(Disclaimer: Don't own anything Supernatural related; the following story and the characters of Riley and Dee are all mine)

Holier Than Thou.

Chapter Seven.

The fire burned brightly in the hearth, the heat spreading into the cabin and bringing a flickering light into the cosy room. The reflections of the flames danced on the swords that lined the far wall; casting long shadows on the old wooden walls and were mirrored in the eyes of the room's sole occupants. The only sounds, a crackling of kindling and the steady creak of the rocking chair; a sweet lullaby that was accompanied by the rhythmic scraping of steel against stone as the dagger was sharpened. A contrasting composition that floated round the small home, a familiar soothing symphony that settled over the two.

The old dog slept peacefully in the corner as the boy sat cross-legged at the feet of his grandfather; his face tilted to the man who smiled at him warmly; a gnarled hand reaching out to brush the dark hair out of his grandson's green eyes. The boy smiled up at his grandfather, he knew each line in the old man's face, knew every scar and where it had come from; the man whose hardened visage belied the warmth within. He smiled again; this man that was now raising him and his brother; whose hands always smelled of salt and whose clothes always smelled of pipe tobacco. The boy waited; it wouldn't be long til he heard the mellifluous strains of the gravely voice as his lessons continued.

"The darkness is everywhere…sometimes you see it, most of the time you don't" he looked at the boy "It's the times you don't that you must be prepared, that's when it'll bite you on your ass" the boy smiled and nodded, watching intently as the sparks from the blade ran along the stone "You never let your guard down, not for one minute…" he stared at the boy "She is out there, she will always be out there …until those that are protected from her, bring her down"

The boy turned his head as he heard the music start up in the other room; his brother, who refused to listen to their grandfather, who laughed at the old man's lessons …called them the ravings of a lunatic who didn't know his ass from breakfast. His brother was wrong; their grandfather knew the truth, had believed him when he'd told him of the woman that had killed their father…the red-haired woman whose dark green eyes had bored into his very soul; who had tried to kill him but for some reason, been unable.

He turned his eyes back to his grandfather "I'll bring her down, Grandpa" he said seriously.

The old man smiled at his grandson "I believe you will" he reached down and pulled the amulet from underneath the boys t-shirt "Your father believed it too" he looked into the green eyes that were staring at him with lost innocence "You never take this off…" the boy nodded "But you listen carefully…" he sat forward in his chair, the creaking stopping suddenly as silence filled the room "She knows this" he lifted the amulet "is out there and she will not stop until she has it. It will protect you but you need to protect it. Do you understand?"

He nodded solemnly "Yes, Grandpa" he looked into the old man's eyes and asked the question for which he'd never received an answer "Who is she?"

The old man sat back in his chair, the creaking returning as the blade started it metal melody; he didn't answer for a long time but the boy waited, he was good at that. Patience was the first thing his grandfather had instilled in him and maybe this time he would get an answer to his question.

His lids grew heavy and he settled his body near the fire, the crackling of the flames lulling him towards sleep and he heard the words he'd waited a year to hear…

"She is the original sin, Jack" he whispered.

And as his mind slipped into the sweet land of dreams, he dragged her name with him…'Lilith…."

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"Original sin?" asked Sam "What the hell's that mean?"

"Dude…" said Dean as he rolled his eyes at his brother "Adam, Eve, serpent, apple…" he rapped his knuckles on Sam's forehead "Hello? Anybody in there?"

Sam laughed as he punched his brother "Cut it out" he turned to Riley and Dee who were laughing at him and gave them the finger.

"What're you two laughing at?" asked Dean "Chicks were the ones that started all this"

"And yet men still chase us" laughed Riley "You tell me who're the bigger idiots"

"She's got you there, dude" said Sam with a laugh.

Riley stood and went and re-filled on coffee, leaning against the small bench as she sipped the steaming liquid; going over all the conversations, the lessons Jack had given her as she was growing up and trying to find something that would give them a clue as to what they were looking at.

"You said something about a painting…" started Dee.

Dean nodded "Deumos had this painting in the house…kind of religious icon with an evil twist…scary looking red-head" he looked at Dee "Not like you" he grinned at her "You're more the 'back-away-real-slow' kind, she's the 'wish-I-was-already-dead' kind"

"Ta" said Dee, trying to hide a smile "Way to make a girl feel special"

Dean grinned "I try" he sat forward in his chair "I've been trolling religious paintings, can't find the bitch anywhere…and before you ask, been looking at occult images as well…nada. Although their chicks are way hotter"

They turned as they heard Riley grabbed the Landy's keys and they rose quickly, following her as she walked out the door.

"Riley" said Dee, grabbing her friends arm as she opened the car's door "Where do you think you're going?"

"To see Jack" she said as she settled herself into the driver's seat and shut the door.

