Disclaimer: I do not own anything that you recognize. Short ad sweet.
AN: For any of those that got an alert about chapter 7 before this, it was an adjustment I was making. Sorry about that. I would like to thank everyone who has followed, favorited, and review, the put quite a smile on my face. Now, on with the story.
Chapter 7
Carmen never got an answer that night. Sam showed up saying that he found something interesting that they should both check out. Carmen and Dean followed Sam downstairs to look at an article he had found of a man who had jumped from the roof of a building that he himself had designed.
Carmen stated that she would be going with them on the case and headed upstairs to get some sleep.
The next morning they all hit the road, Sam and Dean in the Impala and Carmen on her bike. Carmen told them that she would keep her Bluetooth in and to call if they came up with any new information.
After they hit town they stopped by a diner to grab some food and talk shop. Sam was currently on his laptop looking very unhappy. Apparently the reason they had been late getting to Bobby's was that they were working a case. Which landed them both in a police station. Which was very bad news for Dean, who was supposedly dead.
A waitress came by the table to drop off Carmen and Dean's food. Dean started picking at his fries when Sam informed they that Dean now had a warrant out on him and he had been put in the FBI's database. Carmen gave Dean a very exasperated look. "Really, Dean? A warrant and the FBI? What's next? Wanna get the spotlight on you for national security too?" Carmen asked cutting into her steak.
Most women her age cared about what they ate to keep a nice figure. The way Carmen seen it, she more than worked off any calories that a measly steak gave her. And in her line of work, she could die at any time, so why deny herself the simple pleasure of a good juicy steak.
Sam gave them the low down on an architect named Sean Boyden who had commited suicide by jumping from the roof of his own building. But the weird part had been that he had called animal control and reported that a big, vicious black dog was after him. A big black dog that no one besides him had seen.
Carmen had her suspicisions on what it might have been, but until she knew more, she was keeping her mouth shut.
"Alright guys, you go ask around about Sean Boyden, I'll book us a room and do a little snooping of my own. You boys have fun." Carmen said climbing out of the booth.
Carmen had found them a room using a fake name and paying cash. Carmen threw her stuff on the bed closest to the door and decided to take a quick shower. After she got out of the shower she got out her laptop and started to do a little research of her own.
Carmen had read up on all of the lore and information she could about black dogs and didn't come up with much more then Sam had.
Carmen called Sam and Dean and told them the name of the motel and room number that they were staying in. Sam and Dean showed up and told her that they had went by Animal Control in town and Dean had managed to charm a list of everyone who had called in about a black dog from the receptionist.
'Imagine that. Dean having to charm information out of a pretty girl.' Carmen thought as Sam told her about how Sean Boyden had been an over night success and that they had found a female chief surgeon who had become an over night success. Both ten years ago and both at a bar called Lloyd's Bar.
Carmen started to feel the dread build in her stomach as more of the information started to click together. Carmen just kept praying that she was wrong.
The next day Sam, Dean, and Carmen took a trip out to Lloyd's Bar. It wasn't much of a place but it was still open so business must have been really good. As they were walking towards the bar Dean called something to their attention. There were large patches of yellow flowers mixed in with dead or dying grass and weeds.
'Yarrow flowers. Crossroads. Dammit! I hate this case already.' Carmen thought as Sam identified the flowers used in some summoning rituals. Sam, Dean, and Carmen walk to the center of the crossroads and Dean started to dig a somewhat shallow hole. After a minute, Dean hit something and pulled up a tin box.
What Carmen seen inside made her close her eyes and she started to feel the first tingles of fear.
Sam found a jar of graveyard dirt and Dean was holding what looked like a cat bone. All in all, it was a tin box full of bad juju. Carmen stood up straight and said what the boys were already thinking.
"Damn Hell Hounds. These people make a pact with a Crossroads demon for ten years of whatever they wish for, and when the ten years is up, the Hell Hounds come to drag your damned soul ass to hell." Carmen said kicking at the dirt road and causing dust to flare up.
"I knew I didn't like where this case was going." Carmen said tilting her head back. Sam and Dean both looked at her. "Wait a minute. Are you saying that you knew what this thing was and you didn't tell us?" Dean asked with annoyance dripping from his tone as he took a step towards her.
"I had an idea. But until I was sure I didn't wanna say anything." Carmen said looking at them. "And how did you have an idea that it might be Hell Hounds?" Sam asked calmly.
"I told you guys. I researched for years before I actually started hunting. And when I say researched, I mean any and everything I ever heard a hunter talk about. And I did even more after I met your father and Bobby." Carmen explained.
Dean gave a frustrated sigh and looked at Sam. Dean walked towards the bar to see if they could tell them who the man in the photo was that Dean had pulled out of the bad juju tin.
Carmen was walking up some stairs in a somewhat rundown apartment building listening to Sam and Dean talk about the man from the picture: George Darrow. They walked up a few flights of stairs and stopped at an apartment labeled 4C.
Dean was getting ready to knock when Sam drew their attention to the crack under the door. They all leaned down to inspect the dust when the door was suddenly opened.
