A/N: Song is Tom Sawyer by Rush. Chapter includes content from Season 3 episode, Jus in Bello.
Chapter 18: A Modern Day Warrior
A modern day warrior, mean, mean stride
Today's Tom Sawyer, mean, mean pride
Though his mind is not for rent, don't put him down as arrogant
His reserve, a quiet defense, riding out the day's events
The river
And what you say about his company, is what you say about society
Catch the mist, catch the myth, catch the mystery, catch the drift
The world is, the world is
Love and life are deep
Maybe as his skies are wide
Today's Tom Sawyer, he gets high on you
And the space he invades, he gets by on you
No, his mind is not for rent to any god or government
Always hopeful, yet discontent, he knows changes aren't permanent
But change is
And what you say about his company, is what you say about society
Catch the witness, catch the wit, catch the spirit, catch the spit
The world is, the world is
Love and life are deep
Maybe as his eyes are wide
Exit the warrior, today's Tom Sawyer, he gets high on you
And the energy you trade, he gets right on to the friction of the day
An hour later, Dean had yet to regain consciousness and Ty was feeling herself getting closer and closer to panicking about it the more time that passed. She'd opened her mouth to suggest they take him to a hospital at least a half a dozen times, but stopped herself each time. She had asked Sam to call Bobby, figuring at the very least they should let him know why they hadn't shown up at his place like they were supposed to. She'd also secretly hoped that Bobby would tell them exactly what they should do to ensure that Dean would be fine. Unfortunately, Sam took the call outside, making it impossible for her to eavesdrop.
For his part, Sam wasn't holding it together much better. He tried to stay calm and controlled, at least on the outside, for Ty's sake, but internally he felt like screaming. This couldn't be it. He couldn't lose his brother like this. Not after everything. He had to wake up. He just had to.
When Ty asked him to check in with Bobby, he nodded and stepped outside, glad for an excuse to get some fresh air. The sun was just starting to brighten the sky but hadn't quite crested the horizon as he dialed the older hunter. Bobby, being Bobby, demanded all the details about what had happened and called them 'idjits' for not calling sooner. He offered to drive back to them, but Sam turned him down. Another person here wouldn't make much of a difference at this point. Bobby also asked whether Sam ought to risk taking Dean to the hospital. They were still on the FBI's Most Wanted List, but maybe an alias would hold up long enough for Dean to get treatment. Sam had been debating that himself for the past hour, but he knew what Dean would say: that it was a stupid risk, that Sam had already done just about everything the hospital would do, and that he would just be endangering other people by taking him there when demons were hunting him. So, Sam put it off a little longer. He promised Bobby if there was no change after another hour, they'd go to the hospital. Then, he hung up and called Ruby.
Ruby was far more fixated on Sam successfully using his powers than on Dean's fate. Sam practically growled into the phone at her, demanding that she tell him if she knew of any magical means of helping heal his brother, or any kind of protection they hadn't already used.
"Gee, Sam. I thought you'd be happier about having another way of expelling demons besides the Colt or my knife. You know, one that doesn't kill the host." Ruby replied.
Sam only paused for a moment, before shaking his head. He could be happy about that later. Right now he needed to do something to help Dean.
"Just answer the question, Ruby."
"Of course I know healing spells." Ruby answered with a sigh, "But they all come at a cost, the kind you hunters with your high-and-mighty morals don't tend to care for. So, if you're okay with me bleeding some babies dry, I'll be right there."
Sam's stomach churned at her words. He didn't know if Ruby knew about what had happened with the last Seal or not and, with Ruby, he could never be sure if she was telling him the whole truth, but he wasn't willing to explore that option any further at the moment. Besides, after what had happened with the faith healer, he knew Dean would never forgive him if he bought his health at someone else's expense ever again.
"Fine. What about protection?" Sam asked instead.
"I'm working on it. I've got an idea, but some of the ingredients I need are pretty hard to come by. It's gonna take time." Ruby replied.
"Great." Sam muttered and hung up.
Sam clenched his phone tightly in his hand. Part of him wanted to fling the thing across the parking lot, but he knew that wouldn't help anything. Taking a deep breath to compose himself again, he pocketed the phone and turned back to face the hotel. He thought about returning to the room, seeing his brother's body broken, seeing Ty looking so heartbroken, and being completely helpless to do anything about it. The thought had him frozen in place for a moment, unable to make himself go back inside. Maybe he'd take just a few more minutes.
Inside, Ty found that she was actually running out of things to say. She'd babbled inanely about everything she could think of and now her brain was starting to grind to a halt, refusing to provide her with anything but worry and anxiety. She glanced at the door as if she could somehow tell whether Sam was about to walk back through it before she leaned closer to Dean.
"So…I…uh…I've been avoiding saying this to you because I know it freaked you out before and, you know, I figured that it was obvious how I feel about you, but… Anyway, I know that I've already told you that I wasn't going to rush you into a decision about us, but you have to know… I mean, just in case you weren't sure or something…" Ty paused for just a moment before she finally whispered to him, "I love you, Dean. I love you so much."
