John Doe – chpt 6.

By: sifi.

OOooOO

Sam swung the bottle between his fingertips grateful after all that Bobby had kept pushing. The older man had known something was off with the youngest Winchester for weeks and he was glad to finally get the kid alone to talk, "I just don't get it." Sam said.

"I never figured you for the one who couldn't see the forest for the trees." Bobby shook his head, "C'mon Sam, it's not Laura OR Inanna you're interested in. I mean not really."

John's youngest cocked his head to the side, "Tell my body that." He blushed.

"And you never felt this way before?" the elder hunter asked.

"Uh uh," he shook his head, "When we were on the road to dead going to Ereshkegal's palace Ina kissed me," he gasped and groaned with the memory of it then swilled back several swallows of his beer, "my god what I felt..." he shook his head drawing a very curious and narrow eyed look from the older man.

"What was it?" he asked, "I mean more than the average turn on?"

"I can't believe we're actually talking about this," Sam muttered.

"Well whatever it is it's obviously buggin' the crap out of you, and I KNOW you Sam, if you don't deal with this now, it's not going to get any easier as time goes on... am I right?"

"Yeah," Sam nodded reluctantly, "You're right. And yeah it was a helluva lot more than the average turn on." He took a moment to collect his thoughts then forged ahead, "I experienced the instant of Marduk's conception."

The older man's eyebrow shot up high enough to nearly get lost in his hairline, "What? From her point of view?" he asked.

"From all of our points of view."

"You felt..."

"...what it was like for her, for him and for... me... all at once." Sam nodded blushing madly and staring hard into his bottle.

"Whoa."

"It almost killed me..."

"Painful?" he asked confused and surprised.

Sam shook his head, "Perfect." Then pointed toward the still closed doors, "If a person could live forever in an instant like that, there'd never be evil," he shrugged, "take it away and it explains how evil CAN exist."

"Wow," Bobby leaned forward, "You're saying it's better than..."

Sam looked up and met his eyes, "You can't begin to imagine how much better."

"Wow." The older man leaned back, "Okay so... then what happened?"

Sam shrugged and returned to staring into his bottle, "I dunno... I mean she's a pretty girl and all, and y'know I can't help but love her for all the happiness she brings Dean y'know? But it's like all of a sudden... no matter who I'm with, all I can think of is her."

"When did it start?"

"Couple months ago."

"Couple months ago like around the time Lilith had you in her claws?" he surmised.

Wordless Sam nodded.

"I see." He leaned back for a moment then swilled from the bottle of black label sitting between them, "Has it occurred to you that it's not her personally that's jerkin' your joystick? That maybe it's more what she represents?" he pointed to the doors, "I mean look at them. As much as the whole ancient soul thing freaks the crap out of me, there's not a damned thing that can keep those two apart!" he shook his head, "give 'em a shady corner for five minutes and they goin' at it."

"Don't remind me."

"Speaking of which, have they been like that since you found her?"

"They're like a couple of magnets, all I had to do was point 'em at each other." Sam smiled.

"And you didn't even think once about..."

"HELL YEAH I thought about it... but a guy doesn't do that. Especially not when it's his brother's girl!" he sighed, "Plus, you didn't see her Bobby. She's missing 2500 years of personal evolution... she was just plain terrified, horrified... she was in despair." And yet she practically offered herself up as a 'reward' for rescuing her... morality sucks.

"So you know exactly how she felt." Bobby nodded knowing it was so but eyeing the young man just the same. It'd been a couple months already since Sam had been Lilith's prisoner and as far as both Bobby and Dean could tell the young man still hadn't really dealt with the torture he'd endured. It was possible that since he'd gotten the gratification of killing the demon herself he was keeping his coping internal, but Dean couldn't help worrying about his little brother. Now instead of being obsessed with finding and killing Lilith Sam, up until this Ifrit thing had shifted his obsession to finding Lucifer. "and I don't mind telling you Bobby it's pretty much scaring the shit outta me man. There's NO way we're ready for that yet!" he recalled the young man saying, and Bobby agreed.

Sam looked away but nodded, "Yeah. I do."

"I'm sorry kid." He sighed then nodded at the door, "Apparently she's over it now."

Sam shook his head, "That's Inanna and Enki in there, not Laura and Dean."

Bobby shook his head, "See this is what freaks me out... I thought you all kinda share the whole consciousness thing. And if that's the case can't they help Dean and Laura remember?"

