Author's note: SO… I forgot I didn't even leave you a note on the last chapter! Oops! Sorry its taken me so long to update, the real world has kept me busy! But I'm super excited to get another chapter out and get us another step further into the world of Angels and Castiel! I am really excited to explore his character interaction with Emily and I can assure you I have a few curve balls up my sleeve! Please READ and REVIEW! I LOVE hearing what you guys think, and it helps me to figure out what the next step is in the story! Love you all so much.
On a side note- if you haven't seen it. I published a new story called Healing Sara. I'd like to play with it, it definitely won't update as often as this story because I'd like to keep my main focus here, but it is a drastically different story set up then Emily Anne and I would really love for you all to check it out if you haven't already! I'm going to work on its second chapter now that I've got this one finished! Thanks again guys for all your support! I love you all SO much!
"She was in shock." Judson sighed casually. "She tried to convince herself she was in another one of her nightmares. That we had to stay in that room until she woke up, so that you would be alive again. But I cut her off from that fairly quickly."
"What about Sam?"
"I think he was in shock too, just. Handling it better. We had to beg him to leave though."
"Then what?"
"We were surrounded. Dozens of demons, and I thought we were all gonna die. But Emily just. Flipped a switch. One moment she was sobbing in my arms, then she was… angry. What scared us all wasn't that she killed the demon, it was the way she enjoyed it. The way she wanted him to suffer, and how the other demons fled in fear. All of them. They were terrified of her."
Dean stared ahead at the road and tried to imagine the scene being described to him. He knew Emily's emotions controlled her abilities. But he worried what damage she could truly do if anger took hold of her.
"So you all got away scotch free?"
"Yeah, didn't see another demon for days after that. They steered clear, the drive back was long, and she insisted on riding with you, till we stopped and Sam and Bobby were ready to bury you. Then I had to lie and get her to come with me… when she woke up and Bobby's and found out we had already buried you she was pissed. Wanted nothing to do with any of us. Except Sam… She clung to him day and night. If she woke up and he wasn't there she freaked out. Sam was handling things as well as could be expected. He held it together for Em. Tried to be there for her."
"Why did he leave?"
"I don't know. I really don't. She had kinda cut herself off from me for the first few weeks, and that night we finally got to talk. And we fell asleep on the couch, and I woke up when I heard her screaming, crying."
Judson paused, his eyes stared ahead, but he didn't see anything in front of him. He just remembered how terrified he felt when he woke up to her screams. How he thought Lillith had returned, and that he had failed.
"What the hell happened?!"
"Her and Sam were fighting. I ran out and she was lying in the dirt. Her face swelling on one side… Dean. Look. I really wanted to be the last person to tell you this man. I didn't want it to be true. And Emily doesn't want you to know."
"…Know what?" Dean asked cautiously. His mind running, but he refused to see the bigger picture that was being laid out before him. Sam would never hurt Em. He just wouldn't.
"He hit her. They fought over who knows what… and he hit her, and then took off. Bobby tried to track him down but he was just gone. Em got pretty bad after that."
"I'm sorry. You… You're telling me that Sam put his hands on her? Are you sure? Cause. I gottat tell you that's just not Sam!" Dean said frantically. Refusing to believe the words flowing in his ears.
"I asked her Dean. She admitted to it, more than once."
Dean's emotions rolled. Anger. Disbelief. Sadness… He decided that he would shove this to the back of his mind until he was able to talk to Emily. Get the rest of the information. Hear it from HER mouth.
"What happened after that…"
"She got stuck on the idea of pulling you out of hell. She took off. I tracked her back down. She was drunk all the time… taking those stupid pills."
"You knew about the pills?"
"Yeah." Judson cringed slightly, knowing Dean's next question before he asked it.
"For how long?"
"A few weeks before you died." He admitted after a long pause.
"And you didn't think to tell us?!" Dean yelled.
"I promised her I wouldn't. She agreed to tell me before she would take them, I thought that way I could at least make sure they weren't getting out of hand."
"Well look how that turned out dumbass!"
"Look I had it under control until she took off! From there it was a battle to keep them away from her. Okay? I tried! She was persistent, and mentally beat down. I knew if I just took them and cut her off it would get worse."
"Stupid! You are stupid!" Dean said as he hit his hand against the steering wheel. He slammed on the breaks and got out of the car, pacing. Judson quickly followed him, continuing the argument.
