Chapter 6:

Now:

Dumfries Police Station. October 31, 2007.

With Agents Hotchner and Reid off to stall - oops, off to give a profile to - the other officers and Agents Morgan and Prentiss to retrieve his weapons, Dean was left with the four remaining agents in the room. He got to admit though that he was feeling some sense of pride that they thought he needed four Federal agents to look after him. Well, three since the technical analyst Garcia had been typing away at her laptop since the others had left. He was not handcuffed though, so that was a plus. They (most likely Hotchner) did somewhat trust him enough.

Dean took a moment to survey the other occupants in the room with him. Henriksen and his partner Reidy were off by the entrance, conversing in low tones before Henriksen started pacing. The older agent, Rossi, was putting up the appearance of reading the notes and files in front of him, but Dean noticed the occasional glances both his way and towards the two agents who were not a part of the BAU. When Dean caught his eyes, Rossi gave up the pretense and turned fully to face him. Rossi's furrowing brows didn't let up once as he contemplatively tapped away at the mustached area below his nose with his index finger. Recognizing the agent's actions as Rossi's tell, Dean let out a sigh and asked the obvious question. "Okay, what's on your mind? You're obviously dying to ask me something."

"The message left behind," Rossi began, "It's time to end what all started years ago. Do you know what it was talking about? Are we working on a timetable that we are unaware of?"

There was a pregnant silence as Dean took what the agent said into consideration and racked his brain for what Meg could have meant. The answer hit him like ton of bricks. "November 2nd," he choked out. "The night the Yellow-Eyed Demon killed my mother and started my father on his crusade."

"I'm sorry," Rossi offered at the new information. "So we have until November 2nd then, you think? JJ and your brother will be safe until then?"

Dean ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know. That could just be when she dumps their bodies or some grand finale happens. Our best chance is still to find them as soon as possible." As he let out a sigh, Dean noticed from the corner of his eyes Henriksen drawing his weapon.

On instinct, he dove at the agent, hoping that the sudden impact would cause him to miss whoever he was firing at. Unfortunately, Dean had no such luck as he heard the sound of bullet hitting flesh and a yelp of pain behind him as he wrestled the possessed man to the ground. As Henriksen's eyes turned an obsidian black, Dean bit back a curse, realizing that he had none of his usual weapons to take down the demon. Hoping to buy himself more time to think of something, he continued to tussle with Henriksen. During his struggle, Dean was aware of Rossi rushing to help the injured Reidy and - was that Latin? - reciting in the background.

"Exorcizamus te, o...omnis immundus spiritus? -"

Dean managed to wrangle the gun from Henriksen before it was kicked from his hands.

"- Ergo draco maledicte et omnis legio diabolica ad...adjuramus te. cessa decipere humanas creaturas, -"

He suffered an elbow to the stomach, but Dean was finally able to wrap an arm around Henriksen's neck, pulling him into a chokehold. His feet continued to battle with the agent's thrashing lower body.

" - Ab insidiis diaboli, libera nos, Domine. Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus -"

Before the chant, which Dean now recognized as the Rituale Romanum, could be completed, Henriksen threw his head back, almost bashing Dean's nose in the process. Black smoke shot out of the agent's mouth, gunning straight for the technical analyst who Dean realized was performing the exorcism. For a split second, he was afraid that the demon would ironically try to use her as his new host before the black smoke veered into the air vent overhead.

The tapping on his forearms drew his attention back to the agent still in his hold. Quickly releasing him, Dean climbed to his feet before holding out a hand to help Henriksen up. Rubbing a hand at his throat, the previous possessed man asked, "What the hell was that?"

"That, my friend, was a demon." The unexpected voice from the entrance had everyone in the room on the defensive before Dean let out a sigh of relief at the sight of the newcomer.

"Bobby," he greeted before getting a nod and grunt in return.

As Agent Prentiss moved to help Rossi with bandaging Reidy, Agent Morgan informed the group, "We were heading back when we heard the gunshot and commotions from down the hall."

Dean ruffled through the supplies the three had just brought in, tossing anti-possession charms at Henriksen and Reidy. "How did you know to recite the exorcism?" He directed his question at Garcia who was still frozen in shock.

Coming out of her daze with a shiver, Garcia pointed at her laptop and added, "I was multitasking...and I took like one Latin course in college to fulfill a foreign language requirement."

Before anything else could be said, Morgan reminded the group of Hotch and Reid. "They could be in trouble." Giving Rossi a nod, he continued, "I don't think we are dealing with a team of two anymore. You guys weren't the only ones who had a run-in with a demon."

