Chapter Twenty-Six

The Winchester Way

Sam

Dean and Ava had been calling, trying to get me to disengage. Lilith was coming for me. I didn't understand how they knew, but it didn't really matter. I could take her. I'd been working up to it. I sat in the dark in my motel room. I knew she would find me, so I didn't bother looking for her. It was up to me. I knew I was the only one to stop her, and if Dean and Ava were here I wouldn't be able to. We were weaker together.

The door opened and a blonde entered. "Hello, Sam." She purred.

She was no longer a little girl, but I'd recognize those white eyes in the darkness anywhere.

"I've been waiting for you."

Lilith smiled a bit, she looked almost coy. It made my blood run cold. "Where's the knife, Sam?"

"On the nightstand. By the bed." There was no use lying.

She walked toward the bed, eyeing the knife that gleamed in the moonlight through the window of the motel room. She paused and knelt down. She lifted the corner of the rug to expose my, evidentially not so cleverly placed, devils trap. She rolled her eyes, and met mine as she pressed her finger to the trap. I watched the mark seem to ignite in front of me and burn away to nothing. "You're gonna have to try a lot harder than that." She said sweetly.

"How 'bout this?" I said, standing from my seated position. I'd been practicing. I'd been draining demons. Studying with Ruby. Somehow, Ava leaving me may have been the thing that saved the world. I wasn't distracted. I didn't have anything left to lose.

I held my hand out, palm flat toward her and I concentrated on her. On the smoke within her, willing it out, willing it to burn up inside the poor woman that happened to be her host.

Lilith's hair blew back, like from a gentle sea breeze, but she was otherwise undisturbed. A grin grew on her cheeks, as she let out a giggle. "You're strong. But you're not that strong. Not yet."

Rage bubbled in my chest. I didn't make a dent. I wasn't strong enough. "So why don't you throw me around then?"

She moved closer to me, and licked her lips before speaking. "Because I can't, and you know it. You're immune to my charms." She reached out and ran her fingers along my chest. She was taunting me. Testing me. "Seems we're at a stalemate."

"Why are you here?"

She shrugged and turned away, to look out the window at the almost empty parking lot. "To talk."

I frowned. "Yeah, well, I'm not interested."

She put her hands up in surrender. "Hmm... even if I'm offering to stand down? From the seals... the apocalypse... all of it?"

I folded my arms across my chest. "You expect me to believe that?"

"Honestly?" She fluttered her eyelashes before smirking. "No. You were always the smart one, but it's the truth. You can end it, Sam. Right here, right now. I'll stop breaking seals, Lucifer keeps rotting in his cage. All you have to do is agree to my terms."

I examined her, trying to catch a whiff of her lie. Of what game she was playing. She was a demon, though, they were all games. All deceit. "Why would you back down? Why now? It doesn't make any sense."

She pursued her lips. "Turns out, I don't survive this war. Killed off, right before the good part starts."

"What do you want?" I asked skeptically.

"For it to go back to the way it was. Before I had angels to deal with 24/7. The good old days, when it was all baby blood all the time." She said dreamily, staring at the moon out the motel window.

I considered this. It was easier when we were just hunting demons. When there wasn't a war looming around every corner. "And what do you want in return?"

She turned to me, her milky white eyes almost glowing in the darkness, a sinister Cheshire Cat smile growing on her cheeks. It almost was too big for her face, like the corners of her mouth were ripping open. "Your head on a stick. Dean's, too. Call it a consolation prize. So what do you say, Sam? Self-sacrifice is the Winchester way, isn't it?"

I laughed out loud, running my fingers through my hair. "You really think I'm stupid enough to fall for this?" Who the fuck would save everyone if we went up to the chopping block? "Why should I believe you?"

"If I make a deal, I have to follow through. Those are the rules, and you know it. Are you really so arrogant that you would put your life before the lives of six billion innocent people? Maybe it's all that demon blood pumping through your pipes." She smiled sinisterly. "Man after my own heart."

"You think I'm like you? I am nothing like you." I growled my fists clenching at my side.

What if she was telling the truth? She made a valid point... I was willing to die for the cause, but Dean? He just got back. Just got to meet his daughter. From experience, I know that Ava and Nel were almost impossible to walk away from. But if we didn't do it, they would have Hell on earth.

"Then prove it. Going once." She turned and walked to the bed. I raised an eyebrow. "Going twice."

