October 30th - November 3rd, 2007
Dean had been a little short with Sam for the past couple of days. I wasn't really sure why, but I figured it had something to do with Sam trying to get him out of the deal, and Dean just didn't want to hear about it anymore.
We were on our way to our next case, and the car had been silent until Dean cleared his throat.
"So, I've been waiting since Maple Springs. You got something to tell me?" he asked, looking over at Sam.
Uh oh, this has got to be good. I was finally going to figure out why he had been acting weird to Sam. The anticipation built as I waited for Sam to respond.
"It's not your birthday." Sam smirked.
Dean shook his head. "No."
"Happy Purim?" Sam laughed and then shrugged. "Dude, I don't know. I have no idea what you're talking about—"
Dean cut him off. "There's a bullet missing from the colt. You want to tell me how that happened? I know it wasn't me." He looked at me in the rear-view mirror. "Wasn't you, was it?"
I shook my head.
Dean nodded. "Yeah, I figured. 'Cause you wouldn't do something like that." He glanced over at Sam. "So, unless you were shooting at some incredibly evil cans—"
Sam sighed. "Dean—"
"You went after her, didn't you?" Dean accused. "The crossroads demon. After I told you not to."
Sam shrugged. "Yeah, well—"
"You could have gotten yourself killed!" Dean shouted.
Sam shook his head. "I didn't."
"And you shot her," Dean said.
"She was a smartass!" Sam yelled.
Dean sighed. "So, what? Does that— Does that mean I'm out of my deal?"
"Don't you think I might have mentioned that little fact, Dean?" Sam asked. "No. Someone else holds the contract."
"Who?" Dean asked.
Sam shrugged. "She wouldn't say."
"Well, we should find out who. Of course, our best lead would be the crossroads demon. Oh, wait a minute..." Dean said, sarcastically.
"That's not funny," Sam said.
"No, it's not! It was a stupid friggin' risk, and you shouldn't have done it," Dean scolded.
"I shouldn't have done it?" Sam asked, "You're my brother, Dean. And no matter what you do, I'm gonna try and save you. And I'm sure as hell not gonna apologize for it, all right?"
Dean was silent, and Sam shook his head in exasperation. I took a deep breath, happy that the conversation was over, but angry because now saving Dean was going to be even harder.
Sam and Dean acted as detectives to talk to the aunt of a young woman who had drowned in the shower. Since drowning in the shower isn't necessarily an ordinary thing, we knew something was strange about the incident.
However, as I waited in the car for them to return, a familiar face crossed the street right in front of me. One that I was not excited to see, so I ducked down before Bela saw me. Not that it would be super helpful with the car that we have. I peered over the seat to see if she had spotted the car, but when I did, she was standing next to Dean's window smiling at me.
I rolled my eyes and groaned.
"Nice to see you too, darling. Could you unlock the door for me?" Bela asked, sounding very proper with her British accent.
I shook my head. "Yeah, I'm gonna have to go with a no."
She shrugged. "Have it your way." She pulled out a long skinny piece of metal and started jamming it down between the window and the door.
"Hey!" I shouted and hopped over the front seat. "You're gonna scratch the window!"
"You chose the hard way," she said.
"Aren't you supposed to be like a master thief or something? You couldn't have brought a lockpick?" I asked. "That giant metal thing isn't necessarily inconspicuous."
"Aw, I'm so proud. Such big words for a child raised by buffoons." Bela teased, still jamming the metal in the door.
I glared at her. "Will you stop doing that?"
"Then let me in," she said as the metal made a loud squeaking sound against the glass. Which was loud enough to make my teeth hurt.
"Ugh, god." I unlocked the door. "Fine, just stop doing that."
"Ah, thank you." She tucked the metal away and got into the car. "That wasn't so hard, was it?"
"I mean, honestly, it hurt a little, but seeing you do that to this car and knowing you weren't going to stop hurt more." I shrugged. "We all have to make sacrifices."
She smiled. "Let's have some fun, shall we?"
"I'd rather not. Not with you anyway," I said.
"Ouch, that hurt." She leaned forward and ripped wires out from under the dash.
"What the hell! What are you doing?!" I shouted, "Don't answer that, I know what you're doing! But could ya not?!"
"I need to move this car." She smiled at me as she hotwired the car.
