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phantismaandom: Supernatural, Keeper!Verse
Title: Lessons Learned, Part 3 (All Keeper Verse Here)
Rating: PG-13 (for this partl)
Word Count: 19,000 (total)
Pairings/Characters: Sam/Dean (long term established wincest), John, Dana (Dean's daughter), Scott (OMC), OCs
Summary: Scott struggles with his feelings for Dana and his need to hold on to normal. Sam visits the people Dana saw the day of the attack, including the physics professor.
A/Ns & Warnings: This story pics up shortly after Finally Home. There are five parts, complete. I will be posting the last two parts in a somewhat scattered pattern over the next few days. There is some angst and some schloomp and Dana learning a few lessons, and a little bit of sex and a whole lot of schloomp at the end. As ever in Keeper!verse, thanks go to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
shotofjack for the beta of awesome and for keeping me sane. *loves*
Scott watched as police scoured the grove. They’d already questioned him about the attack, what he saw. It felt strange, talking to them, but Sam said to be as honest as he could, so he was.
He stood in a small group of students, looking at the place where Dana had hit the ground. He couldn’t close his eyes without seeing it. Without seeing her. Without hearing her screaming his name.
He’d been to the hospital, but she wasn’t talking and barely looked at him. He’d left because it hurt to see her like that. She was Dana Winchester. Invincible. Untouchable.
He had to admit, he’d treated her pretty badly since his return to Lawrence, partly because he thought of her that way, unbreakable. Sure, part of it was rebellion too. After all, he was pretty screwed if she didn’t want him. He would be stuck. Sam would own him until Sam died…and then…Scott didn’t really want to think about that.
Although he was still having trouble with the entire concept. There were laws for shit like this. Or there should be. No body, no matter what special gifts they have should have the right to just claim a person for their own. It was fucked up.
Not that anything with the Winchesters had ever been normal. And, if he was honest, that was part of his attraction to Dana. She wasn’t like anyone else. She was strong willed and intelligent, beautiful, talented. And, okay, so she could move stuff with her mind and read people’s thoughts…and who knew what else…but she was pretty damn special.
More than once he’d thought she could be the one. The one he could spend his life with. And that probably had something to do with how hard he’d been pushing her away too. It was terrifying to think like that.
Then there was the party-girl she’d turned into after he left.
He was stung by the fact that she had thrown herself into the idea of seeing other people…while he sort of hadn’t meant it and got screwed up by it…and maybe in the back of his mind he still thought of her as his…so seeing her like that had freaked him out. More than a little.
Now though…he wanted nothing more than to hold her and make it okay for her. He couldn’t fathom what it was like, to be suddenly without those gifts that were like second nature for her. She was terrified. He could see it in her eyes, and that scared him. He didn’t ever remember seeing Dana scared.
Not even with the whole zombie prom thing.
Scott turned and headed for his dorm. He didn’t need to watch to know that the only thing the police would find was Dana’s blood on the ground. There was a note on his door when he got there, scribbled in Sam’s handwriting.
Nothing like being summoned by your owner.
Sam looked down at Dana’s schedule, then up at the math building. So far he had spoken to two of her professors and a handful of students, including her partner for her research project, Joey Malroney. He had truthfully been Sam’s first suspect when he’d scanned her mind for a basic understanding of where she’d been and what she’d been doing before the attack.
After meeting the guy though, Sam was convinced he was still in the library when it happened. The kid was carrying a double course load and spent more time in the library than he did his dorm room.
Which brought him here. Professor George Jacobs. He was new to the school, brought in to replace Anita Lasken, who had a serious car accident over the Christmas break.
He had scared Dana. Sam hadn’t pried out all the details. Not without her permission. He only had a few scattered thoughts and a sense of anxiety.
As Sam entered the building, he scanned it, felt the sink of another adept camouflaging his presence and turned down the hall. He stopped at the office door. Sam adjusted his shielding, but didn’t hide his presence, then knocked on the door.
“It’s open.”
He entered the room, his eyes drawn instantly to the Professor, assessing him against what he knew of the attack. He was the right basic body size and shape.
Professor Jacobs looked up. “Can I help you?”
Sam offered a brief smile. “I’m Sam Winchester.”
“Ah yes, I was wondering how long it would take.”
“Excuse me?”
Jacobs folded his hands. “I scared her, right? And she went running to you to come ‘talk’ to me.”
“Well, you did upset her, but she didn’t come running. She’s not that kind of girl.”
“Could have fooled me.” Jacobs pushed his chair back, gesturing to a chair for Sam to sit. “She’s spoiled, undisciplined and I got the distinct impression that she’s never had to work for anything.”
Sam sat, still trying to get a handle on the guy. He was obviously very skilled, strong. “She is spoiled. I’m afraid that’s my fault.”
“I assure you, Mr. Winchester, in my class Dana will have to work for her grade. I won’t allow her to skate by. Not with the kind of skills she possesses. She deserves better.”
Despite himself, Sam was inclined to like the guy. “I have to ask where you were trained. If I’m going to let her have contact with you.”
Jacobs raised an eyebrow. “My grandmother, actually.” His eyes narrowed. “You’re fishing for something.”
