A gut wrenching scream tore through Henley's throat, her eyes clenched shut, unable to open them, yet able to feel every bit of excruciating pain radiating throughout her body. Henley whimpered, as she felt a small sharp object digging around in the hole in her shoulder. Pressure on her biceps held her down, permitting her from being able to toss and turn. A guttural noise escaped Henley's mouth as she felt the bullet slowly being extracted from her shoulder. Sweat emanated around her face, trickling down her cheeks, as she struggled against the person holding her down. Why did she have to be awake for this part?
"Sam, keep her still! If she moves, this bullet could tear a tendon in her shoulder while I'm taking it out." Henley began to pant, feeling as if the room had suddenly gone up 100 degrees. She finally stopped moving as the bullet was wrenched out of her shoulder, a small groan falling past her parted lips. Henley hissed, trying to turn away as a burning sensation erupted across her wound. Sam's tight grip however prevented her from moving in any which way.
"I know it hurts sweetheart, but the bullet wound is infected and we need to sterilize it as much as possible to prevent it from becoming worse." Dean told her. Her head began to swim and it felt incredibly heavy. She could hear her father suck in a big breath of air, right as a needle was threaded through her soft sensitive skin. She began to hyperventilate, her body going into shock. She could vaguely make out a string of curse words tumbling out of Dean's mouth, as Sam put more of his weight onto her. Henley whimpered, her entire body tensing, her fear of needles, and the pain, causing her to slowly fade out into oblivion again.
The next time she awoke, she realized there was no longer a needle being threaded through her puss and dirt ridden shoulder, but her head felt as if it was on the Tea Cup ride at Disney World. Though Henley's eyes were closed, she couldn't stop the dizzying and falling sensation from bouncing throughout her mind. She clenched her eyes tight, in an attempt to rid herself of this disoriented state. When Henley regained some of her senses, she could just scarcely hear Dean rambling to himself.
"Cas, are you there? I know you've been kind of off the reserve since you ran off with that Kelly Kline chick, who by the way is carrying the child of Lucifer, in case you forgot. But, it's Henley. I know you only met her once, but she's my daughter man, and she's not doing well. She had a seizure when I was stitching her up, and her skin, jesus, it's so pale. God dammit Cas, I need you. Please...I-I won't let my babygirl die, Cas."
The sound of fluttering wings and a gust of wind filled the room. Then she heard Cas' deep monotone voice. In all honesty she was surprised he even came, considering how little she knew the angel.
"Hello Dean."
"C-Cas. I can't believe you actually came. I mean Sam and I have prayed to you hundreds of times, and you never..."
Dean sighed, and Henley could tell by his tone of voice that he was running on fumes. "You know what, that doesn't even matter right now. Can you heal her?" Henley felt the bed dip down next to her, the familiar smell of mountain air right after rain fall wafting through her nostrils.
"I can get the healing process started, but I am not capable of fully curing Henley's wounds," Cas stated. She could hear Dean let out an exasperated sigh, and felt the bed dip down on the other side, as a rougher, more calloused hand gripped her own tightly. Cas' hand splayed across her broken ribs, a burning sensation ignited throughout her rib cage, as well as her injured shoulder, causing her to tense up. After a few seconds the burning went away and all that remained was a kind of numb and gooey sensation where she was injured. Henley relaxed into the mattress, as she faded into unconsciousness once more.
When Henley regained consciousness for the second time, she noticed she was in a lot less pain than she was the previous time she awoke. Her throat felt heavy, and thick with drowsiness. She let out a small cough, groaning from the lack of lubrication on the sides of her throat. It felt as if her entire esophagus was coated in a thin layer of sandpaper. Almost instantly, both of her hands were squeezed tightly, and that's when she realized there was a person on either side of her, holding her hands. Henley squeezed her eyes tight a few times, before finally getting them to unstick, the bright light of the room she was in blinding her. She turned her head to her left, eyes settling on Sam, his large hand clasped around her own, smaller one. He shot her a relieved smile.