"No." I shook my head. "No, you really don't."
"But where's the fun in that?" Bela asked as the car started.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"I'm moving it to a tow-away zone," Bela said as she pulled away.
"What?! You can't do that!" I yelled.
"Oh, yes, I can. And I'm doing just that." Bela smiled.
"Yeah, well, I can see that, but if they find what's in the trunk. Sam and Dean will get arrested... again," I said, "So if I ask nicely... will you please put the car back?"
"What was it that you said earlier? Oh, yeah... I'm going to have to go with a no," she said.
"Okay... okay... that's fair." I nodded. "But... I did eventually let you in."
"Yes, my dear, because while you are a pushover. I am not," Bela said as she pulled over in a tow-away zone.
"Okay, super harsh. I thought we were starting to get along," I said, feigning sadness.
"As long as you remain a Winchester, we will never be friends," she said and then got out of the car.
I watched as she walked away and pulled out her phone. I sighed and decided to follow her. When I caught up with her, she was hanging up her phone.
"Who ya callin'?" I asked.
"Oh, god. Are you going to follow me now?" She looked down at me.
I shrugged. "I mean, I have to go back this way anyway. Ya know? 'Cause you stole my brother's car and kidnapped me with it."
"I didn't kidnap you. You didn't have to come," Bela said.
"Oh yeah? And let you just take the car wherever you wanted? At least now I know where it is," I said.
"So, we agree. You chose to come with me," she said.
I shrugged. "I guess, but I was reluctant."
"I am calmed down!" Dean yelled in the distance, "How can you be calm?! Our sister and my car are gone!"
As we approached Sam and Dean standing beside where the car originally was, Dean was bent over with his hands on his knees, hyperventilating.
"Whoa. Dean. Hey, hey, hey. Take it easy," Sam said as he patted Dean on the back, trying to calm him down.
"I can't! I think she took my car!" Dean shouted, trying to catch his breath. "I told you— I told you she's getting more rebellious."
"She did not take your car, Dean. Get yourself together, we have to find her," Sam said.
"The '67 Impala? Was that yours?" Bela asked as we walked up to them.
I held my hand up and smiled. "I'm fine, by the way. Thanks for the concern."
"Bela," Sam growled.
"I'm sorry. I had that car towed," Bela said.
"You what?!" Dean shouted.
Bela shrugged. "Well, it was in a tow-away zone."
"No, it wasn't!" Dean yelled.
"It was when I finished with it," she said.
"What the hell are you even doing here?" Dean asked.
"A little yachting." She smiled.
"You're Alex. You're working with that old lady," Sam said.
I raised an eyebrow at him, having no idea what he was talking about.
"Gert's a dear old friend," Bela said.
"Yeah, right. What's your angle?" Dean asked.
"There's no angle. There's a lot of lovely old women like Gert up and down the eastern seaboard. I sell them charms, perform séances so they can commune with their dead cats," she explained.
"And let me guess, it's all a con, none of it's real," Dean said.
Bela shrugged. "The comfort I provide them is very real."
Sam shook his head. "How do you sleep at night?"
"On silk sheets, rolling naked in money." Bela smiled.
Dean thought about that for a second and nodded appreciatively.
"Really, Sam. I'd expect the attitude from him, but you?" Bela asked.
"You shot me!" Sam yelled.
Bela scoffed. "I barely grazed you."
Sam looked exasperated, but Dean shrugged almost in agreement with Bela.
Bela looked down at me. "He's cute. But a bit of a drama queen, yeah?"
I shrugged. "Graze or not, I wouldn't want to get shot either."
Bela shrugged at me. "A fair point, I suppose."
Dean cleared his throat. "You do know what's going on around here. This ghost-ship thing, it is real."
"I'm aware. Thanks for telling Gert the case wasn't solved, by the way," Bela said.
Dean nodded. "It isn't."
"She didn't know that. Now the old bag's stopped payment, and she's demanding some real answers. Look... just stay out of my way before you cause any more trouble. I'd get to that car if I were you... before they find the arsenal in the trunk." Bela looked at me. "You're mostly tolerable. Maybe we could do this again sometime."
I rolled my eyes. "Oh, yeah, that would be great."
She shrugged. "Or not. I really don't care." She turned and walked away. "Ciao."
