Welcome to the Family (Wattys 2016)

The Past Will Haunt You

"Dean, I know this isn't easy and that it will never be, but you have to trust me. You have you let her go." Sam pleaded with his older brother.

"Sammy, I just can't. Her grip is too tight. Like she said, there's no way that our souls can be separated." Dean gasped with pain.

"Screw what she said. I know you, Dean. I know that you don't really believe her. Don't give up. Please don't give up." Sam's grip tightened on Dean's jacket as a tear fell from his eye. Dean's body lay hugging the floor while the wind all around them created a funnel like cloud.

"Sammy, I don't know how much longer I can hold on. I don't know how much more I can take." Dean breathed. Rowena hurried to finish her spell that released Dean from Vivian's grasp. From their time in Hell, Vivian had sunk her claws deep into Dean's soul and it was slowly killing him now that she was on earth. The only way to stop her was the separation curse Rowena was chanting.

"Dean, stay with me. You have to stay with me and fight. It's what we do. It's what we've always done." Sam shouted as the wind picked up to an almost deafening volume. The camera started to zoom out to show the enormity of the cloud the spell was creating.

"Dean! Dean!" The screen went blank.

The lights in the theater room went up and the cast and crew started clapping. Jensen slowly adjusted his eye, blinking a few times before coming back to reality.

"That was sick, guys! Really nice work." Jared thanked the editing and special effects crews. "The fans are going to go nuts until the next episode. Right J?" He smiled over to Jensen.

"What? Oh, uh, yeah. That was incredible. Really good guys." He smiled politely before standing up and walking out of the room.

He pushed the swinging doors at the back of the theater open and the sunlight lit him hard in the face. Jensen took a deep breath and walked over to a small bench and sat down, placing his head in his hands.

"Everything ok?" Misha asked as he walked closer to Jensen.

"Yeah, man, I'm fine." Jensen replied.

"You know, you are a good actor, but a terrible liar." Misha joked, taking a seat next to him. "How's everything holding up?" Jensen took a long, deep breath.

"Barely." He finally spoke. "I feel like, at any second, she's just going to be taken away from me. That this is all going to be too much for her and that she's going to run away."

"What makes you say that?" Misha questioned.

"Because that's what she did before." Jared interjected and Misha and Jensen look up at him.

"When she first filed the restraining order against Kyle, it took a lot out of her." Jared started.

"She slowly started getting distant from us, no matter how much we tried to seem supportive of her. She just felt like she was going to drag us both down. So, one day, she just packed her bags and left." Jensen finished.

"We didn't see her for two months. Didn't even hear that she was safe or where she was until 6 weeks after she had run away. Her parents finally called me to tell me that she had gone back home and that LA was too much for her." Jared leaned against the wall next to the other two men.

"Well, then how did you get reconnected with her?" Misha asked, wanting to know more about the past of one of his closest friends.

"It was her brother who finally reached out to Jared and suggested that we pay a visit. So we were on the next plane to Maryland." Jensen sat up a little straighter. "The rest is all history."

The three men sat there in silence as the reflected on the conversation of the last few minutes. Finally, Jared broke the silence.

"She's going to be just fine, brother. You've always made her feel safe." He tried to console Jensen and all he could do was reply with a nod. He was scared. Scared that he would lose you again, but this time, for good. Suddenly the lobby erupted with the noise of Jensen's cell phone and he pulled it out of his pocket, seeing it was you calling him.

"Hey, Jen, baby, how's everything going?" He asked, standing up quickly to his feet.

"I'm fine. Cliff and I are getting ready to board the plane and I thought I would call before we did." You replied, pacing back and forth by the table where Cliff was sitting.

"Oh baby, that's good news." He said with a small sigh of relief which caused you to smile.

"Don't worry. I'll be home sooner than you know." You replied, easing your nerves a little.

"Well, what did they say?" He asked, knowing that it was the last thing you wanted to talk about but he was more curious about it than ever.

"They said that they have enough evidence to lock him away for good this time. No chance of parole. They're going to go with Felony Stalking and Attempted Murder." You said, barely speaking the last words. Jensen's breath hitched.

"At least he's never going to be able to hurt you again." He said, not only trying to reassure you, but himself as well. You nodded, instinctively, not remembering that he couldn't see you.

"I'll see you in a few hours ok baby? Just a few more short hours and you will be here, safe, with me." He spoke lovingly through the phone.

"Flight 983, United to Vancouver, now boarding." You heard the voice over the intercom say.

"Alright, J, we're heading home now." You swung your bag over your shoulder as Cliff stood up to walk with you.

"I love you, Jen. More than you could ever know." Jensen said sincerely causing a smile to form on your lips again.

"I love you too, J."

"Be safe, you hear. I'll be at the airport, ready to pick you up." He reminded you.

"I know. I'll be home soon."

"Ok, baby. Love you." He stated again, almost as if he could never say it enough. You chuckled.

"I know Jensen." You went to say goodbye before the thought popped into your head with a second to spare. "Oh, Jens, I almost forgot. They're going to want you to testify at the trial as well."