The Underworld was a dark, dank place. Chris had almost forgotten how much he despised its lurid humidity, and dimly lit corridors. All of the time he had spent in this literal hellhole playing double agent had not helped better his opinion. The constant feeling of betrayal that had lived perpetually in the pit of his stomach back then, returned to him now in a wave of painful memories. He shook his head, attempting to center his thoughts. He had done what he had to do then, and he would do the same now. Chris had endlessly advocated for this plan, and he wasn't about to scare himself out of it.
"Are you okay?" Ruby asked.
Chris looked over at her. She was very beautiful, with her raven hair and tan skin. Her eyes, a deep green, shone bright in the darkness. She was dressed like a demon, all black and studded leather, but she looked almost wrong in those clothes now. There was a kind of softness about her features, ever since she had been cured. She was almost earnest with the need to understand and atone. Chris felt for her, but her newfound sincerity would not serve their purpose now.
"I'll be fine, but you need to look more… demonic."
Ruby frowned.
"Yeah, that helps. Now, stand with more confidence, be cocky. Act like you know better than everyone, and that chaos is your favorite thing."
"But, I do what Rowena asks, don't I?"
Chris nodded, "Yes, always. The only thing any of us ever admired about you was your loyalty. When you found a cause, you saw it through, no matter the repercussions."
Ruby nodded, grabbing Chris's arms suddenly, "Well then we'd better give my illustrious mistress what she wants. Shall we?"
Chris almost smiled as she attempted to get into character. "Do you remember what you were like, you know, before?"
"A little," Ruby replied, her voice faint. "It's less like remembering and more like… like this weird sort of muscle memory. It feels like there are two versions of myself, the blank page that I am now, and the shadow of a nightmare that looms over me, reminding me of exactly what I could become. Does that make any sense?"
"I think so," Chris smiled, being as reassuring as he could. "Do you think you can tap into enough of that shadow self to get through this?"
"Hopefully I won't have to do much of the talking, and this demonic cloaking spell works as well as your mom thinks it will."
Chris nodded, "Okay, I'm ready when you are."
Ruby closed her eyes, clearing her thoughts, and allowing her mind to call out to the witch. "Rowena," she barked into the darkness. Silence followed.
Chris was beginning to doubt whether or not this mode of communication still worked now that Ruby was no longer a demon, but just as he was about to suggest they try something else, a large cloud of red smoke entered the room carrying the evil witch in its grasp. Rowena was clad in emerald green velvet, a stark contrast to her hair's bright shade of red. Her nails were sharpened into talons, painted black as night, ready at a moment's notice to be used on the jugular of an uncompromising victim. Elegant, but terrifying, she struck fear deep into Chris's heart, but he would not let that interfere with his plan. There was too much at stake to risk running now.
"Ruby, my darling," Rowena spoke, her Scottish accent lilting menacingly. "What have you brought me?"
"She has brought you nothing. In fact, the case is quite the opposite," Chris replied, grabbing Ruby by the arm and flinging her to her knees before her former mistress. So wrapped up in his own act, Chris felt very little remorse as Ruby hit the ground and cried out in pain. "I have returned your servant as an act of good faith. I'm here to strike a deal with you."
Rowena narrowed her eyes, "And who, might I ask, are you? Some long lost Winchester cousin, all thumbs and unkempt flannel?"
"I am Chris Halliwell."
The witch cackled, "That's not possible, dearie. Chris Halliwell is a toddler, not some tall, tan, would-be hunter with a death wish. I am not amused by your deception. I will only ask once more," Rowena growled, a fireball materializing in her right palm, "Who are you?"
Unfazed, or at least pretending to be, Chris chuckled. "If you truly are as powerful as my mother and aunts seem to think, then you know that with a little magic, impossible things, things like… time travel, can become simple."
"Are you saying that you are Chris Halliwell, from the future?"
"The very same."
The witch's eyes went wide, her demeanor changing on a dime. "In the future, do I succeed in my efforts? Do I sit at the right hand of Lucifer the Almighty? Does demonic chaos reign? Am I the queen of unending night?"
