Hi everyone, chapter 8's up :D. Again, I want to give my biggest thanks to the lovely LittleWing for taking the time to beta this chapter, it's much better because of her. I'll be posting regularly this week but then I'm going back to college and I don't know if I can post there, apparently there's some problem with my ISP. So, if you don't see any new stories for a while, that's the reason. I hope the problem fixed itself while I was gone. OK, enough rambling. On to the story.
Back at the motel, after bravely running away from the petite, frail looking, five hundred year old woman, the brothers took their regular roles in their research routine. Sam sat cross legged on his bed, laptop open in front of him, reading anything he could find about the Borgias. It was specially hard finding anything useful given they were obscure historical characters and the search engine returned almost three million matches just for the word 'Borgia'.
Dean ocuppied the other bed, his back against the headrest, flipping through his father's journal; looking for any monsters or demons that could take human form. That was a much easier job because there weren't many monsters with that ability, but it proved to be just as frustrating as his brother's task because Aurora or Lucrezia or whatever they chose to call her, met none of the characteristics of the monsters they had filed.
"Find anything useful?" Dean asked while he put the journal away, giving up. "Anything to tell us what we have here?"
"No," Sam sighed, leaning back against the headboard and rubbing away the tension forming on his temples, "just enough biographies to make me never want to hear the name Borgia again."
"Well, what do we know?" Dean asked, sliding down the mattress to an horizontal position and staring at the ceiling. "She's old, she kidnaps young people using some sort of hypnotic power..." Dean stopped realizing that was all he knew about her.
"She was human at one time." Sam stated with a distant look on his eyes.
"How do you know that?" Dean asked, rolling to his side and propping up his upper body on one elbow.
"Remember how I told you the visions seemed like scenes of a movie showing in disorder?" Sam asked, and Dean nodded. "Well, seeing her, that painting, and from what I just read about her, I think I can arrange the visions into something coherent." Sam finished, and his brother stared at him, urging him with his eyes to explain further.
"OK, when I first saw her, she was crying over a dead baby. According to what I just read, her eighth child died a few days after being born. I think that's what I saw. No monster or demon can cry like that. The second vision was about her getting married, so that happened before the first vision. And the last one was her walking through a forest, where something grabs her." Sam stopped, sorting his thoughts. "So, what if she didn't die from childbirth complications as history claims?" Dean raised his eyebrows at that, and Sam explained quickly. "It says here that the night before dying she sent a letter to Pope Leo X saying that she wanted to die." Sam thought for a moment before continuing. "Now that I think about it, she was looking for something in that forest. She was scared, but she was still looking for it." Sam waited for his brother's response.
"So you think whatever she found in that forest gave her immortality?" Dean asked, giving the idea some thought. "Maybe a demon. She could have made some sort of deal with it and that's why she needs the people she kidnaps." Sam nodded, it was a good assumption, but that's all it was. The truth was they had no idea what she was and what she wanted those people for. They didn't even know if any of them were still alive.
"Oh, I almost forgot," Dean said suddenly, "she had this pendant hanging from her neck."
"Yeah, I saw it too," Sam said, agreeing. Dean stared at him for a second before a smirk formed on his face.
"Aww, Sammy is turning into a little perv... just like his big brother. I'm so proud." Dean said teasingly, dodging the pillow thrown at his face.
"What about it?" Sam asked, rolling his eyes.
"Well, don't you find it odd that a rich woman wears an ugly pendant like that?" Dean asked, back to serious. Sam had to admit it was. Dean had great observational skills. "Maybe we could find something out about the pendant and that could tell us something more about her."
"It's worth a shot," Sam said, already typing away on his computer.
A few hours later, Dean came back in, carrying some paper bags, the stains forming on them, a giveaway of their greasy contents. Sam was still hunched over the computer.
"Any luck?" Dean asked, taking a bite of one burger and setting a bag in front of his brother.
"Well, I'm pretty sure the stone was a black diamond," Sam looked up from the computer's screen and stretched his arms over his head.. "They are rare and mostly used by men because, well, they're black." Sam explained.
"That's it?" Dean scoffed. "That isn't very helpful."
