Chapter 4: Reichenbach part 2
Sam managed to re-pick Dean's trail and it led him to a strip club about two towns over from the bar that Dean and Crowley had been. He found that Dean had been there and had caused quite the scene. The bouncer of the bar had been beaten by him and his arm was in a sling.
"That's the guy," he said looking at Dean's picture. He handed the picture back to Sam as he went to grasp his gauzed hand. "I called 911 but he was gone before they showed up. Dude get to you too?" he asked indicating Sam's own arm in a sling.
"Oh," Sam said shaking his head. "No, this was just a hunting accident."
"Damn."
"Yeah," Sam nodded. "So, would you do me a favor? If you see him again, would you give me a call?"
The guy took Sam's card. "Yeah. You bet."
"Thanks."
Sam then headed back into his car and then prepared to head back on the trail, not noticing that he was being watched. Cole had been following Sam's trail ever since he 'got away'. He didn't quite understand what Sam was doing exactly but if he led him to Dean then that was all that mattered. When Sam pulled out of the lot, Cole started his jeep up and then started to pull out to keep on him.
Crowley was in the now empty bar as one of his associates was reading him a pitch that he had to improve Hell. Needless to say that Crowley wasn't having a good time.
"At the end of the day we have to strategically calibrate expectations so by making these 64 small changes I believe that we could increase our demon conversion rate by 0.03%"
Crowley just stared ahead as the words this demon was saying passed over him. His phone rang in the distance but he barely registered it as his second associate answered it for him.
"Sir?" the demon asked hanging up his phone. "Sir?"
"Kill me," Crowley muttered.
"Its Sam Winchester sir," the demon tried to continue. "He's close."
Crowley actually perked up a bit at that bit of news when the door opened and Dean started to strut on in. "Dean…how'd it go?" he asked him when he made it over to him.
Dean shrugged. "Fine. Fine, he's dead and you were right. I feel amazing."
Crowley nodded but froze when he considered all of Dean's words. "He?"
"Oh…Lester."
"The client?" Dean had killed the one who made the deal instead of what the deal was for? "You killed the client?!"
Dean shrugged again. "Does it matter? He was a douche. Now, he's a dead douche."
"Of course it matters! The deal was one dead wife for one soul. The wife's not dead, I don't get the soul," he went on to explain. "It's math."
Dean reacted to that by shrugging again. "Well…there you go."
Crowley became enraged when Dean started to walk off. "Hey! Don't turn your back on me," he scolded.
But Dean turned around and then shoved him back to fall to the floor with a chuckle and grin on his face. Crowley got to his knees and saw that his associates were both grinning at the sight of him and seemed to be fighting a laugh. Suddenly, Samael's words were coming back to him. How he mocked that he, Crowley the King of Hell, couldn't handle one 'baby' demon. He told him that his demons would laugh at him and the smirks on his associates were testament to his prediction.
"Something funny?" he spat at them.
"No sir," one of them said while he and the other tried to look impassive again.
"Good," he growled as he got back to his feet. He regained his composure as he stared Dean down who was smirking at him. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Oh, whatever I want," he said simply.
"Really?" Crowley said back. He was going to regain control of Dean and do it here and now showing that stuck up whore of an archangel his capability once and for all. "Because I think you don't know what you want. Tell me Dean, what are you? Demon? If so, why isn't Lester's wife dead? Did you feel sorry for her? Maybe you think you're still human, except, you still have those pretty black peepers and you're working alongside me. So…why don't you do all of us a great big favor…and PICK A BLOODY SIDE!" he raved.
Dean just calmly stared back at him. "Or what?" he asked simply. Dean then started to move on closer to Crowley who was trying to hold his ground but it was clear that he was scared. "Go ahead," Dean said smugly to him. "Make a move. See how it ends."
Crowley swallowed down some of the fear that Dean was generating from him as he tried not to fall to pieces in front of his demons. If he faltered now, then he would not only never recover but would be proving Samael right and be forced to give in to his special request, which Crowley absolutely didn't want to do. Yet…as he looked at his demons, who were just staring at him and taking in his reluctance, it looked like that might come to pass.
