-x-x-xx-x-x-x-x--x
Eternity! Funny how that sounds to a man without a sense of time but the rest of his sensations was more than aware. It already felt like forever as the demon tortured him, but the feeling of being lost in a mass of others was overwhelming. At times, he wondered if they would pull him under to some other unforeseen hell. Dean's body was stiff with tension, aching in exhaustion and stress. He looked up into the demon's face bleakly.
"It gets harder every time, doesn't it, servant?" the Xaphan said. "You know how many of us are waiting to get a crack at you? Can you hear the souls naming all the mistakes you have made? You are are too weak to fight us. Everything you ever touched has turned out wrong. Can you feel your body dying?"
"No." He lied. "Feels pretty good…nap time for me." But, it wasn't restful. As his body grew thick, somewhere deep inside of him, there was a banging. Not like a door, but like a fluttering moth caught inside a jar with the hottest light source burning away its wings. Part of him wanted to rip away, but it was stuck in the tar like mess of his body.
"You give in so easily." The demon repeatedly and mercilessly attacked the trapped hunter for every thought that passed Dean's mind or any action the man attempted in defense. "I will wear you down because you aren't strong enough."
All the voices moaning and groaning in pain and fear, the noises the souls made were like splinters to his heart. Dean struggled as the demon held him back, making him look at the flood of souls cramped together. He moaned once, and then stopped fighting. "This is what you get human." Xaphan slammed a fist into Dean's back. Dean fell back down even as the demon began beating him. He felt his arm break and thought perhaps he would die now or again. No matter how many times it happened now, his body always shocked at the final gasp before death. He anticipated it, thinking Xaphan was finally going to kill him.
But he didn't. When it was done, when he lay gasping for air and fighting to remember how long he had suffered. The demon knelt at his side once more. He gripped Dean's hair and pressed his mouth near Dean's ear. "Almost there. Can you feel the spirit inside of you banging to get out of your dying body. Do you know the pain it will cause inside of you as you die? Death is coming for you, servant. And when you return, I'll be waiting too."
-xx-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
The gold amulet whirled in Sam's rough fingers so frequently; he could have rubbed the callus off of his fingers. He couldn't really remember how they got back to the motel, but he could recall the sensation of Dean's jacket on his shoulders and the necklace around his own neck. Bobby had placed them there when the returned. It got his attention at least.
When they first arrived, he had taken out Ruby's blade and tossed it around. He supposed their oldest friend found it disturbing when Sam flipped it for too long.
Bobby glanced at Sam, watching the young man carefully. He had witnessed a glimmer of something at the gate and it was worth more than a passing curiosity to find out what. The older man didn't say anything, but he had watched Sam extra carefully since that time.
Sam pulled the jacket tighter, find the shoulders a bit too snug, but he didn't mind. He rubbed the gold object again. He fixated on those sensations, not speaking, eating, or even crying now. He was just a man going through the motions of breathing without purpose. The feelings returned as they had been when that Trickster had showed him Dean's death. Maybe this is what that bastard meant to accomplish, relish in the fact his little game had come to pass. He formed a death list- a hit list on sorts- in his mind. Lilith, the trickster...they would all pay. At that moment, Sam vowed to let the softer side of him die. Because if he didn't, he would feel the pain of losing Dean so acutely, even his breath would cease. He finally understood his father. When you have nothing to lose, all you have is revenge.
Bobby glanced at the quiet man. He could try to comfort the kid, but what was there to say. Instead he focused on Ruby's book and strange notes, lots of scribbles in Latin marking other passages, lots of interpretations, and conclusions. He could use Sam's brain right about now, but it didn't seem to be connected. "Hey Sammy? Take a look at this?"
He received no response other than the constantly passing of the necklace between Sam's large fingers. Bobby continued reading, letting the hours pass as he figured it all out. Finally, when he put all the notes together, he found an answer he didn't like. "Sam? Those visions of yours….you have any recently."
Nothing. Not a word.
"It's important. Tell me….do you still feel the…"
"No."
"Back at the gate... I saw…"
"No…"
"Then you explain that outburst. You…."
"YES! ALRIGHT! And I plan on using it to kill all those bastards. Make them all pay."
Bobby started when the voice didn't sound like Sam's. "Kid, you should have told us. Ruby was watching you for it."
"I'm in control… there wasn't time."
"Make time. I need to know if you can control yourself. Cause right now… I'd say no."
"I'm FINE!"
"Yeah, that is why you sound like Damian on acid. All that is missing is a 666. You answer me, boy."
"I ANSWER TO NO ONE!" Sam eyes flashed over like glacial ice before he gasped and shifted to his normal tone. "Bobby, I'm sorry."
