Okay, 10th chapter and finally bursting the bubble! :) Hope you all enjoy and thanks for reading this far! :D

"Turns out all women were picked up at the same bar, and three of them were seen leaving with the same guy."

"Isn't that kind of a risky move, always going to the same place?" Dean frowned.

"Not necessarily. I mean, the cops can't prove anything because he doesn't leave traces. Besides, these aren't murder cases – nobody in his right mind is going to accuse someone of stealing a woman's life force during sex. Well, except us," I threw in.

"So how're going to trap an Alpha and not kill it?"

"Good question," I mused, "I've got an idea, and there's a good chance it'll work."

"'Good chance' doesn't sound as appealing as 'fool-proof', Rachel."

"It's the closest it gets. Since incubi are the definition of promiscuity, they'd be repelled by chastity, right?"

"Are you saying we should hire a bunch of nuns to capture it?"

"Huh. Hadn't actually thought about that," I pursed my lips in consideration.

"That was not a serious suggestion, Rachel."

"Oh, right. Well, anyways, the symbol of chastity, apart from the Virgin Mary, is Juniper. It's a berry, which means you can turn it into a liquid, which means you can inject it."

"Like dead man's blood for incubi instead of vampires."

"Think it could work?" I looked at Sam and Dean, who looked at each other and then back at me.

"Yeah, it'll work. But for that, we have to get close to the incubus… and he's not stupid, he'll know we're hunters."

"Maybe that plan with sending the nuns isn't so bad after all," I threw in.

"Actually…" Dean started, and I should have smelled the rat then. "I've got a better idea than that. See, the incubus won't be suspicious of a pretty girl in her twenties who hangs around all lonely in his favourite bar…"

"Oh, no," I waved my hands frantically, "I am not playing bait."

"Actually you'd be more of an undercover agent, seeing as you're the one who'll have to dose him with Juniper juice."

"What if I'm not his type?"

Wordlessly, Dean reached for the stack of paper to his right and spread out the victims' pictures in front of me. Four of them were blondes around my age.

"Aww, man, come on… really?"

"We'll be there to back you up."

"All the way to the motel room?" I arched an eyebrow. "'Cause I can't just ram a needle into him in a bar full of people, which means I have to get him alone."

"You're the only one who can get this Alpha, Rachel." Dean didn't have to say that I was also the only chance of getting his brother's soul back.

"Wait, wait. Dean, we can't send her after that thing alone."

Both Dean's and my head turned to Sam in surprise.

"Are you…" I shook my head, "Are you worried about me?"

"I don't know. Maybe," Sam shrugged.

An ever so slight light at the end of a very dark and very long tunnel, and it wasn't hellfire. A warm breeze in the ice storm inside of me.

'Ever the more a reason to send you' was written on Dean's face as he turned to look at me, and I agreed with him with a silent nod.

"Look, I'll be fine. We need that Alpha, Sam." And if I die trying to save your soul, then so be it.

"Yeah, I know," Sam sighed, "That doesn't mean I have to be happy about it."

I smiled and gave him a quick peck on the cheek before I got dressed. I didn't know if by the last part he'd meant me being bait or him not really wanting his soul back, but for the sake of my sanity, I believed the former.

'Tonight, my suffering could be over…' I thought as I changed into dark skinny jeans, black heels and an elegant top, '…but therewith, Sam's would begin.'

So I looked at this hunt with a smiling and a crying eye. Most of all, though, I was scared of what would happen if I failed, if all this wouldn't end tonight.

I'd been running on borrowed energy for far too long already, and I wouldn't last another two days. Dean had saved me from drugs for now, but I wasn't sure how long it'd last – If Sam didn't get his soul back soon, I might as well lie down and die. My soul couldn't live without its counter piece for much longer.

"Hey, Ral, why do you keep a bottle of Juniper juice in your arsenal?" Sam asked as he returned from fetching said jug from my car.

"Well, when I figured we were going to hunt an incubus, I ordered some from Steve, an old hunting buddy of mine. He's quick in delivering."

"He didn't ask why you're suddenly hunting again?"

"'Course he did. I told him I'd grown tired of my normal life, and unlike other people, he's willing to accept that explanation."

Sam huffed. "Alright, I get it."

'You don't get the whole picture yet… and I'm not referring to the soul mate thing,' I sighed to myself.

