Breathe Life Into Me

Sam

“So, Vinny, Henry and Dom are dead. I was so sure that...they had survived” Larry explained to me and Mel as his wife served us all tea.

“Yes, but like I said...”

“Mmm is this Sleepy Time?” Mel asked his wife, smelling it.

I gave her a look, taking the cup out of her hands and putting it back on the table and I went to scold her about taking anything from strangers but I had to restrain and remind myself she didnt have anymore hunter’s common sense. She pouted but I ignored her and looked back at Larry.

“Like I said...I found his journal and was hoping you could fill in the gaps and explain to me what happened that night in 1958”

“It doesn't matter. They're gone. We're gone"

“But Abaddon is not”

“Abaddon was a hired gun. She killed us all that one night"

“Everyone but you” Mel pointed out.

“She blinded me. It's a miracle I survived"

“It's okay, dear” his wife sat beside him and comforted him. He kissed her hand. “But she did not get what she came for” Larry said.

“The box. Listen, Abaddon is here, and she wants this thing. So I need to know everything there is to know about it” I spoke fast.

“In the box is the key to every object, scroll, spell ever collected for thousands of years under one roof. It is the supernatural mother lode”

“So...Abaddon wants the key so she can get her hands on it” Mel assumed. I glanced at her as she set the tea back down. How is it that one person can be so out of the loop-head up in the clouds-and still have such an understanding of whats going on?

“Can you imagine what she would do with that?” Larry chuckled.

“So, how do we stop her? How do we stop Abaddon?” I forced.

“You don't” he took out a pen and started writing on a notepad.

“If you know where the key is, then take it to these coordinates. Throw it in. Shut the door forever. And walk away”

“Wait, why would we do that?” I narrowed my eyes.

“Because it is the safest place on earth, warded against any evil ever created. It is impervious to any entry, except the key.

“Right...but then all that knowledge would be lost and gone forever” Mel mentioned.

“And that is the price we have to pay for keeping it away from Abaddon. You do...have the key, don't you?” Suddenly...I didnt like the way they were looking at us.

I grabbed onto Mel’s arm as I stood, pulling her to her feet. She didnt argue. “Uhh I dont...but my brother does...” I went to turn us so we could walk around the couch but the wife stood up quickly.

“How rude. Melissa...Sam...” I cringed. “You two havent finished your tea”

I pulled Mel behind me as the wife’s eyes turned black and she advanced on us. But out of no where, Mel jumped in front of me, grabbing Abbadons wrist, twisting it in the process as she elbowed up right into her nose, breaking it. Abbadon stumbled back and I quickly pulled Mel back to my side, seeing the stunned look plastered in her eyes. Abbadon didnt hesitate. She acted on rage and I shoved Mel toward the door...then I was down and out...

Brit

We tracked our grandfathers down and found them linking hands and reciting a spell in the storage basement of some utility store. There was some kind of ancient symbol on the door that began to glow. “Wait!” I called out to them.

“Brittney, please do not interfere. This is a risk we have to take” Vincent replied.

“And what if you die, huh? Who said you'll even survive a jump?” Henry quickly turned to face us, breaking the connection.

“You cannot begin to understand how I felt after reading John's journal...” his eyes met Dean’s.

“Oh, I think I can. See, I've read that thing more times than you can imagine, and it hurts every time”

“Maybe so, but you didn't let him down! I did! Just like you said!”

“Well, I was wrong"

“No! No, you were right. And I'm going to go back and give him the life he deserves, not the one he was forced to live” He was now fighting the urge to just break down.

“And what if it's not meant to be?” I tried to stress gently.

“Then it will be!”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because it's the right thing to do! I can save him and stop Abaddon!”

“How?”

“By going back an hour before she attacks and making preparations"

“If you do that and you change the past, me and Sam might cease to exist!” Dean grunted.

“I'm aware that time is a delicate mistress, but I'm willing to bet on this being for the best”

“Listen, I understand that this is not your idea of a happy ending, okay, and that you're disappointed that me and Sam are mouth-breathing hunters. But you know what? We stopped the Apocalypse”

“If this works the way we planned, there will never be an Apocalypse to stop” Vincent spoke up, making eye contact with me. We had to approach this differently.

I saw Dominic with his back to us, staring blankly at the door. “And you?! Huh! You’ve hardly spoken three full sentences ever since you’ve been here. Is that what Men of Letters is about? Being seen and not heard? Because Melissa...”

“Melissa was not raised by Katherine. Melissa was raised by Will and Jennifer. That is why she is who she is...” He kept his back to us.

“So...you know your daughter turns out to be a dead beat alcoholic stripper?” Dean assumed and I nudged him hard in the ribs.