"I'm not your freaking bestie and I'm not taking orders from you," Dean continued with his face losing the smugness and getting downright serious. "When I need to kill, I'll call, until then, stay out of my way," he said with his smugness making a return.
Crowley just nodded. "Fine…it's over. Crazy ones, they're good for a fling but they're not relationship material," he said trying to get the final word in.
Dean sucked on his teeth. "Are you done?"
"We're done," Crowley said. "Just remember Dean…this one's on you, not me." Crowley then left with his demons in tow.
Dean wondered what Crowley meant by that last part. Knowing him, the King of Hell was going to try and pull a fast one on him but Dean wasn't worried. What could he do? Crowley struggled with Abaddon and he wasted her no fuss, no muss. And he was even stronger now. There was nothing Crowley could do to stop him.
As Crowley left Dean, he glared on ahead. He wouldn't let Dean give any of his demons any ideas that they could screw him over and get away with it. Not when he just was starting to get control again after all that mess with Abaddon. He couldn't go up against Dean directly but then he didn't need to. Crowley had an ace up his sleeve that he had yet to publicly pull out as well as a really tall trump card that wasn't too far away.
Sam stepped out of the motel, eager to get back on the road and look for his brother as he headed for his car.
"Hello Bullwinkle."
Sam knew that voice. He turned around and sure enough, there was Crowley. He was calm and collected as always which only made Sam lose it even more.
"Miss me?" Crowley asked now that he had Sam's full gaze on him.
"So much." Sam then pulled out the knife.
"I'd think twice about that," Crowley said not even flinching.
"I don't need to think," Sam said before he threw it. But the blade stopped in mid-air. Crowley wasn't moving a muscle though. He was just calmly staring at the hunter as if he hadn't just tried to kill him. "What the hell?"
"Not exactly," Crowley said before looking off to the side.
Sam followed his gaze to see a young man with his hand out in the direction of the knife. It was a young man that Sam recognized.
"Lucas?" he asked.
It was. It was Lucas Marshall, the druid from Stanford that he and Dean came across when they were investigating a case in the area. Last he saw him was when he ran off when they and his fellow druid friend Orville tried to confront him when they learned that he had done the killing and even tried to kill him.
"Sam Winchester, as sharp as ever huh?" Lucas joked.
Then Crowley cut in. "Oh, right, I'd forgotten that you two were acquainted already but we're not here for a reminisce." He then took the knife from where Lucas froze it before tossing it over for Sam to catch it easily.
"What do you want now Crowley?" he spat as he glared back at him.
"Relax Moose, you're here for Dean right? I'll give him to you."
Sam narrowed his eyes. "What?
"Little prat is bad for business. He's…uncontrollable. Must be the Mark. Anyway, Dean's your problem now, again, forever."
"Where is he?" Sam demanded.
Crowley kept his cool. "First, there is the small matter of my finder's fee."
Sam glared harder at him as his grip on the knife tightened. He wasn't going to give Crowley anything. Not after everything he'd done to his brother. He brandished the knife in Crowley's direction. "Tell me where he is right now or I swear-"
But Sam couldn't say anything more after that because the words were caught his throat, along with everything else. He couldn't say anything else because it felt like his throat was clogged up. Sam turned and saw that Lucas had his hand out and was turning it around at his side as he calmly looked back at him.
"That's where the trouble starts with you hunters. Always bringing knives and your guns out before everything could be laid out," Lucas calmly said smirking at him.
Crowley let out a deep breath before he rolled his eyes at the young man. "Enough showboating Luke." Lucas then let his grip on Sam go and he started to cough slightly. "Now…where was I?" Crowley asked calmly to Sam.
Sam rubbed at his throat but relaxed as he looked back at him. To get Dean back, it looked like he would have to play by Crowley's rules, for now.
Joseph walked the long corridor of the prison with his footsteps echoing with every step he took. He kept walking passed the empty cells until he stopped at a particular one. Its occupant was dressed in a white straight jacket. The idea was actually Michael's which Joseph thought was poetic on itself.
"Oh boy, a visitor," slurred out the occupant sitting off in the far, barren corner. "And what a visitor. Joseph. What brings the Chief of the Powers to grace my cell?"
"Believe me, this isn't a leisure visit Metatron. I'm here to get information."
