A/N: Song for this chapter is Monsters by Shinedown. I've mostly tried to stick with music that would have been available around the time of Supernatural seasons 3/4, but this song fits the show so well that I knew I had to use it somewhere. This chapter includes parts of Malleus Maleficarum.
Chapter 9: Monsters
Good for you, you fooled everybody
Good for you, you fooled everyone
Good for you, now you're somebody
Good for you, you fooled everyone
Leave your weapon on the table
Wrapped in burlap, barely able
Don't get angry, don't discourage
Take a shot of liquid courage
'Cause my monsters are real, and they're trained how to kill
And there's no comin' back and they just laugh at how I feel
And these monsters can fly, and they'll never say die
And there's no goin' back, if I get trapped I'll never heal
Yeah, my monsters are real
Good for you, you hurt everybody
Good for you, you hurt everyone
Good for you, you love nobody
Good for you, you owe no one
Leave your weapon on the table
Wrapped in burlap, barely able
Call a doctor, say a prayer
Choose a god you think is fair
'Cause my monsters are real, and they're trained how to kill
And there's no comin' back and they just laugh at how I feel
And these monsters can fly, and they'll never say die
And there's no goin' back, if I get trapped I'll never heal
'Cause my monsters are real
At the local police station that morning, Ty finished marking up the old copy of the racing form from the day of the Beningtons visit to the racetrack and leaned back in the uncomfortable chair in the small spare office where she and Alex were reviewing the security tapes. She rubbed at her earlobe absently as she set the form down on the table in front of her next to the one she'd already marked with the first couple, the Garcias, bets from their final visit. Right off the bat, there were no obvious similarities. The Beningtons bet on almost every race, not uncommon for a couple having a fun day out, winning some and losing others, but generally breaking even. The Garcias, on the other hand, were the couple that had visited regularly and they had only bet on certain races, probably going off someone's tips, and had done fairly well for themselves. This would take some more careful scrutiny.
Alex shut off the security footage and scooted his own chair over to look at the forms. He frowned as he looked at them, "That looks like hieroglyphics."
Ty ignored him and continued studying the forms, looking for patterns. She flipped the pages, more and more desperate to find something as she got closer to the end. Finally, she reached the last race for each day.
"Wait." she said, freezing. She double-checked what she was seeing before she said anything, but it was right there in black and white, "This is it. Last race on both days, they both bet on this horse and cashed in."
Ty turned both forms towards Alex so he could see, pointing to the horse's name on each page. Alex looked at the forms, then up at her, eyebrow raised, "You've got to be kidding me."
Ty shook her head. Now that they'd found this connection, it seemed painfully obvious and this horse's name wasn't exactly subtle, "Demon Hunter. Little on the nose, huh?"
"Come on. We've got to find that horse." Alex said, standing up and adjusting the jacket of the suit he was wearing as part of their cover.
Ty scooped up the racing forms and followed him, eager to get out of this cop shop and on the trail of the demon. In fact, she couldn't wait any longer. As soon as she climbed in the truck, she pulled her laptop out of her bag. It only took her a moment to discover their next big break.
"Alex," Ty said, almost in disbelief at how things were finally coming together, "that horse is running again today."
Alex turned the keys in the ignition, gunning the engine, a determined look on his face, "And that's where we'll find our demon."
They only had a few hours before the races started so the pair spent it going through their gear, trying to make sure they were as prepared as possible. Ty picked up her phone at least half a dozen times, but when she finally dialed a number, it wasn't Dean's.
"Bobby, it's me." she said, shifting her weight anxiously from one foot to another, "Yeah, we're okay. We've got a good lead and we're pretty sure we know where it will be this afternoon."
Ty paused, listening to Bobby's familiar orders to be careful. She found herself nodding even though she knew he couldn't see it, a smile tugging at her lips at the older hunter's concern.
"We will. Look, I just wanted to check in and see if maybe the Colt…"
She paused again, but this time Bobby's words had her frowning.
"Wait, they're where?" she asked. Her frown deepened and she resisted the impulse to swear as Bobby filled her in, "Okay...and Ruby took them the Colt? Does it work?"
