Chapter Four

Eight Days Earlier
Yakutsk, Russia

"Lindsey, it's time to go. It's not even nighttime, and you're smashed."

"I don't want to go, Cassie," Liz protested, slurring her words to the point that they were almost unrecognizable. She flung her arms out, motioning around herself. "I'm having too much fun with my new friends."

The group of men at Liz's table cheered their agreement.

Cassie rolled her eyes. "I wasn't asking if you wanted to leave," she told her brusquely and forced Liz to her feet. "Let's go."

Liz's chin-length, light brown hair fell into her eyes as she stood, and Cassie was momentarily distracted by the colors the light made when it hit Liz's strands. She was watching Liz, so she didn't see that one of the Russian men had stood and was looking to make problems. When she saw him, Cassie once again wished she had brought her gun with her to the bar.

"Can you stand on your own, Linds?" she asked, feeling in her pockets for any weapons she might have on her person.

"No," Liz said, stumbling as she took a step forward. "Everything is spinning, even you."

"Great," Cassie responded sarcastically.

Cassie managed to get Liz out of the bar and to their hotel suite without incident, something for which she was deeply grateful. She sat Liz down on her bed and started removing her shoes. When she'd tossed them aside, Cassie moved to Liz's jacket. She stopped as she was sliding it off and looked at Liz. It was twilight, and the soft light spilling into the room through the slats in the blinds made Liz look at peace. Cassie was once again struck by how beautiful Liz was. She watched her for a moment, transfixed, then haltingly leaned down and pressed her lips against Liz's.

Liz's eyes popped open, and for a moment, she responded in kind, mouth opening to allow her tongue to tangle with Cassie's. She brought her hands up and cupped Cassie's face as they kissed. Her drunken haze soon broke, and she pulled back in confusion.

"Cassie?" she asked, shaking her head to clear it. Her eyes were glazed as she looked at Cassie. "What are you doing?"

Cassie didn't answer, instead kissing along Liz's collarbone to the center of her chest. She unbuttoned Liz's shirt until her bra was revealed then leaned forward to follow her hands with her lips. Liz gripped Cassie's hair and jerked her head back.

"I asked what you're doing, Cass," Liz reminded her, slightly more lucid this time and with a trace of unease to her voice.

Cassie grabbed Liz's hands and held her down by her wrists. "I'm doing what we've both wanted for awhile."

"Cassie," Liz began. What she was going to say was lost when Cassie kissed her again. Liz struggled to break Cassie's hold on her wrists, but she was too drunk to push off all of Cassie's weight that was pressing down on her.

When Cassie came up for air, Liz tried again. "Cassie, get off me," she demanded.

Cassie kissed her again instead. Liz squealed and bucked against her.

"Get off of me!" Liz commanded. "I mean it, Cassie. I want you to stop."

Cassie stopped but stayed pressed against Liz. "But why?" she wondered. "You like it. I can tell."

Liz once again bucked against Cassie. "Get off of me, please," she requested. She managed to not let Cassie see how shaken she was.

Cassie sighed unhappily and moved off of Liz. "Lindsey, I…"

Liz rolled to where her back was facing Cassie and curled into a ball. "Go to bed, Cass."

XXX

"I didn't do anything," Cassie insisted when Liz came into the kitchen later that night after having slept for a few hours. Liz ignored her and started clumsily maneuvering around the kitchen making a late-night snack. She kept her back to Cassie as she went about assembling the food.

Cassie fidgeted in her chair. "I'm not going to lie, Linds, I wanted to. But you told me to stop, and I couldn't force you to do anything. I would never have forced you to do anything you didn't want to do. Please, Lindsey, talk to me."

Liz rubbed her temples tiredly. "I can tell I'm going to be really hung over in the morning, and I'm trying to preempt that. I've had a really bad day. Can we do this another time?"

Cassie looked wounded. "I just want to make this right," she explained desperately.

Liz sighed impatiently. "You can't. Please, leave me alone."

