Those words struck all of them off guard, including Robyn herself.
"Robyn, please." Sam said, looking at the monster in front of them.
She shook her head. "You were never my family… I know that now." The voice wasn't Robyn's. It was raspy and dark. "You know what has to happen here."
"Nothing has to happen." Dean argued. "You can come home. Be happy. Remember? We are your family. Families fight sometimes, but then they come back together. There is nothing stronger than family."
"He's right." Came a new voice from behind the brothers. It was Castiel.
"You're a liar. All of you. You can't stop me this time, Cas. I'm stronger than any angel."
"I know." Was all that Castiel had to offer.
"Why did you guys have to come?" Her voice was thick with frustration. "You could have just left me alone and you could just go on with your lives!"
"We all know you don't want to do this." Sam said carefully
"Then you know that I have to do this…"
"Then why haven't you moved?" Castiel asked.
"Because I need a reason!"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean I need you to attack me first."
"There she is." Dean chimed in with a slight smile. Everyone was confused. "Robyn can't kill anything in cold blood. Now a monster could. This isn't a monster, it's Robyn. Once she decides to lose the teeth and the creepy green eye thing."
She seemed to disappear for a split second. Dean went crashing against the wall and there Robyn appeared, holding onto his jacket collar. Dean winced a little at first but then just looked down at her, no fear in his eyes. Sam and Castiel watched intently. "You don't have the heart. Stop trying to be something you're not. Who wants to be a monster? I know you don't. I know you. Robyn McKenzie. All you want is to be normal. All you want is a family and for people to care. But everyone just keeps pushing and pushing you, waiting for you to snap."
She let go of his jacket roughly, taking a few steps back. "You know nothing about me." She said as he hands began to glow white. With just a flick of her wrist, Dean was sent hurtling across the room, skidding across the cold floor. Sam tried to run to the aid of his brother but she quickly put her hand up and he stopped in his tracks, a blinding pain jolting through him. She began to approach Dean who was now slowly getting to his feet. Castiel appeared in between the two of them. He used the same trick that he had used when Robyn had tried to kill the boy. But this time Robyn kept coming. It just looked like she was being hit with a slight breeze.
"I told you. I'm stronger than you now. So get out of the way!" She didn't even have to make any movement this time as Cas crumpled to the ground, clutching at his stomach like his insides were being ripped apart. Robyn moved him to the side as she continued to approach Dean. He looked at her for a long moment, no fear in his eyes. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth and a big, swelling bruise began to form on his left eye.
"Before you do this, can I ask you something?"
She just looked at him, her jaw clenched tightly. "What?"
"Remember the first real fight we got in? When you wandered off to get something to drink and we didn't know where you were?"
"Yeah." She said softly. "That was a year ago. Back when we first met."
Dean smiled. "Right. But after that, do you remember what me and Sam asked you?"
Despite her monstrous appearance, she looked almost human. "Of course. That was when you asked if I would come with you guys."
"And you said yes."
She looked away from him. "So? That has nothing to do with right now." The pain that Sam and Castiel had been feeling was dying away and Castiel was finally able to rise to his feet.
"It has everything to do with right now." Dean continued. "Do you think your father would have done the same?"
"You don't know him…"
"But you do. So, what's the answer?"
Robyn couldn't give one. Or she just didn't want to admit it.
"We came here to get you back. That's what a real family does. Who gives a shit if we aren't blood? We know you, and we care what happens to you. But before you go on, there is just one more thing."
Robyn just looked at him. She didn't have a choice. Why couldn't anyone understand that? "What?" She asked, her voice so human that it was almost normal.
"While you were gone, we missed your birthday." At that, he reached into his pocket. "We know that after all this time you never lost faith in God. For whatever reason, you stuck with the guy…so here. It's from all of us." He pulled out the necklace that Sam had given him when he was a kid, a little younger than Robyn herself. He had discussed it with Sam and they agreed that it should be passed down. "Whenever the big guy is close, it burns red hot." He placed it around her neck.
Robyn looked at Dean, then at Sam, then at Castiel. Then, as if they had practiced, they all said in unison, "Happy seventeenth."
Blood began to stream from her eyes as she backed away from Dean, trying to wipe away the blood from her face, only smearing it more. She fell to her knees and her eyes began flickering back to normal. She put her palms on the ground as the silver markings began to recede and her teeth dulled into acceptable human sized teeth. Dean walked up to her, kneeling to get to her level. Her head rose up so she could look at him. Wasting no time, she wrapped her arms around his neck and he just hugged her back. They finally stood up and Robyn looked over at Sam and Castiel.
"I'm sorry." She said. "I'm so sorry."
Without a word, Sam hugged her tightly. Castiel wasn't sure what to do. He wasn't much of a hugger. When Sam let go, Robyn walked over to Cas, "I'm sorry I picked the wrong side. I'm sorry I disappointed you."
"I never doubted you. I knew you would choose the right side. I was never disappointed."
