Ch31
Sam alternated between yelling, cursing and pleading with them to let him out of the panic room. He cried, apologized and threatened, calling out for Dean, River and Bobby. His angry footsteps echoed around the steel cage. Dean sat silently for hours on the basement steps. Finally, having steeled himself to face his baby brother, he took a deep breath and walked the ten paces to the steel door. He opened the small window into the room and met his brothers blood shot eyes. "Dean, let me out. This isn't funny anymore."
"No. Not 'till you dry out," Dean said shaking his head.
Sam slammed his palms on either side of the window, "You've got to be kidding me! Is this some fucked up version of an intervention?"
"Yeah, I guess it is."
"I am sorry I lied to you, ok? Please let me out and we can talk about this," Sam pleaded.
"You don't have to apologize for lying to me over and over again. You couldn't help it. It was the blood. I get it."
"Fuck you. You think I'm taking demon blood for kicks? I'm not a junkie."
Dean let out a humorless laugh, "We've been driving around with Tyronne Biggums for months. I can't believe we didn't see it earlier."
"Is this because of River? She fucking hates Ruby. She'll do anything to keep her from us." Sam kicked the metal door in frustration.
"Good! That demon bitch has her claws in you. She's been fucking with your head the same way she did mine."
"She is helping me get strong enough to kill Lilith!" Sam yelled.
"Strong? You call this strong? I call it pathetic." Dean retorted.
"Killing Lilith is what matters, Dean. Or have you forgotten what she did to you? What she did to your sons? She murdered them like they were nothing. She tore River's insides apart-"
Dean slammed his hands into the door this time, his face getting as close to the bars as possible, "Don't you dare. Don't you dare try and say you've gone down this path for them." He took another deep, calming breath before looking back to his brothers eyes. "Lilith is going to die. Don't worry about that. Me and Riv are gonna gank that white eyed evil cunt….Congrats Sammy, you just won yourself a staycation in Bobby's iron paradise. We'll let you know how the apocalypse goes." He slammed the window shut and walked away from his brothers frustrated yells.
River stood at the top of the stairs, watching as he made his bow legged trek upwards. She smiled wanly, "I've come to the realization that I am a really terrible nurse. Didn't realize when I was pregnant, my stitches always come out crooked, can't tell when one of my best friends is strung out on demon skag…" Dean stopped at the second to the top stair and for once they stood eye to eye. "I've seen a lot of people detox from a lot of shit and it's always really bad before it gets better." She said looking down the dark stairwell where Sam's angry yells echoed.
"How bad is this gonna be?" Dean asked.
"I don't know. Real Bad? Really really bad?" She shrugged and bit her bottom lip, "I say we summon Ruby and stab that bitch in the face until she tells us something useful. Probably make us feel better. It'd definitely make me feel better."
"Where's Bobby?"
"Rufus called him, there meeting up somewhere," she answered turning away from the stairwell. He followed her up the last step and locked the door.
"So we're alone?" He asked to River's retreating form.
"Mmmhmmm, figured we could catch up on some research. Bobby has a fascinating book on Fae folk," she called over her shoulder walking into the cluttered sitting room.
Dean grunted, "Seriously?" His disgust at the prospect of thumbing through dusty books was cut short by a flying piece of fabric. He pulled the fabric off his head and saw it was River's 'Rush' shirt.
She stood in front of him, sliding her bra off her shoulders, "Or we could go upstairs, get naked, and I ride you so hard Bobby's neighbors are gonna need a cigarette when we're done."
"I'd rather do that," Dean answered pulling the baby blue lacy bra down her arms and tucked it and her shirt into his back pocket, not wanting to leave a trail of discarded clothes for Bobby to find.
She smirked at him then turned towards the staircase, "You sure? Bobby has a book on Spriggans that looks really interesting too…Swear I saw a Spriggan in Oregon." Dean picked her up and threw her over his shoulder, smacking her ass in the process instead of giving her an answer. "You better do that again when I get my jeans off," River laughed and squirmed on his shoulder. She wasn't a tiny girl and being picked up so effortlessly by Dean never got old. It reminded her how strong he really was, hidden beneath all the layers of flannel and snark.
Dean groaned palming himself through his jeans, "You're not gonna be able to walk straight when I'm done with you, princess." He climbed the remainder of the stairs with her over his shoulder only putting her down when they reached the landing to the second floor. She stood on her toes and pulled him towards her, her lips crashing into his as her hands worked on his belt and jeans. Somehow, even with River pulling his aching cock out and wrapping her warm hand firmly around him, he was able to back them slowly down the long hallway into his room kicking the door shut behind them.