Sam considered, then figured he might as well go for broke. “Dana was assaulted last night. The man who did it used magic to disable her.”
“And you think I did it?”
Sam looked him in the eye. To his surprise, Jacobs thinned his defenses and offered himself to Sam. He showed Sam the interchange with Dana, his next class, his meeting with his dean, and his return home to his wife and daughter.
“I have nothing to hide, Mr. Winchester.”
Sam nodded. “You do a good job of hiding, for someone who has nothing to hide.”
Jacobs buttoned up his defenses again, nodding. “When I was Dana’s age, my grandmother died. I had a period where I bucked all the rules she had enforced, where I played and did things I’m not proud of. I attracted a lot of unwanted attention. It took me years to get clear of it. Now, I keep things locked down. It’s just easier.”
Sam stood. “I guess I understand that. Thank you for your time. I need to get home to Dana.”
“I hope she’s okay.”
“She will be.” He held out his hand and shook Jacobs’. “It was nice to meet you.”
Sam left the building and sighed. His two primary suspects had turned out to be a bust. That left him back at ground zero. It could be anybody.
Dana had been forced to concede that this was real. That this wasn’t some elaborate illusion. Her father had carried her upstairs to her room, settled her into her bed. The familiar space should have been comforting. It wasn’t.
“You hungry?” he asked as he finished putting stuff within reach; a pile of books, her laptop, the remote for the television.
She shook her head, then remembered how dizzy it made her. She closed her eyes and gripped the bed with her left hand. “Not really,” she said as the wave passed. “Still queasy from the pain pills.”
He nodded and sat gently on the end of the bed. “I know this has to be hard. But we’re all here for you.”
“I know, Daddy. I know.” She took a deep breath. “I’m sorry I was so…difficult.”
“Don’t be. You’re scared. So were we.” His hand was warm on her leg. “Are your eyes better?”
“Some. You aren’t blurry anymore.” She adjusted her position, shuffling pillows behind her. “Hearing is almost normal.”
“What about the rest?” He looked so concerned.
She blinked. Swallowed. “Nothing.” Her voice was small, quiet. “What if…what if it never comes back?”
Dana couldn’t look at him. It was too terrifying. Too heavy.
“It will, honey. Just give it time.”
Time. Wait. Patience. She sighed. “I feel so…vulnerable. Alone.” She closed her eyes. She hadn’t meant to say that. His hand tightened on her calf. “I know I’m not. But I feel it. I should be able to lie here in this bed and know who’s in the house. And I can’t.”
Just like she hadn’t felt Professor Jacobs. Just like she hadn’t felt the guy who attacked her.
“Your Papa is downstairs, and I’m right here. Sam’s on his way home. Scott’s coming for dinner.”
She knew he was trying to help, and she didn’t have the heart to tell him that it only made her feel worse. “Scott…if he hadn’t…” She swallowed and grabbed her father’s hand. “If he hadn’t come for me…that guy would have…he was trying to…” She shivered, remembering how she knew what he was doing, and couldn’t feel it, couldn’t stop him.
“Shh…honey, I know. I know.” He moved forward, folded his arms around her. “Scott chased him away. You’re okay.”
She wasn’t okay. She knew it. She held him as tight as she could. It was the only way to feel him…the strong, center of him that always held her safe. She needed to feel it, to feel him…because she felt like she’d never be safe again.
“So, you’re saying we’ve got nothing?” Dean asked as Sam popped the top on a beer and leaned against the counter.
Sam made a face, but nodded. “Pretty much.” He took a long drink. “Whoever this guy is, he’s good. There’s no trail, no evidence. Nothing.”
“And the professor guy was clean?”
Sam sighed. “I don’t know that I’d say clean, but it wasn’t him. We should keep an eye on him, but I don’t think he did this.”
Dean shooed him out of the way so he could pour the sauce into a bowl. “Why don’t you bring her down. I’ll finish this.” He kissed Sam briefly. He fought the urge to throw the pot of sauce against the wall. Somewhere out there was a man who hurt his little girl. And even Sam couldn’t find him.
The frustration was building, adding to his desperate need for sleep and his fear. He could hear his father talking, assumed Scott had shown up. Dean took a deep breath and sucked it all back inside. He would put on a good face for Dana. He could fall apart later.
Sam knew how close Dean was to breaking, knew that Dana was only barely holding on. It was going to be a long night in the Winchester house. He knocked on her door and waited for her shaky voice to call him in.
She looked better than she had in the hospital, but that was as much to do with being in her own clothes and in her own room as it did with any improvement in her condition.
“Your dad made Sp’etti.” Sam said with a grin.
She smiled wanly. “Sp’etti fixes everything.” Of course, it hadn’t fixed everything since she was five, but it was the go-to dish whenever comfort was needed.
“How you doing?”
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I don’t know.”
“Fair enough.” He slipped into the room. “You don’t have to come down. You can stay, I’ll bring you a tray.”
She made a face and licked her lips. “I can’t hide forever.”
“Not forever. Just…until you’re feeling stronger.”
“What if I don’t. I mean, ever?” She didn’t look up at him. “What if this is how I am now? What if…” Her voice trailed off, and she blinked at the tears in her eyes.
