Chapter 3
"You're sure about this?"
Haley nodded as she handed the slip of paper to Dean. "He's the one to get you what you want though I do want to say that this is extremely foolish."
Dean looked at Haley. She was giving him a look that said she would support him but she didn't necessarily approve of what he was going to do. He had to ask, "Do you have another way, Hale?"
"If you need to talk to him so bad, let me help. It's the reason I've been practicing and learning the more advanced of the juju arts." Haley pursed her lips knowing that she was setting herself up for a fight that was probably going to be nasty but it was a long time coming. Her practice of juju was something that Dean acknowledged but recent stuff he was hesitant about. "It's not that much different from Angie summoning a spirit."
Dean felt his throat convulse. He knew that Haley was right. There were probably other ways of doing this but this was direct and most guaranteed way of getting ahold of a reaper, more specifically Death. He shook his head slightly, "Hale…"
"Or astral projection. At least you're not dead but in a state of unconscious. You did it before." Haley gestured at Dean. It felt desperate on her end but it was before zero hour and if she wanted to take a leaf out of Angela's book, it was to search for a means before it came down to the ones that could most certainly mean death.
"And how good are you at doing that?"
Haley narrowed her eyes slightly at that. She knew Dean wasn't trying to be mean. He was desperate. He had enough of what was going on with Sam. Unfortunately he couldn't comprehend the magnitude of the situation they had. She couldn't either but she understood that the longer Sam was without his soul, it could be worse for everyone and it left the world pretty vulnerable without its angel on earth protector.
Dean knew that he was being a dick here and maybe that there were other ways. Astral project did work the last time. And it sucked that he didn't have Angela's ability to see spirits because she had seen death and lived. He apologized, "I'm sorry for that Hale. I just… I know you can do the juju stuff. I've seen it and I know you gave Sam the business end of it but this new stuff…" He shook his head.
Haley put a hand to Dean's cheek. "I know it scares you. It scares me too. If I weren't scared then I wouldn't have the respect I have for it. My people were given this gift or curse, however you want to call it. It's an inheritance for me because of my father. Our line…" She gave a shrug.
Dean had heard the whole story. He knew that her line was of the seven with the Tournament of Souls. It was a lot of pressure and it really tugged at the whole thing regarding destiny and the like. It had you question on whether or not that a person had a purpose in life. It was the sort of thing that Angela could answer if she could but she never did. At least nothing that was completely satisfying to him or Sam.
Haley knew that it was futile and that he was dead set on it. Sighing she put her hands on her hip. "Fine. Just… go to that address. It's legit."
Dean sighed and his expression became pained, "Hale…"
"Dean," Haley shifted to look at him. Her expression was firm and would brook no nonsense from him. "Just go."
Dean hesitated. He knew that she was upset and feeling the strain he snapped, "Look I'm sorry, Hale, but it's the only way I know that guarantees he'll show."
"Of course. He's Death."
Dean knew that he was getting backed into a corner when she retorted back at him. He let out an exasperated sound, "Yeah. He's Death. He's the only one that I know that can probably get this idea to work."
"More than likely yes. That I agree on." Haley stared at Dean as she lowered her arms. Her expression became firm. "It's the other half of the whole which is life. Two powerful forces in the natural order of things. Things you tread lightly with."
"What so you're saying that I shouldn't?"
"No."
"Then what, Hale?" Dean knew he was getting gruff and mean. It was going to escalate into a full blown argument and one that could get physical. "I'm asking because aside from Bobby, you're the only one who knows more about this stuff that I do. The person I would ask is gone. She's been gone a year and then some."
"And what does that mean to you?" Haley looked up at Dean. She didn't quite know why she asked the question. But it was one that she felt needed to be asked. She wasn't jealous since she knew Dean didn't feel about Angela in that manner.
"She's gone! She… left me… alone."
"And why do you think that." Haley turned to walk towards Dean. He walked until she was standing toe to toe with him and looked him in the eye as she repeated, "Why do you think that?"
Dean looked at her and pointed at her in warning, "Don't"
"Why Dean? Why do you think she left you?"
"I know why."
"I want to hear you say it."
"No."
"Dean!"
Dean had started walking away towards the Impala. The harsh utterance of his name had him pause along with the slight breeze that was a mini storm swirling around him. He shifted to see Haley looking at him and he could tell that she was pissed. Or rather she was using her powers to stop him and keep him there because she knew that he wouldn't make a move.
