A/N: I'm sorry it's taken so long for me to get this final chapter up, but it proved to be quite difficult to write. I've also been working a lot and I've had various admission exams for university, hence the lack of time to write. Just found out I was accepted to study journalism at uni, which means I'm searching for an apartment in Helsinki now. :D I'm so excited.
Anyways, I hope you enjoy this last chapter, which is a little longer than some of my previous ones. And if you've liked this story and want to know what happens with Sam and Rika, please take a look at my profile and read the sequel, "Wish Me Monsters", which takes place during season 3 of Supernatural. The sequel will be more faithful to Supernatural and the show's atmosphere, it'll involve some Sam and Rika action and the chapters will be longer and more detailed. I feel like I've been evolving slightly with my writing in English after this experiment, so hopefully you'll like the sequel better than this story. It's been fun to write on "How To Save A Life".
Just had to use Regina Spektor's "The Call" as the song for this chapter, as I thought it fits the purpose really well. It's a beautiful and comforting song, and you should listen to it if you haven't already. :)
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Chapter 16 - The Call
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It started out as a feeling
Which then grew into a hope
Which then turned into a quiet thought
Which then turned into a quiet word
And then that word grew louder and louder
'Til it was a battle cry
Just because everything's changing
Doesn't mean it's never
Been this way before
All you can do is try to know
Who your friends are
As you head off to the war
Pick a star on the dark horizon
And follow the light
Now we're back to the beginning
It's just a feeling and no one knows yet
But just because they can't feel it too
Doesn't mean that you have to forget
You'll come back
When they call you
No need to say goodbye
Regina Spektor - The Call
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Rika POV
Rika had never felt this helpless in her entire life, not even when she realized that Hugh was dead. The fact that Sam was hurting because of her and she couldn't do anything about it was excruciating. All she wanted to do was to scream and cry but not a single word escaped her lips, not one's that she herself produced anyways. When the demon inside of her mentioned torturing Sam and killing Dean, it was like her blood was boiling with rage. She suddenly felt powerful and in control, even though she was still held captive in her own body.
"Okay, that's it. Mess with me all you want. Possess me. Kill my watcher. But nobody messes with my boyfriend. Get the hell out of my body."
"No way", she heard her own voice and noticed Sam looking confused.
"What the hell are you going on about now? What do you mean "no way"?", he asked of the demon, with disgust and wrath in his voice. Seeing Sam look at her that way, even though Rika knew it wasn't actually her he was looking at, was killing her.
"I'm not talking to you, dumbass", the demon replied. "Your girlfriend is starting to get annoying now."
Rika had no idea where the strength came from but somehow she was reaching into her own mind, into the deepest corner of her body, pushing the demon back slightly. Her head was still burning, but somehow she managed to gain control over her body.
"No", she just heard the demon use her voice once more while it used her hand to grab her head. "Oh no, you don't." Rika felt her body lose its balance for a fracture of a second before she flickered her eyes open, from her own free will. The demon was still inside of her, she could feel it, since her head was still burning and it was becoming more than she could even handle. But she was back in control, only for a moment. She was trying to stay in control with all of her willpower, but she knew it would only be a matter of time before the demon got control over her mind again.
Sam and Dean both fell onto the floor as the demon's grip of them loosened and they were able to move. Sam looked at her while he got up from the floor, his eyes more worried than she had ever seen them before.
"Rika?", he tried carefully while taking a small step towards her. He was apparently taken back by the fact that her eyes were no longer black.
"I don't think we have much time", Rika said and backed away from Sam. "Only a couple of minutes at max. You two have to get out of here - now."
"No, I'm not leaving you!", Sam said and took a few more steps towards Rika. She waved him away and backed up even further.
"No, Sam, listen. You have to go. I'm not going to be responsible for your death's. Get out and run as far as you can."
"What're you going to do, Rika, huh?", Dean asked her, slight anger in his tone.
"I don't know yet, I'll think of something. I'll kill myself if I have to. Just go!"
"No way", Sam shook his head, trying to blink back tears. "I lost Jessica and I'm not losing you. There's gotta be another way."
"Well, you had better think of something fast", Rika said. "The demon's struggling to regain control and I don't know how long I'll be able to keep it back."
Dean looked as if he realized something and then glanced at Sam. "Exorcism. Sammy, get dad's journal!"
"There's not enough time", Rika protested as a sharp pain hit her head and she screamed in agony.
"Rika!", Sam yelled as he tried to grab a hold of her. The fact that she was hurting was killing him. But he was too late and Rika lost all control again. The demon was back at the steering wheel and Sam and Dean were pinned against the wall again.
Rika was pissed off and she used all her strength to fight the demon now that she knew she was able to get back in control. Then she got an idea and started muttering the exorcism ritual that she knew by heart. Taking those Latin courses sure had helped, she was fluent in the language. She just hoped it would work.