Once they were both pleasantly spent, covered in a fine sheen of sweat and Dean having done his damnedest to keep his promise about River not being able to walk straight they dozed lazily on the tiny twin bed. River laid on Deans chest, listening as his heart rate and breathing slowed down. Dean ran his callused fingers down her spine, tracing the protective sigils she had tattooed there. She had explained each one to him ages ago, starting with the anti-possession symbol at the base of her neck, followed by Vegvìsir the Viking symbol to help her find her way in both the literal and figurative sense, then the left eye of Horus for protection in this life and the next, followed by a few Kanji and Sanskrit sigils, and lastly strange marks that looked like the tattoo artist sneezed during the application but which River had assured him were various sigils that warded her against psychic attacks, different curses and one a Wiccan friend had talked her into getting that was supposedly the sigil of an Archangel. She had got that particular tattoo when she was barely getting her feet wet in the hunting profession. Her friend and mentor in magic, Sacha, had picked it for her because 'Gabriel' had been a mighty angelic warrior. His sigil supposedly helped increase healing, reduce pain and protect those on travels. All things a hunter would need whether they believed in Angels or not. Now she realized she walked around with a glorified tramp-stamp of her best friends name. River often wondered if Gabriel could sense the sigil on her and that's why he decided to strike up a conversation in that coffee shop almost two years prior.
Sam's disgruntled yells drifted up through the ventilation ducts, sounding at times like he was having an argument with someone drawing River out of her daydream. "What are you thinking about?" Dean asked quietly.
"Getting the hell out of here," she answered sitting up and looking down at him. "Me and you we should get the hell out of here for a few days. Just go somewhere…We could go to the Grand Canyon. I'd like to see it before the world ends." She straddled his waist, her own hand moving to Castiel's handprint seared into Dean's shoulder.
Dean dug his fingers into her hips and ground his own hips upward, "You've never been to the Grand Canyon?"
River shook her head. "We could get a room at a nice hotel, the kind that give you those little bottles of shampoo and actually changes the sheets between customers."
Dean smiled lazily, "Yeah we could splurge and get some room service."
"Let's not get crazy, Winchester." She replied.
Dean sat up on his elbows, "Yeah, ok. Fuck it. Lets go. I need some room to breathe, I have no idea how to help Sammy, Cas is being a douche."
"Really? Ok! I'll pack real quick. Sam has enough water and MRE's to last until next century. We can text Bobby on the way," River hopped off Dean who gave a disgruntled groan. She bustled around the room stuffing clean clothes into their duffle bags. They had been too distracted to hear the tired wheeze of Bobby's car as he parked outside. They also didn't hear his heavy footsteps up the bowed front steps or the creak of the front door as he re-locked it behind him. What they did hear was Bobby hollering up the stairs, "Will you two idjits get the hell down here!"
River dropped the bag and sighed, "Of course. You know at this point I would settle for twelve hours of privacy." They dressed quickly and met Bobby in his library where he was sifting through stacks of papers. "What's the news Papa Bear?"
"Well, it ain't good: 10 species go extinct in Key West, a teacher goes crazy locks the auditorium doors and kills exactly 66 kids, 15 man fishing crew in Alaska all stricken blind- cause unknown, 13 newborn baby boys go missing from a single hospital wing in Mumbai." Bobby handed them copies of the newspaper articles. "All that in a single day. Rufus double checked 'em. They're all seals and breakin' fast."
"There's probably only a handful left," River tossed the papers she had read back onto Bobby's pile, "Where the hell are the Angels?" She chewed her thumbnail nervously and adjusted the charm around her neck.
Dean shook his head, "I don't know babe. Bunch of useless winged asshats."
"Fuckin-A," she muttered in response. More muffled yells drifted up from the basement and the three hunters subconsciously turned towards the grate in the floor where the sound emanated from.
Bobby pulled on his hat and scratched his beard, "I was wonderin' something."
"Yeah, what?" Dean asked over his shoulder as he made his way to the fridge for a cold beer.
"You know with the apocalypse being nigh and all…." he was interrupted by a particularly loud yell from the grate in the floor, "is now the best time to be having this little family drama?"
"What do you mean, Papa Bear?"
The older man shifted on his feet, "It's just…Sam can kill demons. Shouldn't we be using that trick right about now?"
"Bobby, he is drinking demon blood! It's not a thing we should be encouraging," River said watching as Dean stalked back into the room.
"I don't like this anymore than you two do. But he's got a real shot at stopping the apocalypse." Bobby sighed.
