Yes, an actual and for real update! Hurrah!! My theological consultant and editor said to tell you all the delay was entirely her fault. It wasn't, but she said to tell you that so I did.
(shrugs)
Editors. Strange lot. Gotta keep 'em happy, though.
edited to fix inconsistencies after Ch43 was posted - whoops!!
Chapter 42: Free Will
Bela slapped her computer monitor in frustration. She had already tried unplugging everything and plugging it all back in and rebooting the computer about four times. Nothing. It was as though all the cameras had gone out at once. Yeah, right. It was more likely a problem with the feed, since all the cameras broadcast to the same relay before the signal was routed to her here. There had to be an issue with the relay. Stupid, cheap parts.
With a sigh of resignation, Bela realized she would have to go back to Singer's and check on the feed from the cameras. Great. As she headed for the door, she decided to pick up about a pound of hamburger on the way. If the dog could be distracted, she might be able to get in and out without anyone noticing.
She tried not to look in a hurry as she headed into the grocery story. Struck with an inspiration, Bela called the towing company she had contacted about Dean's car. If she could get an eyewitness account of the angel, it might go some way to convincing her buyer. At the very least, the buyer might agree to come out to see for himself, since her cameras were out. On the other hand, if they hadn't tried to tow the car yet, she might still have time to get her hard evidence.
"What? Lady, do you have any idea whose car that was?" the voice on the other end demanded.
"Yes," she replied stiffly, "my soon to be ex-husband's. It's in my name; I gave you copies of the title paperwork. Wasn't that good enough for you?"
"It might have been," the man replied slowly, "if you hadn't tried it with one of Bobby Singer's nephews. I've know Bobby going on twenty years, and I trust his word a hell of a lot more than your papers, lady. I suggest you don't call this number again. Oh, and one more thing."
Bela grit her teeth as she snagged a two pound package of ground beef. It was a very large dog.
"What?" she huffed out.
"I've already called every other towing company in town to warn them about you. I don't know what your game is or what you have against Bobby's nephews, but you're not using us to do it."
She glared at the cell phone flashing the message her call had ended. Minor setback, that's all it was. Bela headed over to the pharmacy aisle. There had to be some type of over-the-counter sleep aids. She wanted to be sure the monster mutt couldn't chase her off this time.
"Mike!" Dean's voice echoed throughout the valley below.
"Later, Ralph," his best friend said with a wave. Michael faded from sight leaving Raphael standing on the mountain alone. Well, it was bound to happen. Michael was responding to someone else's calls the way he had always responded to Raphael's.
Just because he had seen it coming didn't make it sting any less. Well, he had work to do too.
Raphael had been keeping an eye on certain demons, ones which could really cause nasty trouble for humans. He scanned for the potential trouble-makers and found one missing. Surprised, Raphael did a second, more thorough search. Still missing one.
Strange.
Was the demon hiding? If so, its plans could be in motion and this was an attempt to escape detection. Raphael performed one more thorough search. Still nothing. Time to consult Gabriel.
"Gabriel, do you have a moment to spare?" he asked of the air around him.
The space next to him shimmered with an unearthly radiance. "You two have another meteor shower?" she asked in a condescending voice. "Don't you ever get tired of it?"
"How about if we invite you next time?" Raphael offered, wondering if she could bring herself to accept such an offer.
Gabriel rolled her eyes. "Mike," she emphasized the nickname, "wouldn't hear of it. He's afraid I can throw better than he can."
"I could use your help," Raphael told her earnestly, partly because it was true and partly to change the topic.
"What is it?" Gabriel's eyes locked with his.
"There's a demon missing, a powerful one. I fear its plans," Raphael admitted.
"Which one?" Gabriel asked, her eyes flashing with her usual intensity when discussing demons. He knew she'd like a dragon, for old time's sake, but it was a different world now.
"Lilith." Raphael waited for her reaction.
Gabriel's face darkened and her eyes glowed bright. "Well," she said at last, "that isn't good. Especially with the trial. The three of us will be in court for days, maybe weeks. Any ideas?"
Raphael shook his head. "But I did have an idea about the trial."
She motioned for him to continue.
"The dog," he suggested. "Why don't you use the dog as a witness?"
Gabriel gave him the oddest look. "The dog who hates me? That dog?"
