PLEASE READ!
Alrighty. Good news for you guys…well good and bad. You will probably never see a full blown prequel to this story. I know people are curious about Harry's life before he came into the Winchesters' lives though. So here's what I'm doing. I'll be starting a new 'story' that will contain one shots relevant to this story's past. I will possibly do humorous spin offs as well but those will be under an entirely different headline if so.
BUT! Here's where you can come in. ANYONE can write spin off fiction for this story. You don't need to ask my permission. If something sparks your fancy go for it. Afterwards you can send it to me (Just paste it in a PM). If I like it and it coincides close enough with the vague theories I've developed in my head I'll add it to my canon library. If not it will still be added to the spin off library for everyone to see and read.
Or you can post it on your own account. Just shoot me a message and I'll post a link to it in this story for everyone to head over and read.
If you need me to beta something before posting that's perfectly fine too.
I'd really love to see some fiction from you guys. If you'd like information about something regarding the story just PM me. Same if you're curious about how any of the above would work.
Thanks for reading the Author's note! Thanks for waiting out the break. Enjoy!
Sam had called somewhere around seven times before Harry answered his phone. He let out a sigh of relief when he heard the click followed by Harry's familiar voice saying 'hello'. He sounded tired, but Sam didn't much care at the moment.
"Harry? Hey, something sort of came up. Do you have a minute?"
Silence came from the other end of the line. "At the moment? Not exactly." Harry replied and Sam actually stopped halfway through opening his mouth to tell the man to meet them at Bobby's. Harry sounded not only tired, but wary and also like he was trying to keep his voice down.
"Did something happen?" Sam asked worriedly then something clicked in his mind. "Did you ever meet up with Ellen and Jo?"
Silence for a moment again before a sigh could be heard. "Yes."
"To what?"
"Both."
Sam felt a hundred questions flit through his mind. "What happened?" he settled on the most broad.
"Jo's dead." Harry supplied blandly. There was only the barest hint of emotion behind those words.
Sam felt his stomach do a flip.
"Now's not the time to talk." Harry said calmly. "I'll call you back."
"Wait, where's Ellen?! Is she okay? What happened?"
"She's here, sleeping I think. Unless she's particularly good at faking sleep." Harry said quieter still. "Like I said, I'll call you back."
"Right…" Sam replied as the line went dead. He stared at the phone in horror. That had not been what he was expecting when he'd called.
Dean came into the kitchen where Sam was stood and grabbed a beer from the fridge before slamming it shut and turning to his brother. "So what's up? Did you get a hold of him?" Dean asked popping the top from the glass bottle. "What'd he say?"
Sam opened his mouth but nothing came out.
"Sam? What's wrong?" Dean asked with a bit more worry at his brother's reaction.
"Dean…" Sam said turning his attention from the phone. "Dean, Jo's dead."
Harry pressed the disconnect button and leaned back on the couch. Ellen had long since went to the bedroom and laid down. At first she'd just tossed and turned, but after Harry cast a dreamless sleep spell she'd dozed off.
Harry was taking the time to think. A lot had happened these last few days and he needed the moment of peace. Of course with every moment of thinking time useless but ever present questions lingered in his head. Was he doomed to be forever caught in wars? Was every person he formed an attachment to going to be forced to die an early death?
He let out a sigh and turned his eyes to the mini fridge several feet from him. The urge to drink away his problems was high, but alcohol had long lost its effect on him; a side effect of having drunk himself into a stupor every night for several centuries when he was tossed back into reality after the death of his reality. He supposed it was a good thing alcohol was one of the first useful human inventions. He still had an affection for the stuff now, but it was no longer for its effects simply for its presence. It was like liquid comfort.
He ambled over to the fridge and popped it open grabbing the first tiny bottle of alcohol he could find and testing its contents with mournful sigh. It was cheap. Of course it was. They were in the middle of nowhere. What was he expecting chardonnay?
He grabbed a second bottle and slammed the door shut again in frustration. Cheap or not he was determined to down at least six of the damned things.
"You're going to kill your liver doing that."
Harry jolted and nearly dropped his open bottle of weak vodka. Ellen was in the doorway and his distraction with the alcohol had been enough for her to sneak up on him. He laughed off his shock leaning back into the uncomfortable chair. "If only." He said taking another swig. "I think this thing's half water anyway."
Ellen gave just the slightest smile but it was gone a moment later and she moved to sit on the couch across from him. "I wouldn't be surprised. Hotels would do anything to make a quick buck."
