Ch 44
She ran down the deserted hallway towards the front lobby, Dean grabbing her by the arm and pulling her back before she ran into the the gang of gods feasting on a helpless hotel guest. "It's too late," he murmured in her ear as Baron Samedi and Zao Shen took bites out of the still screaming mans throat. River squeezed her eyes shut and turned towards Dean's flannel clad chest.
"Where are they keeping the rest of the snacks?"
"In the freezer," Sam answered. They had to wait quietly while the gods finished their bloody meal before they could try and sneak back into the kitchen. The gods ate quickly, leaving nothing behind but their victims gold tooth fillings and a pacemaker laying on the gore covered check-in desk.
"I wanna hear what happened to you," Dean quietly told her as they ninjaed their way back to the kitchen.
"What?" she hissed annoyed, "Right now? You want to talk like grown ups right now?" she pointed at the freezer. "I think we got bigger issues than our personal bullshit."
"We got about two minutes to kill while Sammy picks that lock. Give me the condensed version," Dean retorted.
"Son of-," She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, "I pissed Gabriel off. Before you came back I begged him everyday to help me bust you out of Hell, when he refused I left. I went back to Bobby…I tried a crossroads demon. I summoned Hel. That made Gabe a little miffed at me. I spent a couple weeks fighting Slestaks and dodging dinosaurs for that one. Then he dumped me up near Anchorage. That was a real bitch to get home from there. Didn't see him for months after that. You came home and then all the shit with the seals." She took a deep breath and checked Sam's progress on the lock. "I begged him again to help us. He wouldn't pick a side. He won't fight against his brothers. The final night, after Zachariah had you hidden away I spent hours harassing him, prodding him, begging him to help me. To help us. I bruised his ego, I overstepped my bounds as a lowly human. Just because we're friends…he's a god damned Archangel. He is older than the stars. There is no way I can get him to do anything he doesn't want to do….I never knew about you and Sam being vessels. I didn't know about Lilith being the last seal. I couldn't tell you what Gabriel really was. He told me if the Angels ever found out they would kill all of us. I was terrified of someone finding out, Chuck or Castiel… and…I wanted to tell you. I didn't choose him over you. Not ever….ah fuck more bad guys." Baron Samedi and Zao Shen had returned to the kitchen apparently to grab another midnight snack. River and Dean ran forward trying to keep the gods away from Sam who was cursing at the lock. Sam gave up on the lock which apparently had some sort of magical properties making his lock pick useless and joined his brother and River in the melee. Dean was thrown into a metal rack full of pots and pans. River swung a cast iron frying pan a Zao Shen's head and quickly found herself flying towards Dean.
Dean had barely gotten to his feet when River slammed into him and they toppled painfully back onto the broken metal shelves. "Fuck me, Winchester…I'm going after your blood before these assholes kill us. Keep 'em distracted." She scrambled off Dean and ran out of the kitchen before he could argue. Dean cursed under his breath as she disappeared out of the swinging doors. Sam grunted behind him as Baron Samedi bent his arm painfully behind his back. Dean was yanked up by Zao Shen a moment later and the brothers were marched out of the kitchen. The screams of the terrified men and women still trapped in the freezer echoed behind them. The brothers were slammed back into their plush chairs next to Gabriel and River who were bickering. "What happened to the Ol' Trickster charm! We're getting our asses handed to us in there!" River yelled at the Archangel.
"Lollipop, this is not really the time," Gabriel muttered.
"When is it gonna be time, Jellybean? When I get my face eaten off by your ex-girlfriend?" River huffed glaring at Kali.
Dean couldn't help but smirk at River's anger, "I thought you were going after our blood."
"Yeah well Mercury's a fast, sneaky bastard," she muttered back staring daggers at the twitchy god sitting across the room.
"Enough!" Kali commanded. River let out a long angry breath through her nose. Kali looked at the gods that had reconvened in the make-shift meeting room. "It seems as though the Trickster has tricked us." Kali said quietly leaning down to stare into Gabriel's deep mahogany eyes.
Gabriel leaned towards her, "Kali don't do this. Please."
"You're mine now," she said sitting in his lap, draping one dark arm around his shoulders as the other slowly snaked into his jacket, "You have something I want." She removed her arm from the folds of Gabriels jacket and grasping his silver Angel blade. River's jaw clenched and she held her breath watching as Kali's eyes traveled over the razor sharp blade. "An Archangel Blade," Kali murmured showing the blade to Baldur and the other gods. "Belonging to the Archangel Gabriel."
