Part Seven: Trust Thy Enemy

"You want our help?" Sam said, his thoughts turning quickly in his head.

"Yes, not that hard to believe is it?" Robin replied, slipping her coat back on and walking closer to the boys.

"Why do you need our help?" Dean asked, his eyes still focused on the girl's movements.

"Ok, let's just be straight with each other. You broke into the club last night, I know it, you know it and Belle knows it."

"Belle?" Sam asked.

"Or Madam. She's the blonde woman, you saw last night," Robin continued, "and you guys aren't exactly the right type for that place. So I have to ask myself, why are these two here? Well you could be a couple of wasters, looking to score with some girls…"

"Huh," Dean sighed, "I don't need to go to places like that to score with girls."

"Of course you don't," Robin said sarcastically, "anyway, as I was saying, I could have written you two off but then you start asking me about Sarah Todd and that well…that makes me think, we have something in common."

"And that would be?" Dean said, not liking the girl's attitude.

"That we're all looking for Sarah Todd and that it all led us to the Orchid."

"Why are you looking for Sarah?" Sam said, stepping forward to try and look at the girl's face more closely.

"Because she has some information about something."

"What?"

"It doesn't matter. What matters is that we all know something is going on here and it's not just the dodgy men. So are we going to help each other or not?"

"Why should we trust you? You work for her. This could be a trap," Dean said loudly, his hand returning to his gun.

"It could be. But you don't really have a choice, do you? Because you're never going to get into that club again and by the time, you've figured it all out, she'll be gone and people will be dead. So you need me," Robin said loudly, her palms sweating slightly.

What would she do if they didn't believe her?

"She does seem to have a point," Sam said, looking over at his brother.

Dean scowled, he hated it when people had points, "right, fine. We'll help."

"Good," Robin said, smiling, "so tonight..."


"Dean, you ok about this?" Sam asked, as they walked around to the back of the building.

"Not really. But we don't really have any other options at the moment," Dean said, looking for the open window, Robin had promised them.

"You don't trust her?"

"Of course, I don't trust her. Do you? I mean one minute she's feeding us chocolate and the next she's freaking out over the missing girl and then she's in our room asking for our help. Hell, I'm not even sure we've been dealing with the same girl," Dean said loudly.

"Yeah, you're right…Just I don't know, I feel something about her…"

Dean stopped suddenly and stared at his brother, his eyebrows raised in the fashion with which only Dean was accustomed.

"No, not like that," Sam replied sharply, "I mean, I feel she's holding something back, you know?"

"Yeah well, Sammy, everyone has their secrets, you know that."

"I know…but…"

"Look, in the end, she's with us or against us and either way, I'm prepared," Dean said, patting the gun by his side.

"Ok. Ummm…is that it?" Sam asked, peering at the small window in front of them.

Dean turned to look at possibly the tiniest window in all human history.

"That girl has a freaking weird sense of humour," he continued, removing his bulky leather jacket.

This was not going to be fun or easy.


"Yeah, so I was just saying you give me a diamond bracelet and then maybe I'll give you a kiss," the girl said loudly, laughing at her own story.

The others in the changing room giggled along politely but they were all too concerned with their own matters, looks and how they were going to acquire a diamond bracelet from one of the pathetic patrons of the club.

As she watched them, Robin couldn't help but feel a bit scared; in this place, it wasn't the men who you were watching out for, it was the girls. They were ruthless.

"Ladies," Belle's voice called, as she entered the dressing room.

All the girls stopped immediately through fear and respect. Madam was in charge and her power was absolute.

"I just came in, to see how you all were and to deliver your little helpers. Just got some more in stock," she continued, placing a box, she'd been carrying onto a nearby table.

The girl nearest to the table, a curly haired brunette called Sophie, took the box and began to hand out the vials.

Robin's stomach turned a little as she was took the small tube, she didn't like the effect this stuff had on her. She couldn't think straight and tonight, she needed to.

"So, let's just have fun…but not too much," Belle laughed, her bell-like giggle ringing around the room.

The girls all smiled sweetly in return and began to put the finishing touches to themselves.

"Oh and could I have a quick word with the veterans, please," Madam suddenly announced.

Robin scanned the room to see who was staying and she saw Lucy sit back down and all the other girls who were meant to be leaving this year.

This was definitely she had to hear and as she left the room, she quickly ducked behind a velvet curtain, just in front of the open door.

