C50
-oOo-
"How's the head?"
Sam's question drew Dean back from his trance like state with a jolt, and he stared in horror at Sam, his memory returning with jarring clarity.
"It moved! Sam I swear to you, the shrunken head, it moved. We've got to get to Bobby and Missouri, they could be in danger!"
Dean had reached the back door, ignoring Sam's attempts to call him back, and yanked it open. Missouri stared at Dean in surprise.
"Why, thank you, how gentlemanly! How are you feeling sweetheart?"
Dean kept hold of the door whilst Missouri walked past him.
"Good to see you up son. How's the old noggin? Any dizziness an' such'?...Dean?"
Dean didn't answer Bobby, his gaze tracking Missouri, and the curse box she held safely clasped to her chest.
Bobby moved Dean's hand from the door and closed it, before turning back to Dean.
"Dean!. Look at me son...That's better. You can stand down, it's all good here."
Dean looked at the older Hunter like he was crazy.
"Bobby, she's brought that freakin' head in here with us! That thing came alive damnit! You didn't see it, but I did, I swear Bobby!"
"I know you did son. Missouri and me? We've seen it too when we went in the shed."
-o-
Missouri had set the curse box down on the table and now headed back over to Dean and Bobby, threading her arm around Dean's waist.
"It's ok Bobby, I've got this. You go pour us both a drink, would you?"
Dean tried pulling away from Missouri's touch; she let him move so far, but then simply adjusted her hold, instead placing her palm against the centre of his back. Dean shook his head.
"You gotta listen to me. That thing shouldn't be in here Missouri, it just shouldn't."
"Hear me out Dean; I promise you, there's no danger to any of us here from what's in that box. There's no ill will towards us, never was. It's just an old shrunken head now; the spirit has left it again. Come on, come and sit down, listen while Bobby and me explain what happened, then you'll understand."
Shrugging Missouri off, Dean stalked over to where the others sat silently afraid to join the conservation. Refusing to sit, instead he leaned up against a kitchen counter; arms folded, a challenging gaze fixed on to Missouri whilst he waited for some kind of explanation.
-o-
Dean began to impatiently tap his foot.
"Well? Either of you gonna fill us in on how that thing moved any time soon?"
Bobby frowned across at the hot headed Hunter, but Missouri carried on as though unconcerned about the sharpness of Dean's tone.
"Alright. When you saw the head begin to move, it had been entered by a spirit. Actually the spirit of the girl who had been trapped in the body that your Little Ed was removed from after it, and by association she, died. Sam, Dean? Do you remember? I told you she was a wet nurse and Usagi caught her husband and the girl having some, um, shared time. I've told you two already how Usagi caused the wet nurse and her husband to body swap, then had the girl's body put to death for treason, knowing it was her own husband she was really condemning. Then, stuck inside the body of Usagi's husband, the wet nursed was forced to watch her lover burned alive. Not long afterwards the host body and so, obviously, the young wet nurse, met with a fatal "accident," orchestrated at Usagi's orders. The head was removed from the corpse and shrunk as a keepsake at Usagi's instigation. Since her death, that wet nurse's soul hasn't been able to find the rest it deserves in all this time. I believe that when we began preparing to summon Usagi, the girl's sad little soul was drawn here to us, she being like the moth to our flame. Moving Usagi's belongings out to the shed meant the next time the dark princess reached out in her quest to sow the seeds of disharmony, you Dean had the misfortune to be in the area. When Bobby and Sam found you sweetie, you tried to tell Sam the shrunken head had attempted to warn you of Usagi's attack. You were absolutely right. The girl entered into the twisted remains of her lover's head, purely in an attempt to keep you safe."
Lucenda looked over to the box anxiously.
"But she's not in it now...Is she?"
"No child, but this lost soul might be the ace up our sleeve. I couldn't understand any of what the poor love was attempting to say through those evil stitches, so I got what I could by placing my hand on the skull and trying to read her...
