Title: Gen fic: More Than a Feeling Chapter 2: Renegade
Author: Ghostwritermuse
Chapter Word Count: 2,688
Chacaters/Pairings: Dean, Sam, OFC (Grace)
Rating: PG-13 (though later chapters may change upward)
A/N: See Chpt 1 for the usual info.
Chpt. Ummary/Note: Chapter 2 takes place a few weeks after AHBL pt.2. This chapter, everything changes for Grace and she doesn't even see it coming.
The jig is up the news is out they've finally found me
The renegade who had it made retrieved for a bounty
-Renegade, Styx
Location: Chicago, 2 months later
The phone rang twice before Grace could get it and she nearly dropped it when she finally did answer. "This is Grace," she said out of breath and a bit agitated.
"Grace, its Sam. Sam Winchester."
Grace's eyes widened a bit before she straightened herself and blinked back her surprise. "Sam? Wow, what a surprise I hadn't expected to hear from you."
Sam's laugh carried down the line and she found herself smiling slightly at the sound of it. "My brother and I were talking over some stuff and we'd really like to talk to you about it. So I was calling to see if you have a couple days."
"Well right now isn't a good time," Grace rolled her eyes and caught the book that slid from the table next to her. "I'm in the middle of a case right now Sam." Grace looked over her shoulder at the room she had been setting things up in for a banishing ritual and frowned. The books she had just placed on the table were now spread out on the floor and it looked as though several of the pages had been torn out. Damn it! I hate when they do that, she thought in frustration. "Look Sam," she said suddenly turning her thoughts back to the conversation. "I'm really sorry to be rude but I have to get back to something," she snapped her phone shut with a growl as her candles tipped from their holder and started to roll out toward the hallway.
"Really now! Enough of that," Grace said trying to find her patience and calm down once more so that she could set things back up and start over again.
Taking a calming and cleansing breath she stepped back over the threshold and into the library. Grace had been working on this case for two days now and finally managed to get the restless spirit holed up in the library, it was now time for the final step of banishment and then she could close the case. It was as standard a case as she ever had before the last month and a half and these days she was happy for anything simple. Word was all over the hunters' grapevine that the war was here and she'd been chasing a number of nasty things since then, things she'd never really had to deal with, only read about, and it was beginning to wear her down frankly. So when Tom had sent the message for a good old fashioned cleaning, Grace had jumped at it. It was nice to have something simple that could be easily classified, hunted down and then banished, even if it was annoying the hell out of her right at that moment, she wasn't complaining.
Shaking off all thoughts, Grace picked up her books, stacked them neatly within her circle this time and laid the candles back at the tips of the pentagram she had laid out in chalk on the floor. This ritual was as familiar as breathing to her and she smiled slightly as she stepped into the center of the circle and began to summon the energy and necessary protection around her. She had just begun to intone the first sentence of the banishment when she heard movement behind her, smiling she stayed where she was and continued chanting.
"What are you doing?" The voice behind her surprised Grace and she stopped, turning her head toward the doorway behind her.
"Ms. Patterson! What are you doing here?" Grace tried to keep her impatience down. One of her rules was that the homeowner stayed away for the duration of her work. It was for their own safety and as well as hers and Ms. Patterson had fully agreed and accepted this well before she started. Grace felt the hairs stand up on her arms as the woman smiled at her. Something's not right, she thought. The alarm bells were going off in Grace's mind as the lady moved slowly into the room; the eerie smile plastered to her face as she did.
"I asked what you are doing," Ms. Patterson asked again as she came to a stop just a couple steps from the protective circle.
"I thought we agreed from the start that you wouldn't be here during the cleansing and I'm still working on it. I'm nearly done so I need to ask that you leave, for your protection as well as mine," Grace tried to hold onto her calm and control as the situation seemed to spiral right down the pipe. Ms. Patterson gave a cold laugh at those words and Grace knew something had gone terribly wrong, something had changed and for the life of her she couldn't figure out what it was.
