Disclaimer: Supernatural doesn't belong to me. I only own my OC Mary-Elisabeth "Emmy" Winchester.
Sam sighed for the umpteenth time as he flicked through a book. He had picked it up in hopes that it would provide him some information about crossroad deals. He was desperately trying to find a way to save Dean in any way. He felt guilty and knew it was because of him that his brother now only had a year to live. The oldest Winchester had told him multiple times that he shouldn't blame himself but that was easier said than done. He could just sense it in the way they acted, especially Emmy. His sister never said it out loud but Sam was certain that she was feeling some resentment towards him.
He drew his eyes up over his book to watch his sister sitting across from him. They were currently seated in a booth at a random diner. Emmy was lazily sipping from her milkshake while doing her homework. She had rested her head on her propped up fist, occasionally blowing away a strand of hair from her eyes. It suddenly struck Sam how much she had grown up in such short amount of time. Her hair had grown longer, already reaching her lower back. Her facial features were less round and more pronounced, and her freckles were lighter. She was starting to look more and more like their mother. But she hasn't only changed physically, Sam noticed how mature she'd become. It pained him to think that the hardships of last year had a lot to do with it. He wished he could keep her a child a little bit longer but the current circumstances didn't make it easy on her.
A little smile tugged at his lips when she angrily slurped at her milkshake, followed by a little frustrated nose twitch.
"Need help?" He knew she was struggling with her science homework.
"No, I'm okay." She switched her position and rested her head on the other fist, using her free hand to erase something she had written.
"You sure? Tell me where you're stuck," he said as he reached for her book.
Emmy sat up, taking the book away from his reach. "I have to figure it out on my own."
Sam couldn't help but frown. That was another thing he noticed, lately Emmy refused to accept any form of help, she insisted she could do everything by herself. It reminded him of when she was just two and she thought she already had control over her own life. She finally got rid of her cast several days ago, it took some adjustment to get fully used to it again. The doctor told her to take it easy, step by step, and every time she'd struggle she'd claim she didn't need any help. Or just this morning Sam had seen her struggle tying her shoelaces but she didn't want to accept his assistance. And even last night when he tried to help her comb her hair, she had told him to just leave it. It was so unlike her to stubbornly refuse any form of help. Emmy never was an overly dependent girl, but the brothers did sometimes had to remind themselves that she was only ten years old, she was still too young not to ask for help. For her to suddenly try to be independent was something to get used to.
"What?"
Sam blinked, snapping out of his thoughts to meet his sister's worried eyes. "What?"
"You've been staring… is there something on my face?" Emmy wiped at the corners of her lips.
"No, no, I was just – just thinking," he said with a shake of his head as if to clear his mind.
"Oh, okay," she nodded slowly. She threw her brother one last look as if to make sure before getting back to her homework.
Sam bit his bottom lip, contemplating his next words. "Emmy?"
His sister looked up with a questioning expression.
"Are you mad at me?"
Emmy did not expect that question and she was sure it showed on her face. "Why would I be mad at you?" she asked with a little laugh, hoping her brother wouldn't ask what she's been dreading.
Sam put his book down and leaned forward over the table. He didn't fail to notice how she stiffened a bit and her eyes widened for a second. He cleared his throat. "Are you mad that Dean brought me back?"
"What? No. No! Of course not!" she practically sputtered. Emmy noticed some people had turned their heads at her tone of voice. Embarrassed for her sudden outburst, she composed herself and crossed her arms over her chest. "Why would you even say that?"
Sam shrugged. "It's okay Emmy. I would understand if you were. You've already lost Dad, you almost lost me, and now you're losing Dean – "
Emmy held her hand up to shut him up. "Please, stop talking."
"Honey, I'm just trynna tell you – "
"Sammy, stop. Just stop." She fidgeted in her seat, not knowing where her brother was trying to go with this but it was making her uncomfortable. "I'm not mad at you, let's just drop this alright?"
"Emmy, hey, look at me," he grabbed her hands in his in an attempt to catch her attention, "I'm angry with myself too. There isn't a second that goes by that I don't blame myself. If I hadn't let Yellow Eyes catch me, if I hadn't fell in his trap and played along with his sick game, I wouldn't have died."
Emmy wanted to tell him that this was her fault too. Gabriel had warned her, he'd told her not to follow her brother into that convenience store. She'd seen the encounter with Azazel happen before in her dreams, yet she was too stupid to recognize the signs to actually do something about it. She wanted to tell Sam all about it but couldn't.
"There's nothing you could've done, Sammy, you know that," she decided to say, all the while avoiding eye contact.
"Maybe not, but Dean shouldn't have made the deal."
Emmy looked at him like he had sprouted another head. "And let you die?"
"What's the difference? He's the one dying now."
"Yeah, but – but – but, I don't want him dead either. I don't want either of you to die, I don't want anybody to die. Why does someone always have to die? And why are we talking about this again?"
Sam rubbed the back of her hands as he tried to calm her down a bit. "You've been distant lately, it's like you don't wanna have anything to do with us. And I get it, alright? I get it. You've been through a lot, you probably need some space and I just wanna make sure you know you can always come to us."
You have no idea what I've been through, Emmy thought to herself. She wanted to confront him about their dad not really being her father but she bit her lip. Now was not the time.
"I'm fine."
Sam had to refrain from scoffing. She was so much like her brothers sometimes. "You're not, Emmy. No one of us is fine. Just talk to me."
The youngest Winchester clenched her teeth. "Don't tell me how I feel, Sammy. Stop treating me like I'm a baby."
"Is this what this is about? You think we've been treating you like a baby? You trying to prove yourself to us?" He felt her pull her hands away from his but he only held on tighter. "Honey it's okay to ask us for help, Dean and I don't mind at all, it makes us feel useful."
"You have no idea what you're talking about," she forced through clenched teeth. "Please let my hands go."
"Emmy, don't push us away, just tell us what's going on in that little head of yours."
"Sammy let go or I'll scream," she threatened, "I will."
Sam didn't doubt her for a second, he just wanted to know why she suddenly was so closed off towards him. Emmy always used to open up to him about anything and everything.
"Sammy …"
He stared back at her, searching for something and felt a pang in his heart when all he could see was a mask hiding her true feelings. Such a Winchester thing to do. The tears started brimming her eyes and he decided to finally let go.
Emmy jumped out of her seat and went straight for the restroom without another word.
Sam sighed. He fell back in his seat and rubbed a hand over his tired face. Great way to mess things up Sam. He was torn between checking up on her or just leaving her alone for a minute. Before he could make a decision, his phone started ringing. At first he thought it was Dean who'd ask him to pick him up from wherever. Sam knew he didn't need to guess twice to figure out where his brother was at the moment, or with whom.
He picked up on the second ring. "Hello."
"Hey, Sam," Bobby's voice sounded through the speaker.
"Hey Bobby."
"Watcha doing?"
Sam pinched the bridge of his nose. "Same old, same old."
"You buried in that book again?" The fact that Bobby didn't get an answer confirmed his suspicion. "Sam, you want to break Dean free of that demon deal, you ain't gonna find the answer in no book."
"Then where, Bobby?" He was frustrated at the fact that the old man didn't have any better option. What's the point in quitting something when there's no alternative. Reading that book was the only answer he had at the moment.
"Kid, I wish I knew," Bobby sighed. "So how's the little one doing?"
At the mention of his sister, Sam's eyes were trained on the door to the restroom. "Still not talking. You can see something's bothering her but she's not talking."
"Just give her some time, she'll come around eventually."
"When, Bobby? Time flies, I just don't want it to be too late – "
"Boy, cut her some slack. She's just a kid, she's still trying to figure out a way to deal with it. So where's your brother?"
