Day of the Dead
Chapter Three: Usual Suspects
Dalia dropped another stack of books on the table and glared at the stack they'd already been through. Research was getting them nowhere. Sam looked up, startled at the sound of the books hitting wood. "Dalia, you've got to calm down." He sat back, pushing the book he'd been looking through away from him.
"Don't tell me to calm down, Sam." She sat down and picked up the first book. After the hunt for the witch had gone so well with John, he and Dean had picked up a case, alone. Dalia had woken up yesterday, alone in bed, to a text message from Dean saying that they'd be back in a few days. She didn't like the fact that Dean was alone with John. It was hard telling what kind of crap John was telling him.
So here she was, drinking herself into an early grave, and reading books, Man of Letters files, and scrounging the corners of the Internet not even the crackpots inhabited. She hadn't slept, wouldn't eat. Not until they found out how John Winchester came back from the dead and why he was there. People didn't just come back from the dead, not without some repercussions.
Sam sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Maybe we should try a different approach," he said looking between her and Elena.
"What kind of approach?" Elena asked. She was getting to Dalia's level of frustration.
"We know the angels didn't bring Dad back. So we ask Crowley." Dalia growled and decided to forgo the glass this time. She drank straight from the bottle. "I know you don't like the idea," he said. "I don't either, but right now he's our best lead."
Elena rubbed her temples. "We could summon him to the dungeon, lock him up." She sighed and looked at Dalia. "It's the best lead we've got right now."
Dalia emptied the bottle into her stomach and pulled her gun out from the small of her back, laying it on the table in front of Sam. He looked at her, raising an eyebrow. "If I have that on me, I'll empty the clip on principle." She got and walked to the lab to get the ingredients they were going to need to summon Crowley.
Once she had all the herbs in the bowl she met Sam and Elena in the dungeon. She knelt and lit the candles and took the knife from Sam. She drew a small line down her arm letting her blood drip into the bowl. She passed the knife back and took the matches from Elena. "Et ad congregandom, Eos coram me," she said, lighting the match and dropping it into the bowl. She flinched back when the bowl of ingredients sparked up and stood slowly.
"The Scooby gang. What can I do for you?" Crowley asked, appearing in the middle of the devil's trap on the floor. He looked around, realizing where he was. "Are we really going to go through this again?" he asked. He looked pissed which suited Dalia just fine.
She and Sam muscled him into the chair and locked the chains on him. "You're going to give us some information," Sam told him, standing in front of the table. Dalia made herself comfortable against the wall, crossing her arms over her chest. "What do you know about my Dad?" he asked.
Crowley folded his hands on the table, quirking his head to the side as he looked at Sam. "John Winchester, man after my own heart." He smirked a little. "Hell bent on revenge, not much of a family man."
"Not what we meant," Dalia growled. "How did he come back to life after all of these years?"
Crowley turned his head and looked at her. "John's back from the dead?" He laughed and shook his head. "You would think after all this time you would know that the angels just like to screw you over."
"That's just it though, the angles didn't bring him back." Sam crossed his arms. "But I bet you know who did."
"Sorry, Moose, can't help you."
Dalia growled and grabbed the knife from Sam. She moved before he or Elena could stop her. She buried it to the hilt in Crowley's heart. "Don't fuck with me, Crowley," she snapped. "I'll feed you holy water just to get off on your screams."
He chuckled, looking down at the knife hilt, then slowly raised his eyes and looked at Dalia. "Temper, temper, temper." He reached up with his cuffed hands and pulled the blade out, dropping it on the table. "How's the soul doing, darling?"
Dalia growled and reached for the knife again. Sam grabbed her and pulled her out of the room, leaving Elena on guard duty. "Let go of me Sam." She pulled away from him and glared. "Why did you stop me?"
"Crowley's not going to tell us anything if you keep stabbing him." He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "Go get the holy water, we'll try that."
"Grab a couple angel blades too," she muttered, walking away.
"Don't bring the angel blades!" Sam called after her. He went back into the room and looked at Crowley.
The King of Hell smirked. "She was right about one thing," he started, "her and Dean are soulmates." He smirked and sat back. "So, John's back from the dead is he? I do hope he enjoyed his time in Hell. We do try to accommodate."
Sam rolled his eyes and punched him. A satisfied smirk danced over his lips when he heard Crowley's jaw crack. "Stop bullshitting around, Crowley. We know you brought him back. How did you do it?" he demanded.
"I honestly don't know." He looked past Sam when Dalia entered the room again. "Time to get off?" he asked, noticing the rather large jugs of holy water she was carrying. "I hope you're just as attractive in the throes of passion."
She smirked and unscrewed one of the caps, walking over to him. She didn't say a word as she tipped the jug upside down and let the contents flow over Crowley, soaking him. He screamed as it burned his skin. They knew it wasn't enough to really hurt the King of Hell. But enough of it, over and over again, he'd start to crack. After the jug was empty, Crowley and the floor thoroughly soaked, she tossed the jug to Elena and bent down, her lips inches from Crowley's ear. "Wow baby that was hot. I might have to excuse myself."
She walked back around the table and stood beside Sam. She crossed her arms and looked at Crowley. "Who brought John back from the dead?" she demanded. Crowley didn't answer. He smirked and looked past them. Dean and John were standing in the doorway. "Shit." They walked out of the room, ushering John and Dean back upstairs.
"What the hell are you doing?" Dean demanded. "Crowley, really? After all the shit he's done you bring him here?" He was livid, his voice echoing off the walls. He glared hard at Sam. "He's the reason you and Elena lost the baby, he's the reason Dalia died and lost her soul!"
"We're just trying to figure out how Dad got back," Sam tried to reason.
"That doesn't mean you bring the King of Hell into the bunker!"
"Wait," John said, stepping forward. "That's the King of Hell?" he demanded of Sam, pointing towards the dungeon. "What the hell is wrong with you Sam? You don't bring a demon into the house, you kill it!"
Sam glared and balled his fists, ready to take a swing. "Your son may be right." They looked over as Castiel walked into the room. "Crowley very well may know how you were brought back from the dead."
John turned on Cas. "I don't want to hear it from you either. As far as I'm concerned Dean screwed up by not putting a blade in your chest too." He stormed out of the room and they all heard his door slam.
Dean rubbed his face and looked at Castiel. John was wrong. Castiel was one of the good guys. He grabbed beer from the fridge and passed them out. "What did Crowley say?" he asked. If they brought him here they might as well get some information from him.
"He says he doesn't know," Dalia muttered around her beer.
"It doesn't help that Dalia stabbed him and then dumped a jug of holy water on him." Elena rolled her eyes and leaned into Sam.
Dean looked at her, eyes widened. "Seriously?"
"He was pissing me off." She grabbed her beer and walked out of the room.
He watched her go and looked at Sam. "What's her deal?"
"Seriously? Dean, you left without telling her. She's pissed at you." He sighed and rubbed his face. "You two are supposed to be soulmates, but ever since Dad came back it's like she doesn't matter to you. I'd be pissed at you too." He grabbed his beer and led Elena out of the room.
Dean swore and ran a hand through his hair and looked at Cas. "You made at me too?" he asked.
Castiel shook his head. "No. but you do need to figure out how your father came back. It's not natural Dean. He shouldn't be here. I know you care for him, but something is wrong. You need to figure out what it is."
He sighed and finished his beer. "Yeah, I'll get right on it." He leaned on the counter and sighed. One thing was for sure, John wasn't going to talk to Cas like that again. Castiel had been there for them when they really needed him, when it was do or die time. Castiel was family, weather John saw that or not. He rubbed his eyes. He needed to figure out what he was going to do about Dalia.