Chapter 12
Dean and Nicole mulled over Bobby's words as he took a deep swig from his flask. He wasn't kidding, this was a BIG problem. The demons were getting bolder, but for what reason? The demon Nicole exorcised must've been telling the truth…they did have some master plan.
"Boy, I picked a grand time to come out of retirement…" Nicole muttered.
Dean snorted at her words. "We need all the help we can get. Bobby, what are-"
The sound of loud barking cut him off as they each froze, looking at each other. "Rumsfield?" Bobby called. The barking continued as Bobby goes over to the front window just as the barks cut to a loud whine.
Pausing, he looks out the window. "What is it?" He asks more to himself, seeing the chain hanging broken and the dog nowhere in sight. He shook his head, "something's wrong…"
At that moment, the front door gets kicked in, slamming into the ground. Dean quickly stepped in front of Nicole with a flask of his own while she pulled her knife from her back pocket. A woman with close cropped blonde hair and dark eyes strolled in like the place was hers.
She faced the trio with a sneer. "No more crap, ok?"
Stepping from behind Dean did Nicole get a good look. "Megan?" She asked in wonder.
"I go by Meg now." Her eyes flashing black as she looked her up and down. "Do you still go by Nikita?"
Nicole squared her shoulders and dove in fast, knife ready. Meg sighed as she raised her hand and sent Nicole flying to a nearby wall. Seeing an opening, Dean comes at her next with an open flask, but Meg hits him and sends him flying into a stack of books, knocking him out.
"Are you gonna try to attack too?" Meg asked, looking at Bobby. Before he could answer, she raised a hand to stop him. "I wouldn't." She paused, now looking towards the kitchen. "Might as well come out and join the party Sam!" She called.
Sam and Toni made it inside the house just as Meg did. Hoping for a sneak attack, they lingered closer to the wall. Toni's heart pounded as Meg called him out. Holding a finger in front of his lips in a 'sh' motion, Sam stepped out into the living room, placing himself between Bobby and Meg.
"Ah, good to see you Sammy," Meg grinned. "Let's cut to the chase. I want the Colt, Sam…the real Colt. Right. Now." Sam and Bobby are slowly moving across the room as Meg follows them, her back to the hallway Toni was in.
"We don't have it on us. We buried it." Sam replied, his eyes on Meg.
Meg growled at them. "Didn't I say no more crap?!" She yelled, pacing before them.
Slowly, Toni inched out of the hall till she was at the opening to the room. The demon Meg luckily had her back to Toni while Sam and Bobby kept her attention. Looking to the side, she saw that Dean was coming to and had crawled to her sister's side. Toni gulped, noticing blood pooling from Nicole's head. Just like the blood, Toni saw red.
"I swear!" Meg ranted, glaring at Sam. "After everything I heard about you Winchesters, I got to tell you, I'm a little underwhelmed! First Johnny tries to pawn off a fake gun and then he leaves the real gun with you two chuckleheads." She scoffed.
Sam clicked his jaw, hoping their plan would work. What he didn't count on was Toni making an appearance. He kept his expression neutral as she was fully visible, already having an idea on her course of action.
"Such lackluster, men!" Meg continued, seemingly oblivious to Toni's presence. "I mean, did you really think I wouldn't find you?" She paused, giving them a look. Then in a flash, she turned just as Toni used her power to shove Meg off her feet.
Sam and Bobby stepped quickly out of the way as Meg regained her footing. Facing the culprit, she growled again, eyes flashing black. She took a few steps forward only to stop. Meg tried to move again as she sent glares towards Toni.
Off to the side, Dean stepped in after making sure Nicole was semi conscious. "Actually, we were counting on it." He stated, looking at the ceiling above her. Meg also looks up and sees a large protective symbol etched there. Dean smirked. "Gotcha."
Some time later once Nicole was fully conscious, she was greeted by a surprising sight. One of her old 'co-workers' was possessed by a demon and strapped to a chair in the middle of Bobby's living room. She sighed as she stood up and sat beside Toni, who'd remained silent since she knocked Meg off her feet.
Nicole bumped her shoulder, "you ok in there Stoney?" She asked softly.
Toni scoffed and shook her head. "You're the one that gets knocked out and is asking if I'm ok?"
Nicole shrugged, "Yeah? Duh!"
"I think you knocked a few screws loose…" Toni replied earning a smack from her sister. "Ow!"
"I had enough to do that!" Nicole fussed.
Watching the scene in front of her, Meg gagged. "How sweet," she teased, gaining their attention. "Enjoy it while it lasts," she sneered.
