Roads Untraveled ~ Sam Winchester

Chapter Eighty-Four - Questions of the Universe

The four sat down in various places in a corner of the War room - Eden still under Chuck's nervous gaze.
"Okay, so I think we're all on the same page concerning who I am," Chuck started. "But who is this?" He pointed a lazy finger to the girl.
"You... You mean you don't know?" Sam asked.
"I mean, she looks familiar, but I can't quite put my finger on it." Chuck's eyes narrowed at her. "Just that she's making me a little... Edgy."
"I'm so glad I made such an impression on you, Uncle." Eden mumbled, flashing him her black and red eyes.
Chuck jumped backwards in his seat, almost falling off it.
"Eden." He breathed. "How are you... How are you even-"
"Alive? Well, after I escaped and you set the Archangels and the like on me, a friend found a Witch powerful enough to remove my memories and my abilities. I was just another Vampire for the last two and a half centuries. And, boy, does this former Vampire have some questions for you." She chuckled without the slightest glint of amusement. "But, I'm sure there are more pressing matters, so I'll wait. Boys?"
She turned to the brothers, who wracked their brains on where to start.
"Okay... So, Chuck - Or, I guess we don't call you that, huh?" Sam stumbled over his words.
"I prefer it." Chuck replied, settling his nervous self back down in his seat properly, still giving Eden the occasional side glance.
"Okay, uh, Chuck it is." Sam shrugged, accompanied by a nervous smile. He looked to Dean for some sort of guidance. "I'm sorry, you're gunna have to give us a moment to start to process. We didn't even know you were around - I mean, we knew about 'Chuck', but we just didn't know about... Chuck. I mean, I- I was hoping you were around, I prayed and I don't know if they got lost in the spam or-"
"Sam." Dean interrupted.
"Yeah?"
"Babbling."
"Okay..."
"I'm getting that not everyone's totally on board." Chuck looked to the older brother.
"Oh, you think?" Eden scoffed. "I'm going to get some blood."
She went to get up, but Chuck snapped his fingers and a glass of blood appeared in her hand.
"Or not..." She whispered to herself, sitting back down.
"Here's the thing, um... Chuck." Dean started. "And I mean no disrespect. I'm guessing you came back to help with the Darkness. And that's great, that's, you know, fantastic. But you've been gone a long, long time. And there's so much crap that has gone down on the Earth for thousands of years. I mean, the plagues and wars, slaughters, and you were - I dunno - writing books? Going to fan conventions. Were you even aware or did you just tune it out?"
"I was aware, Dean."
"But you did nothing. And again, I'm not trying to piss you off, I don't wanna turn into a pillar of salt-"
"I actually... I didn't do that." Chuck pointed out.
"Okay... People- people pray to you. People built churches for you. And fight wars in your name. And you did nothing." Dean's eyes began to well up.
"You're frustrated. I get it." Chuck gave him a sympathetic look. "Believe me, I was hand-on. Real hands-on for... Wow, ages. I was so sure if I kept stepping in; teaching, punishing, that these beautiful creatures that I created would grow up. But it only stayed the same. And I saw that I needed to step away... And let my baby find its way. Being over-involved is no longer parenting. Its enabling. So, I went away. And the only time I came back was to check on Eden."
"But... It didn't get better." Dean wept. "Not even for Eden - I mean, you locked her away, she felt the need to escape you."
"Well, I've been mulling it over." Chuck replied. "And from where I sit, I think it has. I can't speak on Eden's front, like I say, I didn't even know she was alive until five minutes ago, but..."
"Well, from where I sit, it sounds like you left us and you're trying to justify it." Dean retorted, wiping the tears from his face.
"I know you had a complicated upbringing, Dean. But don't confuse me with your dad." Chuck said.
"Don't you dare." Eden spat. "Don't you bloody dare. All throughout time it's been 'we are all God's children', but now, when someone actually has the balls to call you out on your crap, you act like it's a totally different scenario? Struggling father leaves his kids to go do other stuff while his kids are left in dangerous, unhealthy situations. Hell, even I don't even know whether I've just described you or John Winchester."
"Eden, please..." Chuck sighed.
"No, she's right." Sam said. "Now, come on. We've had our piece. It's her turn."
"Alright." Chuck nodded, looking over to the girl.
Eden took a deep breath under the watchful gaze of the three men before her.
"The biggest question would obviously be... Why did you lock me away?"
Chuck was hesitant to answer. He thought his words over very carefully before he said anything.
"Because you scared the crap out of me."
The brows of all three in front of him raised.
"Go on..." Eden pressed.
"You were the only thing in the universe I didn't make. I felt my sister's power burst out of her just as I locked her away. I saw it in you... It wasn't so bad at first, watching you grow in the Garden was actually a pleasure. But then your powers started to mature and you couldn't control them. I was curious. I locked you away so I could control what you did, when you did it and who you did it to. Then the massacres came - that didn't bother me too much. It was when you started creating Vampires that got me. The things you were able to do even to my Archangels scared me. The hold you had over Lucifer terrified me even more, but I never knew how much until after you escaped and he refused to kill you. Eden, you have an untapped amount of power that even I can't see... Amara wanted to make an Angel for herself - a piece of her left over when she was imprisoned... And she did that."
The room fell silent as everyone processed the information.
"Why couldn't you have just let me live? Why did you have to try and have me killed when I got a little inconvenient for you?" Eden eventually spoke up again.
"Because I don't like being challenged." Chuck replied simply.
Eden scoffed, shaking her head as she looked away.
"You became the monster I never planned on having." He continued.
Eden's face snapped back to him, the look of pure and utter disgust clear on her expression.
The brothers looked to each other, knowing full well what was about to happen.
"Monster?" She repeated, standing up from her chair as tears welled in her eyes. "I am not a monster. I never was. I am what you made me by locking me away - by starving me. I was just a child. I could've been like your precious Angels but, oh no, you and your pathetic ego couldn't handle anyone else making celestial beings - not even your own bloody sister. You say you never made me, but that is exactly what you did. You turned me into the person I am today - a person who despises everything about herself because she thought she wasn't good enough to see a bloody sunrise. I am not the monster here, Uncle. You are." She sneered, then turned and walked away.
The brothers glanced to Chuck, who looked as though he were about to crap himself.
"I've got it." Sam sighed, getting up.