6.
"Give me your son's souls and you and Dean are free to go," Lilith's white eyes bore into River. The chance of freedom, a get out of jail free card dangled in front of her face but at what cost. The implications of choosing either option made River's heart pound erratically in her chest; Dean would be spared from Hell but their innocent sons would take his place, refuse and they all die. In the end the choice was easy, she knew she'd rather die, as would Dean, then live with knowledge they'd sent their children to Hell in his place. "No," the word slipped out before her brain registered it and the pain immediately followed, the feeling of her insides being ravaged by the demon's power. The memory of the pain jarred River awake, she sat up grabbing at her abdomen before choking on a sob. She wiped off the thin veil of sweat that covered her face and got out of bed on unsteady legs. Dean shifted in the bed next to her and murmured something.
River quietly made her way to the small kitchen in her apartment, the apartment she would be moving out of in two days when her month to month lease lapsed. Her meager belongings were mostly packed and fit in two cardboard boxes she already had stacked at the door, ready to go to Bobby's for safekeeping. As much as they enjoyed having privacy, a clean shower and a bed to make love in whenever they wanted Dean and River were getting stir crazy. They wanted to get on the road, find a case and keep busy.
It had been nearly two weeks since meeting Castiel. The quiet time between sleep and sex had led to a dark cloud settling over River. She had spent the last four months avoiding the pain of losing her sons and Dean by running from case to case or chasing any lead on springing a Hell jailbreak. Now Dean was back but the feeling of loss remained, the loss of what could have been, the loss of a desperate dream. Dean noticed the way she sometimes zoned out in front of him, unable to meet his eyes, hands or body trembling and he did the only thing he knew how which was to wrap his arms around her, murmur in her ear, or kiss her until she broke out of the fog. Often smiling up at him and making an excuse about being tired or apologizing for not being able to keep it together. She felt guilty for her lapses into darkness; Dean had been to Hell and back and hadn't complained once and he had adamantly told her that he remembered nothing.
Dean padded groggily into the kitchen, sitting at the table next to River where she had his steaming cup of black coffee waiting. "Mornin'," he grunted once he got his first mouthful of coffee.
"Mornin', Bobby wants us to come over. Wants to talk about your Guardian Angel," River said smiling at him over her cup of coffee.
"Whatever Castiel is, he isn't a fucking angel," Dean rolled his eyes.
"Well, what else could he be, Dean?" Sam asked. Dean and River had showered and headed to Bobby's as requested. Sam sat at the kitchen table, while Dean paced and River and Bobby perused books.
"All I know is I wasn't groped by an angel," Dean told him.
"Why would this Castiel lie about it? Lie about what he is?" Sam countered. River laid her book in her lap and smiled, she missed hearing the brothers argue.
"I don't know. Maybe he's some kind of demon, demons lie."
"A demon that's immune to salt, holy water, iron and Ruby's knife? A demon that can march past demon traps and binding sigils?" River called. Dean turned to face her with a scowl and Sam smiled thankful for the backup.
"Exactly, thank you River. Even Lilith is afraid of Ruby's knife." Sam said.
Dean sighed, "All I'm saying is, don't you think some hunter, somewhere would have seen an Angel…"
"Yeah, one did Winchester. You. And angels of one form or another have been written about for millennia in religions all over the world."
Dean threw his head back and pinched the bridge of his nose, "I'm trying to come up with a theory here!"
"Um, we got one Dean. Angels." River said turning back to her book.
"You chuckleheads wanna keep arguing or you wanna come look at this," Bobby finally called from his desk. The three came to stand in front of Bobby looking a lot like three trouble makers that had been sent to the Principals office. "I got books here that are pre-Biblical and they all say the same thing; Angels can pluck a soul out of the Inferno and return them to Earth."
River and Sam shared a look before turning to Dean. "What else? What else can do it?" Dean asked.
"What else could have air-evaced your soul outta the pit? Nothing as far as I can tell," Bobby said.
"Are you really trying to tell me that there are angels? And so what then? There's a God," Dean sighed, "I just don't believe it."