"At what cost? Sacrifice Sam's life, maybe his soul? No way. Times are tough and we use Sam as a nuclear war head?" Dean yelled.
"I know you hate me for suggesting it. I hate myself! I love that boy like my son." Bobby said calmly. "All I'm saying is maybe the only reason he's locked up down there, instead of killing demons on the battlefield is because we love him too much."
Dean stormed out of the house, the back door slamming in his wake. "Well, I guess I'll go make some coffee," River muttered walking into the kitchen. She busied herself measuring the coffee grounds and water, finding clean coffee mugs and mentally debating with herself if she should risk taking Sam a cup. Deans angry voice echoed from somewhere in the junkyard causing her to drop the chipped mug she had found in the back of one of the cabinets. "God damn it," she muttered stooping down to pick up the broken chunks of porcelain.
"I'll get it sweetheart. Don't worry about it," Bobby kneeled down next to her, "You ok?"
Another yell from the junkyard, "CASTIEL! YOU ASSHOLE! GET DOWN HERE!"
She sat back on her knees, "No, Bobby I am not ok. I haven't been ok in a while." She listened as Dean's yells moved further away from the house and Sam's muffled voice took a panicked turn. "Sam's a fucking demon blood junkie, Dean literally has the fate of the entire world on his shoulders, the one Angel I thought was on our side has been reprogrammed and all I can think about is wanting that bitch dead. I want to watch her die, I want to see her ripped apart. I don't care how or at what fucking cost, Bobby. I just want her to die."
"I know-"
"You don't know. None of you know. I felt her claws inside me," River took a deep breath and closed her eyes. The confession that was already spilling from her lips she had only shared with Gabriel, keeping it from Dean in an attempt to save him anymore pain. "I could hear-I could hear my babies scream inside of me, Bobby. I hear those screams every time I close my fucking eyes." She blinked rapidly, warm tears dropping onto the shards of the broken cup. "I felt them die. I told her no. For what? Some fucked up prophecy to make sure Dean went to hell on the right pretenses to start the fucking Apocalypse…I have no idea what I'm doing anymore." The coffee pot beeped and River stood up, brushing dust off her hands. Bobby sat heavily on the wood floor and looked at the still scattered pieces of the broken coffee mug.
"Castiel, god damn it will you please-please just answer me," Dean prayed again. His voice hoarse and throat sore from screaming. He turned on his heels in a tired circle and came face to face with the trench coated angel, "Where the hell have you been, asshole? I've been screaming myself hoarse for two and a half hours."
Castiel took a step forward, "I'm here now, Dean. What is it that you want?"
"Where do I start?" Dean yelled annoyed at the Angels indifference, "How about: what the hell happened in Illinois? You had something you wanted to tell me. So what the hell was it?"
"Nothing of any import."
"Oh come on! Cut the crap! What happened to you? You get dragged back to Cloud City and waterboarded until you start spouting the company motto, huh?"
"I can't Dean. I will not go against orders again," Castiel's gravelly voice was strained and he turned away from Dean's piercing green eyes. "Get to the point; why you really called me here. It's about Sam, right?
"Can he do it? Kill Lilith, stop the apocalypse?"
"As you have probably surmised he would have to take certain steps to become strong enough for such a task."
"Hulk up the demon blood regimen?" Dean asked.
"The amount of blood it would take to defeat Lilith would change your brother forever. Most likely he would become a creature you would feel compelled to kill." Castiel walked back to the hunter, "There is no reason this has to be. We believe it is you, Dean, that can stop the End of Days not your brother. Our only question is whether you are ready to accept that responsibility. Stand up and embrace your role. You, Dean Winchester, are the one who will stop it."
Dean took a deep breath and looked toward the dim lights reflecting from Bobby's kitchen. He could just make out two shapes drifting behind the large window over the kitchen sink. "If I do this, Sammy doesn't have to?"
"If that gives you some comfort," Castiel answered.
"God, you are a dick," he sighed, "Fine. I'm in."
"You give yourself wholly to the service of God and his Angels?" Castiel asked him.
"Yeah," Dean nodded.
"You have to say it, Dean."
Deans shoulders fell slightly, "I swear to serve God and you guys."
"And you swear you will follow His will and His orders as swiftly as you did your own fathers," Castiel's cold blue eyes stared back at Dean.
Dean straightened up, rolling his shoulders back and squared his jaw, "Yes, I swear."
Castiel's stoic facade broke and a small smile lit his features, "Ok. Good."
"Now what?" Dean asked.
"Now you wait, we will call upon you when it's time."