Well, that was something at least. She hoped that Sam and Dean's hunt would pan out and knew it was too important for them to pass up the chance at info on Lilith, but that still left her and Alex without backup or a demon-killing weapon.
"No, no, I'm still here." Ty said when Bobby called her on her silence, "Yeah, I know, Bobby, but we can't… No. We can do this. I'll call you back later, okay? Yeah. Bye."
Ty hung up, but found herself frowning at her phone while she replayed their conversation in her mind.
"Everything alright?" Alex asked as he walked into their motel room and saw her scowling at her phone.
"Fine." Ty said, pocketing the phone quickly, "So, I'm going to go nuts if we stick around here much longer. Ready?"
"As I'll ever be." Alex agreed.
They were soon back at the track. The racing form listed the owner/trainer of Demon Hunter as someone named Sasha Townsend. Ty had never heard of her and as far as she could tell, she had no other horses or history with racing, which was deeply suspicious and led her to believe that she was most likely their demon. She'd managed to pull up a picture while she and Alex had been waiting for post time, so now they were scouring the grandstands for some sign of a slim, tall, late thirties brunette who looked like she had money to burn. It was still a few races before Demon Hunter's, but Ty's anxiousness was already through the roof. She glanced back at Alex where he was scouring the interior of the grandstands from her spot outside down by the rail, catching his eye. He shook his head at her. Ty sighed and gestured to him that she was going to make a stop at the restrooms.
After washing her hands, Ty took a moment to splash some water on her face.
"Well, hello again, Ty."
Ty whirled around, blinking some water out of her eyes. Standing behind her was none other than Sasha Townsend.
The other woman's lips twisted into a vicious smile as her eyes flashed black, "Miss me?"
Ty was frozen, a spike of fear and anxiety twisting through her like ice down her spine. After all that searching, it didn't feel real that she was facing her now, "You."
"I missed you, too. You know, you might just be my favorite meat-suit." the demon continued, starting to circle around the hunter, "You sure we can't get back together again?"
"You can't." Ty said, turning to keep from letting the demon move behind her and wishing she sounded more sure. She knew the tattoo on the back of her neck, one that matched the tattoos sported by the Winchesters on their chests and Alex on his back, made it so that she couldn't be possessed again, but standing there facing this particular demon was reawakening her insecurities. It was exactly what the demon had used to prey on her before and she knew she had to snap out of it, but somehow she couldn't seem to find her confidence with that black-eyed gaze on her. It felt like her whole world had gone off-kilter, leaving her lost and unbalanced.
"Maybe not by force this time." the demon conceded as she stepped over to the restroom door and flipped the lock. She turned back towards Ty and raised perfectly sculpted eyebrows, "But you could still invite me in."
"I would never…" Ty began, incredulously.
"Not even for Dean?" the demon interrupted, pausing in her circling to face her, eyebrows still raised questioningly.
Knowing she was being baited, Ty replied slowly, "What about him?"
The demon grinned widely and strode back towards her, "Oh, nothing much. He's just a dead-man walking, that's all."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Ty demanded.
"Lilith has decided she wants him, dead and in the pit, by any means necessary. And the bounty she's offering…" the demon gave a low whistle, coming to a stop closer to Ty than was comfortable, invading her private space, "Needless to say, every demon that crawled its way up here is gunning for him. I give him a few months, tops."
"Why Dean?" The chill of fear was back, this time seeping in deep. She wanted to back away, but there really wasn't anywhere to go.
"Don't know, but I'm guessing she has her reasons. She's nothing if not a planner, that Lilith."
"Why should I believe anything you say?" Ty spat, wanting it to be a lie but already knowing deep down that it wasn't.
"Ty, I'm hurt. You know I don't lie to you." the demon said, reaching a hand out to caress Ty's cheek. Between her touch and the note of affection in her voice, Ty's skin was crawling.
"Fine. Say I believe you." Ty said through clenched teeth, "Why would you tell me this?"
"Because you know I'm not on the Sam bandwagon. You know it's Dean I'm interested in. So, I don't want Lilith or her thugs putting their paws on him." she paused, locking eyes with Ty, "And I know that you don't either. So, we can help each other."
"What makes you think I even still talk to Dean? We broke up a long time ago." Ty lied.
