Chapter 6: the weight of the world
Feels like the weight of the world
Like all my screaming has gone unheard
And oh I know you don't believe in me
Safe in the dark, how can you see?
Sam turned up the CD and Seether was soon blaring through the ware house as he began cleaning. It had cost a small fortune to rent the place for as long as he was going to need it. He had hustled a lot of pool over the last week to be able to afford it since he couldn't risk being found though the credit cards or worse having them discovered to be fake before he was through with his task.
But it was ideal. More of an abandoned mill than a warehouse really. He had used the debris to practice his TK and the increased strength that came from the demon blood flowing through his veins. He figured if he was going to be damned for no fault of his own then he was going to at least earn that damnation.
"I could bleed for a smile, could die for a gun" Sam bellowed out with the music, not letting himself really listen to the lyrics. "Walk away from the sun and tell everyone" he sang slightly off key with the increased volume. But it made the work easier as he swept "So tiny dancer beware, we're medicated and scared This smile is so hard to wear, but I have no gun"
Ruby watched from the side lines. He didn't know she was there. She hadn't made her presence known since coming back from her last round of errands. She wanted to see how Sam was really doing. His choice in music said a lot whether he realized it or not.
Although his choice of medication was a particular Mexican brand of tequila, and he had more guns than any three men could ever use. As though they could protect him against anything that was coming. Nothing could protect him from what was coming. Not his guns, not his rituals and not the half fallen angel that hovered nearby. What was coming Sam had to face head on, and she didn't know if she could prepare him in time.
He still missed his brother. That had been made evident by the phone call he had made. It was what was eating him alive. He had been afraid of the angels distain. The knowledge that hell awaited had terrified him. But he would have stayed and faced that to be with his brother. Heaven could reject him but so long as Dean did not, Sam was fine.
Sam wasn't fine now. In fact Sam was beyond not fine.
Still the music blared. Lyrics rattling the walls, saying things that she knew was going through Sam's heart. "Go unnoticed Let the freedom wash away, Losing focus, The pretense is second nature, It's a broken life that I cling to, Trying to make right"
She wondered how much of Sam was really Sam. He put on the pretence of being the same old Sam when he was with Dean but she knew he was broken. Had been since Deans death. She Knew that he was floundering, trying to define himself without his brother. She wasn't enough for him. She knew that. No woman ever would be. He and Dean were almost symbiotic. But Dean would be the death of him. That she knew. In the end the only thing that could stop Sam, was his brother. Even if he didn't know it.
"Yes I see you Surrounded by the hopeless When they need you You're much too good and bloated By the hopeless life that you cling to Try to make right" the lyrics continued, and Ruby turned and walked away, unheard and unseen.
Travel was easy. Demons weren't bound by their hosts physical limitations. She was in North Dakota within moments. Watching as Dean and his new traveling companion made preparations. She obviously wasn't a hunter, and she wasn't Deans type. Must be some stray waif he picked up to protect. Someone angel approved.
She wasn't sure why she was there. She hadn't expected to See him laughing and flirting. She had expected to see a bitter, angry man. Someone that could abandon his brother for some imagined slight. She would have settled for some sign that he had left unwillingly. Maybe to keep Sam safe from the angels she could feel nearby. But Dean looked more at peace than she had ever seen him. There was still guilt in the eyes. But it wasn't enough. It would never be enough after what he had done to Sam.
She wanted to kill him in that moment. Wanted nothing more than to feel his hot blood run over her hands and to hear his final heart beats. He didn't deserve to be at peace for even a moment when Sam was still raw and bleeding .
But she didn't. She wouldn't. It would destroy what was left of Sam for Dean to buy it. Even if the man was going to be his death. Literally and figuratively.
"Hey, if I can bless holy water, you definitely can bless holy water." Dean said with a chuckle as he packed everything away again. Everything set. Even the lighter fluid was full in case he had to burn the place right down.
"Things that I used to think could only be done by a priest." she said "Which leads me to believe other things work without the need of being catholic as well" She said as she took something out of her pocket. two squares of cloth, held together with two long brown cords. "I'd like you to wear this." she said.
Dean took it. "What the hell is this?" He asked with a chuckle. "This is exactly something that Sam would pull, want me to wear something ridiculous in the name of the job." He said, his jaw tightening up at the mere mention of his brother, his shoulders slumping slightly. There was a whole piece of him missing, and he couldn't look for it. He didn't know where to start.
