Love, Fate and Prophecy: Bloodright
Part Four: Chapter 19 – Souls
Season 6 – Episode 19 (Mommy Dearest)
"HARRY POTTER!" A voice yelled for the fifth time. Harry was sitting in Bobby's living room with Sam and Dean. His brothers were filling shotgun shells with Phoenix ash while Harry was reading a book from the Campbell library that he was hoping would help them locate Eve. The voice made him flinch but concentrate on what he was reading even harder.
"You gonna answer that?" Sam asked.
Harry shook his head. "I'll call her back later," he muttered.
"She doesn't sound too happy, dude, you may want to go ahead and get it over with," Dean said.
"I hardly think that you're qualified to give me relationship advice," Harry snapped. He immediately regretted it. "Sorry."
"Jackass," Dean said, appearing unphased. His phone started vibrating. He grinned. "Looks like I've got a hot redhead calling me. Maybe I'm more relationship material than you think."
"Don't answer that!" Harry shouted, but it was too late.
"Hey gorgeous," he answered. Dean's eyes flicked up to Harry. "Why yes, there is a wanker, your word, not mine, matching that very description right here in front of me. But you know, if you're looking for the sexiest brother, you've already gotten him. And, if you'd like the smartest, Sam is also right here." Sam smirked.
"I have no idea why, but she wants to talk to you," Dean said, trying to hand the phone over to Harry. Harry shook his head. Dean gave him a look.
Harry mouthed, "No!"
Dean hissed, "Yes," back at him.
They continued to have a silent argument while Sam rolled his eyes, took the phone out of Dean's hand, and forced it up to Harry's ear. "Talk," he said.
Harry glared and took the phone. "Hey Gin," he said too casually. "Everything alright?" There was a lot of shouting on the other end. Harry kept trying to interject with "I know," and "but," and "I didn't…" but Ginny wouldn't let him get a word in edgewise. He stood up and shot one last glare at his brothers, before motioning that he was going to take the phone call outside.
Dean whistled. "She's pissed."
"When is the last time he talked to her?" Sam asked.
Dean shrugged. "I'm not his social secretary."
"Dean, I'm really worried about him. We've not had a chance to talk about it, but he's still not sleeping. I think sometimes he passes out from drinking too much, but otherwise, he's up all night."
"He's a grown man, Sam. We can't make him take care of himself. Plus, we kinda have bigger problems right now, you know?"
"We always have bigger problems. I'm also worried about what he told us about Gabriel. I don't trust him, not for one second."
"You've mentioned it. Look, he's always come through for us in a pinch, maybe Harry's right and he's not that bad."
"He killed you over and over again, Dean."
"You're beginning to sound like a broken record about that. I know what he did. But he apologized. And helped us defeat Michael."
"Since when is an apology enough for you?"
"It's not. You also didn't see what Harry was like before he helped him out. Dude was a magical powder keg. He thought I didn't notice, but I swear, sometimes he would hiccough and cause something to happen."
"How do you know that's not just normal for wizards? Remember when we were kids? He was constantly blowing things up."
"It's not."
"If you say so."
Dean finished filling his last bullet shell, frowning. "We've got ten of these. But this stuff rained down on us when we got back. None of us seem to be suffering any from it - this stuff is supposed to burn the bejeezus out of Eve, doesn't even give us a sunburn."
"Lore says it works," Bobby said, entering the room with a book. "Where's your brother?"
"Outside talking to his girlfriend," Sam explained.
"We got time for that?"
"If we're off hunting for weeks and you hadn't had any contact with Ellen, how do you think she would respond?"
Bobby winced. "Fair enough." Although married, both he and Ellen spent a fair amount of time on the road, separate from each other. It worked well as they were both used to being independent, but there were strict rules when it came to keeping in touch.
Changing the topic back to the matter at hand, Sam said, "You know what? Maybe the ash is like, uh – maybe it's like iron or silver. You know? Hurts them, not us."
"Maybe," Dean conceded. "But fat lot of good it does us 'til we find the bitch."
"Harry made any progress on that front?" Bobby asked.
"No. He said none of his locater spells are working. Have you found anything?"
"I'm looking, but I'm thinking maybe it's time you made a call," Bobby said pointedly to Dean.
"Why has it always got to be me that makes the call, huh? It's not like Cas lives in my ass. The dude's busy." Cas surprised Dean by appearing behind him. "Cas, get out of my ass!"
"I was never in your – " Dean gave him a significant look. "Have you made any progress in locating Eve?"
"Well, we were gonna ask you about that," Bobby said to him.
"No, I've looked, but she's hidden from me. She's hidden from all angels – even Gabriel."
"Awesome," Dean commented sarcastically.
"Have you talked to Gabriel recently, Cas?" Sam couldn't help but ask.
Cas frowned. "I speak to him regularly – he is my ally. Why?"
"No reason," Sam said quickly. "He took Harry out drinking recently and we think that…"
"Sam," Dean scolded.
Sam switched back to the conversation about Eve. Dean was right, if Harry didn't want to tell Cas his secrets, he didn't have to. But he couldn't help but be worried about the relationship between his brother and the archangel. "You know, what we really need is an inside man."
"What do you mean?" Dean asked.
"Something with claws and sympathy."
"Like a friendly monster?" Sam shrugged. "Those are in short supply these days, don't you think?"
"Sure, but we've met one or two, right?"
"Maybe."
"So, we can find one."
Cas took that as his cue to go and try to find a monster.
Harry came back in from his phone call, not looking happy. He threw the phone at Dean. "Traitor," he said.
"Don't look at me, dude, you're the one who missed your phone date with her," Dean shot back.
Harry huffed in annoyance. "We were a little busy time traveling, and I tried to explain that to her, which only made things worse because she said that I'm not allowed to go a hundred and fifty years into the past without telling someone. And then I told her that Bobby knew, but that just started her off again…" Harry read the room and cleared his throat. "Anyway, what's been going on in here?"
"Cas was just here, we're trying a different tactic for trying to find Eve," Sam informed Harry.
"He can't find her either?" he asked.
Sam shook his head. "No, he said that he asked Gabriel as well, she is hidden from angels. It's probably why the spells you tried didn't work either. They're grounded in angelic grace, right?"
"So I'm told," Harry said. "I've never been one for magical theory." It infuriated Hermione to no end when Harry was just able to…do…magic instinctually without having the knowledge that was supposed to make it work.
