Chapter 29
Dirty Rotten Angels
Andie suffered the least injuries from the jump out of the church window and by doing so was able to drive the Impala back to the hotel; a rare occurrence. Dean had dislocated his shoulder and Sam had a deep gash on his forearm that hindered both brothers from driving. Andie had a few bumps and bruises but nothing too debilitating. Well, so far. What was eating away at her was the fact that Ruby had run off with Cassidy and Andie had no idea where they were. Sam was quite calm at this turn of events; he thought Cassidy was much safer now. Since he was injured, Andie didn't press the matter as of yet.
When they got back to their hotel room, Andie was unwillingly given the role of nursemaid. Sam's gushing arm took precedence so she sat him on his bed and pulled a chair up in front of him. After rinsing the wound with whiskey from the minbar she cleaned her hands and started stitching it up with a needle and some very thick thread.
Dean rinsed his bloody mouth in the bathroom while he waited to be tended to. "Are you almost done?" He complained.
"I'm going as fast as I can." Andie snapped back, Sam's squirming wasn't making it any easier to stitch him up. And the throbbing in her head from where she'd smacked it on the ground was getting worse as time went on.
"Good, 'cause you know I got a dislocated shoulder over here." Dean whined as he came back into the bedroom and started sucking down whiskey from another bottle.
"Yeh, I'll pop it back when I'm finished with this one." Andie said as she sewed through Sam's tough skin and then tied it off in a knot. As she pulled it against his skin, blood seeped out the newly closed wound.
"Dammit, Andie." Sam said through gritted teeth.
"Sorry." Andie replied as she cut off the thread and wiped her hands on a tea towel. "Hey, gimme that," Andie clicked her fingers at Dean until he handed her the bottle of whiskey he was draining. "Sorry again." Andie apologized before she poured the alcohol over his wound. It was rough, hunter medicine but it would kill the germs and stop an infection. "Good boy." Andie praised Sam when he didn't audibly holler at the obvious pain he was feeling.
"So, you lost the magic knife, huh?" Dean asked of his brother as he down some more whiskey to prepare himself for Andie's effective but rough bedside manner.
"Yeah, saving your ass." Sam pointed out as he took the bottle from his brother. "Who the hell was that demon?" He asked before he took a long swig of the bitter, amber liquid
"No one good." Dean answered evasively. "We got to find Cassidy."
"Ruby's got her. I'm sure she's okay." Sam said as he laid his battered and bruised body down on his bed.
Andie moved around Dean so she was standing behind him. Gently, she rested a hand on either side of his dislocated shoulder and held it firmly. "Ready? On three, ok? One..." With a swift snap of her hands, Andie popped Dean's shoulder back into place.
"Ohhrrr!!" Dean grunted under his breath, clenching his mouth tightly closed.
Andie tilted Dean's head up by his chin. "You know I never go on three." She pecked him on the lips. "Idiot." She gently slapped his cheek then took a clean tea towel and wrapped some ice in it, giving it to Sam to hold against his cut. "Are you sure about Ruby?" She asked him as she started to gather up the soiled cloths. "Cause I think she's just as likely to hand Cass over to that demon who tried to kill us."
"No, she took her to keep her safe." Sam assured her.
"Well, why hasn't she called to tell us where she is?" Dean asked as he started sucking on the whiskey bottle again.
"Because that demon is probably watching us right now, waiting to follow us right back to Cass, or Anna, again. That's why he let us go."
"You call this letting us go?" Dean gestured to their beaten bodies.
"Yeah, I do." Sam said. "Look, killing us would've been no problem to that thing. That's why, for now, we just got to lay low and wait for Ruby to contact us."
"Why do you trust her so much?" Dean asked.
"I told you." Sam muttered shooting a bashful glanced at Andie.
"I'm gonna go, uh, clean your blood out of your car..." Andie offered, gathering up the remaining bottle of whiskey. It was clear Sam wasn't going to speak in front of her, and she wasn't even sure she wanted to know. Dean would fill her in on the important details later. Right now, she just needed a drink. "I'll be outside." She didn't hear their voices pick up again until after she'd closed the motel door.
The impala shone in the moonlight, as it always did, but the interior of the vehicle wasn't as pretty as the exterior. It was probably the first time Andie had been thankful of Dean's messiness because most of his blood in the backseat had been caught by old newspapers before it could seep through the fabric. She tossed out anything stained, scrubbed away at the passenger's seat where Sam's arm wound had oozed onto the chair, and then set herself up on the trunk of the car with the bottle of whiskey.
It was a beautifully clear night and the stars were out. Andie lay on her back against the rear windscreen of the Impala and stared up to the heavens whilst hugging the emptying whiskey bottle to her chest. For the first time since they got back, Andie let herself feel the pain of her injuries. She'd twisted her ankle and could feel it swelling as she laid still. Her head was aching in three different points and all the gashes on her arms seemed to burn in the cool night air. Taking another swig of whiskey, Andie tried to keep her mind off Cassidy. She knew she wouldn't be able to concentrate on finding her and Ruby.