Gabriel shook his head, "Okay! Okay you got me! I got wings! It doesn't make me any less right about Lucifer or Michael. You summon them here and they will destroy you."
Kali pursed her lips, "He's lying."
"I'm not. I swear to you Kali. I am trying to save you!"
"You're a spy," Baldur spat.
"I'm not a spy. I'm a runaway, a deserter. I'm just as dead as you are if they find me." Gabriel beseeched. "I know my brother and Lucifer should terrify you. I've skipped ahead, I see how this story ends-"
"Your story Archangel, not ours," Kali whispered. Her upper lip trembled. She ran a hand lovingly down Gabriels face before plunging the Angel blade into his heart. Gabriels face twisted in pain and he had a fraction of a second to meet Kali's dark eyes before the blinding white light of his grace exploded through his eyes and mouth.
Rivers face blanched and she screamed for her friend trying to dive out of her chair towards the goddess. Dean's hand circled around her arm like a vice and trapped her in her seat. "Let me go! Let me go! You bitch! You are dead!" River thrashed against Deans hand. He tightened his grip and shook his head quickly. River took a deep hitching breath and stopped struggling, "She killed him."
"WE can kill Lucifer," Kali said quietly. The other gods looked at Gabriels dead body with a mix of fear and awe.
Dean clapped his hands together causing both River and Sam to jump in their seats. "All right you murdering screw heads!"
"Are you crazy!" Sam hissed reaching for his brothers jacket.
"I'm out of options," Dean hissed back standing and walking towards Gabriels body where he lay slumped down in his chair, "Any other day the three of us would commence with ganking your archaic asses but today….well today we're gonna help you ice the Devil."
"What?" River and Sam breathed out surprised.
The green eyed hunter nodded his head, "Yeah, we'll help you. The Devil ain't in the yellow pages. But me and Sam we can get 'im here faster than a rocket full of monkeys."
"How?" Kali asked intrigued by the human.
Dean smiled widely, "We'll talk after you let those lean cuisines in the freezer go."
Kali nodded in consent. "Princess, you and the Viking go get the Happy Meals. I'll get the front door," Dean called still smiling cockily. River stood on shaky legs, wiping tears off her face.
Odin followed her into the kitchen, running a hand over his beard thoughtfully, "The Angel has been masquerading as mine own son for two thousand years. How does a father not realize such a thing?"
River shook her head and ran the back of her hand over her face, "Gabriel was good at what he did, All-Father."
Odin smiled, "You remind me of my dear wife Freya. She has quite the temper; like a Valkyrie caught in a hurricane. But once you have her love you have it forever."
River smiled sadly, "Can you get the lock, Biflindi?" She used the old Norse name Gabriel had taught her. Odin grasped the lock in one huge hand and tore it off the wall. The heavy freezer door swung open and the people inside screamed in terror. "Come on! You need to get the hell out of here!" River waived the survivors out and herded them towards the front doors where Dean was waiting. The men and women didn't need to be told twice as they ran for their waiting cars. River turned to go back inside the Hotel when Dean grabbed her wrist and pulled her back towards him.
"Hey, it's gonna be ok," He told her. River shook her head, her wavy red hair falling in her face. "I'm sorry about Gabriel." More tears welled up in her eyes and rolled slowly down her pale face. Dean ran one callused thumb across her cheek, wiping away the tears before caressing the curve of her neck. "I'm sorry." He repeated brushing his lips across her opposite cheek and ear.
River tangled her hands in his flannel shirt. "I don't want to keep doing this, Dean." She said leaning into him.
"Psst! Pssst!," a surreptitious whisper interrupted the pair. River let go of Deans shirt and turned towards the rain wet Impala. A blonde, whiskey eyed Archangel was frantically waiving at them.
"Son of a-" River muttered stepping away from Dean.
"Get in the car! But act natural!" Gabriel stage whispered. Dean slid in the front seat and River slid in the backseat next to the Angel.
She immediately started slapping him, "You asshole! I thought you were dead!" She slapped him once more on the arm, "Kali stabbed you with the Angel blade. How are you alive?"
"Love you too, Sugar Cookie." Gabriel told her. "That wasn't my real Angel blade. That thing could kill me! I made the dupe out of that can of Tab I've been making you carry around." He waggled his eyebrows at her. "So, can one of you two crazy kids get in there and get our blood? I heard you in there. Kali likes you Dean, you can get close. You get the RBCs and we get the hell outta here. You two can finish making up."
River rolled her eyes and met Dean's angry ones. "No, how about you give us the real Angel blade or better yet sack up and help us take down Lucifer?" he told the Archangel.
