John Winchester shook his head as he pulled up in the long drive of the Morningway Estate. "You're up there laughing aren't you, Mary? I don't blame you." It was ironic really. Coming back to this place in between hunts now. Ironic, in a sick and twisted sort of way, that his boys called this place home, and it was really the only way he could spend time with them.
He had missed so much of their childhood. They had accomplished so much in their young lives, and he was sure they were going to accomplish a great deal more, and he knew that he could take credit for very little of who they had become. Maybe a little with Dean but nothing at all with Samuel.
He parked the car with a sigh. "Come on Mutt. Let's go see if Max has warmed up any to ya."
Dean looked out the window. "Okay, he's here." Dean said. "Where's Justin?" He asked Sam. The plan was to give their father a little breathing room. But it would be so Justin to just come in and 'welcome' John in.
"Last I saw him, he was in the library, looking for a couple of books I hid away." Sam said "It's on the other side of the house so hopefully he won't know until Dad has a chance to get settled."
"Everything important was moved to Harry's, right?" Dean asked as he watched his father get out of the car. "Wow, he made quick time from Massachussetts." He said as he moved over to the door to open it. "Hey, good trip?"
"Yeah..." John said looking both of his sons over as he came into the house. "Drove straight through." He told them, and it showed. "How are things going here?"
"They're...going." Dean said. "It's, well, it's weird. But we're...dealing. He's somewhere, so let's get you settled in."
"Yeah, better I get some rest before dealing with him. You boys sure you are okay still staying here?"
"I'm fine. The office has never seen so much of me, but that's life." Dean said with a chuckle. The poor office, so confused. There was a company policy about dress down Fridays, and even that was more formal that what Dean would stroll in wearing on a Tuesday.
"What about you?" John asked Sam, worried about the influence Justin would have on his youngest son.
"I'm good. Been helping Harry out at his office. Thinking about becoming a private investigator. You should have seen Justin's face when I told him. But it isn't like I will be able to have a normal job when the council finally realizes I'm not 12 any more."
Dean shifted his weight a bit at the mention of the council. "Come on, let's get you and Mutt settled in. Max is holding court with some of the neighborhood strays, so Mutt is safe for now." He said with a laugh, seeing as Mutt was at least three times Max's size.
John laughed at that. The battle of wills between the pug and his dog amused him. Mostly because he was certain that Max didn't hate Mutt as much as she pretended to, and Mutt wasn't as much of a push over as he pretended to be. "Sounds good."
"After you rest up, we'll hit the bar scene tonight." Dean said with a laugh. His father was the only one he knew who could outdrink him. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing though!
John knew they were trying to keep him away from Justin. The meeting would be inevitable, but John would put it off until he was rested. He needed his strength to stand up to a wizard. Even one freshly back from the dead. "Sounds good. You can fill me in on how things are going as well. I have some things to tell you, but they can wait until I am more awake."
"Will do." Dean said as Sam and he left the room to let their father unwind from the road. "This isn't going to be pretty, is it?" He asked Sam. "I mean, what were we supposed to do? Legally, Justin's still dead, this is our home. Put Dad up in a hotel? Try to make Justin leave?"
"I'm not sure there is a winning answer there. " Sam said. "Not even sure we could make him leave if we wanted to. This is a dangerous situation at best. I think our best bet is to just postpone their running into each other as long as possible."
"Thought I was supposed to leave stress at the office or back at a hunt." Dean said with a shake of his head. "Okay, I think we can keep them separated. For a while."
"So long as they cooperate, I think you are right. So... who gets first watch?" He asked, only half teasing. He knew that Justin and John would not cooperate with them at all in this. John would be itching for a fight and Justin would be more than happy to prove to the former Marine that he could stand up to him.
"Doesn't it strike you as hilarious that we, the two youngest in this entire whacked out family, are surprisingly being the most grown up about all this?" Dean asked with a sigh. "I'll take it. I'll head Justin off at the pass, I'm getting good at that."
"Because we didn't lose two children." Sam answered. He couldn't blame his father for the anger. Justin ... well he still didn't know how he felt about all of that, but he loved both of them, figured he would no matter what happened. But he could understand losing those you loved, and it was cruel to have put John through that.
"Yeah, well, I'm not used to being in the mature mode." Dean said with a laugh. "Figure I'll park myself here with the lap top, Justin won't come near me. It's a nice diversion, really, for the wizards that like me."
"Yeah, the only good part about the whole anti-magic thing while it was on me was being able to play computer games."
"Yeah, sometimes it rocks to be the non gifted one." Dean said with a laugh. "Because believe me, I couldn't do all this if I couldn't have a lap top. Then I'd be like Justin and tied to the office and bored out of my mind."
"The world as we know it would come to an end if you were bored and had magical ability. " Sam said, faking a shudder. "I'm gonna go check on Harry. I'll be back in a little while."
"All right. Check in." Dean said. That was status quo. Because of Justin's resurrection. The council didn't believe that it was Branwen's idea, orchestrated by her to get revenge on the Winchesters, Sam in particular. And Dean was waiting for fall out from that.
He was actually a little disappointed he hadn't seen more of Morgan. That was always a good diversion, messing with Morgan.
"Yeah, I will be back shortly, unless he needs my help. Then we'll meet you at the bar. I think he needs the time out too. He and Dad can find a middle ground by hating Justin."
"Oh nice." Dean said with a chuckle. "Remember all our friends who had divorced parents, and they felt like they were in a tug of war contest between their parents? I feel like that sometimes. Like Dad and Justin are just subtly tugging on us a little at a time."
Sam snorted. "Cause kidnapping us and telling us our father is dead is such a subtle tug." He pointed out. "Can't imagine why Dad is all upset at him being around."
"Dude, I meant now." Dean said. "I'm waiting for the gifts to start. And offers of really cool vacations. A few devil's gates here and there, you know, that sort of thing."
"Only you could think of a devil's gate as a gift or a bribe." Sam said with a laugh. "I'm expecting them to start vying for control actually. You know the talks about how I should really go back to college now."
"You should." Dean said with a shrug. "You liked it there, and you liked it before Jess got there, so don't start." He said. "You're the academic type."
"I'm not ready." He said. "Besides, there is no way you can do it alone. Keeping Justin, Dad and Harry all away from each other is like... juggling with your hands tied. "
"Who says I'd keep them apart?" Dean asked with a grin. "I'm building a cage for a cage match. Throw them in, see who comes out. Though gotta tell ya, even with all that magic stuff, my bet is on Dad."
Sam laughed. "Yeah, mine too, but Dad wont get off on a murder charge as easily as Harry did. So... let's put that off for a while, shall we?"
"Damn, there goes my plans for the weekend." Dean said. "I'll have to think of some other way to entertain myself. Thanks."
"Hey, you know... what are little brothers for if not to ruin their brother's fun?" He said with a laugh. "I'll be back later." Sam turned to leave.
"See ya." Dean said with a laugh as he tossed a ball down the hall for the recently returned Max, typing on his lap top in between throws.
Justin entered the room, staying a safe distance from the computer. "Well, I see your father is ... here. How long is he expected to stay?"
"As long as he wants." Dean said as he tossed the ball back down the hall for Max and looked over reports that were being streamed to him. "He just drove in from Massachusetts, so he's sleeping right now. I've done that drive myself, it's a helluva drive."
"I would imagine so. I suppose he has rushed here to protect you from me." He said with a faint chuckle. "There is no need you know."
"No, I don't know that. And neither does he." Dean said as he looked up from his screen. "Justin, throughout my adolescence you were the one that was there for me. You never gave up on me. Most people would have shipped me off to some military school in Anarctica or something. I thank you for that. Doesn't change the fact that you spent my adolescence making me into a one man killing machine."
"And do you think your father would have had a different fate in mind for you? I dare say it would have come about with a good deal more danger and a few less teachers." Justin said "There was never a doubt that you would begin hunting as soon as you were old enough."
"You're splitting hairs." Dean said, shaking his head. "You're throwing it back on my father instead of telling me why you did it. The level of training I recieved, I didn't need to be a hunter. Believe me, I've run into several hunters with a good deal less training who are better than I'll ever be." Bobby Singer for one.
"Because they were never going to have to face demon possessed wardens." Justin said bluntly. It was time to let a few details be known. Once the boxes were all found, the wardens would be sacrificed to the demons within in hopes of controlling the demons. It would fail. Justin knew that. And that failure would be catastrophic.
Dean was silent as he shut down his lap top and turned it off, getting up and stowing it in a spare room. "Talk." He said, standing in front of Justin. "These little nuggets you keep dropping, it's not enough. Or do you want a big family meetings called instead?"
"It would be easier than explaining it a half dozen times." Justin said with a shrug. "I must admit, I had not foreseen your father's involvement. That could add a large monkey wrench into the works."
"Really?" Dean asked. "Well, hopefully for the better. Something demonic, he's the one you want on your side against it." Dean said. "Something magical? I'd pick you. So if this is both, I'm hoping you'll both be mature enough to work together."
"Mature has never been the problem." Came John's deep rumbling voice. "Trustworthy... now that has always been a problem."
"So sayeth the second rate grifter." Justin responded in kind. "I was surprised to hear you were still alive."
"Can't say I was surprised by your resurrection. Although you know... hunters have a saying... what's dead should stay dead."
Dean rolled his eyes and leaned his forehead against a wall. "Yeah. Maturity has NEVER been a problem." He said sarcastically. "I'll call Sam and Harry...can you two try not to kill each other? Or better yet, break anything in MY house?" He said as he pulled out his cell phone. "Maxie, watch them."
The small dog made her way over to stand beside John and Justin, taking a typical bulldog stance, little head turning first one way then the other.
John tried not to laugh at the image. Had to give the dog credit. She was feisty. Especially for an old woman.
"Dresden here." Came Harry's voice over the phone line.
"Can you and Sam get over here?" Dean said. "Dad's awake, Justin is up and around, and Max and I are sick of babysitting."
"There's a cure for that, you know." He said and sighed. "Yeah okay, we'll be right over."
"Thanks." Dean said and hung up his phone. "All right, everyone with something to tell or bitch about, kitchen now." Dean said and whistled for his dog. The kitchen had food. And booze. He figured he'd need both, especially the latter, by the time this was done.
Justin chuckled softly, but turned on his heal and walked toward the kitchen, cane clicking softly on the floor with every other step.
John rolled his eyes, and limped after him. He was still tired, and he suspected he had blown his knee, but there wasn't time to worry about it. Never was.
Dean shook his head as he made coffee and pulled out a beer for himself. Waiting for Harry and Sam as he pulled out leftovers out of the fridge. "You think you two can behave without sniping for at least an hour?" He asked.
John gave Dean a warning look, he wasn't in the mood to put up with the attitude. He went to get his own beer and settled down on a stool next to the table.
Justin simply laughed softly. "Of course I can."
