Chapter Fourteen
Ella
Dean helps me up and I rub my forehead. He moves my hand away to inspect the damage, and there might be a bruise, luckily I am a girl and I can get some make up. Oddly enough we never did go back to my apartment in Kansas to get some clothes of mine or make up or any essentials. We just bought all of it and we keep some of it here.
"How the hell did he get out?" I ask as we walk into the panic room with Bobby strolling in next to me.
"Maybe he had help. Room full of busted devil's traps," Bobby says. "Demons? Ruby?"
"That'd be my guess," I tell Bobby and Dean. "How did she even touch the door? It's damn near impossible for her."
"You think she's got the mojo?" Bobby asks.
"I didn't think so. I don't know, man," Dean finally speaks up.
"What difference does it make? How he got gone ain't as important as where he got gone to."
"Well, I'll tell you one thing. At this point I hope he's with Ruby."
"Why?"
"Cause killing her's the next big item on my to-do list."
"I thought you were on call for angel duty."
"I am on call. In my car, on my way to murder the bitch without Ella."
"What the hell Dean? I'm fine. Just a little bump. No need to keep me sidelined."
"Yes there is a need. I can't have you get injured again."
"Dean I've learned in the several months that I've been doing this, that getting injured is part of the job. You can't avoid it."
"I get that Ella. But if I can prevent you from getting any more injuries, I'll take it." Dean walks up the stairs. Bobby and I exchange a glance at each other and then follow him.
"One thing."
"What?"
"Sam don't wanna be found, which means he's gonna be damn near impossible to find," Bobby reasons with Dean.
"Yeah, we'll see."
"Just stay here for the night and we will track him down then you can leave tomorrow." Dean sighs and sits on the couch, resting his elbows on his knees and his hands cover his face. I cross my arms over my chest and I lean against the door jamb near the stairs. Bobby walks away and Dean gets up off the couch and walks over to me. He pushes the hair out of my eyes and looks at my forehead.
"It's bruising, do you want some ice for that?"
I nod. "Sure. I'd like that." He walks away from me towards the kitchen. He grabs the small bottle of whiskey in the freezer and hands it to me. I unscrew the cap and take a sip, screw the cap back on then press the frozen bottle against my forehead. I thank him and we sit on the couch. "Are we going to find Sam?"
"Yes."
"Are we going to stop the apocalypse from happening?"
"Probably not." I nod and take the bottle down from my head.
"Then let's get drunk." Dean looks at me confused. "Let's get drunk, Dean. Right now, right before Lucifer pops out."
He mulls it over in his head before nodding. "All right, okay. Let's." He smiles and we share half the bottle of whiskey.
The next morning, Dean and I wake up at about five thirty in the morning after falling asleep around midnight or one in the morning. We are on the couch spooning and I'm vaguely aware of Bobby standing over us like he's caught us doing the nasty.
"Bobby?" I whisper.
"Get your asses up." Well he might as well shout it because Dean jumps behind me, waking up, and I unlink my fingers from Dean's and I cover my ears.
"Sh, Bobby. Be kind and gentle to my ears," I murmur. I sit up and he continues talking in his loud, well to Dean and I it's loud, gruff voice.
"Police found my car. Abandoned in an alley in Jamestown, North Dakota."
"He's switching up. Any other cars stolen in Jamestown?" Dean asks quietly behind me. He's still laying down, his hand still on my hip.
"Two. 1999 Honda Civic, blue. Nice and anonymous, like Sam likes."
"What was the other one?" I ask.
"White oh-five Escalade with custom rims. It's a neon sign."
"You're right. He'd never take that. Which is exactly what he did," Dean points out, standing up.
"You think?" Bobby asks genuinely curious.
"I know that kid. All right, I'll head in that direction. You," Dean says in my direction. "Stay here, ride the police databases with Bobby. We gotta find him quick."
"Seriously?" I stand, pissed off. "I want to come and help you Dean. Let me be useful."
"Ella, you will be useful if you just stay here and help Bobby. Please, I can't watch you or Sam get hurt."
"Dean, please let me come."