Her voice was starting to break again, so she bit her lip. She hated how pathetic she knew she must sound. She closed her eyes and took a breath. When she opened her eyes again and continued, she was satisfied to find her voice was steady again.
"So, you can't leave me now. Not like this. I mean, this is not how Dean Winchester goes out, right?" she asked him, feeling her lips quirk just slightly. She pressed another kiss against his lips, this one a little more insistent, "So, yeah. Get your ass back here, Winchester."
At first, she was sure it was her imagination that he shifted slightly next to her. But then, she felt his breath against her face as he expelled a slight groan and she knew she hadn't imagined it. Her eyes wide, she remained frozen in place, waiting for another sign that he was coming out of it.
Dean's eyes opened slowly, then he shut them again almost immediately, wincing painfully, but even that brief flash of his hazel gaze had Ty's heart in her throat.
"Son of a bitch." Dean moaned, lifting a hand to the excruciating pain in his head, but refraining from actually touching the wound, "That trucker hit me with a tire iron or his freaking truck?"
The only response from Ty was what sounded like a strangled squeak. Dean opened his eyes again just enough to squint up at her. She was gaping at him, eyes wide and brimming with more emotions than he could hope to decipher. He offered her a weak smile.
"I miss something?" he asked.
Ty abruptly snapped out of it and almost flung herself on top of him, just barely remembering to be cautious as she embraced him tightly. Dean grunted as she practically knocked the wind out of him.
"Hey, easy, easy." he said, partially protesting the rough treatment, but mostly just trying to sooth her. He grinned a little as he ran a hand over her back, "Raincheck on the rough stuff for a bit, sweetheart."
Ty couldn't help but laugh, feeling almost giddy with relief that he was okay. Pushing herself off of him, she climbed back to her feet.
"What do you need? Painkillers? Ice? Water?" she asked quickly, eager to help.
Dean grimaced as the pain threatened to blind him again when he tried to shift up higher on his pillows, "Ugh…all of the above. Then, maybe a shower and a change of clothes. Is that smell me?"
Ty was grinning like an idiot and couldn't seem to help it. She nodded quickly, "On it."
She grabbed the ice bucket, dumping the water that remained in it quickly in the bathroom sink, then grabbed her jacket and headed for the door to go get ice and a bottle of water from the vending machine. She pulled the door open, but paused before heading out. She leaned back to catch Dean's eye, suddenly serious again.
"You better still be awake when I get back."
"Yes, ma'am." Dean agreed, starting to nod but stopping when it made his head feel like it was going to explode.
Ty's beaming smile returned and she disappeared out the door. As she looked around for the ice machine, she spotted Sam leaning against the Impala in the parking lot. She waved to get his attention and hurried towards him.
"Sam! Sam! He's awake!" she called.
Sam straightened at the sound of her calling his name, but when he heard that Dean was finally awake, he looked like he might collapse from relief, "Thank God."
"He wants ice and water and I figure we must have some painkillers in the kit, right?" Ty said, her words tumbling quickly out of her mouth, "Oh, and did you already grab some of his clothes from the car? He said he wants to change."
Sam smiled at her enthusiastic rambling, "I got it. Go get the ice and some water. That way."
Ty nodded quickly and headed off in the direction Sam indicated. Sam went back to their room. Now that he knew his brother was okay, he couldn't wait to get back in there and see him for himself.
When Sam walked in, he found that Dean had managed to sit up on the bed and was gingerly fingering the bandage on his scalp. He squinted over at Sam and offered him a lopsided smile.
"You didn't shave a bald spot into the side of my head, did you?." he asked.
Sam chuckled, "Can't say it didn't cross my mind, jerk."
"Bitch." Dean replied automatically, grinning back at him.
Sam rolled his eyes and had a seat on the edge of the bed next to his brother's, "Good thing you've got such a hard head…and nothing to damage in it."
"Shut up." Dean replied. He paused for a second before glancing over at Sam again, "So, I got my bell rung pretty bad this time, huh?"
"Yeah." Sam agreed, memories of Dean's slumped form, the side of his head coated in blood flashing through his mind, "Pretty bad."
"Ty looked kinda freaked." Dean continued, his voice quiet and carefully neutral.
Sam searched Dean's face for a moment, wondering if his brother really understood how strongly that girl felt about him. And even though Dean was making a lot of progress in terms of his relationship with her, as he'd demonstrated by letting her drive his car, Sam wouldn't put it past him to screw it all up with his stubborn reluctance to communicate his feelings. Plus, there was his deeply entrenched belief that he needed to keep everyone at arm's length for their own safety, no matter how much it hurt him to do so. They were some pretty big obstacles to overcome, but Sam knew that his brother needed to get past them if he was ever going to really be happy.
"She loves you, you know." Sam finally said.
Dean didn't meet his eye, dropping his gaze to his lap instead. Sighing, he replied, "Yeah. I know."
Sam was just about to ask him if he knew how he felt about her when Ty opened the door, stepping back inside with a bucket full of ice in one arm and three water bottles in the other.