Dean glared back at John. "Don't start." He said to John as he heated up leftovers. "I mean it. You two have been in each other's presence for five minutes and you're already sniping. I'm babysitting. Yes, that's what I'm doing because I don't want you to kill each other. You know why? I just got you both back. There. End of story. Act your age or I'm breaking out restraints and I mean that." He said. He wasn't putting on an 'attitude,' for once he was completely honest with both men.
"I don't kill people, Dean. You know that." John said. Although he also knew that the same couldn't be said for Justin. Which was why he had hurried home so quickly to check on his boys.
"Fine." Dean said as the microwave beeped. "Then it's not too much to ask for you both to behave like adults, right?" He said as he brought out the leftovers and grabbed a plate for himself. Anyone else that wanted some was more than welcome to grab a plate.
John didn't waste any time helping himself to a plate of food. It had been a couple of weeks since he had eaten anything that hadn't come out of a convenience store. "I have been." He said glaring over at Justin. "In fact, most people would say I have been amazingly calm for everything he put me through."
"Yeah, it's when you're amazingly calm that I get worried." Dean muttered. Wondering where the hell Sam and Harry were. He needed backup dammit. At least he'd get that from Sam. Harry might aggravate them both, hoping they'd kill each other.
"Oh I hardly think I have put you through much at all. After all I wasn't responsible for you leaving them in the first place." Justin said with a sigh, rolling his eyes.
"You know... Dean wants you to continue to live this stolen life of yours. For now I can sit back and let things go. But you keep pushing buttons and you won't like where things go." John said in a deep, quiet tone, his dark eyes locking on to Justin's.
Dean glared at his plate. "Grow up. Both of you. I'm not asking you to be friends, I'm not even asking you to be that civil to each other, but right now, I need you BOTH at the top of your game. Not sniping at each other like middle schoolers." Though that cage match idea was starting to look better and better.
"I think you are asking too much, Dean, your father has always led with his emotions."
John shoved his food away lest he make better use of the knife. He had lost his sons, thought they were dead because of him, and now he had to sit there and listen to the bastard that kidnapped them bait him. This was turning out to be one hell of a day.
"Justin, shut the hell up. In fact, both of you shut up, just to make things fair, until Sam and Harry get here." Dean snapped, pushing his own food away before putting it on the floor for Max. He shoved his chair back and stalked out of the kitchen. He couldn't take this. His world had been turned upside enough without those two going at it. Sure, they had reason to, but dammit it didn't make it any easier being caught in the middle.
John was more than happy to continue being silent. He sat and stared at Justin, wondering just how much of a monster he was seated across from. The man had been in the ground for years after all. This wasn't some 13th hour salvation. This was resurrection. It gave him a small degree of satisfaction knowing that he could easily justify the man's death.
To everyone but his children...
Justin watched Dean leave with a raised eyebrow. "And we had made so much progress with the boy." He said, shaking his head as he poured himself a cup of tea.
John's jaw twitched. "There is nothing wrong with my son." He said and knew the moment the words came out of his mouth, he shouldn't have taken the bait.
Justin raised an eyebrow. "Really?" He said. "The boy punishes himself if his brother so much as trips over loose carpeting. That's certainly not my doing. And his temper? He doesn't get that from his mother's side of the family."
"In the grand scheme of things that he could have picked up through genetics or environment. I think he is an amazing young man. After all, he skipped over that whole kidnapping and murder habit. And he isn't a boy. He's a man."
"We have a lot of work ahead of us John." Justin said, sipping his tea. "It would be in your best interest to just bury this animosity you have toward me. As you can see, the boys are fine. Better than fine, they are in fact quite amazing in their own ways."
"Bury this animosity. How can you sit there and honestly expect me to bury the anger at what you have done to my family?" John shook his head. "If there is actually any reason for us to work together... I can get the job done, but don't expect me to sit here and suck it up to make you more comfortable. I can bite my tongue in front of the boys but that's about all you are going to get ."
"Done? What I've done is offer Dean the opportunity to be one of the most powerful men in the business world. What I've done is trained Samuel properly in his magical gifts, bringing him into the full circle of magic and skill. Given the right chances, he could very well lead the council himself." Justin said. Yes, he was rubbing it in. "What I've done is granted them the chance to have real lives. What would you have done?"
"What you have done is kidnap them, tell them I was dead, lead me to believe they were dead and trained them for your own personal jihad against the council. You can honey coat it for the boys all you want, but we both know the score. You brought them up for your own purposes."
"As you would have also." Justin pointed out. "You can hide behind the defense that you are their natural father all you want, but you were raising them for your little war against that demon that killed their mother. You weren't raising sons, you were raising warriors."
"I was raising them to take care of themselves, because the demon that killed their mother was trying to get to Sammy when it happened. "John pointed out and pulled his plate back to him, to begin eating. "It wasn't the ideal life, but it was what we had to work with."
"And could have easily gotten them killed. Isn't that why you dropped them off at a stranger's house?" Justin pointed out. "Because your recklessness almost got them killed? Here, they grew up safe. Protected. Not feeling like extra baggage."
"They grew up here with a lie, Justin. Talking in circles isn't going to change that. They grew up with lie after lie, and believing they had been abandoned. Not left somewhere supposedly safe while I finished a job."
"John, you just don't understand." Justin said. "We can argue until the lights go out about how we both had the boys' best interest in mind...but had they grown up with you, Dean could very well be a wanted felon right now. Samuel could be dead."
"And if you hadn't been killed by another man whose family you destroyed, my sons could be dead because of your machinations with the council. "
"And you never would have known." Justin said. "So are still drinking or do you think you're sober enough to help handle what's coming up?"
"Again your fault." He said about not knowing. "I can handle what's coming. Probably better than you can. You have no idea what you people have been playing with. No idea at all."
"I have a very good idea." Justin said evenly. "No matter your opinion of me, it is still important that they be stopped, don't you think?"
"There we agree. But here's the rub. I don't trust you. I don't trust for a moment that this isn't just a means to an end for you. And you would use those sepulchers yourself if you thought it would get you what you wanted. You forget... I know why Mary didn't want anything to do with your family."
Justin looked amused. "Do you now?" He said as he finished his tea. "Well, let's hope that my nephews will be arriving soon." He couldn't bear much more time in the presence of this insufferable arrogant man.
Harry had been dragging his feet. Not because he wanted John and Justin to go at each other. Not really. But mostly because he still couldn't bring himself to look at his uncle.
But eventually Sam had gotten him into the car and they had started the drive over in silence. He hated any sort of plan or information that originated from Justin. It couldn't be trusted. Not one bit of it.
Sam wasn't looking forward to it either, but instead of wanting to put it off, he just wanted it over with.
Dean had been sitting on the porch with his dog when they pulled up. He got to his feet and sighed in relief. "Thank god." He said as he went over to the car. "They both could be dead right now, but I couldn't take much more of it."
"They wouldn't be dead. Neither of them wants the other one to get off that easy." Harry said as he got out of the car. "Otherwise Justin would have killed him long ago." His jaw twitched. Not for the first time having to rein his own temper in where Justin was concerned.
"Okay." Dean said. "How about if I didn't get out of there, I would have killed them both?" Dean offered. "Come on, it's big family meeting time. Justin has something to say." Dean already knew what it was. "And it's big."
Harry frowned but went inside. "So where are they having their mexican stand off?" He asked.
Sam was starting to think he should be more worried about Harry and Justin together than Justin and his father. He could only imagine how he or his brother would behave in Harry's place. The end result would have likely been the same if Justin had killed John. Probably a good deal messier.
"In the kitchen." Dean said as he led them back there. Max went right to work chasing Mutt away from her food bowl as Dean grabbed a cup of coffee.
"So nice of you to join us." Justin said as he waved them to seats. And without further prelude, explained the council's plans for the sepulchers.
John nodded. "One of them has been found by Daniel Elkins." He said speaking of an aging hunter. "He rousted out a nest of vampires that had it in their lair. He has done a fair amount of research on it and has a group of us looking for the rest of them so that we can sort out how to destroy them, but I dont know that they actually can be destroyed. "
"They can be." Justin said. "If they're all together. Which brings us to the next problem. If they're all together, they have the possibility of being unleashed. This isn't something hunters alone can handle. The council has the others."
"Then we have to make sure they don't get their hands on the last one." John said. "We'll worry about destroying them after we get them out of the hands of your council."
"That.s not going to be as easy as it sounds. Not even as easy as Justin makes it sound." Harry pointed out.
"And I'm not making it sound easy." Justin added. "You were, all three, trained for this in a way. You are as prepared as I could make you. But one failure and all is lost."
"Well, good to know there's no pressure attached to this at all." Dean said dryly. "Dad, this Elkins, can he keep the box safe for the moment or not?"
"Hard to say. He's the oldest hunter I know, which says he is one of the best. But he specializes in vampires and demons, not psycho power hungry wizards. Best to assume not. " He added with a sigh. An entire council of evil wizards... he was suddenly grateful that the damned sons of bitches hadn't been willing to take Sam in to their midst when Justin had died.
"Okay, so we'll go get it and bring it somewhere safe." Dean said. "Don't know where that is though. Here?"
"No." John said as Justin said "yes."
Sam sighed. "Here is safe." He said, hating to contradict his father. "Dean and I redid the vault last year because of a couple things we found while out hunting."
"Believe me, no one can get into that vault unless we take them in there." Dean said. Between the magical bindings and man made protections, it was safer than Fort Knox. "We just now have to decide when we're going to do this."
"As soon as possible." Justin said. "Because you never know when they are going to decide its time to move. Chances are they already know that this Elkins has the Sepulcher."
"Great!" Dean said. "Road trip!" He had to look on the bright side at some point, right? "You staying here to ward off the council, Justin?" He asked.
"I am staying here because I suspect my being a wizard will make this Elkins suspicious. Samuel might as well but he has the," he cleared his throat, having to actually force the words out of his mouth, "benefit..." made a face, "of the last name Winchester."
"Hey, I like my last name." Dean said a bit defensively. They were starting again. "Look, I'm going to go pack. Don't kill each other. Any of you."
Harry laughed sharply. No humor in his tone. "Been there done that. Although I think I'll be moving into my old room while you boys are gone." He didn't trust Justin one bit in the estate with all the possible places he could have hidden things that even Sam and Dean didn't know about.
"Good."Justin said with a nod. "It's time we start working on mending bridges."
Dean looked between Justin and Harry. "Yeah, have fun with that, Harry. Duct tape's in the garage." He said as he left the kitchen to go pack. "And I'm bringing my dog!"
Justin laughed. "Some things never change, he's still inseperable from Max."
"Yeah." Said Sam. "Except for during that whole love spell situation. Which is still in effect by the way even though she is dead. Just out of whack because Harry put a null magic spell on him. " He looked Justin in the eyes. "Don't suppose you know a way to break that particular spell do you?"
"Of course I do." He replied back, unflappable as always. "But to do it without Dean's permission violates of the codes of conduct for the white, now doesn't it? You're not asking me to perform black magic for your brother, are you?"
