07: I Created a Monster.
Zarya was awake for several days straight after saying goodbye to Lucy and Sully. Somehow she got away with compelling Sam and Dean and driving the Impala. She begrudgingly indulged in a few extra blood bags out of anxiety in the middle of the night. Half of her hated herself. Loathed herself entirely. She took a human life with barely any reason, compelled Sam and Dean, the list went on. Yet the other half was enthralled. She couldn't believe she got away with every last detail completely unsuspected. With more practice she could probably do whatever she damn well pleased.
She thought about talking to Katia who had needed some time in Mystic Falls to deal with that shit show, but she didn't actually want to. She tried to play it off during the day like nothing happened and everything was fine, then at night she would crumble once she was safely hidden away in her bedroom. She thought about what Nick might say to comfort her, but she couldn't even bear to think of admitting what she was becoming to him.
His Heaven is with Sarah and their daughter anyways, the dark part of her mind reminded her. Don't you wonder if you make even a cameo? Or if he finally got what he wanted all along - a happy life with his wife.
Zarya was beginning to unravel. If she didn't blow off some pent up emotions then she would lash out at Sam and Dean for sure.
At long last it was just too convenient for her: Sam and Dean had something to do that Zarya was not to be part of "for her protection". They were surprised as all Hell when she didn't even argue. "I actually caught wind of a few ghouls about two hours out," she told them as she packed her own bag. "I should be back before you guys. Do you want me to stop on my way back for groceries or anything?"
"Beer and pie!" Dean shouted as she headed towards the stairs.
She chuckled. "Yeah, we'll pretend that wasn't already top of the list."
Once Zarya was safely away from Lebanon, she found a quaint little hiking trail which allowed her park and adventure. There probably could have been a ghoul case in the area if she really wanted to look, but that wasn't her purpose. Finally away from the small handful of hikers she passed at the entrance, Zarya used her speed and strength to leap up hills and through trees. She would be damned if every single time she needed release she found something to kill whether it deserved to be or not. Instead, Zarya used her supernatural abilities to essentially parkour herself deep into the woods. The fresh air was glorious to her nose and lungs. When she came to a small clearing around a large pond she took a break to drink a blood bag she had brought. She was finally beginning to feel a sense of peace when a snarl in the shadows caught her attention.
Sam would have been lying if he said he wasn't scared. He didn't want to be in Hell's limbo, let alone with Dean dealing with Amara. He suggested bringing Zarya with them. She would be able to negotiate the best. But Dean wouldn't hear it. He wasn't sending Zarya down to Hell alive when she would wind up there if she died. He would be damned before sending her right into that son of a bitch's palms again. Yet when it was time to go, Dean wasn't there either. And so Sam stood with only Crowley and Amara as the fires around the Cage revealed the shadow of the archangel within. Sam tried to remain strong when Lucifer came closer. His fingers wrapped around the bars, eyes glowing a dangerous scarlet.
"Sammy… where's Rya?"
All three of them were taken back. Sam actually struggled for an immediate response. "Wh-what?"
Lucifer was finally fully visible and clearly distraught to the point it angered him. "Where. Is. Rya?" He repeated dangerously slowly. "She was in danger last I saw her so where the fuck is she?"
"Zarya is fine," Sam spoke as he began to find some amount of courage. "That's not why we're here." What's he even talking about? When she was at Whitmore?
"Gotta say, Sammy, I don't give a damn if I don't have proof that Rya is alive and well. You didn't even venture down here with big, bad Dean. Don't tell me they both went darkside again because so help me Dad," he chuckled darkly, "I will find my way back upstairs."
"They didn't go darkside."
"Then where is Rya?!" Lucifer bellowed before another word could be uttered. Even Crowley flinched. "If either one of you hairless apes managed to cut Rya's human life short against her will so help me, I will enjoy thoroughly the torture inflicted upon the both of you."
