NOTE: THIS VERSION OF DUMMIES IS NOT GETTING UPDATED. I AM POSTING THE CHAPTERS THAT I'VE PREVIOUSLY WRITTEN AND POSTING THEM ON .
I have a few chapters that I never posted and content I never posted.
Dummies is getting updated on A03 and I encourage people to check it out. Right now, it's still before Lazarus Rising. I hope you all enjoy.
. But again, these are just old chapters that never got to be uploaded/I don't remember uploading
A few days before Halloween found Zoe in the backseat of the Impala once more. The boys had found a case in Lodi, New Jersey and wanted Zoe to join them. This may or may not have had something to do with the fact that Zoe had purposefully bothered Bobby with questions to the point where he practically begged the boys to find a case she could go with. Zoe made him cookies that day to apologize, not that she regretted doing so, though.
"Man is found dead in his home," Sam began, "From swallowing multiple razor blades."
Zoe frowned, "Well that's not painful."
She knew this episode...but this was again, season four. Not one of her more favorite seasons. Zoe cursed herself for not re-watching the episodes, but what she did know, was that Castiel was in this episode.
"So anything on that show of yours?" Dean asked.
"Castiel shows up," Zoe said, "I think this case has a seal in it…yes...a seal."
"A seal?" Dean asked, "One of the sixty six?"
"No, Dean," Zoe said rolling her eyes, "One of the zoo seals."
Sam chuckled, and Dean muttered something along the lines of sarcastic teenagers and making them walk all the way to Lodi.
"So which one is it?" Dean continued, bringing back the subject."
Zoe frowned, tapping her chin for a moment. The last canon episode was Yellow Fever, which meant this episode was-
"It's the Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester," Zoe said, "The Halloween episode. I think you go after the spirit of Halloween."
"So it's a ghost?" Sam asked.
"Not a ghost," Zoe said, "More powerful than a ghost."
Dean sighed, "Great."
"You'll be fine," Zoe assured.
They checked into the cheapest motel, which smelled like something died recently, insecticide, and Zoe was pretty sure the spiderwebs on the ceiling corners where not fake. Not to mention the receptionist, an old man who probably had a dead body or two in his basement, kept giving her looks that made her skin crawl. Zoe made sure to walk between the brothers, declaring them her shields. She was so not going to die at the hands of a skeevy old man.
That night they ordered takeout, as neither wanted to go outside, Zoe because she wanted to avoid the creepy old man, and the brothers because they were all to lazy to get up.
They relaxed their first night, especially since they had little information to go off of. Sam had called the police station ahead, posing as an FBI agent of course. Zoe wondered if after posing as federal agents, they just stuck with it, especially since they got Bobby in on it. It did make it much more easier to get to crime scenes and access to classified evidence. Zoe didn't see her future as a fake FBI agent, mainly because Dean had often pointed out she was a bad liar, strange considering Zoe had lied to her mother on multiple occasions while under pressure.
Either way, Zoe found herself lounging around in their motel room, waiting for the boys to come back from interviewing the victim's wife. Her television flickered on and Zoe didn't even bother glancing at it, merely sighing in annoyance.
"Gabriel...I swear to any deity out there," She began, but was interrupted.
"You need to get out of here, kiddo," he said.
Well that was new. Usually Gabriel greeted her with whatever annoying song he found on her phone. Why did Zoe have annoying songs on her phone, specifically labeled annoying songs? For the purpose of annoying her friends on a daily basis.
But that is unimportant. The archangel in front of her was not in a playful mood.
"The seals?" Gabriel tried, "The raising of Samhain on Halloween?"
"Episode 7 of season four," Zoe said, "And?"
"And you know what happens," Gabriel said, "Kiddo, you need to leave right now. The Apocalypse is happening, and this is one of those seals. I won't have you near a demon that inspired a world wide holiday."
"I can take care of myself, Gabriel," Zoe said, "Besides, I have Sam and Dean."
Gabriel didn't find this very reassuring, and made sure to voice his opinion with thinly veiled sarcasm, "Yes, because that's very reassuring."
