The Road So Far..., Season 4

[Isabel Berkeley]

Baby
I get so scared inside, and I don't really understand
Is it love that's on my mind, or is it fantasy?
Heaven
Is in the palm of my hand, and it's waiting here for you
What am I supposed to do with a childhood tragedy?

Dean is dead. He gave up the very last month of his life to save his family and friends. Sam, Isabel and the others all think Dean is suffering in Hell, much to the pleasure of Jasmine. Yet Dean isn't in Hell...

What the others didn't know was the quiet conversation between Jasmine and Dean. While demons had all his family trapped, Jasmine had him pinned to the wall, she made him an offer he couldn't refuse. She informed him that he had some friends in very high places, so high that it had been ordered that his soul be saved from Hell, but he still was sentenced to die for the deal with the crossroads demon. Jasmine was still annoyed that Dean wouldn't be going to Hell, so she gave him a choice, either he gives up his last month alive to free everyone he loves or he watches as they all are slowly killed before his eyes. After all, she already killed his unborn child with Isabel, killing the ones that were already breathing air wouldn't be anymore difficult for her. Needless to say, not wanting to his brother, son, lover or anyone else he cared for dead because of him, Dean agreed.

Sometimes
It's hard to hold on
So hard to hold on to my dreams
It isn't always what it seems
When you're face to face with me

With screams and cries of rage, Sam and the others watched as Jasmine ended the life of Dean Winchester before she fled, the other demons with her. They tried to revive Dean, but knew it was too late. Though the others wanted to burn him, Sam, Isabel and Ben refused to let such a thing be done to his body. Instead they buried him in an unmarked grave.

As time slowly begins to pass, the pain they all felt remained. All were sure Dean was suffering in Hell with no escape. Sam became depressed, turning to booze as a way to release some of his pain. Ben began to secretly search for any way to free his father, even considering selling his own soul. Isabel, torn by the loss of her only love and her first child, is trying to keep the pieces together, but she feels like she'll break at any moment. No one has heard from Bobby. Jo is trying to decide what she should do and how to protect her unborn child. Ellen is still trying to build the Roadhouse again and has no clue about her grandchild, meanwhile Ruby is keeping her ears open for anything unusual on the demon side. Kayla and her family have now taken up residence at the Supernatural Headquarters do to Chris wanting to keep them all safe from the demons. Yet no one seems to know what to do without Dean around.

If I close my eyes forever
Will it all remain unchanged?
If I close my eyes forever
Will it all remain the same?

Jasmine on the other hand has plenty to do. With the death of the eldest Winchester, it has helped her with a very powerful ritual she had been setting up for a long time. She is looking to bring a little more color to the world around her and what better way to do that then with a few original demons? Some of the most powerful, blood-lusting and deceitful ones around. They make the demons the hunters have been dealing with the last few centuries look like puppies. Another words, don't get caught in a dark alley with any of these guys.

Sadly, like with everything, the ritual has a draw back. The demons she wants to bring back can't all be brought back at once. They have to be spaced apart, but one has already arrived thanks to Dean's death. Nariel, now known as Jacob Cole, now walks among us and he's ready to bring chaos of unimaginable portions to this world. Between Jasmine and Jacob, they plan to make our world more demon friendly. They are now getting ready to launch an attach against Dean's family, more devious then before, they plan to go straight for the heart.

You're like a dagger
And stick me in the heart
And taste the blood from my blade
And when we sleep, would you shelter me
In your warm and darkened grave?

And for those that are wondering just where Dean is, since he's not in Hell, he's in Purgatory. This place isn't what some people expect either. Here is the last chance you have to make it to Heaven. You pay for all the evil you caused on earth right here by being good, you are not allowed to do anything wrong. One wrong thing, just one and you will be on your way to a fiery pit. Things aren't all that bad though, Purgatory is a decent little place, nice people for the most part and a lot of them willing to help each other stay on the straight an narrow. Like Dean, he had twenty years here, but because he's been helping others stay good, helping make sure they don't screw up their last few days here, his time has gone down. He's had plenty of chances to go to Heaven, but each time he turns them down to continue to helping those around him.