The demon laughed, taking a step back and moving to the sink to observe herself in the mirror, "Oh, Ty. You little idiot, you can't lie to me. I've been in that head of yours. I know you inside and out. Why do you think I'm even here, at a racetrack? I knew you'd come sooner or later."
"So what do you want from me then?" Ty growled angrily.
The demon grabbed a paper towel, dabbing at the corner of her mouth to remove a small lipstick smudge. She took her time before meeting Ty's eyes in the mirror and responding, "Well, if a full partnership is off the table, I'll settle for your cooperation."
"You're insane." Ty said, "You've got to be."
"Don't be rude." the demon said, turning around again, "You might make me angry and, as much as I like you, I'm not opposed to breaking a few bones. You like Dean breathing or don't you?"
Ty said nothing. She had a flask of holy water in her jacket pocket. She subtly reached her hand in and tried to unscrew the cap with one hand.
"Bring him to me." the demon continued, "I'll protect him. It's the only chance he's got."
"Yeah? And who'll protect him from you?" Ty demanded, cap finally unscrewed. She yanked the flask from her pocket and splashed an arc of holy water in the demon's direction.
She heard the hiss and the demon's howl of rage and pain, but didn't waste any time looking. Instead, she sprinted for the door, quickly flipping the lock back and yanking the door open. As soon as she was out, she spun back around, yanking a box of salt from her other pocket and starting to spill a line across the doorway.
"Oh, I don't think so, Ty." the demon snarled, as the door snapped open again on its own, revealing her standing there. She flung her arm and Ty was thrown back, hitting the ground hard and sliding a few feet before finally coming to a stop. Bystanders made shocked sounds, even more turning towards the commotion.
Ty gave a pained cough and struggled to get back to her feet, sure she was moments away from another painful display of the demon's powers. She had to get these people out of here somehow or the collateral damage was going to be off the charts. But when she looked around, all she saw was people looking at her like she was either a nutcase or maybe a particularly pitiable drunk who had gotten some record distance on a trip and fall. The demon was gone.
After the incident with Ruby, the Winchesters spent the remainder of the trip back to the motel in tense silence, but as soon as Dean walked in and switched on the light, he couldn't take it anymore.
"What the hell were you thinking?"
Just as exasperated with Dean, Sam snapped back, "What?! What the hell was I thinking?"
"She's a demon, Sam. Period. They want us dead, we want them dead. We need to kill her before she kills us."
"Kill her with what? The gun she fixed for us?" Sam demanded, wishing Dean would see how ridiculous that sounded.
But Dean just shrugged, "Whatever works."
"Dean, if she wants us dead, all she has to do is stop saving our lives." Sam argued.
He knew this point had struck home finally because Dean didn't reply, turning away from him and walking over to the sink and turning the water on to wash his face. Pressing his advantage, Sam continued.
"Look, we have to start looking at the big picture, Dean. Start thinking in strategies and...and moves ahead. It's not so simple, now. We're not just hunting anymore. We're at war."
Dean shut the water off after splashing some on his face. He glanced at Sam in the mirror before grabbing a towel to dry off and finally turning around to face him. Sam waited for his response, wondering if Dean was finally going to listen to him.
"Are you feeling okay?" Dean asked.
Sam sighed, unable to disguise his disappointment and frustration that his brother still didn't agree with him. He slumped onto the foot of his bed, "Why are you asking me that?"
Stepping closer to him, Dean's voice was no longer angry but seemed more concerned, "Because you're taking advice from a demon, for starters. And, by the way, you seem less and less worried about offing people. You know, it used to eat you up inside."
"Yeah and what has that gotten me?" Sam replied bitterly.
"Nothing, but it's just what you're supposed to do, okay? We're supposed to drive in the freakin' car and freakin' argue about this stuff. You know, you go on about the sanctity of life and all that crap." Dean said, but it was getting hard to focus on the conversation. His stomach was rumbling uncomfortably, making him wonder if maybe the food he'd had earlier had been a mistake.
Sam looked at his brother incredulously, "Wait, so...you're mad because I'm starting to agree with you?"
Dean sighed and sat down on the other bed, "No, I'm not mad. I'm...I'm...worried, Sam. I'm worried because you're not acting like yourself."
