Title: Calls Me Home
Summary: A journey through seven seasons of Supernatural through the eyes of two Winchesters and a Singer.
Characters: Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester, Ruby Singer, Bobby Singer, John Winchester, and a whole ton of others.
Disclaimer: Everything you see here belongs to Eric Kripke and Co. The title belongs to the song "Calls Me Home" by Shannon LaBrie.
Author's Note: I would just like to say that the timeline is so screwed up at some points. It's almost mind boggling.
Chapter Eleven
With the Winchesters back on the road hunting, Ruby made the most of her time being home with her dad. She helped him man his various phone lines and do research. The blonde also helped with the more normal things around the house. Something was eating at her though. She wanted to know more about what had happened to her mom, but the last thing she wanted was to fight with her dad. Still, the thought of asking plagued her for a bit until she finally decided to just ask him. She sat down as her question lingered in the air.
Bobby ran his hands over his face sighing softly. "Sweetheart, are you sure you want to know? That.. that was a very difficult time in our lives."
Ruby gave it a second thought before nodding her head in agreement. "Dad, just tell me."
He sighed again psyching himself up to finally tell her the truth. "Alright, I'll tell you. We had a good marriage and a normal life. Only thing we really fought about was having kids. I didn't want them, but she did. I was really afraid that I would be a terrible father. Then she told me that she was pregnant. She wanted to keep you and I am so glad she did. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, Ruby."
She smiled softly at him. "Daddy, you've been a great father to me, okay? You never have to worry about that."
Bobby nodded smiling at his daughter. "Your mother wanted another baby, but I felt like we were perfect just the way we were. Then something changed in her. She became mean and violent. I wasn't aware of what was really out there at the time so I had no idea what was going on. She attacked me and... I injured her body in self defense. I had to. She was heading toward you. Then Rufus showed up and exorcised the demon from her. That's how he and I met. She died from the injuries that I gave her. Rufus took care of everything and I took you to her parents where I thought you would be safe."
Her blue eyes teared up a bit. "Dad..."
He reached over wiping her tears away. "I left because I needed to grieve and because I wanted to learn everything there was to know about what happened to your mother. I wasn't going to let it happen to you as well. I just hope you can forgive me."
Ruby leaned forward hugging him tightly. "Of course I forgive you, Daddy. I know Mom would too. You were just doing what you had to do in order to protect me. I'm just glad to know, you know? It was always such a mystery to me. Like this blank spot in my life that I had no answers for. So thank you for finally filling me in."
Bobby hugged her back and sighed pressing a kiss to her head. "You're welcome, kiddo."
The blonde sighed pulling away and wiping her eyes. "I think now I understand why you didn't want me to be a hunter. I'm sorry I was such a brat about it."
He chuckled softly at her. "It's alright. You didn't know and you've always been pretty headstrong. I'm really proud of you though. Yeah you might be a hunter, but you've still grown up to be everything your mother and I knew you could be."
She smiled shaking her head lightly. "Oh Dad. Thank you for saying that. It means a lot to me and I'm glad you think that."
Before either could say anything else, her cell phone began to ring. She looked at the display only to see that it was Sam calling her. Bobby patted her shoulder smiling and left her to answer the phone. She could hear it in Sam's voice that he had been crying which only made her concerned. The blonde sat up straighter immediately wondering what had him so upset.
"Ruby, It's Dean. We were hunting a Rawhead and there was water on the ground. He got electrocuted. The..the doctors said it damaged his heart real bad and that he doesn't have long to live. I don't know what to do. I left a message on Dad's phone. I just.. I don't know." Sam teared up explaining to her what was going on.
The blonde froze nearly dropping her phone, but then snapped out of it. "Sam, it's going to be okay. We'll figure out a way to fix this. Text me where you are and I'll be on my way. In the meantime, take care of him and try to do as much research as you can. My dad will see what he can find from here. I'll be there as soon as I can. Stay strong, Sam. We'll fix this together, I promise."
"I can't lose him, Rubes. Not after everything." He sniffled shaking his head.
She sighed wanting to hug him though she couldn't just yet. "You're not going to lose him. We always find a way, don't we? Dean will be fine. There is no other option."
