Chapter 38: Pain In The...
Sam drove them back to Bobby's. With that freaky backpain of Dean's, Sam wondered if he would allow his brother to ever drive again. Ha. Allow Dean to drive. Who was he to decide that: Dad? Yeah, that wasn't happening. Besides, once Dean recovered from this 'episode', Sam was pretty sure his brother would kick his ass if he even suggested that Dean not be allowed to drive. Again, that wasn't happening.
Idly, Sam wondered how bad being hit by Dean would feel now. In the past, Dean had laid a nasty right cross on him once or twice. That was before they met Michael. Dean was a lot stronger now.
"I pulled 'em," Dean said from the passenger seat, where he sat with his head back and eyes closed.
"Didn't feel like it," Sam replied.
Dean chuckled without opening his eyes. "Dude, even back then I could've broken your jaw, as delicate as you are."
Ah, screw you, Dean.
"I heard that."
Sam stomped on the brake, fishtailing the big car off the road. Dean's eyes were open now and glowing slightly, so Sam was pretty sure his brother was annoyed. Once the car was out of the traffic lane and in park, he turned to face Dean.
"You heard what?" Sam demanded.
"Screw you, Dean," his brother replied evenly. No, not annoyed, Dean felt concerned, like he didn't understand why Sam might be upset.
"How could you hear that, Dean?" Sam asked, clenching his teeth between questions. "I didn't say it."
Dean shrugged, eyes never breaking from his. "You thought it, dude."
Sam narrowed his eyes on his brother. "I thought you wouldn't eavesdrop on my thoughts. Don't you hate it when people do that to you?"
Dean's brow furrowed. "I thought we came to an agreement about that. About being open with each other." His brother spoke slowly, like he was dense or something. "So we don't screen each other out. Remember?"
Sam was torn between slamming his forehead against the steering wheel in frustration and hugging his brother for the thoughtfulness. All that was before Dean healed him! Dean was confused right now, though, Sam knew.
"Things have kind of changed, Dean," Sam began. He stopped suddenly. Dean's confusion doubled. And how the hell did Sam know that? "You're confused," he said slowly. His eyes locked with his brother. "How can I tell you're confused? I mean, I don't even need that stupid look on your face."
Dude, good question.
"Yeah. I mean, this shouldn't..." Sam broke off. Okay, it was official: He was freaking out now. Dean's lips hadn't freaking moved! Maybe he was losing his mind?
"You're not crazy, Sam," Dean assured him. "Maybe it wasn't caused by the demon?"
Sam's eyes widened as he stared at his brother, the implication sinking in. Holy crap!
"Dude, you said it," Dean agreed.
"No I didn't," Sam grumbled. "But if it wasn't the demon, what's causing it?"
Dean shrugged, closing his eyes and leaning back again. Waves of understanding and 'we'll figure it out' flowed over Sam, settling his nerves. Sam slowly put the car back into drive. He reached out with his emotions, the way he used to back before Dean healed him. He could feel Dean's desire to calm him, reassure him. Now that he knew about the backpain, he probed a little deeper. There it was. Sam could feel the ghost of the extreme pain still lingering in Dean's back, the pure exhaustion wracking his brother's frame, and the desire for a firm bed and about twelve hours of uninterrupted sleep.
Sam pulled the car slowly out on the road, watching carefully for potholes or ruts in the road that might make the trip rough on his brother. They pulled up at Bobby's, with Bobby standing outside. Great. Now what?
"Probably Mike," Dean said with a sigh. "And I have no idea how to make him stop feeling it, either. Wish I did."
Sam snorted through his nose. "Wish I had a way of making you stop feeling it," he said.
"Yeah." Dean threw him a glance full of understanding and sympathy. "I know."
In that instant Sam understood how Dean had felt in the wake of Jessica's death, the helplessness, how his brother had wanted to take his pain away. It would have been pretty damn similar to this. Sam pinched the bridge of his nose, breathing deep. He needed to be calm and in control when they faced Michael and Raphael.
"C'mon, princess," Dean said as Sam felt a nudge in his side. "Bobby doesn't look too good."
Sam directed his attention at the man standing in front of their car. Bobby did look odd. It took Sam a moment to place how Bobby looked, because he had never seen it on the man before. Shaken. Bobby looked like the foundations of his world just took a direct hit and he was still reeling from it.
"Hey, Bobby, what's going on?" Dean asked as he slowly approached their old friend.
"Bela got away," Bobby said. He glanced around before his gaze settled back on Dean. "No idea where Hillary got off to either."
"Sam, would you look for Hillary? I'm going to check on Mike," Dean said to his brother.
Sam shrugged with a nod. "Sure, Dean. No problem. You sure you're feeling okay?"
