Chapter 17
A couple of weeks went by and Sarah stayed with Bobby. Helping him where she could, but also doing as much research on the angels as she could.
She was just walking into the kitchen when she heard Bobby on the phone.
"No. There's lore on it. Goes back centuries. Traveling card player pops into town. You beat him, you get your best years back. 'Course, most folks lose." Supposedly, this players a hell of a card shark. Got a lot of years in the back. You find the bar he's working yet?" pause "Well, why you still talking to me?" He said then hung up.
She saw him roll over and pick up his keys then continued on toward the door.
"Where are you going?" She asked startling him.
"I… uh… I'm gonna go help the boys on their case."
"Oh, is something wrong? Did something happen to one of the boys?" Sarah asked concerned.
"No. No. They just need an extra set of eyes. Nothing to worry about. I'll be back before you know it." He said wheeling out the door.
Sarah ran upstairs, threw some clothes and supplies in a bag and ran back downstairs and out the door. She hopped in Bobby's van while he was grabbing supplies.
He wheeled up to the driver's door and saw her sitting there. "You gonna sit there all day? Let's go." She said not letting Bobby say anything.
They drove for a few hours and got to the city just after nightfall.
"Alright, let's split up. I'll take the bars on the north side. You can take the bars south of here. You find the game, you call me immediately." Bobby ordered then rolled away.
A few hours later, Sarah was about to walk in her 10th bar when Sam walked out and almost ran into her.
"Hey, watch it buddy!" she yelled at him not seeing who he was.
"Wow, you really are a sweet talker aren't you?" he said.
"Oh, Sam! I should've realized it was your gigantor frame!"
He laughed a little, "What are you doing here? I thought you were helping Bobby for a while."
"I am. We came to help you guys. Care for some company?"
They worked for another two hours trying to find the poker game, then decided to head back to the motel to eat and regroup. They walked inside and Sam tossed the food bag on the table.
"Hey, Dean? You find anything?" Sam called out, after hearing someone in the bathroom.
"Uh, you might say." An old man said, walking into view.
Sam and Sarah jumped and drew their guns, taking aim at the old man, who was wearing a bathrobe.
"Who the hell are you?" Sam yelled.
"Dude, relax. It's me." The man said calmly.
Sam lowered his gun, and said with a puzzled look, "Dean?"
"Hi," he said.
"What?" Sarah said putting her gun away and walking over to examine Dean.
"What the hell happened?" Sam asked as Sarah ran her fingers over Dean's now very aged face.
"I, you know… found the game." Dean said then moved back a little saying, "Come on Sarah. Do you have to do that? Isn't that against your rules?"
"That was before you aged fifty years." She said still mesmerized. Dean headed to the table and grabbed a burger after shooing Sarah away.
"You f… I thought you said you were good at poker." Sam said.
"I am. Shut up. So, you were just gonna shoot some old guy? Is that it?" Dean asked.
"I didn't know what you were. I mean, have you seen you? You look like..." Sam said before Dean cut him off.
"The old chick in Titanic. I know shut up."
"I was gonna say Emperor Palpatine." Sam joked.
"Nah, I'd go more with Clint Eastwood." Sarah said making the boys look up at her.
Just then, the door thudded open and Bobby rolled in. "I see you met John McCain there." Bobby said sarcastically.
"Yeah. Either of you want to tell me what happened?" Sam asked.
"Bobby's an idiot. That's what happened." Dean stated.
"Hey, nobody asked you to play." Bobby retorted.
"Right, I should have just let you die."
"And for damn sure, nobody asked you to lose." Bobby continued.
Sam started grinning, "It's like Grumpy Old Men."
"Shut up, Sam." Bobby and Dean said in unison.
Sarah couldn't contain her laughter, earning her harsh glares.
"What the hell were you thinking? He's a witch. He's been playing poker since guys wore tights." Dean scolded.
"You just don't get it." Bobby said.
"Yeah, I get it, Bobby. You saw a chance to turn the hands of the clock back and get out of that damn chair. Pretty tempting. I can imagine." Dean stated.
"No, you can't" Bobby said angrily.
