A/N: Thanks so much to Ginnylove9990 for reading all my OLD fics. Hope you enjoy this one as much when you catch up! Here's another chapter. I'm grateful for the supporters I still have who are reading this. One more chapter to go, but since I'm working Christmas Eve, and Day and trying to find time for a party between shifts, then pulling a double shift the day after that, I have no idea when it will go up. Then I think I'm back to an occasional one shot. Call me a glory hound, a bitch, or whatever you like, but this hasn't gotten enough response to warrant the hard work that goes into writing a sequel or even another long story. I don't get why people can't take the time to leave a review for hard work but one shots and drabbles go through the roof.
Rant over. If you got past that and you wanna keep reading then enjoy. If not, there's a little button that says CLOSE in one form or another. click away.
CHAPTER 4
August 4, 1997
A rumble sounded out in the distance as the fluttering tendrils of the Weeping Willow caught Lili's attention outside the small kitchen window. She put down the tome she was studying and stood from the worn rocker, her foot tingling from where she'd had it tucked beneath her. She went to the window and looked out, seeing the darkening sky. A chill crawled its way up the back of her neck and she tucked her hand beneath her long dark hair, rubbing away the prickling feeling of distress. She stretched up on her toes to look out the dirt trail that led to the secluded cabin she and her father had called home since he adopted her. It was still hard to believe her mother had been gone now for just over seven years. She heard another rumble of thunder and watched as the wind blew through the lacy fronds of the gnarled tree. She went to the fireplace, stirring the glowing embers with the wrought iron poker that her father had forged. She saw the flames begin to blossom, the heat seeping into the metal and making the engravings in the metal glow. Thunder cracked and startled her from her musings. Quickly hanging the still glowing poker on it's stand and safely off the wood floor, she stood.
The sound died down and she heard another rumble take it's place, the sound of her father's twenty odd year old truck. She smiled, finally seeing the black and gray vehicle round the bend in the trail and approach the house, pulling close to the front door. Lili went to the door and opened it, smiling at her adoptive father as he stepped from the truck, waving a work worn hand at her. He reached into the back of his truck and pulled out several bags of supplies, walking towards the house. She held the door wide open and watched her father put them down on the threshold. Sliding them inside the door for her, he turned. "Got some more to grab, baby girl. Can ya put them away?"
"Of course." The teenager said, picking up the bag nearest her feet. She sat it on the counter and turned for the other one to see Nolan step inside, shoving the remaining bag out of his way with the toe of his boot. He glared at her and kicked again, scattering the already broken line of salt further across the room. His eyes bled black and he smirked.
"Been lookin' for you for a long time…" The demon drawled in her father's voice.
"NO!" Lili cried, backing away until the small of her back smacked up against the butcher block counter top. She reached behind her blindly, taking hold of the canister of salt. She cast it at her father, distracting him long enough to go to the corner cabinet where the holy water was kept. She grabbed the gallon jug and twisted the cap off, flinging the contents of the canister. Her father shrieked and staggered under the onslaught of holy water, his flesh steaming. Lili shot past him, headed for the living room, where she could better fight the demon inside her father. He snarled and grabbed her arm, spinning her back towards him to catch her roughly by her arms, shaking her.
"No, ya don't. You're mine now."
"Fight it Father! PLEASE!" Lili screamed, crying out as the demon painfully wrenched her shoulder. She forced herself to breathe, calming down enough to begin uttering the first words of an exorcism. The demon in her father hissed, giving up too quickly as the blend of ancient Latin and powerful Romani chant worked to free her father of the demon's grasp. It weakened the demon enough that his grip faltered, and Lili pulled free, grabbing the poker from the fireplace rack. The warm metal made contact with Nolan's arm as he grabbed for her again, searing the symbol into his flesh. His head tipped back and black smoke poured out of his mouth. He released her arm and fell to his knees, gasping for breath as the smoke tapered off, streaming into the fireplace and up the flue. Nolan fell forward, weakly coughing as he caught himself on his hands. Lightening wildly flashed across the sky and she flinched at the crack of thunder. He finally looked at her, remorse shining in his eyes.
