Chapter 2
HellRaiser69: Here's a picture I took of my house. You can clearly see the ghost in the window. So creepy!
SPN_Zee: This again? I checked the history of your house. There haven't been any violent deaths in your house to suggest a haunting. Besides I already proved your photographs are fake. And I'll prove it again, given your poor photoshop skills.
Zoe attached her copy of the photograph where she pointed out the photoshop while adding photographs of actual ghosts.
SPN_Zee: Additionally, if there's no EMF then there's no ghost. That's rule number one of any ghost. So unless you provide evidence of EMF, you're nothing more than a lying prat looking for attention—
"Wow. You're really tearing him a new one," Sam said coming up from behind.
"He deserves it," Zoe said.
"Right. You know he could be right and have a ghost haunting him," Sam said.
"Unless he provides me with actual proof rather than photoshop," Zoe said, "I'll continue to tear him down. Besides, Harry and Ed already backed me up on this. They even went to check out the guy's house but they couldn't find anything." She turned to Sam, and said, "Do you need anything?"
"Yeah, can I have my laptop back?" Sam asked.
"Is Ruby gone?" Zoe asked.
Sam sighed, "Can't you two just get along? She's not all bad."
"She a manipulative liar, Sam," Zoe said. "I told you this."
"I'm still not convinced you're telling the truth," Sam said, but Zoe ignored him. "I just need to order pizza. Then you can go back to bothering people on the Ghostfacers' website."
"Can I have wings?"
"Sure."
"Awesome."
"Can you bring the pizza up to the room?" Sam asked as he placed the order and gave Zoe money for the tip.
"Sure."
Sam thanked her and left. Zoe scrolled through the comment sections of the Hell Hound's Lair's forums, looking through paranormal photographs. Receptionist at the desk was playing a loud phone game, Candy Crush by the sound of it, and it provided Zoe with some distraction as she waited for the pizza. Not a lot of people were in the lobby. A few people passed by them to their rooms, others looking for the pool. Zoe didn't pay them attention, though she continued to face the door in case the delivery man came.
The door dinged, and two men walked. One of them was a middle-aged man wearing a baseball cap. The other was a man in his late twenties with blond hair.
"Hey, we're looking for a Wedge Antilles," the blond one said.
"Look man, I'm just watching the desk for my friend," the receptionist said. "I don't have access to the computer. Sorry."
He went back to playing his game and the blond cursed. Zoe frowned, as she tried to place their faces When the blond frowned, everything clicked into place. Closing up Sam's laptop and wrapping the charged, Zoe debated approaching Dean Winchester and Bobby Singer. They could try to attack her. They could think she's lying. Then again, they could believe her.
"You looking for Sam?" she asked walking up to them.
"Excuse me?" Dean asked, frowning.
Zoe saw Bobby reach behind him, possibly for a knife or a gun, but ignored him, and said, "Well you're Dean Winchester, right?"
"What's it to you?" Bobby asked.
"I can take you Sam," Zoe offered.
"And how do you know where he is?" Dean asked, suspicious.
"Because I'm staying with him?" Zoe said. "He's got company right now so I won't promise he'll be fully clothed, but I'll take there."
Dean looked back at Bobby who shrugged.
"Alright," Dean said. "Lead the way."
Thankfully for Zoe and her nerves, their room was on the first floor and Sam was fully clothed. Unfortunately, it was Ruby who opened the door. She looked at Zoe expectantly.
"So where is it?" Ruby asked.
"Still not here," Zoe said.
"Hey has the pizza—"
Sam stopped in his tracks when he saw Dean. He looked at Zoe, then Bobby then Dean again, trying to process what was going on.
"I told you Dean would be back," Zoe said. When Sam tried to move forward, Zoe stepped in between the brothers, holding her hands up. "Sam, it's him. Trust me on this. Bobby already checked. So can we skip you trying to kill him and go straight to you hugging him?"
"But the demons—" Sam said looking at Zoe.
"I'll explain later."
Sam turned to Dean. "How? Lillith, she—"
"I know," Dean said. "I look fantastic."
Zoe placed a finger over her lip and stepped to the side. Sam looked at his brother in absolute shock. Ruby gave Sam a look of confusion, but didn't say anything. She glared at Zoe when the girl made a shooing motion at her. There was no need for the demon to be here while the brothers reconciled.
Sam took a step forward and brought his brother in for a tight hug. Zoe grinned, and took a photograph, earning her a slight glare from Bobby.
Zoe's phone buzzed. Pizza had arrived. She excused herself and went to retrieve the delicious pizza and buffalo wings. Sam and Dean had stopped hugging and where now talking. Zoe quietly slipped in and placed the pizza on the table, taking the wings with her to the couch.
"So, what did it cost?" Dean asked.
"The girl? I don't pay, Dean," Sam said.
"He thinks you sold your soul," Zoe explained.
"I don't think he sold his soul," Dean argued. "I know he sold his soul."
"Well he didn't," Zoe said. "Hell would never have willingly given you up."
"Like I should believe you," Dean said.
