Hi guys! I wanted to finish this episode up with one more nice big chapter. I'm excited to get rolling into the season finale after this, but in the meantime I really hope you enjoy what happens with this conclusion! As always, I look forward to hearing your thoughts on it! Enjoy! Xoxo-NickyLynn
Dean's eyes were cast down on Ariella's laptop, staring at the information displayed, not sure if he could be surprised at this point. The background reports she had put in a request for had finally been sent over a few minutes prior, and, as it turned out, their two victims did have a connection. Only it wasn't to each other….it was to them.
"Holy crap." He remarked upon realizing what he was seeing on the birth certificates Ariella had insisted he looked at. Neither one of their victims had been born in Chicago. In the space under Ben's place of origin was printed Lawrence, Kansas. And as for Meridith's…Milan, Ohio.
"Yeah, this entire day had been just chock-full of coincidences, hasn't it?" Ariella stated dryly.
"All right, so what the hell does this even mean?" Dean questioned as he began rubbing at his forehead, unable to process how everything was connected.
"Dean, I don't think this is just some random case." Ariella stated lowly, giving a small shake of her head. "I think we were meant to find these victims." She supplied, motioning towards the screen.
Dean locked eyes with her for a moment, and the seriousness radiating from hers was enough to convince him. "I'll call Sam." He said with a nod, having already made one phone call to him that night to update him on what they had found out about the symbol.
Before Dean could even reach for his phone, however, the door to their suite banged open, startling the two of them. Ariella quickly jumped off the bed, peeking through the shutters at the parking lot. The morning light streamed into the room from the space she had pried open between her fingers, before it disappeared as she let the plastic blinds snap back into place. "It's Sam." She said, having seen the Impala parked out front. Sam appeared around the hallway corner a moment later, looking frantic as his wide eyes landed on them.
"We've got to talk." He and Dean said in unison, both clearly having urgent information to share.
"Let me guess…your new girlfriend's the one controlling the Daēva?" Ariella threw out sardonically as she made her way back towards the bed and her laptop.
"How'd you know?" Sam asked, voice colored in surprise as he watched her drop herself back down onto the bed.
"Wait." Ariella responded, blinking up at him in equal surprise. "Seriously?" she huffed in disbelief. "I mean, I was mostly joking but—"
"You were right." He said, giving a shake of his head as his eyes moved between her and Dean. "Meg's been behind this thing the whole time."
"I'm sorry, could you repeat that?" Ariella asked, cupping her hand around her ear as if she hadn't heard him properly. Sam rolled his eyes in response, knowing full well she had.
"What happened?" Dean asked, pulling his arms across his chest as he watched Sam's chest heave up and down like he had just run a marathon. "How do you know for sure?"
"I followed her to an old warehouse where she had some black alter set up…to control the demon most likely." he explained. "Spoke into some chalice or something and I think…I think she was talking about us."
"So, Sammy's got a thing for a bad girl, huh." Dean goaded with a smirk. The pillow that smacked into the side of his face in the next moment was enough to wipe it away.
"Would you be serious?" Ariella reprimanded before her eyes fell back on Sam. "What do you mean she was speaking into a chalice?"
"It was like she was speaking into it like witches scry into crystal balls." He answered. "She was communicating with someone."
"About us?" she questioned with dipped brows.
"I think so…yeah." Sam told her with a sigh.
"You think she was talking to the Daēva?" Dean asked. "Sending it after us?"
"No. I think this was something else…someone giving her orders." Sam supplied. "Someone who's supposed to be showing up tonight."
Dean let his gaze fall back on Ariella then, the two of them sharing a similar look. She was right about more than just Meg. This wasn't just some random case. There was something bigger at play here.
"Sam, I think there's something you should see about our latest victims." Ariella said then, pulling her worried eyes away from Dean as she got up, bringing the laptop over towards Sam.
