Chapter Five

"I got you something."

Cassie clenched her jaw and glared at Liz. "You can't buy me with your stupid presents, Lindsey. In fact, I have a suggestion for where you can shove your 'gift.'"

Liz stood for a moment, feigning indecision. "You're right. I'll just take this battle axe and put it back into my collection."

Cassie's interest was piqued. "Battle axe? The gold plated one?"

Liz nodded. "I know how much you like it, so I thought you should have it. If you don't want it, though…" She trailed off expectantly.

Cassie held out her hand and waited for Liz to hand over the weapon. "I'm still mad at you," she informed Liz. "I'm only taking this because I know that you think I won't."

"I'm sorry, Cassie. I never wanted it to go down like this."

Cassie turned away so that Liz wouldn't see the swirl of emotions on her face. "Does Bobby know yet who he's sending to replace me?"

Liz sighed and fingered the top of Cassie's suitcase nervously. "He's mentioned maybe sending Andrew. I don't think he's serious about that, though."

Cassie scrunched up her face. "Let's hope not. I didn't keep you alive all this time just to have it all blown by some second rate hunter."

Liz raised an eyebrow. "You kept me alive? You know, there's a reason I asked Bobby to team you with Alex."

"Why? Because he's icky and gross and a huge pig? You're punishing me for not liking men by forcing me to be in close quarters with one of the worst of them, aren't you?"

Liz gave Cassie a halfhearted smile. "You got me. I am so transparent."

"Why Alex, Lindsey? I have to know."

Liz shrugged. "He's an ass, but he's a capable ass. He'll keep you safe."

"I'm not a dainty flower, Lindsey." Cassie's voice was as hard as diamonds.

Liz glanced away guiltily. "I know, Cassie. You're something else on the battlefield. I'd just feel better knowing that you were with someone I trust."

"You trust Alex?!"

"As hard as that is to believe, yes."

Cassie looked dubious. "I suppose you're going to expect me to trust him, too."

Liz shrugged again. "I can't tell you how to feel, Cass. You know I trust him, and you can make up your own mind from there. I think that if you give him half a shot, you'll see that he's actually pretty great at what he does. It could be a really great assignment for you if you'll let it be."

"I'm still mad at you, Lindsey."

"That's a little out of left field, but okay."

"I just wanted you to know that all this shop talk doesn't change anything. I'm so mad at you that I could spit fire."

"That's understandable," Liz admitted.

Cassie slammed the suitcase she was packing shut. "Do you even care that I'm leaving, Lindsey?" she shouted angrily.

Liz was taken aback. "Of course, Cass, I—"

"Well, you seem pretty damn at peace with it to me!"

"Cassie, I—"

"Don't lie, Lindsey! You're glad I'm leaving because that's one less complication that you have to deal with! Admit it!"

"I—"

"Admit it, Lindsey! Tell me I'm a complication that you're glad to be rid of!"

Liz didn't say anything in response, just stood staring at Cassie. Her throat felt raw as she watched Cassie zip up her bag.

"That's what I thought," Cassie said quietly. She gathered up her suitcases and headed for the door.

Liz flinched when Cassie slammed the door as she left. She slid down the wall and finally allowed herself to let go of her control and cry.

XXX

*Beep, beep.*

*Beep, beep.*

*Beep, beep.*

"Hello?" Liz's voice was sleep roughened as she answered her phone. It took a moment before she finally decided to crack open her eyes.

"How are you, Lindsey?" It was Bobby.

Liz sat up in bed. She rubbed her face tiredly then cleared her throat. "I'm fine. I've been getting reports of gashadokuro, but so far I haven't found any evidence of any."

"You should hope that continues to be the case. Those things are nasty. Any progress with the town leaders?"

"Tom has already made a lot of inroads into Japan, so it's not going as well as I'd hoped. It's not all bad news, though. There are several local samurais who have promised to help. The situation with Barrister Enterprises has not gone entirely unnoticed here, it seems."

"That is good news."

The line hung in silence for a moment.

"Is that all you needed, Bobby?" Liz wondered.

"No, I called because I wondered if you had decided who you want to join you in Japan."

"I haven't really given it much thought."

"Sure you haven't, Lindsey," he said, calling her on her crap. "I need a decision sometime soon. I don't like you being by yourself."

"I don't know why you won't let me have Andrew as my new partner."

"You want Andrew because he is inexperienced and you could run over him. If this situation with Cassie has taught me anything, it's that you need someone who will stand up to you."

"I'll think about it, okay?"