Dean traded looks with Bobby, prompting the older man to toss him the Colt he had retrieved earlier before Dean took off for the squad room with Morgan and Rossi close behind him. As he approached, Dean could hear the offers and taunts from the demon inside. Taking advantage of the element of surprise, he fired a shot from the Colt straight into the demon's head. "No, but I can, asshole." He couldn't help but answer the demon's last taunt.

xxxxxx

Days Inn.

After Winchester had shot the demon, they had used the momentary shock and inaction from the remainder of those present to flee the station before reconvening at Winchester's motel room. Taking the newcomer Singer's appearance in stride, Hotch calmly surveyed the room. The rest of his team seemed frazzled, but they were handling the situation well enough. Surprisingly, Morgan and Prentiss who had been so skeptical before had become very accepting of the whole ordeal. Their ease around Singer led Hotch to believe the older hunter had something to do with that. Henriksen and Reidy, on the other hand, were working out their own problem. The previously rowdy agent had been much more humbled and subdued when he had greeted Hotch, so whatever had happened while he and Reid were absent had been bad. Rossi confirmed Hotch's guess when he filled him in on the way, that Henriksen had shot his partner while he was possessed. Luckily, it had been a through-and-through and the bullet managed to not hit any vital organs. Winchester was quick to reassure the group that the anti-possession charms he had handed Henriksen and Reidy would prevent any other demon from possessing them. Singer shared that the rest of the BAU were already protected because of JJ's gifts. That elicited surprised looks from around the room.

Before anything else could be said, Hotch drew their attention back to their mission. "Garcia, were you able to find a possible location earlier? Did Chief Forker or Captain Wards have any properties where they could be holding Sam Winchester and JJ?"

"Hm? Oh yes, sir. Captain Wards has a place on Candice Drive near Quantico Creek about 8 minutes southeast from the station. It appeared isolated enough from the houses near it. The address has been sent to your phones."

"Thank you, Garcia." Hotch figured their best plan of attack would be to split up into two teams, one to check out the house and the other to keep an eye on the police station, the demons' base of operation. "Dave, you, Prentiss, Garcia, and Agent Reidy should stay behind and keep surveillance on the station. Let us know if anything else suspicious happens or if Wards or Forker shows up," he said, addressing Rossi and receiving a nod of confirmation in return. "The rest of us," Hotch continued, "will check out the house. Misters Winchester and Singer -"

"Our first names are fine, G-Man," Winchester - Dean - interrupted.

"- Dean and Bobby," Hotch carried on seamlessly. The name switch and a slight tilt of his head were his only acknowledgements of the short interlude. "If you don't mind, perhaps it would be best if you two lead the search on the house. There is a greater chance of us encountering a demon there, and I rather have someone who know what exactly we are dealing with leading the charge."

"Sure thing, G-Man," replied Dean. Taking a moment to ruffle through his duffel bag, he pulled out a weathered leather journal that he hanged off to Garcia. "Maybe you'd want to go through this while you lot keep a lookout on the station. There are infos in there that are useful, especially for you rookies." Dean and Bobby then gave the group a quick tutorial on what to do should any of them encounter a demon before the agents traded in their guns for holy water and shotguns loaded with rock salts. With one last nod to his teammates staying behind, Hotch followed Dean and Bobby.

xxxxxx

Location Unknown.

Sam gave up on picking the locks of their dingy prison twenty minutes ago. Normally, getting through a lock door with only some hairpins and a paper clip for support wasn't an impossible task for him. Sure, it might take some time, but it wasn't terribly difficult. This door, on the other hand, had thrown him for a loop. These demons that they were dealing with had added in a lock that was only accessible from the other side of the door, so while Sam could pick the lock that was visible to him (which he did), there was still a safeguard lock that he was unable to reach. Letting out a huff of frustration, Sam focused on the door in front of him. After he had abandoned the lock, Sam had shifted his attention to the hinges of the door. They looked worn enough that he thought that maybe he could get the door open that way. So far, he was having no such luck.

Sam could hear JJ moving around the room behind him. While he had been fixated on the locked door, JJ had been searching the room for a possible weapon. She had been fiddling with a metal pipe in the back of the room that she said could be of use to them if she could get it loose. The two of them had worked quietly, not making much conversations. The prolonged silence was starting to get to Sam though. It gave him way too much time to think about their situation, and what he had come up with unsettled him. The demon, or demons, that they were hunting had no qualm murdering and torturing all those innocent people, yet they had only taken Sam and JJ prisoners with barely a scratch on either of them. It also had been hours since they were taken, yet their jailers have not made an appearance, either to gloat or to do harm. Sam concluded that this could only mean whatever they were planning was big and not good news for him and JJ.