Dean rolled his eyes at Sam. "Yes, Sam. Holler if you need help."
Holler if he needed help. Sam made sure Dean was inside the house before shaking his head at that one. He might be in a better mood these days, but Sam was perfectly capable of taking care of himself. Besides, what could he possibly run into here at Bobby's? Well, other than archangels and Bela?
Sam called for the dog, slapping his thigh. Strange, she usually came running at the sound of his voice. Sam stopped in the middle of the salvage yard, listening intently. He heard growling from his left. Following it, Sam wound around a couple of stacks of cars. The growling grew louder and Sam had the distinct impression Hillary had something trapped.
He found Hillary staring into a crevice between two rusting hulks. Some strands of blond hair hung limply from a jagged edge. Hillary was pissed if that deep, intense growl was anything to go by.
"Ruby?" Sam asked, leaning down to peer inside the crevice.
"Call off the monster mutt," Ruby snapped, her voice muffled by the metal surrounding her. "I don't know why my spells aren't working, but I can still kill it."
Sam narrowed his eyes on the pretty blond woman. "Don't you dare hurt that dog," he told her, barely containing his anger. "You as much as touch her, and I'll tell Dean about you."
She huffed, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, whatever. Call it off."
"Hillary," Sam snapped, "stand back."
Hillary backed up a few steps, to Sam's surprise. Bobby really knew how to train dogs, he ought to do it for a living. There had to be more money in dog training than running a salvage yard. Hillary stood beside Sam, close enough for Sam to feel the heat from her body with his left leg. A deep rumble sounded from the huge dog as Ruby crawled out of her hiding place.
"Look," Ruby said as she brushed dirt off her pants, "all I need is to use your name, okay? These idiots want to unleash hell on earth, literally. There are still some demons loyal to you." She bothered to look at him then. "I'm going to round up the loyal ones and send the others back to hell. Of course, the loyal ones will expect to be rewarded, so you're going to have to promise that they can stay here."
Sam glared. Was she serious? Did this demon honestly think he'd go for that?
"It's the lessor of two evils," Ruby insisted, as if she could read his thoughts.
Sam glanced back at the house. Inside were two archangels and two demon hunters, and Ruby had been trapped by an ordinary dog. Hillary snorted, turning her head to shoot him a disgusted dog-look. Okay, so maybe not a totally ordinary dog. Sam reached down to scratch her head.
"Sorry, girl," he apologized. Hillary's attention returned to Ruby, accompanied by another growl.
"Lady, do you have any idea who is inside that house?" Sam whispered.
Ruby sighed, tapping her foot impatiently. "Look, Sam, I know who lives here, which is why there is no way I'm going inside that house."
Well at least she was scared of Bobby, so she wasn't totally crazy.
"Do I get to use your name or not? You don't have to tell that worthless brother of yours about letting a few demons stay topside, just kind of steer your hunting around them. I can help you do that. I'm sure there will be some we won't be able to round up. You and Dean can go after them. Deal?" She stuck out a hand.
Actually, when Sam really thought it over, it didn't sound like such a bad deal. Hillary stopped growling to sit next to his foot.
Mike glanced around, recognizing that he was in Bobby's house this time. He told himself that it looked different from a horizontal position, that was why he hadn't recognized it before. The slam of the front door saved him from responding to Ralph's accusations about acting like Dean. Yeah, like that could happen.
"Mike?" Dean's voice cut through the house. "Hey, Mike! You all right?"
Was he all right? Was he all right! Mike shot to his feet, anger coursing through him. Dean knew, that sneaky human bastard knew! When Dean came into view, Mike could see that the latest episode hit him pretty hard, too. Dean's jeans had a new tear in the knee and were covered with dirt, as though he'd fallen.
"What happened?" Mike demanded, stepping forward in his most threatening manner. "What did it?"
Dean sighed, shoulders slumping in defeat. "Look, I never thought it would affect any of you. Honest."
"Never thought what would affect any of us?" Mike asked through gritted teeth as he clenched his fists.
"Dude, chill out," Dean snapped, eyes flashing. Literally flashing. Dean's eyes glowed bright green. "It's not like it was intentional!"
Mike's anger rose too. "It's not like WHAT was intentional?" he shouted, noticing Bobby look up at the ceiling. Mike glanced up too, saw dust streaming down in thin rivulets from cracks in the ceiling plaster.
"It's called phantom pain, you big harp-less idiot!" Dean shouted back, stepping forward. "It isn't real!"
"What do you mean, it isn't real?" Mike asked as his anger began to ebb.
"What does phantom pain mean?" Raphael asked from over his shoulder.