Sam jumped in, a twinkle in his eyes.
"I know where you're goin' with this! You're trying to break it to us gently that you've both been switched, and now you're really Bobby?"
The real Bobby glared at Sam from under his eyebrows and yanked a red Gris-Gris bag out from under his shirt, waggling it at Sam.
"No she ain't, idjit boy!"
Relaxing a little, even Dean smirked at the idea of that particular body switch.
"Suffice to say Sam; I remain very much myself, thank you. Might I continue? Good...We all know what happens to spirits if they don't move on..."
Lucenda was the one interrupting Missouri this time.
"Excuse me but, I don't."
-o-
Bobby turned to Lucenda.
"Short note version? Somebody dies, if they refuse to move on, they're left hangin' around hauntin' folk or places. Trouble is, over time these things turn crazy. If their deaths weren't exactly natural, or if there was people ruined their lives, they turn vengeful an' they can hurt people, even kill 'em. One of the jobs me an' the boys do is to get rid of them by movin' these spirits on to wherever they should have gone in the first place. "
"Oh...Do I even want to ask how you do that?"
"Sam n' Dean can fill you in on it later...Missouri?"
"Thank you Bobby. This girl's spirit wants revenge on Usagi. Her spirit hung around Usagi whilst HRH was still alive, and has stayed occupying the fringes of everywhere Usagi has drifted after her death. Smart girl's kept her ears and eyes open and been busy while she's been hovering in the background..."
"Do spirits even have ears an' eyes?"
"Think of them as especially spirity ones my girl. Anyway, people? She believes she's gathered the words needed to bring Usagi down, and to banish her to the lowest level of Hell, for eternity!"
Sam looked hopeful, it sounded very much like Missouri was saying that they had just gained a very important ally to their side.
"So? I'm taking it from that, she's set to help us?"
"She will be with us, Sammy. But I'll be honest, not out of any concern for us, or because she's a new type of cuddly spirit. ... Never forget, just like Usagi, this girl is also a vengeful spirit; one who's waited an awful long time for this kind of opportunity. She joins with us only because it suits her to do so. In this, she is very much addressing her own needs. We just happen to be the people who have the same goal, meaning any one of us will be the perfect conduit for her. When the time feels right, we must summon her and her spirit will again inhabit her lover's head. All it will need then is to get her close enough to Usagi; and then I guess, take cover! You know, I could feel that all this poor wretch has ever wanted since the injustice of her death, is to find her place at her own mother's side and, finally, to rest in peace. I hope with all my heart that we can help her to do just that, tonight."
Lucenda looked questioningly from the two younger Hunters, to Bobby, to Missouri.
"But...Even if this spirit has its own reasons to help, this' still a good thing. Right?"
Missouri smiled at her wide eyed young friend.
"I'd say it's definitely another point for our side...Dean Honey, have you eaten anything yet?"
-o-
Dean straightened up where he stood.
"No. Didn't get the chance before I headed out after you thinkin' to warn you two."
"I see. Well, sit, eat now. You'll need your strength tonight."
Missouri put a bowl and spoon on the table in front of an empty chair and waited patiently for Dean to sit. Sam and Lucenda tried to look casually up at Dean, watching him decide what his next actions were going to be. With a short nod, he squared his jaw and sat, allowing Missouri to dish out some stew and cut a chunk of bread for him. He mumbled his thanks to the older woman, knowing now was not the time for petty arguing; nor did it feel like the right time to relay his dream, and what he had been told.
Sam let out the breath he was holding, not sure how Dean was going to react, but glad that he seemed to have calmed down and was more in control again, however, Sam couldn't help still feeling puzzled about how quickly Dean seemed to have healed and recovered from the attack on him. Missouri's voice interrupted Sam's thoughts.
"You two, why don't you help Bobby get the items we'll need for tonight into the cars so we'll be ready. Be sure you get everything, you know we can't come back if something is left behind."