"How you feeling kiddo?" he asked, leaning forward in his chair.
"I don't really know yet. But definitely better than earlier. Can-can I have some water please? My throats all scratchy."
Sam nodded. "Yeah of course." He got up, exiting the bedroom, and closing the door quietly behind him. Henley turned her head, hazel orbs locking onto green ones. Dean looked worse for wear, a forced smile stretched across his face. He squeezed Henley's hand tightly, as if she would disappear if he were to let go.
"You scared us there for a minute sweetheart. Didn't know if you were going to make it for a while," Dean proclaimed, exhaling a shaky breath.
Henley smirked. "I'm a Winchester. We don't go down that easily. At least not without a fight." Dean shook his head, letting out a small chuckle, getting up from his chair and sitting on the side of Henley's bed.
"Listen, kid I'm so sorry about what I said before everything happened. I never wanted you to leave. I was just in shock and hurt, but that's no excuse. I'm the adult. . .I shouldn't of reacted the way I did. I should've heard you out, and talked it through with you. You almost died, and that's all on me. I never should've told you to 'get out', and I should've went after you the second you stepped foot out of the War room."
Henley put her other hand over Dean's squeezing gently. "I don't blame you, and you definitely shouldn't blame yourself, okay? I made the choice to go outside. I could've taken a weapon with me or of just gone to my room. So, really, it was my stupidity that got me abducted. But I don't really think either of us are to blame. I think those fucking British assholes are the real problem here."
Dean raised his eyebrows at her use of curse words, but let it slide nonetheless. "Well, I have to agree with you there. It's not your fault, and I don't ever want you to think that it is. Those British douche-bags will get what's coming to them. But as of right now, you need to rest. I don't want to see you out of this bed, unless it's to pee or take a shower. Got it?"
Henley rolled her eyes. "Yes dad." Dean smiled, leaning over brushing the hair back from her face, and planting a feather light kiss to her forehead.
"Do you need anything, sweetheart?" Dean asked as he sat back, his eyes searching her own for any sign of distress.
"Honestly, I could go for some sushi right about now."
Dean raised his eyebrows at this. "Sushi?"
"Yeah, I really love sushi. I'm all for anything Thai or Japanese. I even researched good Thai places near here. There's one just twenty minutes away from the bunker. And since I'm not allowed to move I would love it if someone would go out, get some and bring it back for me." Henley gave him the classic puppy dog eyes, jutting out her lower lip, hoping this made her seem helpless.
"God, you really are my kid. Except for the sushi thing. I don't know how you can eat that crap. It's disgusting. I'll get Sam right on it though." Dean smirked as Sam came back into the room, carrying a glass of water. He handed it to Henley, as she sat up, gratefully taking the glass, chugging the entire thing.
"Man, I was really dehydrated. Thanks." She handed the glass to Dean, who set it down on her nightstand. Henley quickly sank back down into her pillow, pulling her Tardis blanket up to her chin, making sure no cold air could get to her.
"So, Sam, Henley said that she's hungry and was wondering if you would be so kind as to go out and get her some sushi," Dean stated, flashing Sam his biggest shit eating grin. Sam's eyebrows rose, and he looked down at Henley.
"Really, you want sushi? Why not some soup? It's nice and hot. I'm sure it'll make you feel a lot better than sushi." Sam furrowed his brows, trying to understand her reasoning.
"Well, soup would probably be better, except I don't like soup. Actually, that's a lie. The only soup I like is miso soup, which guess what, can be found at a Thai restaurant. So you could get me sushi and miso soup. That would be wonderful. Thanks Sam." Henley shot Sam her biggest shit eating grin, snuggling into her blanket. Sam scoffed, getting up from his chair.
"Right well then I guess I'm going out. Need anything Dean?"
Dean smirked. "You know what, actually, I could really go for a double bacon cheeseburger with extra onions, from that dinner we frequent. Thanks Sam." Sam shot Dean his classic bitch face, before exiting the room, mumbling something along the lines of their being two of them now.
