Benny came to again, trying to remember when he'd lost consciousness. He couldn't remember, but the dizziness and the cloudy vision were clearing up. He could now tell he was in a large house, not unlike the one on the island where his maker had lived—but it was a different house.
He was in a large room, still tied to a chair. He could now see a long dining or conference table, and he could still smell both humans and vampires. One vampire was very close—just behind him, actually.
"He's awake, boss," the man said.
A bald, black vampire who had been turned when he was middle-aged walked around the table so he was facing Benny. He seemed so confident and sure in his power that Benny realized this was a different sort of animal than the other vampires he'd ever met. He remembered Dean describing the Alpha vamp.
"You must be my great great great…something," Benny murmured.
"I can see why you and Dean get along. You seem very similar," the Alpha said.
"I'm not going to be offended by a comparison to someone I admire," Benny said.
"I didn't bring you here to offend you," the Alpha said.
Benny was silent for a moment, then struggled slightly against his bonds. They were as tight as he remembered; maybe they were even tighter. "Why did you bring me here? I mean, what's a guy gotta do to rest in peace? Let me tell ya, I was enjoying the hell outta my afterlife until you came along."
"I need your help. I called your soul back to your body. I want you to…be a sort of…emissary," he said.
"To Dean?" Benny asked.
The Alpha smiled. "You catch on quick. Yes, I want you to find Dean and bring him here so I can speak to him."
"I won't help you hurt him," Benny said.
"I don't want to hurt him. Honestly. I need his help. Since you died, the world's gone to…well, saying it's gone to hell sounds wrong, considering angels are the problem," the Alpha said.
"Angels?" Benny asked. He involuntarily thought of Cas, wondering what problems a lame-brain like him could cause.
"It's not just him you have to worry about anymore," the Alpha said.
Benny belatedly remembered that the Alpha could read vampires' minds. "What angels?"
"All of the angels. They fell to the earth. Or they were pushed. They certainly don't seem pleased about being here. And some of them feel a certain…personal responsibility…to destroy evil. And vampires, even ones who aren't doing anyone any harm, are being targeted and destroyed. I love my children, Benny, even ones like you who have no respect for me at all. I don't want them destroyed."
"So what do you want from Dean?" Benny asked warily.
"I want what he has. I know he knows sigils to protect against angels. I remember seeing the knowledge in his head—but I don't have access to it anymore. I know he also knows how to fight angels. I saw it in his memory. I only want the ability to protect my children. And I thought who better to plead our case then the one vampire Dean can't seem to quit?" the Alpha asked.
"I think when he cut off my head that was a definitive kind of kiss off, don't you?" Benny asked.
"He did it to save his brother's life. And you agreed to make that sacrifice for him. You're proof a vampire can still be a good man—and a convincing argument that we don't all deserve to be snuffed out by the angels. He has every reason to trust you," the Alpha said.
"I won't lie to him. I won't trick him into coming here," Benny warned.
"Of course not. You tell him exactly what I told you," the Alpha said. "Let him judge for himself whether or not I'm trustworthy."
"Okay," Benny said reluctantly, somewhat comforted by the fact that he didn't think the Alpha had the ability to compel his obedience. "I'll be your emissary. But I gotta warn you, I don't see why he'd help you. What are you offering in return?"
"Let him go, Frederick," the Alpha said. Frederick, the other vampire, untied him. The Alpha looked pensive. "You don't think helping vampire kind will be enough of an incentive?"
"What do you think?" Benny asked.
"Maybe it won't be, yet. But if he ever has a problem with angels, we'll be there to help him out."
"You ever seen an angel fight a vampire?" Benny asked. "All it takes is a touch of their hand to make us dust. With all due respect to your powers, your army wouldn't be any help at all."
"Then ask him if he thinks we deserve to be wiped out. Monsters have a place in this world. I think Dean understands about the natural balance. I respect his right as a hunter to kill vampires—vampires who get out of line. But these angels don't deserve my respect. When they attack us it's like using a nuclear bomb to hunt a deer. We need help. Even with help we'll probably all die. Help me do the one thing I can think of."
Benny nodded.
A half an hour later he was free. The Alpha had given him a beat up car, some cash, and a cell phone. Benny drove for a while—just until he felt free of the Alpha's influence—and pulled over and took out the cell.
He punched in Dean's number, hoping the Alpha was being straight with him.
Dean was just sitting down with the others to eat his brother's attempt at cuisine—chili and salad—when his phone rang.