After ending the call, Ruby filled in her dad on what was happening and then traveled to where Sam told her to meet them. The hospital felt ominous as she approached it. She walked to the front desk and was about to ask where she could find Dean when she heard her name being called. She turned and saw Sam standing there. The blonde ran into his arms hugging him tightly. Her hand rubbing his back comfortingly as they hugged. She whispered assurances to him and then pulled away a few moments later.
"Thank you for coming. I haven't found anything yet." He sighed looking at her.
She smiled softly at him. "I wasn't going to be anywhere else. Don't lose faith. We'll find a way. Now where is he?"
Dean laid in his hospital bed watching the television. His skin was deathly pale and there were dark circles beneath his eyes. It was unlike anything that he had ever looked like before. Sam walked into the room with a sad look on his face. Ruby stood behind him hidden from view.
"I talked to your doctor." Sam spoke solemnly gazing over at his brother.
"Yeah, alright. Looks like you're gonna leave town without me." He sighed sounding resigned to his fate.
"I'm not leaving you here." Sam rolled his eyes at the thought.
"Hey, you better take care of that car or I swear I'll haunt your ass." Dean was serious as he looked up at his brother.
Ruby stepped into view gazing over at Dean. "That is so not funny. You can take care of the Impala yourself. You're not dying any time soon."
"I didn't want you to see me like this." He frowned glancing down at his hands.
Her face softened as she moved to his side. "Dean, you're going to be okay. We'll find a way, alright? We always do. I'm not... we're not letting you go."
"I'm going to go make some calls. Don't let him do anything stupid." Sam cleared his throat patting Ruby on the shoulder before walking out of the room.
"Ruby. I don't want you guys getting your hopes up and then I die anyway." Dean sighed wiping some stray tears away from her face.
The blonde leaned in kissing his lips softly. "I'll be damned if we give up on you without a fight. So deal with it, Winchester."
Dean kissed her back and then called for the nurse. Against Ruby's advice, he got himself checked out of the hospital. She sighed as she helped him get to the motel in one piece. He knocked on the door to Sam's room leaning against the door jam. The younger Winchester opened the door and looked shocked to see Dean standing there.
Ruby waved and sighed a bit. "I tried to stop him, but he checked himself out."
"Are you crazy?" He looked over at Dean.
"I wasn't going to die in a hospital that didn't have hot nurses." Dean walked into the room leaning against everything as he moved.
She shook her head shutting the door as Sam helped him to a chair. "Dad hasn't found anything yet, but he's still looking."
"I've been scouring the internet. Even went through our dad's journal calling every contact that I could find in there. One actually just called me back. Dad's friend Joshua. Mentioned a guy in Nebraska. A specialist." Sam rubbed the back of his neck sighing a bit.
"You're not going to let me die in peace, are you?" Dean groaned looking at them.
Ruby smiled kissing his head before grabbing the keys to the Impala. "We're not going to let you die, period. We're going."
"Whoa whoa, you're not driving my baby." He protested staring at the keys in her hand.
She rolled her eyes. "Dean, you're in no condition to drive her right now. Sam needs rest. So just let me do this one damn thing, okay?"
"Alright fine, but just this once." Dean grumbled letting her lead him out to the Impala.
They got him situated in the back and Sam sat in the passenger's seat. Ruby took a breath before starting the car driving them toward Nebraska. She wasn't sure what they were going to do if this didn't pan out the way that they wanted. At least her dad was still looking for other options just in case. Still, she refused to imagine a world without Dean Winchester in it. That kind of a world just didn't seem fathomable to her.
"I thought you said we were seeing a doctor. Man, you lied." Dean grimaced as he got out of the Impala nearly falling over.
"I clearly said specialist. It's worth a shot, Dean." Sam moved to steady Dean only for him to get pushed.
Ruby sighed moving to stand by Dean with an umbrella open shielding him from the rain. "A faith healer though? I mean, you're right that it's worth a shot, but I don't know."
"Reverend Le Grange is a good man." The voice of an older woman could be heard as people passed by them.
They trudged along through the muddy parking area toward the large white circus tent bearing the sign THE CHURCH OF ROY LE GRANGE. FAITH HEALER. WITNESS THE MIRACLE. Ruby was completely skeptical about the whole thing and wasn't surprised to see the local Sheriff talking to a protester. Dean bickered with Sam a little more clearly being way more skeptical than even she was being at the moment. Before Ruby could intervene, another voice was heard.