Raphael nodded.
"Rafe, you've been hanging out with humans too long. Why would I do that?" Gabriel stood in a very human manner, with her feet set apart and her hands on her hips, eyes daring him to explain himself.
"It's nearly impossible for dogs to lie," he reminded her, "especially in court. Dean bonded the dog with his brother, not himself, which would go a long way to show just how respected and loved Sam is."
"Character witness?" Gabriel asked thoughtfully. "I could do that. We could certainly use some good character witnesses. I've interviewed a few hunters, but I don't think they'd be good in court."
"No?" Raphael studied her for a moment. "Why not? Demon hunters usually have sway with the council."
Gabriel shook her head. "Not this lot. I wouldn't wish them on a higher level demon, assuming they could trap one. Most of them would torture it for information, like they could trust anything it had to say. Plus, they all think the Winchesters are completely unstable, despite the respect they claim to have for the family."
"Any basis for that?" Raphael asked.
"Sure," she said with a shrug, "but when it's taken out of context, and I suspect all of the stories I heard were, it can make anybody look bad. Especially Dean."
Raphael blew out a long breath. "Great. And I assume he's the basis for your defense?"
Gabriel nodded.
"So you can't bring in outside witnesses because they'll make Dean look bad, which in turn makes Sam look bad. But you can't make Sam look good without outside witnesses." Raphael massaged his forehead with one hand. "You two just had to push it this far, didn't you?"
"Hey, don't blame all this on me!" Gabriel snapped. "I'm doing the best I can here!"
Raphael held both hands up in surrender. "I didn't say you," he stated firmly. "I said you TWO. You know full well if you can't resolve your issues yourself, the council will put them on trial and force you to seek resolution."
"I know," she sighed in resignation. "I know, Rafe. And you're right, Michael and I are both to blame." She held up one finger. "But if he hadn't pushed Dean so far..."
"Yes, but he did, and Dean was able to stand up to him. I doubt any of us could have foreseen that. Now we all must live with the consequences, especially the Winchesters." Raphael stared her in the eye.
Gabriel chewed her lower lip, a nervous habit picked up over the last few centuries. The fact all of them had developed similar nervous habits showed the added stress such a large human population caused their kind.
"I'll speak with the dog," she promised before turning away. "And I'll keep an eye out for Lilith."
Gabriel might not have acknowledged his point, but he knew she would be thinking about it. It was the most Raphael could ask of her. For now, he had a demon to track.
Mike found Dean hunched over a woman's body, his hands glowing as he attempted to heal her. He could see the massive internal damage the closer he came. She was probably a lost cause already.
"Dean," Mike said softly as he knelt beside them, "what happened?"
Dean's bright glowing green eyes met his. There was even a luminescent glow to Dean's skin from his efforts with the woman. "My fault," he huffed. "Demon."
Mike shook his head as he placed his hands beside Dean's, adding his efforts. Dean had either forced the demon out too slow or too fast; either could cause irreparable damage. Their efforts were probably futile.
"Come on," Dean growled, "come on."
To appease Dean, Mike poured more energy into the woman despite the fact he could feel her weakening.
"Dean," he whispered, hoping his voice was low enough for their audience of Sam and Bobby not to hear, "there's a lot of damage. Even we can't fix everything."
Dean's head gave a sharp shake. "My fault," he insisted. "She's not dying, not today." He looked at the woman's slack face. "Come on, lady! Fight! You can do this! Fight!"
Mike was about to tell Dean the place she was headed for wasn't bad, it was her reward. He wanted to mention all of them screwed up sometimes, and the demon would have killed her anyway. He wanted to say all those things, but as he gazed at her face Mike was overcome with desperation for this woman to live. If she died, it would be a horrific tragedy and it would be his fault. Concentrating harder, Mike pumped more healing energy into her liver, spleen and heart. He sensed Dean's light diverting to heal her lungs and small internal rips and tears.
"Fight!" Dean barked, his anxiety bleeding through his voice.
The woman's eyelids fluttered, but they weren't out of the woods yet. Mike poured more energy on; knowing Dean beside him was doing the same. Then he noticed a difference, a sensation he could not identify.
"That's it," Dean said to her, "keep it up. Fight."
