Wolfie: I don't own anything related to Supernatural, just all the changes I make to have Dean be a woman. To be honest I have a feeling too much dialogue is my problem, so I'm gonna start cutting back on it. Basically I'll give you the bare necessities for most parts of the episodes from now on. So that way I can cut back on having so many multi part chapters. Now please read, review, and I hope you've enjoyed this book so far.
Chapter 10: It's The Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester
Now normally Dean liked Halloween, especially because candy was always on sale the day afterwards. But when they got wind of a family man eating razor-blade filled candy and dying two days before Halloween? Well, that certainly puts a damper on things. Plus in her opinion this was a little too targeted of an attack to just be the razor-blades in candy urban legend. Though the day after the death upon further inspection it was anything but an urban legend that caused this. Dean had noticed how the Wallace's fridge had been pulled out, and found a hex bag hidden beneath it. Witches, why did it have to be witches? Just thinking about those bodily fluid spewing, rabbit murdering, demon lovers made Dean have to swallow down the urge to gag. And the hex bag, when Sam got the chance to open it at the motel there were things in it neither of them had seen before. Though he had only gotten to this after both him and Dean had changed into their normal clothes and did a food run.
"Really?" Sam asked with a chuckle when Dean came back into the motel room, munching on a piece of candy. "After that guy choked down all those razor blades?" He asked, watching as she took off her oversized jacket and put it on the table near the door.
"It's Halloween, man." Dean stated, popping another piece of candy into her mouth as she approached Sam.
"Yeah. For us, everyday is Halloween." Sam stated, not exactly feeling the Halloween spirit like Dean was.
"Don't be a downer." Dean said as she sat herself down on the motel couch's armrest, seeing as Sam was hogging most of the couch. "Anything interesting?" She asked whilst motioning to the open hex bag on the table.
"Well, we're on a witch hunt, that's for sure." Sam said, confirming what Dean had already suspected. "But this isn't your typical hex bag." He revealed causing her to lean in closer to see the bag's contents.
"Hmm. No?" Dean asked, she usually never liked looking through hex bags, so she didn't see the differences.
"Goldthread- an herb that's been extinct for 200 years. And this is Celtic, and I don't mean some new age knock off. Looks like the real deal- like 600 years old real." Sam began to as he picked up and inspected two of the three items that made up this hex bag. "And, uh... charred metacarpal bone of a newborn baby." He said a little too late as Dean had already picked it up and sniffed it curiously.
"Oh, gross." Dean uttered as she quickly put the bone down with the other items. "You couldn't have told me that before I sniffed it?" She asked, clearly unsettled at the fact that Sam had actually let her pick it up and sniff it.
"Relax. It's, like, at least 100 years old." Sam said as he picked up the bone and inspected it.
"Oh, right, like that makes it better?" Dean asked, her tone anything but happy as Sam looked at her. "Witches, man. They're so freaking skeevy." She said with a shudder before getting up, anymore witch talk and she'd be sick.
"Yeah." Sam uttered in agreement as he put the bone down. "Well, it takes a pretty powerful one to put a bag like this together. More juice than we've ever dealt with before, that's for sure." He admitted as Dean had merely walked over to sit down on one of the motel beds. "What about you- find anything on the victim?" Sam asked curiously, maybe then they'd have something to allude to why a witch targeted him.
"This Luke Wallace- he was so vanilla that he made vanilla seem spicy." Dean declared with a smile, earning a small chuckle from Sam in the process. "I can't find any reason why somebody would want this guy dead." She said with a small shake of her head, it made no sense.
The bizarre deaths didn't stop at Luke Wallace though, the next victim was a young high school girl named Jenny. She was boiled alive dressed as a sexy nurse whilst bobbing for apples of all things. And when the two hunters arrived at the crime scene Dean took over talking to the female witness. All whilst Sam searched for a hex bag, soon finding one tucked between the cushions of the couch. The one that was practically right next to the apple bobbing tank that Jenny had drowned/been boiled in. Just like the last bag it had the same contents: Goldthread, Celtic coin, and a charred metacarpal bone of a newborn baby. Once back at the hotel and in normal clothes Dean was on Sam's laptop. Trying to find any kind of hidden dirt that would make the victims witch targets but was finding none. All whilst Sam was on his bed reading through one of their lore books. Looking for any kind of explanation as to why two squeaky clean people would be killed by a witch. Soon however Sam sat up all of a sudden, having found something that was practically identical to their situation.
