Eye of the Storm

Disclaimer: Don't own Supernatural in any way. I do own Haley Winchester and Laura Whitman.

Author's Note: This chapter and the previous chapter happen at approximately the same time, in case you'd forgotten. Also, a little trivia about the demons (at least here in this 'verse). In their native form (black smoky substance mostly, and the thing Dean saw when Meg was exorcized), they are genderless, and referred to as 'it'. When they possess someone, it felt weird writing 'it' still, so I just started referring to them as the gender of whoever they'd possessed. That's why the Demon is suddenly female; because it's possessing Laura. I realize that could be how it is anyway and I've only just realized it, just thought I'd mention it in case it isn't.

Hmmm, now that it's finished I'm not sure if I like it. But it's the best I can do at the moment, so I hope ya'll enjoy it anyway. If not, well... hopefully the next chapter will be an improvement.

Review Answers:

Spuffyshipper – Thank you, here's the update. One for Meg's survival. Good reason for it, too.

EmSyd – Thank you. Yeah, it is, hehe. Wonder what I'll do. Well, I already know, but I'm sure somebody's wondering.

Kiss of Death – Two for Meg's survival. Things are looking up for everyone's favourite hellspawn (I don't know why I just said that).

Ghostwriter – Thank you, good to know.

Chapter 9: Desperate Choices

Sam opened his eyes with a start, gasping for air. After a minute of panic, he realized he was no longer in the trunk of the car, and that could only be an improvement, right?

Wrong. At least in the trunk, as suffocating as it had been, he'd known it was only him in there. The fact his hands were still tied behind his back (and now around the back of a large pillar of some sort, causing his arms to stretch to their limits and making movement next-to-impossible) told him he was still being held captive, and since he was now in such a large, rather dark place, he had no idea if he had company or not, which, in his opinion, meant his situation had definitely not improved.

"They hurt, don't they?" Sam looked up suddenly, and saw Laura stepping out of the shadows into his line of sight.

"Laura," he breathed. "I thought you were… no, never mind, we have to get out of here."

"They don't have to hurt, you know." She continued as if he hadn't even spoken, walking slowly up to him, a slightly perplexed look on her face. "Why do you fight them, Sam? They were given to you as a gift." She reached out, her fingertips brushing his face, but Sam shied away from her touch.

"What're you talking about?" He asked, turning a confused look on the other hunter. "Laura, there's no time. Untie me, we need to go." A trace of a smile formed on Laura's lips; a pitying smile, like she knew something terrible that he didn't, and probably didn't want to. "What's wrong with you?" Sam asked, now feeling, not just confused, but a little concerned.

"You're not going anywhere, Sam." Laura said, and gave him a real smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. Leaning forward, so that her lips were right up to his ear, she whispered, "Not until I'm finished with you." His eyes widened, and she pulled back.

"It's you," he gasped. Laura blinked, and her eyes went from honey-brown to sickly yellow, and her smile lost its warmth. "We've been hunting you a long time." He said, staring at the Demon with malice in his eyes. She just grinned, climbing to her feet and taking a step back from him.

"We who?" She asked. Looking around as if looking for someone. Sam couldn't help but look around as well, though he already knew there was no one else in the room. There was just Sam, and Laura, who happened to be possessed by the Demon he'd spent the better part of his life hunting. "That's right Sam," she said, turning back to Sam. "You're on your own. There's no one to pull you away from me at the last minute this time." She leaned down, pressing his shoulders against the cold stone of the pillar behind him. "There's just you… and me." She said, and then, grabbing a handful of his hair, she pressed their lips together.

For a few moments, all Sam could do was sit there, frozen in shock while Laura's tongue explored the inside of his mouth. Then he recovered his senses, and the first thing he did was try and kick her off of him. She responded by pinning his legs down with her own.

"We finish…" the Demon said breathily, pulling back, "… when I say we finish, got it?" She raised an eyebrow.

