LAST TIME ON THE WAKING WORLD:

'The Duhallan or Duahallan is a headless fae rider who serves the ancient houses of the five kings of Ireland.'
I stabbed the page with my index finger, "The blood of the dying fruit is lemon juice, best way to kill a fae."
"So the Celt's believed that gold was the Metal of the Gods. We already knew gold worked anything else? Iron?"
We shoved past him and into the store. "But we need gold, all of your gold."

Chapter 14: You Have Been Judged

"Now wait just a minute!" He called as we started looking for the thickest and largest gold items we could find. The shop was relatively small, it had glass paneled cupboards so customers could look at what they were purchasing. The carpet was some horrible commercial stuff but the cabinets were serious quality. It looked like your classy, old fashioned jewelry store except everything was gold. I found a large shopping bag behind the counter and began opening the cases carefully and taking the biggest and most useful of the lot. Stupid thin chains weren't going to help us, we need the precious metal in large quantities.

Randy tried to stop me taking a gold rope necklace. I stiffened when he tried to shove my reaching hand away but I didn't attack him. I held him back, "Please sir, the Bureau will reimburse you for anything we take, now calm down or I will arrest you for obstruction of justice." I hoped someone would pay him back, if not the US government then at least his insurance. In the end I didn't feel that guilty, he was being really annoying. He kept jerking my sleeve away every time I chose one bracelet, necklace or other piece. I would pause, glare at him and then he was stop for a few seconds before starting again. I noticed that he didn't seem too concerned with what Dean was putting away.

He spluttered and flushed a dark crimson. "Obstruction of justice? This is absurd!" A vein in his temple throbbed and his hands were curled into fists of rage. His eyes were filled with annoyance and helplessness. He knew that there was nothing he could do to change our minds. He thought we were the Feds after all. What was he going to do, call the cops on us? Once Dean and I had collected a large quantity of gold we moved swiftly out the store and in the direction of the car. Unfortunately with Randy in tow. He watched in fury as I loaded the shopping bags into the back seat of the car while Dean went around and slid into the driver's seat. I moved the to the back and pulled out a small rucksack full of lemons and a large duffle bag containing iron rods from the top layer of the boot of the Impala. I shoved them in the back too and clambered into the passenger seat as Dean started the engine.

Randy seemed ready to erupt as I shut the door, I think it made him realize that he wasn't in a nightmare and that we were actually driving off with his merchandise. I pulled the bags into the front and placed the two iron rods on the floor of the car, my feet acting as stabilizers as I wrapped chains of gold around them securely. Dean pulled away from the curb, leaving behind an angry Randy and a curious crowd of onlookers in our wake. We needed to find somewhere close enough to town to make sure the Duhallan would show up, but far enough away from the town that no one would happen to walk in on us. It would be a lot easier to kill the Horseman if we didn't have an audience. I racked my brains trying to think of where we could go. "Obstruction of justice?" Dean asked as we drove out of town. There was a field we had passed on our way to the stables, it was remote, secluded and close enough that if the Duhallan really had it out for us, he would be able to find us. Perfect.

I giggled and shrugged, "I've always wanted to say that." The excitement of the chase was getting to me and I was pumping with adrenaline. This was my first real hunt and I was about to kill the big bad monster. I was ready, I had practiced for weeks for this. Everything from swords to guns to hand-to-hand combat, Dean had been my teacher so that ensured I was the best of the best. He was a Winchester after all. I was glad that we were meeting the Horseman on our terms, making it nice and easy for my first fight. We had the home advantage. I was still nervous however, there was that niggling little part of my brain, the one that feeds you doubts, telling me this was a bad idea and that I was going to get Dean and I killed. But I shoved that little voice down deep, I was going to do this. "So big boss battle ahead, any tips?" I asked as we passed the outskirts of the town.

I had finished up wrapping the gold around the rods and I wasn't about to risk decapitation by trying to squirt lemon juice in Dean's car. "Don't die... again." He supplied helpfully, I tried and failed to not roll my eyes. Great, that was extremely helpful. He pulled up on the side of a dark dirt road, leaving the Impala's lights on so we could prep. Night had fallen over Clarence, New York and this were about to get darker. I got out of the car, encumbered by the tools we would need. I placed the bags and items gently on the hood of the car and then cautiously sat down next to them. I handed the oldest Winchester a gold clad rod and some lemon juice, we set to work in silence. My hands were stinging and the gold was glistening softly in the car light, all juiced up, time to party.