Sam forced himself to get mad to better stand up to the archangel. "Listen, if it weren't for the crisis top-side you wouldn't be seeing any of us right now, let alone Zarya. She's alive and that's all you get to know."
He snorted, then ran his finger across the bars tauntingly. "Oh, but how much alive, Sammy? Do you even know? Clearly you were too afraid to bring her with you. No," he smirked. "That was Dean's idea, wasn't it? You know better; you know all Rya has to do is waltz up here and tell me what to do because she's my favorite. Dean couldn't stand the thought, could he? So afraid that she'd take one look at me and just swoon?" He actually burst out laughing at the thought.
Sam sighed and rolled his eyes. "Neither Zarya nor Dean are here right now so get over it, Lucifer. The Darkness poses a threat to everything, and that includes you."
Lucifer wiped a fake tear from his eye when he was done laughing. "Oh really? So where's the big burrito himself then, huh? Where's God in all of this?" He mockingly tapped the cross across his chest.
Sam cleared his throat as he avoided eye contact. "All current indications of his presence are that… there are no current indications of his presence…"
The archangel feigned a pout. "What? He caught the fun bus out of town? Pfft, figures."
"But, recently, He has reached out to an interested party."
"Ohh? Who?"
The young Winchester inhaled deeply. "Me."
"You?"
"He answered my prayers."
"Did he now? And, uh, what was Dad's suggestion?"
Sam sighed. "To seek out you."
Lucifer grinned. "Get outta town! Seriously? Who'd have thunk it? I completely get why you came to me. You can't ignore God, right? God says jump, everybody says 'how high?'"
"So… does this mean you are on board?"
"Well, I did help Dad seal up the Darkness all those years ago. She's quite a force. Determined to take over everything, even back then. Prone to tantrums. I can see why Pop is laying low. There is just, one, teeny-tiny little difference. Back then, you see, I had my little Remmy up my ass and sharing my power. We were a pretty strong force to be reckoned with. Remmy these days though… well, she's a mess. And there's only one person who's greater than or equal to her power matched with me." He grinned. "So, where's my sweet Rya?"
Zarya's face actually paled when she came to eye to eye with the Night Creature. Sweat dripped down the back of her neck when two more joined it. "Ohh, there's more," she laughed humorlessly. "That's- that's just great. Hope you guys don't mind but, uh, I've got a thing in a place at a time so bye!"
She took off with her superhuman speed just zooming through the trees. Branches and trees slapped her in the face and arms. She could hear the trio of creatures right on her tail with speed just slower than her own. She couldn't just let them follow her towards where people were, but what the fuck could she do against one let alone three? As fear crept up her spine with no weapon to even attempt to defend herself with, something flashed in her memories.
It's been so long, she thought. Could I even still call upon it…?
With just the questioning thought in her mind, something cool suddenly touched her hand and she knew. Using her momentum Zarya whirled around with Lucifer's angel blade firmly in hand and swung at the first Night Creature to leap at her. The tip of the blade slashed across its throat, sending it to the ground choking on its black blood. She skid to a stop and held the blade out at the other two as they followed suit. Hesitantly, a second one leapt out to strike her.
It knocked her to the ground but it couldn't knock the angel blade from her hand. Zarya took a couple of good hits that sprayed her blood before having a small opening to ram the angel blade deep into the Creature's chest. Zarya shoved and shoved until even the hilt started to enter the Night Creature. It howled in pain before exploding in black goo all over the dhampir. The third Creature trotted to the first and helped it scamper away. Zarya sat in the pile of goo still holding tight to Lucifer's angel blade with horror across her face.
Sam blinked a few times. "Y-you want Clarke?" Not even he could keep calling her by her real name after giving her a nickname. "Shouldn't- shouldn't you want a vessel…?"
Lucifer rolled his eyes. "I swear you morons just don't pay attention to a damn thing. With Rya and your little witch up there I can slip right through these bars totally linked to Rya. It'll be like Nick is back together again and Rya is a magical bandaid. Our power will be level and we can knock auntie Amara right back into her dark corner of the universe."
