Time Can't Heal All Wounds

Chapter 26

Rowena

"Hey Sam!" Kris called out, as she came into the War room from the garage.

Sam's head popped up from whatever book he was reading, "What is it Kris?"

She held out the phone she had found, "Found this while I was cleaning Baby."

Sam took the phone realized who it once belonged to and smiled, "Yea, this was one of Bobby's."

"Right, there are a few voice mails, the most recent from a few days ago. Apparently, a woman named Bunny LaCroix has named Bobby a beneficiary in her will. Interested?"

Tossing the phone back to her Sam shook his head, "Naw, I think we're good in that department."

Kris shrugged and set the phone on the table, while Sam went back to reading the book. She took the seat across from him, "So, what'cha reading?"

"Well I am looking for more lore on the Mark of Cain."

"Sam, we have all been over these books. The Men of Letters have nothing useful about the Mark."

"It couldn't hurt to double check."

Kris sighed and leaned back in her chair, "More like quadruple check. If there is anything useful about The Mark, it has to be somewhere in the tablets."

Sam closed the book, "It took Kevin months to decipher the demon tablet. It's going to take him even longer to crack the angel tablet because Metatrone did something to it. I'm getting the feeling Dean is running out of time. You think I don't see what that mark is doing to him?"

"Hey guys." Dean came around the corner, closing his phone and carrying a newspaper under his arm, "I think I might have us a hunt."

Kris and Sam looked over at him, "What is it?"

Dean skidded to a stop, "Whoa. That was weird." A quick shake of his head and he continued with what he had been saying. "I got a text from a hunter friend of mine, guy named Darrell. He's been working a case in Cleveland, a series of grisly hotel murder. One at the Kensington, another at the Waldorf. Bodies stabbed and impaled on the ceiling.

Sam returned to his reading, "Sounds more homicidal maniac than one of ours.

Dean grinned, "So did Darrell, until he looked at the autopsy, actual cause of death, their brains were boiled in their skulls.

This got Kris's attention. "Why does that sound so familiar," she whispered under her breath."

"Darrell thinks it's a witch." Dean slid the newspaper towards her, "Then there was this from yesterday."

"Waiter Drops Dead at Bistro Des Moules," Kris read off.

Sam chuckled, "How do you even know those are relate…."

Kris interrupted, "'While the Medical Examiner would not confirm COD, witnesses say the waiter's head turned red and his skin started to peel away. 'It was like he head was burning up from the inside,' one witness was overheard saying.'" She tapped the paper with her finger, "I should know this." The answer was right there but she couldn't wrap her head around it.

Sam shut the book he had been reading, "Sounds like a hex, so witch it is."

"Well, I'll give this to the witch," Dean said, "she's got deep pockets. The Kensington, the Waldorf, this restaurant, that can't be cheap." Pushing the paper aside, Kris pulled her laptop towards her. "What are you looking up?"

She grinned, "Our witch likes the expensive shit, so I'm looking up all the five star hotels within four blocks of the that restaurant." A few clicks and Kris had pulled up two hotels that suited her criteria. "There's the Ritz and the Intercontinental, both are five stars and both are within the four blocks."

"Great," Dean said. "Let's go bag a witch."

Dean parked the Impala two blocks between the two hotels. The plan was simple, divide and conquer. Sam would go to the Intercontinental, while she and Dean checked out the Ritz. There had been a small debate about who would go where and in true Winchester fashion it had been decided by rock, paper, scissors. Kris had won and chosen the Ritz, than Dean had said he would go with her, surprising Kris.

"So," Kris asked as Dean held open the emergency exit for her, "what are we planning to do once we find this witch?"

Before she could ask anything else, Dean held his finger to his lips and nodded down the hall. Four people had just come around the far side of hallway. Two women dressed like hookers being dragged by a shorter man in a black and gray hoodie. A red-head with her mouth gagged and hands tied behind her back, being hauled off by another red head in a black leather jacket.

"What about us?" the brunet asked. "I'm not going back to that place."

"Operation Skank has been terminated," The female demon tossed behind her.

Kris saw Dean nod and she slid an angel blade from her sleeve, resting it in the palm of her hand.

"The only place you two are going, is the dumpster out back." Red-head demon was so busy insulting the girls behind her she didn't notice that Dean and Kris had stepped right into her path.

Dean stabbed the female demon in the stomach with the angel blade, a quick flash and she fell to the ground, dead. He turned his attention to the male demon, but the demon was ready. Quickly blocking the blade, the demon used Dean's momentum to toss him to the side.

In the confusion, Kris saw that the blond and brunette had released the red-head, who lead them to the end of the hallway.

Kris parried a blow from the demon, grabbed his wrist, twisted it behind him and slammed him into the wall. A quick jab from his elbow and she lost her grip on him, allowing him to slither out of her grasp. Kris turned to face him and his fist connected with her jaw sending her crashing down hard on her hands and knees. She raised up onto her knees and just grinned up at her advancing attacker.

"What are you grinning at," he asked with a sneer on his face.

"Nothing" Kris replied, getting to her feet. "It's just that Dean Winchester is behind you."

Before he could turn to confirm it, Dean came up and stabbed him in the back with the angel blade. As he falls Dean commented, "I vaguely remember someone else saying something like that."

"So, sue me for not being original." Kris grinned than turned her attention down the hall and got a good look at the red-haired witch, "Rowena?!"

Rowena grinned at Kris, clearly not knowing who she was, "Always nice to be recognized."

Dean stared at Rowena, "You know her?" Kris nodded but didn't elaborate on it.