In a way, the revelation that Sam was my soul mate had saved me from explaining myself and my motives. Dean now believed that this connection was the reason why I'd dropped everything to hunt the truth and Sam's soul, and he didn't ask further questions and trusted me now.

So I didn't have to explain to him that the real reason was something completely different.

Sure, now that I knew I'd never be happy if Sam and his soul weren't with me, it was what kept me going – but it wasn't what had gotten me started.

"Alright, there you go. One dose should knock him out, but take the other, just in case," Dean handed me two injection needles filled with the dark purple juice. "Sam, I'll wait in the car."

"You absolutely sure you want to do this?"

"Yes." I replied without hesitation.

Sam shook his head, a disbelieving expression on his face. "To tell you the truth, I don't quite care, but I would still like to know: Why?"

"I can't say. I hope that when you get your soul back, I'll find the right words to explain. For now, you'll just have to trust me… and promise me that it's worth it, that you want your soul back."

He took a deep breath. "I promise."

How honest was a soulless man's promise?

I would find out quicker than I'd like. "Thank you. Now, we should go, before Dean thinks we're doing God knows what."

"Haven't we already?"

"Stop being so damn polemical," I growled and stepped into my car.

Sam and Dean went into the bar first, so that I could come in later and take a spot where they'd see me and the incubus.

"Rachel… be careful, okay? Don't do anything stupid," Sam seemed reluctant to voice that much concern.

"This whole plan is stupid, but we're going through with it anyways. Don't worry, I'm good at my job."

Twenty minutes later, I sat in that bar, sipping some girly drink that tasted way too sweet and had way too little alcohol in it and waited for the tall dark handsome stranger to pick me up. I didn't know exactly what the incubus looked like, but the friends of the victims had given me a fairly detailed description, so I counted on my instinct to do the rest.

I was doing my best to put on a lonely, but not desperate look.

"Try be less Athena, and more Juno." Sam had said as piece of advice on 'How to capture myself an incubus'.

"Huh?"

"Less 'fierce Amazon', more 'desperate housewife'." Dean had supplemented helpfully.

"That totally goes against my pride, damnit," I'd cursed, but given in eventually, with the words: "You owe me one giant box of marzipan-free chocolates for this, Sam."

I sighed and took another sip of whatever kind of drink it was in front of me; I think it was a 'Hurricane'. To top it all, I was starving, and the only thing near me faintly resembling food was the small bowl of peanuts in front of me.

I. Hated. Peanuts.

"All alone?"

I looked up and found myself gazing into mesmerizing blue eyes, framed by a handsome face and blonde curls. Sadly, this hunk came with a creepy feeling crawling up and down my spine.

"I was. Until now," I smiled seductively and turned in my seat to fully take in the incubus' appearance. "That is, if you want to keep me company."

"There's nothing I'd rather do than sit with such a beautiful lady," He smiled and kissed my hand as he slipped onto the stool next to me, "I'm Kyle. Who do I have the pleasure with?"

Wow, that guy worked fast, and a little over the top (hand kiss, seriously?), if you asked me, but I was willing to ignore that.

'Make that two giant boxes of marzipan-free chocolates, Sam.'

"Lara."

"I've never seen you here before. I hope you have never been to this place before, otherwise I would have to admit I made the inexcusable mistake of having never noticed you."

That was seriously supposed to work on women, honestly? Gee, I almost felt ashamed of my sex; maybe the death of the women who'd gone with this snotty-nosed upstart was natural selection. Whoever fell for these kind of pick-up phrases wouldn't have gotten far in life, anyways.

On the other hand… if you were looking for love in the wrong places, this was exactly what you'd fall for. Besides, I was the last person on this planet to judge on others' choice of lovers.

'No, I've just moved here, this is my first night out alone… My husband's working again." I gave a little sigh to top off the story.

"How dare he neglect such a wonderful wife?"

"You'd have to ask him that. We've lived in this town for six months now, but I'm still not assimilated. I just feel so alone… Darren's always working so much, he's away on business for weeks, and… I'm sorry, I don't mean to bore you. It's nothing you really share with people you hardly know." I gave an apologetic smile. I shifted gently in my seat, and sat in a way that gave him the best view of my cleavage. "I just wish I could feel alive again, you know?"

"Well, Lara, I know a way to make sure of that."

"Really?"

"Sure. Come with me and I'll show you."

I felt the needles press against my back, hidden underneath my jacket, and smiled: "Sounds exciting. Where will you take me?"

