Disclaimer: I don't own them, I just play with them!
A/N - Okay this one took a while but I can't blame it on my muse. She didn't wander off, in fact, she kept pushing and shoving me to get back to the laptop! Unfortunately however, my Aunt came over from Florida for the Thanksgiving holiday and while here she fell and broke her shoulder so I spent quite a bit of time with her. She's gone back home now and will probably have to go into surgery sometime this week. My sister, my beta, get's to take care of her now leaving me free to write again. My aunt will be fine (If she can keep from annoying my sister too much) and I'm back. It shouldn't be nearly as long between chapters now which is good because it's beginning to get tense!
Chapter Twenty Five
"No," Dean said his eyes narrowing and his head shaking from side to side. "Absolutely not!"
"Jacob," John started to say.
"Sleipnir can only carry two," Jacob told them. "If you would prefer Sam be the one to face Azkeel then you may ride with me, Dean."
"Take dad then," Dean replied. "Sam and I stick together."
John shook his head sadly. "No son," he told Dean. "It won't work."
"Why?" Dean asked. "You've hunted plenty of demons. You can handle those two."
"No I can't," John replied.
"Why not?" Sam asked. "You are a better hunter then both of us put together dad." Then Sam thought of something else. "If you can't do it what makes you think I can?"
"Because you already have," John told him. "I tried to exorcise one not long ago. It didn't work. We think only a living person can perform the ritual. It's got to be either you or your brother."
Dean shook his head. "No, we're not splitting up. That never works out well," he replied. "We go to the radio tower, take care Ben then we go to the beach and finish off the other two."
"If we wait those at the beach will certainly be killed," Jacob told him.
"No," Dean said firmly frowning and shaking his head again. "Not gonna happen."
"Dean," Sam said quietly. "We can't just let them die."
"No!" Dean said. "The last time I let you out of my sight you got killed, Sam!"
Mary stepped up to Dean. She put her hand on his chin. "Oh, Dean," she said. "That was not your fault. It was mine."
"Your fault?" he said. "How could it possibly be your fault? You were already gone."
"There is no blame for anyone other then Azazel in that matter," Jacob said with complete conviction. "The demon is responsible for what occurred and you, Dean, did what needed to be done to save your brother, your father and myself. Your plan did not work exactly as you planned it, but it did work. That battle is over. You won it. Now we face another battle. This one must be fought on two fronts. If you have another plan on how we can accomplish this then please tell us. We will decide which is the better option and use it."
Sam watched Dean as he tried unsuccessfully to come up with another plan that would save both parties. He knew his brother's facial expressions better then anyone and the way Dean's brows furrowed together along with the frown on his face told Sam all he needed to know. "Dean," he said gently. "We don't have a choice. I'll be careful. I promise." Dean looked up making eye contact with him. "Besides," Sam said with a smirk. "I've got a God to help me out. Two demons against a Winchester and a God? We definitely have them outnumbered."
Dean ran his palm down his face. He looked to his parents, who nodded and then at Jacob who dipped his head in affirmation of what Sam had said. He ran his hand through his short cropped hair then sighed. "Fine," he told the God. "But if anything happens to my brother. You're going to have a lot more to worry about then a few demons trying to destroy your island!"
"I will take good care of him," Jacob replied. "I promise."
The decision made, Sam knelt down on the ground and opened the duffel bag. He pulled out a salt gun, some extra shells, a Latin exorcism book and a pair of rosaries. Standing up he handed them all to Dean and waited for his older brother to secret all the items except the shotgun into the many pockets of his jacket.
John stepped up to Sam. "You have the ritual memorized?" he asked. When Sam nodded he continued. "Remember there are two of them. You're going to need help so get the others to work with you."
"Dad," Sam replied exasperated. "I got it. I can do this."
"I know you can son," John said. "I just…"
Sam saw the look of concern that passed across his father's face. "I'll be fine dad."
