead for six months.
"I know. I came to say hello."
"Okay."
"Aren't you happy to see me?"
"Should I?" Wes knew she wasn't really here. Whoever or whatever this was, it wasn't his dead wife.
"After all that time, you didn't miss me? Shame." Erica walks up to Wes and stabs him though the stomach. Once he died, she silently walks out.
Sacred Meadows, California
Dean rolls his eyes. Dr Josh sighs.
"I'm just trying to help you. You came here voluntary." She opens her notepad. "You attacked your wife, saw a illusion of fire, and had bad nightmares. It sounds like a bad case of PTSD."
"For my dad. I don't remember anything. I was just a kid." Dean hated remembering that night. "Look, I did the mandatory counseling, can I go? I have a job back home." Thank god he had some vacation time built up.
"I know that. But Dean. It isn't healthy to cope with these memories alone. I know about hunters. I had many clients who suffer from PTSD, all benefited from weekly counseling."
"Well, I'm not all hunters. I'm fine. Tell Cas I'm ready to be discharged, I have a job." Dean was sick of this place.
"Fine. But if you need help, I'm available anytime. I do vidchat, that way, you don't have to travel." Dr Josh writes a prescription. "Here you go."
"What's this?" Deans stares at the paper.
"Something that will help with your nightmares."
"Thanks Doc." No way was Dean taking any pills. "Have a good weekend!" Once he was out of the doctor's sight, he crumbles the paper and tosses it in the nearest trash bin.
Sam was waiting in the waiting area when he saw Dean strolling out of the main hallway.
"Sammy! Never thought I'll be so glad to see you!" Sam smiles as Dean grabs him in a tight hug.
"How's it going Dean?" Sam was so glad his wife convinced him to stay in San Francisco for the time being.
"Honestly? Can't wait to get outta here. This place, it gives me the willies. Ugh."
"Really. This is the best hospital in the west coast. People dream about being treated here." Sam stayed here himself, although back in the old days, it wasn't a beautiful as it was now.
"A hospital is a hospital. Personally, I never want to see this place again. Anyways, where's the next case?" Dean had to leave as soon as possible, he didn't want to see Castiel.
"A case? Now? You just got checked out. Isn't it too soon?" Sam opened the door to let Dean out.
"It's been a few weeks. Believe me, I need to hunt or kill something." Dean takes out his car keys. "Just need to let out some steam, I have to head to Boston afterwards to see my family. I'm sure Jen and Laura miss me." Dean missed them terribly, he already was making plans to make up for lost time. That's why he rented a private cabin in the woods. "So this case, tell me about it."
"Dead guy, found stabbed in his living room. Witnesses report seeing his dead wife of six months walking out of his house."
"Dead wife huh. Might as well check it out." Dean opens up the trunk and throws his bag inside. "What did Sis say about you hunting again."
"Nothing. I think she needs a break from me." Sam didn't know why, he didn't treat her any differently. Once Dean goes to the driver's seat, Sam asked him to wait.
"Huh? Why?" When Dean saw Jack walking towards the car, he looked curiously at Sam.
"Yeah, I figure to take Jack along, you know, just in case."
"I'm not crazy Sam."
"I never said you were, just that what if Barbas comes back. We could use the extra hands. Hey Jack." Once Jack climbs in.
"Hello." Jack holds up one hand. "Dean, how's it going."
"Fine." Seeing Cas, he turns the keys. "We have a hunt, the times a wastin'." Dean peels out of the parking lot as fast as he could. He saw Castiel's hurt expression in the mirror window; Dean made sure he went way out of his way to avoid Cas the entire time he was a patient. Thankfully Dean's doctor was a professional. Dean didn't want to explain why he was a patient. For the first time they met, Dean was glad Cas was human. If he was an angel, he would have read Dean's mind with no issue. "So where is this case?"
Castiel watches as the Impala drives off. He wanted to see Dean, ask him and Sam about the dreams he was getting. He knew why Dean was checked in, but he respected Dean's privacy too much to pry. He took out his cell to shoot Dean a text, but quickly changes his mind. Instead, he goes back inside. He just hoped Jack found what he was looking for.
Madison, Wisconsin
"So this is where Mr Bailey was stabbed?" Jack was looking at the house. "And witnesses say it was his dead wife walking out of the house?"
"A living breathing one. My guess is revenant." Dean was taking out his silver blade.
"Or shifter." Sam was hesitating on using magic, he was scared his baby will pick up on that.
"Whatever it is, thing is going down." Dean needed to kill something. "Who wants to enter the house, and the other two can interview neighbours."
"We vote." Sam and Dean use Rock, Paper, Scissors, their usual voting system. When Sam 'won' (Jack didn't care) Dean shakes his head.
"Okay. Jack, you stay in the car. Sam and I will be right back." Dean hated this part, interviewing witnesses, but hunting was never perfect.
While they walked away to interview the nearest person, Jack picks up his phone to text Cas.
'How's things at home?'