"You aren't even a little curious about how and why this power you have works?" Sam asked, incredulously.
"As long as it works, I'm good," Harry said nonchalantly.
"Harry's not a nerd like you, Sammy," Dean said.
Harry understood what Sam was asking about. He was still thinking about what they were told by Woqini. And it wasn't that it didn't bother Harry, but he had always known that there was something different about Sam. For example, it should not have been possible for him to fly on Harry's broom with him all those years ago. His lack of a core should have grounded the broom. It wasn't something that he had known at the time but had later learned. Not to mention how quickly he picked up on Occulmancy and how he could see through Harry's glamour.
"Hermione could explain it better to you. Actually, if you're open-minded enough, Luna may be a better person to speak with. She has this remarkable ability to see things that no one else can."
Dean snorted. "What he's trying to say is that she's fucking weird."
Harry hit him with a stinging hex.
"Ouch!"
"Don't talk about Luna that way," Harry said, fiercely.
"Fine, fine. You're touchy today," Dean grumbled.
"When this is all over, I think I'd like to meet Luna," Sam said.
"She'd like that too. She was very upset when she missed you that time at the Room of Requirement." At the puzzled look on Sam's face, Harry added, "You were soulless at the time."
"Ah. Probably for the best then," Sam said.
Harry shook his head. "She wouldn't have judged you for it. Luna is the least judgmental person I know."
There were a couple of moments of silence. "Listen, guys, we need to talk about the game plan for killing this monster," Harry said.
That snapped both Sam and Dean's attention to him.
"I mean, we don't even know for sure if this ash is going to work. If it doesn't and it looks like things are going south…"
"Don't you dare finish that sentence," Dean growled.
"It's worth a discussion, at least, isn't it?"
"No," Sam said.
"It's not a difficult spell, in the end."
"It's not worth the price," Bobby came down to the basement where they were all standing around talking.
Harry groaned. "Not you too," he complained.
"Don't take that tone with me, boy," Bobby said. "I've spent more of my life than I would like trying to talk you damn Winchesters off the ledge. We have a plan. The lore says it will work. End of story."
"But as a Plan B…"
"No," Sam and Dean said at the same time.
Before Harry could argue anymore, Cas reappeared with a young woman with him.
"Lenore," Sam said, recognizing her. She tried to run away, but Sam stopped her, "Wait, hey. Lenore, stop. Look, we're happy you're here."
"Been a long time," Dean said. "You remember us?"
"I remember. Your hunter friend almost killed me."
"Well, if it makes you feel any better, uh, he turned into a vampire and I chopped his head off."
"Yeah. With razor wire. Wicked."
"Well, that's something. What's going on? Why am I here? When did you get a wizard?"
Harry couldn't believe the number of creatures that were able to identify what he was on sight.
"Well, um, this is Harry, he's our friend," Sam said, "And that's Cas. He's also our friend. And we need to talk to you. About Eve."
"Eve?" She scoffed. "I have nothing to say about Eve."
"You sure about that?" Dean asked.
"I'm trying to stay away from her, believe me."
"Where's your nest?" Sam asked. Ah, Harry realized that this woman was a vampire. Interesting, she didn't feel the same as the vampires that he had met in the wizarding world.
"Gone," she replied. "They couldn't fight it anymore. It's her voice, in our heads. What it does to us. So, they left. Started killing again."
"But not you," Sam said.
"Don't look so impressed," she snapped. "I was hiding in a basement. Not exactly Club Med. You don't know how hard it is – not to give in. Everyone gives in."
"Alright, so this psychic two-way you've got going, does that mean you know where Mom's camped out?" Dean asked.
"You've got to be kidding me. You want me to tell you where she is? You do know she could be listening to us right now. I might as well be a video camera. What are you thinking?"
"So, we don't have the element of surprise," Bobby commented. "We're still going in."
"You're crazy. I can't help you."
"Can't or won't? Look, it's clear as day. You still give a crap. You don't wanna kill. And don't want this whole planet dead," Sam said.
"You actually believe you can stop her?"
"Just tell us where she is."
"Grants Pass, Oregon. And now she knows you're coming."
"Well, let's go see," Bobby said.
"Hold on," Lenore protested. "I didn't tell you this out of the goodness of my heart. I need something."
"What?" Sam asked.
"Kill me."
"Lenore…"
"Look, we'll lock you down 'til this who thing's over, ok? Witness protection, you'll be safe."
"I have several safe houses that are warded to the gills we could put her in," Harry spoke for the first time in a while.
"You don't get it, it's not about that. I'm dangerous. I hear her voice all the time."
"You're not like the rest of them," Sam said.
"I'm exactly like them," she said. "I fed. I couldn't help it. The girl couldn't have been more than 16, Sam. I'll do it again. I can't stop, not anymore. You have to. Please."
Harry felt bad for this woman. He was tempted to hit her with a stunner until this was all over and was about to offer when Cas stepped forward and put a hand on Lenore's head. Light poured out of her eyes and mouth and she died.
"Castiel!" Harry admonished.
"We need to move this along," he said seriously.
Harry felt sick. He looked to his brothers who didn't look pleased, but they were determined. Bobby, however, seemed to be thinking along the same lines as him, and they exchanged a quick look of acknowledgment. They would keep their eyes on Castiel.
xXxXxXxXxXx
An hour or so later, they were all gathered around a table in a diner. Much to Harry's growing displeasure, Dean once again ordered for him when he had tried to get only water. It's not that Harry didn't like hamburgers, but this overprotectiveness was getting on his nerves.
"You gonna eat that?" Dean asked him, pointedly.
"I already ate half of it, Dean!"
"Yeah, well, that's not enough…"
Bobby interrupted them. "Alright, enough of that. I finally got the police database."
The waitress came back by their table. "Can I get you anything else?" She asked.
"Yeah, get this skinny kid a chocolate shake," Dean said.
"Coming right up."
At least Harry liked chocolate shakes.
"Anything?" Sam asked Bobby.
"Nothing weird. Basically, a dead end. You think Vampira was lying?"
"I'll search the town. Give me a moment." Cas continued to sit in his chair, an empty look in his eyes.
"Cas, we can still see you," Dean pointed out.
"Yeah, I'm still here."