John swallowed and nodded his head unable to reply for fear of saying something he really didn't want to say. He knew how good a hunter Sam was, but he was still his baby boy. He would always worry about him.
Mary smiled and closed the gap between her youngest son and herself. She hugged him tightly then stepped back. "I'll see you soon Sammy," she said stepping back right into John's waiting arms.
"You better be careful," Dean told him. "Don't make me have to kick your ass for getting yourself killed!"
Sam grinned at his brother. "I will," he said reaching out and gripping Dean's arm. "You take care of mom and dad."
Dean nodded without replying. Jacob swung up onto Sleipnir's back. He reached down to Sam who tossed the duffel bag over his shoulder and gripped Jacobs arm allowing the other man to help him onto the back of the waiting horse. As soon as Sam was settled Jacob signaled the animal and the beast took off going from a canter to a dead run in just a few strides.
The three older Winchester's watched them until they disappeared from sight then Dean turned to his parents. "Let's go get that bastard and get this over with," he growled out just before turning and heading in the opposite direction of his brother.
- - - - - -
Bonnie sat on the floor leaning against the wall of the station and bleeding profusely. Desmond untied Charlie who hurried over kneeling beside the injured woman. "What's the code?" he asked her.
"Go away," Bonnie replied painfully.
"Bonnie, let's just get this over with, OK?" Charlie said. "What's the code?"
"She's not gonna tell you, brother," Desmond told him.
"Yeah she's gonna tell me," Charlie replied.
"What makes you say that?" Desmond asked.
"Because you said its my destiny to turn off that jammer," he told her. "Okay, Bonnie, we're both gonna die down here. All right, let's be perfectly honest," Charlie told Bonnie. "A one-eyed maniac just killed your friend, he shot you in the back. It would appear that your glorious leader, Ben, put him up to it. Are you a sodding idiot? You have the opportunity to make Ben very very angry. Why would you not take that?"
Bonnie looked at Charlie and laughed half-heartily when she realized he was correct. "Five, four, five...;" she told him weakly.
"What?" Charlie asked.
Bonnie's head tilted to the side and she continued, her voice a bare whisper. "Eight, seven, sev..."
"Is that the code?" Charlie asked digging in around in his pocket until he found the marker he'd been using to the best moments of his life.
"Five, five, four, three, seven, seven...," Bonnie said.
"Start again," he told her prepared to write the code down on the ground.
Ignoring him Bonnie kept speaking. "Six, one."
"Stop, Bonnie," he told her. "Start from the beginning, start again." Bonnie's head dropped and Charlie knew they had to get the information soon otherwise it would be to late. "Bonnie, Bonnie!" he told her lifting her head up until their eyes met. "Wake up, stop. Bonnie, start again."
"Good vibrations," she whispered.
"What?" Charlie asked afraid she'd gone over the edge and was loosing it.
"Beach boys," she told him her eyes closed as she dealt with the intense pain of her wound. "Good vibrations. On the keypad, the numbers," She opened his eyes realizing that the man before her was probably the only person on the island that could have broken the code. The irony of the situation was not lost on her. "They're notes," she told the surprised rock star laughing weakly. "It was programmed by a musician."
Charlie gazed into her eyes in surprise as she lost consciousness. He glanced at Desmond who was looking at him. "Des? There's diving gear in those racks, yeah?" He said standing and heading for the communications room.
"Aye," he replied. "There's plenty.
"Why don't you take care of that," Charlie told him stepping toward the door. "I'll tap out "Good Vibrations."
"All right, mate," Desmond replied.
This was going well, too well, Charlie thought. Desmond's flashes, visions or whatever they were didn't include any of the things that had happened in the past few hours and now it looked like they were both going to get out of here without his vision coming true. Maybe, just maybe he would survive this and still get everyone off the island. "Hey, Des," he asked the other man.
"Aye?" Desmond replied.
"You get any flashes?" Charlie asked.