"Can I shoot her?" Dean growled.
"Not in public." Sam sighed.
I joined them on the sidewalk.
"What are you, friends with her now?" Dean asked, "You let her take my car?"
"No, I did not let her take your car." I rolled my eyes. "She was jamming some metal thing in between the window and the door to unlock it."
"What?!" Dean yelled and practically started hyperventilating again.
I put my hand on his arm. "All right, calm down. It was bothering me, so I could only imagine what it would've done to you. So, instead of letting her continue to do that, I let her in."
Dean took a deep breath. "All right. Sorry."
"Well... then she hotwired it after she got in," I said.
"This just keeps getting better!" Dean shouted.
"Now see. I did feel bad about that until I walked over and heard you accuse me of taking your car myself. Then literally, five minutes later, you again accused me of letting Bela take it." I shrugged. "Now, I don't really feel bad about it."
Dean glared at me. "Where's my car?"
After we got the car back, we heard of another strange death, so we made our way over to the scene. When we arrived at the scene, we saw Bela acting like she was a reporter.
It seemed that every victim was dying from drowning even though the latest victim wasn't even near water when he drowned. The other thing was that the victims saw a clipper ship shortly before they drowned. The only problem was that the victim's brother said that he had seen the ship too.
After the boys filled me in on what they found out, I stood with them by the back of the Impala as they loaded some weapons.
Bela walked up a few minutes later. "I see you got your car back."
"You really want to come near me when I got a loaded gun in my hands?" Dean asked, not turning to face her.
"Now, now. Mind your blood pressure. Why are you even still here? You have enough to ID the boat," Bela said.
"That guy back there saw the ship," Sam said as he closed the trunk.
"Yeah? And?" Bela asked.
"And, he's going to die, so we have to save him," Sam said.
Bela smiled. "How sweet."
"You think this is funny?" Dean asked.
"He's cannon fodder. He can't be saved in time, and you know it," Bela said.
"Yeah, well, see, we have souls, so... we're gonna try," Dean said as we went to our car doors.
"Yeah, well, I'm actually going to find the ship and put an end to this. But you have fun," Bela said.
"Hey, Bela, how'd you get like this, huh? What, did Daddy not give you enough hugs or something?" Dean asked.
Bela shrugged. "I don't know. Your daddy give you enough? Don't you dare look down your nose at me. You're not better than I am."
"We help people," Dean said.
Bela scoffed. "Come on. You do this out of vengeance and obsession. You're a stone's throw from being a serial killer. Whereas I, on the other hand, I get paid to do a job, and I do it. So, you tell me... which is healthier?"
"Bela, why don't you just leave?" Sam asked. "We've got work to do."
"Yeah. You're zero for two. Bang-up job so far," Bela said and walked away.
Later, once night fell, we went to Peter Warren's house, the brother of the previous victim. We wanted to watch over him to make sure he would be okay.
"Anything good?" Dean asked Sam, who had been researching.
Sam shook his head. "No, not really. I mean, both brothers are Duke University grads. No criminal record. I mean, a few speeding tickets. They inherited their father's real estate fortune six years ago."
"How much?" Dean asked.
"112 million." Sam smirked.
Dean whistled. "Nice life."
Sam shook his head. "Yeah. I mean, nice, clean, aboveboard. So why did they see the ship? Why Sheila, too? What do they all have in common?"
Dean shrugged. "Maybe nothing."
"No. There's always something," Sam said.
"Hey, you!" a man shouted, and I looked over to see Peter approaching the gate of his house.
I ducked down below the window, hoping he hadn't seen me too.
"I think we've been made," Dean said.
Sam and Dean got out of the car.
"What are you guys doing?! You watching me?" Peter asked angrily.
"Sir, calm down. Please," Sam said.
"You guys aren't cops!" Peter yelled. "Not dressed like that. Not— Not in that crappy car."
I carefully peered over the windowsill to watch the interaction.
"Whoa, hey. No need to get nasty," Dean said.
"We are cops, okay? We're undercover. We're here because we think you're in danger," Sam said.
"From who?!" Peter yelled.
"If you just settle down, we'll talk about it," Sam said calmly.
"Look, you guys just stay away from me!" Peter yelled as he ran to his car.
"Wait!" Sam yelled as he and Dean ran to the gate.