"You look pretty." Dean's pained, gravelly voice said as he came outside.
"Sam ok?" Andie asked.
"Fine. He hit the shower." Dean paused at the end of the car. "He slept with Ruby, by the way."
Andie shot him a look but didn't shift from her spot. "Huh," She held the whiskey bottle to her lips. "You'd think that'd surprise me...but it don't." She swallowed a large mouthful of drink. "Cass, on the other hand, will freak." Andie chuckled; then stopped herself. She'd been trying so hard not to think of Cass and now she was the one to bring her up.
Sighing, Dean climbed up on the Impala and lay down beside her. "We'll fix this, Morgan." He said, wrapping his good arm around her shoulders and sliding her over against him.
Andie let him hold her and leant her cheek against his chest. "She didn't know who I was." She finally mumbled, her words slurred a little having been effected by the alcohol. "I looked her right in the eyes." Andie vividly remembered that expression Cassidy had on her face; it broke her heart. "It was like...I was a stranger."
Dean rubbed her arm. "I dunno if she's possessed or what; but we'll figure it out and we'll get her back." He ran his hand over the back of her head. "I promise."
Andie closed her eyes and tried to let the rhythmic sound of Dean's heartbeat soothe her. "How did I not know?" She whispered. "She'd been in that place for months...how did I not know she needed me?" Her eyes spilled over and tears started slipping down her cheeks.
Dean wrapped both his arms around her and held her tightly against his body. She shuddered as she tried to hold in her tears; even when they were alone she had trouble divulging how she really felt. He understood her pain; Cassidy was the closest thing to family that Andie had. Besides himself and Sam, whom she'd known less than half the time she'd known Cass, Andie had no one. Cassidy was a solid constant throughout her life, and Dean suspected it had been Cass's influence that turned Andie from a Hellraiser into the resilient hunter he loved so much.
xxx
It turned out that Andie didn't have to worry about Cassidy for much longer because when she and Dean came back to the motel room, they were joined by a heavyset maid who had been possessed by Ruby. She told them Cassidy was fine and waiting for them at a cabin on the outskirts of town and that they had to hurry and leave because there were demons surrounding the motel waiting for Cassidy to pop up.
They found Ruby and Cassidy safe and secure in a dilapidated cabin in the middle of nowhere; seemingly the perfect hiding place.
"Glad you could make it." Ruby grumbled when the trio arrived.
"Are you okay?" Andie asked Cassidy, unsure of what name to use as of yet.
"Yes, I think so," She smiled vaguely. "Ruby's not like other demons; she saved my life."
"Yeh, I hear she does that." Dean grumbled. "Look," he cleared his throat and dawdled nearby Ruby. "I guess I…you know…" He shrugged.
"What?"
"I guess I owe you for... Sam." He cleared his throat again. "And just I want to you know…" He gestured at her and nodded.
Ruby rolled her eyes. "Don't strain yourself."
"Okay, then. Is the moment over?" Ruby nodded and Dean unclenched. "Good,'cause that was awkward."
"Aw, such a sweet boy." Andie beamed at him.
"Shut up." Dean blushed.
"OH!" Cassidy suddenly cried out and grabbed her skull. "Oh, they're coming! I hear them!"
"Back room!"
Sam snatched Cass up by the elbow and hid with her in the back room.
"Where's the knife?" Ruby asked.
Andie looked sheepish. "Uh, about that…"
"You have got to be kidding!"
"Hey, don't look at me!" Dean held up his hands.
"You two have impeccable timing, really."
With an earsplitting blast, the doors and half the wall of the shack crashes open, and Castiel with Uriel in tow came charging in.
"Please tell me you're here to help." Dean directed at Castiel. "We've been having demon issues all day."
"Well, I can see that." Uriel sniped; his hollow, soulless eyes casting up and down at Ruby. "You want to explain why you have that stain in the room?"
"We're here for Anna." Castiel demanded.
"Cassidy, is not going anywhere." Andie folded her arms
"Stop talking." Uriel silenced her. "Give her to us."
Dean was puzzled. "Are you gonna help her?"
"No," Castiel seemed very troubled. "She has to die."
Andie laughed. The situation was far from funny; but the very idea that the solution to this problem was Cassidy's death was the very essence of laughable. "Well, obviously that's not going to happen, so what's plan B?"
"Don't worry," Uriel smirked. "I'll kill her gentle."
"Are you insane?" She blocked his path. "Cassidy is innocent in all of this!"
"She's far from innocent." Castiel spoke up.
"What the hell does that mean?" Sam snapped.