Henley looked at Dean, and was relieved to see a genuine smile stretched across his face. In the short time she'd known her father it seemed that he did a lot of frowning. She knew she'd have to change that.
"So you want to watch a movie?" Henley asked, hoping he would say yes, so she wouldn't be left alone and that they could find something in common to do together that didn't involve hunting or their same taste in music.
"Sure thing kiddo. Watcha want to watch?" He asked, walking over to the other side of her bed, and reclining back, leaning against the headboard.
"Hmm...Oh! Have you seen the movie Kick-Ass? It's so good! It's about this kid who wants to be a superhero, even though superheroes don't exist, and there is a lot of violence and awesome fights scenes. It's also one of the funniest movies I've ever seen."
Dean mulled it over for a second before agreeing. "I'm just glad you're not making me watch some cheesy romance movie like The Notebook."
Henley shook her head. "Trust me. I will never make you watch The Notebook. I can't stand that movie. I'm probably the only girl on the planet that finds it boring and melodramatic. I have Kick-Ass in my duffel bag if you want to grab it. It's one of the few movies I own."
Dean smirked, going over to Henley's duffel bag, grabbing the movie and popping it into the DVD player. Dean plopped back down on the bed, propping up a pillow and leaning back against the headboard, arms crossed over his chest. Henley stole a glance over at Dean, smiling as she saw him laugh for the first time since she met him as the opening sequence of the movie ended. She made a mental note to make Dean laugh more often. He was too serious for his own good.
Henley turned her attention back to the movie, resting her head against Dean's arm. She could feel his muscles tense in his arm, causing her heart beat to speed up. Was she moving too fast with their relationship? Maybe he needed more time to adjust, he probably did. She only knew the man for a month, and he just found out she's his daughter. He most likely wasn't ready to be all cuddly, and sensitive around her. Henley thought about moving away, when like a light switch, his mood shifted. Dean relaxed, and instead of shoving her off of him, he brought his arm up and around Henley, tugging her closer to him. She rested her head on his chest, relieved she was breaking through his cold exterior.
Henley didn't remember falling asleep, but as her eyes fluttered open her television was shut off, and her dad was no longer laying next to her. She rubbed her eyes, wiping the sleep out of them. Sitting up in bed, she noticed that moving didn't hurt as much as it did before she fell asleep. Whatever Castiel did, it worked, seeing as the pain in her shoulder was now only a dull throb. Henley threw her TARDIS blanket off of her, sliding out of bed slowly, testing her strength. She moved at a snail's pace to the door, when she realized something was missing. Henley looked down and realized she was wearing one of her dad's flannels, and nothing else. It came all the way down to her knees, thankfully covering up everything. Henley retreated backwards, grabbing a pair of underwear and her white and grey reindeer leggings out of her dresser, quickly slipping them on.
She walked back to her door, opening it slowly, and poked her head out. Sam and Dean wouldn't just leave her all alone would they? They'd at least consult her first, right? Before she could think about it anymore, her dad's and uncle's loud voices boomed down the hall. Henley could only wonder what they were arguing about. As she rounded the corner, Sam and Dean came into view. Henley spotted Dean sitting in one of the chairs, head in his hands and Sam leaning on the table across from him, a permanent frown etched on his face.She cleared her throat as she entered, causing Sam and Dean to both look up. They each gave her a weak attempt at a smile, as she sat down in a chair next to her dad.
"What were you guys arguing about?"
Sam and Dean looked at each other, somehow communicating with their eyes what they should tell her, or whether or not they should tell her anything in the first place. Dean turned to face her, opening his mouth, only to purse his lips, letting out a puff of air. Henley raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms over her chest in a defensive manor. "Whatever it is you guys are worried about telling me, I'm letting you know I can handle it. I was almost set on fire, trust me when I tell you, whatever it is cannot be worse than that."