Sam came to sit on the bed. “Then you’ll adjust. We all will.”
“Are you…in here?” She gestured vaguely at her head. “I mean…I can’t tell…and I know you must be scared too…”
He shook his head lightly. “No, Dana. I’m not. Never without your permission.”
She nodded slightly. “I just…it’s weird. Not knowing.”
“I imagine it is.” He wanted to be able to comfort her, to wrap her up in his thoughts and hold her like he always had, but he couldn’t. “I could…maybe help take the edge off, if you wanted.”
She stiffened and he knew it was too soon. “How about dinner then? You up to it?”
“Sp’etti fixes everything,” she repeated.
“Sp’etti it is then.”
John’s cell phone rang as they were finishing a quiet dinner and he excused himself into the living room to take the call. He had a few friends on the local police force and he’d called in more than a few favors.
“Paul, whatcha got?” He paced, listening to the recounting of a familiar story. Two girls in Witchita, another in Kansas City. No suspects. No evidence. One of them survived, but she was in a catatonic state, unresponsive. All over the last year.
John felt his stomach tighten. “Thanks Paul. I’ll get back to you if I find anything.”
This fuckwad was due some serious justice.
He went back to the dining room and sat back down. He felt their eyes and looked up, at Dana first, then Dean and Sam. “Nothing. Just more of the same.”
Dana sighed and seemed to sag in her seat. She seemed so frail and broken. “Scott, take Dana upstairs.” John said in a tone that left no room for argument. Scott nodded and pushed his chair back, before helping Dana out of hers and supporting her to the stairs.
John waited until they were behind the bedroom door. “Paul found three similar cases. Two in Wichita, the other in Kansas City.”
“Any suspects?” Dean asked.
John shook his head. “They hadn’t even related the cases until Paul started snooping. The two in Wichita died. The girl in Kansas City was first. She’s catatonic. Hasn’t spoken since it happened.”
“So now what?” Dean asked.
Sam took a deep breath. “Now, you go to bed. Let Dad and I do some hunting.”
“Like hell.” Dean stood, grabbing at dirty plates.
“I agree with Sam. You need sleep.” John said.
“Like hell.” Dean repeated. “In case the two of you have forgotten, that’s my little girl.”
Sam stood, took the plates out of his hand. “In case you’ve forgotten, you’re her father, and she needs you. If you fall apart because you’re not taking care of yourself, how are you going to take care of her?”
John watched them, watched Sam shift from words to thoughts, and watched Dean give in. Sam folded his arms around him then looked at John. “Give me a few minutes. I have an idea.”
Sam watched Dean pace the room for a few minutes. “Please?” he finally said and Dean sat on his side of the bed.
“If I let you put me under, and Dana needs me…”
“I’m going to ask Scott to stay until we get back. We won’t be gone long.” Sam pushed off the dresser. “It’s better than the pills.”
“Until the hangover.”
Sam smiled. “My touch is softer than Dana’s. I promise.”
Dean kicked off his shoes and stood to strip down to his boxers. Sam knew he was exhausted, but he also knew that the nightmares would wake him an hour or so later if he let him go to sleep without the help. At least this way Sam could hold the dreams off for a few hours.
It was a temporary fix.
Dean laid down and closed his eyes, then lifted his head and opened them again. “Come on. Get on with it.”
Relax.
Sam sat on his side of the bed, then laid out beside Dean, their bodies only inches apart. Dean was far from relaxed, his body tense and tight. His mind, normally a fairly orderly place, was filled with random thoughts and images. Sam brushed against his thoughts in warning, then slipped in. For the first few minutes they just lay together, then Sam started pushing thoughts back behind barriers, creating a space of calm.
He shored up the temporary walls. Dean’s body was slowly settling, his muscles loosening, his breathing slowing. That’s it. Good.
There was another barrage of images, a wave of terror. Sam deflected them, walled them up. They were going to have to deal with that soon. Whether Dean wanted to or not.
I’m going to take you down now, don’t fight.
He pressed against Dean’s settling consciousness, gently guiding him into a soft, dark place. He felt it when Dean slipped into sleep and slowly pulled himself out. He waited, watched, made sure Dean was really asleep before kissing him lightly on the forehead, then standing and heading down the hall to Dana’s room.
He knocked and opened the door. Scott gestured for quiet. Sam nodded and beckoned him with a finger. Once he was in the hall, Sam pulled the door shut and looked at him. “I was hoping I could ask a favor.”
Scott frowned a little. “Of course.”
“I need you to stay here for a few hours and keep and eye on Dana and Dean. John and I are going to do a little hunting.”
“You want me to keep an eye on Dean?”
“Mostly so that he doesn’t try to come after us. He’s asleep right now, but he hasn’t been sleeping well, and he might wake up.”
“Like I’m going to stop him?” Scott shook his head. “I’ll stay, but no promises.”
Sam chuckled. “Call me if you need anything, or if Dean gets obnoxious.”
“Your note said you wanted to talk.”
Sam patted his shoulder. “I do, and we will. I just need to do this first.” He left Sam and headed down the stairs. “You ready?”
John nodded. “What’s this idea?” he asked as they headed out, climbing into Sam’s SUV.
“Something tells me this guy is hunting. I’m guessing he’s hunting the campus.”