"Ok, well you don't have to wait on us, you – "
"Something's wrong," Cas said after clearing his throat and straining his face.
"What, are you stuck?" Dean asked.
"I'm blocked. I'm powerless."
"You're joking?"
"Something in this town, is, uh, it's affecting me. I assume it's Eve."
"It's not just him," Harry said.
Everyone turned to him. The glamour that he had been wearing had fallen. He was looking better than he had a couple of days ago, but not much.
"My magic – it's not working. I just tried doing several spells. Nothing."
"Well, that's great," Dean said sarcastically. "Because without your power, you're basically just a baby in a trench coat," he said to Cas, "and you," he said, turning to Harry, "are just a short Brit with a drinking problem."
Castiel looked upset while Harry just took that as an opportunity to take a drink from the coffee that he had spiked in front of him.
"I think you hurt his feelings," Sam said, indicating to Cas.
The waitress brought over the milkshake and placed it in front of Harry with a flirtatious smile.
"I got something here, maybe," Bobby said. "Had to go federal to get it. Call went out from the local office to the CDC last night."
"About what?" Sam asked.
"A Dr. Silver called in an illness he couldn't identify. Patient's a 25-year-old, African-American, name – Ed Bright."
"Well, that's not much to go on," Dean said.
"Well, it's our only lead, so…"
"So, beggars can't be choosers, right? I get it. Alright, let's finish up. Harry, drink all of that milkshake, God knows you need it."
xXxXxXxXxXx
"Millie, it's a pleasure to see you, as always," the American Minister of Magic greeted the elderly woman.
"Norm, it's been ages, how are the grandkids?"
"Thriving at Ilvermorny, of course. I'm proud to say that I have one in each house. Now, I'd never admit to the kids, but I do favor the ones who go to Horned Serpent, like us."
"A sign of good breeding," Millie complimented.
"Now, I know you didn't come in just for chit-chat. What can I do for you today?"
"I know that this is ancient history, and maybe you don't even remember, but before Vincent, I was briefly married to a no-maj man. A Man of Letters."
Oh, there was no one of their generation that didn't remember the scandal. A pureblood of Millie Wilkinson's stature marrying so beneath herself – it was talked about for years. And used as a warning to those of similar backgrounds on the dangers of mixing with the wrong sort. Norman himself had been pleased and knew that her fall from grace had helped in his political pursuits. "I had forgotten, of course. You and Vincent were such a lovely couple. Merlin preserve him."
"Well, even less well known is that I had a son in my first marriage. You won't have heard of him. He passed quite young."
"I'm sorry to hear that," Norm said, with fake sympathy.
"Well, it recently came to my attention that he had children of his own. They are squibs, so I believe that he even went so far as to hide their existence from me. To spare me the shame, of course."
"Oh, Millie. I know that you are old-fashioned, but these days, no one would bat an eye."
That was a lie and they both knew it.
"Which is exactly why I'm here today. I would like to claim my grandsons. I have discussed it with my brothers and we believe it's only right in these more progressive times. My grand-nephew thinks that it might even help his political career. After all, no one can claim we're prejudiced if we welcome these men into our family with open arms."
Norman wondered what cunning scheme Millie was planning. It was always something with this woman.
"Naturally."
"And that is why I appreciate you meeting with me today. I don't want this acknowledgment to be seen as performative. If I went to the Squib Custodial Office, I would fear that it would make the papers. We want to keep this quiet, for now. My grandsons are private men. But if something were to happen, I would want to be sure that they are protected by our family name."
"That is very noble of you." Squibs could be registered by their wizarding families with MACUSA. In the past, it had been a mark of shame for the wizarding family, but recently, as no-maj and squib activists were become more plentiful by the day (and a thorn in Norman's side), it was becoming more common. In the event of a major magical emergency, they could be put in the protective custody of their family, instead of left to fend for themselves like the no-maj.
"Thank you, it's what any decent witch would do. I only wish I just registered them earlier. Will you help me out and keep it quiet?"
"Of course, Millie, I will see to it personally. I just need the names of your grandsons and will have Mary-Louise start the paperwork immediately."
"Thank you, Norman. Their names are Dean and Samuel Winchester. I have all their information here for you."
xXxXxXxXxXx
Harry was pretty impressed at his brother's skills at hotwiring cars, as their primary mode of transportation – angel flight, wasn't an option. He went with Sam and Bobby to the doctor's house, so Dean didn't have to (in his words) "babysit two powerless children." This would have annoyed Harry if he hadn't seen how offended Castiel had been at Dean's insults. He briefly wondered if it would be possible for him to die and stay dead without his magic.
"Uh, do you two mind if I stay in the car? I want to see if there is a total lockdown on magic, or if it's just me."
Bobby shrugged and Sam just nodded as the two of them headed to the clinic. Harry pulled out his bag with the extendable charm on it. It held everything that he needed, but since his magic wasn't working, he wasn't able to summon anything. Thankfully, the charm on the bag itself seemed to be holding up, which meant that magical objects were unaffected by whatever Eve had done to the area. It would just take some digging to get to what he was looking for.
Harry found the objects that he needed just as Sam and Bobby were getting back to the car.
"Find anything?" He asked.
Bobby shook his head. "No. He's not there. No signs of a struggle – the car still in the driveway and an empty house. Just had a little run-in with the locals, though. That could be a problem."
"How about you?" Sam asked Harry.
"I think that magical objects are unaffected. But let's make sure." He pulled his invisibility cloak around him and over his head.
"Woah," Bobby said.
"Can you see me?" Harry asked.
"No," Sam said.
"Great," Harry remarked as he pulled the cloak off. "I didn't think even Eve could affect something that was Death's creation, but it's good to know."
Bobby and Sam climbed into the front seat and Bobby started up the car.
"Wait," Harry said. He just realized something very important.
"We're losing daylight here, Harry," Bobby grumbled.
"I can't be the one who kills Eve," he said quickly.
"I'm glad you finally came around to that," Sam said. "We weren't going to let you do the spell anyway."
"I can't do any spells right now. But I mean, I can't use anything else to kill her either. Not without risking more than I would like."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Bobby asked.
"And can't this wait until we're with Dean and Cas?"
Harry shook his head vehemently. "We can't tell Cas any of this."
"What?" Sam asked. "Cas is our friend."
"Yeah, I know, but there are things that you don't know."
