Title: Ruby's Plan
Author: Azure the Dragonlady
Rating: T
Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural.
Summary: (Mystery Spot) Another reason why the Trickster might have decided to do the time loop.
Spoilers: Season 3, particularly Malleus Maleficarum and Mystery Spot
Author's Note: I had this in mind after I watched Mystery Spot. I finally got the time to write it. Hopefully nothing is too out of character or too repetitive in places. Please Review.

For those of you who read my Harry Potter and the Supernatural War crossover story, I've finished writing the next chapter, I just need to type it up and correct a few things. I apologise for taking so long to get the next chapter up, but bear with me, it'll be up within the next week or so, if all goes to plan. Thanks for being patient so far.

I need your help.

Help with what?

With Sam. The way you stuck that demon tonight, that was tough. Sam's almost there but not quite . . . You need to help me get him ready. For life without you. To fight this war on his own.

. . . Ruby . . . Why do you want us to win?

Isn't it obvious? I'm not like them. I don't know why, I – I wish was but I'm not. I remember what it's like . . .

Like what's like?

Being human .

As soon as Dean looked down, Ruby took the chance to silently disappear, like she had never been there in the first place.

Ruby had known that despite Dean's tough don't-care-what's-gonna-happen-to-me exterior, he really does not want to go to hell – who wouldn't? But, he would do it for his little brother, so that Sam could live. However, after her little conversation with Dean, she expected that she did convey the seriousness of his decision. The seriousness of going to hell and becoming what eventually everyone who sells their soul will become – a demon themselves. She needed Dean serious and have a humourless attitude about this. He needed to know that going to hell is not just any old walk in the park. It certainly wasn't for her. And it doesn't exactly help trying to be stoic, but it his defence mechanism, so she didn't expect anything less. Hopefully he did decide that going to hell isn't anything other than serious. He'll leave Sam to fight this war on his own and so she needed him to help her get Sam ready. To fight. Although she had given little thought about Dean getting out of his deal, she did hope, albeit an extremely small hope, that, for the Winchesters' sake, that he will.

Regardless, because of the extremely high probability that Dean will go to hell, she needed him to help her get Sam ready to face the War without him. First thing though, she supposed, was to get Sam used to the idea of Dean dying. Sam was in serious denial and was so focussed on saving Dean and finding a way out of that deal; he would not be able to use these last few months to mentally prepare himself for the seemingly inevitable outcome. And, it would be best for him . . . and the other hunters, for him to get back on his feet fairly quickly after his brother dies.

And Ruby had the perfect plan for this, which also, incidentally involved one of the Winchesters' old nemesis. One they thought they had already killed awhile back.

Ruby appeared just as suddenly as she had disappeared, right in front of the laughing Trickster god. He was watching on in a particularly dirty part of town as somebody was given their "just desserts" according to him anyway. Ruby wrinkled her nose at the disgusting mess that that littered the side of the alleyway. The trickster seemed to have sensed her as soon as she came, as he gave a slight turn of is head to see whoever had just decided to grace him with their presence. Ruby watched on as the god gave a slight, miniscule double-take when he did see it was her. Good, then he must have heard of me, Ruby thought to herself.

"Ah. And who do we have here. A demon, come to visit me?" the trickster smirked. "And not just any old demon, one who remembers too."

Ruby didn't answer him. Silence passed between the two before –

"Look," Ruby stated, "I need you to do something."

"Really," the god replied, "And just what do you think I can do for you, demon?"

"Don't tell me you don't know what is going to happen, just who is on what side of the war. I need Sam to get used to Dean dying." Ruby said simply.

"The Winchester? You expect me to help you help the Winchester brothers? All those years in the pits must have rattled you're brain even more, to a point passed insanity, demon."

As it looked like the Trickster was about to refuse, she played the trump card, one that was a sure fire way to get the gods attention, and get him to go with her plan.

"You'll get you're chance for revenge, you do see that possibility, don't you? Like I said, Sam needs to get used to Dean dying. You get your revenge on the Winchester, in your . . . own way. But if that doesn't get you to agree with me, you know what's going on out there, outside your own little world full of just desserts, that you've got going on for you here, don't you? Once Dean goes to hell, we need Sam to fight this war. Fight all them demons. We need him not to break down once Dean dies. At the moment, that scenario is not looking all too good, it doesn't look like he would be able to get his head into gear and fight the war by himself. I figured –"

" – a time loop?" The trickster cut in. "Well . . . a time loop would work. Finding different ways to let Dean die . . . All those different possibilities . . . Especially after our last encounter." The god said thoughtfully. It looked like Ruby's plan will be carried out after all. "Alright, sounds fun. I'm in."

Ruby nodded; satisfied that everything was going according to plan. The only thing left was to lure Sam and Dean and then watch the fallout. Ruby hoped that this will finally get Sam to push passed Dean's death and move on. For his sake . . . and the sake of the world too. Now, all she needed to do was wait and see.