This sequel takes place sometime after my first fanfic. There will be more returning characters from the show and my first fanfic along with more new ones in this story.
Chapter 6 Catching Up and A Tribute
As they were in the car, Sam still thought about Chloe's tattoo and he felt he couldn't keep it to himself anymore, so he turned to Dean.
"Dean, you know ever since we left that house, I have to tell you that something has been on my mind that has been bugging me a bit" he told him.
Dean briefly glanced at Sam then back at the road.
"What you mean, what's bugging you, Sam?" he asked curiously.
"It's just when I first saw Chloe at the cemetery, I had a chance to notice her tattoo that she has and there is something quite familiar about it, like I've seen that shape before" Sam told him.
Dean glanced at him again before turning back forward.
"A tattoo, so what, I mean we've probably seen plenty of tattoos before, why is that bugging you so much?" Dean replied.
"This isn't just any tattoo, I mean that shape I can't place but I think it is some kind of brand or mark that involves some kind of supernatural or even evil, I know I seen it before, maybe in one of our books at the bunker but it's not ordinary and Chloe happens to have one" Sam replied.
"Hey Sam, don't you think you're just reaching. I mean you haven't seen these folks in about a decade and your first bad instinct is over a tattoo Jessica's baby sis is wearing. I mean, you saw her dressed in that gunge outfit that a lot of these kids like to dress. A lot of those gunge weirdos are probably interested in some of the dark stuff like the occult just for fun, maybe she got the tattoo there and it's just harmless fun" said Dean.
Sam just shook his head. "No Dean, I really think there is something more to it than that. Look just trust me when I say that I have a gut feeling about that tattoo that I've swore I seen before that involves something evil and maybe I'm just overreacting, and it will turn out that it's nothing at all but from past experience I know if I have a gut instinct on something that I shouldn't ignore it" he told him.
Dean just kind of sighed a bit understanding what Sam is saying is true and applies to both of them from past experience.
"Okay, if it bugs you that much then we can research this tattoo or something, but I still think you might be worrying for nothing" he replied.
"And if I'm not?" Sam asked.
"Well then, we act, decide what the next step will be. But before we jump the gun here, can you at least tell me what the tattoo looks like?" Dean asked.
Sam remembering exact shape of the tattoo described it. "Well, it's an odal rune shape but upside down and has a Y shape in the middle that has three sides instead of two" he said.
Dean just looked curious not recalling a such a shape. "Well, that doesn't seem too familiar to me but then again you're the book geek here that always reading those magic books. I think we should just call up Adam or Charlie when we get back to the motel and get them to do some research" he replied.
"Great" Sam said.
They soon headed back to the motel and once back at the room, Sam got a sheet of paper and pencil and drew the shape of the tattoo from memory and then took a photo of it with is smartphone then phoned Charlie who was in the bunker alone as Adam stepped out to go to the supermarket.
"Hey, Charlie I you're your help" Sam told her.
"My help, well I'm always willing to help out with anything, mostly because I'm bored to death stuck in this place and need to feel a bit useful, what'd you need guys" Charlie replied.
"There is a mark that I want you to look up in one of the books, I've drew sketch and took a photo and well send you the photo on your phone" Sam replied.
"Sure, but why do you need me to look it up?" Charlie asked.
"I just have a funny feeling I've seen this mark before in one of the books on magic and the occult and all those stuff and Jess's little sister is wearing it as tattoo which leaves me bit concerned, I just want to be sure what is, that's all as it's been killing me" Sam replied.
"Okay, sure no problem, I will get right on it and do the homework once you sent me the photo" Charlie said.
"Perfect and you can get Adam to help you, so he won't feel left out, and he needs to feel useful too" Sam told her.
"Of course, we always look forward to doing any research you need us to do, makes us feel like we're part of the case too" Charlie said.
"Well, we always appreciate any help you can give the both of you" Sam said.
"Anytime" Charlie said.
Then they engage in a bit of catching up trading details about of each of their day then Sam let Dean talk to her for a while. None of them talked for very long as they said their goodbyes and Sam sent the photo to her phone.
"You think she'll find anything?" Dean asked.
