(Disclaimer: Don't own anything Supernatural related; the following story and the characters of Riley and Dee are all mine)
Holier Than Thou.
Chapter Thirteen.
Dean put a hand on Riley's shoulder "Easy…easy, Riley" said Dean placatingly "It's just me…I have to take the talisman…"
Riley shook her head; trying to focus her eyes "No…no…" she whispered.
Dean sat on the bed next to her as her fingers dug into his wrist "Yes, Riley. You remember the letter from Jack?"
She shook her head again "No…"
"Riley" said Sam, crouching next to her and turning her face to his "The nightmares have started" he said softly "You have to pass the talisman on. Dean'll look after it until we kill the bitch then I promise you, he'll give it back"
"I will, Riley. I promise" said Dean "Now let go"
Riley shook her head vigorously; they didn't understand and she couldn't get the words out to explain it to them. She knew they could see the fear in her eyes but they didn't understand that fear either; it wasn't what they thought it was. "Dee…" she whispered.
Dee pushed Sam out of the way "I'm here, babes" she took Riley's hand "You're gonna be fine. We're safe and…"
"No…not…not safe…n-not safe" she stuttered; her hand tightening painfully on her friends "Nightmare…" she shook her head.
"I know…but we'll fix this, Riley. I promise you…" she smiled at her best friend "You know I always keep my promises"
Riley nodded "John"
Dean and Sam turned their heads to Dee, both of them frowning as they saw the colour drain from her face.
"I …know" said Riley quietly. She turned her head to Dean, a vice-like grip on his wrist "No. Stay. Protect IT"
"Riley…look at me…come on, focus" said Dean.
She gave him a small smile "Trying"
He grinned "Try harder" he paused "Did you just roll your eyes at me?" and she shook her head.
"Her eyes are spinning, dude. Try tact…oh…forget what I said" grinned Sam.
Dean looked at Sam "Pants. That's all I've got to say" he turned to Riley "Riley, I'm trying to protect it; that's why you have to give it to me" he said. She grinned at him and he laughed softly "Deal"
"She's delirious" said Sam "She doesn't know what she's saying" and he laughed as Dean gave him the finger.
"No" said Riley "Dee…" she turned her head "John…tell...them..." she said softly as her eyes closed and her head lolled to the side.
Dee put her hand to Riley's forehead and let out a shaky breath "Rest, Riley. We'll figure this out"
Dean gently removed Riley's hand from his wrist and took the talisman from around Riley's neck and clasped it behind his own as Dee pulled the blanket up over her friend. She stood and went to her bag, grabbing her smokes and lighting one, breathing the smoke in deep and relishing the way it snaked through her lungs.
She turned and Dean and Sam were standing in front of her; expectant looks on their faces.
"Well?" asked Sam.
"Well what?" asked Dee.
"Well what did Riley mean when she mentioned Dad?" asked Dean; the way she dodged everything was infuriating "No more freakin' lies, Dee"
"All out on the table now…all of it" said Sam "The time for secrets is long gone and in case you haven't realised, we're fighting for our lives here. That bitch is coming for us and if Riley says we're not safe then I'm guessing we're not safe"
"You still got C4 in the Landy?" asked Dean.
"'Course" said Dee, her stomach starting to churn as she realised she was going to have to tell Dean and Sam something she was sure they didn't want to hear.
"Alright" said Dean; he turned to Sam "You stay here and you watch Riley. If the nightmares start, wake her and come get us" he turned to Dee "Lets go"
Sam grabbed Dean's arm and pulled him back "Hold up there, Dean, this is something we both need to hear" he said.
"He's right" said Dee and she motioned them to the far side of the room, lighting another smoke as she leaned against the cracked wooden wall. She took a deep breath and stared into two pairs of expectant eyes "Okay, first off…you understand that your Dad, me and Riley...we were good mates"
"That means 'friends' right? Not…" started Dean; both he and Sam screwing up their faces.