"Hey, I'm not a jeweler! It took me over an hour just to find out what kind of stone it was." Sam said defensively.
"OK, OK. Lets take a break," Dean said, his hands out in a tranquilizing manner, "we'll eat something and go on with the research then." Dean sat down on his own bed with his food.
"Right, 'we' " Sam scoffed.
"What?" Dean asked with a growl, but Sam had already taken a huge bite of his burger and looked away.
The sun was setting by the time Sam finally leaned back from the computer screen. Stretching, he let out a little huff of relief as his back cracked loudly. He rubbed ligthly at his eyes with the back of his hand, trying to erase the spots mockingly dancing in front of his face.
"I'm taking a shower." Sam announced, standing up.
Dean stopped flipping through the few channels on the motel's TV when he heard his brother close the bathroom's door. He stared at the open computer sitting on top of the bed. Sitting still, Dean listened carefully for a few seconds and when he finally heard the shower start, he got up, scooped up the computer and returned to his bed.
The screen showed a page involving some spells using diamonds. Following a hunch, Dean's fingers hovered over the keyboard for a secong before typing something on the search engine. The screen hesitated for a moment before a new page appeared. Dean felt a twinge of pride as he read; he had found something. But as quickly as his exitement came, it faded. Dean suddenly tilted his head to one side, listening to the stillness in the room, straining to hear something. Moments later, with and empty look on his face, Dean slipped quietly out the door.
Sam exited the bathroom feeling relaxed and with renewed energy. He had the feeling he was going to need that energy because he had yet to find something to help them save those people. Stopping just outside the bathroom, looking around, Sam noticed the computer sitting on top of Dean's bed. Dean was nowhere in sight.
Sam walked to the window and looked down at the parking lot. He spotted his brother heading for the Impala. Thinking he had gone to get something from the car or maybe to the vending machine, Sam turned away from the window and sat in Dean's bed, in front of the computer.
The page displayed by the computer wasn't the one he had been reading before his shower. This one was about protection charms. Sam wondered why his brother bothered reading it. They knew every possible protection charm out there. Or so he thought. Upon a second look, Sam realized the page wasn't about protection from evil, but quite the opposite. It was a list of charms to protect evil things from harm.
It surprised Sam that such things existed, but thinking about it he guessed it wasn't such an illogical idea. If people could use magic to protect themselves against evil, then evil could do the same to get protection from good, right?
Sam was stupefied to read that there was a charm to make demons resistant to blessed weapons or a werewolf could become immune to silver. He scrolled down the page quickly, guessing what his brother had been looking for, suddenly getting a feeling of unease he couldn't explain.
The last thing on the list were instructions on how to enchant a black diamond to protect it's wearer from light.
"Light?" Sam asked to the empty room. Did that mean this charm protected any evil thing from light forces? Why hadn't they encountered another monster or demon wearing a charm like this then? Or maybe it was meant to protect from a different sort of light. "Sun light!" Sam's eyes widened with realization. He scrambled to his feet and ran to the window. The lonely vending machine across the parking lot and the closed, empty Impala confirmed his fears.
"SHIT! " Sam picked up their weapons bag, turned it upside down and began rummaging through the pile the items formed on the room's carpet.
Had Sam watched his brother a couple seconds longer, he would have seen him walk past his beloved car without even a glance in its direction.
Dean walked slowly through the parking lot, past the front desk, through the lobby and out the front door into the night. In a dark alley across the street, a figure stood in the shadows waiting for him. As Dean drew closer he recognized the blond woman leaning on the hood of a black limousine, watching him with satisfaction. When he was only a few feet from her, the hypnotic, siren-like song he had been hearing inside his head stopped. Once free of the trance, Dean was suddenly aware of where he was.
"Hello, Dean." Lucrezia greeted, pulling away from the limo and walking towards him. "I'm so glad you came."
Dean began slowly walking backwards as she began to close the distance between them. Her green eyes glinted with a predatory light, and Dean couldn't help but feel like a helpless gazelle that has strayed from its herd.
