Chapter 34: Back from the Dead.
After a time of reflection, they agree to join Crowley, in his kingdom. There, they look forward to the arrival of the demon's solution, contesting « You're not handing me over to the Winchesters? » Rowena makes her entrance, chained « It's beneath even you, Fergus! »
Buffy not willing to linger over her laments « We need your savoir-faire. »
Rowena turns to her « How do I know that I can trust you? »
Crowley answers « You can't... It's a Devil's bargain. »
Rowena insists « If my savoir-faire is so pivotal, I'd like to know what's in for me? »
Buffy underlines « You mean, other than your life? »
Crowley getting up from his throne « I'll make you a little deal, Mommy. You pitch in like a good girl, and no more looking over your shoulder. »
Rowena accepts « I'll need the Codex and the code-breaker of Charlie. »
Sam specifies « You'll get limited and supervised access. »
Rowena curious « What's in this cage that's so dangerous? »
Sam replies « Lucifer. »
Rowena surprised « The Dark Prince? » Then not containing her enjoyment « What are we waiting for? »
Dean chooses to investigate into a massacre in a church, hoping it's a lead to Amara, leaving Rowena, under the supervision of Sam and Buffy « You say we're partners in this Holy War, and yet... » Rowena shakes her chains « ... Trussed like a chicken. »
Buffy stops her « We're running out of time here! »
She turns her back to her, to join Sam, when Rowena exclaims « Ah-ha! »
Sam annoyed « What now? »
Rowena smiles while explaining « I'll need some ingredients, you can summon Fergus... We're going to Hell! »
They decide to leave a message to Dean, to keep him informed, and join Crowley in limbo « Makes your flesh crawl, doesn't it Moose? I'm the King of this place, and it's still not my cup of tea. »
Sam laughs « I don't know, I'd say it suits you: Dark and empty. »
Crowley smiles « Fascinating: The utter contempt... Even when I'm about to save your bacon... Once again. »
Buffy reminds him « The point of this is to save everyone's bacon. Let's just hope she knows what she is doing. » Pointing at Rowena.
Rowena teases « Please, I'm a professional… Foro Dega La Moray. » While she says the incantation, the sigils on the cage are illuminated « Mah Ho Tah! » All around the cage a fire takes life « Foh Reh Say-Lah! » And flames rise higher.
In the cage, Lucifer appears « My old friend, Crowley. » Then noticing Sam « My old roomie... I've got to say, I'm a little in the dark about this meeting. Am I up for parole? Time off for bad behavior? »
Buffy agreeing to play the game « The Darkness came out of her box. »
Lucifer grimaces « That doesn't sound good… That leads me to my next question: Where is God in all this? » He makes the sign of the cross.
Sam proclaims « Recently, he answered my prayers. »
Lucifer amazed « And what was Dad's suggestions? »
Sam answers « To seek you out. »
Lucifer amused « Get out of town! I did help to seal up the Darkness. 'Prone To Tantrums', She's raw power but got none of the experience. When God is a master strategist. That's why you're here. »
Buffy suspicious « Why is that? »
Lucifer gives some explanation « Because you need me, to put the cat back in her bag. » He laughs « And I need a ride out of here. »
Sam asks « You want a vessel!? »
Lucifer confirms « One strong enough to hold me and available now. »
Sam retorts « Did you really expect us to agree to this? »
Without a possibility for Buffy to intervene, in a snap of a finger, Lucifer moves him in the cage « Did you miss me? » The terror of Sam quickly switches to courage « I have to say, you're extraordinarily calm given the circumstances. You see, when the Darkness descended, it had a massive effect in Hell. And through the fissures, I was able to reach out... It was me! » Savoring the impact of his words on Sam « So, roomie? Do you have a preference for the upper bunk, the lower bunk or do you wanna share? »
Buffy worried and angry « Did you do all this to take possession of Sam? »
Sam informs the Fallen angel « I know how this ends: You'll taunt me, then torture me and I'll say 'no'. Then Buffy or my brother will kick your ass. »
Lucifer laughs « You're betting on them? » He raises a hand and Buffy is deported.
