Another Life Chapter 4/9, Pg-13, Dean, Sam, John, Ruby, OC's
TITLE: Another Life
RATING: PG-13 (Just to be safe)
WORD COUNT: This part: 3320
CHARACTERS: Dean, Sam, John, Ruby, OC's
DISCLAIMER: Don't own them, only playing with them
SUMMARY: What if the boys lives had been switched? What if Dean was gievn a second chance?
A/N: Alt ending to season 3. Possible spoilers up to finale of season 3.
Revelations
Dean wearily somewhat stumbled in through the front door of the apartment, dropping onto the couch with a sigh. The 27 year old was exhausted. He noticed the law books and papers piled on the table.
“Hey babe, how was your day?” Rachel asked him, settling herself at the table, coffee in hand.
“I think, if I had to deal with one more parent rushing their kid to the emergency room because the kid sneezed, I was going to quit before I've even got a career started.” he said as he stood and walked up behind Rachel. “How was your day?”
Rachel rolled her eyes. “It was ok, but if I have to deal with Shawn looking at me like I'm dinner again, I think I may just show him the business end of a shotgun. He's possessed I'm sure of it.” Rachel said as she pulled out the case she was working on for the firm she was working for.
“You could always put holy water in his coffee,” Dean said with a grin.
“Ah ha, Can you imagine what would happen if one of the partners started smoking and sprouting shit about how we're all damned.” she said with a giggle. “Speaking of the weird and wonderful, I found this today.” she said as she pulled a brown file towards her, handing Dean some pages from it. “I think we have a wolf on the prowl.”
“The pattern fits.” Dean mused. “You think we should check it out?”
Rachel shook her head. “Nah, I called dad and he's going to look into it for me. I figured he needed to get out of the easy stuff and back into the challenging stuff again. And besides,” she continued kissing Dean on the neck. “You look like you couldn't handle a puppy, let alone a full grown werewolf.”
“Caleb Banks, out of retirement. Now that's something I should see.” Dean said, his eyes closing as Rachel started to nibble on his ear. “No. I need a shower first,” Dean said as he pulled away from her. “Did you call the caterer?” he asked, the change of topic surprising her.
“You have no faith in me do you? Of course I called the caterer, it's all organised. You and Jake have a final suit fitting tomorrow afternoon, after you get off work, the flowers are organised, Laura and I are decorating the hall on Thursday, a party Thursday night, and then come the weekend, I'm all yours.” she said with a knowing grin. Dean just grinned over his shoulder as he made his way to the bathroom for a shower.
A few hours later Rachel was woken by Dean's phone buzzing in her ear. She groaned as she reached across the bedside table and grabbed it. Dean grunted as she shoved the phone into his hand. “Lo” he mumbled into it, not fully awake yet.
“Dddean,” the shuddering breath coming from the other end of the line fully alerted Dean, who, in a matter of seconds was out of bed and throwing some pants and a shirt on.
“Sam. Sam are you ok?” No answer. “SAM answer me!” Dean practically shouted into the phone. “What happened? Where are you? Are you ok?” Dean was pacing up and down the hallway, Rachel joining him dressed in one of Deans shirts and a pair of sweatpants. She looked out the window noticing an old blue Ford sitting in the parking lot that hadn't been there before.
“Dean,” Sam giggled down the line. “You're making too much noise.”
“I don't care how much noise I'm making, tell me where the hell you are.”
“You'll wake the neighbours. Oops, too late.” Came Sam's giggles down the line, just before someone knocked on the door.
“You're here?” Dean said in surprise. “You stupid, stubborn, pig headed, selfish bastard. You're here and you didn't tell me!” Dean was yelling again.
“Love you Dean, just wanted to see my big brother.” Sam's voice lost the humour, becoming breathy and faint. That was enough, Dean bolted out of the room, Rachel on his heels, taking the stairs 2 and 3 at a time, bashing through the doors, into the parking lot. Dean stopped but Rachel ran past him, towards the Ford. Dean followed, suddenly afraid of what he would see.