"What am I looking at?" Sam asked, eyes sweeping over the screen as she handed it off to him.
"Check out where they were born." Ariella urged, dipping her chin towards the bottom of the screen.
Sam's eyes flicked over the documents for a moment before they shot up in realization. "Holy crap." He breathed out in shock, echoing Dean's own reaction.
"Guys, there's no way this many coincidences just happen." Ariella stated, eyes moving from Sam back onto Dean. "Someone's orchestrated this entire thing and there's only one connection between Milan, Lawrence, and three of us."
"You think it's the demon?" Sam surmised with a huff. "The one who killed Jess and Mom?"
"The pieces are definitely falling into place." She offered with a shrug.
"What the hell does the Daēva have to do with this then?" he asked then, everything turning on its axis so fast, it left him feeling dizzy. "Or Meg."
"I don't know, but I say we head back to that warehouse and trash that alter and have a friendly little interrogation." Dean offered with a shake of his head.
"No." Sam said in refusal. "We shouldn't tip her off. We should stake out the warehouse. Whoever Meg was talking to is supposed to show up there to meet with her tonight. We've got to see who—or what it is."
Dean silently contemplated things for a moment before his gaze fell back on Ariella, looking just as lost on the matter as him. "Ari?" he pressed, needing to know what was happening behind the violent storm in her eyes.
She pulled her gaze away from the floor and up to him—the grey of them muddled with thoughts he wished he could hear. After a moment, she blinked, and it was as if those thoughts were swept right back into the cage they sprouted from. "I don't know." She responded honestly. "This is the first real lead we've had on yellow-eyes, and I think it would be reckless of us to charge into things guns blazing. We need to have a plan. And—" she added, letting out a long breath through her nose. "I don't think we should be going into this alone."
"You mean call Dad." Sam stated in confirmation, eliciting a nod from her.
"John needs to know what's going on." She reasoned, not really liking the idea of bringing John in on this, but knowing it had to be done. "Call him."
Unfortunately, no matter how many times Sam and Dean tried, they were met by his voicemail every time. The day passed by excruciatingly slow while they continued to ring him, everyone doing their best to formulate some semblance of a plan while they waited for the sun to sink under the horizon again. Ariella was currently laid back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling fan above her, watching it turn in slow circles as Dean tried calling John yet again.
Her mind had been spinning along with the fan, thoughts and feelings that had been dormant for years resurfacing as she let herself ponder the possibility of them coming head-to-head with the demon she had spent her entire life searching for. She honestly didn't know which scenario she feared more—it turning out to actually be him….or just another false lead.
Something dropping against her stomach pulled Ariella out of the depths of her mind, eyes dropping down to find Dean's head lying across it as he stared up at the ceiling with her. "Voicemail?" she guessed, having heard him snap the phone shut with a grunt.
Dean didn't have to say anything for her to know the answer. She let her eyes trail back up to the dusty fan, hand weaving into his hair as she let herself fall back into her previous string of thoughts. Sam had been left to gather what weapons and things he could from out of the vehicles, leaving the room bathed in a heavy silence as the two of them laid together, both swept up into the depths of their minds.
After a few minutes of nothing but the groaning of the old fan filling the room while she ran her fingers along scalp, Dean let out a sigh. "You really think it's him?" he asked.
"Yeah." Ariella responded lowly, keeping her eyes set on the ceiling as she envisioned those yellow eyes set into the face of her mother. Her fingers unconsciously tightened. "And I've got more than a few things to chat with him about."
Dean's eyes flicked up to her then, watching as her eyes clouded over once again. His mouth fell open to ask her something, but the sound of Sam coming back in had the words dying in his throat. He sat up just as Sam rounded the corner, eyebrow arching when he caught sight of the massive bag strapped to his back. "Geez. What did you get?" he asked as Sam tossed the bag down on the bed next to them, the mattress shifting in response.