"Hey, you moron! We're trying to help you!" Dean shouted.
As Peter started to drive, his car suddenly stalled and then died. Dean ran back to the car and opened the trunk.
I leaned out of the window. "What's going on?"
"I don't know, stay in the car," Dean said after shutting the trunk and then running off with a shotgun.
A few minutes later, Dean shouted, "Sam!" As the shotgun went off.
That was the last thing I heard before Sam and Dean made their way back to the Impala.
They informed me that Peter didn't make it, and we started driving shortly after. He had drowned like the other victims, but this time they both saw a spirit who looked like a soaking wet pirate.
I wasn't sure how long we had been driving because the only sound during the ride had been the radio, "When what started out as a mild light sprinkling has now turned into a severe weather front headed in from the Northwest. Expect heavy lightning and thunder, with sudden rainfall..."
Dean clicked it off. "Do you wanna say it, or should I?"
"What?" Sam asked.
Dean sighed. "You can't save everybody, Sam,"
"Yeah, right, so— so what, you feel better now or what?" Sam asked.
Dean shook his head. "No, not really."
"Me neither," Sam said.
Dean sighed. "You gotta understand—"
Sam cut him off, "It's just. Lately, I feel like I can't save anybody."
Sam found a huge beautiful house for us to squat in. The owners apparently left town for weeks frequently to escape to their other, larger house that was on a beach. We went to sleep for the night and then got up early to research. While we were quietly working, there was a knock on the front door.
We looked at each other, concerned. Then Dean got up and walked over to the door slowly while Sam got a gun ready if necessary. Dean flipped open the peephole and peered out. He then looked at us and rolled his eyes. Sam and I looked at each other and furrowed our brows, but we could tell by the look on Dean's face it was most likely Bela. Dean sighed and opened the door, shutting it after her as she entered.
She looked around the large house. "Dear... god."
Sam sighed and rolled his eyes.
"Are you actually squatting? Charming." She smiled. "So, how'd things go last night with Peter?"
The three of us didn't say anything.
"That well, huh?" Bela smirked.
"If you say 'I told you so,' I swear to god I'll start swinging," Dean said
"Look, I think the four of us should have a heart-to-heart," Bela said.
"That's assuming that you have a heart," Dean said and then rejoined Sam and me at the table.
"Dean, please... I'm sorry about what I said before, okay? I come bearing gifts." She smiled.
"Such as?" Sam asked.
"I've ID'd the ship," Bela said as she held up a file.
Sam and Dean gave each other a quick look and shrugged.
Bela walked over and set a file down on the table. "It's the Espírito Santo, a merchant sailing vessel, quite a colorful history." She pulled a photo of an old ship out of it and handed it to Dean. "In 1859, a sailor was accused of treason. He was tried aboard ship in a kangaroo court and hanged. He was thirty-seven."
Sam nodded. "Which would explain the thirty-seven-year cycle."
"Aren't you a sharp tack?" Bela smiled. "There's a photo of him somewhere..." She flipped through the file and pulled out another picture. "Here." She handed a picture of a man on the boat to Dean.
"Isn't that the customer we saw last night?" Dean asked Sam.
"You saw him?" Bela asked.
Dean nodded. "Yeah, that's him, except he was missing a hand."
"His right hand?" Bela asked.
Sam furrowed his brow. "How'd you know?"
"The sailor's body was cremated, but not before they cut off his hand to make a hand of glory," Bela explained.
"A hand of glory?" Dean asked. "I think I got one of those at the end of my Thai massage last week." He laughed weakly.
"Gross." I rolled my eyes.
Sam cleared his throat. "Dean, the right hand of a hanged man is a serious occult object. It's very powerful."
"So, they say," Bela said.
"And officially counts as remains," Dean said.
Sam shrugged. "But still, none of this explains why the ghost is choosing these victims."
"I'll tell you why. Who cares? Find the hand, burn it, and stop the bloody thing," Bela said.
Dean shook his head. "I don't get it. Why are you telling us all of this?"
"Because I know exactly where the hand is." Bela smiled.
"Where?" Dean asked.
"At the Sea Pines Museum. It's a macabre bit of maritime history. But I need help," Bela said.
"What kind of help?" Sam asked.
She smiled deviously.
