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It's John Winchester time!
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Garideth- Thanks! I'm glad...my inner nerd usually is!
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You know, Sam was pretty douchey to Dean in this.
Again.
So, I couldn't resist.
Can you believe I got this chapter's name from a nursery rhyme?
Ironic, isn't it?
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN- MY SHADOW LIKES TO MOVE
"Dean!"
I gingerly tapped his shoulder.
"What now?"
His response was slightly less irritable than it used to be.
I tried to take comfort from that. "Castiel just came. He said the monster was Zoroastrian. A…daeva."
Dean snorted. "The hell's a daeva?"
"Um…. a demon of darkness. They're supposed to be summoned, conjured, really. It's pretty risky, daevas are savage, volatile."
"Huh." He huffed. "How come Angel Boy only comes to you?"
The window burst open.
"I believe it's because she trusts me more than you do, Dean."
Dean cursed loudly, kicking the desk in frustration.
"Man, how many times have I told you not to do that?"
Castiel stared at him expressionlessly.
"I think this is the fourth occasion you have expressed your desire to limit my transporting myself from place to place."
Dean banged his head against the table.
~Supernatural~
"So hot little Meg is summoning the daeva?"
"Looks like she was using that black altar to control the thing." Sam nodded.
Dean smirked. "So, Sammy's got a thing for the bad girl." He chuckled.
Sam rolled his eyes.
"What's the deal with the bowl again?" Dean waited expectantly.
"From what I gather, the human girl you mentioned was talking into it, much as the way witches used to scry into crystal balls and animal entrails. She seems to be communicating with someone."
We blinked at Castiel for a moment.
Dean was the first to speak. "With who? With the daeva?"
"No." Castiel shook his head. "They are savages, I told you before. Someone is giving her orders, the same person who will come to the warehouse tonight."
I paled as I remembered what Castiel had told me.
"Guys."
I twitched as three pairs of eyes fixed themselves on me.
"The victims. I forgot to tell you. They were…" I bit my lip.
"They were born in Lawrence, Kansas."
~Supernatural~
"We think we've got a serious lead on the thing that killed Mom. So, uh, this warehouse—it's 1435 West Erie. Dad, if you get this, get to Chicago as soon as you can."
Dean hung up.
"Voicemail?" Sam's tone was forced, strained.
Dean appeared not to notice.
"Yeah." He gestured to the bags Sam had brought in.
"Jesus, what'd you get?"
Sam chuckled. "I ransacked that trunk. Holy water, every weapon that I could think of, exorcism rituals from about half a dozen religions. I'm not sure what to expect, so I guess we should expect everything.
Dean nodded, and we began loading our guns silently.
I still hated the feel of it against my skin.
"Big night." Dean looked at Sam.
"Yeah. You nervous?"
"No. Why, are you?" Dean raised an eyebrow.
"No. No way."
I stared at them both enviously.
I wished I had their courage.
There was silence for a few seconds.
Sam sucked in a breath. "God, could you imagine if we actually found that damn thing? That demon?"
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, all right?" Dean cautioned.
"I know. I'm just sayin'." Sam jiggled his foot impatiently. "What if we did? What if this whole thing was over tonight? Man, I'd sleep for a month. Go back to school- be a person again."
The gun went limp in my grasp.
Dean stiffened. "You wanna go back to school?"
"Yeah," Sam was oblivious. "Once we're done huntin' the thing."
I froze.
"Huh." Dean's tone was deceptively level.
"Why, is there something wrong with you?"
"No. No, it's, uh, great. Good for you." The effort to remain casual was more pronounced, now.
"I mean, what are you gonna do when it's all over?"
Dean grimaced. "It's never gonna be over, Sam. There's gonna be others. There's always gonna be somethin' to hunt."
"But there's got to be somethin' you want for yourself-"
Dean cut Sam off. "Yeah, I don't want you to leave the second this thing's over, Sam."
He walked over to the dresser, and I shifted, backing away.
This was private.
I didn't belong here.
"Dude, what's your problem?" Sam demanded.
Dean was silent for a while, then he turned back to Sam.
"Why do you think I drag you everywhere? Huh? I mean, why do you think I came and got you at Stanford in the first place?"
I stepped further away.
"'Cause Dad was in trouble." Sam crossed his arms. "'Cause you wanted to find the thing that killed Mom."
Dean sighed. "Yes, but its more than that, man."
He returned to the dresser. "You and me and Dad—I mean, I want us….. I want us to be together again. I want us to be a family again."
Sam brushed away the hair from his forehead. "Dean, we are a family. I'd do anything for you. But things will never be the way they were before."
Dean looked as if Sam had kicked him in the stomach, and anger at Sam rose up in me, inexplicably, for throwing away everything I'd lost so easily, anger for Dean, anger for unknowingly mocking me and everything that had been taken away from me.
I paused, shocked.
I hadn't known how attached I'd gotten to them.
To all three of them.
"We could be," Dean was uncharacteristically quiet.
