Chapter Twenty Five
As the days stretched into weeks without Sam, Dean's desperation grew, as did his determination. When Bobby seemed to flag and become doubtful they'd ever get him back, Dean's certainty grew. Somewhere out there was the answer to their problem. They just had to find it. His determination was taking its toll on him though. He was burning through days and nights without proper sleep. More than once Castiel had knocked him out with his mojo to force Dean to stop and rest.
It had apparently happened again, as he found himself waking on Bobby's uncomfortable couch with a stiff neck. He knew he should be angry that Castiel had overpowered his will, but he couldn't help but be grateful to his friend for helping. The problem was that when Dean lay down to rest, he couldn't switch off his thoughts. Worry for Sam and questions of where he was and what was happening to him filled his mind. When Castiel knocked him out, he was sent into dreamless sleep.
"Morning," he mumbled, easing himself round to sit on the edge of the couch.
Bobby was in the kitchen, the clink of mugs telling Dean he was seeing to the coffee, and Castiel was standing with him. Chuck, who had set up camp at Bobby's the day after Sam disappeared, was nowhere in sight.
"Morning." Bobby came into the library with two mugs of coffee in his hands. He passed one to Dean and leaned against the edge of his desk.
"Anything?" Dean asked hopefully.
"Nothing," Bobby said.
Dean sighed. He hadn't truly expected Bobby to have come up with a solution in the night, but the acknowledgement that it was another day with no new hope for Sam's return made Dean want to groan. It had been fifteen days since they had gone to Sucrocorp, fifteen days without Sam. It was a long time when you didn't know what was happening to the person you cared about more than anyone or anything. If only they knew where he had gone. Then they would have a place to start. He wasn't dead. Dean knew that in his heart. He would feel it if Sam was truly gone.
He got to his feet and sipped at his coffee as he looked over the books on offer. There didn't seem to be a single one he hadn't looked at already, despite the wealth of Bobby's collection. Thinking he would start with the Eve Manuscript again, he plucked it from the desk and went back to the couch. That was when the thunder of footsteps reached him and Chuck burst into the room. His eyes were alight with some excitement that looked one step from madness.
The book and coffee forgotten, Dean lurched to his feet. "What?" he asked eagerly. "What did you see?"
"Crowley," Chuck said. "He's coming. He said he can help."
"Help how?" Bobby asked, an intense look in his eyes.
"I don't know," Chuck admitted. "That was when I woke up. He came to speak to Dean, though, and he looked… smug."
"Like he knows something we don't," Dean said. He was annoyed with himself that he hadn't thought of the demon himself. He was the definition of shady. If anyone knew secrets of Dick Roman, it would be him.
Chuck nodded energetically. "I think this is it, guys."
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Bobby cautioned.
"No," Dean said. "Chuck's right. This is it. It has to be." Because there was no other avenue left they hadn't explored.
"When's he coming?" Dean asked.
"Today is all I know," Chuck said.
Dean couldn't wait. The possibility of news was like fire in his veins. He needed relief now. "We've got that demon summoning spell, right?" he asked Bobby.
Still looking cautious, Bobby nodded. "Yeah. All the fixings are in the cupboard."
Dean hurried into the hall where Bobby stored most of his hunting paraphernalia. His heart was racing and his hands shook as he retrieved the candle and herbs they would need, This was it, he knew it; this was how they were going to get Sam back.
Sam's mind was reeling. Madison. There. He lurched up, releasing her. She stood and stared at him, looking as shocked as he felt.
"What…? How…?" he gasped.
"Monster dies, it goes to monster heaven. Also known as Purgatory. I died a monster, Sam."
Sam felt a wave of sickening guilt among his shock. He had done this. He had put her here when he pulled that trigger. He'd never even imagined her as a monster though. When his mind had drifted to Madison, as it had sometimes over the years, he had imagined her in Heaven, at peace. Even when Lucifer had taught him about Purgatory and the souls of creatures he had hunted, he'd not connected that Madison counted as one. He'd only ever remembered her as the woman he had loved so intensely for such a short time.
"Maddie, I am so sorry," he whispered. "I had no idea."
She smiled sadly. "Not your fault, Sam. You only did what I begged you to do."
"But…"
She stiffened. "Hold that thought."
Sam heard it, too. Someone or something was coming. There was the sound of panting breaths and feet pounding against the dirt ground. His fingers curled around the handle of his weapon and he braced himself.
A figure wielding a blade a lot like Sam's burst into their clearing and rushed at him. Before he could even lift his weapon, Madison sprang into action. Faster that he could have imagined, she had kicked the creature in the chest, knocking it back, and snatched its weapon from its hand. She swung it through the air, slicing off the monster's head in one fell swoop. Sam watched, awed, as she kicked the head away and then examined her new blade. "Nice," she said. "Lost my own to a vampire a few nights ago."
"Maddie," Sam breathed, "that was…"
She smiled grimly. "Not the soap opera watching secretary you remember, huh?"
