"I'm glad it's you with me, Sammy, here at the end of all things." The attempt at humor fell flat.
Dean knew that even if he tried there were no more words to speak. He felt his life slowly slipping away in a familiar and yet still completely terrifying ebb. Sam was somewhere to his left, gasping in pain. Blood, he could see it saturating everything within sight. The ceiling was dripping it onto them both, onto the lake of crimson already filling the floor.
"Don't give - up." Sam said through a groan. "Bobby will - c- come."
Dean wanted to tell his brother to 'save it', because there was no getting out of this one. Heaven had rejected them and Hell was emptied onto the Earth. Wherever they ended up, at least they would be together.
"D-D-De!" Sam could not finish his cry.
A gurgling sound filled the room and then silence. Neither hunter made a move, a sound or gave any indication that they were still alive. They stared at the same red encrusted light bulbs and waited for unconsciousness to settle over them.
Footsteps. Running footsteps and then a door burst open. Bobby and Castiel were yelling their names, but by then neither boy could understand or cared to.
So long, world. Dean thought as his eyes clouded over into black.
....
"-Can't heal them, it's not something I can do in this form. I would need help and...they're waking up." Castiel's ragged voice cut off.
Dean pried his eyes open with a gargantuan effort. He blinked up, waiting for the nauseating blood red to wash over his vision, but the ceiling stayed off-white. A small water stain darkened a corner to the right. Dean felt confused.
"Hey, boy, we thought we lost you for a while there." Bobby leaned into the younger hunter's view. "Glad to see you're awake."
"S-Sa-am?" His throat hurt, he swallowed and tried again. "Sam, is he?"
Bobby nodded. "He's doing about as good as you. Right over there." Bobby motioned over one shoulder.
Dean shifted, working himself up just enough to catch sight of his younger brother looking around the room. "Hey, Sam." He called, a little louder.
There was a grunt of a response from the other side of the room. Castiel came to Dean's side and put a hand on his shoulder. The angel wanted so badly to help, but he was powerless. Something had stripped him of his abilities. No flying or healing or anything else. It was terrifying.
"Dean?" There was pain and confusion in his brother's voice.
"Han-Hang in there, B-Buddy." Dean ground out, his throat feeling like sandpaper. "Bobby'll fix us up."
The blond hunter tried to smile up at the man he considered a father, but it ended as a grimace. Bobby nodded, he understood the expression. Dean wanted to say something, anything, to alleviate the seriousness permeating the room, but his voice was locked. A shooting pain traveled up his stomach and back. He grunted and squeezed his eyes shut.
"What about a spell or somethin'? There's gotta be some kinda mojo that'll get these boys back to fightin' form." Bobby whispered to Castiel, his eyes searching the sharp blue ones with a silent plea. "Somethin'."
Castiel turned his back on the humans, staring at the fridge in the other room. The angel felt like he was missing a set of limbs, the ever-present wings were not functioning. It was humiliating. Here they were, depending on him and he could not even summon a healing witch.
"There is nothing I can do. Our best hope is to find a healer close by." Castiel turned back, shoulders slumped in dejection. "They will not last long if we don't."
Bobby was on his feet and shrugging on his jacket as he walked. "Then what are we waitin' for?"
Dean tried to sit up, but his stomach muscles spasmed and he clenched his hands into fists. "W-Wait!" He called after the men, he heard their footsteps pause. "Be quick, guys." He begged.
.....
"Dean?" The questioning word was soft, but unbroken.
"Yeah?" Dean asked back, equally gentle. It was the only way to have his voice stay together. "What?"
"Do you think they'll...get back on...time." There were long pauses as Sam gasped air into hurting lungs. "To save us?"
"Don't ask stupid questions." Dean countered, grimacing. "Of course they will."
A cool wind shifted through the room and then it turned icy cold. They both recognized the feeling, but Dean was the only one who felt the need to swear out loud.
"We're b..." He coughed up a thick layer of phlegm. "Boned."
There was a rushed sound of air moving against a supernatural creature. Then all went quiet. The cold disappeared and warmth again seeped into the room. Dean angled up enough to share a confused look with Sam.
"The hell?" Sam asked the room in general.
"Yeah. What you said." Dean agreed, trying to spy enough of the room to see what had happened. With a moan of pain he fell back.
"I'm a little surprised at you both."
A shadow fell over the room as the lights dimmed visibly. The click of heels on the hardwood floor alerted them to a presence. A lilting laugh fell over them in waves of musical sound.
"I find it amusing that you're both in such...damaged condition. After all, you are the 'saviors' of the world. Or the destroyers, depending on who you ask." Another laugh, this time longer and with an edge of violence. "Too bad. I was looking forward to a real fight."
Neither man could see the speaker. "Eff you, lady." Dean spat out with as much contempt as he could muster.
"Watch your language, human."
Abruptly, Dean found himself unable to speak. He tried, but no sound came out. He glared at the ceiling, wishing he could punch the bitch in the face. He assumed it was a demon, but at this stage in his life, the blond hunter would not put it past the angels. Sam was gasping in renewed pain from where he lay across the room.