He shakes his head and brushes his thumb over my forehead then over my left cheek. "No." He kisses me briefly and he grabs the keys to the Impala. He spares me one last look as he walks toward the front door. I walk to him and I follow him outside.
"Dean?" I call out. He turns to look at me while I'm standing barefoot on the porch in yesterday's clothes, jeans and a tight-fitting tank top, my hair a mess.
"Yeah?"
"Be safe?"
"Always. I will see you soon. Just a few days." My heart sinks and I feel the disappointment fill it. I nod anyway and his returning look is meaningful and full of sorrow. "Tell you what, you can kick my ass when Sam and I get back for not taking you. Deal?"
I smile weakly. "Deal." I watch him return the weak smile and get in the car, start it, and drive away.
After about thirty seconds, I feel Bobby's arm fall onto my shoulders and I hear his soft, gruff voice say, "he'll be back in a few days. It's his place to get his brother and bring him back. And if your really supposed to be with them idjits, then your little angel buddy'll take you there." I nod. "C'mon. Let's go inside. Maybe you can make some of that great cherry pie you make so well."
I roll my eyes but still smile. "We can't tell Dean. He'll be jealous that we didn't send him off onto the road with some." Bobby chuckles and we go into the living room and we search around the North Dakota area for missing cars and trucks. Checking out Sam's GPS on his phone if he hasn't tossed it by now.
Later that day, it was getting dark and we called Dean when we found a lead that sticks. "Cops found the Escalade in a ditch outside Elk River," Bobby says as soon as Dean answers the phone.
"How far away am I?"
"A couple of hours," I tell him.
"I pulled up a weather map, made some calls. There's a town not far from there, Cold Spring," Bobby informs.
"Lighting up with demon signs."
"A good place to look."
"Hey, listen," Bobby starts. "Ella's gotta tell you something."
"What?" Bobby leaves giving Dean and I some privacy.
"Us finding Sam?" I start. "It's gotta be about getting him back, not pushing him away," I say gently, not to piss Dean off.
"Right."
"I know you're mad, Dean. I understand. You got a right to be, but I'm just saying. Be good to him anyway. You gotta get through to him." I hear him sigh then hang up. "All right, good talk." I say to the empty room and the phone that is now silent.
"He hang up?" Bobby asks, wandering back into the room. I nod. "He'll be back soon."
A couple of days go by and nothing. Not till eleven in the morning on the third day. I hear the rumble of the Impala's engine and I just stay at the sink, washing dishes while noodles boil on the stove top. I ignore it all completely because he hasn't called once or picked up the one call I dialled. Sure when it was Bobby he'd pick up but not me. I understand that it's Bobby and Bobby might have information that is useful, but what if I do too. I did leave a voice mail when I called and I did say call me back. He just never did.
I hear the Impala's engine die down and I hear the car door shut, but only one of them. Is Dean alone? I refrain from looking, instead drying the dish I just washed and I put it away. I wash another dish as I hear Dean's boots on the porch. As I dry the dish I just washed, the door opens and I still don't turn around. I reach up to put the dish away. When my feet are flat on the ground again, I feel arms around my waist and Dean's face nuzzled into my neck. He inhales deeply and relaxes against me.
I turn the water off in the sink and dry my hands. I wrap my arms around his and I hold him. Sam must be worse off than we thought. First off, he would never hit a girl let alone me, and second if Dean couldn't bring him back from the edge, who knows what can.
"You couldn't get through to him, could you?" I ask. He lets me go and I turn around to face him.
"No, Ella. I couldn't."
I wrap my arms around his shoulder and bring him in for a hug. He reciprocates and sighs. I don't speak, I just hold him.
A few hours later Dean was brooding against the window sill with Bobby trying to get his attention.
"Dean? Dean! You listen to a word I said?"
"Yeah, I heard you. I'm not calling him."
"Don't make me get my gun, boy." Dean turns to face him.
"We are damn near kickoff for Armageddon, don't you think we got bigger fish at the moment?" Dean asks.
"I know you're pissed. And I'm not making apologies for what he's done, but he's your..."
"Blood? He's my blood, is that what you were gonna say?"
"He's your brother. And he's drowning."
