Later that night Dean had a very strange dream. He opened his eyes to find himself lying in a grassy field, the cloudless sky dark and full of stars as the moon shone overhead. Sitting up he realised that it wasn't just an empty field he was in; he was sitting in the centre of a circle of gigantic stones that he instantly recognised as Stonehenge. Looking around he could find no signs of life, no indication that there was anyone here at all aside from himself. He got to his feet and brushed the grass off his clothes, turning as he heard and felt a light breeze blow past him.
"Hello?" he shouted, his voice echoing. "Is anyone here?"
The breeze blew up again and feeling warmth at his back Dean spun around and came face to face with a glowing beam of golden light so bright it made his eyes ache. As he raised his hand to shield his face the light slowly faded to reveal a tall and very beautiful woman with golden-red hair so long it touched the ground and the greenest eyes he'd ever seen. She also had some strange patterns on her face, although whether they were painted or tattooed Dean couldn't tell.
"What the...who're you?"
The woman didn't answer but she stepped up to him and gently placed her hand on his upper arm where Castiel's handprint was and smiled warmly.
"Dean Winchester," she said softly.
"Yeah, that's me," Dean nodded. "Now who're you?"
Instead of answering the woman drew her hand away and knelt down, making Dean frown in confusion as she used her fingers to draw what looked like an 'X' in the patch of dirt they were standing on. When she looked at up him and met his gaze her expression was serious.
"An áit a dtagann ceithre chosán le chéile."
"What?" Dean asked, even more confused now. "I don't understand you."
"An áit a dtagann ceithre chosán le chéile," the woman repeated, more urgently this time.
"I still don't understand," said Dean. "What're you trying to tell me?"
The woman pointed to the mark in the dirt, keeping her gaze locked on him. "An áit a dtagann ceithre chosán le chéile."
Suddenly everything went cold and Dean shivered as a freezing wind blew up around him so strongly that it brought him to his knees. When he looked up the woman was gone and in her place was a frighteningly familiar cloud of blackness. What was a demon doing here?!
"Who the hell are you?!" Dean yelled above the roar of the wind.
But the demon just cackled and lunged at him. Dean's eyes flew open and he shot up in bed as though he'd been electrocuted, panting like he'd just run a mile. It took him a moment to realise that he was in fact not at Stonehenge and there was no demon. There was only Starina's guestroom and a ray of pale sunlight streaming across the quilt through the curtains. Sighing with relief he rubbed his eyes and looked at the bed next to his and found it empty. It seemed that Sam was already awake and had gone downstairs. Deciding that he'd better get up as well he quickly dressed and headed straight for the kitchen. He needed coffee after that dream. Sure enough when he came into the kitchen Sam was sitting at the table with his laptop and a steaming mug of coffee.
"Mornin' Sasquatch," Dean yawned, ruffling his brother's hair as he passed him. "Bit early to be lookin' at porn, don't you think?"
Sam sent him a deadpan look and tried to tidy his hair. "Ha, ha, ha, very funny," he muttered sarcastically, ignoring Dean as he chuckled smugly and poured himself some coffee. "Actually I was doing some research on that William Cooke guy that was here yesterday."
"Oh really?" Dean said with mild interest as he sat opposite Sam. "Find anything interesting?"
"Yeah, get this," Sam started. "Cooke Enterprises doesn't exist. I've been trawling the internet all morning and can't find reference to it anywhere. But I did find out some interesting stuff about William."
"Yeah? What's that?" asked Dean as he took a sip of coffee.
"According to this William Cooke is a lab technician," Sam went on. "He used to work in this high-end laboratory in London that specialises in genetic engineering and analysis."
Dean frowned a little. "Genetic engineering? You mean like Jurassic Park or something?"
"I dunno, I've only managed pull up his criminal records," Sam shrugged. "It says here that Scotland Yard has a warrant out for his arrest and he's on the FBI's wanted list. They must be working with Scotland Yard."
"What's he wanted for?" Dean asked.
"Theft, stalking, kidnapping, and he's facing murder charges back in London," Sam read from the screen. "Says here that he stole genetic material from the lab where he worked and tried to conduct illegal human experiments. He actually went and kidnapped someone to experiment on and they died as a result."
Dean shook his head in disgust. "That's just wrong, man."
"Tell me about it," Sam agreed. "No wonder Starina was so upset. This guy's crazy."
"But what does he want with her?" Dean asked. "You think he knows about Donovan?"