"Hey." she greeted them both with a smile as she kicked the door closed behind her, "I had to go by the office and it looks like they're getting some breakfast stuff set up. I can go back and grab us something if you guys are hungry."
"That would be great." Sam said, smiling back.
Ty nodded. She unloaded her burdens on the desk in the corner of the room before turning to hand Dean one of the water bottles. The med kit was still sitting on the desk, as well, so she poured out some painkillers for him, too. He smiled his thanks at her when she handed them to him and quickly consumed them. Finally, she snatched up one of the few remaining clean towels and twisted up a handful of ice for him.
"Alright." she said, clapping her hands against her sides, "I'll go see if I can convince them to give me first crack at breakfast. Be right back."
Dean watched her go. A small smile tugged at his lips, "Man, remember when she couldn't even flirt on a case? Five bucks says she comes back with the keys to this place."
Sam just shook his head. Aside from her relationship with Bobby, Sam didn't think that Ty's sweet-talking abilities were quite what Dean was making them out to be. She was just completely determined to do whatever she could to take care of him.
Dean winced when he touched the ice pack against the side of his head. His head was still pounding worse than his worst hangover and moving even a little sent a wave of dizziness through him, but he figured all things considered he'd come out of the encounter pretty lucky. In fact, the more that he thought about it, the more he realized how much worse things could have gone. And this was almost certainly just the tip of the iceberg.
The thing with Jeremy and the Dream Root had put his plan on hold, but now it was clear he had to do something sooner rather than later. Tonight, he decided. He would find some way to get Sam and Ty out of the way and he'd do it tonight.
"So, how long was I out?" he asked.
Sam looked at his watch, "Couple hours."
Dean huffed at the irony, "Figures. First I have to stay awake for two days straight and then I got knocked into a mini-coma. With luck like that, think I should pick up some scratch-offs?"
Sam frowned, "I think you should be more careful."
"Dude, I just went to the bathroom." Dean replied, "Don't tell me you're not gonna let me take a piss on my own now."
"I just think we should have a plan." Sam argued, "You've got a target on your back and I doubt this is going to be the last attack."
"And what? You want me to just sit in Bobby's panic room until the world ends?" Dean argued back, "I don't wanna die, but I'm not going to hide either."
Sam sighed in frustration, "I know, man. It's just…"
He stopped himself from saying that he didn't know how to track down Lilith and the Seals and protect him at the same time because hunting while protecting his brother was what Dean had been doing for most of his life. It struck him once again how much he owed his brother and he decided that he would call Ruby again later when he could get away. His powers were progressing, but he knew he would need to be a lot stronger to protect Dean from everything Lilith would throw at him.
"Nevermind." Sam finally replied, shaking his head.
The brothers fell silent for a moment, both lost in their own thoughts, and before either said anything else, Ty returned. She had multiple bowls and plates balanced precariously in her arms, causing Sam to leap to his feet to help her before she lost the battle with gravity.
"Thanks." she said when Sam took about half her burden and set the plates down on the desk, "I wasn't sure what you guys would be hungry for so I just tried to get some of everything."
Ty followed suit, setting down most of the rest of them, but keeping one that she brought to Dean's side.
"Here. They just finished frying this." she said, placing a plateful of bacon in his lap.
Dean flashed her a wide smile that made her heart skip a beat.
"You're the best." he declared before stuffing a large strip of bacon in his mouth.
Ty smiled back, resuming her spot next to him on the bed. She snatched a piece of bacon off his plate for herself and leaned back against the headboard in an echo of his own pose, "I try."
For the rest of the day, Ty practically doted on Dean and Sam was slightly nauseated by the way Dean seemed to be lapping up the attention. If he hadn't stitched up the wound himself, he'd accuse him of milking it. As it was, by that evening he was more than willing to volunteer to go out and run some errands and pick up something to eat. He hoped that a few hours alone would be enough for Dean to get it out of his system. Plus, he needed time to get ahold of Ruby.
Dean watched Sam leaving quickly and couldn't quite suppress the satisfied smirk that crossed his face. He'd been laying the flirty, wounded warrior routine on Ty pretty thick, figuring sooner or later Sam would get sick of it and find some excuse to leave. Plus, if he was being completely honest, once he'd realized that Ty was actually going to let him get away with it, he'd begun to really enjoy himself. But now that Sam had left, he needed to find a way to get rid of Ty for a while, too.
"Aw, man." Dean complained, turning off the TV.
"You okay?" Ty asked immediately, straightening from where she'd been cuddling against him while he surfed through the channels.
"Yeah, I just realized that I forgot to ask Sam to grab some pie." Dean said, "My head's still splitting and I'd kill for a good piece of pie."
Ty sat up and reached for her phone, "Want me to call him?"
Dean sighed and shook his head slowly, partly for effect and partly because moving his head too fast still made his vision go blurry, "No. He said he'd be gone for a few hours. He'll just forget. This sucks. I really want pie."
Dean risked a quick sideways glance at Ty to see if she was buying it. She was frowning and already had one leg off the bed.
