Welcome back. We are finally going to get to see a teeny bit of fluff between Dean and Ivy. Very tiny. Microscopic. But, it's still early days, and there is still a lot of time. By the way, I meant to mention earlier that while this is not really an AU, it will not reveal any spoilers. A lot of you are probably caught up to season 9, but if you're not, no worries! Okay, enjoy the chapter!
[Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OC.]
When Cas returned, Ivy was sitting in the study with Sam and Dean, attempting to make herself useful. She had gotten up early that morning and immediately started scouring the stacks upon stacks of books laid out on the table. Ivy was a bit surprised to see the angel again, and her lips turned up into a smile when she saw him.
"I may have found a way to remove your bindings." Cas said in his deep, yet somehow comforting voice. Sam and Dean exchanged looks. "It won't be an easy task."
"When is it ever easy?" Dean retorted, unsurprised. Castiel made no reply, but he glanced over at Ivy, his eyes filled with deep concern. "Well, spit it out."
"The shackles are imbued with Crowley's essence. That is what binds Ivy to him. If she were to leave this bunker, he could easily retrieve her." Cas explained.
"So what do we need to do to break the bond?" Sam asked, getting a bit impatient. The angel was skirting around the issue. Ivy looked at Cas with a tinge of fear in her eyes. She dared not hope that this task would be something they could actually accomplish. Life didn't work that way. What little hope Ivy had started to drain from her in that moment.
"We need Crowley's blood." Cas said grimly.
Ivy's heart dropped. She expected this, but she didn't quite believe it. She felt as if her spirit had been crushed, and despair was all that was left. Castiel didn't look at her. He didn't need to. Her sadness was tangible.
Dean rubbed his eyes and sighed in frustration. "Well, does anyone have a plan?" He asked in a slight mocking tone. His eyes turned to Ivy, who was sitting stock still in her chair, hands in lap, and eyes staring into the void. He could tell she was on the verge of a mental breakdown. Unsure of what to do, Dean tentatively placed a hand on Ivy's shoulder. She stiffened, but only a little, but continued to stare at her lap. Her hair hid her face from view, so he couldn't tell if she was crying or not.
Sam spoke up after seeing his brother's out of character gesture towards the girl, "We could use Ivy as bait. Catch Crowley in a devil's trap." Ivy's head shot up at this, and her eyes looked fearful. "We would be nearby, obviously," Sam elaborated. Dean shot his brother a menacing glance.
"Though it would be very dangerous for her, that does seem like the most logical plan." Castiel said grimly. He looked at Ivy reassuringly and said, "I would be there as well to protect you."
Ivy still looked unsure, and seeing this, Dean decided he needed to help out. "Ivy, look at me." He said softly. She slowly did as she was told, her green eyes looking into his, doubt written all over her face. "We can do this. We've done it before. Besides, we have an angel on our side." He said with a smirk.
"Why?" She asked in confusion. "Why do you want to help me? We barely know each other. Wouldn't it be easier to just kill me?" Ivy wasn't used to being shown any kindness, but despite that, her point was valid. The Winchesters didn't know her. She was a danger to them, and it probably would be easier to just kill her, but Dean couldn't do that. Why didn't she see that they were just trying to do the right thing?
Before Dean could even muster a reply, Castiel stated flatly, "You're an innocent."
"I think what Cas is trying to say is that we're helping you because it's the right thing to do." Sam said. Despite being indifferent to her before, Ivy could see a hint of sincerity in Sam's face. "You don't deserve what happened to you."
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound ungrateful." Ivy replied. Sam shook his head and smiled.
"No worries."
"Thank you. All of you." Ivy looked at each of the men in turn. "I'll do whatever I can to help." She said, a small hint of hope in her voice. The three of them smiled at her. "So, where do we start? How will we lure Crowley?"
Later that evening, after a long discussion that led to nowhere, Ivy was sitting in Dean's room brushing her hair. She had just taken a long overdue shower and she felt relaxed for the first time in...forever. She sat in her night clothes, which still consisted of an oversized shirt and a pair of Dean's sleep shorts. She hadn't gotten any clothes of her own, but she didn't mind. His clothes were comfy and, to be honest, she loved the way they smelled.