"It's possible but I doubt it," said Sam as he closed the laptop. "But he might know that she's a Mage. Their powers are hereditary, remember? He probably wants her so that he can experiment on her."
"Well that's not gonna happen," Dean determined as he drained his cup. The thought of some whack-job experimenting on an innocent pregnant woman made his skin crawl. "As soon as we're done with the Wraith I say we catch the bastard and turn him over to the cops."
"Well, we're not going anywhere for another few days so I can't see why not," Sam shrugged. "He's likely to come back if he doesn't get a call from her so we can just stay here and wait."
"Sounds like a plan," Dean said as he got up to get a refill. "By the way, do you know anything about dreams?"
"Not really. Why?"
Dean refilled his cup and leaned on the counter. "I woke up from this crazy dream this morning. I'm not sure but I think it might've meant something. Something important."
"What'd you dream about?" Sam asked curiously.
"You know Stonehenge, right?" Dean asked and Sam nodded. "I dreamt that I was in the middle of it and there was this really beautiful woman-"
"Do I really wanna hear about this dream?" Sam cut in, looking apprehensive.
"What? No, it wasn't that kinda dream," Dean rolled his eyes. "There was this woman and I think she was tryin' to tell me something. She spoke to me but I couldn't understand a word she said."
"Was she speaking English?" Sam frowned a little.
"No, it was definitely another language," Dean said as he sipped his coffee. "I heard her clearly but I'm damned if I knew what she was saying. Then she showed me this mark on the ground and she kept pointing at it and saying the same thing over and over again."
"What'd it look like?" Sam asked, listening attentively.
"I dunno it was something like an 'X'," Dean shrugged. "And then this demon shows up, attacks me, and next thing I know I'm back in Kansas, so to speak."
"What's the 'X' is supposed to mean?" Sam thought out loud. "X marks the spot?"
"Your guess is as good as mine," Dean shrugged. "I just wish I knew what that woman said because it sounded important."
"Hey."
They both looked around and to their surprise Starina was standing at the bottom of the stairs, leaning heavily on the banister for support and cradling her swollen stomach. She was looking much better now that she'd had at least eighteen hours sleep.
"What're those looks for?" she asked jokingly. "Were you expecting someone else?"
"Hey you're awake," Sam smiled as he stood up and Dean straightened from where he'd been leaning on the counter. "Are you okay?"
Starina nodded and stepped away from the banister. "Yeah, I'm great," she said confidently but then she swayed a bit and grabbed the banister again, making the brothers grimace. "Okay, maybe not."
"Here, let me."
Starina turned five different shades of pink with embarrassment as Sam went over and offered his hand, which she look and she allowed him to help steady her as she crossed the floor to the table.
"Thanks Sam," she muttered sheepishly as she sat down. "I guess I don't quite have my sea legs back yet."
"You're doing pretty well considering how bad things were yesterday," Dean commented as Sam sat back down. "You probably should've stayed in bed a bit longer, though."
Starina sighed and let her head roll back. "Yeah I know, but the twins were kicking up a storm and woke me," she huffed irritably as she straightened again. "I swear it's like they're having a wrestling match in there or something. I wish they'd settle down. Ow!"
Dean nearly knocked his cup off the counter and Sam jumped as she suddenly gasped in pain and gripped the table so tightly her knuckles went white.
"What is it? What's wrong?" Sam asked worriedly.
"Cool your jets guys, I just got kicked in the spleen," Starina assured them as she rubbed the side of her belly. "Ouch, that really hurt!"
"You sure that's all it was?" Dean asked cautiously.
Starina chuckled at his nervousness. "Yes I'm sure," she promised and Dean relaxed again. "I can tell the difference between a kick and a contraction. I've been having Braxton Hicks for weeks. Now, I thought I heard you two talking about a dream? I couldn't help overhearing."
"Yeah, we were," said Sam as Dean came around the counter to sit at the table with them. "It might interest you, actually. Dean was just telling me that he dreamt about Stonehenge."
"Oh?" Starina's eyebrows rose with interest as she glanced at Dean. "What did you dream exactly? Describe it."
"Well I dreamt that I was at Stonehenge," said Dean as he took a sip of coffee. "At first I was alone but then this woman appeared and said something I couldn't make out."
Starina sat forward. "This woman, what did she look like?"
"She was hot for starters," Dean chuckled, earning a disapproving frown from Sam. "Tall, green eyes, a hell of a lot of red hair-"
"Did she have markings painted on her?" Starina asked sharply.