This interests Those in Heaven, so they send in one to learn about Dean. His name is Castiel, an Angel of the Lord. Only Dean doesn't know the new man in Purgatory is an Angel, he thinks he's someone else who needs help. Castiel tries to get Dean to move, which of course is refused. And all this happens before some of Jasmine's plan is found out. Once that happened, everything began to change.

Close your eyes
Close your eyes
You gotta close your eyes for me

[Isabel Berkeley]

The start of our Season 3 -

Dean Winchester walked out of Lisa Braeden's house, closing the door with a sigh. Ben wasn't his kid; he should have been feeling relieved, right? Disappointment shot through his body reaching every nerve ending in him. He had known pain before but nothing compared to this. He tensed as his heart broke into thousands of jagged fragments. With only a year to live, the idea of being a father actually appealed to him. Why, he didn't know. Dean didn't like the idea of leaving his child fatherless, hell he didn't like the idea of leaving his child at all, and with the life he lead, that would happen more often then not. Shaking his head, and bury his emotions, Dean started walking back to the hotel where he shared a room with his brother, Sam. Little did he know what was happening there...

Baby
I get so scared inside, and I don't really understand
Is it love that's on my mind, or is it fantasy?
Heaven
Is in the palm of my hand, and it's waiting here for you
What am I supposed to do with a childhood tragedy?

"Just tell me who you are," Sam said firmly, staring hard at the blond before him. The one who seemed to know more about his family then he did, about his mom, even about the damn Yellow Eyed Demon.

Her name was Ruby and she was a hell of a lot smugger then he liked women to be. Even if she had saved his ass before, he wanted to know who she was and how she knew all this shit. He was sick of playing her stupid games.

"Fine," Ruby said before closing her eyes. Opening them to stare back at Sam, showing the opaque blackness consuming her orbs. The bitch was a demon.

Sam would have wasted her right then and there, even had Holy Water to drench her with, but he hesitated. She knew his weakness, what to get him to stop, and think. It was what he had been looking for, but it made him sick to even think about having to let her help him, as she put it.

"I can help you save your brother."

With those seven words, Sam agreed, with a condition. One wrong move by her and he would send her back to the pits of Hell. Ruby just smirked at him before agreeing. If working with her would help save Dean, Sam would do it. And maybe, just maybe he would find out the truth about himself and his mother...

If I close my eyes forever
Will it all remain unchanged?
If I close my eyes forever
Will it all remain the same?

The Winchester brothers peeled out of Cicero, Indiana, heading down the road, and on to their next hunt. Neither telling the other his thoughts. Dean didn't need to know that Sam was working with a demon, and Sam didn't need to know Dean’s feelings on almost having a kid. It was better left unsaid. Or so they thought.

Sometimes
It's hard to hold on
So hard to hold on to my dreams
It isn't always what it seems
When you're face to face with me

Isabel Berkeley missed the Winchesters by a week, but it wasn't a total loss she thought to herself as she glanced at the young boy who slept on the bed next to hers in the hotel room. If she had gotten here two weeks ago, she might have caught up with John's sons, but she would have never been able to save Ben.

It was a chance meeting for them. She had been walking away from the hotel the Winchesters had been staying in, with a picture of the two in her hand. She had told the manager that they were friends of hers, showed him the picture, and said she hadn't heard from them in a few days. He told her they had left a week ago. Isabel hadn't bothered to put it away yet, figuring she could ask someone at a diner if they had been there, maybe they heard where they were heading. That was when some jerk ran into her. She had almost lost her balance, but she caught herself as a young boy ran up. He had black hair, a cute smile, and looked to be about eight. And he had her picture in his hands. She must have dropped it when she almost fell.

"Hey, what are you doing with a picture of Dean?" he asked her with raised eyebrow.

"You know him?" Isabel had asked with surprise in her voice. One thing she knew about the Winchesters, they didn't give their real names.

The boy nodded his head, giving her picture back. "Yeah, I met him at my birthday party last week. He’s a friend of my mom's. So why do you have his picture?"

"He’s a friend of mine too," she lied. "My name is Isabel. He didn't happen to tell you where he was heading did he?"

"I'm Ben." Slowly, almost sadly, he shook his head at her. "No, I didn't even get to tell him bye." A slight smile came to his lips then. "He taught me how to kick a bully's ass though."