"Dean this is becoming less and less about faith and more about proof," Sam said. "This is good this means this isn't more demon head games. There is someone out there on our side."
River remained quiet and turned away from the men, fingers tracing the small charm around her neck. "I just can't believe there is a God out there that is interested in me personally," Dean said.
"Why not Dean?" Sam asked.
"Because why me?" he countered, "After everything…why now? I mean, babe, are you buying this shit?"
River turned back around, "Angels, maybe. God with a capital 'g', no. If Big Daddy is out there he can go fuck himself as far as I'm concerned. But this isn't about me, its about you. If Castiel is what he says then he saved you, pulled you outta hell and brought you home. We should at least listen and see what he has to say the next time he shows up."
"Fine, so what do we know about angels?" Dean relented.
Bobby stood up and picked up a stack of musty books, "Start readin'."
Dean groaned, "Damn it, fine. You're gonna go get me some pie." He jabbed his finger at Sam before joining River on the sagging couch. Sam nodded and left the house, Dean yelling after him not to forget the pie.
"Maybe you should call him and remind him about the potato chips," River nudged Dean about ten minutes after Sam left, "And the pie. And rum. I need something besides whiskey." Dean took out his phone, muttering "Good Idea" and called his younger brother.
Bobby paced in his kitchen, telephone held to his ear for several minutes before slamming it down on the cradle.
"What's wrong, Papa Bear?" River asked him when the older hunter walked back to his desk.
"Been trying to get a hold of a friend on mine about this angel crap. Olivia, she's a hunter, lives about three hours from here. Except she hasn't answered her phone is three days, it's not like her," he said.
"Well, why don't you guys go check it out. I can stay, keep researching our feathered friend and I need to finish packing anyways," River told him. Dean agreed and got off the couch to pack his and Sam's duffle bags.
"You sure you'll be ok?" Dean asked. Sam returned from the supply run and Bobby gave him a quick update before the younger man even get out of the car.
"Yeah, I think I can sit on my ass and do research for a few hours. I'm just gonna run back to the apartment and make sure I got everything packed and I'll bring it all back here later," River told him. Dean nodded and slid behind the wheel of Baby. She watched as the two cars sped out of the salvage yard before gathering a few of Bobby's books and driving back to her apartment.
After breaking speed limits in five counties Bobby, Dean, and Sam arrived in a quiet neighborhood and parked outside a small white house. "Olivia?" Bobby called, opening the door to his friends small home. Sam and Dean followed behind guns at the smell of blood reached their nostrils before they found the woman's body. She was spread out on the ground in front of her bed with her chest a gapping, red hole. Bobby took one look at the body of his friend and rushed out of the house.
Sam and Dean remained in the small home and cautiously approached the body. "Salt line," Dean said nodding towards the white line of salt separating the dead woman's sleeping area from living room. The wall behind the bed was open and revealed a weapons stash as well as an EMF that was still beeping weakly. The woman still grasped a shotgun in one hand, her eyes open and staring.
"EMF too," Sam said picking up the device, "I've never seen a spirit that could do this to a human though." Bobby returned a moment later, stuffing his cellphone back into his jacket pocket.
"Called two other hunters in the area, they ain't answering either," he said, glancing down at the body of his friend.
"What the hell do you think is going on, Bobby?" Dean asked.
The older man shook his head, "I don't know. But it ain't nothin' good."
Back in Sioux Falls, River scanned her apartment one last time, throwing her last few belongings into the open duffel bag by the door. She turned her iPod on to something loud, put a pot of coffee on to brew and sat on the small couch in her living room/ kitchen and continued reading about Angel lore. "Hey, hot stuff, what's shakin' ?" she asked after pulling her ringing phone out of her pocket.
"Where are you?" Dean asked, the rumbling sound of the Impala in the background.
"Told you I was gonna finish packing and hang out at my place till you guys got home. I'm guessing we don't have good new about Bobby's friend."
"No. She's dead. Looks like a sp-" Static overcame Dean's voice and the call disconnected with a beeping sound.