Harry nodded in agreement nursing his bottle. He debated apparating back to his office to grab something that didn't taste like piss but brushed off the impulse in favor of the woman sitting across from him. "I thought you'd be out a bit longer. It's only been a few hours."
The haunted look in her eyes was reply enough.
Harry didn't press any further. He simply turned his attention back to his drinking and let Ellen stew for a few minutes. She was clearly lost in her own thoughts as she didn't even startle when Harry stood to grab himself a third bottle. He grabbed two extra and approached the thinking woman hovering one of the bottles in front of her eyes.
She blinked several times and drew back staring at the small bottle of whiskey. She looked up at Harry then back to the bottle accepting it. "It's been a while since I drank anything stronger than beer." She said tasting the amber liquid and wincing, but she didn't reject it.
Harry nodded from his chair. "Never cared for beer." He said focusing on flipping the second bottle in his hands between his fingers.
Several more minutes passed like that. Ellen finished her bottle and didn't ask for a second. Harry supposed he could respect that.
"In that store…" Ellen started drawing Harry's attention to her. "The day you found her and saved her life... she told me something. She said, 'this might be your last chance to treat me like an adult'."
Harry could hear the break in her voice halfway through the statement, but he didn't comment on it.
"I didn't realize what she meant at the time." She said rubbing her hands up and down the small glass bottle. "I don't even… I don't think she even realized that I could still out mother her decisions after she was…"
Harry frowned but stayed silent.
She took a long moment to compose herself before she spoke again. When she did her voice no longer quivered. "Thank you."
Harry wasn't entirely sure what she was thanking him for but he felt asking her why might put more pressure on the words than she'd intended. So he shrugged and waited for her to speak again.
"Do you think she's… in heaven?" Ellen didn't meet his eyes.
"It's possible." He replied noncommittally.
"But not likely…?" she said fixing his stare now. He saw something resolute there.
"I didn't say that."
"You wouldn't." she shot back. He shrugged again. Another pregnant pause. "I want her back…"
Harry frowned slightly. He had hoped the time to think would have brought a more reflective decision.
"I want her back so bad…" he watched her hands grip themselves tightly. "But I won't…" she swallowed. "I won't force that on her."
The knot in Harry's stomach loosened slightly.
"I couldn't treat her like an adult while she was alive." Ellen continued not daring to glance his direction. "Every time she made a decision I had to second guess it. So I'll have to settle for this."
Harry let her sit there with her own words hanging in the air. "I'll still check." He offered. "Hell… and purgatory."
Ellen shook her head. "Hell… but not purgatory." Harry saw tears trying to claw their way out of Ellen's eyes again. "She didn't want to live as a monster. I can understand that. Besides, let an old woman have hope she'll see her daughter again."
Harry could find nothing comforting to say to that. So instead he took another drink and kept his steady gaze on the woman. Did that mean that if Jo were in purgatory Ellen would disclaim her? Perhaps she just didn't trust magic far enough to allow it to treat her daughter.
"Do you think she hates me?"
Harry was taken off guard by the question. He opened his mouth then closed it. He wanted to tell the woman he hadn't known Jo well enough to make that call, but he was sure he knew the answer to this question. "No Ellen." He said not with a tone of comfort or pity, but finality. He hoped he'd only have to reassure the woman once. "She doesn't hate you."
Finally the tears broke through Ellen's barriers and Harry let the woman cry. She deserved the moment. Everyone had to grieve at some point. He said nothing but he didn't leave either. He was the only thing that stood between her and an act of desperation right now. And she might very well pull the trigger.
Harry was actually quite surprised when she pulled herself from the funk relatively quickly. Only about five minutes or so had passed before she'd calmed herself completely. Once again she sat quietly across from him and rubbed at her face to remove the tear tracks.
"You should check now." She said meeting his eyes.
"Allow me to bring you to Mr. Singer's place." Harry said softly. Bobby and the Winchesters were there only viable mutual acquaintances, and of them Bobby was the only one with a permanent residence.
She started to shake her head.
"It would be the best place to be if I do bring her back." Harry cut off her refusal with false reasoning. He didn't necessarily need to be at the Singer Salvage Yard, but Ellen needed to be near people right now and it was hardly the most damaging lie he could tell to get her to cooperate.
She gave him a full two minutes of staring before she finally consented with just the slightest tilt of her head.