Metatron glared up at him. "The Demon Tablet? Like I told your Good Ole' Master Mikey, I don't know where it is. Be a good lap dog and tell him that you couldn't find the bones this time."
Joseph narrowed his eyes. "I'm not here for the Demon Tablet. Talk or don't, we'll find it eventually," he said confidently. "What I want is for you to tell me how much you know of the Angel Tablet."
Metatron was actually taken aback. "The Angel Tablet? Why would you ask about that?"
"Answer the question," Joseph pointedly said to him.
"I know every last scratch on it."
"So, you could tell me anything that is written on it?"
Metatron narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Why? Why would Michael want me to do that when you already have the tablet and Kevin Tran?" Joseph just glared at him. He didn't say anything but Metatron still learned what he needed. "This isn't for Michael, is it?" Joseph just glared at him. "And what would be on the Angel Tablet to make Joseph sneak around behind Michael's back for?"
Joseph tightened his jaw before he let out a frustrated sigh. "Tell me what you know of the ritual that we used to free Michael."
"Oh," Metatron said taking a seat. "A complex ritual that requires several items and ingredients, not to mention-"
"Skip the cliff notes Metatron," Joseph cut in. "Tell me what happens to the Saint after it is done."
Metatron leaned back slightly. "So, he's awake. How long has it been exactly? It's hard to keep track of the time when they don't even let you hang a calendar."
"Three months," said Joseph.
Metatron's eyes widened. "Oh…three months. Not as memorable as three days but to each his own."
Joseph narrowed his eyes. "Do you know what has happened to Daniel or not?"
"I do," he said simply. "Don't worry, he's not dying. But in the long run, you'll wish he had. It would spare him a great deal in the end."
"What do you mean by that? What do you know?"
Metatron leered at him. "My…the Great Joseph, frantic over a human. Who would've thought it," he said amusingly. "Don't fret, I'll tell you…but it will cost you."
"Cost me what?" he growled.
"Nothing much. What I want is actually quite small. The information is yours…if you let me go." Joseph glared at him. "Oh come on, you had to know that I wouldn't help you for free. There was going to be a price and I think you knew what I would ask for…and you wouldn't have even bothered unless there was some part of you that was willing to pay it."
Joseph was silent for a moment as he stared down at his feet. He then looked up at Metatron. "And, what may I ask would you do if you were free? You're not exactly popular with the angels these days Metatron. The Host would see you dead and I'm sure that Samael's movement wouldn't exactly welcome you back with open arms if he ordered Barbatos to give you your death."
Metatron just snorted. "You know what? I'm done with this planet. All of it. If you release me, believe me, you and the rest of Heaven, Hell and Earth will never see me again."
"We can have that just as well with you in this cell for all eternity."
"It would, but that wouldn't help you protect your precious Saint. Think about it Joseph…this may be the only chance you have to step in and help Daniel while there is still time."
"Do you really believe that I would agree to this?" he asked. "If I free you then I betray Michael."
"Yes…but if you don't then you betray Daniel," Metatron argued. He then got up and slowly walked for the bars. "Face it Joseph, no matter what you do you will end up betraying someone. Besides, I'm sure that Michael will let this slide, well at least for his prime lap dog. He'll get over it. But Daniel, from what I hear you've been perching on his shoulder for years. Just as long as Castiel has been with Dean and look at the lengths that he would go for his human. Are you saying that your loyalty isn't as firm to Daniel as Castiel's is to Dean?"
"No," Joseph grumbled back before he grabbed Metatron and slammed his head into the bars. "My loyalty is stronger. Ours, is stronger than theirs," he corrected.
"Then…prove it," Metatron growled. "I have the answers Joseph. And they are answers that you will need. Help me and I'll give you what you need to help Daniel, while there is still time. You can either betray Michael to save Daniel or you betray Daniel to serve Michael. Tell me, which is the lesser evil?"
Joseph let a puff of air loose from his nose. "With Castiel and Dean, all they seem to do is hurt and betray each other, Sam as well. Working with evil, committing evil, freeing evil. All to 'save one another'. Betraying those they claim they would die for to save them; tell me Metatron, how is that loyalty?"
"So you would betray Daniel? Well, what's the care of a human, even if he is the Saint, over the Great Archangel Michael?"