Both brothers were taken aback by the sudden question. "Yeah, on her face," said Dean. "How'd you know that?"
"Rhiannon," Starina said quietly. "That's what she looked like when I summoned her last year. She must've contacted you from the Spirit Realm."
Dean blinked. "Wait, what?"
"Spirits are capable of contacting the living from the Spirit Realm," Starina explained. "They can appear to us in the form of an apparition or they enter our subconscious while we're asleep and we interpret that visitation as a dream."
"So what you're saying is that Rhiannon got into Dean's head when he was sleeping to communicate with him?" asked Sam.
"To it simply, yes," Starina nodded. "For Rhiannon to have chosen Dean to communicate with she must've had something very important to tell him," she said as she looked at Dean again. "A warning maybe. What else can you tell me about the dream?"
"She drew a mark in the dirt like this," Dean went on, using his fingers to draw an 'X' shape on the tabletop. "She kept pointing at it and repeating the same thing, but I couldn't understand her. Then a demon appeared and attacked me and I woke up."
"Can you repeat what she said?" asked Starina.
Dean tried to repeat the same words he'd heard in his dream, which resulted in a lot of strange looks and chuckling from Sam, but Starina listened attentively and helped as best she could. After about fifteen minutes they managed to piece the message together.
"An áit a dtagann ceithre chosán le chéile, is that what it sounded like?" Starina asked, frowning a little.
"Yeah, that's pretty close," Dean said as he rubbed his temples. Languages really weren't his thing.
"Wait, you know what it is?" asked Sam.
"Of course I do, it's Gaelic," said Starina as though it was obvious. "The mother language of Ireland, very old and not spoken by many. The tradition of speaking it has been passed down through the generations for centuries."
"So what you just said, what does it mean?" Dean asked.
"It means, 'where four paths meet'," Starina said thoughtfully. "I know that saying. I've seen it in the chronicles."
Sam raised an eyebrow. "Chronicles?"
"We're not talking about the Chronicles of Narnia are we?" Dean smirked a bit.
"My family chronicles are no fairytale," Starina said seriously. "They contain everything there is to know about my clan. I've studied them for years and since I moved here I've been looking through them for clues as to how the Mage gained his power before he became the Wraith."
"But why do you need to know that?" Dean asked, all humour gone now. "Isn't that what I'm here for?"
"That's part of it, yes," Starina said as she winced from being kicked again. "The Wraith has been defeated before but he's always found a way to return and no one's ever known how or why. I have a theory that he has some sort of lifeline or a link that keeps him from being sealed permanently."
At that moment the glass sliding door opened and Donovan stepped inside, looking very surprised to see that Starina was up and about.
"Starina, what're you doing up?" he asked in concern as he went over and crouched in front of her. "Are you alright?"
"Yes Donovan, I'm fine," Starina chuckled, motioning for him to stand up again. "The babies woke me up kicking, that's all. I couldn't get back to sleep so I thought I'd come downstairs for a while. Have you three finally decided to stop butting heads and get along? I don't feel any tension between you anymore."
Dean and Sam smiled as Donovan chuckled. "Well, let's just say they've more than earned my trust," he said as he hugged her.
"Took you long enough," Starina joked. "At least now I don't have to make you guys sit in a corner and hold hands. It's what my mother did when me and my brothers used to fight," she added at the brothers' slightly terrified looks.
"Uh, that won't be necessary," Sam shifted awkwardly at the thought of Starina's mother's parenting tactics.
"Yeah, we're good now," Dean agreed hastily.
"Well what're we waiting for? We've got work to do." Starina went to stand up but Donovan gently held her in place.
"Have you eaten yet?" he asked.
"Um, not yet," Starina looked sheepish. "But Donovan-"
"No, breakfast first," Donovan said sternly but gently.
"Okay fine," Starina huffed. "I'll just-"
"I'll make it," the dragon said with finality.
After breakfast the brothers joined Starina in the living room where she showed them a stack of three A4 notebooks that Donovan had retrieved from the study. They looked old, very well used and had several loose pages and post-it notes sticking out of them.
"What're these?" Sam asked curiously as he and Dean sat down on the couch.
"I wanted to show you yesterday, they're excerpts from the chronicles," Starina explained as she sat in one of the recliners. "Mostly from Rhiannon's era. I copied and translated them in hopes of finding clues as to how the Mage may have gotten his power before he became the Wraith."
"How does that help us?" Dean asked, frowning a little in confusion.
