Sam tried to ignore the warm rush of blood as it flowed from the slit he had made in his arm. He concentrated on the symbols he was drawing instead, working to make them as perfect as possible. Symbol after symbol appeared crimson red on the gritty pavement as Bobby stood beside him silently reading through John's journal entry.

"It should work, right?" Sam questioned.

Bobby sighed. Truthfully? This whole situation was messed up and insane, and there was no way that he should even agree to let Sam try the ritual that was needed to summon Ruby from wherever the hell she had been sent. Truthfully? They should find another way to get Dean back than flirting with death themselves. Truthfully? He wanted to knock Sam out, throw him into the Impala, and…do what? There really was no other option. That in itself was the sad truth.

Sam looked up impatiently, still waiting for Bobby's response. "Bobby? Will it work?"

Bobby paused, but in the end he knew what his answer would be. "Yes. It'll work."

"Good." Sam said, turning back to his work to complete the last few symbols.

"But it's risky. The chances of us summoning only Ruby are slim to none, some other demons are bound to slip through."

"Well, we still have the knife, so we can send them right back if we have to…besides, it can't be nearly as bad as when we opened the Devil's Gate last year."

"Yeah…" Bobby admitted reluctantly. "But I still don't like this."

Sam nodded. "I know…I don't either. But we don't have a choice." He finished the last symbol and then sat back to analyze his work. "Is it right?"

Bobby looked down at what Sam had drawn. "Yes it is." He said simply.

"Good." Sam said, standing up. "Let's do this."

Bobby nodded and handed Sam the book. Sam paused for only a second and then turned to his friend. "Have you…ever actually tried this particular summoning ritual before?"

"Nope."

"Me either." Sam admitted.

"Well…" Bobby said, "I'm glad we can share in this joyous experience."

Sam smiled slightly, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Yeah…you ready?"

Bobby nodded, tightening his grip on the knife in his hands.

Sam turned back around and began to read the Latin words printed on the page. He started off softly but as he continued reading his voice got louder and more confident until he reached the end and—

Nothing happened.

Sam snapped the journal shut softly, looking around guardedly for any movement. "Well…that was anti-climactic…"

"Wait for it…" Bobby whispered.

They stood perfectly still, barely daring to breathe, waiting as the seconds ticked by…

Suddenly, the ground started trembling beneath their feet, causing little pebbles to slide across the road. As more time went by the motion became more violent, making it hard to remain standing.

"Something—tells me—that this—was a really bad—idea." Bobby shouted over the rumbling noise as he and Sam fought to remain standing.

Sam kept his eyes locked on the circle of symbols and watched as they started glowing red. "The circle! Bobby, watch the circle!"

All of the sudden, the shaking stopped abruptly and the symbols faded back to their usual state.

"That can't be good—"

Flames suddenly broke through the circle, shooting straight up hundreds of feet into the sky.

Bobby and Sam jumped back and stared as the flames twisted and churned, reaching miles up into the clouds above.

The ground began pulsating angrily, throwing Sam and Bobby like rag dolls to the pavement where they remained, helplessly peering up at the flames. Then, in a moment, the flaming pillar shot back down into the hole and vanished completely, leaving a dense cloud of ash and smoke in its wake.

Coughing heavily, Sam and Bobby slowly climbed to their feet.

"D-did—it w-work—" Sam coughed, trying to peer through the ash and make some sense out of what had happened.

"Why, hello boys." A voice said in a falsely cheery tone, "Miss me already?"

Sam peered through the smoke. "W-whose there?"

"You know, I always thought you were stupid, Sam, but the stunt you just pulled takes the freakin' cake."

"Ruby?" Sam asked, still unable to see anything.

"Do you have any idea how dangerous that little ritual is? Hmm? Honestly, do you even think? Ever?"

"Yep, it's Ruby." Bobby confirmed.

"Yeah, and you're lucky it's just me and not a hundred other blood thirsty demons." Ruby ranted, "You know what, Sam? Do me a favor, and the next time you think you have a brilliant idea, just go shoot yourself in the head cause that's about how great the idea's gonna turn out."

"A simple 'thank you' would have sufficed…" Sam muttered.

"I don't have to thank you!" Ruby spat, "You left me in that damn trap back at the house, completely vulnerable to—"

"Alright, that's enough!" Bobby shouted. "Listen, sweetheart, we don't have time for your damn sarcastic wit right now, alright? Save it for someone who cares."

Ruby stopped, and even though Sam couldn't see her yet through the smoke, he could picture the look on her face at that moment, glaring eyes, mouth hanging open in shock and anger. Oh, it was good.

"Fine then." Ruby said dangerously after a long pause, "I'll just leave."

"Wait…please." Sam said quickly. "I—I need your help."

"Damn right you do." Ruby said simply. "I've known that all along, Sam…I've only been waiting forever for you to actually get that into your thick head."

"Yeah…well…you're not exactly the easiest person to trust."

"Yeah…well…get over it." Ruby spat mockingly. "It's not like you trust very many people, anyway. Face it, Sam, besides Dean, Bobby, and a few other losers that you know I'm the closest thing to a friend you've got."

Sam shook his head, exasperated, and peered through the smoke. The smoke had mostly cleared, and he could faintly make out her shape. She had gone back into her old body, which was slightly battered and bruised but apparently still in working condition. "How did you—"

"How did I what?" she interrupted, "Get back into my usual body and come over here before you two idiots were even standing?"

"Do you ever just shut-up?" Bobby groaned.

Ruby shot him another death glare.

Sam sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "Can we all just stop fighting for a moment?" he said, annoyed. When no one responded he turned back to Ruby, "Look, are you gonna help us or not? Cause if you're just here to chat you're wasting my time."

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Let me guess, you want me to help you use your powers."

"Yes."

She sighed. "I don't know why I should bother...you don't listen to me half the time anyway."

"Well, I'm listening now." Sam said, stepping toward her. "Please…help me get my brother back."

She looked up at his desperate face and shrugged. "What the hell, I'm always up for a challenge."

"And no tricks, either…" Bobby said accusingly.

"Hey, I'm a girl of my word!" Ruby replied angrily. "I never lied to Sam—"

"Guys!" Sam yelled loudly. "Damn it, how many times do I have to say it? We don't have time for this! Just…just get along! I'm not asking you to be best friends, but just tolerate each other, alright?"

Bobby paused for a moment, glaring at her. "Fine." He growled.

"Fine." She quipped, crossing her arms.

"Good." Sam said. "Now Ruby, how do I do this?"

She turned slightly and stared him in the eyes. "How far are you willing to go?"

Sam didn't even flinch, and matched her stare with equal intensity. "As far as it takes to get Dean back."

"Now Sam—" Bobby protested.

"Not now, Bobby." Sam said, "Please…I have to do this."

Bobby ground his teeth together but remained quiet.

"Good." Ruby said. "That's what I needed to hear." She looked over at Bobby. "Go away."

"What? I'm not leaving—"

"Then I'm not helping." She said firmly. "You'll just keep interrupting me and I don't need any interruptions. Get in the Impala and drive somewhere miles away and park it alongside the road. Sam will call you when we're done."

Sam looked up at Bobby and gave him a small smile. "Go ahead…I'll be fine."

"I don't like this." Bobby muttered, but took the keys from Sam. "Call me the second something goes wrong."

"Nothing's going to go wrong." Sam said reassuringly. "I'll call you soon."

Bobby sighed and got into the Impala. He drove away.

Sam watched as the car disappeared into the distance and then looked back at Ruby. "What do I have to do?"

Ruby shrugged slightly. "You already have the basic idea...how have you used your powers before?"

Sam thought for a moment. "Well…the visions—"

"Forget about the visions Sammy boy, we've moved on to bigger and better things." Ruby interrupted briskly, "Visions are child's play…how else have you used your powers?"

Sam bit his lip. "When Dean was in trouble—"

"Bingo." She said simply, looking up at him. "When Dean was in trouble…that's the answer I wanted."

"How does that help us? Other people I've cared about have been in trouble, and I never pulled some amazing feat and saved them."

"Who's your best friend, Sam?" She questioned.

Sam looked away. "Dean."

"Who's looked after you for as long as you can remember?"

"Dean."

"Who would do anything for you?"

Sam sighed. "Dean." He admitted, realizing what she was getting at, "But Jess died in front of me and—"

"Who's your best friend, Sam? Really? Your brother or Jess?"

Sam ran a hand over his face. "Dean."

"Yeah." She said. "Dean. Your brother. Your best friend. Your greatest weakness. The person that can be a total dick but still somehow make you laugh seconds later…the person that you have 

looked up to your entire life…the only person that knows you just as well as you know him: inside and out. You boys are ridiculously inseparable, and if I didn't know better I'd say you were two halves of the same freakin' soul. So don't even bring Jess into this. Sure, you loved her, but she never held a candle to the relationship between you and your brother. You two care about each other so much it actually makes me sick."

Sam let out a little smile. "Glad to hear it…"

"Shut-up." Ruby snipped. "I'm not done."

"Course not…"

"Dean's in Hell, Sam."

Her words felt like a punch to the stomach. "Yeah." He whispered.

"Dean. Is. In. Hell." She repeated, punctuating every word.

"I know." Sam ground out.

"Do you, Sam? Do you really know?"

"Yes! Of course I do!" Sam snapped.

"No, I don't think you do. I think you've blocked the entire concept from your mind because you just can't handle the thought of Dean suffering in Hell. Do you know what happens in Hell, Sammy?"

"Don't call me that."

Ruby ignored him. "Everything you've heard about the horrors of Hell from story books and movies? That's nothing, Sam. Nothing."

"Stop it!"

"I can't even begin to describe the terror and utter despair in hell. Descriptions can't begin to do the horror down there justice."

"Ruby…stop." Sam moaned.

"I want you to do something for me, Sam. Imagine eternity. Really think about it. Eternity. Forever. Never ending."

Sam looked up at her. "Why?"

"Now imagine Hell. Oh wait, you can't, you've never actually been there, have you? Well guess what, I have, Sam…I know what it's like. So take what you think Hell is and then imagine that a billion or so times worse. Are you with me so far?"

"Ruby—"

"Now put it all together and imagine Dean being in Hell, forever, experiencing mental and physical torment that never ends and only gets worse with every passing day. In Hell, every second of agony feels like a hundred-thousand years, and right now Dean is experiencing pain beyond anything he's ever felt before, and he's screaming and screaming for it to stop—but it won't. It'll keep right on slicing straight into his soul until he doesn't even know who or what he is anymore."

"Shut-up!" Sam yelled.

"Dean's in Hell, Sam. He's suffering in Hell right now, and if you listen closely I'll bet you can hear him shrieking in agony—"

"Ruby, please!"

"Because of you."

Sam was sobbing by this point. "Noo…"

"Yes, Sam! Because of you! Because you're weak and pathetic! Dean's always protected you, but the second the tables were turned you failed! You didn't save him, and he's in Hell because of you!"

"NO!"

"Yes!" she shouted back, laughing, "And you're worried about saving him before the week's up? He's already been there for hours Sam, and in Hell that's like a hundred lifetimes! The chances of there being anything left of the Dean you knew and loved—"

"Stop it!!"

"—to save is slim to none!"

"SHUT THE HELL UP!!" Sam shrieked, his face a twisted mask of anger and grief. He took a step forward to shove Ruby but before he could touch her a splitting pain erupted in his head and she went flying backwards into a tree.

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