Haley knew that she was crossing a line but the Winchesters were stubborn men. It had her wonder about Angela's attraction to Sam and vice versa. Right now though she needed Dean to clearly know what he was doing and why. A venture like this had consequences if you didn't have a damn clue and she didn't want anything to happen to him. She tempered down her power surge a little but kept it up to show she meant business and repeated, "Why do you think she left you?"
"Because she promised!" Dean didn't mean to shout but he had been frustrated and felt like he was at the edge of a cliff and didn't know if he should jump, fight or what. "She promised that Sam wouldn't be alone." He paused and then added something softly.
Haley didn't hear the last part and tempered down her powers. "What?"
Dean hung his head and didn't say anything even though he heard Haley. He felt his chest pounding from all the pent up emotions. This was so damned hard. It was no wonder… He then felt a hand on his cheek and he allowed it to move his head so that he was looking at Haley. He then saw that none of this was meant to be agitating. He felt guilt and regret for what he had done. "Because she is doing the one thing that most would never think she would ever do and that is something for herself."
Haley rubbed Dean's cheek. "She always thinks about others."
"But this time… It's what Sam really wanted for her. He wanted her to choose something for herself and not for someone else. But she…"
Haley smiled softly and continued to rub his cheek. She gave a slight chuckle, "Dean… she'll never stop feeling for you or Sam, doing things for you and for others. Why else would she write to tell you that she was going to be with Sam?"
Dean looked at Haley. He felt his eyes watering. He wanted to shed tears but he couldn't because he was being stubborn about it. Instead he swallowed, trying to control it. He replied, "Because… because…"
"She didn't want you to worry about her. You know what it's like in Hell."
"She knows too. She had been a prisoner before."
Haley hummed at that. "You were worried that it would bring up bad memories. Did you know that she was willing to go to hell for you? When you died from your deal?"
Dean looked at Haley. He had never heard of that. In fact, it was only mentioned that Angela had been taken from his gravesite by that fuck the Old Man. No details really given and Dean never asked for them. He just… let it be. "She…"
"Since the contract extraction didn't work, the last card up her sleeve was to open a gate and traverse down to hell herself to retrieve your soul. She was willing to go back and face what she had endured to get you back." Haley paused and swallowed slightly since it was a lot to process. She continued, "But I took that from her because I felt as you do. She didn't need to. So I went instead."
"You…" Dean could hardly believe it. Haley was in hell too? How many more people he cared about went to that dark place. He put his hands on her shoulders. "You went to hell? Why?"
"I just told you," Haley replied, "So she didn't have to." She stepped back and smiled tentatively. "And because I care about you."
Dean stared at her. "Hale… I…"
"Dean, I'm not particularly enthusiastic about this idea you have but I do know that if we are to get Angela back, we need to meet with a fairly powerful being and it's as you said… Death." She shrugged her shoulders slightly. "Go meet the doc. I'll stay here and keep an eye on things."
Dean blinked at that. He had figured Haley would go with him since this was pretty shady. And he kind of wanted someone who was braver than he when meeting Death. "You sure?"
"Look, we don't have much time. I know the nightmare visions have been getting worse for you." Haley turned Dean around and pushed him towards the Impala. "Go. You know Sam won't misbehave if I'm around and the dogs are here. Except for Zep."
"Why take him?"
"You said it yourself, Death seemed to like him."
It was an excuse but Dean smiled a grateful smile to Haley. Zeppelin was his pal and a source of comfort this past year apart from Haley. "Thanks Hale."
"I know he can't resist a car ride." Haley grinned before giving a shrill whistle. A bark and the patter of paws came tumbling out from hiding. She chuckled and watched as Zeppelin came to a skidding halt and panted happily at Dean. His tail wagged as he waited for his marching orders. She laughed, "Well someone is eager."
Dean chuckled as he looked down at his dog. He reached down and rubbed the dog's head. At least he wasn't completely alone. He looked at Haley and nodded. "Alright. Just…"
"I'll be careful. Just go. Talk to Death. And be nice."
Dean grinned at Haley as she smiled at him. He nodded, "Okay. Don't…"
"Don't tell me not to wait up or you'll get more than a spanking."