Dominic turned to faced us. “The Men of Letters have certain...connections...that give us feed back on the past and future of our lineage...” He meant angles, right? What other connections would they have...?

“I have been aware of Katherine’s end result even before she was born. Just like we've known about Will and just like we've known about your father being unable to handle it...he will never know..."

“Brit, is now really the time...” Dean tried.

"But still..." I continued

“You're curious about Georgie? He chose the life of a hunter. Meaning he’s not one of us...”

“And Will is...?”

“I shall raise him that way” he nodded.

“But...I dont...understand...”

“George is unfit as a Man of Letters and as a father. William will never grow to be the man I can only assume you know him as if he doesnt have some kind of parental figures”

“And that’s where we come in” Vincent smiled, putting a hand on his friend’s shoulder.

“But...I thought Will got along with George...”

“Not everything is as it seems, Dean. Dont you know that by now?” Henry said.

So...Mel’s dad...was almost like my father's brother from the very beginning...and was raised by my grandfather...and the father of the woman she hated her whole life...she’ll never believe me...but that probably won’t even matter if she can’t remember anything....

Dean’s phone brought me back out of my thoughts as the ring tone filled the air. “Sammy?” First, I watched his face twist horribly...then it went pale...and then his jaw locked as his hard eyes met mine. “Abaddon” he breathed out. I tensed. “Yea...crystal...” he hung up and I waited for him anxiously to explain.

“Abaddon has Sam?” Henry spoke first.

“She wants to trade you three and the key for Sam and Melissa’s life"

“If we could just go back, stop this all from happening...”

“And what if you cant? We can’t risk it. Not with Sammy and Mel on the hook now” I shook my head at all of them.

“I can't abandon my son...not again! I need to do this. I'm sorry”

He turned back to continue the spell but before Dominic and Vincent could join him I lunged forward, throwing all the force I had downward on the back of Henry’s neck, knocking him out. They all looked at me in shock.

“Look. Please just hear me out. When my parents died...when Dean’s dad died...we couldnt save them. No matter what we did, no matter how bad we wanted to...and no matter who we blamed for it...what’s done was done...and we never want that to happen to Sam or Mel. Ever. All my life Melissa was there to protect me...to save me...and now it’s my turn...”

I thought for a moment about my own words. “She needs me. And if there’s a chance I can save her and Sam, I’m going to do it. See...Melissa, Sam and Dean...they’re my family...they’re the only family I have...and the only ones I’ll ever need...” I fought back the tears as I looked up and my eyes met my big brother’s face.

I used to crave for a sibling...and for love...but I didnt realize until a few years ago that I’ve always had both. I have Melissa and Dean who protect me the way siblings should...and my heart is protected by Sam...and I would never trade my place with anyone in the world because I do have a family...and I have love...and suddenly...I also had a plan.

~

“Don't do this” Henry “pleaded” as we guided them all into a warehouse that Abbadon instructed on.

“Too late for that now” Dean said.

“That's the problem with you hunters. You're all short-sighted” Vincent added as we forced them into the room where Abbadon was waiting with Mel and Sam.

“Yeah, at least we're not extinct"

"Abaddon! We'll send Vincent, Henry, and Dominic over with the box. You do the same with Sam and Melissa. No tricks” I glared at her and put the box in Vincent’s jacket.

“My only interest is Vin, Henry, Dom and the key. You four are free to go” Her voice was velvet and threatening. We shoved the three of them forward but they just stood there.

“You can do this standing, or you can do it crawling. Your call” Dean said, pulling out his gun.

They continued walking as Sam and Mel started walking toward us as well. I quickly pulled Mel over to me and cut her out of the ropes that binded her wrists and I held her hands. “Are you okay?” I searched her eyes.

“Yea, but Brittney...we can’t really just leave them...”

“Yes, we can. Lets go” I pulled her along as we all headed for the door but it slammed shut. I spun quickly. “We had a deal!” I grunted at the demon.

She laughed. “Surprise. I lied” I jumped when she plunged her hands into Henry’s chest and Dominic’s abdomin.

Sam and Mel tried to run for them but Dean and I stopped them. “Just wait...” I choked out as Vincent stood there in shock as he watched his friends mouths fill with blood. Come on, Vin....

“You’re not the only one” he finally breathed out, lifting his hand out of the un-fastened handcuffs and raising his gun. He fired it and the bullet flew at an impossible angle as it flew up through her jaw and got stuck. Her skull lit up for a moment and then she grunted, pushing away the pain.

“Whoo! What a blast. Now, give me the box” she ripped her hands out of Henry and Dominic and stalked toward Vincent. He tossed her the box I put in his jacket pocket. When she realized it was only a pack of cards she threw it to the ground.