Sam shook his head sadly.
"Don't look at me like that," she said angrily. "I did what I had to do to survive, Sam. You don't know what it's like here. I was set upon in my first hour. Lucky I run faster than a shapeshifter or I would have been killed then. The next time I was attacked, I fought back. I haven't stopped fighting since. I would have died if I hadn't changed."
"I know," Sam said, raising his hands defensively. He hated that this had happened to her though. She had been so sweet, so gentle when she was human, and now she was a killing machine..
"We should move," she said. "We're targets here. There's a place."
Having no choice but to trust, Sam followed her into the trees, alert for any sign of attackers.
"You know," Crowley said conversationally. "I was coming anyway."
"Thought we'd speed things along a little," Dean said.
His eyes scanned the room. "So… the big boss not here?"
"Lucifer?" Dean said, unable to keep the bite of resentment out of his voice. "He's on a beer run."
The truth was that he was almost as angry with Lucifer as he was with himself. His guilt stemmed from the fact he had been the reason Sam was taken. He hadn't been fast enough. He hadn't been the one to take the shot. He had dragged Sam back from the Cage because he needed him more than he needed Sam to be happy with his angel. But Lucifer… he'd given up on Sam. Wherever he was, he wasn't fighting to get him back the way the rest of them were. He had failed the person he said he loved.
"And you know I really doubt it," Crowley said. "Seems to me that he'd be around if he knew I was popping in."
"Lucifer isn't important," Bobby said gruffly. "You are. You said you were coming here anyway, so what do you want?"
"Story is, Winchester-Jumbo Size has vanished and you're all out of clues to find him."
Dean nodded stiffly. There was no point denying it to cover their failure. "Yes. He took out Dick Roman and disappeared."
"And you've no idea where he is?" Crowley asked.
"No."
Crowley smiled smugly for a moment and then quickly covered it and became serious. "Here's the part where I'd usually enjoy taunting the crap out of you for being dumbasses, but what can I say, your brother-in-law is Satan and he scares me. So, tell me exactly what happened with Roman."
"You know about the spell we took your blood for?" Bobby asked.
"The bare facts, yes. Lucifer pretty much told me to bleed or die. I took the easy road and proffered up some of the red stuff."
"Well, with your blood and some other ingredients we made a weapon for Dick," Bobby said. "Sam took the shot and succeeded. Roman disappeared in a helluva blood spatter, taking Sam with him."
"I hate to be the one to say it, but did you consider the possibility that Sam might have been a part of that bloodstain?" Crowley asked.
"He wasn't," Castiel said. "I would have known. There was no human blood there."
Crowley nodded thoughtfully. "So, he's not dead. I'm assuming you angels have scanned for him."
"He is nowhere on earth or heaven," Castiel said.
"And he's not in the pit," Crowley said. "I guess there's only one possibility left."
"What?" Dean asked, his breath held in his chest.
Crowley merely looked at him, seeming to want him to make the connection himself. The realization brought the answer to his lips almost immediately, and he couldn't believe he had been so slow as to not realize sooner. "Purgatory."
Bobby sucked in a quick breath. "Damn."
Dean crowded into Crowley's space and grabbed the lapels of his coat. "How did you get in?" he growled. "You and Raphael bust that place open. How did you do it?"
"Easy on the coat," Crowley said, pulling Dean's hands away and stepping back. "First of all, you don't need to go punching a wall through the way we did. There's another way in. All you need to do is find yourself a rogue Reaper."
"Wait one damn minute," Bobby said. "None of us are dying here."
Dean didn't speak. He would die if that was what it took to get Sam back. It wouldn't be permanent; they had two archangels on side. Even if it was, Sam was worth the sacrifice.
His thoughts must have shown on his face because Bobby's eyes fell on him and he growled, "Dean…"
Dean help up a hand. "Not now, Bobby." Looking back to Crowley he asked, "How can a Reaper help us?"
"There's what you might call a back door into Hell. As you can imagine, it's not often used, but it's there. It just so happens that the way to that door is through Purgatory. You find yourself a Reaper, you find your way in."
Dean's heart seemed to have doubled its pace. He was thrumming with excitement. This was it, their way to get Sam back. He locked gaze with Bobby who seemed to be feeling the same surge of combined excitement and relief.
"Right…" Crowley said expansively, "I think that's us done. Best of luck and all that. If you'd mention to Lucifer how helpful I was, that'd be great."
"We'll be sure to do that," Bobby said. "And if you're screwing with us, we'll be sure to mention that, too."
Crowley raised his hands. "No screwing happening. I swear on all that's unholy, this is the real deal."
Dean nodded solemnly. "You better hope so, Crowley. If you are lying, Lucifer will be the least of your troubles. I'll be the one you'll be running from."
"Got it," Crowley said, a slight smile hovering at the edges of his mouth. He glanced around the room from face to face, and then disappeared.
