"The family - that dear octopus from whose tentacles we never quite escape, nor, in our inmost hearts, ever quite wish to."
~ Dodie Smith
Jacob Davidson had not expected anything out of the ordinary to happen that day. The day his father came for him, after all those years. While remaining condemned to a boarding school in Paris, he had tried to make the most of it. Why was he there? Why did his father suddenly have a change of heart and send him off in the first place? All he knew was that Jane had something to do with it. Had she told Father about those many times sneaking off the property, through those "forbidden tunnels" built back in the late 40s as bomb shelters and escape routes...even mausoleums? Josh had told him that little fact as a bed time story once, just as he'd told him Jane had spilled all of their truths to Father to gain his approval.
His father had walked through those iron and wood double doors of the french Cathedral - all heads turned in the pews to look at him - and up to the first row where Jacob sat, stunned and in a brief state of confusion. He had forgotten, if only for a moment, what Tobias Jacobson had looked like. Of course, he was a lot older than when he had delivered Jacob to such an establishment. It had been two days after his tenth birthday. Now Jacob was eighteen, and could only associate his father's surprise appearance with the bringing of bad tidings.
Tobias had gestured with his head toward the door, and then turned and walked off, just as silently as he'd come. Jacob's eyes widened in fear, glancing back to the head master at the lectern. If not to add to his fear, the head master shied away from Jacob's eyes, looking down at his feet with a despairing look.
"Jacob," Tobias's voice echoed off the stain glass windows, as stern as he had remembered.
Jacob's hand instinctively raised to grasp the cross hanging from his neck, a gift from his middle-grade mentors. He knew that when he walked out of that church, when his shoes no longer clapped against the polished floor, when his hands no longer brushed over the tops of the pews and his heart no longer leapt at the sight of the marble Christ nailed to a redwood cross, that life would become a lot harder. He would certainly change.
Jacob couldn't question it though. He had no choice, in his opinion. The Davidsons were built on order. It was etched into their blood by God himself. When the angels needed them, they were there to take orders. When the world needed them, they were there to assert order. Simple as that. His father was especially particular about order, and even more so after the fall of the matriarch, his mother.
There was another thing that chilled him and fired him up simultaneously. It was the thought of seeing his siblings again. Joshua, his older brother, who always had something to say, who always said the bullying was his way of toughening up the young ones. It was his "duty" as the oldest, he would say. Even more so did he dread the thought of seeing Jane. She was the whole reason he was sent away in the first place. And even after the whole ordeal, she had never called, never answered one letter. She had cut him out of her capacity to love, and for what? Tobias's favor.
It was a betrayal. Something he had never expected from Jane. Maybe Josh...but not Jane. Josh had also brainstormed why Tobias had separated them. In one letter (Josh still wrote, with permission from Father), he suggested that Jane was afraid of losing the claim to the late Matriarchy, wanting nothing more than to take over. Sending Jacob away and keeping Tobias keeping Josh in check was her way of taking control. She probably feared rebellion and claims to the top spot, Josh would say.
On and on these poisonous thoughts filled the pages of Josh's letters. Jacob could tell his brother's growing hatred could only rage more and more. For a long time, he contemplated whether he should follow; whether he should give in to such anger. He'd soon be distracted by school, by the ministers who taught with the hand-rapping method, rulers at the ready if one disobeyed. It was an abusive system, but not as terrible as what he had experienced after his mother's death. Tobias was a whole another nightmare.
And on that day, when his Father finally did appear, he had no choice but to leave his semi-haven for the hell on Earth established by Heaven itself.
"Father, why have you come for me?" Jacob asked quietly, sitting in the back of a limousine. He sat across from Tobias with his hands in his lap, studying the new wrinkles and lines taking shape on his father's face. They were subtle, but they were there.
"Your presence is needed at home. I missed you, my son."
Jacob's heart skipped a beat, his eyes filling with hope.
"You missed me?" He asked, sitting forward in his seat.
"Yes. You have been greatly missed. The Baltan need their brother."