"Yeah yeah yeah, you know its real easy to sit there and judge the situation when you're not in it! Okay? Sam was gone! Bobby was trying his best to keep tabs on Em while looking for him, and Emily was fucking desperate. Do you know the things she put herself through?!"
"No! I wasn't there but I asked the three of you to step up!"
"We tried! You set her up to fail without you Dean! She didn't know how to live on her own!"
"Shut up!"
"No! its the damned truth and you know it! She killed demon after demon after demon! Slaughtering them AND their vessels without a second thought because she wanted to punish the world for taking you away from her. She paraded in front of hundreds of people naked to win over some bitch who had the key to open the devils gate! And she hated herself every second of it… she drank herself to sleep every night we were together, because she couldn't stand the nightmares anymore. Took the pills to dull herself so she wouldn't shatter every piece of glass she raised a hand to. Things were pretty fucked up Dean, okay?"
"Well it wasn't supposed to be that way!"
"But it was!"
"… What did she do for the key."
"Some stupid higher up demon, told her if she wanted it she had to earn it, and pushed her out on stage at some high end night club. It was disgusting, but she didn't hesitate because she wanted to save you. Demons we would run into would tell her about you in hell, and it damn near crippled her every time."
"Where is the key now?"
"Bobby and I destroyed it. Tricked her. Trapped her, and then she basically told me to fuck off… after that I don't know anything."
"I already told you I handled what came after that."
"… did you kill him?"
"No. But I should have."
"I wish you had, so what now? Are we done yelling at each other?"
"You really don't know why Sam left? Nothing?"
"No. I wish I did, it tore Em up. She called him every day for weeks. Begged him to pick up the phone, all she would tell me is that the argument was pretty heated and she said some pretty bad things. But. I can't imagine Sam not answering the phone because of that."
"Yeah. Me too… which means there's more to this."
"So again I ask… what now?"
"I deal with Sam and Emily. I get the feeling you'll wanna steer clear of this one."
"I have a feeling Emily's gonna find me and kick my ass for telling you no matter where I hide. Might as well face it head on."
"Yeah." Dean sighed and nodded.
…
(Emily's POV)
"Emily." Dean's voice and a gentle shake pulled me from sleep. "Kiddo, wake up."
"Mmmm…. What?" I asked as I stretched, my vision attempting to clear.
"Did he hit you?" Dean asked quietly, but intently. I was momentarily confused, but the look on his face made it very clear who he was asking about. Sam.
"Dean it was my fault I-"
"Just. Stop... Did he hit you?"
"Yes." I whispered. Dean instantly stood from the bed and left the room, his heavy feet treading the stairs. I ran to follow behind him. He walked into the kitchen where Bobby and Sam were having a late night beer.
"Hey, what's up?" Sam asked as Dean stomped into the room, but he was quickly picked up by the front of his shirt and slammed into the fridge behind him.
"Dean!" I yelled moving to get between them but suddenly an arm went around me, I didn't have to turn around to realize it was Judson's.
"Did you put your hands on her?!" Dean yelled as he slammed Sam backwards again. Sam gripped his wrists and had been attempting to pull away, but he suddenly froze. His face fell, and he briefly glanced at me before turning back to Dean.
"Dean. I. I'm sorry… I didn't mean to! I was drunk."
"Why!"
"I… I was in a bad place Dean, Okay? It was wrong! Don't you think I know that already!"
"Then how could you do it!" Dean screamed at him.
"Stop! Dean please! It was my fault!" I begged, pulling forward, but Judson only wrapped me up tighter.
"No, Em it wasn't… It was mine." Sam quickly corrected her. "I never should have done that, no matter what you said."
"Dean please just stop." I asked, watching as his eyes threw daggers at Sam. I could tell he was so angry, but he also resisted at the idea of actually causing Sam physical harm. He loved us so much. Both of us… and we put him in the worst spot he would want to be in. Finally he released Sam and took two steps back. Sam took a deep breath and looked back at me, but then Dean's fist flew through the air and connected with Sam's jaw. He stumbled to the ground. And Dean shook out his hand.
"This is over now. No one else in this family lays a hand on anyone else in the family! Is that clear?!" Dean shouted looking between a bleeding Sam and myself. I nodded weakly and Sam wiped his mouth. Dean stormed outside and Bobby moved to help Sam up off the floor. I turned around and faced Judson.
"Are you happy now?" I demanded before pushing him off of me.
"Emily, c'mon. He was gonna find out eventually." Judson sighed as he followed behind me.
…..