And the angels, damn it, they were right. If the world ended because he was looking for his brother, he'd never find his brother because he and his brother would be dead. "I left something in the car." He said, getting up quickly and going out to the Impala.
His sanctuary. The one place where even when the world was mad, at least this space made sense. He leaned against the passenger side of the car and ran his hands over his face. His brother had left, there was nothing Dean could do about it, and yet every cell in his being was screaming for him to do something about it. Torn didn't even come close to describing how he
felt. "Damn it Sam..." He whispered to himself.
Ruby watched, brow furrowing. She debated speaking with him, but knew that the minute she showed her face the angels would appear and that would be that. Was it the angels rather than Dean that had sent him packing? If she asked that question out loud and got the answer for it, she would have to tell Sam. He would come back and he would die. She couldn't allow that. She wouldn't let the angels kill him, and they would in a heartbeat. So maybe it was better that she didn't know.
The frustrating thing was now she didn't want to kill him. She had really liked those thoughts of just... killing him and having done.
Laura waited several minutes before going out to the car. "I'm sorry." She said quietly.
Dean recollected himself. He'd done a lot of that, pulling himself together just because he had to. Not because he wanted to. The strong face. The one that denied fear, and hurt, and loss. "Don't worry about it." He said as he dug through the Impala for...whatever. Had to cover, he had an image to protect. And even she needed the image. If she knew how lost he really
was, she wouldn't feel as safe as she did. He found his iPod, and a bottle. "All set."
His drinking hadn't slowed down. Since Sam left, it had picked up even more. But it wasn't like anyone was really saying anything about it. As long as he got the job done, no one said anything.
Laura stepped up to him, and turned him to face her. "No... Dean... no." She said. "We aren't all set and there is something to worry about." She told him as she caressed the side of his face. "You're hurting. I can see that. I have always seen that. " She told him. "You don't have to hide that from me."
"I'm not hiding." He said. "It just doesn't matter. I have to save the world and everything else has to fall by the wayside. It's just the way it is. That's my whole life right there in a nutshell. My brother took off, he's God knows where. Wait, God doesn't even know. I've got angels on my back to do what they pulled me out of hell for, and I've got a lot of hell to deal with, and there's no time. There's never any time. So we're all set, because we don't have a choice but to be."
"Yes you do." She told him. "You have a choice in how you deal with this. You don't have to bottle it up inside of you. It will kill you if you keep this inside, either that or the tequila you are trying to drown it in will." She had watched, she had seen how hard he drank. Had been waiting for the melt down. But he refused. "You don't deserve to carry this pain around with you every minute of every day. You don't deserve it. " He was punishing himself for something. She just wasn't sure what.
He chuckled weakly. "Trust me, you don't know what I deserve." He said. "Just forget about it, okay? I'm dealing with it. No one else likes the way I'm dealing with it apparently, but it's being dealt with." Drowning it was as good an option as any. And every time he got thrown around by some demon or spirit, he knew he deserved that. He probably deserved Sam leaving. He didn't deserve Laura, but he was so borderline self destructive he'd never point that out. Because he had a job to do and he had to be alive for the near future to do it.
"No... no you don't." She said softly. "And you aren't dealing with it. I can't make you do anything or stop you from doing anything. You have to make those choices yourself, for yourself. But you don't know how good you really are Dean." She stood up on her toes and kissed him lightly. "I wish you could see you through my eyes." She said as she went to get into the Impala.
Ruby rolled her eyes. God, leave it to Dean to wind up with a goodness and light Twinkie as a running mate. There was something just wrong with that. Maybe he deserved it, maybe he didn't but damn that chick was enough to give you diabetes. She was definitely not telling Sam about this.
Dean shook his head. Laura didn't get it, and she would never get it. He didn't want her to get it either. "Let's just go shut down this cult and move onto the next one." He said with a sigh.
"Okay." She said, knowing that it was Dean that didn't understand. But she couldn't come out and tell him the slate had been wiped clean. He wouldn't believe her. She wished Castiel would tell him. But she suspected that was because they were afraid of what Dean would do in order to change that. He was absolutely self destructive. "Let's go do it." The conversation wasn't
over. But it was tabled.