He truthfully hadn't expected to win that argument so easily.
"Alright, just… be quick about it."
Harry nodded. He stood and held out his hand for her to take. She reluctantly did so, and then they were whisked away to South Dakota.
Sam, Dean, and Bobby sat in the kitchen staring at one another in disbelief. Sam had just given Bobby the rundown of what had happened in the box. All three were still reeling from the news of Jo's death.
"I think I'm gonna need another beer." Bobby said staring at the near empty bottle in front of him.
"Tell me about it." Dean said turning and popping open Bobby's ancient fridge. He grabbed two beers before kicking the door closed again. He set one in front of the older man and gave his brother a questioning look.
Sam was fingering the pendant they'd found in the box. He hadn't put the thing down since they'd found it and it was sort of putting Dean on edge. If Sam hadn't agreed to hand it over when Bobby asked he would have sworn there was some sort of spell on it keeping his brother's attention locked on the red glass.
Sam snapped out of his daze at the sound of knocking. All three turned their attention that way and before anyone could head in that direction the door opened on its own. The hunters scrabbled for their guns until they realized who their unexpected guest was.
"Jeez!" Dean said clutching his chest like he was having a heart attack. Sam didn't miss the way his fingers still tightened on the gun. "Give a guy some warning."
"I knocked." Harry replied ushering in a disheveled looking Ellen.
Ellen herself was red eyed, but wore a determined expression that clearly warned all three of the men in kitchen against asking any questions on the topic they were all most curious about.
"What brings you two here in such a rush?" Bobby asked, breaking the ice.
"Perhaps you could show Ellen to your bathroom so she can freshen up?" Harry asked giving them all warning looks they couldn't quite decipher.
"I know the way." Ellen said with no little amount of irritation, pushing her way past the startled Winchesters.
Harry laughed almost sullenly as the belligerent woman disappeared around the corner.
"What's going on?" Dean hissed out lowly, hoping Ellen didn't hear him.
"I need you to keep an eye on her for a few hours." Harry said with a shrug.
"What happened?" Sam asked all concern and puppy eyes.
"You're a hunter Sam." Harry said fixing the man with an icy gaze. "What do you think happened?"
"I'll check on her." Bobby offered heading off down the hall.
Harry fixed a small grin on his face as he watched the man retreat. "I always knew he had a thing for her. Sly dog."
"Dude… ew…" Sam said, his face twisting into a disgusted grimace.
"So what now?" Dean said still pinning him with a fierce gaze. "You work your hoodoo and kazam Jo back to life?"
"It's not that simple." Harry said with a glare.
"Well then simplify it!" Dean said punching the wall. Anger radiated through the man's body.
"Watch your tone Winchester." Harry said warningly.
"Are you going to try to bring Jo back?" Sam asked trying to pacify the situation, as usual. He shot his brother a reproachful look.
"I'm going to go into hell. I'll search for her. If she's there I'll bring her back, create a new body. But if she's anywhere else…"
"Why would she be in hell?" Sam asked, shocked.
"I'm not saying she is." Harry replied. "But if she is it wouldn't be hard to guess why." He fixed the two with a stare.
"Because of us?" Sam sounded repulsed by the mere idea.
"Partially." Harry said not daunted by the looks on their faces at all. "You don't think you fuck with hell this much and your friends get off scott free do you? Everyone you know is on Hell's hit list. We can only hope Jo's death went unnoticed."
Silence pervaded the hall as the brothers thought about that.
"What if she's not in Hell?" Sam finally asked having caught on to Harry's not so subtle redirecting earlier.
Harry shook his head and turned on his heel heading for the door. Dean took two large steps and tried to grab his arm. In the time it took for Dean's hand to come in contact with the air around said appendage Harry disappeared. "Son of a bitch!" Dean yelled staring irately at the spot Harry had formerly occupied.
Sam just shook his head. There was probably a reason Harry hadn't told them. He was sure it would come out in the open eventually. For now Sam had to worry about how to get the guy Death's message when he kept disappearing or hanging up every time they tried to talk.
It didn't take long to figure out that hell was a bust. Harry had figured it would be going in. Much as he had wanted to lecture the Winchesters about how much of a risk they were putting everyone they came into contact with in, Jo was somehow still below Hell's radar. He supposed with the 'apocalypse' running rampant certain things had to take a back seat in importance.