Dean cast another quick look at Sam who shrugged his shoulders in defeat, relaxing back into a chair, his posture slouching. "Okay, okay. So, me and Sam—"
"It's Sam and I. Not, me and Sam." Henley cut in, a smug smile on her face.
Dean rolled his eyes, shooting her a sarcastic grin. "SAM AND I got a call from our mom, and it sounded pretty serious. We were thinking about when to go see her. The thing is you're in no condition to hunt, and—"
"Oh don't worry about it. You guys go, and I'll just stay here. I can take care of myself. I'm almost 18 years old anyway. Seriously though, my birthday's only a few months away, and I would love a puppy." Dean's brows furrowed together, before shooting upwards, opening and closing his mouth. He looked over to a just as befuddled Sam. Henley shook her head, and let out a small chuckle. "Relax guys. I'm kidding."
Dean crossed his arms over his chest. "That's not funny. And we are never getting a dog."
Sam leaned forward in his chair, resting his arms on the table. "So. . .if you're sure you're okay, then we were thinking of heading out in a few hours."
"Yeah, yeah, of course. Go talk to your mom" Henley flashed them a smile as they got up to go pack. After Sam walked out, Dean crouched down in front of her.
"Listen, if you need anything, and I mean anything, you call us. If you think someone has gotten into the bunker, you call us. Please don't be heroic. Don't try to take on anything yourself, got it."
"Yeah, I got it. I'll just relax, binge watch Psych, and eat all the Mallo Cups I can get my hands on." Dean let out a small chuckle, getting up, and pressing a lingering kiss to her temple, smoothing down her hair, following after Sam.
"Welp, better make myself at home on the couch for the next couple of days." Henley slowly made her way to the kitchen, grabbing a sack of Mallo Cups she had stashed in the cupboard, her sushi she didn't get a chance to eat, and a jug of sweet tea from the fridge, making her way over to the couch. By the time she had finished three episodes of Psych, Sam and Dean were yelling goodbye, as they rushed out to the garage.
It had only been two days since Sam and Dean left, when she heard the door to the garage open. Henley peeked her head over the couch, seeing the infamous duo walk in.
"Hey, you guys talk to your mom?"
Dean sighed, running a hand over his face. "No. Her motel room was empty, and seven hunters have been found dead in the past three weeks. Eileen being one of them. I mean it just doesn't make any sense."
Before Henley could speak up, Sam was already on the phone dialing Crowley while Dean sunk into a chair.
"Well, he was no help," Sam sighed. Henley bit her lip brows furrowing together while Sam and Dean discussed what to do next. She knew there was something important about these hunter deaths. She had learned about it while she was kidnapped. Why couldn't she remember? It had something to do with people and planned attacks. God, this was going to drive her insane! There was also something about Sam and Dean's mom that she figured out but from the moment she woke up her brain felt like a car that had been running on empty for 100 miles. She squeezed her eyes tighter together, trying to concentrate, as flashes of her time being kidnapped flashed before her eyes, but everything Ketch said was all a blur. Wait, Ketch! That's it, that was the name of the man that had taken her.
Henley shot up, causing the sack of Mallo Cups to fall onto the wood floor. Her father and Uncle startled, looking over at her. "Guys, I remember, I remember some, not all, well I'm trying really hard to remember everything, but I remember this and I don't know if it pertains to the current issue, but, well I don't know..."
"Spit it out kid. What do you remember Henley?" Dean asked, his patience wearing thin. Sam and Dean both made their way over to her, crouching down in front of her. Henley took a deep breath, looking her dad strait in the eyes.
"It was Ketch. He was the one who kidnapped me, and almost turned me into a burnt marshmallow." Henley didn't know what kind of reaction her dad would have to this news, but being completely silent was not one she was expecting. His jaw was clenched and his eyes became cold and merciless. She looked over to Sam to see he was deep in thought, and noticed he was clenching his fist into a really tight ball.
Dean let out a slow and deep breath. "I'm going to kill him." Dean stood up, and began pacing. She was afraid he would explode any second, or wear a hole in the floor.