"Yeah, I'm sure, you know Charlie always gets the job done" Sam said.
Then Sam decided to phone Adam to see how he was doing and put it on speaker so both he and Dean could listen and talk to him. Adam was still at the supermarket when they phoned, and brothers gave him the info about asking Charlie to help them find out about a tattoo in one of the books which involves Jessica's sister Chloe.
They also asked him to help her which he was more than willing to do as he was bored. They chatted and to catch up with each for a while and Adam told them he was looking forward them coming back real soon after they finish up with what they're doing, and Sam and Dean promised him they won't be away too long then they said their goodbyes.
Before the evening arrived, Sam finally got around calling Peyton who by this time was done teaching courses at Stanford and he asked to meet her again to have dinner wanting bond with someone Jessica was close to and she accepted. Sam invited Dean to go with him, but he declined deciding to stay in and order a pizza and get a few drinks at the nearest bar.
About around six o'clock, Peyton showed up at the motel as Sam told her where they were staying and picked him up in her car and they headed out to a restaurant for dinner. Then they both ordered their meals and agreed to each pay their own way as they bonded about old times at Stanford, Jessica and their other friends laughing and joking.
"So, have you kept in touch with any of the others?" Sam asked curiously about her and Jessica's other friends.
"Well, actually I have befriended Katrina and Britt on Facebook" said Peyton.
"Really, Kat and Britt, what are they up to now?" Sam asked.
"Uh, Katrina now lives in Sacramento and used to work in the office of a new Women's cable TV network called Globe. Now she's married and a stay-at-home mom with a baby boy" Peyton said.
"Really, Globe, never heard of that network" Sam replied quite interested.
"Yeah, most probably haven't since it was founded seven years ago and not as popular as Lifetime and all. Sometimes I watch shows from that channel and some are quite okay" Peyton replied.
"What about Britt, what she's been up to?" Sam asked.
"Britt now lives in Tucson, Arizona and works for some big techno company, don't remember the name but she's doing well. I've occasionally chatted with them" Peyton said.
"Yeah, well thank god for Facebook, being able to track down old friends, some you haven't seen in years. Of course, I don't use Facebook, it's just not my cup of tea" Sam said although that wasn't entirely true, it's just that as hunters they don't want to expose themselves to potential threats by having Facebook pages.
Sam paused a bit as he drank from his glass which was nice wine. "Hey, what about Leo, I mean I always pictured you two staying together after graduation, rooming together and playing house like you said you wanted, what happened with him?" he asked.
Peyton just sighed as she had taken a bite of her meal she was eating and then stopped.
"Yeah, I thought that too, but after college, I went to grad school and he wanted to go pursue his dream and go traveling around the country, even abroad. He finally quit his job and decided to go for it and wanted me to go with him, but I just couldn't since I was still in grad school. It just didn't seem very logical to just take stopped what you're doing and take off like that going around the country living off whatever" she explained as she paused a bit to take a sip of her glass of drink, then went on.
"I guess felt that we were drifting apart after college. We Just seemed too incompatible and we had different ideas on how our future should be like, him always being bit more spontaneous and just live in the now and not worry about the future and there's me who has to look far ahead and make plans for the future on about most things, grad school, where we live you know" she finished as she started eating her dinner again.
"Yeah, I know, you were always the reliable one, plan everything out type and Leo was be impulsive and not worry about the future, kind of like my brother Dean. I just thought that made you two, sort of I guess yin and yang" Sam told her.
"Yeah, you can say that but sometimes, I guess the yang doesn't fit with the yin" Peyton replied.
"I guess, so have you heard from him since?" Sam asked.
Peyton just shook her head. "No, we lost touch but I did find him on Facebook and he's now living in New Mexico, he was in Mexico, South America, Florida which he mentions in his Facebook just basically all over the place, and now he owns a restaurant, not something I expected of him after four years at Stanford but I guess he's happy which is all that matters" she said.
"Yeah, that's what counts" Sam said a bit awkward as if he felt she was talking about him even though he knew she wasn't. Peyton sensed it too because she suddenly looked a bit embarrassed as if she said something offensive.