Before Sam could reply, he was distracted by Dean clutching at his stomach and leaning forward, face scrunched up in pain. A few seconds later, a gasp of pain escaped from his brother, making Sam scoot forward in concern.
"What's going on with you?"
Dean shook his head, the pain swiftly becoming so intense he could barely get any words out, "I don't know. Ah! Sam...something's wrong...like a bunch of knives inside me…"
"Dean?" Sam asked in concern, getting up and kneeling in front of him.
"Son of a bitch." Dean swore through clenched teeth, almost writhing in pain. This definitely wasn't just food poisoning. This was...witchcraft, had to be.
"Dean! Hey!" Sam called, trying to get his attention.
"The coven, man. It's got to be the coven." he gasped out.
Sam's eyes widened in realization and he jumped to his feet. He muttered a reassurance at Dean before rushing around the room, tearing everything he could think of apart to try and find the hex bag. Dean's cries of pain spurred him on, but there was nothing in the bathroom. Racing back to the bedroom, he found Dean on his knees, coughing up blood. Frantic, he tore the bed apart, too, slicing into the mattress with a knife in his desperation to find the hex bag, but there was nothing.
"Dean, I can't find it." Sam finally admitted, panicked.
Dean couldn't speak. He couldn't even stay on his knees. He collapsed on his side, barely able to get enough air between the pain twisting and ripping apart his insides and the blood burbling up his throat. Dean coughed weakly, but it just got worse.
"No." Sam said, refusing to accept that there was nothing he could do to stop this. He had to do something. If the coven was behind this, he would stop the coven.
Snatching up Dean's bag, Sam pulled out the Colt. He spared a second to check to make sure it was loaded before heading for the door.
"Sam, what are you doing?" Dean groaned, "Sam!"
Sam didn't reply and the next thing Dean heard was the door swinging shut.
"Sam!" Dean called again with all the strength he could muster, but his cry dissolved into another pained groan and Sam was already gone.
While Sam sped back towards the coven in the Impala, Dean found the pool of blood he'd coughed up was continuing to grow and darkness was starting to creep in around the edges of his vision, making the room go blurry. Suddenly, the door to the room was kicked open and he saw Ruby step in. Figured the demon bitch couldn't just let him die in peace.
"You wanna kill me? Get in line, bitch." he gasped out at her.
Ruby didn't say anything in reply, but marched over and hauled him up by his collar, tossing him on the bed. Leaning over him, she forced his mouth open with one hand and sprayed some sickening liquid into it with the other. Dean struggled, trying to fight her off, but he was too weak to stop her as she emptied the contents of the pouch in her hand into his mouth, forcing him to swallow or risk choking to death. When the pouch was empty, she stepped back and Dean sat up, still sputtering, and spat the rest of the sludge on the floor.
Still catching her breath from forcing the tonic down his throat, Ruby finally spoke now that she was sure he wasn't going to die on her, "Stop...calling me bitch."
Dean stared at her, too shocked to say anything. Whatever she'd just made him swallow, while nasty as hell, had stopped the excruciating pain from his insides. He didn't understand it, but she'd saved him.
"You...saved my life." he said, even the words sounding wrong when he heard himself say them.
"Don't mention it." Ruby said impatiently, tossing a towel and then a sawed-off shotgun onto the bed next to him.
Dean grabbed the towel with one hand and the weapon with the other. He wiped off his face but wished he could somehow rinse out his mouth, "What was that stuff? God, it was ass. It tasted like ass."
"It's called witchcraft, short bus." Ruby snapped, already heading back out the door, "Come on. Sam needs us."
Dean stared after her for a moment, still trying to catch up to the fact that a) he wasn't dying and b) it was a demon that had saved him. Which was why he couldn't immediately think of anything better to grumble back than, "You're the short bus, short bus."
Sam, meanwhile, had the coven at gunpoint, but it didn't seem like they knew what he was talking about when he demanded they stop their assault on his brother. Sam was pretty good at reading people, but he didn't have time to try and suss out who was lying. He needed to get to the bottom of this now if he wanted to save Dean. And it was clear that one of these women had to be behind this.
"Okay, maybe it's not you." Sam said shifting his aim from one housewife to the next, "Or you."