"Alright." Sam replied as Lucenda followed his lead and got up from the table too.
-o-
Missouri watched Dean toying with his food before questioning him.
"Will you be alright by yourself?"
Dean scoffed, finally taking a bite of the stew and answering Missouri whilst chewing.
"Don't see why not, s'not like I'm a child."
"No, you're not. Sometimes I forget; other times I remember, you never were. I've got one other thing I need to do then I think we're about set and ready to go just as soon as you want. I'll be in the study if you need me, alright sweetie?"
Dean nodded to her; he just didn't feel in the mood to talk. He knew they all had to approach tonight's challenge empty of any bad feelings between them, but just not wanting to talk right there and then, that didn't have to mean there was any negativity, did it? Dean automatically finished the meal, not really taking much notice of the taste, and headed up to the bedroom he shared with Sam.
-o-
The weapons were laid out orderly on his bed as he gazed at each, double checking that the sawed-offs were ready loaded with salt rounds, his own Glock with regular bullets and his brother's Taurus with silver. Tucking the Glock into the back of his jeans, he threw spare rounds and clips into a duffle, leaving Sam's gun on the bed for him. Turning his attention to the knives, he'd already made sure they were razor sharp before placing one in his pants pocket, one in his boot and a small one in his shirt pocket. The demon killing knife he left next to Sam's gun. The holy water container was full and he knew they had two full bags of rock salt in the trunk of the car. He shook the container of holy oil, noting it was half empty when Sam appeared in the doorway.
"Hey. What ya doing?"
"Weapon's check, can't be too prepared. Here."
Dean handed Sam a slender bladed knife, not quite as slender as a stiletto, and a keen edged penknife.
"Gun's on your bed, and the demon blade."
"Thanks."
Sam accepted the offerings and stowed them on his body, looking up with a frown when he heard Dean clearing his throat, preparing to say something that Sam usually found himself not liking.
"Sam...Look...If something goes wrong tonight, I want you to…"
"No! Stop right there. I'm not having this conservation 'bout if you don't come back, not again!"
Angry, Sam strode into Dean's personal space.
"All your life you've looked out for me, thrown yourself in harm's way to protect me. Once and for all, I'm not a kid anymore Dean, an' I can protect myself now. I want you to look out for you for once. Remember, we have to be positive. You, me, Bobby, Missouri, Lucenda, we're all comin' outta this thing alive; and in our own bodies. You got that?"
Dean waited patiently for Sam to finish, thinking how strange it felt to be looking at himself getting mad at him. Sam was right, he wasn't a kid anymore, but that didn't take away the need to protect him. It was ingrained in every cell of his body, protect your brother, and keep him safe. No matter what Sam said, that would never change.
"Dean are you listening to me." Sam huffed when he saw that far away look in his eyes.
"Yeah Sammy, I heard ya. Come on let's check on the others, see if anyone needs help."
Dean nonchalantly picked up the weapon's bag and walked past his irritated younger brother. Reaching out, Sam stopped him with a hand on his arm, looking him directly in the eyes he whispered.
"We both are coming back, and as ourselves; you gotta believe that."
Dean kept his gaze on Sam, not even blinking for several seconds before turning and walking out the door, not giving Sam an answer, because he couldn't be as positive as his brother.
Sam scowled whilst he watched Dean jog down the stairs, long dark hair bouncing, and his scowl turned to a grin.
"Hey, Dean?...You look out for yourself as well as you look out for me? I promise I'll go get my hair trimmed, an' you can come watch with permission to take the piss. How about it?"
Dean looked up at Sam with a wide grin.
"You swear?"
Sam placed his right hand over his heart and nodded solemnly.
"I swear."
"Ok, bro'...You're on!"
Hope you have enjoyed the read. Thank you to all who have favored, are following and have left reviews. Please review.
NC