Dean gave a warning finger. He reached into his jacket and pulled out the keys to the Impala. He called to Zeppelin and the dog jumped into his spot beside Dean when it was just him. Dean sat in the driver's seat and looked at Haley as she stood there to send him off. He sighed taking it in. He really couldn't have asked for a better partner. More than a partner. He could see a little what Sam probably felt about Angela.
Turning the key in the ignition, he listened to the Impala roar to life. He took one last look of Haley as she stood there with her hands behind her back smiling at him. Xander had come to sit by her. The dog looked homely, as if to say to bring back his master. Dean sighed and put the car into gear to drive to the address that he had.
You know pacing isn't going to do ya much good."
Haley looked out the window with her arms crossed over her chest. She spared a glance at Bobby where the man was sitting and drinking a beer. "Sorry but I can't help it."
Bobby made a noise, "Eh well Angie couldn't help it either. Only when she got her dander up did it really make any sense." He leaned back and took another drink of his beer.
Haley continued to look out the window in the direction that Dean had gone. She knew that he would be alright even if he had to die for a little while. It just made her nervous because they were in essence tampering with the way things were meant to be and tempting fate as the expression went. She didn't like to chest Death or all those other phrases since all it did was make things painful further down the road. But desperate times she figured.
Sighing, she said, "I'm just worried."
"About Dean?"
"No because I know what he will be alright. He has Zep." She grinned at Bobby knowing that it would make him scowl slightly. It wasn't like the dog would make it better but it relieved some worries. She learned about Wilders and how they had been used in the beginning and that there were breeders that kept up the tradition. She had seen hunters with them in action.
"Eh that mutt has been turned into a lap dog."
Haley didn't believe the grizzled hunter's assertion. She knew that the elder hunter had a soft spot for the dogs. In the beginning Xander had been his companion while Dean took his dog and Moira had disappeared for a time. She knew that Xander needed someone since his hunter was no longer there but it was like the dog knew his hunter wasn't dead but it poked at his ability. She replied, "Now I know that was said in affection." She gave a slight smile.
"Please."
Haley hummed at that. She saw the slight smirk and didn't miss the hand that rested itself on Xander's head. "Okay," she replied in a singsong tone. She shifted to look out the window and sobered slightly, "Well, my worry is that things may be coming to a head. I can… sense it."
Bobby studied Haley. He had got a chance to learn about the Celtic juju witch the past year since she and Dean would come by if they were on a case. He found her to be a little too much like those crazy gardening ladies but she was saner than most. And she was impressive with her powers. The lightning thing was a specialty of hers and it was handy to keep Sam's tendencies to be ruthless in check. In fact, she was the only one who seemed to understand the quirk that was a thread of keeping soulless Sam in check.
Bobby wasn't looking to replace Angela. But he was accepting of the juju witch. She helped out and she was good at research and cooking up spells when needed. She was unique as Angela was. And she never tried to interfere in anything that Angela left her mark on. She would use a tool but always respected it.
Haley knew that the past year had its ups and downs. It was why she and Dean stayed in the house they procured and tried to live their lives. She liked the grizzled hunter but she had seen how things weren't the same because Angela wasn't there. They could have handled Sam being soulless if she had been there and she probably would have found a way to fix Sam before things got to where they are. But as it stood, they were there now and doing what they could. She offered a friendly smile before leaving to go check on Sam.
On the few jobs she had been on with Sam and Dean, it left her with the impression that the soulless version of Sam was one of the scariest of things she had encountered. She had seen him when it came to fighting the monsters but that was nothing compared to what she had seen when Sam perceived something that… She swallowed as she remembered when she saw Sam look like he was going to kill someone because he thought they were….
The first time she saw that was when someone made a cat call after snatching a picture from Sam. She had caught him staring at a picture. It was one of Angela taken during the early years before Sam had been killed by a knife wound to the back. It surprised her because she had overheard Sam tell Dean that she was a nice piece of ass. It shocked her a bit but when she caught him staring at Angela's picture, she saw that perhaps he didn't mean it. She certainly saw the end result of the filter being taken off completely.
The guy that did it was a jerk but Haley saw something in Sam's eye that had her pause and afraid. Dean had told her that Sam had always been protective of Angela to the point that he almost broke a douchebag's wrist because he got fresh with Angela. She saw that but it was like it was in its purest form. There were no restrictions and would allow Sam to carry it to the extremes; that he would kill to protect her.
