Dean's POV
When I say Sammy has been a bit off I guess I mean he has been a complete mess. It's been a few weeks since Jess died and dad still hasn't made contact with us. I think it is making Sam even more upset and quite frankly it's starting to piss me off. I'm not asking dad to fix it because he can't but the least he could do is pick up the god damned phone and tell his youngest son that it will be alright and he knows what he's going through and he will do everything to find that asshole and kill him. During the day Sam is strong almost borderline jaded. He wants to hunt, he just gets shit taken care of. He wants to kill everything we come in contact with, it's his big revenge plot. He wants everything and anything that knows what killed Jess to die. At least we have a name now. Lara's dreams have given us a name, Azazeal. Sam has tried some pretty crazy shit trying to summon it but nothing has worked so far.
Then the night time comes. Lara gives me a meaningful look and I know it's time to leave. I head out under the pretense that I am going to go to a bar, get drunk, and fuck some bar fly. Sometimes I do just that and sometimes I just sit outside the hotel room in my car. Lara and I have an unspoken code that when Sam finally goes to sleep she turns off the light and I know it's good to come back in. I would sit there with them but I know that Sammy won't get all emotional with me and quite frankly I don't want to go all chick flick with him so I allow Lara to take over this one.
Once the light is turned off and I know I am safe to go in I make my way back into the room. The nights I actually do go out to the bar I come back it's easier to handle. The nights I am sitting outside I head right in and I see the aftermath of his breakdown. Lara is usually propped up against the headboard rubbing Sam's back. He is curled into a little (well little is relative term for a giant) ball pressed into Lara's side. I can see that his eyes are red and blotchy and so are Lara's usually. She gives me a nod that everything is alright and I slip into my bed. Usually after a few hours Lara starts screaming bloody murder and I go wake her up, bring her to my bed, and try to go back to sleep. I usually can't seem to fall back asleep. I just lay there listening to both of them breathing heavy. They both toss and turn and usually in the morning both beds are messed up if not torn to shreds.
Well I guess when I said that Sam is a mess I meant that all of us are a mess. Lara and Jess were really close and Lara isn't handling it well. I liked Jess a lot but my bigger problem is seeing my brother and Lara being so upset.
This night I have decided to just drink in my car. I got myself a 6 well I shouldn't lie I guess 12 pack and I have set up shop in my impala. I have been out here for two hours now but finally the light turns off. That's my sign that it is safe for me to come back in. I put my key in the door and open it. They look the same as they always do. Lara is wearing the old Pantera tshirt that I was wearing the first day we meet and a pair of black shorts. She's propped up against the headboard and if I didn't know every facial expression on her face I might think she was just relaxing but I do know all of her facial expressions. She is heartbroken and she misses the best girl friend she ever had.
Lara looks up at me and gives me a pathetic excuse for a smile and motions down at Sam for me to be quiet. He looks rough. His face is red and splotchy and his head is on her lap. She is running her fingers through his hair and every time he starts to mutter she holds him closer trying to bring him comfort. She is doing a great job taking care of him but no one is taking care of her. She looks tired. I cross the room quietly and touch the side of her face. "You doing ok Lara?" I ask her in a whisper.
She shakes her head, turns her face into my hand, and I see her face tighten up. Lara is fighting not to start sobbing and a single tear escapes her eye. I lean down and kiss her forehead. "Squirt do you need to talk?" Sam starts to mutter and flinch and Lara quickly pulls him closer and rubs his back. Once he calms down she looks back up at me.
"It's alright Dean. I know you don't like to have heart to hearts. I am fine." I can hear her trying not to sob and I want nothing more than to shake my head and sit back down in my bed and pretend she's fine.
"Lara if you need to talk you know you can talk to me." She just stares at me. "I'll even let you do my nails while you talk. I hear red looks good on me." I say with a quiet laugh hoping to bring a smile to her face.
I get the desired response and she gives me a weak smile. "I am fine Dean. I just loved Jess. I miss her. She was like a sister to me and I miss her. I was on the phone with her Dean and I could hear her die. I heard it. I could have saved her if…" She just stops and looks behind me. I quickly turn around and I don't see anything.