"Bobby!" Dean cried, hearing a loud crash from inside the church. The older hunter turned the corner quickly and they rushed inside, finding ropes dangling, Sam gone and Lili, unconscious, crumpled against the base of the wall opposite the altar. Dean went to Lili while Bobby lifted his gun and scanned the church and the anterooms, finding no sign of Sam. Dean glanced his way and Bobby shook his head, telling Dean that Sam was gone.
Dean crouched in front of Lili, lifting her lolling head. He tucked his fingers under the angle of her jaw, her earring cool against his palm. "Lili, hey. Come on girl, wake up." He tapped her cheek with a finger. "Lil."
"Mnnh…" Her brow wrinkled and eyelashes fluttered. Dean tipped her head back, tucking his other hand behind the crown of wayward dark waves. He straightened out her long neck, relieving the awkward position.
"C'mon, Lil."
Her eyes opened wide and she jumped, snapping as she fought the memories of both long ago and of Sam's attack. She felt Dean's hands on her and reacted, lashing out as a cry was wrenched from her. Dean caught a small fist to the temple, stunning him momentarily, until his vision cleared and he clamped down on her arms, trapping them between her body and his own as he hauled her close. "Hey, hey, hey! Stop, Lili. Stop it!" he called out, breaking through her wild eyed terror. When the fight left her, he held her at arms length,
"Hey, where's Sam?"
"Dean…Unh…he flaked on me." Lili's head rolled against Dean's hand and she moaned again, nose wrinkling as her eyes scrunched against the pain in her head. She lifted a hand to the knot on the back of her head and Dean dropped his to rest on her knee. "The wraith broke in. Smashed m'head into the wall." Her lips pursed, until she sighed and her boots slid across the smooth floor with a squeak, legs falling askew beside Dean.
"Bobby, stay here. Keep an eye on her. I'm goin' after Sammy." Dean stood, after squeezing Lili's knee and turned, heading for the door.
"Dean." Lili said, lifting her head as her hand dropped to toy with her bracelet. The silver discs jangled in the sudden heavy silence. "Be careful. It's got him. He's turned." Dean nodded and left.
Bobby helped Lili to her feet, steadying her until she moved away. "We need to help Dean. If the wraith gets a hold of Sam, we'll lose them both."
"Can we save Sam?"
"It's not too late. We have to get them away from the wraith and back here. The banishing must be done here, it's the only place we can be sure we can defend."
"Alright. Followin' your lead here, Lili."
Lili grabbed the spotlight, while Bobby picked up the shotgun and readied his own light. Together they left the church and headed out into the graveyard, searching for signs of the wraith, of Dean and Sam. All was silent except for their footfalls and their breathing, fog thickening around their ankles seemingly trying to trip them up and slow their progress through the old cemetery.
Dean heard a snakelike hiss permeating the fog ahead of him and stopped, going completely silent and not even daring to breathe. His heart skipped a beat when he heard a pained whimper that was purely Sam. His hand slipped beneath his jacket and gripped the handle of the colt, fingertips only inches from the demon killing blade. A half dozen scenarios played through his mind as he wondered which weapon would allow him to save his brother, if he could get close enough to get to Sam and not risk himself as Lili feared, and what the hell the thing was doing to his baby brother.
Dean eased his head around the corner, just seeing Sam and the wraith out of one eye, careful not to draw the thing's attention. It loomed over Sam, who was laying on the brown grass, curled nearly in a fetal position. The fog snaked around him, twisting its way over his arms and legs as if it were tying him to the ground. He writhed as the black figure held out a translucent, bony hand, long blackened fingernails looking like claws. The tendrils of fog tightened over Sam, flipping him forcefully onto his back. The mist coiled over his chest and up his shoulders to his neck. It twisted around his throat, squeezing until Sam gasped for air before it plunged into his mouth and down his throat. The black masses beneath his skin surged toward the bands of vapor coalescing beneath them. Sam's cry cut the night as the darkness beneath his skin seemed to swell and spill into the surrounding tissues, taking over healthy tan and twisting it.