"Oh, don't get me wrong, this was no way a dig at you, I mean, I know you left Stanford after what happened with Jess, and went traveling around the country with your brother and all and now you said you are running a bar business in Kansas. I guess I'm trying to say I wasn't implying you wasted your life, it's just with Leo it's different that all" she said a bit defensive.
"Hey, no need to explain I totally get it" Sam told her tying to make her feel better.
Peyton however wanted to change the subject quick not wanting to offend Sam anymore.
"Hey, so what about you, have you ever heard from anybody from Stanford?" she asked him.
Sam thought really hard about all their friends from Stanford and wanted to recollect running into anybody after he left and suddenly remembered.
"As a matter of fact, I did run into Becky Warren and her brother Zach when me and Dean were in St. Louis shortly after leaving Stanford" Sam said as remembered him and Dean working on a shapeshifter case where Zach was being framed for killing his girlfriend that the shapeshifter committed but of course he wasn't going to tell Peyton all of that.
"Becky, yes I remember she and her brother were friends of yours, didn't get to know them too well, didn't know she left Stanford" Peyton said.
"Yeah, she did after Zach got into some trouble in St. Louis but the last time we left, he wasn't doing okay, haven't seen or heard from them since" Sam said.
"Oh, what about that old friend of yours, um, Tyson Brady, we all just called him Brady, he was the one that introduced you to Jessica. He was your roommate during freshman year, I recall, and he used to date our friend Marli, until he changed and started doing drugs, that's what Marli told us" Peyton said.
This made Sam recall running into Brady or the demon that took over Brady's body all those years ago working for one of the four horsemen, Pestilence. How he became possessed after returning from the fall break during sophomore year, which is why he had changed, introduced him to Jessica on the demon Azazel's orders having him fall in love with her than was the one that killed her on Azazel's orders.
At least they got to kill Azazel and he got to gank demon Brady himself. He was only sad that Brady had to die in the process but then again it was possible that Brady was already dead. He always felt a bit guilty to what happened to Brady just like he did with Jessica. He was innocent and he got possessed by a demon because he was close to him and all part of some scheme by that S.O.B. Azazel's master to plan to make Sam, one of his special children his little solider but least he was able to avenge Jessica's death and in a way he avenged Brady too.
"No, I haven't seen or heard from Brady since I left Stanford. Just hope he finally got his act together" Sam lied.
"Yeah me too, I mean after what happened to Jess and you took off, he just disappeared too. I feared he became some addict hanging in some alley somewhere" Peyton said.
"I hope not, maybe he turned his life around, wherever he is" Sam said feeling guilty of this lie but it's not like he could tell Peyton the truth.
Peyton just slightly nodded her head a bit. "Yeah, oh, I just remembered another friend of yours, um, Luis, the black guy that sometimes hung around you and Jess, real funny, had a great sense of humor and was so laid back, can't remember his last name, was it Secona or something?" she asked trying hard to remember.
"Sedeno, Luis Sedeno" Sam corrected.
"Yeah, that's right, I think he was originally from South America somewhere" said Peyton.
"His family was originally from Nicaragua, but he grew up in Oakland" Sam explained.
"Yeah, the last time I saw him was at graduation, don't know what happened to him have you seen or heard from him ever?" she asked.
Sam just shook his head. "No, not in years, I haven't seen or caught up with anybody else from Stanford, I'm afraid" he told her.
Peyton just sighed and seemed to be thinking about something than she looked at Sam. "Wow, I'm just sitting here thinking about all our old friends at Stanford just made me realized how they all moved on including you, and I just stayed behind here still at the college, now a teacher" she told him.
"Why did you say behind?" Sam asked just out of curiosity.
Peyton just sighed a bit again and seemed to in thought as if she was trying to think of a reason. "Well, I really don't know, I mean there was grad school, then getting my PH.D., I was a teaching assistant when I was a grad student and now, I'm an assistant professor, and hopefully someday I'll get my tenure here and become an associate professor and then make it to full professor. It'll take time but it's something I really want to do, I love working at Stanford, teaching courses and all and who knows if I really climb the ladder there, I could become a dean there" she told him.