"Don't patronize them Metatron!" he spat. "Or me. I won't betray either Michael or Daniel. Freeing you would do just that and I wouldn't betray Daniel to save him. To have the ends justify the means, he wouldn't want I or his brother to do that," he said placing his hand over the heart of his vessel. "Letting you go may help me help Daniel, but it would betray him as much as it would betray Michael. Perhaps even more. Make all the work, effort and sacrifice he made to clean up your mess be for nothing. You're right about one thing though. I had a feeling that your freedom would come in somewhere along the way but I never had any intention of giving it to you."
"Really? Then why did you bother coming here to me then if you weren't?"
Joseph shrugged. "I don't know. Call me naively optimistic but I thought that you would hope to try and redeem yourself for the sake of the Saint, of our Father's chosen. Give yourself some peace for you to have in your time here." Joseph gave him a short pause. "I guess that was too much to hope for from you then."
"Oh, don't waste any of it. Because you're going to need it from now until the time you realize that you should've taken my offer in the first place."
"Joseph?" said an approaching figure with echoing footsteps.
Both Joseph and Metatron turned to see the one joining them.
Joseph nodded. "Hello Raguel."
"Two Powers seeing me in one day. Wow, lucky me," Metatron said deadpanned as he carried himself over to sit back against the opposite wall of his cell.
"Is something wrong?" Raguel asked.
Joseph shook his head. "No. Everything's fine." He then turned to glare at Metatron. "In fact, they're great. You see…I brought Metatron here a cell-warming present."
He then reached into his jacket and pulled out something from its inner pocket. He then threw it to the floor by Metatron's feet. It was a paperback book. The title Crime and Punishment out for all three of them to see.
Raguel actually cracked an amused smile. "That was nice."
"Oh how thoughtful," Metatron snipped.
"Cherish it Metatron," Joseph said with a slight smirk. "That's the only reading material you're ever going to get." He then began to make his way out of the cell area and his smirk faded slightly. Made worse when Metatron yelled his final words.
"He's worse a dead man walking. Hear me Joseph? Worse than a Dead Man Walking!"
Was Metatron right? Was something going to happen to Daniel after all? Or was it all just a desperate final ruse of his?
Dean was still at that mostly empty bar, sitting over at the piano playing a note or two. He looked at his hand and then ran the First Blade over it and cut into his palm. He watched as the cut magically healed itself. Crowley was right about one thing…there seemed to be some part of him that thought he was still human. Well, that just proved he wasn't. He was a demon now, and forever. All this stuff he'd been doing, the bars and the clubs, the thrill was starting to wear thin. The thought of doing these things forever was what he used to think was the ultimate paradise. Yet, it wasn't feeling the same anymore. It was…mundane. Maybe it was time to finally pick a side? His thoughts were cut short when he heard some soft footsteps and a certain human smell invaded his nose.
"Hiya Sam," he said putting the blade down and looking over at his brother. He then looked over at the bartender. "Hey Harv, why don't you grab a smoke?" he suggested to the man.
The human could see that something was about to go down and seemed to not want to be there so he just left. Dean did scare the man and didn't want to be on the wrong side of him. Sam seemed to notice that and wondered just how far his brother really had fallen if he could control other people like that.
Dean noticed the injury that Sam had. "What winged ya?" he asked slightly curious.
"Does it matter?" Sam muttered.
"Not really," he said shaking his head. He then reached for his drink on the piano. "I told you to let me go," he said before emptying the glass.
"You know I can't do that. By the way, your pal Crowley, sold you out."
Dean shrugged. "Sounds like him," he said not the least bit surprised. He then got up and took the First Blade in hand.
"Dean," Sam said trying to reason with him. "Look, you don't have to do this. We know how to cure demons, you remember that?"
"A little latin and a lot of blood," Dean said remembering the final trial. "Rings a bell…but did you ever stop to think that if I wanted to be cured then I wouldn't have bailed?"
"That was Crowley," Sam tried to argue.
"It really wasn't," Dean smirked at him before he went for a vodka bottle and poured himself a shot.
Sam gave him a hard look before he shook himself out of it. "It doesn't matter. Because, whatever went down, whatever has happened, we will fix it," he said, determined.