"No-" Sam started, but he was cut off as her lips slammed into his again. When he tried to fight her off again, he felt something move between them, and the next thing he knew, he was being held in place by some unseen force. After a minute of fighting in vain against whatever held him, he just gave up, sagging against the pillar. The Demon obviously felt this, and whatever had been holding Sam instantly lifted.

"There, that wasn't so hard now, what it?" She asked, licking her lips as she moved off him and got slowly to her feet. Sam groaned, leaning his head back and closing his eyes.

"What is it with you demons and your insatiable need to treat me like a sex toy?" He said, meaning it more as a rhetorical question then anything else.

"Oh, it's probably those sweet, innocent eyes and the too-long hair and the…" She noticed the sceptical look on his face. "Yeah, you're right." She said. "It's just because you're there and you're so…" She stopped. "Well, the word attractive leaps to mind." The Demon frowned. "I'm thinking this body isn't as dead as it's supposed to be." Sam raised an eyebrow, confused for a minute. Then he thought he understood.

"Laura's still in the coma." He said. The Demon looked at him with a pleased smile.

"Very good, Sammy-boy. Top marks." She said mockingly. Sam glared at her. "Oh come on. Just because we're bitter enemies, doesn't mean we can't be civil to each other."

"Yeah, and sticking your tongue in my mouth is really civil." Sam said sarcastically. The next second, Laura was right in front of him, backhanding him across the face.

"Watch your tongue, boy, or I'll rip it out of your mouth." She snarled, her eyes flickering yellow for a second before returning to normal. Sam's mouth snapped shut; he had no doubt she was totally serious. "I'm not some common demon you can mouth off to whenever you feel like. I'm not Meg." She added, and a muscle in Sam's jaw twitched. The Demon sneered. "Not all of us are worried about ruining that pretty face of yours, Sammy." She hissed, reaching out and running the tips of her fingers down his cheek.

The young hunter whimpered slightly as her fingernails dug into his skin, leaving behind four bloody lines, but clamped his mouth shut again to keep from making anymore noises.

Then, as if to freak him out even more, Laura leaned forward and licked his cheek, her tongue like razors against the fresh cuts. He winced, but nothing more, and once she'd finished licking his wound, she pulled back.

"Consider that an appetizer." She said, wiping her lips with the back of her hand as if to catch any blood she may have missed. Sam looked up at her, and there was genuine fear in his eyes.

"What do you mean… appetizer?" He asked tentatively, not really sure he wanted to know. The Demon smiled mirthlessly down at him.

"No one told you?" She asked, and Sam knew she was mocking him, enjoying his lack of knowledge of what was going on. "You're what I need, Sam." She said. "You're what I've been looking for." Sam's eyes widened as he started to figure out what she was talking about. "Your blood's going to be on her hands. The blood of her heart." Her smile vanished, and she just stared at him condemningly. "The blood of her love." Sam was staring up at her, not wanting to believe it. "How does it feel, Sam, to know your blood's going to be what restores me to my previous power?" She asked.

-;-

Sam had the distinct impression that the sun had set some time ago, by the way the shadows seemed to have gotten a lot more menacing. Some of them, much to his horror, seemed to be literally moving.

As scared as he was, there was something else Sam found was getting harder and harder to deal with: boredom. Laura had left him alone at least an hour earlier, and aside from being scared silly every few minutes when one of the shadows moved just a little to fast across the wall, Sam had nothing to do except sleep.

Which he failed miserably at. Five minutes into his attempt at sleep brought him to the conclusion he was too well rested from being unconscious, to even consider sleep being an option. So here he was, bored out of his skull and wondering if the next time the shadows moved, they were going to come over and tear him apart (a bad experience with daevas will do that to a person).

"Having fun?" Sam looked up as the Demon walked back into the large room. She'd changed out of the clothes she'd been wearing, now dressed in a simple black dress. He didn't answer her, and turned his head to look in another direction. A frown appear on his lips when he saw what appeared at first glance to be a table, but upon closer inspection (or second glance, since Sam couldn't get closer) actually turned out to be an altar, the contents of which seemed vaguely familiar to Sam, and not in a good way.