"You got me. I never been paralyzed. But I tell you something – I've been to hell, and there's an archangel there wanting me to drop the soap. Look at me! My junk's rustier than yours! You hear me belly aching? Huh?" Dean ranted.
"Uh, actually. Yeah." Sam said.
"And with a little too much information." Sarah added.
"Oh!" Dean exclaimed clutching his chest. "I'm having a heart attack." Sarah and Sam got up, worried. Sarah rushed over to his side.
"No, you're not." Bobby said simply.
"What is it?" Dean asked in pain.
"Acid reflux. Guys our age can't digest certain foods. You're gonna need to put down that cheeseburger." Bobby gloated. Dean sighed and put down the burger.
"I'll go get you something else to eat, okay?" Sarah said, then left them alone to talk.
She returned a few minutes later to find an empty motel room. She pulled out her phone and dialed Bobby. "Where'd you all go?"
"The boys are checking out the witches apartment."
"Well, where at? I'll come help."
"Ah… no need to worry. We've got this covered. Why don't you just call it an early night." He said then hung up.
"Bastard." She muttered sitting down on the bed. "Well, I'm not gonna sit here and wait on them." She then got up and changed into something lower cut and tighter. Then she went to get a drink.
After a little while of sitting alone at the bar she heard a man say to her, "Now why is a pretty thing like you, drinking alone."
"Just trying to have a drink in peace." She said not even looking over at him.
"Now, come on, Sarah. No need to be crass." The stranger said.
Sarah's head snapped up as she turned to look at the stranger. He was a handsome man with black hair and tanned features. He had a drink in one hand and was playing with a poker chip with the other.
"You have me at a disadvantage. You know my name but I don't know yours." She said trying to slowly reach into her bag.
"Patrick." He said smirking, placing a toothpick in his mouth. "And I'd rethink going for that gun. It'd do you no good." Sarah stopped her movements. "Especially since you are feeling so… so tired."
"Wha…" Sarah started saying before she blacked out.
Sarah woke up in the cellar of some sort of tavern with cases of beer and other liqueur stacked about. A beautiful blonde woman approached. Sarah tried to move but was being held in place by some sort of invisible bonds.
"That's not going to help." The woman said.
"Where am I? Who are you?" Sarah questioned.
"I'm Lia. I just want to assure you that no harm will come to you. Just…" Lia stopped, as the sounds of someone else could be heard, "Just wanted to give you some water." She said, acting differently when Patrick walked into view.
"Oh, I see our guest has woken." He said with a stupid smirk.
"Guest? You bastard! You kidnapped me!" Sarah yelled at him.
"Hey, language! Remember you're a lady!" he said cheekily.
"Undo these bonds and I'll show you just how ladylike I am." Sarah said through clenched teeth.
"Oh, you are a feisty one." Patrick said then snapped his fingers and everything started to go fuzzy.
Before the blackness could overtake her, she said, "We will win. We have battled angels, demons and countless other monsters. We are on a journey to take down the devil and will not be bested by one stupid witch." Then she blacked out again.
Dean & Bobby returned to the motel room the next day. Sam had split from them to go find the card game. The two old men needed to regroup.
Walking in they found a woman sitting on one of the beds. She held up a piece of paper and said, "Take it. It'll help you."
Bobby rolled over and took the paper. "What is it?" he asked.
"The most powerful reversal spell you've ever laid your eyes on." She said.
"And it reverses what?" Dean asked.
"Patrick's work – all of it." She said.
"You – you saying I could be normal again?" Dean asked.
"You and everyone else he's ever played. .. Who's still alive. It would also help to free your female friend."
Dean and Bobby's eyes widened, having not realized that Sarah wasn't around.
"Why the hell should we trust you?" Dean asked.
"Trust me, don't trust me. I don't care. The spell is real." She said getting up and heading to the door.
"If it zaps everyone, don't that include your man?" Bobby asked.
"And me, too. I look good for my age." She said.
"Lady, this don't add up for squat. Why would you want that?" Bobby asked.
"I… have my reasons." She said glancing down at the locket she had around her neck, "Do it quick. We leave tomorrow." And then she was gone.
Sam sat across the table from Patrick, trying not to eye the toothpick he desperately needed to steal.