"Well, I can get you some." she offered, "I mean, Sam has the car, but I'm sure I can find some somewhere around here."
"Really?" Dean asked, plastering a hopeful expression on his face.
He felt a slight twinge of guilt when she smiled and leaned over to kiss him, "Of course. You going to be alright while I'm gone?"
"I'll be fine." Dean assured her, but when she started to climb to her feet, he grabbed her arm and pulled her back to him, kissing her back, "Hey, you're too good to me, you know that?"
Ty raised her eyebrows at him, a slight smirk quirking her lips, "You can think about how to make it up to me while I'm gone."
Dean grinned back at her, letting his eyes trail very deliberately from her lips downwards, then follow after her as she stood up and moved away.
"Call me if you need anything." Ty called back over her shoulder.
"I will." Dean called back.
He waited until the door closed behind her then climbed off the bed himself and went to go grab what he needed from his pack. It didn't take long for him to put together the pieces of the summoning ritual, but before he could complete it, he moved over to the windowsill and made sure to brush his hand through the salt line, breaking the warding. He double-checked the flask of holy water in his pocket, took a deep breath, then pulled out his lighter. The scrap of paper he'd written her name on ignited instantly and Dean quickly dropped it into the bowl with the other ingredients of the spell. A puff of smoke billowed up from the mixture, accompanied by a somewhat acrid smell. Dean glanced around, but he seemed to still be alone.
"Son of a bitch." he muttered, wondering what he'd done wrong.
"Don't be so impatient, lover." an unfamiliar voice said, making Dean spin back towards the window.
Standing just inside the window where he'd broken the warding was a young woman with long blonde hair. Dean frowned as he looked at her. Her height, her figure, the way she was dressed were all so similar to the hunter he'd just sent away. She even had similar features, but it was definitely not her.
"What's the matter?" she asked, stalking closer to him with a predatory grin on her face, "Don't you like my new look?"
Dean held his ground, refusing to back away from her, but she seemed to be perfectly happy with that because she moved right into his space, only stopping and looking up at him when they were mere inches apart.
"I thought you still had a thing for blondes." she continued, "Or, at least, for a certain blonde."
"I thought I told you not to talk about her." Dean said, his voice low and full of warning.
She rolled her eyes at him, unconcerned by his tone, "Don't be like that. I picked this body for you, you know. Figured if we're keeping Ty off the table, I could at least give you the next best thing. Maybe help you remember all those good times we had."
Dean shook his head, "You're sick."
She flashed him a wicked smile, then turned and moved to sit on the edge of his bed, crossing her legs casually, "Maybe…but you called me here."
Dean's frown deepened. It was hard to get the words out and they left a bitter taste in his mouth, but he'd known this was how this had to go, "I need your help."
Melchiresa's smile widened, "My dear Dean, did you just say what I think you said?"
"You heard me." Dean snapped, "You said you could protect me from Lilith's bounty-hunters. Was that bullshit?"
"Of course not." Melchiresa responded immediately.
"How?" Dean demanded.
The demon waved a hand dismissively, "Not important. All you need to know is I can deliver. Anyone short of Lilith herself won't be a problem."
"Yeah, and what about my brother? Ty? People around me?" Dean pressed.
Melchiresa shrugged, "Less demons after you means less demons after them. Everybody wins."
Dean just stared at her for a moment, eyes narrowed, trying to see through the guise to the play he knew had to be somewhere underneath. Finally, he just decided to ask her, "Why are you doing this? What do you get out of this anyway?"
Melchiresa stood and moved into Dean again, this time leaning against him and trailing her fingers along his jaw, "I already told you. I get to keep my sandbox and my favorite toys."
Dean jerked away from her, not bothering to hide his disgust. Melchiresa dropped her hand back to her side with a sigh.
"I had a feeling you weren't ready yet." she said, "But don't worry. I think once you fully understand the situation you're in, you'll want to talk again."
Something about the way she said that had the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end.
"What are you…?" he began.
Melchiresa moved back towards the window, interrupting him before he could even finish his question, "And I figure since you're so concerned about little Sammy, he should be here, too. I'd include Ty, too, but you made me promise to leave her out of it."
"What…?" Dean began again, more heatedly.
"Anyway, gotta run. Talk to you later, Dean." Melchiresa said, blowing him a kiss.
"Dean?"
Dean's attention was drawn by Sam's urgent voice calling to him as he hurried in the door. When he glanced back, Melchiresa had already vanished.
"Dean, are you okay?" Sam demanded, "I got your text."
Dean was about to say that he hadn't sent Sam any text when Sam's eyes locked onto the summoning circle still present on the desk. Sam quickly shut the door behind him before he turned to look at his brother.
"What the hell did you do?" he demanded.
Dean shook his head quickly. That demon had done something, lured Sam here for some reason, and his money was on her tipping off Lilith's goons to their location. They did not have time to argue about this now. But before Dean could even begin to explain that to his brother, the door suddenly burst open again and police officers swarmed into the room, screaming "Hands in the air! Down on your knees!"