Robyn hugged him tightly. Castiel gave an awkward half hug back. Everyone was silent. Everything that needed to be said was said.
That was when they heard the scream. Robyn knew what had happened immediately. "Paul!" She shouted, beginning to run in that direction, only to be cut off by Peter McKenzie at the doorway, hands covered in thick blood.
"He's taken care of. I hope you've done the same?" He asked as he looked around the room, seeing all three of them still alive and Robyn out of what he called her 'monster stage'. "Why the hell are they still breathing?"
Robyn backed away from him quickly, nearly tripping over her own two feet. She was terrified. "I-I…I don't want to."
"Y-y-you d-don't want to? Is that what you were trying to say? Fix the stutter next time you want to try out your new brave face." His voice was harsh and cruel.
"Hey! Buddy, why don't you ease up a little?" Dean shouted.
"Dean, don't." Robyn begged.
"I don't believe you. You are going to let that human live who insults your own father?"
Robyn looked at the three of them and with all the confidence she could muster, she said, "Yes."
He looked stunned for a moment. "Okay. Okay, fine. I'll go ahead and take care of them, and you can just sit and watch them die, because I'm not going to make it quick. And just remember, it'll be your fault they will die painfully."
"Don't count on it." Sam said evenly, staring at the monster as it started to approach them. Both Sam and Dean began shooting at it, but it just kept coming. They had seen how fast Robyn was, so this guy was just playing with them. He was getting dangerously close before Robyn ran in front of him.
"I won't let you kill them." She said forcefully.
"Robyn. Get out of the way!" Sam shouted. "Don't do anything stupid!"
"He will kill you. You know that he does not care." Castiel said.
"He will kill all of you too! I can't just watch…"
"Before you were such a good little soldier. Now you are no better than them. Turning against your own kind. Coward." Peter said, his voice cold.
Robyn just stared at him a moment and a little smile grew on her face. "Coward? I'm looking you in the face, which is a little like staring death in the eyes. I know that you could kill me! I know how much stronger you are than me! But I'll be damned if I let you get past me! If you knew even half the shit I've been through, you'd be running away as fast as you fucking can! We will just see who the coward is!" Now she understood. She understood why Castiel had left her on her own for so long. If he hadn't, then there would be no way she would be prepared for this moment. She would have probably been either dead already or running as fast as she could in the other direction. She glanced back at Castiel, wanting him to know that now she knew what he had done, and that she was grateful for everything. If she died, she needed him to know that.
Her father grabbed her by the collar of her shirt, pulling her close to the point where he face was only a few inches away from his. "You have no idea what real fear is. But don't worry. I'll show you. You will regret everything. Right down to every second of your little life you ungrateful little cu-"
He was cut off by Robyn who in her perspective had something really important to say. "Your breath stinks."
Peter looked genuinely confused. He was now contemplating on how the hell this kid had come from him. Even Sarah, her mother didn't act like this. If she had, she would have been dead a lot sooner. And she didn't even act like this before. Just a few moments ago she had been a scared little kid trying so hard to get his approval. Now she was confident and seemed even more powerful than she had before. Nobody could possibly change this fast.
"Where the hell did you come from?" He finally asked as if he was talking to a completely different person.
"Honestly, I don't know. Definitely not from you. But I did come from mom. And that boy you just murdered? That was my brother. I'm not sure if you knew that or not. His name was Paul." She pushed his hands off of her shirt collar. He didn't even react to it. It was just staring in shock. "You made him a monster but he was so much more than that, but you never let him show it. He loved music. His favorite band was Pink Floyd. He wanted to play guitar just like David Gilmour. But he also wanted to impress you and now his blood is staining your hands."
"Well, the same thing is going to happen to you." He said his voice turning into a growl. He had never been so angry before in his life. Nobody had ever talked to him that way. He began to turn into that monster, just like Robyn had done, except the markings that showed on his skin were more a sickly grey than silver.
"Robyn! Don't do this!" Dean shouted.
"Why? So you can fight him? I'm the only one that can kill him." She never took her eyes off of her father.
"Don't you dare die! You hear me?"
She smiled slightly. "I hear you." She looked back for a moment. It was like she knew that she was going to die and she accepted it. She looked at the three of them and mouthed the word, "Run," before she was hit on the side of her head, sending her crashing to the floor, her head bleeding.
"Go on. Change. Change into the monster."
She got to her feet and stared at him. "No. You don't get that satisfaction. If I die, I die human. But even now, I can still take you on. You won't touch any of them. Ever…"
He went to hit her again, but this time she stopped it with the palm of her hand, holding his arm there. This caught him off guard as she sent her other hand hurling towards his face, hitting him in the jaw, sending him flying backwards, skidding across the cement ground on his back. He got up slowly and nodded. "Alright. Killing you is going to be so much more fun than I thought."
"Don't worry. I'll try to make it as entertaining as I can." She said coldly. She glanced back again, seeing that the three of them were gone. Castiel must have taken them out of there. She smiled a little, just happy to know that they would be safe. She turned back to her father and just said, "Well? I don't have all day."