Jacob's budding smile wilted, "Oh."
"You are of age now. You are to continue your studies at home as well as be trained in the ways of combat, just as your brother and sister."
"Josh and...and Jane."
Tobias's eyebrow raised, "Yes."
Jacob turned his head, his jaw outlined in the dim light, "I see."
"In truth," Tobias continued, grabbing Jacob's attention, "you are the best candidate for succession."
Jacob stared at his father, all of his senses alert with suspicion, "Succession?"
"Yes, the succession to the leader of the Baltan's North American branch. All the leaders from the seven continents gather every century. We need a strong leader to represent our family."
"But Mother was the last leader," Jacob protested. The idea of such a position intimidated him. "A woman has always been the head of this branch."
"Your mother is no longer here though, is she?" Tobias said coldly.
Jacob gulped, "But...what about Jane? She's older than me. Or even Josh?!"
"Your brother is not...intellectually oriented the way we are...and Jane..." Tobias paused, as if contemplating what to say next, "she is no longer devoted to this family."
"No longer devoted? But..."
But the whole reason I was sent halfway across the world to be disciplined was because she wanted to show her devotion, he wanted to say.
"Jane has strayed from the path," Tobias turned his attention to the outside, "no matter how hard she tries to deceive me," He muttered harshly under his breath.
"The point is," he said, "your siblings are no longer your concern, my son. You are to learn our ways, and when the time comes, you will have the chance to prove yourself. You are Baltan, you are a divine warrior, and even more importantly," Tobias turned back to Jacob, "you are my son." He smiled, a rare sight, and an even rarer blessing for one of his children to experience in its most genuine form.
Jacob stared back at his father in consternation, not sure how to feel. He was more important to his father, no, the entire North American clan, than his siblings...than Jane ever was. She had him sent away because she felt threatened, he concluded. She was afraid she would become, and remain, insignificant. She hated the thought of serving under her younger brother. Well, he'd show her. He'd show all of them just how powerful he could be.
A forest green Rolls Royce revved under the gas pedal as it sailed down an empty country road. The light was fading, and the Golden Hour had burrowed deep into the gold and blue sky. A tip had come in from the main house about an unnatural disruption, and Jacob Davidson just happened to be the closest to the site.
His main mission, that which his brother had failed to complete, would have to wait. He found himself reluctantly following his orders, but he'd learned early on that his Father's objective was the Baltan's objective, thus making it his as well. His knife, made specially for him, was long and sleek, with a blade as black as obsidian. On the hilt was the Davidson family crest. All Baltan weapons in the North boasted such a design. The blade lay stoic in the front seat, a stained cloth resting underneath. He had to clean the blood off to preserve the car's leather seats.
That was one thing he and Jane had in common. They loved their cars. The difference was that hers belonged to their mother, while the Rolls was a gift from their uncle Dalton. Dalton was Tobias's older brother, and had laid claim to the top spot in the clan dozens of times before finally giving up. Tobias had stood by Mother's side until the very end. Until it was necessary to...step back.
Jacob shook his head at the thought, knocking it around in his brain until it dissipated. He went back to fixating on his original goal. He was so eager to return to his hunt after this other job was completed. He wanted nothing more than to grab the traitor by the hair and drag her home, where Father and the council would then have their way with her.
She deserved retribution, he thought. He had always thought that. Deep down. She refused to see him - that's what Josh told him - and with every swing and punch and merciless lesson his father and brother drilled into him, he caught himself cursing her name.
The night was growing darker. The dark silhouettes of the trees bent and swayed in the autumn wind, their branches like long fingers reaching down to stroke the car's smooth surface. Contemporary piano played legato through the speakers as he drove on.
Something up ahead reflected in his headlights, and he stopped. In front of him were a line of cones placed across the road.
"Construction?" Jacob scoffed, not sure whether to believe it or not. There were no other signs, no other cars, nothing was out there beside him. He scoffed, staring down the orange cones as he hit the gas. Ramming through the line, he drove off down the road. There was a strange vibration in the air, waving through the night uncomfortably. Suddenly, what sounded like a clap of thunder and a surge of energy shot towards him and through the car, and Jacob swerved to the side.