Ruby watched them pull away. More confused than before. And planned to do nothing about it. Certainly not tell Sam. She liked him alive after all. And she liked him away from the angels. So she returned to the warehouse instead and slipped in, the music still blaring. She turned it down and leaned against the table.
"The coven should be here tonight. They're....odd. But okay." She said. "Not exactly women I'd choose to hang around with, it's Mother Earth this, and Mother Earth that, but they'll get the job done."
Sam laughed a little. "Mother earth huh? You found us a new age pagan group. " He found that amusing. "Hey as long as they have the power to back it up, sounds good. Those types are usually pretty much goodness and light." He said and frowned a little. "I figure we can have this place ready in a couple days if I keep at it." He needed to keep at it. Kept his mind off of
things. Off of people. Work and tequila.
"Need some help?" She asked. "Other than drawing the goodness and light symbols." She said with a chuckle. That she couldn't do.
"Sure." He said with a smile. He could fake a smile. It had taken a long time to learn how but he had managed. "Let's get all this out of here." He said indicating the last of the heavy machinery "Between the two of us, you think we can do it?"
She laughed. "Between the two of us? We could totally remodel in a matter of hours." She said as she started to shove the machinery. It was good to have demon powers most of the time! And moving kept her mind off telling Sam about his brother. Though she was glad he was miserable. Sam was, why shouldn't Dean be?
Sam went back and forth between moving things physically, which was much harder but getting easier with each day, and shoving with his mind, which was easier if he let the anger float to the surface, harder if he didn't. Either way, it was much easier than it would have been without his
abilities. Which was to say that it was possible at all. "Once things are ready, I need to go and get the vessel from Bobby." He told her.
"I can go get the vessel from Bobby." Ruby pointed out. "Leaving you time to put the finishing touches on everything here."
"No. He won't give it to anyone but me. I don't want them knowing who you really are." He said. He didn't want them coming after her. If they had turned on him, what would they do with a demon? If he lost her too, he would go mad with it. "Don't worry. I don't plan on staying to talk long. " And he didn't. He wanted nothing more to do with that life. That was a lie. Probably the worst he had ever told himself. He simply knew that it wouldn't do any good to want that life anymore. Better not to open himself up to more pain.
From his expression and his tone, she knew she'd made the right decision not to tell him about Dean and what she suspected. That the angels were behind the whole thing. Dean thought his brother left. Sam thought his brother tossed him out. Had to be the angels' doing. But if Sam knew that, he'd doubt. Then he'd angst and brood (more than he already was) before going
back to that life with his tail between his legs. And that would only get Sam killed, which couldn't be allowed. She'd definitely made the right choice. And she had nearly convinced herself of that too.
Of course, if it ever came out, she'd deny any such knowledge. She was, after all, a demon when you came right down to it. Lying wasn't anything to new to her, though she'd always found the truth to be a more useful tool.
"All right." Ruby said. "Though it's sweet to worry about my safety, I'm not easily defeat able, remember?"
"This is Bobby Singer we're talking about. He could never hurt me. Any more than Dean could." Which was why he was tossed out. It had come to the point where Dean was going to have to if he didn't leave. That was the only way Sam could wrap his brain around it and not go mad. Still the words 'you demon bitch' were the last he had heard from his brother. "But that doesn't
mean they couldn't or wouldn't hurt you. "
"He doesn't have to know I'm me." Ruby pointed out. "Different body, remember? And you already told him my name was Rachel."
"You don't want me going to talk to him. There something I should know about?" He wouldn't put it past her to spy on Dean and Bobby to make sure they weren't up to anything that would hurt Sam.
"Nothing yet. But why put that to chance?" She pointed out. "But if you want to see Bobby, I can't stop you. Well, technically I could. Except for that whole new ability you have, so I guess I am cornered there, aren't I?"
"You're not cornered. I don't go around using that power on you, now do I?" He said as he caressed her face. "I think it's sweet that you worry about my safety but I'm not easily defeat able, remember?" He grinned, tossing her own words back out at her. "I'll be okay at Bobby's place. Not gonna stick around and talk. Just... need to go get it myself."
"Oh that's low." She said with a chuckle as he threw her own words back at her. Good naturedly of course. "Fine, guess I have to let you go. In purely human terms, if I leave the demon powers out of it, you could outrun me anyway."
