Hey guys. Sorry for the massive delay in posting. Real life and all that BS got in the way of the creative process once again. But it's here now. Hope I haven't lost too many followers ... as ever, reviews are welcome & appreciated xx

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The three of them tumbled into the kitchen in a breathless panic, halting beside the kitchen and staring around the room in wide-eyed worry.

"Dean?" Sam was the first to catch his breath and moved around the table, watching his brother holding Lena. He frowned and threw up his hands in frustration. "What? What's wrong?"

Dean peered past his red-faced brother and caught Emma's concerned stare. He saw her glance at her niece and nodded in confirmation. "Em, her waters' broke."

Her shoulders sinking, Emma sighed out a moan and hurried the opposite way around the table to approach Lena. Still breathing heavily, Emma edged closer and placed her hand on Lena's back, her fingers stroking in gentle, instinctive comfort.

"Em?" Lena sat up slowly and slid free of Dean's hold as she turned to her aunt and fresh tears poured down her pale face.

"Oh, honey!" Emma gathered her niece against her and leaned down to place a kiss on the top of Lena's head as Lena hugged her arms around her aunt's waist and buried her face into her chest.

"You mean …?" Bobby still remained at the kitchen door, a little bemused by the whole situation.

Sam watched Dean turn round and his gaze moved between his brother and Bobby as he nodded silently.

"Really?" Bobby urged, daring a step closer to the table. "Now?"

"I think so. Yeah." Dean shrugged.

Sam groaned and sank down heavily into a nearby chair. "Well, that sucks."

"Sorry!" Lena retorted with sudden anger, pushing back from Emma and spinning at Sam with an annoyed frown. "It's not like I wanted this to happen!" She then sank back against her aunt and groaned, pressing her hands into her abdomen in pain.

Dean watched his brother flinch back in horror and hid his smile of amusement as he then saw an equal dismay and uncertainty on Bobby's face. The older guy was backing away towards the kitchen door and Dean bit his lip and swallowed back sudden laughter. "Come on, guys. You never seen a woman in labour before? There's nothing wrong with it."

"Apart from the timing." Sam countered quietly.

Dean smiled and shrugged slightly.

"A baby?" Bobby whispered, staring at Lena in sudden fear. "Here? Now?"

"No!" Emma grated. She watched the three men turn towards her and she shook her head firmly. "No way. It's too dangerous. Not with those things outside."

Sam stood slowly and peered outside the kitchen window. "But … then, what - ?"

"The hospital is only twenty minutes from here." Emma offered calmly, nodding towards the door. "We have to get her there."

"Fine." Dean stood slowly, using only his right leg, wincing as he pressed his hands into the tabletop for support and turned towards his brother. "Sam. You get Lena to the hospital. We'll take care of the evil munchkins."

"What?" Sam gasped, "No. Dean, you - "

"Sam!" Dean sighed in annoyance. "I can't drive and we need Bobby and Emma to destroy those things." He frowned in earnest. "Please, Sam. It has to be you."

Holding his brother's steady, imploring gaze for a long moment Sam then sighed and nodded slowly. "I guess."

"Do I get a say in this?" Lena asked quietly, lifting her head to peer round at the two of them.

Emma patted her niece's shoulder and smiled thinly. "Not this time." She waited for Lena to look back up at her and shrugged an apology. "We just can't risk it."

"Fine …" Lena pushed up from the table and got to her feet, pausing for a moment as the movement triggered a twinge of pain in her back. "Sam?"

"Yeah." Sam quickly moved towards her and took her arm.

"Stay in contact." Dean urged softly.

"And be careful." Bobby added.

Dean watched the pair of them head slowly outside and frowned as Emma hurried after them, muttering directions to the hospital and advice for the driving conditions.

"Sam's right." Bobby observed under his breath, pulling out a chair and sitting down opposite Dean. "This couldn't be worse timing."