"I ransacked the trunks." He answered as he rolled his shoulder out from the weight he had been carrying. "Holy water…every kind of weapon I could think of…exorcism rituals from about half a dozen religions…" he listed off as Dean pried open the sack and began rifling through everything.
The sound of a phone ringing filled the room then, all three heads shooting up in response. Ariella sat up from behind Dean, digging her cell out from her pocket. Dean and Sam watched her study the number coming across her screen in anticipation before her eyes flicked up to them briefly. "It's..uh…just Bobby." She told them as her eyes dropped back down to the phone, instantly deflating their brief rise in hope. She pushed herself up from the bed, before moving for the door. "I'll take this outside." She told them as she slipped around the corner, the sound of the door closing following soon after.
Once outside, Ariella's eyebrows dipped together tightly before she pulled the phone up to her ear. "John?" she answered quietly, eyes flicking behind her to make sure Dean and Sam couldn't overhear.
"Hey, Kid." Came John's gruff voice. The fact that he was calling her and not his sons, was enough to raise several red flags.
"John, what the hell is going on?" she whispered harshly, moving away from the door in case either one of the guys decided to pop their head out to check on her.
"Was about to ask you the same." Was his response.
"We think he's here." She told him honestly, knowing he would have listened to the plethora of voicemails by now. "Or, at least, will be."
"You sure?" he pressed.
"Pretty sure." She answered before letting out a long sigh as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "But, honestly, it feels like a trap."
"Because it probably is." John said in agreement.
"John, where the hell are you?" she asked, not understanding why he was talking to her right now and not Sam or Dean.
"Here." He answered. "In Chicago."
"Wait, you're here?" she asked, eyes flicking around her surroundings as if she would find him watching her.
"Listen to me, Ariella. This is a ploy. It's got to be." He told her seriously. "He knows I'm getting close and is grasping at straws trying to draw me out."
The lightbulb went off in Ariella's mind with that. "This was never about Sam and Dean." She huffed in understanding. "This whole thing was a trap for you."
"Seems that way." He confirmed.
"John, where are you?" she stressed again, grip tightening around the phone. "And why isn't this conversation happening between you and your sons?"
"Because I can't have them knowing I'm here." He told her with a sigh. "Not yet."
"Why the hell not?" she fumed angrily. "John, you're not seriously going to let them go up against this thing by themselves, are you?"
"Of course I'm not." He told her, voice raising defensively. "Why the hell do you think I'm calling you?" he questioned. "You're going to handle this thing before that bastard has the chance to show himself. I'm close to being able to end this once and for all, but I can't do that if my boys land smack dab in this trap. You understand?"
"What the hell am I supposed to do, John?" she demanded lowly, wishing he were standing in front of her so she could try talking sense into the man. "They're going into that warehouse with or without you."
"Which is why you're going to do exactlywhat I tell you."
Ariella stayed on the phone with John for a few more minutes before snapping it closed with an angry huff. His plan was to have her face Meg in his stead. If he showed up, he reasoned, then yellow eyes would no doubt follow suit, and apparently John wasn't ready for that encounter just yet. He needed her to buy him more time. There was a part of her that understood his reasoning, though, the fact that he had thrust this on her shoulders alone left a sour taste in her mouth. Sam and Dean couldn't know he was in town, he insisted. The plan wouldn't work.
Ariella stared at her phone for a moment as her anger brewed under the surface, internally debating what she should do. The thought of lying to Sam and Dean didn't sit right with her, but she also knew this was a dangerous game they were playing. A game which they were severely underequipped for. She let out a sigh before marching back towards the room, just praying the two of them would understand.
The conversation she ended up overhearing as she slipped back into the room, however, only worsened her already cruddy mood. "Come on, Dean." Sam was saying with a bitter huff, the two of them clearly in the middle of a heated discussion. "There's got to be something you want after all this is done." The question had Ariella halting in the doorway, keeping the door from falling closed as she strained her ears for his response.