"Well, then tell me what else it could be." Sam proposed as we sat and discussed the new discovery of angels. We were all trying to put last night behind us, but the tension at times were palpable. Between Sam and Dean. Between Judson and I.
"Look, all I know is I was not groped by an angel." Dean argued.
"Dean. Why do you think this Castiel would lie to you about it? I think he was telling us the truth." I interjected.
"Maybe he's some kind of demon. Demons lie."
"For fucks sake Dean. He wasn't a demon!" I argued.
"Don't you think that if angels were real, that some hunter somewhere would have seen one... at some point... ever?"
"Yeah. You just did, Dean." Sam laughed humorlessly.
"I'm trying to come up with a theory here. Okay? Work with me."
"Dean, we have a theory."
"Yeah, one with a little less fairy dust on it, please."
"Okay, look. I'm not saying we know for sure. I'm just saying that I think we –"
"Okay, okay. That's the point. We don't know for sure, so I'm not gonna believe that this thing is a freaking Angel of the Lord because it says so!"
"You two chuckleheads want to keep arguing religion, or do you want to come take a look at this?" Bobby asked. I sighed as I led us over to Bobby's desk where he and Judson were digging through books.
"I got stacks of lore - Biblical, pre-Biblical. Some of it's in damn cuneiform. It all says an angel can snatch a soul from the pit."
"What else?" Dean asked.
"What else, what?"
"What else could do it?"
"Airlift your ass out of the hot box? As far as I can tell, nothing."
"Dean, this is good news." I smiled at him, desperately wanting him to see the joy in this situation. We're all three alive, no more debts to pay, no more dying.
"How?"
"Because for once, this isn't just another round of demon crap. I mean, maybe you were saved by one of the good guys, you know?"
"Okay. Say it's true. Say there are angels. Then what? There's a God?"
"At this point, Vegas money's on yeah." Bobby added.
"I don't know, guys."
"Okay, look. I know you're not all choirboy about this stuff, but this is becoming less and less about faith and more and more about proof." Sam added.
"Proof?"
"Yes."
"Proof that there's a God out there that actually gives a crap about me personally? I'm sorry, but I'm not buying it."
"Why not?!" I asked exasperated.
"Because why me? If there is a God out there, why would he give a crap about me?"
"Dean." I stared at him with sadness. "Why WOULDN'T he give a crap about you? Everything you do in life is to save other people. To help people."
"I mean, I've saved some people, okay? I figured that made up for the stealing and the ditching chicks. But why do I deserve to get saved? I'm just a regular guy."
"Apparently, you're a regular guy that's important to the man upstairs." Sam told him.
"Well, that creeps me out. I mean, I don't like getting singled out at birthday parties, much less by... God."
"Okay, well, too bad, Dean, because I think he wants you to strap on your party hat." I smiled to him.
"Fine. What do we know about angels?" Dean said with a defeated eye roll.
"Not much." Judson shrugged. Bobby handed him a stack of books.
"Start reading."
"You're gonna get me some pie." He said as he pointed at Sam. I laughed.
We continued to do research as Sam went for food, Dean even called him twice to remind him of pie. I kinda enjoyed it. Us getting back to our usual routine. Research. Bobby's house. Pie.
Staring at Judson instead of doing what I'm supposed to be doing.
Our eyes played back and forth with each other over for an hour or more. Until Bobby came in and disrupted us.
"Pack up kids. I just gotta call from a hunter not far from here. Something's wrong, I may need your help on this one."
Just as I finished gathering my things Bobby was outside meeting Sam in the yard. I trotted down the stairs and met everyone outside.
"Olivia Lowry - a hunter, right?" Sam asked.
"Yeah. We're gonna go check on her. You guys follow me."
"Scoot over." Dean demanded as Sam sat in the drivers seat, Sam looked up at him with disbelief. "Yeah. I said scoot."
Sam rolled his eyes but obliged, Judson and I slid into the backseat. Dean picked up the bag of food and began to dig into it, then he stopped.
"Dude?" He asked looking up to Sam.
"Yeah?"
"Where's the pie?"
Sam went wide eyed and Dean sighed sadly before pulling out on the road, picking at his burger and fries as we drove. I sat in the back, my feet propped up in Judson's lap as I snacked on my chicken strips and he attempted to eat his sandwich. I waited until he was fixing to take a bite, then raised my leg just enough to bump his hand, making him feel as if he was going to drop his food.
He shot me a playful glare and shook his head, I shrugged innocently and mouthed the word 'sorry', he went for another bite and this time I bumped him a little harder, causing a tomato slice to fall out of his sandwich and into his lap. I busted out laughing.
