Chapt. 4-"Without Sin"
Disclaimer: Don't own 'em, just love 'em. Wish ta 'ell I worked for Kripke.
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Dean stared at his little brother and wash of helplessness, the same he had the day Sammy died in his arms, overcame him. Softly he spoke of his fear as his emotion horsely choked his voice, "This plan... If she kills you first... then we're both screwed..."
"Then I can't let her," Sam flatly answered. "That's why I'll need to turn before I face her; and you can't be anywhere near me when I do."
"Wha...What why?" Dean yelled.
Sam's voice answered quietly, "You know that chick Ava, from Peoria? We thought a demon broke into her place and killed her fiancé and took her away remember?"
"Yeah, there wasn't much left of him." Dean said as he grimly recalled the scene.
"Well, she turned, Dean." Sam stated, "She was one of the group, along with me, that the Yellow Eyed demon brought together at that ghost town. I don't think it was a random demon that killed him when she disappeared." Sam paused "I think Ava did it herself. I think Ava killed her own fiancé when she turned Dean. And I don't want you or Bobby anywhere near me when my powers kick in, cause I don't know if... if I'll even recognize you ...or if... I'll seek you out as my first act of murder on this earth once I go demon." Sam fought back fresh tears his jaw clenching and unclenching on the last words.
Staring back at him Dean saw fear so raw on Sammy's face that it looked as if it would break his baby brother just in telling him of it.
Dean instinctively tried to diffuse the tension, "Nah, ya wouldn't Sammy," he smirked.
"We just don't know fer sure..." Sam pleaded.
"We know you hate Lilith, and she wants me back in Hell bad. If you killed me you'd be doin' the Bitch a favor and a good demon general wouldn't be doin his arch rival any favors." Dean said with more confidence in his voice than he felt.
Sam blinked back his tears in surprise, Dean was right; he felt it. He wouldn't be doing any favors for Lilith including handing Dean's soul over to her by killing him himself.
"I still don't trust that I'd be safe to be around, not for you or Bobby" Sam said. But he didn't feel as hopeless now.
Dean nodded, started up the car and pulled back on the road, "So, Bobby and I lay low until the Bitch is dead."
"Yeah, I guess," Sam had surreal feelings about this as they headed up the highway. It actually went rather well. Huh.
Dean wiped the last tears out of his eyes and turning to his bother said, "You know Bobby's gonna pitch a fit when we tell him."
Sam was busy rubbing both his hands over his face, his eyes were still puffy and his cheeks still had traces of red blotches were the tears had kissed them on the way down. But his dimples began to show when he said with a weary sigh, "Yeah, I suspect he will."
As the Impala's familiar growl receded into the night both brothers silently thought about the same thing. How in the world were they going to break this plan to the man who was a father to them now? How in the Hell could they ask him to get behind what was tantamount to a suicide mission for the both of them?
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Dean was the first to be pulled from his thoughts when the gust of wind buffeted against the car. He gripped the wheel tighter to keep her in the lane.
The sudden swerve bought Sam out of his reverie and he shouted. "What was that!?"
"I dunno Sam, must be wind shear or somethin" Dean hissed through clenched teeth as he fought the shoves of the strong winds.
Sam scanned the horizon but the sky was clear like it had been all day, not a cloud in sight but the wind had suddenly kicked up.
PING! The first hailstone hit the hood leaving a dent. "SONOFABITCH!" shouted Dean as he looked at the ding in his Baby. PING...PANG...DIT..DIT.. The air was filled with golf ball sized hail bouncing off the road and the car-- and still the sky was clear.
To Dean it felt as if a giant invisible hand had grabbed her roof and was making the car zig and zag across the double line; he had all he could do to keep it from careening off the road. The highway they were on made a sharp turn and Sam was the first to see the cause. A twister! In the middle of a freaking clear sky!
Dean saw it now too but was too busy swerving around the debris in the road. Parts of cars and trees and houses littered the ground.
CRASH! A spray of shattered glass struck the back of their necks, Dean hit the brakes and Sam ducked down as the car swerved to a halt. The rear widow was gone and sitting in the back seat was a lawnmower! They barely had time to register the oddity when CRASH! The front windshield spider webbed from the impact of a huge chunk of ice. And then just like that it was over.
Dean and Sam got out of the car and looked at the near miss. The hood, the roof and trunk were dimpled with hits from the hail. The top of the roof was also badly dented at the back where the handle of the mower stuck out the rear window; the front window was covered in cracks and partially stove in at the center. Dean flung his arms wide and shouted "What the Hell Sam!"