The guy was lucky that Dean stepped in when he did. She could have done it but that would have just scared people since she would have used her magic. Still, it was enough to have her afraid that Sam really was someone that you wouldn't want to cross swords with. And yet when she displayed power, he backed off and behaved.
She walked through Bobby's house to find Sam sitting at a table. It looked like he had been field stripping the guns and putting them back together but he had gotten bored with that. Instead he was sitting and staring at Angela's picture. He had been doing that a lot more. It coincided with the increase of the frequency of Dean's nightmares or visions. Having worked in juju for as long as she had, she wasn't one to disregard coincidences. Something was happening or going to happen, which was why she was not stopping Dean from his choice of meeting with Death.
"I know you're there, Hale."
Hale shifted but was still quiet as she stepped into the room. She kept a calm countenance as she replied, "Just checking on you. You've been quiet about this."
"What is there to say?" Sam shifted to look up and look at Haley. "Dean's doing what he's doing to see about my soul."
"And do you want it back?"
Sam peered at Haley. "What do you mean?"
"I know you overheard everything with Cas and Dean," Haley replied, not bothering to beat around the bush. She knew that it was pointless with this version of Sam. "You know what happens in hell."
Sam looked at Haley as if trying to find deceit. He glanced at Angela's picture and asked, "But is it worth it?"
"Depends."
"What do you think?"
Haley studied Sam. She wasn't sure what he wanted from her answer but she knew that he wanted to know what she thought about getting his soul back. She suspected that he sensed her wariness with him as he was now but he never let on. Sensing that he was waiting for an answer, she replied, "Nothing happens without risk."
"That's not helping."
"Part of the point," Haley countered, "Leaving you without your soul may be beneficial in that it makes you into a hunter but it also makes you into a killer that can't control himself and is essentially a manipulative asshole." She stared at Sam, checking to see if her words had an effect on the man that could prove to be dangerous for her. She continued, "On the other hand, putting your soul however screwed up it is puts back that control even though there is the risk of being a drooling vegetable for the rest of your life."
Sam was quiet for a moment before he replied, "Put that way, I'd rather be the asshole."
"And how well has that worked out considering you nearly killed a man for," Haley gestured at the picture that Sam was still holding. She gave Sam a pointed look while acknowledging Moira had come out from her hiding spot but was still moping in the corner. She felt bad for the Wilder since she was loyal to her hunter but even she knew something was wrong and it bothered her greatly. She continued as if nothing was happening, "Which is confusing since without a soul you aren't supposed to feel anything at all and you did say that you didn't give a crap about anything or anyone."
It grew quiet between them, enough to make Bobby come out and check. The elder hunter knew that Sam had gone after Haley a couple of times when they first got back together and even after a few hard ones to the head and body, it was still tense. Haley was well aware of it and maintained her stance of waiting for an answer from Sam. She was prepared to wait but decided to leave him to his thoughts. She shifted to turn.
"For the most part I don't," Sam admitted.
Haley paused and turned to look at him. "Then why?"
"A part of me does." Sam glanced at the picture. "When I see her… I have memories of everything we've done." He gave a humorless chuckle, "And we actually did the old cliché of the last night on earth." He sobered and his expression became tense and blank and not faking a response to what should be an emotional moment. "I have these memories and for the most part I don't feel anything but when I look at her…" He shook his head in confusion.
Haley watched Sam as he confessed. She knew him to be manipulative with his expressions even more so now. They were almost sinister and they didn't register with the people he was manipulating but she saw it and she knew Dean did if he wanted to acknowledge it. This though… this was genuine but she wasn't going to roll out the welcome mat or anything like that. Sam was capable of anything in this state and if he felt threatened… She studied him and asked, "What is it you think it is?"
"She's mine."
Haley raised a brow, "She's yours?"
Sam wanted to look away but he didn't. He did shuffle in his seat and tried to explain, "Like she… belongs to me. Not like a slave or anything but mine and no one else's. And it pisses me off when someone…"
Haley watched as Sam's fist clenched in anger. That was an interesting bit of information and added to what she was trying to figure out. It was something she was going to have to ask a few contacts about. At the moment she was getting a better idea of why Sam was much more in control even though it didn't seem like it. She had to ask, "Can you describe it more? Feel free to be down and dirty."
"She is mine. My… I don't know… mate or something."
A/N: Haley and Dean have a talk about going to see Death and she learns something interesting about soulless Sam's behavior. Stay tuned for next time to Let the Games Get Bloody...