"Guess you answered that question. You should have told us, we could have looked out for you."
"I don't need help with me, I need help with Dean."
"Well, if you care to join me in this, it'll help you understand. Ruby was working for someone…my best bet is Mastema. She mentions that name and Lilith's over several passages in these refrains. Along with yours and Dean's." Sam didn't move, so he walked over to the man and plopped the book into his lap. "Take a look. Ruby was doing some research on the prophecies of Nostradamus. She found a pattern of some refrains with some mightier math than I can't figure out. But, take a look at the passages and the notes…seems the prophecies of Nommy boy were less predictions than a how to guide of demonic domination for our friend Ruby."
"I don't understand."
"Here… Through anger and internal hatreds, the exiles, will hatch a great plot against the king: Secretly they will place enemies as a threat, his own old adherents find sedition against them." Ruby marked it as 1. She has several passages numbered through the book. Look at her translation."
Sam grabbed the book. "With the fall of general, his chosen leader will lead the winning faction. Demons must ban around Sam. Control Dean Equals control Sam."
"She was playing us, kid. Seems we have a power play between Lilith and Mastema.
"The deaths of the firstborn of the Egyptians during Moses' time are attributed to Mastema. He's old biblical lore and…"
"So's Lilith. Demonic tug-of-war with you two in the middle. Go to the passage labeled as 2."
"Two royal brothers will wage war so fiercely, That between them the war will be so mortal, That both will occupy the strong places: Their great quarrel will fill realm and life…. … Bobbby….. uh…No offense, but these can be made into anything. They are just vague prophecies."
"Maybe, but the demons believe them and if they do, we know their movements. Read on."
"Dean must fall to Lilith- solider in her army. Sam fight against her….Dean must die at the end…. Too risky to ..."
"Notice the passage… brother vs. brother. They were setting you up. Ruby picks up the pieces to help you defeat Lilith and rewards your efforts by offing Dean too. Playing all sides."
"DAMN IT. They are playing with human lives for some bit of nonsense in a book…"
"Their demons, they don't have to make sense, but there is another set of passages marked. It doesn't follow the same line. Like a sub clause in the demon plan." Bobby grabbed the book and read aloud to Sam, who sat in disbelief any of this could be real. Dean being in hell was unreal enough for him, but to find out it was all over some words written and interpreted by demons was too much.
"The body without a soul no longer at the sacrifice.
At the day of death it is brought to rebirth.
The divine spirit will make the soul rejoice
seeing the eternity of the word.
The phoenix over the city of the Sun,
will deliver a nocturnal omen:
By the shaven head a very bad choice will come to be made,
Overburdened he will pass the gate:
He will speak with such great fury and rage,
That to fire and blood he will consign.
Near a great bridge near a spacious plain
the great lion with the Imperial forces
will cause a falling outside the austere city.
Through fear the gates will be unlocked for him.
Mars threatens us with the force of war,
and will cause blood to be spilt seventy times"
"Dean?"
"Yeah…a body without a soul no longer to sacrifice"
"Dean marched into hell."
"And Ruby wanted to stop it. Sam, he's not dead… he's alive and in hell. Ruby figured it all out. He fulfilled his deal. His soul is in hell, but he messed up Lilith's and Ruby's …..Or Mastema's plans. We can get him out."
"How? Let's do it now."
"You won't like it."
"I don't care."
"You have to go get him."
"YOU STOPPED ME BEFORE. I could have..."
"You have to let the demon blood in you take over. That's the way Ruby had, but she wanted to keep you from that and keep Dean from pulling this stunt. She had to know your brother would not go quietly and try something. But, you pass in there as a human and you are as stuck as Dean. He wouldn't want you to risk it."
"He doesn't get a vote in this. I get to be selfish for once."
"According to this…you could lose all that makes you human. Ruby didn't want this to happen because you would be after Dean and not join their team. It wasn't to save your soul or Dean's that she theorized this… and it's so much wors… "
"I'm going. That passage tells me he is in pain. How can I let him stay there?"
"Then, I'll be there to help you, but you better be prepared for the worst."
"What could be worse!"
Bobby was quiet. "God, I hope this is wrong, but…"
"WHAT?"
"According to these notes, Dean is dying and being remade over and over again. Sam he's going through…"
"Hell! He is going through hell. Bobby, I have to do this."
"Then we better find a way for you to hold on to the good part of you. You let that demon blood take over and …."
"I have all I need…" Sam toyed with the necklace again. "No demon or demon blood will ever control me again. "When, I get him back you can do what you need to get me back or kill me."