A loud clang and an audible "oof" from behind him jolted Sam out of his thoughts. Turning to the source, he asked, "You all right, JJ?" before walking to her.

"Yeah," JJ answered as she dusted herself off from her fall. "We now have a usable weapon," she added, holding up the metal pipe that she had worked free. JJ let out an exhausted sigh as she handed Sam the pipe. "This is useless. It's not going to do anything against a demon."

"Hey." Sam gave JJ's shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "Before we had nothing, now at least we have something to defend ourselves." He gave the rusted pole a measured look. The jagged edge at the end caught his attention. With a calculated look, Sam used that end of the pipe to first scratch it against the ceiling of their prison and then against the floor, testing to see if a mark was left behind. The end of his lips lift slightly upward at the success of his test.

"You know, we are not completely defenseless after all." Gesturing towards the door, Sam shared his plan with JJ. "Help me carve a Devil's Trap on the ceiling there by the door. It should trap any demons coming through it and give us time to escape."

The pair set about scratching the design on the ceiling a little way from the door. The muscles in Sam's shoulders burned from keeping his arms stretched above his head for so long. He only hoped he had gotten all the symbols and designs correct with the dismal lighting the lone hanging light bulb offered.

He barely finished the carving when the overhead light flickered and hummed in distress. Padded sounds of what may be footsteps rang from above before the doorknob in front of him was tested with a rattle. With the metal pipe held in front of him like a weapon, he and JJ quietly and quickly moved away from the entrance and into the shadowed corner, their bodies taut and tense as they waited for the door to open.

Click.

xxxxxx

Wards' Place on Candice Drive.

Henriksen's hands still hadn't quite stopped trembling some hours later after his possession. His mind had been blown and his world had been turned upside down more than once that day. He almost regretted not volunteering to stay behind with the others, but Henriksen wasn't sure he wanted to face his partner again just yet. Things between them had been painstakingly awkward and tense after he had shot Reidy earlier. What happened at the station scared him shitless.

Henriksen could see and feel everything that happened while that thing was in him. He remembered being stuck in his own mind, feeling helpless and trapped while the monster controlled his body and shot his own partner. Wistfully, Henriksen prayed he and Reidy would be able to work through this. That man who was also the best man at his last failed marriage was all Henriksen had left. His career was in the toilet, and after what he had learned here in Dumfries about the Winchesters and monsters and demons, it looked like it was stuck in the sewer. Henriksen really didn't want to lose one of his only friends left when - or if - he made out of this alive.

The sun had long since set on what was an incredibly bizarre day when they arrived at 30507 Candice Drive. As he got out of the SUV, Henriksen made sure the anti-possession charm Winchester had tossed him earlier was securely tucked around his neck. As they reconvened near the driveway a little distance away from the house in question, Winc - Dean addressed the group in a low voice. "Bobby, Morgan, and Reid, you three cover the back. Hotch and Henriksen, we'll take the front door. Stay sharp." With the last word of caution, the three of them split off towards the front.

Henriksen quietly drew his gun out of his holster as they stopped in front of the wooden door. He took cover slightly left of the threshold while Hotch and Dean peeled off on the right. Dean quickly tested the knob, only to find it locked as expected. With a nod from Hotch and himself, Dean straightened up and delivered a hard kick close to the locks, throwing the door open.

Upon entering the silent house, Henriksen took the lead for a brief moment while Hotch and Dean covered him. As they crept through the living room, eyes swiftly adjusting to the darkness surrounding them, he found himself mentally shaking his head in disbelief that he was willing to trust the elder Winchester brother to watch his back when only that morning Henriksen was on his way to arrest the man. Brushing away the tangent thought, Henriksen focused back on his surroundings and the two men by his side. The three of them moved in tandem, clearing each room in the front of the house systematically.

They met up with the rest of the team in the dining room. Judging from their expressions, Henriksen could guess that they were just as successful in finding any clues of Sam Winchester or JJ as he was.

"The rest of the house is clear," stated Morgan, confirming his suspicion.

"Garcia said the house has a basement," recalled Hotch as the team stealthily surrounded the old door leading downstairs.

The doorknob gave a little squeak as Henriksen slowly turned it. He stepped to the side as Dean took point down the creepy wooden stairs, worn from age and lack of maintenance. Bobby and Reid stayed up in the hallway to keep a lookout while the rest of them descended the stairs after Dean one by one, sweeping their guns and flashlights side to side on the way. The group encountered another door at the bottom. This one was metal and locked. Giving the men behind him a look, Dean knelt in front of the lock and made quick work with it. Holding his breath, Dean turned the knob with a click.