"Maybe God works in mysterious ways."
"Maybe he does. I think you just turned me around on the subject." Dean turned around smiling at the pretty blonde checking her out.
Ruby rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I'm sure."
"I'm Dean. This is Sam and Ruby." He extended his hand to her.
"Layla. So if you're not a believer, then why are you here?" She shook his hand eyeing him curiously.
She grasped Dean's arm gently. "We believe enough for him."
An older woman approached just then pulling Layla away toward the tent.
"Well, I bet you she can work in some mysterious ways." Dean watched them walk into the tent.
Ruby scoffed smacking him lightly upside the head. "Come on."
They walked into the tent and looked around. People were moving around trying to find a seat. A small stage was set up in front of all the seats that had a lecturn with candles on it. As she closed the umbrella, Ruby looked on confused as Sam prevented Dean from sitting down. Then it made sense when he moved them toward the front. They sat down behind Layla and a woman who was clearly her mother. Dean in the aisle seat. Ruby held Sam and Dean's hands squeezing them reassuringly. An older woman helped a blind man wearing sunglasses up to the podium. As he spoke, she could feel Dean's grip on her hand tighten a bit.
"It is the Lord who does the healing here, friends. The Lord who guides me in choosing who to heal by helping me see into people's hearts." Reverend Le Grange spoke out to his followers.
"Yeah, and into their wallets." Dean whispered quietly.
"You think so, young man?"
Ruby swore inwardly hoping Dean hadn't just blown their chance. The two went back and forth for a bit. Then Roy asked him his name. To her surprise, the Reverend invited Dean to come up there. Then Dean said no.
The blonde looked at him in disbelief. "Dean, what are you doing? This is your chance."
"Ah yeah, maybe you should pick someone else." He said sheepishly.
"Why, I didn't choose you. The Lord did." Roy assured him.
The crowd and Sam excitedly encouraged Dean to go up to the stage. Ruby squeezed his hand reassuringly and he sighed giving in. The Reverend told the crowd to then pray with him. His hands raised in the air then one rested on Dean's shoulder and the other on the side of Dean's head. Ruby and Sam watched with bated breath. His eyes glazed over and he sank to his knees. A gasp fell from Ruby's lips as he fell flat onto the stage floor. She jumped up watching Sam run onto the stage as the crowd clapped excitedly. The blonde sighed in relief when Dean's eyes opened and he gasped. Her head tilted slightly as she watched Dean for any sign that something was wrong. All she saw was a look of shock upon his handsome face.
"I feel fine, Sam." Dean sighed as they waited in the hospital to find out if the healing had worked.
The doctor walked into the room looking over the paperwork. "Well there's nothing wrong with your heart, according to all the tests we ran. No sign there ever was. Not that a man your age should be having heart trouble, but stranger things do happen."
"Like what?" He looked at the doctor skeptically.
He shrugged signing Dean's release papers. "Like just yesterday, a young man like you, twenty seven and athletic. Heart attack out of nowhere."
"Thanks, Doc." Dean nodded as the doctor then left. "That's odd."
"Do we really have to look this one in the mouth? Can't we just be happy the guy saved your life and moved on?" Sam asked overjoyed that it had worked.
"No. I can't shake this feeling. It felt wrong and for a second, I could have sworn I saw someone. This old man and I'm telling you guys, it was a spirit."
Ruby gazed over at Dean nodding her head. "Well that would certainly explain the shocked expression you had on your face."
"But if something was there, wouldn't I have seen it? Especially with everything I've been seeing lately." Sam questioned in disbelief.
The blonde shrugged. "Not necessarily. He was close to death, Sam. That could be why he saw it. Why don't you go see what you can find out about the heart attack guy?"
"Yeah, alright." He sighed patting Dean's shoulder then walked out of the room.
Ruby handed the keys to the car over to Dean and smiled. He cracked a slight smile taking the keys along with her hand and walking out of the room. Neither wanted to be in the hospital any longer than they really needed to be. The drive back to the motel was quiet aside from his usual music playing. She knew he was upset at the thought of an innocent person dying so that he could live. Ruby was upset too, but she would be lying if she said that she wasn't grateful that Dean had been healed.
"I should.. I should go visit the Reverend. Try to make sense of all of this." Dean muttered running his fingers through his hair as they walked into their motel room.