"But—"

The phone rang, cutting off Cassie's response.

"Are you going to answer that?" Liz asked Cassie nastily when the phone continued to ring.

Cassie angrily grabbed the phone and barked out a greeting. She listened to the person on the other end for a moment then rolled her eyes and held the phone out for Liz to take.

"Imagine that," she said sarcastically, "Bobby's calling you, and he sounds unhappy. Will wonders never cease?"

Liz jerked the phone out of Cassie's hand and walked into her room. "What?" she greeted Bobby gruffly after she had shut the door.

The line was silent a moment before Bobby answered. "Do I even need to say anything? Dean dreamed about you last night. He didn't realize it was you, but we can't afford to risk—"

"It was stupid. I get it," Liz bit out, cutting him off before he could launch into a lecture.

Bobby was not prepared to let her off that easy, however. "It was beyond stupid," he reiterated.

"I said that I get it," Liz responded with an edge to her tone. "I'm sorry that Dean was in my head. Get him to wear his necklace like you said you would so that I don't have a front row seat to him screwing Jo's brains out, and it won't happen again."

"Watch it, girl," Bobby warned her. "I'm in charge of assignments, and there are an awful lot of places I could send you to make the next few months very lonely and difficult."

Liz rolled her eyes. "I'm shaking in my boots, Bobby," she taunted sarcastically.

Bobby changed tactics. "Seattle's moving along as scheduled," he said conversationally. "I might need someone to go out for a few weeks in a couple of months and help the guy who's gonna be running everything up there."

"Don't tease me with stuff you never plan to give me," Liz requested angrily.

"If you can manage not to pull anymore stunts like last night, I will guarantee that you can have the assignment."

"Swear, Bobby. I want you to swear that you'll send me."

"No more nights like last night," Bobby warned her, voice hard.

"I promise," Liz answered, hope coloring her voice.

"How's the assignment coming along?" he asked.

Liz snorted. "It's not. The guy's a misogynistic jerk. Cassie's been taking lead on this one, but I think I may need to step in and handle it."

"Whatever you think, Lindsey."

"I think the first order of business needs to be me sleeping off this alcohol," Liz joked lamely. She hesitated for a moment. "There's something else, Bobby."

Bobby sighed tiredly. "What now?"

"Well, it's about me and Cassie…"

XXX

"You'll never guess who's here."

Cassie sighed into the receiver. She was too exhausted to deal with Sandy's perkiness. Liz had gone back to bed after her conversation with Bobby, and Cassie was so anxious about making things right between them that she hadn't been able to sleep. "Who, Sandy?" she asked uncaringly.

"Dean and Sam Winchester," Sandy replied excitedly. "Bobby sent them to take care of a job in Detroit, and they are staying with me while they're here."

"You shouldn't have called," Cassie replied, her tone severe. "You know how Lindsey gets about Dean Winchester."

"I know," Sandy responded apologetically. She perked up. "Tell Lindsey that I owe her fifty bucks."

"He really is as hot as she said?" Cassie asked. She could not keep the curiosity out of her voice and hated herself for that.

"Even hotter, actually," Sandy informed her with a laugh. "If she slept with him like she said, then I am impressed. I can see what the big deal is."

"And his ass?" Cassie had to know.

Sandy giggled in response. "Like steel," she confided. "I didn't believe her, either."

There was a pause. "I gotta go," Sandy said nervously. The line went dead in Cassie's ear.

Cassie rolled her eyes at Sandy's melodramatic behavior then stood and walked to Liz's bedroom. She knocked on the door and waited to be acknowledged. If Liz was awake, she was ignoring Cassie.

Cassie knocked harder on the door. "Our friends are stupid," she called through the door. "I thought you should know that."

It took a minute, but the door opened.

Cassie rolled her eyes at Liz. "Let me guess: you were in the bathroom and didn't hear me knocking."

Liz shrugged. "No, I was ignoring you," she replied coldly. "What do you want?"

