XII
I Know What You Did Last Summer
"Damn," Lee chuckled under her breath as she watched the two Winchester brothers work their magic. She was seated at the bar of a smoky pub, observing some of Sam's moves as he feigned drunkenness, practically begging one of the men to let him win back the money he'd, unbeknownst to his competitors, purposefully lost the round before. Dean had just made his way over to the pool table to fake defend his brother when Rachel plopped down in the seat next to Lee, smiling and setting a beer down in front of her friend. Lee smirked, and gestured over to the men.
"What idiots. I almost feel sorry for them," she laughed. Rachel snorted, taking a swig of beer.
"Don't. If they're that easy to screw over, they deserve it. Especially since they believe Sam's little drunk act," she slurred slightly. Lee cocked her head in amusement.
"Speaking of drunk…" she teased, and Rachel playfully punched her arm.
"Hey, the end is nigh," she defended, taking another gulp of beer as Dean suddenly threw his hands up. Lee confusedly glanced up as she saw Sam walk over to the other side of the bar, where a familiar dark-haired demon sat, waiting for him. Lee's gaze hardened as she recognized Ruby, and saw Dean approach her as well, talking in an angry, hushed voice. Lee couldn't quite decipher the conversation over the loud music and noise of the rowdy bar, but it didn't take a genius to figure out it wasn't anything good. Lee turned away sharply, trying to ignore the black-eyed bitch and the fact that she was so obviously manipulating Sam…
Not knowing what she could or couldn't say, Lee angrily gulped down her beer, fuming silently as Rachel chattered nonsensically beside her.
…
"Can I get a copy of the missing person's report?" Sam asked into his cell phone as the Winchesters drove along the dark street, the girls following close behind in Lee's car.
"Great. Okay, thanks," Sam hung up, and Dean glared ahead.
"Well, Anna Milton is definitely real," Sam concluded.
"Don't mean the case is real," Dean argued, not even sparing a glance towards his younger brother.
"This hospital's a three-day drive," he spat.
"We've driven further for less, Dean" Sam reminded, and the elder Winchester shook his head angrily.
Sam noticed, and told him, "You got something to say, say it."
"Oh I'm saying it: this sucks," Dean complained.
"You're not pissed we're going after the girl, you're pissed Ruby threw us the tip," Sam said flatly.
"Right. Because as far as you're concerned, the Hell bitch is practically family," Dean's voice rose a bit.
Sam shook his head in denial, but Dean continued on ruthlessly, "I mean, boy, something must have happened while I was downstairs cause I come back and you're BFF's with a demon?"
"I told you, Dean, she helped me go after Lilith," Sam responded in a monotone voice.
"Well, thanks for the thumbnail. Real vivid. You wanna fill in a little detail?" Dean pressed, giving Sam a pointed look.
"Sure, Dean, let's trade stories. You first, how was Hell? Don't spare the details" Sam sarcastically sniped, knowingly glaring back. Dean pursed his lips angrily, and Sam smirked sourly.
They rode together in silence, the only sound coming from the windshield wipers swiping noisily against the windshield as the rain fell in gentle patters against the Impala's hood.
...
"'Morning, sleepy," Lee spoke into Dean's grimacing face as he awoke, tossing a freshly ironed button-up shirt at him.
"Suit up. You and Sam are going fed at the hospital, remember?" she reminded, ambling back to the table in one corner of the motel room where a plate of strawberry pancakes sat, steaming.
"Yeah, I remember," Dean groaned, rubbing his face wearily as he sat up, pulling on his suit pants.
"Did you cook?" he asked, and Lee shook her head. "Local diner down the street. Sam and Rachel are there now, but I figured you'd want to sleep in so I brought you some," she explained, gesturing to the food.
"Thanks," he grunted, tiredly shuffling over to the table to plop down and dig in.
"No prob," she said, ruffling his hair and wrapping her arms around herself as she made her way to the sit opposite him at the table.