“So you want to hunt him where he’s hunting?”
“Something like that. If I’m close enough, I can sense the spell. Even if all we do is prevent him from hurting someone else…” His voice trailed off as they neared the campus. The school had taken the attack pretty seriously, and it was easy to pick out the extra security. Sam’s eyes scanned the parking lot, spotting the ’72 Impala that Dean had spent a year restoring to give to Dana for her 19th birthday.
It was shiny and black, with hand crafted purple leather inside. It would be a while now before she was driving it again. A broken wrist on her shifting hand would make it difficult at best. Sam pulled in and parked.
“He’s finding them here. Picking them. Following them.”
“And when they’re alone, he hits them.” John finished, his eyes scanning the dorm in front of them. “From the list of girls he’s hit so far, he likes dark hair, athletes.”
Sam nodded. “He’s going to be young, maybe college age himself. And he won’t stand out, but he’ll be where everyone can see him.”
John snorted. “I think that describes half the boys on campus, Sammy.”
Dana tossed, trapped in a dream that was half nightmare, half memory. Demons surrounded her, creatures she’d fought and defeated, all come back to take advantage of her weakened state. And in the middle of them was him.
All dark and shadow, a vague form that moved toward her. She shrank back, but he kept coming, moving closer and closer until he was there, in her face, on top of her…and the dark shifted just enough to see his face.
She sat up, sweating and shaking. Professor Jacobs.
“Dana?”
She turned, half expecting Jacobs to slink out of the shadows…but it was Scott’s face, not her professor’s. “You okay?”
She nodded distractedly. “Dream. Demons and…” She let her voice trail off, wiping a shaky hand over her face. “What are you doing here?”
“Keeping an eye on you. Sam asked.”
“You…” She shook her head. “Never mind.”
“What?” Scott moved closer, sat on the bed.
“I just wanted to say thank you. You know? For coming to find me.”
“You were screaming. I was scared.”
“That’s twice.” She ran a hand through her hair. “I must be a mess.”
Scott smiled. “You are beautiful.”
She could feel the blush creeping up her cheeks. “You’re just saying that.”
“Only because it’s true.”
They were quiet for a minute. “Probably not the right time to say this.” Dana offered. “But…I liked talking to you….like that. Before…I miss you.”
Scott stiffened a little, turned away. “I miss you too, Dana. Every day.”
She let her let hand snake across the blanket to where his hand lay. She covered his with her own. “I want…I want to go back. I want you back.”
Scott sighed and still didn’t look at her. “I don’t know if we can, go back, Dana. So much has happened.”
“I don’t care what has happened, I love you.”
“Sometimes love isn’t enough.” Scott responded, pulling his hand away.
Dana’s heart sank. “Sometimes love is all there is.” Maybe he really didn’t love her anymore. Maybe their time apart had given him time to see his life without her as a good thing. Maybe he’d finally decided she was just too much of a freak. “Is it…because of my powers? Because I might not….I might be…normal now.”
Scott stood and paced away. “No, Dana. No. I love you the way you are, power or not. It isn’t that.”
Dana sighed. She hated not being able to at least read the surface of what he was feeling. She hadn’t realized how much she relied on her gifts for something so simple as having a conversation. Or walking. Or anything else she couldn’t seem to do right anymore.
“What is it then? Is it me? Is it because of seeing me with other guys?”
Scott shook his head. “Maybe it’s about me, and because I saw someone while I was in California…”
There were tears in her eyes when she looked up. “You did?” She had no right to cry, no right to the stab of jealousy in her gut. Not after Travis and the others. “Was she…I mean…did she…”
“I’m not going to talk about her, Dana. It’s enough that you know now. And I know that you saw guys while I was with her. We’re even.”
“It isn’t about being even, Scott.” Dana pushed the blanket off her and stood, a little wobbly, but upright. She limped over to him. “I dated, okay? And I liked it. But it made me realize that I only liked it, but I love you.” She took his hands and held them. “I love you. And I don’t care about some girl at Stanford. I care about you.”
“I just don’t know Dana.” He sighed explosively and paced away again. There was something more. Something he wasn’t saying.
“Whatever it is, we can get through it. You only have to look at my Dad and Sam and know that with love you can survive anything.” She sank down onto the bed, watching him pace. So maybe it was a chick flick sentiment, but it was true. “If they could overcome the things between them, and still come out so madly in love, the odds are in our favor.” Nothing they’d been through could compare to what Sam and her father had to get through to be together.
Scott had stopped pacing. She looked up. “I know better than to ask about Sam.” Scott said, squinting in her direction. “But, I don’t think he’s had to deal with this.”
Dana snorted, crossing her arms. “No, his was way worse.” She fought the yawn, but lost. The pain pills still in her system didn’t care if a dream had scared her awake. “Just know that we can make it work, Scott. That I want to make it work. Okay?”
He nodded, then gestured to the bed. “You should get more sleep.”
“Yeah, I know. Sit with me?”
Scott’s smile warmed her. “Of course.”
Dana climbed back into the bed and let Scott sooth the blankets over her. “Good night.” He kissed her forehead, and for the moment, Dana was content.