"You're mean." He groaned as he threw the tomato out the window and pushed my feet off before going back to his sandwich. I turned around to watch out the window as we drove, and before I knew it something small was flying into my hair. I froze, and slowly turned to look at Judson. Who mimicked my innocent shrug.
"Asshole." I mumbled before going back to eating my chicken strips.
…..
"Olivia?" Bobby asked cautiously as he entered her home, we slowly followed behind him. We came in and found who I assumed to be Olivia in the floor, covered in blood, I turned and hid my face in Judson's shoulder. His arm wrapped around me instinctively.
"Salt line." Sam said from the front door, pointing down.
"Olivia was rocking the EMF meter." Dean said as he picked it up.
"Spirit activity?" I asked.
"Yeah - on steroids. I never seen a ghost do this to a person." Dean said as he kneeled beside Olivia's shredded body. Bobby who had left the room at some point reentered it, phone in hand.
"Uncle Bobby, you all right?" I asked him softly.
"I called some hunters nearby..."
"Good. We can use their help." Dean said standing.
"...except they ain't answering their phones either." Bobby finished sadly.
"Something's up, huh?" Sam asked.
"You think?" Bobby replied before going outside.
"What the hell do you think it is?" I asked as Sam and Dean shared a concerned look.
"I don't know, but whatever it is seems to be targeting hunters. Buddy system from hear on out. No one goes anywhere alone." Dean said before following Sam out the door. Judson and I trailed behind.
We decided to split from there and try to track down Bobby's contacts that weren't answering Dean Sam and I were almost to the next house. Judson had gone with Bobby to keep him safe, and vice versa.
Dean dialed the man again as we entered his home, but broken glass was our first warning sign that he'd met the same fate as Olivia. We found him in the main living room, chest torn to shreds. Gun in his hand.
"Dammit. Let's get out of here. I'll call Bobby." Dean sighed. I stayed close to him and Sam, prepared for a fight at any minute. Something was hunting hunters, and it was 2 for 2 so far.
"We're in Jackson. It's not pretty. He looks even worse than Olivia. What about you?" Dean asked as we got in the car, Bobby's voice came over the speaker phone.
"I checked on Carl Bates and R.C. Adams. They've redecorated... in red."
"What the hell is going on here, Bobby? Why did a bunch of ghosts suddenly want to gank off-duty hunters?"
"I don't know, but until we find out, you guys better get your asses to my place."
"We're on our way."
We drove for about 4 hours before pulling in at a gas station, Dean was pumping gas, Sam and I were picking out snacks.
"Here Em, take these up front for me, I gotta hit the head."
I took his handful of semi-healthy snacks and added them to my hand full of junkfood. I paid and went back out to the car.
"Where's Sam?"
"Bathroom, he's been in there for like 10 minutes. You should go make sure he didn't fall in." I suggested as I sat in the backseat and cracked open my bag of twizzlers.
"Alright. Lock the door."
"Sir yes sir." I sighed.
I watched carefully as people entered and exited the store, until two tall men came stumbling out in a hurry. Sam appeared to be injured. I quickly jumped out of the car and ran to my brothers.
"What the hell?! Sam?"
"Get in the car!" Dean screamed.
I turned and waited for Sam to sit before assessing his wounds. Dean pealed out and took off down the road.
"Call Bobby!" I said frantically.
"I already am… Come on… Dammit Bobby pick up!"
"Try Judson!"
"Sam, how you doing over there? Huh, how many fingers am I holding up?"
"None. I'll be fine, Dean."
"What the hell happened in there?" I asked.
"Henriksen." Sam sighed.
"I'm sorry… did you say Henriksen?"
"Yep."
"Dean Henriksen? Like in ghost form?"
"Yep."
"Why? What did he want?" Dean asked.
"Revenge, 'cause we got him killed."
"Sam." I said sadly.
"Well, we did, Em."
"All right. Stop right there." Dean interrupted. "Whatever the hell is going on, it's happening to us now, okay? I can't get ahold of Bobby, so if you're not thinking answers, don't think at all."
"I'll call Judson" I offered.
I called once… no answer. I suddenly felt overly nervous.
"He's not answering."
Dean didn't reply. He only stomped on the gas, luckily we were less than an hour from Bobby's as it was, and we made it in record time. Once there we all ran in, guns ready.
"Bobby?" Dean asked.