Sam rolled his eyes upwards. "Polling the electorate."
"What?"
"Never mind."
"Well, you kids better pack it up. I think I finally found something."
SPN
Gabriel? Gabriel? Gabriel can you please answer my calls? I really need you.
Emmy looked around the bathroom stall, hoping the angel would appear but was once again disappointed. She had been calling the angel nonstop for the past week but she hadn't gotten any answer since she last saw him at the cemetery. Either he was too busy with angel business or he was just ignoring her. Emmy had a feeling it was the latter.
She didn't really have to go to the restroom but needed a break from Sam's interrogation. She hated how good he was at reading her, he knew something was up but Emmy didn't want to admit it. She didn't know where this behavior was coming from, usually Sam was always the person she reached out to when something was on her mind but now she didn't feel like sharing anything with any of her brothers. For some reason she wanted to keep her thoughts to herself.
Sam was waiting for her at their booth. He had already gathered their stuff and even refilled her milkshake, probably his way of a peace offer. He flashed her a small smile as he handed her drink. She took it and grabbed her backpack with her free hand.
"Bobby called. He said he got something."
At the mention of her surrogate uncle, Emmy's mood lifted up a bit. She always looked forward to see Bobby.
Sam led her out of the diner, holding the door open for her. "Listen Emmy, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."
Emmy nodded. "I know. Can we stop talking about it now?"
Sam was about to say something but was surprised when he felt her small hand in his. She had forgiven him. He looked down at their intertwined hands as they walked to the car and decided to drop the matter … for now.
SPN
It was close to midnight when Sam had pulled up at the motel where Dean was satisfying one of his needs. Sam just threw up a little in his mouth at the image of his brother doing that. Why in the world did he had to witness that, as if god hadn't punished him enough already. It was raining outside and a part of him wanted to ditch his brother just to give him a taste of his own medicine, the dog.
Emmy had fallen asleep in the front seat, he didn't want to move her to the back since she was already having a hard time sleeping. He carefully adjusted her position so that she was leaning against him, leaving enough space for Dean. She moaned a little but didn't wake up.
Dean was pulling his jacket over his head as he started for the Impala. The car jostled as he got in and Sam started the engine. Dean brushed a hand over his hair, flicking some rain drops.
"Let me see your knife," Sam said.
"What for?"
"So I can gouge my eyes out."
Dean chuckled. "It was a beautiful, natural act, Sam."
Sam cringed. "It's a part of you I never wanted to see, Dean."
His brother slapped his thigh, amused for some reason. "Hey, I appreciate you giving me a little quality time with the Doublemint Twins."
"Yeah, no problem," he commented offhandedly. He turned the car around causing Emmy to loll over to Dean's side.
"Really?" Dean cocked an eyebrow as he put his arm around his little sister, holding her against his chest. "Well, I got to say, I was expecting a weary sigh or an eye roll, something."
Sam shrugged. "No, not at all. You deserve to have a little fun. Just be glad Emmy wasn't there, poor girl already suffered enough, no need to traumatize her."
"Well, I am in violent agreement with you there." Dean grinned but his smile fell as he thought of his sister witnessing his 'natural act'. An uncomfortable shiver ran up his spine. He looked down at the sleeping girl and brushed some hair from her face. He couldn't remember the last time she was this close to him, physically. It seemed that the last few days all she did was avoid them as much as she could. She wouldn't even share a bed anymore. Dean just hoped it was her way of dealing with everything and that this phase would soon come to an end.
"So, Bobby called," Sam broke the silence.
Dean looked up from his sister, letting his fingers play with her hair. "Yeah? What's he got?"
"Not much. A crop failure and a cicada swarm outside of Lincoln, Nebraska. Ahh, could be demonic omens –"
"Or could just be a bad crop and a bug problem," Dean interrupted.
Sam threw a little glance at his brother. "Yeah, but it's our only lead."
"Any freaky deaths?"
"Nothing Bobby could find – not yet, anyway."
Dean let out a tired puff of air as he twirled a blonde strand of hair around his finger. "It's weird, man. I mean, the night the devil's gate opened, all these weirdo storm clouds were sighted over how many cities?"
"Seventeen."
"Seventeen," he nodded to himself. "You'd think it would be 'Apocalypse Now', but it's been five days and bubkis."
Sam briefly looked away from the road to throw him a confused look. What exactly did he mean?
Dean wet his lips in thought. "What are the demons waiting for?"
"Beats me."
"It's driving me crazy." Dean kissed his teeth in annoyance. "I tell you, if it's gonna be war, I wish it would just start already."
"I don't know, man." Sam wished he had the answers but he never had. "Be careful what you wish for."
Emmy startled when a loud truck drove past. She was momentarily confused but soon recognized her surroundings and remembered that she must've fallen asleep.
"You alright, sweetheart," Dean asked as he fondly smoothed down her hair.
Emmy noticed she had been leaning against him and sat up. "Yeah, I'm fine." She was starting to move out of the seat when her brother stopped her.
"Where you going?" he questioned but she didn't reply and got to the back.
"Backseat is more comfortable," she mumbled as she snuggled into a blanket and her teddy bear Johnny.
"Well, g'night then," Dean said in an attempt to get something out of her.
"Mhmm," was all she said before turning to face away from them.
Dean and Sam exchanged a look but didn't say anything. Not more than a month ago, all Emmy would do is beg to sit upfront.
SPN
Next morning, Emmy was glad she could finally stretch her legs and breathe in some fresh air. They had already made a short stop to freshen up and grab something to eat but she was aching to leave the tension in the car.
She zipped up her jacket and looked around to see an abandoned farmhouse – she had no idea where they were and why and frankly she couldn't care less. The only thing she was interested in was seeing her favorite uncle again.
"Emmy, don't wander off," Sam warned before addressing his brother. "Hear those cicades?"
"That can't be a good sign," Dean pointed out, taking a huge bite of his hamburger.
"No. No, it can't," Sam agreed.
Emmy who had been walking around the field stopped dead in her tracks. She absolutely loathed bugs. Taking several steps back, she tried to casually make her way back to her brothers, scared that one of those crickets would jump on her or whatever it is they do.
"So, we're eating bacon cheeseburgers for breakfast, are we?"
Dean licked off his fingers. "Well, I sold my soul. Got a year to live. I ain't sweating the cholesterol."
Emmy tried not to pay too much attention to his comment and ran up to her uncle. "Uncle Bobby!" She jumped in his arms, lifted her feat in the air and hugged the rugged man tightly.
"Someone's happy to see me," Bobby chuckled gruffly. He tightened his arms around her before putting her down. "I see the cast finally came off."
"Yup! I can finally do this again," she bent through her knees and jumped as high as she could.
"Emmy, what did the doctor say," Dean chastised. "Easy, take it easy."
The girl rolled her eyes, earning a ruffle to her hair from Bobby. "Hey!" she protested. She hated when they did that.
Sam walked over to them with his hands in his pockets. "So, Bobby, what do you think? We got a biblical plague here or what?"
"Well, let's find out. Looks like the swarm's ground zero." Bobby smiled down at Emmy when she linked her arm with his as they made their way up to the porch of the house.
Dean pounded on the door. "Candygram!" There was no sound but the cicadas chirping. The oldest Winchester did what he did best and started picking the lock, opening the door. A foul stench nearly knocked him off his feet as they covered their noses in disgust.
"That's awful," Emmy's voice sounded muffled through the collar of her jacket.
"That so can't be a good sign," Dean repeated his previous statement as he drew out his gun. "Emmy, stay here."
"It's not like I wanna go in there." Not if she wanted to throw up.
Dean entered first with Sam right on his heels, followed by Bobby. They crept through the house, batting away the swarm of flies. The stench was unbearable, practically forcing bile up their throats. As they entered the second room, they suddenly stopped at what sounded like panicked screams.
