Why Did I Do It? (Dean/Sam/Shiloh)

[GWEN MORGAN]

DETROIT, MICHIGAN

Everything was on fire. Gwen couldn’t even open her eyes properly without pain zapping through her body and consuming her. She had been a fool. Instead of taking Dean’s offer of staying with him, Sam and Shiloh to stay protected she had decided to sneak out of the hotel room she shared with Shiloh and work out her own problems. It hadn’t taken long for her to be ambushed. James had put a pretty price on her head so finding her was no doubt one of the demons top priorities.

Gwen tried to move anything at all but she could only feel the dull pain of all her limbs, as if she had been stretched out-as if her body wasn’t connected to her anymore. She couldn’t even feel the ropes that bound her to the chair that were obviously bruising her ankles and wrists. Whatever torture they put her through it was painful enough to put her body out of commission (at least for the moment)…and she couldn’t even remember what was done to her. The last thing she remembered was going to her motorcycle and someone tackling her from behind. Was she still in the city? Had they taken her elsewhere?

The only thing keeping her from losing it was the fact that she was forcing herself to think of the others. Gwen had to hold back the urge to laugh, afraid that would hurt too, when she pictured the face Dean would make at her if he was there now. He’d be pissed off and torn between yelling at her for being an idiot and trying to hold himself back from upsetting her because she was practically wounded. But then she felt a weight on her heart thinking of Sam and Shiloh. They would just be upset by this. Gwen wanted to groan or shout… scream at the top of her lungs! She had been a moron and fully deserved Dean yelling at her. Her pride had gotten in the way, her pride and the fear of wrapping Dean and the others into her own affairs and getting them hurt in the process.

Gwen blinked, looking up at the ceiling when she felt hot drips of water slide down her cheeks but realized it was her own tears. She did laugh that time, ignoring the cramping pain in her stomach as she laughed hysterically. At this point she didn’t care if her tormentors came back down to force her to be silent- she was so out of it.

[DEAN WINCHESTER]

The black '67 Chevy Impala raced down the long and dark highway road at speeds that were far over the legal speeding limits. Thankfully that it was so late at night that there were rarely any cars out on the highway at that moment. Still Dean did not particularly care about that right that second as he had only one thought in his mind at that moment; find Gwen.

He thumped his fist against the steering wheel hard in anger as he thought about how Gwen had somehow managed to escape from the motel room. His mind was racing over all the steps he could have taken to make sure that she had not gotten out of anyone's sight. He should have kept a better watch on the outside of the room, he thought to himself. He should have stayed more focus. He should have made sure that he and Shiloh had bolted down and blocked all the possible escape routes to the girls motel room. But he did he best to keep that last thought to himself as he knew that would just rile Shiloh up as she had done everything she could have to keep an eye on her friend. The last thing he needed was to cause a fight with Shiloh as that would do nothing but waste time since it was common knowledge that the two of them could get into a long heated argument.

He tried reigning in his temper by taking in deep breaths but it did not seem to help much as he could feel himself pushing harder down onto the gas pedal which increased the speed of the Impala even more. Without looking Dean could feel the air inside the car turn tense as the car moved even faster than before. But he could not waste any time as the soon they got there the sooner they could save Gwen from whatever she had been tricked into.

At least they had a lead as to where she could have gone, which was better than nothing at all. So while he was driving Dean and pumped Shiloh of any and all possible information she could have had about where Gwen might have been heading. That was the only form of conversation happening in the car as for the most part the others had been afraid to say anything to him as he would have probably exploded at them due to his temper running high with worry. In return Dean did his best to keep his voice level though it was very apparent that he was feeling quite tense about the whole thing.

[SHILOH SUMMERLAND]

From the backseat of the Impala Shiloh shifted from her seat and instead of sitting she positioned herself so that she was resting against the back of the front seat divider. Now she had a better view of the front seat which would make it easier for her to talk to Dean as he asked her questions. Actually it was more like he was demanding answers than really asking her any questions.