"Judson!" I called out frantically looking around for him. The only thing that came to my sight was the fire poker laying on the ground.
"We'll go up, you check outside." Dean said to Sam. Sam nodded and took off back out the door.
"Dean… where are they?" I asked beginning to panic.
"Don't freak out on me now kiddo, we gotta find em. Okay?"
"Okay." I swallowed around the lump in my throat, following Dean up the stairs.
"Bobby?" Dean called out as he slowly opened the door to the room. He took two steps in and then it closed behind him separating us.
"Dean!" I yelled. I tried to kick in the door, but no such luck.
"Hey Emily."
I froze and bone splitting chills made their way up my spine. I recognized the voice coming from behind me. I hadn't heard it in over a year… but even now I recognized it instantly. Slowly I turned and faced him.
"Andy." I breathed.
"Long time no see huh?"
"Yeah.. I. I'd say so." I swallowed.
"Does it bother you? Seeing me like this?"
I just nodded a little. Part of me just wanted to hug him, I loved Andy… I was devastated when he died. But something in his eyes was different. This wasn't the same Andy.
"Well it should, I mean after all… its your fault I'm dead."
"Andy I-"
"Do you remember? How you left me there. Alone. Defenseless. Just bait laid out for the taking, almost like you set it up that way."
"Andy no! Please." I cried. "I never wanted you to die, Andy I adored you. You saved my life!"
"And you killed me as a thanks!" He yelled as he walked closer to me.
"I'm so sorry Andy… Please. I'm sorry!" I said as I continued to back away, stunned. He pushed further and further forward. Until my back was against the railing over the stairs.
"I'm sorry!" I cried as he pressed me against the rail, grabbing me by the neck and leaning me over it.
Its like I couldn't even fight back, I just felt this huge rush of guilt. Like I deserved to die right here. Like I owed it to Andy… So instead I just closed my eyes.
"I'm so sorry Andy… so sorry." I cried.
"You're gonna be." He said as he pushed me over even further, my feet not touching the ground any longer, only being held up by Andy.
But suddenly Andy's grip was gone and I was being yanked forward, I screamed out of fear. My eyes flew open and met apple green ones.
"Em baby, are you with me?" Judson asked as He pulled me towards him.
"Judson?!"
"Yeah Em its me."
"Wh-where did he go?!"
"I don't know, he's just gone… who was that?"
"Dean! Dean!" I began to yell. Worried that he had met the same fate as I did in the room he was locked into. I ran to the door but heard gun shots.
I froze, and then the door opened. Dean came out, wide eyed as I was.
"Who was it?" I asked him solemnly.
"Meg… the vessel, not the demon."
"Mine was Andy." I said with tears falling down my cheeks. Dean gave a sad look and pulled me against him. What the hell is going on around here.
"Guys!" Sam calls from down stairs. "We're down here."
The three of us came down the stairs to meet Bobby and Sam. Then we all walked into the kitchen for a drink. Bobby poured himself a shot and drank it before pouring himself another and making some for the boys. I simply shook my head no.
"So, they're all people we know?" Sam asked.
"Not just know. People we couldn't save. Hey, I saw something on Meg. Did she have a tattoo when she was alive?" Dean replied.
"I don't think so."
"It was like a-a mark on her hand - almost like a brand."
"I saw a mark, too, on Henriksen." Sam nodded. Dean turned to me.
"Did Andy have one?"
"I was too freaked to notice."
"Wait, yours was Andy?" Sam asked sadly. I looked at him and my lip trembled.
"Yeah." I answered shakily. "He was so mad at me, Sam. He said we left him there as bait on purpose."
"Em, you know that's not true. Ava played us all."
"Maybe we shouldn't have left him alone though."
"Don't do that to yourself Em, Andy was too nice to survive in that town. Its no ones fault. He was just given the short stick." Dean told me. I nodded, but my lip continued to tremble.
Judson who was standing next to me pulled me in to his chest. Where I let out a few quiet sobs. Before sucking in a breath of air and turning back to the conversation.
"What did it look like?" Bobby asked.
"Uh, paper?" Sam asked. Bobby handed him a piece and a pencil. "Thanks."
Sam drew out the mark he saw and Dean looked at it for only a second before recognition crossed his face.
"That's it."
"I may have seen this before. We got to move." Bobby said quickly.
"Whoa." Sam said surprised by Bobby's hurry.
"Follow me."
"Okay, where are we going?"
"Some place safe, you idiot."
Bobby picks up a few books and rushes us all downstairs into the basement which is made of iron and covered in devil's traps. It was like a giant safe room.