"You hear that?" Sam questioned, motioning for them to follow him.
They kicked open a door to find out that the sounds were coming from a television set. The increased stench made them dry heave, but the sight was enough to actually make them puke. What seemed like a family of three was seated on the couch, obviously dead for quite a while now.
"Oh, my god," Sam groaned. "Bobby, what the hell happened here?"
Bobby recoiled. "I don't know."
"Check for sulfur," Dean told them, taking charge.
The three of them started investigating the room for possible clues or signs. Dean was the first to hear a noise out front and whistled quietly to signal the others that he was going to check it out. It probably just was his sister.
"Hey!"
The alarm in Emmy's voice made the hair on the back of his neck stand. The voices of two other people proved that something was going on. Bobby and Sam circled around the other direction, while Dean quickened his pace towards the front. He exited cautiously, gun drawn, and looked around for possible threats. His first instinct was to find his sister, when his green eyes finally found her, his blood ran cold when he saw she was being held back by an unknown woman.
"Let her go, right now!"
Emmy's eyes widened in alarm and pointed at something behind him. "Dean, watch out!"
Before her brother could act, the other man with the rifle in his hand had already knocked him to the ground.
Bobby chose that moment to appear from the side. He had heard the commotion and was prepared for a fight but let his guard down when he recognized the couple. "Isaac? Tamara?"
Upon seeing the old man, Tamara let her arms drop. Emmy used the distraction and ran to Sam who had joined them, too.
"Bobby. What the hell are you doing here?" Tamara wanted to know.
"I could ask the same," he said, adjusting his hat.
Isaac put his own gun down. "Heya, Bobby."
Sam checked his sister over, making sure she was okay, before watching the scene in front of him with pure confusion. Did Bobby know these people?
Dean, still on the ground, raised an arm pitifully and waved it for attention. "Hello. Bleeding here."
SPN
Emmy was playing on her phone while she waited in boredom. They were currently at Isaac and Tamara's place. The couple was explaining something to Sam, and Dean was in the other room talking to someone on the phone. By the sounds of it, it was more like flirting.
"Jenny! That is a beautiful name. That's my sister's name, actually."
Emmy turned around to face her brother.
Dean noticed and winked.
Refraining from rolling her eyes, she got back to her game of Tetris. The table jostled a bit when Bobby took a seat next to her. Emmy sighed, knowing what was coming next. Another interrogation.
"How're you holdin' up, huh?"
Not bothering to reply, she simply gave him a thumbs up without even letting go of her phone.
Bobby leaned a bit closer and whispered, "You still got that book I gave you?"
"Yeah …? You want it back?"
"Oh no, it's yours. Just make sure those idjits don't find it."
Emmy smiled – a real, genuine smile. "Don't worry, I hid it where I put my secret stash of candy."
"Good." Bobby chuckled. He threw a look around before scooting closer to her and spoke in a hushed tone, "How about next time you come to my place, I teach you some more about it."
Emmy's eyes grew like saucers, she couldn't already contain her excitement. She was a bit surprised though, she had thought he'd force her to talk about her thoughts and feelings, not suggest to show her the ways of hunting.
"That would be so cool," she grinned.
Bobby flashed her a secret smile. "Not a word."
"Not a word." As if she'd ever tell her brothers.
Isaac's heavy footsteps sounded through the hallway before he entered the room. "Honey? Where's the Palo Santo?"
Tamara turned away from Sam. "Well, where'd you leave it?"
"I don't know, dear. That's why I'm asking."
Sam drew his eyebrows together. "Palo Santo?"
"It's holy wood from Peru," Tamara explained. "It's toxic to demons like holy water. Keeps the bastards nailed down while you're exorcising them." She dug into a bag and pulled out a large, pointed stake. She handed it to Isaac with an affectionate smile. "You'd lose your head if it wasn't for me."
Sam watched the couple closely. It seemed like forever since he had someone look at him the way Tamara looked at Isaac. And it seemed like forever since he'd last held Jessica.
"So, how long you two been married?" he asked curiously.
Tamara watched her husband fondly. "Eight years this past June."
Isaac gave her a knowing smile. "The family that slays together..."
"Right. I'm with you there," Sam said with a tight lipped smile. "So, how'd you get started?" He didn't expect the uncomfortable silence that followed and instantly regretted his words. "I, uh, you know... I'm sorry. It's not – that's none of my business."
Tamara waved a hand. "No, no. It's – it's all right."
Emmy exchanged a look with her brother. 'Awkward,' she mumbled.
As if on cue, Dean chose that moment to join them, still on the phone. "Well, Jenny, if you look as pretty as you sound, I'd love to have an ... 'appletini'." He pulled a face at the world, clearly not a fan of the drink. "Yeah. Call you." He hung up and addressed the group. "That was the coroner's tech."
Sam took a seat next to Bobby. "And?"
"Get this – that whole family, cause of death? Dehydration and starvation. There's no signs of restraint, no violence, no struggle. They just sat down and never got up."
Bobby grunted in confusion. "But there was a fully stocked kitchen just yards away."
Sam was equally confused. "Right. What is this, a demon attack?"
"If it is, it's not like anything I ever saw, and I've seen plenty."
Dean cleared his throat. "Well, what now? What should we do?"
"Uh, we're not gonna do anything."
Sam looked up at Isaac. "What do you mean?"
The man shifted on his feet as he watched the people in front of him, his eyes lingering a little too long on Emmy. "You guys seem nice enough, but this ain't Scooby-Doo and we don't play well with others."
"Well, I think we'd cover a lot more ground if we all worked together," Sam reasoned. They had as much right to handle this case as they did.
"No offense, but we're not teaming with the damn fools who let the Devil's Gate get opened in the first place."
"No offense?" Dean scoffed, his muscles bulged as he crossed his arms over his chest.
Emmy gently nudged her uncle under the table. She gave him that look that told him to please intervene before this situation escalated.
Tamara shot her husband an admonishing look. "Isaac. Like you've never made a mistake."
The man snorted. "Oh yeah, yeah. Locked my keys in the car, turned my laundry pink. Never brought on the end of the world, though."
"All right, that's enough," Dean chuckled, but anyone could see the humor was missing in his tone.
"Guys, this isn't helping," Sam tried to take the edge off the situation. "Dean – "
"Look," Isaac cut him off, "there are couple hundred more demons out there now. We don't know where they are, when they'll strike. There ain't enough hunters in the world to handle something like this. You brought war down on us – on all of us."
Tamara pulled her husband away. "Okay. that's quite enough testosterone for now."
Emmy watched as the couple left but Isaac's words kept replaying in her head. Not only did Dean bring Sam back, he opened the gates of hell and let something loose that wasn't meant to escape. War was coming and it was all because of her brother. She would be lying if she said she wasn't angry Dean made the deal in the first place, in her opinion he should've thought it through instead of making an impulsive decision. And by the looks of it, Dean already suffered from the consequences of his choice even though he was trying to play it off like it was nothing. But nightly escapades, hamburgers for breakfast and making jokes didn't hide the fact that everyday a piece of him died.
Emmy casted a look at her oldest brother. Their eyes met and at first neither of them looked away. Emmy could see it, she could see in those fleeting seconds how much this whole situation really affected him. He was just keeping up appearances, and she could see it. Dean blinked and suddenly the mask was back on, he looked away and mumbled something about taking a leak before turning away.
Emmy sighed. How could he expect her to open up if he won't even let her in?
SPN
Emmy was in the car, hanging over the car window as she watched the scene in front of her. Some policemen were taking forensic evidence at the murder scene near the store. Emmy still couldn't believe how someone could kill someone over a pair of shoes. First there was the family that literally just sat there until they died, and now this. What the hell was happening?