"Admiring my work?" The Demon asked conversationally, noticing Sam was looking at the altar. Sam shook his head quickly, turning to look at the Demon without thinking. His eyes locked with Laura's, and he suddenly found himself unable to look away. Her lips twisted into a smile, and she moved slowly forwards, stopping just a couple of feet in front of him, and sat down.

Sam bit his lip, but after a minute decided he needed to know. "What is it?" He asked. The Demon gave him a questioning look, then glanced over at the altar, and then back at Sam, who nodded meekly.

"You recognize it, don't you?" She asked. After a minute, he nodded again, and the Demon gave him a mirthless smile. "Think hard, Sam. Where have you seen that set-up before?" Sam narrowed his eyes, trying to remember.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed one of the shadows beginning to move along the wall again, and his eyes widened as it all fell into place.

"Daevas." He said. "You're summoning daevas." The Demon continued to smile, and gave him a small nod.

"Well, technically, they've already been summoned." She said. "They're just… dormant… at the moment, waiting for me to call them into service." Sam glanced nervously around the room. He'd only seen one move at any one time, but he knew there was definitely more then one, and somehow they didn't seem very dormant to him.

Noticing the worried look in Sam's eyes, the Demon gave a shrill laugh, sending shiver up Sam's spine. "Don't worry, Sam." She said, and would have almost sounded comforting had it not been her saying the words. "It's not you that the daeva's to play with. You're too… necessary." Getting to her feet, the Demon turned away from Sam and walked over to the altar. "No, I've got some… other's in mind."

Sam frowned, stared at Laura's back as she began chanting. It took him a couple of minutes, but just as Laura finished chanting the daevas began to move with purpose, leaving the room, Sam realized just where they were heading. As if reading his mind (who knows, maybe she could) the Demon looked over her shoulder at Sam.

"That's right." She said. "I'd say they'll be at the house in… oh, five minutes… ten at the most." She smiled coldly at Sam, who was staring at her with a mixture of horror and contempt in his eyes, angry tears beginning to well up and slide down his face.

"You want me to spare them. You want me to call the daevas off?" She knelt down in front of him, getting right up in his face. "Hmmm, Sammy?" Sam let out a small whimper and nodded his head.

She laughed; a low, hoarse noise that sounded strange coming from Laura's mouth. She turned back to the altar, staring into a shallow basin filled with human blood.

"Who would you spare? She asked. "Who, above all others, would you protect from the daevas?" Sam looked up.

"What?" He asked, not willing to hope. The Demon turned a cruel smile Sam's way.

"Do the math, Sammy." She said. "Two daevas. Three people." Sam's eyes widened. "Who would you choose?" He shook his head slowly. "The demon hunter?" She took a step towards him. "Big brother?" His's breath quickened; she was really going to make him choose? "Or your wife?"

"I…" He stared hopelessly at the Demon.

"Tick-tock, Sammy." She sneered. "Who's it gonna be?" He'd already made the choice. He'd known who he would choose before he was even asked the question. It was just making himself say it out loud. Making himself betray his family. Taking a deep breath, he opened his mouth.

"Haley…" He choked out, eyes squeezed shut, as if he could see Dean's face, the look of betrayal he felt sure would be there if Dean knew what Sam had just done. "Don't let them… kill Haley."

"Beg." The Demon ordered.

"What?"

"I want you to beg for her life." She said. "Come on, Sam, it's not that hard. And time's running out." Sam stared at her. "Tick-tock. Tick-tock. Tick-"

"Okay, okay!" He cried, bowing his head. "Please don't kill her." There were tears in his eyes. "Please… please…" He bowed his head, sobbing softly. "Don't let them kill her." The Demon smiled through Laura's lips.

"That'll do." She said. "Okay, Sammy, the daevas won't kill her." She said, and Sam looked up. The amused smile on her lips told him he'd just made a big mistake. "But I'm sure Meg would love to." His eyes widened in horror when she said that.

"What-?"

"She's already on her way there." The Demon stated, turning away from him. "Congratulations, Sam. You just bought Haley a very slow, very painful death." Sam stared at her back. He couldn't believe it. He just… couldn't.