My heart pounded. Make a decision Sam! What would Dean do? "Fine."

Lilith turned to me with a smile. "Swell. By the way, a contract with me will take more than a kiss." She lowered herself onto the bed and hiked up her skirt. "A lot more. Don't worry. The dental hygienist in here? She wants it bad." She petted the bed next to her, and I swallowed hard.

I walked to her.

I had no intention of following through. I couldn't. Dean never would submit to a demon, no matter what. I leaned over her, and she touched my leg running her fingers up my thigh. The hair on the back of my neck stood up as her eyes flickered white in front of me. She grabbed my collar and pulled me down on top of her. She pulled her mouth to mine, and I allowed her to slide her tongue in my mouth. I hoped the distraction would be enough. I grabbed the knife and went for her gut, but she was too fast. She tripped me tightly and flipped us over. She sat on top of me and held the knife to my throat. "Tsk tsk tsk. We could've had something, Sam." She hissed.

I gasped slightly as I felt the blade breaking the skin on my neck.

The door splintered open with a hard thud, causing Lilith to turn.

"I am the prophet Chuck!" A man with a scruffy beard shouted as he burst through the door. Ava and Dean were on either side of him.

Lilith raised an eyebrow, looking bored. "You've got to be joking."

She moved off of me, releasing the knife from my throat. She walked to the man.

"Oh, this is no joke." Dean said darkly.

Like an earthquake, the room began to tremble. I held onto the headboard to keep from being tossed off. A white light poured in through the window, lighting up the room.

"You see, Chuck here's got an archangel on his shoulder. You've got about 10 seconds before this room is full of wrath and you're a piece of charcoal. You sure you want to tangle with that?"

Lilith gave me a look like, this isn't over, and opened her mouth. Smoke screamed and poured out of her mouth, and through the open door into the darkness.

Dean

We had dropped Chuck back off at home. His Arc Angel didn't need to make an appearance after all. Ava was dozing in the back seat as we drove back into town. "So a deal, huh?"

"That's what she said."

"To call the whole thing off – angels, seals, Lucifer rising, the whole nine?" I eyed him.

"That was the gist of it."

"Huh."

Sam turned to me. "What?"

I clicked the windshield wipers on as rain started to cover the windshield. "You didn't think once about taking it?"

Sam shook his head. "I did for a second, but she would have found some way to weasel out of it. And all it would have cost us was our lives. I couldn't do that to Ave and Nel."

I sighed and gripped the steering wheel, squinting at the road. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Anyway, that's not the point."

I glanced at my little brother. "What's the point?"

"The point is, she's scared. I could see it. Lilith is running."

"Running from what?"

"Don't know. But she was telling the truth about one thing."

"What's that?"

He stared at me intently, curling his fingers into a tight fist. "She's not gonna survive the apocalypse. I'll make sure of that."

I'd never been afraid of my brother before, but there was a darkness in him then that I couldn't place. I swallowed hard and nodded. "Yeah, man. We'll get her."

Sam

About sixteen years later

I leaned forward on the table, with my phone pressed to my ear. "Sorry," I sighed. "I'm just, I'm worried, ya know? Ever since we locked Michael up, Dean's been strange. He just packed up and left, and then he hugged me."

"That's sweet?" Mom said, like she didn't understand.

"Mom, we don't hug." I shook my head, standing up. "I mean, we do, but only if it's literally the end of the word. Ya know?"

"He'll be home soon. I'll look after him."

I wanted to believe her.

"I'll get to the bottom of this." She promised.

"Maybe you're right." I rubbed my face. "Maybe he just needs some space."

"And for now we have to respect that."

"Yeah." I agreed with a tight jaw. "Thanks."

"Love you." Mom said into the phone.

"Me too." I mumbled before hanging up.

I had no intention of leaving it alone. That's not how Dean and I worked.

"Hey." El said, coming in rubbing her eyes. She'd been studying pretty intensely last time I saw her. "Where's Dad? I was thinking we could order a pizza."

"He, uh, he went to see Grandma Mary at Donna's cabin."

She frowned and crossed her arms. "Why?"

"Just missed her, I guess." I said, distracted as I picked up my duffle bag, that was always ready to go by the door.

"And where are you going, Sam?"

"Huh? Oh nowhere."

"Yeah, bullshit. You're going to the cabin. What's going on?"