Title: Lessons Learned, Part 3 (All Keeper Verse Here)
Rating: PG-13 (for this partl)
Word Count: 19,000 (total)
Pairings/Characters: Sam/Dean (long term established wincest), John, Dana (Dean's daughter), Scott (OMC), OCs
Summary: Scott struggles with his feelings for Dana and his need to hold on to normal. Sam visits the people Dana saw the day of the attack, including the physics professor.
A/Ns & Warnings: This story pics up shortly after Finally Home. There are five parts, complete. I will be posting the last two parts in a somewhat scattered pattern over the next few days. There is some angst and some schloomp and Dana learning a few lessons, and a little bit of sex and a whole lot of schloomp at the end. As ever in Keeper!verse, thanks go to
shotofjack for the beta of awesome and for keeping me sane. *loves*Scott watched as police scoured the grove. They’d already questioned him about the attack, what he saw. It felt strange, talking to them, but Sam said to be as honest as he could, so he was.
He stood in a small group of students, looking at the place where Dana had hit the ground. He couldn’t close his eyes without seeing it. Without seeing her. Without hearing her screaming his name.
He’d been to the hospital, but she wasn’t talking and barely looked at him. He’d left because it hurt to see her like that. She was Dana Winchester. Invincible. Untouchable.
He had to admit, he’d treated her pretty badly since his return to Lawrence, partly because he thought of her that way, unbreakable. Sure, part of it was rebellion too. After all, he was pretty screwed if she didn’t want him. He would be stuck. Sam would own him until Sam died…and then…Scott didn’t really want to think about that.
Although he was still having trouble with the entire concept. There were laws for shit like this. Or there should be. No body, no matter what special gifts they have should have the right to just claim a person for their own. It was fucked up.
Not that anything with the Winchesters had ever been normal. And, if he was honest, that was part of his attraction to Dana. She wasn’t like anyone else. She was strong willed and intelligent, beautiful, talented. And, okay, so she could move stuff with her mind and read people’s thoughts…and who knew what else…but she was pretty damn special.
More than once he’d thought she could be the one. The one he could spend his life with. And that probably had something to do with how hard he’d been pushing her away too. It was terrifying to think like that.
Then there was the party-girl she’d turned into after he left.
He was stung by the fact that she had thrown herself into the idea of seeing other people…while he sort of hadn’t meant it and got screwed up by it…and maybe in the back of his mind he still thought of her as his…so seeing her like that had freaked him out. More than a little.
Now though…he wanted nothing more than to hold her and make it okay for her. He couldn’t fathom what it was like, to be suddenly without those gifts that were like second nature for her. She was terrified. He could see it in her eyes, and that scared him. He didn’t ever remember seeing Dana scared.
Not even with the whole zombie prom thing.
Scott turned and headed for his dorm. He didn’t need to watch to know that the only thing the police would find was Dana’s blood on the ground. There was a note on his door when he got there, scribbled in Sam’s handwriting.
Scott,.
Dana’s gone home with Dean and Dad. Dinner’s at 7. I’d like to talk to you.
Sam
Nothing like being summoned by your owner.
Sam looked down at Dana’s schedule, then up at the math building. So far he had spoken to two of her professors and a handful of students, including her partner for her research project, Joey Malroney. He had truthfully been Sam’s first suspect when he’d scanned her mind for a basic understanding of where she’d been and what she’d been doing before the attack.
After meeting the guy though, Sam was convinced he was still in the library when it happened. The kid was carrying a double course load and spent more time in the library than he did his dorm room.
Which brought him here. Professor George Jacobs. He was new to the school, brought in to replace Anita Lasken, who had a serious car accident over the Christmas break.
He had scared Dana. Sam hadn’t pried out all the details. Not without her permission. He only had a few scattered thoughts and a sense of anxiety.
As Sam entered the building, he scanned it, felt the sink of another adept camouflaging his presence and turned down the hall. He stopped at the office door. Sam adjusted his shielding, but didn’t hide his presence, then knocked on the door.
“It’s open.”
He entered the room, his eyes drawn instantly to the Professor, assessing him against what he knew of the attack. He was the right basic body size and shape.
Professor Jacobs looked up. “Can I help you?”
Sam offered a brief smile. “I’m Sam Winchester.”
“Ah yes, I was wondering how long it would take.”
“Excuse me?”
Jacobs folded his hands. “I scared her, right? And she went running to you to come ‘talk’ to me.”
“Well, you did upset her, but she didn’t come running. She’s not that kind of girl.”
“Could have fooled me.” Jacobs pushed his chair back, gesturing to a chair for Sam to sit. “She’s spoiled, undisciplined and I got the distinct impression that she’s never had to work for anything.”
Sam sat, still trying to get a handle on the guy. He was obviously very skilled, strong. “She is spoiled. I’m afraid that’s my fault.”
“I assure you, Mr. Winchester, in my class Dana will have to work for her grade. I won’t allow her to skate by. Not with the kind of skills she possesses. She deserves better.”
Despite himself, Sam was inclined to like the guy. “I have to ask where you were trained. If I’m going to let her have contact with you.”
Jacobs raised an eyebrow. “My grandmother, actually.” His eyes narrowed. “You’re fishing for something.”