"I also remember something about your mom, and all the dead hunters. I don't know what, just that it was mentioned while I was kidnapped."
Dean stopped pacing, and sat down on the couch next to her.
"We knew the Men of Letters had taken you, and Ketch has always been a douche, but for him to orchestrate this. . .and now your telling us you know they have something to do with all this other stuff." Dean sighed, looking over to Sam. "We need to go check in with other hunters, check our mail, see if anyone has sent anything that could be of importance." Sam nodded in agreeance.
"Henley, stay here and answer if we call." She nodded, holding up her cell for them to see as they rushed out of the bunker again.
The next time they came back, the boys had figured out that the Bunker was bugged, and she stayed absolutely silent, reading the last book in The Heroes of Olympus series. Once Sam and Dean had found the bug, they formulated a plan, and once again she was left to her own devices.
***
Wet. That was the only thing going through her mind as she came to. Henley blinked slowly, as the room came into focus. She startled, scooting as far back into the couch cushions as she possibly could.
"Get the hell away from me!" she screamed, scrambling for her phone. Ketch ripped her phone out of her hands, tossing it to the other side of the room.
Henley sighed in relief when she saw it land on a cushioned chair.
"You better hope my phone isn't damaged in any way shape or form. It cost 700 dollars of my hard earned cash!" Henley made a mad dash for her phone, only managing to stand up, as Ketch's arms encircled her. "Let go of me you son of a bitch!"
"Ah, taking a note from your father's vocabulary are we? Well, why don't we go and see him, hmm. Should be arriving any second." With that, Ketch grabbed a hold of her hair with one hand, and pointed a gun to her head with the other.
"How the hell did you even get in here?"
"Well now that you see was entirely too easy. We are Men of Letters, and this is a Men of Letters bunker. We have our methods."
"Great, thank you, that answers so much." Henley struggled against his hold, which only caused Ketch to tighten his grip on her hair. Ketch hid behind a wall, pulling her flush up against his body, pressing the gun harder against her temple. She breathed out a sigh of relief upon hearing her father's voice.
"So we're clear? You call Ketch, tell him if he wants to see you alive, he gets his prissy ass over here."
Ketch forced Henley out into the open, his grip on her the tightest it's ever been. "Interestingly enough his prissy ass is already here." Henley could see the looks of surprise and worry flash across both her dad's and uncle's faces. "Lady Bevell, would you mind disarming them?" Henley watched in shock and terror, as everything felt like it was happening in slow motion. Sam acted as if he was surrendering and the second Lady Bevell's hand touched his gun, he wrapped his arms around hers and shot the man next to him. Henley took this opportunity to break free. She bent forward, and whipped her head backwards, slamming into Ketch's nose. A small smile graced her lips upon hearing the sickening crunch of bone, and Ketch's cry of pain. Henley quickly dashed behind the small wall space separating the war room from the library, bringing her knees up to her chest, and clamping her hands over her ears. She was not about to be shot by her father. God would that really put a damper in their relationship. Henley looked up when she realized the shooting had stopped. Her father was holding a gun to Ketch's head, and looking at her, worry evident in his facial features.
"You okay, sweetheart?"
Henley nodded her head yes, standing up, and going over to Dean. She looked to Sam who gave her a reassuring nod, before looking back at her dad. Dean forced Ketch up off the ground, letting out a gruff, "Get up."
"Alright Ketch, how many more guys are in here?" Sam asked, slowly walking forward, with Lady Bevell still in his grasp, gun to her head.
"Our mom? WHERE IS SHE?" Dean bellowed, anger rolling off him in waves.
Henley watched Ketch with anticipation, when the sound of high heels clacking against the concrete floor sounded throughout the bunker. Her eyebrows rose, as she watched a gorgeous, tall blonde woman walk in, gun raised, and a face so serious it rivaled even Dean. Noticing the way her father and uncle reacted to the woman's presence, she figured this must be there mother.