She lands in Crowley's boardroom, where Rowena laughs at her son « I have enough with your idle threats. »
Realizing that she is responsible for this situation, Buffy grabs and chokes her.
Crowley doesn't interfere « You betrayed me, in my kingdom. »
Rowena choking « Hell is his! I am his! »
Crowley pushes Buffy away « How long have you been working for him? »
Rowena catching her breath « Not long, He came to me in a dream... »
Buffy laughs at her « Oh... And you said to yourself, just let the big strong man boss you around? »
Rowena full of pride « He is no man: He is perfection! »
Buffy tries to reason her « He's the Devil! »
Rowena chuckles « You say that like it's a bad thing. »
Crowley clarifies « No, I'm a bad thing... He's worse. Do you know what he wanted, the last time he went topside? »
Rowena defends him « He's changed. »
Crowley seeing that she is blinded by her admiration « Of course... All he needed was the love of a horrible woman!? »
Rowena underlines « When Lucifer will stop the Darkness. He'll ascend to his throne, and I'll be by his side: A loyal follower... »
Crowley realizing what she wants to say « ... His Queen? »
Rowena certain of his victory « He won against the Darkness before... Then, unless you've got the Almighty in your pocket, I suggest you shut up and let him work! »
Crowley, without any other resources, demands « Anybody fancy some tea? » Addressing a wink at Buffy, meaning he has a plan.
For a few minutes, they wait silently. Finally, a demon arrives with a tray « Your tea is ready. How do you take it? »
Rowena and Crowley answer at once « Honey and a splash of milk. »
Rowena amused « Like mother, like son. »
Crowley stands up « Excuse me, I need to go vomit. » And takes out a moment.
Buffy's mind darkened by her concerns for Sam, noticed that Crowley did not touch his cup, so she prefers to do the same.
When Crowley returns, Rowena asks him « How's Dean? » Seeing the surprise marking Crowley's face « A little tip, Love: Next time you make secret plans... Check your pockets. » Crowley examines them and pulls out a Hex bag.
« Not that it matters. » Says Dean who enters, with what seems to be a torture device.
Crowley looking at his mother « A little tip, Mother: Never accept a cup of tea, from someone who loathes you. »
In a few seconds, the smile of the Witch fades as she begins coughing, letting her cup drop and allowing Dean to place the device, around her neck « Get this bloody thing off of me! »
Crowley making a demonstration « I would, but this bloody thing makes you my slave... Hop, on one foot! »
Rowena complains « I don't know what kind of Oedipal 'Fifty shades' you're playing, but if you think for a second... » To her disarray, her body obeys, and she jumps on one foot « Bullocks! »
Having seen enough, the Hunter declares « Let's do this. » And forces Rowena to do what's necessary to put Lucifer back in his cell « How long? »
Rowena trough her tight teeth « About five minutes. Unless Sam says 'Yes': Then Lucifer will be anchored to earth, and the incantation won't work. »
A demon enters, followed by Castiel « I am sorry my Lord... »
Castiel is breathless and wounded « Amara is alive! She sends this message... » He opens his coat and shirt, to reveal the writing on his chest 'I am coming'.
Alarmed by Sam's cries, they try with difficulties to reach the cage, where Lucifer strikes Sam repeatedly « Dean... And the other! » He snaps his fingers, locking Castiel and Dean with him « Welcome to the party! »
A fight begins: Castiel attacks first, allowing Dean to join Sam to explain the plan. Further to what, the boys enter the melee. Buffy tries to help them from the outside, by holding Lucifer against the bars, but he frees himself and grabs Dean by the throat « I'm gonna make this really easy for you, Sam: Say the magic word... Or your brother dies. » But sees himself obliged to let him go, when Castiel charges on him.