"Don't usually want to." He told her. "But if I follow that train of thought, we won't get any work done before our goodness and light coven shows up. "
"And we wouldn't want to shock them." She said with a grin. "You're right, they're not the heavy lifting type anyway. Just the chanting type."
"Yeah... so we get the heavy lifting done, and then, see what we can do about a shower. " He said, not that there was much cleaning he had in mind. He had something else in mind completely.
"You're definitely a leader." She said with a grin. "Look how well you inspire. And the whole conserving water thing, always plays well."
"What can I say? Saving the world one shower at a time. That whole carbon foot print thing." He said grinning back at her, before focusing on a heavy piece of machinery and shoving with his mind.
"You're getting better at that." Ruby said with approval as she moved things. Physically. She was half the size of Sam, but physically she was stronger.
"Yeah... never know when it's going to come in handy." He had spent far too often pinned to a wall unable to move anything but his mouth. Usually it got him in less trouble than his brother's, but that was just Dean. Pissing off the bad guy so they would focus on him and not... yeah that was a great train of thought. Things change. Everything changes. He just had to change
too.
"I can think of a few times." Ruby said as she moved what she needed to move. "But again, we don't want to corrupt the goodness and light knitting group."
"Nah... no demon blood activity for the knitting and kabalah circle. Although they might be impressed with our attempts to stay green." He teased.
"I'm impressed with your attempt to stay green." She said with a grin. "And you keep talking about carbon footprints and water conservation, we're never going to get this room done."
He smiled broadly. "We could always talk about ways to practice the subtle applications of my abilities. " He told her as he continued moving the machinery around until there was a large open space with equipment and boxes piled high to block the first floor windows.
"Moving this stuff's a good start." Ruby said. "As long as you don't complain of a headache later."
"Not getting so many headaches with this. Sending messages is rough, and the whole controlling demons thing about takes my head off, but this is... this is okay." He said honestly, but that was because he had been practicing this more. It seemed harmless enough. Not something he had to worry about being high on the scale of evil deeds. Although he wouldn't have thought sending
demons to hell was evil either.
"You've got that look again." Ruby said with a frown as she started sweeping. "The whole what would God think look. I hate that look."
"Yeah, well, I hate the feelings that go with the look." He said and shoved something a little too hard and it slammed into the wall with a sickening crash. "There are a lot of things that I hate right now, Ruby. Including the fact that I am angry and full of hate ." He laughed a little at the irony.
"So let's just get this ritual done and... put an end to this crap once and for all."
"Great idea." Ruby said. Maybe then he could distance himself from Dean. Give Dean the demon bitch that killed him, and she could start working on Sam from there. Rebuild him a bit. This full of hate thing wasn't good, even Ruby realized that.
"So... sorry... I don't need to take this out on you. It's just something I have to deal with. It'll get easier once this is done. " He promised. One way or another it would get easier. But it would never get better. That he knew for a fact.
"I know." Ruby said. "In the meantime, you get to enter estrogen hell." She teased. "That will be amusing all on its own to watch."
Sam gave her a dubious look. "How old are they again? Please tell me they aren't grandmothers." He had the worst luck with older women. The last one he had encountered had tried to sacrifice him... to herself, the one before that had tried to molest him on the dance floor.
Ruby laughed. "One is, she's the mother figure of the coven. The youngest is around thirty I think. One of them spoke quite highly about her cookie recipe. Weird people."
"God help me I'm doomed." He said with a melodramatic groan. "Frustrated mothers. It's like everyone of them has some radar that tells them I never had a mother. It's crazy... okay... you are in charge of granny wrangling... they start getting too... I don't know... granny like or maternal... get them off me... " Even more so if they were anything other than maternal but
he didn't think he had to worry about her letting that slide.
"Don't worry, I'll beat them off and then further corrupt you with not even close to maternal activities. As long as you don't let them braid my hair. One of them went on and on about how she never saw this color before." Ruby said with a laugh.
"Oh that's encouraging. They are gonna start asking us about when we are gonna have a family. Grandmothers... why did it have to be grandmothers?" He said then smiled. "Come on...if we hurry we have time for that shower before they get here. that is if I can get the granny talk out of my head. You have no idea how much of a turn off grandmothers are. "
******
Dean poured the last of the salt around the edges of the building. Definitely Satanic, and showy at that. All sorts of symbols and paintings on the walls. The alter was a photo negative image of a Catholic altar. The place gave him the creeps and reminded him of things he'd rather not be
reminded of.