"Think fast," Bobby told her. "If you haven't come up with someone we can agree on by the end of the week, I'm going to choose for you. I don't think you want that."

"Would it be Ellen?"

"That's not funny, Lindsey."

"Sorry."

Silence filled the line again.

"I know you're dying to ask about Dean, so go ahead," Bobby told her. "Part of the reason why I called was to give you an update. I thought you might want one."

Liz gripped the phone in anticipation. "You know I do, Bobby. Is there something wrong? He seems okay through what little bit I can feel him using the connection."

"He's fine," Bobby assured her. "He checked himself out of the hospital to go to Sandy's funeral even though he could barely walk. Ever since then, he's been a man on a mission. I'm a little worried."

"He'll snap out of it."

"I hope so."

"How was Sandy's service?" Liz asked. Her heart felt like it was in her throat. "I wish I could have been there."

"It was nice," Bobby replied. "Cassie just made it in time."

"I'm glad." Liz's voice sounded small and lost to Bobby.

"Are you okay by yourself, Liz?" Bobby wondered.

Liz gasped, heart catching in her throat. "You called me Liz," she said, relishing the moment.

"I did."

"Five years is a long time to not hear your own name."

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine."

"Good. There's something I need you to work on. Dean said that the ghost stabbed him with a knife. Which has me wondering, since when do ghosts need knives to do their dirty work?"

"I'll start working on it. Is there anything else you can tell me?"

"Well, Dean said that right before the ghost appeared, he opened a box with the logo for your dad's company on it and that it was empty. He said the ghost initially told him to run because it couldn't fight it off much longer. Does that make any sense to you?"

Liz swallowed, suddenly feeling lightheaded. "I think I know what's happening. Let me talk to a few people before I sound the alarm, though."

"Give me an idea of what you're thinking."

"No. If I'm right, then this is majorly bad. I hope I'm wrong."

"Liz, tell me what you think is going on."

Liz audibly blew out a breath. "Well, for lack of a better way of putting it, I think the ghost that attacked Dean was possessed. Did he see the knife?"

"Wait. Go back a second. You think a ghost was possessed? By what?"

"I'll get back to you on that. Did Dean see the knife that the ghost stabbed him with?"

"I'm not sure, but I don't think so."

"Find out for sure, and let me know. This could be bad."

"Isn't it always?"

"This could be worse."

"Great," Bobby said sarcastically. "One more thing, Liz, I know you called Sam and Dean. Sam tried to trace the number back and find out who called him."

"Oh, please, Bobby, that was, like, four phones ago."

"I know. I also know why you called. I would've done the same thing in your situation. Unfortunately, you've put us all at risk, so I can't risk sending you to open the Seattle branch. You can see Linda in July like we planned."

Liz knew it wouldn't do any good to cry, even though she suddenly felt the urge. "Okay, I understand. I bet her kids are getting big, especially Jaden. It's been almost a year since I've seen them."

"Has it been that long? Cassie recommended that I move up your trip to Seattle. She said you're getting weaker. I was hoping she was wrong."

"I can make it to July," Liz insisted.

"I'm sure you can, Lindsey, but will you be any good to anybody by then?"

"Cassie exaggerates."

"And you downplay. Where does that leave us?"

Liz sighed. "With me visiting Linda before July," she admitted. "I love visiting her and Josh and the kids, but I would rather it be for another reason than that I'm getting weaker and need her to treat me so that I can keep functioning."

"I've always got my ear to the ground listening for any new information on a cure."

"I know you do, Bobby. Thank you." She paused, and it was pregnant with emotion. "So, Dean's okay, right?"

"As good as new, actually. I'd ask what you did, but something tells me that I don't want to know. Do I need to?"

Liz hesitated. "I called Jason."

"Liz!" It sounded like a curse.

"I know what you're going to say, but—"

"There are no words, Lindsey. I've got to work on this immediately. They've got a head start on me. Who knows what they've been up to?"

"So, I'm staying in Japan, huh?"

"Well, that depends. Tell me straight, Lindsey: how long do you think you can last without a treatment?"

Liz mulled it over. "I don't know. A few months at least."

"Would it help if I lifted the charm off of Dean and you could have more direct access to him?"

Liz thought about that. "No, if anything, I think that would make it harder. I'm pretty sure that I would have to expend so much energy keeping him out of my head that it would negate any good effects."

"Do you think you can get in and out of Seattle before Tom and his camp know you're there?" Bobby wondered.

"I can try."

"Then do it. Hopefully they haven't had enough time to trace your steps."