"I don't want them to be," Sam stated baldly. "I'm not gonna live this life forever. Dean, when this is all over, you're gonna have to let me go my own way."
Sam turned away to gather the weapons, leaving Dean motionless.
Had I dared, I would've hugged him, but I didn't.
He didn't like me, anyway.
Instead, while Sam's back was to us, I contented myself by placing a hand on his shoulder.
Dean didn't shake me off as soon as I'd thought he would.
He permitted the contact for a few brief seconds.
I think Dean understood what I didn't have the words to say.
~Supernatural~
We climbed the elevator gate and reached the top room of the warehouse.
Meg stood at the altar, speaking in an ancient, unfamiliar language.
We squeezed into the space between the wall and the gate quietly, drawing our guns. We hid behind a group of crates.
"Guys." Meg's tone was light.
We looked at each other, stunned.
"Hiding's a little bit childish, don't you think?" Meg turned around to face us.
"Well, that didn't work out like I'd planned." Dean swore.
"Why don't you come out?"
We moved forward warily. Dean and Sam pushed me behind them.
Meg noticed. "Aw, look how cute." She turned to Sam.
"Sam, I have to say, this puts a real cramp on our relationship."
He scoffed. "Yeah, tell me about it."
"So, where's your little daeva friend?" Dean's voice was thickly layered with sarcasm.
"Around." Meg shrugged casually. "You know, that shotgun's not gonna do much good."
Dean growled. "Oh, don't worry, sweetheart. The shotgun's not for the demon."
"So, who is it, Meg?" Sam attempted to move further, but Dean pulled him back. "Who's coming? Who are you waiting for?"
"You." She grinned.
The shadow demon began to form on the wall. It knocked Sam to the ground, throwing Dean and I into the crates.
~Supernatural~
Sam finally came around, and I struggled against my bonds.
We were tied to three separate posts. Meg was sitting in front of us.
"Hey, Sam?" Dean tugged at his rope. "Don't take this the wrong way, but your girlfriend…. is a bitch."
Sam ignored him. "This, the whole thing, was a trap. Running into you at the bar, following you here, hearin' what you had to say. It was all a set-up, wasn't it?"
Meg laughed. "It doesn't mean anything. It was just to draw you in, that's all."
"You killed those two people for nothing," I whispered, horrified.
She crouched down to me. "Darling, I've killed a lot more for a lot less."
"You trapped us." Dean interrupted. "Good for you. It's Miller time."
He smiled. "But why don't you kill us already?"
I pressed my lips together to keep from whimpering.
Meg leaned in closer. "Not very quick on the uptake, are we? This trap isn't for you."
I realized it at the same time Sam did.
"Dad. It's a trap for Dad."
Dean looked at Meg. She smiled sweetly at him.
"Oh, sweetheart—you're dumber than you look." Dean was obviously relieved. "Even if Dad was in town, which he is not, he wouldn't walk into something like this. He's too good."
Meg's tone was grudging. "He is pretty good. I'll give you that." She walked over to him and sat down, straddling his legs.
"But you see, he has one weakness."
"What's that?" Dean raised an eyebrow.
"You." She smiled widely. "He lets his guard down around his boys, lets his emotions cloud his judgment. I happen to know he's in town. And he'll come and try to save you. And then the daevas will kill everybody—nice and slow and messy."
She grabbed my jaw, and I writhed futilely.
"Oh, you poor, pretty little thing." She stroked my hair, and I twisted away, disgusted. "There's no one left to save you, is there?"
"Shut up." I pulled away.
"Well, I've got news for ya." Dean smirked cockily. "It's gonna take a lot more than some….shadow to kill him."
"Oh, the daevas are in the room here—they're invisible. Their shadows are just the only part you can see."
"Why you doin' this, Meg?" Sam tried to move his arms. "What kind of deal you got worked out here, huh? And with who?"
"I'm doing this for the same reasons you do what you do—loyalty. Love. Like the love you had for Mommy-and Jess."
Pain sparked in Sam's eyes.
Pain and anger.
"Go to hell," he snarled.
"Baby, I'm already there." She smiled and slid over to Sam.
Something scraped on Dean's side of the room. Meg walked over to him, seeing that he had a knife in his hand.
Meg snatched it away, tossing it in the corner. She swung around to the other side of the post, smiling at Dean.
He chuckled guiltily.
Meg slid back over to Sam. "Now, were you just trying to distract me while your brother cuts free?"
"No. No. That's because I have a knife of my own."
Confusion crossed Meg's pretty face.
Sam broke free of his ropes and grabbed Meg's shoulders, knocking his head against hers.
She fell to the floor while he groaned in pain.
"Sam!" Dean yelled. "Get the altar!"
Sam crossed the room in three long strides, overturning the altar.
The daeva appeared, seizing Meg.
She was dragged across the floor, crashing through the window.
Sam cut us free, and we ran to the window.
Meg was sprawled out on the sidewalk.
