I'm gonna be without internet for a week starting friday so hopefully I'll be able to get one more chapter out after this before that happens.
All rights belong to Supernatural,
Reviews are greatly appreciated,
Enjoyyy!
"Bela Talbot?" I scratched my head. "Is this mystery woman a friend of theirs that I missed in my research?"
"Hmmm not quite, but trust me on this! I'm sure she'll be more than valuable in this project. A diamond in the rough!" Julius all but sang.
"Someone has a crush."
"Shut up. I told you I worked hard for this one so I expect a good reward."
"Yeah, yeah, you can have a cookie when we get back. What made Miss Talbot so hard to find? Is their some sort of reaper concealment charm in her possession?"
"Nooo...But dragging people out of Hell for no real reason has its repercussions. Reapers and Demons have a sort of mutual relationship until we do stupid shit like that." I nearly choked.
"Hell? You brought me some damned soul to talk to? Oh God, what in the world did she do to get down there...What if she kills me?"
"Oh calm down, you can ask her all that yourself and she won't kill you. She agreed to this interview just like the rest, so I don't think murder is on her mind. I'm going to go get her, so sit tight." This was becoming routine. I would have loved to have gone with him but I didn't think it was possible and didn't feel much like asking. So I did as I was told and got dressed and waited for him to return, cursing 4 am interviews as I did. At about quarter to five, the door opened and a gorgeous brunette waltzed in. My first thoughts were that she had been some CEO of a major corporation before she died, she just had that air about her. As soon as she entered the room, it became hers. Now I knew why Julius was such a big fan of her. My back straightened up immediately and I cursed the fact I was still wearing slippers. I wanted to impress this woman so badly and I had no idea why.
"Bela?" I asked extending a hand out for her to shake. I noted that it quivered slightly.
"Yes, pleasure to meet you. I heard you have some questions about my involvement with the Winchesters." She said in a crisp English accent, taking my hand with a firm grasp.
"Umm, yeah, but I should tell you, I don't know all that much about you so I'd like to figure some of that out first." She let go of my hand and sat down across from me at the tiny table.
"Well go on then."
"I was curious about what you did for a living, before you died of course." She smiled at my question.
"Oh that's a fun one. I sold supernatural artifacts and any sort of charm you can imagine. And if a client so requested, I would perform séances to contact any dead loved one of theirs. In short, I was a-"
"Scam artist." Julius muttered just loud enough for us to hear.
"There's no denying it, but the black market business is the quickest way to make a fortune. Of course I always was careful to phrase it differently than your handsome friend over there." Bela waved dismissively at Julius.
"Handsome? That's a long shot."
"He looks a bit like a young James Dean." Julius smiled smugly at her compliment. An ego boost was the last thing he needed.
"Yeah, not likely to be winning any look-alike contests there...Moving on, this question my seem a bit personal so don't feel the need to give me the answer if you don't want to; how did you end up in Hell?"
"Oh nothing big, sold my soul to a demon to kill my parents." Bela spoke as though this were an everyday occurance.
"They mustve been pretty awful if you were willing to spend an eternity in hell just to escape them."
"They were lovely people." She said with a haunted look in her eyes. Evidently not even Hell could hold a candle to the scars that life had inflicted on her. I decided not to press on the subject and moved the topic back to the Winchesters.
"So, Sam and Dean, did they help you out with anything?"
"Once or twice, I was more useful to them then they ever were to me. They saved my life from a ghost ship once and Dean almost killed me, so I suppose that's about the most theyve ever done."
"Based on your tone of voice, I'm assuming you didn't get along?"
"They weren't too fond of me. Dean especially held a grudge. I don't think he likes it when people are more capable than him. Or when their proverbial balls are bigger."
"What did they help you out with though?"
"They helped me obtain more than one unique item and I made quite the pretty penny off of them. They were none too pleased whenever they found out."
"And when was the last time you saw the Winchesters?" I asked and the haunted look came back into her eyes.
"Right before I died. I didn't see them, I spoke to Dean over the phone. I had gone too their hotel room to kill them, it was my last chance of getting out of my deal, but they were one step ahead of me and put these ridiculous inflatable sex dolls in their beds." Bella gave a short, humourless laugh. "And then the phone rang and it was Dean and he told me he had figured it all out, about my deal and everything. In my final act of self preservation I begged them for help, but he refused. He said it was too late. So I told him about Lilith, how she was the keeper of our contracts and the last thing he said to me was 'I'll see you in Hell.'" Her voice had all but dropped to a whisper.
"Contracts? Plural? Dean had made a deal too?"
"Yes, to save his brother. His was different though, he didn't have ten years, he only had one."
"But that means that he would've gone to Hell already...or he somehow got out of the deal."
"I'm afraid I don't know the answer to that. And I do believe our time is far past up." Bela pointed to the clock on the bedside table; it was already past six o'clock.
"Holy shit! Julius! Why didn't you say anything?" I turned frantically to look at him and he shrugged.
"I was just getting into the story and didn't want it to end."
"But you were the one who said we could get into trouble!" All I got in response was another shrug. "Whatever. Bela it was super great meeting you and thank you for being so open about everything. Most people I know wouldn't freely talk about all the deals they've made with the devil."
"I have nothing left to lose. Maybe something I said will have been of some use to you." She smiled.
"Oh all of it will be. I just wish we had had more time..."
"We'll have to meet up again sometime soon. You take the high road and I'll take the low road." She teased. I noticed it was something that all the ghosts previous to her had done as well; poked fun at their own demise. Part of me hoped they were at least being semi-genuine and did in fact want to see me again.
"Bye, Bela! Safe trip down!" I kept a smile on my face until the door closed behind them. Only then did I drop my head to the table, my thoughts a jumbled mess of all the things I had just learned. Dean was supposed to be in Hell but for whatever reason he either didnt go or got out. This added another layer to what I already knew and I'd have to see anyone else could give me more information on it. People don't just go through something like that and come out perfectly okay. I was back in bed by the time Julius came back eager to track down someone else.
"I could try talking to Ellen again or if you want we can move on to Bobby.." He said looking over the list.
"No, not tonight. Maybe not tomorrow either, I need a break. I'm tired, just let me sleep for awhile." I mumbled into my pillow and pulled my covers up over my head so he wouldn't bug me anymore.
"You get 8 hours. You wanted my help so you have to work on my schedule. The longer we waste time, the harder it'll be to get this done." Julius snapped but mercifully left so I could get some rest. In the end, I shouldn't have even bothered trying. After an hour of staring at the ceiling I got back up and called Julius back to the room, trying my hardest to ignore the smirk on his face.
"I think it's time we took Jo's advice. If there's one person who will know anything about Dean going to Hell it'll be this man right here." I slid the paper over to him, my finger poised over one name, perhaps one of the most important ones on the list.
Bobby Singer