"Good?" she chuckled as he hungrily wolfed down his food. He grunted in acknowledgement.
"Hey, you and Rachel are staying here while we check out the loony bin, right?" he questioned, and Lee rolled her eyes.
"Yeah," she answered, taking his empty plate and throwing it in the trash.
"huh." Dean looked at her in suspicion, walking over to her.
"I was expecting more of an argument." He prompted, and she shrugged.
"What, no complaining, nothing? What's up?" he asked and she sighed, sitting down on the bed.
"I have a thing with mental hospitals…" she began, looking down.
He looked at her confusedly. "What, like, they wig you out?" He inquired, and she shook her head.
"More like, they remind me of my past," she muttered, and Dean sat next to her.
"What, you mean— "he trailed off, and Lee frowned.
"I had to stay in one for a little while. It's… where I met Rachel, actually. Look, it's not something I really like to talk about," she admitted, and Dean nodded. At that moment, the door opened and Sam stepped in, followed by Rachel.
"Dean, you ready?" He asked, and Dean nodded, standing to go with his brother. Before he left, though, he turned, telling Lee, "Listen, if you need anything… we're just a phone call away, you hear?"
Lee nodded, smiling up at him. "Okay," he responded, squeezing her shoulder in acknowledgement before following his brother out to the impala.
Rachel gave them a short wave before shutting the door behind them.
"What was that all about?" she asked, and Lee shrugged.
"I don't know," she scoffed, turning and walking into the bathroom.
About an hour later, Rachel's cell phone rang, and she answered it, putting it on speaker so Lee could hear as she walked out of the bathroom, towel-drying her wet hair.
"Hey, so apparently Anna was claiming there were demons everywhere and that the apocalypse was looming—even had a journal that showed her predicting the rising of Samhain and everything," Sam's voice bloomed from the speaker and Lee nodded along to what he was saying.
"Sounds about right," Rachel responded.
"What do you mean?" Sam asked, and Lee and Rachel shared a worried look.
"Look, all we can really tell you is that this Anna chick is uber powerful and important. You need to get to her before the demons and/or angels do. Trust me when I say she's screwed no matter which side gets their hands on her," Rachel told him.
"What, you mean the angels want her dead, too?" Sam questioned.
"…. it's…. likely," Rachel managed.
There was a pause before Dean's voice floated through the receiver.
"Yeah, well we just stopped by her house and... it looks like the demons already got to her parents…. They weren't alive when we got there," he added.
"We're heading to her church now, see if she's hiding out there, considering she kept drawing the window of the church over and over," Sam noted.
"Good thinking. What's the address? We'll meet you there," Lee pitched, and Dean sighed.
"No way. It's too dangerous," he finalized, and Lee growled.
"Dean. You need us. What's the address?" Lee argued.
"There's the stubbornness," Dean mocked, before telling her, "Sorry, sweetheart. We'll call you when we find her," and hanging up. Lee stared at the phone in disbelief, mouth agape in surprise.
"I…." she sputtered to Rachel, who laughed at her friend's shocked expression.
"Did you really think he'd let us tag along?" Rachel reasoned.
"Did he call me 'sweetheart'?" she fumed, shoving a shirt over her head and pulling on a pair of jeans. She grabbed her car keys and her phone after slipping on a pair of sneakers, heading out to the Chevelle.
"Lee, where the Hell are you going?" Rachel called after her, amused. Lee held up her cell triumphantly.
"Hacked the GPS in Dean's phone. I'm going to that church," she told her, getting behind the wheel.
"I'm coming with!" Rachel exclaimed, locking the door to the motel and hopping into the Chevelle beside Lee.
They drove off to church.
...
"…wow, this place is beautiful," Rachel breathed as she slid out of the car and approached the tall lavender church. The building was a pastel color, with beautiful stained glass windows and a glorious cross adorning the very top.
"Yeah churches kinda freak me out," Lee shrugged, skipping up the stairs two at a time, and Rachel frowned.
