A/N: Hello! Sorry about the update taking so long! This is my second week back to work, and I also got a second job working at a humane society, so I've been really busy. Plus my little one started back at school. However I got inspired today to get this chapter out, and I'm quite happy with how it turned out! As always please review if you want! Oh and for anyone wondering who's face claim I've given Lyanna, she looks like Taylor Swift, if that helps visually =D Xoxo L.L
Chapter 9: Death By a Thousand Cuts
Lyanna was sitting on the back step of Bobby's house thinking about the last few days, she had been working on her craft figuring she would need it if they couldn't stop the seals from getting broken and she could feel it in her bones that something big was coming, something bad, something that would make all their lives that much harder.
Dean and Bobby had decided to lock Sam in the panic room to keep him from getting worse, the demon blood was slowly turning him into something none of them recognized, Lyanna was feeling guilty for not realizing it sooner, so she agreed when Bobby and Dean had told her their plan.
Lyanna took a breath as she pulled herself together, and she got to her feet and made her way back inside the house coming in from the back door. She heard Bobby and Dean shouting as she walked into the room "Guys! Stop!" she yelled as she glanced towards the basement door, "It's too quiet." she murmured, following Dean and Bobby as they ran to the panic room, only to find Sam writhing on the floor then being slammed into the wall by some invisible force.
After the three of them had managed to secure Sam down to the cot that was in the room for his own safety they left again, heading back upstairs.
"Are we doing the right thing?" Lyanna whispered as she looked between Bobby and Dean
Bobby looked at Lyanna and sighed, "I'm gonna ask it too... are we sure we're doing the right thing?"
Dean stared at the little blonde and older man as he got up off the couch, "Guys, you saw what was happening to him down there. The demon blood is killing him." he explained
Bobby shook his head, "No it isn't. We are." he sighed
"What?" Dean asked
"I'm sorry, I can't bite my tongue any longer. We're killing him, keeping him locked up down there. This cold turkey thing isn't working.." Bobby replied, glancing at Lyanna for backup
Lyanna spoke up, "If he doesn't get what he needs… Sam's not gonna last much longer." she agreed
"No." Dean said, shaking his head, "I'm not giving him demon blood, I won't do it."
Lyanna sighed, "And if he dies?" she said softly
"Then at least he dies human!" Dean yelled, taking a step towards them, "I would die for him in a second. But I won't let him do this to himself. I can't." he said, "I guess I found my line. I won't let my brother turn into a monster." he added with a sigh
Lyanna looked at Dean then glanced at Bobby, "Alright, we leave him alone." she said, taking Dean's side, she didn't want Sam turning into a monster either.
It was a few hours later and after talking to Dean about his deal with the angels Lyanna had gotten upset and disappeared to her room. This was way more than she wanted to deal with, she was about to lose Sam and she was sure that if Dean did whatever the angels told him to she was going to lose him too. Lyanna was laying on her bed when that familiar throbbing hit her temple and she heard the ringing pierce her ears, but after a few moments it was gone. She frowned as she glanced around the room, usually those were the warning signs of angels approaching but her room remained as empty and still as it had when she first came upstairs, that was when she heard a commotion outside. Lyanna glanced out her window and saw Sam standing near a car and Bobby pointing a shotgun at his chest
"God damn it!" Lyanna muttered as she slipped on a sweater and made her way down the stairs, she spotted Dean still asleep on the couch and shook his shoulder causing him to wake up, "Sam got out!" she frowned as she pulled Dean to his feet and they both ran outside
"Damn it!" Dean yelled as he saw a car speed out of the junkyard and Bobby unconscious on the ground
"Bobby?" Lyanna said as she knelt down, "You okay, old timer?" she smiled as Bobby slowly sat up
"I'm good, darlin'.." Bobby replied, "How the hell did he get out?.." he frowned
"Demons?" Dean offered, "I bet it was Ruby.." he added bitterly
Lyanna shook her head, "It didn't feel like demons.." she said, "If-if I didn't know any better I would have sworn I felt angels here…" she added
"Why would angels help Sam get out… they're on our side, remember?" Dean said, then he shook his head, "Nah, this has Ruby written all over it.." he scoffed as he turned to the door, "Killing her's the next big item on my to-do list."