It took a few minutes for Cas to answer, luckily Jack was very patient.
'Fine. Are Sam and Dean with you?'
'They are talking to a witness at a moment. Cas, why won't you talk to Dean?' Jack wasn't stupid, Dean wasn't the only one avoiding his best friend.
'It's not important. Good luck with the case.'
Castiel turned off his phone. No way was he telling Jack what was really bothering him. What or Whom Castiel was talking to was a stuff of nightmares.
Nothing. There was nothing.
"Hello?" Where was he? Nothing in front, nothing behind. No thoughts, no sound, no light. Darkness didn't even exist here. "Dean? Sam?" What is this Place?
"The Empty." Castiel turns around at the Voice.
"What are You?" Castiel was staring at Jimmy Novak, or his clone.
"You, Me. We need a chat."
Dean thanks the neighbour and closes his notebook.
"Well?" Sam just finished interviewing another witness, who claimed she was Mrs Bailey's former coworker.
"Swore she saw Mrs Ghost. Claimed she needed new glasses. Yourself?"
"Same thing." The coworker said 'Erica' waved hello when she walked up to the house. But she claimed she was slightly tipsy from the wine she had with dinner earlier. "It's a case."
"Good enough for me." When Dean saw the car, he swore. "Damn kid." Jack was a grown man, but he tended to be absentminded sometimes. "Lets go."
Jack was kneeling on the floor looking at the blood. He knew what killed Mr Bailey, all he needed is the killer. Once Sam and Dean walked in, he stood up.
"A ghost or revenant didn't do this."
"Really." Once Dean took out his EMF, he walked around the house. Hmm. No signal, no signs of a haunting. Damn. Oh well. Once he went back to the living room, he told Sam they needed to hit the cemetery.
Castiel screamed at the noise.
"The HELL was that?" It was awful.
The Shadow takes Its Hands away from Cas' head.
"A preview of what's to come." The Shadow hated everything, especially this Castiel. But It was desperate.
"Is That was Dean was dreaming about?" Father, even Hell wasn't that loud.
"That is merely a whisper. I can't sleep, and once Its awake, no one will be able to ever again."
Castiel had a massive migraine.
"Is That what everyone is afraid Of?" Cas couldn't believe it.
"Hmm hmm. You aren't the only one to hear It. Its True Voice, It will haunt your dreams. The Darkness, She was corrupted by It."
Castiel woke up when the phone on his desk rang.
'What a nightmare.' He thought. Ignoring his phone for a minute, he got up to look out the window. He had to tell Dean what needed to be done. But not until he figured out what to do first.
Sam was staring at Dean with disapproval.
"I didn't bring Jack to be our golfer." Poor Jack was digging up Erica Bailey's grave.
"He wanted to come, he has to work hard like we do." Dean takes a sip of his whiskey. Who needs pills when he has alcohol.
"By bossing him around? You are acting like dad." Sam hated the way they were raised growing up. John always went out of his way to be strict and cold with them, rarely giving love and affection. Sam swore to be a better father than John.
"He's a grown man, he doesn't need us to hold his hand." Dean took another sip. He polished off the whiskey just as Jack finished digging. "Bring the lighter, bitch is toast."
A old woman was staring at her rear view window.
"Scotty?" Her long dead son.
"Scotty" gives her a malicious smirk before he ripped out her neck.
Castiel was reading the bible. He knew every word inside and out, but he wanted to see if what The Empty described was true.
'And I saw The Beast raising out of the sea...with the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast. Worshiping It, forever swearing their eternal loyalty.
It was the Great Battle all over again. But what happened with Lucifer's rebellion was different. Lucifer was merely throwing a tantrum. This Creature wanted nothing more than destroy what God created. Castiel knew Its Prison Walls were being destroyed, if only he knew how.
Castiel rarely drank, but he needed a drink. Good thing he knew where the nearly liquor store was.
"So another death, this time there is a possible witness." Dean was dismayed there was no whiskey left, after this he was heading to the nearest liquor mart after this was over.
"Roadside Assistance overheard her saying 'Scotty.' I looked it up, her son drowned back in '96."
"Okay, so we can rule out ghost." Dean didn't care. "What do they have in common?"
Jack was back in his motel room, he didn't feel like coming with Sam and Dean. He was watching his tablet, he needed to see his mom. Today was Kelly Kline's birthday.
"Hi Jack, it's your mom."
She was so beautiful. Jack and her never met, but he remembered her voice. She sang to him every night, even with him in the womb.
"Mom." He paused the video to touch her cheek. "I'm scared. This task, I don't know what to do. Sam, Dean, Cas. None of them know. Not even Claire." Jack knew it was easy to see Kelly Kline, she was in Heaven. But he couldn't go there, not yet. "I have to protect you, you are in danger." Kelly, even being dead wasn't safe. Nowhere was. "Give me advice." When he heard the motel room opening, he put his tablet away.
