Chapter 9

Time to See The Cards You're Dealt

Title credit: Lyrics from the song: Phantoms and friends, by Old Man Canyon

A/N: So, I know it's been a while, but… With good reason! A super good reason. Dreams coming true kind of reason! This January, my family and I left everything behind (including my soul-crushing job) and moved abroad! We're living in a country we've been dreaming about living in for the last ten years. The right job offer finally came through (for my husband, who's lucky enough to have so many more options than I do as a teacher, career-wise), and we 'carpe diemed'!

Still, the process of making this happen with a toddler is no cakewalk! But we're here now! Settling into our new life, our new reality, our new home! For now, I'm not working, which gives me the luxury of writing time for three mornings per week, when my little one is at kindergarten. And honestly, I'm really enjoying this season for however long it lasts! I might not have a couch yet, but I have a killer view of my picturesque town, a beautiful garden, and the prospect of a far better life than what we left behind.

I'm so happy to be able to write again, and I hope at least some of you guys are still out there, interested in reading the continuation of Amber's adventures. I will not lie; I have no clear picture of where this story will go. Like I shared with all of you, I had a clear sequel in mind, which finished with chapter 8. But… Muse is striking, and since most of you expressed your preference to see the story continuing through chapters in this story instead of one-shots… Here we are! I'm open to suggestions and requests as always (not promising I'll write everything, but promising I'll consider everything and work what I like into the plot). I have some vague idea of an overall story arc, but definitely not as clear-cut as things have been up to this point. I'm a pantser at heart when it comes to writing. I'm trying hard to overpower that trait, but sometimes it is what it is :) If you're still into enjoying the ride for as long as it lasts, jump in, and let's have some fun with our favorite characters.

Small filler chapter here, setting the scene for what's to come and sort of bridging the before and after of everyone's world that's shifting.

P.s. As I'm continuing WTWHG I'm also in the process of rewriting/re-editing my MCU story Of Suits and Heroes. I haven't posted the new chapter (but I have finished it) or uploaded the re-edited/re-written ones yet, but if you'd like to read more on this, check my profile. I've updated it and added some info about that there.

A big shutout and thank you to Harliquinn for her valuable beta-help 3

I'll stop rambling now! Enjoy!

Amber, kneeling atop her filled-to-the-brim duffel bag, hair pouring in front of her face, fought with its stubborn zipper. With one strong pull, she managed to zip it shut. Slowly lifting herself off of it, she eyed the bag with weary eyes, half-expecting it to burst at the seams under the strain. Satisfied to see it staying intact, she moved to grab her backpack from the top of her dresser before making her way to her desk. Opening its two drawers, she peered at their contents, a soft smile tugging at her lips. In the first drawer lay her journal, a couple of notepads, and some pens. She carefully placed them all in her bag. She then turned her attention to her most cherished possessions in the second drawer.

Her hand traced over the engraved front page of her copy of Les Misérables—Sam and Dean's first Christmas present to her. Next to it lay the pair of socks Cas had gotten her, a small velvet bag in which she kept her mother's locket and John's leather sheath that Dean had given her for her first birthday with them. In a small paper bag, she had kept the gas-station-Winchester-birthday gifts of shaving cream, mints, and a flashlight. The t-shirt Dean had gotten her was with her clothes in her duffel.

After placing everything in her bag, she grabbed the framed photograph of her, her brothers, and John that stood on her nightstand—the one Sam had made for her for her birthday—adding it to her backpack as well. Each of these items was an anchor to some of the best memories she had made with her family. A reminder that she now had people who cared for her. Enough to get her presents. Enough to celebrate her birthday. Enough to include her in family traditions and create new ones with her. With a soft smile, she zipped her bag up and placed it next to her duffel on the bed. With her belongings all packed, she took a moment to survey the room around her, a flood of memories washing over her. In the short seven months she had spent here, she had laughed, cried, and grown in ways she never thought possible.

Deciding she was done with packing and reminiscing, she donned her backpack, grabbed her guitar case in one hand, her duffel with the other, and groaned under their weight. Shuffling out of the room she continued down the hallway towards the war room, where Sam had instructed her to bring her stuff. As she passed Dean's room, she noticed the door was left ajar. Peeking inside, she saw her brother sitting on his bed, staring at his hands with a pensive expression.

Pausing, Amber didn't need her powers to sense her brother's tension. Contemplating it for all of a second, she set her things down on the hallway floor, before knocking softly on the door frame.

