Time for chapter 9 now. I was hoping to have it done by Saturday evening, but stuff got in the way. I really love your reviews. Your speculations are always fun:) Enjoy and stay safe, everyone! Some more notes at the end.
Chapter 9
Sam stood frozen on the spot. It was Jess, and yet not the Jess he had known. Not the Jess who had died all those years ago in the fire. It wasn't college student Jess who had just moved in with Sam after they had started tentatively making plans for a life together. This Jessica looked different. She looked older. She looked as Jess would have looked like had she lived.
Jess' smile widened and she made her way to Sam.
"Morning, babe," she told him. "I was wondering when you were going to wake up. I made pancakes."
"What?" Sam asked blankly.
Jess reached out to him, and he drew back almost involuntarily. Her bright smile faltered into uncertainty.
"Bad night again?" she asked. "You haven't had one in a while."
"What do you mean?" Sam asked.
"The nightmares," Jess explained. "All those things from your past. I thought they were over."
"Things from my past," Sam repeated. "Jessica, I don't understand. You're here and…I just don't understand."
Jess' eyes softened. Sam had forgotten that she had used to smile like that, kind and bright, making him forget all his worries.
"We've been through this, Sam," she said. "What happened before is in the past. You and me – we can work through anything, right?"
Sam nearly asked what there was to work through. He should not have been here, after all – and actually he was not sure if he really was. The last thing he remembered had been…Sam paused, disoriented. He actually did not know. He had vague memories of Dean and of the bunker, but they felt more like a dream than anything. Nightmares, Jess had said. Maybe that was all. Maybe he could relax. Although, there was one thing that Sam needed to know.
"Hey, Jess," he began uncertainly. "Uhhh…where's my brother in all this?"
Jess raised her eyebrow.
"I assume he's at his place. Do you want me to call him? Only, you said we shouldn't bother him this weekend. You were saying he deserved a vacation, too."
Sam could concede that actually did sound like him. He nodded.
"Right. That's true. I'm sure he's tired of my face anyway."
Jess snorted.
"I highly doubt that. Especially since he made me swear I'd call him if there was anything wrong with you. Speaking of which…"
Sam shook his head quickly.
"No," he said. "There's no reason to bother Dean. There's nothing wrong with me that pancakes and coffee won't fix. And…and you of course…"
The wicked glint in Jess' eyes was not unexpected. He remembered it so well.
"Well," Jess drawled. "Over the years I've become something of an expert in fixing my husband."
xxxxXXXxx
Dean stared at Sam as he was lying unmoving in the bed. It must have been three hours since Elias had burst into the War Room saying that Sam wasn't feeling well, and it looked like Dean really needed to be there. They got to the Archives to find Sam slumped in a chair, completely unresponsive. He had not regained consciousness since.
"Sam's mind appears to be in a strange state," Castiel had declared, after examining Sam. "I would not call it exactly a dream state, but it is close to one. It is safe to say that Sam is somewhere else right now."
"Where?" Dean demanded.
But Castiel had no answer. He assumed it had to do with Luohi's curse, but it was hard to say what else it would do to Sam.
"I think we should be thankful Sam is not awake right now," Castiel went on.
Dean tried to contain the rage that was threatening to explode, knowing deep down Castiel would not have said such things without a good reason.
"How do you figure that?"
Castiel looked away.
"We do not know what else this curse is meant to do to Sam. It might make him suffer. It might make him do things he does not want to. At least, right now, Sam seems to be safe. I have looked into his mind, Dean. He's at peace."
And, at any other time, Dean would have been grateful. Sam did not get many chances to be at peace. But Sam was currently in some freak supernatural coma with a curse swirling around in his brain. He could not be grateful for that.
Dean had made several calls to some of his contacts – they were all stumped, they had never heard of such a curse before, and many of them had no idea who Luohi was or how she operated. In the end, Dean had given in and called Rowena – who promptly told them they had bitten far more than they could chew, and this was a storm they were definitely going to brave on their own, she was not daft enough to challenge Luohi – or even Piru, for that matter. His call to Mary hadn't been too hopeful, either. Granted, Mary said she was on her way, but she did not mention bringing any miraculous cure from her British Men of Letters, either.
"Figures," Dean grumbled. "It only takes one crisis to prove they're all just talk."
He glanced at Sam, pale and still in his bed. It was a sight Dean was familiar with, one that haunted his nightmares or kept him up at night, the ultimate proof of his failures. He had failed Sam this time as well. If only he had been firmer when Mary called. If only he had insisted on accompanying Sam. If only they had not taken the case in Gatlinburg…Dean shook his head. As always, the list of regrets was endless.
"Come on, Sammy, you've got to pull through this," he said. "You're not going to let some obscure Finnish goddess take you down, will you?"