"Sandy called to say she owes you fifty bucks. She said Dean Winchester is everything you said and more."

Liz got a confused look on her face. "Sandy? Sandy from Detroit, you mean?"

Cassie smiled, reveling in knowing something that Liz did not. "Yeah, Sandy from Detroit. Bobby sent the Winchester brothers on a job, and they are staying with her."

"Well, bully for her," Liz said irritably.

Cassie smiled malevolently. "What's the matter, Lindsey? Worried that Sandy may be added as another notch on Dean's bedpost? I don't know why you think you're so memorable. The way I hear it, Dean's not exactly picky. I'd quit feeling so special that he slept with me if I were you."

"I don't feel special because I slept with Dean," Liz protested defensively. "I've only ever brought it up once, and I only did that because I was extremely drunk and felt the need to throw you and Sandy a bone since you were offering up so many tidbits about yourself. That's the only reason you even know about me and Dean. I wish now that I hadn't told you. The two of you have blown it way out of proportion."

Cassie rolled her eyes. "Oh, give it up, Lindsey. You glowed when you talked about him. Glowed! You told us that he was the best lay you'd ever had in your entire life and that he was the best you could ever imagine having. You couldn't really expect us to just let that lie."

Liz considered Cassie silently while she reigned in her anger. "I asked Bobby to give me a new partner after this assignment is over," she told her with calm finality.

Shock overtook Cassie's face, followed by tears. "You can't do that, Lindsey! It's not fair! You kissed me back! Just because you are freaking out because you realized how you feel about me doesn't mean you have the right to throw away four years of partnership."

Liz looked pained. "That's just it, Cassie. I'm not freaking out. I'm more embarrassed than anything. I feel kind of stupid that it took me so long to realize that you like girls."

"It's not exactly like I'm out joining parades, Linds," Cassie rebutted.

Liz rolled her eyes. "Still, four years is a long time, Cassie, and I had no idea until you kissed me. It caught me off guard and I had just spent the last several hours in a state of drunken revelry and thought, 'Well, this could be fun.' That lasted all of a kiss, though, Cassie. I don't feel the same way about you. I love you, but not like that. I wish I did, Cass, 'cause it would make everything so much easier."

Cassie choked back a sob. "Call Bobby back and tell him you've changed your mind, Lindsey. I can deal with you not wanting me back as long as I get to stay with you."

Tears came to Liz's eyes. "I'm not going to do that, Cassie. I care too much about you to let you keep wasting your life watching after me. I want you to be able to find someone who can love you like you deserved to be loved."

Cassie's face hardened. "I'm wasting my life? What about you? All you do is mope around. In the four years that I've known you, you haven't even had a drink with a guy, much less brought one home. Oh, you've flirted, but that's about it. Flirting's harmless, right? Don't lecture me about wasting my life when you're not doing any better yourself."

Liz gulped. "You're my best friend in the whole world, Cassie. I'm not asking for a new partner for me. I'm asking for a new partner because you deserve more than what I can give you."

"I don't want more," Cassie protested. "I want you in whatever way I can get you."

"I'm not changing my mind," Liz said forcefully. "I'm sorry."

XXX

That Afternoon
A Warehouse Across Town

"Did you get any sleep last night?" Liz wondered.

"Let's just get this meeting over with, okay?" Cassie answered sullenly.

"Whatever you want," Liz replied with a shrug. She sat back in her chair and waited on the men they were meeting to arrive.

The men were fifteen minutes late, which made Cassie even more irritable. She got right to the point when they finally showed. "Have you considered our offer, Mr. Petrovich?"

The man she was addressing shrugged noncommittally. "I've considered it. I'm still considering it." He leered at Liz then looked back at Cassie. "Throw in a night with your friend, and I might be more inclined to give you a favorable response. I hear she's quite the party animal."

Liz glared at him and slid up the sleeve of her shirt to show him Dean's mark.

Mr. Petrovich's eyebrows raised in surprise. "The marked of a claimed woman. Interesting. Still, that would seem to be more your problem than mine."