So now he stood here in purgatory a place he was all too familiar with. Unlike his time in Hell, where he'd found himself locked in one room for the majority of his stay, in Purgatory he had roamed. In some ways it had been worse. But at the very least he could say he knew his way around. Every tree seemed familiar to him. He stood there despite Ellen's wishes. True, Purgatory was the easiest entrance and exit point for Hell, but he was lingering. He was fighting and losing to the urge to search for the girl. Could he really let her stay in this place if she had turned?
No, he really couldn't.
Regardless of Ellen's wishes Harry would find some way to get Jo out of this place if she were here. Unless she wanted to stay. But if she was here she was already a monster… would that negate her wishes to die because she would no longer be human? He supposed he'd have to ask. Philosophy wasn't his strong suit. Or was that psychology?
He shrugged as he passed through the dense trees.
He'd only stumbled upon two 'monsters' so far and they'd decided to leave him be. He supposed the magic that thrummed through his being made him read as less than human to those that hunted humans. He was okay with that. At least he didn't have some vamp breathing down his neck for a taste of his blood.
He felt a thrum inside of himself and glanced down at his arm. He was glowing. Ah, so Bela's soul could tell it was in the spiritual plane again. He ignored the thrum and continued his search. He decided he'd find one of the sects leaders and see if any of them had seen hide or hair of the blonde.
As he walked he thought on Bela's situation. She had certainly not been the most trustworthy person in life. He was sure that wouldn't have changed much after her death either.
He'd heard about her exploits with the Winchesters after the fact. They certainly wouldn't be happy to see her. And perhaps that was reason enough to bring her back. Oh the joy he'd get from seeing their faces when she waltzed back in from the dead.
Bobby's house was tense from the moment Harry left. There was a palpable awkwardness in the air. Ellen wasn't saying much and in return the Winchesters weren't saying much for fear that they'd say something wrong. Bobby was his usual gruff self only speaking when he felt it necessary and that only seemed to confuse the atmosphere more.
Eventually Ellen retired to the unoccupied guest room and Sam and Dean began to converse in low voices. Mostly they muttered back and forth about what might have happened to Jo. Occasionally Sam would divert the conversation to Death's message.
Bobby slammed the book he was reading making the two younger hunters jump and direct annoyed stares at the man.
"Oh, don't give me that look." Bobby said standing and placing the book back on its shelf. "You two have been gossiping like the popular girls in high school for the better part of three hours. I'm sick of hearing it. Either find something useful to do or get out of my house."
"Uh… right… sorry Bobby." Sam said turning his gaze back to the book he was supposed to be reading.
Dean slammed his own book shut standing from the table. "I'm getting food." He announced before heading for the door without asking what anyone wanted. Sam watched him leaved with a frown. The door slammed shut and moments later there was the roar of the impala's engine as Dean started the car up.
"Idjit." Bobby muttered shaking his head.
"He's taking this really hard." Sam said turning his gaze to Bobby. "Even though he won't admit it. I think he had a thing for Jo."
Bobby heaved a sigh, marking his place in the book. He'd been researching Tulpas for another hunter who needed a bit of info. "Well, he's not going to make it better by throwing a fit about it." Bobby said in his typical grumpy fashion. "We've already got someone trying to fix it and worryin's not gonna help."
Sam nodded. It was true, but emotions rarely followed logic. He turned back to his book. A small picture of a man impaled on a spike greeted him. "Do you think he'll find her?"
Bobby grunted but didn't offer an answer. Sam let the subject drop.
"I haven't seen her." The nervous man in front of Harry assured him. "And new skirts stick out."
Harry sneered at the man's tone, both patronizing and anxious at once. He released the werewolf's shirt and gave him a not too gentle shove causing him to careen backwards and fall flat on his back.
"Why's she so important?"
Harry glanced sidelong at the man edging himself up on his elbows not seeming at all put out by the rough treatment. It was sort of par for the game in purgatory anyway so he supposed Lenny was used to it.
"Haven't seen you down here in years and suddenly you come down here chasin' after some girl." He said giving Harry an evaluating gaze. "There's more to that story. I'm sure about it."
"It's nothing that concerns you though."
"C'mon!" he said standing and brushing off his pants despite their already ragged nature. "Humor me. I ain't seen you in ages. The least you can do is give me a good story."
Harry shook his head. "Where's the South nest located now?" Harry said instead. "I went by earlier and couldn't find them."