"Sam, there's no reason these people should be targets for wicked bitch payback. Okay, they are cleaner than my socks." Dean said, having officially given up on finding dirt on Luke and Jenny.
"Maybe 'cause it's not about that." Sam suggested but if Dean was honest, that was more cryptic than helpful.
"Wow. Insightful." Dean stated sarcastically but this did not deter Sam's explanation.
"Maybe this witch isn't working a grudge. Maybe they're working a spell." Sam explained whilst pointing to the open book he held in his hand. "Check this out. "Three blood sacrifices over three days- the last before midnight on the final day of the final harvest."." He said, getting up and approaching Dean as she slowly shut the laptop. "Celtic calendar- the final day of the final harvest is October 31st." Sam explained with a chuckle as he handed the book to the female hunter and sat down.
"Halloween?" Dean asked, is this witch really trying to do something skeevy on Halloween of all days?
"Exactly." Sam stated, confirming Dean's private thoughts to be correct.
"What exactly are the, uh, blood sacrifices for?" Dean asked, doubting she'll like the answer as she set the book down.
"Uh, if I'm right, this witch is summoning a demon. And not just any demon- Samhain." Sam said as he leaned back in his seat across the table from Dean.
"Am I supposed to be impressed?" Dean asked, not knowing anything at all about this demon.
"Dean, Samhain is the damn origin of Halloween." Sam said causing Dean to glanced down at the open book that lay before her. "The Celts believed that October 31st was the one night of the year when the veil was the thinnest between the living and the dead. And it was Samhain's night." He explained, watching as she flipped to the next page in the book that showed Samhain holding up a severed head. "I mean, masks were put on to hide from him, sweets left on doorsteps to appease him, faces carved into pumpkins to worship him. He was exercised centuries ago." Sam finished explaining as Dean continued to study the picture of Samhain.
"So even though Samhain took a trip downstairs, the tradition stuck." Dean deduced, after all that explains the candy, costumes, and jack-o-lanterns on Halloween.
"Exactly. Only now instead of demons and blood orgies, Halloween is all about kids, candy, and costumes." Sam said, can't say either of them were disappointed about the switch from fear and death to fun and candy though.
"Okay, so some witch wants to raise Samhain and take back the night?" Dean asked but it sort of sounded like she was joking about this.
"Dean, this is serious." Sam stated, having noticed that it sounded like Dean was joking.
"I am serious." Dean said, not liking being accused of joking about this.
"We're talking heavyweight witchcraft. This ritual can only be performed every 600 years." Sam explained, wanting Dean to realize the gravity of this situation.
"And the 600 year marker rolls around..." Dean trailed off, having a feeling that Sam could finish that sentence for her.
"Tomorrow night." Sam stated, providing the information like Dean knew he would.
"Naturally." Dean uttered with a nod as she looked down to the book again. "Well, it sure is a lot of death and destruction for one demon." She said, this all seemed a bit overkill in her opinion.
"That's 'cause he likes company. Once he's raised, Samhain can do some raising of his own." Sam said and Dean really really didn't like the sound of that.
"Raising what, exactly?" Dean asked as she dared to flip to the next page in the book.
"Dark, evil crap and lots of it." Sam said as the next picture was of two hooded figures watching as smoke and creatures rose from hundreds of graves. "They follow him around like the friggin' Pied Piper." He said and that was just explaining it all in a PG way.
"So we're talking ghosts." Dean assumed, because that's what came to mind when she heard dark, evil crap.
"Yeah." Sam sated, though that was certainly just the tip of the iceberg.
"Zombies?" Dean asked, gaining a small hum from Sam about that being right too. "Leprechauns?" She asked curiously, wondering if those fall under the category dark, evil crap.
"Dean." Sam stated, Dean was kinda getting off topic now.
"Those little dudes are scary. Small hands." Dean said, making a motion with her hand when she said small hands.
"Look, it just starts with ghosts and ghouls. This sucker keeps on going, by night's end, we are talking every awful thing we've ever seen, everything we fight all in one place." Sam said, hoping that would paint a much bigger picture for Dean than just ghosts, zombies, and Leprechauns.
"It's gonna be a slaughterhouse." Dean uttered as Sam slowly nodded in agreement, this wasn't a run of the mill hunt, that was for sure.