Sam considered, then figured he might as well go for broke. “Dana was assaulted last night. The man who did it used magic to disable her.”
“And you think I did it?”
Sam looked him in the eye. To his surprise, Jacobs thinned his defenses and offered himself to Sam. He showed Sam the interchange with Dana, his next class, his meeting with his dean, and his return home to his wife and daughter.
“I have nothing to hide, Mr. Winchester.”
Sam nodded. “You do a good job of hiding, for someone who has nothing to hide.”
Jacobs buttoned up his defenses again, nodding. “When I was Dana’s age, my grandmother died. I had a period where I bucked all the rules she had enforced, where I played and did things I’m not proud of. I attracted a lot of unwanted attention. It took me years to get clear of it. Now, I keep things locked down. It’s just easier.”
Sam stood. “I guess I understand that. Thank you for your time. I need to get home to Dana.”
“I hope she’s okay.”
“She will be.” He held out his hand and shook Jacobs’. “It was nice to meet you.”
Sam left the building and sighed. His two primary suspects had turned out to be a bust. That left him back at ground zero. It could be anybody.
Dana had been forced to concede that this was real. That this wasn’t some elaborate illusion. Her father had carried her upstairs to her room, settled her into her bed. The familiar space should have been comforting. It wasn’t.
“You hungry?” he asked as he finished putting stuff within reach; a pile of books, her laptop, the remote for the television.
She shook her head, then remembered how dizzy it made her. She closed her eyes and gripped the bed with her left hand. “Not really,” she said as the wave passed. “Still queasy from the pain pills.”
He nodded and sat gently on the end of the bed. “I know this has to be hard. But we’re all here for you.”
“I know, Daddy. I know.” She took a deep breath. “I’m sorry I was so…difficult.”
“Don’t be. You’re scared. So were we.” His hand was warm on her leg. “Are your eyes better?”
“Some. You aren’t blurry anymore.” She adjusted her position, shuffling pillows behind her. “Hearing is almost normal.”
“What about the rest?” He looked so concerned.
She blinked. Swallowed. “Nothing.” Her voice was small, quiet. “What if…what if it never comes back?”
Dana couldn’t look at him. It was too terrifying. Too heavy.
“It will, honey. Just give it time.”
Time. Wait. Patience. She sighed. “I feel so…vulnerable. Alone.” She closed her eyes. She hadn’t meant to say that. His hand tightened on her calf. “I know I’m not. But I feel it. I should be able to lie here in this bed and know who’s in the house. And I can’t.”
Just like she hadn’t felt Professor Jacobs. Just like she hadn’t felt the guy who attacked her.
“Your Papa is downstairs, and I’m right here. Sam’s on his way home. Scott’s coming for dinner.”
She knew he was trying to help, and she didn’t have the heart to tell him that it only made her feel worse. “Scott…if he hadn’t…” She swallowed and grabbed her father’s hand. “If he hadn’t come for me…that guy would have…he was trying to…” She shivered, remembering how she knew what he was doing, and couldn’t feel it, couldn’t stop him.
“Shh…honey, I know. I know.” He moved forward, folded his arms around her. “Scott chased him away. You’re okay.”
She wasn’t okay. She knew it. She held him as tight as she could. It was the only way to feel him…the strong, center of him that always held her safe. She needed to feel it, to feel him…because she felt like she’d never be safe again.
“So, you’re saying we’ve got nothing?” Dean asked as Sam popped the top on a beer and leaned against the counter.
Sam made a face, but nodded. “Pretty much.” He took a long drink. “Whoever this guy is, he’s good. There’s no trail, no evidence. Nothing.”
“And the professor guy was clean?”
Sam sighed. “I don’t know that I’d say clean, but it wasn’t him. We should keep an eye on him, but I don’t think he did this.”
Dean shooed him out of the way so he could pour the sauce into a bowl. “Why don’t you bring her down. I’ll finish this.” He kissed Sam briefly. He fought the urge to throw the pot of sauce against the wall. Somewhere out there was a man who hurt his little girl. And even Sam couldn’t find him.
The frustration was building, adding to his desperate need for sleep and his fear. He could hear his father talking, assumed Scott had shown up. Dean took a deep breath and sucked it all back inside. He would put on a good face for Dana. He could fall apart later.
Sam knew how close Dean was to breaking, knew that Dana was only barely holding on. It was going to be a long night in the Winchester house. He knocked on her door and waited for her shaky voice to call him in.
She looked better than she had in the hospital, but that was as much to do with being in her own clothes and in her own room as it did with any improvement in her condition.
“Your dad made Sp’etti.” Sam said with a grin.
She smiled wanly. “Sp’etti fixes everything.” Of course, it hadn’t fixed everything since she was five, but it was the go-to dish whenever comfort was needed.
“How you doing?”
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I don’t know.”
“Fair enough.” He slipped into the room. “You don’t have to come down. You can stay, I’ll bring you a tray.”
She made a face and licked her lips. “I can’t hide forever.”
“Not forever. Just…until you’re feeling stronger.”
“What if I don’t. I mean, ever?” She didn’t look up at him. “What if this is how I am now? What if…” Her voice trailed off, and she blinked at the tears in her eyes.
