Daughter of Heaven (WIP - On Hiatus)

Chapter 70 - Call it a hunch

Read text message, received 2.24 pm, seven days ago - from; Allegra

'I'm fine. Don't have a way into Purgatory yet. Nothing on Kevin. Working cases to keep busy in the meantime. Stay safe.'

Sam looked the text over again as he reread Allegra's words for the millionth time that week. It was so... curt. But then, he probably shouldn't have expected anything else. The day they last spoke still haunted him - vividly. Allegra blaming him for giving up and wanting to move on (though, to be fair, he and Dean had always agreed to do just that in case something happened) while admitting she still loved his brother was etched in his memory. In his very heart and soul even. He shook his head, dismissed every thought about the hybrid Archangel, and dropped his phone back on the table.

"Don't think about her anymore," he scolded himself, giving his attention back to his newspaper. "She's fine, and you're fine. You got a girlfriend now, one who actually wants to be with you, and a dog, and a nice house. You're Hunter no more, just friendly neighborhood Sam Winchester. That part of your life is over. Done. Just like you promised Dean."

But as soon as he spoke his brother's name, Sam glanced over his paper to his phone. He may not be a Hunter anymore, but that didn't change anything about his instincts. Those were rooted deep within, and they were screaming, begging for him to pay attention. Something was off, he was certain of it. And it wasn't just the text. 
For the past week, Sam had woken up each night with heart palpitations, bathed in sweat. Images of Allegra and Dean flashed through his mind in those few minutes he lingered between dream and reality. Images of them together, some unclear and some very... animated.  

He sighed and raked his hands through his hair, scratching his nails over his scalp. It didn't make any sense. Why would he think of Dean and Allegra like that? Was it some weird guilt trip? Did his conscience decide to mess with him and project the two people he loved most in this world in such a way that Sam would go out to look for them again, just to see if they were really together? If so, he and Jiminy Cricket needed to have a serious conversation. 
Once more, Sam's eyes traveled down to his phone. He licked his lips in thought but then picked it up. The reply was typed and sent in less than 10 seconds. Now all he had to do was wait. It was a long shot, but if his suspicions were right, Allegra wasn't the one who had texted him back.

***

New text message, received 9.29 am - from; Sam Winchester

'Did you hear about Poughkeepsie? It's a real funky town lately.'

***

Sam checked his phone again. It was nearly 7 pm, and still no reply. It didn't have to mean anything. Allegra could just be busy working on a case or something. Yet Sam had this gnawing feeling that there was another reason for her silence. 

"Hey, you okay?"

He blinked and turned upon hearing Amelia's voice. The brunette's brown eyes met his.

"Yeah, fine." Sam mustered a smile at her concerned gaze. "Here, let me help you with that."

He walked over to take the salad bowl from his girlfriend to put it on the table and then disappeared into the kitchen to get the rest of the food. Using those few seconds, Sam composed himself before joining Amelia for dinner. She eyed him curiously as he sat down.

"You sure you're okay, Sam? You haven't been sleeping well lately, and you look a bit... rattled."

"I'm good. Really. Could you pass me the salt, please?"

"You know you can talk to me, right?"

Sam sighed as he took the salt from her. He licked his lips, mulling over his options. Amelia had always been straightforward about her past and her deceased husband, Don. It pained Sam he couldn't show her the same courtesy since she would surely freak out and leave the moment she learned about monsters and whatnot. But... maybe he could talk about this particular part of his past. It was the most mundane aspect of it, anyway. And she had been dealing with his... nightmares, for lack of a better term, for the past three nights since she got back from visiting her father. He owed her for the silent support she gave him and for not asking questions about any of that.