"Not by yourself, you're not" she said, starting round the front of the big car.

"Yeah, I am" said Riley, defiantly; she gunned the engine, reversing quickly and speeding out of the parking lot.

"Goddammit!" yelled Dee.

"Get in" said Dean as he jumped into the Impala, Sam cursing as he ran back into the room and grabbed spare pistols before slamming the door shut behind him. He barely settled himself into the passenger seat before Dean spun the wheel. The Impala's tyres spinning as he pushed his foot down hard on the accelerator and raced after Riley.

"Kicking her ass" Dean muttered "That's what I'll be doing"

"You and me both" said Dee.

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Riley sped towards the town of 'Emmett'; the Landy's big V8 rumbling as she tore down the highway, the heat shimmering off the blacktop, reminding her of desert mirages…she thought that was apt… mirages gave hope to lost travellers before cruelly ripping it away. She put her hand distractedly to the necklace as she looked in the rearview, she knew they'd be coming after her and she didn't want to do this with an audience. She pushed her foot to the floor, the Landy responding beautifully as it leapt forward with a roar

She pulled up behind the coroner's office, shut off the engine and went to the rear of the Landy; popping the floor and taking what she needed from the hidden cache before locking the car and walking casually to the rear of the office. It was Sunday, so the office was closed…but she remembered a broken window latch from her last visit and she doubted whether it had been fixed in the last few days.

She was right; and she slid through the window, taking a letter opener from the desk in the room and jamming it between the latch to keep it locked. She moved silently through the building, taking the stairs down to the morgue and she pushed the door...locked. She took her dagger from her boot and had it unlocked quickly; and as she pushed the door open, the rush of stale, frigid air was like a slap in the face, the smell of formaldehyde and bleach reminding her exactly where she was.

She scanned the large drawers, finding Jack's name immediately and put her hand to the cold steel, her heart racing. She closed her eyes and pulled the draw, sliding Jack out of his icy tomb; she opened her eyes and stared at his lifeless face, putting a hand to it gently "Jack" she whispered "Uncle Jack"

She shook her head "I need your help, Jack" she took the bag from her shoulder "We're being screwed over royally, but you probably know that" her breath pushed out in front of her as her whisper echoed round the room "You remember that conversation we had when I was thirteen? When you said that hunting was what you did but it wasn't your calling?" she opened the bag and took out the dark ochre clay, wooden bowl and eucalypt leaves. She had to do this quickly, she was sure Dee, Dean and Sam would be here any minute. "We need to finish that conversation"

She drew the symbol of the 'Rainbow Serpent' on Jack's chest and put the leaves in the bowl, lighting them and sitting on the floor in front of them, clearing her mind like Jack had shown her all those years ago. She could smell the sweet, acrid burning of the eucalypt as it floated up towards Jack and she whispered the words he'd taught her so long ago. She waited, Jack would let her know when he was here…

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Dean, Sam and Dee raced towards 'Emmett', the tension in the car like a passenger riding with them as they cursed Riley.

"You'd think she'd damn well know that splitting up really doesn't work for us!" said Sam with exasperation; he turned in his seat "How have you not killed her yet?" he asked seriously.

"Self-control, Sam…and a bloody lot of it" said Dee through gritted teeth. She had a pretty good idea what Riley was going to try and do and it was damn dangerous, especially without someone watching your back. "For Christ's sake, Winchester! Push your foot down!"

Dean glanced at Dee in the rearview "Foot's to the floor, Dee…see the blur out the freakin' window?" he looked at her again "What's she doing?"

"Something stupid" said Dee.

"Well that's a given" replied Dean "What kind of stupid?"

Dee rested her forearms on the seat in front of her "Working-dangerous-mojo stupid"

Sam laughed as he shook his head "Why am I not surprised?" he looked at Dean "Oh, yeah"

Dean glanced at his brother "What the hell's that supposed to mean?"

Sam hid a smile "Nothin;, dude…just kind of used to idiotic stunts is all"

"Bitch" said Dean with a grin.

"Jerk" said Sam, returning the grin.

"If you two have finished with your 'Hallmark' moment" said Dee. She pointed "I think we have a problem"

"Shit!" said the brothers in unison as Dean slammed his foot on the brake…

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The smoke spiralled upwards, forming two large funnels that started to intertwine slowly…like snakes coiling round each other; the hissing of the burning leaves calling out to the transient spirit; a beckoning that could not go unanswered. The smoke sought out the spirits previous host, the writhing coils seeking out the 'marked one', slithering up the body and corkscrewing into the nose as it sought out the lingering essence of the man.

Riley opened her eyes as the familiar scent of sage and 'choji oil' filled her senses "Jack" she smiled; he was sitting opposite her, an ethereal spectre in dusty boots, worn jeans, faded black t-shirt and the battered black leather jacket she'd saved for months to buy him when she was fifteen.