Lenny gave him a disbelieving look. "There isn't a South nest any more. Some mook slipped out Hell. Moment he found out he was in monster heaven he started swingin'. Took down half the nest before they could get people over to help, but he got his in the end. Not sure if that means he's in Hell now or what."
"A human?"
Lenny nodded.
"A hunter?"
Lenny shrugged. "Probably." He answered. "Considering how many he took down, probably… he had some serious skills. I'll give him that."
"Or an insane amount of adrenaline." Harry muttered.
"So what now?"
Harry glanced over. "I've checked all the other little hovels I know of. Now you get to do your part and scout around."
Lenny scoffed. "Reminds me of the old days. You boss me around and I have to take it otherwise you chop my head off."
"Quid pro quo." Harry rehashed an old joke between them and he saw the ghost of smile on Lenny's lips.
"Quid pro quo my ass." The man snarked but there was no bite behind the comment. "You leavin' now?"
"No I'd like to stick around and smell you. Honestly, it's called a bath."
"You try bathing in the rivers! It's like trying to get comfortable in an icebox."
Harry snickered.
"Yeah, laugh it up. You never had the problem because of your magic. You could just heat the water. The rest of us have to go about it the normal way."
Harry offered an actual smile. "Goodbye Lenny."
"Yeah, yeah. Just go. See you in another few centuries your highness."
"Actually I'll be back in a few days to see if you found anything, but I'm sure it'll feel like centuries without me here." Without waiting for another reply he stepped from purgatory onto Earth taking a deep breath of the clean air as he did.
Purgatory had a certain lingering staleness to the air that one never really noticed until they were out of it. Harry attributed it to the millions of unwashed bodies that packed the place. Virtually no one there bathed. In reality it was probably something else entirely, but he was sure they weren't helping.
He felt the pull in his muscles that he usually got when forcing the jump between the two dimensions. Oh how he'd wished he'd known how to do that when he first found himself in the unfamiliar territory.
To top it off he hadn't found her. Not even a single hint that she was anywhere in either of the dimensions he knew anything about. It almost felt like a wasted trip. He could take a shot at finding her in heaven but he doubted his ability to locate her there. He'd never set foot through the pearly gates and he wasn't exactly welcomed by the local populace. Besides, wasn't heaven supposed to be the place people wanted to go when they died. Sure, Jo knew the angels were dicks so maybe she had second thoughts about that, but all in all it couldn't be that bad.
He apparated to Sioux Falls to deliver the news, but the moment his feet hit the pavement he knew he needed liquor before he faced Ellen.
There was a small liquor store not far from the diner that the Winchesters frequented. He'd make a short stop by there and grab whatever their top grade whiskey was. He doubted they'd have any decent scotch.
"You're back already?"
Harry hadn't noted the slumped form of one Dean Winchester or the familiar Impala he was leaning against. Perhaps seeing familiar faces in purgatory had taken more out of him than he'd realized. "Brilliant deductive skills. Did you work it out on your own or did you have to call Sammy for help?" Harry shot back. He really needed a drink before he was expected to deal with Dean.
Dean gave him a smirk that was entirely too self deprecating. It made part of Harry cringe inside, but he ignored it outwardly as Dean extended a paper bag in his direction.
Unthinkingly Harry took it from him and pulled down the packaging to reveal the dark glass of a whiskey bottle.
"They didn't have any scotch so I figured whiskey would do the trick." Dean said by way of explanation taking a drink of his beer. There was a six pack displayed on the roof of his car.
Harry surveyed the booze with a frown before glancing up to find Dean watching him.
"I was about to head back to Bobby's. Need a lift?"
Harry's eyebrow raised higher, incredulous. "Since when do you willingly let me ride in your car?"
Dean shrugged grabbing his beers and setting them in the back seat.
"Better yet, since when do you buy me alcohol?" Harry muttered staring at the whiskey.
"You coming?" Dean asked, obviously not having heard him.
Harry shrugged it off and gave an exhausted huff before climbing into the impala. The engine roared to life and Harry uncapped the bottle in his lap. Without any preamble he took a deep swig straight from the container. The slight burn down his throat was pleasant.
"You couldn't find her could you?" Dean asked, eyes not turning to him as he watched the road.
"No." Harry said uneasily. "I couldn't."
"I guess that means she's in heaven."
"I suppose so."
Silence filled the car for a few long minutes before Dean flipped on his radio and rock music blared from the speakers to fill the void. Harry watched the man's face. It was a battle of emotions; fear, desperation, grief, and relief all warred for dominance. He was sure Dean didn't know he was watching or his countenance would have been much more reserved, as it usually was.