Castiel disappeared leaving Dean alone between the stacks of rusting discarded cars. He followed the weaving dirt trail back to Bobby's, entering the brightly lit kitchen to find River holding a cup of coffee for him. "Did he answer?" she asked. Dean nodded taking a long swallow of the hot liquid. "And?" Sam's almost constant yells continued in the background, the three tired hunters having grown accustomed to the sound echoing through out the house.
"And Robbie the Angelic Robot said I needed to man up and stop Armageddon."
"Did he happen to say how you're gonna accomplish that?" Bobby asked gruffly from his spot at the kitchen counter.
"I just had to swear I'd do whatever God told me to. Then they'll beep me when I'm needed."
River set her cup down, "Are you fucking kidding me?"
"Cas said if I do this, if I step up and follow orders Sam doesn't have to be the one on the kamikaze mission to gank Lilith."
"So it's gonna be you risking your ass again!" River said crossing her arms over her chest. "Since when are we trusting the Angels? Uriel tried to kill you! And me! We still don't know what the hell really happened in LA. We don't know what the fuck happened to Cas. And now you're just gonna be their bitch?"
"I am not their bitch! Give me some credit here, babe! Of course I don't trust them! They come on like Romulan used car sales men." Dean yelled turning away from her angry glare.
"You are such a nerd!" River yelled back frustrated.
Bobby sighed loudly, "Dean, son, can we just…why the hell are you sliding into bed with them now?"
"Because what other option do I have! It's either trust the Angels or let Sammy trust a fucking demon!" Dean sighed.
"I see your point," Bobby conceded. River paced the room stopping over the vent in the floor and rubbing the bridge of her nose. The three took a much needed breather, the silence taking a moment to catch up with them.
"Do you hear that?" River asked after a moment. The constant barrage of Sam's angry, disembodied voice was disconcertingly absent. She turned to face Dean and Bobby, "I think we should check on Renton."
"Who?" Bobby grunted, "You idjits and your damned nonsense, can't ya'll just speak in a language I can understand." The grumbling continued as they hurried to the locked door leading to the basement and then down the rickety stairs. The basement was void of Sam's yells, instead they heard staggered grunts and moans from behind the heavy iron door. Dean reached the door first and swung the small window open. Sam lay prone on the floor, muscles contracting painfully, his arms and legs struggling against some unseeable force. His face was red, blood vessels standing out as he struggled to breathe.
"What if he's fakin'?" Dean asked as River joined him at the window, she stood on the tips of her toes and could just see Sam laying on the floor.
"It's three of us and one of him, if he's faking it we kick his ass." River countered. "Bobby get the door." Before Bobby could unlock the door Sam was picked up off the floor and flung to the nearest wall with a heavy thud, the same invisible force sent him careening up and down the walls before he was dropped bodily onto the floor where he lay still. Dean rushed to his brothers side, "Sammy! Sammy come on man!"
River slid down on Sam's opposite side, her fingers sliding to the side of his neck to check for a pulse and quickly checking his chest for breaths. "He's not breathing! I don't think he has a pulse! Help me!" Her hands immediately went to his chest and she pushed down on his breast bone hard and fast, "Dean! Come on!" she yelled between compressions.
"I don't-I don't know what to do!" Dean yelled panicked at the sudden paleness of his brothers face. River stopped pushing on Sam's broad chest, moved her hands up to his face where she used one hand to pinch his nose and the other to pull on his jaw, she sealed her lips over his and gave him two full breathes before moving back to his chest.
"God damn it, Sam! Dean, upstairs, my small blue bag—bring it now!" she glanced up and met Deans green eyes, "Now, Winchester! Bobby, get me IV fluids!" She finished barking orders at the stunned hunters. Dean stood immediately and ran up the stairs, orders were good, orders he could follow, 'How come I don't know CPR? Dr. Sexy does it every other episode on some babe with big tits." He thought as he snatched the requested bag and bolted back downstairs. Sam had started seizing again, muscles contorted, Bobby and River physically holding him down so he wouldn't fly into the walls. "We need to restrain him so he doesn't Peter Pan around the room again." River gasped trying to hold Sam's convulsing body still. They lifted Sam off the floor and onto the small cot in the center of the room. Dean and Bobby fastened his wrists and ankles with thick leather belts while River injected Sam with a combination of meds she hoped would stop any more seizures and wouldn't kill him. They sat and watched him tensely for another half hour, the fits stopped and he fell unconscious. River deemed it safe enough for them to leave him and the three reconvened upstairs.