Bela explained that she needed Sam to escort Gert to the Sea Pines Museum for a black-tie charity event. Gert was the aunt of the first victim they had talked to, and apparently, she had a thing for Sam. Bela had pulled out clothing that she had already picked out for us. It was much fancier than we were used to wearing, and the three of us weren't excited about it, but if we wanted to stop this thing, going would be our best chance.
So, Sam got dressed and reluctantly left to pick up Gert. While Dean huffed upstairs with his suit, I took my dress and accessories to the downstairs bathroom. I slowly got dressed, putting the red dress, black shoes, and earrings on that Bela had picked out for me. I looked at myself in the mirror, everything fit perfectly, but an overwhelming sense of insecurity washed over me, and I couldn't step out.
Then there was a knock on the door. "What's taking so long?" Bela asked.
"Uh, yeah. I don't want to come out," I said.
She groaned and turned the knob. "Unlock the door."
"Why?" I asked.
"You really want to do this again? Do you remember what happened last time?" she asked.
I rolled my eyes and unlocked the door, but peered around it, so it blocked my body. "What?"
Bela pushed past me and closed the door behind her. "I'm here to help. What's wrong? You look great."
I sighed. "Yeah, I don't know. The last time I got dressed up, I met my mom for the first time, and it didn't go well. I was nervous then and what I was wearing is nothing compared to this."
"Okay..." Bela walked up to me and spun me around to look in the mirror. She put her arm around my shoulders and leaned down next to me. She faced the mirror and pointed at me. "You look at that girl and tell me she isn't stunning."
I looked at myself for a moment and smiled softly, realizing that it was completely okay to admit something like that.
Bela smiled. "See?" She spun me to face her. "Let me just do some finishing touches." She pulled a necklace out of her purse. "Here, I forgot to give this to you." She reached around me and put the necklace on me. "And one more thing." She turned me and pulled my hair out of my usual bun. "There, much better." She put some product in it to get rid of the frizz. "If you have hair like this, you have to embrace it." She smiled down at me.
"Why are you being so nice to me?" I asked.
"I'm not." She turned and left the bathroom. "Let's go."
I rolled my eyes, looked at myself one last time, and left the bathroom. When I turned the corner of the hall, I saw Dean standing in his suit, waiting for us in the living room.
Dean looked up at the sound of clicking heels and smiled. "Oh... wow. You look— You look beautiful." He walked over, hugged me, and kissed the top of my head.
"Thanks." I smacked his stomach. "You look pretty good yourself." I turned and followed Bela to the door.
"Pretty good?" Dean asked, following after us. "I look like Bond... James Bond."
When we arrived at the enormous, ornate museum, the three of us walked in.
Dean and Bela were acting as a married couple, and I was acting as their adopted daughter. We walked up to the door, and Bela handed the doorman an invitation. He nodded and gestured for us to walk in.
After we entered, Bela looked over at Dean, disgusted. "Are you chewing gum?" She sighed and shook her head, looking at Dean and me. "Try to behave as if you've lived this life before, yeah?"
Dean shrugged, took the gum out of his mouth, and stuck it under a large fountain. Bela looked appalled and rolled her eyes as he gave her a thumbs-up.
We continued through the party and waited at the bar for Sam, who had been dancing very closely with a woman who looked to be in her late sixties.
He finally got away for a moment and walked over to us. "Exactly how long do you expect me to entertain my date?"
"As long as it takes," Bela said.
Sam looked uncomfortable.
Dean sighed. "Look, there's security all over this place, all right. This is an uncrashable party without Gert's invitation, so—"
"We can crash anything, Dean," Sam said.
"Yeah, I know, but this is easier, and it's a lot more entertaining." Dean smiled.
"You know there are limits to what I'll do, right?" Sam asked.
"Aw, he's playing hard to get, that's cute." Dean smiled and started walking. "Come on." He sighed and turned to Sam before continuing. "I want all the details in the morning!"
Sam smiled tightly. Dean handed Bela a glass of champagne.
"Thank you." She smiled and took the drink, and then the two of them walked off.
I patted Sam on the back sympathetically and then followed after Dean and Bela.
We continued walking until we made it to a room that was a little less crowded.
"Private security?" Bela whispered to Dean.