The witch looked at him expectantly, made giddy by her own words. In that moment, it took everything in Chris not to lunge at her throat with his bare hands. He was beginning to realize that this woman was responsible for everything that had been taken from him. Every inch of his future hinged on choices that she had made. In truth, if it hadn't been for his family mentioning her from time to time, Chris would have no idea who Rowena was. Lucifer didn't keep her around long after she released him from the cage. In fact, she became a rather minor footnote in the fallen angel's rise to power. However, the point right now was to keep her talking so the others could execute the rest of the plan.
"Honestly… you are revered by all witches, and feared by all of humanity," he lied. "With Lucifer by your side, your power will grow. But, for that to happen, you will need me, isn't that right?"
Rowena was glowing as her future looked to be securing itself right before her very eyes. "Yes, I suppose you'll do just as well for the ritual as your mini counterpart… as long as you haven't stopped practicing light magic. But what is in it for you? Why do you give yourself so freely?"
Chris took a deep breath, knowing that this was the moment he truly needed to sell. "In the future, other things have changed. Things in my life, for example, do not turn out quite so… fulfilling as yours. If I told you that I will give myself to you, and that I have a way to get Dean Winchester to you as well, then in return you would have to swear that my entire family, which includes Sam Winchester, the angel Castiel, and Leila Perkins, would be spared by both you and Lucifer as you carry out your plan."
"Those are your terms? What if your precious family comes after me and my King? I cannot guarantee they would not be harmed. The spoils of war are often… unpredictable."
"You have a valid point. If they attack you, our deal is null and void, but they are not to be bothered whatsoever until then. Additionally, I will only agree if you swear a blood oath. If you do not, I will take your henchwoman, and orb away for good. You will not get another chance at this."
Turning away from Chris and Ruby, who was still on the floor, avoiding eye contact with her mistress at all costs, Rowena looked to be considering her options. She looked down at Ruby, and frowned.
Chris felt his heart begin to beat faster as Rowena asked, "What have they done to you? You are not Ruby, not entirely."
"Mistress please," Ruby said, her voice clear, "They… they injected me with human blood. They wanted to make me feel." Chris was impressed at the amount of animosity in her voice, but Rowena did not seem convinced.
"You bring me damaged goods in hopes of making a deal with me, Chris Halliwell? I have to say, I am not impressed."
Chris huffed, "Oh please, give her a few days to detox and she'll be fine. Do we have a deal?"
Rowena studied Ruby, and then Chris for a few too many seconds. "We do," she said finally, "Though I am not sure you know what you are promising."
"Before we do any more talking, seal it with blood. I'm sure an all-powerful witch like yourself knows the ritual off hand."
"First, I want you to tell me your plan to get Dean Winchester on board. Without him this will all mean nothing."
Chris swallowed, unsure of what to tell her. Luckily, by this point, the rest of his plan was nearly in place. He saw a flicker of movement behind the witch, and knew that Paige had just orbed Sam and Castiel into the cave. It was Paige's job to vanquish the witch with one of their new, beefed-up vanquishing potions, and Sam and Castiel's job to get her close enough to so. Doing his best to ignore their presence in the room, Chris threw out the best reasoning for Dean giving himself up, that he could think of.
"Well, to get to him, you have to ask yourself, what does Dean Winchester want more than anything in the world?"
"I'm not here to analyze the psyche of lesser beings, Christopher. In other words, spit it out, dearie."
"He wants the Mark of Cain off of his body. As a very powerful wielder of dark magick, who's to say you can't give that to him? In fact, who's to say this ritual of yours won't pull the Mark and all of its darkness right out of him? Lie to him. Because if he believes that you can cure the Mark, he will come running. More than anything Dean Winchester wants his life back. He wants to be able to hunt and love and live without constantly having to control the bloodthirst in his veins. You have to trust me on this one."
Rowena smiled a devious smile. "I think I am beginning to do just that. And I can do you one better, because I do, in fact, have a way to cure our friend Dean."
Chris felt his heart jerk. He cast a glance over the witch's shoulder and saw that her proclamation had also made Sam and Cas stop in their tracks. Paige was looking from one man to the other, confused as to why they had both stopped moving.