"Well, I guess I'll just have to fix you boys up. The boss would hate for you two to be to banged up for a good old fashioned 'sit and talk'."
A second later both Winchesters were feeling like their old selves. Injuries healed and pain gone. Dean jumped to his feet, hands fisted and ready for a fight. He came face-to-face with Sam in a similar pose. No one else was in the room.
"Call Bobby, get him and Cas back here." Dean commanded even as he reached towards the desk for a weapon. They searched the room as each went about his task. Nothing seemed out of place. Sam reached for the phone and gave a cry of pain when the device sent a shock through his body. He pulled his hand away, blinking fast.
"Um. Dean?"
Dean had seen and he was already backing up towards his brother, eyes roving for danger, gun in his hand. Suddenly then were both bodily thrown to the walls. Falling to his knees, Dean shook his head to rid his vision of the tiny spots that had suddenly cropped up. He gasped hard.
"Sam! You alright?"
"Peachy." His brother responded from the floor.
They scrambled to their feet. Dean glared at the empty air around them, breathing in the musty smell of old books and papers. Anger infused with confusion.
"Quit playing around and show yourself, you bitch!" Dean shouted.
He wanted to end this hide and seek so that he could face whoever had come for them. For a moment nothing happened and then a shape began to shimmer into view between the brothers. The image refined and filled out until a red haired woman in short heels and a cocky grin was clearly visible. Dean blinked, not expecting the jeaned knock-out that was smirking at the brothers.
"Who are you?" Sam asked.
"Oh, just your friendly neighborhood Demon." Her eyes flashed black before returning to their more natural looking green. "Who did you think I was...Santa Clause?"
"Hardly." Dean muttered under his breath. "So, what do you want with us?"
She held up a hand, fingers curling slowly. Dean felt his chest began to grow tighter inside his skin. He knew that feeling and adrenaline rushed through his body in an useless attempt to help. Fear welled up, but he dug a deeper hole in his mind to shove that feeling into so that he could ignore it and focus on the problem at hand. Sam was trying to fight against an invisible barrier. The female demon was laughing loudly, her lips drawing back to reveal beautiful pearl white teeth.
"I already told you, Dean. The boss wants a chat."
"Whose boss, lady? You need to be a little more specific." Dean gasped out, wincing.
The grip loosened and the hand lowered. The demon smiled, her eyes flashing stark black again. Dean straightened, hand going to his chest. He hated that feeling, the helplessness. Again, he pushed back his fears.
"The devil, moron." The woman rolled her eyes, all sense of play gone from her tone. Now it was filled with boredom. "We have a date down under."
Sam was grabbing something behind his back and Dean tried to grab the demon's attention by stepping forward, chin thrust out.
"Oh, yeah? Well, what if we don't want to cooperate."
"Like you have a choice." She said with attitude.
"Hey, I'll give you fair warning right now - we don't like being bitch slapped by demons." Dean countered.
"Then you shouldn't leave yourselves so wide open." She warned, leaning towards him with a hungry grin. "Humans are so ridiculous. Thinking they're so smart when really...their just lunch meat. Cattle milling about in a slaughter house."
Sam swung his arm forward and down, he held a loaded gun in his hand and the loud report of it shook their eardrums. The demon cried out, shuddered and then with an internal burst of flame the body fell to the floor. Dean immediately checked for a pulse, but the woman was dead. He sat back on his heels and ran a hand through his short blond hair.
"Great. That's just great."
"What the hell?" Sam asked, putting the Colt back into it's place at the small of his back. "How did she get through the wards and how did she find us? We have the hex bags."
"Guess our wonder bread just done molded, Sammy." Dean said dryly. "Something sure smells fishy."
"You don't think she was telling the truth."
"No."
"Well, what else could it be, Dean? She was clearly a demon and everyone knows that Lucifer wants us for dinner, so, I don't -."
"Me either, Sam." Dean interrupted. "Just...it doesn't feel right. The weird disappearing act and then her healing us...I don't get it."
Sam shrugged, biting his lip. Dean was right, the whole thing smacked of weird, but nothing specific. It almost creeped the Winchesters out. Sam went back to the phone and cautiously picked it up. Dialing Bobby's cell number he explained the situation before hanging back up.
"They're on their way back. In the meantime, what are we going to do with...her?"
Dean rubbed his forehead, scrubbing his face with his hands. "I don't know. Put her out back until we can get a fire going. My god, what a mess."
Dean had not felt this tired in a long time. Earlier, when he had been certain they were going to die, he had been almost relieved that it meant a break from all the 'saving the world' decisions and pressure. Now, he was suddenly suppose to figure out where some she-demon came from and why. It was a disappointment.
"Lets wait until Bobby gets back and then try and figure it out together. Maybe Cas will know." Dean suggested.
Sam nodded. "Okay. Help me with her, okay."