But before Sam could respond with words to sooth his frantic brother they both suddenly became aware of the sounds of whimpering. It tore their eyes away from the Impala and spun them to face a tableau of human devastation. They were in the middle of a truck-stop, the diner they had been planning on stopping at was in ruins, cars and tanker trucks tipped over, bodies on the ground and then like a switch had been hit the screaming started.
Both men rushed to the scene moving among the dead to triage the wounded.
One mother covered in blood sobbed and clung to the limp body of her little girl. Dean gently approached them and crouched down. He reached his hands out. The frantic mother cried "Save her, save my baby!" The mother passed the little girl gently into Dean's arms and he thought, 'She weighs nothing' as he gathered the rag doll form to him.
He looked down at the small soft lashes of her closed eyes thinking, 'She could be just sleeping' but the loose limbs and stilled breath told him otherwise. He began mouth to mouth, while the mother kneeling beside him, rocked back and forth to her own keening sobs. Dean's mind strove to impart life ' Too young, too young to stop like this' Breath, push, push, push, he applied three soft compressions against the child's chest. Breath, push, push, push. Breath, push, push, push.
The little soft lashes fluttered. And the small face scrunched up in pain.
"WHAaaaaaah!" The child screamed as the pain wracked her body, she was hurt inside, hurt real bad. Dean hushed the child in soothing tones and smoothed her hair down the way he used to smooth Sammy's when he was panicked or hurt.
"SAMMY!" he shouted clutching the child. SAM! His brother suddenly appeared at his side and Dean urgently said, "Get me some water, now Sam!" Seconds later Sam passed him a looted bottle from the ruined diner and Dean tore off the cap stuck his finger in the top and shook the bottle in his hand, then he pulled his finger out and gently tipped a few drops in the open mouth of the crying child. At first only sputters were added to her wails then the urgency of her crying slowed and she opened her eyes making little 'Sup, sup' noises as her tears stopped.
Dean smiled down at her and said softly "Feeling better now?" Two very big brown eyes looked back up at him curiously and she nodded slowly back. The mother started up fresh tears as she reached out her arms and Dean carefully placed the girl inside their safe embrace.
Dean took the fresh cloth that Sam handed him and tipped some water from the bottle onto it and softly began to wipe away the blood from the mother's forehead. At first the ragged tear beneath the coating of red looked deep and angry but as Dean applied more water it looked less and less so.
Dean calmed the mother saying, "She just probably got the wind knocked outta her, she'll be fine" And he left them and moved on with Sam to find more wounded.
It was like a bomb had gone off in the center of the tiny plaza. There were people bleeding from cuts by all the broken glass, some had broken bones caused by all the flying debris and were moaning with limbs at odd angles. Dean and Sam moved amongst them all and treated who they could as best as they could. When the wail of the sirens finally announced help had arrived a considerable amount of people were dazed but now ambulatory.
They were just finishing up with a man who'd been blinded in one eye; Dean had used the last of the water to make a compress he'd pressed over it until the man could see. The near hysterical man was squinting up at Sam when Bobby caught up with them.
Bobby had seen their hail beaten car skewed on the road as he drove into the strike zone and had hastily pulled over and begun his own search and rescue for the boys.
He found them standing on either side of a man in a blood stained shirt who was thanking them over and over again as he held a compress over one eye.
"Sam, Dean are you alright?" Bobby frantically asked as he scanned the destroyed area around them.
"Yeah, the Twister just missed us." Sam answered
Bobby grabbed the younger man by the elbow and motioned with his head for Dean to follow. "THAT was no ordinary act of nature boy!" he hissed as he led them back to the vehicles.
Dean's eyes went wide as the meaning of Bobby's words sunk in. "Lilith?"
"Damned Straight!" Bobby snapped back. "This is the kind of weird weather signs Rufus was talking about."
Sam gently shrugged his elbow out of Bobby's grasp and said, "Do you think she knows we're here?"
"I dunno did you boys do anything that would announce your presence?" Bobby growled.
Dean looked guiltily back at the ambulances and Bobby followed his stare noting some people on the stretchers were talking animatedly with the EMT's and pointing back in their direction.
"OH, that's just fine!" he gruffed.
"Well, we couldn't let them die or suffer if we could help!" Dean argued and Sam stood next to his brother a small scowl of agreement on his face.
Bobby sighed and rubbed his hand over his face saying, "I understand but now she's got your scent and that bitch is fixin to hunt you two down."
