Roads Untraveled ~ Sam Winchester

Chapter One Hundred and Ninety - The Vanishing Act

"Alright, you. We're having a talk." Eden walked into Willow's room, where the young Vampire was reorganising her things.
The girl sighed, putting down a book on her desk to sit on the end of her bed next to the Dark Angel.
"You wanna know where I went..." 
"You're bloody right I do. You were gone for weeks. I was worried sick." Eden huffed.
"I'm sorry, mom... After what Jack said, I panicked. I didn't want history to repeat itself." Willow sighed again, looking down at her hands in her lap. "I ran and ran until I found this Witch. He gave me a spell that would block you from finding me."
"A witch?" Eden frowned. "Who was he? How did he know what I am? No Witch should have that kind of power."
"He never gave his name." Willow shrugged. "Always wore a deep hood. I never saw his face. But I was desperate to be alone, so I did the spell and it worked."
Eden's frown deepened as she sat a little straighter.

Since neither Eden or Jorden were feeling tired, they had decided to go on a shopping spree to compile a wardrobe for the newest edition.
By the time they got back, Sam and Dean were getting ready to leave.
"What's going on? Have we got a lead?" Eden frowned, placing the abundance of clothes bags on the map table.
"Charlie called. Might be a case." Sam replied, giving her a hug.
Dean lifted Jorden up into his arms, bouncing her on his hip.
"What do you think, Littlest VP? First case?" He smirked.
"Um, I think not, thank you very much." Eden cocked a warning brow in his direction.
"What? Jack was her age when he started out, technically." The older brother shrugged.
"Jack was also thrown into that and was a lot bigger than she is." The Dark Angel retorted, crossing her arms.
"Momma, please can I go?" Jorden gave her best puppy dog eyes, even making them fill with tears at the waterline.
Eden rolled her eyes, side-eyeing Sam.
"If ever anyone needed proof she was your daughter, that look is it."
Sam chuckled, pulling her into his side to kiss her hair.
"Come on, it could be fun. She can meet Aunt Charlie and Aunt Stevie."
Eden sighed again, putting her forehead into her palm.
"Fine. She can come. But we're flying. No arguments, Dean."

"Oh my gosh, who is this?!" Charlie gasped as Jorden skipped in, holding hands with Eden.
The little girl looked up at her mother, who smiled.
"Go on, that's your Aunt Charlie. Go say hello." Eden urged, letting go of her hand to urge the child on.
Jorden waddled over to Charlie, holding up a hand in motionless wave.
"Hello, I'm Jorden. Jorden Mary Elizabeth Winchester." She grinned.
Charlie's eyes widened, taking them off of the Dark Nephilim to look between Eden and the brothers.
"She's finally here?" She gushed.
"She's finally here." Sam smiled.
Charlie's adoring eyes fell back on the child in front of her, opting to kneel down.
"It's awesome to meet you, Jorden."
The child's only response was to fall into the woman, giving her a hug around her neck.
"So, what seems to be the problem? Where's Stevie?" Dean asked.
"That is exactly the problem. She just... Disappeared. Right in front of me." Charlie sighed, getting to her feet once Jorden had released her. She motioned with her head for them to follow her further inside her apartment. She sat down in a small olive green armchair in the living room as Sam took out an EMF reader and began to scan the place.
Eden, Jorden and Dean followed her to sit on the mismatching white couch.
"So... How'd you two meet? Best keep you thinking on the positives while Sam does his thing." Eden gave a short-lived smile as Jorden clambered into her lap.
"We met a few months ago. Bobby sent me to back her up on a Djinn case. Thought Stevie might need my help. She didn't." The woman explained. Sam walked up behind her, shaking his head to Dean and Eden as to say he'd had no results on the EMF. "I said I liked the way she handled herself. She accused me of flirting. I denied it. But then... I didn't know who else to call. I can't believe this happened... Why her and not me?"
"That's what we're trying to figure out." Dean replied, sitting forward on the edge of the seat with his fingers knitted together in front of him.
"Charlie, why don't you tell us everything you saw?" Sam suggested, perching himself on the arm of the couch nearest Eden and Jorden.
"Wel- I saw nothing!" Charlie shrugged, holding out her arms in emphasis. "I heard nothing. I felt nothing. No chills, no sulphur smell. One second, Stevie was making breakfast and the next, she just... She just vanished." She folded her arms, looking the three adults over. Dean glanced to his left, giving an uneasy look to his brother and Eden. "What?"
"Charlie... We've, uh... We've made some pretty big enemies, lately." He sharply exhaled, passing it off as a humourless chuckle.
"Death..." Sam uttered. "The Death. She wants to send you back. Everyone from other worlds sent back to... Worlds that don't exist anymore."
"So, she's killing us." Charlie concluded.
"We don't know for sure that it's Death." Eden half-groaned. "She's not the only big player we've... Peeved recently." She covered her daughter's ears to finish her sentence, earning a frown from the little one.
"Yeah, I mean, we don't know for sure, but Stevie fits a pattern. Just before we left, we had a few other Hunters call and say a similar thing."
"A pattern?" Charlie scoffed, getting up to pace the room. "I said I wasn't gunna do this again – the love thing. And I do and the second I let my guard down, Stevie is just- She's gone. So... What? Is she just some collateral damage to you? Is that what I'll be too?"
"No, no, of course not." Eden shook her head, mostly to attempt to shake the thoughts of the vulgar aftermath of when she tried to save their Charlie. "We're trying to find a way to fix this. And we'll try and find a way to do that and bring everyone missing back in the process."
Sam's phone began to ring, making him huff as he reached into the pocket of his khaki jacket.
"I'm sorry." He uttered, seeing the contact name pop up on his screen. "It's Bobby, uh... Sorry."
He stood up, choosing to answer it and have his conversation somewhere else in the apartment.
"Charlie, I'm sorry..." Was all Dean could think to say.
"Yeah, okay. I understand. Thanks." Sam said, hanging up the phone.
"What now?" The older brother huffed.
"Bobby was on a hunt with another Apocalypse World refugee – uh, Greg. And... Greg just vanished." The younger explained.
"It's spreading." Charlie noted.
"Yeah, I think so." Sam sighed.
"So no one's safe..." Dean grumbled.
"Are we safe, Momma?" Jorden looked up at Eden with her Winchester puppy dog eyes.
"You'll be fine, Flower. Nothing's going to hurt you so long as daddy and I are around. Remember you've got Uncle Dean, Uncle Pigeon, Willow, Jack, Uncle Bobby, Aunt Charlie and so many others looking out for you too."
"But what about all of you? Who's going to look after you?" The Dark Nephilim's waterline began to fill, the whites of her huge, pleading eyes starting to redden.
Eden's uneasy expression looked between Charlie, Sam and Dean. That look was only returned.
"We protect each other, Sweetheart. That's what families do." Sam gave the little girl a half-cocked smile.
"Let's be real." Dean scoffed. "Jorden's the only one in this room who's safe."
"Dean." Eden hissed.
"No, really. The little Munchkin seems to understand, so why lie to her on her first full day alive? Anybody that's ever crossed over from another world, anyone that's ever been resurrected, all on Billie's list."
"Has anyone tried to get a hold of Eileen recently?" The Dark Angel asked.
Sam's face instantly fell.
"Go. It's not like anything else is gunna happen here." Charlie nodded.
"Don't jinx it." Eden warned.