Hey, y'all! We're terribly sorry for another late chapter; things have been really busy for us both and it looks like it takes us about a week to put a chapter out. (And Pixie basically passed out at the keyboard, thank Mimzy for this one, guys! She's awesome!) But we should be back in action for good this time - no more late updates. Although I suppose for some people it's still Tuesday due to time zones… Let's hope you're all those people.
Warnings for this chapter: Language, basically.
Disclaimer: We do not own Supernatural.
"Demon Eyes" - The Answer
Well, the first day went… as well as expected, Jared decided finally as he finished rinsing out the supper dishes and loading them into the dishwasher. 'Dean' hadn't taken Jess well, but she'd managed to keep her cool and he was… dealing. Dealing was good. This was doable.
'Doable.' Yeah, right.
He still had no idea what to do about Jensen's situation or injuries, never mind the fact that he hadn't had proper medication in god knew how long. Maybe Jared could borrow some from Deerwater… Christ. He was so in over his head with this. How many laws had he broken already by keeping him here? And he was seriously considering breaking more? He would be lucky if he wasn't in prison by the end of this whole ordeal, much less employed.
Of course, the easiest solution would be to take Jensen to a hospital, to inform the police… get him real help… but something in Jared twisted anxiously at the very thought. He'd let the man go once, trusted the system once. Look how that had turned out.
Heaving a heavy sigh, Jared slowly started up the stairs with a final glance at the guest room door, which stayed resolutely closed. Jensen would be okay for a night and if he wasn't, well, he knew how to shout. He'd proven that fact multiple times at Deerwater. And right now, Jared needed something he actually understood.
His wife was the closest he was going to get, despite that he was years away from fully understanding how she thought.
"Hey, sweetheart?"
He heard her call out from the bedroom, "In here!"
Jared took a deep breath, walking to the door and opening it and then stepping inside. He smiled slightly when he saw her, walking over and kissing her on the cheek. It was nice to know that some things in life were constant, and lucky for him, his wife was one of them; she had been ever since they'd met at Stanford.
She gave him a gentle grin, putting a hand on his shoulder comfortingly as if sensing his thoughts. "Just finished tucking Scott in. Figured you could use a break today."
He put his hand over hers, his smile widening a little. "Thanks for that." He paused. "...And um, thanks for being so calm about Jensen. All things considered, you handled it pretty well."
Jess's face folded instantly as she shook her head in sympathy. "I can't even imagine what it must be like for him..." Suddenly she looked up and met Jared's eyes. "But Jared, you know he can't stay here, right? This... he needs help - real medical help, and the police should be involved, and…"
Jared only grimaced, looking away. "Yeah, I've kinda figured that out already."
"Well, then, why didn't you just take him to the emergency room when he showed up?" A very good question, that. It was one Jared was still trying to justify to himself.
"Because…" He sighed." "The guy who did this to him was a professional psychiatrist working do you think the police will believe? The professional doctor, or the psych patient?"
Jess paused, before rubbing her face tiredly. "We can't help him here, Jared. He needs more than we can give him."
"I know. I need to think about it first. I need time." He took a deep breath, staying silent for a moment, before speaking once more. "Until then, he's a good guy. I mean, he's a bit nuts and he sometimes acts like a five-year-old, but… He cares about people. He's not always that bad."
Jess gave him a look like he'd just told her he'd forgotten how to read. "Do you seriously trust him in our home? Around Scott? I took off work today, but I can't do that forever."
"Do I trust him? Yes." The answer came out quicker than he'd expected, and he was almost surprised himself at how confident it had sounded. Jess frowned a bit, and Jared shook his head. "I'm sorry, Jess, but I know him. He's not insane in that way. He's not going to hurt Scott."
Jess raised her eyebrows, huffing. "He thinks I'm a demon."
"He thinks I'm his brother," Jared pointed out. "He's not going to hurt you. He might rant a bit, but that's it."
