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Thank you Werewolf Girl 22! : )

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The Return of Avi

Gunshots

Time passed quickly for the next couple of weeks. Gabriel created this giant mansion that we live in, and gives us a permanent base. A new Bobby's house if you will. Sam and Dean went on a few minor hunts, easy salt and burns while I helped to get everyone settled in. Nobody brought up how we were going to get back to Kronos, or if we were even going to try. I don't think I wanted to go back. I was needed here, on Earth. If the Nemlims could function without me for the months I had been gone, then they didn't really need me, did they? And I was building a life here, a rather good one if I do say so myself. I had my family, as complete as it ever could be.

Dean was still trying to find a way to get Sam's soul back. I don't blame him. Sam was kind of creepy without all of the emotions that characterize him. But apparently Crowley, Cas, and Gabe said that shoving Sam's soul down his throat could kill him, or worse. I'm not going to comment on the reliability of Crowley, but Cas and Gabe wouldn't lie about something like this. And soulless Sam was better then no Sam, right? Dean didn't agree with me. Half the time, I didn't agree with me.

Eli didn't have any permanent effects from being kidnapped or from being dead. Well, at least not that I picked up on. He seemed happy. He was making jokes, and hanging around with everybody, hell even cooking. I kicked him out of the kitchen when he almost burned it down though. Some things you just don't let some people do.

Austine wasn't as hateful towards me anymore. She still wasn't friendly, but at least she didn't try to push me down the stairs again. Bringing her brother back had been something good in her books. I did something right for once.

Isaac still hated me. I would have no problem believing that he would kill me in my sleep if he could. Thankfully, he had a strong sense of self-preservation. He spent most of his time sulking in his room, not bothering to come out if I was around. The only one he would talk to was Austine. Raven had been "corrupted by the Nemlim filth."

But Raven was actually a really fun Winged One to be around. She was funny, and sweet, and didn't care about who or what I was. She was a bit uptight about her morals though. Living in a city full of slavery had been hell for her. I wasn't sure why she didn't come over with us when we rebelled, but didn't push it.

My darling Kacie was as sweet and innocent as ever.

So I was waiting for the other shoe to stomp down, and destroy my patchwork family. Probably with blood, and pain, and death, and I wouldn't be able to save anyone or bring them back to life. Gabriel was betting on an Apocalypse erupting up out of nowhere. Castiel thought Raphael was going to attack us to get to Gabe and himself. It would probably be a combination of both of them, maybe a freak accident thrown in for good measure. Because that was just our luck. I really had to have a talk with Fate, who I found out is a real, physical being. A chick too. I wonder why she hated us.

Saying that I wasn't that surprised when Dean came rushing in all excited about his new plan to get Sammy his soul back would be an understatement. Say that I wasn't surprised about what his plan actually was would be the lie of the century.

"Death wants you to become him for a day?" Sam repeated. Sam and I had been in the library when Dean ran in.

"Yeah, I can't take off the ring for twenty-four hours," Dean said, placing the Horseman's ring on the table. I stared at it warily, the white stone easily becoming a red ruby in my mind. The sound of screams and fighting, and my own gleeful laughter began to echo inside my mind. Sam said something, but I couldn't make out the words. A Horseman's ring is a Horseman's ring. It didn't matter what kind. It called to me. It wanted me to put it on.

"Put it away," I whispered shakily. Dean instantly slipped it into his pocket, and the call was gone.

"You alright there?" Sam asked, putting a hand on my shaking shoulder. I shook my head.

"Dean, you can't. I know you want to find Sam's soul. I do too! But not like this. Please, don't take the deal!" I pleaded.

"Because you can really talk about making deals right now," Dean said coldly, and my heart sank. I knew that tone of voice, that glimmer of steel in his eyes. And did he really need to bring up the deal I made? Just because I made a stupid choice, it didn't mean that he could too! It just meant that I understood where he was coming from, and damn that man! He should know better!

"Dean, what if you become Death like Avi became War," Sam argued, "What if it takes you over?"

"I asked him about that," Dean said, sounding very smug. I didn't like it on him. "If it does, Sam's soul immediately comes back, and he will hunt me down, and make me take off the ring. There's a failsafe." I shook my head, trying very hard not to look at the pocket the ring was in.

"I don't like this," I told him firmly, "In fact, I hate this. This has very bad idea written allover it. No Dean, I'm not done. Don't interrupt me. I know that I'm kinda being a hypocrite, but I really don't give a damn. This is a bad idea."

"Do you have a better one?" Dean asked me.

"Let me go on without my soul?" Sam offered, "I mean, both Heaven and Hell agree that shoving it down my throat wouldn't be a good idea. I want to listen to them."

"I'll have to agree," I said quietly, looking down at the desktop. "At least until we find another way."