She wasn't moving.
~Supernatural~
We walked back to our hotel room.
I was badly shaken, but I did my best not to show it.
I don't think I fooled anybody.
"Why didn't you just leave that stuff in the car?" Dean nudged Sam.
"I said it before, and I'll say it again." Sam sighed. "Better safe than sorry."
Dean unlocked the door and we entered the room.
I froze as I saw the silhouette of a man standing by the window.
"Hey!"
Sam flipped on the lights.
The man turned around.
Dean and Sam stopped in their tracks.
"Dad?"
The man with the rugged, weather-beaten face smiled slightly.
"Hey, boys."
Dean and John walked over, and Dean enveloped him in a tight hug.
Sam watched sadly, and I patted his hand.
He glanced over, surprised, and I smiled as best as I could.
They pulled apart, and John turned to Sam.
"Hi, Sam."
Sam placed the bag full of weapons on the floor.
"Hey, Dad," he said softly.
"Dad, it was a trap," Dean hung his head. "I didn't know, I'm sorry."
"It's all right," I began retreating to my adjoining room. "I thought it might've been."
"Were you there?" Dean asked.
"Yeah, I got there just in time to see the girl take the swan dive. She was the bad guy, right?"
Dean and Sam spoke in unison. "Yes, sir."
"Good." John nodded in approval. "Well, it doesn't surprise me. It's tried to stop me before."
"The demon has?" Sam paced the floor.
"It knows I'm close. It knows I'm gonna kill it. Not just exorcise it or send it back to hell—actually kill it."
"How?"
John laughed quietly at Dean.
"I'm workin' on that."
"Let us come with you. We'll help."
Dean shot Sam a warning look.
"No, Sam." John shook his head. "Not yet. Just try to understand. This demon is a scary son of a bitch. I don't want you caught in the crossfire. I don't want you hurt."
I backed away further, into my own room.
"Dad, you don't have to worry about us," Sam urged.
"Of course I do," I heard him say. "I'm your father."
He paused. "Listen, Sammy, last time we were together, we had one hell of a fight."
"Yes, sir."
"It's good to see you again." I heard the hesitance in his voice. "It's been a long time."
"Too long." Sam hugged John in an instant.
I saw the tears Sam was too proud to shed.
He'd made peace with his father.
The ache in my chest started up again, full force.
I turned away.
I didn't have the heart to watch.
All of a sudden, the daeva returned, sending John flying into a cabinet.
Sam also fell, and I was catapulted against the wall.
"No!" Dean shouted.
~Supernatural~
We screamed as we were flung across the room.
My shriek scratched at my throat as something hot and metallic coursed down my face.
Sam made his way to the weapons bag, pulling out a flare.
"Shut your eyes!" Sam lit the flare. "These things are shadow demons, so let's light 'em up!"
I screwed my eyelids shut.
The room was instantly filled with smoke and a brilliant white light.
The daeva vanished.
I coughed, spluttering, trying to feel my way around the room.
"Dad!" Dean's yell grated on my ears.
"Over here!" I heard him reply.
Dean helped John up, and I wiped at my streaming eyes, irritated from the smoke.
"Odette?" I could feel Sam grab my ankle.
"Here!" I said anyway.
He propped me up, and I smiled gratefully.
~Supernatural~
We exited the building, walking rapidly down an alley to the Impala.
Sam put the bag of weapons in the backseat.
John finally seemed to notice me, rocking back on his heels in surprise.
I waited anxiously.
He put out his hand. "You must be Odette."
My hand was lost in his firm grip.
He eyed me strangely.
"I figured you'd be….older."
I didn't know how to respond to that.
Sam broke the awkward silence. "All right, come on. We don't have much time. As soon as the flare's out, they'll be back."
"Wait, wait." Dean caught hold of Sam. "Sam, wait. Dad, you can't come with us."
I was as shocked as Sam.
"What? What are you talkin' about?" His eyes swiveled from Dean to John.
"You boys." John was visibly shaken. "You're beat to hell."
"We'll be alright," Dean responded mechanically.
"Dean, we should stick together," Sam was frantic. "We'll go after those demons-"
Dean shook his arm. "Sam! Listen to me! We almost got Dad killed in there. Don't you understand? They're not gonna stop, they're gonna try again. They're gonna use us to get to him. I mean, Meg was right. He's vulnerable when he's with us."
His breath hitched. "He's—he's stronger without us around."
"Dad, no." Sam put a hand on John's shoulder, but it was too late.
"After everything, after all the time we spent lookin' for you—please. I gotta be a part of this fight. " Sam's eyes were misting over.
John seemed to age ten years in an instant. "Sammy, this fight is just starting. And we are all gonna have a part to play. For now, you've got to trust me, son. You gotta let me go."
There was utter silence.
This was bringing up too many memories for me.
Sam patted John's shoulder once, then let go.
He exchanged a look with Dean, then walked to his truck.
John Winchester drove away into the night.