Zoe crossed her arms and glared, "For your information, Dean Winchester, I'm one of the reasons Sam hasn't done anything stupid."
"And who are you exactly?" Dean asked.
Before things could quickly escalate, Bobby who had remained silent, intervened and said, "Let's just hear Sam and the girl out. Maybe they're telling the truth."
Dean continued to glare at Zoe who glared back.
"Look, I tried everything," Sam admitted, "That's the truth. I tried opening the Devil's Gate ("and failed wondrously at that- OW!" Zoe rubbed her injured foot while glaring at Sam.). Hell, I tried to bargain, Dean, but no demon would deal, alright? You were rotting in Hell for months. For months, and I couldn't stop it. So, I'm sorry it wasn't me, alright? Dean, I'm sorry."
"It's okay, Sammy," Dean said finally, once assured Sam wasn't lying, "You don't have to apologize, I believe you."
"Don't get me wrong," Bobby said finally speaking, "I'm glad that Sam's soul remains intact, but it does raise a sticky question."
"If he didn't pull me out, then what did?"
"Well don't look at me," Zoe said, "I like my soul. It's a very pretty soul, and I'd like to keep it that way. But," She said, reaching for a soda, "I can tell you who busted Dean out."
"Who?" Sam asked.
"Castiel," Zoe said. "He's an angel, complete with the wings and righteousness."
"An angel?" Dean repeated. "Angels aren't real."
"Actually they are," Zoe said. "They just haven't had much reason to come down to earth except to study humanity. And to kill the occasional Nephilim."
Unless you were Ishim and wanted to get revenge on a girl who freaked out and left you. Ishim was a dick. Don't be like Ishim.
"Why would angels want to bust Dean out of hell?" Bobby asked.
"Don't tell you believe her angel crap," Dean said.
"If Sam didn't bust you out," Bobby said, "then someone else did. Let's just hear her out. Maybe there's some truth to her Angel theory."
Zoe suddenly felt self-conscious as the three grown men looked at her expectantly. She blinked, realizing that yep, they were waiting for her to explain.
"Suppose I should start at the beginning," Zoe said, fidgeting with her shirt. She took a deep breath to try and relax.
"So I'm from a different reality," Zoe said. Dean scoffed, but Bobby and Sam shushed him. "Where I'm from," she continued, "You are actors. All of you. Dean's played by Jensen Ackles, Sam by Jared Padalecki, and Bobby by Jim Beaver. I haven't been up to date with the show much, but I can remember enough. Big ol' plot points."
"Like?" Dean asked.
"Dude you can't just ask her to reveal big plot points," Sam said, scandalized. "Knowing too much about your future can be dangerous."
"Or helpful," Dean argued.
Zoe sighed. "I'd rather you experience the stuff yourself, but I suppose telling you about stuff from a few seasons down the line wouldn't hurt. So in season ten, Dean makes a deal with Cain to get the First Blade and, by extension, the Mark of Cain."
"Cain?" Bobby asked. "As in—"
"Adam and Eve's kid," Zoe nodded. "He's a demon, kinda. Like a Knight of Hell. Adam hasn't shown up yet, but Eve has. She's the mother of all monsters. She's actually kinda cool, bit terrifying but cool."
"Now I know you're lying," Dean said, standing up. "I would never do anything that would turn me into a demon."
"Well you do," Zoe said, crossing her arms. "Look, I'm just telling you what happened. You take the Mark to kill a Knight of Hell named Abaddon. Course you manage to remove it by killing Death, who is a really cool guy. Despite being, you know, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Course removing the Mark has a side effect, which is that you release God's sister."
"God has a sister?" Dean asked, clearly not believing her.
"I know," Zoe said. "I didn't believe it either. Honestly, the writers are scraping the bottom of the barrel for anything past season nine. Anywho you meet God as well, but I am not going to tell you his identity because the reveal scene is amazing and I don't want to ruin it. And you make a deal with Lucifer to defeat the Darkness but he possesses Castiel. So now you gotta defeat the Darkness, and get Lucifer out of Castiel. You actually manage to get her and God to make up, and you get your Mom back."
"Our mom?" Dean asked.
"Mary Winchester, formerly Campbell of Lawrence, Kansas?" Zoe said. "And you attract these guys who are absolute dicks called the Men of Letters. And they try to recruit you, but fail then try to kill you and fail, and I think you manage to kick them out.
"Oh," Zoe said, remembering something, "And Luci's expecting a kid so yay secondary conflict."
"Luci?"
"Lucifer."
Dean blinked, trying to process Zoe's info-dump.
"Course I could tell them what you did in Hell," Zoe said, looking at Dean. "Since you don't remember and all."
The eldest Winchester looked at Zoe, wanting to argue, but didn't say anything. He knew that Zoe knew, not that Zoe planned on saying anything to Sam or Bobby, unless Dean told them himself.
"Have you tried going back?" Bobby asked after a silence.
"I'll need an angel for that," Zoe said. "I know Balthazar is familiar with the spell, and I didn't pay much attention to that episode, if I wanna be honest. I'll ask when I meet Cas."