"Jack, how do you feel about having burgers." Dean was carrying his favorite whiskey, he stocked up, buying a few bottles.
"Sounds good." Jack, he needed to be alone. "Give me some money, I'll pick them up."
"Sure." Dean tosses him his wallet. "I want extra bacon on mine."
"Really Dean?" Sam was holding a book. "It's only noon." Dean was pouring himself a drink.
"So?" He didn't look up when Jack left. "What does that book say?" He downed the burning liquid, quickly pouring another drink.
"They were seeing a grief counselor. A Mia Vallens."
"Shrinks. Snake oil for the mind." Dean had one, but didn't feel like sharing his feelings. A demon was behind everything, Dean swore to kill it.
"You went to hospital for your nightmares. You nearly killed Jen." Sam saw Dean's expression, he was seconds away from shooting her. He was glad he made it on time.
"But I didn't." Dean saw Sam's face. "I'm fine." He insisted. He poured another shot. "The two murders. Why were they seeing this Mia."
"Well, she specializes in grief counseling. Wes and Gloria, both suffered loss."
"A dead wife and a dead child." Dean looks at his half empty bottle. "What else."
"She gave them journals. A catharsis training exercise. Wes, he wrote a diary about his grief."
"Fascinating." Dean felt woozy, he wanted to lie down. "And Gloria?"
"She never recovered fully from her son's death. Guess no parent wants to lose their child." Sam saw Dean's thoughtful expression.
"Or lose their parents." Mary, John. They were dead. Dean sighs. "Sam, I'm gonna sit this one out."
"Okay. Jack and I, we'll check this Mia out." Dean was too drunk anyways. "Have a good sleep. I'll check up on you afterwards."
Sam closed the door behind him once Jack walked up carrying food.
"Jack, there's been a change of plans."
"Okay." Jack heard about Dean. "Can we eat first?"
Jack was walking in a garden when he saw a little girl playing with a dog.
"Roosevelt!" She called out.
Jack smiled at her watched his mom playing with her dog. Even as a child, she was so beautiful. Jack was tempted to go to her, but he couldn't. When she walked back to her house, the scene changed to a room.
Kelly was in labor. She wasn't alone, a blonde woman was with her.
Huh? Jack remembered many things, but this room wasn't one of them. Where was he?
"I love you." Kelly's final word to Jack.
Before Jack could watch his birth, the room went dark.
"Hello? Mom?" Where was he?
"Again?" Jack turned around at the voice.
"Cas?" Cas was standing behind him.
"I'm afraid not. But we met before." The Shadow was looking at Jack. "Hmm. You have a huge task, but you aren't the only one."
"What do you mean?" Jack was confused.
"I can't say, not with everyone listening." Cas' visage says. "You don't belong here. Go home." It pressed two fingers to Jack's forehead.
"Jack! Jack!" Sam was shaking his shoulder. "We're here."
"Sam? How long was I sleeping?" Jack felt like he slept for hours.
"Only a minute. You were quiet the entire time you were out." Jack spent the whole drive staring out the window.
"I was?" That was weird. Jack usually didn't sleep that much, but if he did, he couldn't dream all that in a single minute. "Where are we?" Jack saw a house.
"A grief counselor. I managed to squeeze in a last minute appointment." Sam begged the receptionist that he was having nightmares about fire. The male receptionist was about to tell Sam to make an appointment until his boss said he and Jack can take her four o'clock appointment that canceled. "They won't talk to us pretending to be FBI agents, patient confidentiality and all, so you and I have to pretend."
"You mean lie." Jack hated lying.
"We're not exactly lying. You, me, we both lost so much." Mary Winchester, Sam wondered about her lately. Especially after what Dean told him about the night she burned to death. "I told the receptionist that we are thinking about our mom." Sam had no idea why Mary came up, but when Dean mentioned losing parents, Sam realized he never knew his mom the same way Dean did.
Losing their mom? Jack had his foster parents, but he understood what Sam meant.
"Okay." He follows Sam out of the car.
A four year old Dean was eating a sandwich, the edges cut out, the way he always liked it. He smiled back at his mom who was pouring him a glass of milk.
"Here you go." Her smile radiant.
"Mom?" Mary didn't hear him. "Mom?" A four year old Dean calls for Mary again. "Mommy?" He starts crying. "Mom?"
Dean woke up with tears streaming down his face. It's been years since he seen her.
"Mom." He never told Sam that he thought about their mom often. The shrink he saw tried to open Dean up, but he refused to. Mary's smile, that was the last thing he remembered before her death.
"Mom." Dean looked up. "My nightmares, they are getting bad." Since he was alone, he started crying. "Why did you leave us, leave me to raise Sam by myself?" He cries openly. "I almost killed my family, and I didn't know. Mom." He sobbed. "You left us. You could have warned Dad, Sam and I, we could have helped you." Dean cried alone in his motel room, glad to be alone.
Sam and Jack sit uncomfortably in Mia Vallen's office.
