The Other Winchester – The Rise of Darkness (Part 4)
It had been three days since the Winchesters had received the warning that Mammon was coming to destroy them and they were no closer to finding a way to destroy him. It was 3am and Sam was sitting at the kitchen table on his laptop researching every reference he could find to the casting down of the Nephilim and Mammon. So far, other than a few vague references to Michael driving them from earth into the pit he had come up with nothing. Looking up from his laptop with a frustrated sigh he ran his hands through his hair and got up. Stretching out his body to ease the tension and work out the kinks in his muscles; his body felt sore and tight after three days of sitting head bent over the kitchen table.
Walking into the sitting room he saw that Dean had finally succumbed to sleep; his brother had been awake constantly since they had received the psychic wake up call, but now he lay asleep on the sofa, his feet propped up on the coffee table an ancient text lying on his chest; he had clearly fallen asleep reading. Careful not to waken him Sam made his way towards Bobby's study where he knew that Bobby and his sister were carrying out more research, it was likely that Castiel was there to as he had not let Haley out of his sight since he had banished Mammon from her mind. Sam was grateful for Castiel's presence as with every minute that passed without any leads on how to destroy Mamoon each of the men became more concerned that Haley would break her promise and make a deal with him.
As he entered Bobby's study; Bobby looked up at him from his position behind the desk and at the unspoken question on Sam's face he gave a quick shake of his head to indicate that they hadn't found anything. He could see his sister on the phone and wondered who she was talking to at this time in the morning. Haley looked up at him and smiled lightly as she saw him come in but continued with her conversation "Yeah Steve anything that you can come up with would be great. No matter how insignificant you think the reference is tell me about it" pausing to listen to Steve's response before continuing "I can't explain why, but it's important, really important" Hanging up the call Haley made her way to Sam where she stepped into his arms for a hug. He knew that she had to be exhausted as she hadn't stopped for a minute in three days.
"Hey baby brother anything?"
"No, you?"
"Nothing, I've put a call in to a friend of mine from Oxford who specialises in Eastern Christianity. He's gonna research some ancient texts that they have at the School which he thinks refers to the Nephilim and he knows a few Professors in the field who specialise in ancient mythology. Hopefully someone will come up with something. Anyway he'll come back to me tomorrow either way"
Looking around, Sam could see that Castiel was not there and turned a questioning gaze on his sister "You didn't frighten Cas away did you because we kind of need the big guns on this one?"
With a smirk that Haley replied "Don't be ridiculous, he's gone to see if he can get us some help and on his way back he's bringing breakfast, because I'm starved and when Dean wakens up he's gonna want to eat the house"
Laughing Sam replied "You may be right" moving to sit on the old sofa in Bobby's study; Sam stretched out his legs and indicated that Haley should come sit with him "Sis, take five, you haven't stopped. You'll be no good to us when the fight comes if you are dead on your feet. You'll be just dead"
"He's right Haley. In fact I'm gonna go and sleep for a couple of hours. You two should do the same" Bobby said as he got out of his seat and made his way out of the room hoping that some sleep would give him a fresh perspective on some of the texts he had been reading, things had stopped making sense a few hours back.
"We'll try, night Uncle Bobby" Haley called after him. Curling up besides Sam on the sofa, Haley could tell that there was something on his mind and waited for him to speak.
"So Hales" Sam said looking intently at his sister "You and Cas, what's going on there?"
"That's a bit personal don't you think Sammy" Haley said blushing lightly at the thought of having a conversation about a man, well angel, with her brother. Sam thought for a minute that she wasn't going to answer him and was surprised when she continued "I" pausing to take a breath "I love him, I think I have from the first morning that we had breakfast together. I feel this connection, this tug deep in my soul when he's around" looking up at Sam her eyes luminous in the low light she said "I think he feels the same, I mean we haven't talked about it, it's like we just KNOW. Does that make sense?"
Not saying anything Sam simply nodded and waited for her to continue "I mean it's so unfair, we could only be together if Cas chose to fall. I couldn't, wouldn't ask that of him"
"Maybe you should talk to him sis, give him the choice. It's his life too?" Sam said his arms strong around his sister. Thinking of Jessica, Sam knew what it was like to love someone so completely that your life felt empty without them. He didn't want that for his sister.
"Maybe, I'll think about it"
With a soft kiss to her forehead he said "You do that" closing his eyes he said "Try and sleep, things may be clearer in the morning"
Dean looked down on his brother and sister as they slept together on the couch. It never failed to amaze him that the two of them could sleep anywhere and through anything if were together. Never one to miss an opportunity to mess with his siblings; Dean nudged Sam sharply on the foot with his boot and shouted "Up at em, sleeping beauties, evils not gonna kill itself you know" At that Sam shot up; knocking Haley off of her position on his lap and straight onto the floor.