"Remember my theory?" asked Starina and the brothers both nodded. "A Mage who's had his power taken away can never use magic again, and yet when the Mage returned to the tribe he had terrifying unnatural power that no Mage could possibly be born with, so he had to have gotten it from another source. I believe he has some kind of link to that source that's keeping him from staying dead."
"So if we can find out what the source is and destroy it then he won't be able to come back again," Sam concluded as he picked up one of the books and opened it carefully.
"I'm sure my theory's correct," Starina nodded. "My powers guided me specifically to these notes that I copied but I've looked through them many times and nothing's stood out to me. I wanted to show them to you guys because you're hunters and might see something that I can't."
"Hey Dean, look at this," Sam pointed to the paragraph he was reading.
Dean leaned over for a better look and read out loud:
"When the Banished One returned to the village he no longer bore resemblance to a man. Though he was young he had aged many decades in short time. He appeared sickly and his bones could be seen through his skin, which was pale as limestone. In his wake birds fell from the sky, crops withered and died, soil became barren, rivers ceased to flow and livestock were no longer fertile. Any unfortunate soul who crossed his path fell dead without cause..."
"Sound familiar?" Sam asked when Dean finished reading.
"Yeah," Dean nodded as he sat back again. "The dead birds and the grass back at the pylon."
"But how's the Wraith causing all this to happen?" Sam wondered out loud. "It doesn't really describe what happened to the people that died."
"He absorbed their life force," Starina spoke up. "It's written in more recent parts of the chronicles that the Wraith can take the life force from anything and everything that lives and gives life at will."
"Then why didn't he just take our life force when we were at the pylon?" Sam asked. "He had every opportunity."
"Because of me," Dean said, looking up in realisation as he remembered what Starina had told them the day before. "I carry Cas's presence, remember? That makes the Wraith weak."
Starina nodded. "The Wraith will be running scared now because he knows we have that advantage, so he'll keep his distance for the time being. But if we want to kill him and ensure that he stays dead we have to find out what the source of his power is and destroy it."
"So how did Rhiannon defeat the Mage?" Sam asked as he turned the page in the book he was holding. "Because if her method worked once it should work again."
"By piercing his heart with a sliver blade that was blessed by monk under the light of a full moon," Starina said, shifting uncomfortably and wincing. "I already have the blade, but it's useless to us unless we destroy the source of the Wraith's power and Dean can weaken him enough for me to get close enough to pierce his heart."
"Well I guess we'd better get reading then," Dean said as he picked up a book and opened it. "So what exactly do we look for?"
"Anything that might give you a clue or a hint as to what the source of the Wraith's power might be," Starina said as she heaved herself up. "Uff, these kids are heavy. I'll be back in a minute."
"Where're you going?" Dean frowned. He had been under the assumption that she was going to stick around and help.
"To the ladies room, if you must know," Starina answered, sounding a little annoyed.
Dean winced. "Okay, sorry."
Sam chuckled as Starina shuffled out of the room and the two settled in and began to read. It proved to be a slow process since they were scanning practically every sentence for anything that might turn out to be a lead, and there was a lot of writing to go through. Starina had to have spent weeks copying the notes because there was so much detail, especially in the methods Starina's forbears had used in their attempts to seal the Wraith.
"This is interesting," Sam spoke up after a while. "Says here this guy trapped the Wraith in a trunk carved with seals, buried it in a pit full of salt and then built a castle over it. About fifty years later the castle was destroyed when the foundations mysteriously exploded, leaving a crater ten feet deep."
"Jeeze, that's one pissed off Wraith," Dean commented. "Check this out, this woman locked the Wraith in her wine cellar. She carved seals on the door, put salt around it and had the staircase leading to it demolished so that no one could get to it. The Wraith escaped a few decades later."
"I don't get it, how does the Wraith keep escaping?" Sam asked in confusion. "The only way he could've escaped was if the seals were broken from the outside."
"But how could someone break them when they've been buried or blocked off?" Dean asked. "I mean, it's not like someone would actually want to go to all that trouble to release him, would they?"
"It's possible," Sam shrugged. "Starina's family are all magic wielders so they're bound to have made enemies at some point or another. Could be someone out for revenge."
"Well, that narrows it down," Dean said sarcastically. "We'd only have to sift through, I dunno, a thousand years of history to find out who!"
Sam was about to say something in retaliation when there was a knock on the door that silenced him and had Dean turning around to glance in that direction.
"Think it's that William guy again?" Sam asked as he snapped the book shut and put it down.