Dean's eyes turned to her direction, and his lips curved in a small smile that never reached his eyes. "All set already?" he asked.

"Yep. Fast packing. A perk of not owning much stuff," Amber answered casually. At the silence that followed, she added awkwardly, "Do you need any help here?"

"No," Dean shook his head. "I've already taken everything to the war room. Sam is bringing Baby home so that we can start loading everything in. He took Jack with him."

Amber was surprised to hear that. It was a rare occurrence for him to let anyone else -even Sam - drive the Impala. That could mean only one thing.

"You're sad we're leaving, aren't you?" Amber asked as she stepped closer to the bed, taking a seat next to him.

Dean glanced at her with an unreadable expression as he processed her words. "It's been the only place that's ever felt like home," he said evenly.

Amber felt a pang of guilt at his words. She was so excited and happy at the prospect of moving to Sioux Falls and Bobby's house that she hadn't really given much thought to how her brothers would feel about this change. Come to think of it, she hadn't dared to believe her brothers would ever agree to said change. Unsure of what to say, she just leaned her head on his shoulder.

Dean glanced at the top of her brunette head for a second before adding, "It's not so much that I'm sad. It's about keeping you safe. That's what's eating at me the most."

Letting out a snort, Amber lifted her head and turned to look at him with a resigned expression. "No surprises there."

Raising an eyebrow, Dean answered emphatically, "Kid, this is the safest place there is. Nothing weird in feeling worried we're leaving it."

"We'll make Bobby's super safe too, Dean. We've done this before. And we'll be together. It's not the walls that make a home."

Her words registering, Dean nodded slowly. "When did you wise up so much?"

Getting on her feet Amber shrugged. "Sam's been rubbing off on me, I guess. Now quit sulking and come help me take my stuff upstairs!"

At Dean's raised eyebrows and pointed look she added with a cheeky smile, "Pretty please?"

Finishing scrubbing the inside of the kitchen cabinets after what felt like forever, Amber groaned as she slowly got to her feet and straightened her body into a standing position. Her forearms ached, and her knees were stiff from all the crouching and kneeling. Amber had experienced the physical fatigue of chores before, but as she now realized, her powers had always helped her experience everything more mildly. And now they were gone. Her stomach tightened at that thought, and a surge of sadness and frustration coursed through her.

"Wow! I don't think I've ever seen this kitchen so clean, even when Bobby lived here!"

Sam's words snapped Amber out of her thoughts, and she turned towards her brother. Her eyes scanned the space around her, taking in the gleam of freshly cleaned surfaces and the warm glow of sunlight streaming through the window. Excluding a short break for lunch, she had spent the last five hours after returning from the bunker deep-cleaning it. Washing walls, windows, and counters, cleaning the kitchen's back door, scrubbing the table chairs and cabinets, the inside of the drawers, sweeping, and mopping the floor three consecutive times to get rid of all the piled-up dirt it had accumulated over the years… She had even cleaned the lamp's glass shade. Everything was still old-fashioned and worn, but the room looked brighter and fresher, with a crisp smell of lemon-scented cleaner mixed with cold fresh air entering from the ajar window filling up the space.

"Good job, Amber," Sam smiled at her as he walked to the window above the sink to close it.

"Not like I had a choice in the matter," the teen grumbled. She was tired, sore, and cranky.

"Well, you picked the room," Sam offered, not caring to dispute her words. She was right, after all. This was part of her punishment, and she hadn't had much say in it.

"Yeah, but Claire was supposed to be here and help," Amber continued in a whiny tone. "It's so freaking unfair she's not here helping!"

"Not really. Consider she had to attend school, rush to complete her homework, and she'll be here shortly to finish her day with chores," Sam countered.

"Still not fair. I'm sore and tired and have to do all this again tomorrow," Amber groaned as she dragged her feet to the closest chair, collapsing into it.

Sam more than understood her bad mood and also sensed there was more to this than simple tiredness and grumpiness. Taking a chair and placing it across from his sister's, he sat in it, relaxing against its back with an open posture.

"Amb… You've cleaned the bunker's library top to bottom, dusted and logged every tome and book and cleaned every artifact we kept in there for a vastly lighter transgression than this, and you still didn't complain this much. What's up?"