"What do you mean?" Chris asked, focusing his attention back on Rowena.
"I have a book, a very old tome, entitled "The Book of the Damned", and in it is a ritualistic spell that would work to remove the Mark. In a sense, we don't even have to lie to your precious Dean, because I can do what you're suggesting, I just won't."
"So we have a deal then," Chris said, noticing that the vanquishing party was still at a standstill.
"Yes, well, I'd love to, dearie. Really, I would. But, you've looked over my shoulder one too many times, and if you think I didn't smell a trap a mile away, you would be sorely mistaken." The witch turned, "Oh hello, Samuel! And Castiel, you're looking much better than you were the last time I saw you. I assume by now you've heard the news. I can cure your precious Dean!"
"How is that even possible?" Sam asked. "We've found nothing, no information about how to get rid of the Mark. You could be lying."
"Aye, but I could be telling the truth too, dearie. Like you said, you've found nothing, which makes me your only hope. Vanquishing me also vanquishes your one chance to fix your brother, because I will tell you right now that even your sweet little Charmed Ones cannot work such old, black magick. There is only me."
Chris could see the internal struggle going on in the minds of the hunter, the Charmed One, and the angel respectively. Each knew that without Rowena, their lives would be forever effected by the Mark of Cain in various ways. But Chris had seen the damage that letting her carry out her plan would bring. He thought about the sky, starless and dark, about his sister and her pleading, brown eyes, about his brother and Sam and the hole they left in his heart when they had been taken from him too soon. He could not let that future come to be. Not again.
"Paige!" he shouted at his aunt. Her eyes locked on his, and he could see that they were full of agony, knowing what she had to do next. She was close enough to Rowena to finish her off, and Chris watched with unblinking eyes as she raised her arm to throw the potion at the feet of the evil witch.
But, before Paige could follow through, Sam knocked her to the ground in a way that resembled some kind of a football maneuver. He landed on top Paige, a loud grunt escaping his lips. Chris watched as the vial she had been clutching, flew through the air and shattered into countless pieces on the stone floor, along with his hopes for a new future.
"Sam! What in the hell is wrong with you?" Paige started, slewing a number of insulting phrases the Winchester's way. It almost made Chris laugh to see them at such odds now, knowing what they would become in the future. Since returning to the past he hadn't allowed himself much time to think about how their futures would pan out. It was dangerous, as a time traveler, to think of such things. When you have the ability to change the entire fabric of reality with a single sentence, it seems mandatory that you police your own thoughts. But, as Chris felt Rowena's arms wrap around his torso, as he felt hope for a newer, brighter future slip out of his grasp, he allowed himself one moment to see them, once more, as his Uncle Sammy and Aunt Paige. Someday, they would buy a ranch style house, about a half hour outside of San Francisco, one that gave them the freedom to be the practicing witch and hunter that they both were at their very core. They would never marry, but always claim that that was their secret to staying together. Not long after Chris turned six, Paige would give birth to his favorite cousin, Charlie, and no matter how many times Sam was asked, he would never be able to explain the origin of his son's name. Each time, he would get too choked up to even begin the story. Chris had spent endless days and nights in their home, learning what it meant to be a hunter, a whitelighter, and a good person. He knew that the two of them, Sam and Paige, would find each other at the end of all of this, and realize that there was no one else perfect enough for either of them.
As his vision began to blur, and he knew that Rowena was blinking him away he took himself back to his favorite memory: It was a hot summer day, and he and Wyatt had been at each other's throats for some meaningless reason that he couldn't remember now. Mom and Dad had sent them to Uncle Sammy and Aunt Paige's house to get some peace and quiet, but also so that they would be forced to work out their differences by spending the rest of the day together. They spent the day apart however, Chris playing pretend hunter with Charlie, Wyatt playing pretend witch with Aunt Phoebe's daughter Joanna. They all came together though, once dinner was on the table. Chris was nearing age ten at that point, and Wyatt was nearly thirteen. They were both old enough to begin to comprehend that their views on life were somewhat different. At that dinner they talked it out with the help of their aunts and uncles. It was a true testament to the closeness of their families, showing that whether you felt more like a hunter or a witch, regardless of how you identified, you were loved. Chris wanted that memory to still exist for the him that had yet to grow up. As the scene before him, of his Aunt and Uncle and their dear friend, dissipated, he realized that maybe it wouldn't. Who could possibly know what the effects of him coming back from the future would end up being? Had he ruined everything, simply by trying to fix it?