"Didn't ask you to do anything." Sam countered. "I'm just looking for information." That had been Justin's answer to everything. He had known about all those dark and illegal spells simply for information's sake. "You can write it all out for me while we're gone." He said and turned to follow his brother out the door.
John went to get himself a second helping of leftovers.
Justin shook his head. "John, whether you believe it or not, I want what is best for the boys, I always have. This love spell on Dean is an unfortunate thing. But until he's ready for it to be lifted, there's not much I or anyone can do. Perhaps we can work on that with him?"
"Been trying since I got here." John said as he settled down again. "Sam and Harry have been working on it since it happened. Not sure it's going to do anything more than piss him off to push it. Only one with half a chance is Sam. But his chances go up exponentially if he actually has the counter spell available."
"Then we shall have the counter spell." Justin said. He didn't like the idea of anyone controlling his nephew, even if that woman was now dead. Even he hadn't sunk to such a low level as that. And his affection for his nephews was genuine, even if John didn't believe it or trust in it.
John simply nodded. He didn't want to believe that Justin had actually loved the boys. He wanted to believe that he had been using them, raising them for the sole purpose of using them. To believe for even a moment that he cared about them made it that much harder to deal with. Too many variables to consider, too many questions answered in ways that made Justin come out less the villain than he actually was.
Justin looked at Harry. "That will our assignment while they retrieve the sepulcher." He said to his eldest nephew. The one he had pinned such hopes on, only to come away disappointed (not to mention dead once).
"Yeah I suppose it will be." Harry said, figuring he would watch over Justin's shoulder while he worked out the whole counter spell. He didnt trust him not to come up with some way to twist it to get control of Dean. "I'll go and get some of my things when they leave."
Dean came back down the stairs, having packed for himself, his dad and his dog. John was easy to pack for, he hadn't unpacked. So Dean just grabbed the bags. And went to the fridge to get a couple of travel ice packs. "So which car are we taking? And how big are these sepulchers anyway?"
"Bout the size of a smallish chest." He said, holding his hands out to indicate 12 by 24 box. "Can fit in the trunk of the Impala nicely unless you have redone it majorly. If not, it goes in Sam's lap."
"Nah, haven't overhauled the trunk. It was set up fine." Dean said. He'd just added stuff to what was already there. The Impala was a better choice than the truck anyway. Three grown men and two dogs after all. This was going to be quite a trip.
"Then once Sam is ready, we're on our way. I'm gonna sleep the first leg of the trip though. Didn't really sleep much after getting here." John said honestly.
"I'll drive first leg." Dean volunteered. In fact, they'd have to fight to get him out from behind the wheel of the Impala, truth be told. "I'll call you, Harry." He said, he'd be checking up and updating his cousin regularly.
Sam entered the kitchen, duffel bag in hand. "Ready when you guys are." He said looking to Dean and John.
John rose and
went to gather his own bags that Dean had brought down for him.
"I'll be here when you call." Harry said.
"So, yeah. I'll be, you know, in touch." Dean said. Awkward to say the least, leaving Justin with Harry. Not like they had a choice, really. If Justin tried to pull something, Harry would be the only one who could stop him.
Justin raised an eyebrow and made himself another cup of tea. "He certainly is the worrier of the family, isn't he?"
"Yes he is." Harry said. "Or at least he is the one that shows it." He had the feeling that John worried as much as his son, just with less obvious tells.
"I always believed half, if not more, of Dean's problems were more anxiety related than actual true anger related." Justin said. "Tea?"
"Yes, thank you." Harry said. "And yeah, it is. But he is also the sort to take on that anxiety head on. Not a cowardly bone in his body. At least not where he is concerned."
Justin brought the tea pot over to the table, along with another teacup for Harry. "I know. He can be quite fearless." Justin said. "This will take all of us to accomplish, Harry. We have to learn to put differences aside for the time being, minor and major, to make this work."
"I'm here." He said. "The rest is going to take time." Harry wasn't going to set things aside to the point of making a foolish mistake and trusting Justin too much.
"We might not have the time, Harry." Justin said. "I'm not saying forget about everything. Just bury it for now, because this will require our full attention. We're taking on the council. That's not a small undertaking."
"I will do what needs to be done, but I cant pretend that none of it happened, Justin. Thats asking too much."
"Yes, I killed your father. I went about it the wrong way. I should have just sued for custody when you were much younger. And I should have done the same with your cousins. But, Harry, really. You killed me. Pretty much in cold blood. That should make us approach even."
"There was nothing cold about it." Harry said. "It was all white hot rage. You took away the one person I loved. The one person that loved me. You killed him just as we were getting things on track. You want to talk about cold blooded? You plotted the whole thing. You worked out the best way to go about it. Stole his property and killed him . I watched my father die, and you think we are approaching even? Not even close." He said. "And if you think for one minute that I will let you do anything to anyone else I care about you are mistaken."
"I will do nothing to harm either Dean or Samuel." Justin said, insulted at the insinuation. "They are my nephews, just as you are, parts of my beloved sisters who were gone from this world far too soon. And I care deeply for all three of you on your own merits as well."
"You didn't care about us. You wanted to possess us. You wanted to take us away from our fathers because you have this skewed perception that they took your sisters away from you. Guess what... they left on their own. They left because of love, and you spat on that love, even though you say you loved them yourself. You didn't care about anything or any one but what you wanted."
Justin shook his head. "Think what you want." He said. "I can't convince you otherwise, and I don't have the time to either. You have an image of me in your head that I can't compete against, Harry."
"Yeah, the image of a murderer and a liar. Hard images to get out of my head. My god... I loved and trusted you. Do you have any idea how much it tore me apart inside? "
"I never denied that I handled everything wrong." Justin said. "ANd for that I am truly sorry. Along with the murderer and the liar is the one who supported you. Listened to you. Taught you."
"If you hadn't been those things too it wouldn't have hurt to have killed you. But in all fairness you were trying to get rid of me pretty hard core at that point too. Don't sugar coat it now. I found out... and you had to take care of it."
"The intention was to knock sense into you." Justin said evenly as he stirred sugar into his tea. "I was hoping to not have to kill you. However, the more aggressive you became, the more the choice was taken out of my hands."
"You talk a good talk. But the actions... the history of deception, and the level of plotting and scheming through out our lives is ... well it blows me away. Thats not what you do to people you love, Justin. You don't use them like that."
"Had I faked my affection for you boys, I could have easily had Dean trained at a special school. You and Sam at another kind of special school. Popping in now and again to check your progress. But I tried my best to give you boys some semblance of family. Where you weren't living out of a suitcase or in the backseat of a car. Stability. Knowledge. Power. Family."
"You couldn't make us love you from a distance." Harry countered. "You couldn't possess us from a distance. I was happy living out of a suitcase with my father. I was happy. There was nothing wrong other than it didn't fit your plans. "
"Your father didn't appreciate your power. He couldn't comprehend it. You would have grown up wild, undisciplined. Gotten into far more trouble than you can conceive." Justin said. "You would have been lost long ago had you continued your existence with him. He couldn't understand the power and the abilities that course through you with every breath. He was a second rate illusionist at best."
"My father saw through you." Harry pointed out. "He saw trouble and wanted nothing to do with it. He told me people would want to use me for what I could do... and he was right wasn't he?" He shook his head. "It was all or nothing with you. You didn't offer to train me... to work with my father in what I needed. You had to have me. Had to take me away from him."
"Your father would hear of no such thing, so it wasn't an option anyway. He wanted it closed down in you. And you know that's impossible." Justin said. "Might as well cut off an arm. So I chose rashly, and I chose harshly. But the ends justify the means."
"No, they don't!" Harry nearly shouted. "Not when the means are murder and kidnapping." He wished he could say he didn't believe he was hearing this. The trouble was, he had expected it.
"We will never come to an understanding on this, I see." Justin said calmly as he sipped his tea. In direct contrast to Harry's emotional state. "Like I said, I never expected us to. But right now, it's important to bury it."
"Like I said," Harry told him as he sat down once more, "I'll do what needs to be done to keep the council from unlocking those sepulchers and letting their demons loose on the world. Beyond that... I really don't see that anything needs to be buried or pushed aside."
"We are still family. And I am still alive." Justin said. "Once the council is overtaken and their plans foiled, a new one must be put in place to ensure stability in our world. You know that as well as I do."
"I am sure Sam can sort out how to lead that one up." He said locking gazes with Justin. "And the only person less suited to the job than me... is you." He knew that was why this had all been done to his father, to the boys. Because Justin wanted control of the council. He wanted his coup.
"Samuel has a lot to learn still." Justin said, meeting his gaze. "He's not ready. He will be, in time. But not now."
"At least he wouldn't be going at it in search of his own power." Harry said. "More than I can say for you. This whole demon thing... is just an excuse. It's like slavery in the civil war. A rallying point and great PR but that's about it."
"Of course. Saving the world from demon hordes is wonderful PR. I should have thought of that sooner." Justin said. "I've never hid my ambitions to lead the council, before I even knew of the sepulchers I never denied it."
"Let's tell the truth and shame the devil." Harry said with a grin, having figured a few things out along the way. "The reason you didn't send Dean away, was because you wanted him to know... to truly understand the wizard world. Because you were training him to take on the wardens. A well placed anti-magic spell on a boy that loves you because you stood by him and you have a one man killing machine able to take out your obstacles to Ancient Mai."
"You're only half right." Justin said. That did factor into it. But Justin did see much of his beloved sister in her oldest son. Whether Harry wanted to believe it or not, whether he could believe it or not, he did have genuine affection and love for all his nephews. "Your cousin was also hell bent on being a hunter like his father. It prepared him in that realm also."
Harry sighed. The saddest part of all was that he could see it. But to him that just made the betrayal all the worse. He loved them... they loved him... and he used them anyway.
"Harry, none of us can change the past." He said. "All we can do is decide what we want the future to be."
"Forgetting the past is the surest way to make sure that it's repeated. I don't want a repeat of the past. "
"And living in it, dwelling on it, is the surest way to squander the future." Justin added.
"I'm not dwelling on it. " Harry said. "Just because I won't instantly put it aside, let you off the hook, doesn't mean I am dwelling on it."
"Fine." Justin said with a sigh. "At least you're being civil. I give you credit for that."
tmatmatmatmatma
Sam looked over at Dean and shook his head with a faint smile. Their father lay snoring in the back seat, Mutt curled up with him. Max was settled on the front seat between Dean and Sam. "To think we couldn't convince him there was room for one dog in the car when we were little." He found it amusing.
Dean laughed and scratched behind Max's ear and then opened a soda. "Yeah, well, there were a lot of things we couldn't convince him of back then." He said. "Knew he should have slept more at the manor." He said as he reached back and readjusted the icepack on their father's knee.
"No way he was going to sleep with Justin anywhere near. I don't blame him." Sam said with a shrug. "I suspect he sleeps best in a car anyway. Harry is going to be exhausted by the time we return."
"Well, I did offer for ALL of us to go." Dean joked. "Then we could all be irritable. Woulda been loads of fun." He said. "This is going to be hell. Dad, Justin, Harry. All in one place, on one operation."