"If there are things we don't know, it's only because you haven't told us," Sam pointed out.
"Yeah, I know. But…look, it's not important, but I don't trust Castiel. I have my reasons but now is not the time. Not when we're this close to Eve."
"And you wanted to tell us before we got back to Cas and Dean because you don't want Dean to know either," Bobby said, putting things together quickly.
"You don't trust Dean?" Sam asked, surprised.
"No, no, of course, I trust Dean completely. But not when it comes to seeing through Cas. There is something about the two of them…"
"They share a 'profound bond,'" Sam quoted.
"Yeah. That. Look, if I kill Eve without dying, it will have catastrophic consequences. So, I can't be the one to pull the trigger. But I don't want Cas to know that I am aware of what would happen if it was me."
"Alright," Bobby said uneasily.
"Look, I promise to explain everything at the end of all of this. Or, better yet, I'll make Gabriel do it."
Bobby and Sam had a silent conversation that was mostly just looks and nods, but finally, Sam said, "Fine. You did say that there were some things you couldn't share yet. We'll be sure that you're not the one to kill Eve."
"Thanks," Harry said, gratefully.
xXxXxXxXxXx
"…I'm just saying that I understand that I know how he felt. Sort of," Harry was explaining as they left the house where all of the fraternity boys had turned into Ed Bright. Using a car to get everywhere was so…slow. It had been years since Harry had had to rely on something other than apparation to get from Point A to Point B. So, he was filling the time by talking about other things.
Currently, they had divided up with the brothers in one car and Cas and Bobby in the other.
Dean shook his head. "Every time I think you've said the weirdest thing possible – you have to one-up yourself. Look, it freaked me out enough to see one shifter look just like me. I can't imagine a room full of six of me."
"Dude, no one wants to imagine that," Sam said.
"I did not love it," Harry said. "And Polyjuice potion is one of the most unpleasant substances in the world. But that's part of the reason that wizards are so protective of stray hairs or fingernails. And blood. Although I don't think I've ever heard of someone adding blood to make Polyjuice – it's kind of ghoulish."
Sam couldn't help but snort at that – ghoulish was their life.
When they arrived at the bar some quick head nods with Bobby and Cas confirmed that they were all ready to find out what was in the bar.
As they entered, Harry gagged. The smell was…overwhelming. And there were bodies everywhere. Harry reached for his wandblade to try and do a quick spell to see if anyone was alive, only to remember that his magic wasn't working.
"We've got a vamp over here," Dean said to the room. He then started checking the arm of the body. "Nope. Scratch that. We got a wraith. What the hell? What has teeth and a spike?"
"Never seen that in my life," Bobby said.
"Oh, great. So, Eve's making hybrids now?"
"Looks like."
"Yeah, the question is why. I mean what does she want with the – what do you call these?"
"Well, congrats. You discovered it. You get to name it."
"Jefferson Starships." Bobby, Sam, and Harry all looked at Dean, very confused. "Huh, because they're horrible – and hard to kill."
"Is he making another reference to Star Wreck?" Harry asked Sam.
"It's Trek!" Dean protested.
Before he could say anything else, Sam interrupted him. "Looks like the whole bar has been turned into these – "
" – Jefferson Starships," Dean finished.
"Fine," Sam said, exasperated. "But why are all the…Starships dead?"
While the others were discussing Harry went behind the bar and bent down to "look" at a body. Mostly, he was trying to see if he could pilfer a bottle of something.
"I can't say, but looks like they all burned up," Bobby said.
"Burned up, like?" Dean asked.
"Like a high fever, like the flu."
"What the hell's going on here? Does every monster in this town have the motaba virus?"
With a loud bang, the sheriff that Bobby and Sam had had a run-in earlier burst through the door, gun drawn, two deputies with him.
"Hands where I can see 'em!" He yelled.
Dean quickly moved to behind the same bar that Harry had been looking for liquor. He frowned when he saw the wizard gripping a bottle of tequila. The sheriff didn't seem to notice.
"Now this is not what it looks like," Cas tried to explain, hands in the air.
"Look, we're the Feds," Bobby interjected, not trusting Cas with the explanation.
"Yeah? Well, Feds are not allowed to do this. Cuff 'em," he ordered the deputies. "Turn around," he said to the three men. Harry started to stand up to come to their defense, but Dean put a hand on his shoulder and pushed him down, shaking his head.
The two of them listened as the others were pushed and prodded out the door. When the coast was clear, Dean stood up.
"Let's go."
Harry quickly followed suit.
"Put that down," Dean said, annoyed. "Look, I like to have a good time as much as the next guy, but we've got a job to do. Pull yourself together."
Harry scowled but left the bottle on the counter. As they walked to the car, Dean continued to berate him. "I don't know what's gotten into you, man, but you ain't fooling anyone. When this is all over, we're gonna have a talk."
"I seem to recall when you needed something to take the edge off, I just joined you, instead of giving annoying lectures," Harry bit back.
"Yeah well, I wasn't endangering a case."
Harry held back his comment about child endangerment, but he thought it. Dean wasn't wrong, anyway. But he also didn't know the wave of emotion that would crash through Harry if he lost his buzz. The only positive side effect of his magic not working was that it lowered his tolerance.
The ride to the police station was silent. As they got out of the car to enter the station, Dean threw Harry a machete.
"What the hell am I supposed to do with this?"
"Cutting off something head usually takes care of any problem. Swing hard."
They entered the station where a battle between Sam, Bobby, and Cas and the police officers was already raging. Cas was pushed up against a wall by one – Dean moved swiftly to decapitate it. Sam quickly moved out of the way of one that was trying to bite him while Harry took care of the one that was going after Bobby. Dean moved to kill the sheriff, only to have Sam stop him.
"Dean, wait!" He called out.
xXxXxXxXxXx
Harry wandered off while the others were interrogating the sheriff. Not having magic was very disconcerting. If he hadn't already been feeling empty, this would have depleted him completely. But as he looked at the head of the monster that he had cut off he couldn't but feel…hope? It had been so long since he had had such a feeling that he could barely recognize it. He had done something good. Something that helped his brothers and their friends. Something that helped the world. But not with magic. Not from his status of not-quite Angel of Death. Him. And that same feeling he had gotten when he had killed the demon that was inhabiting Brady, in what felt like years ago, returned. There was purpose in his existence. A purpose that didn't just involve him dying to save others.