"Bobby, I tried to help him, I did. Look what happened."
"So try again."
"It's too late."
"There's no such thing."
"No, damnit! No. I gotta face the facts. Sam never wanted part of this family. He hated this life growing up. Ran away to Stanford first chance he got. Now it's like déjà vu all over again." He sits on the couch and he catches my eye. I see the sadness in them. "Well, I am sick and tired of chasing him. Screw him, he can do what he wants."
"You don't mean that."
"Yes I do, Bobby. Sam's gone. He's gone. I'm not even sure if he's still my brother anymore. If he ever was."
Bobby turns and leans on the table, fuming. After a moment he makes a big angry sweep with his hands, tossing books and papers to the ground. He advances on Dean, who stands. I let them sort it out like two big kids.
"You stupid, stupid son of a bitch! Well, boo hoo, I am so sorry your feelings are hurt, princess! Are you under the impression that family's supposed to make you feel good?! Make you an apple pie, maybe? They're supposed to make you miserable! That's why they're family!"
"I told him, 'you walk out that door, don't come back' and he walked out anyway! That was his choice!
"You sound like a whiny brat. No, you sound like your dad. Well, let me tell you something. Your dad was a coward."
"My dad was a lot of things, Bobby, but a coward?"
"He'd rather push Sam away than reach out to him. Well, that don't strike me as brave. You are a better man than your daddy ever was. So you do both of us a favor. Don't be him." Bobby gets irritated ad he walks toward me. "You get through to him." I nod. I walk to Dean as he turns to stare out the window again. I put my hand on his shoulder and all of a sudden we are in a white room.
"Where the hell are we?" We turn and look around. There's a large couch on the other end of the room. It's covered in gold trim, it looks too fancy for comfort.
"Hello Dean, Ella." We turn to see Castiel standing behind us. "It's almost time," he tells us. Then he disappears. We look around some more. There's large paintings and a large white table and a golden fireplace. Everything is white and gold. I will never like these two colors ever again.
When we turn to look around on the other side of the room, food and beer is magically on the table. Dean and I share a worried yet curious look and he walks over, still looking around, and grabs a beer. He looks at it and then some guy, whom I've never seen before appears with Cas.
"Hello Dean," the man next to Cas says completely disregarding me. Dean looks up and masks his surprise. "You're looking fit."
Dean scoffs. "Huh, how bout this. Sweet life of Zach and Cas." Oh, his name is Zach, well his nickname obviously is. Zach and Cas look confused, although when does Cas ever not look confused about something. "It's a... Never mind. So what is this? Where the hell are we?"
"Call it a green room. We're closing in on the grand finale here," Zach tells us, walking closer to us. Dean makes a move to stand move in front of me as if to protect me. "Wanna keep you safe before show time."
"Then why am I here?" I ask.
"Because Castiel, wouldn't let me take Dean here unless you came too. Because you, little miss Ella, whom everyone is smitten with. Everyone adores you, and why? I don't get it. You see, we have bigger problems here, but you just have to be right in the middle of everything. When your mother got taken away, when ever people got into fights whether it on the street or in the classroom or the work place. Every time it was about you or you were in the middle of it. Why? No one knows!"
"No need to be so rude. You know," I start walking around Dean. "I don't give a flying crap about the fact that you're some powerful angel that could kill me at any moment. So you know what?" Dean stops me from walking any further. "Do it. That way, I won't have to deal with you being rude all the time." He raises his fingers and is about to snap them and the Cas speaks up.
"Zachariah." He puts his hand down and sneers at me with a glare gracing his eyes.
He starts ignoring me and he starts talking to Dean again, who has shoved me behind him. "Try a burger," he tells Dean. "They're your favorite. From that seaside shack in Delaware. You were eleven, I think." Oh now he's nice. Dick.
"I'm not hungry."
"No? How about Ginger from season two of Gilligan's Island? You've got a thing for her don't you?" Ha, she's a redhead, and so am I. Well sort of, I have brown in my hair too.
"Tempting, but you see, I've got my own redhead right here, behind me."
"We'll throw in Mary Ann for free."
"No. No. Let's bail on the holodeck okay? I want to know what the game plan is."