"What are you waiting for? The boys are already here," Lee hurried her friend, gesturing to the Impala parked out front.
Rachel shook her head and rushed to catch up with her friend.
Dean's voice floated through the church towards them.
"…so, you talk to angels?" they heard him question, and a feminine voice answered.
"Oh. No. no, no way. They probably don't even know I exist. I just kind of overhear them."
Lee and Rachel exchanged a look.
"That must be Anna," Lee told her with wide eyes, and Rachel nodded as they came in sight of the Winchesters. Rachel went to step into view, but Lee pulled her back behind a pew to hide.
"You overhear them?" Sam asked the slight redhead before him.
"Yeah. And sometimes I just hear them in my head…" Anna trailed off, looking pained.
"Like… right now?" Dean questioned worriedly.
"Not right this second, but a lot. And I can't shut them out-there's so many of them," she shook her head.
Anna cocked her head to the side suddenly, and her voice rose a bit as she called, "who's there?"
Lee winced as Rachel shoved her out from behind the pew, and they stepped into view before the Winchesters and the girl. As soon as Dean saw who it was, his gaze hardened and he clenched his jaw.
"I thought I told you to wait at the hotel!" he growled, and Lee grimaced, going to hide behind Sam. Rachel walked over to Anna, taking her hand.
"Anna? My name is Rachel. We're here to help you," she soothed, and Anna's eyes widened in recognition when she introduced herself.
"Rachel?" she asked, and Rachel nodded.
"The angels talk about you, too, sometimes. And the other one… the one whose mind they can't enter," she told her, looking over at Lee. Lee looked around, scoffing.
"W-who, me?" she asked, pointing to herself as Anna nodded.
"Wh- "Lee was interrupted as Dean grasped Anna's attention again.
"So, basically they locked you up in crazy town when you were just tuning into angel radio?" he inquired, and Anna looked relieved.
"Yes. Thank you!" she exclaimed, and Rachel patted her arm soothingly. Anna smiled at her gratefully.
"Anna, when did these voices start?" Sam asked.
"I can tell you exactly. September 18th." Anna said with conviction, stepping forward.
Sam looked at Dean knowingly, and Dean confirmed, "The day I got out of Hell."
"First words I heard, clear as a bell: 'Dean Winchester is saved'," Anna nodded.
Dean looked awed. "What do you think?" Dean asked his brother, and Sam shrugged.
"It's above my paygrade, man."
"Well, at least now we know why the demons want you so bad… they get ahold of you, they can hear what the other side's cookin'. You're 1-900 Angel," Dean told Anna, smiling flirtatiously at her. Anna smiled back, giggling slightly. Lee fake-vomited at Rachel, who stifled a laugh.
"Hey, do you know… are my parents okay? I didn't go home, I was afraid." Anna asked Sam, obliviously.
Lee worriedly chewed her bottom lip.
"Look, as...confusing as this all is, I really, really think we should get out of here. And fast," Lee suggested anxiously, stepping out from behind Sam's shadow.
"We're in a church… don't get much safer than that," Dean sarcastically responded.
"Call it intuition, but I think we should leave," Lee hinted, and there was a sudden crash behind her. Lee whirled around only to see Ruby rush in.
"You got the girl? Good. Let's go," she ordered, and Anna gasped in horror.
"Oh! Her face!" she exclaimed, stumbling backwards in fear.
"No, no it's okay, she's here to help," Sam assured her, and Rachel nodded.
"Yeah, I wouldn't be so sure," Dean said at the same time as Lee, and they exchanged a quick glance.
"We have to hurry," Ruby insisted, and Dean stood his ground.
"Why?" he demanded.
"Because a demon's coming. Big-timer. We can fight later, Dean." She told him.
"Damn it, we have to get Anna out of here!" Lee exclaimed, tugging on Dean's arm.
He shrugged her off. "Well that's real convenient. Showing up right when we find the girl with some bigwig on your tail," Dean accused.