"Would you like a cup of water?" Mia asked. When both shook their heads, Mia started asking questions. "Okay. I understand that you lost your mom recently, does either of you want to open up?" When Jack shyly raised his hand, Mia smiles at him.
"My mom, she died giving birth to me."
"Excuse me?" Mia was confused.
"What he meant was, mom died when he was born. I barely remember her." Kinda true, Sam was just a baby.
"I see." She didn't say anything more, grieving children, no matter the age had a hard time losing parents.
"Sam? Is it okay?" When Sam nodded, Jack opens up. "I know she's been dead for years, but I think about her everyday. She died so I can live. I'm grateful everyday for her sacrifice, but I feel guilty."
"Why is that?"
Sam was planning on asking about her patients, but as Jack talked, he clamped his mouth shut.
"My mom, I mean our mom, she died for us. Everyday, I wonder if it was my fault." Jack thought about that everyday. Unlike humans, he remembered his birth. "She died so I can live. Am I a murderer?"
Sam looked at Jack. He knew about his mom's deal, that she promised Azazel her unborn child for John's life. Sam, he was the one chosen to lead his demon army. Mary died because of him. He knew it wasn't his fault, but he couldn't help if wonder he caused her to die. He stood up.
"Excuse me." He leaves the room, but not before slamming the door.
Mia looks at the closed door.
"Sam, does he blame you?" Jack was quiet, but she can sense his hesitation.
"No. He never does." Jack looked up to Sam and his brother. Sam, Dean. They been there since he was a child. Jack idolized them. "Can I be honest with you?"
"Sure." She put down her cup.
"Sam and me, we're not related. But we both lost our parents." It wasn't just Kelly and Mary that died. Jack's uncles, that raised him were dead. Lucifer died by Alt Michael's hands. "My mom, she wanted the best for me."
Sam finished drinking the cup of water from the cooler. He knew he was supposed to be on the case, but when Jack mentioned feeling like a murderer, Sam was overwhelmed by emotions and walked out. He lost Mary too, but she died in a fire.
"Mom." He remembered seeing Dean holding that gun. When Dean opened up, he said Azazel bragged about making deals with different people. Dean saw a young Mary kissing Azazel in their grandfather's dead body. When 'Azazel' boasted about killing Piper the same way, Sam and his wife started making plans to defend their home. He didn't feel like going back to talk to Mia and Jack, instead, he goes upstairs to look around for clues about the two deaths.
Mia was sympathetic to Jack's story, Jack was mostly honest, telling him he was raised by his uncles, as well as his foster parents. He opened up about Claire, how she accepted him as her stepbrother. Admitting that he wasn't related to Sam, but considered him his older brother, as well as Dean.
"Can I show you something?" Jack took out his tablet. Mia looks at the screenshot of Kelly Kline
"Is this your mom?" She was so young. Jack was what, thirty?
"Yeah. I never had a chance to tell her I love her. I want to ask her for advice." Jack looked sadly at the tablet.
Mia looked thoughtful. Unfortunately, Jack's time was up.
"I'm afraid we're out of time. Jack, I hope you can come back for another appointment."
"I'll try." Jack wasn't sure if he'll be back. He was tempted to, the place Cas worked at had a full time physiatrist, but he didn't want anyone to know about his secret.
"Where are you staying Jack?"
"A cheap motel in town. I'm only here till tomorrow." He felt so tired.
"Okay. Take care." She waves at Jack as he walked out. Poor kid.
Dean was getting dressed from his shower when Sam and Jack walked in.
"So find anything?" Dean just wanted to leave, go home to his wife and daughter and forget about everything. He was glad neither saw him crying earlier.
"Nothing much." Sam wondered if Dean was okay. "You feeling alright?"
"I'm fine. Just bored. Where is this thing so I can kill it."
Later that night Jack was sleeping in his shared couch when he heard a whisper.
"Jack? Jack!"
Huh? Jack looked around from his couch, Sam and Dean were deep asleep.
"You don't have to be afraid Jack."
It couldn't be.
"Mom?" He woke up and walked over to the window and saw Kelly Kline standing outside the window.
"Kelly" waved at her son. Jack knew it wasn't her, but he didn't care. Careful not to wake up Sam or Dean, he gets dressed and quietly goes outside.
"Mom?" He goes to hug her.
"Hi Jack."
Jack sobbed on her shoulder.
"Mom." He knew who this was, he recognized her perfume. But at the moment didn't care.
"It's okay. It's okay." Mia soothed as she held a crying Jack.
"I'm afraid."
"Not here." Mia respected her patient's privacy. "I rented a room, we can talk privately."
Deep in the shadows, a man was glaring at Mia and Jack. Who does she think she is? She forgot where her roots were. Looks like he has another human to kill.
Jack looks at Mia.
"You didn't have to do this." He knew of that shapeshifter that worked at Sacred Meadows. She, like Mia was friendly. She was a licensed therapist who saw patients on a daily basis. Jack was on a waiting list to see her since she was always busy.