Dean sat heavily onto Bobby's sagging couch holding his head in his hands. River sat on top of Bobby's desk, pushing books and piles of papers out of her way. Bobby took a swig from an open bottle of Kentucky Bourbon before turning to face them. "I'm gonna ask one more time : are doing the right thing here?"
"You saw what was happening to him down there, Bobby!" Dean said standing up. "The demon blood is killing him."
"No it isn't. We are," Bobby said harshly.
"What?" Dean asked.
River closed her eyes and ran her tongue over her lips, "Bobby' right, Dean. He's dying and we are the ones killing him."
"You have got to be kidding me!" Dean yelled.
"Cold turkey is not working. He is going through hellfire withdrawals and he will not survive this, Dean. Not unless he gets what he needs." She continued, meeting his eyes. She watched as heart made his decision for him, he closed his eyes briefly and shook his head.
"No," he answered. "No, I am not giving my brother demon blood. I will not do it."
"He will die, son." Bobby clarified.
"Then he dies human, with his soul intact," Dean cast his eyes upward. "I guess I found my line. I will not let him do this to himself. I will not let him turn into a monster." River nodded and wiped her palms under her eyes, clearing the tears that had silently fell. Bobby took another long pull from his bottle of bourbon and sat heavily in chair. The next few hours were spent in silence, the three sitting quietly sifting through Bobby's vast armada of lore before they each finally fell asleep. Bobby lay his head down on his desk after he finished his bottle of Hunters Helper. Dean and River somehow cocooned themselves together to fall asleep on the small, threadbare couch.
They slept peacefully for several hours, neither River nor Dean stirring when the heavy iron door of Sam's impromptu Sioux Falls Betty Ford center suddenly unlocked and opened. They slept through the quiet, hesitant steps as Sam climbed the stairs from the basement then snuck through the kitchen and out the back door. Bobby, however, was awake the second the third board from the left on the back porch creaked dully. He'd lived in that house his whole life and that board only creaked when someone stepped on it. He opened his groggy eyes and saw River still nestled between Dean's flannel clad arms, their chests rising and falling almost in synch. He grabbed the shotgun next to his desk and stealthily made his way to the window. Instead of seeing an intruder he saw the retreating shadow of someone so tall and lanky it could only be the person that was supposed to be chained up in his basement. He avoided the third board from the left as he stepped off his porch, followed the shadow into his graveyard of junk cars, dodged the wires he had placed here and there to alert him of any interlopers on his property. "What are you doin' son?" He cocked the shotgun and trained it on Sam's back.
Sam slowly turned to face his surrogate father, arms raised. "I'm leaving Bobby."
"I can't let you do that. We are trying to help you!" Bobby pleaded.
"You're not gonna shoot me Bobby. Put the gun down and let me leave," Sam took a few steps forward. Close enough that he could wrap his giant hands along the barrel of the shotgun still pointed at him.
"I will if I have to son. I can't let you do this."
"You're not gonna shoot me," Sam repeated, "You can't." Before Bobby could react, Sam used his grip on the barrel of the shot gun to wrench it out of his hands then jabbed the butt of the gun back hitting him on the right side of his face. Bobby let out a startled grunt before he collapsed onto the hard ground.
"How the shit did he get out?" River muttered angrily watching as Dean tested the solid iron bolt and swung the heavy door open.
"I don't know. Demon traps are all busted," Bobby said looking down at the scorched paint markings on the floor. He sported an ugly purple bruise and a slight concussion brought on by Sam's assault.
"You think Ruby could do this? I didn't think that skinny bitch had the mojo," River said raising her eyebrows and looking back at Dean.
"I don't know. Maybe?" Dean checked the inside of the door, "How'd she even touch the door long enough to unlock it?"
River shook her head unknowing, "Gods, I want to murder that black eyed slut."
"Well, that makes two of us. Come on," Dean said holding his hand for her.
She grabbed his hand smiling as he led her away from the panic room, "Finally. I've been really thinking about this…it's kind of been an unhealthy thought process actually. Helps pass long trips in the car: How would I kill Ruby? So many ways, Dean. There are so many ways. I just want to beat the shit out of her first, we can tie her to chair and beat her like a piñata or put her in a demon trap and pelt her with holy water filled water balloons. That ones been my personal favorite lately…"
"Hey wait a minute!" Bobby yelled after them. They turned back towards Bobby. "I thought you were on call for Angel duty."
"Yeah, well I can be on call while we're driving to go gank Ruby," Dean answered.
"Sam doesn't want to be found, son. It ain't gonna be that easy."
Dean and River shared a look. "You tell Sam about the charms in your boots?"