"He'll scare Scott!" Her protest hadn't been something he himself hadn't worried about, but Jared knew 'Dean' well enough to know that hurting a child was out of the option.
"I'll talk to him about it," he promised. "He's willing to listen to reason, most of the time."
She let out a quiet scoff. "Is most of the time really good enough? Jared, this is our family! I- I don't…" She stopped, taking a deep breath. He knew her well enough to know that she was scared, and why wouldn't she be? She'd woken up to a strange man in her house who called her a demon, probably threatened her at least once, before locking himself away in the guest room before he'd gotten home. And after he'd returned, things hadn't really been much better.
Jared walked over to her, pulling her into a gentle hug. " I know. I would've taken him to Deerwater the moment he showed up if I didn't know him as well as I do. He's not going to hurt our child. He's a good man, despite all his flaws."
Jess returned the embrace, mumbling into his shoulder, "I never said that I doubt he's a good man, but can we trust him?" She pulled back to look at him, raising an eyebrow. "Good men can do bad things, Jared, especially if they're delusional and think demons are attacking them and their 'family.'"
She had a point there. Jared already knew what 'Dean' was capable of when he was angry. He may have joked about the plastic fork incident, but the fork had been aimed at Dr. Sheppard's jugular. If Jared hadn't been there to pull him away, Jensen could have accidentally severely injured the older man... But he also knew that 'Dean' was a kind man, always wanting to do the right thing for the ones he cared about. And he honestly believed Dean cared about him, and by extension, his family.
He planted a kiss on the top of her head, assuring himself as well as his wife. "I trust him, sweetheart. It'll be fine."
Jess gave him a skeptical look, but nodded slowly. "How long is this for?"
"Just a few days, tops," Jared told her. "I promise." He only hoped he could keep his word, but he wasn't about to tell her that.
She sighed, giving in. "Alright, Jared…" She leaned up, pulling him down just a little and pressing a quick, gentle kiss to his lips. "Alright. A few days only. He needs help."
Jared nodded, leaning down again and kissing his wife softly. "...You should head to bed. It's been a long day."
Jess gave him a frown he knew all too well from years of living with her - disapproving and worried at the same time. "What about you?"
His sleep schedule had been chaos for weeks, even though he tried to get to bed at the same time his wife did. He'd usually wake up after an hour or so, and would be unable to sleep again until much later. Jared wished he could just hide what he was going through from his wife so she wouldn't always be worrying about him, but at the same time, it was a nice feeling to know how much she cared about him.
He gave her a small smile. "I'll be in bed in twenty; don't worry. I just want to grab some aspirin and a glass of water before I start getting ready for bed."
"Your headaches again?" Jess's brow creased in worry as she rubbed a hand over his bicep, and Jared shrugged a little, downplaying it to reassure her.
"Not as bad as it was ten minutes ago…" he testified, because really, it wasn't. Somehow, just being around Jess seemed to make everything in the world seem right again. "Don't worry, yeah? I'm fine."
Jess smiled up at him, pulling him into a hug. "Alright…" Her soft tone told him clearly that she knew he wasn't fine, but that she loved and trusted him too much to push the subject.
He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her hair, breathing in the sweet scent of her strawberry shampoo. "What would I do without you?"
Jess pulled away enough to smile up at him. "Crash and burn." She laughed as Jared swatted her hair playfully, feigning indignation.
She was honestly probably right.
Dean dropped the lit match into the bowl in front of him, completing the ritual. It had been a long day already and the last thing he wanted to do was have to deal with him again, but it was necessary.
As expected, after a few seconds a distinct British accent rang out from behind him. "Ah, hello, Squirrel."
Dean turned around, crossing his arms. He was so not in the mood to flirt with a demon today. "Cas. You got anything on him yet?"
Crowley raised an eyebrow. "It's only been a little over a day since we last chatted. Do give me some time, why don't you?"