Ruby sighed shutting the door behind them. "Hey, slow down a minute there. You're alive. I know it's terrible to think that someone may have died so that you could live, but.. you're alive."
"Some guy died because of me. You shouldn't have brought me here."
The blonde walked over cupping his face with her hands. "You listen to me, Dean Winchester. We didn't know. If it hadn't been you then someone else would have been healed. Maybe it was fate. Yes, it's tragic that this man died, but you're alive. You know that something is wrong here. His death will mean something because so many people will be spared the same fate after we stop whatever it is that is going on."
"Still doesn't make it right." He sighed pressing a light kiss to her lips.
Ruby closed her eyes for a moment returning the kiss. "Just don't ever scare me like that again, alright? I can't lose you."
"I'll be more careful. You won't lose me." Dean promised and kissed her again.
They stood there just kissing for a bit. When the need for air overcame them, Ruby pulled away from him with a soft smile upon her face. It was a look that he realized he wouldn't mind seeing more often. Pushing those thoughts away from his mind, he grabbed the keys and they headed over to the Le Grange home. Sue Ann, Roy's wife, welcomed them inside. They walked in and sat down on a couch across from Roy.
"I feel great. I just.. I'm trying to make sense of what happened." Dean explained looking over at the older couple.
"Why, a miracle happened. They come so often around Roy." Sue Ellen smiled at them.
Ruby smiled back at her. "And how long have you been blessed with these miracles?"
"Well I woke up one morning stone blind. Doctors diagnosed me with cancer. Had maybe a month left. So, uh, we prayed for a miracle. Got weak fast, but I told Sue Ann to keep on praying. Fell into a coma and doctors told her I wouldn't wake up. I did and the cancer was gone." Roy removed his sunglasses revealing white eyes. "If it weren't for these eyes, no one would believe I ever had cancer."
"And the healing?" Dean raised his eyebrows.
"I discovered it afterward. God's blessed me in many ways." He slid his sunglasses back on.
"Why? Why me? out of all the sick people, why save me?"
"Like I said before, the Lord guides me. I looked into your heart and you just stood out from all the rest." The Reverend admitted calmly.
The blonde sat up a bit straighter. "What did you see in his heart?"
"A young man with an important purpose. A job to do and it isn't finished." He revealed to a surprised looking Dean and Ruby.
"Thank you." It was all Dean could say as they stood up and left the Le Grange home.
"Dean, Ruby, hey. How are you feeling?" Layla asked with a smile as she approached the front of the house.
"I feel good. What brings you here?"
"Mom wanted to speak with the reverend." She shrugged her shoulders.
Ruby cleared her throat smiling softly at her. "It was good seeing you, but we really should be going."
"Roy is well aware of Layla's situation and he very much wants to help just as soon as the Lord allows. Have faith, Mrs. Rourke." Sue Ann could be heard from behind them.
Frustrated, the older woman turned away as Sue Ann went inside and scoffed. "What are you still doing here? You got want you wanted."
"Mom, please." Layla tried to keep things calm.
"Layla, what's wrong?" Dean looked at her.
"I..I have this thing."
Mrs. Rourke spoke up again. "It's an inoperable brain tumor. The doctors say she has six months or so."
Ruby looked at Layla sympathetically. "We're very sorry to hear that."
"It's okay." Layla nodded at her.
The older woman fumed at that. "No, it isn't. Why do you deserve to live more than my daughter?"
She stormed off and Layla followed her after taking a deep breath. Dean glanced back at the house as Ruby rubbed his arm gently. He sighed looking ahead again and walked back to the car with her.
Ruby pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Her daughter is dying and she is understandably upset. She needs someone she can actually blame to take her frustration out on. You heard what Roy said. You have an important purpose."
"Yeah I know. Just not fair though." Dean shrugged his shoulders.
"I'm sorry, man. Marshall Hall died yesterday at 4:17PM." Sam admitted with a sigh as the pair returned to the motel room where he had been doing research.
"The exact time I was healed." He sat down stunned.
Ruby frowned rubbing his back with her hand comfortingly. "Were you able to find anything else out?"
"Uh, yeah, I was able to put together a list of everyone Roy's healed which amounts to six people over the last year. Cross checked with local obits. Every time someone was healed, someone else died. Here's the strange part. Each time, the victime died of the same symptom Le Grange was healing at the time. So somehow he is trading one life for another." The younger Winchester recalled.