"Nothing." I forced a smile and dug a twenty out of my wallet and tossed it to her. "Get some pizza. I'll see you tomorrow."

She narrowed her eyes. "No way. If you're going, I'm going."

"You have school." I shook my head. "I've already let you skip once this month. If you're going to graduate with honors you need to actually go to class."

"Come on Sam!"

"Don't come on, me. I went to Stanford. I know about getting into good schools. That's what your dad wants. He doesn't want you following him around the US. He's fine. Order the pizza. I'll see you tomorrow."

I didn't mean to be harsh with her. I didn't want to hurt her feelings, but fuck. Something was wrong. I knew it in my gut, and he already had a head start. I added a few extra provisions to my bag and headed to the car.

I tossed my bag in the trunk and slid into the front seat starting the car. I pulled out of the garage and headed toward Donna's cabin.

We were able to get Michael locked away inside Dean's head. It was obviously not a permanent solution, but it was what we had. There was something wrong, though. More than Dean would say. I could hear him pacing at night, and staring off into space. He seemed to wince at every loud noise. He wasn't all there. He was afraid.

Whatever was going on he was trying to ride it alone, and we learned a long time ago that it isn't just up to one of us to solve a problem. We were a team. It was a shame that it took our whole fucking lives to figure that out, but here we were. He was still running away.

He was running to Mom, and I just couldn't figure out why.

I was about thirty minutes from the cabin, when I turned off my podcast. I needed to think.

I frowned and slowed the car down. I hadn't heard the sound before, because the radio was up, but now I could hear a distinct, but soft breathing. I grabbed my gun off the top of my bag, slammed on my breaks and turned quickly behind me, pointing the gun at the intruder in my backseat.

"El? I could've killed you!"

My niece was curled on the floor behind our seats, holding her own gun pointed at me. She grinned widely. ""Some hunter you are! You didn't even check the back seat. God Sam haven't you Seen zombie land?"

"I'm a little distracted." I admitted, lowering my weapon. She did the same, and scrambled to sit up on the seat. "You were supposed to be at home."

"He's my Dad, Sam. There's something going on with him. He was supposed to be back to tell me more about Mom, and instead he goes on a spontaneous road trip to visit Grandma? It all seems too weird."

I sighed. "I know. Listen, I don't want to worry you..."

"You're worried, though, I can tell. I'm almost seventeen. You should trust me more."

"You're old for your age, kid. You know that?"

"Having three hunter Dad's does that to a girl." She rested her hand on my shoulder, and I felt a bit more relaxed. "What do you think we're walking into?"

"I honestly don't know. How did he seem with you earlier?"

"Sad." She admitted.

"With me too."

"Well, let's get back on the road. Our best bet is to get to him as soon as possible so he doesn't do something stupid."

I smiled weakly at her. She shouldn't have to deal with any of this. Sometimes I wondered what her life would've been like if we hadn't lost Ava. Maybe she would've had a normal life. Maybe.

We pulled up to the cabin. It was dark. "Maybe they're asleep." El offered. "We should take a look around." She commented.

I scanned the yard. There was a light on in the shed out back. "Follow me." I instructed. "Stick close."

She nodded, and held her own gun. Dean would be pissed if he saw her with that, but I was a little proud, if I let myself be honest.

We crept toward the shed and I peaked in the window. "What the fuck?" I whispered.

"What?" She asked, trying to see over me. I couldn't let her look. "What, Sam?"

"Nothing."

"Fuck off." She whispered, and took off to the door. It was cracked open, letting a ray of light into the yard. She peered into the shed before I could stop her. "Oh my god." She covered her mouth.

I went up behind her and slowly opened the doors to expose a large coffin. I walked to it, examining it. There was a large marking in the lid. It was made of steel.

"Sam." El said, calling me over. She held a notebook. When I got closer I could see tears rolling down her cheeks.

I took the book from her. The pages were open to the blueprints for the coffin. A magical coffin that can keep anything contained. He'd written something in the margins.

Bury?

Concrete?

Ocean?

The ocean was circled three times. A pit grew in my stomach. He was going to lock himself in and throw it into the fucking ocean, and worst of all Eleanor saw it. She knew everything.

"We can't let him do it, Sam." She gripped my arm tightly, all the color draining from her face.

"We won't." I promised. There was no way in hell we would let him do it. We couldn't lose him, too.