"That call dead-ends in Russia," Liz reassured Bobby. "Natasha Ivanovna Pushkin vanished into thin air in Moscow. She's untraceable."

"They'll still try, Lindsey. I'd prefer to have you tucked away as strong as can be. Can you do that for me?"

"Sure, Bobby, you know me."

"That's what worries me," Bobby chided.

"I'm not going to do anything risky. You know I wouldn't do anything to put Linda or her family in harm's way."

"I know, but you might do it without meaning to."

"Just by being me, you mean."

"You're the one who got Jason involved."

Liz worried her bottom lip. "Dean would be dead if I hadn't."

Bobby sighed. "I'm not scolding you, Lindsey. What's done is done. Let's just deal with the aftermath, okay?"

"Alright."

"Just go to Seattle and get well."

"I will. Bye, Bobby."

"Bye, Lindsey. Take care of yourself. I'll call in a few days when I've figured out our next step."

"Okay. Bye."

"Bye."

Liz closed the phone and started making arrangements.

XXX

Linda threw her arms around Liz. "It's so good to see you! How have you been? You know I always worry about you when you're on assignment."

Liz shrugged. "Well, you know, I've been alright, I guess. Dean almost died, so it hasn't been the best month ever. Sandy died. Steven died. It's getting pretty rough out there."

Linda waved away Liz's gloom. "You're always such a ray of sunshine," she teased with an amused twinkle in her eyes.

"Well, there's not a lot to be happy about right now," Liz replied.

Linda's smile caved a little. "I'm trying to be upbeat, okay? Bobby told me about Sandy, and I'm really sorry. It's…well, I'm really scared, to tell the truth. I'm worried about what Tom will do next."

Liz wrapped an arm around Linda. "It'll all be okay," she promised.

Linda laughed, and a sly smile slid onto her face. "Have you met anyone since the last time I saw you?" she wondered.

Liz rolled her eyes. "I've met lots of people since then."

Linda laughed. "But have you met anyone you want to have smoochy time with?"

Liz smiled despite herself. "I don't have to take this, you know."

"You do if you want my help," Linda reminded her with a teasing grin.

Liz rolled her eyes again. "How's Josh?"

"Busy."

"How're the kids?"

"Little monsters. Mitchell and Sophie are giving me a preview of what the angsty teen years will be like. Mitchell is suddenly obsessed with girls, and Sophie's decided to be a complete drama queen about everything. Isabelle is Isabelle. Enough said. Chris has anointed himself the girls' protector. It'd be cute except he picks fights with much older boys and gets his ass handed to him. Jodi has shot up like a weed. I don't know if you'll even recognize her. Jaden is walking now if you can believe it. It's amazing how quickly they grow up."

"Yeah, time flies."

Linda glanced down, suddenly shy. "We're thinking of having another."

Liz's eyebrows rose of their own accord. "Six is not enough?"

Linda shrugged. "Well, we thought Jaden was going to be the last, but she's been so wonderful that we've started to rethink that position."

"You have the money to afford another kid, so if you want another one, go for it."

"You think?"

"It's not my decision, Linda."

"I know, but your opinion matters to me."

Liz steeled herself for Linda's reaction to what she was about to say. "If you're asking my opinion, then I think you should wait."

"Wait!?!" Linda repeated, voice hard and upset.

Liz sighed. "It's just that there's some major crap on the horizon, and I think that being pregnant through it will make it a hell of a lot harder for you to keep yourself and your family safe. Plus, you're in your late thirties. I'm not saying that's old, but it's a little old to be running around fighting armies with a baby in your stomach."

Liz looked at Linda's dilated pupils and knew she'd scared her. "Do you really think it's going to come to that, Liz—ndsey?" she wondered.

Liz nodded. "I do. And sooner rather than later."

"Is it your fault?" There was no accusation in the question, just honest curiosity.

"Probably."

Linda hugged Liz to her. "Let's get you feeling better, okay? I'd like to have you as strong as possible when the shit hits the fan."

"That's what Bobby said. Well, not exactly like that, but that was the gist of what he said."

"Bobby's a smart man."

Liz turned worried eyes on Linda. "I'm not sure that I'm going to be able to stop this, Linda. The signs are aligning and spelling doom."

"You've been here before. You managed that okay."

"That's just it, Linda. No one has ever been here before. We're talking epic evil on the horizon. Millions and millions dead. I don't think I can stop it."

Linda smiled as convincingly as she could. "You'll stop it, Lindsey. You're smarter than Tom. He'll never know what hit him."

"I hope you're right."

"I usually am."