"Will we?" Dean smirked. "Because, right now, I'm doing all I can to not go over there and rip your throat out, with my teeth." His face fell and he was all out glaring at Sam now. "I'm giving you a chance Sam. You should take it."
"Well…I'm going to have to pass," Sam said not backing down.
Dean shrugged. "Well I'm not going to walk out that door with you ya know. I'm just not. So…what are you going to do then? Kill me?" he asked before drinking the vodka.
Sam shook his head. "No."
Dean smirked at him. "Why? You don't know what I've done. I might even have it coming."
Sam nodded his head but held his ground. "I don't care. Because you are my brother…and I'm here to take you home."
Dean downed the vodka and then he let a laugh loose. "Ahh. 'You're my brother and I'm here to take you home'", he mocked. "What is this, a Lifetime Movie? With those puppy dog eyes…oh, thanks Sammy. I needed that."
Sam just glared at him before he went and pulled out the cuffs from the dungeon at the Bunker. Just like the ones they used to keep Crowley at bay.
"You really think those are going to work?" Dean's tone was stiff but Sam could see that there was an ounce of concern mixed in there.
"One way to find out."
Yet before anything else could happen, a canister flew into the window and started to bathe the room in tear gas. Sam quickly got out of there and ran right into Cole Turner. The man looked stiffly at Sam before he went and knocked him out with a blow to the head.
Then Dean came over from the other exit of the bar and calmly walked over as he took in the scene of the guy standing over his knocked out brother. Cole could feel eyes watching him and quickly brought his gun out and turned. He turned until he saw the one person that he's wanted to find for the last ten years.
"Wow, it's really you," he said stepping closer to him.
Dean just narrowed his eyes. "Have we met?"
"Talked on the phone," Cole said getting closer.
Dean then nodded. "Right. You were the one that was supposed to put a bullet in Sammy's brain. Did you miss?" he said jokingly.
Cole wondered how this guy could talk so casually about something like that but shook it away immediately. "I had a better idea. Figured that if I let him go, he would go running right to you. All I had to do was just tag along. Now…here we are. Finally. Dean Winchester." Cole was smiling as he was finally where he had dreamed to be for so long.
"Great. A groupie," Dean joked completely nonplussed about the gun Cole had on him.
"Remember me?"
"Yeah…you're that guy from that thing," he shrugged.
"New York, June 21, 2003," he spat out.
Dean just shook his head. "Is that supposed to ring a bell?"
Now Cole outright glared at him. "It was the night that you gutted and killed a man by the name of Edward Trenton. He was my father."
Dean shrugged. "Okay."
"Okay?" Cole said widening his eyes.
"Hey, I'm not saying that I didn't slice and dice your old man. I'm just saying that he wasn't the first and he certainly won't be the last and they sort of get blended up after a while." Dean said this like it was an amusing mistake. Like forgetting a lunch date or something.
And Cole only felt the burn in his heart getting hotter. "I saw you. That night. After you let me live and that was dumb. Real dumb." Cole tightened his hold on his gun. "I spent half my life...training for this moment. I've played out this fight a thousand times in my mind. And I know all about you Dean-O. You're good...but I'm better."
"Yeah...well here I am," Dean said bringing his hands out with a smug smile. "Prove it. Take a shot. I dare you."
Cole gripped the gun but he then put it away at the holster on his leg. "Well, that's no payback. At least, not like this," he said pulling out a large knife instead. Like the kind Dean had used that night. "This is the payback."
Cole then went to stab Dean but he easily caught Cole's wrist and twisted it to make him let go of the knife and drop it to the ground before Dean whirled him around and away from him a few paces. Cole tried to go for him again and threw a kick at him but Dean grabbed his leg, bent it, and took the gun from the holster Cole had put it in a few moments ago.
"You know...and I'm just spitballing here," Dean smirked as he emptied the clip out of the gun. "But maybe you are not good as you think you are." He then threw the gun off after he emptied it. Cole then did a fighting stance and Dean let a laugh loose. "Ohhh, you know Kung Fu?"
"I know everything," Cole breathed.
Dean shook his head at him. "Well? Come on."
