Here's chapter three! In case you were wondering, yes I know Jake Talley killed Sam, but I changed the plot and included Joshua, who will play a huge role in later chapters. Like I said in the first chapter I started writing this for my co-worker who's also a huge SPN fan, and his name's Joshua, so hello if you're reading this!
Chapter Three - Highway to Hell
Carly had nowhere in particular to go. Bobby promised her that he'd call her if he ever needed help with any case. Sam also told her the same thing, but Dean seemed hesitant about the idea of hunting with her again. So for now she decided to take a break and spend a few days playing pool and hooking up with random bikers.
While she was about to make her first pit-stop, she received a phone call from Greg. Greg used to be one of her numerous friends-with-benefits who also happened to be a hunter. Carly froze when she saw his number flashing on her phone's screen. Last time she called him, she was very drunk, and the words that came out of her mouth were out of this world.
"Hey Coop. It's Greg."
She found the nearest parking spot and stopped her Transit.
"Greg, hey. How are you?"
"I'm fine." Silence. "So remember the last time you called me?"
Carly turned red. "Look, I was drunk and—"
On the other end, Greg laughed. "I meant before that. You called me about some guy named Joshua Black?" She sat up straight in her seat. She'd called him in hopes of tracking him, since he had the best tracking skills she'd ever seen in a hunter.
"Tell me." She ordered him, rummaging through her knapsack to find her iPad.
"I found him. It was fucking hard, mind you, but I managed to find him." Carly couldn't contain her excitement, letting out a squeal. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah. Yes." She ran a hand through her hair. "Why was it so hard to track him?"
"It was like he had a force field around him most the time, you know?" In the background she heard papers shuffling and clicking. "But it stopped yesterday. Like poof, yeah? Then I did a background check on him. Joshua Black, 23 from Lima, Ohio. Lives alone, is the CEO of an audit firm and quite well-off."
"Co-ordinates?" Greg quickly told her the co-ordinates, which she typed in the search bar of one of her numerous GPS apps. As soon as the address popped up, Carly started her van and drove off. "I owe you."
"That mean you'll be coming over to my place for drinks later?"
Carly snorted. Typical Greg. "Not a fat chance, Greg." she laughed and hung up. She was only four hours away from Lima, and she wanted to be there by noon. She knew that if anyone, particularly Dean, found out about her meeting Joshua, she'd never hear the end of it. But she had to do this.
Joshua switched off the TV and threw the remote to the side. He looked up at the ceiling and sighed. Ever since the yellow-eyed demon, Azazel, came into his life a couple of months ago, he had never felt so alone. He felt alone when he worked all day as CEO of the most popular audit firm in Lima, let alone now that he lost his job and family. He lost contact with his sister when he was appointed CEO, and the demon made a one-off deal with Joshua: if he killed Sam Winchester, he'd reunite with his sister. And he did... only to find out she was slaughtered by the same demon.
He got up from the couch and dragged himself to the kitchen, where he found his cat, Xavier, asleep in his basket. Sometimes he wished he was him, so calm, relaxed and with no care in the world. He reached for the can of cat food, filled the empty food bowl, and threw the empty can into the bin. For the millionth time that day, he pressed the message key on his wall phone.
"You have no messages." the monotonous female voice said, and Joshua rolled his eyes. Of course there wasn't. He was about to pull the phone off the wall and smash it to the ground, but a knock on the front door interrupted him.
"No... no more demons..." he murmured to himself. Every now and then he'd have demons knocking on his door to check on him. They were always the people from his neighbourhood. But when he opened the door, he didn't find anyone he knew. It was a girl around his age, with long auburn hair and grey eyes. She was wearing normal clothes, which seemed to remind him of Sam Winchester for some reason. He sighed. He wondered if Dean was still mourning him.
"Joshua Black?" she asked. Joshua nodded.
"Yes. How can I help you?" Joshua retorted. The girl smiled.
"I need to talk to you about something very important." She looked expectantly inside the house, but Joshua pulled the door behind him, blocking her view.
"Who's asking?" he snapped, trying to tone his voice down. But he couldn't bring himself to do so.
"Carly Cooper." She replied, and then she smiled briefly, adding, "Don't worry, Joshua. I'm not a demon."
"Dem—what?" He was really bad at feigning cluelessness and he knew it, so he gave in and let her inside. She looked around the big house, nodding with approval. "Um, please... sit down." Joshua told her, gesturing her into the kitchen. She sat down on a chair, and she smiled when she spotted the cat.