He heard Rowena's high-pitched laugh in his ear, and watched as Ruby reached out to her mistress. It was as if she was begging to be taken back into Rowena's good graces, only to be knocked back against the nearest wall by an invisible force. Ruby slumped to the floor, unconscious and bleeding.
"Sorry, my dear," Rowena quipped, "But I really don't have time to fix your broken ego."
Chris could hear Sam and Paige calling out to him, could feel himself wanting to go to them, to follow the sound of their voices. But, he was paralyzed, whether it was by magic or by the gravity of the situation, he could not tell. As one scene disappeared in a cloud of red smoke and another came into view, he fixated his mind on that memory and those feelings from long ago. He hoped that however this panned out, it would help him fight Rowena or whoever else came along, to the bitter end.
30 Minutes Earlier…
Piper, Dean, and Leo orbed into the Underworld, unsure of exactly what they would find in Rowena's lair. The witch knew that she would find her son, and that she would do everything she could to bring him home safely. How difficult that feat would prove, remained to be seen. Just to be safe, the witch, the hunter, and the whitelighter made sure they were sufficiently armed with enough seraph blades, vanquishing potions, and stamina to make it out of there unscathed.
Dean was on edge, Piper could tell. Being this close to someone who wanted to drain his store of demonic energy, possibly taking his life along with it, was enough to spook even the bravest person. However, Piper knew that while death was frightening for anyone, even more frightening for Dean was what would occur after death. Rowena could use all of the dark energy from the Mark of Cain that she wanted, but even when she had taken what she needed, the Mark itself would remain. The way it was colored, the way it looked almost burned into Dean's forearm, reminded Piper of how deeply rooted it truly was in him. It struck her that this thing was as old a time, and that it could end up controlling Dean for the rest of eternity. If Rowena took Dean's life, she and her family were in for so much more trouble. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that maybe they should have left Dean at home with Phoebe and Leila.
"Dean…" she started, but didn't get to finish, as they had walked far enough along, to find themselves at that wide stone entrance to the Seer's den. Rowena had fashioned the lair into her own. There were armor-clad she-demons patrolling each entrance, and many milling about within. In the middle of the room many were crowded around the Seer's cauldron, as if they were trying to see what she might. The three of them quickly darted behind a nearby pillar that jutted out of the ceiling and hung low, wide enough to hide the three of them from demonic eyes.
"Alright hun," Leo said. "What's the plan?"
Piper thought for a moment. They could go in guns blazing, that's what she truly wanted to do. But, Wyatt was in there somewhere, and she wasn't about to endanger his life in any way. Peeking her head around, she focused her concentration on the entire room.
Leo grabbed her elbow, "Piper that's a lot of demons, I don't—"
Immediately Piper shushed him, "Let me think."
Taking a moment, she let her hands fly forward. Suddenly, every demon in the room froze like stone statues. She took off without thought, feeling her energy deplete significantly due to the level of exertion her powers were under, but she didn't care. Her mind's eye was fixed on a head of blonde curls and two shining blue eyes, and she knew she could hold on until he was safe in her arms again.
It took her only a few moments to locate him in a small cell in the corner of the room. He was asleep on a small mat that he had been given to him, and if you erased his surroundings, you would think he was perfectly content. But upon closer inspection she saw that his face was smeared with grime, his cheeks tear-stained, and his golden locks tangled and crusted with dirt. Piper could have sobbed just at the sight of him, but knew she had better hold it together.
Dean came up behind her, keys he had pilfered form the nearest frozen demon jingling in his hand. She snatched them up quickly and opened the cell, dropping to her knees next to her son. Gingerly she took him in her arms and held him tight.