"Yeah well... so long as no one dies, I'll count it a success. Don't think they have similar expectations though."
"Everyone survives." Dean said firmly. "I mean it, Sam. We can try to figure out everything later, but not with this on us. It's too much."
"No complaint from me... It's more the Justin and Harry contingent I worry about. Dad... well... he's right. He won't kill a man with out it being in self defense... but Justin just came back from the dead... that means all bets are off."
"Yeah I know. I'll have to continually point out to Justin that I wasn't trained to be a baby sitter, I was trained to be a Jason Bourne. Therefore, everyone should behave, unless they really want me to freak out on them."
"Oh nice image that." Sam said, having read all the books. "Doesn't endear Justin to me at the moment. Do us all a favor and don't use the analogy of a tormented CIA assassin in front of Dad. "
"Dude, it was a joke." Dean said with a roll of his eyes. "Come on, do I really seem the tortured assassin type? Really." He shook his head. "I'm the only one in the family with a sense of humor."
Sam looked at his brother. "You could take on Bourne and come out evenly matched." He said. "The real CIA would be jealous of the training you have."
"The real CIA should hire Justin then." Dean said. "Dude, I'm so much better than Bourne. First off, I'm better looking. Than both Bourne and Matt Damon. Dad would get all uptight again over a crappy analogy made in jest?"
"When Justin was still dead and buried, probably not. Right now... who knows?" Sam said shaking his head. Everyone was wound pretty tightly now that Justin had made his reappearance.
"The real question is...could I take the Terminator. The one in the original movie, not the softie from 2 and 3." Dean said with a laugh. Everyone was definitely tightly wound. He just wanted this latest thing to be over so he could go back to ignoring it all.
"I don't know.. the cops couldn't take him, the soldier couldn't take him. It took a waitress to do him in. You girly enough to take him on?" He teased.
"You're absolutely right. I should leave him to you. Can't do all the work after all." Dean said with a smirk. "I think you're girly enough for the job." He pulled over onto the shoulder and opened the door for Max, who was antsy. Potty break.
"Nice." Sam said with a soft laugh.
John stirred as Mutt started licking him in the face and barking in order to be let out as well. "Yeah, yeah, hold on there kid." He said as he pushed himself up right, took in their surroundings and opened the appropriate door for his dog, then lay his head back down.
Dean looked over the seat at his father. "You okay there?" He asked. It was one thing to be tired, but his dad looked like he'd been hit by a truck. A couple of times.
"Yeah." John said sitting up slowly. "I'm fine." He said as he followed the dog out the car door so that he could stretch his legs.
"If Dean said that, I would start looking him over for injuries quick." Sam said.
"That's because you're a girl." Dean said. "Dad!" He said and waited for John to turn around. He tossed him a bottle of pain killers. "Those should help." He had a pharmacy on board, and usually used most of it on any given trip.
John nodded his thanks and took two without water. He chewed them, grimacing at the taste, and swallowed. He needed them to work quickly. He was a mass of bruises under his shirt. He doubted there was a part of his torso that wasnt bruised or scraped at this point.
Dean exchanged a look with Sam and adjusted in his seat. "Yeah, he's beat up pretty good." Dean said. Probably bruises and lacerations. But he seemed all right for the moment. "He just needs some rest."
Sam nodded. "Yeah... if he isn't any better in a couple of days... we start to worry though." He added quietly as their father returned to the car with Mutt.
Max bounded back into the front seat and John and Mutt settled back in the back seat. "So, Daniel Elkins..." Dean said. "Does he know you a) had sons and b) they're not quite so dead after all? Cause we already did that whole holy water crossing salt lines thing with Bobby."
"Elkins and I were never close. He doesn't know anything about me so introducing you as my boys won't create problems." He said as he eased back against seat, and petted his dog.
"Good, cause a few less problems right about now would be good." Dean said as he started the car back up and pulled onto the highway. "I'm hungry. Anyone in the mood for anything in particular?"
"Not a picky eater but food sounds good." John said.
"Where ever it is, we should go in. It pisses me off when the drive through fritzes out every time I am near it." Sam added.
"Pisses you off? What about that poor girl who got an ear full of buzzing, crackling static?" Dean said with a laugh, referring to their last drive through malfunction. "Man, her mood was almost blown for the whole night."
"I don't doubt it." he said with a chuckle. "Better to just go in ... find some diner some where that we can sit down in."
"Maybe one with tables outside so the dogs don't have to stay roped up outside." Dean said as they hti another town and he drove around until he found one. A burger joint, walk up ordering, take it to a picnic table and eat kind of place. With some room for the dogs to run around and play for a bit.
"Smells good, that's for sure." Sam said as he got out of the car. His stomach growled in response.
John chuckled as Mutt started dancing in circles in front of him. The dog knew what was coming. His own burger with extra cheese. John spoiled the animal greatly, but then, the dog worked hard and had more than once saved the man's hide. He deserved to be spoiled.
Max was more spoiled than Mutt, if possible. The men got their food, and Max had her burger cut up into small pieces, and the fries torn into bite size pieces before Dean lowered the plate to the pug. "You know, this isn't going so bad." Dean said as he ate. He'd called Harry, and though Harry was keeping a close eye, both men were still alive. And the road trip was going well too.
John fed his dog a bite at a time rather than just putting down a plate for him. "It sure as hell beats hanging around the mansion " He didn't think he would heal at all if he stayed there. Not at all.
Dean checked on Max's progress, she was one independent woman, for a dog, and slipped her a few more fries. Beats the mansion. Okay, with Justin there, he'd give his father that. The big problem was that was home to Sam and Dean. And Dean's homebase more importantly! Harry liked to tease him that the mansion was his own personal batcave.
"Once this is all over, we'll all see where we stand." Dean said carefully. He knew the mansion was big enough that if Justin and John wanted to stay out of each other's way, they could easily do so.
"Yeah, I suppose we will." John said. It was easy to see the hold Justin had on his boys. They seemed to have forgiven and accepted him back a good deal easier than they had accepted their father. He didn't have to ponder how that made him feel. Just keep a lid on it.
Dean exchanged another look with his brother. This was not going to go smoothly at all, once they returned to Chicago. And again, Dean could feel both his uncle and his father tugging at his sleeves in opposite directions. He wondered how hard they could pull until he was torn in half. "So how far back do you and Elkins go?"
" 'bout ten years." John said as he finished his coffee. "He's been looking for a gun for me. A specific Colt. He's an old vampire hunter. Crazy around the edges but at his age, with what he's seen its to be expected."
Dean chuckled. "Vampire hunter? Should I even ask what court?" Though he knew there were vampires outside of the courts, non aligned. Though from his perspective, they were more black court than anything else, even if they wouldn't admit it. "Never mind, long story."
"He could probably tell you. I don't know anything about Vampires. You wouldn't think that took a special breed of hunter but it does. " John said. Him, he could hunt just about anything, but vampires became a life's work. He already had one of those. Didn't need the distraction of another.
"Hey, Sam. Bianca, she's...red court, right?" Dean said, having on occasion dealt with the different courts of vampires in Chicago. "She's cute. But the ones on the loose are probably black court, and they're really not cute."
"What he hunts... outwardly looks like they did when they were living. They don't have trouble with daylight. Don't particularly care about garlic or the like. They catch your scent once, they have it until one of you is dead. Dead man's blood is poison to them... gotta remove the head to be sure they are history." John said. "Vindictive sons of bitches too."
"Oh, I don't know, humans might give them a run for their money in that area." Dean said as he drank his soda. After all, his father was still on the hunt for a demon over 20 years later. And Dean? Well, he didn't see himself forgiving Morgan, or forgetting what he had done. The demon wasn't getting off easy. For that matter, neither Justin nor John.
John
didn't say anything to that. After all, wasn't Justin taking his
vengeance on the men that took his sisters from him? He figured poor
Dresden got off easy with a heart attack. He didn't expect the boys
to understand. They didn't have children. Didn't have anything to
compare it to, didn't have anything to compare the terror he had felt
that night in the hotel to, when he had nearly lost Sam. He prayed
that they never understood it.
Sam cleared his throat after a few
moments, the silence was anything but comfortable. "So... do you
think there is a way to destroy or... disable the sepulchers?"
"Has to be." Dean said. "Justin's not stupid enough to open them himself." He might be many things, but he wasn't stupid. "Unfortunately he's probably holding onto that way until the last possible moment." He said bitterly. More secrets.
"The Justin your mother spoke of, was hungry for power, like your grandfather. And like your grandfather would do anything to get it. World destruction... doesn't get you power. It just lowers the property values." John had to admit that much. "And don't take this the wrong way, but I'm a hunter with some pretty hard beliefs about this whole coming back from the dead thing... are we sure that's Justin? How did this resurrection process work? Was his soul held in stasis here after death and the body just needed a supernatural jump start or was it something different? Makes all the difference in the world here, boys."
"His essence, I guess you could call it a soul, was held in a doppleganger. Magical ability comes only in one body, can't be transferred like that, so the magic stayed with the corpse, while Justin stayed with Mini Me. He had it set up ahead of time, in case someone tried to kill him. Probably setting it up again for all we know." Dean said, paying close attention to his remaining french fries. "So, yeah, guess the corpse where the magic is needed a jump start. Because the double without the magic was useless." Though he was sure a part of his father was just looking for an excuse, even if he didn't want to admit it.
John actually relaxed. "Okay... then we should be able to trust him with this." It also meant the son of a bitch was unlikely to hurt his boys. Him, on the other hand, that was a different matter entirely, and John knew it. He wasn't a fool. Not any longer.
Dean looked at John. "We don't have a choice. He's our access to the other sepulchers." He said. "The council has had them, and they've been right under the junior members' noses." The members like Sam, who were full members in name only, most of the secrets kept from them. "Justin is the only one we know that can get in there to them."
"We have a choice, Dean." John said. "Couple of them. A. is to trust that Justin is up to what he says he is up to... which has the side benefit of completing his life's ambition. B. We get the box we know to a place where nothing including a wizard can get to it. C. We don't trust Justin but we let him get us to the boxes, and deal with them before he has a chance to do anything with them."
"Option B is out." Dean said. "I mean, how would we get the box to a place no one could get to? That would mean we couldn't get to it either, which means it can't be gotten to. OW!" He said as his brother kicked him under the table and Max growled. "Dude, I'm not being a smart ass, I'm serious!"
Sam gave his brother a long suffering look and rolled his eyes.
"There are ways." John said but they weren't easy ones. Having Sam along would help. Wizards had an easier time with gates and the like. "But that leaves us with the question of just how far do we trust him."
"Look, if we can get to wherever it is, that means eventually someone else will as well." Dean said and glared at Sam. His shin was sore now. "And Option C isn't a good one. We don't know what to do with it. By the time we figure it out, the council might over power us and take it anyway. Could be done, easily. Justin's got the aces in here, I don't think he's bluffing. And we don't have anything to bluff with really."