"What happened back there?" he asked her for the fifth time that night . She did not bother to even get mad at him and answered him.

"She got a phone call from him." she said emphasizing on the 'him' part as she did not dare to utter the name in Dean's presence. She did not need him exploding while driving. "and then she her face got really stern and she became extremely quiet. So whatever he had said to her she did not like it. I tried to tell her that it would be ok and that we'd deal with it together but whatever he had told her really bothered her. I'd have to guess that he might have threatened her about harming one of us. After that she paced around the room for a while and then said she was going to the bathroom and we're back where we started."

Thus bringing him up to speed once again with the events that just happened. Dean was quiet as he processed what she had told him. The silence only lasted for a minuet or two before he was back to questioning her.

"Where do you think she was heading?" he asked her and she noticed that his hands had tightened around the steering wheel. He was really making an effort not to throw a complete fit about this she noted to herself.

"A few towns over there's a rendezvous spot that she's suppose to meet them at, it's an old warehouse loading dock." she told him as she recalled what Gwen had confided with her after the phone call had ended. She had told Gwen to wait for the guys to come back before deciding what sort of plan of action they would take to take down James. Gwen seemed reluctant to agree to the idea of the rest of them getting involved with her problem. Now here they were speeding down the highway hoping that they would make it in time to save their friend.

Without thinking about it Shiloh placed one of her hands on Dean's shoulder and gave it a bit of a squeeze.

"We'll get her back." she told him completely determined.

[SAM WINCHESTER]

The turbulent atmosphere within the Impala intensified; an unseen weight resting heavily on their shoulders as the vehicle sped down the highway. Sam glanced over at his brother, concern for the eldest Winchester apparent in his green gaze. He knew Dean was frantic—Gwen’s disappearance troubling him deeply—however, Sam could not allow the hunter to rush into their current predicament without discussing a sensible course of action. Dean’s emotions were controlling him—overpowering all rationality—which would surely cause more trials and tribulations for the trio. Needless to say, Sam was worried about the young woman, although he managed to retain his composure considering the severity of the situation. This mission required a level head and he needed to ensure Dean’s temper did not affect the outcome of the task at hand.

Sam had remained silent thus far, listening to Shiloh intently. He understood why Gwen would leave the motel if her presence placed them in immediate danger, but he wished she had confided in them instead of taking off to deal with it herself; four heads were a lot better than one, and the circumstance could have been alleviated or avoided altogether. A part of him mentally chastised Gwen’s foolish behavior, yet if he had placed Dean in danger, Sam would have gone to great lengths in order to protect him. It was human nature to look after those you love and he could not blame her entirely for what she had done, but he also feared for his brother’s safety. It did not help that Shiloh was involved as well.

“Dean, we need to think about this,” he said carefully, aware of his sibling’s state of mind. Sam did not want to create more problems; he simply wanted to choose the best—and safest—route possible. “This isn’t something we can just rush into. We need a strategy; scope the place when we get there and see what we’re dealing with. Gwen’s life isn’t the only one at risk . . .” And I can’t lose you yet, he thought silently. He realized he had become overly protective of Dean, but he was the only family he had left. And if Sam did not find a loophole in the contract Dean would be gone in less than a year—it was all Sam’s fault.

[GWEN MORGAN]

Gwen couldn’t remember how long she sat there crying and cursing and yelling at the top of her lungs…but then she just stopped. A numb feeling consumed her before the reality of her situation really sunk in. There was nobody to rescue her and she shouldn’t act like there would be. This was her challenge and she had snuck out so she could settle the score. She would get out of here. It was foolish to do nothing. She was already wasting time.