My skin prickled as the crickets chirping in the background stopped, the cicadas stopped humming and the whole area seemed to fall quite. A deadly hush had fell on the area surrounding the car and Dean and I exchanged glances, this was it, he was coming. T minus one minute and counting. They were soft at first, almost so low it was hard to hear them, the sound of horse hooves on dirt. Dean gripped his makeshift weapon, his hands slick with lemon juice. I hoped this worked, I wasn't ready to die tonight.

The thundering of horses got louder and a shrieking whinny pierced the unnatural silence. Though there was not a cloud in the sky, the unmistakeable crack of lightning emanated from somewhere nearby making me wince. He was here. I tightened my hold on my weapon and tensed my muscles, ready for anything that would come out and jump me. I felt Dean swallow behind me and I turned around to see a headless rider looming over us on a black steed. "YOU HAVE BEEN JUDGED." He boomed in his unearthly deep voice.

"We've heard," Dean said angrily as he positioned himself as best he could to strike the Horseman down. "So I figured, if you're going to do the time, might as well do the crime." He lifted the rod high into the air, it was more of a spear really, with a long dangerously sharp pointy end, which he plunged downwards. It pierced the Duhallan's hand, it went straight through his palm and into the head he was holding.

I tensed, waiting for a scream, a flash of light, maybe some smoke. Anything at all to signal that the Horseman had reached his demise. But all the fae rider did was laugh a bone chilling chuckle. It didn't work, why didn't it work? It's not like anything was fake, at the very least the gold should have given him some discomfort. The gold, Randy didn't care about Dean's gold. That son of a bitch, it was fake, the bastard had been pawning fake gold! We were so screwed. "You think you can injury me with false metal Son of Adam? I think not." He threw his hand out and Dean went flying backwards, over the back of the Impala and onto the ground behind the car.

"Dean!" I screamed out to the fallen figure of my friend. I got no response. Lifting my iron bar, I stepped in front of the Duhallan. "You're going to pay for that." I promised the Headless Horseman, with his spare hand, he pulled out the weapon protruding from his head and threw it away. I watched as it landed two fields over and gulped. He was strong, inhumanly strong, which really shouldn't have surprised me considering he wasn't human and all.

"You are going to fight me Child of Heaven? Are you going crush me with your wings?" He asked in what sounded like amusement. The sexist bastard, didn't he think I could take him? Child of Heaven, that was weird. If he called Dean the son of Adam, then surely I would be the daughter of Eve or something along those lines? Child of Heaven, that's something an Angel would be called, but I wasn't an Angel. Maybe his head got a little damaged when Dean shoved a spike through it? As for the wings comment, I had no idea what the hell he was going on about.

I decided to go with it, maybe it would make him more afraid of me. "If I have to." I replied coldly, adjusting my grip on my only weapon. Please God, please let Dean get off his ass and help me. I really could use some back up right now, I was hoping not to get my limbs torn off this evening. I decided to bluff, "I've got my father on my side, you might have heard of him." Total bullshit, but I was hoping it would make him take a step back.

He laughed his blood curdling laugh again, "Your God holds no power over me! I am the Duhallan, the Judicator of Kings! I am the Black Death, the Killer of Millions! I am the Sin of Pride, the End of Lesser Men! I am my own God!" He boomed, his horse reared and he held his head high. In that moment I had never been more afraid.

"Well you know that they say about pride." I said my voice shaking. This was my opening, my single moment to catch him by surprise, otherwise Dean and I would die. And that wouldn't be good at all. I scanned his armour, it was black like the rest of his attire, the metalwork was intricately engraved but the steel was thick. The only weakness on his entire body was where the helmet would fit into the chest piece. He was on a horse, how was this going to work?

He bent down from his horse, so his neck was inches from mine. If he had a head attached to his body then I would have felt his breath on my face. "And what is that little bird?" I could see where his head used to be attached to his neck, the skin had grown over leaving it looking remarkably like a knee. Gross, gross, gross, creepy, creepy, creepy. Wow I really needed to expand the vocabulary of my inner monologues.