"Say we did do that and it goes just like you say; then what? What happens when Amara is gone and you're still topside linked to Clarke?"
"Oh, Sammy," he smiled alarmingly, "I will always be linked to Rya. It's just a matter of how much. Which is why I want to know why I can't fucking sense that she's alive and walking the Earth right now."
While Sam was so deadlocked in his conversation about Zarya, Rowena realized the warding was failing. Crowley asked her what the hell that meant but she was already rushing down before it may have been too late. She was just seconds too slow because as she reached the bottom the warding failed entirely which allowed Lucifer to zap Sam into the Cage with him. Sam's back hit the bars with fear deep in his veins as Lucifer smiled threateningly at him.
"Hey, Sam Winchester. Did you miss me? I bet you did, compared to what's about to happen if you don't get Rya to me."
"Rowena! Crowley!" Sam shouted with panic.
"You see, Sam," Lucifer explained as he slowly made his way closer to Sam, "when the Darkness descended, the impact on Hell was massive. The Cage was damaged. Through the fissures I was able to reach out. I got to Rya for the quickest second before she was ripped away from me. Then I couldn't find her again, even with the damage done to the Cage. It wasn't God inside your head, Sam." His hand shot out and grabbed the young Winchester by his throat. "It was me. So you see, He's not with you. He's never been with you. It was, and will always be, just me with Rya right by my side. So, Sammy, where is she?"
Sam focused on Dean's determination to keep Zarya away from Lucifer. After all he had done to her physically and mentally Sam had to agree with his brother; since the Cage had been damaged it was good that Zarya wasn't there. They had to keep her away from him. "You'll never know where she is again," Sam forced back bravely. "You'll never hurt her again."
Lucifer frowned. "Sammy, Sammy, you've got it all wrong." He released Sam's throat with a shrug. "I'm gonna hurt you, and Dean when he comes for you until I find Rya. I'm not even concerned, really. I know I'll find her eventually, I'm just being impatient." He grinned suddenly with his hand curled up under his chin. "Think she'll be happy to see me? Of course not; I'm gonna get cussed out for twenty minutes before she's content." He laughed.
Sam blinked a few times before slinking away into another corner cautiously. "You've really lost it down here, haven't you? Thought you were Hell bent on Remiel."
"I'm sorry, have you met my sister? She's fucking beserk isn't she? I'm certainly not missing Rya wipe the light from her crazy eyes. That'll be like a fucking pay-per-view prize fight."
Sam was beyond confused at that point. "When the hell has this been about Clarke? We thought you wanted her to be Remiel's vessel."
"This has always been about Rya, Sam." Lucifer smiled that dark and devilish smile that made Sam's skin crawl. "Since that very first day she fell down the Hell hole to my feet I have been ensuring that she would be stronger than Remiel. Smarter, quicker, more cunning. Rya can withstand anything now, including Remiel's dirtiest tricks."
Fear unlike any other consumed Sam as things began to make sense at last.
Zarya sat in her car, still covered in Night Creature that had begun to dry like paint, with Lucifer's angel blade in her lap. Her greener-than-blue eyes remained fixated on the sigil engraved in the titanium as one hand ghosted over her side where the same mark laid engraved on her flesh. Everytime she thought she was finally miles away it was like a boomerang swinging back in full force. Finally, with a heavy sigh, she tossed the blade onto her dash and took off down the road.
It was as if she was on autopilot, completely dissociating as she drove. Her mind began to wander. Within minutes the blade had vanished without a trace. Would she still go to Hell if she died? She supposed not since Riel had snapped her neck. What if she was staked though? It couldn't keep her dead, but surely it must cause something. As she slowed to a stop sign she finally noticed where she was.
If she turned left she would be on the direct path towards the bunker.
If she turned right then she could detour towards Stull Cemetery.
"Sam!" shouted the voice of one furious and determined Dean Winchester.
