Supernova 2: Chapter Four

The vampire looked down at his feet.  "Do you remember that murderous rage I mentioned earlier?"
"Yes."
"Well, at that point, I had been a vampire for a while - almost twenty years." the vampire started.  "Carlisle introduced me to the animal diet immediately.  I was still convinced I was a monster, despite everything Carlisle tried to tell me.  Finally, I was so thoroughly convinced that I decided to start living like a monster and reserve my ticket for a one way trip to Hell.  I left the Cullens and traveled all over, mercilessly murdering people for their blood."

The boy swallowed hard, fighting against his tears.  "But did you enjoy it, Edward?" he begged.
"Yes.  Very much so." the vampire replied, his voice seeming very far away.  "I'm not exactly sure how many years this lasted, but sometime within the last year or so of it, I stopped enjoying it and started to feel empty.  After a while, I realized I didn't wish to be a monster, and I went back to the Cullens.  Do you know what I learned when I came back?"
"What?"
"My selfishness not only hurt me, but it hurt my family as well.  They could not stop me from going my own way, but rather worried the entire time I was gone."
"So I deserved it?"
"No.  I'm saying that what you did for Sam may have brought him back to life, but you were being selfish because you knew how he would feel."  The vampire knelt down to the boy's level, noticing the weakness in his eyes. "All of that aside, you were still pulled out of Hell.  Now, you could look at this one of two ways: the 'Powers That Be' desperately needed you due to one or all of your skills and are willing to overlook the fact that you sold your soul, or this is finally your second chance to help out mankind."

The boy raised his head, his red eyes looking straight at the vampire.  He cleared his throat.  "Do you really believe that?" he retorted.
"Absolutely.  I think it's the first option."
"What makes you say that?"
"From what I've gathered out of your head and Sam and Bobby, you're a dedicated hunter.  You hunt and kill evil supernatural beings so that someone else won't get hurt or killed.  You care, Dean.  It's not an easy job, but you willingly save complete strangers and get little more than a 'thank you' in response.  That makes you a good person in my book, and I'm sure every single person you've ever saved would agree.  You were also good at your job.  Now tell me, how can the 'Powers That Be' not be impressed?"
"I'm not the only hunter on Earth, you know.  They could have picked any living hunter to help out."
"But they didn't, Dean.  They picked you.  Now why do you think that is?"

The boy sat in silent contemplation.  "I don't know." he finally whispered.
"Think.  Is there anything remarkable in your past or your family's past that would stand out?" asked the vampire as he gently took the empty plastic cup from the boy's hand.

He stood up and sped into the kitchen to refill the cup.  "Edward, this is ridiculous.  I don't know why they chose me over everyone else!  I don't have any special abilities or anything like that!" the boy stated.

The vampire froze.  "No," he said.  "but you do have something else."  He turned off the faucet and returned to the living room, where the boy awaited with a look of extreme curiosity on his face.
"And what exactly is this 'something else?'" the boy questioned as he took the cup from the vampire and took a sip.
"Your mother."

Now it was the boy's turn to freeze.  After a moment, he put his cup back down.  "What about her?" he asked.
"A minute ago you were thinking about your past, and your mother came up twice with pivotal events."
"Yeah, but that doesn't affect me."
"Doesn't it?  Your mom was a hunter before she met your dad, but she never told him.  She made a deal for his life to be spared, which allowed the Yellow Eyed Demon access to Sam.  Ten years later, the demon came back, killed her and in turn, your dad figured out all about the supernatural world, raising you and Sam in it."
"So?"
"So?  Dean, don't you see?  It's in your blood!  Being a hunter seems to be almost unavoidable for your family!  Also, this cycle of self sacrifice and working for the greater good is another reoccurring theme."

The boy looked skeptical.  "What's with you and self sacrifice?" he questioned.
"Surely you see the pattern." answered the vampire.
"No, I really don't."
"Too close to the trees to see the forest, I guess." sighed the vampire.  "It all started with your mother.  The Yellow Eyed Demon killed your father and she made a deal with him to let him in a leave him alone ten years later if he brought your dad back to life.  Then, you're on your deathbed and your dad makes a deal with the very same Yellow Eyed Demon to save you in exchange for his life.  Then we get to you, making your deal for Sam, and while you were in Hell, Sam tried to make a deal for you."
"You got all that from the two seconds I thought about my life?" the boy commented.  "You're good."
"Even the tiny bits I get can tell a lot."
"Wow."
"Anyway, your family has proved to be a dedicated one.  You've always fought for mankind, no matter what it cost you."
"So now they've brought me back to fight the apocalypse."

The boy slowly turned to meet the vampire's gaze.  "Do you think that's it?" he asked.

The vampire smiled and nodded.  "I think so." he replied.  "Well, that and one other thing."
"What's that?"
"Sam seems to be a pretty good hunter, but you guys work better as a team."

The boy returned the smile to the vampire.  "Funny, that's what I keep telling him."