Amber took in Sam's sincere interest and remembered their short talk after his punishment the previous day. Realizing this was an opportunity to rebuild some of the lost trust between them, she gathered her thoughts and courage to bring up what was eating at her.

Eyes fleeting between her fidgeting hands and Sam's face, she said quietly, "If I had my powers I wouldn't feel this bad… Physically."

Sam took in her words and remained silent for a few seconds. "It must be hard to get used to not having them after all these months of embracing them and attuning to them…"

"It's just… I feel like this huge part of me is missing," Amber admitted.

"I don't know about huge, but a part of you is missing. It's hard and sad, and I wish you didn't have to experience this, but it's also all your own doing, Amb. It's the price you paid for doing something so risky and volatile with no knowledge of the possible repercussions."

Amber knew Sam was right. And she also felt anger and bitterness that this was the case, the universe's cruel joke on her. She could either have Kyle or her powers. "I'd still do it even if I knew that would be the price," she said quietly, mostly to herself.

"And I'm not surprised. It was a noble notion in its careless impulsivity," he commented.

"Sam?"

"Amber?"

"Is Dean back yet?"

"Not yet," Sam replied. Amber and Sam had been teleported back by Jack, while Dean would drive the Impala with all their stuff to Sioux Falls. Cas was also driving the Challenger, so they'd have two cars available. Sam clarified, "He's in Sioux Falls, but he's stopped to pick up Jody and Claire, and they'll shop for some basics before coming here. They won't be long. Why do you ask?"

"I've been thinking about something. I wanted to talk to both of you, but anyways… Uhm, I was wondering… What if we reach out to Rowena? Ask her if she can help? I mean, she's the one who unleashed my powers in the first place…" Amber trailed off, cautious eyes peering at her brother. At his prolonged silence she added, "I am trying to be open here and talk things through with you… It's just a thought and I promise not to do anything unless you agree to it!"

Sam's lips twitched at her sincerity and her effort to repair things. "I hear you. And I can't say a yes or no or make such a decision without involving Dean and thinking this through in depth."

"Yeah, I thought so," Amber mumbled.

Leaning forward, Sam clasped his large hand around his sister's thin shoulder in a reassuring gesture. "Thanks for telling me, Amber. For what it's worth, I think it's something we could look into with Rowena. But we still need Dean's insight on this."

Not seeing any point in continuing this conversation, Amber simply nodded before slowly rising to her feet. "I'm going to see if Jack needs any help in the living room," she told Sam.

"You do that," Sam replied, clapping his hands as he also stood up from his chair. "I need to complete the sigils on the west side of the house, too."

The sound of the front door opening and the agitated voices of Claire, Jody, and Dean followed Sam's words, filling the otherwise quiet house.

"Claire, honey, we're all sympathetic to your misery, but you need to curb the attitude," Jody's cutting words grew louder as she, Claire, and Dean approached the kitchen.

"Oh, give me a break, Jody! I've been up at the crack of dawn, suffered through school and a pop quiz, had to bust my ass to finish all studying as soon as I got home, and now I'm here to end my glorious day slaving with the chores Dean can't be bothered doing himself…"

Amber watched the three of them entering the room, Claire fuming, Jody barely holding it together, arms full of bags of groceries, and Dean, ready to explode, carrying his own armload of household necessities.

Sensing the imminent shitstorm, Amber simply walked up to Claire, grabbed her arm, and practically dragged her out of the room, throwing over her shoulder at her brothers and Jody, "You'd better keep that kitchen as clean as you found it, or you're redoing it yourselves tomorrow!"

"So, one brother down and one to go?" Claire's voice, tinged with fatigue, echoed in the now sparkling clean bathroom. Her words emerged through a yawn as she meticulously cleaned her hands under the sink's running warm water, the faint smell of vanilla-scented soap filling the air.

Amber, leaning casually on the doorframe, met Claire's gaze through the mirror. A faint twitch of her lips and a subtle shrug conveyed her response.

"I don't know about 'down', but Sam was definitely positive about the prospect. Still, if Dean says no…" Amber's reflection mirrored Claire's exhaustion as she spoke, the weariness evident in her voice.

Claire turned to look at Amber, her eyes heavy with exhaustion as she patted her hands dry with a small towel. Every muscle in her body ached from this endless day that ended in strenuous deep cleaning of this bathroom, and she longed for her bed. Sensing that Amber needed her in the moment, she pushed her exhaustion aside for the time being.