"I know, but I saw your pain. It's not just missing your mom that is bothering you."
"No it isn't." Jack sighed. "I love my mom, even though I miss her. But I need advice." Jack knew what was coming, he was terrified. "I have a task to do, something big."
"What is it?" Mia asked with curiosity.
"I know what you are, but I don't care. Sam, Dean, myself, we are hunters."
"I don't hurt people." Mia heard about Wes and Gloria's deaths.
"I know. I met a few shifters, one works as a doctor at my friend's work."
"Really. Good for her." Mia heard of that hospital, but not many monsters knew about it. "I'm not here to push you. Whatever you want to talk about, I'm here."
Jack nods.
"You heard about what's going on?" Almost everyone was on high alert.
Mia nods.
"I'm a grief counselor. I see people that need a ear. But, this isn't what I'm trained for." Mia saw patients that came to her for advice. "This task, what's it about?"
Jack looks around.
"Promise me you won't tell Sam or Dean. Or anyone."
"I promise." What Jack whispered in her ear, Mia's eyes went huge. She subconsciously puts her hand over her mouth. "Oh Jack." Oh god. No wonder Jack was so overwhelmed. "And Grace?"
"She is waiting. I can't explain more than that." Jack already said more than he should.
Mia/Kelly looked sadly at the young man.
"So young, yet you carry such a big burden. Come here." She held Jack silently. Jack needed his mom. His family. "Can't you tell anyone, at least a condensed version of the truth?"
Jack shook his head.
"I can't."
"I understand."
Once Jack returned to his room, Mia changes in the motel bathtub, unaware she was in danger.
Jack was about to return to his room when he heard a whisper.
"Hello?" When he saw Mia he waved. "Hi, you forgot something?" He grunted when he felt a fist on his belly.
"Nighty night."
"Sam? Sam! Wake up!" Sam woke up to see Dean shaking him.
"What is it?" He looked around. "Where's Jack?"
"I can't believe he took off on us." Dean and Sam were searching around the parking lot.
"He wouldn't do that, not intentionally." Sam didn't tell Dean what Jack talked about, it was up to Jack to tell him. "He's probably hungry."
"At two am? Not a chance." Jack was a grown man, but Dean was going to give him a smack. "Jack!"
Jack was standing in a Garden. He saw the First Tree, a Fern. The Bible gets many things wrong, it wasn't the Snake that tempted Eve.
"Your time is coming. Here, take this." Jack looked down and saw a apple. "Take a bite. The truth will be revealed to you."
An apple. Jack stares at it. Before he can take a bite, the voice gave him a warning.
"Once you eat it, nothing will ever be the same."
Jack groaned when he got up. Seeing darkness he realized he was tied up.
"You're awake? Thank god." Mia was sitting across from him, like him, she was tied up. "Jack, I'm sorry."
"Sorry. Why? You're hurt!" When his eyes adjusted, he saw Mia's bloody face.
"It was my fault. I let my guard down." Mia felt so stupid. "My ex, Buddy. He found me."
A freshly young Mia gets off the bus. Freedom. She looked around the college campus.
"Oof!" She felt herself getting shoved away.
"Move it freshman!" The guy grunted as he pushed past Mia.
"Are you alright?" Mia looked up to see a good looking guy staring at her with a friendly smile.
"Uh, yeah." He was cute. "Sorry." Mia felt so silly. "It was my fault, I shouldn't have been standing here." This was the sidewalk to campus.
"Don't apologize. The upper classman, they think they rule the school." He smiles at Mia. "I'm Buddy." He takes out his hand.
"Alicia." She smiles back. Hearing the clock tower, she apologized. "I'm kinda of a hurry. Got to get to my dorm and register for classes."
"Well, I won't keep you." He smiles charmingly at Mia, making her blush. "Can I have your number?"
"I don't have a cell, or a phone. Strict parents." Damn! She saw his disappointed face. "Maybe I'll see you around?"
"Sure. I come here from time to time to work. I'm a painter."
"An art graduate?" Mia asked.
"Actually, the kind that paints walls and do general repairs." Buddy said in a embarrassed voice.
"Cool. I don't judge." Mia's own mom made a living as a waitress. "Maybe I'll see you around." She smiles at Buddy.
Mia screams as Buddy threw the plate against the wall, narrowly missing her head.
"What did I tell you!" He screamed. "You know I don't like pepper in my food!"
"I'm sorry! The pepper shaker fell on the stove when I was cooking! I was sure none went on the stew!" She teared up when he walked menacingly towards her. When he slapped her, Mia didn't scream. It made him angry.
"Don't lie." He grabbed her shirt.
"I take full responsibility. Sweetie, forgive me." She cried.
Mia's hand was trembling as she puts on her foundation. Even as a shifter, she cannot hide her bruises. She had to make herself presentable, she had a project to present. She smiled shakily when she saw Buddy in the mirror.
"Morning Beautiful." Buddy kisses her neck. "I'm sorry about last night."