"Dean?" River said, she tried calling him back but the call wouldn't connect. She shivered suddenly causing her teeth to chatter. The room had grown cold. So cold in fact that she saw her breath puff out in front of her in small white clouds. She heard a low beeping noise coming from her open duffle bag by the door and she got up to check it. Her EMF detector had turned itself on; the red lights blazing indicating the highest reading. She reached into her bag and pulled out her shotgun and a box of rock salt filled shells. She flicked the shot gun open and loaded shells into.
"Hey, fag hag," a quiet voice echoed behind her. River spun towards the voice and saw her former partner Corey standing across the room. His once vibrant blonde hair and tan skin had a sickly gray sheen and he wavered as if he were made out of a thick mist.
"I burned you. You can't be here," River said quietly, shuffling sideways towards the door.
Corey smiled, "Yeah, well what can I say. I've been waitin' to pay you a visit. Missed my old huntin' buddy." He blinked out like a light and reappeared several feet closer. River turned towards the door and grabbed the door knob. She screamed and pulled her hand away as the freezing door knob burned the flesh on her palm. Corey laughed right behind her and his freezing hand grabbed Rivers shoulder, spinning her back to face him. "I can't let you get away that easy." She fired the shotgun into his abdomen and he disappeared. River took a shaky breath, tossed the spent shells out of her shotgun and reloaded. She moved away from the door and dialed her phone again.
Dean picked up on the second ring, "Riv, you ok? We're ten minutes away,"
"Dean, I'm in trouble. Co—" the call was cut off again as Corey reappeared.
"You bitch. You stupid bitch," he growled. "Did you see what the fucking shifter did to me!" he roared. "Just had to go after it. Didn't you? Huh? That case was your idea and I'm fucking dead because of you!" the spirit screamed, swatting River into the wall like a rag doll. She slammed into the wall and slid down to a sitting position, dazed but still grasping her gun.
"You asshole, you had one job!" she yelled back, "All you had to do was shoot him with a silver bullet. I took care of the kids! "
Corey kneeled in front of her and cocked his head, "You let that thing kill me. He cut me apart. He started when I was still alive. God, you have no idea…I'm gonna make you feel what I felt." She fired the shotgun again and Corey blew apart in a cloud of smoke. River heaved herself to her feet and ran back towards her duffle bag for more ammo. Before she could reach the bag the angry ghost reappeared, his dirty fingernails raking through the soft skin on River's forearm. Blood flowed in thick rivulets onto the floor from the jagged wounds the spirit had created. She swung the shotgun like a club, causing the spirit to break apart again the forward motion and loss of blood caused her to teeter on her feet and she landed on her knees. She grabbed more shells with shaking , bloody hands and positioned herself with her back to the wall as she loaded her shotgun.
"River!" Dean's voice boomed from the other side of her door, he banged on the door so hard it shook in its frame.
"Dean! I can't get the door open! Fuck," River yelled back. Corey reappeared aiming to take another swipe at her when two loud shots rang out, knocking the doorknob out of the door. Dean and Sam stood on the other side of the door and as one kicked the door in wards. River fired her gun again into her dead partners face causing his spirit to dissipate. The two hunters stepped into the freezing apartment, Dean grabbed River under her armpits and hauled her to her feet as Sam grabbed her bag of weapons. They ran out of the apartment and the three hunters crammed into the front seat of Baby. They saw one last glimpse of the angry spirit staring at them from the ruined door to River's apartment.
"Who the fuck was that?" Dean asked as he wildly swung the Impala away from the apartment building.
"My former partner, the much dead Queen Corey," River hissed as Sam tightly wrapped a bandage around her bleeding forearm. "I salted and burned him, what was left of him anyways. What the fuck was that?" The brothers shook their heads and the three sped towards Bobby's house. Dean filled her in on the hunter, Olivia, that had been apparently murdered by a spirit. "Shit, I should call Levi. He might now something." She pulled her phone out of her pocket and called the ex-Amish, Pow-Wow healer. "Hey, Levi has Bobby called you yet?"
"River? No, Bobby hasn't called me. What's wrong?" Levi answered.