“Dean!” Rachel yelled, pulling him from his thoughts. No, no, no, no Dean's thoughts were in time with his racing footsteps. He rounded the front of the car, and there he was. Dean's baby brother, lying in a pool of blood, the phone held limply in his hands, eyes closed. He wasn't moving.
“Sammy.” Dean breathed as he dropped to his knees beside his brother, his hands going to stop the bleeding. Sam groaned at the offending pressure and pain racing through his right side. “That's it Sammy, open your eyes. God, you're a mess kiddo.”
“Dean.” Sam battled to open his eyes, and when they finally opened, he was looking into a pair of jade green ones he knew better than almost anything.
“Hey Sammy, nice of you to stop by for a visit.” Dean said as he ran his hand through Sam's too long hair. The 22 year old was different than Dean remembered. He'd grown up, literally. His 6'4” stature was a good few inched taller than Dean's 6'1. “Although, next time, do you think you could hold off on the bleeding all over the place. Blood is supposed to stay inside the body.” Dean said as he shot a glance at Rachel. She was holding Sam's shirt away from his body, taking stock of his injuries. She shook her head. 'We need to get him upstairs' she mouthed at him as she lowered Sam's shirt.
“You would know.” Sam said with a grunt as the pressure on his side increased.
“Well, I guess you came to the right place then didn't you.” Dean said as he stood. “Come on Sasquatch, lets get you out of here and upstairs.” Dean said as he gently grabbed Sam's left hand, slinging the arm around his shoulder. Sam grunted in pain at the movement. “Dean could smell Sam's breath, as it hitched in pain. “You've been drinking Sammy?” Dean asked in surprise.
“I am of age Dean.” Sam murmured, concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other. Who decided stairs were a good idea. He thought as he felt arms encircle his waist, the sweet smell of perfume invading his senses. “Easy Sam, I've gotcha.” A female voice murmured in his ear, before he felt himself lowered down onto something hard, a hand on his chest to keep him from face planting on the ground. He heard water start to run.
Rachel started the shower, one hand on Sam's chest to keep him from meeting the tiled floor. The kid was a mess, huge gashes ran down his right side, starting at his chest, ending at his hip. He was bleeding all over the floor, and he was almost the colour of the sink. Actually, as Rachel looked at him again, she decided the sink had more colour than Sam's face at the moment. She knelt down in front of Sam, her free hand rummaging in the draw for the scissors she knew were in there. Her hand finally curled around them as Dean came into the bathroom with the first aid kit. It was practically a mini hospital. That was a blessing in disguise, with all the times either she or Dean had been hurt on the various hunts they had been on. Dean held Sam upright while Rachel carefully cut of Sam's shirt, and gently pulled it away from the wounds. Some of it was stuck to the skin with dried blood. She cut around it, leaving it there until it could be soaked off in the shower. She pulled Sam's shoes and socks off, then unbuttoned his jeans, pulling them down as swiftly and as gently as she could. Finally, Sam was sitting on the toilet, clad only in his boxers, and the little bit of material stuck to his wounds. Rachel gently helped Dean lift Sam into a standing position, and lowered him into the shower. Rachel was grateful the shower was a big as it was. Sam could sit on the floor of the shower, and there was still enough room for Dean to squeeze on the other side, between Sam and the wall. Rachel stood, grabbing the shower head, grateful the shower was the same as those at the hospital and could be detached from the wall, allowing the user to manoeuvre the water where it was needed. She let the water soak the stuck pieces of shirt, gently prying them from the blood soaked skin. Dean blanched at the wounds when they were finally fully visible. He wondered how Sam was still alive. He knew, if the gashes were in the other direction, Sam would probably be dead. Gently, Dean cleaned the wounds on his brothers chest and side and Rachel cleaned the blood out of his hair, finding another gash on the back of his head. When the water finally ran clear, Rachel stood, turning the water off and grabbing a couple of towels. Between them, Rachel and Dean managed to manoeuvre Sam to the bed in the guest bedroom, and started to patch him up. This is too familiar Dean thought as he poured holy water over the wound, pleased that it only smoked a little. Then came the hydrogen peroxide. Sam gasped awake when it hit his skin, a flailing hand punching Rachel in the jaw.