"Okay, that should keep demons out. Humans still get to come in though." Dean said to Laura. "So let's get with the consecrating."
She nodded and entered the building. She began to pray in the name of St. Michael the Archangel as she walked through, holding the prayer book open to the pages she needed, not wanting to get a single word wrong, and the rosary wrapped around the wrist of her right hand. She held one of the bottles of holy water, sprinkling it over items as she came across them.
Dean patrolled the area, waiting for the shit to hit the fan. And even if no one came to interrupt them, he planned to stick around in a covered area and watch the reactions. Listening to the prayer, he recognized it, hunters used it all the time, surprisingly.
She finally came to the altar, removed the items, breaking those that were breakable, removing the altar cloth and scoured it with salt, rinsing it with holy water, then set a mound of incense in the middle and lit it. She could almost see him out of the corner of her eyes as she recited the prayers, a flash of light, so quick that you could never be sure that was what you were seeing or if it was your imagination. A faceless form in the back of her mind. She smiled as she fanned the smoke heavenward. The one thing in her life that had never been a lie was her faith. She clung to it, even though before having met Castiel she had thought she was losing her mind.
Dean surveyed the scene. "All right, let's get out of sight and watch the fur fly." Dean said with a chuckle. "This should be fun. I love frustrating people."
Laura laughed. "Okay, lead on. I've never done anything like this before." She told him, feeling the change in the room. It was almost physically tangible to her.
They hid outside the window, and Dean grinned like a kid on Christmas morning when the Satanists came to raise their demon, and found they couldn't. In fact, as they went through the unholy ritual, things started to burn. The whole building came down, the people making it out. Maybe. Dean didn't bother to take a head count as they headed back to the hotel.
Bobby was sitting on his front porch with his dog, a beer, and a case at his feet. Sam had called, and it was ready. Anyone else he might have charged a pretty penny for the work, but this was one of John's boys, so he didn't.
Sam drove the motorcycle up the drive and parked, removing his helmet before getting off the bike. "Bobby." He said as way of greeting. It hurt to be here. Hurt to know that there was always going to be an invisible wall between them. That was why he didn't stay last time, why he wasn't going to stay this time. It hurt too much, and the questions in Bobby's eyes were better left with no time to be voiced.
"Hi there, Sam." Bobby said, the concern showing through his eyes as he looked at John's youngest. "Where's the red head? Cut her loose already?" He asked, referring to the girl who had stayed by the bike the last time Sam was here. Because dammit, he was going to force Sam into a conversation one way or another.
"She's back at the hotel." Sam said. Hotel was a good word. It was believable. She was waiting at the warehouse, worried about him. "Her name is Rachel." He told the man who had been more of a father to him than his actual father. "I think things might actually work out between us." Although he wondered if he hadn't just cursed her somehow.
"Well, that's good." Bobby said, unsure what to say to the young man in front of him. "Sam, look, I know things are....difficult....between you and Dean....and I understand if you want to hold that against me in some way, but I don't play favorites between you two, never have."
"I don't hold anything against you, Bobby. I don't. But right now... how things are... until we stop what's coming, it's dangerous. The angels don't care about Rachel, she's not exactly off their radar but she isn't what they consider important... but you... Dean needs you right now. No matter the situation with Dean right now... which we're not gonna talk about...He's my
brother. "
"And you're his brother too." Bobby said with a sigh. "You eating enough?"He asked. "Made some stew, you can take some back with you."
"I..." Sam wanted to stay. He wanted to walk inside and take a seat at that kitchen table and just be his old self for a little while. He wanted to know what was going on in Dean's life, if he was okay. But that wasn't going to happen. The conflict was almost physically painful. He had lost so much, and he had a feeling he was going to lose even more before it was done. Better that it wasn't Bobby that paid the price. "Thank you... Always did like that stew." He said, it was okay to take the stew. He just couldn't stay, couldn't go inside. That would undo everything.
"Well, come on in and I'll dish you out some." Bobby said, picking up the case. That was his leverage. Sam wanted it, Bobby had it.