"Castiel?" Dean guessed.
"Yup."
Bobby shook his head, and said, "On a regular day, I'd think you're just blowin' smoke out your ass, but given what's happened, I'm willing to believe it."
Dean huffed, still reluctant to believe her. Instead, he turned his attention to Sam. He reached for a bottle of beer from Sam's mini-fridge, and said, "So what were you doing around here if you weren't digging me out of my grave? And where did you find the kid?"
"Zoe," she corrected, but was ignored.
"Well," Sam began, "A little before I started hunting down Lilith, trying to get some payback-"
"All by yourself?" Bobby asked accusingly, "Who do you think you are, your old man?"
"Uh, yeah, I'm sorry, Bobby," Sam apologized, "I should have called. I was pretty messed up."
"Oh yeah. I really feel your pain," Dean said holding up a bra that didn't belong to the teenager in the room.
Zoe chuckled earning herself a Moose bitchface. She returned it with one of her own. What? It wasn't her fault Ruby couldn't keep track of her things.
"Anyways," Sam continued, "While I was looking for Lilith, I found Zoe right outside the motel I was staying at and she recognized me. At first I thought she was a demon, but she's human. So I took her to someone who confirmed that she wasn't from here.
"I let Zoe stay with me," Sam said, "Didn't take her with me on any hunts, though. And then, a couple of months after I find her, these demons I was keeping tabs on in Tennessee take a hard left, booked up here."
"When?
"Yesterday morning," Sam said.
"When I busted out," Dean nodded, running a hand down his chin.
"You think these demons are here 'cause of you?" Bobby asked.
Zoe nodded, "Indubitably."
"But why?" Sam asked.
"Angel drags Dean out," Zoe said, "Me landing her a few months before, probably by an angel, I'd like to know who it was too. Not saying I'm anything special, but someone had to have felt that kind of power especially that close in time."
"Why do you think it was an Angel?" Dean asked.
"Well first there's electronics going haywire around them," Zoe listed off. "Then there's the earth then, most importantly of all, there's a really high pitched noise which happens to be their voice. Sometimes there's this white bright light. Oh and the handprint on your arm," Zoe said pointing to the mark, "that was Castiel. You were touched by an Angel, my dude."
The look on Dean's face told her enough. He believed her, if only a little bit. After all, she wasn't there when Castiel tried to talk to him. They fell into silence, taking an occasional sip of their drink.
"How you feelin', anyway?" Bobby asked, breaking the silence and turning to Dean.
"I'm a little hungry," Dean admitted, and Zoe lifted the pizza box.
"No," Bobby said, and reiterated, "I mean, do you feel like yourself? Anything strange, or different?"
"Soul missing?" Zoe asked. When the three turned to her she shrugged, "What? It happens in the show. Season six."
Dean shook his head, "Or demonic? Bobby, how many times do I have to prove I'm me? No missing soul either."
"Yeah. Well, listen," Bobby said unconvinced, "No demon's letting you loose out of the goodness of their hearts. They've gotta have something nasty planned."
"Well, I feel fine," Dean said.
"Okay, look, we don't know what they're planning," Sam said, "We got a pile of questions and no shovel. We need help."
"I know a psychic," Bobby said, "A few hours from here. Something this big, maybe she's heard the other side talking."
"Even though I already told you guys that it was an Angel named Castiel?" Zoe asked, annoyed.
"Look kid," Bobby said, "No offense, but just because you've been trekkin' the country with Sam, it don't mean we have to believe everything you say. If Pamela says that you're telling the truth, then we'll talk."
"But—" Zoe tried to protest.
"Bobby's right," Dean said. "Let's talk to the psychic. If it really was an angel that busted me out, then we'll know we can trust you."
When they all agreed, and by all agreed everyone except Zoe, Bobby left to make the call, and Dean made as if to follow.
"Hey," Sam said, stopping him and took off the Samulet, "You probably want this back."
"Thanks," Dean said, looking at the Samulet with a touched expression and put it on.
"Yeah, don't mention it," Sam said.
Zoe aww-ed at the sight and Sam shot her bitchface number 17, but she ignored it and sent the brothers a grin. Sam turned back to Dean once Zoe left to gather her things, leaving the Winchesters alone.
"Hey Dean, what was it like?" he asked.
"What, Hell? I don't know," Dean lied, "I must have blacked it out. Like the kid said, I don't remember a damn thing."
Sam nodded, accepting his answer, "Well, thank God for that."
Zoe gave Dean a look that went unnoticed by Sam, but Dean looked away and headed to the bathroom. Sam gave Zoe a small smile and had her help with the packing until Bobby came back. When he returned, Sam checked them out of the motel and followed Bobby out, Zoe right behind him.
"She's about four hours down the Interstate," Bobby said as he led the way to the parking lot. "Try to keep up."
Zoe saluted him and stuck to Sam's side.
"I assume you'll want to drive," Sam said as he tossed Dean the keys to the Impala.
"Oh, I almost forgot!" Dean chuckled as he ran a loving hand over Baby, "Hey, sweetheart, did you miss me?"