“Easy Sammy,” Dean grabbed his siblings hands, forcing Sam to look at him. “It's ok Sammy, you're ok, I'm here, you're going to be ok.” Dean soothed as Sam's eyes lost the wild look, and recognition started to return.
“De..” Sam croaked.
“It's ok Sam, it's me.” Dean said as he let go of Sam's hands and went back to patching him up. Rachel handed him a needle and thread and set about getting the gauze and bandages. “But I'd appreciate it if you didn't hit my fiancée again.” he finished with a grin.
Sam's eyes wandered the room wondering what Dean was talking about, when Rachel walked back into the room, a bottle of water, and some pain killers in her hand. Sam could see the faint outline of a bruise starting to form on the right side of her jaw. “Did I do that?” Sam asked in surprise, as he gratefully took the water and pain killers.
“Don't worry about it Sam. I've had worse.” she said as she sat down beside him.
“All done,” Dean said as he tied off the last stitch, covered the wounds in antiseptic cream, and bandaged them up. “Will you be ok here Sam?” Dean asked as he stood, taking stock of his brother's bruised and banged up body. Sam nodded, a little reluctantly.
“Sam what were you hunting? And please don't tell me you were hunting by yourself.” Dean said as he pulled up a chair and rested his feet on the end of the bed. Sam shot a worried look in the direction of Rachel's back. “She knows Sam. She's a hunter too.” Dean said.
“Not really anymore,” Rachel said as she picked up the towels and put the first aid kit back together. “But I did when I was younger. You went after the werewolf didn't you.” she accused. Sam shrunk a little under her stare.
“Wolves,” Sam said, more to himself than to the two in the room. “Was 2 of them.” He said, almost whispering.
“I'll call dad, tell him to bring backup. Maybe Joshua or Bobby.” She said as she turned and walked from the room.
“Who's her dad?” Sam asked, really confused, and he didn't think it was from the concussion he was sure he had.
“Caleb Banks.” Dean said, his attention back on his patient. “I didn't know until I caught her sneaking out one night, a bag of weapons under her arm.” Dean laughed at the memory. “She looked like a deer caught in the headlights.” Dean paused, his face becoming serious once more. “Why were you hunting alone Sam? Where's dad? Sam!” Dean persisted when Sam didn't answer him right away.
“Looking for a gun.” Sam said quietly.
“You mean the Colt? The one that can kill anything?” Dean asked in surprise.
“Yeah. Some guy called Elkins has it.” Sam said, his eyes slipping shut.
“Had it.” Rachel said as she walked back into the room. She noticed Sam’s eyes starting to slip shut. “You need to stay awake Sam. Dad's going to bring Joshua. Should be done tomorrow night.” She said as she sat down in a chair next to Dean.
“What do you mean Elkins had the gun. Everyone dad's spoken to is sure he has it.” Sam said.
“And he did, until I stole it.” Rachel said, a glint in her blue eyes. Dean and Sam looked shocked. “What? He wasn't doing anything with it, and everyone in the hunting community knew he had it. Everyone in the demonic community too, come to think of it. He was just looking to get himself killed.” She put her hand into the pocket of the jacket she was wearing, pulling out an ancient looking Colt revolver, and sat it on the table. Sam and Dean looked at it in awe.
Sam's eyes started to close. The kid looked exhausted. Dean and Rachel followed him in sleep not long after. A few hours later they woke to Sam screaming. “It's ok Sammy, it's ok.” Dean said softly, rocking his sibling as he had so many times before.
“No it's not Dean. I have something to tell you.” Sam said quietly, the gentle rocking motion helping him feel safe. “I have visions Dean. Death visions, of any of the kids connected to the demon.”
“Whoa, back up a bit. What kids connected to the demon? What are you talking about? Since when have demons been in the picture?” Dean asked in surprise.
Sam drew in a deep breath and told his story. About the nightmares that were coming true, how he'd started having them while he was awake, about the other children. And then, finally, about the demon.
