Shit Happens To The Best Of Us ...
"Dean ...!"
"Sam? I'm coming Sam ... " Dean kept saying that over and over but Sam's voice kept getting farther and farther away from him. Dean ran harder, but he was tired, his legs felt like jelly.
"DEAN ... pleeease ... god NO!" Repeatedly Dean kept hearing Sam's tortured voice begging him to do something but no matter how hard he tried he just couldn't seem to pinpoint where his brother was, and Oh God! he just needed a second to rest, to catch his breath, but he couldn't stop running. Couldn't stop trying to find Sam. Finally, he stumbled; face down with tears streaking down his face. He lifted his head and tried to force his body up, just GET UP! He screamed to himself, but it was like the weight of the world was on his back and he couldn't manage to JUST GET UP.
Dean let the darkness take him, but after a time he felt a cool breeze, felt a calming hand take the weight, for just a moment, the sound of water, the smell of honeysuckle, and ...
And somewhere off in the distance was Sam's tortured screams.
Dean bolted upright in the bed, sweat beading on his forehead, his breath ragged like he'd been running a marathon. He knew exactly what was needed to wake Sam, though part of him was terrified at the aftermath of what was going to happen. His brother had always been the poster child for anger management classes, but he knew that when he found out Nikki was gone, this could truly send him over the edge. And, if Soulless Sam wasn't bad enough, Samifer was downright terrifying. He turned to check on Bobby and Jo who were still sitting at the small motel table, just like he'd last seen them. They were oblivious to his nightmare about Sam which told him something, but he couldn't put his finger on it just then. He turned to the clock and sighed. He'd been asleep no more than twenty minutes tops. He looked over at Sam, his brother's own ragged breathing causing his chest to rise and fall rapidly.
"Sammy?" He whispered and moved to his brother's side. "Sammy, can you hear me? I'm here Sam. I found you little brother. You're fishing at Dad's lake again right? The one he took us to when we were kids? It's ok, you keep fishing for as long as you need to, I'll be here when you wake up, you hear me?" Sam twitched once, twice, then sighed as he managed a weak nod. He turned towards Dean's voice and curled in to the sheets with a long sigh.
"I'll be damned. Is he ..." Dean turned to Bobby and nodded.
"Sleeping now, just ... sleeping, I think."
"How did you do that?" Jo asked, a shocked look on her face. He gratefully accepted the shot of whiskey Bobby handed him and shook his head at them both.
"I don't know, it just came to me." He shivered once, then took a long swallow of the drink in his hand. Bobby nodded, not really believing him, but let it go. Dean nodded gratefully at him, both hunters knowing it was a shared knowledge of hell that had woken Dean at the right time to finally get through to Sam, but Dean also knew that he'd felt like that once before. And Nikki had been the instigator. Maybe it was something she'd done before hand, but somehow Dean just knew: Nikki was still here watching over him and Sam. Tears sprang to his eyes for just a moment, and he quickly excused himself and went outside, leaning against the Impala. Jo started to head towards Dean but Bobby restrained her.
"I know enough about these boys Jo, leave this one alone. With them, it's never easy, and it's never pretty." Jo nodded, guilt almost overriding the older man's sense. She walked to Sam and felt his head, he was warming up. She covered his shoulders with the thread worn quilt on the bed and sighed.
"I'm sorry Sam, for what I said. I don't blame you, I just ..."
"Miss Mom ..." Sam whispered in his sleep and for second Jo nearly jumped out of her skin. She looked quickly at Bobby who was staring at Sam strangely too.
"Does he normally talk in his sleep?" Jo asked.
"Nope, new one on me." Jo's eyes widened as she backed away from Sam's side.
"Ummm ... k ... let's just pretend that didn't happen and get back to the files. Whad'ya say?" Bobby nodded, but before he did he wrote a note to Jo that said 'Remember, do NOT discuss this out loud.' She wadded up the note, nodded once to Bobby, and tossed the remains in the trashcan. If Sam was conscious enough in his sleep and could respond to voices talking to him out loud then there's no telling what he could over hear.
