Previously on Supernatural...
They stared at the sky for several more hours, just watching the day go past. Neither felt the need to speak again.
"C'mon Baby, hurry up!" Sam called through the bathroom door. "We're gonna be late!"
"Suck exhaust fumes, Sammy!"
Rolling his eyes, Sam chuckled. He'd handed Baby the dress he'd picked out and shooed her into the bathroom two hours ago, and now the Winchesters were shifting impatiently as they waited for her to re-emerge.
Out of the corner of his eye he watched Dean fidget nervously. Like a highschooler waiting for his prom date to show up, he thought with a grin. He couldn't remember the last time he'd seen his brother so flustered, fingers tugging at his lapels and fiddling with his cufflinks.
The click of the bathroom lock drew their attention back to the opening door. A baleful silver eye glared through the crack. "I look stupid," came her petulant voice.
"Stop griping and get your butt out here," Dean snapped, impatient as always.
The door opened fully and Baby toddled out, a scowl on her face as she turned in place. The little black number fit like a second skin, with a cowl neckline and a hem that stopped barely halfway down her thighs. The back was practically nonexistent, with only a fold of fabric at her waist covering her tattooed plates, and long sleeves covered her arms. The only break in black were two shimmering silver lines that ran up the sides of the dress - like a car's pinstripes, Sam realized wryly. Her black shoes were strappy with silver buckles, the spike heels boosting her height by two inches and making her bare legs seem to go on forever.
Dean's eyes went wide as his jaw dropped so fast it almost clattered to the ground. His breathless "Whoa," sounded like he'd been gut-punched by a golem as his eyes took in every inch of Baby. When he caught Sam grinning at him, Dean scowled and jammed his hands in his pockets.
Yeah, you're welcome, the younger Winchester smugly thought. Aloud he said, "You look awesome, Baby."
"I feel like someone put monster truck tires on me," was her terse reply. Her hands tugged at the short hem, vainly trying to pull the dress lower to cover more of her legs. "Can't I wear my boots at least?"
"Black-tie means fancy. Boots aren't fancy," he said with a hint of apology. A quick circle of her showed that everything fit well and nothing inappropriate was showing. "Good, the shoes fit."
"I can't walk in them."
"Then hang on to Dean's arm." Something felt off about Baby, but Sam couldn't quite figure out what. Reaching out to tussle her unbound hair, he suddenly noticed what was missing from the outfit. "Hey, where's the..." He tapped his throat significantly to indicate the amulet not hanging around her neck.
Pitching her voice lower, Baby replied, "Didn't want Dean to see it. He'd ask awkward questions."
"We gonna go now?" Dean interrupted, his voice radiating impatience of being nearly late. "Sam, you got the bomb?"
"Yup." Sam patted his chest over where the bottle was tucked in his inside pocket. "Ready to go."
"Then let's go." Dean his hand out to Baby. "C'mon Baby, wobble this way."
Baby scowled as she grasped his hand for balance. "Don't make fun of me, Dean," she warned as she slipped an arm around his. "Just because I can't walk doesn't mean I can't kick your ass."
Dean laughed. A serious, heartfelt, honest-to-God laugh. There was a soft smile on his face that Sam hadn't seen in many years, and it had everything to do with the beautiful young woman on his arm. Baby started laughing as well, leaning against him with a heartfelt smile that had Sam wishing there was some other way. Some other way to beat the witch and still keep Baby human.
Because for the first time in a long, long time, Dean looked like he was really and truly happy.
Baby felt the first tickle in her throat when they approached the showroom's doors. Clutching at Dean's arm, she raised a hand to cover the sudden coughing fit that made the Legos in her lungs rattle.
Dean immediately stopped walking. "Baby? What is it?"
"Noth - " Her reassurance was ruined by a short burst of black-colored smoke bursting from her mouth like an exorcised demon. The sight made the brothers' eyes widen in shock. "Um..."
"You should go back to the hotel," Sam offered. "We can do this without you - "
"No!" As bad as she felt, Baby had the feeling that if she didn't go with them, something would happen. Something even worse. "I'll be fine. Just...give me a sec."
Thankfully the next few coughs weren't smoky, and she was able to catch her breath as the trio entered the showroom. They separated for a few minutes to gather what little information they could. Dean chatted with new buyers, Sam spoke to one man who had shown up with a stunning older woman (whose age Baby could roughly ballpark as close to her own), and Baby spoke with her fellow cars, trying to be inconspicuous about her questions.
Regrouping by the refreshment table, the three compared notes. All the girls had confirmed that their first memories were of being readied in the building's basement for presentation, and Braxton was always there to supervise. Many of the solo men were here to bid on the newest batch of transformed girls, while the men who arrived with car-girls were there to possibly trade up.