"Don't…" He sobbed.

"What?" The Demon asked, turning around to face him.

"Don't… hurt her." He whispered softly, his whole body shaking. The Demon just laughed, turning back to the altar.

"You're hardly in any position to be-" She faltered when she saw Sam raise his head, pure, uncontrolled hatred in his eyes directed straight at her.

"Don't hurt her." He repeated slowly. The room started to shake as he continued to glare at her, his eyes now devoid of all emotion. For an instant, the demon may have felt actual fear in the face of the raw power Sam was drawing on.

And then she realized just how little control Sam had over it. In his desperation to halt the daevas, he hadn't stopped to think about what he was doing. Acting purely on instinct, he'd reached out for whatever he could use. But it was fast becoming clear it was more then he could handle.

A small trail of blood was beginning to seep from one of his nostrils, his head felt as though it was being split open with a blunt axe, and his whole body was shaking so uncontrollably he felt sure he was going to just fall apart. But he pushed all of that aside, focusing outwards towards the altar. That was all that mattered; he had to stop the daevas. Then Dean would be able to protect Haley.

With a cry of pain and fury, he threw all he had at the table that served as the Demon's altar. He felt the power rush out of him as if he it had physically pulled away from him, and less then a second later, the table was lifted off the floor and thrown into the wall, dumping its contents on the floor.

"No!" The Demon shouted. Even as she did, an infuriated howl filled the room as the daevas, no longer bound by the Demon's spell, returned to the room to enact vengeance.

But unlike Meg, this demon was not afraid of a few shadow monsters. The Demon's hand snapped out as one of the monstrous shadows approached her own, and Sam saw the hand close around seemingly nothing, but the instant it did, the shadow stopped moving forward. A second later, there was a distinct tearing sound, and the shadow vanished from the wall a split second after it's head quite obviously separated from it's body.

"Cohibeo!" The Demon shouted, raising her hand to the ceiling. The howling turned to ferocious, enraged screaming, and the remaining daeva was pulled towards the spot right above the Demon's hand, as if being sucked into a vortex.

Sam had slumped forward as soon as the table had been dropped, the only thing holding him up was the rope holding his arms around the pillar, breathing in short, half-hearted gasps for air, feeling as though his head was going to fall off.

He groaned when he felt Laura's fingers become entangled in his hair, lifting his head so he was forced to look at her.

"You're not going to live to regret that," the Demon snarled. Sam winced as she pulled at his hair, emphasizing her point. Then she slammed his head against the pillar, as if he wasn't already dazed enough, letting go his hair, and walking around behind the pillar. A second later, Sam cried out in pain as he felt the ropes pull tight against his wrists, feeling like they were going to slice his hands off.

Mercifully, the ropes went slack, and to Sam's surprise, he slumped to the side, his hands free from their binding, more or less, which explained the pain. It seemed as though the Demon had simply pulled the ropes until it had snapped in two, releasing Sam.

But she was by no means finished with him. Walking back around, she rolled him onto his back, seeing as he was too physically and mentally exhausted to even consider the possibility of moving.

"You're lucky," she said coldly. "It's just about time for the ritual." She gave him a wicked, mirthless smile. "If it weren't… well, let's just say that you'd be begging me for death within minutes." And with that, she grabbed Sam's arm and began dragging him along the floor. Sam didn't say anything, didn't try to fight her. He didn't say the point, and anyway, he didn't think he could, even if he'd wanted to. So he just closed his eyes, and fell into merciful unconsciousness.

-;-

A/N: Hehe, I've done it again. Who here thinks I'm actually going to kill Sam? Hmmm? Anyone? I hope this chapter wasn't too… er… the word cheesy leaps to mind, but I don't think it's the right word. Something along those lines anyway. I hope my portrayal of the Demon was okay, I didn't have much to work with, plus, in the show it possesses a man, not a woman, and I wanted it to act a little differently as a female then it does as a male. Anyway, let me know what ya'll think. Until next time, Cyas.