Nicole stood and walked a few feet to stand in front of her. Placing her hands on the armrests, she leaned in till their noses almost touched. "I really wouldn't be talking so much shit if I were you,"
Meg smirked, "Awe, am I not gonna get my lap dance?" She asked, glancing down, "I'm in the perfect position to get one don't cha think?" She paused, dropping her voice a few octaves, "just like old times,"
Nicole reared backwards then slammed her head forward into Meg's earning a groan from the latter.
"Ah, fuck…" Nicole moaned, swaying slightly. Toni leapt up to catch her just as the men made an appearance. Dean and Sam looked between the pair: Toni holding an unsteady Nicole and Meg with a giant bruise forming on her forehead.
Bobby, who stood holding a giant canister of salt, rolled his eyes at Nicole. "You already have a concussion then you go and head butt a demon?"
"It provoked me."
He shook his head then faced Sam and Dean, "all the doors and windows are salted…if there are any demons out there, they ain't getting in."
Dean nodded then circled Meg, making sure her binds were secured. She smirked at him. "You know, if you wanted to tie me up, all you had to do was ask." She winked. Nicole huffed then stepped forward to slap her.
Dean gave her a look and she shrugged again. "She provoked you."
Meg laughed, "someone jealous?" She asked with a quirked brow. Nicole growled and moved to strike again only for Dean to block her.
"Back. Off." Dean hissed. "You are letting her get under your skin, why?"
"You are seriously asking why?"
"Uh, yeah?"
"Maybe I'm pissed cause I'm over all this demon shit!" She hissed back, her thoughts drifting back to her dad. Looking past Dean at Meg, she glared at her.
"You are getting way too personal with this and you know it!" Nicole looked away, sucking her teeth, "we've dealt with her before and now she has our dad-"
"And you think I'm being personal?"
"The point is!" He continued, talking over her, "we all need to keep a level head right now, like a hunter should," Nicole pursed her lips then went to stand beside Toni.
"Good doggy, ruff ruff!" Meg grinned. Toni gripped Nicole's forearm keeping her back.
Dean cleared his throat as he faced Meg, "ok Meg, where's our father?"
"You didn't ask very nice."
"Where's our father, bitch?"
Meg tsked. "Jeez! You kiss your mother with that mouth? Oh wait, I forgot, you don't." She grinned, glancing at the girls. "It's nice ya'll found something in common with them."
Dean lunged at her, putting his hands on the chair arms. "You think this is a fucking game?! Where is he?! What did you do to him?!" He yelled.
"He died screaming. I did the deed myself." Dean looked at her with hate, then hit her across the face.
Meg groaned them spat out some blood. "That's kind of a turn on…you hitting a girl." She winked.
"You're no girl." Dean spat.
"A moment kids. Now." Bobby said suddenly, gesturing for them to follow. Trailing behind, Toni shot Meg one last look.
"Awe, you're gonna leave me all alone?" Meg asked in a baby voice. "But there's so much I can tell you," she grinned. Letting out a breath, Toni rushed down the hall.
"…now I expect better of you Nicole, but you two," Bobby said, his finger waving in front of the boys, "you got to be careful with her and don't hurt her."
"Why?" Dean asked.
Bobby guffawed. "Because she really is a girl, that's why!"
Shaking his head, "what are you talking about?" Sam asked.
Nicole sighed. "She's possessed, remember? That's a human possessed by a demon. Why did you think I got so pissed before?" She huffed then looked at Bobby, "how many demons have they tackled?"
"Wait wait!" Dean stepped in, "are you trying to tell me there's an innocent girl trapped somewhere in there?"
Bobby nodded, "yes, so watch it." He stated, looking between them.
"Poor girl…" Toni said softly. Sam glanced over then pulled her close. "Do you really think your father is-"
"No." Sam interrupted, "she's lying." Sam stated, not wanting to cater to the idea of their father being dead.
Dean agreed and moved back to where Meg was, the latter boring holes into them. "Well, at least there's some good news…" Dean trailed off.
"How?" Sam asked.
"That there's a real girl in there," he said, giving his brother a look. "We may be able to save her."
Nicole smiled, "and I think I know how…"
"You know Nicole, Megan had a bit of a crush on you. Did you know that?" Meg droned on.
Nicole was currently going over exorcisms and rituals with the guys, ignoring Meg's words. She herself had it memorized, but wanted them to have a direct source. Meg, like most demons, wasn't cooperating and even though she failed her father, Nicole didn't want another repeat; she wanted to save this one even if it meant doing an exorcism that could easily kill her.