River hissed again as Sam prodded her burned hand, "God Damn it, Sam. That fucking hurts…sorry Levi, I got attacked by a very pissed off spirit. Someone I salted and burned about five years ago."
Levi made a "hmm" noise as he thought, "Did salt deter it?"
"Nope not really. Bobby's friend, Olivia, was torn apart by sprit. EMF wonky high and an unbroken salt line in the room they found her…Hey, I hid some stuff under your couch the last time I spent the night."
"What did you hide, River McGregor?" Levi sighed as he bent down, she heard scrapping as he pulled the hidden items from underneath his couch.
"It's a shotgun, point the end without the trigger at the things you want to kill. There's two boxes of shells, the green ones are rock salt and the red are regular. There should be an EMF detector if that things lights up you need to get out, get on your horse and buggy and leave."
"River, I really don't think this is necessary but thank you for your concern. I'll research these spirits and call if I find anything." River ended the call and stuck the phone back in her pocket, she turned towards Dean and noticed his green eyes were glaring at her.
"So, you spent the night at Levi's?" he said as the pulled into the Singer Salvage Yard.
River laughed, "Yeah as in I crashed on his couch after we finished a really nasty case and not like sexy time sleep over…Levi's basically a fucking monk are you kidding me? What kind of girl do you think I am anyways…"
Dean thought through the possible answers and settled on the wisest one, "The kind that loves me?"
She smiled, "Good answer, Winchester." The three hunters stood on Bobby's porch, having knocked several times at the door and waiting for an answer. "So, this isn't a good sign…" River muttered. Dean opened the door and the three quietly stepped into the house.
"Bobby!" Dean loudly whispered. No answer came from within the dark house. "You check outside. We' ll check in here," Dean said to his brother, River nodded and walked silently towards the back of the house. Dean headed upstairs and Sam went outside to the junkyard.
Dean paused on the second floor landing and called for Bobby again. Hearing no reply he started taking tentative steps towards the first open door. The temperature in the hallway dropped and a figure flickered into being behind him. Dean turned to face the newcomer and stared at her for a few seconds before recognizing her, "Meg?" The last time he had run into the demon Meg, she had been a perky platinum blonde with a short, Twiggy like haircut and skin tight clothes. The young woman in front of had mousy brown hair and an outfit fit fo a preachers daughter.
She smiled at the hunter, "Yep, Meg Masters. This is how I looked, you know before that demon chopped my hair off and dressed me like a slut. Nice to finally meet you when I'm not choking on my own blood."
"You're the girl the demon was possessing," Dean said remembering Meg's final moments of anguish. He and Sam had managed to exorcise the demon but Meg's body was broken beyond repair, she had been thrown out a third story window, shot, stabbed and had the holy hell beat out of her by the Winchesters prior to the exorcism. Meg took a step towards him and Dean retreated raising his shotgun.
"Serisoulsy, Dean. It's ok, I'm just a college girl…was a college girl," Meg smiled again, " You know before I got jumped by the black smoke on the way home from class. I was awake the whole time in here," she pointed to her temple, "She made me watch while she killed people, fucked people. I was a virgin before all that…"
Dean blinked several times but remained silent. "I screamed and screamed for someone to save me, to help me. Why didn't you save me, Dean? That's your job!"
"I'm sorry." Dean stuttered trying to appease the angry spirit.
Med took another menacing step forward, "You're sorry! You seemed real sorry when you had me thrown out that window! I felt my spine break!"
"I'm sorry…" Dean tried again.
"Quit saying your sorry!" Meg slapped him in the face with enough force to knock the strong hunter down. Before he could get to his feet Meg kicked him in the face, in the ribs and then kicked his gun away. "I'm dead because of you! You think you're some kind of hero? You're no hero. Your family comes first, your revenge, your blood thirst no matter who gets caught in the crossfire! What about me or my family? You have no idea how they suffered because of what happened to me!"