Dean considered his options as he kept backing away slowly, trying to buy some time. It was like escaping from an advancing dog; it walks slowly towards you at first, and only when you start running does it chase you. He didn't know what she was or how to fight her. He didn't have any weapons with him. He didn't know what kind of powers she had - aside from the hypnosis thing. So jumping her and trying to beat her couldn't be a wise move. His only option seemed to be running away and making as much noise as possible to try and draw attention towards them, maybe then she would be forced to flee to avoid recognition.
But before Dean's brain even had the chance to tell his legs to turn him around and run, she'd closed the short distance between them and wrapped a deceivingly frail looking hand around his throat. As his surprise faded and Dean began seeing dark spots on the outer edges of his vision, he brought up his hands to try and pry her tiny hand open.
"Don't be frightened, handsome." She whispered in his ear, her cool lips brushing his skin with a feather touch, unfazed by Dean's attempts to free himself. "You're not like the others. You I'm keeping." She pressed a smile against the skin of his ear and then ran one of her long, sharp fangs down the side of his neck, stopping at the place neck meets shoulder. With a simple flick of her wrist, she effortlessly turned Dean's head to the side, getting better access to his neck - her dilated puppils spotting the pulsing vein underneath the skin easily.
A silver cross was suddenly shoved between her face and Dean's neck. With a faint gasp she released her hold of the hunter's neck and flinched away a few steps.
Dean landed hard on his knees, rubbing his throat and gasping for air. Stepping between his brother and the blond, Sam held the cross firmly in his out strechted arm; a stake at the ready in the other hand. The vampire gave him an outraged glare.
Her expression softened suddenly and a confident smirk krept across her face.
"Come on, child," she said with an amused tone, taking a menacing step forward. "Do you honestly believe that one as old as I am is scared of a little cross?" Sam felt a little of his resolve leave him. He hadn't actually thought such an old and powerful vampire would be stopped by a cross. He supposed he had only surprised her. "And you know I could break your neck before that stake comes anywhere near me."
Tossing the cross away, Sam fished his jacket pocket quickly - cursing inwardly as his nervous fingers fumbled for a few seconds - he took out a small plastic bottle containing a transparent fluid."Holy water?" Lucrezia laughed. "That won't stop me." She took another step towards them. Dean finally got himself off the concrete floor and stood beside his brother.
"Maybe not." Sam said, and Dean gave him an incredulous look. What kind of rescue was this? Holy water and a stake? Where were the shotguns, the crossbow, a flamethrower maybe? "But it'll sure make some nasty scars on that pretty little face. That's at least, what? One month of no public events for you?" Sam felt a little of his confidence return when the woman stopped advancing, her smirk disappearing
The brothers watched warily as she stood there, frowning. She was debating whether to let them go or risk getting burned with the holy water. She finally smiled.
"All right. You can go," she said, "... for now. But I'll get him. It's just a matter of when." She pointed past Sam at Dean. She walked towards the limousine and stopped at the open door, turning around. "I have all the time in the world." She smiled mockingly, her green-gray eyes glinting evily. In a blink she had dissapeared inside the car. The limousine's engine suddenly roared, the headlights shooting through the alley, and the vehicle charged them. The brothers jumped aside quickly, barely dodging the large, black car.
Watching the limousine drive away and into the night, Dean's hand snaked out and without warning cuffed the back of his brother's head."Ow! What was that for?" Sam complained, rubbing at the back of his head.
"You come save me with a cross and holy water?" Dean asked with disbelief.
"Hey, I didn't know where you had gone, I couldn't just run around the streets with a shotgun." Sam said defensively.
"Yeah, well, next time don't bother showing up without a tank," Dean said, beggining the short walk back to the motel. Sam followed close behind.
Half an hour later they had the room cleared, the car packed and checked out. They drove across the city to find another motel. They doubted the vampire would have too much trouble finding them, but they couldn't just sit in the same place waiting for her to come get them. At least they'd have some time to take a breath and think of how to stop her.
Author's note: What do you think people, did you like it? At least it had more action, right? I'll be finishing this story in a couple more chapters, I'm saving the big, final battle for last >:D
I won't say reviews will make me post faster because I'll post anyway, but it is nice hearing comments about what you liked or didn't like of the story... so review, review! (cracks whip) OK, I'm going to bed now, I need some sleep, goodnight