"It could be," Dean said as he stood. "Get ready to back me up."
Sam nodded and went over to the fireplace to grab a poker since neither of them was armed and there was no time to go for their weapons. Dean gripped the door handle and glanced over at Sam who nodded and Dean let the door swing open.
"Alright listen pal- Michelle?" Dean blanched when he came face to face not with William but with Michelle, the gorgeous blonde he'd spoken to at Town Hall. Hearing her voice Sam quickly put the poker back where he'd found it and tried to look casual.
"Mr. Craig, hi!" Michelle smiled brightly. She had a lot of makeup and was wearing an outfit that wouldn't have looked out of place in a strip club. "I had the day off today so I thought I'd stop by and see how Starina was getting on. I haven't seen her for a while and I've been worried about her. Is she home?"
"Uh yeah she's home, c'mon in," Dean said, stepping aside to her in.
"Thanks!" Michelle's high heels tapped loudly on the wooden floor as she went over and set a cardboard tray with three cups in it on the coffee table. "I've brought some treats from my favourite coffee shop. Oh, hello!" she added when she spotted Sam. "Are you Starina's boyfriend?"
Sam cleared his throat awkwardly. "Um no, no I'm here with him," he said as he gestured to Dean.
"Oh yeah, Michelle this is Harrison," said Dean, quickly falling into character. "He's my associate from the power company."
"Well it's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Harrison," Michelle smiled again, showing off perfect white teeth. "Sorry I mistook you for Starina's boyfriend, all she'll ever tell me is that he's tall so I assumed she meant you."
As she said, "Starina's boyfriend" Sam and Dean exchanged a horrified glance. Donovan was outside checking the seals on the fence as he did every day and was probably unaware of Michelle's presence. If he walked in here and she saw him she was bound to run out of the house screaming bloody murder. They either had to warn Donovan or get Michelle to leave.
"So where's Starina?" Michelle asked, looking around curiously as Dean tried to subtly signal Sam to go and find Donovan while she was distracted. "You said she's home, right?"
"Uh yeah, she's home," Dean said, inwardly sighing with relief when Sam gave a nod to show he understood. "She just had to go use the bathroom; she'll be back in a minute."
Michelle nodded sympathetically, not noticing that Sam had snuck out through the kitchen and out the sliding door. "Still pregnant, huh?" she asked and Dean nodded. "Poor thing, she must be just about ready to pop. Well, some hot chocolate oughta cheer her up."
As she bent over the coffee table the skirt she was wearing left nothing to the imagination as it rode up her legs and Dean had to mentally slap himself to keep from drooling. He looked away as she straightened up again so that she wouldn't know he'd been checking her out and cleared his throat.
"I had a hunch you'd still be here so brought you some coffee, too," Michelle said, smiling sweetly as she held out a large cup.
"Thanks," Dean smiled back as he took the cup. "You didn't haveta do that."
"Oh nonsense," Michelle waved her hand at him as he took a sip. "I know how hard you guys have been working, trying to figure out what's going on around here with the blackouts and all. I heard that the pylon tower blew up and you had to reroute the power," she added as she batted her eyelashes at him. "I hope nobody got hurt?"
"No, everyone's fine," Dean assured her, unable to resist glancing at her blouse which showed off her cleavage as he took another mouthful of coffee and pulled a face because it tasted bitter. "Nobody was in the area at the time and we're working as fast as we can to repair the damage. Damn, what's going on with this coffee?"
"Is it too strong?" Michelle asked, sounding concerned. "Does it need more sugar?"
Dean was about to answer when he looked at the cup and caught sight of the coffee shop's logo. It was a railway crossing symbol with the words "Crossroads Cafe" floating in front of it. Dean's eyes widened in realisation as the words, "Where four paths meet" echoed in his ears and the 'X' shape Rhiannon had shown him flashed through his mind.
"Where four paths meet," he muttered.
Michelle looked puzzled. "What?"
"Where four paths meet," Dean repeated, louder this time. "It's a crossroads! The four paths are a crossroads!"
"Mr. Craig are you drunk?" Michelle asked, smirking a little as Dean suddenly went pale and he winced in discomfort. "You're not making any sense."
"It's a crossroa- AH!" Dean cried out as a sharp pain suddenly ripped through his stomach and he dropped the cup on the floor, a dark brown stain spreading on the rug as the pain brought him to his knees. "Ugh! What's going on?" he groaned as his stomach clenched painfully.