Breathing quickly, his hands clutched to the wheel, he glared down the dark road in anger.
"What the hell?!" He said, grabbing his blade and practically kicking his side door open. As soon as his lacquered loafers hit the asphalt, a high pitched ring shot to his ears. He doubled over onto the ground with a grunt. Crawling back into the car, he searched the inner consul then rummaged through the glove box. There it was. A small box holding a pair of neon yellow earplugs. Normally, he wore them when he slept, but the situation called for extreme measures, he thought.
Squeezing them into his ears, he stepped cautiously out of the car again. The ringing hit him like a brick to the chest, but he remained on his feet. A red glow lit up the sky nearby, like a devilish aurora, and the wind now whipped through the trees. He had to get closer.
Jacob trudged down the road to the clearing until he saw the silhouette of a person bathed in red in the distance, gun raised to the sky. He ducked behind a tree and watched. In the middle of the red light was giant...something. And then it was gone. What stars it once blocked were now visible. It wasn't balance. It was magic, the worst kind. The kind that interfered and the kind that took away.
The person far down the road stood frozen in place, staring out into the field where the monster once stood. Jacob narrowed his eyes. It looked female...no, it was definitely female. What was she doing? He felt drawn to her, an urge to help, so without thinking he started walking.
The heels of his dress shoes clicked dully on the road as he walked toward her. He saw her stiffen and then turn her head toward him. With each step he got closer, she hesitated and stumbled back little by little. Then she raised her gun, and he stopped.
"I see you've caught up to me," she murmured. Jacob's eyes widened, suddenly full of his residual hatred. He reached into his coat pocket and the gun on him drew a step closer.
"Put your hands behind your head. Now," she said slowly. Jacob complied with a chuckle.
"You are so afraid," he said, his chuckle growing into an excited giddiness.
"Not of you," she replied, glancing at the field for a moment before focusing back on him.
"Jane, please, don't be like this. How about a hug? We haven't seen each other in years."
"I thought you were dead, until Josh..."
"Wouldn't you have liked that," he hissed.
"I won't let you take me back."
"See, this is what happens when you reject family, Jane. There are consequences," Jacob said, reaching again into his jacket pocket. Jane's finger tensed on the trigger until she saw the hilt of his blade. Then she fired into him thrice without a blink. Jacob pulled out the knife and looked at her in annoyance.
"This was a nice suit," he said, his irises instantly seeping with blood red energy. He lunged at her, knife aimed for her chest. She shot at him again and ducked out of the way. The bullet hit his calf, making him falter on his landing. He grinned in hellish pleasure, and he chuckled again.
"You know, I always thought this reunion would be a bit more dissatisfying," he said, spitting some blood onto the road. Jane pulled her Baltan blade from her jacket. "So thank you for putting up such a fight!" Jacob's blade swiped at her throat, mere centimeters away.
"Brother...!" Jane shouted.
"You lost the right to call me that a long time ago!" He screamed as he attacked her again.
Jane dodged his attack just barely, and the blade clipped her arm. Blood ran down her bicep and stained her clothes. In the heat of the pain, Jane's eyes, on the brink of tears, became two holy pools of gold. She leapt toward him, her blade clashing with his as she whipped around and caught him in a choke hold. He stepped back onto her foot and slammed the back of his head into her nose. She stepped back, but recovered quickly, screaming as she slammed her fist into the asphalt. It rippled out, like a drop of water hitting a puddle, or a boulder hitting a lake. Jacob stumbled around as he advanced, trying his best to remain balanced. With one swift move, Jane was flying towards him again, and their weapons clang as they met each other.
Jane's burst of energy had rippled through the portal into Purgatory, where Sam and Dean had begun a battle against the emerging monsters, fighting to protect Cas and the portal itself. The ground shook like an earthquake, making them all fall to the ground and just a bit angrier.
"What the hell was that?" Dean said as he scrambled to his feet, readying himself for the next enemy.