"Yeah…shit," Dean answered. "I guess we'll just have to wait for him to mess up."
Bobby knew which car Sam had stolen from him and started making phone calls to see if had been abandoned yet. Dean and River retreated to the quiet of the junkyard. River using the sturdy green cooler as makeshift seat, her laptop open. She searched through traffic cameras, trying to track Sam's movement but it quickly became apparent he abandoned the highway as soon as possible. She closed her laptop and watched Dean as bent over Baby's engine, cleaning and checking it. Keeping his hands busy and his mind clear. "I can feel your eyes on my ass," Deans snarky voice shot out from under Baby's hood. He didn't spare a glance over his shoulder as River laughed. She had indeed been checking out his ass, his jeans hugging his muscled legs in all the right places and from her angle, even wearing three plus layers of flannel, denim and a heavy military green jacket he looked fucking amazing.
"What can I say, Winchester? You have a nice ass," she laughed again.
"You know there's more to me than a nice ass," he said turning around and wiping his hands on his shop rag.
"Yeah you have that big, dweeby brain that you keep hidden behind a pretty face." River said looking over her shoulder as the crunch of gravel signaled Bobby's appearance.
"Police found my car, abandoned in Jamestown, North Dakota," he said as he ambled up to them. River stood and tucked her laptop into her duffle bag.
Dean carefully closed Baby's hood, "Any cars go missing in Jamestown?"
Bobby nodded, "Two. A '99 Blue Honda Civic nice and nondescript just like Sam likes."
"What was the other one?" River asked.
"The other was a 2012 White Escalade with custom rims. It'd be like driving a giant neon sign." Bobby laughed at the mental image of the big stupid car.
"You're right Sam would never take that car. Which is exactly why he did." Dean answered firmly.
"You got the license plate?" River asked Bobby.
"Yea 'course, you really think that could be him?"
"Yeah. Ok, Bobby you stay here ride the police databases, Princess you check the cameras see if we can track him." River nodded, gave Bobby a quick squeeze and peck on the cheek and slid into the front seat of the Impala. "We need to find him quick." Their plan set, Dean and River hit the road. With a new car Sam had apparently been less cautious about using highways, they were able to track the Escalades progression through North Dakota then back down to Minnesota. They made it to Minnesota and the trail went cold, Sam had ditched the car somewhere off the 94.
"Hey Papa Bear, you got any leads? Traffic cams are cold." River called Bobby once they reached the last exit the Escalade had pinged on a traffic camera. Dean had stopped for gas and food and was currently making his way back to the car laden with burgers and fries.
"Yeah, police found the car in a ditch outside of place called Elk River" Bobby said scanning through the police report.
River turned the phone to speaker so Dean could listen in and typed the towns name quickly into her lap top, thankful for the WIFI at the burger joint they were parked outside of. "We're a couple hours from there, probably make it around dawn."
"Hmmm good. Well theres a little town about 50 miles outside of Elk River by the name of Coldsprings. It's lighting up with demon signs. Lightening storms, flash floods, usual nonsense."
Dean pulled out River's veggie burger and made a disgusted face before handing it to her. "Sounds like a good place to check." He said between bites of his double bacon cheese burger.
"Listen you two," Bobby continued, "This is about gettin' Sam back. Not pushin' him away."
Dean took another angry bite of his burger and rolled his eyes. "We're gonna try Bobby. He's not thinking right, we're going to do what we can to get him home." River said gently while looking pointedly at Dean's stubborn face.
"You got to get through to him."
"Call ya' later Bobby," Dean reached over and snapped River's phone shut.
She let out a long breath, "I know you're mad. But he's sick and he's not thinking straight and he needs you probably more than he's ever needed you."
Dean started the engine, "Can you put on Zep's II?" River nodded and pulled Dean's box of cassettes out from under her seat, thumbing through the tapes until she found his requested album. The music drifted out from the speakers and River searched through Coldsprings list of motels.
"So theres about a half dozen motels that are in our usual price range," she said after about an hour of brooding silence from Dean's side of the front seat. "And one 'boutique' hotel, whatever the fuck that is, 'The Aurora Borealis' " she rolled her eyes, "They definitely have little bottles of shampoo."
Dean smirked and looked across the seat at her, "He's at that one."
"Figured. It's got thirty regular rooms and two Honeymoon suites," she said scrolling through the boutique hotels website. They drove past the Hotel an hour or so later. Dean pulled the Impala into a dark alley and they got out into the predawn morning. Dean opened the trunk of the car and they grabbed weapons. He pulled out the demon knife tucking it into his belt. River grabbed a few vials of holy water, salt, and a small iron chain.