A sound coming from the back of the station. Harry grabbed the machete – maybe there were more Jefferson Starships in the back.
What he found instead were two young boys. They were handcuffed, gagged, and sitting in a cell.
"Sam! Dean!" He called out. Without magic, he didn't know how he was going to get them out of there. He started looking around for something to pick the lock with.
"Hold on boys, we'll get you out of there," Harry said soothingly to the children who looked terrified.
His brothers came running into the room, guns blazing.
"Woah, calm down," he said to them as they entered. "I found these two boys – I can't use my usual method to get them out. How do we get them out?"
Sam and Dean exchanged a look.
"Keys?" Sam said, incredulously.
Well, that made Harry feel stupid. Dean started looking for them while Sam talked to the kids. "You're Dr. Silver's boys?" he asked them. The older one nodded his head. "Look. We're not gonna hurt you. My name is Sam. These are my brothers, Dean and Harry." Dean found the keys and quickly unlocked the cell door. They rushed in to ungag the boys. "Those cops, they're not coming back – ever. What are your names?"
"Joe," the older one answered. "This is Ryan." Sam nodded.
Dean bent down to get eye level with the younger one. "Hey Ryan, how you doing?" The young boy looked scared and shy and so he looked down.
"He won't talk," Joe explained. "Not since they came for us."
"Alright, listen, Joe," Dean said. "We're gonna get you out of those handcuffs. Um, but you understand what's on around here don't you?" Joe nodded. "So, first we're gotta make sure you're you."
"How you gonna do that?" Joe asked.
"Well, there's a few, uh, dozen tests. Ok, let's get started."
Harry knew that this was necessary, but he couldn't handle watching them do anything to these boys. Especially since he knew they were going to have to pass a couple of cutting tests. "I'm just going to go take care of the bod…" he stopped short, "the mess up front. Don't want to traumatize them any more than they already have been."
Dean gave his nod of approval and Harry moved out of the room to try and move the bodies and heads that were littering the floor to anywhere where they were less visible.
It was only a couple of minutes before his brothers brought the boys into the main space of the police station. Bobby and Cas had given up on the sheriff, for now, to see what was going on with Harry's yell.
"You have any other family?" Dean was asking the older boy.
"An uncle, in Merritt."
"Merritt, what's that, like 15 miles outside of town? Ok. We'll get you there," he promised.
"Dean, can I have a word?" Cas asked, clearly annoyed at this turn of events.
Harry turned to Joe. "What can you tell me about your uncle, Joe?"
The boy looked surprised. "Uh – he's nice. He comes by a lot. He is…was close to my dad."
Harry nodded with approval. Sam was watching him with sad eyes, which he ignored.
"Here's my mobile number," Harry said gently as he handed a little slip of paper that he grabbed from one of the desks. "If he's a problem, or you need anything at all, will you give me a call?"
Joe nodded.
"Alright, let's get going. Harry, you stay here with Bobby and Cas," Dean ordered as Sam gently guided the boys outside.
Harry frowned. "Why?"
"'Cause I think you could help. How many criminals have you interrogated in your career?"
"None without magic," Harry protested.
"Eh – I saw you with that machete, I think you can handle one monster."
"Fine. But don't just drop those boys on the doorstep. Be sure that their uncle will happily take them."
Dean gave an understanding nod. Harry hated the pity in his eyes, but he was more concerned that no one had to face what he did.
Cas looked outside the window as they left, a look of vague disapproval on his face.
"They won't take long," Bobby told him.
"You don't know that. They may find more wayward orphans along the way."
"Oh, don't get cute."
"Right. Pardon me for highlighting their crippling and dangerous empathetic response with "sarcasm". It was a bad idea – letting them go."
"Last time you doubted them, they defeated the Devil," Harry defended.
"They got lucky," Cas responded. "How likely is it that it'll happen twice?"
Harry frowned. "You know, Castiel, you and I don't see eye-to-eye, but I always thought that you believed in my brothers. This is who they are."
"And you don't let Sam and Dean Winchester do squat," Bobby chimed in. "They do what they gotta. You know that. Anyway, we want Eve, we need coordinates. So, we can stand here bellyaching or we can go poke that pig 'til he squeals. Thoughts?"
"I've got a few," Harry said as he headed over to the room where they were holding the sheriff.
"You know, she can see you right now," the sheriff told them. "She's particularly surprised at you, wizard."
"Oh yeah, why's that's?"
"Your people have been…useful to her in the past. She wants you to know that you can walk away, she has no beef with you or your kind."
Harry snorted. "My kind are humans. All humans, magical or not."
"You, on the other hand," he said, facing Bobby. "Are just making her mad."
"Then tell the bitch to come get me."
"I need five minutes alone with him," Cas said.
Harry didn't particularly care what Cas did to this monster so he willingly walked out of the room with Bobby.
"You really are something kid, aren't you?" Bobby asked as they returned to the main space.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Never saw so many creatures try to convince you to stay out of the fight. That must be some power you have if you scare them all."
Harry sighed. He found a bottle of whiskey in one of the desk drawers and two glasses – pouring some for both him and Bobby. "I didn't ask for it," he said quietly.
"Oh, I know it."
Harry took a long sip from the cup. "Trouble has always found a way to find me. I've never really had to go looking for it. But recently, it seems like everyone has been trying to push me away. I'm not going to abandon my brothers."
"Yes, you're a Winchester through and through, ain't no one questioning that."
"I'm not half the man either of them is."
"Bullshit," Bobby said.
Harry was surprised and raised an eyebrow.
"You had…have a life in England. Friends, family, a loving family. A successful career. You gave it all up to what? Traipse across the States with two idjits and deal with creatures that are more than happy to leave you and your kind alone? They've both been asses to you too and yet, here you are. They're damn lucky to have you."
Harry had no idea how to respond to that. He couldn't help but think that Bobby was a bit naïve about him. He hadn't seen the man that Harry had been…in that other world. His foolish actions had cost Sam and Dean so much. More than he could ever repay. Thankfully, he didn't need to say anything, Castiel walked out of the room, wiping his bloody hands on a cloth.
"Eve's at 25 Buckley Street. You can call Sam and Dean," he informed the two men.
Bobby pulled out his phone.
