"Dean?" Sam said jumping up in surprise eyeing his brother warily. There was no smile on his older brother's face, no humour in his eyes, there was cold anger in every line of his face.
"Hey Sam" Dean replied quietly, "Feel like sharing anything?"
"Like what?" Sam asked his eyes widening in innocense.
Dean glared up at his brother and before he could stop himself his fist was flying forwards connecting solidly with Sam's jaw and snapping his head back.
"What the hell have you been doing with Ruby Sam?" Dean yelled his throat burning with the volume but the anger he'd been barely controlling would not let him turn it down.
"What are you talking about Dean?" Sam's hand went to his mouth as he tenderly touched the split lip that was beginning to dribble blood down his chin.
"Look no more bullshit Sam, i'm sick of all the secrets" Dean shouted back, "You've been lieing to me for months now and i've had enough."
"I haven't been doing an-"
Sam's denial was cut off by another flying fist this time connecting so hard he staggered back.
"I said no more bullshit Sam."
"Alright, alright" Sam said quickly holding up his hands and spitting out a mouthful of blood.
Dean fixed his brother with a furious stare and waited, his hands still balled up into fists.
"She's been helping me" Sam said hesitantly, "Helping me get stronger."
"Stronger?" Dean raised an eyebrow incredulously, "Have you been listening to me EVER?? I told you you're not going down this road."
"Then how are we supposed to stop Lilith Dean? In case you haven't noticed seals are still breaking!"
"That's not your job."
"Then whose is it Dean? The angels? Because last time I checked they weren't doing a bang up job."
"It's mine Sam" Dean replied coldly, "I'm the one who is meant to stop this, not you and I am going to do it the good old fashioned way, the way Dad taught us!" He turned away unable to look at his brother anymore, when had so much distance come between them?
"And what if that doesn't work Dean?" Sam asked Dean's back, "What happens then?"
"We die."
"Oh we die! How noble" Sam retorted sarcastically and Dean spun back to face him.
"At least we'll die human!"
Sam clenched his teeth his own hands curling into fists but he didn't answer.
Dean sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "Come on Sam, Chloe's waiting, we've got a seal to save." He turned and began to walk towards the door, he thought he could have confronted Sam about what Chloe had said, but he couldn't, not yet. He didn't want to see him confirm it, didn't want to see him try to justify it.
"What, that's it?"
"For now" Dean said without turning his head, "Believe it or not we've actually got something important to be doing."
....
Dean leaned forward and squinted through the windscreen.
"There" Chloe said gesturing towards a vague shape Dean could only just see, "That's them."
He glanced over at her but her face was expressionless, her eyes dark. She seemed the picture of calm but he knew what was going on inside her, he knew the hell she now carried around inside her, the hell even sleep couldn't make go away. He carried it too.
"Let's go."
The three piled out of the impala and crossed the street to where two angels stood before the museum.
"Our garrison has surrounded the building, no demon's will get in and we will get any that try to get out" Cas said a slight edge to his usually unruffled voice "It's up to you."
Raphael nodded his head once, his expression clearly indicating his unhappiness with the situtation.
"You understand what you must do?"
Chloe lifted her head to gaze at the angel's face, she seemed to blink as she met Castiel's eyes as though she was looking directly at a bright light. Not for the first time Dean wondered what exactly she could see.
"Yes" she replied barely above a whisper.
"Then good luck."
....
Silently they crept through the dark corridors Sam leading the way towards the gyptian exhibit. Following the dark shape of his brother Dean couldn't help thinking that this was where Sam belonged, if only he wasn't here to fight demons.
Dean jumped around as he heard a sound to his right but before he could lift either gun or holy water both had fallen from his hands as his back slammed into the wall behind him so hard the plaster cracked. Hearing a shout and a thump from Sam's direction Dean knew his brother had suffered a similar fate and his eyes narrowed with hate as a demon stepped out of the shadows. She was young, her blonde hair falling in a straight sheet to skim her shoulders. A cruel smile danced about her lips looking out of place on such a gentle face. A inky blackness spread across her eyes turning the hazel human eyes into that of a demon as she bent to pick up Dean's fallen gun.
"Sorry boys" she said her smile widening, "but the road ends here, your angel friends can't help you and we will not be stopped."
Dean couldn't help his eyes flicking over her shoulder as he saw a faint movement, "Sure about that?" he asked with his own grin. The demon frowned and began to turn her head but before she could a hand flew out of nowhere and yanked her back throwing her across the wooden floor, the gun flying out of her hand. Chloe sank into a fighting stance her teeth bared as the demon slowly got to her feet.