Crowley tried to call to Dean who had Castiel in tow not to do it, but there was no stopping them. Lucifer had grabbed Sam by the collar and already given him three good hits when Dean and Castiel caught his attention. "Dean," he smirked. "Ah, the other one." He shrugged, then snapped his fingers so they were both also in the Cage. "Welcome to the party." He then feigned a pout. "I don't suppose Rya is gonna come running down here next?"
Dean's face remained cold and mad. "Not a chance."
He shrugged. "She will eventually when you three don't return."
With barely any effort the archangel began knocking the three around the Cage. Rowena tried her best to hurry the spell along but the boys were gonna have to take some hits. Castiel rushed at Lucifer to free Dean from the archangel's immediate attention. Lucifer instantly tossed his baby brother into the floor of a corner with his foot on Castiel's angel blade.
"Last words, baby brother?"
"Can you and Zarya really beat her?"
"Of course we can."
At last, Rowena finished the spell and a massive light illuminated everything.
Zarya walked until she found herself in a quaint little park some couple of miles away from the bunker after she showered the Night Creature off of herself. She was beginning to feel suffocated being unable to tell Sam and Dean her secret. Thanks to the already vamp Vasiles and Katia she could easily sneak in a stash of blood bags to sustain herself which just added to the lies. She even adjusted to smiling or laughing in a way that didn't showcase the slight extension and point of her natural fangs. She opted for hoodies that helped hide her curves. She got fake glasses to give a magic tint to to protect her eyes from sunlight since she no longer needed her prescription ones. It was like playing Jenga with all of the lies. How long could she keep it up before either she lost it, or they found out for themselves?
Letting out a soft sigh, her eyes caught sight of a familiar mess of brown hair and a light trench coat sitting on a bench near the lake. Cas? She thought curiously. They hadn't heard from him in a few days and yet he was just sitting on a bench not a few miles from the bunker feeding some birds. She cautiously approached when her heightened senses brought her attention to someone else just down the way - a stiff looking man in a grey suit eyeing Cas warily. An angel, she deduced. And clearly a nervous one with an issue.
When Zarya got within a foot or so of the bench that supposedly Castiel was sitting on, he seemed to sense her and stood suddenly. At first she offered a gentle smile to the angel. "Cas," she called. "We've been-" That was when she actually saw him. She didn't see the blank, angelic confusion in his blue eyes. No, she recognized the devilish playfulness to them. She immediately stopped in her tracks. "Not Cas…" She muttered. Her eyes then flicked to the grey suited angel slowly advancing on them. She knew she could easily vamp speed away, so what was stopping her?
'Cas' walked up to her briskly and wrapped his arm firmly around hers, pulling her away towards the woods nearby. She grit her teeth and went with him, knowing the other angel was following. "I've been looking for you everywhere, Rya." He spoke low so the other angel couldn't hear.
"So you con Cas into being your vessel?" She hissed back.
Lucifer rolled his eyes before stopping in front of a large tree after luring the angel far enough in. "All the parks in the world, and I pick one with an angel in it." He called to the grey suit before turning the two of them around.
The angel was obviously fearful. "I saw you. Couldn't believe my eyes." His gaze then flicked to Zarya and his brows furrowed.
"Don't eyeball me," she spat at him. "I'm none of your concern."
"Remiel's vessel is just as much my concern as is Lucifer walking around."
Zarya rolled her eyes nearly to the back of her skull. "Can you idiots please get over that? It's never gonna happen!"
When she snapped at him he got a glimpse of her fangs and actually jumped back. His angel blade was already out so he shakily pointed it at the duo. Lucifer let go of Zarya's arm then, stepping in front of her with a protective expression on his face. "Now, I know you're not pointing that thing at her, brother."
"I am not your brother, Lucifer."
"Well, I'm not looking for a fight. Actually, I have a lot of answers that I need to sort through. And if we're being real here, Rya and I… we're your only hope at beating the Darkness." He smirked. Zarya remained quiet, watching the two angels go back and forth.