"Castiel – I've been trying to pray to Gabriel since we got here and I've not been able to get through to him. He's also not picking up his phone, so I'm guessing he's in Heaven right now. Do you think that it's part of what Eve has done to this town? There isn't a wizarding community close to here, so I don't know if whatever she did is affecting everyone, or just you and I."
Cas looked surprised. "You've been trying to contact Gabriel?"
"Well, yeah. Don't you think that an archangel might be useful in this situation? Can you get him on angle radio?"
Cas shook his head. "I'm cut off from angel radio."
"Damn."
"Gabriel doesn't concern himself with missions like these," Cas said. "He has more important things to be concerned about."
"More important than the total destruction of humanity?"
"Eve doesn't have that kind of power."
Castiel saying that gave Harry pause. He was pretty sure he knew what the angel wanted from him and that included killing something that had the power to destroy humanity. Was he lying? To what end? "She has power enough. She's basically castrated you and me."
Castiel frowned at that. "Figuratively, yes. I am still an angel and you are still a wizard we just can't access our grace."
"Which makes us pretty useless."
"Not at all. You know, maybe Sam and Dean's little side project can work in our favor. We have the Phoenix ash bullets. We could go take care of her before they get back."
"Don't you even think of it," Bobby said, off the phone. "The boys are five minutes out."
"But Bobby…"
"No. If you don't die, which is a high possibility, your brothers would kill you if you went in without them."
Castiel looked even more annoyed.
Sure enough, Sam and Dean were back within minutes. Harry didn't know how they would have gotten there anyway. He didn't know how to drive a car and he highly doubted that Castiel knew how to either.
"Rigorous interrogation, huh?" Dean asked when he saw the now decapitated sheriff.
"Well, we got a location. Now we just gotta get close enough to take a shot."
"Alright. Well, let's all take two," Dean said, removing the shells from his pockets. "Load 'em up. Make 'em count."
"Hey, Bobby?" Harry asked.
"Yeah?"
"I'm not terribly familiar with loading a gun, could you help me out?"
Bobby gave him a sly glance. "Sure."
Through a series of looks and some sleight-of-hand, Harry made sure that the Eve-killing bullets did not end up in his gun. It didn't appear that his brothers or Castiel noticed.
They piled back in the cars to head to the address only to find themselves outside of the diner where they had eaten earlier that day.
"You gotta be kidding me," Dean said. "She's been in there the whole time?"
"Why'd she ever let us in? Or out?" Sam asked.
"Well, there's one way to find out," Dean said, starting to head towards the diner.
"What, just stroll in? We don't know who's human or who's her," Bobby didn't seem convinced that this was the best plan. Harry liked it. It was direct.
"Well, there's one way to draw her out. Me and Sam will go in."
"Dean," Bobby said.
"I'm going with you," Harry said.
"No way," Sam said. "We're not gonna let you use that spell."
Harry gave him a look. "I can't use that spell. I can't use ANY spells. But what I can do is wear this," Harry pulled out his invisibility cloak.
"Do you think that'll hide you from her?" Dean asked.
"It hides me from Death. I can't imagine there are many things that it wouldn't hide me from."
"Put it on now, and see if Cas can see through it."
Harry complied and pulled the familiar cloak around him. It always felt like safety to him.
"I cannot see him," Cas said.
"Alright," Dean agreed.
"Dean!" Sam protested.
"What? It's a good idea."
Sam didn't agree but they were on limited time and he didn't think he could take on both of his older brothers in an argument. He handed Bobby his bag while Dean kept his. The two of them walked up to the diner.
"You there, Harry?" Dean whispered just before they entered.
"Yeah."
"Here we go."
xXxXxXxXxXx
The diner appeared normal to Harry. A couple of people sitting at tables and the counter. His brothers took seats at the counter – Harry moved himself to the empty seat next to them, hoping that no one came close enough to bump into him. But he wanted to be able to hear anything that they said.
"Crap, crap, crap," Sam was saying as he panned his phone's camera around the restaurant.
"Starships?" Dean asked.
"Yeah," Sam replied.
"Is there anybody in this diner that is not a flesh-eating monster?"
"Uh, us."
"Ok, well, let's get the hell out of here." Under his breath, as quietly as he could, he added, "That means you too, Harry."
"Shall we?"
A waitress turned and placed two plates of food in front of Sam and Dean. "Two specials, right?" She asked.
"Uh, no, that's not for us. We were just headed out."
"Now that would be rude, Sam."
Harry looked more closely at the woman. Oh yeah, he could tell that she was much more than she appeared to be. Even without his magic.
"Let me guess. Eve." Sam said, coming to the same conclusion as Harry.
"Pleasure."
"Why don't we step outside. Chat?" Dean suggested.
"Why? This is private," Eve responded.
Harry could tell that this was all a trap. As carefully as they could, while they were talking, he reached into Dean's bag and took one of the guns with the Phoenix ash bullets. He figured he'd be able to hand it off to one of his brothers if and when the fight began. In the meantime, the Starships in the diner closed the blinds so that no one could see through the windows.
It turns out that Harry acted just in the nick of time as one of the Starships grabbed Dean's bag and opened it. Even removed the only gun in there.
"Phoenix ash. I'm impressed. I bet you had to go a long way for that."
"You have no idea," Dean muttered.
"But I have to say boys, I'm hurt. Only one gun? Did you really think this would be that easy?"
Sam and Dean didn't dare even glance at each other at that comment.
"Destroy this," Eve said to a Starship. "Thank you," she adds as he takes the gun. "Relax. I'm not here to fight."
"No? Just rally every freak on the planet, bring in Khan Worms and- and half-assed spider-men, and dragons. Really, sister? Dragons?"
"So, I dusted off some of the old classics," Eve shrugged. "I needed help."
"With what?" Sam asked, scoffing. "Tearing apart the planet?"
"You misunderstand me. I never wanted that. Not at first." Sam was not buying that. "I liked our arrangement."
"What arrangement?" Sam demanded.
"The natural order. My children turned a few of you, you hunted a few of them. Wizards and angels stayed out of all of it. I was happy."
"Ok, so what changed?" Dean asked.
"My children, no thanks to you, started getting kidnapped and tortured. Even my firstborns. I was pushed into this. After all, a mother defends her children."
"Really? You gonna use the Mother of the Year defense? You?
"It happens to be true. Know what? May you'll believe it if I look a little more like this."