His aim stopped on the third, the brunette with the olive complexion, the only one who hadn't been mentioned in his research on local women's amazing good luck, "Maybe it's you."
She blubbered in fear, eyes shifting from Sam and the gun to her friends, "I don't even know what he's talking about. What are you even talking about?"
Sam tightened his grip, becoming more and more sure of his suspicion, "I mean, all of you, everyone in your little coven, you've all had runs of good fortune. Except for you, Tammi. Now tell me, why is that? You didn't want anything for yourself? Or is it because you're already getting what you wanted...like these women's souls?"
Tammi started stammering a denial, but then sighed and dropped her hands. Her eyes flashed black, confirming Sam's theory, "Nice dick work, Magnum."
Sam's finger itched to pull the trigger, but he held off as he bit out his demand, "Let my brother go."
The demon in Tammi smirked at him, "What's wrong? Couldn't find my hex bag? Sorry, sweetheart, but your brother's lungs should be on the floor by now."
The thought that he might be too late was too much to handle and Sam fired the Colt. If he'd lost his brother, he would at least make sure that the thing responsible paid for it. But Tammi lifted a hand and the bullet slowed to a stop in the air, then clattered to the floor.
"You're in a lot of trouble, Sam." she said before motioning with her arm and sending him sailing into the wall.
Sam struggled, but found himself pinned in place. He couldn't believe that the Colt hadn't worked. He barely noticed the other coven witches panicking at Tammi's display of demonic powers until she used them to snap Renee's neck. The final remaining human coven member, Elizabeth, screamed.
"Look. You got me. Let the girl go." Sam insisted, but the demon wasn't listening, her attention on Elizabeth. It seemed to be enjoying explaining the situation to the terrified young woman.
Finally, when she seemed to be satisfied with the horror on Elizabeth's face, she turned back to Sam, "Hmmm, Sammy Winchester, wow! Right here in our little town. You know, my friends and I have been looking for you Winchester boys."
"Why? Oh, right, 'cause I'm supposed to lead some piss-poor demon army." Sam sneered.
"No, not at all. That ship has sailed, Sammy. We've got a real leader now, one who's going to tear this world apart. And she wants your darling brother's head on a pike. You're just yesterday's news, Sam." Tammi said, raising her hand and making Sam slide up the wall, suspended in the air, "So, nothing personal, but there's no reason to keep you around anymore. Buh-bye."
An invisible force began pressing on Sam, crushing him against the wall with such force that the paint and plaster began to crack. Sam groaned, feeling his ribs responding similarly. This couldn't be it, the end. But even as his mind rebelled, his body hung helplessly, unable to do anything to stop it.
The bang of the front door slamming open drew Tammi's attention and she turned to find Dean running into the room, armed with a shotgun. She flung her other arm out in his direction, tossing him over the sofa. He scrambled back to his feet, but she extended her hand and pinned him against another wall, as helpless against her as his brother.
"Dean! Still alive and kicking, what a wonderful surprise." she began, taking a few steps closer to him, "This is better anyway. Now I can deliver your head to Lilith personally."
"Wait."
All eyes shifted to Ruby as she walked in, hands raised in surrender.
"Please. I just...came to talk." she continued before slowly lowering her hands.
"You made it out the gate. Impressive. That was a bitch of a fight, wasn't it?" Tammi said, clearly recognizing Ruby.
Ruby shrugged, "Doors out of Hell only open for so long."
Tammi's voice turned wary, "What do you want, Ruby?"
Ruby slid closer to Tammi, her eyes locked on the other demon, "I've been lost without you. Take me back. That's why I sent the Winchesters here."
She gestured absently at the brothers, but never took her eyes from Tammi. Dean shot an angry look at his brother, pissed that he'd been right all along about her and mouthing one final 'I told you so' before they were both killed.
"They're for you," Ruby continued, "...as a gift."
"Really." Tammi said, still skeptical.
"Let me serve you again. I've wanted it...I've wanted you...for so long." Ruby said, causing Dean to lift his eyebrows in surprise.
"You were one of my best." Tammi agreed, stepping closer to her.
Ruby looked about to lean in and erase the space between them when she suddenly pulled her knife and attempted an overhand stab, but Tammi caught the blade.