"Bobby, is this..." Dean asked in awe.
"Solid iron. Completely coated in salt. 100% ghost-proof."
"You built a panic room?" I asked. "When?!"
"I had a weekend off."
"Bobby." Dean said with a flat face.
"What?"
"You're awesome."
…..
We were all busying ourselves downstairs while we waited for Bobby to find what he was looking for in his stack of books. I sat on Judson's lap as he sat in the chair in the corner.
"Who was that guy Em?"
"Who, Andy?"
"Yeah. You seemed really upset that it was him."
"Andy was probably the nicest person I've ever met in my whole life. He was just a good soul, who was dealt a shitty hand in life, but still he made the best of it. He didn't deserve to be pulled into this life. He saved me once, killed his own brother to do it."
"Sounds like a pretty great guy."
"He died the same night Sam did. In that horrible place where yellow eyes dumped us all."
"I'm sorry sweetheart... I know its hard to put your mind back in that place."
"He was just so angry with me… Andy was never angry. Ever."
"It wasn't really him babe."
"He was gonna kill me."
"Not while I'm around." He said as he kissed my forehead. I leaned into him and listened to Dean and Sam talk while making bullets.
"See, this is why I can't get behind God." Dean sighed.
"What are you talking about?"
"If he doesn't exist, fine. Bad crap happens to good people. That's how it is. There's no rhyme or reason - just random, horrible, evil - I get it, okay. I can roll with that. But if he is out there, what's wrong with him? Where the hell is he while all these decent people are getting torn to shreds? How does he live with himself? You know, why doesn't he help?"
"I ain't touching this one with at 10-foot pole." Bobby commented from across the room.
"Yeah." Dean said nodding his head.
"Found it!" Bobby suddenly called. Judson and I stood and walked over to him.
"What?" Sam asked as he and Dean followed us.
"The symbol you saw - the brand on the ghosts..."
"Yeah?"
"Mark of the Witness."
"Witness? Witness to what?" I asked.
"The unnatural. None of them died what you'd call ordinary deaths. See, these ghosts - they were forced to rise. They woke up in agony. They were like rabid dogs. It ain't their fault. Someone rose them... on purpose."
"Who would do something like that?" I asked in horror.
"Do I look like I know? But whoever it was used a spell so powerful it left a mark, a brand on their souls. Whoever did this had big plans. It's called "the rising of the witnesses." It figures into an ancient prophecy."
"Wait, wait. What - what book is that prophecy from?" Dean asked.
"Well, the widely distributed version's just for tourists, you know. But long story short - Revelations. This is a sign, kids."
"A sign of what?" Sam and Dean asked in unision.
"The apocalypse."
"Apocalypse? The apocalypse, apocalypse? The four horsemen, pestilence, $5-a-gallon-gas apocalypse?" Dean asked.
"That's the one. The rise of the witnesses is a - a mile marker."
"Okay, so, what do we do now?" Sam asked.
"Road trip. Grand Canyon, Star Trek Experience. Bunny Ranch."
"Dean you're disgusting!" I said slapping him on the back of the head.
"First things first. How about we survive our friends out there?"
"Great. Any ideas aside from staying in this room until Judgment Day?" Judson asked him.
"It's a spell here to send the witnesses back to rest. Should work."
"Should. Great. " Judson sighed.
"If I translate it correctly. I think I got everything we need here at the house."
"Any chance you got everything we need here in this room?" Dean asked with a sarcastic smile.
"So, you thought our luck was gonna start now all of a sudden? Spell's got to be cast over an open fire."
"The fireplace in the library?" I asked.
"Bingo."
"That's just not as appealing as a, uh, ghost-proof panic room, you know?"
We all gathered a weapon and prepared to split up.
"Cover each other. And aim careful. Don't run out of ammo until I'm done, or they'll shred you. Ready?"
We all nodded. Dean and I went one way, Judson and Sam went the other, and Bobby went straight to find the ingredients.
"Hey, Dean. You remember me?" A man on the stairs called out.
"Ronald, huh? With the laser eyes? I wish I could say it's good to see you."
"I am dead because of you. You were supposed to help me!"
I shot a round into Ronald and he disappeared.
"If you're gonna shoot then shoot! Stop talking." Bobby yelled to us.
"Upstairs, linen closet - red hex box. It'll be heavy." Bobby demanded to Sam and Judson, they disappeared, Dean and I stayed close to Bobby.