"No," Desmond told him shaking his head. "Nuttin."
Charlie nodded. "Meet you back here then," he said with a grin.
"Aye," Desmond replied turning to get the equipment.
Charlie entered the communication room and found the key pad. Working out the notes of the song in his head he entered the numbers corresponding with the notes. Entering the last note he looked up at the light and grinned when it went dark. "So much for fate," he said and turned to leave the room.
Desmond was on his way back to the lockers but stopped and looked around the room when he realized Mikhail's body was missing. A quick frantic search turned up nothing and Desmond looked into the depths of the water a chill running suddenly up his spine.
A tap sounded loudly on the communication room window. Charlie turned to find Mikhail outside in the water. A smirk split the one eyed man's face as he lifted his hand to the window and showed Charlie what he was holding. Charlie's eyes widened at the sight of the grenade in the other man's hand. His face paled as he watched Mikhail pull the pin.
"Charlie!" Desmond yelled running toward the room.
Charlie turned to his friend and realized that unless he did something quickly Desmond was going to die too. Rushing the door Charlie pulled it closed and locked it just before Desmond reached it and just as the grenade exploded shattering the communications room window. Water rushed into the room as Charlie stood still watching in shock and realizing that he really was about to die.
"Charlie!" Desmond screamed as he pounded on the door of the flooding room. "Charlie!"
Charlie turned to his friend and smiled knowing he had saved the other man's life and done his part in ensuring the rescue of Claire and Arron. He put his hand to the window staring Desmond in the face and making sure the other man knew he was okay with what was happening.
His hand slipped from the window and he pushed back towards the shattered window. Remembering his early childhood his lips moved silently in the lords prayer as his hands made the sign of the cross on his chest.
- - - - - -
Juliet and Sawyer, hidden from view of those at the beach camp, watched as Tom and Ryan paced back and forth arguing.
"It was an order, Tom," Ryan said. "We had to follow it."
"Ben doesn't know what the hell he's talking about," Tom shouted. "He's lost it! I mean look at what they did to us. Instead of putting three bullets in the damned sand, we should have killed them for real."
Sayid, Jin and Bernard listened to the two Other's argue as a third man held a gun pointed at them. Sayid watched closely waiting for a chance to break free.
"All they got left is three guys and four guns," Sawyer said quietly to Juliet.
Juliet rolled her eyes and replied, "And all we've got, James, are two people and no guns."
"So we'll wait til night," he told her hating the fact that she was right.
Wondering where the man kept his brains she said, "That isn't going to change the fact that we're unarmed, if you wanna kill yourself, fine, but before you go I can try..."
"Shh!" Sawyer hushed her. "You hear that?"
Juliet listened and was shocked to hear what sounded like a car engine. They both turned just in time to see a van plow out of the brush and zoom past them with Hurley sitting in the drivers seat an intense look on his face. He drove right through a tent and headed straight towards Ryan and Tom. Tom dove out of the way but Ryan stood his ground burning a clip from his forty five into the old Volkswagen. Bullets ricocheted off the van sending sparks flying but Hurley never wavered as ploughed right into him. The van bounced heavily as he ran the man over.
"Ryan!" Shouted the man covering the prisoners.
Hurley braked sharply and opened the door preparing to leave the van but Sawyer pushed the car door back shut. "Woo!" Hurley exclaimed with a grin as he realized who was outside the van.
"Stay in the bus, Hero," Sawyer said spotting Ryan's gun on the ground and grabbing it before jumping around the front of the van and preparing to shoot the man guarding Sayid, Jin and Bernard.
Before he could even think of pulling the trigger though, Sayid kicked the Other, knocking him down. He wrapped his legs around the other man's neck and tensed his leg muscles then twisted sharply. There was an audible snap as the fallen man's neck broke proving that even with his arms tied behind his back Sayid was still a formidable enemy. He nodded to Sawyer who turned his attention to Tom as the other man crawled along the ground trying to get to another gun.