"Yeah, I know." Dean nodded wearily, "But what can we do?" He watched the older guy shrug in begrudged agreement and then heard the sound of the Land Rover rumbling to life. A few seconds later and Emma hurried back into the warmth of the kitchen, her pale face tight with worry. He watched her close the kitchen door and remain at the window to watch the jeep leave. "Sam'll look after her." Dean offered quietly.

Nodding quietly, Emma sighed and moved away from the door to join them at the table.

"So." Bobby slapped his palms against the tabletop expectedly, "How do we get rid of the little bastards?"

Emma took a deep breath and rubbed her hands across her weary, flushed face. "Okay … I'm not 100 sure but …" She frowned in thought. "I think I have an idea."

--

The road back down into the town was somehow even more slippery than Sam remembered. Wondering if purely the angle of the descent was making negotiating the rough icy sludge and slippery asphalt that much harder, he gripped the steering wheel and held his breath. He then heard Lena moaning softly behind him and he chanced looking in the rear-view mirror to see her huddled form, lit slightly by the pale glow of the dashboard instruments.

Lena was half kneeling, half leaning on the back seat of the vehicle, one arm draped around a headrest and the other massaging her tight abdomen. Forcing slow shaken breaths steadily in and out, she closed her eyes and tried to calm.

"You okay?" Sam asked carefully.

"Does it look like I'm okay?" Came the blunt reply.

Sam frowned and turned his focus back onto the road ahead. Seeing the approaching junction and remembering Emma's instructions, he made the turn carefully and tipped the jeep down yet another steep incline.

"Where are we?" Lena husked.

"I'm not sure." He glanced in the mirror and saw her peering out into the darkness. "This is the way Emma said we should come."

"Yeah …" Lena lowered her head and sank against the rear of the back seat. "I just think maybe - " Another wave of pain interrupted her train of thought and she buried her face into the soft material of the seat, groaning loudly.

Sam glanced at the clock and shook his head in concern. Her contractions seemed to be getting closer together and even his limited knowledge told enough to make him worry.

"Oh god, Sam! Turn back!"

"What?" Sam glanced behind and saw Lena doubled over, her hands clutching at the edges of the seat.

"There's no time! We have to go back!" Lena sobbed.

"Why? What's wrong?"

"Just do as I say!"

Sam turned back to the road, his breathing fast and his hands shaking. He pressed down harder on the accelerator, sure the town centre was not far.

"Sam! Turn us around!" Lena urged, grunting in pain and pulling herself up on the back of his chair. "We have to go back."

"Emma said this was safer." Sam countered, seeing the lights of the town and a sign for the hospital. "We're nearly there."

"I don't care, Sam. We can't go there! We have to turn back!"

"Why?" Sam frowned, "What have you seen?"

"He's coming!"

"Who?"

"My baby, goddammit! Who else?" Lena barked in anger. "Now turn us around! Or do you want kidnapping a police officer added to your record?"

Sam's heart was thudding loud in his ears and he flicked his gaze quickly between the lights of the town before them and the writhing figure in the rear-view mirror. "Lena, I think - " His stomach double-flipped as he chanced glancing behind and saw her pull out her .45.

"Sam Winchester, take us back or I swear to god I will shoot you in the head!"

Gasping in fright, Sam quickly slid the 4x4 to the side of the road and turned to face Lena's red-faced fury.

"What are you doing?" Lena hissed, arching her back and groaning in pain and annoyance.

Sam watched her rolling in agitation across the seat and clawing at the padded cushions, a feral growl gurgling from somewhere deep within her. His mouth dry and his heart racing, he took a deep breath. "Christo."

"What?" Lena spun to face him and glared in anger. "Take. Us. Back." She spat, her eyes wide with determination. "My baby is not being born in this fucking car and I am not going to some fucking hospital filled with god-knows what." She levelled her gun towards him, quickly flicking off the safety and aiming it at his head. "NOW!"

"Okay." Sam nodded quickly, keeping one wary eye on the barrel of the gun in her surprisingly steady grip as he turned back round and slipped the 4x4 into gear. "Okay, okay … Shit! … We're … we're going back."

- tbc -