"I'll be fine," she assured.
"Kid-"
"Trust me."
The archangel, frowned, thinking about this for a moment, before he said, "You'll call?"
"I'll answer your calls, yes," Zoe nodded.
She had yet to get Gabriel's number, especially since the man didn't really have a phone number. He would call randomly and no number would show. Usually the Winchesters weren't around when he did call, which was a blessing.
"And you'll stay the hell away from Samhain?"
Zoe rolled her eyes and nodded, "Yes, mother."
"I'm serious, Zoe," Gabriel said.
She nodded.
Gabriel didn't seem too assured of that fact, but the impala was pulling up to the motel, and when Zoe looked back, the archangel was gone. She smiled at the younger Winchester, pushing her conversation with Gabriel from her mind. The guy was just worrying too much.
"Where's Dean?" she asked, noting the absence of the older much louder brother.
"Said he needed to do something," Sam said, and took out a hex bag.
Zoe frowned and went to stand by Sam's shoulder, resting her chin there to get a better view of the hex bag's contents.
"What's that?" she asked.
"A hex bag," Sam said, "It's-"
"I know what it is," Zoe interrupted, "I mean, what's inside it. Looks like a bone, a fancy coin, a plant and string."
"Brilliant deduction Sherlock," Sam said, keeping his eyes on his laptop.
"Elementary, my dear Watson" Zoe smirked, "Anywho. Halloween. Hex bag. So witch…episode seven...razors...This witch is trying to raise Samhain."
"Who's Samhain?" Sam asked.
"Guy who basically started Halloween," Zoe said.
"How do we defeat him?"
Such a Winchester answer.
Not that Zoe was going to tell him because that was bad mojo. Sam didn't need to know he used his abilities, time continuity be damned. The disappointment in Dean's look was enough. That and Uriel was a dick.
"Same way as you kill any other demon," she said, examining the coin.
Sam returned to researching Samhain, and Zoe, finding nothing else to do with her time, channel surfed and settled for Matilda. Dean arrived, humming a nondescript song, and tossed his keys on the table, and unwrapped a piece of candy. He glanced at Zoe who's eyes flickered to the candy wrapper and back to him, and gulped.
"You didn't bring me candy?" she asked in a low voice.
"Sam..." Dean inched closer to his brother in a poor attempt to use him as a shield.
"Really?" he asked, ignoring Zoe's murderous You did not bring me candy and therefore I will kill you when you least expect it look. "After that guy choked down all those razor blades?"
"It's Halloween, man," Dean defended.
"And yet you didn't bring Zoe any candy" Sam countered.
"Not my kid," Dean muttered, and decided to change the subject, "Anything interesting?"
"Well, we're on a witch hunt," Sam said, "that's for sure, but this isn't your typical hex bag."
He indicated to the hex bag's contents, "Gold thread, an herb that's been extinct for two hundred years. And this – ( He picks up the silver piece) is Celtic, and I don't mean some new age knock-off. It looks like the real deal, like 600 years old real." Dean picked up a charred bone, and Sam added, "And um… that is the charred metacarpal bone of a newborn baby."
Dean immediately put back the bone in disgust before wiping his hand on his jacket, "Gross."
"Relax," Sam assured, placing the bone back into the contents of the hex bag, "it's like, at least a hundred years old."
"Oh, right, like that makes it better?" Dean asked, sitting in a chair away from Zoe who was currently ignoring him, "Witches, man, they're so frigging' skeevy."
The receptionist in the lobby was skeevy, and was pretty sure that the man used to be a serial killer.
"Yeah, well it takes a pretty powerful one to put a bag like this together," Sam nodded at the bag, "More juice than we've ever dealt with, that's for sure. What about you? Find anything on the victim?"
"This Luke Wallace?" Dean shook his head at the name, "He was so vanilla that he made vanilla seem spicy." Sam scoffed, and Dean continued, "I can't find any reason why somebody would want this guy dead. There is no reason for a wicked bitch payback."