As the two young men shifted on their feet trying not to meet his gaze Bobby felt the old familiar tug of war in his heart that those two always evoked that of wanting to hug 'em and kick their asses at the same time.
"Is that wreck still drivable?" he nodded over at the Impala.
"Hell Yeah" Dean turned defending his 'Baby'.
"Well, saddle up we're not stoppin for anything but pit stops till we git just ousida Eudora then we'll see about gettin some food before we go on to the safe house." Bobby said.
"Yes, sir" the two men said in unison. Bobby just rolled his eyes and hurried back to his truck and so they began their convoy toward safety.
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Dean woke when the music stopped playing. Sammy had taken his turn at the wheel and had kept the music playing just loud enough for his brother to hear as they drove. Dean always slept better when the music was on. But as the hours wore on Sam had turned the sound down lower and lower and then finally off. And that's when Dean roused groggily from sleep. They passed many cars and trucks that had fared about as well as the Impala along the route. Plenty were covered in dings and busted out windows from the rash of tornados that had sprung up this afternoon.
Dean squinted out the passenger's side window and said, "I'd like to own the body shop in this area!" as he eyed the wasted vehicles driving along. " Lookit all the business around here" He smiled over at Sam.
Grim faced his brother answered, "Yeah, at least ours won't stick out so bad from the rest of the civilians." And that wiped the grin off Dean's face.
"Don't worry Babe," Dean cooed to his vehicle as he patted the dash, "We'll get you fixed up good as new again you'll see." And he winked over a Sam.
Sam just shook his head at the way Dean could lighten the tension. "You should have seen the look on your face Dude when we got out to look at he car and you saw the damage. I thought you were gonna cry or kill someone."
Dean turned to him, his face grown serious and said, "Hey, nobody screws with my loved ones and lives to brag about it!"
Sam smirked and asked, "What, you're gonna take on the wind?"
Dean just huffed and stared out at Bobby's taillights in front of them.
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They pulled into the parking lot of Dora's Home style Restaurant just outside of Lawrence and followed Bobby inside.
Dora's had a reputation for good food and well used beds in the motel complex connected to it. The rooms were often rented by the hour and no self-respecting daughter from Lawrence or Eudora would let her self get caught patronizing the scandalous place referred to as the "Chew and Screw".
But the establishment also boasted of uncompromised discretion. Every table sat in it's own sound proof room, no camera's or recording devises were allowed and the scantily clad wait staff buzzed to enter as you would any high security area. Many a high level deal by government officials or visiting diplomats had been struck in those comfortably appointed and secret preserving dining rooms.
And the food was actually good. However, Hunters didn't frequent there that often as Dora's only accepted cash but tonight was Bobby's treat.
While Bobby ordered them a table Sam cast furtive glances at the lush decor and the smiling female staff members who giggled and coyly put hands to their lips, blowing kisses and winking at the tall, shy, hansom man in their midst's. Dean's head swiveled as his eyes tried to drink in every possible lovely thing that posed and simpered for his attention. His smile growing wider with each "pick me" glance they gave him.
But his attention was rudely interrupted by a tug on his sleeve. Sam nodded that a table was ready and an audible sigh of disappointment murmured by the attendants was left in their wake, as they moved to their room.
Once seated, their buxom waitress buzzed to enter and filled water glasses making sure to brush the hands of each one of them and bend over real low to place the menus on the tables. She gushed and bubbled through the reciting of the specials then left discretely.
Dean turned to Bobby and said, "Gee thanks, but it's not even my Birthday!"
Bobby snapped back, "Try to Focus Boy!" And Sam looked quickly down at the tablecloth trying not to laugh.
"Well, believe it or not I've never been here before" Dean shot back a somewhat hurt tone. "But it sure is shaping up to live up to it's reputation!" he added with a wink to his brother.
Even Bobby had to smirk at that. "I came here with you two for two reasons, and neither of them have to do with the, ah...deserts offered." His face turned serious.
Disappointment plainly registered on Dean's face but he asked, "So why are we here?"
Bobby smiled and shook his head. "For one thing the food here is pretty damn good and I figured it might be nice to get one good meal under our belts before we get holed up for... who knows how long. And the other thing is the recent Intel I got from Rufus isn't looking so good."
The buzzer sounded and 'Bambi' or 'Bunni' came in and took their orders. When she bent across in front of him, nearly pressing her cleavage onto Dean's plate, he rolled his eyes and gripped the edge of the table, ' I will not whimper in front of the guys, I will not whimper' Dean thought as she reached across to straighten the condiment tray in front of Sam. The youngest hunter couldn't take his eyes off the set of double "DD's" brushing across the cloth and heading his way and Bobby had a fine view of her caboose.