"SAM!" Dean cried, rushing from his hiding place in the shadows. He fired the Colt, watching as the wraith seemed to scream, a silent cry of rage and pain. Sam's cry gave voice to the wraith. Blood welled from his lips, and trickled from his nose, laced with black parasitic strings as he fell to his knees and slumped back. Dean trained the gun on the vicinity of the wraith's eyes and his finger tightened on the trigger.
"Dean!" Lili called. " Don't shoot it again! You'll kill your brother!"
Startled by her revelation, Dean nearly dropped the gun. The wraith took off, quickly disappearing into the night. Sam lay still on the brown grass, his shoulder laying against a low headstone, a smear of blood decorating the pale gray concrete slab. His chest heaved, harsh breathing the only sound in the sudden silence of the graveyard. Lili and Bobby stumbled to a stop next to Dean. The gypsy crouched next to Sam, touching his arm, which was swathed in the dark shadow steadily devouring his tan skin. It seemed to shy away from her touch, the flesh beneath her fingers fading from onyx to gray.
"He's weak. The wraith nearly claimed him for itself. We still have time, but we have to work fast."
"Is he gonna survive this?"
Lili looked up at Bobby, easily reading the fear for the boy he loved like a son painted across his face like graffiti. "Honestly?" Her accent came through clearly, suddenly making her sound tired.
"Hell yes." Dean said.
"If we can keep him breathing until sunrise, he might stand a chance."
"So what the hell we waitin' for? Let's get 'im back to the church." Bobby said, adjusting his trucker's cap to sit more firmly on his head.
Dean moved to stand over Lili as she looked up at him, worry marring her olive features. He looked at Sam's pale face, determined to do anything necessary to save his little brother. He stepped around Lili to Move to Sam's head, easing his head and shoulders away from the tombstone and into his own arms. Bobby quickly moved to Sam's legs and gripped the young hunter behind his knees, lifting as Dean did. Dean stood, bowed slightly under his little brother's weight. Lili gathered the weapons and everything else and covered the men as they made their way back to the church.
Inside the door Lili quickly laid lines of mugwort and salt, chanting in a low voice, her violet eyes catching the glint of moonlight through the open door. The air became heavy with an electric charge and seemed to pulse, creating an area inside the door resembling a force field. The tombstones in the distance appeared to undulate as if looked at through waves of heat.
Dean and Bobby laid Sam down on the altar, arranging him so he could be tied down once again. They made short work of tying him up again.
"If we gotta torture the boy then let's get it the hell over with." Bobby growled, his hand comforting on Sam's too still shoulder.
Lili went back to work with the herbs and ash, finishing off the contents of the bowl and moving to stand over Sam. Lili parted Sam's ruined shirt again and touched up the sigils on his chest, making sure none of the lines were broken. She placed the bowl on the center of Sam's chest and moved her hand over it, beginning to chant in a low, musical voice. A breeze blew through the church, blowing a lock of hair across Lili's mouth, trying to disrupt her. She never faltered as she pushed the hair away. Dean braced himself, shielding Sam and lifting the shotgun. He covered the doors and windows. Bobby moved closer to Lili to offer some protection.
A reedy hiss echoed through the room as the wind surged, making Dean's eyes water. He ducked his head, safeguarding his eyes and his aim.
"The wraith is here!" Lili cried, voice nearly drowned out by the wind. Dean braced himself for war.
Lili pulled the amethyst knife up and continued to chant. Dean watched as black shadows swarmed the door, making the "force field" flex and bow. Lili finished the chant and brought the amethyst blade down hard, slamming it one handed down into the center of the bottom of the bowl. At the same time the bowl shattered, blood welled, and the gray ooze leaked over Sam's chest she threw her jade knife at the doors of the church. The air inside the doorway shimmered and popped like stretched saran wrap. Black shadows poured into the room. "NOW!" Lili cried above the noise of rushing wind and serpentine screech. Bobby stepped forward and flicked a brass Zippo lighter to life, touching the flickering flame to the paste. It caught, fire spreading over Sam's bare chest and surrounding the knife. Sam's eyes flew open and his back arched, a cry choked off in his throat. The shadows swirled and the room filled with a scream, a banshee like wail, echoed by Sam's anguished cry.
Thanks for reading if you did. Last chapter when I can. Do I have to beg for a review?