"Who could be calling you? Everyone we know is here," Sam said.
"I don't know, maybe Aaron Bass?" Dean said. He stood up and got his phone out of his pants. "Winchester," he answered.
There was a pause on the other end of the line, then a familiar, smooth voice said, "It's good to hear your voice, brother."
Dean's heart started beating faster. He tried to tell himself it wasn't fear—but how in hell was Benny alive? He walked out of the room abruptly, ignoring the curious looks of the others. Dean waited until he was in his room and the door was shut before he replied. "Benny? Is that you?"
"It's me. Back from the dead. Although I guess you couldn't exactly call me alive," Benny chuckled.
"How did that happen?" Dean asked. "I mean, it's awesome that you're alive or undead or whatever, but how did it happen?"
"I think it would be easier to talk about this in person. Any way you could meet me?" he asked.
Dean was forcibly reminded of the last time Benny had asked him to meet. He'd refused. He'd let Benny go, and then when Dean had needed him, he'd still come to help him. He'd died for him. It was probably stupid to agree; it probably wasn't even Benny. It was probably a ghoul, or an angel using his voice or something. A trap.
But he couldn't say no.
He owed Benny. Big. If there was even the slightest chance that it was really Benny (and every instinct in his body was telling him it was Benny) and he really wanted to meet, than he had to go, trap or not.
"Where are you?" Dean asked. "I'm in Kansas."
"I'll text you when I know where I'm stopping. I'll see you soon, brother," he said.
Dean ended the call. He had no idea what to tell the others. Sam understood about Benny now, at least, he'd said he did. But he wouldn't want Dean to go into a situation like this alone, and Dean certainly wasn't taking anyone with him. Cas was still too vulnerable to angel attacks. Sam was still too sick. Dean didn't want to risk Charlie or Kevin getting hurt. And Garth…well, he could use a break from Garth.
But how exactly could he explain the call? Or the need to leave the bunker, after all his insistence on not leaving it?
And how could he lie to Sam, when he knew how annoyed it made him when Sam lied to him?
Dean sighed. "I guess I have to tell the truth," he muttered.
He went back into the dining room.
"Was it Aaron?" Sam asked.
Dean paused. "It was Benny. I think."
"Benny? But Benny's dead," Sam said.
"I know," said Dean. "He was dead. Now he's not."
"Benny the vampire?" Garth asked.
"Yes. Dean's friend the vampire," Cas said, his voice scornful.
"Dean has a vampire friend. That's so cool," Charlie said.
Sam held up his hand. "Listen, I want to talk to Dean about this. Can we just have a minute?"
"Sure, we'll just…go somewhere else," Charlie said. The others got up and left, glancing behind curiously.
"Dean, you have to know this is a trap," Sam said.
"Sam, you have to know that that possibility doesn't even matter to me. I owe him. If there's even the slightest chance that it's him, I have to go," Dean said.
"Not alone," Sam said.
"I didn't want to lie to you, Sammy, so I told you the truth. But that doesn't change what's happening. I'm going, alone," Dean said.
"Dean, you know I'm not going to let that happen. It's me or Garth, and I think we could both use a break from Garth," Sam said.
"I'm not asking your permission, Sam."
"Right now it's not just me who's depending on you. How are you going to explain to them that you're walking into a trap on purpose out of some ridiculous sense of honour?"
"I think it's really him," Dean said. "I know it's not much to go on, but my instincts say it's him. It sounded like it was really him. Even if seems impossible…I know him. It's Benny. And if it's Benny, it's not a trap."
"If that's true, then there's no reason I shouldn't go. If it's not a trap, it doesn't matter than I'm not up to fighting strength," Sam argued.
Dean sighed. Sam had a point. Dean took a moment to think about how much he believed it was really Benny. Why shouldn't he take Sam? Even sick, Sam could take care of himself. "Okay. Go pack up, then."
Sam looked surprised. "You really think he just escaped Purgatory somehow, even though last time we saw him he didn't want out?"
"I do. I can't explain it, but I think he's back somehow, and he asked me to meet him. I'm not going to refuse again," Dean said.
"I can see that. I'm not going to argue—either with your intuition, or with your friendship with Benny. I sort of consider both sacrosanct, to be honest. Every time I've argued with either I've ended up feeling like a jerk in the end," Sam said. "But I'm still coming with you."
"Okay," Dean said. "You pack up, and I'll break the news to everyone else."