Journey
All That Really Matters
It lives! Anyway, this story is actually going to consist of several one-shots that will bring us to the next big story. This one is a retelling of 02.08 "Crossroad Blues" and features Jo Harvelle as well as my OFC, Danielle Young. Enjoy!
Provo, Utah wasn't the most exciting place, but the food was good and Sam seemed happy with the internet connection. "Nerd," Dean often said, though with an underlying fondness he knew Sam could pick up on without him saying a word.
Danielle the Empath continued to work almost daily with Sam to how to control his own skills, and he was now able to block out both hers and Dean's emotions for a few hours. It gave both brothers hope for the future.
About a week after the events in River Grove, Jo called Dean, happily reporting that she was on a new Hunt.
"That's great," Dean told her. "You manage to keep from getting kidnapped or arrested?"
"Of course," Jo replied, voice only tinted with annoyance. "I've already taken on a few Hunts of my own without any problems, Dean."
"All right," Dean replied.
There was a moment of silence. "This one's Hellhounds," Jo finally told him, "and I don't have a lot of time before it claims its last victims."
"Hellhounds?" Dean had said, instantly attracting Sam's attention. "Seriously? How?"
"Put her on speaker," Sam said, opening a new browser window on his laptop. Dean rolled his eyes, but complied.
"Turns out there was this artist, George Darrow, who summoned a Crossroads Demon about ten years ago," Jo's voice came over the speaker. "He made a Deal, wanted to be talented — he's really good, by the way — but the demon didn't leave once he'd made the Deal."
"You're kidding," Dean said.
"Nope," Jo said. "She stuck around for about a week, makin' more Deals with more folks, and they're all coming due." There was a moment of silence. "Guys, I need help."
"How?" Sam spoke up. "There's no way to stop a Hellhound once a Deal's been made that I know of."
"But I've got to do this," Jo said, sounding insistent in a way that meant she cared too much to let this one go. "Almost all of them are dead, but there's this guy, Evan Hudson, and his Deal…" She trailed off.
"What'd he ask for?" Sam asked, and Dean was pretty sure that whatever the answer was, it was going to be the clincher.
"He saved his wife from dying of cancer," Jo finally said, and Dean closed his eyes. Of all the things… "He was desperate," Jo continued, "told me that Julie was days away from dying! Please, guys, I need help, he's only got a couple of days left!"
Dean sighed and looked over at Sam. "You're still not ready to travel," he told his brother and feeling unsurprised by the annoyed eye roll. "You're not," he insisted, "Danielle says you probably won't be ready until at least Thanksgiving."
"What's going on?" Jo asked.
"Nothing," Sam said quickly before adding, "but Dean, this man's Deal, he shouldn't have to die for it —"
"I'm not disagreeing with you," Dean cut him off, "but we don't know of any way to stop this from happening."
Sam sighed and turned away, running a hand through his hair. There was a long moment of silence. "Maybe if we confronted the demon who made the Deal…" He trailed off.
"Dude, no one is makin' any more Deals," Dean snapped.
"Then trick it," Sam said, looking up. "Trap it and make the right demands so no souls go to Hell and this guy and wife live."
There was another moment of silence.
"You think that could work?" Jo asked over the phone.
"No," Dean said at once. "Maybe… Dammit, I dunno."
"It can't hurt to try," Sam said.
"You can't leave yet," Dean reminded Sam, "and I'm not leaving you."
"I know how to summon the Crossroads Demon," Jo said. "I could try it."
"No offense, Jo," Dean said, "but I don't think you've got enough experience with demons to try something like that."
"You do," Sam said innocently, blinking up at Dean. "And I'd be fine by myself for a few days. Danielle's sisters actually like having me around, so I'm sure they wouldn't mind if I went there while you do this."
"Sam —" Dean started, but his brother cut him off.
"This guy doesn't deserve to go to Hell for saving his wife's life," Sam said. "If anyone can save him, it's you."
Sometimes the level of confidence Sam had in Dean bordered on scary, but after everything they'd been through…
"Fine," Dean finally said. "I'll do it, but you totally owe me for this, Joanna."
He could practically hear Jo's scowl over the phone for using her full name as she told him where she was. "I'll be there tomorrow," he told her before flipping his phone shut. "Sam —"
"Already on it," Sam said, holding his phone up to his ear. "Hey, Dani, it's me." He smiled. "I'm doing good, you?" There was a pause. "Listen, I know you're in between classes right now, but we got a call from a friend of ours, and she needs Dean's help for a couple days. Would it be too much trouble if I —?" He broke off, and a moment later he grinned. "Great, thanks. Wanna tell your folks so they don't freak out when I show up?" He paused, listening before he laughed. "Yeah, I will. See you later."
"We good?" Dean asked.