Dean leaned weakly against the Impala, his hands shaking a bit as he ran them over his face trying to catch his composure. Ok, maybe the wall had held more than he'd thought it had. That was good. Though obviously it was paper thin. Sam's hell was closer to the surface now more than ever and without Nikki here to reinforce nightly the chips that he hammered out of it, it wouldn't take much to punch through. Such fucking bullshit him and his brother had to live through, he thought. He'd been looking out for Sam for so long, doing what he did best, and nothing had swayed him from his mission. Till four years ago, when Sam changed from his little brother to the harbinger of the damn apocalypse.
Fuck me, he thought as he sighed audibly.
"Really, such drama from one who touts 'Freewill for all!'" Came a sarcastic voice from over his shoulder. Dean turned to find a short, mousy, librarian looking woman wearing black horn rimmed glasses and holding a golden book that glowed slightly with golden tassels swaying in the breeze hanging haphazardly from the top of it. He nearly groaned aloud.
"Athropos I take it?" She nodded.
"Dean Winchester." Dean narrowed his eyes at her.
Dean stood there staring at her for a long moment. A myriad of emotions playing through his mind. This thing in front of him had single handily destroyed everything decent, sane, and kind in him and his brother's life. Hell, his whole family's life for that matter, starting with his Grandfather. Athropos watched the emotions play over Dean's face, saw them peak in his eyes.
"Never before have I stood before one single human and saw such hate reflected in their soul towards me." Dean's body shook with rage as he took a step towards her. Athropos stepped back, almost forgetting why she was here and ready to bolt at the frightening being before her. Her back came up against the Impala and she suddenly felt like a deer trapped in a spotlight.
'Oh Artemis, now I know how your kills feel Great Huntress.' She thought briefly to herself.
"Dean?" Came Jo's hesitant voice from the door of the motel which was standing wide open as her and Bobby took in the scene with trepidation.
"Get back inside Jo ..." Dean's voice was soft, rife with deadly intentions.
"You think that's wise Dean, considering you said Death sent her. I assume this is Fate, right son? She's here to help you, not hurt you." Bobby looked over at Athropos who nodded but never took her eyes off Dean. "So, seems to me we should invite her in, listen to what she has to say before we go all Terminator. What do you say?"
Dean knew deep down in that human part of his brain that still functioned somewhat that Bobby was right. But the monster, held on such a tight leash within Dean for so long had risen its ugly head and it wanted blood for blood from the being in front of him. Bobby gently slid between Dean and Athropos and slowly led her away and inside the relative safety of the motel room. Jo stood there quietly looking at Dean, patiently waiting for him get himself back under control.
He looked over at her, a red haze slowly receding from his vision, and saw not condemnation in her eyes but a silent acceptance. He walked to Jo and let her wrap him in her arms, silencing the beast within him, and waited for the human to resurface. Dean finally slid his arms around her, buried his face in her neck for a moment. Then taking in a deep sigh he stood back and looked down at her face.
"Thank you, for letting me see that part of you, being able to comfort it." Jo said softly, searching his eyes.
"I'm just glad you didn't try to shoot me." Jo chuckled and turned to go back inside but Dean stopped her.
"I made you a promise and I hold to it: Nothing is going to take you away from me again. Destiny can go fuck itself, believe me, it's used to it where Winchester's are involved." Jo looked at Dean with haunted eyes, a wry smile curving her lips.
"I believe you Dean, but sometimes, shit happens to the best of us, including Winchesters." She let go of Dean's hand and walked into the motel room. Dean stood there for a second and frowned, damn he hated when she was right. Sighing he walked into the room and shut the door behind him.
Athropos sat silently on the bed, her eyes glued to the window in front of her. Dean noticed that she didn't once look Sam's way, and somehow that really pissed him off. He turned around to face her and sat down, leaning somewhat forward, his elbows on his knees and his hands dangling freely in front of her. She noted the menacing posture and winced a bit. Steeling herself she looked Dean in the eyes.