"I don't think so. Look at the way they're standing," Dean said, talking about one of the security guards standing steady by a door. "They're pros. Probably state troopers moonlighting."
"Posted to every door, too," Bela said.
Dean nodded. "Yeah, I don't think we're just going to be able to waltz upstairs."
"What do you suggest?" Bela asked.
"I'm thinking," Dean said, looking around.
"Don't strain yourself." She smirked. "Interesting how the legend is so much more than the man."
"You got any bright ideas, I'm all ears," Dean said, annoyed.
"Okay." Bela suddenly fainted and fell against Dean, who caught her.
"Honey? Honey, are you all right?" Dean shook her and then looked up at a waiter. "Waiter! Hi. Uh, my wife has a severe shellfish allergy. There's no crab in that? Is there?"
The waiter shook his head. "No, sir."
"No?" Dean asked and then snatched an appetizer from the silver plate the waiter was holding and shoved it into his mouth. "Oh, they're excellent, by the way," he said, with a mouth full.
A guard approached. "What seems to be the trouble?"
"Ah... champagne!" Dean chuckled. "My wife, she's a lightweight when it comes to the sauce. Is there somewhere I can lay her down 'til she gets her sea legs back?"
The guard looked around. "Follow me."
"Right." Dean handed me Bela's purse. "Thank you." He picked up Bela in his arms. "Come on, you lush."
A few minutes later, the guard let us in to a large bedroom, and Dean roughly laid Bela down on a red leather couch.
Dean sighed and looked at the guard. "You think she's a pain in the ass now, try living with her. Thank you very much." He shut the door after the guard left. He turned around to a now fully awake Bela. "Hey, maybe next time, give me a little heads up with your plan?"
"I didn't want you thinking. You're not very good at that." Bela smirked.
Dean exhaled sharply and chuckled.
"Oh, look at you." She smiled. "Searching for a witty rejoinder."
Dean furrowed his brow. "Screw you."
"Very Oscar Wilde." Bela smirked.
Dean turned to leave.
"Room 235," Bela said before he opened the door. "It's in a locked glass case wired for alarm, I'm sure that won't be a problem."
"'I'm sure that won't be a problem,'" Dean mumbled mockingly as he left the room.
Bela and I wandered around the room for a while, looking at all of the different artifacts when there was a knock on the door.
"Sir? Ma'am? Everything all right?" the guard asked.
Bela turned to me. "Stay quiet." She pulled a strap of her dress down and clutched it as she walked over and answered the door. "Hi." She giggled.
"Feeling better, I see," the guard said.
"Yes, much. We sent our daughter downstairs to rejoin the party. We want some alone time." She giggled.
I rolled my eyes.
The guard chuckled uncomfortably. "So, if you're done with the room...?"
"Well... not exactly. Could we have a few more minutes?" Bela asked.
"Uh... yes, ma'am," the guard said.
Bela closed the door and giggled loudly. "Stop it! That tickles!"
I frowned at her.
"What?" she asked and fixed her strap.
"Nothing." I shrugged. "At least it worked."
Dean entered a few seconds later. "Any trouble?"
"Nothing I couldn't handle. The hand?" Bela asked.
Dean pulled the old, mummified hand out of his pocket.
Bela approached him with her hand out. "May I?"
"No." Dean pulled it away from her and started wrapping it in a handkerchief.
"It might be more inconspicuous in my purse," Bela said.
Dean smirked. "Nice try."
Bela shrugged. "Just trying to be helpful."
"Well, sweetheart, I don't need your kind of help." Dean slipped the hand back into his pocket.
After we made our way downstairs, we met up with Sam and Gert, who were dancing closely.
"Well! Having a nice time?" Bela asked.
"He's delightful!" Gert shouted as she walked over to Bela. "He wants me!" she whispered loudly.
I smiled uncomfortably.
"Oh!" Bela laughed.
Dean nodded with surprise on his face, and Sam looked embarrassed.
"I'm going to get Gert into a cold shower," Bela whispered to us and then led Gert away.
Sam nodded. "Great idea."
"See you at the cemetery." Bela smiled back at us.
Dean turned to Sam. "You stink like sex."
I furrowed my brow and rolled my eyes.
We left the party and made our way to the Impala and then got in.
"You got it, right?" Sam asked. "Tell me I didn't get groped all night by Mrs. Havisham for nothing."