"Trusting Justin Morningway... not a wise option really. All things considered. Sepulchers aside... what if we are letting loose a worse devil than the one that is already at the head of the council?"
"I don't know." Dean said honestly. "But I'll feel a whole lot better when the sepulchers are out of the equation all together. We'll figure out Justin if we have to later."
It was a no win situation as far as John was concerned. No matter what Dean thought, his biases didn't come from the kidnapping alone. They were planted there firmly by their mother, who wanted the boys kept as far from Justin as possible. Just another way he had failed Mary. "About all we can do."
Dean finished his fries, his mood was shot. But with all the stress hanging over all of them, from the situation and the interpersonal issues, it didn't take much to shoot Dean's mood down. "Come on, I think we can make it to Elkins' by night fall."
John nodded and motioned for Mutt to follow him back to the car. He was definitely going to have to come up with alternate living arrangements, or just rarely come into town anymore. He wasn't going to be able to take much of this. Anything that was said about Justin got the boy worked up. It was too much to ask ... it was just too much to ask of him.
Sam sighed and got to his feet. He wasn't so anxious to forgive Justin. He remembered the look on Harry's face the night he had killed him. The horror and sorrow at how his father had truly died. The fact that they had been taken while Justin knew that their Dad was still alive. The whole adoption thing was bogus because of that. It was done with the courts' believing their father was dead as well. Too many secrets and lies. He understood John and Harry. He supposed he understood Dean as well, but he didn't necessarily agree with him this time.
Dean waved off any offers to drive. He needed to drive. He needed his hands on the steering wheel, his foot on the accelerator, and his choice of music blaring. All he'd ever wanted was his family as intact as it possibly could be. On paper, he had that. But he had sniping from Justin, snark from John, Harry was pulling away. No matter what he did, he couldn't keep it all together, couldn't keep them all together. He knew it was too much to ask of everyone. Including him, he had a lot of pent up issues with just about everyone himself. Half the time he wanted to take off on a hunt across the country, just leave and let them work it all out, or fall apart, or something without him being in the middle. Like the boy with the dam, plugging leaks with his fingers. Until he ran out of fingers.
Sam had his own ideas about things. Most of them included the older men not living in the house at all. Neither of them. He liked having John around. Loved it. But John was in town for a week or two at a time in between hunts.Or a string of hunts. It was like having a house guest. Justin wasn't going to be a house guest. Justin was going to want to be lord of the manor. He and Dean were going to clash and once they clashed, then Harry and John would want to jump in and it would all go to hell in three handbaskets.
He took two pain killers and leaned his head against the window. He didn't want to see Elkins tonight. He wanted a hotel room and silence.
Dean glared at the road. Even Max, picking up on Dean's mood, glared at the dashboard as Dean drove. Fast and hard. He was incredibly lucky he didn't get stopped. But he pulled up in Elkins' driveway ahead of schedule, amazingly enough. "We're here." He said.
Sam barely bit of a 'thank god'. John slowly sat up in the back seat, not daring to stretch, but got into the pills and chewed two more before opening the door and getting out. He looked around, taking in his surroundings.
"I'll go see if he's around. If not, I know where he goes to drink" He told his sons and walked stiffly up to the door.
"Sounds good." Dean said as he got out and leaned against the car, hands buried in the pockets of his jacket as he waited. Shifting his weight a bit from foot to foot, he was never very good at waiting, no matter how much practice he had.
Sam looked around, getting a bad feeling about it all. It was too quiet. The air was almost electric with the quietness of it all.
"He's home, come on." John called out to his sons, motioning them to the door.
Dean looked around him, into the thick patch of woods. But went into the house after his father, making sure his brother got in first of course. Daniel Elkins was sitting on a battered couch, two boxes in front of him. And a whiskey bottle.
"Reinforcements, John?" Elkins asked with a chuckle.
"Daniel Elkins, these are my boys, Sam and Dean." He said. "Not so much reinforcements. More like company on the road these days. " John told him. "How ya doin?"
"Damn. You spawned." Elkins dead panned. "Doing just fine. Pull up a glass boys." He said to Sam and Dean. "Now, John, I got two things I need to show you. They're big, I promise. Worth the drive here."
"You found it, didn't you?" John breathed, not sure he dared to hope. That gun was the key to finally dealing with the demon. To put an end to that nightmare hanging over his head.
"Well, here's the sepulcher." He said, indicating an ornately carved box. "You said you could deal with this, right?" Then he gestured to the smaller box and opened that one. "So much for a tale I made up when I was drunk, huh?" He said with what could have been a smirk.
Dean leaned in and looked at the antique gun. "A gun?"
"Not just any gun, son." Elkins said, closing the case again. "This here is a special gun."
John took it out of the box and looked it over as if it were a sacred relic. "This gun... was made by Samuel Colt... to kill demons. " He said and looked over at Dean. "With this... we can kill the son of a bitch."
Dean had to sit down at that part as he tossed his brother a shocked and amazed look. "Finally." He breathed out. The demon had been haunting his life in ways his father didn't even know about for far too long.
Elkins nodded and took a drink of whiskey as he looked at the Winchester men. "There's five bullets. But you'll only get one shot at the bastard."
John nodded. "Miss and he will fight tooth and nail and for a demon, that's a lot of teeth." He said sitting down as well. He had just been handed his holy grail. "Thank you." He said quietly and cleared his throat. "Okay... the box... we can take care of the box. Make sure it stays out of the wrong hands."
"Good." Elkins said, standing up. "Because I'm not sure I can." He walked over to the window and looked out it. "In fact, you guys should leave with it. Now."
"What's out there?" Sam asked, still feeling that charged feeling in the air. What Dean would call his spidey sense. He got the feeling Elkins felt it too. He got up and picked up the box, holding it under one arm, the other hand going to his knife/wand.
"Trouble." Elkins said, before the window next to him broke. And with the window, all hell broke loose in that cabin.
"Sam, get the boxes to the car!" Dean shouted. He was sober, and in much better shape than either his father or his brother. He'd take them on and buy them time.
Sam ran, knowing that if his cargo was lost, so was the fight. He hurried to the car, not bothering with the keys to get into the trunk. Instead he pointed his knife at it and cast the spell Harry had taught him to open locks. He put the boxes in the trunk and grabbed a cross bow out before slamming it closed.
He turned to find himself face to face with two of the vampires, and quickly shouted a spell that erected a protective circle around him and the car.
All the training that Justin had put Dean through definitely paid off in moments like this. His movements were fluid, smooth and brutal. If he took hits, he didn't feel them yet (another part of the training, plus adrenaline rush, plus what was naturally Dean). He just took on as many of the vampires as he could, giving his dad, hopefully, time to get himself and Elkins out.
Daniel Elkins was dead in the first moments of the fight, and John Winchester had no intention of leaving his son to fight these bastards while he made an escape. He had to have faith that Sam could take care of himself out there. He couldn't afford to divide his attention between them.
He ignored the pain of the blows as he continued to fight. Apologizing to his old friend as he wet his blade in the dead man's blood, and plunged it into his attacker before the world went black.
"Dad!" Dean said, seeing his father go down. And go down hard at that. Dean went over to his father, and kept the vampires off him. After everything that had happened, everything they'd been through, he was not going to lose his father to the walking dead, and that was that. So he took the fight away from his father, across the cabin. Planning on taking out as many of these sons of bitches as he could, even as he heard his rib snap. He'd feel that later, he was sure, as he wiped the blood out of his eyes. "Sam! Get Dad NOW!" He yelled out. He was pretty certain Sam had pulled a magical defense. John didn't have that. And Dean was having trouble keeping his balance, he didn't know how much longer he'd be able to hold out.
Then he was thrown through the window, and hit the ground hard. Groaning he rolled and tried to get up, but they were on him too fast.
"Dean!" Sam yelled, but wasn't able to move, he didn't have the items safe enough yet. He eased slowly around the car to get into the driver's seat, pushing aside both frantic dogs to get behind the wheel. Both dogs bolted out the door before he could close it and there was nothing he could do to stop them from rushing toward the fight. Max keeping up with Mutt, her short little legs a blur as she ran.
Sam started the car and turned it around running down two of the vampires as he drove toward his brother.
Mutt jumped through the window to John. And Max sat down on her haunches. Confused. And started to howl and keen. She could smell Dean, she could see where his blood was, but she couldn't find Dean. In the chaos of dogs and charging car, Dean had disappeared along with a handful of the vampires. Leaving Max nothing to do by howl, she couldn't pick up his scent, not with all this blood. His, Elkins', John's, the vampires...too much blood for a dog to work around.
Sam swore as he got out of the car, and went to the dog, scooping her up. "We'll find him... they took him alive... they won't kill him... " He hoped he was right. He put away his wand and took out the cell phone as he headed inside, and called Harry as he knelt beside his father.
John moaned. "Dean?" He asked as he cracked open his eyes. Not asking if the shaggy haired young man kneeling over him was Dean, he knew it was Sam. The tone made it apparent that he wanted to know where Dean was. He knew where Sam was, and Sam looked all right for the moment. He could ask in a bit if Sam was hurt. But it was his eldest son he couldn't locate in the dark, in the debris. "Dean?" He repeated a little more urgently.
Sam hung up the cell phone. Harry would be speaking with Bianca to find out what he could about this particular cell of vampires. If there was any information to be had. Sam sighed and shook his head. "They took him. I couldn't stop it. " He said, fearing the worst but trying to find hope in the fact that they took him alive instead of killing him there. "Do you need a doctor?" He asked, as he started formulating a plan to keep the boxes and their contents safe. Dean was going to kill him when they found him.
"I'm fine." John said. The 'I'm fine' line had to be heriditary. But he pushed himself into a sitting position. "Elkins is dead. We have to deal with the body." A hunter's funeral. They were enough in the middle of no where that they could pull it off without anyone noticing. "Then we'll go after Dean." Anything wrong with him could wait. It would have to.
"Yeah well, I'm going to need some of his blood before we bury him." Sam said. "And we need to clear out the weapons from the trunk. I'm going to make sure nothing but me gets in that trunk until those boxes are safely back in Chicago." He said, trying to focus on the big picture because to do otherwise would be to allow panic to settle in. "And then we take you to the emergency room while Harry is finding out what he can from the Red Court about these fangy bastards."
John groaned and nearly fell over as he got himself into a standing position. But if he stopped, he feared he wouldn't get back up, and Dean couldn't afford that. Not now. Now was not the time to give into his body, or Sam. "Come on, you grab the arms." John said. He hated the idea of draining Daniel's blood, but Sam was right, it had to be done. "Must be some Mason jars around here. Then we burn and go after Dean." He was also staying on task, because if he didn't, fear would creep in on what could be happening to his eldest son. Though, looking around the room at a small pile of dead for real vampires, his son had put up one hell of a fight.
"You have any idea where to start looking?" Sam asked him as he went into the small kitchen and took out a couple of jars. That would be enough. More than enough for what he needed. Thankfully there were easier ways go about the blood letting where magic was concerned. It didn't need to be the ghoulish prospect that it would normally be.