"But then again, you always were a lying whore." Tammi remarked before twisting her hand to the side and causing the knife to go flying across the room.
Ruby launched into a fight, but Tammi seemed to be more than a match for her, throwing her around the room. Tammi pulled a fireplace poker from its stand by the hearth and started towards the other demon before she could find her feet again.
"You're really telling me you threw in your chips with Abbott and Costello here?" Tammi demanded.
Ruby tried to stand, but Tammi struck her across the face with the poker, knocking her back to the floor.
"Come on. Get up." Tammi prodded, but Ruby continued to pant on the floor, blood leaking from her nose, "I said, get up!"
Tammi tossed the poker aside so she could grab Ruby by the collar and yank her to her feet. Tammi paused, a reflective look on her face.
"We've been here before, haven't we?" Tammi chuckled to herself, her eyes drifting over to Sam, "Didn't she tell you? Pretty mortifying, I guess. She was one of mine. I turned her out a long, long time ago. Ruby here was a witch. Of course, that was when you were human."
Neither Winchester could hide their surprise at this revelation. Ruby, a demon, used to be human? What did that mean if she had once been human but had turned into this?
Tammi tossed Ruby back down into the wreckage of a broken bookshelf before continuing with her speech, "Didn't want your friends to know that all those centuries back, you sold yourself to me? Embarrassing, I guess. But don't worry, love. No secrets where you're all heading, remember?"
Tammi began chanting and Ruby spammed, black smoke rising from her mouth as the other demon's spell began to drag her from the body she was possessing. However, before Tammi could complete the spell, she was struck with a coughing fit. A moment later, the force holding the brothers pinned in place disappeared. Tammi brought a hand up to her mouth and the next bout of coughs produced a handful of long pins that left her mouth bleeding. That's when Sam detected the sound of Elizabeth chanting in the next room. She must have slipped away while Tammi was distracted. But now she had the demon's full attention again. Tammi clenched her hand into a fist and Sam heard Elizabeth gasp followed by a crash, leading him to believe she was now either dead or unconscious.
Thankfully, her distraction provided Dean with enough time to grab Ruby's discarded knife. He sprang up behind Tammi and stabbed the blade into her back repeatedly, needing to make absolutely sure she was dead. There was a crack like lightning as the demon died and Tammi's body collapsed to the floor. Dean glanced briefly at Ruby, still lying on the floor, before moving to Sam and helping him back to his feet. They started towards the door, but Sam paused and looked back at Ruby.
"Go." Ruby ordered, pushing herself up and wiping the blood from her mouth, "I'll clean up the mess."
Dean nodded and started moving Sam back towards the door, giving him a shoulder to lean on since he'd been crushed into a wall then dropped from four feet up. Sam appreciated the help since he felt like roadkill, but he couldn't help but hesitate another moment, glancing back at Ruby again.
"Go." Ruby practically hissed, eyes black and glaring, which was finally enough to make them listen. Ruby yanked her knife out of the corpse. That had been too close for comfort, but somehow they were all still topside and maybe this experience had been enough to finally convince Sam that more extreme measures were needed if he was going to take on demons like this. Frankly, she was tired of pussyfooting around and if this pushed Sam to where she needed him to be then it was all worth it.
Alex couldn't believe it. He'd already made Ty tell him everything multiple times, then replayed it all another few times in his head while they finally drove back to the motel after turning up nothing in an extensive search of the track. Even the horse, Demon Hunter, had vanished, scratched without explanation from the race. He parked the truck by their room and shut off the engine, but just sat there, staring at the steering wheel.
"Alex?" Ty asked.
"So, do you think it's gone gone?" he finally asked, feeling sick to his stomach at the thought. Somehow, he'd not only left his partner to face a demon alone, but it had gotten away. Had he missed the one good chance he had to avenge his parents?
Ty hated the look on his face, the tone of his voice. It was like poorly contained anguish and disappointment. She'd let him down, big time. She wished he would just be pissed off at her instead, yell at her for letting the demon get away, but he'd shown her nothing but concern. Well, at least she could reassure him about this.
"No, I don't think so. She wanted us here." Ty resisted the urge to verbalize her disgust with herself for walking right into the trap like a damn moron.