"That bitch!" Dean swore as he reluctantly raised his hands.
"Turn around! Now!" An officer standing behind Dean with his gun trained on him ordered.
Sam and Dean complied and the officers immediately forced them onto the ground, flat on their stomachs with their hands behind their backs.
"Sam and Dean Winchester, you have the right to remain silent." one of them began the litany of their rights. Neither brother bothered to pay much attention, instead focusing on a pair of shoes that had stopped near their faces. They exchanged a glance before they both looked up.
"Hi, guys." Agent Henricksen said dryly as he gazed down at them, "It's been a while."
Sam and Dean exchanged another look before Dean shut his eyes and dropped his head back to the floor, his face turned so that he wasn't lying on his injury. This was just perfect. He should have known better than to trust a goddamn demon. Not only had she screwed him over, but Sam had gotten caught up in it, too. At least Ty wasn't here. He didn't think they had anything they could hold her on, but he wouldn't put anything past Henriksen at this point.
It didn't take long for Agent Henriksen, his partner, and the locals to slap shackles on them and manhandle them into squad cars for the drive down to the local station. As they were marched inside, Dean and Sam couldn't help but scan their surroundings. It was a small station and aside from the men bringing them in, the only staff on site appeared to be a secretary, a deputy, and the sheriff himself who was already speaking with Henriksen by the time they entered. Nobody looked incredibly pleased. Shuffling awkwardly due to the chain that had him shackled to his brother, Dean glanced around at the somber group staring at them.
"Why all the sourpusses?" he asked with a smile.
Sam glanced down at the secretary standing behind her desk. She was a young and petite hispanic woman and her desk was cluttered with religious paraphernalia. The nameplate on her desk read "Nancy Fitzgerald." When she saw Sam looking at her, she looked terrified and he noticed her hand move to grip a rosary. He could only imagine what Henriksen must have told her about them.
"I'll show you to the cells." one of the officers said, grabbing Dean's arm.
"Hey! Hey!" Dean protested, "Watch the merchandise!"
Dean, too, noticed Nancy's wide, scared eyes at that point as the officer marched them past her.
"We're not the ones you should be scared of, Nancy." he told her, but judging by the way she continued to clutch her rosary, she didn't find his words very reassuring.
The brothers stumbled into the prison cell, the door rattling closed behind them. Dean started for the bed to have a seat, but Sam made for the door. The chain between them snapped taut, yanking them both off balance.
"Dean, come on!" Sam snapped in annoyance.
"Alright, alright." Dean replied, "Sit?"
"Yeah." Sam agreed.
The brothers awkwardly attempted to untangle the chain from around them and finally managed to both have a seat on the uncomfortable prison cot. Glancing around at their cell, Dean frowned.
"How we gonna Houdini out of this one?"
"Good question." Sam replied, wishing he had even a bad idea to offer.
The brothers fell silent as they both racked their brains for something, anything, that might give them a way out. Dean was still betting that Melchiresa was planning to leak their location and had just arranged for the arrest to ensure that they would be here when all hell broke loose. In which case, he was sure they didn't have long before that happened.
"So, you wanna tell me what you did?" Sam finally asked.
Dean glanced over at his brother, then quickly away, "No, not really."
"Dude." Sam admonished.
Dean sighed, "I screwed up, okay? We're stuck in this cage and demons are probably going to be here any minute. Think of a way out of here and I'll give you the whole play by play."
The brothers lapsed back into a pensive silence when Henriksen walked back into the holding area, pausing outside their cell to stare in at them. Dean looked coolly back at him. Sam glanced at him, then looked away.
"You know what I'm trying to decide?" Henriksen asked.
"I don't know. What? Whether Cialis will help you with your little condition?" Dean quipped.
"What to have for dinner tonight." Henriksen answered, ignoring Dean, "Steak or lobster. What the hell, surf and turf. I got a lot to celebrate. I mean, after all, seeing you two in chains…"
"You kinky son of a bitch. We don't swing that way." Dean interrupted again, smirking cynically.
"Now, that's funny." Henriksen replied.
"You know," Dean continued, "I wouldn't bust out the melted butter just yet. Couldn't catch us at the bank. Couldn't keep us in that jail."
Henriksen nodded, "You're right. Screwed up. I underestimated you. I didn't count on you being that smart, but now I'm ready."
"Yeah, ready to lose us again?" Dean taunted.
"Ready like a court order to keep you in a supermaximum prison in Nevada until trial. Ready like isolation in a soundproof, windowless cell so small, that, between you and me...probably unconstitutional. How's that for ready?"
This time Dean didn't have any sarcastic comments or snark-filled comebacks.
"Take a good look at Sam." Henriksen continued confidently, "You two will never see each other again."
Dean frowned, disconcerted by that idea. Sam glanced from his brother to Henriksen, an edge of worry in his eyes.
"Aw." Henriksen taunted, "Where's that smug smile, Dean? I want to see it."
Dean just shook his head, "You got the wrong guys."