"I didn't bring him here, you did," Ruby blamed. Anna started breathing heavily, panicking.
"It's okay, Anna, we're gonna keep you safe," Rachel assured her, trying to calm her down. Anna looked at her with wide eyes, terrified.
"What?" Dean asked Ruby.
"He followed you from the girl's house. We gotta go now," Ruby yelled.
"Dean," Sam called urgently, pointing to an angelic statue. Lee followed Dean's gaze in horror as she realized that the statue had started weeping blood.
"Oh, holy David Tennant," Lee whispered in fright.
"It's too late," Ruby said flatly, and Sam whirled around to look at her with wide emerald eyes.
"He's here," she told them ominously. Anna gasped, mouth agape in horror as she stared, unseeing, at the statue.
"Okay, okay, we have to go," Rachel stated breathlessly, shoving Anna behind her as Sam led them to a closet.
"Stay in there. Don't move," he told Anna, and Rachel stayed with her as he shut the door.
"Lee, go stay with Anna and Rachel," Sam ordered, and she stared at him, frozen.
"Go," he ordered, and as much as she wanted to protest, she knew Anna was more important. Lee numbly followed his directions and hid in the closet with Rachel, Anna sandwiched between them. "Everything's gonna be okay," Lee whispered, trying to reassure both Anna and herself.
She faintly heard Ruby tell Dean, "Now's not the time to bellyache about Sam going dark side. He does his thing, he exorcizes that demon, or we die," Before there was a thunderous crash as the door presumably flew off its hinges. Anna whimpered behind Lee, and she closed her eyes, holding her breath.
Power tingled through the air as Sam tried to exorcize the demon, who merely coughed.
"That tickles," he mocked, and Sam exhaled in surprise. The demon chuckled.
"You don't have the juice to take me on, Sam," he crooned, and with a flick of his wrist, he flew Sam across the room and down the stairs.
Dean ran to stab the demon, who grabbed his arm and pulled him close.
"Hello, again, Dean." He greeted, shoving him against a wall. Ruby rushed to where the girls were hiding, and Anna screamed as Ruby grabbed her.
"Not a chance," Lee growled, shoving herself between the dark haired demon and the scared girl.
"I'm Helping. If you want to live, follow me," Ruby snarled, taking off. Lee hesitated before Rachel grabbed her arm and ran after Ruby.
"We can't leave them behind!" Lee yelled, glancing back at where the demon, Alistair, had Dean pinned against the wall.
"Do you want her to die?" Rachel Shouted, and Lee paused, sparing the Winchesters one last wistful glimpse before taking Anna by the hand and following her friend and Ruby.
"Come on," she encouraged, running out of the church and leaving the Winchesters behind.
…
They escaped to an old abandoned barn a few miles from the church. As soon as they'd gotten there, Anna started panicking.
"Oh, god. Why is this happening to me? Why is this happening to me?" She cried, rocking back and forth. Rachel sat beside her, shushing her gently.
"It's okay, everything's going to be okay," she mumbled.
"No, it's not. Everything is going so wrong," Anna whispered, hyperventilating.
Lee winced, stepping into the next room. Ruby went up to her and handed her a spray can of red paint.
"Quick, make a devil's trap by all the entrances and exits," she ordered, and Lee narrowed her eyes.
"Wouldn't that keep you in, as well as keep other demons out?" Lee questioned accusingly, and Ruby rolled her eyes.
"Believe it or not, I'm on your side in this fight—" she began, but Lee interrupted her.
"Yeah, well, we both know that's not quite true, don't we?" She snarled venomously. Within minutes, Ruby had her pinned to the wall, a hand wrapped around her throat, and Lee yelped in both surprise and pain.
"What do you know? You're just a whiny little human," she growled. "I could kill you with a single flick of the wrist," she threatened, squeezing Lee's throat. Lee choked, coughing.