The sky outside had turned from purple to electric pink.  The rain had stopped completely, leaving perfect little droplets of water on the solid glass wall, each one reflecting the sky's vibrant colors.  Beyond the yard, the boy noticed the werewolf moving from a laying to standing position, stopping to stretch in between.  Although her fur was soaking wet and matted to her face, her eyes were clearly fixed on the boy.  "Don't worry," stated the vampire.  "she'll just follow you to the edge of town and leave you alone.  You've been peaceful."

The vampire had stepped closer to the window, seemingly making him easier on the eyes, less luminescent.  "Thank you, Edward." said the boy.  "You've really been a tremendous help."
"You're welcome, Dean."

The boy bowed his head a bit as his hands started searching his pockets for his car keys.  "I really should get going." he yawned.  "Sam's probably worried."
"It's been a pleasure." the vampire extended his hand to the boy.
"Definitely."  the boy took the icy hand and shook it.

Finally, the boy located his car keys and headed to the door as the vampire quickly produced a pen and a piece of paper.  "Wait just one second, Dean." he called as he scribbled quickly upon the paper.

The boy stopped, turned around and came face to face with the vampire, who was holding out the paper to him.  He took the paper and examined it.  "Why Edward, it's not every day I get a vampire's phone number!" the boy said.
"I consider you a friend, Dean.  If you ever need help of anything, feel free to call."
"Thanks." he said as he folded the paper and stuffed it into his pocket.  "Maybe you can help me fend off the end of the world."

They both chuckled lightly.  "One more thing before you go: Anchorage." said the vampire.
"Anchorage?"
"Yeah.  That's where we live now."

The boy nodded in understanding.  "Gotta love the Ididarod." he responded.
"Yeah.  Nessie's trying to get Jake to join it."

The boy was taken aback by this.  "You mean, Jacob went with you?" he asked, stunned.
"Yes.  It's a long story.  He visits Forks and LaPush every so often just to check in." The vampire replied.
"Gotcha."
"Have a safe trip, Dean."
"You too, Edward."

The vampire stood there in the living room as the boy walked to the door and exited the house.  Outside, dawn was breaking along the horizon, giving the sky a hint of orange mingling with the pink.  He spotted the black Impala, glistening from the night's storm, droplets of rain still fresh on the windshield.  Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted werewolf watching him intently.  He stood there at the edge of the porch, car keys in hand, staring at them and trying to decide what to do, very aware of the werewolf watching him.  Finally, he shoved his keys back into his pocket and took a few more steps toward the werewolf.  "I suppose I should talk to you too." he said.  "We've never been properly introduced.  I'm Dean Winchester, and from what I'm told, you're Leah Clearwater."

The werewolf turned her head and looked toward the forest, then looked back at Dean.  "Um...do you need something?" he asked, confused.

She nodded her head.  "Okay, would you like me to wait here?" he asked.

She nodded again as she quickly turned and ran into the forest.  A minute later, an unfamiliar girl returned, holding a large plastic bag.  Her T-shirt and jeans were wrinkled, like they had been rolled into a big ball for a long time.  "That's better." she said.  "Now we can talk."

The boy stood there, studying the girl.  She was much shorter than him, the top of her head reaching his shoulder.  A bit petite, but not much.  The girl noticed him.  "What?" she asked.
"I'm just trying to figure out where exactly giant werewolf went." he retorted.
"You're looking at her.  Leah Clearwater."
"Yeah, I know." the boy nervously rubbed the back of his neck quickly.  "Awkward." he muttered.

The girl folded her arms impatiently and glared at him.  "Well?" she angrily spat out.
"Look," the boy began.  "the last time I was here, well, there was a misunderstanding."
"You shot me in the leg!  You were trying to kill me!" she shouted back.
"Yeah, I know.  What I'm trying to say is that I'm sorry.  I never should have done that.  It was stupid." he apologized.  Then he realized that she was standing up fine and didn't have a cast on her leg.  "I'm glad to see it healed up nicely."
"Yeah, we heal up pretty fast." she angrily spat again.
"I'm terribly sorry.  Can you forgive me?" the boy apologized.

The girl eyed him up and thought about this for a minute.  "I'll think about it." she answered.  "I can tell that you really mean it, however, you attacked me for no reason."
"Fair enough, I guess." he sighed.

She turned towards the forest again.  "Wait!" the boy called out.  "One more thing!"

The girl turned to face him once more.  "What is it?" she inquired.
"Why didn't you tell the others I was here?"

A mischevious grin spread across her face.  "What?  And share the Dean Machine with all the boys?  No, this one was personal and I wanted you all to myself if you screwed up again."
"Oh okay." he replied.
"Wait here." the girl demanded.  "I'll be right back."

One more time, the girl turned around and walked into the forest.  A minute later, the werewolf reappeared, the plastic bag tied to her leg with her clothes inside.  Somehow, the boy never spotted it earlier.  "So you're escorting me out of town?" he asked.

The werewolf nodded.  "Alright." said the boy as he fished around once more for his keys.  Once he found them, he walked to the car, opened the door with a loud crack and clumbed inside.  Stabbing the key into the ignition, the boy started the car and it roared to life.  He carefully maneuvered the car around to exit, driving down the long driveway with a werewolf in tow in the woods.

The End</U>