"Your brothers already in the store?"
Emmy looked up at the familiar voice and couldn't help but laugh.
"What're you gigglin' at?" Bobby asked as he adjusted his suit.
"You look funny," she snickered. Emmy couldn't remember the last time she saw him so clean and dressed up. "For a moment I actually thought you were bald under that hat you always wear."
The deadpanned look he gave her was enough to set of another round of giggles.
"Can I touch it?"
"No."
"Please."
"No."
"Oh come on, uncle Bobby."
"Fine." The man's shoulders dropped as he huffed. As much as he tried to, he could never say no to that little girl.
Emmy's lips curled in a victorious smile as she ran her fingers through his slicked back hair. To her surprise it kinda felt soft. "Hmm, I really thought you'd have more grey hairs. Looking good, uncle Bobby … I mean, for you age that is."
"What did I ever do to deserve such a heartwarming compliment," he grumbled as he pulled away, causing her to giggle again. "How long have they been in there?"
Emmy followed his gaze to the store and shrugged. "Twenty minutes or so."
"Alright, I better go in now."
"Good luck, Mr. Singer."
"Thank you, Miss Winchester."
SPN
Sam rolled his eyes as he watched Dean chatting up a witness. He cleared his throat to catch his brother's attention. Dean excused himself but not before checking out the girl one last time
"Dean, what are you doing?"
"I'm comforting the bereaved. What are you doing?"
"Working," Sam pointed out, something that couldn't be said about his brother. "Dead body, possible demon attack – that kind of stuff."
Dean coughed pathetically. "Sam, I'm sorry. It's just, I don't have much time left, and, uh ... got to make every second count." That was a low blow and he knew it but something in his mind told him that he had every right to enjoy his last moments on earth.
It seemed to have worked because Sam looked chastened.
"Yeah, right. Sorry."
"Apology accepted," Dean started to say when someone caught his attention. "Whoa." He whistled. "Looking spiffy, Bobby. What were you, a G-man?"
Sam shot him an approving nod of his head. Bobby sure cleaned up nicely.
Bobby ignored the comment. "Attorney for the D.A.'s office. I just spoke to the suspect."
"So, what do you think? Is she possessed or what?" Sam wanted to know, hoping at least one of them had answers.
Bobby shook his head. "Don't think so. There's none of the usual signs – no blackouts, no loss of control. Totally lucid. Just, she really wanted those shoes. Spilled a glass of holy water on her just to be sure; nothing."
"Maybe she's just some random whack job", Dean suggested.
"If it had been an isolated incident, maybe, but first the family, now this?" Bobby didn't sound convinced. "I believe in a lot of things. Coincidence ain't one of them. Did you boys find anything around here?"
Sam ran a hand through his bangs. "No sulfur, nothing."
"Well, maybe something," Dean tilted his head towards a security camera in the ceiling. "See? I'm working."
SPN
Bobby yawned, not even bothering to cover his mouth. They were in his car, staking out a bar for some time now.
"What time is it?" he asked Dean sitting next to him in the front.
Dean was watching the rearview mirror, his eyes on his little sister in the backseat. She was munching on some curled fries, listening to something on Sam's iPod while she played on her Nintendo. It bothered him to no end that she still wasn't talking to any of them. He could guess how she felt – angry, disappointed, let down – but he wanted to hear it from her.
"Hey," Bobby nudged him.
"Huh?"
"What time is it?"
Dean casted a look at his watch. "Seven past midnight."
"You sure this is the right place?"
Dean slid down his seat, trying to get comfortable. "No. But I spent all day canvassing this stupid town with this guy's stupid mug, and, supposedly, he drinks at this ... stupid bar."
Bobby didn't say anything else and continued staring out the window, not missing how the oldest Winchester's attention was back on the youngest one. It was clear that big brother was worrying about his little sister. Usually Bobby would force the two to drop the stubbornness and talk, but he felt like something more was going on and it might be a better thing to not intercede for the time being.
Emmy took off one earbud as she leaned over the front seat. "Can I have some water, please?"
Dean reached down to grab an unopened bottle but didn't give it to her straight away. "You want me to help you get comfortable back there?"
"I'm not tired," was her automatic response. It was such a typical thing for her to say, for some reason Emmy would never admit being tired.
"I didn't tell you to go to sleep, sweetheart, just thought you might wanna get cozy since we're gonna be here for a while."
"I'm alright."
She was starting to sound like a broken record. I'm okay. I'm fine. I'm alright. She was starting to sound like him.
"Can I have my water now?"
Dean handed her the bottle. He opened his mouth to say something but she had already put her earbud back in, her attention on her screen.
Bobby had been silent throughout the exchange but eventually decided to speak up. "She still not talking?"
Dean looked away from the rearview mirror to stare at the bar. "Nope."
"I already told Sam the same thing, just give her time."
Dean snorted. "We don't have time, Bobby."
"Don't get snippy with me. She's just a child, she's coping the only way she knows how to."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Not talking, avoiding the subject, pretending everything's just dandy – sound familiar?"
Dean's teeth clenched as he pressed his mouth against his propped up fist. Bobby was right, but that doesn't mean he had to admit it.
A sudden pounding on the window nearly made them jump out of their skin. Sam was grinning at their discomfort and slid into the backseat.
Emmy offered him some of her fries but he playfully tweaked her nose and declined.
"Uh, all right, so – so, John Doe's name is Walter Rosen. He's from Oak Park, just west of Chicago. Went missing about a week ago."
Dean turned in his seat to face his brother. "The night the Devil's Gate opened?"
"Yeah."
"So you think he's possessed?"
Sam scratched the back of his head. "Well, it's a good bet. So, what, he just walks up to someone, touches them, and they go stark raving psycho?"
They had watched the security footage and had seen how a man had touched the woman who later killed someone for a pair of shoes. It was the only lead they had so far.
"Those demons that got out at the gate – they're gonna do all kinds of things we haven't seen."
Sam raised an eyebrow at Bobby. "You mean the demons we let out."
"Guys." Dean pointed at something outside the bar.
The same redheaded man they had seen from the camera got out of his car and walked towards the bar.
"All right. Showtime."
Bobby stopped Dean with a hand on his arm. "Wait a minute."
"What?"
"What'd I just say? We don't know what to expect out of this guy. We should tail him till we know for sure."
Dean threw his hands up, exasperated. "Oh, so he kills someone and we just sit here with our junk in our hands?"
"We're no good dead!" he exclaimed. "And we're not gonna make a move until we know what the score is."
Emmy pulled her earbuds out at hearing the sudden commotion when she caught two familiar faces outside. "Hey, isn't that Tamara and Isaac?"
Everyone looked over to see the couple heading towards the bar.
"Damn it!" Bobby slammed his fists against the wheel.
"What's going on?" Emmy wondered out loud as she watched everyone jump in action. She knew her brothers and uncle had hoped to get to the man first and it seemed that the couple beat them to the punch.
"It's the redheaded guy. Tamara and Isaac are after him," Sam told her.
She could see through her window how Bobby and Dean tried to slam themselves against the door of the var, trying to force it open. But despite their efforts, it was all in vain. Even from the inside of the car, Emmy could hear the commotion inside of the bar followed by a bloodcurdling scream. She was unaware she had reached out to hold Sam's hand.
Bobby and Dean ran back to the car, making it jostle as they got in.
"Buckle up!" Bobby ordered.
Emmy and Sam put their seatbelts on and braced themselves as the tires of the car screeched. Bobby's foot pressed down on the pedal driving right through the front of the bar. Sam had spread his arms out in front of Emmy to cushion the impact.
