Chapter 10 - Wayward Sisters

"What do you mean a bargaining tool?" Dean asked, his voice skeptical.

"Well, what I mean is, Asmodeus is going to trick Lucifer into thinking he wants to discuss the throne, maybe try to offer him up the nephilim if he steps down. But, what he really plans on doing is luring him in and killing him."

"Again, how is this a bad thing?" Dean repeated.

"Well, with Crowley gone, you're all out of allies. And, how many Princes of Hell have you met who weren't total assholes?" Donatello said. "Believe me, I'm a prophet. I should know."

"We have Rowena," Sam pointed out.

The prophet shook his head. "She's his wife. I'm not so certain you'll have her support when push comes to shove."

"Well, prophet, that's where you're wrong," Dean said with confidence. "This is a power-grab on Rowena's part. She's pulled this shit before."

Don pursed his lips. "Well, I hope you're right," he said with a small grimace.

After about a week, both Donatello and Eileen were gone, Donatello returning to his job at the university and Eileen saying that she had to tie up some loose ends in Ireland before she could take up permanent residence in the States. Cas was still who know's where. It was probably for the best. If he were at the bunker Dean probably would have tried to do something stupid like kiss him again, and he couldn't afford that, not with things the way they were between them. Cas deserved better, and the thing was, Dean wasn't sure he was strong enough to resist the urge to selfishly hold onto the angel. But, to be honest, he wasn't even over his 'big gay freakout' quite yet.

Dean was busy catching up on the Walking Dead (man was he a fan of that Negan character), when his phone buzzed in his pocket.

"Hello?" he asked. He didn't recognize the number.

"Dean. It's Missouri. Missouri Moseley."

"Hey! What's up?"

"I… I think I might need your help. It's my granddaughter. She… She's in trouble. She isn't answering her phone and I've had a premonition…"

"What kind of premonition?"

"I saw her die."

She asked Sam and Dean to find their way to a private resort in Vegas where guests could get, among other services, private readings from a psychic. That was Patience's last known location, according to Missouri.

"Hey! Didn't expect to see you boys here!" Jody called when they checked into a much less exuberant motel near the strip. Trailing her were Sheriff Donna Hanscum, Claire Novak, Alex Jones, and Kaia Nieves.

"Hello yourself," Dean said, pulling her in for a quick hug. "Where's Missouri?"

Donna gave him an excited embrace the second he let go of Jody. "Just checking out Miss Patience's office. Apparently she read tarot cards for the resort."

Sam hugged both Jody and Donna while Sam moved to give Alex and then Claire each a tight hug. "I'm so sorry about Cas," Claire said into his chest and he gently rubbed her back before letting her go.

"Oh, we didn't tell you?" Sam asked before Dean could say anything.

Jody gave them a curious look. "Tell us what?"

"Cas is back," Dean said with a noncommittal shrug.

Donna beamed. "Look at the two of you! Getting your beaus back!" she said excitedly and Dean shot her a pointed look. Her expression changed. "That bad, huh?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Dean told her, his expression as blank as he could make it. Donna shuffled with embarrassment and Dean clapped his hands together. "So we gonna sit here and gab all day or are we gonna head out?"

At the resort, Missouri was already waiting for them in the lobby. She greeted them and took them down a corridor near the pool, pulling back a door made of beads and ushering them in. Inside the small room was Indian inspired pillows and statues, a low table stacked with tarot cards was sitting in the middle of the room. On top of it, a card featuring a skeletal rider was facing up. The card of death.

Missouri knelt and ran her finger over the card. "Just as I thought," she said with a sigh. "We need to find her, and fast."

Turning the card over, Missouri rose to her feet and walked over to where a crystal ball was sitting on an end table in front of an ornate mirror. She ran her finger over the sphere and it glowed under her touch. Dean looked over at Jody and her clan, all of whom were watching with tentative curiosity. Even Donna looked weary. The only person who seemed to maintain any sort of calm was Kaia. She approached Missouri as the psychic was muttering under her breath and staring into the cloudy glass. The girl crossed her arms in silent observation, but as Missouri's chanting out louder, the girl's expression changed. Dean detected a note of fear cross over her face, although she quickly tried to mask it.

Once the ritual was over, Missouri turned to the young woman, "Kaia, my sweet, do you think you could reach out to her? She appears to be unconscious someplace but I don't know where..."

Fear painted Kaia's face again. "I.. um..."

"Honey, please! We don't have time!" the old woman begged.

Kaia dug her teeth into her lower lip in contemplation. After a moment, she nodded and the psychic directed her towards a love chair in the corner of the room, instructing her to lay down.

Once the girl was reasonably comfortable, Missouri removed a bronze pocket watch from her cardigan. "It's not my favorite method, but we're gonna try hypnosis to put you to sleep. We simply don't have time to brew African dream root. Have you ever been under hypnosis before, sweetheart?"

Kaia gulped, her eyes wide and Missouri reached for her shaking hands, giving Jody a pointed look.

"Hey, kiddo, everything ok?" Jody asked, crouching down beside her.