Sam just smiled a bit impressed with her goals. "Well, you always did know what you wanted" he said.
Then Peyton face really looked serious as she glanced at seemingly like she wanted to say something but was reluctant. "You know, Sam I have to ask you something" she replied.
"What do you want to ask me?" Sam asked.
"Well, I just always wondered. Why didn't you ever come back to Stanford and go to law school like you planned? I mean I know you said you left because you were dealing with family issues with your dad and all and that you needed to get away after Jess died but still why give up on your dream for good, what made you do that?" she asked looking serious.
Sam just had an uncomfortable look on his face as he was reluctant to talk about this subject, but he felt it was coming for a while and knew he couldn't avoid it, so he just swallowed a bit and decided to give Peyton a story even though that would require bending the truth just a bit.
"You see, I had a of lot family issues which I won't get into but anyway, me and my brother had to track down our dad and found him, had to resolve a lot of baggage we still had and not too long afterwards, he died" he explained pausing a bit.
"Oh, that's so sad, I'm sorry" Peyton said.
Then Sam coughed a bit and went on. "Well, first losing Jess and then my dad, I just didn't feel up to going back to Stanford, so I decided to hit the road with Dean for while just go on the road the two of us discovering ourselves, just traveling around the country staying cheap motels, fishing, hunting whenever. After a while, that just became a part of my life and we did it for a long time and then went back to Kansas and settled in a small town and now running our business together and that's my life now, I really don't want anything else" he finished still feeling guilty about stretching some of the truth but he wasn't entirely lying since him hunting with Dean is now part of his life now and law school has since become an old dream of the past.
Hunting for them is in a way a business he is doing with his brother and the bunker is become a permanent residence for them now like a real home. Peyton just listened taking it all in and looked a bit touched by it as she just paused a bit after he finished his explanation.
"Well, I guess you did what was right for you even if it meant changing your goals. I know that happens a lot, after a tragedy sometimes people just change their priorities, their outlook and what they want to do with your life, I'm just glad you finally found what you wanted" she told him.
"Thanks" Sam said.
"Hey, but I have to also ask, did you ever meet anybody else after Jessica?" she asked him.
Sam sighed a bit again as he thought about all the other women he was with after Jessica and then Gwen who's he's with now.
"Uh, yeah there were a few but none of them lasted until the woman I'm with now" he said.
"Uh, you are seeing someone now?" Peyton asked again.
Sam just nodded his head, "Yeah, pretty much" he told her.
"Uh, is it serious or just casual?" asked Peyton.
"It's gotten quite serious; I mean we are just taking it slow and all" Sam said.
"Can you tell me who she is, hope I'm not prying too much" said Peyton.
"Oh, no not at all, her name is Gwen, Gwen Niles and she's quite special, amazing even" was all Sam could say thinking about her right there.
"What does she do for a living?" asked Peyton.
"She runs an antique store with her grandmother" Sam explained leaving out the psychic part and her grandmother being a medium or the fact that they live far away in Minnesota.
"Well, I'm glad you were able to find somebody else and hope she makes you happy that's all that matters. I'm sure that's what Jessica would have wanted for us all move on and be happy with our lives" she told him.
Sam just smiled pleased by her words.
"What about you, did you ever find anyone else after Leo?" he asked her.
"I did go out on dates and all but no, I never found the one, not yet at least. And now with my career at Stanford, I guess I haven't made the time" she explained.
"Hey, it's not too late for you, I mean you know there is more to life outside work" Sam told her.
"Yeah, I know that I mean I have my book reading club and have friends some are fellow colleagues of mine, and we do go out and have fun but outside of that I guess I haven't made enough room to meeting someone new, but hopefully maybe there is a Mr. Right out there for me somewhere in the near future" she told him.
"Well, hopefully you'll find him" Sam told her.
Then there was another brief pause as Peyton seem to be in thought and then she glanced at Sam again. "You know Sam, I have to admit I felt a bit guilty today" she told him.
"Guilty about what?" he asked her.