"Bobby." A little girl called from behind us. We turned and Dean shot her and what looked like her twin sister.
"Kitchen. Cutlery drawer. It's got a false bottom. Hemlock, opium, wormwood."
"Opium?" Dean asked in surprise.
"Go!" Bobby yelled at us.
Dean and I made it into the kitchen, but the door slammed behind us, cutting us off from Bobby.
"Dean? Em?" Bobby called from the other side.
"We're okay! Keep working!" Dean called back to him as we went to the drawer.
"I'll dig, you shoot." I told him.
Suddenly a man appears next to us… Henriksen.
"Victor."
"Dean."
"I know."
"No. You don't."
"It's my fault you're dead. I left you behind. And the minute I heard about that explosion, I thought, "I should have known." I should have protected you."
Dean reaches for his gun, but it flys across the room. I turned from the drawer and put two bullets into Henriksen's ghost before it disappeared.
"Stop fucking talking to them Dean!" I yelled at him.
"Sorry!" He yelled back.
I kept digging, but a voice caught my attention.
"Emily… poor sweet little Emily. So I hear you're the big shot with all the power now huh?"
"Andy please don't make me shoot you, just go away." Dean asked him.
"Maybe if you were there I wouldn't have died Dean. Emily here dropped the ball, fed me to the demons like Friday night dinner."
"Andy please it wasn't like that!"
Andy went to say something else, but was suddenly shot and disappeared.
"You all right?" Sam asked as he and Judson burst into the door.
"No." I sighed as I dug for the last ingredient giving them all over to Dean.
"Let's go." Sam said as we all moved towards the Library. Judson right behind me at all times.
As we hit the living room I emptied the casing from the revolver I was carrying.
"I need to reload." I called out.
"Us too, we're empty." Sam agreed. We all began frantically reloading our guns as Bobby was given the ingredients. But Ronald appeared before us before we barely got one bullet loaded.
"Ronald. Hey, come on, man. I thought we were pals." Dean groaned.
"That's when I was breathing. Now I'm gonna eat you alive."
"Well...come on, I'm not a cheeseburger." Dean said pointing his gun at Ronald, but Ronald disappeared. Bobby began reciting latin and the windows in the house all blew open at once. Wind whirling around the room. The salt lines that were previously made were now gone. Suddenly Meg, Ronald, and Andy all appeared. Surrounding us.
I went after Meg, the only one I truly thought I could stomach fighting right now, but she disappears. Its like a rapid fire shooting trial as we all empty our mags trying to nail one or the other. Just as my gun 'clicked' instead of firing I was thrown through the air.
"Em!" Sam called out rushing towards me, but Meg nailed him and pushed him to the side, a large desk landing on top of him.
Judson moves towards us but Dean yells at him to cover Bobby instead. I watched as Dean struggled with Ronald and Meg, while Andy slowly moved closer to me.
"I was just fine before you came into my life. I was happy. Life was simple. Smoke a joint, have some coffee, the company of lovely women."
"I'm sorry Andy! Please don't!"
I turned when a loud commotion caught my attention. Judson was pinned next to Sam and Bobby was being held in the air by Meg who had her hand wrapped around his throat.
"You're not really sorry though. You're just glad you made it out alive, and really better improved once Sam bit the dust. Now you can do all sorts of fun things can't you!"
"Andy stop!"
"Why don't you show me a little taste huh? Show me what you can do…"
"Andy please stop! I don't wanna hurt you!" I cried.
"Oh honey, its too late for that."
I closed my eyes and screamed, just wishing they would all stop. All disappear. Suddenly it was red hot all around me and I opened my eyes to see the familiar red haze filling the room, suffocating the ghosts of the people from our past. I watched as Dean scrambled to Bobby's side and they threw something into the fire place.
Before I could blink all four of the ghost disappeared, slowly the red fog faded as well. Sam and Judson pushed the desk off of them, and Dean picked Bobby up off the floor.
Then they all turned to face me.
"I.. I didn't mean to." I cringed. Pulling my knees up to my chest. I knew Dean had asked me not to use them, and I was trying not to, to keep them under control. But… I just. It just happened.
"C'mon baby, stand up." Judson called as he walked over and reached down to me.
"Please don't be mad at me Dean." I asked as I stood.
"I'm not mad Em, I'm not… you did good." He said slowly, gasping for air between words.
"Is it over?" I asked.
"Yeah kiddo, Its over."
"… What happens to their souls?"
"They were put back to rest." Bobby answered.
"Peacefully?"