Liz rolled her eyes. "Why don't you just listen to her?" she asked, lip curling in disgust.

Mr. Petrovich smiled in amusement and turned his attention back to Cassie. "I am all ears," he said derisively.

Cassie ignored his mocking tone. "Barrister Enterprises is getting more powerful by the minute. There's no guarantee that we'll be able to help you if you don't join us."

"Are you trying to threaten me?"

"Of course not. I'm just stating the facts. We are much less inclined to send people to die in a place that didn't stand up for itself when it had the chance."

"I will consider your offer and get back to you."

"Thank you, sir," Cassie said graciously.

Liz was less gracious. She stood up impatiently and began addressing the man in Russian. "She doesn't understand Russian," Liz explained, indicating Cassie, "so let me address you freely. You are going to join us because you don't want your village burned to the ground and demons overrunning it. Barrister Enterprises is not just our problem; it's everyone's. Stop jerking us around and pick a side already."

The man got a superior look on his face. "Why should I choose you?" he asked, also in Russian. "I hear Barrister Enterprises was started by a ruthless man and his son is just as ruthless."

Liz became deadly calm. "That ruthless man shared a fatal flaw with his son: from the day he was born until the day his daughter killed him, he underestimated women. So, you are going to choose me because you understand that there are few things scarier than a woman who's got it on her mind to be vicious. Get back to us when you decide. Good day."

Liz turned to Cassie. "Let's go," she said, turning and walking off.

Cassie stood uncertainly. Mr. Petrovich stopped her before she could follow Liz.

"Who is she?" he asked, nodding after Liz.

Cassie looked mournfully after Liz. "One hell of a woman," she replied.

The man smiled. "You have that right. It is too bad that she is marked. I have a feeling that there are other areas at which she would be fantastic."

"You keep saying that. Marked for what?"

The man's smile widened. "Semantics, my dear girl. Semantics. Not 'for what' but 'by whom.' That symbol on her wrist means that a man has claimed her and no other one is allowed to touch her. Like I said, it is too bad."

Cassie looked disturbed. "I've been her partner for years, and she's never told me that."

Mr. Petrovich was amused. "I would imagine not. She does not seem like the type of woman to enjoy being a man's property. I would be interested to know the circumstances that led to her getting that mark."

Cassie laughed bitterly. "I can just about promise that you never will."

Mr. Petrovich looked after Liz. "It does not matter. I will join you in your fight, nonetheless. Feel free to contact me for anything you need. I have a feeling that betting on that woman is betting with the winner."

XXX

Liz and Cassie stopped at a restaurant on their way back to the hotel. They ate in silence. After that, they started their rounds through the city. There was no supernatural activity to speak of, so they got to their room not long after midnight.

Liz opened the door to their suite and started heading to her room when Cassie grabbed her wrist and pulled up the sleeve of her shirt so she could see Liz's mark.

Liz fought her off, angrily jerking her arm away from her. "What the hell is wrong with you, Cassie?" she demanded, putting a step between them.

Cassie got a determined look on her face. "Mr. Petrovich told me what that mark on your wrist means. You never told me that some man made you his possession. Who was it?"

Liz shook her head angrily in response to Cassie's question. "It's none of your damn business."

Cassie was not to be swayed, however. "Is that why Bobby exiled you? Who was it?"

Liz thought long and hard before answering Cassie. "I'm going to tell you about this exactly once and then never speak of it again. I did what was necessary to save a whole bunch of people. It doesn't matter who it was. I don't blame him. He marked me, sure, but I marked him, too. We changed one another, and we can't undo it. We both have to deal with that. As far as Bobby is concerned, he didn't exile me; I did it to myself. I chose to go far, far away for reasons that I can't really get into."

Cassie's anger melted into a sympathetic look. "At least you got to have a little fun with Dean Winchester before this other jerk got you."

Liz's eyes widened before she could stop them. She looked at the floor until her stoic mask slid back on then hazarded a glance back at Cassie. Cassie had missed Liz's surprised look, however, so Liz was safe from more prying questions.