Dean's eyes shifted to Raphael. "It means it's not real," Dean said with a sigh and a shrug. "Nothing causes it, just random nerves firing. Sometimes when I overdo it, I get a bad one."
"Like today?" Mike asked, understanding settling in and overriding his anger.
Dean collapsed into a soft looking chair. "I guess."
"How often does this happen?" Raphael demanded. His friend sounded terribly worried.
Dean's eyes shifted to the arm of the chair where he traced the fabric pattern with one finger.
"Does it happen often?" Raphael repeated.
Dean grimaced, glancing toward the door. "Don't tell Sam, okay? He'll just worry." He cleared his throat. "Yeah, it happens often. Mike doesn't seem to notice the normal ones, just the big ones."
"Dean!" Bobby snapped and Dean cringed. "Why wouldn't you tell us?"
Dean gave the older man a pleading look. "It's not something you or Sam can do anything about, Bobby. It's okay. Really. I just didn't want to worry you."
Mike relaxed. Nothing was attacking Dean, it was normal. Well, normal for a Winchester. A chuckle from Raphael drew his attention. "What?" Mike demanded.
Raphael grinned. "Harp-less idiot?" He motioned to Dean, an expression of glee plastered on his face. "And you're going to let him get away with it? Really?"
Mike felt extremely uncomfortable. Dean squirmed in his chair. Could he really explain? And did he want to? Heck, Mike wasn't sure he understood why either. All he knew for sure was the fact he didn't hate Dean. He didn't hate Dean a lot. Or Sam.
"Inside joke," Mike offered his oldest and closest friend. He hoped it would be enough for Raphael, because he didn't have anything else to offer.
Raphael's features shifted, he did not understand. That was clear. "Okay, Michael," was what he said. Ralph didn't understand, but he was willing to trust Mike. They still had that. They always had that, and hopefully they always would.
The confused look melted away into sheer confidence. "I should check in with the council. Our departure was rather...abrupt." Their eyes met and Mike understood Ralph's intent, and his friend's concerns and worries.
"Good. I'll be fine here," Mike assured him. Ralph did not move. "I don't think proximity is a factor. I'll be fine."
Ralph gave him a nod before fading from sight.
"I'm never gonna get used to that," Bobby said softly in wonder.
Mike was pretty sure Dean was just as impressed, though the younger man would never admit it. Dean's brow creased and he looked out the window.
"Something's going on out there," he said slowly. "Sam's trying to block me. You sense anything out there?"
His first thought was to ask what Dean meant by Sam trying to block him, but Mike did sense something outside. The something outside was touched by Hell and could still be connected to it. They should check it out, if Dean could handle it. It would be a bad time for another phantom pain.
"Hillary isn't real happy either," Dean added as he stood. "Let's go."
Odd. Mike tried to sense Hillary, but he could not locate the dog. She was part of Dean's network. He felt a rush of pride. Dean was building up his own personal network, comparable to theirs but on a much smaller scale. Once the others discovered it they would want to investigate, but for now Mike would try to shield it.
What would it really hurt to pit demons against each other, Sam wondered. And if Ruby just used his name, would that implicate him? After all, he did have a trial coming up, he needed to watch those kind of things.
"Do you really need my permission?" he asked. "Why couldn't you just use my name anyway?"
Ruby tapped a foot impatiently. "Sam, do I get permission or not? I kind of need to know."
Sam stared at her for a moment. "You mean, you can't use my name without my permission? Is that it?"
He stuck his hands in his pockets as he looked down at Hillary. "What do you think?"
Hillary made some rumbling noises. Sam imagined how she might respond to that.
"Yeah," Sam said to the dog, "we probably ought to talk to Dean about it first." He glanced back at the house. He could feel Dean heading their way. "And here he comes. Want to stick around?"
"Stick around?" Ruby demanded. "And talk to your idiot, demon-killing brother? Yeah, don't think so, Sam." Ruby headed toward the back of the lot, presumably how she came in. She paused, glancing back over her shoulder. "Just give me permission and I'm out of here. You don't ever have to see me again."
"Really?" That sounded pretty good, but Dean was headed their way. Hillary growled again. Right, no decisions without discussing them with Dean. But demon against demon...that was tempting. "Me not ever seeing you again would make it difficult to steer clear of those demons on my side."
Ruby grimaced. "Fine, hunt them down. All of them. I don't really care. Just let me use your name!"
Hillary stood up, all the fur on her back standing straight out as a growl rumbled deep in her chest. She lunged toward Ruby before Sam had a chance to give her an answer. Ruby put out a hand and Sam remembered what happened to one of Bobby's dogs who had crossed Meg.