"You have nothing to apologize for. It was my fault." She said that sentence every time they fought. "Forget about it."
She pretended not to pay attention to her best friend.
"Alicia! Mia! Hello!" Janet was waving her hand across her face. "I asked you a question!"
"Oh, what?" Mia was distracted. She was reading an article that her student advisor was just arrested for stealing school funds.
"The exam! You think I can pass it?" Her friend was having trouble with the material, and Mia was tutoring her.
"You will. Don't worry so much." Mia knew she had to hurry, Buddy gets angry if dinner is not hot and ready when he came home; although he rarely came home on time.
Mia was watching television by herself when she got a phone call. It was her best friend, sobbing that she failed her exam.
"What? What do you mean? We studied for weeks!" Sure, her friend had a hard time with it, but she grasped the material.
"The professor claimed she saw me checking out her book and changing the answers! I wasn't even there! I went home!" Janet was crying hard. "I failed my exam! They'll kick me out of school!"
"We'll fix this." Mia swore. Janet was socially anxious, but Mia wasn't. She called the school and made a appointment.
Wearing Janet's skin, so to speak, she claimed that the professor was wrong. She showed proof that "she" wasn't even on campus. She had iron proof that she was in her dorm when she supposedly was in the professor's office. Thank god for security cameras. Once the meeting was over, the professor admitted she only took a quick glance, and that person she saw had darker hair than Janet. She believed Janet/Mia, but told Janet that she had to take the test again, which Janet agreed to. Once the meeting was over, Mia called Janet who was relieved.
It was a few days later when Buddy found out what Mia was.
Mia was trying out different skins, she wanted to try out a new model, she needed to pay rent, and wanted to see if looking like a model will get her noticed by an agency.
Mia was admiring herself when she heard Buddy's voice.
"A shapeshifter huh? I never would have guessed." A startled Mia turned around.
"I." What could she say? "If you are a hunter, make it quick." She knew what hunters were, her parents told her to lay low. When he shapeshifted to her, Mia looked startled.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I was afraid. I'm half human." That was a mistake. Buddy slapped her.
"A human? You're a half breed? Great, I'm dating a bastard."
"My parents were happily married." Unfortunately her bio father died when she was a baby, but her mom always said they were happy.
"Does that make a difference? You lied to me!" That was the beginning of the end of the relationship.
Even though she was in a volatile relationship, she was happy when he proposed marriage.
"Yes!" It was her senior year, she was graduating next month when she realized she was making a mistake.
They were watching TV, nothing unusual, both were having a lazy day. When a news report came on about a bank robbery, she was confused when he started laughing.
"What's so funny?" Guy was arrested at home, he was getting led out with handcuffs, poor guy was wearing nothing but his underwear.
"Poor bastard, he wasn't even there." When Buddy bragged about him framing him, Mia realized what he done.
"Why? We don't even know him."
"So? It's goody two shoes bastards like him that make the rest of us look bad. He's looking at twenty, at least." He laughed when his wife came on the screen. "She was my next target, but she already lost enough, especially after I got her fired from her job as a teacher at her school." He told a shocked Mia he posed as a her, making lewd pictures and videos, then sending the link to everyone at her school district. "She failed to convince everyone that the material was deep faked. Idiot. If it wasn't for her tattoo, everyone would have believed her."
"Why?"
Buddy looked at her like a idiot.
"Your human side has too much of a conscience. We're shifters, that's what we do."
Sadly, she didn't leave then. Not even when he beaten and sexually assaulted her many times over. It was when he killed his brother when she woke up.
"He was only fourteen!" Sure he was a shifter, but had a big heart.
"He was wearing my face. The same face I had when I was his age. It was a accident."
She always had "accidents." That was her excuse every time somebody asked about her bruises. When he bragged that he was the one that tried to frame her friend for cheating back during freshman year is when she realized she was making a mistake. She planned her escape, making sure nothing was left behind, slowly moving her stuff out, giving excuses she wanted a new start to their married life. Once her stuff was gone, she told Buddy she was going grocery shopping. Buddy, as usual demanded he come along, making sure she didn't "stray."
She was patient, she knew Buddy's routine. She acted lovey dovey to him, cooking him a elaborate meal, telling him how excited she was to get married, and got him drunk, with help of sleeping pills she got from her doctor. Once he passed out, she made her escape, leaving her cheap grocery ring on the counter and taking off for good.
She made sure to disappear, she changed everything. Changed her name, her looks, paid a small fortune to get a new identity, moving from place to place. It was here that she settled down roots, opening up her own clinic. She was deeply in debt, using various loans to get where she was now, but seeing her dream come to life, she didn't regret anything.
But even with years of hiding, she got sloppy. Bringing dead people to life to give her clients exposure, making her a target. Her ex found her, thanks to a social media post made by Gloria Simon. Gloria posted how she was glad to get closure, to say goodbye to her long dead son. Buddy used her info to join a grief support group, claiming he lost his fiancee in a auto accident. That's how he found Wes Bailey and John Driscoll.
