Disclaimer- I do not own Supernatural or any of its characters.
Thanks to everyone who reviewed!
Garideth- Probably because she did it once before, in Bloody Mary, and 'cuz she's got a weakness for little boys. Don't ask me why. :P
KK161990- Thank you! Yes, SW was one of my favorites in S1!
XKaterinaNightingaleX- Thank you! :) That's odd, I wanted to do the same thing! Now, I can't possibly tell you that! It's for me to know, and you to wonder! *evil Macbeth-witch cackle* (I'm curious, who do you think Odette will end up with?)
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE- THE WORM ON THE HOOK
"Are you out of your mind?" Sam really did look at me as if I'd lost it.
Maybe I had.
It hadn't stopped me before.
Dean was flabbergasted.
"You have a thing for suicide missions, kid? This is the second time this has happened."
"There is no way we're doing this." Sam glared at me.
"Damn straight," Dean agreed with him. That surprised me.
I folded my hands. "Michael is ten, maybe eleven? You can't expect him to do this, he's a kid."
"Neither should you," Sam kicked his chair leg.
I ignored that. "Look, Mary was thirteen, right? I'm just a year older. It'll come, I'm sure of it."
"Not on my watch," Dean was unmoved.
I scrambled to think of something that would convince them.
"Your father didn't send you here to use some helpless kid as bait." I locked eyes with them both. "It's got to be me."
Dean crossed his arms. "That's exactly what we'll be doing if we use you, anyway."
My retort was lost.
I didn't know what to say.
"What else can you do?"
~Supernatural~
Dean hooked up the security camera in the corner of the hotel room, staring into the lense.
I sat behind him in bed.
Sam was watching the feed in the other room.
"This camera has night vision on it so we'll be able to see clear as day," Dean reassured me.
He raised his voice. "Are we good?"
"A hair to the right!" Sam replied.
Dean adjusted the camera.
"What do I do?"
Dean moved to sit on the bed. "Just stay under the covers."
He continued slowly, enunciating every syllable.
"We'll be right in the next room. When it comes, we're gonna get in with guns. So as soon as we do, you roll off this bed and crawl under it."
I nodded. My throat was too dry to speak, anyway.
"Odette, are you sure you wanna do this?"
I didn't answer for a long moment.
"You don't have to, it's okay, I won't be mad."
I turned around to stare at Dean, at that.
"No, I'm okay." I tried not to gulp. "Just don't shoot me."
"We're not going to let anything happen to you." Dean was almost gentle. "I promise."
It helped, a little.
Dean never made false promises.
~Supernatural~
I huddled under the bed, watching.
Waiting.
A long, skeletal hand curled around my window, easing it open.
My throat constricted.
It entered, moving closer to my bed.
The overwhelming urge to run swept over me, and I struggled against it.
I thought of Michael, of the children dying in the hospital.
I thought of my brother, and did not move.
The shtriga moved closer, leaning over the bed.
It grasped my chin in thin, clawed fingers, and I froze, terrified.
It opened it's mouth, sucking in my energy.
My vision dulled.
Dean and Sam burst in, kicking open the door.
They opened fire, shooting it multiple times.
The shtriga fell to the ground.
"Hey!" Sam yelled.
"Odette, down!" Dean commanded.
I rolled under the bed, my breath coming in harsh pants.
"Odette, you all right?"
"Yeah," I answered Dean.
"Just sit tight."
I poked my head warily out from under the bed.
Dean approached the shtriga, gun at the ready.
There was no movement.
He relaxed slightly, glancing at Sam.
It suddenly rose, grabbing Dean by the throat and threw him against the wall.
"Dean!" We both shouted.
The shtriga moved closer, throwing Sam to the ground, falling on him and forcing his mouth open.
Sam struggled to reach for his gun, when it began to draw his energy.
He stilled, face turning grey.
We were all going to die.
The room filled with a brilliant white light, and Castiel threw the shtriga away with an out flung arm.
He placed his finger on it's scabbed forehead, and I closed my eyes on instinct.
The shtriga slowly disintegrated.
~Supernatural~
"Thanks, Castiel." I looked at him gratefully.
"Yeah, thanks," Dean was still grudging, but there was a lot less hostility between him and the angel since Castiel had saved Sam.
I suppressed my smile.
"Ready to leave town?" Dean would never admit it, but he'd been stealthily crowding Sam for all he was worth.
Sam nodded.
"Kid?"
"More than ready," I shivered. This place triggered too many memories.
Castiel turned his head my way, and I involuntarily twitched.
He was much too perceptive.
I grabbed my backpack, claustrophobia setting in.
"Let's go."
~Supernatural~
We stopped in time to hear Michael's excited squeal.
"Mom! Can I go see Asher? Is he alright?"
His mother scooped him up in a tight hug.
"Yeah, Mike, he's gonna be okay."
Just seeing Michael's delighted face showed me it was worth it.
He ran over to us, beaming at me.
"You were right!" He took hold of my hand. "Asher's fine!"
I crouched down to him, smiling. "That's great, Michael."
He sobered slightly, his eyes wide and curious.
"You said you used to be a big sister."
My smile faded.
Michael looked at me with frank, childlike eyes. "Where's your little brother now?"
I was conscious of the three stares boring into my back.
"Someplace good, I hope, Michael."
I don't think I believed it anymore than he did.