The conflict played across his face. How did he say no, yet how could he say yes? "I'm kinda in a hurry." He said, lamely, not really able to manage anything firm in that moment; before Ruby had been waiting for him, watching him from the bike. He had been so full of pain. Now that pain had begun to heal, and the ritual promised to bring an end to the nightmare, even if Sam knew that reality, for him, wasn't going change back to anything resembling normal.
Bobby ignored that. "Waiting in the kitchen on you, boy." Bobby said as he pulled out a cleaned take out container and refilled Rumsfeld's bowl.
Sam stared at the steps leading up to Bobby's house and took a deep breath, hoping he wasn't making a mistake, as he climbed them slowly. He entered the door and looked around, ever cautious but he made his way into the kitchen and took a seat at the table to wait on Bobby. His heart was near breaking because he couldn't help feeling that something was going to go wrong.
"Now that wasn't so hard." Bobby said and put a bowl of stew in front of Sam, then smacked him upside the head. "I'm sure your daddy taught you better, and I know damned sure I taught you better." He said. "I'm not some by blow flop house you breeze through when you want something. Talk to me, Sam. What's going on?"
Sam's head bobbed forward and he smiled a little. This was Bobby, as Bobby had always been. "I don't know." He said and sighed lowly. "But, please, let's not talk about that." He didn't want to give voice to it. Didn't want to make it real by saying the words, Dean threw me out. It was ironic really, to be thrown out of nowhere. Kicked out of a home he didn't have. "I didn't mean
to treat you like a blow by... flop house. I just... right now there are things I can't explain. "
"All right, you can start by explaining what exactly you plan to do with Lilith if your plan works." Bobby said. "Strap her on the back of the motor cycle and take a tour of the country? Rachel might object. Sure, I never got to talk to her," he said, giving Sam a look at that one, "but she
seems the possessive type." Up to Sam if that was good or bad.
"I was thinking of taking her to Utah. Burying her as deep as I can manage in the salt flats. " He said, knowing he could trust Bobby with that information. "Can't think of anywhere that would honestly be safe enough from demons." They wouldn't even be able to set foot on the flats much less to the middle. "Sad to say I got that idea from a movie I saw once. Dean has..." He nearly choked. "Been a bad influence that way."
"Was actually thinking of moving out there." Bobby said with a chuckle. "But salt is hell on cars." He looked at Sam and sighed. "Well, if you need some help with that, you let me know."
"I will. " He said honestly. "I'm sorry about the last time. I just didn't know how things would be between us." He told him as he finished the stew. "Once all this is over... with Lilith bound, maybe things will slow down. " He knew another would take her place but maybe Just maybe, the next one wouldn't be as big.
"Most likely we'll be working together to stop the next big shot in town, but as long as there's a next time, I'm fine." Bobby said. He wanted to push about Dean. Prod. Poke. Interrogate if he had to. But....he finally got Sam to step into the house and act like the Sam he knew. Well, close anyway. Most of the time, it was SamandDean. Not Sam and Dean. Except for
those four months....
"There is always another big shot in town." Sam said as he rose slowly from his seat. He was reluctant to leave, but he could see the questions already forming in Bobby's eyes. If he stayed too long they would come, and he couldn't answer them. He also couldn't bear to hear whatever excuse Dean was telling Bobby. "But I'll come around... when I can." They always had, but he would just have to be sure the Impala wasn't here before making himself known.
Bobby knew Sam was easing himself out. And he couldn't think of a way to stop him that wouldn't result in some sort of fight, or worse, Sam going silent. It was important to him to keep tabs on John Winchester's sons, however he could do it, so he accepted it for the moment. "Well, it was real good seeing you." Bobby said. "And actually conversing too." He said as he handed Sam the case and a big container of stew.
"I'll bring this back." He said indicating the container. "I'll let you know how things go. With the ritual and all." He told Bobby. He would send them word on how to get there. When to get there. He wanted Dean to have a chance to see Lilith put away forever. He needed to give his brother that much.
"All right." Bobby said as he walked Sam out. "It was real good seeing you again, you know. Don't be a stranger just because you and Dean have...whatever it is between you." He wasn't going to ask. Not right now.