"If Dean says no…" the blonde repeated Amber's words, her emphatic trailing off clearly implying that she expected Amber would contact Rowena anyway.

Amber's eyebrows rose incredulously as she regarded her friend. "Are you kidding me right now? No! After the last shitshow, I'm not doing anything this serious behind their back, ever again!"

"For real?" Claire's disbelief was palpable, her voice laced with surprise.

With an uncomfortable shrug, Amber took a couple of steps away from the bathroom's threshold, allowing the other girl to exit. The two of them walked in pondering silence to Amber's bedroom that was across the hall.

"Well, yeah…" Amber finally replied to Claire's question as they entered her room. "Or at least that's how I feel about this right now. If it's not a life or death kinda problem, then I wouldn't risk breaking their trust like this again," she confided quietly to Claire. Listening to herself saying these words aloud made her realize that she really meant them. And that the prospect of having to go behind the boys' backs again—for something big at least—didn't sound appealing. Not in the slightest. Turning to Claire, she asked with as neutral a tone as she could muster, "Would you?"

Claire looked taken aback by the question, her hands crossing over her chest as she slowly sank onto Amber's bed. She remained silent for a few seconds, lost in thought. Watching Amber close the door, her eyes shifted to her own hands and realized she was still holding the towel. Focus returning to the question, she found herself honestly wondering. Would she?

"I don't know," she answered a bit awkwardly. "I guess… No? Not unless it was something truly important at stake."

A small smile forming, Amber briefly wondered what counted as 'truly important' in Claire's book.

Eyes narrowing, Claire immediately reacted to the other girl's expression. "Don't give me that look! I do what I want, you know that! I'm not gonna sit around and let Grimm brothers dictate my whole life, if that's what you're expecting to hear!"

Reading Claire's defensiveness, Amber raised her hands up placatingly. "I'm not expecting anything. You do you! I know somewhere in there your brain exists and can even work brilliantly when you let it. I'm your friend. I'm not here to tell you what to do or not do. You got Jody and, for better or worse, the male Winchesters for that."

"Don't remind me," Claire grumbled.

"How's Alex?" Amber asked next, in an effort to shift their talk to a more lighthearted matter.

"Annoying as ever," Claire responded in a dry tone. "Working on her halo radiance and driving that stick a bit further up her ass."

Unable to stifle a chuckle, Amber moved towards the rocking chair in the corner of the room, and let herself sink into its comforting frame. "I'll never get why you're so hard on her."

"Because I have issues," Claire replied unfazed. "And because even though she hates hunting and the supernatural, Jody keeps turning to her for help instead of me."

"Well, she's been in the life a bit longer," Amber tried to reason.

"And I've trained with your control-freaks of brothers! Plus, I have more experience in hunting than Alex does," Claire countered, some bitterness sneaking into her tone and her restless hands tugging at the towel.

Nodding in full agreement on that, Amber still couldn't help but add, "Most of them were unauthorized though…"

"Whose side are you on?" Claire exclaimed in frustration.

"Yours, always yours! Geez! Just stating some facts," Amber replied with slight amusement.

"Well, here are some facts for you! When Dean says no and the post-ass-handing honeymoon period ends, you'll be coming to me for help figuring out how to get your powers back! Not Alex! And you know why?"

"Because you're my friend and you love me and you'd do anything for me?" Amber tried cutely.

"No," Claire replied drily, getting to her feet. "Because of my track record of unauthorized hunts, of doing what I want when I want, and of keeping your damn secrets!"

Watching the gloomy blonde take leave from her room, Amber couldn't help but smile fondly. Even though she didn't plan to do anything about her powers behind the boys' backs, she still knew Claire wasn't wrong. Claire had proven herself to be a true friend to Amber, even in situations where shit hit the fan.

"Yeah, well, right back at ya," Amber said with an honest smile. "Love you, bestie," she added behind the departing Claire.

And she did. And Amber knew that even if the blonde would never admit it out loud, Claire did too.

Grabbing a beer from the fridge, Dean walked through the quiet house to the living room. Collapsing onto the couch, he noticed his movement didn't cause a cloud of dust to puff in the air, which meant Jack had done a decent job with the vacuum cleaner and the steamer. Jody had been kind enough to lend them hers, as Dean doubted Bobby's dinosaur devices would work after all those years. Sipping the cold ale, he closed his eyes and brought his sock-covered feet up to rest on the coffee table, letting the quiet atmosphere soothe his still-raging nerves.