"No!" he screamed as he reached out to grab Hillary, but that dog was fast. Hillary was on top of Ruby, pinning the demon to the ground and snarling and growling and barking for all she was worth. Ruby had both arms up, protecting her face.
Sam took a step back, confused. How did Hillary do that? Or was Hillary supposed to be able to do that and he should be asking how Meg was able to kill Bobby's last dog?
"Sam!" Dean skidded to a halt beside him. "Sam? What is it?"
"Uh..." Yeah, like he had a good answer for that. 'Oh, nothing, Dean, I was just talking deals with a demon, that's all. How did your talk in the house with the archangels go?'
"Hillary!" Dean bellowed. The big dog backed off of Ruby, moving to stand between them and her.
"Who are you?" Dean demanded of Ruby.
Ruby lowered her arms to glare at Dean. Then she turned to smile at Sam. "Sammy? Aren't you going to introduce us?"
"It's Sam," he snapped instantly.
Ruby stood, brushing the dirt off her backside.
"The dog really doesn't like you," Dean said slowly. "So what are you?"
She opened her mouth when her attention wavered from Dean to something else. Sam looked back to see if Bobby was here too. Instead he found Michael standing just off to the side.
"Oh, it's you," Ruby said with a sneer. "Planning to glue my feet to the ground again? Cute trick, by the way."
Dean moved back a step, to stand closer to the angel. "You know her?"
Michael shook his head, dark waves cascading wildly over his head. "Not exactly. We've spoken, but I never got a name."
"Demon?" Dean demanded, stepping back beside Sam. "What do you want here, bitch?"
Ruby snorted as she turned away. "Later, Sam."
Sam started to call out a warning, but Dean's reaction was faster.
"Christo!"
Dean's voice bounced around the salvage yard, the whole area resonating with one word. Mike's eyes glowed blue and Dean's shimmered with green energy. Ruby, however, was a different story.
Normally saying 'Christo' caused a demon to flinch and black demon eyes to show, but Sam guessed when Dean said it it had a little more punch. Ruby was lifted up and thrown about ten feet, where she landed on her ass. When she looked up at Dean, mouth hanging open, her eyes were pitch black.
"Awesome," Sam said. "Mike, will that happen every time?"
"Always works for me," Michael replied.
"Mike?" Ruby panted. "Not as in...Michael? Oh," she groaned. "I have the worst freaking luck."
"Yes, you do. And you are?" Michael asked.
"Ruby," Sam answered for her. "We were just talking."
"Talking?" Dean spun to face him. "With a demon? Sam, what were you thinking?"
"She said she had a way of rounding up some demons to send the others back to hell," Sam explained quickly. "But Ruby claims she has to have permission to use my name to do it. I wanted to talk to you about it first."
Hillary made some low grumbling noises. Dean looked down at her, like he was listening to what she had to say, too.
"I don't care," Dean said to the dog, "we don't make deals with demons!"
Dean's hot green gaze landed on Sam again. "And you should know better, Sam."
Sam shrugged. "Demon against demon, Dean. You have to admit, it's tempting."
Dean shifted to glare at Ruby. "Take off, before I exorcise your ass."
"There are rules," Ruby snapped, standing close to Dean. "I haven't broken any of the rules, so you can't touch me." She stuck her tongue out.
Dean's eyes narrowed dangerously and Sam had a pretty good idea of what was coming. He wasn't disappointed. One of Dean's hands shot straight out, palm connecting with Ruby's chest. She shot backward, flying further than she had before.
"Ow!" she whined as she sat up. "You can't do that!"
Dean glared at her. "There may be rules, but I'm no angel. I'd suggest you remember that. Hillary, you mind?"
The big dog stalked forward, growling and snarling. Ruby leapt to her feet, making a mad dash to get away. Mike chuckled at the sight.
"God, I wish I could get away with that," he said softly. "Dean, if I gave you a list..."
Dean shook his head, chuckling. "Anytime, dude. But right now, I could really use some shut-eye." He looked Mike over. "How about you?"
Mike shrugged in a way that was so similar to Dean, it made Sam wonder. "Later, guys," he said as he faded from sight.
"C'mon, Sam. Apparently I can't let you out by yourself," Dean said, voice tired and weary.
Sam rushed to walk beside his big brother. "I wasn't going to do anything without talking to you first," he insisted.
"You're on trial, Sam," Dean said, glancing his way. "You can't just be caught chatting with demons. It doesn't look good, Sammy."
"I know," Sam sighed. "It won't happen again. Okay, Dean? I promise."
"Okay, Sam."
Sam followed his brother anxiously into the house. Dean didn't even bother going upstairs, preferring to crash on the couch. Before Sam had time to decide if he wanted to try talking to Dean again or go grab something to drink, soft snores came from his brother's prone form.