"Let us worry about that. We want you focused, relaxed. Have your whore give you a massage," Zachariah says. I'm definitely offended but Dean beats me to the yelling at Zachariah part.
"Hey! She's not a whore. Don't you ever call her that again." I smile internally and put my hand on Dean's shoulder to calm him down and make sure he doesn't do anything stupid. "Well, I'm about to be pissed and leaving, so start talking, Chuckles."
Zachariah sighs and starts to walk around Dean and I. We move with him, Dean keeping me behind him at all times. When he's finally all the way on the other side of us and we made the complete 180 turn, Dean pushes me back and I take that as a sign to go near Castiel. I do and the boys start talking and I start ignoring, instead making my own conversation with Cas.
"Why is he so rude?"
"He's just an intense angel. He's a very good warrior. One of the best." Cas lifts his head and looks at me with his, Jimmy's, sad blue doe eyes. I see Zachariah come toward Cas and I and I shimmy behind him. Dean looks pissed that he can't protect me. They start yelling and then when it's over they disappear and it's just Dean and I.
"Well isn't he just the brighten bulb in the store. Show off," I mutter. Dean smiles and for the first time, there's that glint in his eye that only appears when the reason he's smiling is a real one. I go to him and we sit on the couch. I sit close to him with my legs over his and my side is against the back of the couch and I'm facing Dean. I take his hand in mine and I hold it in my lap. "Dean, I know how much this is going to hurt when I say this but, regarding what you said to Bobby, about what your dad said when Sam left, maybe you should apologize. I know that brothers fight and that time fixes them, but apologies work pretty well too."
"Maybe you're right. Fine. I will." I sit up and place my free hand on the other side of his face. I turn it to face me and I kiss him.
"Good. I thought there was going to be an argument regarding that."
"I've been thinking about it since I left." I nod and move my legs. I sit up and I press my lips to his again.
About a half an hour to an hour later, Dean calls Sam, after I forced him to.
"Call him," He sighs and dials his number.
"Hey, it's me. Uh...Look, I'll just get right to it. I'm still pissed... and I owe you a serious beatdown. But... I shouldn't have said what I said. You know, I'm not Dad. We're brothers. You know, we're family. And, uh... no matter how bad it gets, that doesn't change. Sammy, I'm sorry." He hangs up right after and leans against the table, looking lost and yet relieved.
"Dean, you did good. Just because he didn't pick up doesn't mean he sent you to voice mail. Maybe his phone is dead. You did say he was with Ruby, right?"
"Yeah and that just pisses me off. He shouldn't be with her, she's bad news."
"I know and there really isn't anything you can do to stop it. It is what it is." He's getting frustrated now as am I but I can keep it cool better than he can, at least around me. "God, I wish Cas was here. You need to get out of this room."
I hear wings flutter and I see Cas behind Dean. "You asked to see me?"
I smile and say, "yeah, listen, I, uh, I-I need something."
"Anything you wish."
"I need you to take Dean to see Sam."
"Why?"
"There's something he's got to talk to him about."
"What's that?
"The B.M. I took this morning. What's it to you? Just make it snappy," Dean says butting into the conversation.
"I don't think that's wise."
"Well, I didn't ask you for your opinion."
"Have you forgotten what happened the last time you met?"
"No. That's the whole point. Listen, I'm gonna do whatever you mooks want, okay? I just need to tie up this one thing."
"Five minutes - that's all he needs."
"No."
"What do you mean, no? Are you saying that I'm trapped here? We are trapped here?"
"You can go wherever you want."
"Super. I want to go see Sam."
"Except there," Cas tells us.
"I want to take a walk with my girl."
"Fine. I'll go with you."
"Alone with her."
"No."
"You know what? Screw this noise. I'm out of here." Dean takes my hand and leads me to the door.
"Through what door? Dean and I turn to face him. When he turns back, the door has been replaced by a smooth wall. We turn back to face Cas who has disappeared.
"Damn it," I say. Dean gets upset and picks up the candle holder that was in front of the wall.
"Stay back." I nod and he starts hitting the wall with it.
"Want some help?" I ask.