After the last of the girls had walked out, she heard Belle's voice again.

"Aaaah, my veterans, my loyal girls. You have all been here for 3 years and I hope in that time, you have enjoyed it and all the benefits. But as you know by your contracts, that it is time that you leave the Orchid and go out into the world beyond it…"

"We don't have to leave," a voice said softly.

There was silence as the words hung in the air. The question left unanswered.

"No, you don't," Belle finally said, her voice sharper than before, "but those are the rules and you know how I feel about rules. However as a small compensation, I am throwing you all a leaving party on Sunday, here at the Orchid, where I have prepared some special leaving presents. I hope you can all attend, it would be so wonderful if I could say goodbye to each of you personally. Say around 8 o'clock?"

"Hey…"

Robin jumped, her heart skipping a beat. She quickly turned around to find the two Winchesters standing behind her.

"Don't do that!"

"Sorry," Dean replied, "and P.S. could you have picked a smaller window for us?"

Robin looked at the two tall men in front of her, she probably could of but she didn't.

"Sorry, but it was the only I could prop open in the time. I didn't think you'd care but maybe I was wrong…"

"Well remember for next time."

"Yeah, let me just write it down," Robin replied sharply, as she saw two figures appear by the door.

"Quick," and she grabbed the boys and hurried into the main room.

"Cover your face," Robin said, shoving Dean's head down, as she saw the gorilla at the door staring at them.

"Robin, goddamnit!" Dean said angrily, pulling the girl's hand off his neck.

"Sorry. But Carlos was watching us," Robin said, smiling broadly at the two brothers as if they were customers.

"Right, so where's Belle's office?" Sam asked, turning to hide his face.

"Up the stairs, it's the only room there. I heard from one of the girls, she's got a safe up there, not sure where though."

"Ok, so upstairs it is. You stay here and keep watch," Dean said, catching the eye of a blonde at the nearby table.

"Dean, eyes on me," Robin said, grabbing his face with her hand.

"Woah, this is not a free for all, you know? Anymore touching and you'll have to pay," Dean said, backing away from the girl.

"Just go," Robin said, shaking head.

Sam stared at the pair and wondered if in a fight to the death who would win…

Probably Robin.


Sam entered the large room and switched on the lights, scanning the room for some sort of clue to identity of mysterious Madam.

Dean walked in after his brother and saw how immaculate the room was. Not one spot of dust anyway, no untidy papers strewn on the desk, cold cleanliness.

Neat freak, he thought to himself.

"Nothing in here," Sam said, looking through the drawers.

"Right…so where do you think this safe is then?" Dean asked, hopping onto the side of the desk.

They both inspected the room again and their eyes fell onto the only real piece of humanity in the room, the painting.

"After you," Dean said, not making any attempt to help his brother.

"Thanks," Sam replied, as he pulled the painting away from the wall to reveal a wall safe.

"Well that was easy," Dean snorted, taking out a stethoscope and putting it up to the safe's door.

"You came prepared," Sam said, slightly impressed.

"I know…should have been a boy scout," Dean said, as the safe cracked gently open.

Inside were a number of dollar bill stacks and also a small wooden jewellery box.

Sam took the box out and looked at the peeling paint on the lid. People didn't keep things like this without good reason.

"There must be at least $10,000 here. Man…" Dean said, leafing through the bundles.

Sam ignored his brother's excited cries and opened the box carefully. Inside were mostly photographs and they all included Belle and a group of pretty young girls, nothing strange about that. Until, the more he flicked through them, the older the dates on the photographs became, but Belle in all of them remained perfect like a marble statue.

"What do you think then?" Dean asked, looking over the photographs.

"Hmm…well maybe she's like Elizabeth Báthory, the blood countess, who bathed in the blood of girls to keep herself beautiful and young."

"Yeah, it's possible. I mean, it would explain her appearance," Dean answered, then something about the wooden box caught his eye.

He took the box in his hands and looked at it more closely; the base on the left side was coming apart slightly from the rest of the box. He removed his knife from his pocket and slowly popped out the bottom. And hidden in the bottom of the box was a newspaper clipping, yellow and weathered, dated February 1917.

As the boys began to read, Sam's mobile started to buzz in his jean pocket. He quickly took it out and answered it, only to hear the worst possible words in this kind of scenario…

"She's coming!"