"You'll see." He leaned forwards, whispered in my ear and put a hand on my shoulder.

Way too close for comfort.

"Come on. Let's leave this dire bar and enjoy ourselves."

0o0

"Think that's him?"

"He's hitting on her hard enough," Sam grumbled.

"Are you…" Dean faced his brother, "Are you jealous?"

"No, but it feels as if I am."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"It means that I somehow know that if I had my soul right now, just looking at that scene over there-" Sam nudged towards the bar counter where Rachel sat, legs crossed and batting her eyelashes at the pompous jerk, "would make me start a bar brawl with an incubus."

"Huh. Imagine that." Dean didn't dare to hope, but he wished he could. Hope that he would get his little brother back tonight – one way or the other. Crowley or Rachel.

"Quite fascinating, isn't she? Then again, she has a lot of practice seducing soulless freaks, doesn't she, Sam? Sadly all her experience won't do you any good."

Sam and Dean jumped in their seats. "Crowley? What the hell are you doing here?"

"Keeping an eye on my employees."

"I said it before and I'll say it again: We ain't your employees," Dean snarled.

"Always have been, moose."

Sam shook his head: "What do you mean, it won't do us any good?"

"I'm saying that an Alpha incubus is only valuable with its counter piece, the Alpha succubus. So consider this Alpha half the rent. Get the other half, your soul is yours."

"Wait, wait. That was not the deal!" Dean had trouble keeping his voice down, "You said one Alpha and you'd give Sam his soul back."

"One complete Alpha. That one over there is just a half. But, fifty percent is more than zero, so consider it a start. Oh, and by the way, your little girlfriend's family is on their way, and they've got celestial help. So I strongly suggest you get me that Alpha quickly or you're back to square zero."

"What-"

Crowley was gone.

"Freaking demons, seriously," Dean cursed, "I told you they screw you over every single damn time!"

"Yes, you did, but that doesn't help us right now, Dean! And what'd he mean by 'celestial help'?"

"I don't know, but it ain't good. We need to warn Rachel. We can't pull through with this, it's too high risk now that her bloody family's joined the game."

"Dean, if we get off this case now, we don't know how long it'll take us to find another Alpha. Now, this might not give me my soul back, but it's our best shot right now."

"You're right," Dean admitted. What scared him wasn't that the Blacks were lose and would probably show up soon, but that he was willing to pull through with this plan to save Sam's soul even though he knew it wouldn't happen tonight. "Besides, I don't think leaving is an option any longer."

Sam turned his head in the direction Dean looked and saw Rachel leave the bar at the incubus' side.

0o0

"Nice car," I commented and got in on the Mustang's passenger's side, praying Dean and Sam would follow. I didn't feel comfortable without some weapon near me, especially not in a car with the Alpha incubus.

"Thank you. So I suppose I can add 'good taste' to the long list of your assets."

"Well, enlighten me, what else is on that list?" I asked coquettish.

Kyle smiled a winning smile as he drove through the streets of Portland's outskirts. "Well, there'd be your beauty."

"Is that all you see in me?"

"Certainly not, Lara."

So our flirting and all continued, until finally, he parked the car. The air had tightened around me over the past ten minutes, and I itched to plunge the Juniper juice needle into his body.

The street was quiet, it was a respectable neighbourhood he'd brought me to, which surprised me; I had thought he'd take me to a motel, like he had the others.

"Where are we?"

"My place," Kyle pressed a hand on my back and gently ushered me towards a giant mansion to our right. I prayed his hand wouldn't run lower and wonder at the bulge at the small of my back.

Uneasily, I climbed the steps to the porch, feeling his eyes on me like hot coals. I kept my eyes peeled for the Impala's headlights, but only the moon illuminated the scenery.

'Come on, get in before me so I can plunge that needle into you.'

But Kyle didn't. "After you, my lady."

I stepped inside, my muscles tensed to the maximum as he closed the door behind us. I hoped for the right moment to knock him out, when he didn't have his eyes on me, especially my back.

"You know, Lara, what I find most fascinating about you?"

"No, please tell me," I said, though without the ease of my previous flirtations.

"Your bravery. Even for a huntress, you are exceptionally bold, or maybe just stupid."

My hand flew to the injection needle and Kyle lunged at me. Within the fraction of a second, we were on the floor.

His one hand held my wrist firmly against the floor while his other struggled to keep my free hand down. I brought up my knee and kicked him off of me; reached for the only weapon I had and plunged it into his heart, injecting the venomous juice into his veins and sending a prayer each to heaven and hell it would work.