The hunter clenched his fists. "I'm stuck here with a zombie brother and a demon, while Alastair is doing God knows what to my friend! We don't have time!" He took a breath to calm himself down. "And right now, you're all I've got in the way of allies, so start shaping up."
Crowley rolled his eyes, scoffing quietly. "Now, now, don't get huffy. I'd have heard if the angel had died, so he's alive, at least. Be grateful of that."
Dean frowned, his expression grim. "Alive can be worse. You should know that." Alastair was as cruel as they got, and though he didn't want Cas dead by any means, that didn't mean he wasn't still suffering. Dean still couldn't believe he'd convinced himself to abandon the angel there.
"Yes, yes…" The demon carelessly waved the comment away, and then gave him a look. "I'm trying to figure it out without getting caught, you know. If they realize I'm against them, you'll have lost your only ally. And then where will you be, exactly?"
"Yeah, well, just remember, I'm the one figuring out the escape plan. And if I decide you haven't been helpful…" Dean trailed off, scowling, and let his threat hang in the air.
Unimpressed, Crowley scoffed. "You'll what? Kill me? Lose any and all chances of finding the angel? I don't think so."
He hated that the demon had a point. Every cell in his body was screaming at him to go after Cas, but he was basically trapped here as Sam's guard, the two of them pulling him in separate directions as he tried desperately to protect both. He couldn't be in both places at once; he needed Crowley's help, much as he hated to admit it."So trade then. You find Cas; I let you live. Sounds fair to me."
"Well, I'm certainly trying to." Crowley tilted his head to the side. "What have you been doing that's so useful, anyway? Any leads on a way to escape? Hmm?" Crowley raised an eyebrow, and Dean glared. Was he really expecting him to have something after only a day? ...Nevermind the fact that he'd been expecting the same from the demon… Dean's scowl deepened as he pushed the traitorous thought out of his head.
"I'm working on Sam. I figured him not getting turned into an angel condom was top of the list!" He sighed, not wanting to ask Crowley for anything more, but not seeing much of a choice. "Look, I need you to keep an eye on him while he's at Deerwater. They're drugging him somehow. I almost broke through last night, but today... he was re-zombified. I don't know how Lucifer's doing it." He hated having to depend on a demon - much less Crowley - to watch his brother, but as long as Sam kept working at Deerwater, he didn't have a choice.
Crowley huffed. "Have you even considered the possibility that it might not be Lucifer who's the one doing it directly? Ruby was brought back to keep an eye on him. I don't suppose you've thought about the fact that she just might also be there to keep the drugs in his system?"
Did the demon really think Dean was that stupid? He scowled. "Yeah. I watched her. She didn't give him anything."
"She's Ruby. You know her. She'd do it a bit more subtly than that." Crowley sighed. "If I were you, I'd start observing. Think of different methods she could be using."
"Why the hell is Lucifer resurrecting everybody, anyway? I mean, Ruby? Seriously?" Dean shook his head, scowling. By all rights, it didn't make any sense.
"Oh, not everybody," Crowley corrected. "Just those who might be useful for this. Truthfully, I'm fairly sure bringing Ruby back is only temporary. You know how he feels about us…" He sighed and rolled his eyes. "...lowly demons."
"Aw, your feelings hurt?" Dean scoffed. "Look, I need intel, not a buddy. You cool?" The last thing he needed was for Crowley to get distracted because of Lucifer's attitude towards him and his kind.
"I am perfectly fine." The demon shot him a glare. "Are you? I'm hoping that those emotions of yours don't get in the way of fixing all of this!"
"Emotions? All I'm struggling with right now is the urge to rip your throat out," He let out a low growl. "And so far I'd say I'm doing pretty damn well, don'tcha think?"
"You need me. You know it. Stop throwing empty threats my way, hmm? It's only wasting time," Crowley pointed out, smirking.
As much as he hated to admit, the demon had a point. Dean opened his mouth to retort, before snapping it shut and glaring at him. After a few moments of stabbing Crowley repeatedly in his mind, he spoke up. "Doesn't mean I have to like it. And once we're out, I will kill you, I swear to God."