"Maybe cause it's not about that," Sam said, and at Dean's questioning look, he explained, "Maybe this witch isn't working the grudge, maybe they're working a spell. Zoe said they could be trying to raise Samhain."
Dean raised an eyebrow, "Am I supposed to be impressed?"
"He's the origins of Halloween," Zoe said, "It was Samhain's night, when the veil was thinnest between the living and the dead. People would put on masks to hide from him, leave out sweets to be on his good graces, because for some reason this demon had a sweet tooth. Jack o' Lanterns were meant to worship him. He was exorcised centuries ago."
The eldest Winchester nodded, taking in the new information,"And even though Samhain took a trip downstairs, the tradition stuck."
"Exactly," Sam said, taking over, "only now instead of demons and blood orgies Halloween is all about kids, candy and costumes."
"Okay, so some witch wants to raise Samhain and take back the night?" Dean concluded.
Sam shot his brother a glare, "Dean, this is serious."
"I am serious," Dean said defensively.
"We're talking heavyweight witchcraft," Sam pointed out, "This ritual can only be performed every six hundred years."
Dean frowned slightly, "And the six hundred year marker rolls around…?"
"Tomorrow night," Zoe pipped in.
"Naturally," Dean muttered, and flipped through the book, "Well it sure is a lot of death and destruction for one demon."
"That's because he likes company," Sam explained, "Once he's raised, Samhain can do some raising of his own."
"Raising what, exactly?" asked Dean, though he had the feeling he wasn't going to like the answer."
"Ghosts, Zombie," Zoe listed off, "Evil demonic crap. Samhain. attracts all the good stuff."
"Leprechauns?" Dean asked.
Zoe raised an unimpressed eyebrow, "Doubtful."
"Those little dudes are scary," Dean defended, "Small hands."
He shuddered.
"Three blood sacrifices over three days and then on Halloween night, Samhain. rises," Sam said, "It just starts with ghosts and ghouls, this sucker keeps on going, by night's end we are talking every awful thing we have ever seen. Everything we fight, all in one place."
"It's gonna be a slaughterhouse," Dean shook his head.
"Cheerful," Zoe agreed, before wondering if she was going to fight the thing, only to brush it aside since the boys would never let her fight a demon now, least of all Samhain.
She couldn't remember who was the next victim, much to the boys' disappointment. Sam, naturally, took her side despite Dean's frustration. Zoe spent the night doodling on her sketchbook (a gift from Bobby to keep her "from getting destructively bored.") and began sketching Charlie, hoping that said red head would like her when they met, assuming Zoe stayed as long.
She always assumed she only stuck around because of the apocalypse, and since it would make the most sense, but then again, she could really be stuck here forever. Or until she died.
Sometime around midnight, Sam got a call from one of the police officers. A girl died in a Halloween party, boiled and drowned to death apparently. Zoe stayed behind, naturally, and got a visit from everyone's favorite archangel.
"Did you know, that in theory," he began when he appeared on the couch, chewing a tootsie roll, "Every tootsie roll has a bit of the originally made tootsie rolls because they just add on to the previous batch?"
Zoe raised an eyebrow, "Fascinating."
Gabriel threw a wrapper at her head, "Why are you so sarcastic?"
"Why are you so cheerful?" Zoe asked, flipping through the channels.
"Nothing wrong with being cheerful," Gabriel pointed out.
Zoe shrugged, and Gabriel studied her closely.
"You okay, kiddo?" he asked.
Again Zoe shrugged, "Just bored…and tired."
"Right," he replied, unconvinced, and then positioned himself to better look at Zoe, "Talk to me."
"Nothing's wrong with me," Zoe replied, "I'm really fine."
"Of course you are," Gabriel rolled his eyes, "Because you definitely look fine."
"Just..." she shook her head, "Nothing."
Gabriel waited for her to continue, and Zoe sighed, "I just want to do something. The boys get to go out and go after vampires and all the fun stuff, and I'm stuck here doing nothing. I thought it'd be fun, you know? Saving people. hunting things. The family business," she glanced at the remote, "Turns out that unless you know how to shoot stuff, you're practically useless. More of a burden, really. Maybe I should of just stayed at Bobby's, and gotten by GED like a normal person, and go to college and get a real job."