"It comes before a fall." And I shoved the bar down his neck, he jerked back in pain. I ripped his head out of his hands and shoved it on the rod as well. The horse reared again as the Duhallan fell from his steed, no longer headless. He let out a scream that almost burst my eardrums and I crouched down clutching my ears in an attempt to stifle the noise. He began folding back in on himself, crushing into nothing. Well, that was handy, no body to bury. It was like that scene from Lord of the Rings when Eowin kills the Witch King. His armour looked like a stepped on coke can and his flesh turned into nothing but dust. The horse let out a high pitched whinny and began galloping back the way it came. As I watched, a crash of lightning struck the horse and it disappeared in a blaze of light.

As the last of the of the Duahallan disappeared, I felt myself being flung backward and I fell on the roof of the car with a crack. I groaned as I slid down the back window of the Impala and onto the trunk of the car. I touched the back of my head, ow, ow, ow, I peered at my hand but it wasn't coated in blood. So my head hadn't cracked open on the car but I was going to have a serious headache as soon as the adrenalin cleared my system. I sat up still dazed and scooted off the Impala, my legs shook as I staggered over to Dean. He was lying face down on the dirt road, no blood so he hadn't broken his nose or hurt his head enough to bleed to death. That was a bonus, the first real bonus we'd had since starting this stupid case. My legs were aching by the time I made my way to him, I sat down, the impact hurting my head. I nudged him with my foot to get him up and moving. "Get up." I groaned as I rolled my shoulder. "The son of a bitch is dead; you're welcome by the way."

Dean let out a low moan and slowly turned over so he was facing upward, still sprawled on the road. "Is it normal that the world is spinning that fast?" He asked dazed. I cast him a glance of concern, Sam and Castiel would be really mad if I broke Dean after only a few days. The idiot better not have internal bleeding because I do not do well in hospitals.

"You hit your head pretty hard," I informed him. I turned my head to the left to stretch my neck, ow that hurt. "He psychically tossed you, it looked like it hurt." Oh yep, there goes the adrenalin, I was on my own then. I bit back a whimper when I touched the back of my head. Not good.

"You have no idea." He grumbled as he sat up carefully. I looked him up and down for injuries, he had a cut up face and probably some bruises but other than that he was fine. Phew, talk about dodging a bullet.

"Actually I do," I pointed out. "He threw me after that." I continued to stretch, I wanted to be as limber as possible before I even attempted to stand up again. Ugh, my clothes was trashed, looks like my bank account would be taking another hit. Dean's clothes look ruined too, my turn to buy I guess.

He looked over at the still smoking ground confused. "What happened, I thought I ganked the guy." I too, surveyed our surroundings. The crickets had started again and moths were crowding around the Impala's lights now that the Duahallan was gone. The cowardly bastards.

I snorted, finally risking standing up. "I killed the guy, it turns out our bud Randy is pawning fake gold." I held out my hand to help him up. Which was not a good idea, as I pulled Dean's weight I felt something in my arm give, oh crap. I could not wait to crash in a bed and sleep off my injuries for three weeks.

Dean swore as he struggled to his feet. "That mother-"

I held up my hand to silence him. "-It doesn't matter, let's just go home. I want to get really drunk, sleep it off and then head back to the bunker and forget this God forsaken town." I started towards the car.

"We can't." He said, stopping me in my tracks. I was afraid he was going to say that. I opened the door with more force than necessary and struggled into what I was now dubbing as my seat because of how often I was sitting in it.

I turned to glare at him through the window of the car. "Why on earth not?" I questioned, though I had a feeling I knew the answer. But I was just so tired, and sore, the back of my brain was just chanting the word sleep over and over again.

"Because," he said as he painfully lowered himself into the driver's seat. "We still haven't got the one who summoned him in the first place. Master of the One Ring and all that."

I clicked on my seatbelt and let out an unintelligible growl. "Let's go get Sauron then."

Dean chuckled at my joke and then stopped, rubbing his jaw tenderly. "If only we knew who he was."

I thought about it for a moment, who wanted these girls dead? Then it hit me, sometimes I was really thick. I turned to Dean smiling. "Who said it was a guy?"

We burst through the doors of the Clarence horse and rider associations stable. The horses reared in fright, kicking their stalls wildly. Dean raised his gun and pointed at Roisin's chest, she screamed and fell onto her back in an attempt to get out of sight. In front of her was a stone serving as an altar, an array of candles, herbs, incense and a lot of gold was placed strategically on it. Damn girl was summoning the horseman again.

