SAVIOR COMPLEX
ii. HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS
❝IT'S THE MOST WONDERFUL
TIME OF THE YEAR.❞

ISLA CARTERS HAD ALWAYS BEEN AN EARLY BIRD. Though, it was something she could blame on the fact that her life had always revolved around the same schedule of a school. During her teaching days, she would get to school early to set up the classroom for the children in her class. Perhaps, she cared too much about those tiny humans that would surely forget her as soon as summer would hit. But, it was what Isla had been used to as she dedicated her life to teaching. Yet, those peaceful days were long behind her and there was no true reason for her to be up at six o'clock in the morning. Still, she found herself awake. After getting ready, she had taken Dean's keys (with his permission, of course, but he had only muttered a few incoherent words in his sleepy state and Isla had taken it as a yes) and went for a quick drive around the town.

It took some effort to find a store open on Christmas, but Isla had found a small diner run by a sweet family who had given her a discount on all the food she had bought for being their first customer of the day. 'Feeding an army, huh?' It was what the owner had said with a small smile, making Isla laugh and shrug. Knowing Dean, the man could eat the same amount as a small army. After the diner, Isla had found an ATM and cashed one of her checks to give herself and Dean some extra cash. Her monthly checks made life easier for them, but Dean tended to use all of the money to play poker. Though, thankfully, he rarely lost.

Watching the sunrise had always been one of Isla's favorite moments of the day, the promise of a new day with endless possibilities gave her hope. She sighed softly, leaning back in the seat as music filled the car. It was one of Dean's cassettes, playing softly because it was a little too early in the morning to be listening to rock and roll. Isla pulled out her phone from her purse, flipping through the contacts before she came across the familiar one. The phone rang four times before she heard the dial tone.

"Hey, you've reached Benjamin Ellison," the pre-recorded voice began, making Isla take a deep breath. "Looks like I couldn't pick up the phone, probably out designing some badass houses or out with my lovely wife. But, whatever the reason is, I couldn't answer your call. So, leave me a message and I just might call you back."

Isla disconnected the call. With a heavy sigh, she set her phone down on the passenger side and began to drive. It hadn't been difficult to memorize the streets, considering she hadn't gone too far. She had seen the beach, noticing how beautiful it had looked as the sun reflected across it. Isla hummed along to the music, parking the car in the driveway of Sam and Birdie's home.

Once the car was turned off, Isla took a few moments to herself as she stared up at the house. Snow blanketed every surface from the roof to the trimmed bushes while frost coated the windows as it warned the inhabitants in the house how cold the outside world was. Without the heat blasting, Isla could feel the cold enter through the small cracks as she shivered. She picked up the food, exiting the car before she made her way toward the front door. It was unlocked, letting her enter without making much noise. The house was warm, chasing away any chill that lingered in her bones. But, the silence bothered Isla as the crackle of the fire echoed throughout. Everyone must still be asleep.

"Where've ya been?"

"Oh, my gosh!" Isla gasped, jumping out of her skin as she looked to her right to see Birdie sitting on one of the couches with a cup of coffee in her hands. A small laugh left Isla's red lips as she relaxed, setting the food down on the coffee table. "You, Birdie, almost gave me a heart attack."

Birdie hummed, taking a sip of her coffee. "So, what were you doing so early in the morning?"

"I just went for a drive," Isla said, taking a seat across from Birdie. Her curly hair was still up in its bun, staying out of her face as she continued to sip on her drink. Isla gestured toward the food, hoping it would earn her some points with the other woman. "I got us some food too."

Birdie raised a brow. "Dean knows you took his car?"

"Oh, yeah," Isla responded, nodding her head. "I asked him."

That seemed to shock Birdie, causing a surprised scoff to leave her lips. "He lets you drive his car?"

"Yeah?" Isla said, shrugging her shoulders. It wasn't as if Dean had ever said no to her before, so she didn't see why it was such a big deal. It was Isla's turn to ask a question, causing her to lean forward. "Did Dean ever let you drive his Impala?"

"What? Of course!" Birdie exclaimed, frowning at the question. She set her mug down on the coffee table, narrowing her eyes at Isla. "I mean... It did take a while for Dean to trust me with his Baby, but I have driven it before."

Isla began to chuckle, standing to her feet as she began to move toward the kitchen. "Got any more coffee?"

"Yeah, it's still in the coffee pot next to the fridge," Birdie informed, staying in her spot as she began to look through the breakfast food that Isla had brought. "Extra mugs should be in the cabinet above the microwave."

Isla stepped into the kitchen, easily finding a gray mug before she poured some coffee into it. The sugar and cream were sitting next to it, allowing Isla to make it as sweet as possible before she took a sip of it. She sighed contently, smiling to herself as she placed the mug against her chest. Staring at the microwave, it told her that it was currently 8:35 a.m. Still early, but it was strange to see anyone wanting to sleep in on Christmas day. "I guess the Winchester boys like their sleep, huh?"