"Yep," Sam said, shutting down his laptop. "Dani says to be careful and come back in one piece."
"Don't I always?" Dean asked with a grin of his own. "C'mon, let's pack up."
Less than an hour later, Dean had left Sam at the Young's home and was off to play hero. Again.
"I don't like this," he told Jo, staring at the bag in her hands. "You sure that stuff works?"
"Goofer dust?" Jo grinned. "The artist guy gave it to me, said it would work long enough for him to finish his final painting, and that was yesterday, so…" She trailed off. "We know hoodoo stuff like this works."
Dean still didn't like this, but he had driven all night just to get here. "You go and protect Hudson, and I'll go bargain with a demon," he said. "How's that for weird?"
Jo laughed and patted Dean's arm. "I'm sure you'll manage," she said, before holding out a slip of paper. "Now, here's the directions to get to that crossroad I told you about, and Dean?"
Dean met Jo's eyes and saw her worry and fear.
"Please do this before the Hellhound chews me up for getting in its way."
"I will," Dean said.
Putting together a plan of attack had taken up most of the drive over, so all that was really left was preparation. Dean surveyed the area and figured that with just the right amount of luck and talk, he might actually be able to pull this off.
Might, of course, being the key word.
Jo had handed over a ready-made box of the right ingredients. "It just needs a photo of you," she had told him, "and then you bury it in the middle of the crossroad and uh… you know."
Yeah. Dean knew, all right.
It didn't take long for the demon to show up. The woman was attractive, dark hair, light eyes that changed red at will (probably the only turn-off about her), and pale skin that shined around the edges of the sexy black dress she wore.
"Hi, Dean."
It didn't surprise him that she knew his name. It seemed he had managed to piss off enough demons lately, after all.
"So," the demon said after a moment, "what brings a guy like you to a place like this?"
Dean just stared at her.
"You did summon me," she added softly.
"Honestly, I'm just glad it worked," Dean finally said.
"First time?"
Dean nodded. "You know who I am."
"I get the newsletter," the demon said with a grin that was somewhere between amused and downright sexy.
"Anything good?" Dean asked.
The demon stepped forward. "Heard you were handsome," she said, tone soft and sultry, "but you're just… edible." She grinned and tossed her hair over a shoulder. "What can I do for you?"
"Maybe," Dean said after a moment, "we should do this in my car." He gave his most charming smile. "Nice and private."
The demon grinned. "Sounds good to me," she said as she turned to walk over to the Impala.
"I was hoping we could strike a Deal," Dean told her as he followed her over.
"Really," the demon said. "I take it you're aware that Azazel wants you downstairs?"
"I know," Dean said. "I never said my soul was a part of this Deal, though."
The demon stared at him for a moment before looking down at the car. "What's this Deal about, then?"
"I want Evan Hudson released from his contract."
The demon eyed him before leaning forward, hands pressed against the hood of the car. "So sorry, darling," she breathed, "but that's not negotiable."
"You don't think I could make it worth your while?" Dean asked.
The demon grinned. "You said you weren't gonna offer yourself, Dean," she said. "And why do you care about Evan, anyway? Wouldn't you rather bargain for you daddy's soul? I can bring him back and give you ten years for your troubles."
It was tempting, Dean couldn't deny that. He wanted John back from the dead, out of Hell, right alongside him and Sam where he belonged. He wanted John to teach them, to help protect Sam, to tell him everything he knew about the future… But he also knew that John would never want him to trade his soul for that. His orders had been clear: protect Sam, save him from the future days.
"That's not what my dad would want," Dean finally said, "but I still think we can talk about Evan's situation." He pulled open the passenger-side door and gestured to the seat. "After you."
The demon started to move forward, and then froze, eyes looking down at the ground.
Of course.
"A Devil's Trap?" she hissed, eyes going red as she whipped her head around to stare at Dean. "You stupid — I should tear you limb from fucking limb —"
Dean backed away at once. "Take your best shot," he challenged.
The demon stared at him for a long moment. "No," she whispered, "I don't think so. I'm not gonna put you out of your misery."
Okay, Sam would approve of that, but it still didn't solve Evan's problem.
"Why not?" he asked at length.
"'Cause your misery's the whole point," the demon said, suddenly smirking. "It's too much fun to watch. Knowing how your daddy died for you and Sammy, how he sold his soul without you or Sam being able to do a thing about it — I mean, that's gotta hurt, even after nearly five months." Her smirk grew wider. "You wake up and your first thought is, 'I can't do this anymore.' You're all lit up with pain, I mean, you loved him so much. And it's all your fault."
She slowly advanced as she spoke, and Dean struggled not to show her how close to dead-on her words really were. She laughed, anyway.
"You blew it, Dean," she breathed, leaning close. "I could have given you what you need."
"Right," Dean said, "because that's what my dad would want me to do. Sell my soul for him like he did for me."