"It' just that I have to admit, I haven't thought about Jessica in years and wouldn't have remembered that tonight was exactly ten years when she died until I saw you yesterday. I mean she was my best friend and all, and I couldn't even remember that. I haven't given Jessica a thought at all until I saw you. She's just a distant memory now. I mean when I went home yesterday, I went through some old photos I still have from Stanford of us. As I looked through every picture of her, I realized I didn't even remember what she was wearing or how she wore hair during that time. Even now, some of that is hazy to me" Peyton explained with a bit of a sad look on her face.
"Hey, it's okay Peyton, I mean I'm the same way. Some of my memories of Jessica is kind of hazy as I can't remember exactly what she was wearing that day or what she said but I still have important memories of her that's all that matters" Sam told her trying to cheer her up.
Peyton just smiled at Sam as he made her feel better a bit. "You know, I do remember her wicked sense of humor, how she brought out the naughty side, encouraging me to be more adventurous and spontaneous. To live for the moment instead of always mapping and planning everything in my life. That was okay to sometimes just be silly, goofy and not so reserved. She even taught me how to dance, I had such two left feet and pushed me to be a bit more daring." she said.
Sam just sighed as he was thinking about all his times with Jessica too.
"Yeah, she was that way with me too, she tried teaching me how to dance when I didn't want to, I was a terrible student. That's our Jess, always pushing those to be more and do more and not always play it safe" he said.
"Yeah, I think we should make toast to her now, that's our tribute to her. To Jessica" said Peyton as she lifted up her glass of drink and held it up and Sam did the same thing as they made a toast.
"To Jess" Sam said.
Afterwards, they just continued with their conversation and finished their dinner laughing and enjoying themselves. After dinner, Sam offered to invite Peyton to a bar for more drinks and continue their tribute to Jessica, but Peyton was tired and just wanted to retire home and finish with her work with homework and grading and all and Sam understood. So, she drove him back to the motel.
"I'm really glad I saw your today Sam especially today of all days, it was great" she told him.
"Me too, Peyton" Sam said.
"Well, if I don't see you again tomorrow, I just want to say take care and have a happy life" she told him.
"The same goes for you Peyton" Sam told her.
They had a brief hug as they stood outside her car and then said their goodbyes again as Peyton got into her car and drove away and Sam went to back to the motel room. When he went inside, he saw a couple of empty beer cans lying around and empty box of pizza and Dean just lying on the bed watching the TV news. Dean looked once he heard Sam come inside.
"Hey, so how did the date with your old college gal pal go?" Dean asked as he sat up.
"It went quite good. We caught up and talked about old times at Stanford, Jessica, our lives and all and it was good. I mean it was good getting to see someone else from Stanford on tonight of all nights" Sam said.
"Yeah, well I'm glad for you there, as me I just had a peachy time, got a couple of drinks at bars then got some more beer and ordered a pizza and all plus, I watched re-runs of a shows I haven't seen in years" Dean told him.
"You know you could've have come with us" Sam told him feeling a bit bad leaving him behind. Dean shook his head a bit.
"Nah, Sam, this was your time catching up with someone you knew way back and going down memory lane. I mean I wouldn't have just felt left out and all plus that's just not my scene" Dean explained.
Sam just sat down on his bed to get a little rest.
"So, Sam do you want to stick with our plan and head out of this place tomorrow or do you want to wait until you hear back from Charlie about that tattoo shape?" Dean asked.
"I still want to find out where I've seen it before we do anything" Sam said.
"So that means staying here a bit longer, I mean what do you want to do when you do find out what it is?" Dean asked again.
"That depends Dean on what it is, I mean I haven't really thought this thing through yet" Sam said.
Just then, they both heard a report on the news that caught their interest. The anchorwoman was talking about finding a body of a missing nineteen-year-old woman whose corpse was found in the buried in a ditch after a dog dug through it. The woman's name was Ahnika Blevins who went missing a week ago although some assumed she just took off. It then showed a photo of her which was a young girl with dyed black hair with blue, purple and pink streaks and had dark clothes and dark lipstick, but Sam quickly noticed that she too had the exact same tattoo that Chloe had on her collarbone.