Quickly, a blinding light appears, wrapping Lucifer and taking him away, leaving Castiel and the boys, alive but haggard. All the spells are cancelled, and Buffy can open the cage to pull her friends out of it.
Sam shaken asks « So what now? »
Crowley whom finally joins them « Team-up is over. » As he sees Sam looking at Rowena « She's stays. The rest of you... Get the hell out of my Hell. » They don't need to be asked twice, and leave, saying goodbye to Castiel, who is leaving on his side.
In the car, Buffy blows in fatigue « Rough day. » They agree and head immediately to the bunker.
From the next day, dissatisfied by her last performances, Buffy decides to resume her patrols, instead of following the brothers on their cases.
One evening, coming back from a patrol, she finds them in the kitchen. Sam asks his elder « Is Cass gone? What was he doing here anyway? »
Dean replies « He was looking for lore on the Darkness. Something's a little off about him. »
Buffy takes his defense « Being so close to Lucifer probably wasn't easy for him. »
Taking Buffy's hand, Sam takes advantage of this moment to admit « Lucifer showed me my biggest failures. I should've looked for you when you were in Purgatory... But I didn't, and I'll never forgive myself for it. »
Buffy reassures him « That's in the past, what's done is done. » She collects her things and before exiting the room, adds « Don't overthink it... Night! »
A few days later, in the kitchen, while Sam and her pursue the translations and the searches on Amara, Dean enters the room. He seems numb and having a hangover « Hey! » He bangs into the fridge door, pulls out a box of Chinese food and takes a bite.
Sam noticing something in his neck « Is that a hickey? »
Dean spitting out his bite « Valentine's Day, just doing my civic duty. The best thing about February 14th, is that you don't have to be 'Mr. Right', you just have to be 'Mr. Right now'. »
Sam, seeing Buffy's pain, tries to change subject « Stacy Altman, a nineteen-year-old baby sitter, was murdered last night, in Hudson, Ohio... Her heart was ripped out. »
Buffy gets up « Ditto... » Sam and her exchange a sad smile « If you're looking for me, I'm in the translations. » Then leaves the room.
The evening of their return, Sam comes knocking on her door « You have a minute? » She allows him in « You should sit... » She settles at the edge of her bed « The thing we were hunting was a Qareen. They present themselves to their victims, in the form of their deepest and darkest desire... » Sam hesitates then goes on « Dean was the prey, and the Qareen took the features of... »
Buffy finishes his sentence « Amara. »
Sam astonished « How...? » He looks at her closely « Are you okay? »
Buffy looking at her hands « I always believed Dean was intended for me. But with all that happened... I don't know anymore. But I would figure it out. »
Sam leans over and puts a gentle kiss on her lips « You know where to find me? » Then exists.