"I don't know, we'll have to ask them when they're done. As for sharing consciousness, when the 'personalities' or 'entities' whatever you wanna call 'em, aren't sleeping they pretty much just seem to stay in the background."

"Unless one of the other ancient's is around."

"Apparently."

"Okay so anyway getting back to YOUR predicament..." he snickered, "Sorry, problem. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and figure it's probably more about your recently compromised ability to trust. I mean you trust Laura AND Ina because you know for a fact she never has and never would cause you harm, and because she's the mother of your... soul right?"

Sam nodded. "But I've got Kitsune. So why the hell am I lusting after my brother's girl?"

"Because Dean's already done all the work. He's been through all the insecurities, the uncertainties, his own abandonment and trust issues, and because of that YOU know their history." He took another swig from the bottle then handed it back to the young hunter, "From what you say, their souls have been doing this dance for centuries right?" he asked.

"About seven millennia now," Sam nodded, swigged from the bottle and sat back feeling the truth of Bobby's insight.

"Ho...shit," Bobby whistled wishing he could disbelieve, "Okay, so not only that but this time around you said she was literally made for him. You don't have that with Kitsune. It's possible she could hurt you. Not that I think she would personally but that's just me, and it's not my heart on the line." He sat back and took another swallow of whiskey, "Eat your heart out Dr. Phil."

OOooOO

"I hope your brother knows he's gonna be payin' to have that couch steam cleaned." Bobby grumbled turning his head so his ear was at the slight opening between the doors, "So help me god I better not go blind."

Sitting at the table Sam smirked, "I walked in on him once..." he shuddered, "Took running into a squad of demons to get the visual out of my head."

Straining through squinted eyes Bobby turned his head, "Alright you two you wanna give it a rest so we can get down to business here!" he admonished then dared a glance through the crack. His jaw dropped and he flung the doors open into the largely empty room. In the corner Ajax was sprawled on his back apparently dreaming contentedly and chuffing.

He turned to Sam, "Go see if they took one of the rooms upstairs." Then barked "Ajax!" drawing the dog instantly awake and scrambling to sit before his master, "Find Dean." He ordered.

The dog sniffed around the room while he quickly checked the first floor guest room.

"Dean? Laura!" Bobby called emerging from the empty room to find Ajax sitting at the front door where he gave a soft 'whuff'.

"They're not up here." Sam called racing down the stairs, taking the .45 Bobby handed him from the front closet before cocking his own shotgun and motioning Ajax back.

Sam grasped the knob whipping the door open once the senior hunter nodded he was ready.

He burst in relative silence out onto the front porch with Sam close behind. Their eyes scanned the darkness left and right, searching toward the driveway as Ajax padded briskly to the right then sat and gave another soft 'whuff'.

"Shhh." Came an easy response.

Stopped short Bobby and Sam looked at each other then headed off to the far end of the veranda where Dean lay stretched out, his head in Laura's lap, sleeping soundly as she lounged contentedly stroking his hair.

"What the hell do you mean scarin' the crap outta us like that!" Bobby yelled.

In her lap Dean began to rouse, "It seems our host is a little agitated my love." She smiled while tenderly tweaking his nose.

"MMm?"

"Oh God you're still you two?" he grumbled handing the shotgun off to Sam then motioning Ajax back into the house.

"Ina?" Sam came forward with a chair and sat close to the chaise, reaching out and giving Dean a shake, "Do you both know what happened to Dean and Laura?"

She reached forward and stroked his cheek, "Such pain my love. I wish I could bear it for you."

Sam shook his head sighing deeply as he pressed his cheek into her hand, "I'd never ask that."

Beside her Dean rolled over, and pushing himself up wrapped an arm around the woman so he could kiss her deeply before returning his attention to Sam, "Answer the boy's question love." He smiled.

"They are much cleaner than they were last time we awoke." She yawned snuggling against her king.

"How much of their lives do you know?" Bobby asked dragging over another chair.

"What do you want?" A soft masculine voice wafted through the darkness from the other side of the railing just before Castiel walked up the steps toward the quartet.

Before any of them could figure out what was going on, Ina rose and strode to stand before the angel, "Tell your superiors to find another champion! This is your battle NOT ours!" she demanded.

"The champion has been chosen. The one who begins it, is the only one who can stop it." He said.

"That he was chosen is the fault of your superiors cherub, they have broken the pact."

"Pact?" Sam asked.

"What pact?" Bobby asked.

Enki turned to them, looking in particular at Sam, "As you would say, it's a long story." He smirked.