Gwen clenched her jaw as she forced herself to relax and for the first time in what must have been a few hours she really took in her surroundings. It was a warehouse, or at least a backroom of a warehouse. The ceiling was rusted and there was dust and dirt everywhere so the place was abandoned. It hit her like a ton of bricks. This had been the meeting spot James had told her about. But in this case he wasn’t anywhere nearby. She assumed some other hunter or demon captured her in order to get the money James promised for her. Otherwise James would be in front of her to gloat on how he had captured her.

There wasn’t much to work from but Gwen felt relief wash over her when she noticed a table in the corner with a saw. She eased her weight in the chair, forcing what little mobility in her legs to its full potential as she pushed and pushed until she was at the saw. Gwen took a moment to catch her breath before glancing over her shoulder and leaning down in order to rub the ropes binding her wrists against the saw but also trying to keep an eye on her hands and make sure she didn’t mutilate herself in the process. Another inch closer and Gwen carefully eased herself back and forth, already hearing the rope start to break from the strain and sharpness of the saw. She smiled, almost smirking in her pride. James and whoever else was involved in taking her wouldn't get the last laugh. Gwen was no helpless damsel in distress. Cutting her bindings might take another hour but she would do whatever it took to try to free herself.

"Yes!" Gwen whispered in relief when the robe was cut, having to hold back from shouting to the heavens. She rubbed at her wrists before working on her ankles which took much faster and standing up. Oh. Gwen almost sat back down, her legs not used to the wait after having been forced to be inactive in that chair for so long. Gwen crinkled her nose, ready to get the hell out of here. She stretched a bit as she walked down the hall but didn't stop looking around.

Her stuff- her bag and everything that had been in it- was all strewn around on the floor and as Gwen tried to find a door out of the room she always looked for her phone. Bingo! Her kidnappers had been rather sloppy about all of this. It had a tracking device but Gwen didn't care about that at the moment. It was time to get the hell out of this place.

Gwen turned the phone on, waiting with baited breath and then sighing in relief when it didn't give her any grief. It still had a little battery life left. As much as he knew Dean was probably ready to kill her right now, Gwen called him. "Dean! Dean?" Gwen mumbled into the phone, wondering if she had indeed gotten the right number.

[DEAN WINCHESTER]

Pressing down his foot harder on the gas pedel Dean made the Impala to move even faster as he felt himself trying to beat time. Despite the fact that it was highly unlikely that he could get to vehicle to move faster than time he still felt that there was a slight possiblity that he could. Especially if it meant being able to save someone who was in trouble. For the most part he went around acting as if he did not care about much, but on the inside it was completely the opposite.

Whenever he took on a job with his brother he was always watching out not only for Sammy, but also the innocent people that got caught up into their mess. Whenever those people were thrown into dangerous situations Dean always seemed to feel responsible for that. Which was why he always tried to do whatever he could to save them. The few times that he could not save a person haunted him, in his memories and in his dreams. Which afterwards he would strive to never let it happen again even if it meant trying to go over and beyond his capabilities.

What made the situation even worse was that Gwen was his friend. Maybe friend was not quite the right term as he was not sure what to call her, but what he did know that she was special. He could not entirely explain why he felt this way but he did. Which was why he felt like beating himself up so much knowing that she was out there possibly in danger.

He had his eyes so focused on the road trying to find any sign of the next town that for a moment he did not feel his phone vibrate, but then he heard the blare of his ring tone. Grumbling to himself he used one hand to fetch the damn phone out of his pocket where he had stashed it. Without checking to see who it was that was calling he flipped the phone open and pressed it to his ear.

"What?" he nearly yelled into the phone expecting to hear Bobby's voice on the other side of the line, but what he had surprised him. It wasn't Bobby that was calling it was Gwen. He had nearly caused he Impala to crash into the guardrail of the highway from the shock, but thankfully he was able to keep the car from drifiting over to the side to much. He felt a pang of relief flood into his chest as he heard her voice which told him that she was alright for the moment.

"Gwen? Hey listen where are you?" he had manage to ask before another voice had started buzzing into his ear, and this voice was much more annoying.