Sam came to sit on the bed. “Then you’ll adjust. We all will.”
“Are you…in here?” She gestured vaguely at her head. “I mean…I can’t tell…and I know you must be scared too…”
He shook his head lightly. “No, Dana. I’m not. Never without your permission.”
She nodded slightly. “I just…it’s weird. Not knowing.”
“I imagine it is.” He wanted to be able to comfort her, to wrap her up in his thoughts and hold her like he always had, but he couldn’t. “I could…maybe help take the edge off, if you wanted.”
She stiffened and he knew it was too soon. “How about dinner then? You up to it?”
“Sp’etti fixes everything,” she repeated.
“Sp’etti it is then.”
John’s cell phone rang as they were finishing a quiet dinner and he excused himself into the living room to take the call. He had a few friends on the local police force and he’d called in more than a few favors.
“Paul, whatcha got?” He paced, listening to the recounting of a familiar story. Two girls in Witchita, another in Kansas City. No suspects. No evidence. One of them survived, but she was in a catatonic state, unresponsive. All over the last year.
John felt his stomach tighten. “Thanks Paul. I’ll get back to you if I find anything.”
This fuckwad was due some serious justice.
He went back to the dining room and sat back down. He felt their eyes and looked up, at Dana first, then Dean and Sam. “Nothing. Just more of the same.”
Dana sighed and seemed to sag in her seat. She seemed so frail and broken. “Scott, take Dana upstairs.” John said in a tone that left no room for argument. Scott nodded and pushed his chair back, before helping Dana out of hers and supporting her to the stairs.
John waited until they were behind the bedroom door. “Paul found three similar cases. Two in Wichita, the other in Kansas City.”
“Any suspects?” Dean asked.
John shook his head. “They hadn’t even related the cases until Paul started snooping. The two in Wichita died. The girl in Kansas City was first. She’s catatonic. Hasn’t spoken since it happened.”
“So now what?” Dean asked.
Sam took a deep breath. “Now, you go to bed. Let Dad and I do some hunting.”
“Like hell.” Dean stood, grabbing at dirty plates.
“I agree with Sam. You need sleep.” John said.
“Like hell.” Dean repeated. “In case the two of you have forgotten, that’s my little girl.”
Sam stood, took the plates out of his hand. “In case you’ve forgotten, you’re her father, and she needs you. If you fall apart because you’re not taking care of yourself, how are you going to take care of her?”
John watched them, watched Sam shift from words to thoughts, and watched Dean give in. Sam folded his arms around him then looked at John. “Give me a few minutes. I have an idea.”
Sam watched Dean pace the room for a few minutes. “Please?” he finally said and Dean sat on his side of the bed.
“If I let you put me under, and Dana needs me…”
“I’m going to ask Scott to stay until we get back. We won’t be gone long.” Sam pushed off the dresser. “It’s better than the pills.”
“Until the hangover.”
Sam smiled. “My touch is softer than Dana’s. I promise.”
Dean kicked off his shoes and stood to strip down to his boxers. Sam knew he was exhausted, but he also knew that the nightmares would wake him an hour or so later if he let him go to sleep without the help. At least this way Sam could hold the dreams off for a few hours.
It was a temporary fix.
Dean laid down and closed his eyes, then lifted his head and opened them again. “Come on. Get on with it.”
Relax.
Sam sat on his side of the bed, then laid out beside Dean, their bodies only inches apart. Dean was far from relaxed, his body tense and tight. His mind, normally a fairly orderly place, was filled with random thoughts and images. Sam brushed against his thoughts in warning, then slipped in. For the first few minutes they just lay together, then Sam started pushing thoughts back behind barriers, creating a space of calm.
He shored up the temporary walls. Dean’s body was slowly settling, his muscles loosening, his breathing slowing. That’s it. Good.
There was another barrage of images, a wave of terror. Sam deflected them, walled them up. They were going to have to deal with that soon. Whether Dean wanted to or not.
I’m going to take you down now, don’t fight.
He pressed against Dean’s settling consciousness, gently guiding him into a soft, dark place. He felt it when Dean slipped into sleep and slowly pulled himself out. He waited, watched, made sure Dean was really asleep before kissing him lightly on the forehead, then standing and heading down the hall to Dana’s room.
He knocked and opened the door. Scott gestured for quiet. Sam nodded and beckoned him with a finger. Once he was in the hall, Sam pulled the door shut and looked at him. “I was hoping I could ask a favor.”
Scott frowned a little. “Of course.”
“I need you to stay here for a few hours and keep and eye on Dana and Dean. John and I are going to do a little hunting.”
“You want me to keep an eye on Dean?”
“Mostly so that he doesn’t try to come after us. He’s asleep right now, but he hasn’t been sleeping well, and he might wake up.”
“Like I’m going to stop him?” Scott shook his head. “I’ll stay, but no promises.”
Sam chuckled. “Call me if you need anything, or if Dean gets obnoxious.”
“Your note said you wanted to talk.”
Sam patted his shoulder. “I do, and we will. I just need to do this first.” He left Sam and headed down the stairs. “You ready?”
John nodded. “What’s this idea?” he asked as they headed out, climbing into Sam’s SUV.