"Dean!" Sam shouted as his brother pulled out the ring.

"Stop!" I yelled, but he slipped it on, and disappeared in the blink of an eye. "No! Damn it Dean!" I squeezed my eyes shut, and took a deep, cleansing breath.

"I need some air," Sam told me before quickly walking out of the room. I didn't say anything about how it was obvious that he was going to try to find a way to keep his soul out. I collapsed into an overly comfy chair, and stayed there until Kacie found me a few hours later.

"Eli and Austine are going to take us all to go see a movie," she told me, trying to limit her excitement when she saw how tired I was. "We were wondering if you wanted to come."

"No, it's okay," I told her quietly, "I think I'm just going to take a nap or something." She nodded, and skipped out of the library. I waited to make sure I had the house to myself before getting up to look through the shelves. I needed to find a way on how to neutralize a Horseman without actually killing it. Just in case.

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About an hour later, my cell phone buzzed in my pocket. I fished it out, frowning when I saw Eli's Caller ID. They should be in the middle of the movie by now. Why was he calling me?

"What happened?" I asked as soon as I answered it.

"Avi! You need to get out of the house!" Kacie told me, voice panicked. It didn't even occur to me to ask her why. I just started moving. Kacie had this habit of knowing things before they actually happen. My baby girl was a psychic, and a scarily accurate one at that. She knew that Eli was going to die, that I made the deal with Balthazar. And now she was saying that I had to run. I didn't question her judgment.

"Avi, what's wrong?" Sam asked as I flew past him and down the stairs.

"We need to get out of here!" I called over my shoulder.

"No! Avi!" Kacie yelled, "DUCK!" I hit the floor, and started rolling before my brain registered the sound of a gun firing. "Uncle Sammy is trying to kill you!" I was hiding behind a couch before her words sunk in. Sammy? Trying to kill me? That bastard!

"Kacie, call Dean," I said quickly before hesitating. I could hear Sam walking into the room so I sprinted to the next room, the dining room, and took cover. "Tell him to not take off the ring. No matter what happens. Do you understand me?"

"Av-"

"Do you understand me?"

"Yes," Kacie whispered as the phone blew apart in my hand. I swore loudly as I felt shrapnel dig into my scalp and hand, but kept running. I needed a weapon, any weapon.

"Avi, stop running," Sam told me, "It's just going to be harder this way."

"What the fuck Sam?" I demanded, making my way into the kitchen. I couldn't see him as I grabbed a steak knife from the drawer. I had a blade, now I needed a gun.

"You're the best shot I have," he explained simply as I moved away from the sound of his voice. "I can't let Dean shove my soul down my throat. It'll kill me. I'm doing fine without it!" I bit my lip to keep from saying something, and crept up the stairs. Sam saw me just as I ran around the corner.

"Not that Dean cares," Sam continued bitterly as I grabbed my handgun from my room, and traded my steak knife for my machete. "All he cares about is his little brother, Sammy." He was in no hurry, calmly walking down the hall to my room. I was near the end of the hall, so the only way out really was the window. I could jump out of it. It would hurt like hell, but better then being killed.

"Sam, you don't have to do this," I told him when he walked into my room. I slowly made my way to the window, gun pointed right at him. Sam held his gun at his side, totally relaxed and calm. I felt like I was about to explode.

"I don't want to."

"Then don't, damn it!" I snarled before throwing myself out the window. I was right. Landing did hurt like hell. I think I broke my arm as I pushed myself onto my feet and began running into the woods surrounding the house. I glanced back to see Sam watching me from my window, the ghost of a smile on his face.

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I ran with no direction, no destination in mind. I was just running to get away. All I had with me was my machete and handgun, and my arm was screaming at me, and my head was still dripping blood from when my cell phone exploded. I was weak and tired, and I wanted nothing more then to wake up from this nightmare. Because if Dean couldn't get Sam's soul back, then I would have to kill the younger Winchester. He was a threat to my family, and I will not let that stand.

I stopped short when I heard someone running behind me, easy, even footsteps following the trail I had blazed through the underbrush. I turned; my eyes adjusted enough to the darkness that I could see Sam's form coming towards me. I didn't hesitate. My gun came around in one easy motion, and I fired two shots. Sam stumbled to a halt before dropping to the ground. I wanted to cry, but couldn't find it in me. This wasn't my Sammy, who smelled like cinnamon, who had so much empathy it was unhealthy, who could make everything okay with a smile. I wanted to cry, but couldn't find it in me.

And then he twitched.

No, Sammy isn't dead, so don't yell at me! It would be kinda hard to keep going without him!

Please review! They are love personified and I love love! (Hehe. Who else thought of My Bloody Valentine with Cupid?)