“Where is it?!” she screamed making the lights spark and flicker. “Okay. We can do this the hard way” she smiled, grabbing Vincent and she attempted to breathe some black smoke into his mouth but it didnt work. Frustrated, she tossed him across the floor. I raced to him to support him up as Mel, Dean and Sam did the same to Henry and Dominic. Abaddon screamed again, making more sparks fly.

“Why am I stuck?!” she demanded.

“It worked...the devil’s trap on the bullet...it seriously worked...” I was in disbelief of my own words.

“Well, you still didnt kill me” she spat smugly.

“No, but you'll wish we did” Mel stood, grabbing Dean’s machete off the ground and she swung, slicing off Abaddon’s head like it was butter.

Her eyes rolled up to look at Mel. “The demon trap in your noggin is gonna keep you from smoking out. We're gonna cut you into little steaks and bury each strip under cement. You might not be dead, but you'll wish you were” Dean spat.

Vincent shot to his feet and raced over to his dying friends. “You did it” Henry choked out as Vincent reached for his hand. “No. We did it” Vin replied, grabbing Dom’s hand as well.

“Yea, for a bookworm that wasnt too bad, Henry” Dean chuckled humorlessly.

“I'm sorry we judged you four so harshly for being hunters. We should have known better” Dom breathed out.

“About?” Sam urged.

“You're also Winchesters...a Hails...and a Stern...as long as we're alive, there's always hope”

Vincent cried but did his best to hide it. “I didn't know my son as a man, but having met you two...I know I would have been proud of him.” Henry looked up at Sam and Dean, taking his hand from Vin to hold onto the two of them. “And Melissa...you’ll remember who you are soon enough...don’t stop hoping...you turned into a beautiful woman...and you have your father to thank for that...” And with that...they both died.

~

Vincent couldnt bare the thought of going back to his time without his best friends. So we showed him off and offered to do the dirty work for him. “I get it now” Sam suddenly spoke up when we finished hammering the crosses down into the dirt. We looked at him. “What Cupid said about heaven busting ass to get Mom and Dad together. The Winchesters and the Campbells...the Sterns and the Hails’...the brains and the brawn"

“Well, I'm glad you see it. All I see in our family tree is a whole lot of dead” Dean sighed. He was right though...we were all...the last of our lineage.

Then Dean took out a photograph of Henry and John. “Found this in Henry’s wallet”

“Dad looks happy”

“Kind of makes you wish he knew the truth, huh? I mean, all those years thinking his old man ditched when the poor son of a bitch really came here and saved our bacon. Freaking time-travel, man” Dean laughed bitterly.

“You think it would have made a difference?” I wondered absently.

“What?”

“Your father. If he had known his own father...”

“You mean you think it wouldve been different in how he raised us?” I shrugged. “He did the best he could” he kept his voice solid.

“They all did” Sam agreed.

I shrugged again. I dont know. I think if my dad knew about the Letters...things wouldve been different. I stared down at the picture Vincent gave me before he left. It was of him, dad and Will.

“I’m...honestly proud to be called your grandfather. You are officially an honorary Woman of Letters” Vincent choked back his feelings and kissed my head.

“Wow...so not disappointed anymore?” I tried to joke.

“How could I be disappointed in you? You have grown into a beautiful, strong young woman...ya know. It was a Hails who started it. The Men of Letters I mean”

I scoffed lightly. “Who knew I was sucked in from the very beginning?” I shook my head.

“What, you think we let those Sterns get the best of us? Someone has to be there to knock their arrogance down a notch or two” I just smiled as his eyes suddenly got sad again. He pulled out a picture, handing it to me. “Dont forget where you come from...who you are...what you stand for...”

“And what exactly would that be”

His smile was sad as if I was some naive child. “It’s hope...it’s always been hope” he said like he’s known me for years....

I looked over at Mel and instantly regretted all the times I ever blamed her for “dragging” me into this life. It was never her fault. It was just destiny...my destiny...our destiny.... I guess it was just one of those things: everything happens for a reason, every path has a direction and a purpose. No matter what path we took though...we were always going to end up here...and was that really so bad...?

“What are the chances that place is still standing?” Mel voiced, gesturing to the “secret box” that Vincent left with us.

“A chance we've got to take, I guess. I mean, we are legacies, right?” Sam teased, looking at his brother.

“Hey, dont forget about us” Mel crossed her arms.

“Sorry hon but Men only” Dean smirked.

“Actually we are honorary Women of Letters. First ever. And my ancestors are the ones who founded it. So...I guess I’m the real legacy here. Who knew my bloodline was useful after all” I flipped my hair over my shoulder and sauntered away as we all laughed and Mel caught up to me. Let’s go see what it means to live like a Woman of Letters....