"D, man I'm gonna kill you" came his sisters growl from her place on the floor.
Sam glared at Dean and said "Dude, come on we've had like an hour's sleep"
"Sorry" Dean said, his wide grin saying that he wasn't "There's a big truck here with a delivery for little sis and he has instructions not to let anyone other than her sign for it" with a pause as he looked at his sisters sleepy eyes he said "Besides, Cas is back with breakfast"
"Cas's back" then her eyes widened and she shot to her feet "Oh my God I totally forgot" running out of the room she made her way out of the house.
Sam and Dean looked at each over with confused expressions as if to say "What the Hell was that about" and followed their sister out of the house. By the time they got outside, Haley had signed for the delivery and was moving with the delivery men to the back of the truck. They could see that she was vibrating with excitement. Making their way toward Haley they could see her shake her head at the delivery drivers and indicate that she would get into the back of the truck. The brothers made their way round the truck and by the time they got there Haley was already on the truck.
"Care to share Hales" Dean shouted up to his sister from the open door way.
"Yep, in a minute" came the muffled response as she walked into the large open crate sitting in the back of the truck "I'd stand back if I were you" she shouted out to them. The boys quickly moved away from the back of the truck and jogged to the front porch where Bobby and Castiel stood watching the truck intently. The next thing they heard was Haley's excited squeal followed by the roar of an engine as their sister shot out of the back of the truck, her motorcycle appearing to fly. Haley landed and turned the bike quickly to avoid crashing into the house and came to a stop a few inches from the porch.
"Isn't she amazing?" She said excitedly
"Um excuse me miss, where would you like the other crate" The delivery driver asked
"Just dump it on the porch, thanks" Switching of the engine, she got off of the bike and lovingly stroked the pristine black exterior. Turning back to the four men on the porch Haley said "Sorry, I forgot that I called my father and asked him to ship the bike and some of my weapons after I trashed the Harley" Looking at Dean she said "You didn't think I was gonna spend my life in the back seat of the Impala did you. I mean, you won't even let me drive her"
A raise of his eyebrows his only response to the comment about his car but he said appreciatively "Haley, this is a Yamaha R1 Superbike. Where'd you get it?"
"Twenty fifth birthday present from my father; I would normally have brought her on this trip, but she was in for repairs, so I brought the Harley instead" with a twinkle in her eyes Haley turned to Sam and said "Sammy want to ride her?" to Dean she said laughingly "When you let me drive the Impala again, you can ride her too"
"HELL YES" was Sam's enthusiastic response as he took the keys from his sister's outstretched hand and hoped onto the bike. Taking off down the lane Sam's laugh of pleasure was heard by all who remained at the house.
"COME ON Hales, you ain't gonna let Sasquatch ride the bike and not me are you" Dean said standing with his arms folded across his chest, giving Haley his patented Winchester grin. Giving him a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek; Haley took pity on her older brother and said "Of course not, when Sam gets back, knock yourself out... just don't get yourself killed. I'm kind of partial to you, you know" Returning the hug Dean said "I'm kinda partial to you too!"
"Okay Haley girl, now that the excitement of the moment is over, CAN WE PLEASE EAT?" Bobby said from his place on the porch.
"Sure thing, Uncle B"
Moving inside the group took their places at the table and made short work of the breakfast that Castiel had brought back. All the while they discussed the progress or lack thereof in finding a way to defeat Mammon, they knew that they didn't have much time. Castiel told them, that he had been unable to persuade any of the other angels to help.
Pointing his fork at Castiel Dean said in a low voice "here's what I don't understand. When you got put back together, God supped you up; you're like some super angel now. Why can't you beat this guy?"
"He is Lucifer's son and therefore the most powerful of all the Nephilim because of that, even though I am more powerful now than I was, I still will not be able to defeat him alone. It was Michael who cast the Nephilim into the pit. We know that he had help, but it is not known amongst the lower ranks of the angels what that help was"
"Why keep it a secret" Haley asked curiously.
"I do not know"
Just as Haley was about to ask another question she heard her phone ring from the other room. Getting up she said "be right back" Grabbing her phone Haley answered then walked back to the kitchen "Hey Steve, anything for me" She listened for a few minutes her expression lighting up "Really! Can you scan and e-mail me through what you have" "Yeah, tell the Professor that I said hi and Steve thanks, I owe you big time. I'll see you soon, bye" Closing her phone; Haley turned to the other occupants of the kitchen and with a wide grin said "I think we may have a lead"
Just then Sam walked into the kitchen, his hair a windswept mess, but the grin on his face said that he didn't care. "Sammy! Just in time, my friend Steve called from England, we might just have a lead" Haley said as she rushed to her brother, grabbing him around the waist in an enthusiastic hug.