"What are you gonna do with that?" Dean asked sliding the clip out of his gun to double checking it was full.
River smiled and wrapped the chain around her fist, "Gonna break her cute little cheekbones."
"You've really thought about this," Dean said raising his eyebrows. River shrugged her shoulders and tucked her own gun into the back of her jeans. "When this is done, if you want to stay at some douchebag hotel like this- I'll get us a room."
"It'll never be done, hot stuff. But thanks anyways," she pulled him down for a kiss. "I'd rather just screw in the backseat anyways."
They found the loading dock to the Hotel and snuck inside unseen. River had found a room map to the hotel on a visitor review site and the Honeymoon Suites were on the third floor. They took the stairwell up and waited on opposite ends the deserted hallway each stationed outside one of the Honeymoon suites listening and watching for any signs of Sam or Ruby. River shifted on her feet tiredly, pulled her black beanie further down over her ears rolled her neck impatiently waiting for some sign strike. She stiffened when a door creaked down the hall, she shifted back into the shadows and looked at the shitty watercolor painting on the opposite wall. The shiny glass frame provided a reflection of the hall and she saw Sam's giant form streak past then heard the 'ding' of the elevator. She waited two breaths and heard the faint rustle of Dean's jacket as he snuck into the room. River hurried silently down the hallway and had her hand on the doorknob when the elevator dinged again. "River?" Sam called her name and she muttered 'fuck' under her breath.
She turned on her heels and stood as tall as she could, Sam still towering almost a foot over her. "Sam." She answered bracing herself in front of the door and the flannel clad mountain in front of her.
"Where's Dean?" he asked taking a step towards her.
"Front desk, asking for more of those little chocolate mints they put on your pillows." A grunt of pain and a thud echoed from the room behind them and Sam shot forward. "Fuck off, string bean," River hissed pushing against Sam's solid chest.
"I don't want to hurt you," Sam growled down at her.
"Then stand down, Sam. We are here for you, we love you, we are your family." Another thud, Ruby screamed something. Sam swatted River to the side and she landed heavily on her side on the floor. Sam surged through the door and there was more muffled sounds of a struggle as River clambered back to her feet and ran in after him.
"Dean, stop it! Leave her alone!" Sam yelled into his brothers face. Dean panted heavily, the demon knife now gripped in one of Sam's huge hands.
"Man, you two must've been havin' a hell of party seeing as how hard you tried to keep my from crashing it!" Dean retorted.
Sam took a deep breath, "I am glad you are here. Both of you. Please, lets just talk about this."
"When she's dead we can talk all you want," Dean answered.
"Ruby get out of here," Sam said over his shoulder to the brunette demon.
Ruby took a step away and River moved back in front of the door. "Nuh-huh, she's not going anywhere Sam." Ruby glared at the red head letting her black eyes shine.
"She is on our side guys. She is helping me get strong enough to kill Lilith. She has put her neck on the line more times than I can count to keep tabs on that bitch."
"Bullshit, Sam. She's on her own god damn side. She's had her claws in both of you for so fucking long. She lied to you, lied to us about saving Dean from the pit. She spat lie after lie, she pushed us apart before. And now this? Getting you cracked out on her blood. You are so dead you evil fucking cunt."
"You touch her and-"
"And what Sammy? What are you gonna do, huh? You gonna kill River over that demon slut?"
Sam took a deep breath and clenched his fists, one hand still clinging to the demon blade, "Ruby has a lead on a demon in Lilith's inner circle. Lets go after the demon together then we can finally find Lilith and end this." He looked between his brother and River, the later still staring down the demon.
"Fine. The three of us. The demons a deal breaker," Dean said.
"You stupid assholes. I've been preparing Sam for this since before your ass was hellhound bait. We are so close you are not gonna get in the way!" Ruby yelled.
Dean took a menacing step towards the demon, Sam moved to block his way. "I am the only one that can do this Dean. You're not strong enough!"
"He has been strong enough to look after you since he was four year old! Strong enough to make it back from hell in one fucking piece! Don't you see what she's done to you? She kept you away from me when I needed you, when we needed each other! She's made you turn your back on your family!" River yelled flinging her hand towards Ruby.
"You are not my family!" Sam roared back. River cocked her head to the side and nodded, angry tears falling from the corners of her eyes. Ruby smirked again.
"Sam, listen to yourself! This is not you! You have no idea what you are doing," Dean said quietly.
"I know exactly what I am doing." He answered.