Dean took the driver's seat while Zoe and Sam walked around the car and got in, Sam taking shotgun while Zoe sat in the backseat. Dean gave the iPod a dirty look.
"What the hell is that?" he demanded.
"That's an iPod jack," Zoe said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Dean glared at Sam,"You were supposed to take care of her, not let some kid douche her up."
"Dean, I thought it was my car," Sam defended.
"See," Zoe said looking at Sam, "I told him you'd be mad about the iPod. It was his idea not me. I respect Baby too much."
Dean smirked and turned the ignition key. Immediately Vision began to play and Dean shot Sam a pained look, and Zoe laughed.
"Really?"
Sam shrugged innocently. Dean ripped the iPod out of the jack and tossed it in the back seat, but Zoe caught it before it fell to the floor. She plugged in her earphones and leaned back, hoping to take a nice nap during the ride, a habit she had picked up while riding with Sam.
After a while, Zoe heard Dean speak, and didn't open her eyes. He probably thought she was asleep, silly squirrel. Little did he know that Zoe had long since learned the breathing patterns of a sleeping person in hopes of fooling her parents into thinking she was still asleep.
"Hell of a kid," Dean told him, "Most would have broken down and admitted themselves into a psychiatric ward."
Sam nodded, "I almost did when she wouldn't talk for weeks, but she pulled through. Took almost a month before she stopped expecting she was going to wake up back home. She was pretty broken up about it, but I helped her through it and succeeded."
Dean laughed, "That's my Sammy. Helping lost teenagers get back on their feet."
"She's twenty," Sam corrected. "Not exactly a teenager."
They fell into silence.
"There's still one thing that's bothering me," Dean said, breaking the silence again. "The night that I bit it. Or... got bit. How'd you make it out? I thought Lilith was going to kill you."
"Well, she tried," Sam replied, "She couldn't."
Dean frowned, "What do you mean, she couldn't?"
Sam frowned as he remembered what happened that day,"She fired this, like, burning light at me, and... didn't leave a scratch. Like I was immune or something."
"Immune?" repeated Dean.
"Yeah," Sam nodded, "I don't know who was more surprised, her or me. She left pretty fast after that."
"Huh," Dean said, putting that away for now, "What about Ruby, where is she?"
"Dead," Sam lied, "For now."
Zoe had to physically stop herself from snorting. Right. Dead.
Dean paused, biting his lip, unsure and said hesitantly, "So you've been using your, uh, freaky ESP stuff?"
"No," Sam said, almost offended Dean had even considered that.
"You sure about that?" Dean asked unconvinced, "I mean, now that you've got... immunity, whatever the hell that is... just wondering what other kind of weirdo crap you've got going on."
"Nothing, Dean," Sam defended, "Look, you didn't want me to go down that road, so I didn't go down that road. It was practically your dying wish."
"Yeah, well, let's keep it that way," Dean finished.
They fell into silence again, and Zoe decided now was a good time to wake up and ask how long until Pamela's.
"Sam?" she asked, yawning.
"Hey," Sam said, "Sleep well?"
She nodded, yawning again, "How long till Pamela's?" When Sam didn't answer she sighed, annoyed, "The psychic."
"About two hours," Sam answered.
Zoe groaned and lay back down.
"Thought you were used to riding around with Sam," Dean said looking at Zoe through the rear view mirror.
"Doesn't mean I like sleeping on the backseat," she groaned, "It's stiff."
The brothers shared an amused look, and Zoe fell back asleep, but not before telling the boys to get her coffee once they finished with Pamela or they'd be dealing with a murderous teenager. Sam confirmed that claim and Dean promised to stop by a coffee place or a drive thru. As thanks, Zoe explained Destiel and why it was the biggest ship in the entire fandom.
Needless to say, Dean wasn't all too excited to meet Castiel.
Zoe yawned as she followed the boys and Bobby up the stairs to Pamela's house. She opened the door with a ready smile and greeted Bobby warmly, pulling the older man into a hug.
"You're a sight for sore eyes," Bobby returned with equal emotion.
"So, these the boys?" she asked turning to the brothers.
"Sam, Dean," Bobby introduced, "This is Pamela Barnes, best damn psychic in the state."
"Hey," Dean greeted.
"Hi," Sam nodded.
"Mmm-mmm-mmm," Pamela said taking in the eldest Winchester, "Dean Winchester. Out of the fire and back in the frying pan, huh? Makes you a rare individual."
Dean smiled, "If you say so."
Zoe poked her head from under Sam's arm and smiled at Pamela, "Hi."
"And who would you be?"
"Zoe," she said extending her hand for Pamela to shake, "Pleasure to meet you."
"Reality girl," Pamela said nodding, "Right. Caused quite a stir you know."
Zoe looked down, shyly, "Not my fault. Know who brought me here?"
Pamela shook her head, "Sorry. Don't know how to get you back, either."
Sam placed a reassuring hand on Zoe's shoulder, "We'll find a way, don't worry."
Pamela invited them in and led them into the living room.
"So, you hear anything?" Bobby asked.