"Don't move," Mary demanded, her tone harsh, and cold, far from what Henley expected her to sound like.
"Speak of the devil," Ketch chimed, causing Dean to tighten his hold on the pathetic excuse of a man.
"Great timing mom," Sam remarked, his gaze and gun pointed at Ketch, his expression gravely serious.
"Just stay where you are," Mary said. In that moment Ketch began to move, only for Dean to grab him tighter.
"HEY! You heard her."
"I was talking to you." Henley's eyebrows furrowed, as she looked over to her dad, only to see him just as perplexed.
"Mom?" Dean asked, loosening his grip on Ketch. From the tone in his voice she could tell he felt utterly dazed and confused. Henley continued to watch Mary, when suddenly she fired right next to her head, shooting a hole in the wall. Henley shrieked, ducking, and covering her head. When she looked back up, she saw that Dean had let go of Ketch in surprise, giving the vile man an opportunity to snag his gun. Henley's eyes widened, as she saw a gun was now pointed at her. She was getting really tired of having this man threaten to kill her. When was it going to be her turn to try and put a bullet in his brain? Henley held her hands up in surrender, begrudgingly, as she noticed out of the corner of her eye, Dean began to make his way closer to her.
"I really wouldn't move. She will shoot you," Ketch huffed out.
Dean didn't seem to care, as he quickly grabbed her arm, and pulled her behind him. As much as Henley appreciated it, she really didn't want Dean to die. People only have one life, and she was not going to lose her dad, after finally getting to know him. She watched from behind her father, as Mary slowly walked up to Sam, taking the gun from his hand. Henley could see the defeat in Sam's eyes, as he relinquished his weapon. He let go of Lady Bevell, closing his eyes in frustration.
"Mummy always was a talented hunter. Just somewhat confused about obeying orders." Lady Bevell remarked, and Henley could all but see the smugness oozing out of her.
"What did you do to her?" Sam asked, his voice deflated.
Ketch cleared his throat, clearly proud of himself. "Lady Bevell cleared up that confusion. I suspect she told you American hunters are a dying breed." Ketch began to walk up the stairs leading out of the bunker, and Lady Bevell began to follow, only for Ketch to stop and hold a gun up to her. "Oh, for heaven's sake where do you think you're going?"
"Ketch?"
"Remember at Kendricks, how they taught us we were all expendable, that wasn't idle chat."
"Mom," Dean called out in a desperate last ditch attempt to get through to her. Mary walked over to the edge of the balcony, pointing a gun at each of her sons. "Mom, look at me. It's us, please. What's wrong with you. Mom!" Dean sounded so sad, and all Henley wanted to do was to go up there and kick everyone's ass, and fix Mary so she'd never have to hear him sound so depressed again. She watched as Ketch came to stand next to Mary, looking down on them as if they were his prisoners he were about to execute.
"Your prison is an excellent fortress, and even better tomb." Henley ground her teeth, all she wanted to do was smack that smug smile right off his face. She stopped her fantasizing, as she grasped the reality of what Ketch just said. Did he just say fucking tomb! "So, we've rejiggered the locks, we've shut off the water, and once we leave the pumps that bring in the air shall reverse. You're oxygen should be gone in two days...maybe three. You dying in here...it's almost...poetic." Ketch flashed another toothy smile, and Henley had to force herself from charging at the bastard. She looked up at her father, and could see his eyes had turned steely and that his jaw was locked. She knew that even if they were going to die down here, they wouldn't go down without a fight, and that if they did manage by some miracle to escape, Ketch was a dead man walking. "Come along Mary."
"Ketch!" Lady Bevell yelled, one last attempt to get out of here. Henley watched as Dean raced up the stairs, reaching the door just as it locked securely behind them. Dean began pulling on the door handle furiously, and when that didn't work he started pounding on it with all his might.
"No," Dean bellowed, distress evident in his tone. Dean spun back around, looking back down at her and Sam, a lost expression on his face. It was in that moment, Henley knew they were in serious trouble.