"Oh dear," Michelle said mockingly as she crouched next to him. "I guess this is what happens when you interfere in other peoples' affairs, Dean Winchester."
"Y-You bitch!" Dean snarled through the pain. "Who the hell are you?!"
"Well, let's just say that a certain Wraith happens to be a client of mine," Michelle blinked and her eyes turned black. "And you, Dean Winchester, are his weakness and sadly that means you have to die. And for good measure so does your precious little brother."
"N-no! Touch one hair on his head and I swear I'll- UGH!" Dean couldn't hold back the scream as the pain seemed to increase tenfold and he rolled onto his side, scrunching up in agony.
"Sorry? I didn't catch that," Michelle mocked him. "What'll happen if I touch one hair on little Sammy's head?"
"This!"
There was a loud whack and Michelle let out a shriek of pain as she was sent sprawling onto the floor. Dean looked up and Starina was standing over her, the poker from the fireplace in her hands. She was as white as a ghost and she was trembling, although whether it was from fear or adrenaline Dean couldn't tell.
"Dean!" Starina dropped the poker and stepped around Michelle and knelt beside him, gently grasping his shoulder. "Dean are you okay? What happened?"
She looked up as she heard an evil chuckle and Michelle was back on her feet, a huge bruise already blossoming on her pretty face as she hovered over them, smirking nastily and her black eyes glinting.
"Well I must say Starina, that's a pretty strong swing you've got there," she said, feigning being impressed. "A little harder and it might've actually hurt."
Starina immediately struggled back to her feet again, putting herself between the possessed Michelle and Dean. "What've you done to Dean?" she snarled.
"Oh that?" Michelle shrugged as though she couldn't care less. "Just slipped a little something into his coffee. My plan was to poison him and his brother to get them out of the way but now it seems I'll have to resort to other measures to kill them."
"Not on your life," Starina spat, clenching her fists. "I won't let you!"
Michelle raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? Newsflash Honey, you're pregnant and about to drop. Try anything and both you and those little parasites could die. How exactly do you plan on stopping me?"
The smug look on her face quickly vanished as the room began to shake violently and Starina's body suddenly glowed with the bright green light Dean remembered seeing at the pylon. Starina raised her hand and Michelle let out a scream and fell to her knees, one hand covering her forehead as the dreadful smell of burning human flesh permeated the air. The odour was so potent that Dean would've gagged if not for the terrible pain still wracking his body. He watched as Michelle staggered to her feet again, her forehead appearing as though it had been burned with a branding iron. Dean's eyes widened when he recognised the mark as a Devil's Trap.
"Y-You little bitch!" Michelle screeched, the burn on her forehead still smoking around the edges. "What...what did you do?! I-I can't get out!"
Starina stepped forward and seized her by the neck of her blouse, yanking her close to look her directly in the eyes. "If you ever, ever try to harm the Winchesters again," she hissed. "I'll kill you."
And with seemingly no effort she threw Michelle across the room and she smacked into the wall so hard that the plaster cracked. As quickly as it all started, the shaking stopped and the green glow vanished, leaving Starina standing looking pale and horrified at what had just happened. At that moment the sliding door opened and Sam and Donovan burst into the room.
"What the hell's going o- DEAN!"
Snapped out of her stunned trance Starina turned as Sam rushed to his brother's side. Dean was still curled up on the floor writhing and groaning with pain. Donovan followed her as she hurried over and knelt down with difficulty at Dean's other side.
"Dean talk to me. Dean!" Sam cried in distress as he looked up at her. "What's going on? What's wrong with him?!"
"Roll him over, hurry!" Starina ordered and Sam helped her to roll Dean so that he was on his back, which was way easier said than done because Dean was curled in on himself so tight because of the pain he was in. He let out a yelp as Sam forced him to lie flat and Starina then held her hand over his chest and muttered under her breath as her hand began to glow with the familiar bright blue light. "Shit, that bitch dosed him with strychnine!"
"With what?"
"Strychnine," Starina repeated. "It causes severe muscle spasms and organ failure. It's used in rat poison."
"Oh my God, can you help him?" Sam asked desperately.
Starina thought quickly. "Donovan, get the chest from the cabinet above the fridge, now!"
Donovan obeyed and ran to the kitchen, nearly tearing the door off the cabinet as he wrenched it open to find the aforementioned chest. Luckily it was right in front of him so he grabbed it and rushed it back to Starina, who quickly set it down beside her and began to search through it.