Together they worked to get the cooling corpse into the front of the junkyard behind the house. They would burn the body later. There was no real hurry now that the immediate danger was over. Once they were back inside, the boys settled in chairs around the kitchen table.
Ten minutes later the sound of quickly approaching tires on gravel and the dark rumble of an engine alerted them to the return of their friends. Bobby insisted on hugging both boys and it was more than a little difficult for them all to keep the tears at bay as they realized that the near-death had been a lot closer than any of them had thought. They all took positions around the desk in the study.
"What do you think, Cas?" Sam asked the angel before anyone else could speak.
All eyes turned to the angel. His head bowed, cracked lips turning into a thoughtful frown. It took him so long to respond, Sam was getting ready to repeat himself.
"Sometimes..." Castiel's rough voice trailed off, as if he did not want to share what he knew. He looked down, avoiding their gazes. "Sometimes, through a conscious choice, an angel can become a demon without the waiting period."
"Well, guess we should have seen that one coming." Dean quipped humorlessly. "Demon-Angels working for Lucifer. My god, this whole thing is getting way to confusing!"
"Tell me about it." Bobby agreed with a loud exhale.
"What does that mean? Will there be more?" Sam asked. "The Colt, did it really kill her?"
"No." Castiel shook his head. "What you saw was nothing but theatrics. She is probably watching us right now."
The dark haired angel made a symbol in the air with his hand and muttered something in the angelic language. There was a blinding flash of light and then he relaxed.
"Now she cannot set foot inside this house. As soon as I leave, I also will not be able to return. So, we should probably all stay inside until we can figure out how to kill her."
"Why, what did you do?" Dean asked.
"I put angel proofing on the building." He responded matter-of-factly. "It really is something I should have thought of before. I apologize."
"Ya think. She almost killed us." Dean said, raising his voice in anger.
"Dean, calm down." Sam said with a wave at his brother. "Thanks, Cas."
"So-o." Bobby started with a glance around the room. "Who wants to start researching this she-demon?"
.......
"Well, that was a waste of time." Dean threw down the small tome he had been flipping through for the past hour. "Awesome."
"Shut up." Sam threw a pen at his brother's head.
"I believe I have found something." Castiel spoke up from where he was sitting in a fold-up chair next to the window. He stood to his feet, beige coat billowing around him. "This book has reference to Demon-Angel hybrids and what can kill them. I see no reason why it cannot be used against this woman." He read aloud from the book. "When brought into the light of day and saturated with the holy baptism, only then can the demon be called out through the holy word of god."
Dean puffed his cheeks out as he tried to put the meanings to the words. After a moment he frowned. "What?"
"It's pretty straightforward, Dean." Bobby said in consternation. "Daylight, Holy Water and an exorcism of some sort. Probably biblically based."
"I believe so." Castiel agreed flatly.
"Great, so, onto the b-i-b-l-e." Dean sing-songed, rolling his green eyes towards the ceiling. "Just what I needed tonight - religious inspiration. Somebody shoot me."
"Stop winging." Sam threw out in an automatic dismissal of his brother's overplayed plight. "Everyone grab a bible and start reading."
"Yes, mother." Dean mumbled under his breath with a glare.
It did not take long for Bobby to find the right verses. The only exorcism that even remotely resembled something workable in the real world. Dean transcribed as Castiel wrote it out on a notebook page.
"So, how are we going to lure this bitch back into the open?" Dean asked once they were through.
Castiel thought for a moment. "There is already a vessel outside, the woman's body. All we need to do is make an offer that the she-demon cannot refuse."
"Like?" Sam asked.
"You." Castiel responded sharply. "Both of you. That is what she wanted in the first place."
"Ya, but she'll know it's a trap, genius." Dean dismissed the idea.
"Of course she will, but the offer will be to great for her to refuse. Remember that demons have an almost overpowering ego. Stoke it a little and she will respond." Bobby offered his advice to the room.
"Alright, lets get this suicide mission ready to move." Dean gave in with an exaggerated sigh. "God knows it's better than being stuck in this house with Cas indefinitely."
Castiel's gaze cut through the following silence. He turned on his heel and left the room, returning moments later with a sealed container of Holy Water in his hands. Dean grinned.
.........
Morning light shed a few tears of white illumination over the cot where Sam was sleeping in a dreamless place. Castiel stood in a corner of the room, leaning against a door frame. Dean was in the kitchen helping Bobby make breakfast, sneaking more than a few bites of the food as they worked.
"So, when is this going down?" Dean asked the older hunter.
Bobby looked out the window towards the growing light on the horizon. "Give it another hour."
"At least." Castiel added from his position.
A cut-off snore broke into their conversation as though Sam, even in sleep, was trying to have his say in the matter. Dean chuckled and popped another piece of bacon into his mouth. He closed his eyes in ecstasy at the flavor.
"Mm. Remind me why we don't retire and come live here?" He asked rhetorically.
"'Cause we'd probably kill each other." Bobby joked as he turned a golden-brown flat cake. .
(I'll re-edit once finished) Review, please.