"It was my fault." Mia sighed. "All I wanted to do is help people." She confessed to Jack that she shapshifted for her clients, making them believe she prescribed them drugs, and put them under hypnosis. She told her clients that their dreams were their loved one's spirits coming to say goodbye. "My ego did this. Now innocents are dead because of me. Forgive me. I didn't want this for you."
"It's not your fault. You helped people. Your ex, he's the true monster." Jack knew what he was, a abomination. Nephilims were forbidden by the highest laws of Heaven. "Sam and Dean. They'll save us." Jack closed his eyes, sending a prayer to Sam. Telling him that he and Mia were in danger.
"Sam? What is it?" They were driving around, trying go see where Jack may have ran off to. Sam was looking out the window when his eyes started glowing.
"Turn around! I know where Jack is!"
"Is this the Tree?" Jack was looking at the Fruit. Red, shiny apples were growing out of it.
"Yes." The Guardian of the Garden was talking to Jack. "This is where the first sin came from. Adam and Eve, they broke their promise to their Father."
"Did they?" Jack was staring at the apple. "The Snake, It tempted Eve. But was it really temptation? Or was it a test." He gave the apple back to the little girl. "I read the bible, and heard stories about my Grandfather. That God has His Reasons. Man, they woke up." Referring to humans. "But so did Lucifer." Jack looked at the sky, clear and beautiful. "The Final Battle, the one that will take place on Earth, it started with the First World." Jack saw it, he saw himself with Sam, Dean and Castiel. That world's Dean distrusted Jack, blaming him for everything. That Sam loved and cared for Jack, but betrayed him to appease his brother. Then that world's Cas. He saw Jack as his son. Jack saw himself, that Jack had no soul. "Those versions of ourselves, they don't know, do they." None of them knew the true danger they were in. "Why did you bring me here?" The Garden was beautiful, but no one other than the Guardian walked through the fields in eons.
"I didn't. You came here on your own accord. I just opened the Gates." She took Jack's hand. "I'll see you again."
Both Sam and Dean drove carefully through the dark street. Sam told Dean that he heard Jack's prayers.
"I thought only angels heard prayers." Dean rarely prayed, even before meeting Castiel. He never believed in angels, or Heaven. "Did your witchy side tap into that?" Dean was still amazed how Sam's powers worked.
"Maybe. Wouldn't be the first time witches heard angel's prayers. Remember the Men of Letters worked with them. I assume Walter and Stephen knew about them." Both were former members.
"Ash did say angels windexed our memories. We can't grow holding on to old memories." Dean wished he remembered more, he could use some extra knowledge. "Is this the place?" They were outside a rundown house.
"I feel his presence. Jack, he isn't alone. Dean. Be careful." Sam knew there was at least two more people inside.
Mia was watching helplessly at Buddy's rants.
"I gave you everything! I was everything you needed! Without me, you were a freak!"
"I was normal! I was just a confused college student!" Mia was still kicking herself for dating Buddy. "You knew what I was the whole time! You took advantage of me!" She found out who killed her father. Buddy bragged that he managed to track him down, and killed him using a ancestry kit with Mia's DNA.
"Your slut of a mother lied. Your father was alive this whole time. The man that raised you when you were small wasn't your father. Your biological father, he never knew of your existence. Your mother, she wanted to keep him safe. Too bad that didn't work. He screamed the entire time I killed him, wearing your mom's face."
"You bastard." Mia was furious. She wondered who that man was in her mother's private album was. When she asked her mom, all her mom said that he was her first love. She claimed he died before Mia was born.
"Consider it a mercy kill. If her clan found out, they would have executed her. Your mom was considered a 'pure blood.' Luckily for you, I wasn't picky."
"You have me. Let the boy go. He's has nothing to do with us." Jack was a innocent.
"And spoil my fun? You need to be taught a lesson. You should know better to cross me. I'll make it quick." Before he could pull out his gun, he stopped when he saw car lights. "Hunters." Dammit. He transforms to Jack. "Don't say a word, or they'll both die." He goes upstairs.
"Jack. Forgive me. This is all my fault." Mia felt stupid. "I killed all those people." Gloria, Wes, John, her biological father. "I should have known better." She had her psych degree, but it was worthless. She didn't learn a thing from it.
"He's the monster, not you. Remember what you told me, monsters can do good."
Mia looked confused.
"I never said that." She looked at Jack. "Did the Guardian tell you that?" Jack told her about his dreams.
"I don't think so." Weird. He looked up. "I have to save my friends." Sam, Dean. They were in danger.
"Jack?" Sam was holding up his gun. "Thank god. Are you okay?" Jack was bruised and bloody.
"I'm fine. The shifter. He killed Mia. He was about to kill me, but I fought and killed him."
"By yourself? Damn kid." Dean puts down his gun. "You need a doctor?"
"I'll be okay. I'm a hunter, remember? Let's get outta here."