Sitting back down at the table Haley recounted what her friend had told her "apparently, there is an ancient text which talks about the banishment of the Nephilim to the pit by Michael it talks about how he was assisted by the Sword of Light. Now we know that when the angels referred to swords they referred to human vessels, for example Dean being the sword of Michael, but in this case I think it's an actual sword. Steve said the references are quite obscure, but they refer to the sword being forged by the hand of God and used to rid the earth of the evil that was the Nephilim. He's going to e-mail me the text and translation, together with some pictures which depict Michael using the sword, but I don't think that we will need them"
"Why not, we still need to find the sword Haley" Dean said trying not to dampen her enthusiasm
Giving Dean a look she said "There is a legend in Ireland about a Sword of Light, a sword forged by the Gods with power to strike down even the most powerful of enemies. It was rumoured to have been found in the 1800's and was last known to have been bought by a private collector about ten years ago"
"Your friend tell you all this Haley?" Sam asked he had a feeling that his sister knew something more.
"Some of it, the story from Ireland I already knew" Haley said "As a child I was fascinated by the legend of the sword and spent hours researching its origins, it was an obsession of mine" Haley looked at her family around the table and with a brilliant smile continued "So when a sword which was rumoured to be the actual Sword of Light came up for auction about ten years ago I bought it."
"You bought it Haley, an ancient relic on a whim" Sam asked incredulously leaning in closer to his sister.
"Yeah" she said with a nod "I went to the auction and it called to me, that's the only way I can explain it, but that's not the best of it though" Haley said her eyes sparkling with hope. "I'm pretty sure that it's covered in Enochian symbols; that's one of the reasons that I felt drawn to it. It had the same type of symbols as my pendent." Looking over at Castiel Haley continued "Cas, should be able to tell us if it's real and hopefully will be able to use it to put Mammon down" with a small smile she said "besides, it's in the crate at the door"
The four men where immediately on their feet and heading out of the door to get the crate; lifting it onto the table Sam removed the locks from the crate and opened it, inside was a number of weapons. Haley reached in and pulled out a sheathed sword. Handing it to Castiel; who drew the sword carefully from its sheath and looked at it closely before saying "It is real, the symbols are Enochian. This sword holds great power, I can feel it, the immense power of the Lord condensed into a single weapon. I believe that this is the weapon that was used to defeat the Nephilim" Looking sadly at Haley he continued "but it wasn't used by Michael, the symbols say that this sword was forged by God to be used by a single angelic warrior, but it wasn't Michael. I'm sorry Haley but this sword will only work in the hands of its true owner, the one chosen by God"
"And we don't know who that is" Haley said disappointedly with a sigh. "Okay well I guess its back to the books then"
"Hales" Dean started
Not letting him finish, with a quick shake of her head she let the sword fall from her hands onto the table and said "Its fine Dean, I just need a minute" with that final word she got up and made her way outside.
Sam went to follow Haley out of the house, but Castiel said "Please let me. I will make sure that she is okay" without waiting for a response he left the house in search of Haley.
Sitting back down Sam looked at Bobby and Dean before saying "It doesn't look good, finding the weapon that was used to banish the Nephilim was our best option, but if we can't use it ..." his voice held a hint of desperation as it tapered off. He knew that Haley was starting to panic he could feel the quiet desperation through their link. She was losing hope that they wouldn't find a way to stop Mammon and she was afraid, not for herself, but for her brothers. Sam knew that she would make a move soon to stop him herself and that would mean making a deal with Mammon.
"We fight, with everything we have Sammy, that's all we've ever done and PRAY TO GOD THAT WE CAN STOP THAT SON OF A BITCH!" Dean growled his low voice filled with determination, then looking at Bobby "How do we Mammonify the house? Oh and we may just need to have the panic room ready in preparation to stop our sister from doing something stupid" Turning to look out of the window Dean could see Castiel approach Haley where she stood looking so lost and small against the Impala. He had never felt so powerless in his life but he knew that Cas would take care of Haley no matter what happened and for that he was grateful.
Castiel watched Haley as he approached her from the house; she stood with her arms wrapped around her waist as if to hold in the fear that was in her heart. "Haley" he said as he lightly touched her arm, wanting nothing more that to pull her into his arms and tell her that all was going to be okay, to promise her the world and have her know that he would give her everything.
Haley scrubbed her hands over her eyes in an attempt to stop the tears that threatened to fall from overflowing, she hated that she appeared weak in front of Cas. "Cas, I'm fine, just disappointed. I was so sure that the sword was the answer and that we could stop Mammon"
"We will find a way Haley" He said softly with sincerity and determination.