"Yeah, at least there was that," she mumbled.

"So that's why you never bring anyone home, huh?"

Liz smiled halfheartedly. "That's one explanation for it, yeah."

"What would have happened if I hadn't stopped?" Cassie asked, fear and guilt in her eyes.

Liz smiled reassuringly. "Nothing. The thing about misogynistic curses is that they are misogynistic. I can't be an adulteress with a woman."

Cassie sighed in relief. "That's good."

Liz went as white as a sheet and clutched her side in pain.

"What's wrong, Lindsey?" Cassie asked worriedly. She moved to help Liz, but Liz held up a hand to stop her.

Liz reached a shaky hand into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone. She dialed a long sequence of numbers and handed the phone to Cassie.

"I just called Sam. Tell him to go help Dean. He's hurt, and Sam needs to help him!"

Cassie looked lost. "Sam? Who's Sam?" Her eyes lit with sudden understanding. "Sam Winchester!?! You know Sam Winchester's number off the top of your head? Why?"

Liz gave her an impatient look. "That's not important right now! The phone is ringing. Talk. First, give me your phone, though."

"Why?"

"Just give me your phone!" Liz demanded.

Cassie stood frozen for a second then handed Liz her phone. Liz grabbed the phone and frantically dialed another number. Sam answered just as Liz started talking about an ambulance, so Cassie missed what Liz said next.

"Hello?" Sam said distractedly.

"You need to help Dean," Cassie told him.

Liz snapped Cassie's phone closed and turned troubled eyes on Cassie. Cassie could barely hear Sam's reply because Liz started talking at the same time: "Tell him to go upstairs, Cassie. Dean is upstairs. He's bleeding a lot. There's blood everywhere, Cassie! Tell him to go now! Dean's dying!"

Cassie could feel the numbness spreading through her limbs. "He's not fine," she told Sam in a monotone voice. "He's dying. Apparently, there is blood everywhere."

"Who is this?" Sam demanded.

Cassie lost her patience. "Oh my god, just do what I said. My friend is freaking out."

"Fine," Sam said and hung up in her ear.

Cassie flipped the phone closed and watched Liz with concern. She was falling apart.

"Sam's on his way," Cassie informed her, handing Liz's phone back to her.

Liz took the phone absently and pocketed it. The frantic look had come back onto her face. "He doesn't know where Dean is," Liz said, talking aloud to herself. She used Cassie's phone to dial another number and listened as the phone rang. When it went to voicemail, she hung up and dialed again. She did it again and again.

The fifth time she dialed, Dean answered.

"Hello?" he croaked out, sounding like he was a step away from death.

Liz froze, eyes going wide.

"Hello?" Dean repeated, sounding annoyed despite his condition.

"Who are you calling?" Cassie asked from beside Liz.

Liz covered the receiver. "I called Dean," she informed Cassie with a panicked expression, "and he answered."

"So hang up," Cassie said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Liz froze again when Dean said her name.

"I think he heard me," she whispered to Cassie. She held the phone out to Cassie. "Please say something to him," she begged.

"I don't want to," Cassie replied angrily, trying to push the phone back toward Liz.

"Please," Liz begged, throwing in some puppy-dog eyes for good measure.

Cassie rolled her eyes but took the phone. "Sorry, wrong number," she said and hung up. She pinned Liz with a glare. "Bobby's not going to be happy about this, is he?"

Liz shrugged. "I would imagine not."

"What's going on, Lindsey? Why did you know the phone numbers to Sam and Dean Winchester off the top of your head?" Cassie pursed her lips. "Dean's the one who marked you, isn't he?"

Liz looked at the ground. "I can't talk to you about this."

"I'm taking your phone away until I can get hold of Bobby and get this sorted out."

Liz laughed. "I'm not a child that's going to sit in the corner because you say so. If you want my phone, you can come over here and take it from me." Liz gave Cassie a defiant glare then called someone else. She avoided Cassie when she tried to grab the phone away from her.