"Yeah, I don't want you leaving the second this is over!" Dean shouted back, upset by the topic.
"Dude, what's your problem?" Sam demanded. "Why are you acting like me wanting to get back to a normal life is a bad thing? Besides, it's not like I'm leaving you on your own. You and Ari always wanted to be the hunters. She—"
"She isn't the one I came all the way to Stanford for, Sam!" Dean snapped. Ariella could hear nothing but the sound of her heartbeat in the silence that ensued. She let the door click shut as quietly as she could as Dean sucked in a breath before continuing. "Look, I know Ariella, in some way better than you, and hunting this thing down has been the only thing she's ever truly wanted. Once it's over, there's nothing keeping this going. And if you leave too…." He let the sentence trail off as another stint of silence passed before he let out a deep sigh. "I just want things to go back to the way things were. I just want my family back, man. Not the broken shell of whatever this is."
"Dean, we are a family." Sam told him, the anger in him having dissipated away. "And me leaving once this is all over doesn't equate to me abandoning it. Maybe things shouldn't go back to the way they were. I mean….consider everything we've been through for a minute. You. Me. Ari. Christ, it's been a week since everything happened in Minnesota. You know how close that was to ending bad? We've had too many close calls and one day our luck's going to run out. What happens if next time you don't get there in time? I don't want to keep living like that—wondering what hunt's gonna be the one where one of us winds up dead. I can't."
Ariella drew in a breath as the room went silent again, pulling the door open again before shutting it loud enough for them to hear. She made her way into the room then, eyes avoiding theirs. "Bobby hasn't heard anything from John, either." She said, the lie burning her tongue as it rolled off.
"He have any advice to share on the matter?" Dean asked, oblivious to the fact that she had just overheard their previous conversation.
"Mostly just called us a bunch of idjits for even considering something so reckless." She shrugged, busying herself with digging through the supplies Sam had gathered, trying to figure out what he had missed.
"Well, it's not like we really have a choice." He tossed out in response, focus dropping back onto his gun as he checked it over, making sure it was loaded and ready to go.
Ariella let her eyes slide over to him as a wave of guilt rolled in her stomach. He was wrong. There was always a choice. And right now, she was choosing to keep them in the dark. She shook the thought away before redirecting her attention back onto the array of items tossed around the bed. "Let's just hope this doesn't end ugly." She chose to say as she steeled herself in her own choice.
Nightfall came around quicker than any of them were ready for. After packing their bags and loading up in the cars, they made their way over to the warehouse, all three of them set so rigid with anticipation, the air was nearly palpable around them. Dean and Ariella pulled in behind the abandoned building when they arrived, parking the two vehicles in the cover of its tall shadow.
"Alright." Sam said as they began pulling out their packs, everyone checking their weapons a final time. "There's an elevator shaft off the east corridor. We'll scale up it and try to get a jump on Meg before she has a chance to sick her pet demon on us."
"Right, well while you guys do that, I'm going to sneak around to the fire escape and try to corner her in between us." Ariella said, tightening the straps of her backpack as took a step towards the warehouse.
"Whoa." Dean said, reaching out to pull her to a stop by the bag strapped to her back. "You really think it's a good idea to be splitting up?"
"You really think it's a good idea let her catch all of us if Fido's already off the leash?" she countered with an arched brow.
Dean contemplated that for a moment before tipping his head to the side as he released his grip on her bag. "Solid point." He acknowledged.
"I'll meet you inside." She said, moving for the building again. "Oh, and guys…" she added just as she made it to the corner, turning back around just as they were heading the opposite direction. "Be careful." With that, she slipped around the corner, disappearing into the shadows.
"Come on." Sam said, smacking the back of his hand against Dean's chest as he watched her slip away. "Let's do this."