"It's okay Dean, you're gonna be okay," Sam tried to soothe him as he breathed harshly through the pain. He'd gone very white and sweat was dripping down his face.
"Got it!" Starina said she grabbed a bottle full of greenish liquid and shook it. "I need him to sit up."
Dean let out a groan as Sam helped him into a sitting position and Starina popped the cork out of the bottle.
"S-Sammy," Dean hissed through clenched teeth. "H-hurts!"
"It's gonna be okay," Sam said as he held Dean up. "Starina's gonna help you."
"Can you swallow?" Starina asked and Dean gave a pained nod. "This is gonna taste absolutely disgusting but you need to drink it, okay?"
Dean nodded again and Starina put the bottle to his lips and tipped the bottle up so that the liquid ran straight down his throat. Dean immediately choked and spluttered and tried to spit it out.
"Sorry, I know it tastes bad Dean but you've gotta swallow it," Starina said urgently.
"C'mon Dean, just let it go down," Sam urged him.
Dean finally swallowed and for a moment it seemed that the liquid hadn't done anything, but suddenly he lurched forward and Sam and Starina only just managed to get out of the way before a black, tarry looking substance spewed out of his mouth. Sam reflexively recoiled in disgust but Starina looked relieved.
"That's it Dean, get it up," she encouraged as she rubbed his back soothingly. "Good, that's what we want. I know it's gross but you've gotta get it out. Donovan, grab the blanket outta the study."
Donovan nodded and rushed out of the room while Dean continued to cough and splutter until finally the spasms stopped and he sat gasping and shivering, his face ghostly pale and sweaty as Sam gratefully took the blanket and wrapped him up in it.
"Dean, try to relax," Starina said gently as she brushed his hair off his forehead. "The medicine I gave you purged all the poison from your body and reversed its effects. You'll be alright now."
"It's okay Dean, you're gonna be okay," Sam soothed as he pulled Dean into his arms and rocked his trembling form slowly back and forth.
Starina struggled back onto her feet and went over to Donovan who had just noticed Michelle lying unconscious on the floor. He gently grasped Starina's shoulders as she began to tremble and sob.
"Starina, are you alright?" he asked as he looked her over. "What happened here?"
"That bitch tried to kill Dean," Starina wept. "She's a demon. I came back from the bathroom and she was here and Dean was on the floor...I don't know what happened but I couldn't stop it... I just... I just grabbed her and she went flying."
"Slow down Starina, take a breath," Donovan ordered gently as he hugged her. "Take a breath and calm down."
He looked over and Sam was still holding his older brother on the floor, breathing deeply as he tried to compose himself. Dean had stopped coughing now but he was still shivering, clearly in shock after what had just transpired. Sam looked up as Starina and Donovan stepped up to them and a pained expression crossed Starina's features when she saw the tears in Sam's eyes.
"Thank you," he said hoarsely. "You saved my brother's life. Thank you."
"Please don't Sam," Starina shook her head as tears streamed down her face. "It's my fault that this happened. If I'd just stayed in England-"
"It wouldn't have made any difference," Donovan told her gently. "One way or another someone would've gotten hurt. You can't prevent that."
Suddenly Dean pulled away from Sam and everyone watched him closely as he tried to stand up, but he was still so shaky that his knees buckled and he stumbled against the couch.
"Whoa Dean, slow down dude," Sam eased as he got to his feet and placed a steadying hand on his brother's shoulder. "Take it easy, okay?"
"Crossroads, Sammy it's a crossroads," Dean croaked, his throat still raw from vomiting and coughing.
Sam raised an eyebrow. "Crossroads?"
"Where the four paths meet," Dean coughed. "Ugh, can I have some water?"
Sam went to get the water while Donovan helped Dean to lie down on the couch.
Starina waved her hand to make the tarry stuff on the floor disappear before sitting on the coffee table, watching him closely as he sat up a little and gratefully gulped down the water.
"Now what're you trying to tell us, Dean?" Sam asked as he took the glass and set it down.
"Where the four paths meet," Dean repeated, lying back against the armrest. "It's a crossroads. Rhiannon was trying to show me a crossroads."
"Crossroads?" Starina frowned. "How'd you come to that conclusion?"
Dean pointed and everyone followed his glance to the remaining coffee cups that Michelle had brought. Sam picked one up and tilted it back and sure enough, the words "Crossroads Cafe" and the familiar railway crossing symbol were staring him right in the face. Now it was starting to make sense.