"Regna terrae, cantate Deo, psallite Domino, qui fertis super caelum, caeli ad Orientem, Ecce dabit voci Suae, vocem virtutis, tribuite virtutem Deo. Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus..."
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Sam POV
Sam was struggling against the demon's hold one more time. He had been so relieved when Rika was able to keep the demon back for a few minutes, but now he was starting to lose hope again. If he and Dean only had listened to Rika and had ran out of the hotel room like she had said, they might have been able to find a way to exorcise the demon out of her. But he knew it wouldn't have helped, demon's usually wore out the bodies they took.
"Now, where were we?", the demon inside of Rika asked, her beautiful eyes once again black and empty as a black hole in space.
"Rika's really kicking your ass, isn't she?", Dean asked with his tone dripping from sarcasm. "Must sting like a bitch."
"Oh, she's more powerful than I expected", the demon smirked. "But it's nothing I can't handle. Just to be on the safe side, I'll finish you two off before she can step in again."
Dean screamed in pain as a cut appeared on his cheek as well. But then something changed. Sam watched the demon stumble back and scream while it grabbed its head. It was the classic reaction to exorcism. It was shaking it's head, screaming and struggling. After a minute the black from the eyes faded and the eyes were Rika's again, for just a second before she spoke in a calm tone.
"I said: Get. The. Hell. Out. Of. My. Body. Bitch."
The demon screamed in agony, tilted its head back just as a volcano of smoke erupted from Rika's mouth. The smoke sizzled for a moment before it disappeared. Sam fell to the floor and was quick to get up, ignoring the pain in his leg from hitting the floor twice. Rika was crouched on the floor, breathing heavily. She was trembling a bit, but she seemed unharmed. He walked up to her and carefully touched her arm. "Rika?"
She looked up, and once again it struck him how much her eyes reminded him of the ocean, they were the same colour and deep and mysterious and kind and wise on the same time. And it was her again, no demon in sight. "I'm okay", she breathed. "I'm okay. It's over."
She got up from the floor and collapsed in his arms. He squeezed her tight and stroked her hair, happy to have her back.
"That was freaking awesome!", Dean commented as he looked at Rika. "How the hell did you do that?"
"I have no idea", she deadpanned before laughing a bit in relief. "I had no idea it would work, I just read the exorcism ritual in my thoughts - and it actually freakin' worked! I still can't believe it."
"We've never ever seen anyone exorcise a demon out of themselves before!", Sam said and looked at Rika in awe. "Usually they don't remember what happened, it's like they're asleep during the possession. But you, you were able to think during the whole time. You're pretty damn powerful if you ask me."
"It has to be a slayer thing", Rika commented and looked concentrated, like she was thinking. Then she looked up at Sam again before giving him a hug. "Come on, I need to get out of here."
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Rika POV
It was evening already, the sun was about to go down. It had been a couple of hours since Rika had exorcised the demon out of herself. Partially, she wished Hugh was there, maybe he could have given her some answers about what had happened. Rika was slightly freaked at how powerful she actually was. There was still so much about herself and the slayer part of her that she had no idea about and now she might never know. She was desperate for Hugh's guidance but she knew it wasn't an option. Hugh was dead and he would never be coming back. The feeling was strange and she didn't like it at all. It was like she had a great, big hole inside of her that couldn't be filled. She had never felt so alone in her entire life, not even after finding out she was the slayer. At first, before the whole demon possession thing, she had been in shock, not quite able to grasp the concept of Hugh not being there. Everything had felt so surreal. Now the pain was starting to surface, and she knew she was grieving. It was similar to how she had felt when her beloved grandmother had died, of old age but still, a couple of years back. Hugh was another mentor and friend she would never talk to again. But maybe this was what being a slayer was all about? Being alone, making sacrifice.
Rika had taken a long shower. She had cried while she had let the hot water relax her sore muscles, and when the tears began to flow she thought they would never stop. But they did, and now she had no tears left. She was sitting on her bed with her knees pulled up underneath her chin, wearing a black tank top and a pair of grey sweatpants. She had blow-dried her hair after the shower and had pulled it up in a messy bun. She felt relaxed in spite of the pain and the hole inside. And the pain was about to get much worse.
Sam walked into her bedroom and Rika looked up. He reminded her of some sort of Greek god, and she was still so attracted to him, more than she had ever been to another man. She knew she was falling in love with him, but there was a but. She knew him and Dean would be leaving again, tonight. It would be easier than for him and Dean to stay a little longer - the goodbye would just get worse. Saying goodbye to Sam once was bad enough, but she knew this would be the hardest thing she had ever done. She was going to have to promise him to stay in touch just to get him to leave. She knew he would be more than willing to stay and support her, but this was something she had to deal with on her own. She needed to do some soul-searching, find out who she really was, both as a person and as the slayer.
