"..congregandum eos coram me."
Bobby throws a lighted match into the mixing bowl and looks up expectantly at the devil's trap. Even before the demon turns around, Dean is already sputtering a string of curses.
"Ruby?! You summoned RUBY?!" Dean yells.
"Yeah, you got a better lead?" Bobby asks.
Dean opens his mouth to argue, but closes it when he finds his mind blank.
"That's what I thought." Bobby says.
"Alright, what are we waiting for. Let's just get this over with." Ruby says defenselessly.
"Sure thing." Dean replies.
Bobby holds out a single arm before Dean can take another step while casting a warning glare.
"We aren't doing anything to you, not if you cooperate." Bobby says.
"Well, that depends." Ruby says.
"Do you have any information on heaven or angel radio?" Bobby asks.
"What? Hell no." Ruby says truthfully.
"Alright, plan B." Dean says before attempting to make his way over to Ruby again.
Bobby puts his arm out again. "Dean, would you just wait a second? Please?"
Dean sighs and falls into one of the chairs that had been dragged from the desk earlier. Bobby raises his eyebrows at Dean before turning back to Ruby, who had been surprisingly patient the whole time.
"What exactly is going on here? I mean, there are way too many souls in limbo, at least the ones heaven is in charge of." Ruby says.
"We thought we would ask you the same question." Dean remarks.
"Well does it look like I know?" She says.
Bobby sighs. "Do you think there's a way you could get some information for us?"
"Yeah, of course. As long as pretty boy over there shuts his mouth." Ruby says.
Bobby turns to Dean and folds his arms. Dean's hands snap up defensively.
"Seriously? I'll behave if she doesn't try to send us over to Lucifer himself." Dean says.
"Hey asshat, maybe if you would hear my side of the story for once-"
"You mean the one that got Sam to raise the devil? Yeah, no thanks, I'll pass." Dean interrupts.
"Let the thing talk, would ya?" Bobby exclaims.
"Thank you, Singer." She says. "If you would have let me explain sooner, you would have found out that I never wanted Sam to do what he did."
"Bull." Dean interjects.
"I'm serious. I tried to stop him, but it was too late." She replies.
Dean suddenly remembers one of the last conversations he had with his brother.
"Ruby?" Sam laughs. "That bitch had nothing to do with this. If anything, she tried to stop me."
Dean swallows roughly as his throat becomes dry. "But then, why did you hook him on demon juice?" He asks with a slight shake in his voice.
"Because it helped him. It made him feel stronger; I just didn't intend for him to feel that strong." Ruby explains.
Dean recalls the next sentences Sam had said not long before he summoned Lucifer.
"I wanted to do this myself. I wanted to show you pieces of crap that I'm independent. Or you know, maybe I just finally wanted to not be the good-little Sammy anymore."
"Are you guys done with story time? It's not like the universe's fate is in our hands or anything." Bobby says.
"I don't know Dean, are we done?" Ruby asks.
Dean nods while staring at the floor, unable to look anyone in the eyes at that particular moment. He had failed his brother, again. Bobby's gaze lingers on Dean for a few extra moments and he mentally notes to have a talk later.
"So, how do you figure we get this information?" Bobby asks.
"We could interrogate someone who is in contact with-" Ruby shudders. "-heaven, but I don't think any angel would be of any use."
"That's what we thought too. Although, the last try we had didn't really work so well." Dean mutters.
Ruby turns to Dean, slightly surprised he decided to speak with her. "Who did you exactly talk to?"
"Chuck Shurley, a prophet. We thought maybe he would have some sort of connection to angel radio." Bobby says.
"Great," Ruby says. "That doesn't leave us with much."
"That's why I called you, I figured you would know something to help us out." Bobby says.
"Well, unless if I could become stronger in the knick of time or an angel falls from the sky, I've got nothing." Ruby says.
Out of the blue, the Earth beneath them suddenly trembles briefly. The three of them look at each other with confusion.
"Expecting anyone?" Bobby asks, looking at Ruby.
"..No." She replies.
Bobby and Dean glance at one another before bolting out the front door. Ruby scoffs and frantically tries to remove herself from the devil's trap.
"Um hello?! Still in the devil's trap here!" She yells, hoping they were still within walking distance of the house.
Not receiving a response, she sighs and goes back to escaping the devil's trap. After feeling depleted of her energy, she sits on the floor in defeat.
"Asshats."
After running outside, their eyes land on a steady stream of smoke just a few blocks over. The air around them has been filled with distant screaming, wailing sirens, and a peculiar scent of burning flesh. Bobby and Dean look at one another once again.
"I... think we should check that out." Dean says.
"I agree, but one of us has to keep an eye on Harley Quinn back there." Bobby says.
Dean groans. "Come on Bobby, don't make me miss out on the cool stuff."
Bobby smirks. "Sorry kiddo, this old basket case has way more knowledge than you probably know of. And I know for a fact, that whatever is over there, is something I am more prepared for." He says.
Bobby claps Dean's shoulder a few times before heading towards the murky sky. Knowing he couldn't argue any further, Dean unenthusiastically drags himself back into the house. He is only at the front door when he hears complaining from the study.
"Well, thanks for leaving me here to rot." Ruby deadpans. "You gonna tell me what the hell that was?"
"Honestly," Dean trudges into the room and plops into a chair. "I have no idea. Bobby went to go check it out, and left me here to deal with you." He says, unamused.
"Lovely." Ruby says.
The conversation dwindles to an end and the two of them awkwardly try to find something else to occupy their time. After a few moments, Ruby speaks up.
"I know you're wondering about why I've been helping you and Sam."
"You think? Sam disappeared once a week to see your sorry ass, thinking I didn't know. You didn't think maybe telling me the truth sooner would have prevented this whole situation?" Dean says.
"You think I would bother telling you, when you wouldn't believe a word I said anyway?" Ruby asks.
Dean pauses for a moment. "You have a point, I guess." He says.
"Who are you, and what have you done with Dean Winchester?" Ruby teases.
"Shut up." Dean says.
Another moment passes before the conversation starts up again.
"Yeah, why are you helping us? Is it really those human feelings you say you remember?" Dean asks.
"Yes. That, and I want to be on the side that wins this war. You've stopped the world ending a few times before, so I figured it'd be smart to place my bets on you two." Ruby says.
Dean raises his eyebrows in surprise. "I took you as the rebellious type, but never as the smart type."
"Shut it." She replies.
The sound of shuffling and dragging in the kitchen ends their conversation. Dean quietly reaches for his gun before seeing that the intruder is Bobby. He had dragged a burnt, unconscious man a long distance, based on the earth on the man's heels. Bobby lowers the man with a pant and turns to Ruby.
"Looks like we've got you an angel." Bobby says.