Lyanna looked up from the floor that she'd been inspecting, "I thought you were on call for angel duty.." she mused
"I am on call in my car, on my way to murder the bitch, you comin' Buffy?" Dean replied glancing at Lyanna, who quickly got to her feet and joined Dean's side
"One thing." Bobby started as both Lyanna and Dean stared at him "Sam don't wanna be found… which means he's gonna be damn near impossible to find." he finished
"Yeah, we'll see.." Dean shrugged as he tugged on Lyanna's arm and they made their way up the stairs.
"Dean, wait!" Lyanna sighed as she stopped him at the top of the stairs, "Can we think about this for a second…" she said, "You have no idea where Sam went, why don't we wait until the morning, maybe by then he'll have left us a clue or two about his whereabouts." she explained, "Bobby can check the police scanner, I can try a location spell?" she suggested, moving her hand to Dean's face and forcing him to look at her, "We'll get him back, Dean."
Dean's eyes stayed on Lyanna's for a few moments then he blinked and nodded, "Fine, we'll wait until morning, first hint we get we're gone." he replied
Lyanna gave him a smile, "Ok." she said, "Come up to my room in a bit and we can work on that tracking spell." she added, squeezing his hand tightly before she disappeared to her room.
Lyanna was sitting on the floor in her room, a spell book on her lap and assorted candles and herbs laid out in front of her. She leaned over to retrieve a map of the area and placed it beside her as she finished crushing up the mixture, her bedroom door opened and she smiled up at Dean as he walked inside, "Hello." she said, "Could you get me something personal from Sam?" she asked
Dean nodded as he left the room returning a few minutes later with a hairbrush which he set down beside Lyanna, he leaned back on her dresser and watched in amusement as she went to work, chanting a verse a few times over as she placed the hairbrush and the mixture on the map. This was the first time Dean had ever witnessed Lyanna doing magic and it was strange but also intoxicating to watch, she seemed so sure of herself and her confidence was turning him on immensely.
Lyanna picked up a red candle and dripped the wax onto the map, closing her eyes as she finished the chant, her hands hovered above where the wax was spilled. Slowly the wax started moving in a line along the map and settled in a clump, Lyanna smiled and pointed at the map, "He's in this general area." she said, "It's not an exact locator spell but it gives a narrowed down area of the person's essence." she explained
Dean smiled and he glanced at the map, at least they had a direction to head too. "You know I've never seen you do this kind of stuff before." he commented
Lyanna shrugged "You never wanted to…" she replied, "You were always… judgy with the magic." she laughed
Dean gave her a grin, "I wasn't judgy." he lied, "Okay, I was." he admitted, "But maybe I shouldn't have been, you look so, uh, well, honestly, kinda sexy doing this." he smirked
Lyanna let out a little laugh and gave Dean a look, "Alright keep it in your pants, Casanova." she smirked, "But thank you." she added, "Magic does have a certain aphrodisiac effect for some." she winked as she started cleaning up her supplies
"Does Jake know you're a witch?" Dean asked as he sat down on Lyanna's bed
Lyanna inhaled sharply and froze for a moment she hated talking about Jake with Dean because no matter what she said Dean would use it to make it seem like she shouldn't be with him, "I've told him I'm Wiccan." she replied as she turned to face Dean, then she sighed when Dean's expression told her he didn't understand, "Wiccan's aren't real witches. They're hippies who use rocks and kitchen spices to pretend spells actually work." she scoffed, "But Jake doesn't know the difference so he never really gets involved." she shrugged
Dean nodded slightly "Well, he's missing out." he grinned, "Next time you should dress up, little sexy stockings, and a pointy black hat." he teased
Lyanna rolled her eyes but let out a laugh, "You're a pig." she said, putting her supplies into the chest at the foot of her bed, "Alright, Deano, out." she added, "I'm going to bed and as much as I love your company we are far too old to be sleeping in each other's beds." she smiled as she pulled Dean to his feet.
Dean gave Lyanna a wry grin and placed a peck on her cheek, "Thank you for being on my side today." he said, "And for caring about Sammy as much as I do." he added, "Sleep tight, Princess." he smiled as he left her room and shut the door.
It was the next afternoon and Dean was outside working on the Impala to pass the time while Bobby was checking out the local and highway police scanners. He hadn't found anything the last time Dean went in for a drink, but that was nearly an hour ago. Dean was getting impatient and was almost tempted to go get Lyanna and tell her to just bring her candle wax map and they'd just wing it.