"Lara?" I ask waving my hand in front of her face. She quickly looks up at me and starts to blush. "Sorry, I am fine. Go to bed, we need sleep." Lara pushes herself down under the covers and Sam rolls into her. I change and get into my bed, close my eyes and quickly fall asleep.
"Please stop. I don't want too." Lara starts to mumble. My eyes fly open and I sit up. "GOD PLEASE DON'T!" She starts to scream. I jump out of bed and grab her shoulders. I shake her hard and her eyes flutter open. "Dean?" She cries out.
I put one arm under her naked legs and another behind her back and lift her out of Sam's bed. She curls into me and puts her head over my heart and starts to sob. I can feel the tears on the skin of my chest, they kind of tickle. "Hush now Lara. Go back to sleep." I saw softly into her ear. She continues to cry but its silent tears now and she's not screaming.
Sammy flails around but quickly falls back asleep spreading himself out over the bed much like he used to do. I have no clue how Jess could sleep with him when he apparently thinks he's a star fish when he sleeps.
I drop Lara softly on the bed and she pulls the covers back up over her. I do a quick room check and get into the bed next to her. She's back asleep in minutes. Sam may think he is a star fish but Lara thinks she's an octopus. Within moments I am ensnarled in her limbs. I know I should untangle myself and take the floor but I can't help but let out a laugh and try to fall back asleep myself.
Ring, Ring, Ring,
"Dammit can someone turn off that god damned phone?" I yell into my pillow.
"Hello?" Sam asks into the phone. "Dad?"
*a little while later*
"Sam don't do this. Don't you leave." Lara pleads Sam has he grabs his stuff and gets out of the car. Sam looks back at her. "Lara I am sorry but I can't stay here and do what dad wants because he told me to. I am going to California and I am going to find dad and find that demon and kill him."
Lara gives Sam a defeated look and runs up to him and gives him a big hug. She whispers something into his ear that I can't hear and runs back to the car getting into the passenger seat slamming the door. "Sam don't be stupid." I tell him bluntly.
He rolls his eye at me and starts to walk down the road. "Sam get back in the car. I am leaving in 5 seconds with or without you."
"See yeah Dean." He yells back not turning around. Dammit! He is so god damned stubborn I could scream! I do the same thing that Lara did just a minute ago and get into the driver's seat and slam the door shut. "FUCK!" I yell has I hit the steering wheel.
Lara puts her hand on my arm. "It's alright Dean. He'll be back." I whip my face around and look at her. "How can you be so sure?" I yell venomously back at her. She winces at my tone of voice. I didn't mean to yell at her like that.
"I just know these things. Now take that attitude and shove up your ass Winchester!" She barks at me slumping into her seat looking hella pissed off. I know better than to piss her off.
We drive in silence for a while until we come into the town that dad told us about. Has I pull the car in park and we get out I grab her arm. "Lara I'm sorry." She gives me a smile. "I know you are asshole." Then she gets out of the car.
When Lara and Sam investigate they are only ever two rolls partners in whatever bureau they work for or siblings. For some reason Lara and I are always either partners or a couple. She runs to my side of the car grabs my hand pulls me to the shops.
The only restaurant in town says Scotty's café and there is a surly looking gentleman sitting outside of the restaurant. Lara puts on her charm and drags me with her to the gentleman. "Hi sir, I was wondering if you could help my boyfriend and me. Our best friends came through here about a year ago and we haven't heard from then since. We are trying to find them and I am really hoping you remember seeing them."
No man can withstand Lara's charm and he breaks into a smile. "Call my Scotty little lady." He says with a wink. I want to roll my eyes I know Lara will sense it and elbow me in the stomach. She hands him the pictures and he looks over them. "Sorry little lady I can't say that I remembering seeing this folks come through here but a year was a long time ago. I hope you can find them."
She flashes him a smile and pulls me with her to the gas station. There is car with New York tags at the service station and Lara gives me a nervous glance. Whatever is going on here it looks like they may have found their next out of town victims.
A bell rings when we enter the station and we are greeted by a husband and wife. They are a bit standoffish but Lara charms them like she does everyone. I honestly zone out for a few minutes while she talks to them and look around the store for any kind of clues. I run into a young girl coming into the shop with a box. "Did he have a tattoo?" She asks Lara. That gets my attention back on track.