The sounds of the house were oddly calming to him. It had been years, but he found himself comforted by their familiarity. The loud hum of the old fridge could be heard all the way to where he was sitting in the quiet of the night. Creaking floorboards underfoot upstairs, the rumbling pipes as water coursed through them, random clanks from pipes as the house settled… Everything felt welcoming in its half-forgotten sameness.

The heavy steps that followed let Dean know without even opening his eyes that Sam was coming downstairs. He heard his brother pause at the stairs before heading to the kitchen. The sound of the fridge opening told Dean that Sam had the same thought as he did. A few thudding steps later, Dean heard a creaking sound to his left as Sam lowered himself into the big armchair he always preferred, even as a scrawny little boy, during their stays at Bobby's.

Dean patiently waited for the telltale sound of carbon release as his brother opened his beer and took a sip.

Opening his eyes and turning his face towards Sam, Dean broke the silence in a gruff tone. "Thank God this day is over."

Sam let out a small amused chuckle. "Cute how you think it's over," he said, a second chuckle escaping at Dean's you've-got-to-be-kidding-me expression.

"What? Did something happen while I was gone?"

"Amber wanted to talk to us… Both of us. But you weren't back yet…" Sam started, only to be interrupted by Dean's resolute "Absolutely not! No!"

Frowning in confusion, Sam attempted to ask what his brother was talking about but never got the chance.

"She's not stepping a toe out of this house before the two weeks are over! I don't care how long she and her hell-hound have been apart, I'm not gonna…"

"Dude! Get a grip! And give her some credit! You couldn't be further off-topic," Sam interrupted Dean for a change, his tone conveying his annoyance at his brother's jumping to that particular conclusion.

"What then?" Dean asked, not bothering to mask his annoyance at being wrong and misjudging Amber's motives.

"It's about her powers," Sam tried, only to be cut off again by a suddenly sitting-up-straight Dean.

"Are they back? Please tell me they're back," Dean said, his tone completely somber.

"Will you let me finish a damn sentence?" Sam asked, frustrated.

"Fine, shutting up," Dean said impatiently.

"They're not back. But she wants them back. I'm guessing as much, if not more, than we do. She told me she was thinking about asking for Rowena's help, to see if Rowena has any inklings on how Amber might get them back."

Dean remained silent for a while before settling back on the sofa, bringing the beer to his lips. "Well, I can't say I hadn't thought about this myself," Dean finally said. "What did you tell her?"

"What do you think? That I have to talk it through with you. And that I am very happy that she talked to us and didn't just go to Rowena behind our backs."

"She has some common sense left in her brain it seems," Dean commented drily.

"She promised she won't do anything unless we're on board with it," Sam added. He knew this was in part because of the freshness of the last transgression - and its consequences - but it still felt like a small win, a step towards the right direction.

At Dean's silence, he prompted, "So you agree? That we should talk to Rowena?"

Dean tapped his fingers on the moistened bottle in his hand before nodding. Turning to Sam, he asked back, "Do you?"

"I do. I think it's one of our very limited options. And I'd feel a lot better if Amber got her powers back and was able to protect herself more efficiently."

"Then again, it's her powers that put her in a state of needing protection," Dean raised matter-of-factly.

"Is it?" Sam countered. At his brother's questioning gaze, he added, "her grace might be gone, but does that change the fact that she's a nephelim?"

Dean contemplated that for a few seconds before turning to look at his brother with a helpless expression. "I don't know, Sammy. All I know is Lucifer is tucked away, hopefully for good, and heaven is finally giving us a break about her and Jack for locking Lucy up. Does that mean the bad seed and Amber are really safe? I don't know. But what are our options? Locking them up again?"

Sam sighed and shook his head. "No. That's not an option. That's not a life anyone, let alone two kids, should have to suffer. They deserve so much more."

Dean stayed silent once again. "So, let's try to give them some inkling of normalcy for a while. And let's talk to Rowena, see what she has to say. And I'll start looking into this too, since we're all on the same page."

"So… Is the day officially over now?" Dean asked, his tone sounding ten times more tired than it did only minutes ago.

"I guess it is," Sam smiled sympathetically.

"Hooray," was Dean's snarky reply as he rested his feet on the table once again, his head leaning back on the sofa cushions, and his eyes closing in an effort to slow down his racing thoughts.