Henriksen paced a bit in front of their cell, "Oh, yeah. I forgot. You fight monsters. Sorry, Dean. Truth is, your daddy brainwashed you with all that devil talk and, no doubt, touched you in a bad place. That's all. That's reality."
"Why don't you shut your mouth?" Dean sneered at him.
Henriksen stopped pacing, "Well, guess what. Life sucks, get a helmet 'cause everybody's got a sob story, but not everybody becomes a killer."
They all glanced up at the sound of an approaching helicopter.
Henriksen smiled, "And now I have two less to worry about."
Dean's frown deepened, "Hey, don't we get a phone call?"
If they could somehow just get word to Ty or Bobby or anybody about where they were and what was up, maybe they'd have a chance.
Henriksen just glanced down at his watch, still smiling, "Hmm. It's surf and turf time."
He laughed and strolled back out of the holding area. Sam and Dean both watched him leave.
"Well, shit." Dean muttered, dropping his face into his hand.
Back at the motel, Ty was just walking back with Dean's pie when she froze in her tracks at the sight of the Impala being towed out of the lot.
"What the hell?" she said out loud.
Her eyes shifted quickly to their room, wondering how on Earth Dean could be letting this happen, and she saw police tape plastered across the door.
"Shit!" she swore, dropping the pie and springing into action.
She had to move fast if she wanted to find Dean. Her best bet was to follow the Impala wherever they were taking it, but to do that she'd need wheels of her own. Unfortunately, hotwiring cars wasn't something she was particularly great at, nor did she have time to be picky about the vehicle she took. Besides, there were only a few other cars in the parking lot.
Figuring it was probably her best option, Ty ran to an older model sedan. She silently prayed that it wasn't alarmed before she smashed her elbow into the window. Luck was finally on her side because no alarms followed the shattering of the glass. Using her sleeve to brush the glass away, she climbed in and used her pocket knife to pop the plastic cover off the steering column. Glancing up, she could just barely see the Impala's tail lights disappearing down the road.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it." she swore as she yanked the ignition wiring out of the steering column. Using her knife again, she stripped the wires, then twisted the ignition and battery cables together. The wires sparked a little and the ignition turned on.
"That's it. Come on, baby." Ty muttered to the car as she tapped the starter cable against the battery. The engine sputtered but obstinately refused to turn over. Clenching her teeth, Ty tried again. Again the engine struggled for a moment before it died.
"Son of a bitch!" Ty growled in frustration, pounding one fist on the steering wheel. The Impala was now out of sight. If she couldn't get this stupid car going now, she'd never catch up. Taking a deep breath, Ty tried one more time to get the car to start. She held her breath as the engine churned a few times, then nearly sighed with relief when it finally turned over. Shifting quickly into drive, she sped out of the lot in the direction the Impala had gone. Once she found the car and tracked it to wherever they were taking it, she figured then she could call Sam for backup.
"Damn it, Dean. Can't you stay out of trouble for one minute?" she grumbled as she sped down the road.
In the holding cell, approaching footsteps caused Sam and Dean to both look up. This time an unfamiliar man approached, sliding the metal door closed behind him before he walked up to their cell. Dean stood up to face him.
"Sam and Dean Winchester." he greeted them, "I'm Deputy Director Steven Groves. This is a pleasure."
"Well, glad one of us feels that way." Dean replied dryly.
"I've been waiting a long time for you two to come out of the woodwork." Groves continued.
Suddenly, Groves drew a gun with a silencer attached and fired it, shooting Dean in the shoulder. Dean's blood sprayed the wall behind him and he grunted, falling backwards. Sam sprang to his feet, struggling to get control of the firearm through the bars. Groves fired several more times, narrowly missing Dean where he had collapsed on the narrow bed, before Sam managed to get a grip on his arm. Sam met Groves' gaze and found pitch black eyes staring back at him. Immediately, he launched into an exorcism. Groves' head whipped from one side to another in that unnatural jerking motion Sam had come to be familiar with in the possessed. But before Sam could get very far into the ritual, Groves froze, a twisted smile crossing his face.
"Sorry, I've gotta cut this short. It's gonna be a long night, fellas." he said before he threw his head back and black smoke gushed from his mouth in a roar to disappear through a vent in the ceiling.
Dean sat back up, clutching his shoulder just as Henriksen, his partner, and two of the local officers raced into the area, drawn by Groves' scream. Henriksen already had his gun drawn and aimed at Sam, who was still holding Groves' weapon. The officers swiftly followed suit. They all started shouting.
"Put the gun down!" one of the officers ordered him.
"Wait. Okay, wait." Sam said, slowly raising his hands, keeping his voice calm and steady.
"He shot him!" the other officer exclaimed, looking down at Groves' still form, eyes wide with panic.
"I didn't shoot him, okay? I didn't shoot anyone." Sam denied, shaking his head slowly.
"He shot me!" Dean agreed pointedly, still clutching his wound.
"Get on your knees, now!" Henriksen snapped, tightening his grip on his gun.