"Yeah, they need as much beauty sleep as they can get!" Birdie shouted from the living room, making Isla smile. Though, she had to admit that Dean was handsome enough that he didn't require any more beauty sleep. But, she did not blame the man for sleeping in as he did most of the driving the night before.

"Oh, uh, Merry Christmas, by the way," Isla said, moving back into the living room. She gave Birdie a small pat on the back, sitting next to her as she watched the curly-haired woman munch on some pancakes. "I'm glad I'm not spending it in some random motel," Isla confessed, sparing the Christmas tree a glance. "Don't get me wrong, I love Dean but things can get sad on the holidays."

"Thanks for giving him company these past two years," Birdie's tone had shifted to a deeper one, more sincere than the one she was speaking in before. A heavy sigh left her lips as she took a moment, gulping down the lump in her throat. "I was worried about him if I was being honest ━━ the way Sam and Dean left things was scary. Even with our monthly phone calls, he had been so distant. He never mentioned anything about what he was doing or about you. So, that's why it was such a shock to see you last night."

"I'm going to pretend like that doesn't offend me," Isla joked, trying to make the conversation lighter. If she was being honest, she didn't like the deeper talks. It made her uncomfortable, but she didn't want to hurt Birdie's feelings.

Heavy footsteps echoed throughout the home, indicating to the two women that the Winchesters were awake. Isla looked back, seeing Dean come down the stairs with Sam a few paces behind him. "What's for breakfast?" he immediately asked, yawning as he stretched his arms.

"I have your favorite!" Isla said, shooting Dean a wink as she pulled out a styrofoam container that had his name written across it with a heart at the end. She handed it to him, noticing the giddy smile on his face as he took it from her like a child being handed a present. Isla turned to Sam next, giving him a warm smile. "I wasn't sure what everyone else liked, so I just got a mixture of things. But, I do know from Dean that you're a vegetarian, Sam."

"Oh, thank you, Isla," Sam said, taking the container from her as he looked inside to see his breakfast. He seemed surprised that Dean had been the one to tell Isla that detail, but he seemed happy regardless. Sam took a seat by Birdie, giving her a small kiss as his way to say hello.

Breakfast had been amicable, considering no arguments had broken loose and everyone had enjoyed the food. Birdie was first to stand, grinning wide as she walked toward the fireplace. Above it, she messed around with the small speaker before Christmas music began to flood the room. It made Isla smile, reminding her of Christmases that she had spent with her family. "Alright, now, it's for the best part of Christmas," Birdie said, moving to the tree where she gestured to the presents underneath. "Time for presents!"

The presents were handed out, making Isla surprised that she had gotten something from anyone other than Dean ━━ especially on such short notice. Sam had opened his first, grinning as he pulled out a few new flannels from the wrapping. "Oh, looks like Birdie got herself a present, actually," Sam teased, looking at his girlfriend who wore an all-knowing look.

"Oh, ha, ha," Birdie said, rolling her eyes at him as she tried to hide her smile. "Just open your next present."

His next present had been a few books and a big bottle of conditioner, earning a few laughs. But, no one could deny that Sam's hair was nice and according to Birdie, it had gotten longer than it used to be. "Alright, who's next?"

"Me!" Birdie said, already tearing off the wrapping of her present. She smiled, pulling out the multiple chocolate bars in the box. But, then her eyes lit up when she noticed something else in the box. "You did not!"

Sam grinned, urging her to pull out the gift. "I figured you would like it."

From the box, Birdie pulled out a shiny dagger. The blade was made out of pure silver while the handle had an intricate design with small diamond-like jewels attached to the handle. "Oh, I can't wait to kill monsters with this dagger."

Isla was next, unwrapping the gift that Birdie had handed her. She grinned, pulling out the mug from the box. It was shaped like an owl with glasses and a red scarf around its neck, reminding Isla of all the mugs she used to have stashed away in her classroom. "This is so cute," Isla said, holding up the mug as she showed Dean.

"Told you she'd like it," Birdie said to her boyfriend, giving his arm a small punch as she grinned at him.

Isla opened the present from Dean next, laughing as she pulled out a few cassettes with her name written all over them. Play this one if you're sad. This one if you're happy. This one if we're in the middle of something... important. She didn't miss the winky emoji next to the words. Little notes were written all over the cassettes, warming her heart as she looked over them. "You got one for every mood, huh?"

Dean shrugged, not bothering to hide his amusement. "I thought you needed a music upgrade."

"You're lucky I like your music," Isla said, seeing another gift near the bottom. She pulled out the piece of jewelry, quickly noticing that it was a necklace with a hollowed bullet attached to it. Dean didn't comment on it, shrugging his shoulders as he spared Birdie and Sam a glance. But, the two were distracted as Birdie pretended to stab Sam with her new dagger. Isla placed a gentle hand on Dean's, leaning forward to place a gentle kiss against his cheek. "Thank you, darling."

"No, thank you," Dean said, giving her a small smile. He cleared his throat, catching the attention of Sam and Birdie. "So, what do y'all got for me?"