Dee rolled her eyes "Yes, you twits" she laughed softly at their relieved expressions before her face turned serious again. She looked over at Riley then turned her eyes back to Dean and Sam "Your Dad…he…" she threw her cigarette to the floor and crushed it under the heel of her boot "Okay, your Dad …he was hunting me and Riley"
"What?" said Dean and Sam in unison.
"You heard me" she pushed herself off the wall and went to her bag, grabbing a bottle of JD "We're gonna need this" she opened it and drank as she walked back to them "Okay, here's the thing" she passed the bottle to Dean "John was under the impression that me and Riley were 'familiars' …but not the of the 'vamp' kind…"
"No" said Dean, shaking his head "Dad doesn't make mistakes like that"
"Just hear me out, Dean. Me and Riley, we fly under the radar, we have to but we prefer it that way…"
"Government pratts" said Sam.
Dee nodded "But that's a whole 'nother story" she paused and looked at them; it was now or never time. "Your Dad was a damn good tracker and he found me and Riley…but he had some help with that. Now before I tell you this next bit, you need to understand that by this stage your Dad was desperate and would listen to just about anyone…"
Sam's stomach plummeted and he grabbed the bottle from Dean and gulped "Okay…lay it on us" and Dean snatched the bottle back from Sam, took a big swig and nodded at Dee,
Dee returned the nod and thought back to the time that had changed hers, Riley's, John's…and in effect, Dean's and Sam's lives forever….
They crept up to the darkened house; the smell of rotting wood hanging sickly over the one-story, dilapidated clapboard home. The porch stairs creaked softly as they made their cautious way towards the back entrance; they stepped carefully past the screen door that was hanging by one-hinge and Dee pushed the broken door open quietly, slipping through the small gap, Riley following closely behind.
Riley had put a hand on Dee's shoulder "Something's not right with this whole thing, Dee" she'd whispered.
Dee had ignored her friends instincts, they were close and nothing was going to stop her. She crept forward, her Browning 9mm held ready as she moved through the mouldy kitchen and down the darkened hallway; she didn't need to turn around to know that Riley was close behind her; they'd done this a thousand times before, they knew how the other worked. They'd made their way to the front room and Dee had turned to Riley and nodded once before moving quickly round the corner; Riley covering her as she moved her gun around the room. Dee had turned in slow motion as she saw a shadow move just on her periphery, yelling too late as she heard the shot and saw Riley go down. She'd fired her automatic, her finger pulling on the trigger until the clip was empty and she'd wondered who it was that was roaring…it had taken her a moment to realise it was her voice that rang loudly in her ears. She'd grabbed her spare pistol from the small of her back and run to Riley, rolling her over "Riley…oh, shit…Riley…no…no…"
She'd raised her pistol quickly as she'd heard a soft chuckle coming from the far side of the room and her face had contorted in rage "You sonofabitch!"
He'd clucked his tongue at her "Now, now Dee…you've never met my mother" he'd grinned nastily at her, his yellow eyes glowing brightly in the darkened room "but you sure do have her pegged"
He'd walked slowly towards her and she'd tried to fire her pistol but she was held fast as he crouched in front of her; his eyes dropping to Riley before rising to meet hers again; a dark twinkle in them "Looks like you managed to kill someone else you care for" he'd grinned into her rage-filled eyes "And you did me a favour by killing an annoying gnat that just won't let me alone" he'd laughed maniacally "So easy to play you both…a few hints here, a couple of clues there and voila! He thinks you're going after his sons on my orders and you think you can finally kill me for what happened to dear ol' Pete"
"Don't you fucking well say his name!" Dee had raged.
He'd laughed at her again "And here you are….again…holding…" he'd turned suddenly and smiled "Well, well, well, John…looks like you really are hard to kill" he'd looked at his watch "Won't be long though"
"You goddamn sonofabitch" John had hissed as he'd pulled himself to his feet; bleeding heavily from a chest wound "You played me!"
The demon had laughed "You sound surprised"
John had looked at Dee; his eyes dropping quickly to Riley "I'll make this right"
"And how are you going to do that John?" said the demon as he rose "There's not something you'd like to bargain with is there?"
"Bring her back" she had said softly.