The blonde nodded her head taking all of the information. "Okay so we pretty much have the who, what, where, when, and why. What I don't understand is how is he doing it?"
"Something else is doing it for him. The old man I saw on stage. I didn't want to believe it, but deep down I knew. There's only one thing that can give and take life like that." Dean spoke up just then.
"What?" Sam looked at him in confusion.
"We're dealing with a reaper."
Ruby sank down onto the bed in shock. "Like the Grim Reaper?"
"No, a reaper. There's reaper lore in pretty much every culture. Hundreds of different names for it. It's possible there's more than one of them." He explained.
She ran her fingers through her hair sighing softly. "Alright so we figure out how Roy's controlling them and we stop it."
"The cross. I saw it in the church and knew I saw it before." Sam recalled and held up a tarot card.
"A tarot?" Dean sounded skeptical.
"Makes sense. A tarot dates back to the early Christian era when some priests were still using magic. A few of them veered into the darker side of magic, right? Necromancy and all that stuff." He explained further.
Ruby glanced at him. "So Roy's using black magic to bind them to do his bidding?"
"Alright, then we stop Roy."
"How, Dean?" Sam looked at him.
"You know how."
The blonde looked at Dean incredulously. "We're not killing Roy. He's still a human. Killing him makes us no better than him."
"Okay we can't kill Roy. Death can't be killed. You two got any bright ideas on how to fix this?" Dean looked at them both.
Ruby straightened up a bit. "Actually, yes. We figure out how he's using the black magic and break the bind he has on the reapers. If it's magic then he must have a spell book somewhere."
They arrived back on the grounds where the Le Grange home and church were located. To their horror, a service was in session which meant someone would be healed soon. The protester was also standing outside again as well. The hunters just needed to figure out a plan and fast.
Ruby took a deep breath and glanced around. "I'll go look in their house. Sam, look around outside. Dean, go stall Roy."
"Hey, just... be careful, alright?" Dean gave her a look that she couldn't really decipher.
She smiled pecking his lips lightly. "Same goes to you, mister."
Splitting up, Dean headed toward the tent while Ruby headed back toward the house with Sam. He helped her get in through a window and kept watch while she looked around. The blonde walked by the bookshelves stopping when she noticed one book stood out as it was the only one without dust on it. The Encyclopedia of British History. She flipped through it though nothing seemed to stand out. As she moved to put it back, a smaller book that was clearly hidden behind it caught her attention. She opened the smaller book finding a picture of a skeleton reaper and on another page was a picture of the wooden cross Sam had mentioned. There was also a small pile of newspaper clippings sticking out. The first one was about the man that died for Dean. It mentioned that the man was an openly gay teacher. The next article was about a female jogger who had just died that was an abortion rights advocate. The third clipping was about the protester outside. She put the first book back and ran to the window climbing out. Sam helped her and she looked at him.
"Find anything?"
Ruby dusted herself off once she was on her feet again. "Lots. Roy's choosing victims that he perceives to be immoral. That protester out front is the next target."
"Alright, I'll fill in Dean. Let's go find the protester." Sam pulled out his phone calling Dean and filling him in on what Ruby had found.
A voice could be heard calling for help just as Sam ended his call. He and Ruby took off looking around the parking lot. They found the protester, David Wright, running around looking panicked. He gestured behind him though they couldn't see anything. Sam grabbed him and they ran together. Dean meanwhile watched as Roy was about to heal Layla. As much as he wanted her to be healed, he knew deep down that this wasn't the way. So he did the only thing he could think of and yelled fire. It worked as Roy halted what he was doing and got his followers to evacuate the tent. He called Sam to let him know. That was when David yelled out again.
"Dean, I'm telling you it didn't work. It's still going after him." Sam looked a little panicked watching David.
"Well if Roy's not doing it then who..." He trailed off seeing Sue Ann off in the corner reciting something. "It's the wife."
Dean walked over to Sue Ann touching her shoulder which startled her enough to drop the cross she was holding. It was just enough to get the reaper to stop and leave David Wright alone. Sighing in relief, Ruby and Sam made sure he was alright before going to find Dean who was being escorted out of the tent by officers who threatened to put the fear of God in him if he showed his face around there again. It made Ruby scoff at the thought. Then they over heard the Reverend promising to heal Layla later that night. The three hunters shared a look before heading to the Impala. Returning to the motel, Ruby showed Dean what she had found.