"These ropes are tight." Mia and Jack were trying to free themselves, it wasn't easy, Buddy tied them up pretty good. "Buddy, he was always abusive, but killing for fun, even my fellow shapeshifters would be horrified."
"He's the true monster. Not us." Jack grimaced. He and Claire knew how to tie ropes, and how to escape. "I almost got it. There!" He loosened the ropes. Once he was freed, he untied Mia. "My friends."
"Go. I would come with you, but I have to call my mom." She had to make sure she was okay.
Jack was watching as Sam and Dean packed their bags.
"We're leaving? We just got here."
"I know. But I need to get home." Dean's wife called, she was ready to talk.
"I'm heading west. Need a ride?" Sam rented a car. He and his wife wanted to go home.
"Sure. But before we go, I found out there was a revenant in a nearby graveyard. The shifter angered it by taking its form."
"Done." Dean needed to kill something.
When Jack arrived at the motel room, he was dismayed to find them both gone.
"Dammit." He rarely swore, but he couldn't help it. "Sam. Dean. Be careful. That Jack is a murderer."
"Dean?" Dean stopped dead in his tracks. "Are you okay?"
'That isn't the real Jack.'
"Dean! What are you doing!" Dean was holding his gun to Jack's face.
"I was wondering why you never said our names. Who are you."
Jack/Buddy smirked. Before Dean could react, "Jack" grabbed Sam and held a knife to Sam's throat.
"Your brother will be dead before the bullet leaves its chamber. Put the gun down, and try not to be cute." Buddy changed back to his original form. "Now."
Dean felt so helpless. First Jenna, now Sam. He was truly sick in the head.
"Alright!" He slowly puts the gun down on the ground. "What do want with us? With Jack?"
You're hunters, that's all I need to know." Buddy pressed the knife closer to Sam's neck. "Don't try anything. I still have your friend."
Dean stared angrily at the shifter. He had silver bullets, but the gun was on the ground.
"All I wanted was my girl, but she ran away. I was about to get her, before your Bambi told her what he really was." Buddy scoffed. "Dumb kid. Yes I know about the War. I don't care. I'll make you a deal. Let me go, and I'll let your friend go."
"Yeah right." Dean wasn't stupid. "You'll kill him, then what?"
"It's better than the alternative. Your friend will be hunted down, there is a bounty on Nephilims. Yes, we know about Jack. Your friend Michael told me about him. He's offering huge rewards for his capture. The shapeshifters, he said we'll be immortal."
"Douchebag Mike?" Sam chuckled. "I met him. He's a asshole." He tried to not to swallow when Buddy pressed the knife against Sam's adam's apple.
"But he rarely lies. Your gun, it won't work on me. The monsters, the angels aren't the only ones he's recruiting." Buddy remembered meeting the archangel. Buddy went down on his knees. Michael raised him up and made him a deal. Work for him, and no hunter will ever harm any shifter ever again. "I'm strong, join him, and you'll be strong too."
"Fat chance." Dean looked at Sam, giving him a private signal. Sam gave him a small smile. He closed his eyes and concentrated. Soon the shifter started screaming.
"What did you do to me!" He felt his insides burning.
"He forgot to protect you against witches."
"Cape hoc monstrum,
fac eum torreri,
eum cinere cremare."
Buddy screamed as he burned in a white light. His eyes were gone, they were smoked away by the fire within.
"How did you know about what magic to use?" Dean was impressed.
"I saw Michael at work. While I was away, I saw 'Dean's' memories." That time Sam disappeared in that dark universe. His soul was in a crystal with 'Dean's' soul. He saw what Dean saw. Michael kept Dean close by, presumably to keep 'Sam' in check. "He had many failed experiments, most of the monsters died, at least in his world. I assume he perfected it."
"Great. Just what we need, immortal super monsters." Dean was getting a headache. "I'm calling Jack. If he doesn't answer, I'll use your computer to track him down."
"You'll make sure my parents are safe?" Mia was talking to Michael. He was offering Mia a deal.
"She's a shifter, I gave her the same deal I'm giving you. She knew about your ex. Unlike him, you'll both be protected against witches as well."
"Promise?"
"I promise." He handed Mia a small container. "This will keep you safe. But only until the War. When It starts, you're on your own."
Mia looked at it. Remembering her nightmares, she dutifully drank it.
"Argh!" She screamed. She felt like her insides were on fire.
"Now you are my slave. When the time comes, I'll call you."
"Yes Master." Mia, she'll follow Michael anywhere.
The Garden
The Guardian stared at the apple.
"Father. What does it all mean?" As usual, God was silent. "Screw you." She threw down the apple.
God watches as she stormed off. He came here on occasion. He walked over to the apple and picked it up.
"Mmm. Juicy." The apple was red and delicious, he was glad that Adam and Eve enjoyed it. After He finished the apple, He picked up another one. He was God, but He enjoyed His snacks. He walked away to eat His lunch, glad no one will sense Him.