The youngest Winchester looked around her in a mix of awe and shock. The bar was packed which was nothing out of the ordinary, until she saw the color of their eyes. She could make out Isaac in a chair, unresponsive with something running out of his mouth. Emmy swallowed hard, recognizing the lifeless look in his open eyes.
"Don't move," Sam warned. "Did you hear me?"
Not able to speak, she simply nodded.
Everything was happening so fast, Emmy's head was moving from side to side from the sudden riot. She caught Sam running towards a screaming Tamara. She could feel the woman's cries shooting straight to her heart. It brought tears to her eyes because she knew that emotion all too well, this was too close to home.
While Dean and Bobby did their best to fight off the demons, armed with holy water, Sam finally managed to drag Tamara to the backseat of the car with him sitting in the middle. Emmy felt so bad for her as she screamed for Isaac. She didn't deserve this. No one deserves to lose a loved one, especially not at the hands of a demon.
"Come on, we got to go! He's dead! Get in the car!" Sam urged after she still tried to get to her husband. "Dean come on! COME ON!" He yelled over the noise.
The car shook with every bump and shove. Emmy screamed when Dean pushed a redheaded man up against her window. The man attacked her brother but Dean threw his fist against the side of his face, splattering blood against the window. The man was grinning against the glass, his teeth colored pink from the blood. Emmy tried to look away but she was motionless. Dean finally overpowered the man and stuffed him the in the trunk, which was inscribed with a devil's trap.
Emmy could hear the redheaded man scream from the back and covered her ears while pinching her eyes closed. This was all too much – Tamara screaming, the dead bodies, the pairs of black eyes, the uproar, the blood and gore. Images of yellow eyes, a murderous sneer, her father's face, the way Azazel looked at her when she brought him to his knees – they all flashed before her eyes and it was just all too much.
Dean and Bobby tumbled into the car, panting and grunting. Dean hit the dashboard repeatedly. "Go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go!"
They finally drove back out with the demons staring after them.
Sam was too busy trying to console Tamara as she wailed when he suddenly realized she wasn't the only crying. Turning around, his heart broke when he found his sister sobbing too.
"Oh Emmy, honey, honey, it's alright," he started to say, trying to get her to open her eyes and her hands away from her ears, but she wouldn't budge. "C'mon sweetie it okay, you're okay."
"What's wrong? Why is she crying?" Dean's voice was tinged with concern.
"She probably just got scared and panicked," Sam said as he took her seatbelt off to slide her closer to him. "Emmy look at me, look at me."
Dean reached over the front seat to give her a comforting touch. He squeezed her knee but it didn't seem to help.
Sam gathered her in his arms and let her cry against his shoulder. He managed to lower her hands and brought his lips close to her ear to whisper soothing words. "Shh, we got you, honey, we got you." He stroked her hair and rubbed her back as the sobs slowly subsided and the tears lessened.
"How's she doing back there?" Bobby asked, also worried. Dean had moved his hand up to hold hers, stroking the back of her hand with the pad of his thumb.
"She'll be fine," Sam murmured against her hair after pressing a kiss to the crown of her head. "Right, Emmy? You'll be just fine," he added, more to himself than anyone else.
Dean caught his eye and his expression said it all. 'She's not fine.'
'I know.'
SPN
"And I say we're going back – now!" Tamara's loud voice echoed against the walls of her house.
"Just hold on a second!" Sam, always the peacekeeper.
"I left my husband bloody on the floor!"
"Okay, I understand that, but we can't go back."
"Fine. Then you stay. But I'm heading back to that bar."
"I'll go with her," Dean spoke up.
Sam was baffled. "It's suicide, Dean!"
"So what? I'm dead already!"
Bobby sighed and closed the door, blocking the fussing and fighting. He made his way to the kitchen and grabbed a class to fill it with some water.
"You also tired of the bickering?" he asked, turning to the little girl sitting at the window.
Emmy hugged her knees to her chest as she stared ahead, looking at nothing in particular.
Bobby gently squeezed her shoulder before placing the glass of water next to her on the table. "You know you can always come to me if you need anything."
Emmy blinked tiredly. "Just wanna be left alone for a bit, if that's okay," she mumbled against her knees.
" … Yeah, sure. Whatever you want." Bobby wanted to say more but knew it was futile.
Emmy heard the door close behind her and exhaled through her nose. She could still hear their loud voices in the other room as they got in another argument but she learned to ignore the noise. She suddenly felt so tired and drained, wishing she could just lay somewhere quiet and calm. Somewhere no one could bother her or ask her how she was holding up, how she was feeling.
Gabriel? Gabriel, where are you?
After the night they killed Azazel, Emmy hoped things had changed for the better, but she'd never been so wrong in her life. And she never needed the angel this much. She wanted him to give her the answers she desperately needed. Can Gabriel save Dean? Can he help them break the deal? Can he tell her what the hell happened that night? How did she manage to stand up against Yellow Eyes? Where did that power suddenly come from? Where was her Dad now? How was she supposed to deal with the fact that John wasn't her father?
Questions, questions, questions, questions – that's how her life's always been, an enigma, a search for answers nobody seemed to have.
For the first time ever, she genuinely felt scared. Scared for Dean, scared for Sam – everything was such a mess and she was just so scared.
"Gabriel?" She tried again but the sound of her voice was barely audible over the loud voices coming from across the closed kitchen door.
SPN
"The seven deadly sins, live and in the flesh."
Both the Winchester brothers and Tamara looked at Bobby with an awaiting expression, as if expecting him to crack a joke.
"What's in the box?" Dean grinned but the only reaction he got was silence. "Brad Pitt? Se7en? No?" Bobby tossed him a book, shutting him up. "What's this?"
"Binsfeld's Classification of Demons. In 1589, Binsfeld ID'd the seven sins – not just as human vices but as actual devils."
The wheel's in Sam's head started turning. "The family – they were touched by Sloth. And the shopper..."
"That's Envy's doing," Bobby finished, glad they were catching up. "The customer we got in the next room. I couldn't suss it out at first, until Isaac. He was touched with an awful Gluttony."
"I don't give a rat's ass if they're the Three Stooges or the Four Tops!" Tamara snapped. "I'm gonna slaughter every last one of them!"
"We already did it your way. You burst in there half-cocked and look what happened!" Bobby confronted her, receiving the stink eye in return. "These demons haven't been topside in half a millennium! We're talking medieval, Dark Ages! We've never faced anything close to this! So we are gonna take a breath..." He paused to let his words sink in, "And figure out what our next move is." He turned to Tamara, his face softening. "I'm sorry for your loss."
Her face crumbled and she walked out of the room without another word.
"I'm gonna check up on Emmy," Dean said in an attempt to escape the tension in the room.
"Don't bother. She wants to be left alone," Bobby said.
"She's ten. She doesn't know what she wants." Dean didn't mean to snap or sound hostile, but he it starting to work on his nerves when others would tell him how to deal with his own sister, his own flesh and blood. They didn't raise that girl, they didn't know her like he did. Who were they to decide what he should or shouldn't do?
Sam wanted to stop his brother but decided against it. If Dean made up his mind about something then you might as well give up because nothing could get through that thick skull of his.
SPN
Dean wiped his sweaty hands on his jean clad legs, he didn't realize how much this whole situation was stressing him out. As he entered the kitchen, something pulled at his heartstrings – his sister looked so small and vulnerable, it reminded him yet again of the fact that she was still just a child in a dangerous world filled with monsters and bad people.
"Hey sweetheart." He walked around her, his hand on top of her head.
Emmy didn't look up from where she buried her face in her knees. "I told Bobby to leave me alone."
"I know." Dean pulled a chair from under the table, taking a seat. "What's going on, huh? Talk to me. And none of that I'm fine crap, you know we never buy that."
"I don't know," she muttered.