Looking at Castiel; Haley remembering her conversation with Sam earlier that morning made a decision. Reaching out to take his hand in hers she said softly "Cas, let's take a walk, we need to talk"
Walking together for a short time in silence, their hands still linked, each lost in their own thoughts. They stopped only when they reached a quiet spot out of sight of the main house. Turning to Castiel; Haley stepped up to him and pressed a light kiss against his lips and with a sigh stepped back. "I'm done Cas, I can't pretend anymore that you're just my friend. If we can't defeat Mammon and this is going to be our last few nights, hell maybe even our last night, then I need you to know how I feel. I need you to hear the words from me" Pausing she looked up into his clear blue eyes, her heart racing and pounding in her chest. Taking a shaky breath she said "I love you, I have for a long time. I know, I know that I shouldn't that we can't be together but I..." stopping Haley looked into Castiel's startled face and started to back away, positive that she had made the biggest mistake of her life.
Castiel realising that Haley was pulling away reached out and grabbed her hand; pulling her towards him the strength of his emotions overwhelming, bringing his hands up to cup her face "Haley" he breathed her name reverently, his eyes boring into hers; saying the words that she so wanted to hear with such intensity that she could not doubt the sincerity of the emotions behind them "I LOVE YOU! I would fall for you, but I cannot protect you if I'm human. If we fail, if we die in this fight then I will die knowing that I did everything in my power to try and keep you safe" Drawing her into his arms he said quietly into her hair "You don't know how many times that I have prayed for things to be different, that I want so much to go to my Father and beg him to let us be together"
Looking into his eyes, Haley said "One kiss, if that's all we get then it will have to be enough. Surely, they won't banish you for a kiss" bringing his head down to meet hers, their lips connected and with a small moan, Haley could feel the moment Cas's resistance evaporated. His hands on her waist pulling her tight into his body, he deepened the kiss pouring every emotion, every want into it. Eventually he pulled back to look into her eyes and said "when this is over, when we win, I will choose you"
They stood together for a few minutes, arms wrapped around each other, their hearts beating in tandem; each with a whisper of hope for a shared future together.
Dean looked out of the window, concern etched on his face "Where are they, they've been gone FOREVER"
"They'll be back soon, I'm sure the conversation that they are having is not the one that you expect"
"What do you mean?" Dean said as he turned sharply toward Sam; his eyes flashing. "Well, I had a conversation with Haley last night about this unspoken, completely obvious thing that is between them and I think I persuaded her to talk to him about it"
"WHAT THE HELL SAMMY, now, you tell her this now when the shit is about to hit the fan. Don't you think we need both of their heads in the game. We've got a freaking war coming and you have them confessing their feelings. Great, just freaking great!" Stalking back over to the window; Dean could see his sister and Cas making their way back to the house. They appeared to be a bit subdued, but holding hands lightly as they walked slowly back to the house. There didn't appear to be any tears, so he didn't think he was going to have to kill Cas. Stepping back from the window to give them some privacy, he silently hoped that they had been able to work things out.
Suddenly Castiel appeared in the kitchen besides them; cradling Haley in his arms.
"Son of a bitch, Cas what happened?"
"Mammon is here. Haley was fine one minute and the next she said "He's here" and passed out" Castiel said his gaze never leaving Haley's face.
"Sammy, get Haley into the panic room and lock her in. This is one fight that she is sitting out of" Dean said urgently to his brother. He knew that if they made it through the fight that his sister was gonna be pissed at him, but he didn't care, he'd rather be dead than see her make a deal with a monster.
Sam took Haley carefully out Castiel's arms and said "Okay, but on your head be it Dean. She will kill you when she gets out of there, you won't need to worry about Mammon. She'll chain you to the back of her bike and road hall your ass done a dirt track"
"I don't care, at least she'll be safe" Turning to Castiel he said "You agree with me right"
Gazing down at Haley's unconscious face before turning to Dean and saying firmly "Yes, have you put the protection symbols I gave you on every wall of the panic room" at Deans nod he said "Good, no one is getting in there that isn't 100 percent human, and that includes me"
Walking over to the window; Dean could see that the sky had turned black and knew that their time had run out. He could see Demons surrounding the house from every direction and in the centre of them all was Mammon, Lucifer's son his eyes as black as midnight as he walked ever closer to the house.
Sam returned to the kitchen and said "It's done; she's locked in there tight. There is no way that she's getting out anytime soon. I've called her father to tell him that if he doesn't hear from us within the next twenty four hours that he should get his butt on a plane down here to let her out"
Nodding Dean looked at the other three men in the room and said "It's time to go to work" with that they walked out of the door to face the biggest battle of their lives.
Authors Note: Thanks for reading. Please review.