Halloween morning came just as any other morning did. Dean sat in the parked Impala, chowing down on candy like it was going out of style as she kept an eye on the Wallace house. When Sam called to check in she really didn't have much to report. She hadn't seen anything witchy or out of the ordinary for hours, and she was certain she might have a stomach ache from all the candy. There was still nothing to report, until she saw that girl from the second death at the party. She walked up to the house, knocked on the door, and acted like she knew Mrs. Wallace as the baby was transitioned to her hold. When Dean got back to the motel she certainly had alot to say about the lying, apple bobbing cheerleader known as Tracy. Mostly about how she lied about knowing Luke Wallace, and how if she was a 600 year old witch she'd certainly come back as a hot cheerleader. Turns out Sam had quite a bit to say about Tracy too. Of course, only after he gave Dean an odd look at her quite public fantasizing about becoming a hot cheerleader.
Turns out Tracy wasn't just an innocent little high school girl. She had a violent altercation with one of her teachers and got suspended from school. Then the two hunters went and met the teacher involved in the altercation, Mr. Don Harding, as FBI agents yet again. When asked about Tracy, Don had nothing but good things to say about her. That is until he was asked about the altercation and what had caused it. That was when he told them about her work, about how it had become inappropriate and disturbing. Telling them about how there had been page upon page of cryptic symbols, and then came the drawings. Which were detailed images of gory, primitive, killings with Tracy right in the middle of it all, participating. Sam even asked if one of the symbols matched the Celtic coin Don immediately said that that may have been one of them. But only after he had been shown the coin, which was safely inside an evidence bag to make it look official. When asked where Tracy was they were told she had an apartment, and had arrived here a year ago as an emancipated teen.
Later on after ditching the FBI disguises they split up to try and find Tracy. Only to come up with nothing when Sam went to her apartment whilst Dean talked to her friends. On their way back to their room they were suddenly stopped by a portly boy in a homemade astronaut suit. Obviously out doing some early trick or treating, and he wanted candy from the two hunters but was told twice that they had none. And Dean really didn't like the stink eye the kid gave her when she told him he had enough after not accepting the fact that they had no candy. Thankfully though he moved along, bumping into the sandy blonde's arm in the process, much to her annoyance. Upon entering their room though Sam went a bit on edge at seeing two uninvited guests in their room. Only calming down and lowering his gun when she told him that one was Castiel. But she didn't know the other one, not until Castiel introduced him as Uriel. However the conversation honestly didn't go so well, it went from talking about Sam, to mentioning finding a hex bag in their room wall. Then it spiralled all the way to them wanting to destroy an entire town to stop Samhain from rising.
Now that so called just plan of there's Castiel mentioned really did not sit well with either Dean or Sam. They weren't going to sit back and let an entire town be destroyed just because raising Samhain was another seal. Neither Castiel or Uriel seemed to care that there were over a thousand people in the town that they were willing to kill. That is until Dean made it impossible for them to do anything but leave and let her and Sam deal with the witch. Sure it was her putting their lives, mostly her life, in the cross-fire of a smiting. But Dean understood the risk, and it paid off in her favor when Castiel cut Uriel off mid threat. Suggesting only that she move quickly, and then just like that they were gone. Leaving Sam and Dean to head back out to the Impala, which looked like it had been the target of a prank. There was some weird white substance splattered all over the hood, windshield, and the drivers side door. And whilst Sam was indifferent to what had happened to the car, Dean was absolutely livid. Her brow furrowed and a scowl on her face as she looked around the parking lot.
"Astronaut!" Dean yelled. knowing it had to be that kid as Sam simply got in the car. "What?" She asked when she finally got in the car and noticed how the brunette male was sulking.
"Nothing." Sam uttered as he fiddled with the now powerless hex bag in his hand before chuckling slightly. "I thought they'd be different." He finally admitted as he let out a small sigh through his nose.
"Who, the angels?" Dean asked, wondering if that's who Sam was talking about.
"Yeah." Sam said, his hopes for angels to be like the ones in the stories were now officially crushed.
"Well, I tried to tell you." Dean said, after all they had been down this road once before.
"I just- I mean, I thought they'd be righteous." Sam said, he mostly thought they'd care more about humanity though.