"He teach you how to cuss too?"

"No, I just pay attention."

"Ben, are you bothering this woman?" A woman with dark hair walked up and placed her hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, is my son bothering you?"

Isabel shook her head. "No, he was just picking my picture up for me."

"Mom, she knows Dean too."

She watched the woman's eyes change, she looked almost... shocked, like she had seen a ghost. Isabel highly doubted that, it must have something to do with Dean. Smiling politely though, she learned Ben's mom was named Lisa, and that she didn't know where Dean was going. Something about the way she was acting told Isabel she was hiding something.

You're like a dagger
And stick me in the heart
And taste the blood from my blade
And when we sleep, would you shelter me
In your warm and darkened grave?

It wasn't hard following them to their place and Isabel kept an eye on them. Time was passing fast. It had been almost a week since she had arrived in Cicero. Lisa must know where Dean and Sam were, other wise, why had she reacted the way she did when Ben mentioned that Isabel knew Dean. Unless it was something else. Isabel started to think over the past week. She started with the diner, going over every detail. That wasn't the only time she had seen Ben either, he caught her at the park while she was reading. He told her about Changelings, the creatures that kidnap kids, and take their place. Ben said he had been one of them and Dean saved him. That didn't surprise Isabel at all. After talking to him for a few moments, she gave him her cell number, and told him to call her if he ever needed anything.

She had no idea how soon that would be.

If I close my eyes forever
Will it all remain unchanged?
If I close my eyes forever
Will it all remain the same?

The call had come at midnight, just as Isabel was about to get ready to head back to her hotel. She had decided to come back to watch the house in the morning. That was when her cell phone rang and all she heard was Ben screaming for help and that was all it took to get her running to the house. Once she came onto the front porch, there was no noise or anything coming from inside. She kicked the door down with her gun drawn and cocked. Slowly, she slipped inside, glancing this way and that. Nothing was out of the ordinary.

"Ben?" she called. "Lisa?"

When no answer came, she moved into the living room, and on through out the house. As she made her way up the stairs, she heard a noise, and her eyes started moving from one side to the other. She glanced down the hallway one way, then the other, before she turned swiftly to her right. There in the wall was a linen closet. Gritting her teeth, she held the gun firmly, and reached out for the handle. She opened the door fast, her gun dropping down with her eyes to the small form hiding inside.

"Ben!" she exclaimed as she hit her knees before him.

Ben lifted his head; his cheeks stained with tears, and looked up at her. "Isabel?" he whispered before moving quickly into her arms.

They held tightly to each other for a moment. "Where is your mom?" Isabel finally asked as she pulled back to look at him. Her eyes followed his as he looked over to a closed door at the end of the hallway.

Getting to her feet, she made her way down there, Ben staying close behind her. When she reached the door, she pushed him back against the wall, and slowly opened the door to look in. At first glance, the room was normal, but Isabel smelt it within a second. Sulfur. Walking in, she checked everywhere, making sure there were no surprises. All she found was Lisa's body, lying lifeless next to her desk, and her head turned in a way that was unnatural; it wouldn't have been easily done.

Will you ever take me?
No, I just can't take the pain
But would you ever trust me?
No, I'll never feel the same, Oh

Isabel told Ben not to come into the room as she checked over Lisa, careful not to touch anything. Lisa tried to fight against it that was self-evident. She could tell it had been a demon of some kind, but Isabel had no idea which kind. How had that damn thing gotten in without her noticing? That ticked her off. Looking over at Ben in the doorway, she stood up, and started to move back to him. What if she hadn't been there, gone back to the hotel or worse, gone from the city? She knew the answer; Ben might also be dead.

Her eyes caught a piece of paper on the desk; it was pushed under a book, like Lisa was trying to hide it. She pulled it out, straightened it as best as she could, and she started to read it.


Dear Dean,

This is one of the hardest letters that I have ever had to write and I would give anything if I didn't have to. But I have no choice. Since you were here, Ben hasn't been able to stop talking about you. He really looks up to you and thinks you are the greatest. He said you didn't treat him like a kid and didn't take care of his problems for him, but showed him how to take care of them himself. And even though I got upset at you for that, I got to say thank you. Being a single mom has been hard and sometimes, I still baby him. He is my baby. But it has been my fault for being a single mom, it was my choice, and I only have myself to blame.