"Please, please don't hurt me!" she whimpered as Dean harshly pulled her into a standing position. She looked like a wreck, her mascara had run so she had panda eyes and her clothes were now covered in hay.

"Like you didn't hurt Aoife? Or Sorcha? Or Caitlin? Like you didn't hurt that little girl?" Dean growled and shook her viciously. She looked like a kicked puppy, which was infuriating because she supposed to be the bad guy.

"I didn't mean for it to happen!" She said tearfully. "I didn't want Aishling to die; I was her godmother for Christ's sake!" Now she was crying, crying! Like it was so painful for her! If she didn't want people to die then she shouldn't have summoned the Headless freaking Horseman!

"Then why Roisin?" I half asked, half demanded. "Why kill all those innocent people?" I watched as her distraught face morphed into one of hatred. They say that psychopaths look like totally normal people until something sets them off.

"They were hardly innocent!" She spat viciously. "They had used our heritage for their own gain! They used our blood to kiss the Blarney Stone! A descendant from at least four of the ancient houses. The blood of four kings and you would hold power over anyone. And they used the Blarney Stone, they used it for anything and everything!"

"The what now?" Dean asked confused. He looked from Roisin to me for an explanation. Wow so when Siobhan said they were distantly related, she meant distant. Like centuries distant, if what Roisin was saying was true, the reason she could summon the Headless Horseman was because she was descended from one of the dead Celtic royal families.

"It's a stone in a castle in Ireland," I explained impatiently. "It gives the person that kisses it the ability to win anyone over with words."

"It takes the blood of four houses to activate it!" Roisin yelled. "I gave my blood along with the rest! When the magic started to work, because I gave the least blood it surged through me and I passed out. They wouldn't share it with me! They promised!" She sobbed.

"So what they were working some Irish speaking juju and you thought that you would just set the Headless Horseman on them?" Dean questioned incredulously.

"I knew he was bound to serve the five houses! If the Blarney Stone could work, then I control him!" She smiled, actually smiled. I wanted to slap her into next Tuesday.

"Let me get this straight, you went on a trip to kiss the rock, you used your blood to activate the stone. They got the magic and you got nothing. So while they were winning events and taking names you were left high and dry. That's when you got it into your skull to start killing people with some other old hoodoo? This was because they won a few horse races?" I was incredulous.

"For my whole life they thought they were better than me. Treating me like I was filth, you know how many tricks they used to pull? Names they called? Games they played?" Her voice was beyond resentment and bitterness. This woman was mad, crazy with hatred because of some petty fights. I looked into her eyes, burning with anger and malice, and I felt almost sorry for her.

"That doesn't fix what you did!" Dean argued. "You killed people!"

"Prove it." She whispered challengingly.

I grabbed her hand and pulled the gold ring off forcefully. She wailed, trying to snatch it back but I fended her off. Standing in front of the altar, I lit the final candle and waited. The Duhallan didn't make us wait too long. A black horse rode through the open stable doors, the Horseman completely healed and his head looking no worse for wear. "This is an interesting turn of events." He sneered, he steered his horse towards a whimpering Roisin, I stiffened but Dean shot me a warning look. I thought I had killed that son of a bitch!

Grabbing the girl with his hand, he threw her over the back of the horse. "No! Please no!" She began thrashing and shrieking hysterically, but she couldn't get off the steed.

"I will not be returning." He boomed in his deep voice.

"What will happen to her?" Dean asked, uncomfortable at his proximity to the Horseman. I would be too, when he was supposed to be DEAD. A line from the terrible group of amateurs Ghostfacers came to me, Sam had shown me a video of them when I had asked who they were. If you're dead, you better stay dead, because if you don't, will come and kill you. And that pretty much summed up how pissed I was.

"She called for judgement that did not fit the crime, I was not made aware of the reasons of the punishment I was forced to deliver. She will be at the mercy of the Fae Court," He answered as he rode out. He paused as he rode past me; he lowered his detached head and it whispered in my ear. "Goodbye little bird."

I jerked back in disgust; kicking the altar and sending the contents flying in different directions. I got the satisfaction of watching the Horseman flicker before disappearing entirely. "Ok was it just me or did that guy seem like he was a registered sex-offender?" I asked Dean as we stood in the now empty stable.