Meg huffed, not liking being ignored. Instead, she turned to Toni who also had a nose in a book. "How do you deal?" She asked. Toni didn't engage her. "Do you like being an orphan?" Toni visibly stiffened, no longer paying attention to her book. Meg glanced over at Toni before continuing, "want to be an only child too?"
Toni dropped her book, the sound echoing around them. Sam looked up first and moved to stand beside her while Nicole was being restrained by Dean. "Toni, maybe you should head upstairs and-"
"No, I'm fine." She replied, looking only at Meg.
"Yeah Sammy, you had your chance to talk with me." Meg smirked, looking at Toni, "I want some girl time."
"Shut your mo-"
"What do you want with me?" Toni asked, speaking over Sam. Like Dean, she wanted her own answers.
Meg grinned, "it's not what I want, it's what my daddy wants,"
"And what does he want?"
"His special children," she replied, her eyes flickering to Sam's briefly. "Wouldn't it be nice to have a daddy again my little orphans?" She teased.
"Enough!" Nicole yelled, pulling Toni to the side. "Sam, start reading. Now."
"Awe! Are you gonna read me a story?" Meg cooed.
"Something like that." Dean stepped, turning to his brother. "Hit it, Sam."
"Regna terrae, cantate deo, psallite domino…" Sam began.
"An exorcism? Are you serious?" Meg asked earning a nod from Bobby. He crossed his arms, unsure about how the exorcism would turn out.
"Oh we're going for it, baby. Head spinning, projectile vomiting…the whole nine yards." Dean said gruffly.
"...tribuite virtutem deo."
Meg flinches in pain, eyes closed tight. Sam looks at Dean who nodded for him to continue. Meg opened her eyes and looked over at Sam, her eyes shining black.
"I'm gonna to kill you! All of you!" She growled, looking at them one by one. "I'm gonna rip the bones from each of your bodies slowly!"
"I swear, all you demons say the same boring shit," Nicole stated, blocking Toni from view.
"I'm going to kill you last so you can watch your sister burn alive!"
"No, you're gonna burn in hell. Unless you tell us where our Dad is." Dean stated, "or at least get a nice tan." Meg smiled as Sam continued on.
"Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanica potestas, omnis incuriso infernalis adversarii, omnis legio, onmis congregatio et secta diabolica!"
Meg rocked in her chair, pain etched on her face while Sam read the exorcism ritual. She finally gasps in pain making him stop, "He begged for his life with tears in his eyes! He begged to see his sons one last time before I slit his throat!"
Toni's hand flew to her mouth as Sam chanted with vigor. Nicole held Toni's hand, expression neutral. She mentally threw all thoughts from earlier out the window; there was no saving Megan now.
Dean leans down to her. "For your sake, I hope you're lying. Cause if it's true, I swear to God, I will march into Hell myself and I will slaughter each and every one of you evil sons of bitches, so help me God!"
"Ergo perditionis venenum propinare. Vade, satana, inventor et magister omnis fallaciae. Hostis humanae salutis. Humiliare sub potenti manu dei. Contremisce et effuge. Invocato a nobis sancto et terribile nomine. Quem inferi tremunt..."
A harsh wind blows open the front window, extinguishing the candles. Sam continues to chant as Meg shows signs of being in pain again.
"Where is he?" Dean asks again.
"You just won't take 'dead' for an answer, will you?!"
"Where is he?!"
"Dead!" She screamed.
"No, he's not! He's not dead! He can't be!" Dean exploded, his calm demeanor gone. Sam paused his reading, shooting him a concerned look. "What are you looking at? Keep reading."
"Ab insidis diaboli, libera nos, domine. Ut ecclesiam tuam secura tibi facias, libertate servire, te rogamus, audi nos. Ut inimicos sanctae ecclesiae humiliare digneris, to rogamus audi..."
Meg's chair beings scraping around in a circle as she screamed. "He will be!" She gasped, caving in.
"Wait?! What?!"
"He's not dead yet! But he will be after what we do to him." She groaned.
"How do we know you're telling the truth?" Nicole spoke up. Dean was in shock, mouth agape.
"You don't." She replied simply, out of breath.
Regaining his resolve, he grasped her chair, "where Goddamnit?!"
"A building! Okay?! A building in Jefferson City!" She exclaimed.
"Missouri? Where, where? An address!" Dean rambled.
"I don't know!" She whined.