His movements slowed, his eyes became blank, but he still struggled. I gave him a good beat to the head before I reached for the second injection and dosed him with that, too.

I reached a hand to my cheek where he'd struck me before and it came back bloody. "That could have ended worse," I groaned and struggled up. I looked at the lifeless body in front of me – could this really have been the end to all my sufferings? Would Sam get his soul back?

I pressed down the door handle. It didn't move. I rattled, and kicked, checked if the door might have been locked, nothing.

"Yes, it could have, Rachel. As a matter of fact, it will end worse."

I whirled around. My mother stepped out of the darkness of the giant entrance hall and towards me, followed by Karen. To my left, Hayden appeared, my father to my right. The expressions on their faces, as far as I could tell in the dim light, was unyielding, merciless – inhumane.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"The story has to end the way it was written. We can't have Sam Winchester trap Alphas and hand them over to the King of Hell to get his soul back, because we need those Alphas to tell us how to open Lucifer's Cage again. The fight between Michael and Lucifer has to happen. Sam Winchester needs to be an empty vessel, soulless. We can't have him cast Lucifer down once again. By beguiling him to pull his soul back, you're threatening that."

"Why would you care about what-" I choked on my own words when I saw the blue orbits in the dark. The same eyes that I'd last seen when an angel had tried to kill me.

"Your family hasn't been themselves for a while now, Rachel. You should have joined us when you had the chance; now it's too late."

All air was knocked out of me as I flew against the wall. Unbearable pressure pinned me against it, immobilizing me and making me cringe in pain.

Struggling against the invisible hand clenching my windpipe, I choked out: "Why are you so intent on having me play for your team?"

"Didn't we just tell you?" My father, or what used to be him, snapped, "You're getting in the way. We tried persuading you the easy way by asking you to hunt with your family. They'd have set you onto the right track, away from Sam Winchester. You decided to become soulless Winchester's obedient bitch, though, so now we'll have to get you of the way old-fashioned style."

"Why can't you just let us be? You think when either Michael or Lucifer is dead, Raphael will rule heaven and all will be well?"

My mother cut me off. "Where's Sam's soul? Is it still in the Cage? If it is, where in the Cage?"

"Go to hell," I spat. "You want to destroy his soul and have the archangel prize fight happening, you'll need to find someone else to torture it out of. I'm never going to tell you where Sam's soul is. Ooops, I forgot, I'm the only one who can."

I suppose the churning of my internal organs was intended to make me regret my words; tasting my own blood in my mouth, I had to say I was damn near to doing so.

"How'd you get my family to say yes to you sons of bitches, anyways?" I rasped.

"We told them they would see their precious daughter Lucy again. That was rather a formal matter, though, since we didn't quite ask, we just took. These are temporary vessels, they don't have to be asked for permission. The downside would be that neither of your folks will survive it. Then again," The angel possessing my mother flicked her wrist and I fell down onto the floor with a painful thud. Literally every fibre of my body screamed in pain, I could feel my heart beat irregularly against my chest. Without having prophetic visions, I could tell this was the beginning of my end.

"I suppose you don't really care about your adoptive parents and siblings. That's right – your biological parents didn't want you, either. Nobody ever did, Rachel. All your life you've been lonely, never belonged anywhere, have never been loved. Now, we can set it all right, if you just tell us where Sam Winchester's soul is."

Noiseless tears ran over my cheeks; this was just too damn much. "Just…" My chest heaved heavily, gasping for air, "…tell me why. What is that you want with me?"

"Apart from leading us to Sam Winchester's soul? Nothing. You're worthless to us, we don't need you. So, tell us where it is, and your life can go back to normal."

"Why did a demon save me? Why do you all want me back in so badly?"

The angel chuckled with my mother's throat. "The demons enjoy pain and destruction, Rachel. I suppose for them, you're just a game. Seeing how long it takes for you to break and self-destruct, I imagine that is quite entertaining for them."

Is that all? Was that really all I was to this world? A meaningless toy, dispensable and worthless, the sole purpose of my existence serving for others' cruel entertainment?

I had trouble holding back my sobs; I had reached the breaking point of what my psyche could take.

"If it's any consolation, you do carry on a useful bloodline, however diluted it flows in your veins. Either way, it doesn't matter now."