"I don't know darling, but we can hope."
I nodded sadly and buried myself into Judson's chest. My arms sliding between his jacket and his shirt, letting him calm me as he rubbed his hands up and down my back.
….
(Third Person's POV)
Dean waited for Emily to go to bed before offering Sam the bedroom and insisting that Judson take the other bed, more so he couldn't end up in Emily's room. Dean walked down the steps and fell onto the couch, falling into a comfortable sleep.
He awoke to the odd sensation that someone was watching him. When he woke he found that Emily had left her bed and had moved to sleep on the couch opposite of him. He looked up and found Castiel standing in the kitchen. He slowly stood and checked on Emily, making sure she was sound asleep.
"She will not wake, I assure you." Castiel voiced before Dean moved towards him in the kitchen. "Excellent job with the witnesses."
"You were hip to all this?"
"I was, uh, made aware."
"Well, thanks a lot for the angelic assistance. You know, I nearly died. Hell we all did."
"But you didn't."
"I thought angels were supposed to be guardians. Fluffy wings, halos - you know, Michael Landon. Not dicks."
"Read the Bible. Angels are warriors of God. I'm a soldier."
"Yeah? Then, why didn't you fight? Do you know that my girl back there had to do most of the fighting for us? You think I like letter her do that?"
"I'm not here to perch on your shoulder. We had larger concerns. It was handled."
"Concerns? There were people getting torn to shreds down here! And, by the way, while all this is going on, where the hell is your boss, huh, if there is a God?"
"There's a God."
"I'm not convinced. 'Cause if there's a God, what the hell is he waiting for, huh? Genocide? Monsters roaming the earth? The freaking apocalypse? At what point does he lift a damn finger and help the poor bastards that are stuck down here?"
"The Lord works in-"
"If you say "mysterious ways," so help me, I will kick your ass. So, Bobby was right... about the witnesses. This is some kind of a... sign of the apocalypse."
"That's why we're here. Big things afoot."
"Do I want to know what kind of things?"
"I sincerely doubt it, but you need to know. You need to be prepared, so that you may prepare others. The rising of the witnesses is one of the 66 seals."
"Okay. I'm guessing that's not a show at Seaworld."
"Those seals are being broken by Lilith."
"She did the spell. She rose the witnesses."
"Mm-hmm. And not just here. 20 other hunters are dead."
"Of course. She picked victims that the hunters couldn't save so that they would barrel right after us. Or ones that we didn't want to die again." He pondered as he remembered the way it crushed him to shoot the poor bastards he already couldn't save. The way it affected Emily.
"Lilith has a certain sense of humor."
"Well, we put those spirits back to rest."
"It doesn't matter. The seal was broken."
"Why break the seal anyway?"
"You think of the seals as locks on a door."
"Okay. Last one opens and..."
"Lucifer walks free."
"Lucifer? But I thought Lucifer was just a story they told at demon Sunday school. There's no such thing."
"Three days ago, you thought there was no such thing as me. Why do you think we're here walking among you now for the first time in 2,000 years?"
"… To stop Lucifer." Dean finally realized.
"That's why we've arrived."
"Well... bang-up job so far. Stellar work with the witnesses. That's nice."
"We tried. And there are other battles, other seals. Some we'll win, some we'll lose. This one we lost. Our numbers are not unlimited. Six of my brothers died in the field this week. You think the armies of Heaven should just follow you around? There's a bigger picture here. You should show me some respect. I dragged you out of Hell. I can throw you back in."
Castiel vanishes, leaving Dean standing alone in the kitchen, scared at the mention of hell. The memories he tries so hard to shove down rising up again. He quickly shook his head and went to carry Emily back up stairs. She barely moved until he set her in the bed, where she rolled over and awoke."
"Dean?"
"Yeah kiddo its just me. Figured this would be more comfy."
"Can you stay? I don't like being alone and you kicked out Judson." She sighed with her eyes still closed.
"Sure kiddo." He said sadly.
"You good De? What's wrong?" She asked, prying her eyes back open.
"So... You got no problem believing in... God and Angels?"
"No, not really."
"So, I guess that means that you believe in the Devil."
"Yeah. But. Why are you asking me all this?"
"Lets just talk about it tomorrow, okay?"
"You sure?" She asked once more as her eyes fluttered closed again, already she was almost asleep.
"Night kiddo." Dean said as he kissed the top of her head. She sighed contently as she fell back asleep, Dean on the other hand, stared out the window, he knew he wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight.