Chapter Eight
Killing a King
The brothers were done working for Crowley. Unfortunately to do this they needed the help of an old enemy, Meg. She wanted to kill Crowley before he killed her since she was a Lucifer worshiper. So Sam and Dean made a deal with her; she gets what she wants after they get what they want from him. Then the brothers would dispose of Meg but they weren't going alone. They would have insurance. So while Sam assured Dean that he would get Castiel; Dean went with another approach and called Pandora. He didn't give her any details. He wasn't sure if she would come if she knew she would be working with an angel again. So after telling her they really needed her assistance she agreed to come.
Dean looked up when the door opened to show Sam and Castiel. He had just got done talking to Pandora so he was sure she would be coming along soon as well.
"You actually showed," Dean said surprised. Castiel hadn't been the easiest person to contact these past few months because of the civil war going on in Heaven. "Well Sam I own you a chicken dinner. What happened?"
"No big this is what friends do for each other." Sam told him and Dean didn't believe him for a second but didn't question it. It was in the same moment that Pandora appeared in the room between Sam and Castiel and Dean. She faced Dean with a smile but it slowly left as she turned to face Sam and saw the angel standing a little bit behind the younger brother.
"He wasn't mentioned in our phone call." Pandora said.
"Pandora, what are you doing here?" Sam asks genuinely surprised.
"Well," she began sending a glare over her shoulder in Dean's direction before facing Sam and Castiel again. "I was told that you needed my help on a hunt. However I wasn't informed that The Feathered Wing Patrol would be here. He's all juiced up from Heaven now not sure why you would need little old me."
"Hello again, Pandora," Castiel greeted her. She stared at him in silence seeming to debate on either to ignore him, leave, or stay and put their differences behind them. Pandora made a show of sighing dramatically.
"Hello Castiel, how's Heaven?" She asked.
"It's in the middle of a civil war." He told her bluntly.
"Oh, well that sounds nice." Pandora told him with a smile. "So anyone going to tell me what we are actually doing here? Cause I don't see this being a simple little hunt if you need both of us here."
So the boys let her in on their plan to kill Crowley. Pandora shifted uncomfortably at this news. Sure, she wasn't speaking to Crowley at the moment but that didn't change the small bit of guilt that clawed at her insides as she thought about actively going to kill him. Pandora reminded the boys once again that she wasn't a fighter or a soldier but they seemed to think her special kind of skills might help them. After all demons were just demented souls and they had seen first-hand what kind of affect she had on Crowley. She wasn't sure how comfortable she was with that proposal but she didn't really want to come clean to the Winchesters about how close she and Crowley had gotten either so she kept her mouth shut.
Castiel had tried to locate Crowley but apparently he was shielded from him. Pandora wasn't surprised. So they ended up going to see the hunters' grandfather who Crowley had also apparently rose from the grave to work for him. Pandora watched as the family went back and forth and Samuel, as Pandora found out was the older man's name, seemed very reluctant to give them any information. Pandora and Castiel were asked to 'give them a minute.' So with a shrug she left to stand outside with the angel.
It was awkward silence between them but Pandora refused to be the one to break it and luckily she didn't have to.
"I'm surprised you're helping." Castiel finally commented as he stared out in front of him.
"Believe me; I'm just surprised as you are." She told him truthfully. "Winchesters... their like a disease and there's not a cure." She told him. She could have sworn that he gave a tiny nod. "And all of this over a stupid soul; I don't even know why they are trying so hard to get it back."
"I agree. It's been in the cage to long but Dean won't listen." Castiel told her. He was surprised how much she did seem to care about the brothers. He was also surprised because he had thought that she and Crowley were seeing each other. Or at least that was how Crowley had made it seem. The Winchesters and Pandora didn't know that Crowley and Castiel had been working together since the Apocalypse to find Purgatory and the angel planned on keeping it that way.
Samuel didn't give up Crowley's location so the four of them were back to square one. They all stayed at the same motel that night. Castiel, Dean, and Sam stayed in one room while Pandora rented the room next door. She had been relaxing in the rooms tub when she got the call from Sam. Samuel gave them a visit to offer a location. She sighed; it was game time.
They meet with the demon Meg and her 'friends' outside to come up with a game plan. Meg was in the meat suit of a pretty brunette girl and the demon herself was annoying to Pandora at best. For once she agreed with Castiel when he asked the brothers why they were working with the abominations. Meg was probably the most annoying demon she had ever had the unfortunate pleasure to know. Not only was she team Lucifer, which Pandora saw as a bad idea since Lucifer didn't care what happened to demons, but she was horribly flirting with Castiel. She thought she might vomit a little. Pandora was glad when Dean reminded them what they were actually supposed to be doing which didn't really make her feel any better.
After she watched Meg, Dean, and Sam fight over who was running the show which ended in Sam killing one of Meg's demon 'friends' with the demon blade she had stupidly given back to them. With that Sam told them they would be leaving in an hour. Pandora sighed... it was going to be a long night.
Pandora stood off to the side of the kitchen area of where the boys were staying as she watched Dean pack up his gear. She would occasionally glace over at Castiel who sat in the living room area by himself looking like he didn't really want to be here. Pandora could sympathize.
"You know Cas, you could help." Dean told him as he continued to fell his bag with gear. He glanced at her but didn't outwardly say anything.
"I'm ambivalent about what we're attempting." He told them. Dean thought he meant going after Crowley but he was actually speaking about retrieving Sam's soul. Pandora actually agreed with him.
"Wait what?" Dean asked him as he stepped closer to where the angel was setting. "Why?"
"I want him to survive." Castiel answered him. Pandora shifted uncomfortably from where she stood. She hated all of this soul talk.
"What are you talking about?" Dean questioned.
Castiel told him how Sam's soul had been locked in the cage all this time. The same thing that Pandora would have hoped the two brothers would have thought about on their own. She seemed to have given them too much credit. Castiel explained what would happen if they put the soul back into Sam; insanity was the best of the options. However without this being one hundred perfect certain Dean was still willing to get Sam's soul back into him.
"Well, if he's not fine... then you fix him." Dean told the angel. Pandora knew from her chat with Death that it wouldn't be that simple but she enjoyed watching Dean ordering around the angel too much to cut in.
"Dean, I wouldn't even know where to begin." Castiel tried to tell him.
"Then you figure it out, Cas." Dean told him as he stepped closer into Castiel's personal space. "Come on, he needs his soul. Look we'll get it back and if there are complications then we will figure it out how to deal with those too."
"Of course," Castiel finally said admitting defeat with the persistent Winchester. "Or we fail and Sam suffers horrifically," he couldn't help to add as Dean was walking away to finish packing.
"Well this is just shaping up to be such a waste of an afternoon." Pandora finally spoke up after Dean had left and it was only her and the angel. "Dean's never going to listen about Sam's soul. I've already tried to talk to him."
"So I now see." Castiel agreed with her. He glanced at her from out of the corner of his eye as he debated asking her about why she willingly going to help them kill Crowley. "I'm surprised you agreed to come. I thought you were supposed to be more of a neutral being."
"I am a neutral being... like ninety-five perfect of the time. But Crowley wants to open Purgatory apparently and believe me no one wants that." She told him.
"You know about Purgatory?" Castiel asked her surprised. He now wondered if Crowley had been keen to this knowledge all along since he had taken such a liking for the red head.
"I'm friends with Death of course I know about Purgatory. And do you know what's the most essential thing to know about it is?" Pandora questioned him.
"No," he answered simply.
"To leave it alone," Pandora told him her mouth in a tight straight line before she walked off leaving him alone to process what she had told him.
Crowley locations lead them to an old abandoned prison or asylum Pandora wasn't exactly sure. What she did know was that the inside was disgusting and she mentally cringed with every step she took in her new lime green high heels. The entered the building from a side door that Castiel was able to locate and open. From there they quietly made their way through the hallways. In cells they saw both dead and alive creatures; the alive ones begging to be free. Suddenly both Castiel and Meg stopped and listened and what they heard wasn't a good sign… Hell Hounds; Crowley's own personal dog body guards. The chase began.
The two demons with Meg weren't fast enough and soon tripped up and were in the clutches of the Hell Hounds as the others made it to a room with a door where they barricaded themselves in with salt at the entrance of the door. Meg offered her meat suit up as a chew toy but when she tried to leave it she realized she was stuck. She wasn't going anywhere. So Sam offered her the demon knife so she could hold them off. Surprisingly she refused the knife but still would hold them off. Pandora was surprised at how much Meg really wanted to see Crowley dead. The biggest shock however was when Meg kissed Castiel. Pandora had to hold back the vomit. She wasn't sure which one was getting the worst end of the deal; the clueless angel solider or the devil worshiping demon.
The make out session left Dean and Sam in shock and Pandora nauseas and the only explanation Castiel gave upon his pushing Meg into the wall and continuing the kiss was that 'he learned it from the pizza man'. Pandora had no idea what that meant and she wasn't sure she wanted too. Meg did end up with Castiel's Angel Blade since she had apparently pickpocketed him during the make out session. She was armed and ready to face the Hell Hounds. Leaving Meg behind; Pandora, the brothers, and the angel moved forward to find their target.
Pandora didn't think she had ever had to run during her entire creation and she realized that she didn't enjoy it. Her high heels clicked noisily as she tried to keep up with the longer legged brothers and angel. She was thankful when they finally slowed to a walk.
The four of them finally made it to a set of stairs leading further down into the building. Castiel took the lead with the brothers in the middle with flashlights as their only light source, and Pandora trailed closely behind them.
"I can't see jack." Dean complained as he and Sam shinned their flashlights around them. They had just taken a few more steps when suddenly there was a bright golden light and when it disappeared Castiel was no longer there. The boys shinned their flashlight around until they found the culprit. Their grandfather, Samuel, stood in front of the angel banishing symbol with a bloody hand.
"You sold us out?" Dean asked him.
Suddenly Pandora felt strong arms around her binding her arms to her side. In the corner of her eye she could see that Sam and Dean were in the same boat. Three of Crowley's demons held them. Pandora tried to pull away but the demon held on and Pandora found that just like Meg couldn't escape her body; Pandora couldn't teleport out.
"Damn you Samuel," Dean shouted at him as they all three fought to get lose.
Crowley stepped out from the darkness behind Samuel and Pandora found herself frozen unable to do anything but stare. She knew she shouldn't be here. She should have left as soon as the Winchesters told her their plan.
"Yes, and I have to say best purchase I've made since Dick Chaney," Crowley told them as he casually walked to stand in front of them.
Pandora didn't care to listen to the conversation between the older brother and Crowley. Though she did tune back in when Crowley mentioned their deaths and she watched as the two demons holding the brothers started to tug them along. When the one holding her started to do the same she was surprised when Crowley spoke up.
"Not her." Crowley said now looking directly at her. His facial expression didn't give away what he was thinking as he walked to stand in front of her. "I must say it is a surprise to see you here darling."
She didn't reply to him as she listened to the two other demons as they dragged Sam and Dean away; both brothers shouting threats to Crowley as they went. When the brothers were finally too far away for their voices to be heard; Crowley cleared his throat.
"Tell me darling, what are you doing with the Winchesters hmm?" He asked her. He had a smug smirk on his face that Pandora want to smack off. He was enjoying her being held against her will way too much for her liking.
"They asked me to help them kill you," Pandora told him truthfully. She figured since Samuel was working for Crowley then he obviously already knew what they had come here to do. No point lying about it.
"Doesn't really seem to be working out well for you, does it?" He questioned taking a step closer to her. He was now directly in front her of her; she could feel the heat coming from him as he stood only inches away from her.
"I wouldn't underestimate me." Pandora told him.
"Really, because it seems like I've got you just where I-…" His sentence hung in the air unfinished as his demon lackey that was restraining her feel to the ground unconscious with a thump.
Pandora made a show of stretching her arms out with a self-satisfied smile on her pretty face. She looked to the demon at her feet then to Crowley. "I'm sorry, what were you going to say?"
Crowley continued to stare at her unblinkingly. However it wasn't the King of Hell that spoke up; it was Samuel who had been silently watching them.
"What did you do to him?" He asked sounding truly interested.
"He's just taking a little nap. Sloth… not really a sin I think about using on others but well it comes in handy." She answered him her eyes never leaving Crowley's.
"Sloth?" Samuel questioned confused. She was surprised he didn't know about her. "What are you?"
"None of your business," Crowley told him with tightness in his voice. "You can go now." He told the hunter waving him off. Samuel only paused a few seconds before following instructions.
"Now that we are alone, maybe we can have a nice little chat." Crowley suggested.
"I don't think so." She told him. "Now, release Sam and Dean."
Crowley sighed, "Love, you know me better than that I would hope. I know you're angry after our last… conversation but really I never thought you would team up with the boys… and an angel of all things."
"Wasn't really on my to-do list per say but well here I am." She told him as she reached out for his tie and smoothed it down. Lust rolled off of her in waves and she felt Crowley's muscles loosen under her hand. When he realized what was happing he grabbed her hand pulling it from him in a tight grip.
"Now, now none of that love." Crowley told her sighing heavily. "Your little tricks aren't going to work."
"Oh…that's too bad." She told him and before he could say another word she pulled back her other hand that he wasn't holding into a fist and punched him right in the face. His gripped slipped from her as the force of the hit made him stumble back a few steps.
"Bloody hell," he cursed as he wiped the blood from his now bleeding nose. "I didn't see that coming."
He recovered quickly and the next thing she knew she was thrown into the concrete walls with a wave of his hand. Her head hit hard and she could feel blood coming from a wound on the back of her head as it clotted into her hair before the wound healed. She shook her head to remove the dizziness but when she tried to move forward she found she was stuck.
"I don't think so, you're not going anywhere." Crowley's voice had dropped several octaves showing his anger. She heard his footsteps as he moved closer to her. "Sorry, love, nothing personal… but I can't have you mucking up my plans. I was so hoping we could have been on the same side."
"I don't take sides." She told him in-between clenched teeth.
"Yet, you're with the Winchesters…" He trailed off looking at her expectantly.
"Only because you're being stupid by trying to find Purgatory," she told him.
"Yes, I do want to know what in all you know in that pretty little head of yours about Purgatory. But for now, I have other things to take care of so why don't you wait for me? Be a good girl for Daddy." He told her.
His smirking face was the last thing she saw before her surroundings changed. From what she could tell it looked like a patted cell and when she tried to teleport she once again found herself unable too.
"Sam? Dean?" She shouted out hoping they were nearby.
"Pandora?" She heard the youngest brother reply. "Pandora, are you okay?"
Looking down she saw that her lime green heels were ruined from standing in well she didn't really want to know. "My heels are ruined but otherwise I'm okay other than being stuck in here." She shouted back to him. "Where's Dean?"
"Demons came and took him somewhere. But don't worry, I have plan." He answered.
"I hope it's a good one."
Pandora walked around her cell in silence as she refused to touch anything but the floor. She did not like being trapped in such a small space. She had already been there and done that before. She didn't hear anything more from Sam until she heard footsteps coming towards them. She heard muffled voices but couldn't make out what was said. She hoped whatever plan Sam had it worked out. She was startled and turned to face the door when the little window on it opened up. She was never so happy to see Sam's face.