"Are you learning my taste in alcohol or are you simply developing taste buds after all this time?" Harry asked motioning with the bottle in his hand.
Dean let out a choked off laugh in surprise. Apparently he hadn't been expecting Harry to say anything.
"I figured if anyone needed a drink right about now it was you." Dean answered.
Harry supposed in Dean language that was an apology. The man always did have a tendency to be overly butch about things. Sam had let slip more than once that his brother hated talking about emotions. Clearly he wasn't the type to just say 'I'm sorry' and move on with life.
Harry could accept the impromptu offering with grace. They sat in silence as Harry drank.
"Sam get a chance to fill you in on his brilliant plan yet?" Dean finally spoke up.
Harry glanced over. "Honestly, your brother talks too much. I tune him out sometimes. Which plan are you talking about?"
"He wants to say yes to the devil."
If Harry had been driving they probably would have ended up in the ditch. As it was he nearly dropped his alcohol. He recovered quickly enough that none spilled. "What is it with you idiots and trying to sacrifice yourselves?!"
Dean seemed shocked for a moment before a surprised half laugh escaped him. "Bobby said something like that too."
"I hate to admit it but he might be the most reasonable of you three, and he's the one who levels a shotgun at everyone who takes a step on his porch." Harry shook his head and took another drink. "I take it one of you talked him out of it seeing as you're not off on a search for him."
Dean shrugged. "He said he'd only do it if everyone agreed."
Harry scoffed but said nothing.
Dean found himself comforted in the fact that at least he wasn't the last person Sam had informed of his plan.
"You'd think they were giving away door prizes with how quickly you two throw yourselves toward hell." Harry said leaning his forehead against the cool glass of the window.
Dean frowned a bit from the passenger seat. "You okay? You look like you're gonna pass out."
"Dimension hopping isn't exactly easy." Harry replied not opening his closed eyes. "It really takes it out of you."
Silence filled the impala for a few minutes before Harry sighed and pushed himself away from the window.
"Sam'll probably want to talk to you when we get back." Dean said eyes locked on the road.
"What's new?" Harry said with a laugh. "Fair warning, if he brings up saying yes to Lucifer I might end up punching him."
Dean looked caught between defending his brother and saying Sam deserved it. Instead he changed the topic. "Any good?" He asked nodding at the whiskey bottle.
"It's not half bad." Harry replied. "It's a shame you haven't developed proper taste in alcohol though. I suppose all the beer has burned away any taste buds you had."
Dean looked ready to argue beer's case as 'proper' alcohol. They pulled into Bobby's just moments before Dean could go on a beer tangent. Harry considered himself lucky. He didn't much want to hear about the 'top ten reasons beer is great' anyway.
Dean killed the engine and they both just sat there staring at the door. Neither moved for the longest moment until Dean cleared his throat and reached into the back seat producing the beer from earlier and several containers of food. "Wasn't sure if you or Ellen would want anything." He said by way explanation as he popped open his door.
"Liquid dinner." Harry said shaking the bottle as he joined Dean outside.
Dean snorted as he made his way for the house.
Harry trailed after mind churning with thoughts of how he was going to broach the subject with Ellen.
"Dean you were gone for hours…" Sam met them near the door with a frown that transformed into a look of surprise when Harry followed the older brother in.
"Picked up a hitchhiker." Dean nodded in Harry's direction before shoving most of the containers into his brother's arms. Only one remained with Dean and the man cradled it securely to his chest.
"I take it they had pie." Sam said eying the box with a bit of amusement.
"I feel like I'm missing out on some cosmic joke." Harry butted in, passing the two in route to the kitchen. He didn't mind drinking from the bottle but he figured the glass would be less straining to keep lifting to his lips.
"Damn it Sammy!" Dean exclaimed loudly.
Harry turned to see the container Dean had been holding open on the floor. Some sort of crème pie lay smashed in the floorboards.
"How is it my fault?" Sam asked incredulously. "You tripped on the book!"
Dean muttered as he cleared the pie's remnants from the floor. Sam passed him shaking his head and rolling his eyes.
Harry gave a brief wave of his hand and the mess cleared itself up. With a shrug he headed for Bobby's cabinet. He pulled out the first glass he saw and poured a generous amount of whiskey in it before setting the bottle down. He glanced over to see Sam pulling a salad out of one of the boxes of food.