Juliet stepped on the big man's hand causing him to cry out with pain as she reached down and picked up the gun and pointed it at him. "Stay right there, Tom." She said.
"Okay," Tom said turning to Sawyer. "I give up."
Sawyer paused glaring at the man for a few seconds then lifted the gun and shot him in the center of the chest. "That's for taking the kid off the raft," he told the dying man.
"Dude it was over," Hurley said. "He surrendered."
Sawyer turned to Hurley. "I didn't believe him," he said.
- - - - - -
Out in the jungle, Jack and Danielle led his weary group toward the tower. Ben's radio, in Jack's back pocket, suddenly came to life. "Attention, Others. Come in, Others," Hurley's voice shouted over the radio. "If you're listening in, I want you to know that we got you bastards. And, unless the rest of you wanna be blown up, you best stay away from our beach..."
The entire group stopped and gathered around Jack listening to the news coming from the radio.
"Hurley?" Jack said into the radio.
"Jack?" Hurley asked surprised to hear the other man's voice.
"Where are you," Jack asked. "What's going on?"
"Dude," Hurley told him. "I'm back at the beach."
"What?" Jack asked shocked at not even noticing that the big man had left the group.
"Yeah I went back to help Juliet and Sawyer I," he told Jack. "I saved them."
Jack closed his eyes briefly knowing that now he would have no choice but to tell the group that was with him what had happened to those who had stayed behind at the beach. "They're OK," he asked. "Juliet and..."
Hurley cut off the other man, replying Jack had a chance to finish his sentence. "Everyone's fine. Me, Sawyer, Juliet, Sayid, Jin, Bernard. We're all..."
Jacks eyes flew open as Hurley named off the last three people. "What, wait. Bernard and Jin and Sayid, they're with you?"
"Yeah dude," Hurley said. "I told you, I saved em all."
Jack's entire group shouted with relief. Hugs were given all around with the one between and Rose and Sun lasting the longest each of them shedding tears of happiness at the news.
Jack turned to face his people relief flooding through him as a grin split his face. "Hey," he said into the radio. "Stay where you are, we're almost up to the tower. You'll be safer there."
"Yeah I got ya," Hurley replied. "We'll stay put until you like, phone home."
Claire stepped towards Jack carrying Arron in his sling. She reached out for the radio and Jack turned it over to her knowing what she was about to ask. "What about Charlie, did he make it back yet?"
"Not yet," Hurley replied. "But they're probably paddling home as we speak. Don't worry, I'm sure he's fine."
It was a much more jubilant group that continued the trek towards the radio tower. Smiles had replaced frowns and quite chatter along with the occasional laugh had taken the place of the near deafening silence that had permeated the air before Hurley's radio transmission.
Suddenly, for no apparent reason, Aaron began to cry. "Sshh. hey Aaron, it's Okay, sweetie," Claire said trying to calm the baby.
"What's the matter?" Naomi asked her stepping up even with the other woman.
"I dunno, I think he's just a bit scared" Claire told her.
"Hard to blame him," Naomi said just as her phone beeped. She looked at it and grinned. The light was flashing green.
"What is it?" Claire asked.
"What's your boyfriend's name?" Naomi replied. "The rock star who swam down to the station?"
"Charlie, why?" Claire said.
"Charlie just got us rescued," the other woman told her just before she ran up the line of travelers looking for their leader. "Jack!! Jack, he did it!" She shouted. "Your friend bloody well did it!"
"What?" Jack asked.
"The green light, its on," she told him. "The jamming's stopped."
"Use it then," he told her.
"All right," she said and dialed. A voice came over the phone, "Four, four, two.." Naomi looked at Jack as a woman said something in French after the countdown. "What's this?" she asked.
"It's Danielle's message," he told her. "It's still blocking the signal."
"It doesn't matter," Danielle told them both. "We're here."
A/N - Okay... you know what to do. Click that review thingy and let me know what you think!