"As much as you hate me, I want you to know that I'm here of my own free will, and against the better judgment of many beings Dean Winchester. But there's truth that you need to know about the situation that you are in, your past, and your future. And I'm the only one who will come forward." Dean narrowed his gaze at her.
"The truth huh? Your kind wouldn't know the truth if it bit you in your self-serving asses. But go ahead, tell me YOUR truth, Fate." Athropos did wince then, the acid hatred in his voice opening a flood gate of guilt. She sighed, her whole body slumping.
"First you should know that Demons never had the ability to travel back in time until Zachariah showed Azazel how to manipulate it."
Dean frowned, "So that's how Azazel got to Mom then?" Athropos nodded, still not looking Dean in the eye.
"With her making the first 'Deal', it set into motion the alternate Destinies that have plagued you and your brother." Dean nodded, almost irritated.
"I didn't know about Zach and his part in it, but the rest was easy enough to piece together. And it's old news ..." she looked up at Dean then who glowered at her "so I'm hoping you have something a little more relevant to the current situation?"
For a moment anger flashed in her eyes, reminding Dean of who and what he was dealing with. But when she rose angrily from the bed Dean met her stare for angry stare. "For eons you humans have blamed me and my sister's for every little thing that goes wrong in your lives! From stumping your toes to death of loved ones. You have no idea what forces are at work against you, and even less knowledge of the forces that work FOR you!" She yelled at him.
"Forces working for us? The only force that ever worked to help us was an angel of death who at first wanted to kill us, so excuse me if I don't exactly view your "forces" with much respect!" he yelled back. She stopped and stared at Dean silently. Dropping back down to the bed, she hung her head once again. Dean sat back down, Jo coming up behind him and placed a calming hand on his shoulder.
"You want current, fine, but you have to understand your past before you can understand the here and now." She raised her eyes to him. "The Fates consist of myself, the eldest, and my two younger sisters. Most humans lives are guided by a single Fate, which my sisters weave. As the eldest I was assigned the 'Vessel' line, specifically you and Sam. Normal humans ..."
"Wait, THE vessel line?" Bobby asked, confused.
"Stop ..." She started to explain, but was interrupted when Death appeared in the room. "You go too far with this Athropos." She glared at Death.
"I volunteered to come here, with your approval, in order to help them. These are things they should have been told long ago Ha ... Death," Dean caught a strange look on Death's face, noting the odd catch in Athropos' voice. What had she been about to call him? He noted the same confused look on Bobby's face but went back to their conversation. "So I will tell them the truth, all of it, and you will not stop me. I have the full backing of Olympus on this." Death frowned at her, then finally he sighed and relented.
She turned back to Bobby and nodded. "Yes, the vessel line." Looking at Dean she said, "One line, your line, or more specifically, your father's line. There has been two other vessels such as you and Sam once before. This wasn't the only time Zachariah tried to start your so called 'Apocalypse'. "Dean shook his head.
"I thought that all angles had a true vessel who ..." Athropos was shaking her head.
"It's easier to call the humans that host them vessels because it sounds more humane. Simple fact is, there is only one vessel line, your line. The rest are polite possessions, done so in a way that makes the angelic possessor feel superior to the only two Archangels who were assigned true vessels in order to carry out their apocalyptic destinies. Lucifer and Michael." Dean reeled with this new knowledge.
"So, then, their just like demons ..."
"No," Death said, his accented voice carrying softly across the room," angels were never meant to inhabit a humans body for any real length of time. Demons posses, angels were meant to guide, silently, and never to be seen. It was His way of building faith in humans and ensuring their free will." Dean stared at him for a long moment.
"So, why tell me this?" He looked back at Athropos.