Sam slept on, oblivious to Dean's hopelessness. Dean could not look at him anymore. He could not bear to think that this was it. This was the time he lost Sam for good.
xxxxXXXXxxxx
"How soon do you think this curse of yours will take effect?"
Luohi turned away from the window. It was a cloudy day with rain and fog. She missed the snows of back home. Maybe bringing a frost over the world would be something fun to do.
They had set up in an abandoned house at the edge of Lebanon. They could have gone anywhere, of course, but there was something about being so close to the Winchesters, the sense of danger that made staying exhilarating. Piru still looked weak, as far as Luohi was concerned. His powers were not back yet – his goat feet would appear when that happened. For now, Luohi thought it was better if she was the leader of their enterprise.
"It is probably happening as we speak," Luohi said. "The first bit. Sam won't be feeling very well, soon."
"And Dean?" Piru asked. "You couldn't find him, so there's no curse in him."
Luohi smirked.
"I have no doubt that I can lay claim on Dean's soul – once I've got Sam's in my grasp that is."
She took a step forward until she was face to face with Piru.
"You know my methods," she whispered. "They never fail."
Piru turned his back to her, missing Luohi's glint of annoyance.
"The Winchesters have allies," he said. "Their angel, for one. I'm not so sure about Crowley, either. Then, of course, there are the British Men of Letters."
Luohi put her hand on Piru's shoulder.
"All in good time," she said. "Now," she added, moving back to the window. "Tell me about this Bunker the Winchesters have…"
xxxXXXXxxxx
After the news of Sam's collapse, Mary knew she could not remain with the British Men of Letters. She had to go back to the Bunker and be with her boys. They both needed her now, and she had to step up for once. Dean had asked her to be a mother not so long ago. And now Mary knew what he had meant. She had to be that for them.
Ketch had protested. He thought Mary would be of more use in the field, looking for hiidet, searching for a sign of Piru and Luohi. He was coming with her to the Bunker, nonetheless.
Before leaving, Mary went to see Mick. He looked worried and pale, like he had not been sleeping much lately.
"Mary," he said, getting up to greet her. "I'm…well, I'm sorry about Sam."
Mary waved that aside.
"Don't write him off so soon," she said. "He's not given up yet."
Mick cleared his throat.
"Of course," he accepted placidly.
Mary tried to contain her annoyance. These people took casualties too lightly. They accepted losses too quickly. The end justified the means for them, and, apparently, any death that occurred during the mission was acceptable as long as the mission succeeded. Mary was beginning to understand why Sam and Dean were so wary of the British Men of Letters. Despite being Hunters, despite their undeniable ruthlessness, Sam and Dean still clung desperately to the shreds of their humanity. No loss was acceptable for them. And Mary already knew that no mission was ever worth them losing each other.
"How is your research on Piru going?" Mary asked instead. "Is there any way we can bring him down?"
Mick hesitated.
"Actually, we know how to kill Piru, it's just damn near impossible," he admitted. "We could trap him again, but who's to say he won't get loose just like last time?"
"What about Luohi?" Mary wanted to know. "I couldn't help noticing you're all reluctant to talk much about her."
Mick's face darkened.
"Luohi is…different. My superiors in London wouldn't want me disclosing sensitive information to just anyone…"
"I'm not just anyone," Mary pointed out. "I'm closely involved in this. Perhaps more than the rest of you."
The look on Mick's face seemed to say that was the problem. Mary shook her head.
"Look, I promise I won't go out on some quest for vengeance against Luohi. I want to take her down, but I know we have to do this smart, or we'll all dead."
That seemed to convince Mick, if only a little.
"Until now the mere notion of taking Luohi down was preposterous. Luohi is darkness personified, she's almost as bad as Lucifer, and she has a lot of ancient power to draw on. Over the years there have been people who tried to go against her. Legendary Hunters and the like. Some have managed to trap her, temporarily. In the end there was a sort of deal made between Finnish Hunters and her. A truce, you could call it. That was the best anyone could do, so we thought."
Mary took a step forward. She could read between the lines of Mick's speech.
"But now, you think you've found something that could take her down permanently?"
Mick smirked.
"Actually, Mary, you did."
He walked to his desk and opened a drawer, pulling out the Colt. He smiled at Mary's stunned look.
"There are only five things in Creation that the Colt cannot kill, and none of them are Luohi or Piru." He paused and nodded. "See, Mary? Whatever sacrifices you made to get us the Colt, whatever deception, it was worth it."
Mary gaped at the Colt. She had been struggling with herself ever since she had stolen the Colt and given it to the British Men of Letters. She could not escape that ever persistent voice following her everywhere, reminding her that the gun had belonged to her husband and should have been in the hands of their sons, that the Winchesters were worthy of wielding it, not the British Men of Letters. Now the voice was stronger than ever. And she knew where the storm was coming. She knew who needed it the most.