"I like you, Sam. I do. You're smart, and your heart's clearly in the right place." Patrick said. Sam remained quiet. "I can tell a lot about a guy by looking."
"You mean you're psychic." Sam stated.
"No. That'd be cheating. I'm talking about good old-fashioned intuition."
Sam nodded, "Right. Let's play."
They started to play a few hands. After a while Lia walked in and kissed Patrick. "Little break?" Patrick asked, winking at Sam.
Sam hurried outside and gave Dean the toothpick he'd swiped from the table. He then hurried back inside. When he sat back down across from Patrick, Patrick said, "Question." He then held up a toothpick. "Is this what you meant to give your big brother?... The one you gave him never passed my lips. Won't do a scrap of good." He then threw the toothpick across the table. "I don't like cheating, Sam." He stretched out his hand and clenched it into a fist causing Sam to feel pain.
Lia intervened and revealed that she had given the spell to Sam. Patrick in a fit of anger yelled at Sam to continue playing.
After another hand, Sam managed to surprise Patrick by bluffing what he had.
"Nice bluff. If we had time, I could make a real player out of you." Patrick said.
"I got time." Sam stated.
Patrick grinned, "Maybe. But I can't say the same for Dean. Your brother's gonna be dean soon…" Sam looked up at him, angry. "And Sarah… well she might not last as long." He snapped his fingers and an invisible cloth feel from Sarah's silent bleeding form. "And when I say 'soon'… I mean minutes." Sam stood up but Patrick extended his fist to yank Sam back down with magic. "The game's not over till I say it is. Blinds." They both slap down a few chips, and the hand begins.
"So… When it's about your family, you get so emotional, your brain just flies right out the window… Good to know." Patrick gloated.
"Go to hell." Sam growled. "I'm all in."
Patrick sighed, "Don't do that, Sam."
"I can't leave until it's over? Fine. It's over. Now, where's my brother?" Sam yelled.
"Look, there's poker and then there's suicide." Patrick said.
"Just play the hand."
"Fine." Patrick said adding his chips to the pot.
Patrick dealt a few more cards then turned over his own to show two aces. "I'm sorry, kid. Aces full."
Sam let out a breath. He glanced at Lia. "You're crying… For a witch, you're so nice, it's actually kind of creepy. It's okay." Sam looked at Patrick. "It was a great hand." As Patrick moved to collect the pot Sam said, "Just not as great as four fours."
Patrick leaned back, "Well played. You know, that whole… going-out-of-your-head-bit, very method." Sam smirked as Patrick continued, "Well, there's more to you than meets the eye."
Sam pushed the chips forward, "Cash these in for Dean, and FIX Sarah!"
Patrick nodded, "With pleasure." He snapped his fingers and Sarah jumped to life.
Sam ran over and picked her up, "Are you okay?" he asked. She nodded, not able to speak yet.
Once in the car, she started to regain control of her body, "What the hell happened?" she asked once her voice returned. Sam filled her in on their drive back to the motel. "I knew we'd win." She smiled smugly.
They pulled up just before Dean and Bobby did. Getting out of the impala slowly, Sarah walked over to Dean.
"Are you sure you looked this old before all this?" she asked playfully examining Dean's newly returned features. Sam and Bobby started laughing.
"Oh, Shut up!" Dean grunted, "What about you? You always dress this slutty when working?"
Bobby & Sam stopped laughing quickly, bracing themselves for a fight.
Sarah closed the gap to Dean and geared up to say something, then let out a breath, "Never mind." She then turned away and started to walk away. "I'm gonna go find some food. Try not to leave me this time."
She returned to the motel a little later. Just in time to overhear Dean's pep talk with Bobby.
"Let's go, Ironsides." Dean said.
Sarah quickly made it look like she'd just gotten there.
'Oh, that one's sticking, huh?" Bobby said before they both headed out the door. "Hey, kiddo. You doing alright?" he asked Sarah.
"Yeah. You ready to head home?" She asked him.
"You sure you want to go with me? I'm sure the boys would like to have you back." Bobby said, causing Dean to stop in his tracks and look back.
"No. no. I don't think so." She said then put her bag in the van and got in.