Gabriel didn't speak for a moment, "Do you really think that?" Zoe looked away, and Gabriel appeared before her, kneeling down to her eye level, "Kiddo, you traveled across dimensions and into the world that you like. You took part in a shape shifter just a few weeks ago. You weren't a burden then, kiddo. Sam and Dean? If they didn't care about you, you would be tending to drunk hunters in Sioux Falls. And yet, here you are."
"But I'm not doing anything," Zoe said, "True I found out about Samhain, but I can't think of anything useful like who's behind it."
"No one ever said it'd be easy," Gabriel said, "The universe just really likes to keep things how they should be."
Zoe didn't answer for a moment, and then said, "Gabriel?"
"Ya?"
"If I ever see your dad. I'm going to kick him into next Tuesday."
…
The boys arrived sometime in the night, after Zoe had fallen asleep. When she woke up, Sam was on the phone with Dean, no doubt about the case, judging by the various books Sam had in front of him.
"Look Dean, someone planted those hex bags," Sam gave Zoe a small wave, before turning his attention to the phone again, "someone with access to both houses. There's gotta be some connection."
Zoe didn't hear the rest of the conversation as she was too busy enjoying day old takeout from the fridge. She tapped her finger on the table, waiting for the food to heat up.
"Zoe."
Said teenager poked her head out from the kitchen, "At your disposal, your great Moosiness."
"Does the name Tracy Davis sound familiar?" Sam asked.
Zoe frowned for a moment, "Vaguely. Por que?"
"Turns out," Sam said, "That she was the Wallace's babysitter."
Zoe tilted her head, and frowned, "The cheerleader?"
"Dean spotted her at the Wallace's house," Sam explained.
"Perfect."
Dean arrived minutes later, throwing his keys on the desk and tossed Zoe some food before heading to his brother. Zoe examined the food thoroughly before taking an experimental bite out of it.
"So the cheerleader," she began, declaring the food to be delicious.
"Told me she never even heard of Luke Wallace," Dean growled
"interesting look for a centuries-old witch," Sam mused.
"Yeah, well, if you were a six-hundred-year-old hag," Dean pointed out, "and you could pick any costume to come back in, wouldn't you go for a hot cheerleader? I would."
"Well, Tracy's not as wholesome as she looks," Sam said, pulling up some windows on his laptop, "Did some digging – apparently she got into a violent altercation with one of her teachers, got suspended from school."
"Wow," Zoe whistled, "Chick needs to chill." She frowned, "I want to say it's the art teacher, though. Y'all go see the art teacher next."
"Makes sense," Sam agreed, "He was the one with whom Tracy had the violent altercation with."
"Yippee," Zoe muttered to herself, "and guess who stays here?"
Not that the boys heard her. No one really listened to her unless they actually needed the information, except then Zoe couldn't even remember how to properly talk. She shrugged it off. One day, when she's old enough to pass for an FBI agent, she'd go with them. Today just didn't seem to be that day.
…
Something was wrong. Oh so terribly wrong.
For one, her limbs felt heavy. Her head pounded against her skull, and her hands seemed to be held above her, acting as the only things keeping her upright. Something, duct tape she realized, had been placed over her mouth, silencing her.
She began to panic. The room smelled differently. Death hung in the humid musty air.
A basement.
Gabriel didn't come when called, and Zoe remembered what Castiel told the Winchesters. The witch was powerful enough to hide form angels. She didn't doubt that archangels where included in that category. What was she missing from the episode? The boys make the connection between the Witch and Don after they have a small spat with the angels. Don attempts to sacrifice Tracy, but becomes the sacrifice himself...but Zoe doubted that Tracy would be the one doing the sacrifices.
She had the sinking feeling that would be her...wonderful.
Her breath hitched when she heard the door opened, and footsteps come nearer. A young blonde walked towards her, studying her with a small smirk, before turning to Don. The art teacher.