"No." He moves a little to the side and I see the wall is back to it's original state. "Son of a bitch."
"Quit hurling feces like a howler monkey, would you? It's unbecoming."
"Let us out of here."
"Like I told you: too dangerous out there. Demons on the prowl."
"I've been getting my ass kicked all year. Now you're sweating my safety? You're lying. I want to see my brother."
"That's ill-advised."
"You know, I am so sick of your crap riddles and your smug, fat face. What the hell is going on, huh? Why can't I see Sam? And how am I gonna ice Lilith? With her help? She's new to the game Chuckles."
"You're not going to ice Lilith."
"What?"
"Lilith's going to break the final seal. Fait accompli at this point. Train's left the station."
"But me and Sam and Ella, we can stop... You don't want to stop it, do you?"
"Nope. Never did. The end is nigh. The apocalypse is coming, kiddo, to a theater near you."
"What was all that crap about saving seals?"
"Our grunts on the ground we couldn't just tell them the whole truth. We'd have a full-scale rebellion on our hands. I mean, think about it. Would we really let 65 seals get broken unless senior management wanted it that way?"
"But why?"
"Why not? The apocalypse? Poor name, bad marketing puts people off. When all it is is Ali Foreman On a slightly larger scale. And we like our chances. When our side wins and we will it's paradise on earth. Now, what's not to like about that?"
"What happens to all the people during your little pissing contest?"
"Well you can't make an omelet without cracking a few eggs. In this case truckloads of eggs, but you get the picture. Look it happens. This isn't the first planetary enema we've delivered." I look at the candle stick holder on the ground. "Uh, no, Ella. Probably shouldn't try to bash my skull in with that thing. Wouldn't end up too pleasant tick for you." I roll my eyes but think about it anyway.
"What about Sam? He won't go quietly. He'll stop Lilith."
"Sam has a part to play. A very important part. He may need a little nudging in the right direction, but I'll make sure he plays it."
"What does that mean? What are you gonna do to him?"
"Sam, Sam, Sam. Marcia, Marcia, Marcia. Forget about him, would you? You have larger concerns. Why do you think I'm confiding in you? You're still vital, Dean. We weren't lying about your destiny. Just omitted a few pertinent details. But nothing's changed. You are chosen. You will stop it. Just not Lilith, or the apocalypse. That's all."
"Which means?"
Zachariah gestures to a painting on the wall. "Lucifer. You're going to stop Lucifer. You're our own little Russell Crowe, complete with surely attitude. And when it's over and when you've won your rewards will be unimaginable. Peace, happiness two virgins and seventy sluts. Trust me one day, we'll look back on this and laugh."
"Tell me something. Where's God in all this?"
"God? God has left the building." Dean gets pissy again when Zachariah leaves. He starts to try to call Sam again. He makes it through only a couple calls when Cas shows up.
"You can't reach him, Dean. You're outside your coverage zone," Cas says like it's a joke.
"What are you gonna do to Sam?" Dean asks, worried.
"Nothing. He's gonna do it to himself."
"What's that supposed to mean? Oh, right, right. Got to toe the company line. Why are you here, Cas?"
"We've been through much together, you and Ella and I. And I just wanted to say, I'm sorry it ended like this."
"'Sorry'?" He punches Cas and I flinch instead of Cas. Dean flexes his hand.
"That's what you get dumbass, for punch an angel," I tell Dean, going to hold his hand in the bucket of ice that the beer is sitting in. I wack him on the back of the head for doing it too. I let him keep it there himself. He's a big boy.
"It's Armageddon, Cas. You need a bigger word than 'sorry.'" Dean says ignoring what I said but turning to look at me, as if saying thank you for the help.
"Try to understand this is long foretold. This is your..."
"Destiny? Don't give me that 'holy' crap. Destiny, God's plan. It's all a bunch of lies, you poor, stupid son of a bitch! It's just a way for your bosses to keep me and Ella and to keep you in line! You know what's real? People, families that's real. And you're gonna watch them all burn?"
"What is so worth saving? I see nothing but pain here. I see inside you. I see your guilt, your anger, confusion. In paradise, all is forgiven. You'll be at peace. Even with Sam."