"And the demon, the one we're looking for," he paused, looking at Toni, "and the one after her, where are they? Are they working together?"
"I don't know! I don't fucking know!" Meg swore. "I swear! That's everything I've heard. That's all I know." She almost whispered.
Dean nodded then looked to Sam. "Finish it."
Her eyes widened. "What? I told you the truth!"
"I don't care."
"You son of a bitch, you promised!"
"I lied! Sam?" Sam doesn't say anything and Dean looks at him angrily. "Sam, read!"
Toni pushed past Nicole to stand in front Dean, giving him a hard look. "Don't do this Dean!"
"Feeling sympathy for the demon?" Dean asked harshly making her shrink back.
"No! Maybe we can still use her? Find out where the demon is." She pleaded.
"She doesn't know." Nicole said from behind her.
"She lied then," Sam chimed in.
"This whole conversation could've been a lie!" Nicole slapped he hands at her sides.
"Stop, do you hear yourselves! There's an innocent girl trapped somewhere in there. We've got to help her." Dean stated.
Sighing, Bobby comes up to them, breaking his silence, "you're gonna kill her if you continue,"
"What?" Dean and Sam said together.
Bobby pinched the bridge of his nose. "You said she fell from a building, right? That girl's body is broken. The only thing keeping her alive is that demon inside. You exorcise it, that girl is going to die." Nicole looked away, knowing he was right…same thing happened to their father and now another innocent victim.
"We are not gonna leave her like that." Dean said in a matter of fact tone. Toni gasped, tears welling up in her eyes.
"She is a human being." Bobby replied.
"And we're gonna put her out of her misery." Dean said then pulled Sam back to where Meg sat, "now finish it."
Looking at each of their faces, Sam felt unsure. "Dean-"
"I said finish it!" Dean said firmly. Sam takes a deep breath and keeps going.
"Dominicos sanctae ecclesiae, terogamus audi nos, terribilis deus do sanctuario suo deus israhel. Ipse tribuite virtutem et fortitudinem plebi suae, benedictus deus, gloria patri-"
Meg throws her head back and screams. The demon escapes through her mouth in a large black cloud and spreads out into the protective circle in the ceiling before disappearing. Meg leans forward as blood starts to drip from her mouth. The five of them stood still, each wondering if it was over. A deep groan from Meg pierced that silence as she slowly lifted her head.
"Oh my God," Toni gasped as Nicole dove forward to untie her.
"She's still alive!" Looking at Bobby, "call 911! Toni, get some water and blankets!" They nodded and rushed off.
"Thank you…" Meg whispered.
"Shh, shh. Just take it easy, alright?" Nicole replied, having finished untying her.
"Come on, let's get her down." Dean said as he went to one side and Sam to the other. They lifted Meg from the chair while Nicole cradled her head. Her bones crunched as they lowered her to the floor making her cry out.
"Sorry, sorry! I got you, it's okay." Sam whispered.
Nicole caressed Meg's head that was resting on her lap. Meg opened her mouth slowly to speak, "a year…"
"What?" Nicole asked, leaning in closer.
"It's been a year Nicole…" she replied on the verge of tears.
"Shh, just take it easy." Nicole cooed, brushing away her blonde locks.
"I've been awake for some of it. I couldn't move my own body. The things I did…it's a nightmare…" Meg continued.
"Was it telling us the truth about our Dad?" Dean asked earning a smack from Nicole. "Ow!"
"Really Dean?" Sam sighed.
"We need to know." Dean replied, rubbing the spot Nicole hit.
"Yes…" Meg gasped, "but it wants...you to know...that...they want you to come for him…" she said slowly, her breathing labored.
"If Dad's still alive, none of that matters." Dean stated just as Toni whipped around the corner with a blanket and a glass of water. She past the glass to Nicole while Dean and Sam covered her.
"Bobby is still on the phone, something about another emergency in town…" Toni said as she began wringing her fingers together. Nicole gave her small sips at a time while the boys went back and forth with questions.
"Where is the demon we're looking for?" Sam asked.
"Not there. Other ones. Awful ones.
"Where are they keeping our Dad?" Dean piped in.
"By the river…sunrise…" she said slowly.
"Sunrise?" Dean questioned. "What does that mean?"
"Stop it! Can't you tell she's had enough?" Toni exclaimed, noting Meg went quiet. Nicole's hand traced past her temple to her jaw. She repeated the motions till she noticed that Meg had gone completely still. Bringing her index and middle finger to her neck, Nicole felt nothing. Meg was dead.