"What? You can't be serious?" Gabriel said sitting forward and glancing incredulously between the hunters.
"I am deadly serious," Dean countered.
Gabriel shook his head, his blonde hair falling over his eyes, "You're gonna side with a bunch of monsters? That's all they are to you, right?"
"There more than that to you though, aren't they? Those murdering douchebags are your family, Gabriel. And even though they just stabbed you in the heart you aren't gonna let them die."
"Those lemmings in there want to run off this cliff I'm not going with them and you don't have to either." Gabriel said stubbornly.
"Your brother is gonna come here, slaughter all of us, make Sam into a meat puppet and then burn the world, Gabriel. We need your help," River said quietly.
"I can't kill my brother, Lemon Drop."
"Can't or won't," Dean asked him. The Archangel looked away, his whiskey colored eyes shining in the dim moon light. "That's what I thought." Dean said harshly climbing out of the Impala. River sighed in defeat and followed Dean out of the car.
"Sugar Cookie, can you at least get my bag?" Gabriel said grabbing her arm before she shut the door to the car. She nodded with out turning around and met Dean in the hotel lobby.
Mercury was back at his post at the front desk, his features drawn and worried. Odin and Baron Samedi were sitting at the bar drinking and talking quietly. "I'm gonna go get my bag. You should go warn Kali before they do anything stupid…stupider." River murmured.
Dean nodded, "Be careful. I think we spoiled their dinner." He looked at the gods sitting on the tall barstools. River gave his hand a quick squeeze and headed back down the long hallway towards their room. Dean walked into the dining room where Kali, Baldur and Sam were discussing how to summon Lucifer. "Shows over folks," he said loudly.
Kali turned her dark eyes towards the hunter, "Excuse me?"
"Swords a fake. Gabriel's still alive. We don't have anything to fight Lucifer with so if you'd be a pal and give us our blood back?" Kali's dark features paled and she glanced worriedly at Baldur.
River entered the Winchesters room and grabbed Gabriels bag off the coffee table where she had left it. She then sat wearily down on the loveseat. Her emotions conflicted. She missed Dean but didn't want to spend what little time they might have left, if they didn't find a way to stop Lucifer and Michael, vacillating between arguing and screwing. Neither one of them were in a position to dream about happy endings and the more energy they wasted being mad at or avoiding each other was energy not spent trying to stop the Apocalypse. Sounds of a struggle emanated from the hallway and derailed her train of thought. She cautiously crept back down the hallway towards the main lobby, the grunting and painful wheezing sounds growing louder. She turned the corner in time to see Baron Samedi and Ganesh disappear in a cloud of dark red blood. Odin was standing toe to toe with a young blonde man, his face the grayish color of dead flesh, open weeping sores scattered across the brow and down one side of his face. Odin held his shield and swung a huge sword at the figure. The man flicked his arm and Odin flew across the room, landing at Rivers feet. "Run fagr dóttir!" the Viking grunted as he pulled himself to his feet. He turned to face the pale man, "Fight me Angel!" The man smiled and snapped his fingers. Odin exploded in a spray of blood and tissue splattering River's face and clothes.
Being a hunter she had been afraid before, afraid that some monster was going to rip her to shreds, afraid of losing the ones she loved but true primal fear was a completely new and unwelcome sensation. It rooted her to the floor as she stood in the presence of the Devil himself. She felt warm tears fall from her eyes, her chest burned as she fought to take a shuddering breath. Lucifer's magnificent crimson wings stretched out behind him. His grace, the color of blood drenched rubies, emanated from the decaying skin of his vessel and sent chills up her spine. He radiated more power and malice than she had ever wanted to be subject to. Mercury stood up from behind the lobby desk, "My lord…I did not want this. I don't want anyone else to die. Please."
"What you want, Pagan, is none of my concern." With another snap of his fingers he destroyed the messenger god. Lucifer's wings rippled then snapped close to his body. He rolled his head on his neck smiling at the popping sounds. "Well then…Why hello there, mortal." The Morningstar strode towards her, stepping in the puddle of gore that used to be the One-Eyed Wanderer. "Where did you get this?" he asked quietly. His cold fingers brushing along the lollipop charm on River's neck. She managed a quick shake of her head; a defiant 'no' in the face of Satan. He sneered before violently wrapping one freezing hand around her throat, his fingers burning painfully into her skin. "Let's go finish this shall we?" Lucifer turned and walked towards the adjacent hallway that led to the dining roof; dragging River by the throat the entire way, Gabriels bag slipping off her shoulder as she fought uselessly against the Archangels grip on her throat. Her boots dragging through the bloody pools that used to be gods, leaving a trail of red on the once pristine stone tiles. Her throat burned as she tried to pull in desperate mouthfuls of air. Every time she tried to draw in a breath Lucifers grip tightened like a snake suffocating its prey. They reached the closed door to the dining room and Lucifer waived it open with a disinterested flick of his wrist.