"Hey there, fella." she gushed, reaching out for the cat. Xavier hesitantly strode his way over to Carly, purring when his head was stroked by her hand. "What's his name?"
Joshua took out two mugs and set up the kettle to make some coffee. "Xavier. I was always big on French names" he replied with a smile. "So you said you're not a demon... Who are you then?"
"A friend." she replied cryptically, and then glared at him. "A friend of the man you killed too."
"Sam Winchester." Carly nodded. "I—" Joshua's voice trailed off, feeling a lump forming in his throat. Carly's look didn't change one bit. He swallowed that lump, but it didn't budge. At least he regained his voice. "I'm sorry."
"Ain't me you should be apologisin' to." she snapped.
"I didn't want to do it!" he cried, standing up. The kettle started whistling and he poured the hot liquid into the mugs. "I didn't want to do it." He repeated in a calmer tone, bringing the two mugs in the middle of the table. "That... that BASTARD!... He told me if I killed Sam Winchester he'd help me reunite with my sister. And I did... only to find her SLAUGHTERED."
Her facial expressions softened a little bit. He killed someone to reunite with his sister. Carly realised all this man wanted was to see his sister again. If Dean, Sam and Bobby knew why Joshua did what he did, maybe they'd understand? Especially the two brothers. Dean did sell his soul for his brother right?
Carly took a sip of coffee. "Joshua, you're not safe here. You know that, right?" He nodded, looking down. "Pack your stuff. You're leaving here."
"What?"
Carly scoffed. "You heard me. Pack up as soon as we finish the coffee. You can't stay anymore."
"I have nowhere else to go." he pointed out.
"We'll stay in a motel for the night, and then I'm driving us to my dad's. He can help." she explained.
Joshua bit his lower lip, glancing sideways at Xavier, who was calmly eating her food. "What about my cat?"
Carly looked at it and smiled softly. "He can tag along. I like animals." Joshua smiled. Looking back at him, she asked, "So, Black. What's your ability?"
Joshua smirked and balled one hand into a fist, and slowly, his hand started turning brighter. Like fire. Carly's eyes opened wide and she couldn't help but gasp. He chuckled in response, and when he opened his hand, there was a flame floating over the palm of his hand.
"Mother fucker..." she whispered to herself in awe. "That's awesome."
Joshua shook his head, putting off the flame with his other hand. "I discovered the ability while I was..." his voice trailed off, turning a bit red. "... and I burnt his neck. He freaked out, and stormed out of my house. Never got a call back." He half-joked.
She winced. "Ouch."
After that, the two talked about outcasts for all their lives and then the conversation ended on the night Joshua stabbed Sam in the back. He certainly wasn't expecting the news that Dean sold his soul to bring Sam back to life. That really surprised him.
"So they're both alive."
Carly nodded as she helped him carry some of his bags. "Dean only has a year left. Well, give or take a few weeks."
"From what you've told me, you and Dean had quite a past." he teased. Sip after sip, they finished drinking their coffee.
"Well, yeah. Kinda. Sorta..." Carly averted her eyes, and then went back to business, clearing her throat. "Clean up. You have exactly an hour to pack some things so we can leave this place for good."
"So I won't sell this place? You know this mansion is worth millions right?"
At the word 'millions', Carly huffed. "Fine. We'll leave here tomorrow. Meanwhile, I'm gonna take a nap because I've been driving for over eight hours with no pit-stops."
For the first time in ages, Joshua felt like weight was lifted off his shoulders. Evaporated. Poof. Nothing. He laughed at Carly's very cheesy (and off-key) impersonation of a Celine Dion song which was playing on the radio, as Xavier rested on his lap, asleep.
"So where does your dad live?" he asked. Carly yawned and made a right.
"Sioux Falls. It's the capital city of nowhere." She joked. "I only found out he was my dad a couple of weeks ago. When my mom died, I found an old box with photos and my birth certificate."
"You never saw your own birth certificate?"
"Nope." she answered, popping the 'p'. Spotting a motel, Carly's eyes lit up and quickly parked her car. "Her and dad were just a one-night stand. But dad let me know that he would've stepped forward and been there in my life if he knew was to become a dad."
"Wow." Joshua whispered. "My dad... he wasn't really present in my life. I was in the system up until I graduated high school. Then I went to college, University, and then I became CEO."