"Because this isn't the first time angels intervened and tried to start the apocalypse Dean." Athropos stood and began pacing. "You see a long time ago, when God created the vessel line, he charged twelve angels to oversee it. Their constant vigilance had a down side. The more they watched humans, the more they began to side with Lucifer, who had already fallen. They eventually began interacting with humans, to the point of falling in love."
"What happened?"
"They fell, one by one, to the earth. Michael was enraged. He, along with Uriel and Raphael convinced God it was wrong and that all the humans were corrupted. God told them that if he could find one human who was faithful that he would save them. God found Noah. Michael, Uriel, and Raphael immediately went to earth and killed the twelve angels. God sent the flood to wash all signs of their revolt away, including their families, save two small infant babies, who God placed on the Ark along with Noah. Those were your ancestors."
Dean was finding all this hard to believe, that the entire world had been destroyed to save two vessels? And if he didn't have a hard enough time with that information he still had no idea how this mattered one bit to the here and now.
"Ok, so as interesting as this history lesson is, there isn't a damn thing that helps me with the current problem. How does it all tie in with what's going on right now?"
"There's more." Dean ran a hand over his face, so freaking sick of hearing that line, and searched the table for his glass. Bobby handed him the whiskey bottle. Dean poured his glass full, and then turned back to Athropos.
"Heaven is powered by the energy of the souls that reside there. It's where Angels get their power from." Dean stopped the process of raising his glass to his lips, a shiver of dread running down his spine. He swiveled a cold look towards Death who met Dean's eyes with his own chilly gaze. "Heaven's supply, due in large part to the War and the defection of so many Angels to earth, is low." Dean finished his glass in one swallow.
"Hell, incidentally, is running low as well." Death supplied, still watching Dean.
"So ... how exactly did that happen again?" Dean growled, not liking where this was going.
"Souls are the new currency between angels, demons, and anything in between." Athropos let it all sink in, noting Dean's agitated movements. She cast a look at Death, whose gaze briefly traveled over Sam's prone body, then nodded to Athropos to continue. "Purgatory, however, doesn't require souls to power it. Think of it like a hotel, when you first get there you're in the lobby. Then you are assigned, according to your deeds in life, to a certain level. The theory behind it is that souls are sent there to await Judgment. Once judged, they are then sent either to Heaven or Hell." Dean glanced at Jo, who was shaking slightly.
"Who judges them?" he asked.
"The Warden for Purgatory, who has been missing for quite sometime." Athropos seemed to want to say more but a look from Death shut her up. She chose instead to look at Dean, who was staring at her with an odd look on his face.
"Ok ... so ... " he looked at Jo quickly.
"She's the key to open the door, Dean, not the Warden." Death stated flatly casting Dean a long suffering stare.
"You know, usually when one of you volunteer this much information about yourselves I tend to get dragged to hell over it. Don't suppose this is going to come with some sort of guarantee one of you isn't going to come kick my ass is there?" Dean started to fill his glass to discover the bottle was empty. He glanced over at Bobby who was absently sipping from his own filled glass. He noticed Dean's look and shrugged.
"Sorry, gas station didn't include a liquor store." Dean sighed.
"So drop the bomb, how does this cosmically screw me over?" Athropos sat down on the bed in front of Dean again.
"When I was weaving your Fates, I cried and Castiel heard me. He came to me and comforted me for seven days. At the end, he told me that he knew of a way that I could end you and your brother's suffering." Dean almost smiled, good ole Cas, always trying to step in. She looked at Dean strangely for a moment. "He told me to separate the strands that the bind the body and the soul together and that he would get Sam out of Hell." Dean's stomach turned. "And, though it goes against everything that I am, I did it." Her face was full of shame now and a single tear slid down her cheek. "I wrote his Hell Dean and I died a little inside with every weave. So I unraveled one end, believing that he would do as he said. Except, I learned from Death that he didn't. He took Sam's body, but left his soul in Hell." Dean choked, his eyes misting over, and for a moment his heart stopped. Athropos was immediately on her knees in front of Dean, her head in her hands.