His green eyes twinkled when he smiled at her "Riley…" he put a vaporous hand to her face.

"I need your help, Jack" she said softly "but I needed to see you"

"Riley, this is a dangerous ceremony, you know that. Ask what you need and break the connection" he smiled warmly at her "Ask, sweetheart. One question, you know the rules"

She nodded and thought on how to phrase the question so she could get as much information from Jack as she could. He would know what she was doing and he would wait, he was the most patient man she knew. "I've been looking into 'original sin' and something's missing…" she looked at him "What is it?"

Jack smiled, Riley had left the question deliberately ambiguous and now it was his turn to think on his answer; if he revealed too much he would break the enchantment of the amulet, Riley's protection would be destroyed and she would be able to take possession of the talisman and her power would be unbounding. If he revealed too little, then Riley, Dee, Dean and Sam would become even greater targets than they already were; and if that yellow-eyed bastard found out about it…then all would be lost.

He looked at his niece and smiled "I'm proud of you, Riley…don't cry, sweetheart" he reached for her again "You have a job to do" she nodded "I should have schooled you as my grandfather schooled me; he was fond of Jewish folklore, his first wife put him onto it" he stared at her and she nodded "Now to answer your question…'original sin'…what's missing…" he smiled "The serpent has the answer to your question, find the serpent, find the answer... but remember, Riley...serpents are venomous creatures; it's not what's in the bloodthat saves you but what your blood bestows on you"

Riley laughed softly "You wouldn't have a code book to go with that answer would you, Jack?"

Jack laughed and it bought back memories that broke her heart "What did I always teach you?"

She sighed "That there's no greater reward than working for your answers; it's the only way the lesson stays up here" she tapped her head.

He nodded and smiled sadly at her "It's time to break the connection, sweetheart"

She nodded "I know"

"Look at me, Riley" she raised her eyes "You beat this, you stay alive and you win, you hear me?" she nodded "You were the daughter I always wanted" he smiled "I love you, sweetheart"

She brushed at her tears "I love you too, Jack. Thanks for everything, I know you saved me"

He smiled "No, Riley. It was you that saved me" he put a diaphanous hand to her face again "Time to go"

She nodded, smiled at him once more and closed her eyes, whispering the words that would release the last of his essence from his body and allow him the peace he so deserved. She sat on the floor, the tears leaking through her lashes and snaking down her cheeks as the familiar scent of the man she knew as her father, slowly faded. She drew in a shuddering breath, time to get back to …her eyes snapped open as she felt a coarse tongue lick slowly up the side of her neck…

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Dean slammed his foot down on the brake, pulling on the handbrake and spinning the car 180° and jamming his foot down on the accelerator, shooting back the way they'd come "Map, Sam!"

"Already on it" he was scanning the map of the area, looking for another way into the town, a road or track that might be unprotected.

Dean glanced in the rearview; the flames that blocked the road and surrounding area were rising high in the air but not burning anything; it was also being patrolled by 'shadows' that flitted in and out of the blazing barricade "Sammy?"

"Here" he looked up "There's a dirt road just up ahead on your right…take that and follow it all the way in. It'll take us above the town…hopefully" he whispered the last word.

"There's no fucking 'hopefully' about it" said Dee angrily "If you don't want to go in…"

"We're going in and we'll get to her, Dee" said Dean "For no other reason than kicking her ass" he took the turnoff and dust kicked out behind the Impala as it bounced over the sandy-track, dodging and weaving over the bumps that lined it.

Dee and Sam took the pistols from the smalls of their backs and jacked bullets into the chamber, flicking off the safety's as they readied for the initial assault.

"If we hit a fire-wall" said Dean "Take out the demons you can and we'll arm-up once we're at the coroner's office"

"They know she's in there" said Sam "And they know we're coming"

"So lets show these arseholes what happens when they mess with one of our own" said Dee angrily. She embraced the fury that was surging through her, she would keep it in check and then unleash it on the enemy.

Dean made a sharp right hand turn, sand splashing out behind the Impala as he gripped the steering-wheel tightly; his knuckles were white as he saw the flaming fortification up ahead "HOLD ON!" he pressed his foot down hard and the Impala shot forward, racing towards the pyre. He saw dark figures tearing towards them, shadowy blurs on his periphery as he watched the flames ahead of him. He saw Sam and Dee put their arms out the windows of the car, the sounds of gunshots ricocheting though the Impala as the screams of the demons that were hit cut through the steaming, desert air. "INSIDE!" Dean yelled as he bore down of the fiery levee; the Impala hitting the flames with a thump as a demon threw itself onto the hood, it's rabidly malevolent eyes staring into Dean's as it hissed and let loose a screech that was borne from the depths of Hell itself.

It shrieked again as it inched towards the open window…

To be continued…