She Talks to Angels | {BOOK 2}

86|Sam's Back

I never brought up the phantom sightings of his brother to Dean, even though it happened several more times after that initial sighting. I only ever saw him out of the corner of my eye, him vanishing every time I tried to look at him head-on. I continued to hang out with Diana and the other ladies as normal and tended to my other duties around the house and with Maddie. Then I started noticing Dean was coming home later and later after work.

He never had to stay late before, sometimes getting off early, but never late. It made me curious what he might be hiding from me, but since I was also keeping secrets from him, I didn't bring it up. That is, until Maddie started asking me about why Daddy wasn't around to put her to bed anymore.

"We need to talk, Dean."

"Can't this wait, Ellie? It's late and I'd like to get ready for bed."

"This is about work, Dean."

He turned to face me, waiting expectantly for me to continue.

"What's been holding you up so late recently?"

"We've just been really swamped at the garage. There's nothing to worry about."

"You've never stayed late before, Dean. And I wasn't going to say anything, except now your daughter is asking why you aren't around to read to her at night."

Dean quirked an eyebrow, staring me down.

"You weren't going to say anything?" he asked, taking a step toward me. "Really?"

"Dean, just tell me what's going on."

"I wouldn't expect you to understand."

I scoffed at that, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Seriously? After all this time, are you seriously suggesting you don't trust me? What the hell, Dean?"

"Listen, you and Maddie are safe here, and there's no reason why either of you should-"

"Excuse me?"

Dean froze up, realizing what he was about to say. Even though he hadn't finished, the direction his words were heading suggested that while Maddie and I continued living our normal lives, he had been sucked back into hunting somehow.

"Are you suggesting what I think you are right now?"

"Ellie, I-"

"Why, Dean? What could possibly have happened that would be enough for you to throw away the life we've built here and go back to that lifestyle?"

"I told you the other night, Ellie, you can't outrun the past."

"I know, but-"

It was my turn to freeze up as I noticed someone leaning in the doorway behind Dean.

"What are you doing here?" Dean asked, turning to face the newcomer.

"Something new has come up. And we could really use your help in the field this time, not just with research."

My jaw dropped as I looked between the two brothers.

"Listen, I told you before, I can't-"

"You can't do field work because you need to get back here to Eleanor and Madelaine. Yeah, I know, Dean, but this is an all-hands-on-deck situation here."

Dean groaned, running a hand down his face and turning back to me.

"So..." he began, trailing off like he didn't know where to take the sentence.

I wasn't paying attention to him, anyway. My eyes were glued on the giant behind him, not quite able to grasp what was going on.

"Hi, Eleanor," Sam greeted me.

"S-Sam?"

"Ellie, there's not a lot of time to explain right now, but trust me, I will explain everything," Dean assured me. "But, uh..."

He glanced back at Sam and then looked to me once more.

"I gotta take care of this. I swear, it won't take long, I promise. Just give me a couple days and I'll be back."

"A couple days?" I repeated, finally tearing my gaze away from the moose to look at my boyfriend.

"Two tops," Dean said.

"Just two days?"

Dean nodded, green eyes pleading for me to understand.

"You realize that's what my father said to me before he went on the hunt that got him killed, right? Two days, tops."

Dean flinched slightly, grimacing at the words. Behind him, though, Sam barely even reacted, just watching the exchange with an eerie calm and aloofness that seemed out of character for him.

"Ellie, please, I just-"

"No, fine, I get it. Go do God knows what with your brother that's somehow magically back from Hell. Who am I to stop you?"

"Ellie-"

"Forget it, Dean. I'm heading to bed. See you in two days."

With that, I turned on my heel, heading upstairs to get ready for bed. I heard the front door open and shut while I was changing, and my shoulders slumped in defeat. I didn't understand why Dean not only felt the need to hide the fact that Sam was back, but also that they were hunting together again. I knew the plan if something came up was always for me to stay behind and protect Maddie, but I figured I'd at least know that I was staying behind to protect Maddie.

I also couldn't get the look in Sam's eyes out of my head. They were cold and empty, like two dark holes devoid of life. Everything about him seemed off, the more I thought about it. From the way he spoke, to the way he carried himself, he just hadn't seemed entirely... Sam. Not wanting to sleep by myself in case the nightmares returned without Dean there to comfort me, I slipped quietly down the hall into Maddie's room.

She was buried under a mound of blankets in her bed, the stuffed bear Dean had bought her for her birthday last month clutched tight against her chest. She had insisted on naming it Ellie because of Dean's nickname for me. I smiled, brushing some stray strawberry red curls from her forehead while I sat in the chair located beside her bed where Dean or I would sit to read to her. Out of habit, I began humming Metallica softly, rewarded with a small smile on the young girl's face in her sleep.

That's where I stayed, falling asleep with my head resting on the edge of the mattress and one of my hands tangled in my daughter's hair from stroking it gently while I sang until the sun rose and shone through the window with an unbroken salt line along its sill.