"Yes he did." Lara hands her the picture and the girl looks at it. She shakes her head and I can see her thinking. "Yea they were here. We fixed their car and gave them directions."
Lara turns around to the father and puts on her best smile. "Do you remember what time they left and where they headed?" Within 20 minutes of her talking to the townies we are on to our next spot. Girl is good.
We are driving down a Orchard Rd which is probably named after the giant orchard we are passing. "DEAN! Stop the car!" Lara yells. I slam on the breaks and give her an incredulous look. She rolls her eyes at me and we climb out of the car. I don't know what made her want to stop but there must have been something. We search the orchard in silence until I hear Lara let out a muffled scream. I run over to her and she is covering her hand with her mouth and pointing up at a scarecrow.
I grab the latter and climb up it going to where Lara is pointing. Holy shit. This thing is wearing the dead guy! "We got ourselves a problem here." I say back down to Lara.
We get back to the impala and she starts to go through all the pagan books we have. She brought quite the collection along with her and I thank my lucky stars that she likes to research because I sure as hell don't.
The last few hours have been spent in a foreclosed house in the next town over. I guess that girl was right when she said that other towns weren't doing so great and they were blessed. We are holing up here while Lara researches what we are up against. "Call him." Lara tells me without looking up from her current book.
"No."
"Call him."
"No." We have been doing this for hours now.
She slams her book down and looks up at me. "Call him this second Dean! He is your brother and you need to understand why he needs to do this."
"No." I say back to her.
"You call him this moment or I will shot a hole through your favorite shirt." She says with a smirk.
I look down at my shirt. It is my favorite gray shirt and she knows it. It's nothing special I just like how it feels. I look up at her and meet her gaze. "N, O, spells NO!"
She quickly grabs her gun aims it at my arm and shots. I jump out of reflex and sure enough I look down at the sleeve of my shirt and there is a long tear along it. I look at her and she blows over her gun and I look behind me and there is a hole in the wall. "What the fuck Annie Oakley! You could have killed me!" I yell at her ripping my shirt off.
I throw it at her and she catches it laughing at me. "I told you to call him or I would shot a hole in it. Now call him or I will shot something else and you know I will!"
God damn her she is crazy. I grab my phone and dial Sam and wait for him to pick up, I don't even know if he will. After 6 rings he picks it up. "Dean?" He asks me.
"Yea Sammy it's me."
"What do you want Dean?" Sammy asks me obviously pissed off. Lara gives me her best I will kill you face.
"I just wanted to make sure you were alright. Lara threatened to shot me if I didn't call. She already shot a hole through my shirt." She aims her gun at me and mouths, fix it.
I hear Sam laughing on the other side. "That should teach you to get her mad. I'm fine Dean. I am at the bus stop. The next bus leaves tomorrow."
We are both quiet for a moment. "Sam I just want you to know that I understand why you had to leave. I really do even if it doesn't seem like I do."
"Thanks Dean."
"Just… just…" Dammit I hate this. "Just think about coming back when you're done. I mean Lara really misses you."
"Tell Lara I miss her too and Dean, I miss you too. Bye."
"Bye Sammy." I hang up the phone and look at Lara. "You happy now?" I snap at her. She smiles at me. "I am thank you. Now come over here I think I found something."
This orchard is sure has hell creepy at night. That couple should be stopping by here any moment and we need to save them. We are across the street afraid to enter the orchard until we know how to kill it but we need to save the couple. Sure enough their car breaks down in front of the orchard and the couple gets out. They start walking into it like a couple of idiots from a bad horror movie. I look at Lara and we both take off after them.
Shit, the pagan god has them both. We both lift up our guns and shot that god. He drops the couple and we grab them and high tail it out of there before he can get us. We throw the couple into the back seat and take off to the next town. "What about my car?" The man whines at us.
Lara jumps up on the seat and turns around sticking her butt out. "Are you fucking crazy? Your car? That is what you are worried about?" I force my eyes to stop staring at her ass and look in the review mirror and the guy is blushing. When did Lara's ass get so attractive? When did she start wearing tight jeans for that matter? "You almost got killed tonight. We will take you back tomorrow." She sits back down and rolls her eyes at me.