"Hey", Sam said and scratched his head a bit as he walked in and sat down on the bed next to her. He looked a bit awkward.
"Hey", she said and looked at him.
"I could stay here you know, and help out", he said and looked at her, his eyes filled with sadness. She knew that he cared about her a lot, but it had to be this way."
"No", she just said and gave him a small smile. "It has to be this way, you know it. You and Dean belong out there, helping people, and I need to take care of things here. School, slaying, Hugh's funeral..."
"Having to let you go is killing me", he said.
"I know, it's killing me too. But like we said before, this isn't goodbye. We'll find each other again, I can feel it."
"Oh God", he said and tilted his head back a bit, trying to blink back some tears. Then he nuzzled his nose into her hair while he held her for a bit. Rika looked at him.
"Thank you", she said.
"For what?", he asked and looked at her again.
"For everything. You've saved me in so many ways Sam, and I'm so grateful. I never thought I'd meet someone like you."
"I never imagined meeting someone like you either", he said and gave her a small smile, but it wasn't a happy smile. It was a smile filled with sadness and pain.
Rika sighed a bit and got up from the bed. She wiped away a tear from her cheek without Sam noticing it. Then she walked over to her bedside table and pulled out one of the drawers, taking out a small item. She turned around and saw Sam looking at her curiously. Rika walked up to him and took his hands into hers. When she pulled her hands away he opened his fists and looked at the item she had placed there. It was a small silver cylinder, decorated with ornaments. It was hanging from a silver chain.
"What's this?", he asked of her and looked up.
"It's a Balinese prayer box", she explained and helped him twist the cap open. The cylinder was hollow inside. "Whenever you feel like you need help or guidance, you just write a prayer on a piece of paper, place it in the cylinder and put the cap on. The legends say all your prayer's will be answered. Hugh gave it to me and I want you to have it, so you'll remember me."
"I'll never forget you", he said. "I can't accept this, if it was something Hugh gave you."
"No, I want you to have it", she smiled. "I have plenty to remember Hugh by."
She leaned in, cupped his face with her hands and kissed him with all the despair she had inside of her. He pulled her towards him and kissed her back with the same despair. She felt a couple of tears run down his cheeks and she kissed them away before pulling away from him. "It's time for you to go", she said. "Dean's waiting for you outside."
Sam got up from the bed with a small sigh, knowing she was right. Together they walked out of the apartment, walked down the steps and outside into the street that was bathing in the last ray's of sunlight for the day. Dean was leaning against his 1967 Chevy Impala, waiting for his brother.
"I hate having to do this", Sam commented and looked at her, his eyes still a bit teared.
"Yeah. But it's not the end Sam, I know it", she smiled. "Everything's changing, for both of us. I'll be okay, I can feel it. And you'll be too. Besides, I'm only a phone call away."
"I know. So this is not goodbye."
"No, it's not", she smiled.
She watched him walk down towards Dean and the car. Halfway he turned around and ran back up the steps leading to the entrance of her apartment building. He latched himself at her, and kissed her with so much passion and love it scared her. He had her hands on her hips and she wrapped hers around his neck. Tears were running down both their cheeks, spreading towards their mouths, making the kiss salty yet sweet and it was the most fantastic thing Rika had ever experienced. For a moment, she felt loved. They kissed for a few minutes before they pulled away from each other. Rika didn't want the kiss to end, but it had to. It was just getting more difficult every second. Sam pulled a small streak of her hair that had fallen down from the bun behind her ear and sighed.
She pushed him playfully down towards the car and laughed a little. "Now, go", she said. "I'll see you later, Winchester."
He smiled a sad yet hopeful smile, waved and walked down to the car. He opened the door to the passenger's seat and sat down inside. Dean smiled towards Rika and lifted his hand in a goodbye and she lifted her hand in response. Then he got into the car and she watched the Winchester's disappear towards the setting sun. It was a bit of a cliché, like in an old Western where the hero rides into the sunset after saving the day. And Sam had really saved her day, more than he would ever know. He knew how to save a life.
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A/N: So, that's the end of "How To Save A Life". I actually think this is one of my better chapters, and maybe you'll think that too. :) I hope you've liked my story, hopefully you want to read the sequel as well. Reviews are still hotter than Jared Padalecki without a shirt, even though the story is complete. I'd love to hear your thoughts about the story! I've loved writing it.
The sequel Wish Me Monsters: .net/s/5173539/1/Wish_Me_Monsters
Oh, and the prayer box. It was one of these Rika gave Sam, just as a reference for you who aren't familiar with prayer boxes: /product/Silver_Jewelry/Prayer_