"…kkill me, and then S-sam… will know what… I know," Lee wheezed, and Ruby dropped her.
"There's more to your story than you're letting on, and I intend to find out," Ruby warned in a low voice as Lee sucked in raspy gulps of air, rubbing her sore throat. That's so going to bruise, she thought as Ruby sauntered away, and Lee coughed once more. She grabbed the can of paint and started on the devil's trap. Lee faintly heard Ruby talking to Anna in a soothing tone, and she rolled her eyes.
…
The Winchesters arrived about an hour and a half later, after Ruby had smoked out and snuck them the girls' address. Sam stepped through anxiously.
"Lee, are you okay?" Sam questioned, walking over to where she sat in the corner. She didn't say anything, just waved him off. He frowned and turned to Anna.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"Yeah, I think so. Ruby's not like other demons. She saved my life," she smiled at her, and Sam looked around as well, taking in the surroundings and everyone.
"Yeah I hear she does that," Dean nodded, and turned to the demon in question.
"I guess I, uh— "Dean cleared his throat awkwardly, and Ruby crossed her arms in expectation.
"You know," he shrugged, and Ruby relentlessly asked, "what?"
"I guess I owe you, for...Sam, and I just wanna" he trailed, clearing his throat again. "You know?" he finished.
"Don't strain yourself," Ruby mocked, raising her eyebrows.
"Okay then, is the moment over?" Dean responded, relieved. Ruby rolled her eyes, and Dean turned away.
"Good, cause that was awkward," he muttered.
"Hey, Sam? Do you think it'd be safe to make a quick call? Just to tell my parents I'm okay?" Anna asked, and Sam looked forlorn. "They must be completely freaked," she continued, looking between the two Winchesters.
Sam cleared his throat awkwardly, and Anna's face fell.
"Anna…" Rachel piped from beside her, and the girl turned to look at her.
"I'm so sorry," she sympathized, with pity in her eyes.
"No... they're not…" Anna stuttered, voice breaking.
"I'm sorry," Sam repeated, and Anna seemed to curl within herself, body shaking as she sobbed.
Lee, from where she stood in the corner, stepped outside, unable to watch the girl mourn the loss of her parents.
"Why is this happening to me?" she cried, and Sam muttered, "I don't know."
Rachel put an arm around her in comfort. Suddenly, Anna sat up abruptly, breathing heavily.
"They're coming!" She breathed, voice shaking. Suddenly the lights flickered, and Dean yelled, "Back room," rushing both Rachel and Anna out of sight. The boys both grabbed a gun, and Dean stationed himself by the window.
"Where's the knife?" Ruby exclaimed, and Sam looked down guiltily.
"Uh, about that…" Dean excused lamely.
"You're kidding!" Ruby yelled, and Dean immediately shifted the blame to Sam.
"Thanks a lot," Sam responded.
"What's going on?" Lee asked in a raspy voice, having just come back in from outside. Everyone turned to look at her confusedly when suddenly the door flew open behind her, and she hit the wall, hard. There was a rush of wind, and suddenly Castiel and Uriel strode in. Lee scrambled to her feet, and Sam reached out to her, carefully placing her behind him. Ruby's eyes flashed black in defense.
"Please tell me you're here to help," Dean pronounced. "We've been having demon issues all day," he cried.
"I can see that," Uriel stated, looking pointedly at Ruby.
"Won't you explain why you have that stain in the room?" Uriel inquired.
"We're here for Anna," Castiel declared, and Dean gazed at them flatly.
"Here for her, like, 'here for her'?" he questioned blandly.
"Stop talking," Uriel ordered, seeming disgusted. "Give her to us," He demanded.
"No way in Hellfire— " Lee began, but was interrupted by Sam's inquiry.
"…are you gonna help her?" he asked.
"No." Castiel answered, as he stared at them with cold sapphire eyes.
"She needs to die."
To be continued…
A/N: As always, please follow/favorite/review and all the good things! Hope y'all are enjoying! ;D