The next morning we drop the couple off at their car and head back into town. We still aren't sure how to kill it but we know that the town is in on it. Their yearly sacrifice is what is keeping their town successful compared to the rest of them.
Lara heads to Scotty's café hoping to snoop around with the locals some more. We open the door and Scotty points to an open table and comes over to us. "What can I get you guys?" He asks Lara with a smile not even looking at me.
"How about two coffee's and two slices of that wonderful apple pie I have heard so much about." Scotty smiles and heads back to the kitchen. Lara looks back at me and I can see her mind turning. "Fire."
"What?" I ask her a little confused.
"We need to burn the original tree that the scarecrow is attached too. It has to be in that orchard we just got to find it." She says looking around making sure no one is listening to us. I shake my head in agreement. That makes sense.
Scotty brings back two coffees and two slices of pie and puts them down in front of us. He offers us milk and sugar but we both say no and start to eat. "This pie is really good Scotty." Lara says with a smile.
"Thanks, it's the apples in this area they are better than anywhere else." I don't feel so great, I feel really sleepy. I guess we didn't sleep to well last night saving people from getting eaten by pagan gods and all. "But I think you both already know how special our apples are don't you?"
I try to stand up and Lara reaches for her gun but I fall over and Lara doesn't seem to have any control over her body. "Dean?" She asks me then it all goes black.
My hands hurt. I slowly open my eyes and I am in that orchard. Fuck. I look up and my hands are tied above my head. Double fuck. I quickly scan the area and Lara is still sleep next to me. They tied her hands above her head. Triple fuck. I can just about touch her with my foot if I try. "Lara." I say kicking her with my foot. She slowly opens her eyes and looks around frightened. "Lara, it's ok. We are going to get out of this." I say trying to reassure her.
"It's not going to be alright guys. You are going to fix what you ruined last night." A man's voice says from the orchard. Slowly we see the townspeople surround us.
"You guys are sick you know that. Killing people for your own gain." Lara snarls at them. They all laugh and look at the both of us. "We don't actually kill anyone we just allow the god to take his due."
"You are killing them for that stupid tree of yours." Lara spats at them. I follow their eyes and they all look at the large tree that is next to Lara. That is what we need to burn.
"It doesn't matter what you think. You'll be dead soon anyways." The man who owns the garage says and they all leave.
Once they are gone Lara looks at me and I can tell she is worried. "Dean what are we going to do?" She asks me. I look at her and smile. "Don't worry I will think of something."
Dammit it is dark and I still don't have a clue how to get us out of here. We are going to die. "Dean, do you have that idea yet?" Lara asks me.
I try to smile at her but it comes off more like a grimace. "I'll think of something I always do." I try to sound cocky and sure of myself but Lara can read me like a book and knows I'm afraid.
"Dean I want you to know something before we die."
"We aren't going to die Lara!" I yell at her.
Lara looks around. "Dean it looks like we are about to die, time to face that. I just wanted to let you know that I…that I…. well Dean I…"
"Lara! Dean!" I have never been happier to hear my brother's voice in my life. "Sammy over here!" I yell at him.
Sam runs over and cuts us down. Lara reaches into her pocket and grabs the lightly she always keeps with her. She looks over at me and Sammy. "Give me yours!" She demands of us. We throw them to her and she breaks the lights open and spreads the little bit of fluid in them on the tree.
I feel something grab me and throw me. Well I think it found us. I slam into a tree and try to stand up but it throws me back down. "QUICKLY LARA!" I yell at her. The creature finally starts to burn in front of me.
Lara runs over to me and leans down. "Dean! Dean are you ok?" She asks me. "I am just a bit banged up let's get out of here."
Sam helps me up and we stumble out of the orchard and start to walk to town to get our car back. "What were you going to tell me back there Lara?" I ask her.
Her face turns beet red. "Nothing Dean. I just wanted you to know that I didn't blame you for what was about to happen." I know she is lying but I don't want to force her to tell me what's actually wrong.
a/n so what do you think? You guys still like it?