Sam had to repeat his question. John's ears were ringing and his head was swimming. He definitely got his clock cleaned, as the saying went. He swallowed past a wave of nausea, he knew he had a concussion. His knee was even worse for wear, and taking anything but the most shallowest of breaths was not going to happen. On top of bruises, cuts, bumps, and lumps of various sizes and colors.
Today, John Winchester would definitely not win a beauty contest.
"No. Gimme a minute." He said. To think. Or try to
"Right... you sit down. Let me take care of things here." He said as he moved to direct his father to the sofa and handed him what was left of the whiskey, before taking out his knife/wand and opening the jars, setting them on the floor. "Never done this with blood before... but it beats the alternative... and it should work the same." He said as he cast the minor spell to put the pooled blood into the jars.
"Wonder if Justin's would work." John grumbled before he thought better of it. Hey, dead man's blood was dead man's blood, right?
This whole world, that Mary wanted no part of, that Mary had planned her sons never being part of, was part of Sam's identity. John was still wrapping his head around that one, about how big he had failed his beloved wife. He shook his head, as if to physically clear his head, because those thoughts were useless and counter productive right now. He watched as the pooled blood went into the Mason jars and then as the jars were sealed tight, to prevent clotting and decomposition.
"Okay." He said, still leaning on the wall. Hopefully the wall wouldn't move, because if it did, John wasn't sure he'd get back up. "So Harry works it from his end, and we hunt. See if we can pick up a trail."
"No. Harry works on it, you go to the emergency room and I make sure that sepulcher doesn't get into the wrong hands... and try and divine where he is. You aren't going to do me or Dean any good passed out on the floor somewhere."
"Sam, we don't have time." John said insistently. "Let's go with Dean being alive. Hopefully he's unconscious. Because once he wakes up...I don't know if you noticed or not, but your brother has quite the mouth on him. Their tolerance level for snark and sarcasm probably isn't very high, and Dean won't be able to help himself."
"Fine,
you deal with the body and I will deal with the trunk because if we
lose either of these... you won't want to deal with Dean when we do
find him. Because then everything will have been for nothing."
He said as he took the blood out to the car.
He knew that his
father wouldn't be able to deal with the body, and if he couldn't do
that he couldn't hunt either. It was suicide for him to go after Dean
right now. He needed a hospital bed, then Sam could go and find his
brother.
He emptied the weapons from the trunk, and poured in a layer of rock salt, he then sprayed that salt with dead man's blood, put in the boxes, and buried them in salt. "Dean is going to kill me." He muttered as he repeated the process with the blood, tinging the entirety of the salt a disturbing shade of pinkish red.
He raised his knife and cast a spell on it, and the trunk slammed shut, and the lock glowed. If that trunk opened before the spell was removed, the rock salt would fly out like a million pieces of poison shrapnel.
John was breathing hard, but shallowly. He got the body out into the back. It wasn't that far, even if he felt like he'd run a marathon. He didn't even remember boot camp being this hard. He leaned against the house, staring at the wood pile. Rubbing his eyes, clearing the double vision.
This was a test. He knew it was. If he couldn't handle a dead body, then how could he handle vampires? And dammit he was failing. His eldest son might be killed because he couldn't overcome the weakness of his body.
"No." He said roughly to himself, pushing his sore and battered body off the house, limping over to the wood pile and gathering wood into his arms, hissing as the rough logs dug into open areas. He wouldn't lose his son now. Not like this.
Sam hated doing this to his father, but he wasnt going to risk either of them. He went back inside and searched the house, finding Elkins' journal and pocketing it. He needed all the information he could get on this particular breed of vampire.
He then scoured the place, for any bits of vampire he could find that wasn't left behind by the dead bodies. Something he could use in a tracking spell because if that didn't work, he was screwed. Tracking spells wouldn't work on Dean right now.
"Yes, I know Max." He said to the dog. "We're gonna find him, I promise."
John got one log around the body. And had to rest. Dammit, Sam was right. And it was going to cost Dean because he was right. That didn't stop John was trying to push forward anyway. His eldest had been fearless, going into the sea of vampires to buy them time to keep the artifacts secure. Losing those was not an option right now.
Three logs later, and the feelings of something pulling hard inside him, John finally collapsed, unconscious on the ground. His body finally overriding his mind.
Mutt sniffed at his master and howled long and loud. Sam didn't waste time wondering what the dog was going on about, he ran to look. He had expected his father to come to his senses some where in the process, but no... the man had literally knocked himself out trying. Well better here than in a fight with vampires. At least that's what Sam told himself as he grabbed his father and half carried him to the car, easing him into the back seat.
"Let's go." He said to both dogs and they got in, Maxie giving him an evil look, but getting in none the less. Sam was leaving Dean behind somewhere and she wasn't happy about it in the slightest.
He drove to the nearest hospital breaking at least a dozen traffic laws in the process. He parked the car, and gave himself and his father a cursory look over, and with a quick spell eliminated the blood coating them. Very little of it was actually John's, then called for help getting his father into the ER.
John was rushed into an exam room, with Sam's tale of being mugged. Beat the truth, that he was ambushed by vampires and made things worse preparing his friend's body for burning, right?
"We have to admit your father for observation." The doctor told Sam. "At least."
Sam nodded. "How bad is it?" He asked. It looked bad, and if his father were unconscious it was doubly so. He hated that he was going to have to leave the man here to go in search of Dean but there was nothing else he could do... but he wasn't going anywhere until he knew what was going on.
"He's got a concussion. Broken ribs. His lung is bruised. Some minor internal bleeding. Nothing we have to open him up for, but they all warrant some close observation." The doctor said. "I want to keep him here as long as I can." John had briefly roused, and the doctor knew that he might be able to keep John a few days, but no more. So his goal, his "as long as I can" was three days.
Sam visibly relaxed. His father was going to be all right in time. That was one taken care of, now to find Dean. "Can I see him? " He asked. He didn't want to just leave the man there to wake up alone but he had to get busy. There was only so much time he could afford to let slip past with his brother out there in trouble.
"We're moving him up to his room now, you can follow up." He said as John was wheeled past in the stretcher, an IV already running through his arm. "When he wakes up, the police will probably want to talk to him, this was one of the most vicious muggings I've seen in a long time."
Sam nodded. "Okay." Which meant he had to be here when his dad woke up to tell him the cover story. "Do you know how long he will be out?" He was hoping for a call from Harry, something, anything to go on. Otherwise he was going to have to scour Elkins' journal and hope for a clue.
"No." The doctor said, shaking his head. "He'll be on the fourth floor." He said and left to attend his other patients.
John was transferred to the bed, and his battered frame made the bed look small. Nearly unable to contain him as he twitched in his sleep. Who knew what he was dreaming? Things that happened, or things that could happen. Possibly a horrifying mix of both.
Harry called Sam. "I've got Bianca running down some sources, she owes me." He said. "How's your dad?"
"Thanks." Sam said, with a sigh as he settled into the chair. "Not good. He is unconscious. Light internal bleeding, battered all to hell. They want to keep him for a few days. Don't know how that's going to work once he wakes up."
"Probably about as well as keeping your brother on bedrest." Harry observed dryly. At least that he had experience with. And it was an impossible feat in itself. He could only imagine what the elder Winchester was going to be like.
"Yeah well, I'm thinking of having him flighted back to Chicago. Get him out of the situation entirely. But I think dealing with him when I got back would be worse than facing down the vampires."
"Get him back to Chicago. We'll babysit him here. By we I mean me, Bob and Murph." Harry said. He wasn't going to let Justin near John. No matter what his opinion of John, he knew this wasn't the other man's fault.
"Good. I will make arrangements then. Thanks, Harry. I'll call you when I get things taken care of." That took a load off of Sam's mind. He didn't have to worry about his father and his brother at the same time, which meant he could get to work. "I've got the sepulcher... it's booby trapped in the trunk right now. I don't dare send it with Dad. I'll bring it when I bring Dean home." There was no if. There was only when.
"You bobby trapped Dean's car?" Harry said, laughing. "Doesn't matter what condition Dean is in. Guaranteed by the time you guys get back to Chicago, you're going to be in wose condition."
"Yeah, but not as bad as if I had let the box get away in order to save him." Sam pointed out. "Let's just hope I get to the trunk before he does or I'll be picking rock salt out of his hide for a month." He said as he started toward the door. "I'm gonna go and make arrangements on this end to have Dad flown out. I will talk to you in a bit." He said and hung up.
tmatmatmatma
"I wonder if he's going to wake up and play." She said as she circled their prisoner. "He certainly seemed fiesty enough back at the cabin."
Dean was awake. But he was going through his options right now. It was better than thinking about pain. Or the fact that he was tied up. Or numerous other things that made his situation look really really bad.
But she kept yammering on and on, making his head hurt worse than before.
"Will you shut up?" He snapped.
"Guess that answers your question." Luther said with a chuckle. "Find out why laughing boy here was hanging out with a wizard and a vampire hunter. Not liking that combination. " He said with a frown. He just wanted to get on with his life. He had lost enough because of Elkins.
"Because I was bored." Dean shot back. "Next time I'll check my social calendar with you first, how's that sound? Those this place...goes beyond the meaning 'fixer upper' you know." He could only hope that Sam and Dad were safe. Because right now he wasn't in a position to do much. Though it wasn't stopping him from trying to get out of the restraints.
Kate stepped close to Dean pushing him back against the pillar and pinning him tightly to it. "Attitude... gotta admit I like a man with attitude. But since I'm already involved it's not gonna do you much good." She said. "Now why don't you be a good boy and tell the man the truth."
"I'm not the good boy of the family, sorry." Dean said, groaning a bit as he was pinned against the pillar. "But you guys just don't know how to pick your battles, do you? Cause, dude, attacking us was a really stupid thing to do."
"What? Two dead hunters and a wizard that couldn't fight his way out of a wet paper bag is supposed to scare me?" Luther asked with a laugh. "Is Harry Potter gonna show up and blast me into kingdom come?"
"You are an idiot." Dean said, shaking his head. "That wizard who couldn't fight his way out of a wet paper bag is a council member. So you better hope that all his fluffy hair is right where it should be, along with everything else."
"Council member, huh? Well that would explain why he ran like a coward. They're taking them in younger every year, aren't they?" She said, not at all intimidated by the news.
Dean rolled his eyes. "Great. So what's the plan for tonight?" He asked in a bored tone. "Cause let me tell you, boy wizard and two old hunters were more entertaining than you guys."
Kate looked him over and then looked to Luther. "What do you think? Did the council send us take out? Or did they expect us to be their assassins as well tonight?" She asked him.
"Don't suppose it matters. End result is the same." He said. "And since Junior took off like a bat out of hell, I'm betting he was leading the little lambs to the slaughter. But what the hell, one more hunter out of the way than expected."