"No..." she whispered, closing her eyes. A tear fell down her cheek.

"Wanna tell me about it?" Jody asked, ignoring Missouri's impatient tap to her wrist.

Kaia took a deep breath, "When I ran away... They found me."

Sheriff Mills cupped her cheek sweetly. "Who found you?"

"I don't know!" Kaia cried, her eyes wild with fear. "All I know is I was scared and they... did things to my brain."

"Can I ask you something?" Jody said softly, stroking her ebony hair. "Could you dreamwalk before then? Before they...?"

Kaia shook her head. "No. It was only after. I... I don't remember much about what they did exactly. It's all very fuzzy. I just remember the pain. They used hypnosis to get me to... do things."

With a frustrated sigh, Missouri knelt down to look Kaia in the eyes. "I don't want to bring up bad memories. I really don't, but my granddaughter is in danger. Now, I know this is scary but if we don't find her she will die..." she closed her eyes for a moment before taking a deep breath. "I am asking you to trust me - to trust us - to keep you safe. I will not harm you in any way. If you do this, I promise I will never ask if of you again. But Kaia... I can't lose her. Please..."

Another tear slipped down her cheek, but Kaia gave a single nod and Jody helped her lay back again, taking her hand. The other clutched a pillow so tight her knuckles went white, but her breathing was calm as Missouri performed the hypnosis. Before long, she was under a deep sleep. Now, all they had to do was wait.

Dean was circling the room, picking up objects and placing them back down, when Donna appeared at his side. "So, you wanna talk about it?" she asked him and he shrugged.

"Nothing to talk about." Dean put the small elephant statue he was fidgeting with down and walked toward the crystal ball, Donna followed.

She slapped his hand away when he reached for the orb. "So you aren't fighting with your angel boyfriend?"

"He's not my boyfriend."

Donna quirked an eyebrow. "That's not how Sam tells it."

Dean turned to face her, crossing his arms. "Since when do you talk to Sam?"

"We mighta been, you know, texting a bit while you weren't looking," Donna answered sheepishly. "I just asked him what was up, and he told me. Well, not that he knows much about it either, mind you."

Dean sighed, of course Sam knew. It's not like they had been all that subtle about their bickering. "I messed up. And now he hates me," Dean said softly.

Donna put her hand on his arm and Dean resisted the urge to flinch away from the kindness. "He doesn't hate you, Dean," she assured him.

"No, I'm pretty sure he does..." Dean said with a humorless chuckle. "I really fucked up."

Before he had a chance to explain, Missouri gestured for the group to gather around Kaia. She was waking up.

Before Donna and Dean joined the rest of them, she squeezed Dean's arm. "So, whatcha gonna do about it?" she asked him, before walking away.

Thankfully, Kaia was able to talk to Patience long enough in the dream world to ask her to recall where she was. It took her some time to retrace her steps, but she eventually remembered. According to Kaia, she said she'd gone down into the basement of the resort to do spellwork in private, away from prying eyes. Then, everything went dark.

Moving as fast as their feet could carry them, the group raced into the lobby and down the stairs. Dean almost slipped on his dress shoes a couple of time (shitty traction!), but they all made it in one piece, Sam heading the group and Dean following closely behind. When they rounded the corner, they saw none other than Jack fucking Klein crouched next to Patience's body, two dead demons were on the floor. Or, at least Dean assumed they were demons. They looked as if they'd been smote.

"Is she...?" Missouri asked when she finally caught up.

"No," Jack said calmly. "But she would have been had I not come in time."

"Well thank God for that!" Donna breathed.

Jack gave her a cold look. "God had nothing to do with it."

"No, I uh, I guess he didn't..." Donna stammered. "Who's your friend?" she asked Dean, gesturing towards the nephilim with her head.

"He's not a friend," Dean told her. He took a step towards Jack, his hand out so he could see them. "Not that we aren't all very grateful, but why are you here?" Dean gave him his signature sarcastic smile. "This is the second time we've caught you around a sleeping girl. You into somnophilia or something?"

Jack tilted his head. "I don't know what that means, but I assure you I meant her no harm."

"Then why isn't she waking up?" Missouri asked, taking a step closer to her granddaughter, but Sam put his hand out, stopping her.

Jack touched the young woman's forehead with two fingers and a surge of yellow went through her. Suddenly, she sat up, gasping for air. She immediately started coughing and her grandmother rushed to her side. Before they could interrogate him any further, Jack was gone.

They stayed the night in Vegas, talking and laughing over shitty beer in their shittier motel room. Everyone but Missouri and Patience joined them. Patience had one hell of a day, so Dean didn't blame her for checking out early. Donna didn't try and bring up Cas again, but every once in awhile she flashed him knowing looks. She was right, though, Dean needed to put on his big boy pants and do something before he lost the angel for good this time.

The next day, on way out of Nevada, Dean was filling up Baby at a Gas n Sip when he received a text from the very person he was meaning to call.

Cas: Tomorrow. 7pm. Biggersons.

To be continued...