He cocked an eyebrow. "You don't know or you don't wanna tell me?"
Emmy sighed, finally looking up to gaze back at her brother. "It was nothing, everything was just so overwhelming … I overreacted."
"You didn't overreact and I'm sorry. If we hadn't dragged you with us, this wouldn't've happened. We should've paid more attention." Dean grabbed her chair, dragging it closer to him until their knees touched. "Emmy, I know you're going through hell right now, but you need to learn to talk, baby. You can't keep bottling this up. Trust me of all people, I know how hard it is to open up but what you're doing right now is gonna destroy you in the long run."
Emmy felt drawn to his piercing eyes but looked away, it was too intense and she felt like he could see right through her.
"I'm not ready," she whispered with a little tremble in her voice. There was so much she wanted to say, so many stuff she wanted to know but couldn't put into words.
"That's okay, that's okay Emmy." Dean tucked some hair behind her ear, briefly cupping her cheek. "We'll take it step by step."
Emmy nodded. She could do that, little by little, at her own pace.
"We'll figure this out, Emmy, I promise we will."
Dean ducked his head to catch her eye and smiled. Emmy knew what he was trying to do and bit the inside of her cheek.
Dean chuckled. "Where're does dimples? C'mon show me." He poked her cheek until she cracked a little smile. "Ah, there it is. Thought I'd never see those again." Dean couldn't stop grinning, happy he at least got a smile out of her. "You feeling better now?"
Emmy nodded. "Yeah."
"Good. Now where's my reward?" he asked with his arms wide open. Emmy giggled before throwing herself at him. Dean breathed out as he hugged her closely, rubbing her back up and down. He didn't realize how much he had missed this until now.
Emmy buried her face in his neck. It was so hard to keep the tears back. She didn't want to think of only having less than a year left to hold him like this …
The siblings both pulled away when they heard a scream from somewhere in the house. Tamara's voice rose as she recited the Latin incantations for the exorcism.
"I heard you guys were dealing with the seven sins," Emmy said. "Which one is he?"
"Envy," Dean answered just as Bobby and Sam joined them.
Sam gently and playfully tugged at her ponytail, his way of asking how she was feeling. Emmy offered him a small smile.
"Did he say what they want?" Dean asked.
Bobby treated himself with a beer. "They already have what they want. They're out, they're free. They're celebrating, having fun."
"Fun. What kinda fun?" Dean was almost too scared to ask.
"They like to see people's insides … on their outside," Sam repeated the demon's exact words, cringing at the bad taste it left in his mouth.
"I don't think we're gonna have to worry about hunting them."
Sam turned to Bobby. "What does that mean?"
"I think maybe this joker's right. They're gonna be hunting us. And they're not gonna quit easy."
Dean wet his lips. "You guys, why don't you take Tamara and Emmy and head for the hills? I'll stay back, slow them down, buy you a little time."
Emmy's face twisted in disbelief. "Dean, what? No! Sammy say something."
"You're insane, Dean. Just forget about it, okay?" Sam was sick of his brother constantly sacrificing himself, just because he was dying didn't mean he suddenly had to give up so easily.
"Sam's right," Bobby agreed.
"There's six of them, guys," Dean argued. "We're outmanned, we're outgunned. We'll be dead by dawn."
"Maybe, but ... there's no place to run that they won't find us."
Sam huffed. "Look, if we're going down, we're going down together, all right?"
Dean got to his feet. "Well let's not make it easy for them."
From the other room, Envy gave a final scream causing the house to shake. A gust of wind blew out the few candles they had lit, even Emmy's hair flew in her face.
A few seconds later, Tamara entered, her face hard. "Demon's out of the guy," she said with a lack of emotion. "He didn't make it."
SPN
"I don't like this idea," Emmy said for the hundredth time, pacing the room.
Dean was seated on the floor with a row of candles behind him, loading a shotgun. Sam was across the room, filling flasks with holy water. The two brothers looked over at each other, each silent. Their sister was right, this wasn't their best idea. And maybe they had a choice, they could leave and let someone else deal with it. But this was different, this was their own doing – their fault, their mistake, so they had to fix this.
Meanwhile Emmy unknowingly bit her nails. "Can I help? I can do something, maybe I can – I don't know, maybe I can – what if I – "
"Emmy, we talked about this," Sam told her softly. "It'll be alright." He didn't know who he was trying to convince more, his sister or himself.
"Do you guys wanna die?"
"Of course not." Dean gave her a knowing look. She knew that this wasn't the case, it wasn't so simple.
"Doesn't look like it," she snapped.
"Look, I understand you're angry," he started to say when she cut him off.
"Angry? I'm pissed!"
"Hey, watch your mouth," Sam chastised but his words fell on deaf ears.
"Just an hour ago I thought you'd figure this out, going on a suicide mission isn't 'figuring things out'."
"I made a promise to you Emmy and I'll keep it," Dean reminded her. "When have I ever broke a promise to you?"
"Do you really want me to answer that?"
Ouch.
Was that a trick question? Emmy couldn't even tell where to begin. Both her brothers made plenty of empty promises and let's nor forget the many lies and secrets.
Dean gritted his teeth. He fell in his own trap.
"The basement's set up," Tamara said, entering the living room. "I put two extra locks on it, demon-proofed the whole place. It's safe."
As if on cue the light suddenly started to flicker. And old radio suddenly sparked to life, playing the beginnings of a scratchy recording.
Dean cocked his shotgun before standing. "Here we go."
"Emmy, go with Bobby. Don't open the door until we say so."
Realizing her brothers were in hunter modus, Emmy knew there was no way she could make them change their minds.
"Be careful," she said quietly, not staying long enough to see their reaction, and followed Bobby to the basement where she would stay until this was over. Who knew how long it was going to take – two, three hours, maybe all night. Either way, by the end of the night, she knew she'd have no nails left.
SPN
There was nothing worse than hearing your own family suffer, not knowing if they'd make it out alive. And all you could do was listen and pray they'd be alright.
Emmy fiddled with the strings of her hoodie, chewing on the ends in pure anxiousness and worry. She startled when she heard a gunshot and screams. Something hard banged against the ceiling above her head causing the lightbulb to flicker. Even some dust trickled down making her cough and rub her eyes.
She wanted to help her brothers so bad but knew there was nothing she could do. If anything she'd make everything worse. She was bound to get one of them hurt, or even worse.
"Wait a minute."
Emmy came up with a sudden idea.
"Gabriel!" She knew Bobby told her to stay quiet but she didn't care, with all the ruckus upstairs she was sure they couldn't even hear her. "Gabriel! Either you come down or I'll leave this basement and get myself hurt!" It was the only threat she could think of at the moment. "I'll give you ten seconds!" As she started the count down, Emmy gradually made her way up the stairs. Tamara made sure the locks were attached on the inside so no one could get in from the outside. Emmy was the only one who had the key.
"Gabriel? Last chance. I swear to god I'll do it." Something told her that maybe the angel thought she was bluffing. He wouldn't really appear until she was in a life-threatening situation.
Emmy closed her eyes, contemplating her next move.
SPN
While Dean was fighting Lust and Bobby Sloth, Sam was being cornered by Pride. The demon was dressed in a business suit, advancing confidently as Sam backed up. Pride held a hand up to hold back the two demons flanking him. Sam was momentarily confused until the demon looked up to the devil's trap on the ceiling with a smirk.
"Come on. You really think something like that is gonna fool someone like me? I mean, me?"
"Let me guess – you're Pride."
Pride grinned and gestured to the ceiling. A long splitting crack appeared, destroying the symbol.
Sam cursed under his breath.
"Hmm. The root of all sin. And you ... are Sam Winchester." Sam wished his eyes didn't betray the flicker of surprise but the demon had noticed already. "That's right, I've heard of you. We've all heard of you. The prodigy. The boy king. Overrated much."
