Chapter 2 - Consequences

9:17am Cheyenne Airport - Wyoming

Dean clutched at his boarding pass nervously. He was singularly unhappy about the prospect of getting on the flight to Denver. In his experience if men were supposed to fly, they would have been born with wings. No good could possible come from being 15 thousand feet above the ground in something that weighed more than a semi-trailer. He was even more unhappy about having to leave the Impala in the Airports security parking complex.

"I just don't see why we couldn't drive?" he whined looking between the Doc and his brother who sat oposite him in the hard plastic seats that only seem to services in airports and bus stations.

"It would have taken too long for us to get there." said Hannah reasonably

"And besides that, they have a two day head start." said Sam, his eyes shifting, watching the people who passed by with and element of suspicion.

Dean could see that the Doc was studying Sam closely. She had barely spoken to him, in fact she had barely spoken at all when they had gone to get Sam from the motel, but she had been watching him closely. Dean knew without even having to ask her, that Hannah sensed the change in him, the same way the Dean did.

"But we won't have a car when we get there or any weapons or anything." he continued, bile climbing up his throat at the thought of having to board the plane.

"I'll hire a car." said Hannah absently her eyes watching the check in desk at the activity of ground staff there.

"Hire cars aren't cars...They're tin cans on tyres."

"Dean" said Sam, his tone sharp and commanding and it bought Dean's whining up short.

Hannah looked at Sam and Dean saw a moment of worry cross her face before she hid it quickly under her usual mask of practised indifference.

The overhead PA speaker crackled to life and called to the passengers travelling to Denver. Both Hannah and Sam stood, but Dean was reluctant to get to his feet. Hannah held her hand out to him, to encourage him, and he took it standing up at the insistent tug she put on his hand. Once he was standing, Hannah looped her hand around his elbow a gesture that made Dean look down in surprise. He was unsure if she was doing that for his benefit or her own, but either way, he felt a certain comfort in the contact.

They walked together towards the check in desk and handed the smiling hostess their boarding cards, Sam following closely behind.

The hostess ran each boarding pass through a small card reader and then pointed toward the large glass doors. " If you would like to just step outside the bus will take you to your aircraft."

Dean leant over to whisper to Hannah "Bus?"

She didn't respond but smiled at him as she climbed up the stairs of the bus.

"Why is there a bus?" said Dean a growing feeling of concern spreading through him. "And why do we have to go via Denver."

"Because there wasn't a direct flight from her to Providence" said Sam sounding slightly agitated "Now would you just sit down."

Dean sat in the seat next to Hannah and Sam sat in a seat on his own on the isle. The fact that there was a bus trip in this equation was really unnerving him.

With twenty or so people on the bus, it pulled away from the terminal and headed out onto the tarmac. They passed the large United 757's that had been parked up against the terminal and were fed by enclosed gangways attached directly to the terminal. Then they passed several hangers, where large jet aircraft were covered in maintenance men that looked like ants running over a giant sneaker. Then they headed out to where there were fields of smaller aircraft. Dean watched with growing trepidation. The bus pulled up next to a smaller twin propeller aircraft, that was being refuelled out of what looked like a mini petrol tanker.

Dean looked at the aircraft with wide eyes, "You've got to be kidding me." he muttered as everyone around him stood to get off the bus.

Hannah stood and encouraged Dean to stand and get moving but he was dragging his feet. Not a lot in this world scared him, but flying was definitely on the list. For some reason he had always feared it, and his only experience in flying had nearly resulted in them crashing in a big fiery ball. When his feet hit the tarmac the Doc again looped her arm through his and began to walk towards the metal stairs that lead up into the aircraft.

Dean began to sweat. His stomach rolled uncontrollably and if he didn't have as much pride, he would have lost his breakfast right there on the tarmac.

"No funking way." he said stopping short of the first step. But before he could turn, he felt to Doc pull on his arm and Sam place a hand on his other shoulder and both began forcing him towards the stairs.

"Suck it up, soldier." hissed Hannah, in a tone more reminiscent of an order, and on instinct Dean ceased struggling and walked towards the stairs. Both Hannah and Sam climbed the stairs behind him, so there would be no retreating from this situation.

A hostess greeted him at the door and took his boarding pass out of his hand. He smiled in spite of the churning that was going on in his stomach and when she pointed out his seat he walked in the direction. He froze in front of their assigned seats clutching his duffle close to his chest. Hannah put her hand on his forearm and tried to push a sense of calm on to him. He looked at her and smiled, his smile was tight be she could see that he at least felt that she was trying hard to help him.

Dean tossed his duffle in the overhead locker and slid into the seat next to the window. Hannah sat down beside him and Sam was in a single seat on the other side of the aisle. The plain was small so Sam waited until the ailse was clear to stretch his long legs out into it.

Dean struggled with his belt until Hannah covered his hands with her own and assisted him in getting the two metal parts together. He smiled again at her nervously and she returned his smile. He wondered how she could remain so calm.