"Okay, okay, okay. Don't shoot. Please." Sam said quickly, getting on his knees and passing the gun through the bars, "Look. Here. Here. Look, we didn't shoot him. Check the body. There's no blood. We did not kill him. Go ahead, check him."
Henriksen's partner knelt and checked Groves' body and discovered that Sam was telling the truth. He looked up in surprise, "Vic, there's no bullet wound."
"He's probably been dead for months." Dean explained.
Henriksen didn't lower his gun or look at all convinced, "What did you do to him?"
"We didn't do anything." Dean insisted.
Henrikson scowled at him, "Talk or I shoot."
"You won't believe us." Dean said in exasperation.
But Sam answered anyway, "He was possessed."
Henriksen scoffed, "Possessed? Right. Fire up the chopper! We're taking them out of here now."
Dean almost couldn't believe his luck. This demon was just the tip of the iceberg, but if they could somehow manage to get out of here before shit hit the fan, maybe they'd live long enough to figure a way out of custody.
"Yeah! Do that!" he exclaimed.
Henriksen's partner gripped his radio and called to the chopper crew, "Bill? Bill, are you there?"
There was no response, so Henriksen nodded for him to go check outside. The remaining officers continued to keep their guns trained on Sam and Dean. A few moments later, the agent's voice crackled over the radio.
"They're dead. I think they're all dead." he said horrified. The radios crackled with static, then there was a bright flash through the barred window and the sound of an explosion outside.
Henricksen grabbed his radio, "What the hell was that? Reidy? Reidy!"
There was still no response. Henriksen and the officers exchanged a look before they all hurried back out of the holding area back into the main office of the station. Sam and Dean glanced at each other again. It looked like it might already be too late to make an escape. Things were about to get real bad.
The brothers couldn't make out what was being said in the other room, but the panicked tone and raised voices was enough of an indication that things were rapidly spinning out of control. A moment later, the lights went out. Both men simultaneously climbed to their feet
"Oh, that can't be good." Dean stated simply.
"They're coming." Sam said.
Dean just grunted in agreement. After a moment, he winced as he tried to shift his injured arm.
"Help me with this, will you?" he asked, moving back to the cot.
Sam nodded and followed. He wadded up some toilet paper from the cell's open toilet accommodation and pressed it against the wound, doing his best to stop the bleeding. Dean grunted in pain.
"Alright, don't be such a wuss." Sam chastised, hoping to distract him.
Dean opened his mouth to reply when Henriksen marched angrily up to their cell, "What's the plan? Kill everyone in the station and bust you two out?"
"What the hell are you talking about?" Dean replied.
"I'm talking about your psycho friends. I'm talking about a blood bath." Henriksen said, gesturing vaguely towards their barred window to indicate whatever had just happened outside.
Dean tried to level him with his most sincere look, "Okay, I promise you, whoever's out there is not here to help us."
"Look, you've got to believe us." Sam added, "Everyone here is in terrible danger."
"You think?" Henriksen snapped.
"Why don't you let us out of here so we can save your asses?" Dean asked, although he could already guess what Henriksen's answer to that would be.
"From what?" Henriksen demanded. Sam and Dean both looked away, so he continued, using his gun to gesture at the ceiling, "You gonna say 'demons?' Don't you dare say 'demons.' Let me tell you something. You should be a lot more scared of me."
With that he stalked back out of the room. Sam sighed and turned back to Dean.
"How's the shoulder?"
Dean pulled away the wad of toilet paper Sam had pressed against it to stop the bleeding. It was stained red.
"It's awesome." he declared, tossing the bloody wad away, "I'll live. You know, if we get out of here alive. So you got a plan?"
Sam didn't answer, but instead moved to check the exit wound on the back of Dean's shoulder. Dean grimaced again in pain, but was distracted when he noticed the young secretary peeking around the corner at them.
"Hey." he said quietly to Sam, nodding in her direction.
"Hey. Hey." Sam called to her as he moved closer to the bars. The young woman immediately backed away, the fear clear on her face. Sam stopped, keeping his expression earnest and innocent, his voice calm, "Please. Please, we need your help. It's…it's Nancy. Nancy, right? Nancy, my…my brother's been shot. He's bleeding really bad. You think maybe you could get us a towel? Please? Just one clean towel?"
Nancy still looked unsure and afraid so Sam held up his hands.
"Look. Look at us. We're not the bad guys, I swear." he insisted.
Dean added a smile to Sam's earnest speech, but Nancy vanished back around the corner. Sam sighed in defeat.
"Nice try." Dean commented.
Sam sighed again as he tried to think of what to do now. He turned back towards the door and was surprised to find that Nancy had reappeared, holding a towel.
"Thank you." he said, giving her a gentle smile.
Nancy slowly moved closer, still looking uncertain.
"It's okay." Sam encouraged her, holding his cuffed hands out.
Nancy slowly placed the towel through the bars and Sam smiled gratefully as he accepted it. Nancy smiled back, relaxing a little, but before she could react, Sam grabbed her arm and pulled her up against the bars. She screamed in panic, struggling against his firm grip. A moment later, one of the officers ran in, armed with a rifle.