The demon shrugged. "It probably would've happened whether or not Azazel stole your brother away that night, Dean. You needed to go to the hospital, and if Azazel had left and Sam had been driving this lovely car of yours…" She trailed off. "Who knows what could've happened?"
Dean kept his silence.
"Anyway," the demon said, "I really would like to bring your father back, but… your loss." She turned to walk away.
"Wait," Dean said, trying hard to keep his voice level. He still had one more ace up his sleeve, but he had to make this convincing.
The demon stopped and slowly turned, wearing a smirk that made Dean's skin crawl. He turned away and started wandering 'aimlessly'.
"My dad wouldn't want me to do this," he said at length, "but that doesn't mean I don't want him back." He turned back to the demon and allowed the tough mask to drop for once. "'Cause I do."
The demon smiled. "I know," she said softly. "Look, Dean, just forget about Evan. I could bring your dad back, just the way he was when he left you and Sammy to go die, and then you'd be reunited with ten, long, happy years together." She followed Dean as he continued the meandering. "I know it's what you want more than anything."
It hurt how much that was true. Part of Dean cursed Sam for coming up with this idea, because actually doing this was a lot harder than he'd thought it would be. Ten years was a hell of a lot better than three days, right?
"It'd be like resetting the natural order of things," the demon told Dean as he neared the old water tower that stood about five feet away from him. "You probably should've died in that warehouse in L.A., or even back in that lonely cabin. So many chances to live that you didn't want."
Dean had been willing to die before, but his family hadn't given up on him, not once. It was odd to suddenly realize that for all their independence and strength, both John and Sam cared about Dean enough to sacrifice themselves and other people to keep him with them.
"Natural order," he echoed softly.
The demon grinned as Dean turned and walked under the water tower, and then she followed him. "Well?" she asked.
She didn't realize.
Good.
"You think you could uh…" Dean turned and met the demon's eyes before smiling. "Maybe you could throw in a set of steak knives?"
The demon's eyes flashed red again.
"You know," she said, sounding like her patience was seriously wearing thin (and Dean was pretty certain it was), "this smart-ass self-defense mechanism —"
Dean stepped out from under the water tower and grinned when the demon tried and follow and failed. She looked up.
"Dean…"
"So," Dean said, feeling a strange sense of inner strength as he relaxed his stance, "you're all trapped now. That's gotta hurt, right?" He grinned at the angry demon. "Now, about Evan Hudson…"
The demon didn't say anything.
"You call off the Hellhound and let Evan go," Dean told her, keeping his tone calm and easy. "Then I let you go."
"I can't break a binding contract."
Dean rolled his eyes. "I'm pretty sure 'can't' means 'don't want to'." He stared hard at the demon. "Last chance."
The demon glared at him as he pulled out John's journal. "Evan and his wife get to live to a ripe old age," he said, and the glare didn't change. "Going… going…"
"Let's talk about this," the demon snapped.
"Okay, gone," Dean said, shrugging as he opened the journal to the right page. "You know, if Sam was here, he'd just start reciting the perfect exorcism for ya."
"So why isn't he?" the demon snarled. "Too busy fighting off my hound?"
"Actually, my friend Jo is doing that," Dean corrected her. "Sam's back in Utah learning cool brain shit. Let's see…" He pulled out a rosary.
"Forget Evan," the demon tried again. "Think of your dad!"
Dean met those red eyes. "I think of him everyday." He returned his attention to the journal and began. "Regna terrae, cantate Deo, psallite Domino, qui fertis super caelum caeli ad Orientem. Ecce dabit voci Suae vocem virtutis, tribuite virtutem Deo. Deus caeli, Deus terrae humiliter majestati gloriae Tuae supplicamus."
The demon growled and twitched unnaturally in that way that demons did when one was in the process of sending them back down south.
"Ut ab omni infernalium spirituum potestate," Dean continued, "laqueo, deceptione et nequitia, omnis fallaciae, libera nos, Domine. Vade, Satana, inventor et magister omnis fallaciae, hostis humanae salutis. Humiliare sub potenti manu Dei —"
"Wait!" the demon all but screamed, and Dean stopped reading. He looked up and suddenly the demon was right in his face, kissing him passionately and invading his mouth with her tongue. It took a few seconds to pull away.
"What was that for?" Dean asked, wiping his mouth as he glared at the demonic bitch.
"Sealing the Deal," the demon whispered, still slightly breathless from the attempted exorcism.
"Right," Dean said, "well, I prefer some warning before getting violated by demon tongue."
"Evan Hudson is free," the demon sighed. "He and his wife will live long lives."
Huh. Maybe Sam really had been onto something when he came up with this hare-brained idea. Dean would have to thank him later.