"Mick," she began. "You have to let me have it."
Mick tensed. His hands clenched around the gun.
"I can't. I have strict instructions for the Colt to remain with the British Men of Letters. It was lost once. We can't afford for it to be lost again."
"It won't be!" Mary insisted. "Mick, listen to me. Luohi and Piru are going after my sons. They need something to defend themselves. You've said it yourself, nothing else will work."
"Such a weapon needs to stay with us. With the British Men of Letters," Mick insisted.
"And it will!" Mary assured him. "Ketch is coming with me, isn't he? We'll give you back the Colt when it's done. No one will never know it was taken."
Mick was still wavering. Mary drew a step closer to him.
"I've been watching you, Mick. You're so desperate to do the right thing. To save lives. Ketch is different, Ketch is all about the fight, but you – you actually dream of making a difference. This is how you make a difference, Mick. Give me the Colt. You won't regret it."
She waited with breath held as Mick did battle with whatever duties his superiors had instilled in him. This was her one chance of helping her boys. And she was not going to fail them again.
xxxXXXXXxxxxx
Mary got back to the Bunker late in the evening. Dean seemed relieved to see her, although he did not hide his displeasure that she had brought Ketch with her again.
"How is Sam?" Mary asked.
"No change," Dean said flatly. "He hasn't woken up at all. Cas says he's somewhere else entirely. We just have to figure out where."
"I think I've got an idea where," Elias announced.
He and Helmi were pouring over the few texts they had found on Luohi, with Castiel providing his own input.
"In our culture," Elias went on. "There's this sort of land of the dead. It's not Heaven or Hell, it's something entirely different. Think more like Greek mythology stuff, although, that's only a poor analogy."
"Are you trying to say Sam's dead?" Mary wanted to know.
But Elias shook his head.
"Not really, no. But, if what you guys say is true, and Luohi might be wanting souls, I'm thinking that's what she is doing. Taking his soul for a ride so to speak. Making him drop his guard, so he could be closer to the realm of the dead, and she could get her hands on him. That's what the curse is about. Now, if that's so, this would be the good news."
"I'm not seeing anything good about this," Dean pointed out.
"In just about every mythology there are stories of people travelling to these underworlds to bring back the souls of their loved ones," Elias said. "It's not easy, and it usually comes with a lot of trouble, but it can be done – theoretically. In fact, we have a story about a mother crossing the river of death in search of her son."
"So, how do I do it?" Mary asked.
Ketch cleared his throat.
"You can't be seriously considering…Think of the risks."
"My son's dying," Mary retorted. "Of course I'm considering it. What other options do I have? So, how do I get to Sam?"
"We found a sort of a spell here," Helmi said. "And with the help of…" she hesitated and waved vaguely in Castiel's direction, clearly out of her depth with being around an "Angel of the Lord", "Well, we might make it work. Only…sorry for saying this, Mary, but you might not be the best person to go."
Mary frowned at her.
"What do you mean? Why not?"
Helmi tapped the book in front of her.
"It says here, actually. For the spell to work, there are certain conditions to be met. Now, I don't mean to judge or anything, but you haven't been around Sam much, have you?"
Mary felt cold. She struggled not to let her anger show.
"I protected Sam with my life," she hissed. "I died for him. Shouldn't that be enough? What else do you want?"
Helmi bit her lips.
"Maybe it would normally be enough. The spell here needs someone who knows the captured soul almost better than they know themselves. Someone who had sacrificed over and over for that person, who is ready to die and live for them. Now, I rather think someone else in this room fits the bill better than you, Mary."
All eyes turned to Dean. Mary frowned, a strange, indescribable sadness taking hold of her. It was the sensation that had often overwhelmed her whenever she had watched Sam and Dean together. The knowledge that, after all they had been through, Sam and Dean belonged more to each other than they would to anybody else – even to Mary. Maybe it was the fear that her sons actually might not need her at all that made Mary keep her distance from them.
Dean did not look surprised. In fact, he looked as if he had been expecting from the start to be the one that went to rescue Sam.
"Fine," he said. "Tell me what I have to do to get Sammy back, and I'll do it."
Well, of course it's Dean who's going to rescue Sam. Who else would it be?
-In Finnish mythology, everybody who dies, whether good or evil, goes to the same place. The Finnish Underworld is called Tuonela (meaning realm of Tuoni, the god of death. We will be seeing Tuoni in later chapters). I was always bummed the show never gave us Sam or Dean travelling to hell to rescue each other (well, they sort of did in season 11 with Dean and Cas coming to Sam's rescue when he was with Lucifer, but well…). So this is my (sort of) take on the idea (It will eventually be Sam and Dean braving the Finnish Underworld together, but that will have to do)
-The story Elias mentions about the mother coming to find her dead son (and, eventually, to bring him back to life) is from the Finnish epic Kalevala.