"Please tell me you can get me out of here."
He didn't bother with a verbal response instead she heard the jingling of keys before the door was pulled open.
"Come on, we need to find Dean." He told her and she didn't need any more encouragement.
They made their way quickly but quietly down the hallways both on high alert. As much as it pained Pandora she had left behind her green high heels in the cell. She wanted to be stealthy and faster. She just told herself over and over in her head that she would scrub her feet raw when they got out of here.
They finally heard noises that sound like fighting and made their way towards it and not a moment too soon. Dean was held down by two ghouls. She watched as Sam ripped a metal pipe off the wall and took down both ghouls with it.
As Sam took care of them Pandora helped Dean back onto his feet. It didn't take Sam long to kill both of the monsters.
"Thanks, man." Dean told him sounding out of breath. "You guys both okay?" He said looking from Sam first and then Pandora.
"Yeah, we're okay." Sam answered for both of them.
Dean looked at Pandora a few seconds longer than he did Sam. He didn't know what happened to her after they were dragged away and she was left with Crowley. Her hair looked matted to her head and her dress was ripped and dirty. He never saw Pandora look this messy not even when they were up against the fairies.
"Did you get even shorter?" He couldn't help but ask. He had always towered her but he couldn't help but notice that more pronounced than usual.
He got a glare shot in his direction. "I left my heels behind." She told him as she looked down at her filthy bare feet.
"Come on we need to keep moving," Sam spoke up.
"Alright, come on shorty try to keep up," Dean told her with a stupid grin thrown in her direction.
The three moved quickly but quietly through the building and it wasn't long before they heard screams. Screams that belonged to Meg, who they found, being tortured by one of Crowley's demons. Thankfully Dean disposed of him rather easily.
She was actually surprised when Dean let Meg out of the restraints holding her down. She figured the boys would have just killed her and be done with it but she wasn't going to question it right now. Hopefully they wouldn't regret letting her free.
Pandora stood with Dean in the room that found Meg in as he pressed the switch for the fire alarm. It rang through the whole building and they all knew it wouldn't be long before Crowley came to investigate.
They didn't have to wait long before they watched him walk in and see the empty table. He turned frustrated to see them both alive and out of the cells.
"You should be ghoul scat by now," he told Dean before turning towards Pandora, "and you-…" He started but never got to finish as Sam came up behind him and hit him hard on the back of the head with a metal pole.
Pandora watched with mild amusement as he fell to his hands and knees.
"Was that really necessary?" He asked as Dean pulled out the demon killing blade. Pandora continued to stand behind the boys and watched as Crowley got back on his feet.
She felt conflicted more than ever when it came to Crowley. A part of her still didn't want to see him dead. They had shared a lot of good memories together. Pandora had foolishly gained feelings for The King of Hell but in the long run she knew that her feelings didn't matter. He needed to be stopped. Purgatory did not need to be found and they only way for him to stop looking for it was for him to die. So Pandora resigned herself to stepping back and letting the Winchesters' handle it.
"I just had this dry cleaned," he told them as he dusted off his suit. No one answered him and it didn't take him long to realize the devil trap above his head. "So, what do I owe the reach around?"
And that was when Meg made her entrance.
"Crowley," she said in a way of greeting.
"Whore," he replied back in kind.
"Okay you know what," Meg begun before clenching her fists which made Crowley lean over in pain and cough up blood. "Sam wants a word with you."
"What can I do for you Sam?" He asked as he recovered.
"You know damn well I want my soul back." Sam answered.
"And here I thought you just grew some balls Sam." Meg told him.
"Well?" Sam questioned getting impatient.
"No," Crowley answered and Pandora wasn't surprised. She had a gut feeling all along that getting Sam's soul back was not going to be this easy.
Pandora watched as Dean made Meg torture Crowley more but he stood by his answer. He even let me know that he couldn't even if he wanted to.