"You'll pay for that bitch" she spat and launched herself forwards. The demon and Chloe whirled around each other trading punches, Chloe ducked under the demon's fist and slammed her own into the demon's stomach swiping her feet out from under her in the same movement. The demon slammed down to the ground but rolled out of the way as Chloe's punch swung down missing the demon by an inch and punching a hole in the wooden floor. Chloe wrenched her hand out blood flowing freely from her knuckles but she seemed unaware as she turned towards the demon. The demon leapt to her feet and kicked Chloe on the jaw throwing her backwards. Spitting out a mouthful of blood Chloe tried to gain her feet but the demon stepped in again and kicked her abdomen flipping her over onto her back as she flew a few more feet and landed hard against the wall landing on the hard ground among a shower of cracked and broken plaster.
The demon grinned and knelt down in front of her, pale hands reaching for her throat. But in a swift blur of movement Dean couldn't quite follow Chloe leapt up and caught the demon by the neck and by the hair flipping her over to land astride her.
"Go back to hell you bitch" Chloe hissed her hands pressed against each side of the demon's head her fingers closed over it's ears. Swiftly she began to speak in a voice too low and fast for Dean to catch the words.
Threads of yellow fire seemed to spread from each of Chloe's hands crackling through the demon's skull like electricity. The demon screamed her back arched in agony and then she slumped beneath Chloe still and empty.
The pressure holding Dean against the wall lifted and he fell to the floor Sam landing with huff next to him.
"What the hell was that?" Dean asked climbing to his feet and quickly picking up his fallen gun and flask.
Chloe shrugged as she too got to her feet, "Amazing what you can learn after a thousand years in the pit."
Her voice was light and joking but her eyes were anything but as she led the way down the corridor and Dean couldn't help wondering where exactly she had 'picked it up'.
The Egyptian exhibit was exactly the same as the last time he had seen it, only this time it was dark and the room was empty. Empty except for the four figures standing in a line in front of the pedestal on which the golden disc stood.
"Any ideas?" Sam asked as the trio walked up the gallery towards the four motionless figures.
"Right, Sam you and i'll distract the demons, Chloe as soon as you see a gap, go for it, get the disc."
A wave of apprehension rolled through him as she calmly nodded but he ignored it, there wasn't time for that. In a little under four hours dawn would be breaking . . or not, but when it did every first born would die. How many innocents would that equal? It was for that reason alone, Dean knew they had no choice and he knew Chloe had understood and accepted that too.
Dean slipped his gun into the waistband of his jeans and pulled out Ruby's demon killing knife. It was the only weapon that gave them the slightest advantage and he intended to use it. Silently he apologised to the innocents that were being possessed as two of the demon's charged and Sam let loose with the holy water. The two demons hissed as the water steamed off them and as they flinched back the brother's leapt forward. Sam kicked one has hard as he could sending it flying backwards while Dean grabbed the other by the shoulder and shoved the blade hilt deep into the demon's chest. He wrenched it free as spasms shook the body as the demon died his attention already on the remaining three.
Out of the corner of his eye Dean saw Chloe begin to creep silently around the side of the gallery while the demon's attention was focused entirely on the boys.
Dean saw a demon charge but distracted by Chloe's movements he was too slow to react and the knife went spinning out of his hand while at the same time a fist collided so hard with his jaw that his vision momentarily blackened.
He heard a demon scream and hoped that Sam had somehow gotten hold of the knife.
He struggled to stand up only to be knocked down again as a solid pedestal was slammed into his chest. He gasped as the breath was knocked out of him with the impact wincing as he heard something crack. Lieing flat on his back he glanced up to see the demon standing over him, an evil smile on his face as he lifted the heavy pedestal above his head. Dean closed his eyes and cringed his head to the side waiting for the impact that would soon be crashing down on his skull when there was a sudden shout. Daring to look he glanced up to see the demon too had looked towards the source of the sound. Squinting down the dark gallery Dean saw Chloe leaping over the fallen body of one of the demons as she reached for the disc.
He didn't realise he was holding his breath as every remaining conscious person in the room turned to look as Chloe's hands pressed against the sides of the disc and she lifted it clear.
....
(Hey, sorry again for it being so long since I updated. So the story is winding down, hopefully will have the ending up for you soon. As always, please review :) xoxoxoxo)