"It's him," Sam croaked. Lucifer released his grip on her throat and River fell to the floor sucking in a choked breath.
"How?" Dean demanded.
"Mercury tried playing both sides. Pagans…worse than humans when it comes to screwing each other over," Lucifer laughed, "Sam its so nice to see you again. And Dean, I thought you'd be taller," he smiled silkily. River scrambled away from him still gasping for air as Baldur stepped forward.
"Baldur, don't!" Kali warned.
The God of the Summer sun held up one hand to silence her. "Lucifer. You think you own this planet? What gives you the right!" he yelled charging towards the Archangel. Lucifer smiled again as he shoved his pale hand through Baldur's chest. The god spat up a mouthful of blood onto Lucifer's pale face.
"No one gives us the right," he said turning his cold eyes to Baldur. "We take it." The god gasped like a fish out water, blood dripping out of his quivering lips and out of the gaping hole where his rib cage used to be. Lucifer pulled his arm out of Baldur's chest with a sickening 'squelch' and dropped his body. Kali screamed something in Hindi before she erupted into flames. The flames surrounded her, were part of her, they burned high and blisteringly hot as she stepped towards Lucifer. Sam and Dean dove behind the former desert table and almost landed on River and Gabriel.
"What are we gonna do, Gabe?" River demanded hoarsely her throat covered in dark purple and blue welts from Lucifer's hand.
Gabriel had the corner of his huge bag of peanut MM's in his mouth and was trying to rip it open with his teeth. "Mmm-workin' on it, Tootsie Pop," he grunted finally tearing into the bag, brightly colored candy flying everywhere.
"I hope you got a plan 'cause your ex sounds likes she gettin her ass handed to her," Dean quipped as a loud crash shook the room followed by another of Kali's angry screams.
Gabriel dug around in the bag of candy, his arm disappearing up to his shoulder, "Son of-where the hell is it…." He pulled his arm out after a moment of searching and held a DVD case, "Guard this with your life, Charleston Chew." He pushed the DVD into Sam's bewildered face.
The hunter took a glance at the cover and rolled his eyes angrily before tucking "Casa Erotica 13" into his jacket. "You have got to be kidding me." Sam grumbled.
Gabriels arm once again disappeared into the bag of candy. "Gabriel you need to get them the fuck out of here post-haste. Quit dicking around." River hissed at him. "What the fuck are you doing?"
"Being a big damn hero, Sugar Cookie," He said triumphantly finally pulling his true Angel Blade from the bottom of the bag of MM's. He pulled River into a tight hug and kissed her cheek, "You really were my favorite, Lemon Drop."
"Jellybean, don't you-" Gabriel snapped his fingers and River disappeared.
"Where did you send her!" Dean yelled.
"Far away from here, Pop Rocks. Kali has your blood. You get her out of here!" Gabriel told him. He took a deep breath and gave the brothers a half hearted smiled, "Better late than never. Cover your ears." The Archangel stood up and yelled in his true voice, "LUCIFER!"
Satan stopped his assault on Kali, who was on her knees her fire dimming and her face bloodied, and looked at his baby brother with wide eyes. "Gabriel, I knew it was you. I could sense your grace on that human."
River found her self in a dark parking lot outside a large factory. She screamed in rage and fear into the cold, dark sky. "Gabriel, you son of a bitch!" her voice cracked painfully. The tender flesh on her throat still burned from Lucifer's freezing touch. She screamed until her voice faded into a hoarse whisper. She wondered around the dark lot trying to figure out where the hell Gabriel had sent her. When she found the giant sculpture of a spilled ice cream pint and two cows she fell to her knees caught between laughing and crying. If anyone would have walked by at that exact moment she knew she probably looked insane, her hair a sweaty, frizzy mess of wavy curls, her face and clothes covered in someone else's blood and the purple bruises around her throat standing out in grotesque contrast to the rest of her pale skin. She stayed there in front of the ridiculous statues like some zealot waiting for a sign. The sign came a few moments before dawn when the lollipop charm around her neck popped like a fire cracker singeing her dirty shirt. The necklace fell to the ground and ignited in a bright orange light. When the light faded all that was left was a single feather, almost as long as her forearm and a dizzying array of all the colors you would find in a sunset. River picked up the feather with trembling fingers, uncontrollable sobs broke from her sore throat and she held the feather to her chest.