After she straightened and left the older Winchester opened up his eyes and let out an audible sigh that made Sam and Bobby say "Whew!" at the same time. Dean cocked his head to one side and laughed saying to no one inparticular, "Yes indeed!"
After a respectful pause Bobby and Sam grabbed their beer bottles and were about to drink when Dean said, "Wait a minute, pass me your glasses of water."
They pushed the glasses over in front of him and he dipped his pinky finger in each making a quick swirl in the water. He wagged his eyebrows at them saying, "Stirred not shaken" then he passed them back.
Dean then picked his glass up and toasted, "To protecting the women folk!"
Bobby and Sam smiled broadly and lifted up their glasses too. "To protecting the women folk!" And all three clinked together each taking a sip of their blessed water and basking in the moment of camaraderie hunters rarely get to share.
After Sam set his glass down he asked Bobby, "What did Rufus have to say?"
Bobby sighed and said, "According to all the signs Rufus thinks that there's an epicenter forming and it's shaping up to be right over Lawrence."
Sam glanced over at his brother who was staring intently at Bobby. And he nudged him in the ribs.
"Ow, what?" Dean scowled at his little brother.
"Tell him about your dream Dean." Sam gave him serious nod. And his older brother looked down at his hands not knowing where to begin with this 'cause this was going to tear Bobby up some fur sure.
Bobby let less than half a minute of silence pass as he read the conflict that played across the older Winchester's face.
Then he asked "You havin' premonitions boy?" He softly said. 'Cause if you've got some Intel to offer it'd sure be nice if we were all on the same page."
Dean looked up at him and Bobby was greeted with tear swollen hazel eyes. "I saw what is going to happen...to Sam" He choked out. And he proceeded to tell the man he now regarded as a father all his fears about the events foretold in his dream.
Bobby listened, occasionally putting his hand on the arm of the man he'd watch grow up to be the bravest, stubbornessed, most deeply passionate man he was proud to say he knew; when ever Dean had to stop and fight back the emotions before he could go on. That was about as chick flick as Bobby ever got and air in the room was getting pretty dam thick for every one right now.
When he sensed Dean was done Bobby took a deep breath and turned his eyes to Sam. And Sam felt the full weight of their stare. Bobby's brows knit together and he spoke slowly and softly to him. "You got anything to add?"
Dean looked up to Sam and nodded once, some silent message being passed between the two and Sam looked back to Bobby and said shakily, "Yeah"
The words came spilling out of him as if he couldn't stop talking. Sam told the older hunter of his plan to turn if Lilith ever came knockin' and there was no other way because...' and that's when Bobby heard about the Deal still being intact and that not one but both of the boys souls were poised to go to Hell unless this plan worked.
Bobby sat and clenched and unclenched his fists his lips pressed together in a fine line as his eyes went from one then the other of the young men across from him. For only the second time in their lives they saw the older mans lip tremble and suddenly he got up and ripped the cap off his head threw it on the floor shouting "Dammit all to Hell!" the air seemed to vibrate with his anger and rage at the dad blamed unfairness of it all.
Bobby ran his hands through his hair and his mind seethed, 'hadn't these boys been asked to sacrifice enough already? They'd had so many things ripped away from them, their mother, their childhoods, their father, any hope of finding love that stayed, love that could make up for all the hurt their bodies have had to suffer, all the holes in their hearts that have and go un-patched... and this was what it all came to? A Deal that wouldn't go away and a taint that was undeserved and threatened to open up the maw of Hell and swallow them both up whole? And for what so that demon bitch Lilith could ride upon the back of mankind and make bitches of us all?'
He took one long ragged inhale and squared his shoulders. His eyes were lit with fire and bright with tears. Then he turned to look at the worried faces of the two men sitting at the table and sat down himself saying, "Boys, I think it's time we stood our ground and fought back."
Sam and Dean each let out the breath they'd been holding and they realized at that moment that they loved this man now more than ever.
The buzzer sounded and the door opened to fill the room with delicious aromas and several skimpily dressed girls who busily set about giggling and placing piping hot plates in front of each hunter teasing about which was hotter, the dishes serving or the serving dishes. That got a smile and nod from the men and once the girls left they stared at the tempting food each man thinking that this would be the best meal of his life.
And possibly his last.
To be continued...Please review.