"Well, I Ouija'd my way through a dozen spirits," Pamela said, but she shrugged, "No one seems to know who broke your boy out, or why."
"It was Castiel," Zoe said. "Since Angels rarely come to earth, they probably forgot they existed."
"So what's next?" Bobby asked.
"A séance, I think," Pamela suggested, "See if we can see who did the deed. Maybe the kid's right and it is an angel."
At this Bobby frowned, "You're not gonna... summon the damn thing here."
"No. I just want to get a sneak peek at it," Pamela assured, "Like a crystal ball without the crystal."
"I'm game," Dean said.
"I'm not," Zoe said, but she was ignored.
Pamela spread a black tablecloth covered in symbols over a small table. Sam and Dean look at it warily, though Zoe is dozing off in one of the chairs. She shoots Sam a dirty look when he shakes her awake.
"I'm tired," she snapped, before crossing her arms.
"Who's Jesse?" Dean asked, curiously.
Pamela laughed, "Well, it wasn't forever."
Dean shrugged, "His loss."
"Might be your gain," Pamela finished.
Zoe ignored the brothers' banter and watched with interest as Pamela arranged the candles, itching to ask her what the symbols meant. She'll have to ask Sam about seances later.
They all sat down on the chairs, Sam taking a seat next to Zoe and Bobby sitting on her other side, then Pamela, and finally Dean.
"Right," Pamela said taking Dean and Bobby's hands, "Take each other's hands and I need to touch something our mystery monster touched."
Zoe laughed when she hears a thump where Pamela slapped Dean's inner thigh.
"Well, he didn't touch me there," Dean said, a bit surprised.
"My mistake," Pamela said, though Zoe had the sneaking suspicion that she didn't mean it.
Dean glanced around nervously and rolled up his sleeve to reveal a hand print. Sam and Bobby stare in shock while Zoe looked at it with a mixture of boredom and interest, her mind going back to the theory of exactly how Castiel pulled Dean out of hell. Pamela gingerly placed her hand over the hand print.
"Okay?," she said and they all close their eyes, "I invoke, conjure, and command you, appear unto me before this circle. I invoke, conjure, and command you, appear unto me before this circle. I invoke, conjure, and command you, appear unto me before this circle. I invoke, conjure, and command... Castiel? No. Sorry, Castiel, I don't scare easy."
Zoe flicked open an eyelid when the TV turned on and she detected white noise.
"Castiel?" Dean asked looking at Pamela and Zoe.
"Its name," Pamela said, "It's whispering to me, warning me to turn back."
The white noise and static continued.
"Listen to him Pamela," Zoe warned. "It's gonna be bad if you don't.
She remembered this, and Dean never did forgive Cas for it.
"I'm almost close," Pamela said, "I conjure and command you, show me your face. I conjure and command you, show me your face. I conjure and command you, show me your face. I conjure and command you, show me your face."
"Pamela," Zoe pleaded. "There's a reason they have vessels. Listen to him. We're not supposed to look at angels head on.
"Maybe we should stop," Bobby said casting a look at Zoe who was biting her lip with worry.
"I almost got it," Pamela said determined, "I command you, show me your face! Show me your face now!"
Suddenly the candles flared up several feet in the air and Pamela screamed. Her eyes flew open, filled with white flame before she collapsed. Bobby caught her before she fell and lowered her to the ground while Zoe looked on, frozen in shock
"Call 9-1-1!" Bobby shouted at her.
Sam scrambled out of his chair and into the next room to call an ambulance. Dean crouches over Bobby and Pamela, who was conscious but bleeding. Her eyes flew open and Zoe shut her eyes, biting her lip to keep the guilt from growing any more.
Fuck. She should have stopped her. Fuck.
Pamela cried "I can't see! I can't see! Oh god!"
Dean glanced at Zoe who seemed to break out of her trance and was backing away from them, in search of Sam no doubt and followed, calling after her.
"What happened back there?" he demanded when he found her outside, running a hand through her hair. "You said his name was Castiel and you tried to stop Pamela. Did you know this would happen?"
"I—"
Dean didn't let her answer and went back inside, shaking his head.
Stupid. Stupid. She should have tried harder to stop Pamela from peeking. She knew and she tried and it still happened. She mumbled an apology. She should have tried harder she told him, gotten Pamela to listen. This was her fault.
…
Bobby went with Pamela to the hospital once the paramedics arrived. Zoe wondered what the doctors would think of those injuries and what Bobby's excuse would be. In the meantime, Dean took them to a diner and went with Zoe to find a table while Sam answered a call from Bobby.
As usual, Dean ordered two pies for himself and Sam, and some breakfast and coffee for Zoe.
"Be up in a jiff," the waitress said and left.
Sam entered, finishing up his call with Bobby. Zoe looked at him, wanting to know what Pamela's condition was.
"What'd Bobby say?" she asked.
"Pam's stable. And out of I.C.U," Sam informed them.
"And blind, because of me," Zoe grumbled as she focused on applying as much pain as she could on a brown paper napkin.
"It wasn't your fault, Zoe," Sam said.