That night, not managing to fall asleep, Buffy returns to the reading of Delphine's journal « God is my witness, if this pig of 'Befehlsleiter Gumprecht' keeps touching me, this mission may end sooner than expected. This evening, he's expecting a special delivery... Maybe what we've been waiting for. »
Buffy stops her reading and goes knocking at Sam's door « You should read this. »
He reads a few lines, then guides her, in the kitchen, where he left his laptop. Together, they redraw Delphine's actions. When Dean enters and heads to the coffee machine, Buffy warns him « We're out. We've finished it. »
Sam announces their discoveries « Did you know that the Nazis had a branch devoted to archeology? »
Dean grouches « Little early for a Nazi trivia... Especially, without caffeine. »
But Sam continues « It's called the 'Ahnenerbe', there were sites all over Germany, and then as the Nazis increased their territory, they started popping in Poland, Finland, North Africa... »
Dean sulking « How is this more important than our coffee situation? »
Buffy annoyed « Damn it, quit whining! We need a weapon against Amara. And we found the Vichy Memoranda. »
Sam specifies « They refer to 'Hands of God'. That's a catch term for all objects God touched on Earth, believed to contain traces of His power. »
Dean mocks « If it was so powerful, it could win them the war, why didn't it? »
Buffy answers « They lost the one they had... 'En route' to Berlin, it was stolen. They searched for the thief, but never found their prime suspect: 'Delphine Seydoux'. »
Dean suggests « The French Resistance? »
Sam refutes this idea « Their investigation led them to a different conclusion: That she was 'Une Femme de Lettres'. »
Seeing that Dean doesn't understand, Buffy translates « A Woman of Letter. »
Sam browsed the archives « This report was written by Clifford Henshaw, in 1943... But it's in French. » Sam scans it to make a computer translation « Delphine's name is at the top of the page... »
Dean, who sits down with them, a beer in his hand, asks « What does it say? »
Buffy disapproves « Seriously? »
Dean defends himself « You drank all the coffee... What am I supposed to drink? Water!? »
Sam concluding the translation « They were making arrangements to get the artifact out of Europe. The 'Men of Letters' pulled some strings in the OSS, to requisition an active US submarine, to transport Delphine and the weapon back to... » He raises his head surprised « Here! »
Dean bitter « So it's been here the whole time!? »
Sam consults the American Naval History website « The cargo never arrived: The USS Bluefin came under German attack, midway through its trip. It's lost: Tides took the wreckage... »
Dean having an idea « Okay, but they never had... Castiel! »
In a short time, Castiel joins them at the bunker « I knew there were several God-touched objects, but it never occurred to me that any of them survived the flood... Let alone the twentieth century. »
Dean convinced « Do you think we can use one against Amara? »
Castiel motivated « It's perfect! » He studies some documents pinned to a memo board « Are these the last coordinates? »
Dean confirms « That's the last Bluefin transmissions! »
Buffy worried « Aren't there risks with time travel? »
Dean insists « This is the ideal scenario. It's is a tin can floating in the middle of the ocean, doomed to go down. You can't really mess with history at 20,000 leagues. You two need to stay here, just in case things go sideways, to take care of the Darkness. »
Sam complains « So you leave us on the bench, while Cass and you go play Jules Verne? »
Castiel tries to reassure them « I won't let him out of my sight. »
Dean stands up and approaches Castiel « Let's do this! » Together, they go in the next room to be at ease.
A few minutes after their departure, Castiel returns completely dipped « He got on, but I couldn't make it past the hull. Someone must have warded the ship. »
Buffy suggests « Why don't you go to their last port, leave a message for Dean? »
Sam seeing that Castiel is discouraged « Or send me! »
But Castiel refuses « Right... Let's double down on what screwed us. »
Buffy not willing to give up so easily « There must be something in the archives: A way to clear the sigils. »
Immediately, they look in the archives. Sam finds an indication « The spell of gathering. It's never been used, but it sounds like it could work. »
Buffy asks « And the ingredients? »
Sam have a glance at the list, then disappointed « It requires the power of an archangel. »
Buffy having an idea, leaves the archives. Sam running after her « Where are you going? »
Buffy explains « I'm gonna call Willow, to see if she can help us. »
Sam takes her hand « I have something else... » And gets back to the control room.
When they cross the door, they surprise Castiel in the preparation of a spell « What are you doing? »
The Angel answers « The spell of gathering. » Seeing that the disapprove « My strength may surprise you. »
Sam interrupts him « One time, Bobby told me when you needed strength, to retrieve us from the past, you used him... By touching his soul! »
Castiel confirms « The procedure can be fatal, and... » His worried face, transforms into a smile, then a laugh. Suddenly Castiel's voice becomes the one of Lucifer « Why have I been trying to spare you? Maybe, because you're like the girl who kept turning me down. It's just that Dean's the one with the link to Amara, and Blondie is… » Lucifer blocks Buffy against a wall « … A source of exceptional power. I'll touch her soul! Then I'll use your spell to blast through the warding, and retrieve Dean and the 'Hand of God'. When he comes back and finds this place decorated with your guts, I will tell him: 'Dean...' » He corrects his voice to take Castiel's « Dean, they knew the risks, they wouldn't take no for an answer. »
Sam is powerless against Lucifer, who plunges a hand into Buffy's chest. As she screams, the Archangel releases her, letting her collapsing on the ground, unconscious.
