Down the Rabbit Hole

Grim Reminder Part 1

Lacey sat on the side lines of the baseball pitch cheering her team on. Mutant Baseball was a lot more interesting than normal Baseball. Lacey had absconded from playing as she felt she had an unfair advantage over everyone else considering she had all their powers and more. As she watched Jean steal second base her phone began to ring. She pulled it out of her pocket frowning, most of the people who had her number were with her. As she saw Bobby's name flash up on the screen her heart skipped a beat. She pressed answer and held the phone to her ear.
"Hey Bobby."
"It's been a while Lacey."
"Yeah it has..." She trailed off. "So what's up?"
"I got a case here, could really use your help on, if your free."
"Of course, I'll...I'll be with you in a bit."

"Thanks." Bobby hung up. Lacey sat there for a moment, not moving. It had been eight months since she fled to this reality to escape. Going back wasn't going to be easy but she had made Bobby promise to call if he needed help, she could only imagine it was something bad if he had actually asked. She got to her feet and strode across the field back towards the mansion. Once she reached the building she headed for the room she shared with Kitty. She changed into something more suitable before opening a portal and stepping through it right into Bobby's kitchen.

"Hey." She said softly, making Bobby jump.
"Lacey." He gave her a grateful smile before he was engulfed in a hug. Lacey stepped back.
"So what's the emergency then?" She asked.
"Well, I got a case that I've got someone working on, they needed a partner on it and they requested you." Lacey's heart felt like it dropped in her chest. She turned as she heard a noise behind her, her heart skipped a beat as a shadowy figure walked through door, but it wasn't who she expected.
"Sam?" She asked disbelievingly as he stepped into the light.
"Hey Lacey." He gave her a small smile.
"How...how...how is this possible?" She asked turning to Bobby. "Is it really him?" She asked him out of the side of her mouth.
"Done every test I know, that's Sam alright." Bobby nodded.
"Then I return to how?" She asked studying Sam.
"I honestly don't know. I remember jumping into the cage and then I woke up in a field, no idea how I got there." Sam shrugged.
"So, you don't remember the past eight months?" Lacey asked frowning.
"Well yeah, I remember everything since I got top side."
"Oh, good I mean... wait, how long have you been top side?" Lacey frowned at him.
"Uh, about eight months?" Sam replied sheepishly.
"And you didn't think it was a good idea to pick up the phone and let me know you're alive? Does... " Lacey paused for a moment. She had avoided saying his name for so long. "Does Dean know you're alive?"
"No." Sam shook his head.
"Oh... okay well at least that makes me feel a little better." Lacey muttered to herself.
"Huh?" Sam looked at her confused.

"Never mind. Consider yourself severely reprimanded young man." Lacey wagged her finger at him. A smile pulled at the corner of Sam's lips.

"I'm older than you Lace." He reminded her.
"Be that as it may, I think you will consider yourself reprimanded when you also remember I can kick your ass three ways from Sunday." She told him, raising an eyebrow at him. Sam balked slightly.
"Yes Ma'am."
"Ma'am?" Lacey looked offended.
"Miss." Sam corrected himself hastily. Lacey nodded.

"I'm only 24 you know." Bobby watched this exchange with an amused look on his face. "So what's this case you need my help on?"
"There's a bunch of skin walkers up in Oregon causing havoc, figured you were the best person to help me take care of them. You'd fit right in." Sam told her.
"Fit right in? What's a skin walker?" She asked looking at him blankly.
"They're people who can take the form of an animal."
"Like an animagus?" Lacey asked grinning.
"Pretty much."
"Ok well, lets go take care of them." Lacey nodded.

"Sure. I need to drop into the base and grab a few things and then we can go."
"Base?" Lacey looked confused.
"I uh... I've teamed up with some other hunters recently." Sam told her.
"Oh, OK, well lead the way then." She gave Bobby another hug before they headed out to the car.

They were driving along the freeway as the sun had dipped below the horizon. Lacey fidgeted in her seat.
"I miss the Impala." She muttered.
"What's wrong with the car?" Sam asked, looking a little offended.
"Hmm...oh nothing...Just not as comfy." Lacey told him. She glanced out the window, watching the world go by.
"So are you going to make me drag it out of you or what?" Sam asked her.

"Drag what out of me?" Lacey asked turning back to him.
"Why you're not with Dean? Where you've been for the past eight months?"
"Oh, that." Lacey looked down at her hands. "I'm not with him...well to put it bluntly, because of you."
"What?" Sam asked frowning slightly.
"I heard your whole have a normal life conversation. You were gone, I told him to honor your last wish and he did." She shrugged. "Let's not dwell on it any more. As to where I've been, lets just say at school."
"School?"
"Yeah, I never got to go to High School or anything so I've been catching up."
"What school are you at?"

"Bayville High. It's in New York." She told him. "Well, a New York, not this New York. Alternate version or whatever."
"Oh so that's why you came through a portal."

"Yep." Lacey laid her head back against the head rest. Sensing she'd had enough Sam concentrated on the driving.

Lacey had slept through the night and the journey to the compound. She was jolted awake as they went through the gates and over the potholes in the ground.
"Wh...where are we?" She asked Sam.

"This is the family compound." Sam told her.

"Family?" She asked as he pulled the car over and put it into park. "You didn't say anything about family." She said as they got out of the car. Sam led her towards a low grey building that looked like an abandoned warehouse.
"If your brother is here you are so screwed." Lacey told him as they walked through the door.
"Sam won't let us bring him in." Came a voice from behind them. Lacey spun round to find an older guy with a bald head standing there studying them.
"Oh, that's good." Lacey nodded giving Sam a look.
"Oh right, Lacey this is Samuel, our grandfather, Samuel this is Lacey Dean's..." Sam caught himself. "She's...she's a friend."
"So you're the girl Sam has been telling me all about." Samuel said as he shook her hand.
"And you're the Grandfather he told me nothing about." Lacey said giving Sam another look. Samuel chuckled.
"Well, welcome to the Campbell compound, come on through and meet the rest of them." Samuel said as he led them into the main room where a group of people were sitting around putting weapons together.
"Christian, Mark, Gwen, this is Lacey, Sam's friend." Samuel introduced them.
"Oh, so you're what they call the abomination." Christian said, studying her as he got to his feet. Lacey raised an eyebrow.
"Call me what you like, I'm on your side." Lacey told him.
"And how do we know that? You've been off for the last eight months doing God knows what with God knows who."
"Christian." Sam said, warning clear in his voice as he saw the look on Lacey's face.
"What? You gonna throw your toys out of the pram?" Christian asked Lacey.
"Believe me, you're not worth it. For the past eight months I have been training with some of the most highly regarded teachers in...well in their reality. Taking down a snot nosed kid like you would be so far below my pay grade you wouldn't believe it." Lacey spat before turning to Sam. "I'll be in the car if you need me." Before stalking out. Sam watched her go looking impressed.
"She's not joking Christian. She is not the type to go after humans but keep pushing her buttons and she'll kill you in an instant." Sam warned him. Christian grunted, not taking him seriously. Sam rolled his eyes before turning to Samuel.
"Can I get those silver bullets I asked you about?"

"Sure." Samuel walked over to one of the cabinets lining the walls and pulled a case of bullets out before handing them to Sam. "That should be enough. If you take out the leader of the pack the rest of them should just back down anyway, but there's extra there in case they give you any trouble."

"Thanks." Sam told him before nodding at the others and heading out of the base.