Carly grinned. "Sometimes not having your parents around makes you stronger. You push yourself to be like others, only to become better."
Once checked in—Carly made Joshua wait outside so the receptionist wouldn't see the cat—Joshua immediately let Xavier go and slumped onto the bed, taking a deep breath. "So is my nightmare over yet?"
Carly licked her lips as she put their bags by the door, not knowing how to reply. "Not exactly. I think what you experienced was the beginning of the fucked-up plans Azazel has in store."
"Brutally honest. Nice." Joshua murmured, mostly to himself. Yawning he added, "I'm gonna rest my eyes for a bit. Wake me up when we're about to leave, okay?"
"Sure thing, Josh. I'll be in the next room if you need any help." she smiled, and went in her room next door. Once there, she took off her boots, jeans and flannel shirt, sitting on her bed in a camisole and black panties. She desperately needed to sleep; it had been years since she took a good night's sleep, since her 16th birthday to be exact. The sleeping pills her mother's doctor prescribed her a couple of years ago never worked.
The phone rang, interrupting her thoughts. "Cooper." she said in a tired tone.
"It's Dean."
Carly's head rested against the soft pillows. Still tired, still not sleepy. "Dean, hey." What would it take her to get a straight hour of shut-eye?!
Silence. "You don't sound too pleased to hear from me." She could hear the rumbling of the Impala's engine in the background.
"It's, um, been a very long day. So tell me, what do you want?"
"Okay I need your help with a case."
"Well you've called the right person." she smirked, sitting a little upright.
"What can you tell me about changelings?" he asked her.
"They're creatures found in folklore religion. According to lore, they climb in the window, snatch the kid. I'd say the chief changeling assumes a trustworthy human, say a friendly neighbour or someone who works well with children. Let's see... what else..." Carly rubbed the bridge of her nose and took a deep breath. "Changelings feed on the mom: synovial fluid. The moms have these odd bruises on the back of their necks. Changelings can drain them for a few weeks before mom finally croaks."
"The moms?" Dean repeated. Carly could hear shuffling of papers and key sounds in the background, she could tell Dean was in the company of his brother.
"Yes. Oh, and the changeling's true form is shown through reflection."
"Any weaknesses?" Sam was heard asking in the background.
"Fire. Tell Sammy it's fire." The rumbling of the Impala stopped, and Carly heard the sound of a car door opening and closing.
"Thanks, uh, Coop." Dean told her.
"No big. Anything else you need, my phone's always on."
"Yeah, one last thing... What colour underwear are you wearin'?"
Carly scoffed and rolled her eyes. "You're a pig."
"Hey, a man has to ask!" Dean protested, but she could almost see the smirk plastered on his face. Pervert. "So...?"
Carly chewed on her lower lip, reminiscing the phone calls she and Dean shared several years back, where he'd ask her what colour underwear she was wearing. And each time, the call turned into phone sex.
She wasn't that person anymore.
"Goodnight Dean."
"But—"
Carly didn't give him the time of day, hanging up abruptly and throwing the phone next to her on the bed. Tapping her fingers against the beside table, she looked around, trying to find something to do. She knew she wasn't going to sleep anytime soon. First, she decided to meditate, trying to calm herself and forget about her rough past with Dean, daddy issues, abusive hunters...
She groaned with frustration. Meditation didn't make her forget, it made her remember more of her fucked-up life. Her eyes landed on the bathroom door, and decided to take a quick shower. The shower made her even more energetic, and she pounded against the wet tiled wall.
"Stupid insomnia." she murmured to herself as she dried her hair. Thirty minutes had passed since she left Joshua in his room, so she decided to go check up on him in case something happened. Quietly, she crept through his room, where he was lying on his bed, asleep. Xavier was perched cosily on the table pushed to the side. Carly looked at the time marked on the VCR player. It was only ten in the evening, so she decided to go buy some food and beer.
"Joshua, hey, sorry to wake you. I can't sleep so I'm gonna go buy some food. Do you want me to get you anything?" she asked him, moving closer to the bed. He didn't even flinch. "Hey, man, wake up for one sec." She shook him gently, and gasped. The boy wasn't moving. "Oh fuck." Carly's breathing got heavier, and soon started hyperventilating. "Joshua, wake the fuck up, goddamn it!" She performed CPR and mouth-to-mouth, but to no avail. Then she proceeded to slapping him gently on each cheek. "This is not happening, this is not happening!"