Dean just glared. No way did Sammy lead them to slaughter. It was a set up, and he was going to march right into the council chambers and settle this when he was out of here.
"Ooh. That means we get to play." Kate said as she ran a fingernail down the side of Dean's face, laughing as he moved his head away from the finger. "You did promise me entertainment tonight, baby."
"Yeah, I guess you can play." He said with a chuckle. "He'll make a good addition to the family when you're bored with him, so keep that in mind while you play." He added and went to get a couple of beers.
"Aww, sometimes he can spoil a party." Kate said to Dean with a smirk as she ran her tongue down the side of his neck. Dean grimaced.
"You know, just bite me. Bleed me dry, whatever. But the real torture here is watching two fangs make cute and monologue." Dean said.
Luther came back and opened his beer. "That anxious to be undead? Not even wanting to stall in hopes that the calvary is coming to save you? Not sure if that's fatalism or intelligence. Not betting on the latter... you are here after all. Fortunately that tends to go up after you're turned."
"Then how stupid were you when you weren't undead?" Dean said and got soundly smacked by Kate for that. He licked at the blood in the corner of his mouth, as much out of instinct to see how bad it was split, as wanting to keep the blood from them. "Dude, don't expect me to turn. I know how it goes. I'd rather die."
"Every one says that...until they are staring death in the face." Luther said, ignoring Dean's insult "Of course everyone also seems to think they have a choice."
"Maybe we should break him." Kate said thoughtfully. "Once he's turned, he could still turn on us with this attitude of his. He is a hunter after all."
"Oh boy. Here we go. Talk of torture and death. You guys gotta get some new material." Dean scoffed.
"Why don't you have fun?" Luther said, finishing his beer. "We'll see if there is anything left of him to turn when you're done. If not well... shove him in the pantry for later."
Kate smiled. "Great idea, baby." She said and looked at Dean. "By the time I'm done, you'll beg us to turn you to stop the pain." She said, with a surprisingly sweet smile on her face.
And Dean felt a shiver of fear run down his spine at that.
TMATMATMA
Sam watched as they loaded his father into the air plane. He was going to be kept unconscious through the trip which was probably for the best. Would keep him from making them bring him back. There would be hell to pay when it was over but it was for the best.
He headed back out to Elkins' place with two sullen dogs in the front passenger's seat. Both of them given to random bouts of keening that was enough to make Sam's head explode. No amount of reasoning with either animal was enough to settle them down.
He took care of the aging hunters funeral as he deserved before going back into the house and rumaging through his research and hunting supplies. Vampires were a breed apart. That was for certain.
The news paper clippings and notes recently made indicated that the group appeared to be settled in. Not just here to hit an old enemy. Even if thats what it seemed to be during the attack. People turning up missing along the old highway...
"Well... it beats sitting around here doing nothing." Sam said. "You two hold down the fort, I'm going for a drive."
Max was having none of that, as she ran as fast as her little legs would carry her and jumped into the front seat. When Sam tried to move her, she growled low in her throat. She was not moving until they found Dean. And she would not accept anything else for an answer as she sat down and stared at the dashboard.
She knew Dean's brother was going looking for him. At least he better be looking for Dean.
Sam shook his head. "Come on, you may as well come too." He said to Mutt and opened the back door for his father's dog. He didn't feel right leaving one of them there alone in a strange place. Maxie was used to time alone. He suspected that Mutt was never alone.
He started the car and headed toward the highway, figuring he could at least scout it out for potential clues while waiting for Bianca to get information to Harry.
Satisfied, Max relaxed in the front seat. When Dean wasn't riding with Sam, this was her spot. And often times even when he was, though she'd be more in the middle than as sprawled out as a pug could get.
For a dog, she had very simple goals in her canine life. Eat well, exercise when she wanted to, and keep Dean safe when she could. Everything else was just gravy on the kibbles and bits.
Sam drove down the highway as slowly as he dared, exploring back roads and peering at barns and farm houses until his neck was tense and his head ready to explode. "Of course they couldn't come up with vampire detection spell... of course the tracking spells don't work, cause the sons of bitches are dead. " He grumbled before finally pulling off the side of the road and parking the car in a nest of bushes. "Hope you are up to sniffing out every one of these places." He said to Max. "Cause I have a feeling it's gonna be your nose to give me a clue tonight."
Max was immediately on alert and jumped out the open window to start sniffing around. Not coming up with much, but she wasn't going to stop trying until Dean was in the Impala. She sniffed around, under, over, everywhere, looking for some sign as Sam's cellphone rang.
"Sam, it's Harry." Harry said. "I've got Bianca here now."
"Good. What has she got for us?" He asked as he got out of the car as well, locking Mutt inside with the windows cracked. He couldn't keep track of two of them.
"Well..." Harry said, and Bianca could clearly be heard in the background. Then Bianca came on the line.
"Sam, your council is up to some dirty deeds." She said in her seductive voice. She wasn't trying to be seductive, she just was. It was part of who she was. She might have been like that before she became a vampire, she couldn't remember.
"No offense, but tell me something I don't know... or how their dirty deeds connect to the vampires that kidnapped my brother." Sam asked, worriedly. Could this day get any worse?
"You'd think attacking a council member would start a war, wouldn't you?" Bianca said. "And there will be a war, Sam. I promise you that. There's this vampire, a duke in the court. Who decided I wasn't enough to rule Red Court. So, he cut a deal with your council. Get some box for them, and they help him overthrow me." She said with a delicate snort. "But the grapevine doesn't know the meaning of the word conspiracy. His name is Luther. Dean was just...a nice little bonus."
Sams jaw ticked "So I take it you arent going to mind if I take care of this problem for you" And then went home and took care of another problem one way or the other. The council had gone too far. "So ... now I just need to find a means of finding the bastard first."
"You think you can take them on by yourself?" Bianca said, her laugh tinkling across the line. "They got Dean. And Dean's harder to get than you. Even vampires know their way around a wizard, Sam. But they should be within twenty five miles of where you are. I can send reinforcements you know. And don't start, saying this isn't my problem. This is my problem."
"How long will it take to get them here?" He wasn't about to turn down help from Bianca in this, and he sure as hell wasn't going to tell her that it wasn't her problem. However he was going to go home and have it out with Justin once this was done. No one else knew about Elkins but him.
"I'll be there in a few hours. Sit tight." She said. "But I'll send some of mine to you, they'll be there in an hour or so." And then she hung up in his ear, she had to travel fast.
Harry called Sam back. "She's polite today." He said.
"Fine, if I can get Maxie back in the car I will meet her back at Elkins' place. Harry... it's too much of a coincidence they knew he was a vampire hunter."
"I know." Harry said, Bianca was already gone. Though she had been a fountain of information for her part. "I'll see what I can uncover on this end. Sounds like Justin's work to me. I should tell him Dean's been captured, see what he thinks of that."
Sam snorted. "Yeah, he might be upset that all that training he paid for won't be used to his benefit. Doubt he gives a damn otherwise. Starting to think Dad was right. I shouldn't have trusted him." He said as he started walking around. "Maxie...come on... let's go."
"Like I said, I'll handle things on this end, you wait for Bianca. She's right. If there's enough of them, they can overtake you. Just sit tight. Get a plan in action." He said as he hung up and went to his uncle's study. A new study, since Dean had comandeered his old study and teched it out. He came in without knocking and sat down across from Justin. Justin hadn't been told any of it yet. "They found the sepulcher. And were ambushed. John's in the hospital, and Dean's been taken by a nest of vampires." He said flatly.
Justin looked up. "What?" He said with a frown. "Where is Sam?" He asked as he stood up and went to get his hat and coat fulling intending to go out there himself to find Dean if he had to.
"He's out there looking for Dean." Harry said. "He's got help. You won't be welcome with that help, trust me." Harry said with a chuckle. "John's at a local hospital now. Apparently he went down, and Dean threw himself into the middle of it all to protect his father and his brother. Not how you saw it playing out in your head, was it? That Sam could be in danger, the sepulcher could be taken, and Dean could be overtaken and captured. I figure they're torturing him now. Maybe feeding off him. Maybe with plans to turn him." It hurt him to even say the words, to voice the possibility of what his cousin could be going through, and going through it all alone, but it had to be said to Justin. Bluntly. With no sugar coating.
"What the devil are you implying?" Justin demanded, not pausing in his quest for items to pack for the trip. He didn't give a damn whether or not anyone would welcome his help he was going. Those were his boys, even more than they were John's, at least to his way of thinking and they were alone out there.
"Justin, you're not going." Harry said firmly. "You don't have a place there. It's taken care of and we'll get Dean back." He had to be sure of that, because he didn't like the alternative. "It's all too much coincidence, really. And right now, if you go there, you'll be a distraction Sam does not need. Not with Dean on the line."
"Sam isn't ready to face off vampires on his own." Justin said. "And exactly how is it that you say you are going to get Dean back? What have you done?"
"I called in a favor." Harry said. "Sam isn't facing them on his own, I'm not stupid, and neither is he. What you need to do is just cool your heels and think about how you're going to get out of this one, Uncle."
"I did not set the boys up. Why on earth would I do that? If you can't manage to wrap your mind around the fact that I love those boys, then wrap it around the fact that it's counter productive to my plans to have the council get that last sepulcher."
"Fine." Harry said. "Of course I could come up with something that is right up your alley, full of crossing and double crossing. By the way, Bianca's declaring war on the council. Make you happy?"
He raised an eyebrow at that. "Is she... well I would be lying if I said I didn't think it was advantageous. Happy is a bit extreme I would think." Other than Dean being captured, things were going quite well. Bianca would take care of that soon enough, he supposed.
"Great. Course, Dean could be dead by then." Harry said. "But as long as it's advantageous to you taking over the council, everything's kosher." He said, standing up, frustrated. He couldn't read any remorse in his uncle, he was behind it, Harry was convinced. And he didn't even feel remotely bad about how it was turning out.
"You were the one that said she was going to help, you were the one that insisted I couldn't go and help and now you are angry because her actions don't displease me, Have you ever considered the fact that you might be putting this guilt on my head because you want me to be guilty, rather than any real evidence that I am."
"Did you stop and think that this is right up your alley?" Harry said. "The little machinations of small events to cause a big snowball down the hill until things move into place as you want them? Never mind that people get hurt along the way."
"I don't have time to think about how things look, we have to go help them find Dean. I don't care that Samuel has been brain washed by you and his father into thinking I am evil. I need to be there to make sure he is alright. I am going."
"Why?" Harry asked. "To make sure your hard earned money wasn't misspent?" He said, shaking his head. "Justin, Bianca thinks you tried to set her up. You really want to distract her right now? You know how vindictive she can be, and frankly, Dean needs her focused on finding him right now."
"I need to make sure my nephew is still alive. Bianca isn't my concern. Neither she nor Sam are so feather headed as to be distracted from their course by my presence."
"It's not Bianca's course. It's mine. She's on it as a favor to me and Dean and Sam. She would be distracted by you, because she'd have fun with you." Harry said. "Sit down and wait for the word from Sam."