Bobby came out a few moments later with information about the car Sam had stolen from the junkyard being found a few miles away from here, and then he also found a little more information about the car Sam would be using now and where it was last headed. That was enough for Dean and he took off into the house to find Lyanna, "Lya!" he called, "C'mon we gotta move, Bobby got info on Sam." he continued, grinning a bit when the blonde came rushing out of her room
"Alright, alright, let's go." Lyanna smiled slinging her bag over her shoulder and following Dean to the Impala, "Bye Bobby!" she called as she slipped into the passenger's seat and Dean peeled out of the driveway.
"This is the first time I've got to sit up front since I've been back." Lyanna grinned her hand moving to the radio
"I don't think so, Lya." Dean said smacking her hand away, "I mean you know the rules." he grinned, "Driver picks the music…"
Lyanna frowned and rolled her eyes, "Shotgun shuts his cakehole." she finished
"Her." Dean laughed, "In this instant. But you get the point…" he grinned
"You used to let me change the radio all the time." Lyanna pointed out as she folded her arms across her chest
"Ah, well, that was when you used to let me do naughty, unspeakable things to you." Dean quipped, "I mean I wouldn't say no right now, if this is your way of offering.." he smirked
Lyanna wrinkled her nose and shook her head, "This stations fine." she mumbled, glancing out the window so Dean wouldn't see her flushed cheeks.
The pair drove for about two hours before they arrived at the hotel Sam had been staying at. Clearly he had booked it to keep himself off the radar because it was much fancier than anything they'd ever stay in. Dean had become much more quiet the closer they had gotten and Lyanna could tell by the look on his face that he wasn't sure who exactly they'd be seeing when they found Sam.
Dean led the way into the hotel and talked his way past the front desk, finding out the exact floor and room Sam was staying in. He motioned for Lyanna to stay quiet and behind him as they stood at the end of the hall, watching the door for a while. It wasn't until they saw Sam leave that Dean took his chance to enter the room and Lyanna followed quickly on his heels, closing the door as she heard Dean and Ruby fighting. He really wasn't kidding when he said he planned on killing the bitch.
Lyanna was about to call out to Dean to warn him that Sam had come back into the room, but Sam shoved her enough that she lost her breath and she could only watch as Sam stopped Dean from stabbing Ruby, "Just take it easy.." Sam sighed as he looked at his brother
Dean glanced between Sam and Ruby, "Well, it must've been some party you two had going, considering how hard you tried to keep us from crashing it." he snapped, "Well, solid try but… here we are."
"Dean, I'm glad you're here, that you're both here." Sam replied glancing back at Lyanna before his eyes settled on Dean, "Look. Let's just talk about this." he said
Dean shrugged, "As soon as she's dead, we can talk all you want."
Sam gave Ruby a sideways glance, "Ruby, get out of here." he demanded
Dean stepped forward, agitation clear in his voice, "No, she's not going anywhere."
Ruby made a move to run, but Lyanna shifted her position so she was blocking the door, "Not gonna be that easy." she said, glaring at the dark haired demon
"Lyanna, let her go!" Sam shouted, turning and advancing towards the small blonde
Ruby gave Lyanna a tight smirk as the blonde let out a sigh and shifted out of her way, "She's poison, Sam!" Lyanna barked, angry that Sam had shouted at her
"It's not what you think." Sam said, turning his gaze back to Dean
"Look what she did to you!" Dean shouted, "She up and vanishes weeks at a time, leaves you cracking out for another hit-"
Sam shook his head, "She was looking for Lilith." he said
Dean gave Sam an exasperated look, "That is french for manipulating you ass ten ways from Sunday!"
Sam rolled his eyes, "You're wrong, Dean!"
"Sam, you're lying to yourself. I just want you to be okay. You would do the same for me." Dean frowned, "You know you would."
"Just listen…" Sam started as he tossed the blade onto the bed, "Just listen for a second, both of you." he said, glancing at Lyanna who was still standing by the door, "We got a lead on a demon close to Lilith, come with us, Dean. Both of you. We'll do this together."
Dean's eyes were brimmed with tears as he nodded, "That sounds great. As long as it's you and me and Lya. Demon bitch is a deal-breaker. You kiss her goodbye, we can go right now."