"So it wasn't a miracle. Sue Ann was desperate to save her husband and binding the reapers kept them away from him, I guess. She got what she wanted so why is she doing this?" Dean thought aloud.
Ruby sighed running her fingers through her hair. "She probably sees it as killing two birds with one stone, no pun intended. Sue Ann can help save people the way she saved Roy and at the same time she can get rid of those that she deems to be immoral. She's clearly misguided."
"Well there must be an altar at their house. We need to go back and find it. Might be the only way to stop it. Either that or destroying the cross. Or both." Sam added with a nodded.
Agreeing, they got ready to go and climbed back into the Impala. When they reached the grounds again, it was Dean who called out to the cops distracting them and then ran in the opposite direction of the house. Sam and Ruby took that opportunity to run toward the house. She went inside while a light caught Sam's eye. He followed it into the basement where he found a candlelit altar littered with parts of dead animals, horns, blood, and other such stuff. In the center of it all was a photo of Dean clearly taken from the security camera in the tent the first time they had been there just before he was healed. His face in the photo was crossed out with what looked to be blood.
"I gave your brother life and I can take it away." Sue Ann appeared behind Sam startling him.
Enraged, Sam tilted the table the alter was on over effectively destroying the alter in the process. He then ran toward Sue Ann, but she ran back up the steps closing the hatch to the basement. She secured it with a beam trapping Sam down there. Ruby crept out of the house watching her from the shadows.
"Oh Sam, can't you see? The Lord chose me to reward the just and punish the wicked. Your brother is wicked and he deserves to die just as Layla deserves to live. It is God's will. Good bye, Sam." Sue Ann spoke out before walking away.
Ruby was furious with anger and followed the older woman. She could hear the faint sound of glass smashing and trusted it to mean that Sam found a way out. In the car park, Dean is walking toward the tent only to see the line of lights lighting the path toward it suddenly go out one by one. He looked toward the tent again only to see a reaper walking toward him. The blonde hunter followed Sue Ann only to find her standing outside clutching the cross in her hands while reciting Latin. The reaper places his hand on Dean's head and he convulses sinking to his knees just as Layla did the same. Sue Ann continued reciting and held up the cross. Ruby reached out snatching it from her and threw it aside breaking it along with a glass bottle of blood. The reaper stops what he is doing and looks up. Dean falls fully to the ground gasping for air. Sue Ann fell to her knees beside the blood just as Sam approached the two women.
"My god, what have you done!" She cried out.
Ruby leaned toward her glaring at the older woman. "Saved you from making a very grave mistake. I heard what you said, lady, and you couldn't be more wrong. Dean Winchester is one of the best and bravest men that I know. He's saved countless lives and he'll save countless more, I'm sure. Next time you want to call someone wicked, try looking in a mirror first."
Sam pulled the blonde away trying to get her to calm down. Sue Ann looked up and it was apparent that she saw the reaper. Terrified, the older woman stood up and tried to run for her life. The reaper was there and placed his hand on her head. Her eyes glazed over as she fell to her knees. She slipped further to the ground convulsing twice and then she was dead. Shaking her head, Ruby sighed and walked away with Sam to go find Dean. They regrouped back at the Impala where Dean assured them that he was alright. Back at the motel, the boys packed up while Ruby was outside on the phone with her dad. Sam chuckled to himself and Dean glanced over at him.
"What's so funny?"
"Nothing, man. It's just.. you should have seen her. I don't think I've ever seen Ruby so angry. She destroyed the cross and then told Sue Ann off for calling you wicked." Sam smiled giving Dean a knowing look.
"Did she? That's my girl. I mean, you know what I mean." Dean looked proud for a moment and then sheepishly returned to what he was doing.
"Man, when are you two going to quit doing this dance around each other? It's obvious that there's something between you. It's like neither of you have the balls to go for it." He shook his head.
"It's not that simple, Sammy. We have to find dad so we can help gank the demon that killed Mom and Jess. Yeah okay I admit it. I like Ruby. A lot. I just... I can't risk her ending up on the ceiling too, okay?"