"It means she's worse than this abomination you've been screwing." Uriel turned his nose towards Ruby.
"Sorry," Dean shook his head. "Get yourself another one."
Uriel held his hands to his sides. "Who's gonna stop us? You three?" He stood up to Ruby. "Or this demon whore?" He grabbed Ruby by her collar and tossed her over his shoulder, as though she were light as a feather.
Castiel turned to Sam, who began backing away quickly. "Cas, stop it, please." But Castiel just pressed his fingers to Sam's forehead, causing him to collapse. From the floor, Andie threw her hand out towards Castiel to knock him off his feet; but her power barely affected him. He just stumbled backwards and did a similar manoeuvre right back to her sending her sliding across the room until the collided heavily with the fireplace, her head cracking against the sturdy, stone structure. Her vision was unfocused but she could see Uriel clearly taking great pleasure in beating Dean to a bloody pulp.
"No..." She groaned and unsteadily tried to get to her feet; before she got close to Dean, a blinding white light made her rear back and cover her face. After a few moments, everything appeared to return to normal; except that both Castiel and Uriel were gone.
Dean, bleeding from numerous blows to the face, got shakily to his feet while holding onto his bruised elbow. "You ok?" He asked Andie as she arrived at his side and looped his good arm over her shoulder so he could lean against her.
"I'm good." She assured him as she helped him sit down on a rickety, old chair beside Sam's unconscious body. Quickly, Andie checked his pulse – steady and strong – and then went in search of Cassidy. She found her friend cowering in the corner of a cupboard with her arms shielding her face; as if in terror. "Cass...Anna?" Andie reached for her and shook her a little. When she touched her friend; Andie realized her hands and arms were covered in blood. She could see bloody still seeping from a rough cut across Cassidy's left palm. "Wh...?" She started to say, but then noticed the mirror on the back of the closet door. It had a symbol on it drawn in blood, similar to a devil's trap,
"Are they gone?" Cassidy whispered tearfully as she clenched her hand to staunch her bleeding palm.
"Did you kill them?"
"No, I sent them away...." She looked at Andie; but her eyes were glassy and seemed unfocused. "Far away."
"How?" Andie pointed to the mirror. "How did you know how to do that?"
"It just popped into my head. I dunno how I did it...I just..." She shrugged. "I just did it."
"Ok..." Andie lifted her friend up to her feet. "Let's go."
Ruby was rousing Sam when Andie came in. "She ok?" Sam asked as he slouched up beside Dean on the chair.
"I think so." Andie replied. "Ruby, can you take her to the car?"
"We're we gonna move her to?" Ruby asked. "I mean; they'll be back."
"We'll take her to Bobby's." Dean groaned and tried to extend his aching arm. "She'll be safe there."
Ruby took Cassidy by the arm and led her outside. When they were out of earshot, Andie explained to the brothers about the blood sigils Cassidy had drawn.
"This whole thing is getting crazier by the second." Dean muttered.
"What do you think they meant by her not being "innocent"?" Sam asked.
"They gotta be talking about Anna," Andie told him, her voice sharper than she intended it to be. "Maybe she's a demon..."
"She's not a demon." Dean assured Andie. "It's something else..."
Andie sighed. "So, what's your plan? Get her to Bobby's and lock her up in the panic room?"
Dean nodded and forced himself to get to his feet. "Better than nothing. It'll keep her safe and prove to you that she's not demonically possessed." He patted Andie's arm as he passed her. "Babe, you wanna drive? My arms acting up."
"I get to drive to drive again?" Andie grinned as she and Sam followed Dean outside. "Am I dying?"
xxx
Andie sat with Cassidy in Bobby's panic room just watching her; trying to figure out what was going on with her friend. Bobby wasn't at home; apparently he was working a case in the Dominican but he gave them free reign of his house with a strict "you break it, you bought it" rule. Sam was with Dean going to pick up Pamela, the psychic who had been blinded when she contacted Castiel in the days after Dean's resurrection from Hell, and bring her back to see Cassidy. Dean thought that if anyone could break through Anna's exterior and get to Cass; it would be Pamela.
"Anna?" Andie voiced quietly from her spot, sitting cross legged on the bed stashed to the corner, as Cassidy wandered around the panic room tracing her hand across the iron walls. "The angels said you were guilty of something...do you know what?"
"I have no idea." Anna answered. "But I promise; I would tell you if I did. I would give anything to know."
"What about Cassidy?" Andie asked carefully. "Does she know?"
Her friend turned and looked concernedly at Andie; almost pitifully. "I don't quite understand what happened to me or to your friend." She admitted. "But there are something's that I can remember that I know aren't memories of my own." She lifted her palm up and faced it to Andie; the same palm that hand that carried the old scar mirroring the one on Andie's palm. "I see this a lot in my head." Anna spoke. "And the words "ugly but permanent"..." Anna looked confused. "What does that mean?"