Before their eyes, the woman changed from a short brunette into a taller woman with long blond hair. Harry had no idea how this was relevant in the least. The look on Dean's face was one of pure devastation and anger. He also suddenly seemed to have a hard time looking at her.
"Oh, you bitch," Dean spat.
"She died to protect you, didn't she? See. You understand a mother's love. I'm no different."
Harry audibly gasped. The pieces finally fell into place. This was their mother – Mary. He had never even seen a picture.
"What was that?" Eve asked, looking around.
'Shit,' Harry thought.
"Nothing. You know what? This conversation's over. If you're gonna kill us, kill us," Dean said with great bravado trying to distract from Harry under the invisibility cloak.
That did turn her attention back to him. "You? No. It's Crowley I want dead."
'Isn't Crowley dead?' Harry wondered to himself.
"Well, you're too late there – that little limey mook roasted months ago."
"Crowley's alive."
"That's impossible," Sam insisted.
Eve glared at him. She also moved from behind the counter and Harry was able to step back into the wall just in the nick of time before she came around to the other side. "I see his face through the eyes of every child he strings up and skins. Any idea why he's hurting my babies?" She leaned against the counter – on the other side of Sam.
"He wants Purgatory, right?" Dean asked. Harry sucked in another breath. He didn't know that Crowley had been looking for Purgatory. "Location, location, location."
Eve laughed. It wasn't a pleasant laugh – it was a mocking oh-you-are-stupid kind of laugh. "Is that what he told you? It's about the souls."
"What about them?"
Suddenly everything clicked into place in Harry's mind. 'It's all about the souls,' Death had said when he had talked to Harry before giving Sam his soul back. How had Dean failed to mention that Crowley had been after Purgatory? Had Harry not told his brothers…he hadn't. Not on purpose. He hadn't told them that Castiel was going after Purgatory too. They had said that Castiel had burned Crowley's bones…but if they were working together, that changed everything, that explained so much…
"…wants to siphon off my supply, and torture my children to do it?" Harry had missed most of what Eve had been saying, but she kept going. "Ok, fine. I'll quit playing nice. I'll turn you all. Every soul, mine. Let's see how hot his hell burns when everyone comes to me. He asked for it."
And she wouldn't need to change wizards – they wouldn't go to Crowley in any case. This is why Gabriel had said that he could stay out of it all. Oh, the archangel was going to have quite a lot to answer for. And if he ascended… Crap. That was about the souls too. Gabriel had told him that his ascension would help Castiel in Heaven. Harry didn't know in what way but he was now certain it had to do with souls. Wizard souls. This was so much worse than he thought it was. He had to find a way to warn them. Castiel had been in league with Crowley this whole time.
Suddenly, Harry's attention shifted back to Eve and the conversation she was having with his brothers. He couldn't use the gun, especially now, knowing what he knew.
"Yes, you were the final test," she was telling them. "I had to see if I could slip past hunters undetected, of course," she smiled. "Little Ryan."
"What?" Dean asked.
Harry needed to focus. He could deal with Castiel later. Right now, there were a lot of monsters very close to killing his brothers before the angel could do anything. Normally, when he was under the cloak, he would cast a silencing spell on himself so that no one could hear him as he moved, but without magic, that wasn't possible.
He concentrated on moving as slowly and silently as he possibly could towards his younger brother. Dean wouldn't understand why he was given the gun, instead of Harry just taking the shot.
"…Ryan was bound to work on you. Little wayward orphan, like yourselves. There's nothing you can do about it now. So, let's talk." Eve moved from having her back against a table to standing right in front of Sam and Dean. She even reached out and touched them.
"Nothing to say," Sam scoffed.
"Well, that's where you're wrong. I have an offer to propose. Crowley. As you know, not so easy to find. So, here's the deal. You find him, bring him to me – I let you live."
"Pass," Dean said.
"Dean," Sam pleaded.
Harry managed to inch himself to be right behind her – for once happy that he didn't have any extra pounds on him.
"Sam, no. The answer is no."
"You say that like you have another option," she said.
"Maybe I do, maybe I don't," Dean replied, challenging and being an arsehole, as always. Harry managed to slide onto the stool next to Sam.
"You think?" Eve questioned.
The door of the diner opened and more monsters pushed Bobby and Cas into the restaurant.
"Well, so much for your plan B," she said. She turned her attention to Cas. "And you, wondering why so flaccid?"
Harry knew this was the time. He gently touched Sam's shoulder and in the quietest voice possible said, "Shh, it's me," and he carefully placed the handgun into the pocket of his brother's brown jacket.
"…I know what makes angels tick. Although, I have to say that I'm disappointed that your wizard isn't here. I've never gotten to see one in this realm and I would have loved to experiment. Oh well, thankfully turning him off was even easier than unplugging you."
Sam felt in his pocket to see what Harry had put there. It was a gun. He breathed just a little bit easier. Eve turned back to them. "Work for me," she pleaded. "It's a good deal. Bonus, I won't kill your friends."
Carefully, Sam started to pull the gun out of his pocket.
"Alright, look…" Dean started, but before he could finish, Sam fired the gun. No one, including Dean, was expecting it. It hit her straight in the heart and she stumbled back, her chest lighting up. Her form shifted back to being the short brunette. Dark liquid came out of her mouth and nose. She fell to the ground – dead.
And then, chaos. Starships start attacking and they are outnumbered. Harry whips off his cloak and starts casting spells and his brothers physically punch whoever they can.
"Close your eyes!" Cas yelled. Sam, Dean, Harry, and Bobby listen. There was a large blast of light and when they open their eyes again, all the monsters are dead around them.
"We got to take you on more monster hunts," Bobby said.
"We have to go. Now," Dean said, coming to his senses pretty quickly. He would question Sam about the gun later, but for now, they had to stop Ryan.
"Where?" Cas asked.
"The kid. The little kid. He's one of 'em," he said.
"Unbelievable," Cas said, exasperated.
"Yeah, I know Cas, you told me, alright. Let's just go."
Cas just shakes his head in disbelief and teleports himself with Sam, Dean, and Bobby away, leaving Harry behind.
"What a twat," Harry mutters, before casting a quick 'point-me,' and flying to the house where Castiel had just taken his brothers and Bobby.
"Where's Harry?" Dean demanded when they landed, glaring at Cas.