"What has been done cannot be undone." He looked at Dean, "The mortal man has a destiny he must fulfill or there will be no world for anyone. You know the prophecy, you know what will come."

"We filled this earth, we built a world of joy and bliss and if you think we're not capable of starting over again..." she warned.

"There is nothing I can do. What has been ordained MUST be." He stepped forward, approaching Dean, "When he remembers what the world needs, he will do what must be done."

Enki sat still watching the angel approach, his fingers extended. He felt the warmth of the human vessel's hand as his fingers touched his forehead.

"As I tried to tell my queen Cherub, there is nothing for you to unveil." Enki smiled easily, "The Ifrit was thorough."

"There has to be something," Sam protested drawing the deity's attention, "Please Enki, there has to be something in there."

Dean's hand fell to his shoulder, "I'm sorry my son." He shook his head as Castiel touched his forehead again, his expression confused and a little unnerved.

Ina stepped forward smiling coldly, "Go back home and tell your superiors to clean up their own mess and put a stop to this!"

The angel turned, a flicker of anger twitching his mouth, "They can't stop it. No one but Dean can stop Lucifer now that he is free."

"You know that's not true." She sighed, "Besides he's free because of the manipulations of your PRIDEFUL superiors! They have purposefully brought destruction onto your father's creations! How dare you stand by and do nothing..."

"That is ENOUGH!" Castiel barked, "You have nothing to do with any of this female! With your pride and wanton..."

"I remember when you were a FIERCE advocate of your God's rights!" she yelled, "You've become a lap dog Castiel!"

"And you're little better than a succubus!" he spat.

"Oooh," Enki winced and shook his head, "He should not have said that," glancing at Sam, "especially considering what the first one did to you, he should know better."

"What do you mean he should know better?"

"Oooh," Dean winced, forcing their attention back to the other two just as Castiel's host went flying off the porch and crashing into Bobby's car where the metal of the front fender seemed to fold around him.

"That's my CAR you idjits!" the older hunter hollered angrily.

Ina raced down the steps grasping the angel by the trench coat and yanking him to his feet, "It doesn't matter that they can't stop it you ignorant pup!" she tossed him across the yard then followed and picked him up again, "what's important is that they know we know what they've done!"

He grasped her hands from his coat, picked her up and threw her back toward the porch where she careened into and through the trellis.

"Tearin' down my house!" Bobby got to his feet but Dean's hand fell onto his forearm.

"This has been brewing a while... they're almost done."

Standing in the yard Castiel motioned toward the hole drawing Laura's body back out into the open.

She recovered quickly, regaining her footing so the two were toe to toe, each of them clasping each other's clothes in tight fists while their eyes blazed into each others'. "Just... tell... them." She panted.

"It won't matter." He reiterated.

She leaned forward, her face millimeters from his, "I am aware of what we handed the world over to," she nodded as their hands relaxed and they stood apart.

"Can you get his memories back?" he asked flicking his eyes to Dean.

She shook her head, "I don't know. Dean is a good man Castiel. He didn't deserve this."

"I know," he nodded faintly, "but we both know that it had to be a righteous man." He agreed then turned her away from the others and confided softly, "Since this all began our forces have been one step behind and now that which we feared has come to pass."

"A word of advice cherub?" she asked then continued after he grunted, "Find out who the other betrayers are in your ranks and what their true motives are. Why have they set in motion what they have? What's the purpose behind it all."

"Their purpose is serving the father's purpose."

"Are you 100 percent certain of that? Have you never had a single doubt about any of the angels above you?" she asked and continued when he didn't answer, "Do you love your father?"

"My every action seeks to honor him."

"As you always have."

"Yes." He nodded.

"Then you can only serve his purpose by getting to the root of this and having faith that all things will work out as they're supposed to. That doesn't mean that you can sit back on your feathered ass and wait for it all to happen, you have to take steps to do what's right. To do nothing is the same as supporting those who may very well be working against his will."

"Don't you think I know that?" he hissed.

"So do SOMEthing."

"What if it's the wrong thing?"

"It doesn't matter," She shrugged, "Your father's not home, it's up to you to defend his house."

He turned to face her fully once more, "You paved the way for them to save this world from an outside force. Do whatever you can so he can save it from an inside one."

"Lucifer is your father's battle NOT ours!" she snarled.

"And Dean Winchester is the keeper of your love's soul! If there is a way... fix him." He ordered before winging off into the night. "And don't call me cherub." His voice whispered into her ear bringing a smirk to her face.

OOooOO

Tbc.

Please R&R.

Thanks.

Sifi.