Something clutched Andie's heart in that second, that memory struck her deep within. "It's, ah, just something Cassidy said to me..." Her voice started to shake. "She told me her love for me was like our scars." Andie chewed her lip to keep herself together. "Ugly but permanent." She let out a little laugh.
Anna smiled, Cassidy's smile. "That's very sweet."
"We're here!" Dean's voice hollered down the staircase as he led Pamela towards the panic room.
"Hey, Pamela, good to see you." Andie greeted her.
Pamela had a walking stick and dark sunglasses covering her eyes; but her personality was as sharp as always. "Wish I could say that same." She tapped her glasses and smirked.
"Oh, yeh, I didn't mean...of course you can't...um..."
"Relax, Andie, don't strain yourself." Pamela chuckled. "Anyway, lack of vision just heightened my other senses. Like, I can tell you're about a million times more relaxed then the last time we met."
Andie flinched. The last time they'd met, Dean had just come back from Hell and Andie was less than welcoming of Pamela's help; or anyone's really. "Yeh, well...bygones."
"Thought you'd say that." Pamela paused for a moment and then turned her head towards Anna. "You must be the girl I'm here to help." She smiled.
"That's nice of you." Anna replied.
"Not really," Pamela admitted. "Any chance I can dick over an angel, I'm taking it."
"Why?"
"They stole something from me." She slowly pulled off her sunglasses revealing her bright, white eyeballs. "Demon-y, I know. But they're just plastic. Good for business, make me look extra psychic, don't you think?" She took Cassidy by her hands and led her towards the bed. "Now, how 'bout you tell me what your deal is?"
Dean, Sam and Andie all hung by the door as Pamela put Cassidy into a deep state of hypnosis. Andie nudged Dean. "How sure are you this will work?" She whispered.
"Don't worry, Pamela's good at this." Dean assured her. "Hopefully she can tap into Anna's thoughts; understand why she possessed Cassidy."
"Anna, can you hear me?" Pamela spoke softly to the sleeping girl.
"Yes, I can." Anna replied quietly.
"I want to speak to Cassidy." Pamela asked. "Let her out; please."
"No, I can't." Anna said. "I need her."
"Just for a few minutes, Anna, please. Her friends want to speak to her and make sure she's okay." Pamela reached out and touched her hand. "You can feel that Cassidy wants to speak to them, too. Please let her through."
"Andie..." Anna murmured.
"What?"
"Andie!" Cassidy suddenly screamed and lurched upright.
"Cass?" Andie hurried to her friend's side. "Hey, hey it's me."
"Andie, you have to help me." Cassidy grabbed her friend by her collar and pulled her close. "Please."
"It's ok, you'll be okay." Andie promised.
"I can't hold her back; she's too strong." Cassidy shook her head. "Anna; she's everywhere."
"We'll get her out of you, I promise, Cass."
"You can't." Cassidy smiled sadly. "It's the weirdest thing...it's like I'm in her head and my own at the same time...I know that she's not dangerous; she doesn't want to hurt anyone. And she feels really guilty about possessing me...she knows how sad it makes you."
Andie was puzzled. "What are you talking about?"
"I know how to get her out of me. She needs a new host."
"Okay..."
"But she won't leave a healthy body for no reason."
Realization hit Andie like a slap in the face. "No." She said firmly.
"Andie-"
"No, I won't do that!"
"Please, Andie," She held her friend's face within her palms. "You have to kill me."
Andie gripped Cassidy's wrists tightly. "No; I won't do that."
"Andie, you have to." Cassidy pleaded. "Shoot me or something; if you injure me, she'll leave my body."
"Cass; that could kill you, I'm not going to do that!"
"Andie, if you love me you'll do it!" Cassidy cried. "I can't do this! I would rather die than live with her inside my head! I can't live inside my own body and have no control over it!"
"Andie; let go of her." Pamela suddenly cut in. "Anna's coming back."
"Andie, please." Cassidy's eyes welled with tears. "Please do this for me! Please, I'm begging you, please!"
Andie squared her jaw and fought back tears. "I can't."
Cassidy screamed and her body flung back onto the mattress. Andie recoiled and backed away, Dean held her arms and pulled her close to him.
"Anna?" Pamela asked Cassidy's body. "Are you back?"
"Yes." Anna smiled through Cassidy's body. "Yes, I'm here."
"Wake in 1...2...3...4...5." Pamela chanted. Anna opened her eyes and sat herself up. "Are you alright?"
"Yes." She sounded different, more coherent now. No longer was she vague and unfocused; she was sincere. "Thank you, Pamela. I remember who I am now."
"Who are you?" Dean asked as Andie tightened her grip on his hand.
She smiled. "I'm an angel."
xxx
