Daughter of Heaven (WIP - On Hiatus)

Chapter 49 - There's no place like home

Why the hell did I come back here? Why the hell did I bring them here? Rufus's cabin was as good a place as any to hide at. I... I can't go in there. I won't!

Allegra sat frozen in the back of the car. She heard Sam and Meg talking and saw Castiel twirling around like a twitchy ballet dancer in a trench coat. Kevin was already walking towards the house, eager to get inside. And Dean... Where was Dean?

"Alley?"

Allegra turned her head at the sound of Dean's voice. He was hovering in the door, with one hand stretched out towards her.

"I know you don't wanna be here, Alley. But maybe you'll find some answers here."

She stared into his green eyes.

"I'm right here with you."

Allegra didn't know why, but those words were enough for some reason. She took Dean's hand, and he helped her out of the car. They walked around the car and towards the house where she grew up in. Sam's eyes were on them, but Allegra didn't really care what Sam might think now. He wasn't the one she needed to get her through this.
Dean told Meg and Castiel to sit tight near the car for now until they were sure the house was safe and Kevin could settle in. The demon gruntled a little but stayed put nonetheless (like she had a choice). Her angelic counterpart just kept on twirling merrily. That those two couldn't enter the house was a bonus (at least Allegra wouldn't have to worry about them anymore), but they were going to have to find a safe place to stay.

Everything looked just as Allegra remembered it. Big two-story white house with green roof tiles, green window shutters, and a big porch going all the way around. The yard and bushes growing against the porch could do with a little sprucing but still looked pretty decent. The barn out back appeared a little smaller. Boards and other stuff were propped up against the wood. It had always been like that. Allegra had never understood why. She had never been allowed in. Maybe now, she would take a peek at what Gabriel was hiding in there.
Beyond the barn, Allegra discerned the treetops of a nearby grove. She suddenly recalled Auntie Roe. Not her real aunt, of course. The woman lived with them for three years before taking off shortly after Allegra turned twelve. It had broken her heart since she always believed Auntie Roe was going to be her stepmother. She taught her so much. They had gone on so many walks in the grove, with Auntie Roe teaching Allegra what plants and herbs to use for everyday stuff in the kitchen or household remedies and which to stay away from. Allegra couldn't help but wonder now if she had known the truth and had helped Gabriel cover it up. Or maybe... the truth had been the reason she left.

Allegra's heart was beating like crazy, going a thousand miles a minute. Her body moved on its own, walking in step with Dean as they neared the house. Kevin was already on the porch, peering through the window.

"Doesn't look like anybody's home," he said.

"It would surprise me if there was," said Allegra with a weary sigh.

She reluctantly let go of Dean's hand and bend down to move a flower pot away. She loosened the floorboard and reached in to grab the key to the house, surprised to find it was actually still there. Her hand shook as her fingers closed around it.

"Allegra, you okay?" asked Sam behind her.

"Fine, just... give me a moment."

She took a deep breath and turned the key. The door opened with a creak. Memories of her childhood flooded back after trying so hard to bury them deep inside her mind. Kevin and Sam passed Allegra, putting the duffel bag and tablet near the dresser at the entrance, and started looking around. The front door gave out directly into the spacious living room. Just in front of them was the staircase that led up to the bed- and bathrooms, and attic too. And further down, the hall led to the dining room and enormous kitchen.
Allegra had to support herself on the stair banister to keep from fainting. Her head was spinning. Everything looked exactly the same. The photographs on the wall, the brown couch with the green fluffy plaid, the piano in the corner by the window, and the violin case beside it, the hundreds of LPs neatly stored in the glass case... It was all still here.
But then Allegra started noticing the differences. DVDs instead of video cassettes, a new tv instead of the old-time model, the laptop at the desk instead of the big computer... That wasn't right. Those hadn't even been made in the early nineties when she was last here.