The two of them made their way inside then, Dean letting Sam take the lead as he directed them to the disabled elevator. They began climbing up the metal scaffolding much like Sam had done the night prior, careful not to make too much noise as they hoisted themselves up the three stories. Once they made it to the top, Sam made sure the coast was clear. Meg hadn't seemed to notice their arrival, for she stood at the altar he had last seen her at, muttering in Latin. With a quick glance around to ensure the Daēva wasn't around, he pulled himself out of the shaft, quickly pulling his gun out and training it on the woman as Dean climbed out after him.
Silently, they moved towards the back of the room, keeping their steps as light as possible while Meg had her back to them. They positioned themselves behind large stacks of crates, using them as cover while they braced themselves for their next move. Dean let his eyes drift around the room quickly, looking for any sign of Ari, only to realize she hadn't made it inside yet. He met Sam's gaze for a moment, giving a quick shake of his head in response before setting his focus back on Meg.
"Guys…" Meg said suddenly, turning her head ever so slightly in their direction. "Hiding's a little bit childish, don't you think?"
Sam's wide eyes swung back onto Dean as she spoke, quickly realizing they had lost the element of surprise. "Well, that didn't work out like I planned." Dean remarked quietly.
"Why don't you come out?" Meg taunted, turning to face them fully as she stepped away from the altar. Sam and Dean, realizing their cover had been blown, obliged begrudgedly, rising to their feet while keeping their guns aimed on her. "Sam, I have to say…" she said as they came into view, sashaying towards them with a smirk. "This puts a real crimp in our relationship."
"Yeah, tell me about it." Sam tossed back, taking his own step closer.
"So, where's your little Daēva friend?" Dean asked, sick of seeing that shit-eating grin of hers.
"Around." She answered evasively, amused eyes flicking over to him. "Where's your little friend?"
"I don't know who you're talking about." Dean told her in response, figuring it was best to leave Ariella's whereabouts out of the conversation.
"Don't play coy with me, Dean." Meg told him, not buying his lie for a minute. "Where the two of you go, little miss sunshine is sure to follow." She crooned, finger pointing accusingly between them.
"Who is it, Meg?" Sam asked quickly, hoping to draw her attention away from the topic. "Who's coming? Who are you waiting for?"
Meg's eyes slid back onto Sam, her smile raising like the cat who caught the canary. "You."
Sam and Dean didn't have a chance to react before she set the Daēva on them. The shadow rushed at them, screams quickly following after as it attacked. Their screams of pain as it clawed at them echoed through the building, hitting Ariella's ear while she sat, tucked into the shadows of the balcony, bidding her time until the right opportunity opened up for her to intervene. Her guts twisted uneasily as she listened to them yell before they both fell silent. She chanced a glance into the dirty window, watching as Meg dragged their now unconscious forms across the room.
And this is why she needed to go in separately. John had insisted that this entire set up had been a trap and to tread carefully. There would be no do-overs if she made a mistake on this one. So, she watched as Meg tied the two of them up against a set of thick beams penetrating the center of the room, waiting for the opportunity to slip in unnoticed. Luckily, it didn't take the guys long to reawaken. Within a few minutes they were groaning back into consciousness. Ariella couldn't hear what Meg was saying as they began stirring with life again, but by the looks of anger being shot her way, he had to assume it was nothing good.
It was when Meg had practically crawled onto Sam's lap, reveling in taunting him with her proximity, that Ariella carefully pushed open the window and slipped inside. She moved with silent steps, keeping herself low as she crept through the room. The amount of crates and various machinery left throughout the abandoned paper mill were spread out just enough that she was able to move through the room unseen using the cover they provided. She made her way to the beam Dean was tied up to, carefully slipping up behind him while Meg's attention was set solely on Sam.
She slid a small knife into one of the hands bound around the beam, leaning in just close enough to his ear to pass along a whisper. "Keep her distracted." She instructed as she passed off the blade, knowing he would be able to use it to cut himself free. Dean didn't show any signs of acknowledgement to her words other wrapping his fingers around the handle.