Sam's tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth. This demon could end him with a snap of his fingers. He had to quickly think of something which was even harder when you're under lot of pressure.
The demon looked around, as if searching for something. "Where's the little one?"
Sam swallowed hard. He hoped to God the demon wasn't talking about the same person he had in mind.
"What's her name again? Emma? No, that wasn't it." The demon tapped his chin, pretending to think hard before he clapped his hands together. "Ah! Emmy, that's more like it. Cute kid."
If looks could kill, Pride would've been rotting in hell by now. Sam knew he was baiting him, testing him, but he wasn't going to bite. He got pride too.
"Oh, she's not here? Well that's a shame. Legend says your yellow-eyed friend couldn't stand up against a little girl, so I was really looking forward to meet her. And now with Azazel dead, I guess you're both fair game now," he grinned slowly, "and it's open season."
Sam couldn't contain his anger no longer and attacked the demon to the ground but unfortunately wasn't fast enough. Pride pulled him up with an arm wrapped around his throat, strangling him, when suddenly someone burst through the door.
"Hey!" Standing at the doorframe was a young girl armed with just a bottle of holy water.
"EMMY!" Sam couldn't believe his own eyes. Was she out of her goddamn mind?! This reminded him of that time she stood up against the hellhounds. He had nearly felt what a heart attack was like and he was sure if she kept up like that, he would for sure die.
Pride laughed, a smile plastered on his face stretching from cheek to cheek. "There you are! I'm so happy you decided to join the party."
Emmy was unsure of what to say, looking between her brother and the demon. Where the hell was Gabriel?
Sam threw the demon off of him, landing another blow to his face. The demon fought back, dragging him up against the wall by his throat again.
The demon cackled maniacally, watching Sam wheeze and suffocate. "Look at you, I got to tell you – don't believe the hype. You think I'm gonna bow to a cut-rate, piss-poor human like you?" His hand tightened, cutting off his airways. "I have my pride, after all."
Emmy lifted up the glass bottle high in the air and smashed it as hard as she could against the back of his head. The demon let go of her brother, dropping to the floor and screaming in agony as the holy water burned his skin. He was too proud to bow, but at least she got him on his knees.
Using the distraction to her advantage, Emmy quickly got to her brother. She helped him get up while he coughed, taking in as much air as he could. There was some blood on his temple and she tried to wipe it away with her sleeve but he pushed her behind him, almost squishing her against the wall.
"Stay behind me," he panted.
Pride got back to his feet with smoke still protruding from his burnt skin. He sniffed and laughed. It reminded Emmy of a psycho gone mad. Maybe she shouldn't've done that, it looks like she only set him off, angering him even more.
Fisting the back of her brother's jacket, Emmy was a bundle of nerves, blubbering incomprehensible apologies. "I-I'm so sorry, S-Sammy. I'm really sorry, I-I-I didn't – I don't know why I even did that – "
Pride's laughter grew louder, sending a shiver up her spine. "You nearly burned my face off, and you're apologizing for saving him? You Winchesters are something else."
"Stay back." Sam's arm flew behind him, holding his sister close and using his body to cover her as best as he could. Pride's smile was taunting him, his eyes twinkling with something sinister. "I said stay back."
Emmy pressed her face in her brother's back when she felt something poking at her cheek. She realized Sam's gun was still in the back of his pants. Slowly sliding her hand under his jacket, she tried to grab the weapon without the demon noticing.
"You know, if Yellow Eyes was so hell bent on keeping you two for himself … That means he saw potential in you." His black and empty eyes trailed up and down the siblings. "Mhmm, interesting. Let's explore! Who wants to go first?" he sounded way too excited it was frightening.
Sam just hoped the gun was loaded as he felt his sister retrieve it for him. The demon was talking too much for his liking, but he could use all the time he got so for once he was glad he was stalling.
"Eeny, meeny, miny moe. Catch a tiger by the toe. If he hollers, let him go." The demon wiggled his hand between the two. "Eeny. Meeny. Miny. Moe." His finger landed on Sam and his lips curled into a creepy smile.
Just as he lunged at the middle Winchester, Emmy passed the gun to her brother and Sam managed to shoot him right in the middle of his chest. It was just rock salt, it wouldn't defeat the demon but it could slow him down.
Sam grabbed his sister's hand to get the hell out of there but Pride had other plans. The demon roared as he flung Sam across the room with just a flick of his wrist. Sam felt like the air was knocked out of his lungs and couldn't breathe let alone move.
Emmy plastered herself against the wall, eyes wide and lips trembling when the demon started for her. She was frozen, unable to think straight. She felt so vulnerable and helpless.
"Where's big brother now?" Pride sneered. He put his hand out and motioned for her to move forward.
Not knowing what to do, Emmy was nailed to the ground. It wasn't until she saw his confused expression that she realized he was using an invisible force to pull her to him. His black eyes snapped up at her and it was clear he couldn't understand why she wasn't reacting to his power.
He didn't seem to like that and growled as he lunged for her. Out of reflex she closed her eyes, her entire body tensing up. She expected a blow or anything but only felt something wet on her face followed by a gargled sound.
Opening one eye at the time, Emmy nearly threw up right there and then at the sight. The pointy end of a knife was sticking out of the demon's mouth. He sputtered, blood seeping through his open lips and she felt sick realizing what the wet feeling was on her own face. For a second Emmy saw a pair of brown eyes and knew that this was the poor man who Pride possessed. A fiery light appeared where the knife was showing before he collapsed in a shower of sparks and demonic smoke.
"Who the hell are you?" Sam demanded, trying to catch his breath. He winced as he got to his feet, stumbling to his sister, shielding her.
"I'm the girl that just saved your ass," a blonde woman said.
It was then that Emmy snapped out of her daze. She wanted to thank the lady but was still too much in shock to form any words.
"Thanks," Sam breathed.
She chuckled. "See you around, Sam and Emmy."
"Wait!" Sam tried to stop her but she was already gone.
"I think I'm gonna puke." The words barely got out before Emmy threw up.
"You're in so much trouble, young lady," Sam scolded as he rubbed her back. This was just the first part of her punishment.
SPN
Sam and Dean had just finished piling the corpses of the demons into a shallow pit several yards away. They were both watching the smoke flying up in the air from where the bodies were burning. Not too far away was a funeral pyre where Isaac's body lay. Tamara was weeping, her soft cries echoing against the trees.
Sam leaned against the Impala next to his older brother. "Think she's gonna be all right?"
"No. Definitely not."
"I meant Emmy."
Dean turned to follow his brother's gaze to where Emmy was sitting with Bobby on his trunk. She was hugging herself, pulling a face in disgust when their surrogate uncle forced some weird looking drink down her throat for quick recovery. Poor thing. She had changed into some clean clothes after spending almost an hour washing off her face. She was convinced the blood would never come off.
"What the hell was she thinking?" Dean really couldn't understand what she was trying to achieve with the stunt she pulled. "I bet she wasn't even thinking in the first place."
Sam snorted. "She wanted to save her family. Runs in the family, huh?"
Dean slowly shook his head in exasperation. "For the first time in my life I have no idea what I'm doing," he admitted, referring to their little sister. He always used to know how to get to her, but now he felt like he had no hold on her. He thought he got through to her but she just proved his words didn't mean a thing. Was she even listening to the things he said?
"She's not a gullible child anymore. She's starting to develop a growing sense of independence and with it a growing confidence to solve problems, like she just demonstrated. We've all been through this stage, Dean."
"Psychology at Stanford payed off, huh," Dean teased.
"Shut up," Sam shot back with a small smile on his lips. "This year's gonna be hard on all of us, especially on her, let's just not forget that."