Rivers dark blue eyes darted to Deans face, her hand slipping into her jacket pocket where she stashed the iron chain and she shifted her gaze back to Ruby, "I have been waiting so god damn long for this." She sent her size 10 booted foot into Ruby's midsection, the kick catching the demon off guard. The smaller woman doubled over with and 'oof'. Sam grabbed for Rivers jacket but was caught by Dean. Dean shoved his brother into the wall, holding him back.
"Sam, stop this. Stop fighting us! If you do this that means-" Dean held his arm tensely across Sam struggling torso.
"Means what, Dean? Say it!"
"It means you're a monster!" Dean yelled. Sam pushed himself away from the wall, one huge fist connecting with Deans jaw. The older Winchester staggered back taking a deep breath. The flood gates opened and the brothers collided in the middle of the room, walls and furniture destroyed as they struggled against each other.
River wrapped the chain around her fist and slammed it into Ruby face. The iron doing double damage to the demon, her skin beginning to smoke and sizzle where it connected. The hunter sent a flurry of quick jabs into Ruby, the demon struggled backwards, lost her footing and tumbled to the floor. River jumped on her chest, holding the struggling demons arms down with her knees, she untangled the iron chain from her fist and draped it across Ruby's throat. The skin immediately smoking and bubbling from contact with the metal. "Bet you don't have a lot of friends down in the pit, huh? Be a shame to lose this pretty vessel Sam's so attached to." She pulled a flask of holy water out of her jacket and spilled some on the demons face. Ruby screamed and struggled against the chain. River was dimly aware of the brothers fight behind her, grunts, cursing and glass shattering. "Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio infernalis adversarii, omnis legio, omnis congregatio et secta diabolica," River sprinkled more holy water on the demon. Another crash and a groan, River recognized the octave as coming from Dean's throat and not Sam's.
Ruby grunted in pain, "SA-SAM! HELP!"
River sent another fist into her jaw causing the demons head to knock to the side, "Ergo, omnis legio diabolica, adiuramus te...cessa decipere humanas creaturas, eisque æternæ perditionìs venenum propinare...Vade, satana, inventor et magister omnis fallaciæ, hostis humanæ salutis…" Ruby started convulsing, her head shaking back and forth in pain. A rage filled growl thundered in River's ears , she barely had time to turn her head and meet Sam's blazing hazel eyes before he yanked her off the demon. One giant fist slammed into her left cheek and River had instant sympathy for the 'Rock'em-Sock'em Robots' she had played with as a child with her brother. Pain bloomed on the left side of her face and she felt the sadly familiar calling of unconsciousness tugging at her senses. Sam used every ounce of his giant frame to lift River off her feet and sent her flying across the room where she slammed into a very serene painting of a field of wildflowers then landed on the floor behind the couch in a painful heap. Sam then pulled the iron chain off Ruby. She weakly held out one hand and he pulled her to her feet.
"Go! Get out of here! I'll meet you," Sam promised. Dean groaned in pain, slowly regaining consciousness and sat up on his elbows. He watched as Ruby limped out the door. Sam glared down at the bleeding face of his older brother. In an instant he was back on top of him, this time his colossal hands encircling Dean's throat. He squeezed just hard and long enough for Dean to get the message- the fight was over. Sam sneered down at his brother, "You don't know me. You never did. You never will." He stood up and walked towards the door.
Dean coughed painfully, dragging in air, "You walk out that door- don't you ever come back!" Sam exhaled and shut the door gently as he left. Dean groaned taking in another painful breath. "Baby?" he called. No answer, he struggled up. "River?"
"Mmm-here," River's slurred voice came quietly from behind the turned over couch.
"You ok?" Dean made the painful trek across the room.
"Mmm-shiny captain," she answered. Dean found her laying on her back, one hand gently prodding the maroon bruise that already took up most of her left cheek and jaw. "I think my ass is broken," she moaned as Dean helped her to stand.
"You know the drill, Princess. Can you make it back to the car? Five-ohs probably almost here." They leaned on each other and somehow miraculously made it back out the way they came. River gingerly removed her jacket once they got back to Baby. She felt like one giant, concussed bruise. Five minutes after the last Black and White zoomed past them, lights and sirens blazing, Dean got the car back on the road.
"That room was really nice though," River said after a few minutes of silence. "Bet that have good room service." Dean turned his head painfully towards her, she smiled then grimaced as the movement made the swelling on her face pang angrily.
Authors note: Thank you so much for everyone that is reading this and reviewing it! Thanks especially to Ladysunshine6 you are awesome. Thank you for your words of encouragement and I am working on your request. if anyone has anything they'd like to see or not see or whatever just message me or leave a review. thank you