"How do I know you're not lying?" he asked, knowing Jo would kill him if he didn't make sure and Evan died, anyway.
"My word is my bond," the demon said, actually sounding insulted. "It's the rules. Now let me go."
Dean hesitated, but even though he would nothing better than to rid the planet of one more piece of demon scum, she had kept her word. Sighing, Dean reached up and loosened a board on the underside of the water tower, breaking the Devil's Trap.
"I don't understand," the demon said after a moment when Dean began to head back to the Impala. "You know where your father is, but you won't save him?"
Dean paused before turning to look at the demon. "I don't like that he's down there," he said. "I can't even comprehend what it's like, but…" He shook his head. "My dad would kill me if I made a Deal and brought him back without knowin' exactly what's comin'. I have to trust that he knew what he was doin' when he damned himself like that for his sons."
There was a long moment of silence, and then the demon was gone.
Jo looked beyond wiped out when Dean reached the Hudson residence. "Thank you so much," she said the moment she saw him.
Dean grinned, though it felt a little forced. "You still owe me, Harvelle."
Jo grinned and threw her arms around him in a warm hug. "I know, Winchester," she replied before pulling back.
"Evan okay?"
Jo nodded. "He's probably gonna have nightmares for awhile," she said, "but I think he'll manage in the end." She shuddered. "I don't think I ever wanna see what those mutts look like. Just hearing them —"
Dean nodded. "Yeah. Take care of yourself, you hear?"
"Of course," Jo said, smiling. "You, too."
Sam was up on the Young's roof with Danielle when Dean returned. "What're you two doin' up there?" he called out once he exited the car.
"Just lookin'," Sam said. "How's Jo?"
"She's good," Dean answered. "I'm flat-out exhausted."
"You could've stayed somewhere else for a night before heading back," Danielle said. "Sam's been doing well with us." She shot Sam a bright grin. "Been keepin' a real good eye out for him."
"I'm sure you have," Dean said, feeling amused, "but I think I already made it clear he's my responsibility."
"Dude," Sam said with a grin, "I'm twenty-three."
Danielle giggled. "The 'not a child line' doesn't work, remember?"
Dean rolled his eyes. "Think you could come down, now?" he asked. "I'm starving."
"Better get down there," Danielle sighed dramatically, leaning against Sam with a bright grin. "Dean's stomach might eat him alive if we're not fast enough."
Sam laughed and Dean narrowed his eyes.
"Are you two drunk?" he asked after a minute.
Sam shook his head, hair bouncing wildly. "Just kinda tipsy, we didn't think Dani's parents would appreciate anything more."
"Why tipsy, then?"
"Reminiscing," Danielle sighed. "It kinda makes it easier to remember."
It took a moment, but Dean got it. They were both still healing from their losses and finding ways to cope. "How'd you get up there?" he asked.
"Ladder," Sam answered, "backyard."
Dean nodded. "All right, time to come down and get food. Your parents are convinced I'm the responsible one, so I may as well live up their expectations."
Sam snorted. "You're not that responsible," he said.
"Dude, just come down already," Dean laughed. He headed around to the backyard, fully intent on making sure neither of the rooftop dwellers hurt themselves.
He paused, standing next to the ladder, and considered.
"You know where your father is, but you won't save him?"
Dean wished he could save John, but his father's orders had been clear. He belonged here, with Sam.
"Sam needs you more than he's ever needed me."
That probably wouldn't have been true if things had been different, but it was what it was. Sam needed Dean, and he needed Sam just as much.
No wonder people kept thinking they were a gay couple, he suddenly thought to himself. They may as well start singing love songs and holding hands the way they stuck close so often.
Dean snorted at the thought as Sam finally came down from the roof, Danielle following behind. "Dean?" Sam asked quietly.
"I'm good, Sammy," Dean said. "We're both good."
Sam smiled and nodded silently.
"Okay," Dean said, rubbing his hands together, "who wants Denny's?"
"I do!" Danielle said brightly. "I am so ready to show off my all-encompassing mental shielding skills if there's people."
Sam snorted. "I'm doin' better, Dani."
"You barely managed with my family during dinnertime the last two nights," Danielle proclaimed, glaring up at Sam without heat. "And I've already told you that I've got no problems with it, so stop trying to be such a…" She trailed off with a faint frown. "Damn, what's the word?"
One of the funny things about getting Danielle even slightly inebriated was how she'd suddenly forget the simplest words. Dean suppressed the laugh that wanted to bubble up and made a suggestion. "A bitch?"
"Jerk," Sam said with an eye roll.
"Not quite what I had in mind," Danielle said after a moment, "but it works." She grinned brightly. "Let's go!"
It was a small, but happy group that made its way to the Impala. Dean knew he and Sam didn't have much, but they still had each other, and it was worth hanging onto with everything they had. It was all that really mattered in the end.