"I'm sorry Dean, its why I can't face Sam! I knew better, but ... no one has ever endured what he did and not turn demonic to end their own suffering! It was indescribable, and I had to weave it! Such things ... such awful things ... all of Olympus was enraged at the brutality of it all. And then to be betrayed by the Angel ... it was more than I could bare!"
Dean couldn't breathe, static filled his ears. Nothing in this world could have prepared him for Athropos' confession. Why would Castiel have done this? He was opposed to Sam jumping in the pit, more than ready to ride out the apocalypse with them as a human, comrade in arms. He'd been like a brother ... Dean flung is head back and howled in pain. Sam immediately arched on the bed, eyes flung open and hands making a fist in the sheets. Both men caught in the throes of agony, but it was Athropos' keening wail that was heard above them all. It seemed to be tied to Dean and Sam's pain and the more they felt the louder she cried.
"STOP!" Death's voice whipped through the room like a crack of lightening.
Sam instantly went prone on the bed but not before Bobby caught of glimpse of the raw agony in the young man's eyes. Dean hung limply in Jo's arms who was valiantly trying to bring Dean back to himself for the second time that evening. Death bent down and whispered something in Athropos' ear and she stood. Opening her book she ripped out a page from it then plucked a few golden strands from the tassel. She folded the strands inside the paper and laid it flat on one palm then covered it with the other palm. An intense light flared between her hands then it was gone.
"I'm breaking all the rules being here so I'm going to continue it by telling you that you have three options. Continue on to Detroit and see where your destiny line is taking you. Cas has the dirt, Raphael is guarding the rift in the room, and Crowley has the blood. All they need is for you to show up with the key." She nodded towards Jo whose breath hitched in her throat. "Your second option will be to go along with Castiel. I can't tell you anymore because I can only tell you what your Fate is, your destiny line I can only see as it plays out." She handed Dean the paper, who noted the golden seal that she had placed on it.
"You said three options."
"You're third option is a standing offer from Olympus, Zeus to be more specific." All four eyes turned to her shocked; Dean noted that it was the first real spec of emotion he'd seen on Death's face so far. "I'm to tell you that at anytime, either now or later, should you choose to tell them all to go fuck themselves, you can simply break the seal on the paper and I will come to you and seal your Fate for all time. Olympus will escort you," she looked from Dean to Bobby then lastly to Jo, "your souls that is, to a safe place, where you may live out your afterlife with the respect you deserve." Before she could leave Dean stopped her.
"Look at him, just one time, before you leave." Athropos' eyes widened, almost fearfully. But Dean turned her towards his brother. She nearly fell, Dean's hands tightened painfully on her arms holding her up and forcing her to look at Sam.
"I'm so sorry ..." she whispered brokenly. Dean turned her around to look at him.
"The next time you see him, you look him in the eye. You talk about respect, you say you're sorry? It's too late for sorry, and Hell took his respect and spit on it a long time ago." He released her and she immediately dissolved into a golden mist and disappeared. He turned to Death.
"So?" Death shrugged.
"She told you the truth Dean, which I chose not to do as I felt that it would do nothing more than confuse your priorities. Nevertheless, she's right. You have three options, one of which you've already dismissed for the time being. The other two you won't know how to act upon till you get to Detroit." Dean winced, hating that Death knew him so well.
"However, I will impart this tidbit of knowledge. Sam did not break under the torture that he suffered in Hell. But, his memories of Hell leave a link that Crowley is tapping to get information about how much you know. Without Nikki's influence Sam is a perfect conduit for the demon to use like a puppet. There is no real way to stop this till he enters Detroit, so I have shut Sam down so to speak. He will wake once you enter the city limits. And he's going to be in quite the mood, just as you suspect Dean. Do not stop him. He has a role in this, just as you have, and a choice to make as well. And don't forget that above all you will alone will be the one to defend the Guff when the time comes." Death stared at them all one last time then disappeared.
"Son of a bitch ... we're screwed."
- I'm very narcissistic so please review -