"I'm sure you're wondering why you're here," Tracy said, "But seeing as you're hanging around with those hunters, I think you have a pretty good idea." Zoe flinched away from her when she approached, and the witch's smile widened, "I'm not going to kill you...at least not yet. You could give me some leverage if those hunters try anything, or," she locked eyes with Zoe, "You could be our gift to our Master, it's quite an honor, you know."
She tilted her head slightly, studying Zoe curiously before walking away.
How much time passed, Zoe didn't know, but her internal clock told her she had just passed lunch and dinner. During that time, no one else came down to the basement. She wondered where the boys were, if they were tearing down the city just to find her. She liked to think so.
She sighed, breathing out through her nose, and assured herself that she would be fine, before cursing herself for not getting an anti-possession tattoo. The one Sam had given her was gone, taken by Tracy no doubt.
Gabriel would be frantic. Hell, Zoe could imagine Gabriel taking apart the town brick by brick, but then again it would mean revealing himself to the Winchesters and the angels. Uriel was never her favorite angel, but at least Castiel was there to keep in check. He never came when asked to, Zoe noticed. Often times, he would show but only for a few minutes before he would leave, and Gabriel would take his place. The archangel often bragging about a hunter who thought he killed the Trickster, but Zoe was often bored enough to listen.
Her arms had long since grown numb, and Zoe could barely move her fingers, twitching them occasionally, but not enough to struggle as before.
Sometime after dinner had passed, Don and Tracy descended into the basement, carrying with them ingredients. Zoe was forgotten, stowed away in a corner to serve as their only audience. Don tied Tracy's wrists above her before placing the gag. Zoe wondered if they liked to be dramatic, or it was to prevent the neighbors from hearing, probably the first one.
Don began to chant, taking a chalice and sacrificial knife as he approached Tracy. As he raised the knife, prepared to sink the knife in her heart. Zoe closed her eyes, turning away at the sight, only to be startled by three consecutive gun shots.
Sam.
The next thing she knew, Sam was hugging her, holding her tightly, as he assured her that she was fine. And for the life of her, Zoe hugged him back as soon as she could move her arms again. Sam was here. Everything was going to be alright.
And then Sam was blasted back by Tracy.
Zoe froze. She didn't know if by the witch or out of sheer fear. Her breath caught, and she almost didn't hear Tracy talk.
"He was gonna make me the final sacrifice," the witch explained, circling her brother, "his idea, but now, that honor goes to him. Our master's return? The spell work's a two man job you understand, so for six hundred years I had to deal with that pompous son of a bitch. Planning, preparing, unbearable." She knelt and picked up the knife and chalice, "The whole time I wanted to rip his face off."
Tracy shook her head as she dug into the knife wound, catching the blood flow in the chalice, before turning to Sam and Dean, still on the floor in pain,"And you get him with a gun, uh, love that. You know, back in the day, this was the one day you kept your children inside. Well tonight you'll all see what Halloween really is."
At the last part, Tracy turned to her and smiled. Zoe's own eyes widened, and yet she didn't move. She tried to move, but fear.
She wasn't a hunter. Hell. She was just a teenager who shouldn't even be here. The only people who gave two shits about her where on the floor, writhing in pain, and she couldn't do anything about it. Gabriel wasn't coming. Zoe doubted he was even able to come.
Her body convulsed and choked as something forced its way inside her. Sulfur. Demon. Samhain.
And then, she wasn't in control anymore.
IT smiled using her lips, examining itself. IT laughed because it knew she was afraid. She couldn't move. If she had to put it into perspective, Zoe felt like she was in a machine that was controlled by something else. Samhain laughed again, weaving his smoke into her memories, only to hiss in anger when he couldn't. Gabriel had taken many precautions with her memories.
"My love."
Samhain turned, and approached Tracy, placing a finger (her finger) on her cheek, "You've aged."
Zoe could feel the malice. Samhain did not love Tracy. She served her purpose, and so was useless.
Samhain was toying with Tracy. So naive.
"This face," Tracy said sadly, "I can't fool you."
"Your beauty is beyond time."