"So...what now?" Alex asked, looking at her with such a lost look on his face that she simultaneously wanted to hug him and beat the crap out of herself.
"I don't know." Ty admitted miserably, "I guess we wait for her to make the next move."
Alex sighed and opened his door, sliding out of the truck and shutting the door mostly by leaning his body back against it. Ty scrambled out of her side and rounded the vehicle, unable to take it anymore, "Alex! Alex, I'm sorry."
Alex looked up in surprise, confused by his partner's desperate apology, "For what?"
"I blew it. I know I blew it. You must be furious and I don't blame you. I should've been able to…" Ty babbled, fists clenched and eyes on her shoes.
"Woah, woah." Alex interrupted, "You think I'm mad at you?"
Ty risked a glance up, wondering why he was acting confused, "Uh, yeah. I'm pissed at me, so I can't even imagine how you feel."
Alex shook his head, a wry chuckle escaping him. Ty's eyes narrowed at the sound, but her brow was still furrowed in confusion. The look on her face made him smile briefly.
"You know, sometimes you really are a blonde." he said.
Ty gaped at him for a moment before her mouth snapped shut and she glared at him, eyes sparking with fury. Alex took a step back, anticipating that a punch or a kick was soon to be aimed his way, "Did you just call me a dumb blonde?"
Alex took another couple steps back while sending her the familiar smirk she was used to seeing grace his features when he was giving her a hard time, "If the shoe fits."
Ty looked like she wanted to strangle him, which was an enormous relief. He'd much rather see her annoyed with him than beating herself up on his behalf for no good reason. She pointed an angry finger at him, "Okay, that's it. You're getting dinner and I want Chinese. And you're buying."
Alex held his hands up in surrender, "You got it."
Ty started towards their room, but paused before going in, spinning back towards him, "And I'd sleep with one eye open if I were you!"
Alex chuckled again and climbed back into the truck. He still felt twisted up inside about the demon, but he believed Ty. If she thought they'd get another shot, then he had to believe that was true and just make sure that he was there next time.
That night, after both hunters had finally fallen asleep, Ty was woken up by the buzzing of her phone. She fumbled around, nearly knocking over the bedside lamp while she tried to find it on the nightstand. Finally getting ahold of it, she answered without looking.
"Hello?" she mumbled sleepily.
"Ty?"
Dean's voice on the other end had her eyes snapping open. She pushed herself up in the bed, "Dean? Are you okay? What happened?"
"Nothing, nothing. We're good." Dean reassured her quickly, "We found the demon, but didn't get much on Lilith. Are you still in Denver?"
"Yeah." Ty confirmed. She frowned and took a deep breath before she continued, "Dean, I've got to tell you something."
Dean was silent for a moment before he replied, "I don't like the sound of that."
Ty knew this wasn't going to go well, but she forced herself to continue. She couldn't avoid telling him the truth about this hunt any longer, "This hunt...the thing we're after...it's a demon. Actually, it's the demon, the one that...possessed me and murdered Alex's mom and dad."
Silence. Ty pulled her phone away from her ear so she could look at it to make sure the call hadn't dropped. Putting it back to her ear, she finally had to say something.
"Dean?" she ventured.
She heard him take a deep breath and prepared herself for an earful about being stupid and reckless, about keeping things from him.
"We're headed to you." Dean said, voice clipped.
Before Ty could respond, Dean hung up. Frowning down at her phone again, Ty slowly set it back on the nightstand. Well, that argument was clearly still pending. Ty sighed. Really, this was all going about as well as she expected. At least now they'd be in better shape for the next time this demon showed her face, although Ty wasn't too happy about the idea of letting her get any closer to Dean.
Regardless, there was no way the Winchester boys would arrive until the next day, so she might as well try to get back to sleep. Somehow Alex had managed to sleep through her entire phone call. Well, she supposed she could share the news with him in the morning. She slid back down under the covers and rolled onto her side. She was instantly reminded of the bruises on that side of her body from her impromptu flight and crash landing earlier and rolled over to face the other way. She couldn't help but start to think of what she should say to Dean when he arrived and resolved herself to another sleepless night, but somehow she drifted off again.