It's all I ever think about, Dean thought as he watched Bobby and Emmy walk over to them.
Bobby cleared his throat, giving Emmy a meaningful look. The ten year old's face spoke volumes, she was not happy at all. She reluctantly handed her Nintendo, iPod and phone to her brothers.
"You can keep this, but only for emergencies." Sam warned as he gave her back her phone.
Emmy shifted on her feet, looking down at her shoes, hoping that there wasn't more. She got sick, threw up and got covered in blood – wasn't that enough punishment?
Bobby nudged her gently.
Emmy wished she could roll her eyes right now but knew she wouldn't get off lightly.
"I'm sorry," she muttered. "I'm sorry for leaving the basement." She looked up to meet her uncle's eyes, he motioned for her to continue. "I'm sorry for putting myself in danger and almost getting Sam hurt, too."
"And," Bobby pushed.
"And I won't do it again."
Sam and Dean looked at each other, doing that thing where they'd talk with no words.
"A month," Dean said.
Emmy's jaw dropped. "Four weeks?!"
"You prefer five?" he challenged.
"No!" she protested. "Four's fine."
"Bobby, that knife – what kind of blade can kill a demon?" Sam suddenly said.
Emmy was glad the attention was no longer on her and moved to stand next to Dean. Her oldest brother pulled her in front of her and hugged her from behind. Emmy held his arms around her shoulders and knew they were no longer angry with her, or maybe just less angry.
The rugged man rubbed at the back of his neck. "Yesterday, I would have said there was no such thing."
"I'm just gonna ask it again – who was that masked chick?" Dean wanted to know. "Actually, the more troubling question would be, how come a girl can fight better than you?"
Emmy couldn't help but giggle, receiving a playful pinch on her side from Sam.
"Yeah, well, if you want a troubling question, I got one for you."
Dean turned to his brother. "What's that?"
"If we let out the seven deadly sins, what else did we let out?"
SPN
After they had all said goodbye to each other, everyone went their own way. Emmy was yet again in the backseat of the Impala, her home, her safe haven. She was on her back, staring up at the roof of the car as she watched the street lights creating funny shadows. She thought of Tamara, how she had to live without the love of her life. She thought of Bobby, how he got dragged into their mess again. She thought of Gabriel, how he had given up on her. Emmy didn't blame him, he probably left too … it was just a matter of time because no one ever stayed. She got used to it but it didn't mean it hurt less.
"Listen, I was talking to Tamara, and she mentioned this hoodoo priestess outside of Shreveport that might be able to help us out. You know, with your – with your demon deal."
Emmy strained her ears when Sam spoke up.
"Nah."
"Nah? What does that mean, nah?"
That's what Emmy wanted to know, too.
Dean's knuckles briefly whitened as he tightened his hands around the wheel. "Sam, no hoodoo spell's gonna break this deal, all right? It's a goose chase."
"Yeah, but we don't know that, Dean—"
"Yes, we do," Dean cut Sam off. "Forget it. She can't help."
"Look, it's worth —"
"We're not going, and that's that," his voice was firm.
Emmy pushed her bottom to her teeth, thinking. There had to be a way to grab a hold of Gabriel. There was no way that the angel simply disappeared without a trace. Maybe Bobby's book could help her. Either way, there was nothing an angel couldn't do. If Gabriel managed to get her father out of hell, he probably could keep her brother out of hell, too.
"You know what?" Sam suddenly said after a moment of silence. "I've had it. I've been bending over backwards trying to be nice to you, and I don't care anymore."
"That didn't last long," Dean responded dryly.
"Yeah, well, you know what? I've been busting my ass trying to keep you alive, Dean, and you act like you couldn't care less."
"No, it's not like that." Dean really wished his brother wouldn't go there.
"He's right," Emmy suddenly piped up. "What, you got some kind of death wish or something?"
Dean snapped his eyes up to glare at her through the rearview mirror. "Emmy, I told you to go to sleep!"
"How am I supposed to sleep when you two are talking so loud. And don't change the subject."
Dean ran a frustrating hand down his face. He could feel both his siblings' eyes on him and knew they wouldn't let go until they got their answer.
"We trap the crossroads demon, trick it, try to welch our way out of the deal in any way?" He glanced at his brother out of the corner of his eye. "You die. Okay? You die. Those are the terms. There's no way out of it. If you try to find a way, so help me god, I'm gonna stop you."
Emmy was rendered speechless.
"How could you make that deal, Dean?" Sam said after the words sunk in.
"'Cause I couldn't live with you dead. Couldn't do it."
Sam scoffed. "So, what, now I live and you die?"
"That's the general idea, yeah."
"Yeah, well, you're a hypocrite, Dean. How did you feel when Dad sold his soul for you? 'Cause I was there. I remember. You were twisted, and broken. And now you go and do the same thing. To me." His nostrils flared in anger. How could his brother save him and then expect from him to do nothing when he was the one needing to be saved? "What you did was selfish. Have you ever once stopped to think what that would do to Emmy?"
"She has you, Sam!"
"Sammy's gonna leave, too," Emmy said more to herself but apparently she wasn't quiet enough.
"Don't say that, Emmy, and please, please go to sleep, sweetheart," Dean practically begged.
Sam turned in his seat to face her. "I'm not gonna leave you, Emmy. Why would you even think that?"
"I just know." Emmy shrugged, looking away from her brother's questioning look and focusing on stroking the fur of her teddy bear.
"I'm not gonna leave, Emmy."
"Sam, she doesn't mean it alright," Dean said. This conversation was getting out of hand. Truth is, he was tired. And after everything he sacrificed for his family, he felt entitled. He deserved to finally see the light at the end of the tunnel, there was nothing keeping him here on earth. His siblings were his life but he brought them in danger more than he protected them from it.
"I got a year to live. I'd like to make the most of it. So what do you say we kill some evil sons of bitches and we raise a little hell, huh?"
Dean shot his siblings a smile but got no response. Instead he turned on the radio, loud enough to drown everyone's loud thoughts.
Emmy caught Sam's eye through the side mirror and knew they were thinking the same. They were going to break Dean out of that deal no matter what it took. If their oldest brothers was prepared to sacrifice his own life for them, then the only thing they could do was return the favor. All Dean ever did was give and give and give, it was time to make him see he was worthy to deserve something back, too.
A/N: Hello beautiful people! How are you all doing? Please tell me I'm not the only one melting, I know I wished for more sun but this is a bit too much hahhah xd
So we officially started off season 3, I hope you're as excited as I am! Make sure to let me know what you thought of this chapter. I struggled a bit because I wasn't sure how Emmy should deal with the whole ordeal. I have so many ideas and so many things I wanna write but I need to take things slowly, there's still a lot of chapters to come. Please don't forget that Emmy isn't just a normal ten year old, she's special and has been through a lot. Her way of coping might seem unusual at times but I really want to explore her emotions and reactions. This is all very new to me too, so please keep that in mind. But if you have any constructive criticism, I'm all ears!
Anyway, please check out my tumblr for some pictures and my new cover for BR(OK)EN. Also if you have any ideas, please let me know. Someone asked me to write a scene with Emmy having a nightmare, I'll try to add this one in the next chapter. If you got any other suggestions, shoot :)
Also thanks for the follows, favorites and reviews, it really makes me sooooo happy to see how many of you still read this. You guys truly are the best, xxxxxxxxx
Ps: I don't know if I've said this before, but in order to understand my stories you really need to watch the episodes first. I received some pm's asking me questions about stuff I didn't mention or didn't explain well enough for different reasons. So please watch the show before you read my stories, it'll make a lot more sense. And trust me you won't regret it, SUPERNATURAL = BEST SHOW EVER!