The blonde turned to Rowena yelling for her to do something. Looking to the blonde, Rowena smirked, "That's an excellent idea." She pulled another hex bag from her pocket and placed it in the blonde's hands, "Impetus bestiarum."

"Shit," Kris said, pushing Dean aside as the blonde hunched over and screamed out in pain.

"What! What did she do?"

"An attack spell!" Kris yelled trying to hold the blonde's arms at her side, but when she raised her head, her eyes were blood shot and there was a trickle of blood coming out of her nose.

"Not bad," she heard Rowena comment, "The girl knows her Latin."

The blonde head butted Kris, knocking her to the ground. In the time, it took her to regain her vision, Dean was on the floor beside her and both Rowena and the other girl were fleeing down the hall.

Kris got to her feet, pulling Dean with her, then pushed Dean towards the fleeing ladies, "Go! I got this!" He didn't wait for a second command.

The blonde charged after Dean, but Kris was quicker. She ducked under her wild swing, wrapping her up around the waist and pushing her hard enough into the wall to smack the back of blonde's head against it. Kris let her go and backed away from her. She felt something poke her in the back and realized it was the door handle to a linen closet.

"Please," Blonde said, getting Kris's attention. "I can't stop myself."

Kris nodded as she twisted the handle behind her, "I know, and I'm sorry."

Blonde charged, and opening the door with her, Kris moved to the side and shoved Blonde in the back, pushing her all the way into the closet. She slammed it shut and braced her back against it, knowing she would have to hold the door closed until the curse ran it course. Blonde was pounding on the door, hard enough to cause cracks to form, "Let Me Out!"

Still Kris held it shut. "I'm so sorry," Kris kept repeating.

Just when she thought the door would not be able to take any more abuse, the pounding stopped followed by the sound of a body collapsing to the floor. She stood there with her back against the beat-up door, trying to catch her breath. She turned to face the door and even went so far as to reach out to open it, but stopped. Taking a step back, Kris took a deep breath, let it out, turned and walked away.

Kris rushed out of the hotel and into the ally where she skidded to a stop. Cole was standing there with a gun on Dean. 'How the hell did he get here?' she thought to herself as she reached for her gun, but Dean noticed and gave a quick shake of his head. So, she stood there quietly behind Cole and waited.

"What I do is hunt monsters. Cole, your dad was a monster." Dean kept his voice steady and eyes locked on Cole.

Cole snickered, "Yeah, you say that now, but last time, you couldn't even remember his name."

Without missing a beat Dean said, "2003, Nyack, New York, Ed Trenton. I was working a case. Three dead, livers ripped out and eaten by your father."

Just the fact that Dean could remember a specific hunt from thirteen years ago, was impressive to Kris

"Liver?" Cole asked in disbelief.

Dean nodded, "Yeah, I tracked him down that night to your house." Before Dean could continue his eyes flicked up. "No," Dean said pointing to just behind Kris, "Sammy put it down."

Kris looked over and was surprised to see Sam there with his gun drawn and pointed at the back of Cole's head. She hadn't even heard him.

Cole swung around, pointing his gun at Sam, instinctively Kris drew her own, stepping beside her father, ready to have his back

"No," Dean repeated. "put your guns down, we're talking."

Kris saw a quick look pass between Sam and Dean, and her father lowered his gun. Then slowly moved his hand to push hers down as well. After a quick glance towards Sam, she tucked it at her back.

"Cole," Dean said getting his attention. "hey, right here. We're talking okay."

Cole swung his gun back to Dean, and Kris felt Sam tense up beside her. He didn't like a gun pointed at his brother any more then she liked one pointed at her father.

"What kind of monster was he?"

Dean shook his head, "I don't know. Never saw the thing before, never seen it again."

"Sounds like a Kumiho," Kris chimed in. "It's a Korean shapeshifter, likes to pray on livers. Very rare to see one outside of its homeland." Kris noticed Cole slightly turn his head towards her but kept his gun on Dean. "Usually only pops up once within a fifty-year cycle, consumes five livers then returns to hibernate."

"No," Cole said, "I heard his voice. It was human, and he begged you to stop!" He shook the gun at Dean.

Dean shook his head, "I know what you heard, but that was not your father."

"Unlike American Shifters," Kris said taking a step closer to Cole, ignoring Sam's small attempt to stop her, "Kumiho's don't need to keep the person they shift into alive. They kill them immediately." Kris was standing right next to him, "Cole, your father was gone long before Dean ever stepped foot into your home. That thing killed him and it would have killed you or your mom." Cole didn't move, but Kris could see his eyes welling up. "You have a family Cole," Kris told him. "I heard you on the phone that night."

"How can I believe you," Cole whispered. "This, this has been my whole life."

Dean moved closer to Cole as well, but made no attept to take the gun. "I get it. That was your story. But those stories that we tell to keep us going, sometimes they blind us. They take us to dark places, the kind of place where I might beat the crap out of a good man just for the fun of it. The people who love me, they pulled me back from that edge." He looked to Sam. "Cole, once you touch that darkness... It never goes away. I know how my story ends. It's at the edge of a blade or the barrel of a gun. So, the question is, is that going to be today? Is it going to be that gun?"

"Cole," Sam told him, "your family needs you to come back, and they need you to come back whole." There were a few precious moments were Kris wasn't sure what Cole was going to do.

Than the gun wobbled, and with tears in his eyes, Cole handed the gun to Dean. Dean took it and Kris saw Cole's shoulders slump forward. What happened next Kris would later blame on the fact that she was her mother's daughter. She wrapped the man who had threaten to slit her and her father's throat, up in her arms and comforted him.