Sam smiled, a genuine smile "See ya later, Bobby." That was a relief. That he didn't have to worry about the Dean situation and how it would affect Bobby. He had to be careful not to bring trouble to the older man's door, otherwise if he was careful they could still have their relationship. He made his way to the door and back out to the motorcycle without looking back
. It was the only way he was ever going to leave.
***
Ruby was a good mile away. She couldn't be any closer. Not with what this ritual entailed. Sam had demanded it, and she'd given in. Not like she wanted to die after all. She liked life right now. She looked at the clock in the diner and resisted the urge to call Sam and see how it was all going.
"Well look at you" Uriel said as he strode over to the Demoness and sat down across from her. She was a bad influence on the boy. As much as he would like to just take both of them out, he was ordered from on high to give the kid one last chance. "Don't worry. Winchester is surrounded by angels, and since none of them are me, he has a fair chance of making it though. If not, well, you'll see him soon enough."
Ruby slowly put down her coffee cup and looked at the archangel sitting across from her. "I haven't done anything wrong." She said. "I've helped both Winchesters last time I checked. I've given them information, and tools...." She looked at Uriel and everything made sense. "It wasn't Dean. It was you."
"You're a smart little stain aren't you. Or at least observant. I have to give you that much. But what you did wrong, you did long ago. You don't get to be a demon by being a good little girl." Uriel said with a smug smile. "And of course, then there's the whole thing of teaching Samuel to do things he was ordered never to do again. "
"Someone had to teach him." Ruby said. "And if he had listened the first time, your buddy wouldn't have had to yank Dean out of Hell. He's sending demons that hurt people back to hell, how can that be evil?"
"The ends don't justify the means. He's using demonic powers. Opening up all those dark recesses in that monkey mind. Waking up all that demon blood and getting it ready to boil over. You might be saving his life, but you are devouring his soul. Now personally I couldn't possibly care less. Just bundle you both up and send you to hell but someone upstairs likes your boy.
That means you have to go." He said and grabbed her hand to make sure she couldn't leave while he began to destroy her from the inside out.
The pain was so great she couldn't even scream. It was worse than being tortured by Alastair. Worse than anything she'd been through in hell to make her a demon in the first place. Her eyes bulged as she felt herself being devoured from outside in. She couldn't even inhale.
And no one else in the diner noticed when the red head in the corner slump over her plate while the older African American man sat back dispassionately.
He got to his feet slowly, straightened his suit and calmly walked out the door. At least one mission had been accomplished today. Now to stand watch over the other.
Bobby and Dean pulled up to the warehouse. "You sure this is it?" Dean asked Bobby as he got out.
"Yeah, this is it." Bobby said as he looked at the place. Dean was convinced from the bright lights flashing in an otherwise abandoned warehouse.
Upon opening the door, strains of ancient Hebrew could be heard. But the biggest surprise for Dean was who was saying the Hebrew.
Sam glanced up briefly seeing his brother and Bobby enter, He couldn't afford to let himself be distracted from his task. Lilith ranted and screamed obscenities, but it only made him chant louder. The 5 witches stood in their position, performing their tasks as required, Angels, including Castiel were bound in place to aid him, on either side of the sigil that bound Lilith in place. The light that glowed from them cast the images of their wings in shadow along the wall .
Dean started forward, but was stopped by Bobby.
"I'd say this was a bad time to interrupt him, wouldn't you?" Bobby pointed
out.
Castiel glanced at Samael, who wasn't bound, but was there anyway. "So this will be it?" He asked, even as an older god, Pazuzu, watched from the shadows, eyes glowing as he lent his power to the ritual.
Samael nodded. "If all ends as it should. This will be it." There was a chance it could go dramatically wrong. It could become far worse than if Lilith had opened the seals herself. The Winchester boy was a seal in and of himself. Which was why Samael was glad that Uriel had chosen to be elsewhere.
It was hard for him to be here, to watch as the woman he had once loved ... still loved was tormented and bound.
The room glowed brightly as the tone of the incantation changed and Lilith was ripped from the body she was inhabiting, dark smoke bouncing off the boundaries of the sigil until it was pulled with an inhuman shriek into the brass vessel Bobby had created.
Castiel sighed and looked at Samael as he was released. "I'm sorry. But it had to be done." Lilith wouldn't stop until she was stopped. But Samael was his brother, he knew Samael wasn't fine with this.