"I was lucky to get this much of you out," he admitted to them. "Going back in there for the sloppy bits, no way. I'm good but those two in there… forget it."
The back and forth was getting boring the longer Pandora had to stand there. She just wanted this to be over with. Crowley let the boys know what Castiel and Pandora had both been trying to tell them all along. Sam's soul wasn't worth getting back. Sadly for Crowley that meant he wasn't useful to them anymore and both Dean and Sam agreed he was all Meg's. She took the demon knife from Dean with a smile.
However like most things it couldn't be that easy. As soon as Meg stepped into the demons trap Crowley kicked her and took the demon knife from her and threw it in the ceiling breaking the trap. Once again Pandora found herself thrown against the wall by him. Just when Pandora thought that they were all doomed Castiel made an appearance. Castiel had Crowley's bones from his past human self. Pandora watched with wide eyes as the angel gave Crowley one more chance to restore Sam's soul but it was useless. Crowley couldn't do it. Pandora watched as Castiel set his bones on fire which in return made Crowley burn until nothing was left of him but a pile of ashes where he once stood.
Pandora couldn't make herself move from the wall that she had just moments before been thrown into. She felt numb inside as she stared at the empty spot he once stood. She didn't know how to feel. Was it wrong of her to feel sad that he was gone forever?
"Pandora?" She heard someone say. Focusing she looked up to find Dean looking worriedly down at her. "You okay?"
"Yeah, yeah I'm fine." She told him half heartily. She followed the brothers and angel out to the Impala without another word. She half listened as Castiel told them about the war in heaven not going well for him and that there was nothing the brothers could do to help. Then like every conversation between the Winchesters these days Sam's soul was being talked about. Pandora tuned Castiel out as he promised to find another way. Pandora highly doubted the angel would but it was nice for him to offer at least before leaving just the brothers and Pandora around the Impala.
She watched in silence as they argued about his soul. Sam finally realizing what putting his soul back would mean for him but Dean insisting they would find away.
Pandora shifted her weight from foot to foot as she watched awkwardly from the sidelines. Finally it ended with Sam saying he didn't want his soul back and turning his back and walking away from Dean. She looked from brother to brother as Dean shouted Sam's name but the younger brother never looked back.
Dean let out a long frustrated sigh when Sam was out of sight. The older brother looked broken. Pandora looked around the area as she had no idea where she currently was.
"Do you want me to go after him?" Pandora questioned softly.
"No," he answered bluntly. "I'm guessing you're on his side. You told us the same thing about his soul."
"Well," she said begun clearing her throat. "I didn't really know Sam that well with his soul so I guess I don't know how bad it is."
"Right, yeah I get it. It's just there has to be a way." Dean said.
Pandora stared at him for a long minute before sighing.
"Dean," she began. "What if there was a way to get his soul back… but with a cost attached? Possibly a big one."
"Like what kind of cost?" Dean asked interested. His focus was completely on her now.
"I don't know for sure." She told him. At his confused look she elaborated. "You've asked an angel, you've asked The King of Hell. But you're forgetting one major player; someone that knows souls better than anyone and just might have the power to retrieve it."
"I… don't know who you're talking about." Dean told her completely lost.
"Come on now Dean, you shared a pizza with him." She told with raised eyebrows. Finally a look of understanding appeared on his face.
"Death, you're talking about Death."
"The one and only." She replied.
"Can you find him for me?" He asked.
"No, you need to do this on your own. I can't help you. Like I said it will cost you." Pandora told him.
"How do I find him?" He asked getting desperate.
"Like everyone else that has a soul finds him…. You need to die." She told him. "So good luck with that, I'm sure you'll figure something out. Let me know if it works out." She told him with a smile. As she disappeared she could imagine that Dean was shouting her name in frustration but she had done her part. She pointed him in the right direction it was up to him to do the rest.
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