Sam sighed as he shook his head, "I can't. Dean, I need her to help me kill Lilith. I know you can't wrap your head around it but maybe one day… you'll understand." he said, watching as his brother turned his back on him, "I'm the only one who can do this, Dean."
Dean frowned as he turned back around to face Sam, "No, you're not the one who's gonna do this."
Sam let out a bitter chuckle, "Right. That's right. I forgot. The angels think it's you." he snapped
Dean raised an eyebrow, "You don't think I can?" he asked
"No. You can't. You're not strong enough." Sam replied
"And who the hell are you?" Dean growled, his anger taking place of the sadness he'd just been feeling
"I'm being practical here. I'm doing what needs to be done." Sam replied softly
"Yeah?" Dean scoffed, "You're not gonna do a single damn thing.."
"Stop bossing me around, Dean!" Sam yelled, glaring at his older brother, "Look, my whole life… you take the wheel, you call the shots and I trust you because you are my brother." he explained, "Now, I'm asking you, for once, trust me?" he begged
Lyanna who had been quiet throughout the conversation let out a sniffle as she stared helplessly at the two brothers, the boys who had been through everything together, and were now being torn apart by this battle of the demons and angels, "Dean…" she said, hoping he might just listen to Sam, but she knew deep down inside he wouldn't. Dean was to damn proud and had too much of a chip on his shoulder to ever let someone else take the burden
Dean shook his head, "No. You don't know what you're doing, Sam." he sighed, "He doesn't Lyanna!" he added when he saw the look she gave him
"Yes, I do!" Sam replied his voice rising slightly
"Then that's worse." Dean shouted
Sam frowned, "Why?" he asked, "Look, I'm telling you-"
Dean cut him off, "Because it's not something that you're doing, it's what you are!" he yelled, "It means-"
"What?" Sam cried, shaking his head because he knew what Dean was going to say, "No." he murmured. When Dean remained quiet Sam's anger grew, "Say it."
Dean took a breath, "It means you're a monster." he replied
Lyanna let out a gasp and shook her head, "Dean, no, you don't mean that…" she said, letting out a scream as Sam threw his arm back and punched Dean in the face, knocking him to the ground. Lyanna frowned and cried as she watched the two brothers resort to a fist fight. She ran her hands through her hair as she considered trying to stop them, but she knew that would only end in her getting hurt as well. There was a loud crash as Sam tossed Dean through the decorative wall to the left of her.
Lyanna watched in horror as Sam walked over to Dean and leaned down, wrapping his hands around his throat, "Sam, no!" she yelled as she ran over to him and started pounding on his back. If it hurt him he didn't show it, it was as if Lyanna wasn't even there. He was so focused on his anger towards Dean, "Sam, please stop!" Lyanna cried, taking a step back as Sam let go of Dean's throat
"You don't know me." Sam spat as he looked down at his brother "You never did. And you never will." he added, as he started to walk away from Dean
Lyanna ran quickly to Dean's side as he lay coughing on the ground, her eyes darted from Dean to Sam and she was so worried about how this would turn out, and then Dean spoke, "You walk out that door… don't you ever come back." he choked out between breaths. Lyanna inhaled sharply as her eyes landed on Sam. Those were the same words John had said to Sam when he left to go to school, and she could tell by the look on Sam's face that Dean echoing those words was like a knife in the back. Sam glanced one last time at Lyanna and Dean and then pulled the door open and disappeared as if he had never been there at all.
Lyanna cried as she sat beside Dean, slowly helping him into a sitting position, "Why did you say that to him, Dean?" she asked, her cheeks stained with tears
Dean groaned as he got to his feet, "Everything I said was the truth." his voice was low and his eyes were red, "You think I'm so wrong you're welcome to join Sam out that door."
Lyanna frowned at Dean, but remained quiet as she stood beside him and wrapped her arm around his waist, "It's always you I follow, Dean." she whispered as she helped him out of the room
"It's your lucky day, Princess." Dean said as he shimmied the keys from his pocket and tossed them to Lyanna, "Just don't grind the gears, ok?" he grimaced, remembering that Lyanna wasn't the best driver in the world. Unfortunately for him though she would have to do because he was in no shape to be driving them back to Bobby's tonight.