"Nothing, because you don't deserve one," Birdie said playfully, picking up a gift bag before handing it to Dean. It caused a chuckle to leave Dean's lips as he took the bag from her, giving her a small thank you.

Dean was the last to open his presents, grinning at the pie (something that Birdie and Sam had spent the night making) and the new bottle of whiskey he had gotten. He had gotten a few knick-knacks for his Impala and a new leather jacket from Isla, considering his old one had been stained too much with blood. It had been sweet to see Dean and Sam exchange friendly words, behaving more like brothers than enemies at the moment.

"Oh, there's one more present," Birdie commented, reaching underneath the tree to grab it. The plain brown box wasn't too inconspicuous, but it surely did not match the other presents that had been under the tree. It sounded heavy as Birdie shook it, but it gave no clue on what it could be. She looked at the words written on the side with black marker. "Huh, it's for Dean."

"Who's it from?" Sam asked.

"Doesn't say."

Dean looked at Isla, but she shook her head. "Not from me."

Birdie handed it to Dean, shrugging her shoulders. "Guess Dean was the only one good enough to get a present from Santa."

"Watch it be coal," Sam added, taking a sip from his coffee as he leaned back on the couch.

Dean shot Sam a glare but continued to open the present. From his expression, Isla could tell that it wasn't coal. He didn't react, staring at the gift inside the box as his expression twitched into one of anger. "Dad's in trouble."

"What?" Isla said, taking a glance inside to see a damaged pistol with a long barrel. Browned blood coated the gun and stained the cardboard of the box as well, causing her to hiss as she moved back. "Is that your... father's?"

"Yeah, that's John's gun, alright," Birdie muttered, looking inside as well but her reaction wasn't as noticeable as Isla's had been.

Dean reached inside, taking out the gun as he looked over it. The blood was dry, causing nothing to transfer over to his hand. He shared a look with Sam, the younger brother had turned green as he clutched his stomach. Dean set the gun aside, pulling out the stained paper that had nothing written except for a few coordinates with a date and time. He abruptly stood. "We're leaving, Isla," he said with no emotion in his tone. "Get your things, now."

Isla nodded, standing to her feet as well before she headed up the stairs to their temporary bedroom to retrieve their things. Dean stood at the bottom of the stairs, waiting for her to return as held the box tight in his hands.

"Wait, hold up," Birdie had been the one to speak, standing in front of him as she grabbed Dean's arm. "You two aren't going anywhere until we figure out who the hell broke into our house and put this under our tree."

"Doesn't matter," Dean said, shaking his head. It was clear that he only wanted to do one thing ━━ hunt down whatever had dared to hurt his father. "My dad's in trouble."

"He's my dad, too," Sam said, standing to his feet as he reached them as well. He took in a deep breath, nodding to himself as he silently debated with himself on what to do next. "Look," he started, sparing Birdie a glance before he looked back at Dean. "If you're going, we're coming with you."

"No, it's too dangerous," Dean gritted out, watching as Isla made her way down the stairs with a duffle bag that had a few of her and Dean's things. Everything else was in the car already, considering they had only spent a few hours in Sam and Birdie's house. He began to make his way toward the front door, Isla followed close behind.

"Dean, you're not doing this alone and that's final!" Sam snapped, growing tired of his brother's behavior. "We're..." Sam sighed, unclenching his jaw as he stared at his brother. "We're family, Dean. When it comes to stuff like this, we stick together."

"We don't even know what we're up against," Dean reminded.

"When do we ever?"

"Dean, it'll help to have Sam and Birdie with us if things do go south," Isla pointed out, not wanting to admit that this situation did make her nervous. She didn't want to think that something or... someone had entered the house while they were all asleep to plant the present. If this thing could enter a hunter's house without much detection, then it was best to be wary of it.

He looked down at Isla, letting out a sigh as he considered her words. Her expression said it all and Dean found himself nodding. "Fine, we stick together, but," Dean pointed a finger in Sam and Birdie's direction, "at the first sign of danger, we rethink the plan."

Birdie grinned, clasping her hands together. "At least, I get the chance to use my new dagger."

Dean scoffed, shaking his head. "Yeah, let's not get too excited."

♡

I THINK IT'S QUITE FITTING that this chapter wasn't posted till Christmas! I didn't even plan for it to happen this way, but I think it works! First things first, I hope everyone had fun over the holidays! Personally, my days felt like every other day since I have to work. But, honestly, I don't care too much since I wasn't in the Christmas spirit this year anyways. However, I hope you guys had a good Christmas if you celebrate!

It was cute writing the boys and their girls opening presents for Christmas! It really did feel like the calm before a storm because the next chapter is going to be anything but peaceful! But, we did get some good vibes in this chapter. My plan was to get a lot of this book pre-written, but it didn't work out that way. I do have stuff for later seasons written, but we won't get there for a while. However, I'm just taking this story as it comes! After all, it's just a fun fic for me to write and I am taking my time with it!

━━ AMARA
[ CHAPTER PUBLISHED ━━ 12.25.2021 ]