"Let her go! Let her go!" he shouted, rifle trained on Sam.
Sam released her and Nancy immediately backed away, her face again a mask of fear.
"You okay, Nance?" the officer asked quickly, moving slightly so she was behind him and keeping his rifle pointed at Sam, "Try something again, get shot and not in the arm."
"Okay." Sam nodded.
The officer continued to level Sam with a measuring look for a moment before he finally lowered the gun and walked Nancy back out of holding. As soon as they were gone, Dean smacked Sam in the arm.
"What the hell was that?" he demanded. His brother had just made some progress getting Nancy on their side, but after a stunt like that there was no way she was going to trust them again.
Sam didn't reply, but instead just held up Nancy's rosary. Dean chuckled softly. Okay, maybe that stunt had been worth it.
Using the rosary, they did what they could to prepare for the next demon attack, but soon they found themselves once again sitting on the bed, waiting.
"We're like sitting ducks in here." Sam complained.
"Yeah, I know." Dean agreed, pressing the clean towel Nancy had brought them against his wound, "Would it kill these cops to bring us a snack?!"
He shouted the last few words, but no one seemed to be paying them any attention at the moment.
"How many you figure are out there?" Sam asked.
"I don't know."
"However many there are, they could be possessing anyone. Anyone could just walk right in." Sam continued, frustrated.
Dean thought about apologizing to Sam for getting them into this. He shouldn't have summoned Melchiresa, not unless it was to put a bullet in her head. Maybe it was the Ruby thing, making him think a demon could actually be useful even if they couldn't be trusted. Still, he should have known better.
Dean was just about to say something to his brother when the sheriff walked up to their cell.
"Well, howdy there, sheriff." Dean drawled in a mocking affected accent.
The sheriff didn't reply, but unlocked and opened their cell door. The brothers both stood up, sensing that something wasn't right.
"Uh…sheriff?" Sam ventured.
"It's time to go, boys." the sheriff finally said.
Dean and Sam both took a step back as the sheriff entered their cell.
"Uh…you know what? We're…we're just comfy right here, but thank you." Dean replied.
Before the sheriff could reply or do anything else, Henriksen appeared at the door of the cell.
"What do you think you're doing?" he demanded.
The sheriff turned to face the agent, "We're not just gonna sit around here and wait to die. We're gonna make a run for it."
"It's safer here." Henriksen argued.
"There's a SWAT facility next town over." the sheriff countered.
Henriksen moved closer, stepping inside the cell, "We're not going anywhere."
Unintimidated, the sheriff spit back, "The hell we're not."
Before anyone could react, Henriksen drew his gun and fired, shooting the sheriff directly in the head. Sam and Dean both leaped forward, grappling with Henriksen. Dean wrestled the gun away from him, then helped Sam drag him over to the toilet. Sam shoved his head under the water, reciting an exorcism. The officer with the rifle ran back around the corner, but Dean pointed Henriksen's gun at him.
"Stay back!" he warned.
Henriksen struggled against Sam's hold and managed to lift his head out of the water. Steam billowed around him and he yelled in pain as the holy water dripped down his face. Sam shoved his head back under the water, thankful once again that Nancy was religious enough to carry a rosary. Almost as if his thoughts had called her, the young woman herself edged around the corner, staring wide-eyed at the events unfolding.
"Hurry up!" Dean snapped over his shoulder at his brother.
Henriksen jerked his head out of the water again. His eyes were black as he grinned at them, "It's too late. They're already coming."
Sam quickly shoved his head down again and sped through the rest of the exorcism. When he finished the ritual, he relaxed his hold on Henriksen. The agent stiffened, sitting upright immediately. His head fell back and he screamed as black smoke shot out of his mouth, rushing up towards the ceiling. When the smoke finally finished spilling from his body and escaping out through the air vent, he collapsed to the floor.
"Is he…is he dead?" Nancy asked timidly.
Henriksen stirred, coughing as he regained consciousness. Sam watched him warily.
"Henriksen, hey, is that you in there?"
Henriksen pushed himself back to his feet and sat heavily on the edge of the bed. He looked thoroughly shaken.
"I…I shot the sheriff." he finally stammered.
They were all silent for a moment, before Dean couldn't help himself. He smiled slightly, "But you didn't shoot the deputy."
Sam glared at his brother in disbelief.
"Five minutes ago, I was fine and then…" Henriksen continued.
"Let me guess." Dean interjected, "Some nasty black smoke jammed itself down your throat?"
"You were possessed." Sam explained.
Henriksen stared at him, "Possessed, like…possessed?"
"That's what it feels like. Now you know." Sam replied.
"I owe you the biggest 'I told you so' ever." Dean added, handing Henriksen back his gun.
Henriksen accepted the weapon. The gesture Dean was making by giving him the gun back wasn't lost on him. Standing, he turned to face the officer standing next to Nancy.
"Officer Amici, keys." he ordered.
The officer numbly handed over his keys. A moment later, Sam and Dean's chains fell to the floor.
"Alright," Henriksen said, "so how do we survive?"