"Well, they are righteous. I mean, that's kind of the problem." Dean admitted which caused Sam to look at her in confusion. "Of course, there's nothing more dangerous than some a-hole who thinks he's on a holy mission." She explained as he seemed to consider that to be correct.
"But, I mean, this is God and Heaven? And this is what I've been praying to?" Sam asked, doubt evident in his voice as this didn't seem right at all.
"Look, man, I know you're into the whole God thing and Jesus on a tortilla and stuff like that. But just because there's a couple of bad apples doesn't mean the whole barrel is rotten. I mean, for all we know, God hates these jerks." Dean said, trying to cheer Sam up but it didn't really seem like it was working. "Don't give up on the stuff is all I'm saying. Babe Ruth was a dick, but baseball's still a beautiful game." She said, just because she didn't really believe in God doesn't mean he should stop.
"..." Sam was silent but he did manage to give Dean a half smile as he opened the hex bag, inspecting the tiny charred metacarpal bone.
"Well, are you gonna figure out a way to find this witch, or are you just gonna sit there fingering your bone?" Dean asked, the last part having been said jokingly as she started up the Impala.
Turns out it would take a lot of heat to char such a tiny bone, more heat than a stove or fire could produce. And the only place that came to Sam's mind that would be able to do that, was Don's art classroom. Now was it not only super illegal but very dangerous to break into a high school art classroom in broad daylight? Probably, but the fruits of their labor proved when Sam found a locked drawer in Don's desk. And inside that drawer was a ceramic bowl full of bones, and all of them from children. Meaning that Don was the witch, and later that night Sam and Dean arrived at his house. Finding the he-witch in his basement attempting to make Tracy the final sacrifice. Only to have Sam and Dean shoot him in the back multiple time, stopping the sacrifice just in time. Or so they thought, turns out Tracy was a witch as well, and that her and Don were siblings. Easily knocking Sam and Dean to the ground and their guns out of their hands with the simplest of spells. Going on to explain, more like complaining, about the spell, all of the work, and about Don. All whilst collecting his blood into the goblet he was going to collect her blood in.
Completely ignoring the sounds of pain coming from Sam and Dean as they laid on the floor. Trying to recover from the harsh landing they were met with when they were knocked down. Utterly helpless to stop as Tracy as she continued the spell with her brother's blood. Sam however had a plan as he painfully pulled himself closer to Don. Smearing his blood on his face before doing the same to Dean when she questioned him about it. Both of them lay still, as if dead on the floor as Samhain possessed Don's dead body. In the end smearing the blood on their faces and playing dead had worked. It kept them safe and unnoticed by Samhain, but Tracy hadn't been so lucky. After what seemed to be a reunion of happiness and love, he snapped her neck as if she was nothing to him. And then he just walked right past Sam and Dean, out of the basement and out into the world to enjoy his freedom. Both hunters daring to open their eyes and sit up to look at one another. No longer in danger now that Samhain has left the building.
"What the hell was that?" Dean whispered, in case Samhain was still in the house.
"Halloween lore. People used to wear masks to hide from him, so I gave it a shot." Sam said, speaking softly whilst also slightly out of breath.
"You gave it a shot?" Dean asked in disbelief, if this shot hadn't worked out they'd be as good as dead!
"We can talk about it later Dean, right now, we need to stop Samhain." Sam said, stiffly getting up before helping Dean get up as well.
"Yeah yeah, people to save, a demon to stop. Just a normal Friday for us." Dean said with a huff, wiping the blood off of her face with a bandanna, courtesy of Sam, as they left.
The only place that seemed logical for Samhain to go would be to the cemetery. On the ride there Sam tried to convince Dean that using his psychic powers was the way to go. Seeing as Samhain was stronger than any other demon that they've faced before. Dean wasn't having it though, using those powers was like playing with fire. And she didn't Sam getting put on the angels hit list because of it either. So reluctantly he agreed to use Ruby's knife, and for a while he did. Even as Dean helped the kids out of the crypt and faced off against the living dead and ghosts alone he still tried to use just the knife. But it didn't work, Samhain was just too strong, and his powers were his only option. And as Dean rounded the corner after torching every corpse that had come alive, she saw it. Sam had his hand outstretched to Samhain, a look of discomfort on his face as he barely held him back. However the demon was a fighter, no matter how much black smoke leaked from his bullet wounds. As the strain began to get to Sam, causing a nose bleed, he locked eyes with a flabbergasted Dean. Watching as she stood there down the hall gave him the push he needed to finish things.