“Something tells me this guy is hunting. I’m guessing he’s hunting the campus.”
“So you want to hunt him where he’s hunting?”
“Something like that. If I’m close enough, I can sense the spell. Even if all we do is prevent him from hurting someone else…” His voice trailed off as they neared the campus. The school had taken the attack pretty seriously, and it was easy to pick out the extra security. Sam’s eyes scanned the parking lot, spotting the ’72 Impala that Dean had spent a year restoring to give to Dana for her 19th birthday.
It was shiny and black, with hand crafted purple leather inside. It would be a while now before she was driving it again. A broken wrist on her shifting hand would make it difficult at best. Sam pulled in and parked.
“He’s finding them here. Picking them. Following them.”
“And when they’re alone, he hits them.” John finished, his eyes scanning the dorm in front of them. “From the list of girls he’s hit so far, he likes dark hair, athletes.”
Sam nodded. “He’s going to be young, maybe college age himself. And he won’t stand out, but he’ll be where everyone can see him.”
John snorted. “I think that describes half the boys on campus, Sammy.”
Dana tossed, trapped in a dream that was half nightmare, half memory. Demons surrounded her, creatures she’d fought and defeated, all come back to take advantage of her weakened state. And in the middle of them was him.
All dark and shadow, a vague form that moved toward her. She shrank back, but he kept coming, moving closer and closer until he was there, in her face, on top of her…and the dark shifted just enough to see his face.
She sat up, sweating and shaking. Professor Jacobs.
“Dana?”
She turned, half expecting Jacobs to slink out of the shadows…but it was Scott’s face, not her professor’s. “You okay?”
She nodded distractedly. “Dream. Demons and…” She let her voice trail off, wiping a shaky hand over her face. “What are you doing here?”
“Keeping an eye on you. Sam asked.”
“You…” She shook her head. “Never mind.”
“What?” Scott moved closer, sat on the bed.
“I just wanted to say thank you. You know? For coming to find me.”
“You were screaming. I was scared.”
“That’s twice.” She ran a hand through her hair. “I must be a mess.”
Scott smiled. “You are beautiful.”
She could feel the blush creeping up her cheeks. “You’re just saying that.”
“Only because it’s true.”
They were quiet for a minute. “Probably not the right time to say this.” Dana offered. “But…I liked talking to you….like that. Before…I miss you.”
Scott stiffened a little, turned away. “I miss you too, Dana. Every day.”
She let her let hand snake across the blanket to where his hand lay. She covered his with her own. “I want…I want to go back. I want you back.”
Scott sighed and still didn’t look at her. “I don’t know if we can, go back, Dana. So much has happened.”
“I don’t care what has happened, I love you.”
“Sometimes love isn’t enough.” Scott responded, pulling his hand away.
Dana’s heart sank. “Sometimes love is all there is.” Maybe he really didn’t love her anymore. Maybe their time apart had given him time to see his life without her as a good thing. Maybe he’d finally decided she was just too much of a freak. “Is it…because of my powers? Because I might not….I might be…normal now.”
Scott stood and paced away. “No, Dana. No. I love you the way you are, power or not. It isn’t that.”
Dana sighed. She hated not being able to at least read the surface of what he was feeling. She hadn’t realized how much she relied on her gifts for something so simple as having a conversation. Or walking. Or anything else she couldn’t seem to do right anymore.
“What is it then? Is it me? Is it because of seeing me with other guys?”
Scott shook his head. “Maybe it’s about me, and because I saw someone while I was in California…”
There were tears in her eyes when she looked up. “You did?” She had no right to cry, no right to the stab of jealousy in her gut. Not after Travis and the others. “Was she…I mean…did she…”
“I’m not going to talk about her, Dana. It’s enough that you know now. And I know that you saw guys while I was with her. We’re even.”
“It isn’t about being even, Scott.” Dana pushed the blanket off her and stood, a little wobbly, but upright. She limped over to him. “I dated, okay? And I liked it. But it made me realize that I only liked it, but I love you.” She took his hands and held them. “I love you. And I don’t care about some girl at Stanford. I care about you.”
“I just don’t know Dana.” He sighed explosively and paced away again. There was something more. Something he wasn’t saying.
“Whatever it is, we can get through it. You only have to look at my Dad and Sam and know that with love you can survive anything.” She sank down onto the bed, watching him pace. So maybe it was a chick flick sentiment, but it was true. “If they could overcome the things between them, and still come out so madly in love, the odds are in our favor.” Nothing they’d been through could compare to what Sam and her father had to get through to be together.
Scott had stopped pacing. She looked up. “I know better than to ask about Sam.” Scott said, squinting in her direction. “But, I don’t think he’s had to deal with this.”
Dana snorted, crossing her arms. “No, his was way worse.” She fought the yawn, but lost. The pain pills still in her system didn’t care if a dream had scared her awake. “Just know that we can make it work, Scott. That I want to make it work. Okay?”
He nodded, then gestured to the bed. “You should get more sleep.”
“Yeah, I know. Sit with me?”
Scott’s smile warmed her. “Of course.”
Dana climbed back into the bed and let Scott sooth the blankets over her. “Good night.” He kissed her forehead, and for the moment, Dana was content.