Gabriels sacrifice allowed Dean, Sam and Kali to escape Lucifer's clutches. Kali destroyed the vials of their blood as they jumped into the Impala. The goddess disappeared from the backseat with out a word once the lights of The Elysian Fields hotel faded in the rearview mirror. Dean pushed the Impala as fast as she could go for as long as he could. The gas gauge finally warning him he had to feed his Baby. The sun had risen when Dean pulled off the highway into a busy truck stop. The brothers sat silently in the car for several minutes still processing the last few hours. "What do you think is so important about the movie?" Dean finally asked.
Sam shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know. I guess…we can see if there's anything on it. I'll grab my laptop while you fill up." Dean nodded and exited the car. After fueling up his car Dean drove to a secluded area of the truck stop while Sam started the DVD. It first appeared to be "Casa Erotica 13" complete with cheesy porno keyboard intro music and a horrible opening scene. Until the brothers recognized Gabriel wearing a Ron Jeremy-esque stick on mustache. "I am not watching him plow those chicks," Dean muttered disgustedly as the Archangel sauntered onto the set.
"Hey boys, if you're watching this I'm dead," Gabriel suddenly said staring directly into the camera. Sam slapped his brothers arm and they watched in disbelief. "You're welcome by the way. I no doubt died heroically pulling your lanky asses out of the proverbial fire. And Lemon Drop, you're probably with these two losers, you're stronger than you think and these two gobstoppers need you." Gabriel pulled off the mustache and smiled widely. "I'm gonna lay some knowledge on you now so take notes. Without me you are up the feces filled creek and there ain't no paddle. Your best bet now is to put Lucy back on time out. How? Well, you geniuses have already collected a couple rings from the legion of doom so go get the rest. All four rings together make up the lock to Lucifers cage. It's up to you to figure out how to get him back into said cage but with the rings you can make sure that bag of dicks stays there. Now, if you'll excuse me I have some kielbasa to deliver." Sam turned the computer off before Gabriel delivered that as aforementioned polish sausage to the busty blonde waiting on the heart shaped bed in the background.
Dean let out a long whistle. "Hell of a Plan C don't you think?"
"What?" Sam asked.
"If Cas can't deliver on God or the Colt. Those last two sons of bitches have to show them selves eventually right?" Dean answered.
"You think God's really out there? Or the Colt?"
Dean shrugged his shoulders, "I gotta have faith in something. I'm gonna call Riv, try and find out where Gabriel shazamed her to."
Sam let out a deep breath being that close to Lucifer had terrified him. More than he would ever let his brother know. The way Lucifers eyes had bore into him, memorizing every cell of his being. The closest he had ever been to the Devil was when the Archangel invaded his dreams and those had left him feeling violated and hopeless.
Dean cursed under his breath as River's phone went to voicemail. He hung up and tried again and again and again. She finally answered on his fourth attempt. "Dean?" Her voice hoarse and barely above a whisper.
"Yeah princess, it's me. Where are you?"
She hesitated, watching as a group of fanny pack wearing tourists walked past her. She had found a water fountain and scrubbed most of Odin's blood from her face and arms. There was nothing she could do about the bruises on her neck except try and strategically arrange her long hair. "Waterbury, Vermont," she finally said.
"Vermont? What the hell is in Vermont?" Dean asked annoyed at Gabriel and his bullshit even after death.
River laughed hollowly, "The Ben and Jerry factory. I'm gonna take down the Ver-monster when the scoop shop opens."
"Fine, kill some time. We'll be there tonight to pick you up," Dean said.
"No," she answered. "I can't…." another sob threatened to break her recently gained composure. "He's dead, Dean."
Dean squeezed his eyes shut, "I know sweetheart. I know. We got a plan. We can do this."
"No," she shook her head and wiped her free hand quickly across her face at the treasonous tears that were causing her emotional grip to slip back into despair. "We can't win, Dean. He's too strong. I saw him, I felt him."
"I need you to be strong. We're coming to get you."
"I won't be here. Don't waste the gas," she took another deep breath, "I just need some time, please. I can't do this right now…."
"River, baby, please," his voice broke. He slammed his free hand on the steering wheel.
"I'm gonna lose my place in line… I just need some time."
"We don't have time. If he catches us again, its over….River?" His voice echoed over dead air.