"Yeah," Dean agreed, "It's the bastard, Castiel, who's responsible for that."
Zoe shook her head, and sunk deeper into her chair, but said nothing. Sam cast her a worried look.
"Least now we know what we're dealing with," Dean said. "Since Pamela confirmed the kid's telling the truth, with the right mumbo-jumbo we could summon him, bring him right to us."
"You're crazy," Sam said shaking his head, "Absolutely not."
"We'll work him over," Dean insisted, "I mean, after what he did? Zoe said he was one of the good guys. My so-called best friend according to her."
Sam shook his head, and argued "Pam took a peek at him and her eyes burned out of her skull, and you want to have a face to face?"
"You got a better idea?" Dean asked.
Zoe nodded, deciding she might as well do something right, "The waitress. She's a demon, and so's that guy, and that one. Right Flo?"
The waitress who had approached them, with their food Zoe noted as her stomach grumbled, smirked and turned to Dean, "Dean. To hell and back. Aren't you a lucky duck."
"That's me," Dean said smugly.
"So you get to just stroll out of the pit, huh?" The demon challenged, "Tell me. What makes you so special?"
"I like to think it's because of my perky nipples," Dean said sarcastically, "I don't know. Wasn't my doing, I don't know who pulled me out."
"Right," the demon said, not believing a thing Dean had said. "You don't."
"No. I don't."
Zoe groaned, hoping to move this along. She needed coffee. It kept her from doing stupid things she was going to regret, and with Pamela in the hospital, Zoe had absolutely no impulse control. Her day was already as bad as it got and she was curious to see how bad it could go.
She turned to the waitress, "Can we all just move this along and get to the part where you admit you're too scared to do anything because you don't know who busted Dean out, except that it's powerful and you're scared out of your wits? I'm kinda tired and this coffee sucks."
Yes. Zoe was mean when she was tired, and stupidly sassy and brave, or just mostly stupid when she didn't have coffee.
The waitress narrowed her eyes at her and said threateningly, "Mind your tone, girl."
Zoe smiled and leaned forward, with a smug grin, "Or what? You'll kill me? Sammy'll kick your demonic ass if you do. Point is you don't know who it was and if you wanted to hurt us you would've done so, 'cept you don't want whatever it was on your ass. And I know for a fact that it was a very powerful creature, one you don't want to mess with. So do me a favor, lady, and beat it."
Zoe turned to Sam who looked just as shocked as Dean and the waitress, "Come on. I want coffee and there's this neat little coffee shop a few blocks from here."
The boys follow right behind, while the demon the demon stayed at the table, fuming. Sam caught up with Zoe who is leaning against the Impala, arms crossed.
"Holy crap," Dean said, "That was close." He turned to Zoe who was picking at a hangnail with with complete nonchalance, "what the hell was that? I know you were handing out with Sam, but I thought you had more sense than that."
Zoe rolled her eyes, "Bad day. No coffee. Demon wasn't going to tell us anything, and don't worry about them, Sam. They'll be dead by nightfall. Eyes burned out of their sockets. And they're not going to bother us. They're scared out of their wits. Castiel isn't someone they'd want to mess around with, but if you're dead set on going after them, then wait until you meet Castiel. One thing at a time. Now. Coffee."
They did stop by a coffee shop and bought Zoe a nice large chocolate chip Frappucino before returning the motel. Sam gave her a talk of not doing anything stupid like that again even if both he and Dean were there during the ride, and held the coffee hostage until Zoe swore not to do that. Bobby returned a few hours later, declaring that Pamela would be fine, but the doctors wanted to keep her for a few days. Zoe spent her time, asking Dean about some hunts in the journal since Sam hadn't been present for some of them. Dean was willing to tell the story, though unlike Sam who was more factual, he stretched the story a bit longer, but it got a few laughs out of Zoe.
Zoe yawned as she turned off the TV and began to settle down on the couch until she saw Sam putting on his coat. She gave him a questioning look, and he gave her a guilty look.
"Don't tell him, Zoe," he said, "Please.
Zoe sighed, "He's not going to be happy about it though, but it's your secret. Don't blame me when he finds out."
Sam left, closing the door silently, and Zoe lay down, getting ready to sleep, but she didn't get much sleep. A few minutes after Sam left, the television flicked on to static, and the radio started whining too. Dean startles awake, and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, before rolling quickly to grab a shotgun lying by the bed. He looked around cautiously, glancing at Sam's empty bed and Zoe's sleeping form by the couch. He grimaced. The painful white noise began again, and Dean plugs his ears, keeping the weapon up in his left hand. The noise startled Zoe awake too who plugs her ears and shouted something Dean can't hear.
"CAS!" she cried out, "God Dammit! He can't understand you!"
A mirror on the ceiling shattered and broken glass rained down on them. Dean crumpled to the ground, crying out in pain while the noise continued.
"Castiel!" Zoe shouted again, "Or so God help me, shut it! You're going to make him deaf and what good will that be?! Go and get your vessel already!"
Bobby thankfully burst into the room and Castiel's true voice dimmed until it was nothing. Zoe silently thanked him and ran a hand over her ears, thankful they didn't burst though, they were still ringing.