"Aaah, no" said the demon "Don't much like her" he smiled "But I can see how this would eat away at you Dee…so change of plans" he turned to John "Tell you what. I'll make you both a deal. Ah, ah, ah" he'd said as he wiggled his index finger at them "Let me finish. Now John, seems you've killed an innocent woman which means you're going to Hell anyway so how about…"
"Fuck you!" John had yelled.
The demon had sighed "No thanks. Now I'm rather fond of your Sammy. Dean? Not so much; but fortunately for you, I need to keep them around" he'd turned to Dee "And you, Dee. I like you. You're a true soldier and your whole no-nonsense, don't give a fuck about anything attitude is refreshing…but you just won't let the whole Pete thing go. Casualty of war…that ring a bell?"
"Like the twat said…FUCK YOU!" she'd screamed.
He stood quickly "Okay, the time for niceties is over" he'd stared at the two of them "I'll bring the annoying one back on a couple of conditions. One; when I need a favour…no matter what it is…you give it. That applies to both of you. And two;" he grinned "You two are going to are going to do a job for me"
John had glared at the demon "Again, fuck you"
"What kind of job?" Dee had asked.
The demon had smiled "I'll bring back …that…" he'd waved his hand at Riley "and I'll stop the blood that's slowly leaking out of you, John…give you back the strength you need to do this…"
"What the fuck is it?" Dee had yelled.
He'd grinned that infuriating grin at her again "I need you to find something for me…a talisman that's been lost for …well for a really long time"
"A talisman?" John had asked incredulously.
"That's right, John. Find it and I'll let your boys alone…leave them both alone. No more visions for sweet little Sammy; and Dean? Well, I'll just stop mind-fucking the boy" he'd laughed "Now before you both agree…there's one more thing you should both know…" he'd chuckled to himself.
"You want our souls" Dee had said.
"Mmm…not quite" he'd smiled as John had fallen to his knees, the loss of blood and strain of trying to remain conscious, finally starting to wear the man down "You say 'yes' to this and she lives but …" he'd grinned "There's always a but…you don't find the talisman before I need it…then you two live but her and Dean and Sam belong to me"
"Okay" Dee had said without hesitation.
"Hang on there, missy" the demon had laughed "Just to make it interesting…once you do me the favour …whatever it is…" he'd smiled nastily at her "You've got six months to say your goodbyes…unless I have the talisman of course then all's forgiven"
Dee had looked at Riley then raised her head "Deal"
"Now John…I'm going to leave you with a parting gift as well; favour wise? Same deal, six months. However, you mention this to your boys or you tell them about those two…I will come for Dean and Sam and I will torture them for eternity. And there's nothing you can do to stop me. You hear me?"
"No" Dee had said "I'll make the deal for Riley. Leave him out of this"
"Sorry, all or nothing. I need you both out there looking, so if John here doesn't agree then the bitch stays dead and I'll kill Dean and take Sammy as my own"
John had glared at the demon before finally nodding.
"Fabulous!" the demon had clapped "Aaah, I love the smell of victory in the morning" he'd turned to Dee "She'll be back in a bit"
"What's this talisman look like?" Dee had asked.
"Aaah, see there's the problem. I don't rightly know" he'd laughed merrily.
"Well how the hell are we supposed to find it shit-fer-brains?" Dee had asked, crying out as she felt a sharp pain rip through her.
"Leave her be!" John had yelled.
"Already bonding" the demon had laughed nastily "Now listen carefully; this is a talisman that's been lost for …hmmm…dawn of time really. It's floating around somewhere and I want it"
"Still not helping us" Dee had said "How can we find something if we don't know what the bloody hell it looks like?!"
"You'll find it" he'd smiled at her "You see, every time I get a whiff of this talisman, either you or John'here are somewhere in the vicinity. Now why is that?"
"How the hell should we know?"" she'd yelled.
"We hunt you assholes! We're always going to be somewhere near you pricks!" John had yelled "And you stay away from my boys or I will tear you limb from fucking limb!"