"Well dear, I'm not going anywhere because this is just too much fun. You know I've been watching you for a while now." Ms. Patterson began to take slow deliberate counter clock wise steps around the circle, always pacing several steps just outside of the salted edge. "Not just here but your other," she stopped and tapped a finger to her lips with a dark smile, "cases. That is what you hunters call them, right?" Her laugh echoed cold and malicious through the room as she stopped in front of Grace once more. "I like you Grace, you're much more fun then the other hunters I've met. I can't wait to play some more with you," Ms. Patterson's eyes rolled back in her head and then flashed yellow once before they returned to the familiar brown of Ms. Patterson's.
Grace knew then, this was a demon and not just some low level one either, she knew enough that black was the color of possession and yellow the sign of an upper level demon, and now she knew she was well and truly screwed. Quickly switching gears, Grace pulled the rosary from her pocket and stared at Ms. Patterson. "So tell me, do you have a name? I always like to know who I'm sending back to hell, makes for a better story later," Grace gave a flip smile and brought her hands together in prayer, the rosary hanging between her fingers swaying softly in time with the invocation she began.
"Oh, I have a lot of names but none you really need to know right now." The demon smirked at the invocation as it drifted toward her in the stillness of the room. "Oh really, is that all you've got?" she laughed darkly. "What would your parents say about this? Rather pathetic, you inside the circle, me out here and you're trying to exorcise me?" Ms. Patterson frowned shaking her head disappointedly. "This is rather amateur and I was really expecting more from you!"
Those words caught Grace off guard and she fumbled for a moment but she knew it was better not to continue talking to the demon. Shaking her head she focused her mind, letting her autopilot take over with the invocation of the exorcism rights and began to reach inside herself. She knew that the exorcism wasn't going to do much more then distract the demon. She had to come up with something more if she was going to have any chance of getting out of there; she just hoped the exorcism would distract it enough.
The demon had begun pacing the circle once more, continuing to taunt or at least thinking she was taunting Grace. "So tell me, do you think that boy you saved, you know the one I'm talking about," she laughed snidely. "You really think he's escaped what was planned for him? I admit, thanks to you, we had to make a few changes in plans but that's the way it goes some times. And you're belief in a greater good, ahh hallelujah pass the plate, oh sweetie do you have some surprises in store for you!"
The thought of Tom in danger sent a jolt through her and she fought the panic, No! Stay focused. Reorienting herself, Grace knew that she needed to pull from that strange inner core that had helped her out a couple times before in these recent weeks. Using the thought of a blue flame flickering to life in her mind she nurtured it, continuing the chant in one part of her brain while she focused her will, and all her being on the flame. Just as she was coming to end of the second verse of the invocation, the flame glowed brightly in her mind and she opened her eyes with a serene smile.
"Really, is that it? I have to say I'm really disappointed, I've had better exorcisms then that from bumbling little hunter boys, you didn't even hit me!" The demon stopped its pacing to pout at Grace.
"Oh that's not it. I was just waiting for you to finish talking. I do have manners after all." Grace gave a light laugh at that, looking down to her hands, one to the side wrapped by the rosary as the other opened and began to glow with a soft blue light.
Grace could feel the flame move to her hands, building more in the open space between her hands and she smiled brightly, this is so cool! Looking back up, she began to bring her hands together just as the demon looked backed up from her hands to her face and she smiled serenely at the demon. Grace drew her hands toward herself sharply and thrust them forward quickly along with a huge push from within.
The demon flew across the room, slamming into the wall and then sliding down as Grace stepped out of the protective circle and stalked toward the now slumped body. Just as Grace was about to reach down and thrust her still glowing hands towards the chest of the body, a scream erupted from it and the body arched up off the ground as thick dark smoke poured from out of Ms. Patterson's mouth. Grace fell back from the thick smoke and watched as it quickly made its way to the fireplace across the room and disappeared.
"DAMN!" Grace swore as she lay sprawled on the floor in surprise. "Great now where did it go?"
Standing, she looked down at Ms. Patterson and saw a slow rise and fall of breath and let out a relieved gasp of her own at that sign. "Sorry about that," Grace said quickly gathering her things back into her bag with several looks to the still unconscious woman. "I guess this wasn't anything like the simple case I thought it would be. Damn! I can't believe this!"