I lied to you, Dean; I looked you right in the face and lied. I have been lying to my son for his whole life and I can't do it anymore. I never had a DNA test on Ben when he was a baby, because I knew you were his father. You are his father, Dean. After that last night with you, there was no one else. That night, it was the best night of my life, in more ways then one. You gave me my son and I am so thankful for that. I am also ashamed because I never told you.

I have been feeling guilty for it, but had been able to hide it. Then you showed up and watching you with Ben, it nearly broke my heart. I thought I could get through it when you left, even after you said you would have been proud to be his father, even with Ben talking about you all the time. But then a woman showed up a few days ago looking for you and your brother. She said her name was Isabel and that she was a friend. Then and there I knew I wouldn't get any peace until I told you the truth. So I am. I hope you can forgive me Dean, I never meant to hurt you. I just... you were a drifter and I didn’t want you drifting in and out of your son’s life when you felt like it. After seeing you with him though, I knew that wasn’t the way it would ever be. I saw you for the man you really are, Dean. I know I hurt you and Ben by not telling you the truth.

It’s been a week of pure hell. I have been trying to find you, but haven't been able to. I managed to find this address to a guy named Bobby and only hope he was able to get this letter to you. Well if you are reading it, I guess he did. I am really sorry Dean, I would beg for your forgiveness, but I thought I was doing the right thing. I know it is a weak argument, but it's the truth. I know now it was wrong, but I was young and stupid. Don't hold this against Ben, please. And if you can... call him sometime? Or come and see him again? I will be telling him in the morning that you are his father.

I am sorry, Dean. I hope to hear from you soon.

Sincerely,
Lisa

Isabel's eyes widen at the revelation in the letter and turned to Ben. "Did your Mom tell you anything important tonight?" she asked as she stuffed the letter into her pocket.

"Just that she loved me," he answered as the tears ran down his face. “What’s on the paper?”

”Nothing,” Isabel answered him. She looked down into the eyes of Dean’s son as she thought about all the lies. She had to find Dean. She had to tell him Lisa’s truth.

I know I've been so hard on you
I know I've told you lies
If I could have just one more wish
I'd wipe the cobwebs from my eyes

She grabbed him, and got as much of his stuff as they could carry. When she had finally gotten him into her car, she made a call to her brother, and told him about Lisa's death. They needed a cover story, something that would link Ben to their family, and someone to go deal with the authorities on Lisa's death. It wasn't long before Ben was her young cousin, going to spend a few months with her family, and hadn't been home when his mother was killed.

They had to leave Cicero that night and find another hotel a few cities away to stay in. And that's where they were now, Ben sleeping, with Isabel watching him. Now her mission to find the Winchesters just got even more personal. And she hadn't even told Ben who his father was; all he knew was that they were going to find Dean. She had Dean's son, Dean and Sam had the answers to what was going on, and what was happening to her, as well as someone very close to her.

Time was running out...

If I close my eyes forever
Will it all remain unchanged?
If I close my eyes forever
Will it all remain the same?

Dean sat up in the bed, his breathing heavy and harsh. Sam looked over at him from where he sat at the table in their hotel room, his eyebrow raised, before he glanced at his watch.

”Dude, you usually don’t get up before nine,” he said with a smirk, that soon faded as he saw the look on his brother’s face. Sam never saw Dean scared, it was such a rare thing, Sam wondered if Dean even had an expression for scared. Now, he knew his brother did. ”Dean?”

”She knows me, Sam,” Dean said, swallowing hard. ”The girl in my dream, she knows me, and is coming after me.”

”Some chick you hooked up with?”

He shook his head at Sam, moving to get out of the bed. ”No, man, I don’t know who she is. But she knows me… us, and she is coming.” Dean walked to the window and looked out the blinds. No one was there, but she was coming, and Dean had no idea what she wanted. Maybe that bitch demon decided she didn’t want to wait any longer for his soul. So much for living a life of fun…

Close your eyes
Close your eyes
You gotta close your eyes for me