"Mommy, you came for me!" he said, his bright eyes fluttering open.
"You bet I did! And your Daddy's here too. It's all going to be okay beautiful boy."
"Where's Chris?" Wyatt asked, and Piper felt her heart melt at his immediate concern for his younger brother.
"He's safe 'up there' with the Elders, buddy," Leo told him. "Would you like me to take you to him? I'm sure he'd be so happy to see you!"
Wyatt hesitated, "Are you and Mommy coming too?"
"I am, and Mommy will come as soon as she finds Auntie Paige and makes sure she's alright. Sound okay?"
Wyatt nodded but Piper could tell he wasn't too sure. "I will be with you as soon as I can my little warrior. I missed you so much this whole time, I was so afraid I would never get you back," she told him.
Her son put his little arms around her, "I'm okay now Mommy. I love you."
Piper did everything she could not to break down into a fit of sobs then and there. She felt like an irresponsible mother, leaving Wyatt again so soon. She felt like she should hold onto him forever, never letting him out of her reach. Instead, she picked him up and handed him to Leo.
"I love you my sweet boy," she said, kissing him on the forehead. She looked to Leo, and in his eyes she saw his concern. Be careful, I love you, they told her. While hers told him to take care of their sons, that nothing else was more important. He leaned down and gave her a long, wistful kiss on the lips. When she opened her eyes he and Wyatt had orbed away. Her heart ached. She wanted nothing more than to have gone with them. But her sister and her other son were out there, and right now, they needed her more that Wyatt, baby Chris, or Leo did.
"Need a shoulder to cry on, love? I've got two fresh ones right here," a slightly familiar voice called out, pulling Piper from her reverie. Turning she came face to face with the King of Hell sitting in a cell of his own. The cage was too small for him, he was hunched over, still in his three-piece, pinstriped suit, looking extremely uncomfortable.
"Forgive me, but it doesn't look like you're in any position to be cracking jokes, your highness," Piper replied, making Dean chuckle.
"Yes well, my whore of a mother thought it would be hilarious to trap me here, exorcise me, and put the Prince of Darkness in my body once he got out of the cage. Perhaps she really does love me after all."
"But Crowley, I thought you were indestructible! Isn't that what he said, Dean?"
"Yeah," Dean knelt down in front of the cell, "Let's just say he can talk a big talk, but on the inside he's just a little kid yearning to be loved."
Crowley scowled, "Look, whatever voodoo my mother is messing with, it's serious this time. I was warded against everything, I was even working on making it impossible to summon me by spell, but she has a whole other level of sorcery going on this time. So if you could just let me right out of here, and then be on your way that would be great."
Dean and Piper exchanged a wary look.
"Listen, it's in your best interest to let me go. Without me, she lacks a vessel for Lucifer, unless Sammy plans to say yes any time soon."
"Over my dead body," Dean spat.
"Well, actually I think that's the plan."
"It's not good enough. Sweeten the deal or we'll leave you here to rot."
A knowing look crossed Crowley's face, "If you insist, only because I'm sure I know exactly what you want, and I'm the only one who knows where it is. Here's the deal Winchester, if you let me out I will come when you call one time. Just once I will grant you one favor that it is in my power to give. What do you say to that?"
"I say that you will come if I call, but also if Piper or Sam do, and that you will swear it in blood. I know your tricks, Crowley you aren't getting out of this one."
The King of Hell looked slightly irritated at how well the hunter knew him. He surveyed his surroundings once and nodded as if nothing could be worse than being imprisoned for another moment. Dean pulled a knife from his belt and sliced his own hand without even flinching. Piper watched as Crowley handed his own palm over, grumbling a little too much when the knife made him bleed. Without hesitating the two grabbed hands, their blood mixing, a bond forming. They turned to Piper.
"Oh, um, sorry we don't deal much with blood magic," she stammered.
"Well then make something up sister, we don't have all day," Dean commanded.
Although he was rather boorish about it, he wasn't wrong. Piper could feel a strain on her power, and she wasn't sure how long the room could continue to be frozen. Thinking hard, she began to chant, "Blood that boils, blood that binds, join these hearts and join these minds. The oath sworn here shall not be broken, until the King has been our token."