"I don't know," Sam said, standing resolute at his brother's side. "We need to get out of here. The weapon isn't working!"
"It'll work," Dean said, panting, "it will. We just need to give Cas more time."
"Dean, those pillars aren't going to budge! We need to get out of here and seal the portal."
Dean grunted his frustration into a battle cry as he shot out into the growing crowd of monsters, dropping six. He turned back toward the angel, "Cas, let it go! We're getting out of here!"
Cas didn't budge, molded to the weapon and writhing in pain now as his grace was sucked out of him.
"Cas!" Dean shouted, looking to Sam.
Sam nodded, throwing Dean his gun and running to the angel. He grabbed Castiel and yanked down on his arms, trying with all his might to separate him and the Nanba.
"Sam! Come on!" Dean shouted over his shoulder. They were the blood in a sea of gathering sharks.
"He won't...let go...!" Sam gave one final pull, using all his weight. The light had grown dim on the chord and arrow, and finally Cas's hands released from the trigger, making the light disappear.
Cas lay still on the ground, his eyes digressing to their former state again.
"Come on. Come on, Cas, we gotta go!" Sam said, hoisting the angel up and slinging his arm around his broad shoulders.
"Sam, I'm...too weak to carry the weapon."
Sam grimaced, but shook his head as he trudged back to the portal's entrance.
"Dean! I got Cas, let's go!"
Dean nodded, firing a few more shots before running back into their world and kicking over the ingredients in the Baltan-charged bowl. He shouted the incantation to cancel out the spell and the hole closed up before the first monster reached it.
Dean took short breaths, wiping his face with his sleeve, "Well that was fun."
"Dean, I think Cas is out of grace," Sam said.
"Those pillars juice you dry, Cas?" Dean said, kneeling down beside the angel.
"Yes...I suppose all of my grace has been juiced out of me," he said, squinting his eyes in the red glow of the pillars circling overhead. Dean looked out across the field, his eyes landing on the figure of a man in the center, seeming to be staring at him. Then everything came flooding back and the crack of metal on metal grasped Team Free Will's attention.
"Sonofabitch," Dean said, standing up with gun raised. "Hey!" he shouted at Jane's opponent.
Jane turned around to see Dean, her eyes glowing brightly at him. He stared into them for a moment, then focused on the new enemy.
"Dean, step back," Jane warned.
"Who the hell are you?!" He shouted, ignoring her.
"Really, Jane? Have you been sluttin' around with humans all this time?"
"Hey! Answer my question Abercrombie," he said, stepping forward.
"Happy to," Jacob said, holding out a hand and letting the red disappear from his eyes, red Dean couldn't see anyway. "The name is Jacob. Jacob Davidson. I'm Jane's baby brother."
Dean scoffed, "Really..."
"Dean, back off," Jane said, gripping her blade, her blood channeling in a drip from her arm to the tip of it.
"You should listen to her, Dean," Jacob said.
Dean held his gun out for a while longer, studying Jane's brother with narrowed eyes. They flicked over to Jane's, which darted back and forth between the two men. Dean reluctantly lowered his gun and took a step back with a grimace.
"Good choice," Jacob said, earning a hateful glare from the older Winchester.
"Just leave, Jacob. Please, it doesn't have to be this way."
"Oh, but it does," Jacob said, readying his knife once more. He stepped toward her, his eyes starting to quell his power like two volcanoes...
BANG.
A shot rang out into the night. Blood started to drip down the back of Jacob's head as he stood in shock for a moment before falling to the ground. Jane looked at her fallen brother, stunned. She turned around and saw Dean with his gun raised. He nodded at her and she turned back to Jacob. He wouldn't be passed out for long, but by then, they would be gone. Far away.
Dean looked out to the field again, but the man had vanished, and the pillars, their red glow sputtering in the moonlight, dissipated into the night air. And then all was calm.
What will happen next for Jane and the Winchesters? Will Jacob track them down again? Where did the Behemoth go? Stay tuned for the next chapter!
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