Fight? Mike studied the interaction between Dean and the woman below them. She was hanging on by sheer will, he realized. This was what all the talk of 'human will' was about. Under his hands the woman shifted, more movement with each passing second. Her chest moved, taking one breath after another. Her eyes opened, staring blankly. She blinked and her gaze landed on them.
"Thanks," she whispered. She focused on Dean. "For everything."
Dean gave her a warm, kind smile. "Sure," he replied, as if he did this kind of thing everyday. He refused to allow her to sit up. "You still need a hospital," he told her. "Bobby?"
Mike silently agreed as Bobby rushed into the house to call an ambulance. Sam and the dog sat down on the woman's other side.
"You're going to be fine now," Sam assured her.
"What was it?" she asked in a shaking voice. "What happened?"
Mike passed a hand over her eyes. "Nothing you need to remember," he whispered as he wiped her memory of the past day, just to be safe.
"You've been in an accident," Sam explained gently as she blinked wide, confused eyes at them. Mike had to admit, Sam was pretty sharp; he caught on instantly. "We're calling an ambulance for you. Just lie still, okay?"
"Nice," Dean whispered. "We got it from here if, you know, you have something better to do."
Dean's face was drawn and pale; he shouldn't be undertaking anything strenuous. Not for a while. "Nah," Mike assured him, "I'm good. Ralph and I were having a meteor shower, nothing pressing."
Dean chuckled. "I always figured you for playing with rocks."
"On their way!" Bobby's voice announced loudly as he jogged back to them. He loomed over Dean's still bent form. "Ma'am? How're you feeling?"
She motioned to the side. "Is that a dog?"
Dean's face relaxed as his eyes landed on Hillary. The huge dog watched over him protectively. "Yeah, but don't remind her." He leaned in closer to whisper, "She's been trying to convince us to let her sit at the table."
The woman giggled until her face twisted with pain. "Don't," she whispered urgently. "It hurts."
Sam smiled at her with such a gentle expression, Mike couldn't imagine what Azazel thought the boy would do for him. According to the demon's plan, Sam was to be responsible for bringing about hell on Earth. Azazel might have been evil through and through, but insane? Actually, insanity would explain more than just a few things. He would have to remember to bring it up with Ralph later. There had to be a way out of the apology he owed Gabriel now, since she was right about Azazel.
Mike chose to stay back with Dean, out of the way, when the ambulance arrived. Sam and Bobby did most of the talking, which was fortunate since they could tell innocent-sounding lies to put the paramedics at ease.
"You should lie down," Mike advised Dean, out of earshot of the others. Dean gave him a nasty look. "Hey," Mike held up a hand to ward off the rant he could see building, "I know what that took out of you. By all rights that woman should be headed for the morgue, not a warm hospital bed."
"Warm?" One eyebrow shifted up Dean's brow. "Dude, have you ever been in a hospital?"
Mike stared back. "Did you honestly just ask me that?"
Dean's mouth quirked up in a grin. "Yeah, never mind." He leaned back against the outer wall of Singer's house. "Bobby's is one of my favorite places." He shrugged against the wall.
"What's bugging you?" Mike asked, mimicking Dean's pose. For Dean to just throw out a tidbit of personal information like that, there had to be a reason.
He sighed heavily, rolling his head back until it rested on the wall. "Sam's making me go to the doctor," he said with a groan.
"For your back?" Mike felt a surge of hope. "Does he think the doctor can do anything for our pain?"
Dean rolled his head to the side to regard Mike. "Our pain?" Sarcasm laced his words.
Mike flinched. "Well, sometimes it's our pain."
Dean sighed heavily. "Yeah, that's why I'm going. Otherwise Sam and I would be hitting the road."
"Even with the trial coming up?" Mike asked.
Dean shrugged. "Will it matter where we are?"
"No," Mike replied. He wanted to ask if Dean was really only going because of him, but he didn't want to hear the answer. No matter how Dean answered the question, Mike didn't want to hear it.
"Didn't think so," Dean replied. He nodded toward the ambulance. "What's going to happen to her?"
"No idea," Mike told him with a shrug. He smiled at Dean's confusion. "Free will," he explained, and for the first time Mike understood how much power that phrase held. Then he noticed the dog staring at them. "What's up with her?"