Sam started to recover and watched as Cole tried to fight against Dean bare handed. He had to put a stop to this. Or else Dean would tear that guy apart. He rushed back into the bar for the cuffs and holy water he left in there. He went to the floor and noticed that the cuffs were gone. Had Dean taken them?
"Looking for these?"
Sam looked over to see the cuffs dangling in the hands of Lucas who was staring blankly at him.
"Give me those," he demanded.
"Sure," he said throwing them for Sam to catch. "But, you're going to need more than that flask to bag your brother. Especially with only one arm."
"Like what?"
Lucas smirked. "Me."
Back outside, Dean was rendering all of Cole's efforts useless. Every punch and kick Cole threw at him Dean was either able to block or turn around at him. Cole was getting angrier at the fact that he couldn't even land a solid hit on him. That made him vulnerable to Dean tossing him to the ground.
"What did you think was going to happen?" Dean said circling him like a shark. "Huh? You stroll up here...say my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." He was outright laughing at the guy. "And I'd just roll over? Well, that's just...that makes me sad," he continued to play with the guy. He didn't see Cole pull out a spare knife so he was cut across the face when he struck at him. But Dean quickly grabbed his arm and then grabbed his neck and rendered him helpless. "You have no idea what you walked into, do you? None."
Cole watched the cut he gave Dean's cheek heal. "What are you?"
Dean smiled at him. "I'm a demon." Then his eyes went on to be pitch black.
A demon? That was all he thought before Dean went and started to beat down on him.
Dean headbutted him in the face and then started to beat every corner of him that his hands and feet could reach. He then put him against the car and pulled out the First Blade and held it against his throat.
"Go on," Cole spat. "Do it! You said that you would kill me when you saw me so do it."
Dean shrugged. "Guess I changed my mind." He then threw Cole face first into the ground. He then caught the sight of footsteps and saw his brother approaching for him with a flask out. "Oh Sammy, you're starting to embarrass yourself. You really think that's enough to bring me down?"
"No," Sam said. "But he is."
Sam looked to the side and Dean looked over himself to see someone standing there calmly. Dean knew him. It was that young druid/witch or whatever from Stanford that had killed a football player and got away. He smirked at Dean before he brought his hand out and a shimmer of red light escaped his palm and connected with Dean. Suddenly, Dean felt whoozy as if it was taking all of his strength to just keep himself standing. Sam then went and dunked him with holy water and his skin burned where the water made contact. Sam then dropped the flask and pulled out the cuffs in his pocket and quickly cuffed Dean's hands together to his back. Dean was still in pain and sapped of his strength from the witch's spell. Dean growled and grunted but it did little to stop it.
"It's over Dean!" Sam shouted. "It's over."
Sam then looked and noticed that Cole was nowhere to be found.
Cole had watched as Sam took that flask he had pulled from his bag before and threw its water on Dean which made smoke appear as it was acid and burn him. If he remembered correctly, Sam had said that it was Holy Water. He crawled further away and forced himself to his feet. He then stumbled off with the echo of Dean's grunts as he heard Sam yell that it was over. He was starting to see that Sam was telling him the truth earlier when he spoke of monsters. Not only that, but he learned that Dean was a greater monster than he first thought he was and all of his training and preparation didn't help him in the least. He had to find prepare a different way.
He got to his car and drove off for the local library. He stomped on over to the mythology section as he let himself lean on the shelves as he looked the spines over.
A librarian noticed him pouring over the shelves. "May I help you?" She then noticed that Cole looked hurt. "Do you need some help?" she asked concerned.
But Cole only wanted one thing from this place. He gave the librarian a cold, hard look. "Give me every book you have on demons," he said simply.
Dean was safely bound and secured in the back of the Impala when Crowley showed up. He looked to Dean in the backseat to Sam, to Lucas. "Well done Lucas."
Lucas smiled as he bowed to him. "Thank you sir. It was an honor to serve you."
"Expect a nice good performance bonus coming your way," Crowley said before waving his hand at him and Lucas was gone. He then looked at the glaring face of Sam Winchester. "Know your position and respect your elders. You really do have to drill it into them when they're young or you get...well Winchesters."