He had just finished his story when he heard a deep laugh behind him. The three in the room spun around, seeing a man standing in the doorway, his eyes flashed a sickly yellow colour. “Well, well, well. Isn't this interesting. Not quite the way I expected it to go, but fun nonetheless.” He said as he moved into the room, pinning everyone against a separate wall. He walked up to Dean. “The good little soldier, walking out on his family. Now I thought it was Sam that was supposed to be the brains of the family. But oh well. You still need your family don't you Dean. I know how it hurt you so much in the first year that you were away. How you wished that someone would call, would stop by. How every time you saw an awkward teenager with brown hair, you hoped that it was Sam.” The demon laughed. “I know how your heart broke when you realised that they weren't coming for you.”
“Shut up you sonofabitch!” Rachel yelled from the opposite wall. She had seen the hurt reflected in Dean's eyes at the words of the demon. “You don't know what you're talking about.”
The demon turned to face her. “Oh don't I? I know how much you missed the hunt you always claimed to hate that you started to hunt here to fill in the void. I know that you missed it so much that you would call daddy and let him know when you'd found a new hunt, just so you felt like you were still connected. Oh by the way, I had him killed. Dear old daddy had his throat slashed. My lovely little daughter watched him bleed to death. The same way she watched Jim Murphy choke on his own blood.” The demons laughter rang out, cold and heartless, as he watched the woman in front of him deflate before his eyes.
“But, I, I spoke to him, a few hours ago.” Rachel said, disbelief and grief filling her words.
“No, actually, you didn't, that was a shape shifter I called in.” More demonic laughter. Then suddenly the door opened, and in walked two more demons, carrying an unconscious John Winchester with them. “Ah, the gangs all here.” The demon said as he moved over to Sam. “Ah Sammy, my favourite.” He noticed Sam's eyes flick over to John. “He's not dead Sammy, not yet. Can't have him ruining my plans.”
“Plans for what?” Sam asked, his hatred burning through his hazel eyes.
“My plans for you Sammy. You, and all the children like you.” The demon actually looked thoughtful for a second before turning back to Rachel. “Now, we just need to get rid of some players that I have no use for anymore.” He said as Rachel began to scream. Blood started staining the front of her shirt. The demon was ripping her open from the inside out. Blood came running out of her mouth as her breathing started to get shallower. Suddenly everything stopped ad the Colt was suddenly floating in the air. “Ah, psychic boy.” The demon said as he turned, once again facing Sam. “You can't kill me with that. Not if you want your brothers world to keep spinning.” Sam didn't say anything, but the Colt turned and suddenly 2 shots were fired. The two demons keeping guard over John were dead. The yellow-eyed demon screamed in rage and suddenly Rachel's unconscious body started to float up the wall, toward the ceiling. Dean and Sam were powerless to stop it, both being held up against the wall. Rachel's body moved across the ceiling, until she was in the middle. The demon seemed to be enjoying it way too much. He stood for a minute, contemplating in the same way an artist contemplates his next move on a piece of art. He pointed his fingers, twisting Rachel's arms and legs to get her in the position he wanted. Then he slashed open her stomach. She screamed, the noise breaking Dean's heart. He yelled and screamed at the Demon, but that only served to make the bastards grin wider. “Now you know what happened to mommy.” The demon smirked, as he pointed once again at the ceiling. Dean knew what was coming, he remembered the fire that took his mothers life.
It never came. Instead a shot reverberated around the room, the demon dropping dead on the floor. John Winchester holding the still smoking Colt in his hands. “I don't think so.” He noticed out of the corner of his eye, his eldest dive like he was making a run for home base in baseball, catching Rachel in his arms.
Dean rolled Rachel over, brushing her hair from her face. “Rachel, open your eyes. Come on baby, don't do this, not now. Please, Rachel, wake up.” Dean sobbed tears running down his face.
Suddenly, the air cracked with a new electricity, and there in the doorway, were two new people. A dark headed man, and a blonde headed woman. The woman's eyes flashed black as she stepped forward. “I'm Ruby.” She said as she flicked her hand and the gun came flying towards her. “And it seems, Dean, you have a decision to make.”
Chapter 5 here: http://bubbles759.livejournal.com/27390.html