Dean snorted a chuckle. "She won't let me out of her sight. Something about being left behind too many times." He rolled his eyes skyward.
"Nobody likes being left out," Mike agreed. He held out his hand and Hillary promptly trotted over to have her head scratched. He rubbed the soft fur until he realized the dog was not relaxing or enjoying the treatment. Then he saw she had sat down between him and Dean, purposefully. He met Dean's eyes. "She's protecting you from me?"
The green eyes rolled again. "She has a mind of her own, Mike. Don't blame me."
His gaze shifted to Sam. "Your brother is in protective mode again, isn't he?"
"Again?" Dean's snort drew Mike's attention away from the paramedics loading the woman into the back of the ambulance. "Try still."
Sam headed for them as the ambulance drove away slowly, no lights or siren which meant they didn't consider her high risk. Good. Sam came within reach before pausing.
"Dean," he said in an authoritative voice, "you should go to bed."
"Sam..." Dean started to argue.
"You look like hell," Sam said slowly as Dean flinched from the word. "And if you don't, I can keep saying how you look like hell...again and again and..."
"Fine!" Dean snapped. "I'm going!"
Sam followed his brother into the house after throwing Mike a piercing look. He didn't plan on staying anyway. After checking over the salvage yard a couple of times, he'd leave. No problem.
Bela used the heel of her shoe against the trunk of her car to grind the sleeping pills down into small chunks. Then she peeled the plastic off the ground meat to sweep the white pieces and dust on it. With her nose wrinkled up in distaste, Bela used her bare hand to work the pills into the meat. Nasty, it was just plain nasty. She doubted she would be able to look a meatloaf in the eye again.
After taking a supply of wet-wipes with her, Bela walked quietly back into Singer's. She had to jump behind a rusting car to avoid being run over by an ambulance. Crap! What the hell happened? Who was inside? She hoped it wasn't Dean, that would ruin everything.
From her hiding place, crouched beside a rusting hulk, Bela watched as the ambulance pulled out on the road. She couldn't tell if any angels hovered in the air over it, so maybe Dean was not inside. Emboldened by the thought, Bela waved the air over her raw meat in an attempt to fill the yard with its (icky) enticing aroma. Just out of sight of the house, in the crevice created by two cars pressed together, she put the drugged hamburger. Strange, were those blond hairs on the junkers? She pulled out a strand. It was far too long to belong to Dean, but maybe he brought his skanky women back here. The thought sent a cold, sickening shiver down her spine. In a junkyard?
She hoped she would be able to find the hiding place for her drugged meat again in the dark, to check that the dog ate it, before checking on all her cameras. On the way out, she checked the relay. It was fried. Totally fried. It looked as though somebody had thrown it into a bar-b-que pit for about an hour, taken it out, run over it with a car, and tossed it back in the pit for another hour before putting it back. Terrific. There went about a grand down the drain. If the same thing happened to the rest of her cameras...
She sighed deeply. It was time to go shopping. Again. She'd probably have to tap one of her offshore accounts this time. Great. And her deadline for providing the proof was looming right over her head. Two more days, that was it, and so far her luck had been lousy. That was okay, Bela knew how to make her own luck. Beginning this evening, when she returned with replacement equipment, Bela would start making her luck work for her.
Lilith wanted to be certain she made an appropriate first impression on the young upstart Sam Winchester. Azazel had really been losing it near the end, to hand-pick such a loser human as the general for his demon army. Clearly she would have been a better choice. Ah, well. All is well that ends well. Azazel was gone and Lilith was here to step into the void he left behind.
If a human had to be chosen, Dean Winchester would have been a natural selection. Why Sam? Just because of the blood infection? Adult humans could be coerced with blood infection too; they just had a tendency to go stark raving mad. With the proper dosage, and oversight, it could have been done. Azazel was insane and lazy, Lilith decided, all demons were better off without him as their leader.
She called forth her finest hellhounds. With strict instructions to take a canine host the instant they arrived on the surface, Lilith ordered them to seek out and attack Sam Winchester.
Red eyes glowing with anticipation, her hounds swirled into demonic smoke as they left. Lilith smiled at their eager departure. Perhaps she needed a little time off, in some human skin, to watch the show. Her eyes glowed milky white at the thought and her smile broadened.