"Hello?" a bored voice answered.

"Jason?" Liz asked uncertainly, unsure if it was Jason's voice or not on the other end.

Half a world away, Jason gripped his phone, heart jumping into his throat. "Liz?" he asked hopefully.

Jason heard scuffling as Cassie wrestled the phone away from Liz.

"Sorry, wrong number," Cassie told him.

Jason's heart rate picked up. "Let me talk to Liz again," he demanded.

"Who is Liz?" Cassie asked, genuinely confused.

"Please don't hang up," Jason begged frantically. "I know I heard her. Please, just let me talk to Liz."

He almost cried out when the phone when dead in his ear.

Liz looked deadly as she sized up Cassie. Cassie returned the glare.

"Who was that, and why did he think your name was Liz?" Cassie asked curiously.

The phone in Cassie's hand started ringing.

"Give me the phone, Cassie," Liz commanded.

"No. Tell me what is going on. Obviously, I don't know as much about you as I thought I did."

"Give. Me. The. Phone."

"Or what?" Cassie challenged.

She did not have time to defend herself against Liz's attack. Liz had knocked her unconscious and laid her on the floor before the phone stopped ringing. She grabbed the phone and answered it hurriedly.

"Jason, I need a favor," she began, forgoing the greeting.

"Liz?"

Liz sighed. "I know, I know: I'm dead. We'll have to save the catching up for another time. I need a favor."

"Why am I not surprised that you are calling me from beyond the grave because you need me to do something for you?"

Liz ignored the question. "I know you have access to Maggie. Get her and go to Detroit and help Dean. He's been hurt, and I don't know if the doctors will be enough. I'll call you back and let you know which hospital he's at."

"No" was Jason's short answer.

"What do you mean, 'no'?"

"I mean, no, Liz. Tom has been trying to get at Dean for the last five years. Do you know what he would do to me if I interfered?"

"Dean could die," Liz pointed out.

"Better him than me," Jason responded coldly.

"I'll do anything," Liz told him desperately.

"Anything?" Jason repeated thoughtfully. Liz could almost hear the gears at work in his brain. "You're going to owe me big time, Liz."

"What do you want?"

Liz just knew that Jason was smiling. "For starters, I want you to come out of hiding. I'm sure you had a really great reason for disappearing, but I'm a selfish bastard and don't care. You called me and if you want my help, then that's one of my terms."

There was a long pause while Liz thought about it. "Okay," she agreed in a voice barely above a whisper. "Okay."

Jason's breathing became labored. "Really?" he asked, voice cracking from emotion.

Liz's voice hardened. "If he dies, Jason, you'll never see me again. Never. I'll be in contact with you after I know that Dean is okay, and we'll work out the details of my coming out party then. Goodbye, Jason."

"Liz!" Jason yelled to stop her from hanging up.

She stayed on the line. "What?"

"I need something more than your word, Liz."

Liz was silent for a moment. "My word is all I can give, Jason. It's not like you don't know my weaknesses and how to use them against me."

"Liz, you're asking me to take one hell of a risk on basically just faith. Tom could kill me and my family over this."

"Help me or not, Jason," Liz snapped. "I promise you that I'll give you what you want if you help me. My word is all I can give you, though. Take it or leave it, Jason."

She hung up before he could respond and prayed that she'd gotten through to him.

She looked down at Cassie and sighed. "I hate to do this to you, Cass, but I can't risk you figuring out who I am," she muttered. She pulled a small vial out of her pocket and forced its contents in Cassie's mouth.

Cassie's eyes fluttered open, and Liz forced a worried look on her face.

"Cassie, are you okay?"

Cassie looked around in confusion. "What happened?" she asked.

Liz rubbed her shoulder comfortingly. "You hit your head and knocked yourself out. I've been so worried. Do you remember?"

Cassie shook her head. "The last thing I remember was that Sandy called and was telling me about something to do with some house guests she had."