Dean smirked as he wiped what little fingerprints we had left behind. "Oh he definitely had the hots for you." I picked up the altar and shoved it under a wheelbarrow. The candles and incense went next, I didn't want to cause a fire and hurt the poor horses. Who were still kicking and screaming in their stalls even though the Horseman was gone for good.

"Great," I moaned as we walked out of the barn and towards the car. We seemed to always be walking towards the car, I guess I finally understood why Dean and Sam loved the thing so damn much. It was their one constant in a world a change, their one simple thing in a world of crazy. "Just great."

Dean paused and looked at me. Leaning over the roof of the car his green eyes searched mine. "Are we ok?" He asked softly.

"I don't know Dean, what do you want me to say? You let your brother be possessed! What were you thinking?!" I yelled. We were finally talking about why we came on this trip in the first place. We had to talk about Ezekiel and it wasn't going to a pretty conversation.

"I was thinking that I couldn't let him die!" Dean said.

"Somehow," I replied sarcastically. "This doesn't seem like the way to go."

Dean paused, looking angry. "You know Bethany, I have saved a lot of people. A hell of a lot. Like the whole planet, twice. Most of it is to make up for the bad things I've done, so I can sleep at night. And some of it is because if I don't do it, then who the Hell will? And as I watched Sam try to close the Gates of Hell and fail, as I watched him slowly die, I thought you know what? I have risked my life thousands of times for complete strangers, I have given up everything. But so help me God if I am going to give him up. Because there is one thing on this earth that Fate and Destiny and God can't take away from me. And that is my little brother."

I looked at him, the man who had given up his life so many times to save everyone. Who had stopped the monsters, the demons, the Apocalypse, the Leviathans, the Angels. "Okay." I said nodding.

He looked at me in surprise, "Really?"

"Yes really." I said, "But I have one question. When Sam gets better and everything is sunshine and rainbows and unicorns. How are you going to get Zeke to leave? How are you going to get an all-powerful Angel to get out of a perfectly good host, one he knows you won't hurt?"

Dean frowned, "I don't know."

A/N: Hell to the yeah! Finally finished this monster of a mini story line! (excuse the pun) It only took three chapters! Plus we got some nice extra bits like Winchester brotherly love and a hint of Bethany and Cas. I'm still undecided about that, hmmm I'll have to think about it. ANYWAY, WHO GUESSED RIGHT? I know some of you did so kudos to you! I'm still a complete novice at writing detectivey-crimey-solvey things so I hope I did alright? I tried to foreshadow a bit so that you wouldn't get to this chapter and be like: 'But that was never mentioned before', did I do alright?
To other news I am planning some major story progression and I'm bringing in a guest-star! Yay! Who will it be? Well that's a mystery *waves hands mystically* Before I forget: Lord of the Rings, not mine, obviously, so yeah, me no owe, you no sue kay? Sweet.

Long week it seems, but I get some free time in a few weeks, being Easter and all that! If the plot line I've got in my head works out, you'll get a special Easter surprise! Oooohhh Excitement! Sorry it's a bit late, It's brothers birthday today so partying hard! Whoop, whoop! Anyway I managed to break away from the festivities to give you this! YAY

OMIGOSH GUYS WE GOT TO 20 REVIEWS asjdfgkljdhfgkjdfg *throws confetti*. You are all beautiful amazing people and I love you all. I send each and every one of you my eternal thanks and go eat a whole chocolate cake all for yourself because you guys deserve it! As always, continue to review because I love it and sometimes I cry, that's right, tears. OF JOY! Don't worry, jeesh. So yeah, thoughts, questions, all that typey typey shenanigans. Please type away! Reviewers get a put on my wall of fame at the end of this fanfiction! That's right, immortalized in text forever, or at least until the internet dies.

SPECIAL THANKS TO: steelcandy, kellygreen83, Raveneyes79. You are my favorites for this week! Just love yourselves. When I read your reviews I was so busy squee-ing and ran into a pole. Yes, you can take that beautiful image home with you. Don't worry, nothing got hurt, except my pride. So another week gone by! I open this week is good for you and that everything is as Bethany so eloquently put it: "sunshine and rainbows and unicorns" So until next my friends!

*flies off into the night to the tune of Carry On My Wayward Son*