The demon had smiled at John "No. You find the talisman. It's old and it will have some… interesting carvings on it…green stones of some sort ,,,some writing…old writing" he'd laughed "Oh and if the person that has it won't hand it over willingly? You have my permission to kill them…" he'd paused and then grinned "actually, just kill them anyway, wouldn't want them to try and get it back"
"Green stones and old writing" Dee had said.
"Yep!" he'd grinned "Oh and you tell no one about the talisman, not even her" and he'd pointed to Riley "Your little friend doesn't know her ass from breakfast; but you have a habit of picking up weak ones don't you?" he'd grinned as she'd glared at him "Alright, then" and he'd turned to face John and the man had screamed and fallen forward.
"ARSEHOLE!" Dee had yelled.
The demon had grinned at her "Time to make yourself a new friend" he'd laughed "Try not to get this one killed" and he'd vanished.
Dee had held Riley, waiting for the life to come back to her; her gaze going between Riley and the man called John; and she'd held tight to her pistol as he'd started to groan and come around; slowly making his way over to her.
"Is she back?" he'd asked and Dee had shaken her head "She will; that asshole wants this talisman bad" he'd looked into Dee's eyes "John Winchester"
She'd finally nodded "Dee Richardson" she'd motioned to Riley "Riley" she'd stared hard at John "She never finds out about this"
John had nodded "My boys either" and they'd finally shaken hands; bonding the two and linking them, Riley, Dean and Sam together in a way neither of them fully understood.
Dee tensed as she looked into two sets of furious eyes; she could see Dean breathing heavily, his hands clenching and unclenching, the muscles in his shoulders taut; he was a powder keg ready to explode. Sam was just the opposite; his arms hanging loosely at his sides, every muscle relaxed but his weight was shifted onto the balls of his feet; he would launch himself at her in an instant.
"What the fuck did you do?" asked Sam; his voice holding a hard edge to it; something she hadn't heard since that time in Vermont…when the demon had risen in him.
"The talisman…he meant Riley's talisman" Dean said angrily and Dee nodded "You screwed us over, you bitch!" he was on her in an instant; throwing her to the floor and pinning her arms to her sides; she didn't fight him as he put his face inches from hers "You played us the whole fucking time!"
"I didn't" said Dee calmly.
Sam crouched near her head; the rage coming off him in waves "When did you know Riley's talisman was the one that asshole was talking about?" he paused "And if you lie to us, I will kill you myself" he'd laughed "I mean we're dead anyway right?"
Dean lifted her up and slammed her back against the floor "ANSWER HIM!"
"Since I read Jack's letter" she said "Me and your Dad…we never found it…we didn't really know what we were looking for"
"DON'T LIE!" Dean had screamed "That asshole wouldn't have let you off that easy!"
Sam stared at her, realisation slowly dawning on him "The favour…what was it?" she said nothing "Dee…I swear to Christ…"
Dee had turned her head towards Riley "You can't tell her"
"Fuck that!" Dean had said angrily "You've lied to her enough" he shook his head at her "Jesus, with friends like you, who needs freakin' enemies"
Dee had glared at him "Promise me"
"No" both Sam and Dean said.
"Tell us or I'll wake her and you can tell her to her face how you fucked us over" said Dean.
Dee sighed; they'd find out eventually so it was better coming from her lips now "I didn't do the favour"
"Bullshit" said Dean "If you didn't do it, Riley'd be…" he stopped and the silence that ensued seemed to stretch for an eternity before Sam finally broke it.
"What did he want you to do?" Sam asked quietly.
She looked at Dean "Kill you"
"How long have you got?" asked Sam; she didn't answer "How long Dee?"
"Three months"
"You traded your soul?"
She laughed hollowly "No, the bastard didn't want it. Said because I believed I belonged there, he wouldn't give me what I wanted,"
"So what then?" Dean asked, getting off her and leaning back against the wall.
She laughed again; and both Sam and Dean heard the bitterness in it "Oh, here's the irony" she said as she sat up "I'm becoming one of her bitches" she laughed again and looked at them "I'm your next hunt, fellas"
To be continued…