Dean and Crowley pulled apart, and both stared, wide-eyed at their healed palms. It was clear they had both felt the effects of the spell, and they weren't the only ones. Piper needed to move, fast. She bent down and unlocked Crowley's cell. He stood and brushed himself off, giving Piper a quick wink before blinking away.
"Coward," Dean mumbled, turning to Piper. When he saw the look of pain in her eyes, his demeanor switched on a dime. "Alright sister, we should move. I don't totally know how your magic works, but Leo made it sound like you can't keep up this ice sculpture gag forever."
Piper rolled her eyes, "How is it possible that you're still that dismissive of how badass we are? Can you freeze time with your fingers? Can you bind two people to a freaking blood oath in ten seconds or less? I don't think so, mister!" But, Piper knew he was right, they needed to find Paige and hope that her part of the plan had succeeded. She motioned for him to follow her back out the way they had come, but she found her path blocked by a tall, dark-skinned woman.
The woman flashed them a brilliant smile, "Where do you think you are going, Charmed One?"
Judging from her elaborate state of dress, all rich colors and lavish jewels, it didn't take Piper very long to figure out who it was she was facing. "Another Seer?" she groaned. "Haven't I vanquished enough of your kind yet?"
The smile vanished from the woman's face, replaced by an expression of anger and contempt, "You overestimate yourself, witch."
"I don't think so," Piper said, flinging her hands forward and causing a mini explosion above the Seer's left shoulder. She cried out in pain. "What? You didn't see that coming?"
The Seer shrieked. Flaming orbs appeared in each of her hands, and she sent one flying at both Piper and Dean. Piper deflected with a counter-explosion of her own, while Dean dove out of the way, landing with a thud and a loud grunt on the dirt floor. Piper scrambled over to help him up.
"You distract, I'll vanquish," she told him. He nodded in response. She watched as Dean's seraph blade dropped from inside his sleeve, and he charged the Seer, yelling at the top of his lungs. She didn't have much time to stand in awe of his sheer veracity. She dug deep into her pocket and gripped a glass vial of vanquishing potion. With a flick of her fingers she collapsed a rock formation behind the upper level demon, giving cause for even more distraction. She flung the potion and reveled in her success as it shattered on the floor and the Seer went up in flames of her own, disappearing before their very eyes.
Piper took a deep breath, thinking that vanquishing the Seer had become quite easy over the years. In fact, this time around it had seemed a little too easy. She looked to Dean and noted that he seemed puzzled as well.
"She didn't even try to come at me. It's almost like..."
"What?" Piper questioned as she watched Dean scan the room warily.
"It's almost like she was just the distraction."
Piper felt her heart jump, and in perfect tandem with her heartbeat, the demons in the room became unfrozen. There was a moment of silence, as if the she-demons all knew something was off, but they couldn't place it. Thinking fast, Piper began an exorcism as they inched their way toward the door, "Exorciamus te, omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanica potesta…"
Every demon in the room began to moan and look around for the source of their misery. Finally the black eyes of a blonde she-demon landed on Piper. She shrieked at the top of her lungs and pointed to where the witch and the hunter were standing. By this time, Piper was more than halfway through the ritual, and many of the demons were writhing around on the floor, unable to do anything to stop her.
Just as Piper was about to finish the incantation, a large cloud of red smoke entered the room. As the dust cleared and Piper saw who had arrived, her breath hitched, and she found she could no longer speak. There, in the center of the room, stood the very woman they had come to destroy. And wrapped in Rowena's arms, the claws from one of her hands digging into his side, while the others nearly punctured his throat, was her baby boy, her Chris, looking as though he had already given up.
She couldn't help herself as every instinct in her body told her to cry out to her son. All eyes turned and locked on her.
"Mom, run!" Chris yelled, but it was too late. Rowena's hoard of she-demons had already begun to recover, and many were behind Dean and Piper, making their escape impossible.