"Where four paths meet," he muttered. "That's what Rhiannon meant. The four paths meet to make a crossroads!"
Starina's hand flew to her mouth, her eyes wide with astonishment. "Of course! That's why we couldn't make sense of it! In Rhiannon's time they didn't have roads, they had paths!"
"The demon that's possessing Michelle is a Crossroads Demon" Dean spoke up, making everyone glance at him. "She called the Wraith her client."
"That must've been what Rhiannon was trying to warn us about," said Sam. "The Mage, he sold his soul to a Crossroads Demon to get his power."
"Wait a minute, don't Crossroads Demons make their deals and then send Hellhounds to collect the soul after ten years?" Donovan frowned. "I heard a few things about demons from the hunters that tortured me," he added as everyone looked at him strangely.
"That's usually how it works, yeah," Sam nodded. "Although the rules seem to change a lot depending on the demon."
"But then why would this demon make a deal and not collect on it after the allotted time?" asked Starina. "It's been a thousand years since the Mage made the deal and he's still haunting us. Surely no demon would let him go for so long without paying up?"
"They wouldn't," said Dean as he sat up, wincing in pain as his sore muscles protested the movement. "There's something else going on here and we've gotta find out what."
"Well, we've still got Michelle," Sam said as they all glanced at the woman who was still lying unconscious on the floor. "Although the demon would've bailed by now."
"No, she's still possessed," said Starina. "I don't how I did it but I trapped the demon in there so it couldn't escape."
"What do you mean you don't know how you did it?" Dean frowned.
"Just what I said, I don't know how I did it," Starina shook her head. "After everything that happened yesterday I shouldn't have had the strength. But when I came in here and saw her standing over you I just... it just happened. I can't explain it."
"Perhaps it was just your magic acting on instinct," Donovan suggested. "You mentioned to me once that sometimes happens in stressful situations."
Sam stood and went over to look at Michelle who was still very much unconscious. "You burnt a Devil's Trap on her, smart move. That demon won't be going anywhere anytime soon."
Starina shifted awkwardly. "I wish I could say I'd planned it, but thanks anyway."
"Then we'd better tie her up before she comes to," Dean said, clenching his teeth in discomfort from his sore muscles as he stood. "She's gonna be pissed when she realises what you've done."
"Do you think we could use your basement?" asked Sam. "Demons don't like being interrogated and it tends to get violent."
"Of course," Starina nodded as she stood up. "Donovan, go grab a bucket of water, they're gonna need it."
Ten minutes later they were all down in the basement, a still unconscious Michelle tied securely to a chair while Sam and Dean drew more Devils' Traps on the floor and the ceiling, just to be on the safe side. Then Sam stood over the water that Donovan had brought and performed the ritual to bless it.
"Exorcizo te, creatura aquae, in nomine Dei Patris omnipotentis et in virtute Spiritus Sancti!"
"You sure you wanna be down here for this?" Dean asked Starina who was watching the proceedings nervously. "Because I'll tell you now this ain't gonna be easy to witness."
Starina took a steadying breath and nodded. "Yes, I'm sure. This may be the only way to find out how to banish the Wraith forever, so I'm gonna see this through."
"If you wanna leave at any time you'll tell me, won't you?" Donovan asked as he gently squeezed her hand in a show of support. "Remember what Irene said about stress."
"I will, Donovan," Starina promised.
"Okay then, let's get this show on the road."
Sam scooped up a handful of water from the bucket and splashed it on Michelle. Instantly her head shot up and she screamed in pain as steam rose into the air as the Holy water burned her skin. The scream scared Starina stiff and she jumped, making Donovan shield her with his wings.
"Alright demon, tell us who you are," Dean commanded when Michelle finally stopped screaming.
The woman's eyes were black when she shot a poisonous glare at them all and hissed furiously, showing her teeth. "You filthy brats! Release me at once!" she screeched.
She struggled against her bindings but it was useless, Sam and Dean had bound her expertly and there was no way she was breaking free. Sam splashed more water on her, causing more steam to rise as she screamed again.
"Tell us who you are!" Dean shouted, making Starina flinch again.
This time when Michelle looked up she smirked nastily, giggling in a way that made Dean want to slap the smirk right off her pretty face. "You wanna know who I am?" she sneered, giggling again. "Well then, I'll tell you. I am Lucrecia."
My God, this took so long to write! I must've gone back and rewritten it a dozen times but I still think I dragged it a bit. Hopefully the next chapter will be better. Please R/R!