"You can take your peace and shove it up your lily-white ass. 'Cause I'll take the pain and the guilt. I'll even take Sam as is. It's a lot better than being some Stephord bitch in paradise. This is simple, Cas! No more crap about being a good soldier. There is a right and there is a wrong here, and you know it." Cas looks away, with guilt gleaming in his eyes. "Look at me!" Dean grabs Cas's shoulder and turns Cas back to face him. "You know it! You were gonna help me once, weren't you? You were gonna warn me about all this, before they dragged you back to Bible camp. Help me now. Please."
"What would you have me do?"
"Get me to Sam. We can stop this before it's too late."
"I do that, we will all be hunted. We'll all be killed."
"If there is anything worth dying for this is it." Cas looks away again, this time, with shame. "You spineless," Dean starts, walking toward me. "soulless son of a bitch. What do you care about dying? You're already dead. We're done."
"Dean," Cas pleads.
"We're done." I look behind Dean.
"He's gone," I tell him. He turns to inspect and then back at me. I pull him to me and my arms are curled around his waist while he holds me in comfort. "I'm sorry," I start. "I know he was beginning to become a friend." He exhales deeply. "Have a burger. You must be hungry by now."
He nods and he picks up a burger when Cas appears again and pushes me against the wall. Before I can make a noise, his hand is over my mouth and he draws a knife out, the demon knife. My eyes widen and Cas looks into my eyes and it's clear that he doesn't want to hurt me. I look at Dean and he's stomping over here. I plead for him to not come any closer and he doesn't get it. He comes over and stands next to me. I look back at Cas and I nod for some reason and removes his hand from my mouth. I make eye contact with Dean again and his eyes widen. Cas is cutting his forearm and he takes his blood and paints an angel banishing sigil on the wall next to my head.
"Castiel!" We hear Zachariah yell from across the room. Cas keeps drawing. "Would you mind explaining just what the hell you're doing?"
Cas finishes drawing and slams his hand in the center of the sigil. In a violent flash of white light, Zachariah vanishes.
"He won't be gone long. We have to find Sam now."
"Where is he?"
"I don't know. But I know who does. We have to stop him, Dean, from killing Lilith." He hands Dean the knife.
"But Lilith's gonna break the final seal."
"Lilith is the final seal. She dies, the end begins." Cas places both hands on our foreheads and suddenly we are in Chuck's living room.
"Wait. T-t-this isn't supposed to happen." There's a pause and then he speaks into the phone again. "No, lady, this is definitely supposed to happen, but I just got to call you back." He hangs up and starts to talk to us. "What are you doing here?"
"Where's Sam?" Chuck hands him a piece of paper. "St. Mary's? What is that, a convent?"
"Yeah, but you guys aren't supposed to be there. You're not in this story."
"Yeah, well," Cas starts, sparing looks at Dean and I. I link mine and Dean's fingers together and Cas continues talking. "We're making it up as we go." Chuck's computer screen flickers as a great rumbling begins, accompanied by a blinding white light.
"Aw, man! Not again! No!"
"It's the archangel! I'll hold him off! I'll hold them all off! Just stop Sam you two!" He puts both hands on our foreheads and we appear in a dark hallway in St. Mary's. We look around and walk. We turn a corner and we find Sam and Ruby in a large room. Ruby sees us and smiles wickedly and slams the doors shut with her demon power thing. We unclasp our hands and run to the door.
"Sam!" Dean yells. We take turns yelling at him and for him to stop. I try and push the door open. Dean and I work at busting the door open for five minutes tops. When we do bust it open, I grab the knife out of Dean's pocket and I confront Ruby.
"You're too late."
"I don't care, bitch." I raise my hand as Sam comes to grab her. He holds her in place as I stab her in her heart. She flickers and drops to the ground. Sam lets go and turns to Dean.
"I'm sorry," he says, tears spilling out of his eyes. I look as I take the knife out of Ruby's body and the pattern is done forming.
"Sammy, let's go." Dean takes my hand and the boys clutch each others arms.
"Dean, Ella, he's coming."
There's a large flash of white light.