Samhain leaned in, pressing (her) forehead against Tracy's, and placing his hands on her cheeks, before snapping her neck. Tracy fell to the floor.
Samhain laughed, and Zoe screamed.
Little traveler, we are going to have fun together.
Zoe shuddered.
Samhain turned, and Zoe could see through his eyes. Sam and Dean lay on the floor, blood on their faces, unmoving. Uninterested, Samhain walked over them and outside.
Zoe could feel the fall air, enjoying how absolutely relaxing it was, but Samhain did not. He had things to do. No one gave them a second look, but who would?
They walked, and Samhain didn't tire. He talked. He talked of how people should run in fear of him, not walk past him as if he was nothing. He assured her, They would know to fear me. You watch, little Traveler, they will know to run at the sight of us.
They stopped at a cemetery, and Samhain tilted his head at the sound of music, making a comment of how music had regressed since his time. Zoe would have agreed.
A teenage boy smiled at her, thinking she was just another member, and Samhain laughed at his stupidity. He closed the gates and locked them, before walking away. Zoe screaming at him to stop as he raised the dead in the crypts. She screamed for the teenagers to run.
She screamed and she did not.
Samhain wandered through the mausoleum, studying a stained window. He told her of how people would run to the churches to pray, in hopes of keeping him away. Halfway through his rant, he stopped and turned, raising his hand and the room glowed bright.
"Yeah, that demon ray gun stuff? It doesn't work on me."
Sam.
The demon ran at Sam, who blocked his attack.
"Zoe, I know you're in there," Sam ducked a blow, "You have to fight him."
I can't. She begged Samhain to stop, but he laughed, pinning Sam against the wall by the neck. Sam sputtered, holding her wrist tight, searching her eyes for her.
He searches for you, little Traveler. I wonder if he will still search when we hold his heart in our hands.
Sam managed to get the knife out and sliced Samhain's hand. Zoe cried out at the cut, but it only made Samhain angrier, as he stepped back, and yet he still laughed.
"You will kill her," he smiled, "Are you willing to sacrifice her to stop me?"
Sam didn't say anything, and raised his hand. Samhain froze, and Zoe could feel him try to force his way towards the hunter, struggling against the force holding him back.
Zoe's body choked, hands flying to her neck as a sliver of smoke escaped her lips. Samhain growled and wailed in pain. They fell to their knees, black smoke pouring out into the concrete floor by Sam's feet. Zoe laughed, and Samhain wailed and he was gone.
She took a deep breath, panting on the floor, too weak to move. Sam picked her up, and Zoe cried. Dean didn't say anything, and Zoe hugged Sam tightly, refusing to let go until she was finally lulled to sleet.
…
She dreamed of Gabriel, holding her tightly, examining her for anything, purging her body of anything that Sam missed. She hugged him back, forgiving him for his inability to help her. It wasn't his fault.
No. It was the witch's fault.
It was her fault too.
She should have been stronger.
Gabriel tried to convince her otherwise, but she didn't listen. He didn't leave until she woke up.
And when day came, Zoe didn't speak. She sat in the Impala, her phone lying forgotten on the seat beside her.
The boys tried to get her to talk. Dean lost his patience quickly, but Sam didn't. He sat with her in the back of the Impala, trying to distract her with stories of his and Dean's childhood, but Zoe wasn't listening. She stared at the passing trees.
Gabriel didn't show that night.
Sam and Dean woke to the sound of her screams.
He didn't leave her to her dreams after that.
She should have done something, remembered who the witches were. She should have watched season four more times, than just twice. It was fear that had kept her rooted to her spot in the basement when Sam and Dean were writhing in pain. If only she'd been stronger, sent Samhain searching for a new host. If she had been stronger, she wouldn't be like this.
Sam wouldn't be glancing at her every so often with looks of pity. They left her with Bobby for most of November. She stayed in her room, allowing no one inside, not even Garth who tried to coax her to eat. Sometimes she opened the door for him to bring food.
But only sometimes.
She wasn't a hunter, and if she was, she was a lousy hunter.
Hell.
She just wanted to go home, and pretend this was all nothing but a bad dream.