Bobby laughed breathily. "Damn…"
"We're getting him back," Dean said, his voice exultant.
Castiel nodded, looking satisfied.
"Okay," Bobby said, businesslike again. "We need a Reaper. Before you say it, Dean, we're not going for one the obvious way. I figure we've got three angels on side. Cas, do you know where we can get one?"
"If there was one there, I would see it," Castiel said, "but I don't know where we might find one. They only come at the time of death."
"The hospital?" Dean suggested.
"How's about we utilize the other heavenly allies we have?" Bobby said. "Gabriel and Lucifer might know how to get hold of one."
"Because Lucifer has been so helpful recently," Dean said. Truth was, he didn't want the angel there. He had abandoned them all, Sam included. He could have been an asset searching for Sam, but he'd disappeared off the face of the earth. Dean hadn't prayed to him once, but he knew Bobby had.
Before anyone else could speak, Dean and sent up a prayer to his best hope, "Gabriel, we need you. We've got a way to get—"
"I'm here," Gabriel said.
Dean spun on his heel. "You took your time."
"I apologize," he said sardonically.
"We know where Sam is," Bobby said.
Gabriel's eyes became intense. "Where?"
"Purgatory."
There was a moment of silence and then Gabriel groaned. "Boy, do I feel dumb. How did you work it out?"
"Crowley came by," Dean admitted.
"I feel even more dumb now. Never mind. Did he happen to mention how he cracked it open last time so we can press replay on that particular song?"
"Apparently we don't need to," Bobby said. "Reapers have a way of getting in; a back door if you like. You bring us a Reaper, we'll do the rest."
Gabriel looked pointedly around the room. "Sure. I'll do that. One question. Why isn't Lucifer here?"
"Because he ducked out and left us," Dean said bitterly. "Because he doesn't care."
"You know that's not true," Bobby said. "Lucifer can't…"
"Handle it?" Dean asked. "Is there one of us here that can?" He pointed at Gabriel. "Apart from angel hair pasta over there I mean. My brother disappeared. I could have sat on my ass and sulked these all this time, too. I didn't, because it's Sam and he needed me."
"It's different," Gabriel said, a bite of anger in his tone.
"No," Dean said, pushing down his own anger. "It really isn't."
Gabriel looked like he wanted to argue the point, but Bobby spoke up. "Okay, okay, this isn't a competition. We have a way to get him back, so how's about we do something about it. Gabriel, do you know where we can find a Reaper?"
"I do," he said. "But there's something we need."
"I swear," Dean started, "if you think we're waiting for that bastard to get his head together to help…" The words trailed off as Gabriel disappeared. "Damn."
Lucifer was sitting on the beach, staring out over the ocean and trying to hold onto the image of his lover at the shore. He wasn't there, of course, but the memory of him was all Lucifer had to cling to.
It was made harder to see Sam's illusion because his concentration was broken by a voice saying, "Boy oh boy, you really screwed up this time, Luci."
"Go away, Gabriel."
"No can do, bro. You're needed."
"There is nothing anyone needs from me anymore." The only person that ever truly wanted or needed from him was gone.
Gabriel gestured to an invisible someone. "Pity party here. Table for one, please."
Lucifer sprung to his feet and advanced on his brother. "I am warning you, Gabriel…"
"Warn me all you like. We both know you won't follow through. Sam tamed you remember."
Storm clouds rolled overhead and Lucifer grabbed Gabriel's throat, dragging him up to his face. "If you think anything that was gained still exists, you're wrong. Sam is lost. So is Lucifer that was."
"Boohoo," Gabriel said, his voice constricted. "If you'd quit with the whining for a moment and let me talk, you'd know Sam isn't lost. He's just trapped."
Lucifer felt a thrill of something other than the misery he'd been steeped with for weeks. "Trapped where?"
"Purgatory."
He released Gabriel and stepped back. "How do you know this?"
"Satan Junior came by, apparently, and filled in our merry band of searchers. They're working on a plan right now to get him back. It involves finding a Reaper. Now, I thought you'd like to be a part of that plan, help out maybe, but if I'm wrong…"
Lucifer covered his face with his hands, overwhelmed and furious at himself. How had he not known? He was an archangel with immense knowledge and intelligence. He had forsaken Sam when if he'd just taken a moment to think it over, he would have known himself. He could not believe he had been so stupid.
"Yep," Gabriel said, interpreting his expression correctly. "You screwed the pooch. Never mind. It's not too late. I think you tracking down a Reaper and bringing it to the party would go a long way to redeeming you."
Redemption. Did Lucifer care for it? Not for Dean or Bobby or anyone else, but for Sam. He wanted to be able to face him with just a little dignity remaining. He wanted to say he had a part in rescuing him. He wanted to be worthy of love again.
He wanted to save Sam.
So… They knew where he is. Finally. And Lucifer has had a metaphorical kick up the ass.
Until next time…
Clowns or Midgets xxx