Dean nodded. "I got it..." He furrowed his brow. "Mrs. Who?"
Sam sighed and shook his head. "Never mind. Just let me see it."
Dean pulled the hand out of his pocket but started unwrapping it frantically.
"What?" Sam asked.
Dean pulled a ship in a bottle out of the handkerchief instead of the hand. "I'm gonna kill her."
After we made our way to the house we had been staying in, Sam informed us that Gert told him that the Warren brothers killed their father for his money. Which led to us doing some research on the other victims, who all had pasts that may have resulted in spilling their own family's blood.
While Sam continued researching, Dean had been going on about killing Bela, but I had been trying to convince him that it might not be the best idea.
"Ya know what, you're right. I'm not gonna kill her. I think slow torture's the way to go," Dean said.
I shook my head. "That's not really what I meant."
"Dean, look, you gotta relax," Sam said.
"Relax!" Dean yelled as he paced. "Oh yeah, yeah, I'll relax. I can't believe she got another one over on us!"
Sam looked up. "You."
Dean furrowed his brow. "What?"
Sam shrugged. "I— I mean, she got one over... on you... not us."
Dean looked stunned. "Thank you! Sam. Very helpful."
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Hello? Could you open up?" Bela asked, hurriedly as she pounded on the front door.
Dean rolled his eyes and opened the door.
"Just let me explain," Bela said and sat down. "I sold it. I had a buyer lined up as soon as I knew it existed."
Dean walked around her and made a shooting motion with his finger at the back of her head.
Sam shook his head. "So the whole reason for us going to the charity ball was...?"
"I needed a cover," Bela said.
Sam nodded.
"You were convenient," Bela said.
Sam shook his head. "Look, you sold it to a buyer. Just go, buy it back."
"It's halfway across the ocean. I can't get it back in time," Bela said, looking worried.
"In time for what?" Dean asked.
Bela looked down anxiously.
Sam shook his head. "What's going on with you, Bela? You look like you've seen a ghost."
Bela sighed. "I saw the ship."
"You what?" Dean looked surprised. "Wow, ya know, I—" He chuckled. "I knew you were an immoral thieving con artist bitch, but just when I thought my opinion of you couldn't get any lower—"
"What are you talking about?" Bela asked.
"We figured out the spirit's motive," Sam said and handed Bela a photo. "This is the captain of our ship. The one who hung our ghost boy."
Bela shook her head. "So?"
"So, they were brothers," Sam explained, "Very Cain and Abel. So now our spirit, he's going after a very specific kind of target... people who've spilled their own family's blood."
Bela looked stunned.
"See, first there was Sheila who killed her cousin in the car accident, and the Warren brothers, who murdered their father for the inheritance. And now you," Sam said.
Bela gasped. "Oh my god."
"So, who was it, Bela?" Dean asked, "Hmm? Who'd you kill? Was it Daddy? Your little sis, maybe?"
"It's none of your business," Bela said.
"No?" Dean asked. "Right. Well, have a nice life... ya know, whatever's left of it." He slapped her on the back and then looked at Sam and me. "Let's go." He walked to the door and picked up his jacket.
Bela stood up. "You can't just leave me here."
"Watch us," Dean said.
"Dean, she's right. We can't just let her die. After Bela, it's just going to be someone else," I said.
Dean shrugged. "So what? It's what these people deserve."
"Please," Bela said desperately, "I need your help."
"Our help? Now how could a couple of serial killers possibly help you?" Dean asked.
Bela nodded. "Okay, that was a bit harsh, I admit it, but it doesn't warrant a death sentence."
Sam shook his head. "That's not why you're gonna die. What'd you do, Bela?"
"You wouldn't understand. No one did. Never mind. I'll just do what I've always done, I'll deal with it myself." She turned to leave.
"Bela, wait," I said and put my hand on her arm.
She stopped walking.
I looked at Sam and Dean. "These people may have killed their family, and that's awful. I know. But not all family is everything it's cracked up to be..." I sighed. "Trust me. I would know." I shrugged. "This isn't just a simple issue of good and bad."
Dean looked down and sighed. "You do realize you just sold the one thing that could save your life." He looked up at Bela.
Bela nodded sadly. "I'm aware."