A few days later, still weakened by the attack of Lucifer, Buffy remains confined to bed. Sam coming occasionally at her bedside, keeps her informed about their cases, never mentioning the kiss.
During an absence of the Winchesters, Billie, the Reaper, visits her « Your boys don't seem to understand the message. »
Buffy disputes « They're not my... »
Billie doesn't let her finish « Dean committed suicide! » Seeing the panic on Buffy's face « Oh, he's alive... Much to my regret. He thought that Sam had died and he wanted to exchange his life for his brother's. I wanted to let you know. » At these words, Billie disappears.
Hearing the front door, she hurries to join them and slaps Dean « Not repeating the mistakes of the past, right? » Taken by surprise, Dean is motionless and without a word, whereas Buffy guides Sam, who is wounded, to his room.
One evening, they hear Dean's voice thunder « We have a lead! » They join him « Crowley found a 'Hand of God', a Jafar... A horn. »
Sam corrects « A shofar... » Bringing a smile on Buffy's face.
Dean doesn't care « What ever, he's waiting for us. » And leads the way.
They arrive at a disused warehouse, when she sees Crowley Buffy jokes « The crypt keeper is out of town? »
Crowley is shaken « I'm lucky to be alive: Lucifer had me trussed up like a dog in my own palace. He kept me in a kennel! My demons, they scour the Earth, day and night, to kill me. He has to be dealt with! »
Buffy cuts his complaints « Where is the 'Hand of God'? »
Crowley gets angry « I'm getting to that... I have the Horn of Joshua. »
Sam remembering the writings « Joshua? As in the battle of Jericho? »
Crowley nods « I'm willing to entrust it to your capable hands, if you help me put Lucifer back in his Cage. »
Buffy reminds him « Even if we could exorcize Lucifer out of Cass, we need a spell from the 'Book of the Damned'. And Rowena hid the book. »
Crowley grimaces « She must be rotting somewhere: Lucifer snapped her neck. »
In turn, Dean states conditions « Let's just put it in reverse: We will put Lucifer back in the Cage... When we put Amara back on ice. It has to happen in that order! »
But Crowley refuses « He has to go! He had me cleaning the floors with my tongue! He made me beg! »
Buffy realizing that his ego got hurt « You're smarter than this! Priority is to put the Horn in Lucifer's hands and set him loose on Amara. »
Dean adding a term « After we exorcise Lucifer out of Cass... »
Sam surprised « It's a strong vessel, it's held Cass for years, and we know what he's been through: It can hold Lucifer. We have to make the intelligent choice and not the choice of the heart. »
Dean confronts him « Thank you, Dr. Phil... But Cass is family! »
Buffy insists « That's why we have to respect his choice! »
Dean isn't willing to listen « Even if it kills him? »
Crowley ends this exchange « I would rather stich white-hot skewers in my eyes, than listen to you bitches biker! »
They are interrupted by a huge crash coming from outside. They go out to discover the sky darkened and torned by lightning, Buffy understanding the source of this scenery « Now, we know what happens when she's in a bad mood. » Then addressing the demon « Is that a big enough dose of reality for you? »
The storm over, Crowley argues once more « The crux of your dispute is your contention that only Lucifer can use the Horn to beat Amara… But that scenario only works if you actually possess the Horn. »
While Crowley and Dean continue the negotiations, both standing on their positions, Buffy sees Sam's expression changing « Look at this! »
On a wooden box, appear the words 'Back from the dead, Fergus!'