Dean pushed himself away a few feet, "Meg…"
Meanwhile out in the junkyard, Sam investigated between the piles of scrap cars. He called Bobby's name but got no response and there were no fresh track marks he could follow. He turned in place and took several deep breaths noticing that his breath was coming out in cold white puffs. "Bobby! I'm here! I'll find you!" Sam grabbed a metal pole and used it to jimmy the trunks of several cars around him but to no avail Bobby wasn't in any of them. "Shit!" he muttered, growing desperate. He looked up at the stacked piles of junk cars, noticing one near the top of a precarious pile that's mirror was slowly frosting over. "Bobby!" Sam yelled again, the big hunter scaled the stack of cars like a mountain goat. Reaching the suspect car and seeing Bobby being held down by twin girls with matching dirty, brown hair and blue dresses. Sam swung the iron pole at them causing them to break apart into mist and pulled Bobby free.
River slowly stalked through the dark hallway in the back of Bobby's house, opening doors and checking under the piles of junk. The temperature in the hallway dropped suddenly and River spun on her heels, shotgun raised. "Hey, partner." Corey appeared before her, this time with a short pretty blonde woman.
"Sara?" River took a step back and closed her eyes. Sara once happy face was covered in an angry scowl, her blonde hair hung limp and dirty. Like Corey she seemed to have grey sheen and looked like she had rolled in dirt and blood before appearing.
"Look what you did to us." Sara said quietly, "Did you see what that monster did to my son? You let it kill us! You knew it was coming and you left us undefended!"
River shook her head, "I didn't. I'm so sorry…I thought you'd be in more danger if I came." The spirits advanced a few steps and River reached the end of the hall. "Please, I never meant for any of this to happen to you. Either of you. I cared about you, we were friends."
"Friends?" Sara and Corey said as one. "How could someone like you ever have friends? You, naive, ignorant bitch you run around with your guns and your books acting like a hunter. You've never helped anyone, you've left a trail of blood, bodies and broken lives. You deserve to die just like we did."
"No…" River said quietly. Corey threw his hand out and sent River sprawling into a pile of junk against the wall. The spirits stood over her for a moment as she shoved herself back to her feet. They reached for her again but this time River fired her shotgun, causing the spirits to disintegrate. She ran back down the hallway, "Dean! Where are you?" She heard thundering footsteps overhead as Dean barreled down the stairs.
"I'm here, sweetheart. You ok?" the met at the foot of the stairs and checked each bother quickly. Finding nothing more than some new scrapes and bruises. The front door was flung open and in came Sam and Bobby. The four hunters convened in Bobby's library.
"They're people we know?" Sam asked.
River shook her head, "People we didn't save. People we should've saved." She sat on the couch next to Dean as they reloaded their weapons and shoved extra rounds into their jacket pockets.
"Hey, I noticed something on Meg. A tattoo or a brand on her hand. She didn't have it when she alive," Dean said. The hunters had debriefed each other on the spirits they had encountered to find the link tying them together and to each other.
"What did it look like?" Bobby asked. Dean quick drew the mark from memory and handed it to Bobby. Bobby looked at the mark, it was circular with curved lines in the center and sigils tying the lines together.
"I've seen this before," Bobby turned to his bookshelf and began handing Sam stacks of books. The lights in the room flickered and the radio came to life, tuning through static filled channels. River and Dean stood and cocked their guns. "Come on, we got get somewhere safe." Bobby said leading them to his basement. The four hunters walked through the dank basement to a steel door. Bobby turned the knob and led them inside. From the inside it looked like a silo, twenty foot high metal walls leading the a giant fan circulating fresh air, sigils where painted on the walls and floor. An old HAM radio set on a desk, cans of food and MRE's were stacked in a pile against the far wall, an arsenal of melee style weapons and guns were stored in a shelf on the opposite wall. Dean, Sam and River spread out across the small space.
"Bobby is this?" Sam started touching the wall.
"Solid iron, coated in salt. 100% ghost proof." Bobby answered.
River and Dean smiled at each other then looked to Bobby. "Papa Bear, you built a ghost proof fallout shelter?"
Bobby puffed his chest out slight, a lite pink tinge creeping up his bearded cheeks. "Well…I had a weekend off."
Dean's smile grew wider, "Bobby, you are awesome!"