"Bring me the Winchester," Rowena demanded. It took seven demons and the muttering of a few magic words by the red head, to keep Dean restrained. Piper tried to life her hands looking for anything she could sink her powers into, but she found she was frozen in place, whether it was Rowena or the she-demons doing the freezing, was anyone's guess.
"I have to thank you Piper Halliwell. You and your sons have been so helpful throughout this process," Rowena replied, handing Chris off to the nearest pair of demons, their jet black eyes still chilling to Piper's soul. The evil witch waltzed over to a table stocked with enough ingredients to make any Wiccan's head spin, but clearly she knew what she was doing. She began adding every little ingredient in perfect increments to the bowl on the table, every once in a while glancing at a book she had opened before her. The book was old, and it gave Piper an uneasy feeling, like the entire world hinged on its contents.
Piper was made to watch as Rowena sliced open the palms of both Chris and Dean and let their blood be the final ingredient in the bowl. It struck her in that moment, that Rowena was entirely too prepared for this ritual. She began to think that maybe their spell had failed, and that the Seer had been in on their plan from the very beginning. They should have stayed in the bunker like Dean had suggested, but she had let her pride get in the way. If that hadn't happened, this may have gone very differently.
She felt her heart pick up as the red-haired sorceress began to chant in Latin, her phrasing long and eerie. Chris and Dean stood completely still, as though they were made of wood, their eyes communicating, very clearly, the great deal of pain they were in. Piper felt the earth beneath her feet begin to tremor ever so slightly. She watched as the she-demons let go of the two boys and their bodies began to float above the Earth. There seemed to be a light emanating from them as Rowena's chanting became louder and faster.
Suddenly Piper was overcome. This was it. Her nightmares were coming to life right before her eyes. Everything Chris had come back to stop, and everything he had promised the little girl now growing in her belly, was lost. She wanted to shout for Leo, for Castiel, for anyone who would hear her, but she couldn't move a single muscle. She thought as loudly as she possibly could, hoping that the Power of Three would help reach Paige, and that she could do something to stop all of this.
The madness of the ritual continued for a few more moments, and just as Rowena uttered the final words, her sister orbed into the room with Sam, Castiel, and Ruby. The four of them looked on in disbelief as a bright white light, and a pitch black cloud surrounded Chris and Dean respectively, before colliding together to create some kind of combustion that shielded them from view.
When the cloud dissipated, Rowena was gone. Her horde of she-demons were at a standstill, all clearly stunned by the magnitude of the spell. Piper searched the aftermath of the spell for the form of her son, and then she saw him. Chris was laying on the cold, stone floor, his body bent unnaturally, his eyes wide, and his chest still. Every instinct in Piper's body told her exactly what she would find when she got to him, but she could not stop herself from hoping anyway. Stumbling forward she felt every gaze in the room fall on her, and wasn't even phased by the fact that no demon stopped her as she made her way to her fallen son.
His green eyes were like glass, unmoving, unfeeling. She had seen this once before, and sworn she would never see it again. Chris, her baby boy, was dead. There was no saving him, nothing she could do, no way to change this outcome. A penetrating sense of guilt and pain welled up inside of Piper as she fell to her knees beside the body of her son. She felt it build until she could no longer hold the aching feeling inside. The Earth trembled beneath her as she let out a long wail and fell onto Chris's chest. She felt hot tears pour down her cheeks and a sharp pain shoot through her entire body as she shook him, trying to wake him, but knowing that the action was futile. In one day she had regained a son, and lost one too. She looked over and saw Sam and Paige standing over Dean's body, knowing full well that the hunter was dead as well. Rowena had pulled every last bit of life from them. Piper felt her despair turn to anger, lighting a fire in her heart. Chris would not go unavenged. The retribution for the death of her son would be great, and Rowena would never see it coming.
A/N: I know it has been so long since I updated, so to those of you still sticking with me, THANK YOU. This chapter was really difficult to write particularly because of the ending, but I think we all knew Demon!Dean would have the opportunity to show up at some point. And, what's a Supernatural story without a little Lucifer? There is so much drama to come! Keep reading and PLEASE REVIEW!
XOXO, AryaUnderfoot