Carry On My Wayward Universe

Chapter 11

Ashley:

Hangovers, oh how I have not missed you. My head pounded, and every time I saw something bright I got dizzy and felt nauseous. "How long was I out?" I asked sitting up, and instantly regretting it. The room started to move in waves, making me sit down again.

"A couple of hours, I'm not sure when you got back." She told me, propping his chin up on her hand. "Yeah well I had a little mind melt last night." I mumbled, blinking as the room continued to move in swirls. "Christ, my head, could you please get me some coffee, or Ginger Ale or something?" She stood up with a nod.

There she goes again, taking care of me. For the...actually, she's done it so often that I had lost count. "I'm sorry you have take care of me again..."

Amy looked at me surprised for a second. "We're best friends, of course I'll take care of you, why wouldn't I?" "You've had to do it so often...I just feel...nevermind." I said, sighing quietly as my gaze drifted up to the ceiling again.

She left with that, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

There was a suffocating silence, but there was also the fact that every loud noise made my brain want to simultaneously explode and implode.

There were footsteps outside of my door, and I closed my eyes, my head throbbing.

"Ash?" Dean's voice asked, surprising me. "Yeah, I'm here." I muttered, sitting up and he had Ginger Ale in his hands. "Brought you something that should help with the headache." "You should know your remedies for hangovers, you've had your fair share of them." I told him blinking a few times.

He sat on the edge of the bed and reached out and put his hand on my forehead. "Hm...no fever." I swatted his hand away, "I'm fine, Dean." He raised an eyebrow, "You didn't seem completely okay when we last talked." "Well nobody is ever one hundred percent okay one hundred percent of the time, Dean. If they are I'd like to try whatever rug they're taking." I grumbled, drinking half of the can in one go.

The eldest Winchester looked at me worried and I sighed, "Sorry, I get bitchy whenever I have a hangover. Ask Amy." He held up a hand, "S'alright. We all have our moments."

It seemed like forever, but there was a silence that had settled over the two of us. The soda was helping, so now I was reverting back to my usual self.

"Have you and Sam made any plans on going out on cases?" I asked, taking a stab at conversation and he shook his head. "No, we've kind of been preoccupied with you two. If you're here because of some 'rinky dink' spell then what's to stop other people? That's what we're mainly focusing on for the minute." He said with a shrug and I found myself looking at him. "Mainly. You're also looking for a way to send us back too still though aren't you?" "Yes and no. If we see anything that could mean a way back we look into it. Like I said-" "Yes, yes, if things go south you want an escape plan for us. I don't have anything back there to go back to." "Family?" he asked, and I let out a deep sigh, "Gone. I remember when I was little, a toddler I had parents but something happened and they disappeared. Up until college I was in the foster system, a 'rebellious' teen is what I was labeled as." I explained to him finishing the can.

Yet another bout of silence.

"Geez." he finally said, and I nodded. "Yeah, but it's over and in the past. I don't even remember my parent's face anymore so it's not like it matters. Thought you should know."

"Thanks." I fell down on my back, unable to look anywhere but up at the ceiling, the only other person I told about my foster care was Amy, and frankly it wasn't an easy subject to cover.

There was a shifting of the bed and I could feel Dean lying next to me.

"Moving from place to place in high school isn't easy. Is that how you got those?" he asked, reaching over for my wrists and I slowly nodded. "I'm sorry." "It was my own fault, Dean. Don't apologize." I quickly replied, closing my eyes.

He sighed.

Nobody spoke.

The room wasn't quiet though, his breathing, his heartbeat. Him. He made the silence bearable.