Thousands, millions and then billions of burning hot needles turned my insides into a torturing mess that made me scream in pain. Where was Sam?

What had I done wrong that nobody thought me worthwhile of saving? When had I gambled away the right to be loved, to belong?

"Sam's not going to save you, Rachel. You know that, you've always known that despite your soul connection, he never cared about you. So just tell us where his soul is, and all this can be over. We'll destroy his soul and you'll be free of the mark on yours."

I choked on my tears. I could as well give up.

0o0

"Something's not right," Sam said curtly and got out of the car.

"Sam, wait-"

"She's been in there for too long, Dean."

"We barge if she hasn't drugged the Alpha yet, we have no idea what he'll do!"

"Dean, I'm telling you, something's wrong!" Sam hurried across the perfect lawn and rammed his shoulder against the front door. It didn't budge.

Not that he trusted Sam's 'instincts' these days, but maybe he was right about this one. Dean followed him, not able to deny a sense of worry taking hold of him – and it wasn't only about Rachel.

0o0

"Sam's soul is gone forever, Rachel, you'll never be with him in the way you want. We can erase that mark on your soul. You could be happy."

I shook my head, too weak to do more.

The next second, I was on the wall again, pain like I've never felt in my whole life filling my every cell. My lungs started giving up, my heart was slowing down… I was dying.

"Last chance, Rachel. Where's Sam's soul?"

I was tempted to accept their offer, I admit. The prospect of being free of any marks on my soul, of living a carefree life, of finally filling this damn emptiness inside of me… sure, it sounded tempting.

Hell, I wanted to give in.

Then, luckily, an epiphany struck me like lightning just before I could tell the angels where Sam's soul was: This wasn't just about me. I hadn't gone this far for myself.

"I'll never tell you."

"Regrettable, Rachel."

My world was turning black at the edges when I heard a slam, a shout and then screams. I didn't even perceive how I slumped on the floor, how the pressure had eased, how the pain had gone…

"Rachel."

I coughed, my throat was raw and dry, but I managed to croak out his name: "Sam…"

Couldn't breathe, couldn't breathe…

"I'm here. Damnit, Rachel, what'd you do?"

Through a haze of numbness, I felt how Sam pulled me into his arms. I couldn't open my eyes, so I didn't see him…I just knew it was him. The warmth of his body tickled my skin, like a promise of home. "Something stupid, obviously. Look, Sam…" My voice gave up.

"Don't you die on me, Rachel!"

I felt how a surge of power shot through me. It wasn't much, but enough to have been there. I forced my eyes open and looked into Sam's hazel ones – and then I saw the faint flicker of life in them.

"Sam, do you…" I gasped for air, fighting the pressure on my collapsing lungs, "Do you feel it?"

"Yes," he nodded, and I thought some emotion to cross his troubled face, "But I can't take it, Rachel."

With what little strength I had left, I lifted my hand and cupped his face. "Sam, please… you promised. Take your soul back, I'm begging you."

"I can't, Rachel. It's too much."

"No, Sam, you can pull it back to you… please. You're stronger than hell… save us both." What was the point in appealing to his feelings for me if he had none? I knew I would fail. I couldn't make him whole again.

Sam shook his head. "I'm sorry, Rachel, but I just can't."

The light of life in his eyes started to recede; his soul was falling back into the darkness of the pit. If I ever had the chance of holding on to it, it was now – I had nothing to lose anymore, anyways.

"Sam," I whispered, "If you won't do it for me… do it for our daughter."

"What?" The light in his eyes, it stayed. It didn't grow, but it didn't recede, either.

"Sam…" I rasped, tears running down my face and catching in my throat, "After you left, I found out… that I was pregnant. With your child. Sam, I'm begging you, take your soul back. You can do it… Please, Sam… I want you to care about your daughter, I want us to be a family… please, Sam."

A growing shine of life in his eyes.

Then lights were out.

0o0

Family.

If there was anything he'd ever wanted, it was a family, a home.

Please, Sam.

His brother. He needed to tell Dean he loved him, didn't want to cause him any more pain than he already had. Wanted to go back how it had been between of them all their lives, until he'd fallen off track and ruined it.

Please, Sam.

Rachel. He had to tell her that he was sorry, tell her he loved her. Couldn't see her suffer anymore, he had to right the wrongs he'd dealt her.

Please, Sam.

His daughter. He needed to know her name, he wanted to see her grow up. Give her a home.

A family.

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