Her thoughts were jumbled up, and she was so shaken up she started crying and yelling for Joshua to wake up. Quickly, she checked whether there were any bottles of pills hidden, and after turning the room upside down, she found nothing of the sort. 'What if he had something earlier?' she then thought. Checking his temperature, he was so warm she winced loudly, waving her burnt hand in the air as she blew on in.
Carly ran into his bathroom, which had a bathtub and turned the water on, putting it on the coldest possible temperature, and ran back to Joshua. She ripped his tshirt open and threw the fabric side, and dragged him to the bathtub.
"Ugh, damn your built body." she grumbled. He was so heavy she had to pause at several occasions to catch her breath. When she got by the bathtub, she propped his legs up, sliding them over the edge and into the bath. Joshua shook a little, which was a sign that he was regaining consciousness. Checking his breath, Carly found that it was very shaky and quick, like he was running. "Stay with me, Black." she told him, pulling his upper body into the tub. Once he was submerged, he gained his breath, and started choking on the water.
"Oh thank god!" was the first thing he said in a raspy voice, reaching to hug her. She averted her eyes awkwardly, and proceeded to pat him on the shoulder. When she pulled away, she noticed he was crying. "I thought I—I was stuck down there! Nearly three days, Carly! Three!"
"Three days?" Carly furrowed her eyebrows. "Dude, you were dead for half an hour. I thought you, uh Od'ed yourself."
"Half an hour?" Joshua repeated.
"You said 'down there'... What were you referring to?"
"Hell, Carly. I was down in Hell."
Did she hear him correctly? Did he just say he was down in...? "Hell? As in fire, souls ripped apart? That Hell?"
"It's the most horrible place you'll ever witness in your life. I wouldn't wish it on anyone." He stepped out of the bathroom, his jeans soaking wet. Carly reached for some towels and handed them to him.
"Did anyone notice you there?" she asked him.
He shook his head. "No, it was as if I was... blending in. I tried talking to someone, telling them who I am, but
"Dry yourself while I get you some clean clothes and make some coffee." She stood up. "Hey, as long as I'm in the next room, nothing will happen to you, you hear me, Black? Not on my watch." Joshua nodded meekly and proceeded to dry himself. Carly sighed and wiped her sweaty face.
If Joshua could go in and out of hell, that would mean he's part-demon, right? 'Better take some precautions.' she thought, pouring holy water in his cup of coffee. In all her years of research and reading, she'd never come across a person who could walk in and out of hell.
She had to call her dad and talk to him about this. From the pocket of her jacket, she took out the tub of sleeping pills, and took two out. Crushing them until they were dust, she swept them from the counter-top into Joshua's cup. She let the coffees cool up, and fetched a pair of tracksuit bottoms, boxers and a clean white tshirt. She knocked on the bathroom door.
"Come in."
She entered. Joshua was stark-naked, except for a towel wrapped round his waist. "Brought you some clean clothes. Coffee's cooling up."
"Thanks, Carly." he smiled, taking the clothes in his arms. "Uh, I have to ask—"
Carly lifted her hand, stopping him. "It's okay, Joshua. I'll pack my stuff and move in your room. As long as you don't spoon, we'll be okay."
Joshua smiled weakly. "I don't swing your way."
Nodding and letting out a half-smile, Carly went out of the bathroom and into her room. His words from earlier echoed in her head.
It's the most horrible place you'll ever witness in your life. I wouldn't wish it on anyone.
Time was ticking, and didn't want to waste any more time. With Joshua able to walk in and out of hell unseen, Carly could get possible information on Dean's deal. At first it was about Sam and Dean forgiving Joshua for what he did—which was close to impossible considering Dean wanted to kill him—but now it's different. Joshua could help her dad with research regarding hell.
Carly Cooper had to save Dean Winchester, even if it was the last thing she'd ever do.
So Joshua can walk in and out of Hell unnoticed. What do you think of that? Now remember that Joshua has the ability to light up fire, which later will be linked to the whole going in hell thing. What do you think? Review section is empty, so fill it up! Let me know what you think :) I apologise for the short chapter but I wrote it quickly before I got ready for work.
Next chapter will have the intense reunion between the Winchesters and Joshua. Will Dean freak out? Will Sam forgive him? Stay tuned!