They sat in silence as the final passengers were boarded and the door closed, but when the propellers started to gear up, Dean nearly leapt out of his seat. Hannah put her hand over Dean's where it gripped the arm of the seat in a white knuckled fist. He felt waves of calm and reassurance flow through him, it did battle with his instinctual fear and that is how he knew that it was coming from her and not from within himself. Dean looked over to her, but her attention was fixed to the front of the aircraft where the hostess was going through the safety procedures.

How was it, that he didn't baulk from making a deal with his immortal soul, but one little plane trip had him tying himself in knots. He suddenly felt embarrassed, he must look ridiculous to the Doc, he would have snatched his hand away from hers, but he needed the reassurance that the contact gave him. That in itself sickened him further.

Hannah turned to look at him her eyes a piercing blue her face a mask of passiveness "Dean, stop it." she said quietly a slight tone of disappointment touching her words.

"You stop it." he muttered back, appalled that she may have picked up on the arse kicking that he was giving himself in his head. "And get out of my head." he added for good measure.

"I'm not in your head." Hannah replied calmly "You're broadcasting like CNN over there."

Heat rose to Dean's cheeks but his embarrassment was quickly replace with terror at the plan began to taxi towards the runway. Everything on the tiny plan seemed to move. The wings bounced up and down flexing and contracting with every bump and lump on the tarmac. The Propellers seemed to cut through the air, but as soon as the plane changed direction, the sounds of the propellers would change as wind and airflow moved across them differently. The tiny plane lined itself up on the tarmac and Dean let his head fall back against the seat keeping a wary eye on the ground he could see out of his window seat. As the plane began to pick up speed Dean shut his eyes clenching them tightly and gripping the seat until he lost feeling in his hands.


10:06am Denver Airport – Colorado

"Dean." whispered Hannah close to his ear "Dean, wake up. We're here."

Dean's eyes flew open and he looked around slightly shocked. "What the …" he muttered as he looked around the cabin.

"Was something wrong." he asked looking around the cabin and then out the window at the airport that was looming large in the small portal.

"What do you mean?" asked Hannah trying to straighten the creases from her pants.

"Why are we going back to the terminal?" he asked looking towards the hostess for any signs of trouble.

"No, we're in Denver." said Hannah looking at Dean quizzically.

"What?" questioned Dean nearly chocking on the words.

"We're in Denver." she said again this time watching him closely for his reaction like he may have finally lost the plot.

"What, how could we be in Denver, we haven't even taken off yet."

Hannah's lips curled in an amused smile "Dean you nodded off while we were taking off in Cheyenne and you slept all the way through the flight and even the landing."

"I slept?" questioned Dean, seeming stunned by the prospect. He turned suspicious eyes onto Hannah "What did you do?"

"Me?" she said looking slightly hurt at the accusation. "I didn't do anything! I just figured you must have been exhausted from staying up all night in that roadhouse."

Dean continued to scrutinise her, but she seemed so genuinely hurt by his accusation that he began to doubt that she may have had anything to do with it. Maybe she was right, maybe he was just exhausted.

When everyone in the cabin made to move, he too stood and pulled his duffle out of the overhead locker.

"We'll have to hurry." said Hannah to the boys "Or we'll miss our connecting flight."

"Great" muttered Dean through his teeth "We get to do this all over again."

Again a bus took them to the terminal, where they hurried through to a transfer lounge and checked in to there connecting flight to Providence. Dean thought he would be better flying in a larger Boeing than he had been with the smaller twin prop, but as he walked down the gang plank to the entrance of the plane, he felt the familiar churning of his fear.

He said nothing as they boarded, not wanting to embarrass himself twice in one day, and as this was a much longer flight he asked if he could sit near the aisle. Hannah let Sam in next to the window seat and then took the middle seat for herself as Dean slid into the seat closest to the end.

Again the ritual emergency procedures where gone through and as he watched, Dean tried to control his growing fear, but was fighting a loosing battle. Hannah covered his hand with her own, never looking directly at him, but her presence always there. As the plan began to taxi, Dean felt his eyes growing heavy. He rested his head against the seat and before he knew it he was out like a light.

As he fell asleep, Dean's head fell on Hannah's shoulder where it sat as he slept quietly.

"Are you sure you should be doing that." said Sam looking across at the easy slumber of his brother then at the woman who he was sure was inducing it.

"Probably not." said Hannah "But he would have wasted so much energy worrying about flying that if we come across anything bad at the cottage, he might not be up for the fight."

Sam didn't argue he just turned his attention out the window. Hannah watched him, felt him pull his energy away from her. There was something hard in him now. It hadn't been there when they first met, in fact of the two brothers Sam had been the open one. Not exactly innocent, but full of hope and an innate kindness. That seemed different as if it had been tainted some how by his resurrection.

They didn't speak during the flight, Sam keeping his eye fixed out the window and Hannah absently massaging Dean's hand where it was curled around her own. She thought on what they would find when they got to the cottage, and she prayed that all of her precautions had protected the grimoires, if they were too late, this war might already be lost.