When Sam said this, Dean wrapped his arm around Baby's waist. "You're sticking close to me tonight," he mumbled at her startled look.
"No argument here." She'd caught a few of the girls giving Dean the once-over. Their looks caused a slow burn to ignite in her body, a bitter and harsh taste on her tongue, and her hand to reach up behind his back to rest possessively on his shoulder.
That charming smirk appeared on Dean's face. "Looking a little jealous there, Baby. Worried about something?"
Is that what this is? Jealousy? Recalling how angry Rachel looked expressing it, Baby reached up to nervously touch her face. "Does it show? Do I look angry?"
"No, you look..." He seemed to search for a word before meeting her eyes and admitting, "Beautiful, actually."
Sam gave a low "psst!" to draw their attention to a knot of people across the room. Braxton was a pale-faced man with thinning blond hair and pouchy blue eyes, standing in the center of the group in a well-cut, overpriced suit. Rachel was hanging off his arm like a queen, wearing a sexy red dress that fit her like it was painted on. As soon as Braxton looked over the dizziness struck again, making Baby unsteady on her feet as nausea rose in the back of her throat. "It's him," she whispered. "The magic's coming from him."
"You sure?" asked Sam.
"I've felt this magic before. So yeah, I'm sure," Baby said dryly. She looked around. "We can't exactly Molotov the guy with the bomb. Too many witnesses to witness it."
"He's gotta go get the new girls. We can follow him down." Dean looked around and pointed with his chin. "Look. There he goes."
Sure enough, Braxton was heading down a hallway without Rachel. Making their way through the press of people, Dean, Sam, and Baby followed as closely as they dared until he turned a corner. They peeked around the corner and watched as Braxton unlocked a door and headed down a flight of stairs. Dean reached into his jacket and checked where his Colt was stuck in the waistband of his pants. "Wait until the girls come up, then we go in."
They didn't have to wait long. Ten minutes later, the door opened again and several flashily dressed women strutted out, heading back down the hallway. Braxton wasn't with them. Gesturing towards the door with two fingers, Dean led the way down the stairs. "Get ready," he murmured to Sam.
The taller man reached into his jacket and pulled out the bottle. "Got it." Checking to be sure the hallway was clear, Sam followed his brother as Baby brought up the rear, leaving the door open a crack to provide some light.
The brothers quickly ran down the steps, weapons drawn as they entered the basement. Only half-finished, the floor was rough concrete and the lighting was cheap, flickering florescent tubes. Rolling racks of clothes dominated the side walls, while the wall opposite the stairs had a line of well-lit mirrors and vanities. In the center of the room was a rectangular table covered in flowers, an open grimoire, and several metallic objects.
Sam lowered his weapon, frowning as he looked around. "Um, Braxton's not here."
Rolling his eyes at his brother, Dean shook his head. "Thanks, Captain Obvious."
"Where'd he gooo-AUGH!" Baby's question turned into a startled yelp as her foot slipped off a step, sending her bouncing down the stairs in an ungraceful tumble. She landed on her rear with a curse that would've impressed the most seasoned hunter.
"Baby!" Dean rushed over to kneel beside her. "You okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." Wincing in pain, she stuck out her left foot and surveyed the broken heel. "Ugh. Screw it." She bent her knee to reach the foot and began fumbling with the straps.
Sam pointed at the center table. "Well, that looks like an altar. Maybe that can help us." Sticking his gun back in his waistband, he strode closer to investigate.
Dean waited until Sam was out of earshot before he whispered, "Hey, Baby?"
"Yeah?" She chuckled her broken shoe into the corner and fell to working on the other's buckles.
"After we waste this witch and you turn back into...well, you..." He licked his lips and hesitantly asked, "Could we...if there's a way, maybe we can, you know, turn you back?"
She looked at him curiously. "Back?"
"Yeah, you know, human."
Placing her bare feet on the concrete floor, she stood up and shifted her weight to make sure nothing was injured. "I'm not sure that's possible," Baby said, throwing the other heel aside. "But let's face it, the impossible tends to happen around you boys." She smiled up at Dean and quietly admitted, "I'd like that, actually."
"Guys?" The confusion in Sam's voice propelled Dean and Baby to join him. He was kneeling next to a lifeless form lying facedown behind the altar. When he turned the body over, the revealed face startled them. "It's Braxton."
"But we just saw him come down here," Dean objected.
Sam pressed a finger to Braxton's throat, shuddered, then rose to his feet. "He's ice-cold. Been dead for a long while."
"Wait..." Baby looked from brother to brother in bewilderment. "So who was the guy we followed down here?"
Dun dun DUN! Plot twist!
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