"Yes, yes, whatever you say," Crowley's smirk widened.
"Speaking of which. I need to run a few tests," Dean said.
Crowley narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Tests?"
"Normal stuff doesn't work on demons here. I need a demon to figure out what will." It was Dean's turn to smirk now. "It's for the cause, Crowley".
Crowley sputtered. "You… You want me to be your guinea pig?!"
"You got a better plan?"
"Well, I would, if I knew everything that does and does not affect demons here! Then I could just tell you." The demon shook his head. "I can assure you, exorcisms won't work. The rest? I haven't exactly had the urge to experiment with what I can and cannot do here, exactly."
"Well, you're immune to salt…" He grabbed the bottle of holy water he'd made earlier from the bedstand, splashing the liquid in his face. Crowley shut his eyes when the water hit him, but seemed unaffected. "Dammit. That too."
Crowley wiped the water away with his handkerchief. "Sort of tingles a bit."
"So what, you're just like a human now?" He pulled out a large pocket knife he'd found earlier and opened it. "Give me your arm, and tell me if it hurts."
Crowley frowned. "Is violence really necessary?"
Dean rolled his eyes at the other man's unwilling attitude. "It might be, if you don't cooperate. C'mon, it's a tiny cut. Don't wuss out."
The demon grimaced, but reluctantly rolled up his sleeve and held up his arm, sighing. Dean drew the blade quickly across his arm, a thin line of blood appearing.
Crowley winced and pulled his arm back quickly. "Ow!" He looked at the human, an almost puzzled expression on his face. "That hurt."
Finally, something was going right.
Dean's eyes widened, a grin spreading across his face. "That hurt! That means it can hurt them. And if demons can get hurt by human weapons here... They can be killed by 'em, too." Alastair was going down, for good this time if Dean had any say in the matter. For the first time in a long while, things finally seemed like they just might work out in his favor.
The demon, however, looked less than pleased that he was now more vulnerable than he had been for centuries. "Well, that's just lovely."
"Hey, you bet it is," Dean told him, nodding. "That's the first good news all day."
"Well, don't be getting any ideas. You kill Ruby, and 'Jared' will never forgive you." Crowley's reminder was completely unnecessary, and Dean shook his head.
"If she tries anything…" Dean looked up at him, frowning. "And he's not gonna be 'Jared' for much longer."
"Well, we're certainly hoping…" Crowley nodded, examining the ceiling.
"Yeah. Yeah, that's the plan. I almost had him, too…" Dean mumbled, rubbing his face tiredly.
Crowley shrugged. "Try and find what's drugging him, and remove it. That might help."
Brilliant suggestion, Sherlock. Like Dean hadn't figured that out himself. "Yeah. Got that." He waved a hand at him in a shooing motion. "Get lost; I got shit to do."
A solid starting point would probably be helpful, but for now, Dean would settle for Crowley being gone.
Castiel struggled against the restraints that kept him secured to the wall, his head pounding. He already knew the action was useless, but there was nothing else to do until his tormentor returned.
Something in the back of his head told him that it should be easy to get free from his chains - that he should have been able to escape from here by now- but he couldn't remember why. His memories were foggy, and there were some that were - at least temporarily - completely gone from his mind.
What was he again? He wasn't sure. He was the… something. Not human. Not human? How could he be… not human? He knew he wasn't… he was... He was helpless, that's what he was. There was nothing he could do yet. That part of his memory had not been restored.
However, he remembered the Winchesters - and he remembered Alastair. Most importantly, he remembered what the goal of the game being played was. And while he was trapped here, terrified and in pain, he knew that keeping Sam safe needed to be the first priority.
All that mattered at the moment was that he was positive that Dean remembered who he was as well - although he was unsure of Sam's condition, and that one of them would come back for him.
He was sure of it.
So again, we hope you liked that chapter! Be sure to tell us what you think! - Mimzy and Pixie