At that, he attacked. At first the fight was slow going, both of them saving their energy until they really needed it. Although to them it seemed like 20 minutes, really it was only around 2 and a half. They were moving so fast that all you could catch was a blur only at certain moments. They both were starting to get frustrated, reaching their patience limit. If it was one thing they shared, it was impatience and a temper. The finally stood motionless, breathing heavily. Both of them were bleeding, Robyn a little more so. She was definitely hurting a lot more. She had a huge gash in her forehead, the blood stinging her eyes. A steady flow of blood dripped to the floor from a wound on her leg a foot long and a deep slash mark across her stomach.
"I'm done playing with you." He hissed.
"Oh, good. I'm glad we've established that line." She was still trying to catch her breath.
"I swear, when I'm done with you, I'm going to find your friends and murder them slowly."
"Good luck. I told you I wouldn't let you pass by me and that's exactly what I mean." She was so tired now. She just wanted to go home. But right now she wasn't sure which motel was home tonight. Unlike him, she wasn't using her monster, although she was still not using her complete human self.
"What's going to stop me after you're dead?"
"I don't know. I'll figure it out if it comes to that point."
"I can't wait to finally watch that smart ass mouth of yours take its last breath."
"I guess I'll have to breathe through my nose then." She smirked.
He practically roared as he ran at her. She just stood there. She shut her eyes and began to pray softly. As she prayed she held on to the amulet that Sam, Dean and Castiel had given her. For a second she thought she felt it get hot, but then she realized that it was probably just because her hand was so hot with blood and sweat that it alone heated the thing up. But she kept praying right up to the moment she felt those cold, cruel hands hold tight to her neck, squeezing. She was being lifted up as he jumped into the air, almost all the way to the ceiling of the warehouse which was a good 30 feet before she felt herself plummeting to the cold cement floor. He was still holding on until the last second when he slammed her to the ground with the force of a 70 mile an hour car crash. The wind was knocked out of her and she knew that her ribs were broken. Probably all of them. She couldn't feel her legs so she knew that he spine was probably destroyed. She couldn't breathe very well and she knew that this was it. Now or never.
She looked over at him and just smiled. She rolled once away from him, biting back a scream of agony. He was approaching her but all of a sudden it was as if he had run straight into a wall. He looked down and what he saw nearly knocked the wind out of him. The whole time they had been fighting, she had been using her blood to form a circle in the center of the room. She had a hunch that since only one of their kind can kill another, then maybe only their blood can trap one another. Thank God she had been right. The next part she had only seen in her dreams, but she knew the words well. She began speaking Latin, each word a struggle as she fought to breathe.
"What are you doing?!" He shouted, looking like he was in pain. "Stop! Please!" He begged, falling to his knees as she continued.
"Please! I'm sorry!"
"Is that what Paul said?" She asked in the faintest of whispers. She reached over with her left hand and touched the edge of the bloody circle. It immediately was replaced by a bright green flame and the screaming got louder. Finally, she saw him burn and she knew exactly where he was. She had sent him to Purgatory where he would be trapped forever. She adjusted her head so she was staring at the ceiling. She couldn't move, she couldn't breathe. She heard quiet voices enter the warehouse. They sounded so frantic. She wanted to tell them to relax. Then she saw Dean's face above her. He was kneeling.
"We are going to fix you. Don't worry. You're going to be okay." He repeated those three lines what felt like a million times. She gathered the strength to grab onto his arm with her right hand as her left went to the amulet. She took one last intake of air before she said, "Close your eyes. All of you. It's burning." She let the breath run out of her as her head lulled to the side, a bloody tear rolling out of her right eye.
"Robyn!" Dean shouted. He knew it was over as her hand started to slide off of his arm. "Wait! Don't you die yet! Don't you dare die!" He felt a hand on his shoulder and he turned, looking up at Castiel.
"Dean. Close your eyes. There is nothing you can do now. He's coming." Dean, Sam and Castiel shut their eyes. Dean held on tightly to the lifeless hand that had been clutching his arm just a moment ago.
Just then, the brightest light that there ever was entered the room. Everyone shut their eyes tighter, feeling the presence in the room. Dean then heard a voice. It was warm and kind. "I know you don't trust me. But she will be okay." Dean wanted nothing more than to open his eyes, but at the same time he didn't want to burn to a crisp. But then he felt Robyn's hand disappear from his grasp and he couldn't help but look. The presence was gone and so was Robyn.
Dean just knelt there for the longest time, staring at the place where she had been.
"Seventeen…" He said softly, more to himself than to anyone else.
"How can she just disappear?" Sam asked, kneeling next to his brother. He was very nearly in as bad of a shape as Dean was.
Castiel suddenly appeared next to them. "I can't find her anywhere. Not in heaven or earth…"
"Wherever she went, she's okay."
"What?"
Dean just smiled up at them.
"She is okay."