Black smoke soon gushes forth from Samhain's mouth and bullet wounds. Sam's nose bleed only got worse as the black smoke continued until there was no more. Causing Don's dead, bleeding body to fall to the crypt floor with a thud. And even then Dean still watched on in shock as the black smoke seemed to burn as it sunk into the ground. Leaving Sam breathing heavily as his outstretched arm fell to his side and the two of them locked eyes. He knew what he had done, he used his powers even though Dean asked him not to. He expected her to yell, to shout, to do anything that would show how pissed off she was at what he had done. What Sam had not expected was for Dean to step over Don's body on the way over to him, and reach out to him. It all left him rigged with shock as all he could bring himself to do was watch. Watch as she used the sleeve of her black, long sleeve shirt to wipe away the trail of blood that dripped from his nose to his chin. Even now on November 1st, the day after Halloween. When he should be worried about the threatening conversation he had with Uriel, he wasn't. All Sam could bring himself to do was think back on Dean, and wonder why in that moment last night had she been so gentle with him?
Meanwhile sitting on a bench at a park, Dean was watching the children play as Castiel appeared on the bench next to hers. Having seen him out of her peripheral vision it caused her to say, "Let me guess. You're here to say "I told you so"." as she turned to look at him.
"No." Castiel stated, proving Dean's assumption as to why he was here to be wrong.
"Well, good, 'cause I'm really not that interested." Dean said with a small shake of her head as she looked back towards the playground.
"I am not here to judge you, Dean." Castiel reassured despite the monotone of his voice.
"Then why are you here?" Dean asked as her and Castiel locked eyes for a moment.
"Our orders-." Castiel began to explain, feeling that it was necessary Dean knew the truth.
"Yeah, you know, I've had about enough of these orders of yours." Dean commented, cutting Castiel off as he turned his gaze towards her again.
"Our orders... were not to stop the summoning of Samhain. They were to do whatever you told us to do." Castiel revealed, which was quite the plot twist in Dean's opinion.
"Your orders were to follow my orders?" Dean asked, is she really being told that she got to boss around two angels without even knowing it?
"It was a test... to see how you would perform under... battlefield conditions, you might say." Castiel explained in what he felt had been the best possible way to do so.
"It was a witch... not the Tet offensive." Dean stated as Castiel let out a breathy chuckle in response. "So, I, uh, failed your test, huh?" She assumed, because really what else was there to assume other than her failure. "I get it. But you know what? If you were to waive that- that magic time-traveling wand of yours and we had to do it all over again, I'd make the same call..." Dean admitted, her voice just as unwavering as her decision. "...'Cause, see, I don't know what's gonna happen when these seals are broken. Hell, I don't know what's gonna happen tomorrow. But what I do know is, is that this here- these kids, the swings, the trees, all of it- is still here because of Sam and me." She explained, and she wouldn't trade that for some stupid seal no matter what.
"You misunderstand me, Dean. I'm not like you think. I was praying that you would choose to save the town." Castiel said, which given what happened the other day was not the answer Dean expected from him.
"You were?" Dean asked, just to double check that Castiel wasn't lying to her.
"These people- they're all my father's creations. They're works of art." Castiel said as he leaned forward slightly, nothing but honesty in his voice. "And yet... even though you stopped Samhain, the seal was broken, and we are one step closer to Hell on earth for all creation. And that's not an expression, Dean. It's literal." He said, effectively bringing the conversation back to Hell and the rapidly breaking seals. "You of all people should... appreciate what that means. I'll tell you something if you promise not to tell another soul." Castiel said, and it most be important if he trusts her rather than one of his angel buddies.
"Okay." Dean stated, curious as to what was so important that it was for her ears only.
"I'm not, uh.. a hammer, as you say. I have questions. I... I have doubts. I don't know what is right and what is wrong anymore... and whether you passed or failed here." Castiel admitted, proving that he wasn't just a mindless drone that takes orders. "But in the coming months, you will have more decisions to make." He warned, much to her dismay, she didn't want to have to make decisions like this ever again. "I don't envy the weight that's on your shoulders, Dean. I truly don't." Castiel said, and for a moment him and Dean just looked at one another before she looked away. Only to see an empty bench where the angel once sat when she looked back.