"He can find his own way," Cas responded.
"Cas you've got to stop…"
"Being a complete and utter wanker," Harry finished the sentence as he arrived.
The first thing they all notice is that there was an older man dead on the floor. Harry presumed that was the boy's uncle.
"So, we kill the wicked witch and she still wins. I mean, they could've turned half the town by now." Cas looked like he was about to say something. "Don't say it," Dean cut him off.
Bobby and starts looking around, seeing what he can find. He opens a door and Ryan's dead body falls out. They can all see Joe behind him, also dead.
"Found 'em," Bobby said.
"Well, who ganked them?" Dean asked, mystified, and relieved.
Sam bent down and touched yellow powder on the floor. "Demons," he said. "So, what do you think?" he said turning to the rest of them.
This all but confirmed to Harry that Castiel was working with Crowley, but he wasn't going to say anything with the angel present.
"I think that demons don't give a crap about monster tweens unless they're told to."
"So, you think she was telling the truth?" Sam asked.
"Yes," Harry answered. "Without a doubt."
"The truth about what?" Castiel asked, looking a little panicked. At least, if Harry was reading his facial expression correctly.
"She said that Crowley's still kicking," Dean explained.
"But I burned his bones, how c-? Was she certain?"
"Sounded pretty sure. According to her, Crowley's still waterboarding her kids, somewhere."
"I don't understand."
"Well, he is a crafty son of a bitch," Dean said.
"I'm an angel, I'll look into it immediately." He flew off.
Bobby and Sam turn to Harry. Harry nodded.
"What? What?" Dean was really confused. The three of them knew something he didn't. And he did not like that.
When no one else spoke, Bobby did. "How did Crowley get away? I mean, it's not like Cas to make mistakes like that. Unless – "
"Unless what?" Dean demanded.
"Unless he meant to," Harry said quietly.
Dean looked at him wildly. "This is Cas we're talking about." He turned to Sam, searching for an ally against the grim looks on Harry and Bobby's faces. "Do you believe this?" Sam didn't answer. "Sam?"
"Harry knows something."
All eyes were on the wizard. Harry frowned. "I think I know what's happening. But this isn't a secure location. We need to get behind some angel wards."
"Are you serious?" Dean asked incredulously.
"Yeah. Let's get back to Bobby's, I'll set them up and we can talk. I have a lot to tell you. But Dean – Death tried to warn us. Remember, he said it was all about the souls."
Dean still looked unconvinced.
Harry simply reached out to touch all three of them and take them back to Bobby's.
"Look, this is gonna take all night. They are quite complicated and take a lot of concentration. You should all get some sleep. I'll catch you up in the morning when it's safe."
None of them could deny being exhausted. And they knew that Harry needed sleep too, but this was too important.
"I'll brew you some coffee," Sam said.
"Great. Make it Irish?" Harry said as he headed to the basement. Might as well make the safest room in the house even safer.
Sam rolled his eyes. "Fine. But after, you're gonna sleep. And eat whatever Dean puts in front of you."
Harry shook his head. "Deal."
Sam went about brewing some coffee, Dean and Bobby following him into the kitchen.
"What the hell is going on?' Dean asked for what he felt was the millionth time in the last couple of days. Sam and Bobby exchanged looks.
"Harry gave us some information before all of this – when we were in the car with him. He didn't say much. Just that he couldn't be the one to kill Eve and we couldn't tell Cas."
"Or me?" Dean asked, testily.
"He said that he trusted you – but thinks you're too close to Cas," Sam explained, back turned to his brother so he wouldn't have to see the rage on his face.
"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!" Dean yelled. Sam winced. Bobby rolled his eyes. "I'm gonna go talk to him now. This is ridiculous bullshit."
"Dean – wait," Bobby said, stopping the eldest Winchester from stomping off.
"What?" He snapped.
"Go easy on him, he's been through a lot."
"I show him a lot," Dean muttered under his breath as he headed into the basement, ready to give Harry a piece of his mind.
However, when he got to the basement, the door to the safe room was closed. That was odd. Dean moved to open it. The door was heavy so it took a moment. When he got inside the room, no one was there. 'Maybe he went somewhere else?' Dean thought, confused. Harry certainly could have teleported away. He was about to go back upstairs and report this to Sam and Bobby when he saw something that made his blood freeze. Harry's wandblade was discarded on the floor on the outside of the saferoom. And blood on the wall directly behind it.
"SAM! BOBBY!" He yelled.
The two men came running down.
"What's going on?" Sam asked.
Dean turned to them. "I think Harry's been taken."
"Taken? How is that possible?" Bobby asked. "We saw him not two minutes ago."
Dean pointed to the wandblade, knowing better than to pick it up.
"Balls."
AN – Hello! Thank you everyone for your patience while I enjoyed some time away from my screen for a long weekend. To reward you for that patience, I present to you…a cliffhanger! We're beginning to get very close here. I'm really excited that my chapter numbers now line up with the episode numbers. I am posting this a day early so I can stop obsessing and finish working on getting the rest of this written. The normal new update day will be Mondays.
I had to look up the Jefferson Starships – I honestly (like Harry) thought that it was a Star Trek reference, but I was wrong. They were a band in the 70s and 80s that apparently Dean didn't like very much. Also, I realized that no one ("on-screen") in this fanfic ever showed Harry a picture of Mary. There is something deliciously cruel about him seeing her for the first time as a monster that I couldn't resist. I am beginning to lean towards setting the next full story in Season 12 actually because I think there is just so much good Men of Letters/Winchester family drama to be had.
Thank you for all the comments, reviews, kudos, follows, and favorites. (All interactions, really.) I greatly appreciate them! A reminder to ff dot net readers – my responses to you are in my profile.
My goal is to have this fic completely posted and complete by the one-year anniversary of the start. (August 18th) After that, I plan on doing a complete edit of what I wrote to fix all my typos, grammar, and spelling errors. (No, I cannot seem to consistently spell phoenix correctly.) I am taking volunteers if anyone would like to help me with this (begging for, really). If you would like to help, leave a comment or send me a PM.
Next week will be one of my very favorite episodes because despite him being the villain of this story, I love Cas so very, very much. (Hellers – the next chapter is for you; I have put in ALL the subtext.) I don't know what I'm going to call it yet, but it's based in The Man Who Would Be King.