"Is Ellen awake?" Harry asked, leaning against the cabinet.
Sam glanced in his direction once before turning back to the drawer he'd been rummaging in for a second in search of a fork. He retreated with the utensil in hand. "She went to the guest room upstairs to lay down a couple of hours ago. Haven't heard from her since." Sam offered heading for the table. "Should I go get her?"
Harry shook his head. "Perhaps she's finally sleeping."
"Doubt it." Dean replied finally coming in to the room, Bobby in tow. Though the older man's nose stayed buried in a book.
Sam shot his brother a look, but Harry wasn't sure what it was being behind him at the time. Sam turned in his direction a bit of apprehension apparent on his face. "So, uh Harry…"
Harry motioned for him to continue. If Sam wanted to talk about his plan to let the devil jump his bones he may as well get it over with.
"We got a message for you."
Harry certainly hadn't been expecting that. Dean glanced warily between the two of them which meant he hadn't been expecting Sam to say anything yet either.
"From whom?" he asked regaining his cool indifference.
"Death."
Harry fought back the urge to laugh. "Shoot."
"He says that you're not the one who owes the debt…" Sam said something accusatory sparking in his eyes. "And that he'd like a word."
Harry couldn't hold back the scoffing laugh this time. "Figures he would. Presumptuous prat."
To say the others were shocked by his reaction would be an understatement.
Harry turned back to the counter where he'd sat the whiskey. He downed his glass and began to pour himself another muttering all the way. "Probably didn't respond fast enough for his liking. For an 'eternal' being he certainly is impatient."
"Did you just call 'Death' a prat?"
"What of it?" Harry shot back with a heated glare.
Dean raised his hands defensively.
"So you knew what the original message meant?" Sam cut in. "Why didn't you tell us?"
"It's a bit personal." Harry replied meeting his gaze unflinchingly and finding one of Sam's patented puppy dog looks. He was sure it was supposed to be making him feel guilty, but he didn't. "And he's not endearing himself to me by sending all his messages to me through you two."
"Tessa said you weren't great friends with the reapers so we were the best bet." Sam said with a noncommittal shrug. Far be it from him to judge how Death conducted his business.
"Reapers?" Harry snorted. "I don't have anything particular against them. The vast majority are just a bit morbid for… my… taste… did you say Tessa?"
Sam shot a worried glance in Bobby and Dean's directions. "Yes?" he replied unsurely.
"I don't have any particular dislike for reapers in general, but her… Yes, her on the other hand I don't like."
"Why her specifically?" Dean was curious.
"She deals with the 'tough' cases, as I recall her calling it in the past."
"Tough cases?" Sam repeated questioningly.
"High priority souls that Death himself doesn't have the time to deal with. Generally they're people who've caused trouble at some point or another for the reaper contingency. And she's not the nicest reaper I've ever met. She has a habit of playing the good guy until she can't get her way. Then she goes bat shit insane on whoever she thinks deserves it." Harry supplied. "I've had a few associates on the unfavorable end of one of her fits before. I rarely come out of those situations with a high opinion of her."
The three men watching Harry were beginning to understand they might have dodged a bullet during their interactions with Tessa. Dean in particular it seemed had gotten off lucky.
"She also cheats at poker." Harry said deadpan.
No one was sure if they should laugh or give condolences. So they just stood there.
"I should be off." Harry said after a few minutes of non-reaction. "I have a meeting to plan."
"With Death?" Sam asked hopefully. He really didn't want to be on the receiving end of Tessa's ire if everything Harry had just said was true. The best way to avoid said ire was to make sure Harry met with Death.
"With friends." Harry corrected. "Well, some of them are friends."
He turned and eyed the three.
"I'd invite you three but honestly you guys are a bit too self righteous for that group."
Before they could deny their self righteousness Harry was gone leaving behind the bottle whiskey Dean had purchased and a half full glass.
I'm back! Slow updates for a while until I'm back on my feet though. A great big thank you to everyone who sent their best wishes. There were quite a few of you too. I feel so loved. :3
Life's a bit odd at the moment. We'll have to wait and see how often updates will be. I'm hoping to aim for every two to three weeks. There aren't an awful lot of chapters left in this story anyway. We're winding down the apocalypse clock you might say. Well, that's about it for now.
I hope you guys consider writing spin off. I'll post a note here when I have something up.
'Til next time.
~Kanathia