And there was blood on her arm. Wonderful.
They were in Bobby's car, driving to an abandoned warehouse Bobby had found for them to use. He turned to both Dean and Zoe who where wiping off their blood and checking for any serious injuries. Thankfully there weren't none. Zoe had managed to convince them to take her with them, and threatened to tell Sam if they didn't. Bobby pointed out that they would be placing her in danger in case the thing came back. Dean made her promise that she would do what he said without question, but it wasn't like Zoe would be in danger. Castiel was harmless.
"How you both doin'?"
"Aside from the church bells ringing in my head, peachy," Dean said, wiping the blood from his face.
"Same," Zoe grumbled.
Dean pulled out his phone and dialed, "What are you doing?...In my car?...Well, uh, Bobby's back. We're going to grab a beer. The kid's here too…. She didn't want to be left alone...Done...Yes I'll keep an eye on her. Catch you later."
Zoe frowned, and felt her own phone buzz. It was Sam.
"You have reached the life model of Zoe Martinez."
"Zoe," Sam said, "You okay?"
"Yup," she said catching Dean's eye and mouthed that it was Sam. "Bobby's taking us to this bar he found."
"Alright," he said, "Stay with Dean if something happens, and if something goes wrong, call me."
"Yes mom," Zoe said sarcastically "But Dean-o will keep an eye on me. He'll rip their lungs out, right Dean?"
Dean frowned slightly, but smiled nonetheless.
"I gotta go," Sam said, "Take care. And no drinking."
"What kind of girl do you take me for? I hate the smell. Except for wine. Wine is soo go...Fine. Bye Sam."
"Why the hell didn't you tell him?" Bobby said once Zoe hung up.
"Because he'd just try to stop us," Dean said.
Zoe hummed in agreement.
"From what?" Bobby said.
"Summoning this thing," Dean replied, and added, "It's time we faced it head-on."
"You can't be serious!" Bobby said shocked.
"As a heart attack. It's high noon, baby," Dean."
Zoe raised her fist in agreement and Dean high-fived her.
"Well, we don't know what it is," Bobby said. "Or how to kill it."
"I do," Zoe chirped causing the two men to look back at her. "Besides, he's harmless, most of the time," she added after a thought, "and Ruby's knife doesn't work on him. So heads up."
"Yeah?" Dean challenged, "Between Bobby's arsenal and all the traps we know, this guy is toast."
Zoe huffed and leaned back, and said in a sing song voice, "It's not going to wo-ork."
Silence.
"This is a bad idea," Bobby said finally.
"Yeah, I couldn't agree more," Dean admitted, "but what other choice do we have?"
"We could choose life," Bobby said and Zoe agreed with him.
"Bobby, whatever this is," Dean said, "whatever it wants, it's after me. That much we know, right? I've got no place to hide. I can either get caught with my pants down again, or we can make our stand."
"Dean," Bobby said, "we could use Sam on this."
"Nah," Dean dismissed, "he's better off where he is."
With Ruby, and realizing just how powerful Cas could be.
Zoe swung her feet as she watched Bobby begin spray painting the walls with interest, asking him questions about the symbols, their uses and origins. Bobby answered, though Zoe could tell he wasn't as willing a teacher as Sam. After learning she didn't know how to make a Devil's Trap (Sam had been meaning to teach her), the boys had her keep out of trouble, occasionally bringing Bobby a new spray can or Dean some supplies. She turned to Dean, who was mixing some ingredients, and resisted the urge to ask him what it was supposed to do and what it had.
"That's a hell of an art project you've got going there," Dean said once Bobby finished.
"Traps and talismans from every faith on the globe," the old hunter said proudly, "How you doin?"
"Stakes, iron, silver, salt, knife," Dean pointed to each respective item, "I mean, we're pretty much set to catch and kill anything I've ever heard of."
"This is still a bad idea," Bobby said reluctantly.
"Trust me," Zoe assured, "He's pretty harmless when he's not your enemy and he likes Dean. We'll survive. 100% sure. The show's never wrong."
Bobby raised an eyebrow at Zoe, who grinned and jumped down from the chair to allow Bobby some space as he began to chant in Latin. When nothing happen, Zoe entertained herself by studying Ruby's knife until Dean took it from her hands, mostly because he didn't trust the kid with knives and he didn't want to deal with Sam if the kid hurt herself somehow. So instead, Zoe huffed and tapped the drumbeat of Eye of the Tiger on the chair.
Any day now, Cas, she thought.
Dean was the first to break the silence.
"You sure you did the ritual right?" Dean said after waiting for nearly half an hour. Bobby gave him a look while Zoe groaned and leaned back.
"Sorry. Touchy, touchy, huh?" Dean joked, hoping to ease the tension and boredom.
As if on cue, a loud rattling shook the roof. The hunters armed themselves with shotguns and took positions at the far end of the warehouse. Zoe looked up, and smiled before glancing at Dean who motioned for her to stay where she was.
"Wishful thinking," Dean said, keeping his eyes on the door, "but maybe it's just the wind."
