Title: Purgatory

Rated for: ? does it need a rating ?

Genre: General

Fandom/Universe: Supernatural / ?

Characters: Dean Winchester, Castiel, Balthazar, OC

Spoilers/Warning: Through Season 2 up to Season 8

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all related characters are copyright Eric Kripke, Kripke Enterprises & The CW Network. No infringement intended.

Status: In-Progress

Author's Note: Another quick post before I manage to somehow lose the file...


7

The string of black comes out of nowhere that he can see. It slams into the ground just as Dude jumps past it. Dean is almost unseated and the hound growls at the renewed grip the hunter has on his fur.

"What the hell is that?" Dean cranes his neck around and through the splintering branches, twigs and trees comes the pale humanoid face with the familiar 'maw' of teeth. "Leviathan." His stomach drops out as though Dude has gone over another cliff. Ahead of them another plume of black touches down with a shower of dirt. Dude plows through that one and Dean has to kick it off.

Dude howls.

"Shut up!" Dean orders. They don't need to announce themselves for every leviathan.

Dude ignores him.

O0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0O

"Where are you going?" Balthazar winces, looks around because the silence is dangerous and he's been overly loud. He's not about to stay behind but he's not as fast either. He changes course when he hears them. It's unmistakable and Balthazar has no desire to temp the leviathan.

"Damn it Cas …" he hopes his brother has been smarter than the girl.

O0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0O

Thòrnê runs into the space between the black smoke taking shape. The heavenly sword draws them to her. Both heads roll and the black ooze almost immediately begins to pull the pieces together.

"Thòrnê!"

She ignores Dean in favor of the three pillars of black smoke that slam into the ground around her. Thòrnê slashes at one but it's not done forming and the blade barely leaves a scratch.

Dean lands on his ass with a thud. He rolls up to his feet quickly scowling at his lack of weapons as another chompy toothed fucker comes towards him. He grimaces, teeth gritted as he waits for it to lunge but the shiny point sticking out of its chest splatters with black goop. It turns around and flashes those teeth at Thòrnê who slices upwards and somehow pulls the blade aside to cut off its head.

"Get moving!" and she grabs his arm, dragging him away from where Dude rips the last Leviathans to pieces and tosses them aside. "Come on! We can't stick around, Dean."

"Where's Cas?" Dean spits past the breathless pant as he tries to keep up with her, Dude trailing on their ass. He doesn't like the feeling of the hound behind them but he's not in a position to complain about it.

"Hiding." Thòrnê skids to a halt, dropping to her knees and dragging Dean with her.

"Fuck!" he flops on his ass and shoves her hand off him with a glare. She makes a motion for him to be quiet which he complies. They're in purgatory after all.

"I think…" Thòrnê drags in a breath, her eyes meeting his in the semi darkness. "I think he's trying to protect us. His grace is too … its draws attention." The shiny blade is held between them. "I think this does to."

"Wait," Dean frowns. "Where's Cas? He didn't just leave you…." But this wouldn't be the first time the angel left someone hanging. Dean's frown turns to a scowl.

"Dean." Thòrnê lets out a sigh. "No, alright. Cas didn't just leave me and he certainly didn't abandon you before either. I'm pretty sure he's trying to keep us away from the leviathans. To protect us." She shakes her head frowning. "Damn idiot."

Dean totally agrees with that part but he'd used harsher words. Suddenly he has his arms full of Thòrnê and she utters a soft yelp. The red eyes at her back startle Dean as well and Dude was all kinds of quiet they practically forgot they had a hellhound with them.

"You jerk, what the hell?!" Thòrnê hisses with a glare as she untangles herself from Dean. When she turns to Dude she gets a sulfuric slobber that lands her back in Dean's lap with another restrained yelp.
"Yugh!" she spits and wipes at her face even as Dude pushes in. "Gross! Quit!"

Dude has them both on their backs and doesn't let up on the relieved, happy, licking until Thòrnê finally laughs quietly and grand onto his neck, her face buried in the fur.

"Damn hound…" Dean mutters as it pulls back with Thòrnê still hanging onto its neck.

"I missed you too." Thòrnê gives Dude a final squeeze before letting him go and resting back on her knees. Dean watches her rub the hounds face and the red eyes turn to slits, a soft rumble vibrating through the beast.