"It cannot be destroyed. Not even by you and Remiel."
"I'm sorry, did you miss the part where she told you Remiel taking her body wasn't happening?"
The angel blinked a couple of times with confusion. "Y-you aren't trying to get Remiel back…?"
"Oh, Dad, no! That woman has lost all of her marbles into smithereens and I was the one trapped in a Cage in Hell for eons. Rya is much stronger and more put together." Another smirk in which he partially tossed back to the ravenette.
The angel shook his head. "I still can't let you."
Lucifer shrugged with a small sigh. "Have it your way then." With a snap of his fingers the grey suited angel exploded. Blood splattered across their faces, causing Zarya's eyes to widen.
The scent of the fresh blood immediately made her gums ache and fangs threaten to descend. She grit her teeth together until her jaw started getting sore. She even tried to hold her breath. Taking a step back snapped a branch which got Lucifer's full attention back onto her. He turned and arched a brow seeing her odd demeanor.
He held his hands up defensively before approaching her. "Easy, Rya." When she didn't move he used the sleeve of Castiel's trench coat to wipe the blood off of her face. Seeing the strain on her face and the stiffness of her body told him everything he needed to know. "I had a feeling that's what had happened," he spoke quietly to her. "I'm so sorry, Rya. I know you never wanted this."
Oddly enough his words calmed her. Her shoulders relaxed and she could breathe again. The two sentences repeated several times through her brain. There was genuine remorse in his eyes. It was another one of those strange moments they shared that made her question everything over again. "You didn't know?" She finally spoke. Her tone was small and quiet like a child's.
"Of course not. I dragged Nova back kicking and screaming from the Other Side and when I returned I couldn't sense you at all. I reached and I reached but there was just… nothing. Sam and Dean of course refused to tell me anything when they ventured down to my Cage for answers about the Darkness. I was afraid that you had died which meant either you stayed dead or turned. I can clearly see it was the latter."
It was becoming difficult to keep eye contact as her emotions grew rattled. She could hear the gentle wind bustling the leaves on the trees and people jogging some ways away from them on the trail. She was losing focus. Then something Lucifer said finally brought her attention back. "What do you mean Sam and Dean went to see you?"
One of his brows arched. "They didn't tell you? Well, I suppose it's fair then that I safely assume you're keeping this secret from them. I… may have toyed with little Sam a bit." He grinned. "Might have made him think dear old Dad was sending him down for advice." She rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Hey now, I really can help with the Darkness. Especially with you."
She crossed her arms over her chest. "Just keep explaining before I use my vamp speed to go away."
He shrugged. "When they showed up without you I asked about you. They wouldn't give me any clear answers as to why I couldn't sense you, but the way they talked I at least knew you were alive. Castiel felt confident enough in my ability to take on the Darkness so he said 'yes' to me."
"So Sam and Dean don't know that Cas isn't Cas."
He smirked. "Just like they don't know half of you is vampire now. Looks like a bit of a stalemate here, Rya."
For a moment the two just stared down one another. "You don't tell them my secret, and I don't tell them yours." Zarya offered at last.
"Looks like we're working together again, sweetheart."
She rolled her eyes, growing impatient and feeling her heightened emotions beginning to become erratic. "So we have a deal? I can trust that you'll keep your trap shut?"
"My word is always good for you, Rya. Can I trust that you won't break for your darling Winchesters?"
In a split decision which her emotions grabbed one of the reigns, she quickly and swiftly kissed the archangel. Without saying another word she dashed off out of sight with her newfound speed. Lucifer was sure to notice the way her pale cheeks had tinted pink. An eager and pleased smirk tugged at his lips.
"You always were my favorite aunt, Vespera."
A/N: Ah! At last! The return of Lucifer and the introduction to Casifer xD
I have this whole book written to the end of season 11 but I'm barely halfway through season 6 of TVD -nervous chuckle-
xoxo
Kuraki-chan