"Well..." Sam sighed. "Maybe not the only thing."
We made our way to the grave of the ghost's brother, where Sam set up a ritual circle with five candles, a pentagram, a bowl of blood, and another bowl of herbs.
"Do you really think this is going to work?" Bela asked, anxiously.
Dean leaned against a tombstone with a shotgun over his shoulder. "Almost definitely not."
Thunder crashed, the wind whistled, and rain started to pour.
"Sammy!" Dean yelled. "You better start reading."
Sam lifted a book and started reading, "'Aziel, Castiel, Lamisniel, Rabam. Ehrley, et balam, ego vos conuro, per deum verum, per deum vivum cuivos cuiaves eos supermontes et per eum, qui adam, et avum formovit. Et per eum.'"
"Stay close!" Dean shouted.
Bela gasped. "Behind you!"
Dean and I spun around to see our ghost approaching him from behind. The ghost reached out and threw Dean into a large tombstone. He moved forward and put his hand on Bela's cheek. She immediately dropped to her knees and started coughing up water.
I ran over to her and offered her support as she continued aggressively coughing up water. "Sam! Hurry!"
The wind started to slow, and the rain let up. Bela's coughing eased as the ghost turned to see his brother standing behind him.
"You... hanged me!" he yelled angrily.
"I'm sorry," the brother whimpered.
"Your own brother," he growled.
"I'm so sorry!" the brother shouted.
Then he charged at his brother, and they both burst into a splash of water.
We all took a deep breath as the wind, rain, and Bela's coughing completely stopped.
We parted ways and made our way back to the house, and in the morning, we started packing.
Then the front door opened, and Bela walked in. "You should learn to lock your doors. Anyone could just barge in."
"Anyone just did. Did you come to say goodbye, or thank you?" Sam asked.
"I've come to settle affairs. Giving the spirit what he really wanted, his own brother... very clever, Sam. So here." She tossed him a stack of money. "It's ten thousand... that should cover it."
We all looked at the money and then back at Bela.
She shrugged. "I don't like being in anyone's debt."
"So, ponying up ten grand is easier for you than a simple thank you?" Dean asked.
Bela smiled faintly.
Dean shook his head. "You're so damaged."
Her smile grew. "Takes one to know one. Goodbye." She turned and left.
"She's got style." Sam smirked. "You gotta give her that."
Dean shrugged. "I suppose."
"Ya know, Dean, we don't know where this money's been," Sam said.
"No..." Dean snatched the money from Sam's hands. "But I know where it's going..." He laughed deviously.
Later in the Impala, Dean let us in on what he planned to do with the money.
"Seriously? Atlantic City?" Sam asked.
"Hell yeah!" Dean shouted, excited. "Play some roulette. Always bet on black." He cleared his throat. "Hey, listen, I've been doing some thinking. Um... I want you to know I understand why you did it. I understand why you went after the crossroads demon."
Sam sighed.
"Ya know, situation was reversed, I guess I'd have done the same thing," Dean said, "I mean I'm not blind, I see what you two are going through with this whole deal, me going away and all that. But you're gonna be okay."
Sam exhaled sharply. "You think so?"
Dean nodded. "Yeah, you'll have each other, you'll keep hunting, ya know, you'll live your lives. You're stronger than me."
Sam and I gave him looks.
"You are!" Dean shouted.
Sam cleared his throat.
Dean nodded. "You are... you both are. You'll get over it. But I want you to know I'm sorry, I'm sorry for... putting you through all this, I am."
"You know what, Dean? Go screw yourself," Sam said.
Dean shook his head. "What?"
"I don't want an apology from you!" Sam shouted. "And by the way, I'm a big boy now, I can take care of myself and Maddi."
"Oh, well, excuse me," Dean said sarcastically.
"So, would you please quit worrying about us?" Sam raised his voice, "I mean, that's the whole problem in the first place. I don't think either of us wants you to worry about us, Dean, we want you to worry about you! We want you to give a crap that you're dying!"
Dean didn't say anything and just smirked.
"So, that's it?" Sam scoffed. "Nothing else to say for you?"
"I think maybe I'll play craps," Dean said.
Sam and I rolled our eyes in disbelief.
I understood that Dean wanted Sam and me alive and well, but if there was a way to keep him alive too, I just wish he would let us find it.