"Unbelievable." He mutters.

"Yeah," Thòrnê agrees with a soft smile. "Didn't think you guys would ever believe this even if you could see him." Her smile turns sad. She gets to her feet and turns to Dean holding her hand to him. "Come on, we need to find some food. Your stomach is going to give us away."

"Mine?" Dean takes her hand, the first real smile since he arrived in purgatory lights his face.

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He doesn't know how long it's been. Purgatory doesn't give you the time even if you asked it. He can only hope his absence helps them and the worry that maybe they aren't…. safe isn't a word one can use here, it doesn't apply.

This is his penance for all the pain he's brought to them. For his disobedience. For the deaths of his brothers and sisters in heaven…

'I must stay here.'

O0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0O

Balthazar doesn't like the taste of failure. It leaves a bad taste in his mouth and there's plenty of blame he can toss around.

The Thòrnê in his side and the human, that Winchester …

He still hesitates to approach the old mansion. It's no longer home to the self-declared vampire princeling of purgatory.

He's dead.

Balthazar still isn't sure of giving up his way out of this hell.

O0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0O

Dean sits with his head hanging, taking a long breath while gore drips from his hands and off his hair.

"We'll find him." Thòrnê assures from across the small clearing they've chosen to take their rest. "He can't be that far…" but she's not sure of that anymore. They've been searching for days and come across all kinds of monsters.

Dean shifts, hand gripping the barbaric blade he's been carrying around.

Between them, laid out on the ground, Dude turns red eyes towards him. The snort of sulfuric breath puffs up dead leaves and dust. They've been running- Thòrnê and Dude while Dean's been forced to ride on the hellhounds back. He's not as fast as they are.

"And then what?" his voice rasps out, dry and hoarse. His eyes feel like they've been filled with sand and however tired he is, there's an awareness of his surroundings that doesn't let him rest.

"…" Thòrnê hesitates to mention the fable she's heard. She can't be sure it wasn't something made up, something she imagined in her delirium while she was used as a blood bag. "…there might be a way… out of here…"

Dean perks up.

"…I can't be sure." Thòrnê moves across the space between them. She sits, resting her back against Dude and crosses her legs, arms resting on her knees. "When they had me … there's a door- somewhere in purgatory- a door out of here."

"Why the hell didn't you say so?" Dean growls, a scowl lighting his green eyes with renewed vigor. "We've been running around looking for Cas for who knows how long and you just now decide to share there's a door-."

"I wasn't exactly cognizant when I heard about it, Dean." Thòrnê glares right back. "They were more interested in feeding off me so I didn't exactly have a chance to ask any questions or get the exact location." She gets to her feet and turns her back. "Jerk." She mutters moving to the farthest tree still in his line of sight.

Dean stands up too. "Hey," he ignores the hellhounds slightly raised head and bared fangs. "Sam is back there. He's alone. He's…" he doesn't want to think of Sam falling in with Meg but it's not like Sam hasn't gone down that road before with Ruby.

"You're unbelievable." Thòrnê gasps turning to face him. "Did you hear what I just said?" she jabs a hard finger in his chest, furious and still remembering to hold back lest she break him into pieces.

"I heard-."

"No, you didn't!" she hisses in a furious whisper. "I was their fucking plasma bag for months! Yeah, months of them sucking on my body, keeping me so weak I was half out of my head most of the time. Half of what they said-. I don't even want to think of what they-. You're a fucking selfish son of a bitch, Dean Winchester." Thòrnê shoves him down on his ass using both hands. "I get you're worried about Sam. It's all about you two, always has been, always will be. No room for anyone else with you two… you're so infuriating!"

Dude ambles over, paws silent on the ground. He knocks her over next to Dean and huffs at them both.

"What the fuck, asshole?" Thòrnê glares at her hound.

"I think he likes me better." Dean offers in dry humor. "Hey!" he covers his face too late to avoid the dirt and krap Dude scrapes into his face turning away from them both.

"Does not." Thòrnê retorts.

They sit up and stare at each other. Both chastised by a hellhound.

Dean utters a harsh breath, green eyes sliding to the ground between them. "…sorry." It's not like she's lying because that's exactly it. The Sam and Dean Winchester show. It's how they roll…

"Me too." Thòrnê whispers softly. She understands his need to find a way home. She wants it just as bad.

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