"You seriously can't expect me to just wait for word from someone who as you say has a grudge against me. How do you know that she won't let them turn him and simply say it was too late?"
"Because it's a favor to me and Dean. Not you." Harry said. "Because Dean turned is far more dangerous to her than Dean human. She's often impulsive, but she's not an idiot. You think I like staying here? I don't. I'd rather be out there." But he had to keep Justin AND John in place. He'd already sicced Murph in John's hospital room.
"Then why aren't you?" Justin demanded. "Go... make sure they are alright, one of us should be there for them."
"Because I have to babysit you!" Harry shot back. "Someone has to. You know we don't trust you. And it's a load of Sam's already over burdened mind that someone is watching you."
Justin scowled. "I am not the enemy here." He said, taking his seat behind his desk. "If you don't realize that soon, we are all going to pay the price."
"Now is not the time to deal with that little issue." Harry said. "There's not enough room for all that. We just get Dean back, get him fixed up and go from there. Accept it or not, that's the way it is."
TMATMATMATMA
"Don't look at me like that." Sam said to both Max and Mutt. "Dad is safe, and back home, and... and help is coming to find Dean. We'll get him back. I promise."
Bianca entered then. Not bound by the normal mystical laws surrounding vampires because the owner of the house was dead, she was able to walk in flanked by several of her guard. "Sam." She said simply. "Are you ready?" Only Bianca could seriously walk into a hunt wearing a low cut tight black dress and stiletto heels...and pull it off on top of that.
Sam nodded. "Let's go Max." He said knowing that the dog wouldnt take no for an answer. Besides, she could help track his location if he were kept in an adjacent building or something.
Bianca walked out with the same supernatural, ephemeral grace she had walked in with. "Sam, you need to know. I've declared war on the council. But not you, because you wouldn't be fool enough to lead your brother into this situation. And not Harry, for the same reasons." She said. "Just know that, okay?"
"I know.. thing is... once this situation with Dean is taken care of... there are other things you should know about as well if you are going against the rest of them... we might be allies for longer than you had originally planned." He said honestly. His father and uncle would want his head on a pike for spilling the beans but Bianca wasn't any more interested in the end of the world as they knew it than Sam was. She liked her food on the hoof, not the endangered species list.
"I look forward to the conversation on the way back to Chicago." Bianca said with a nod. "Luther likes views, so let's head toward someplace with a nice view of the mountains."
Sam raised an eyebrow. "Alright. I think we can do that. And thank you by the way." He said "He's my only brother. I appreciate the help." He wasn't about to say he owed her out loud, but he could thank her. And should.
"I know you do." She said with a smile. "Okay, he has a lifepartner named Kate. Back in the day she'd be called a floozy. Anyway, she has a specific sort of torture, if they haven't turned him. They'll cut him, enough to make him bleed, enough to make him hurt, and then she'll, well, she'll lick him. And he'll get high off that." From vampiric saliva. "So he might need detox after this too."
Sam swore. This was the last thing he needed on top of what had happened with Melissa. Sam wanted to kill her just at the thought of that sort of torture. "Is he going to wind up addicted?"
"If they get him to drink massive amounts of blood in that state, then he'll be one step away from t urning into me." Bianca said honestly. "But if they're just torturing him like that, then it would be like kicking cocaine I'd imagine. He could kick it, but he might always, in the back of his mind, want more." She looked at Sam. "You asked."
Sam nodded, better to know what to expect no matter how bad the news was. He had been blind sided enough lately. "So how do we find them?" He asked, pushing onward. He wanted the girl dead if she had touched his brother... then his uncle was next on the list.
Bianca pulled out her cellphone. "Easy. We ambush them." She said and dialed Luther's number. "Luther." She purred into the cellphone. "I heard someone was being a very naughty boy."
"Oh yeah?" He answered. "Can't imagine who that would be? What do you want Bianca? Spill it. Kinda busy here."
"Are you? Did you forget who still runs Red Court, no matter what your intentions are?" She reminded him coldly. "Yes, I know of your stupid little coup that you're planning. And I want to discuss this before you tear the court apart with your idiotic power play."
"Now why should I think you are just here to talk Bianca? You aren't the sit down and chat type when you feel threatened." He said with a smirk. "Unless of course you're losing your power base already."
"You're right. I lied, I'm not here to discuss. I'm here to squash the little bug who thinks he can take me on. After all, a back door overthrow can't work if I know about it." She said sweetly. "So we're going to settle this the old way. The victor retains Red Court. Unless, of course, you don't think you can beat a woman?" Luther was from an age of chauvinism, so Bianca was appealing to that.
"I don't start what I can't finish." Luther said, not doubting his ability for a moment. "When do we expect you?"
"Momentarily." Bianca said as she looked at one of her men, who gave the thumbs up sign. A former geek from Silicon Valley, he'd triangulated Luther's cell signal. Then she hung up. "Let's go." She said to Sam, with a smile. This would be fun. Luther had to be taught a lesson.
Sam nodded and headed out the door. "I'll follow you." He couldn't leave the car unattended at the moment. Not with the cargo hidden in the trunk. Max followed him out, while Mutt gave a heavy sigh and lay his head down on his paws. Sam could tell the dog was mourning but he didn't have time to deal with it. He reached over and scooped him up and carried him to the car as well. There wouldnt be time to come back for him.
They drove to the spot, and Bianca walked quietly into the house. More of a hovel by her standards. She looked around, moving as if she were being careful not to get dirty. "I can see why you want to usurp me." She said, looking around with disgust as her men filed behind her.
Sam looked at Max. "Okay... he is here somewhere, let's go quietly in and get him." He said, figuring the vampire would all be distracted by Bianca and her entourage.
Dean was hanging from a rafter when Max found him, dangling from his wrists which were tied to a rope slung over the wood. His toes could barely skim the floor. Right now, Kate was letting him 'rest'. She didn't want him dead, not yet at least. A dozen or so long, deep cuts marred his pale flesh, and his eyes were glazed over as Max nudged his feet.
Sam was right behind the dog, and moved in to support his brothers weight as he cut his hands free. "It's okay... I'm gonna get you out of here." Sam said softly.
"I'm not done with him, wizard." Kate said, coming back into the room. "Put my toy down. Luther, we've been crossed."
Not that Luther was in any shape to answer, he was fighting not only for the rule of Red Court, but his very undead life as he and Bianca went at it.
Sam glared at her, an expression of rage and hatred on his features changed them dramatically. He eased his brother to the floor and let Max move in to guard him.
He stepped forward, knife drawn and pointing at the woman before him. There was no threat, no offer for her to leave and let Dean go. She was going to die. He would see to that. "Play time's over." He said darkly.
Kate looked at him. "You're out of your league, wizard. Just go. Leave before things get even messier. We're looking toward favorable relations with the council when this is done, so just go."
Sunlight didn't hurt her sort. At least that was what Elkins said, but he knew for a fact that it effected Bianca. He smiled slowly, and cast a sunlight spell aimed for her face, as he advanced and slashed out at her with his knife.
Kate screamed and backed away from the sunlight. Fending herself off from his attack as best she could, until she finally tripped over Max, who started barking at her like SHE was the intruder. Fully prepared to go for Kate's throat if she had to. Because Max didn't care about treaties and peace. She just knew her human wasn't waking up and she could smell his blood on this thing posing as a girl.
"So it does affect you." Sam said as he stood over her, knife aimed at her. By now it was obvious that it was his wand. He cast the spell again, aiming at her legs this time. "He's my brother you know, and I'm a Morningway as well as a Winchester. It's a line you shouldn't have crossed."
"He attacked us!" Kate said. "We lost friends. All we wanted was the boxes. And I wanted Elkins." Because Elkins was a remnant of her human life, her alive life, that she had to do away with once and for all.
"You attacked us... you attacked our father. The boxes didn't belong to you or to the council. And I don't give a damn, you shouldn't have touched him." He said as he plunged the knife into her chest.
Kate screamed, the sound covering up the fight sounds from the other room until Bianca, disheveled, appeared. "Slice open her stomach. Sure proof way. Well, so's beheading, but disembowlment is more painful."
"Sounds like a plan to me." Sam said and looked to Bianca. "I take it Luther is dead?" He asked. "Seeing as you are standing here in one piece and all." He didn't give her time to answer. Merely wanting that concept to sink in to Kate before he eviscerated her. Nothing hurt more than losing someone you loved. Nothing. And he wanted her to hurt to the fullest extent.
Kate paled as tears ran down her face. Luther? Dead? Bianca's face loomed over hers, and the other vampire was smiling.
"Oh yes. And he suffered." She said before straightening up and looking at Dean, then back at Sam. "Best hurry up I'd say. Looks like she got a little carried away."
Sam didn't waste time at this point with the disemboweling, there wasn't time. He removed her head quickly and efficiently, then moved to his brother's side. "Dean?" He said, as he took his pulse.
Dean moaned weakly and Bianca waved in two of her men. "Let's get him to a hospital." She said. "And remember this, Sam. For when the council is reformed," for the current members HAD to go now, how dare they challenge her and break treaties like that? "I'm not YOUR enemy."
"Thank you. I will remember." He said picking up Max before she could bite one of the vampires picking up Dean. He gave them the name of a hospital in town. Not the one they had taken John too, too many questions. "Let's get him checked out there then on the plane home. We'll need to put the Impala in the cargo as well." Dean would get better treatment in Chicago. Preferential treatment in Chicago. Here he was just another man. "It's okay... we're gonna get you home... they can't hurt you any more." He told his brother.
"Sam?" Dean said weakly when he was jostled back into consciousness. Max barked, glad Dean could at least say that. "Hey, Maxie..." He said, acknowledging his dog.
Bianca shook her head. "He's not feeling much of anything right now, he's higher than any Hollywood starlet."
"Yeah, we're gonna get you taken care of." Sam said as they got him into the car. "Then get you home. Dad's gonna be okay. Sent him back to Chicago for treatment."
Dean nodded vaguely as he was laid in the back seat, Mutt moving to the front seat to make room, while Max stood guard over Dean, her little posture stiff and angry.
"Travel safe, Sam." Bianca said. "The council wasn't that concerned about your safety either."
"When I get back I need to meet with you." He told her. "There is a lot you need to know. If you are going to war against the council." Sam said as he got into the driver's seat. "Don't do anything until I get there. If you don't want to wait, I'll tell Harry to fill you in."
"I'm Red Court, not an animal like Black Court. I don't do anything rashly." She said with a smile as she leaned over Dean's unconscious form and kissed him deeply on the mouth. "That will get him to the hospital in relative comfort." She said as she moved to go to her own vehicle.
And that worried Sam more than gave him comfort. The fact that he was already so very addicted to the vampire's kiss. Just another way to make him vulnerable. He wondered if the spell already over him would lessen the impact of the addiction. Or at least the emotional power a vampire could have over him.
He drove to a hospital and once more hailed an orderly with a gurney. Thankfully it wasn't the same hospital he had taken John to the day before.