The door burst open with a loud bang and a wide grin spread across Zoe's face that went unnoticed by anyone except the blue eyed puppy with the trench coat that walked into the warehouse. He frowned slightly when he saw her, but said nothing. As he walked forward, the light bulbs above him shattered, showering him with sparks and added to the dramatic effect. Then again, Castiel always had a flair for the dramatic. On instinct, the hunters began firing only to watch in shock as the bullets don't even faze Castiel.
"Who are you?" Dean demanded, reaching behind him to grasp Ruby's knife.
Without missing a beat, Castiel said one of Zoe's favorite lines- which she may or may not have mouthed while he said them, "I'm the one who gripped you tight and raised you from perdition."
"Yeah. Thanks for that," Dean said and reared back, plunging the knife into Castiel's chest.
Castiel, naturally, looked down unconcerned, and pulled it out, and allowed it to fall to the floor. Behind him, Bobby attacked; without looking, Castiel grabbed Bobby's weapon and used it to swing him around before reaching forward and touching Bobby's forward, instantly putting him to sleep. He turned to Dean and Zoe.
"We need to talk, Dean," he looked at Zoe and took a step towards her, "Alone."
Zoe scrambled out of Castiel's way and Dean stepped in front of her, stopping the angel from advancing.
"I know what you're going to say, Cas," Zoe said, causing Castiel to tilt his head at the nickname, "I've been praying to you remember? I'll just be over here. Minding my own business. Checking out newborn tumblr..."
She dragged her chair away from the table and sat down, using her phone as a distraction while Castiel turned to Dean who had crouched in over Bobby, checking that he was alive. The angel glanced at Zoe who seemed to be reading something on her phone, chuckling every now and then.
"Your friend's alive," Castiel stated,
Dean glared, and stood, "Who are you?"
"Castiel."
"Yeah, I figured that much," Dean said, "I mean what are you?"
"I'm an Angel of the Lord."
"He's awesome," Zoe added.
"Yeah, that's what the kid said," Dean said.
"And yet you did not believe her. This is your problem, Dean," the angel said, studying Dean, "You have no faith."
Lightning flashed, illuminating the shadows of large wings that unfurled from Castiel's back and spread across the wall, showing off their full length. Dean heard the click of a camera and turned to see Zoe taking a picture of said wings, which she may or may not have made into her new background.
"Some angel you are," Dean scoffed, "You burned out that poor woman's eyes."
"I warned her not to spy on my true form," Castiel explained, "It can be... overwhelming to humans, and so can my real voice. But you already knew that."
"You mean the gas station and the motel. That was you talking?" Dean asked and Castiel nodded, "Buddy, next time, lower the volume."
"They really downplayed how painful the true voice is," Zoe said. "You're lucky I'm not deaf, Cas."
Castiel looked apologetic, "That was my mistake. Certain people, special people, can perceive my true visage. I thought you would be one of them. I was wrong."
Dean glanced down at Castiel's vessel, "And what visage are you in now, huh? What, holy tax accountant?"
"This?" Castiel looked down, "This is... a vessel."
"You're possessing some poor bastard?" Dean demanded.
"He's a devout man," the angel explained, "he actually prayed for this."
It seemed squirrel really was an appropriate nickname. He had a short attention span.
Zoe spoke up again, "Unlike demons, angels need permission to enter a body, so Jimmy Novak gave Cas his permission to possess him. Right?"
Castiel looked at her again, studying her closer, eyes narrowing slightly before he nodded, "That's correct."
"Right," Dean said glancing at Zoe briefly, "And why would an angel rescue me from Hell?
"Good things do happen, Dean," Castiel pointed out, but Dean scoffed.
"Not in my experience."
The angel frowned in confusion, "What's the matter? You don't think you deserve to be saved?"
"Why'd you do it?" Dean repeated.
"Because God commanded it. Because we have work for you."
More like Michael commanded it, Zoe thought. Everyone knew God wasn't in heaven and Michael was calling the shots and Gabriel was MIA, and Raphael was too much of a traditionalist to go against Michael, and Lucifer...well Luci just wanted it all to end once and for all. She looked up to see the angel staring at her, and so stared back raising her head in a challenge and Castiel looked away. Bobby groaned, drawing their attention and Castiel left in a flutter of wings. Dean looked at the spot previously occupied by said angel in shock.
"He does that," Zoe said, "A lot unfortunately. We'll see him again, a lot, fortunately, but early season 4 he's a bit of dick. No offense Cas."
At the last part, she looked up as if to tell the angel she didn't mean to offend him. Dean grunted and had her clean up the table, placing the weapons back in the duffel bag while he helped Bobby to his feet and filled him in on what happened.
"So," Zoe said, "Who wants to fill in Sam on how things went?"
In all honesty, chapter one is as perfect as it gets.
Anywho, guys I really appreciate opinions and reviews and critiques. Especially on how to improve. I will try to have Zoe do more stuff. That is definitely happening, trust me on this, but if you guys fell like she isn't, tell me and I'll see what I can do.
Have a great week guys!