An old black man with white hair and a few days worth of scruff on his face stood in the doorway looking at them. After the man attempted to slam the door on them, Carmen put her hand on the door to stop him.
"Seen that Hell Hound yet, Mr. Darrow?" Dean asked. George Darrow looked at them all not quite knowing what to make of them.
"Please, Mr. Darrow. We only want to help. Let us inside so we can talk." Carmen said looking at the unshaven black man. "Please. Just five minutes." Sam said behind her. "Five minutes." Darrow said as he let go of the door so they could walk in.
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A few minutes later they left George Darrow to finish his last painting but they also left with a bag of hoodoo, goofer dust, and a name: Evan Hudson. They left the building and all climbed into the Impala. "Well boys, lets go see if Evan Hudson wants saving from the Hell Hounds out for his ass, shall we?" Carmen asked stretching out in the back seat.
As Carmen got comfortable, she caught Dean looking at her in the rear view mirror. Carmen may not have gotten a vocal response to her question from a few nights before, but if Dean's eyes were telling her anything at that moment, then she already knew the answer. 'I still wanna hear him say it though.' Carmen thought with a smirk.
Later that night the trio showed up on the porch of Evan Hudson and knocked. An average looking man opened the door.
"Evan Hudson?" Carmen asked. "Yeah." the man answered. "Ever been to a bar named Lloyd's?" Dean asked. The man got a panicked look on his face and slammed the door closed, which he then proceeded to lock. Sam looked at Dean like he was a moron.
Dean just looked back at him and then kicked the door in. 'Crude but effective, I must admit.' Carmen thought. She might have offered but Dean had been annoyed with the case since he found out that they were having to clean up a mess that other people had made for themselves. Dean, Carmen, and Sam walked into the house and down a hallway and stopped in front of a pair of double wooden doors.
Dean went to go kick that door in too when Sam grabbed his leg to stop him. Sam then turned towards the door and gently turned the unlocked knob. They all cautiously walked inside and then Evan jumped out and begged them not to hurt him. "We're not going to hurt you, Mr. Hudson. We're here because we want to help." Carmen said walking to stand in front of Sam and Dean. The last thing the man needed right now was to feel intimidated on top of flat out scared.
'And he has every right to be. Unless we can cook up a miracle, Evan Hudson will be dead very soon.' Carmen thought. "So what'd you do it for, huh?" Dean asked Evan. After a few moments Evan answered "My wife." Carmen rolled her eyes. 'Well now I'm feeling like I wanna be a little less helpful.' Carmen thought sarcastically. "I was desperate." Evan said turning his back on them to lean on his desk. "Desperate?" Sam asked curious.
Evan then told them about how ten years ago his wife was on the verge of dying from cancer. He had sold his soul to save the life of his wife. Carmen may have now understood why he had done it, but she was now annoyed. "You selfish bastard." Carmen said surprising both Sam and Dean. Evan even looked at her a bit surprised.
"You save her ten years ago so you didn't have to live without her. But now ten years later you're going to force her to survive cancer only to grieve the death of her husband? Did you even think about that when you made the deal?" Carmen asked annoyance clear in her voice.
"What if she knew the price? How do you think it would make her feel to know that she's alive because you sold your soul for her?" Dean said and then stormed out of the office. Carmen and Sam followed moments after. Dean threw the bag of goofer dust at Sam.
"Use that to keep the Hell Hounds away from Evan as long as possible." Dean told Sam. Carmen said nothing. "And what are you going to do?" Sam asked. "Going to the crossroads. Summon the demon. Trap it, send that sucker back to Hell." Dean said. Sam then started to argue with Dean.
Dean started to walk off when Sam called after him. "It's about dad. You think he made one of these deals, don't you?" Sam said. "That's what you've been thinking right? I mean, I know it's what I've been thinking. What if he made one of these deals?" Sam asked the question they had all been thinking.
"Fits, right? I'm alive, dad's dead." Dean said. Evan then called from his office saying how he heard the Hell Hounds outside. Dean started running for the door. He was at the door by the time Carmen caught up to him.
"Dean." Carmen said grabbing the sleeve of his brown leather jacket. Dean turned to look at her, and looked slightly surprised. "Carmen, what are you doing? We don't have time for a chat right now." Dean said.
"I know. But just hold on a second." Carmen said to him. Carmen then grabbed a handful of his shirt in one hand and grabbed the back of his neck in the other.
Carmen jerked him forward and firmly planted her lips onto his.
By the time Dean got over his shock, Carmen had pulled away and looked up at him with serious eyes. "Don't you dare do anything stupid out there, Dean Winchester. You know I am more than capable of kicking your ass." Carmen said seriously.
"You come back to me and Sam, unharmed and in one piece. Promise me." Carmen demanded still holding onto his shirt and neck.
"Alright, Carmen. I promise." Dean said. Dean then grabbed a handful of her hair and yanked her forward. He then placed a kiss on her lips that fell somewhere between rough and gentle. After he pulled away he said only one word before he walked out of the door but it certainly put a smile on Carmen's lips.
"Deal."