She smiled to herself and pushed her long hair to the side so it hung over one shoulder. She thought about going to speak with Dean. It felt nice to finally have someone to talk to about her life, especially since he could relate. Sam and Dean had both had their fair share of tragedy in this life. Just as she was about to get up and find Dean, there was a knock on the door.
She got up and cracked the door open to see the man himself standing before her with a goofy grin on his face.
"Is this a bad time?" He asked, still grinning. "You're not indecent are you?" Ivy stifled her laughter and pulled the door wide open to reveal that she was, in fact, very decent.
"Only when I want to be," she replied under her breath, but she was sure he heard her. He gave her a sidelong glance as he entered the room and plopped himself down on the bed. "So, what's up?" She asked.
"Just felt like talking." He shrugged. "Wanted to see how you were holding up."
"Surprisingly well." Ivy remarked, walking over to the dresser and idly fiddling around with the items upon it. "I feel safe here with you guys. I know it can't last forever, but I'm going to make the best of it while I can."
Dean looked at her sadly. "Why can't it last forever?"
"Nothing ever does, Dean." She said turning to him. "That's life. And I'm glad just to have this little bit of comfort. I can't expect much more than that." She was smiling, but Dean could see her sadness. She was trying to put on a brave face.
"What if I said I wanted it to last?" Dean asked. Ivy stopped what she was doing and looked at him thoughtfully.
"Well, of course...I want it to last too." She said. It wasn't quite what Dean wanted to hear. But, how could he expect her to hear the meaning behind his words if he didn't make it clear to her? Hell, even he wasn't entirely sure what he meant. The question just sort of tumbled out. Dean cleared his throat and rubbed his hands over his knees, trying to think of a way to make her understand what he was thinking, without being a total creep.
"Ivy," Dean started. Ivy watched him, waiting for him to continue. "What I mean is-"
But then, Ivy suddenly screeched and fell to her knees. Dean, shocked at the sound, scrambled to his feet and ran over to her side.
"What is it? What's wrong?" Ivy couldn't answer. Her eyes were closed tightly, tears spilling out of them, her teeth gritted and biting back the screams, though unsuccessfully. Dean looked down in horror to see that her shackles were burning bright red. They looked as if they'd been heated over a fire for hours. The normally invisible, intangible chain that bound her was visible now and it was red and angry looking. He could smell her flesh searing under the cuffs, but he didn't know how to stop it.
There was a fluttering sound and Dean turned to see Cas standing behind them. Ivy was incoherently shouting something through her gritted teeth. All he could make out was 'Stop!' Cas knelt next to her and placed a hand upon her forehead. The blue, angelic light glowed and filled Ivy with relief from the pain. She was quietly sobbing now, still unable to speak clearly. The angry, red shackles soon dulled back to their normal grayish black color.
It was over.
Dean wrapped his arms around the sobbing girl and held her tight. He whispered in her ear that he was sorry, and to his surprise, Ivy leaned into his embrace. Cas stared at her with deep concern.
"Dean, somehow Crowley can still get to her through those shackles." He said, stating what they already feared. Dean looked up into the angel's eyes and was about to say something when he heard Ivy take a deep shuddering breath. He turned his gaze towards her and then scooped her up in his arms, bridal style. He brought her over to his bed and laid her in it. She looked like she wanted to say something, but her breathing was ragged and shallow.
"D-Dean, he-" She stuttered out. Dean pushed back some hair that had fallen in her face.
"Don't talk, it's okay now." He soothed.
"Dean." She muttered again. "He's coming for me."
Oh boy. How right you were, Ivy. Nothing lasts forever. Not even your short reprieve from Crowley. Alright, I'll update again soon. I've just finished chapter 6, and I'm working on 7 as I type this. Things get a little heavy in the next few chapters. In more ways than one. Until next time!