Dean shielded his eyes as it got brighter, then the brightness faded into pure blackness, the lights having been blown out by the ritual. He could hear movement, shuffling at that. Lighters and penlights sparking up the black in parts. "Sam?" Dean called out.
Sam bent down and picked up the vessel, still warm and vibrating slightly and walked over to the sound of his brother's voice as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. "She's gone now, Dean... she can't do anything more... to anyone..." He didn't know if it would be enough to prove he wasn't evil to his brother. He could only hope, and right then that hope was a thin and fragile thing.
Dean heard Sam and headed carefully over toward the sound of that much missed voice. Dean even missed the bitching. "Dude..." he said as he walked slowly. "Well, that's one good thing at least..." He said.
The doors of the warehouse opened and the light of the moon shone through the opened door as the dark skinned archangel made his entrance. "One. " He repeated. "One good thing. Not bad for a demon loving mud monkey." He said, ignoring the faces of his brethren. Especially Castiel. "That's alright. She won't be interfering anymore."
Sam felt the blood drain from his face "What are you talking about?" He growled.
"Nothing worth much. Just a demonic stain lying face first in her French fries and ketchup. Well... not so much demon now. Or ever again."
Sam howled in rage and grief, the vessel dropping to the floor. He raised a hand and the Angel flew backwards into a wall much as the equipment had earlier.
"What?" Dean said, then saw the angel go flying.
"Don't act so surprised." Uriel said, shrugging off Sam's force and righting himself. "He picked the demon over you after all."
Dean looked at Sam for a long moment. "Really? Wow."
"Uriel, shut up before you make things worse!" Samael called from across the room. Uriel knew what Winchester was, he should have known better than to do this.
Sam moved to object, but had no time to explain as a great wind rushed through the warehouse swirling around Sam, picking him, the book and vessel up in its tangible force, and then they were gone. Pazuzu wasn't willing to risk Sam because some stupid archangel wanted to take him out.
Pazuzu dropped Sam off a few states away. Unfortunately, he couldn't bring Sam far. There were forces beyond his control. He looked at the young man for a long time. "You did good back there." He said, finally. "That's one collective thorn from all our sides gone."
Sam sank to the ground. "It's my fault... I should have never let her come with me." He said quietly. "Should have sent her further away..." he stared at the book and the vessel. Wondering if it was worth the sacrifice. He had lost Ruby and his brother.
Pazuzu slipped the baseball cap back over his bald head and looked at Sam with red eyes. "Get up." He said. "You can wallow later if you want. But now is not the time. There's still the end of the world barreling down on you. Uriel is spiteful, as much as an archangel can be. Probably
orchestrated this whole thing, from Dean to Ruby. Get over it."
Sam got up. "I need to get this to the salt flats in Utah and bury it. " He was going to at least take care of that. He pulled the amulet from his pocket and put it on. "Uriel can't find me when I am wearing this." He said.
"Uriel is the most dangerous of all. He thinks he's acting in his father's best interest." Pazuzu said. "Like I said, nothing is ever as it appears."
"One of these days... I am going to find a way to destroy him" Sam said with a frown. He gathered the things up. Time to steal another vehicle, create a new identity, start all over again. Then he pushed it all aside "Who is spear heading it now?" He asked, thumping the vessel out of petulance.
"There wasn't a chain of command. They're scrambling." Pazuzu said with a laugh. "Like dogs. If I were a betting man, I'd put my money on Abbadon or Tamiel. Be careful, and get that to the salt flats as soon as you can. This is where my helpfulness ends. I did my part. Just be aware that there's a faction of archangels that consider you dangerous, If only because you distract your brother, and compromise him. They're shortsighted, but that's the downfall of righteousness. Uriel's not the only one. Protect yourself."
He nodded. "I will." He said. "Thank you for getting me out of there, and everything else." He said before turning to walk away feeling much the way he had that first night. He had enough money on him for a bus ticket to Utah. It was the easiest way. He wasn't in any state to drive and he knew it. They would go through his things. Find his old credit cards, his weapons, his journal and lap top. The journal was the hardest part to lose. All the work he had done with the book.
He leaned back against the seat, with his head against the window and held onto the bag containing the vessel for dear life. He had one last job to do, that was to make sure no demon would ever get his hands on Lilith again. After that, he would have to sort things out.