With the last of her things gathered, Grace quickly brought over a pillow and throw blanket, settling Ms. Patterson more comfortably before hurrying out the door and into her truck. Looking back toward the house, with the now setting sun turning everything into a fiery glow of orange and red she dropped her head against the headrest and sighed. "Shit! This is so not good!"
Pulling out her phone, she quickly dialed Thomas, tapping her fingers against the steering wheel impatiently as she waited and prayed for him to pick up, "Damn it Tom come on!! Pick up!" she fidgeted in the front seat and then let out a breath as he picked up.
"Hello," Thomas mumbled out sleepily.
"Tom! Thank god! Are you ok? Has anyone come around lately, anyone you don't know? Is anyone you do know acting funny?" she blurted out the questions quickly and found herself suddenly trying to think out how long it would take her to get to his place if she left that minute.
"Hey, hey slow down. Grace that you?" Tom finally managed to get a word in around the frantic questions.
"Yeah Tom, oh thank god you answered!"
"Ok hold on. You woke me up, what's going on? Are you still at the cleaning?" The sound of rustling fabric and a grunt that sounded like Tom was sitting up came through the line.
Grace took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Yeah I just got out of the house. Shit Tom, you don't know how close I came to not getting out!" Grace gave a shudder as the adrenaline started to slowly leave her and dropped her head back against the rest once more. "Tom that was no cleaning. I think it was a setup. Shit! Tom there was a demon behind it and it mentioned you and… Are you ok? Nothing weird in the last few days?"
"No, totally quiet Grace. A demon? You're sure?"
"Yeah totally and no there was no way that I could have mistaken it Tom." Grace sighed and reached for the key in the ignition. "I'm headed your way it's going to be about a day or so before I can get there and I'm dead tired but I'll be there as soon as I can."
"Wait! Grace no, there's no need for you to come all the way here. What's going on?"
"It mentioned you Tom. It, it mentioned," Graces voice shook as she fully took in what the demon had said about Tom. "Don't let anyone in! Stay behind your wards and for god's sake Tom be careful please!" Grace knew he could hear every bit of the worry in her voice, but for once she decided it was important enough not to hide it. She looked around carefully as she pulled out onto the street and headed back towards her hotel.
"Grace, what happened? Tell me!" Tom's agitation was clear in his voice and Grace fought her panic swallowing slowly.
"It knew who you were Tom and worse it knew all about Anthony too. It…" she stopped at the light and sighed. "It sounded like it knew something I didn't, something bad and Tom, it sounds like it was you. I can't let anything…" she stopped before she gave everything away with the complete fear and panic that even she could hear in her voice. She could get through this and she could keep anything bad from happening, after all hadn't she stopped it before. She was gifted and her blessing was Toms too. Letting out her breath slowly she turned onto the highway and nodded to herself quickly and firmly.
"Listen it's gonna be alright. The damn thing caught me off guard. I'm on my way though, so get the guest room ready ok," she gave a slightly shake laugh.
"Grace," Tom's worry was abating some from the sound of his voice but she could tell he still had a lot of questions for her.
"Look we'll talk more when I get there ok? In the meantime do what I said, please! Stay behind the wards as much as possible and don't go anywhere you don't have to."
"Yeah, of course I will Grace. Don't worry about me. Just," Tom paused and she could feel the moment of panic and worry hanging in the silence between them. "What are we going to do about this? What is it and are you-"
"Don't even! Look, I think I know someone who might be able to answer some questions about this demon. I'm calling them next, so by the time I get there we should be able to start planning. Look I'm sorry I freaked out on you. Just try to get some sleep and stay safe for me. Ok?"
Tom breathed slow and steady for a moment. "Yeah, you know I will. I'll see ya' in a couple days," and then he clicked off.
Grace gave a heavy sigh and saw the exit for her hotel, taking it, she ended the call and dropped the phone next to her. As she pulled to a stop in front of her room, Grace picked up her phone once more and found the last call and hit send. Looks like I'm going to have to talk to the Winchesters after all, she frowned to herself as she waited for the call to go through and someone to pick up.
But I feel I'm growing older
And the songs that I have sung
Echo in the distance
Like the sound
Of a windmill goin' 'round
I guess I'll always be...
A soldier of fortune
-Soldier of Fortune, Deep Purple