Sam just glared at him as he looked at the First Blade in his hands. He wished that the thing worked in his hands because he really wanted to ram it into Crowley's smug face. But still...a deal is a deal. Which Crowley seemed to love reminding him when he held his hand out for it. "What are you going to do with it?"
Crowley shrugged. "Toss it into a volcano. Leave it on the moon. I'll get creative. Believe me, I don't want Dean getting his hands on the precious any more than you do. Your brother knows I ratted and tends to hold a grudge. I don't want to get...boned."
Sam then handed the thing over. "This doesn't make us square." He then pointed at him. "If I see you again-"
"Oh stop it Samantha," Crowley rolled his eyes. "No one likes a tease."
Sam then headed for the car. Crowley looked over and saw Dean giving him a blank look but his eyes held a good degree of malice in them.
Sam was driving down the highway, heading back for the bunker, with Dean bound in the back. It had been silent for the last few hours. Not a word said by either of them. While this had happened in the past, this time was for far worse than all the others combined.
"This thing is filthy," Sam remarked. There was litter about and the windows even looked a little creasy. He couldn't remember the last time that the Impala was in this kind of shape. Dean always made sure that it was as clean and looked after.
But Dean just rolled his eyes. "It's just a car Sam."
Sam spared Dean a look through the mirror. He couldn't believe that Dean, of all people, just said that about the Impala. "It's just a...wow, you really have gone dark."
"You have no idea."
Sam shook his head. "You know what Dean, I saw what happened back there. You could've killed that guy but you didn't. You took mercy on him."
Dean just smirked on at him. "You call that mercy? Imagine that you spent your whole life looking for the guy that knifed your father. You finally find him, he whips you like a dog. How do you think that feels like?" he asked with some cheer in his voice. "That kid is going to spend the rest of his life knowing that he had his shot and he couldn't beat me. That ain't mercy Sam. That was the worst thing I could've done to him."
Sam started to feel his insides going cold. He never heard his brother talk like that before. He'd been hateful in the past but it was never with the pure joy and glee that he just had.
Dean wasn't finished. "And what I'm going to do to you Sammy...that isn't going to be mercy either."
Sam just breathed and kept on driving. The sooner Dean was in the Bunker then the sooner he could begin working to get his real brother back.
Crowley was looking the First Blade over before he set it down and went for his phone. He looked over the pictures of him and Dean during their little bromancing adventure. He actually felt a little sorry that it was now over.
Crowley then reluctantly put his phone away. He turned to his associates just in time for him to turn his head again towards the doors when the sounds of screaming were heard from beyond that door. He could see the light of an angel's grace leaking from the cracks.
"Bullocks," Crowley growled.
Abel had been tracking Dean Winchester's trail from the scenes of the killings to a bar where he had found a barmaid coated with it. After he took the woman aside and then scanned through her memories, he saw how his distant descendant and turned into a complete jackass in between leaving dead bodies behind. Then he picked up the trail from this woman and followed it to a strip club where he looked into the mind of a wounded man. Through his memories, he found that both Dean and Sam Winchester had come along which meant he was closer than ever to finding the new carrier of the Mark.
The trail finally brought him to this new bar where he was greeted with the presence of demons. As soon as he entered the building he was charged by a demon but he quickly grasped his head and smote him. Two more demons came rushing for him with angel blades out but he quickly brought out his two new swords and ran them right through them both at once. The demons imploded in on themselves and Abel then pulled his swords free which made both fall to the ground in ungraceful flumps. Abel detected a high level of demonic energy in the main room and blasted the doors open as he calmly strode in. The room was empty but there was fresh sulfur in the air.
"Damn," Abel muttered.
He stepped out into the back area where he found more traces of the trail from the Mark. It wasn't from too long ago. Maybe he could still catch up.
End of Chapter 4
A/N: That concludes this 'episode'. Things are really cooking now. Sam has Dean back and Cole is now more determined than ever to take him down. I hope you like both Lucas and Abel's surprise reappearances.
The next chapter will have Sam trying to purify Dean with his blood but it doesn't seem to do anything. Sam and Castiel are stumped on why until someone arrives to give Sam the answer, as well as a solution. Also, Crowley resumes his work to try and re-stabilize the demons but he gets uninvited guests that shake up all of Hell.