Ariella slunk back into the shadows lining the room before moving for the altar again. Unfortunately, she quickly ran out of items to hide behind. The altar was set up in the middle of the room, and she would have to step out into the open in order to get to it. Her eyes flicked over to where Meg was still occupied with Sam, practically straddling him now while she played with him like a new toy. Sam had to have seen her by now, because he was practically coaxing her into it, probably doing what he could to keep her busy.
Ariella hesitantly crept away from the large broken press she had been ducked behind, keeping her gun aimed on the back of Meg's head as she moved backwards towards the table. There were but ten steps that separated her from the altar.
"This was a trap for Dad." Sam was saying, having managed to unravel Meg's plan for himself.
"You're even dumber than you look." Dean threw at her with a bitter laugh. "Dad's not even here."
Three more steps.
"Well, I happen to know he is in town." Meg countered knowingly. "Isn't that right, Ari?"
Ariella's feet froze under her as Meg stood, turning with a grin as if she had known she had been there the entire time….perhaps she had. "I don't know what you're talking about." Ariella said, fingers tightening around the grip of her pistol.
"You're good, I'll give you that." Meg said as she stepped towards the center of the room, Ariella's aim following as she moved closer. "I mean, even I almost believed that. But, I think we both know you do."
The Daēva attacked Ariella then, claws sinking into her shoulder and pulling her off of her feet. She let out a scream as she slammed onto her back, gun slipping out of her hold as the demon dragged her away from the altar and to Meg's feet.
"Now, I'm going to ask again." Meg said as Ariella came to a stop under her, the demon pulling away as she dropped onto her haunches above her. "Where is John Winchester?"
"Go to hell!" Ariella seethed up at her, the warm slickness of her blood already seeping down her arm.
Meg's hand shot out in response, fingers digging into the deep gashes. Ariella screamed in agony as the white-hot pain tore through her shoulder, Meg clearly enjoying the sight of her wither under her. She retracted her hand after a few seconds, fresh blood dripping off her digits as she pulled them back. Ariella's heavy panting morphed into laughter as Meg glared at her, suddenly understanding what John had meant. "You're desperate." She huffed in between laughs. "This entire ploy has been one big act of desperation." All the humor drained from Meg's features with that accusation. "John's really figured it out, hasn't he?" she pressed. "He's figured out how to kill that bastard once and for all. That's why he's got you trying to flush him out. He's scared."
Meg's bloodied hand snaked out again, this time wrapping around Ariella's chin, crushing her mandible in between her fingers in an effort to stop her from talking. Her eyes burned with pure rage now, but Ariella only found herself reveling in delight at the sight of it. "This whole time I've been thinking this was a game of chess, but it's a fucking poker." She continued to goad, the metallic taste of blood filling her mouth as her cheeks were pressed into the sharp edges of her teeth. "You're trying to force him into showing his hand."
"You think you know what's really going on?" Meg seethed, yanking Ariella's face up to hers until they were nearly nose-to-nose. "You think you can stop what's to come? You can't stop fate, Sunshine. You can't stop what's coming. Not John…not his boys…and not you!"
"I can sure as hell try." Ariella snapped in response before grabbing hold of the flare tucked into the side of her boot. She snatched it out and slammed it into the ground next to her, the entire room suddenly filling with bright, blinding light. "NOW DEAN!" she yelled, knowing the Daēva would be driven from the room while the burning light was filling it corner to corner.
Dean shot up to his feet in an instant, taking off in full sprint towards the altar. Meg stumbled away from Ariella as the light and smoke burned into her, wide eyes then snapping over to Dean as he rushed past. She let out a scream of anger as she took off after him, but Ariella was quick to throw the next wrench into her plans.
"Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio infernalis adversarii—" she began to mutter off, recanting the Latin words she had memorized long ago. Meg went rigid as the chant filled the room, confirming her and John's suspicions as the flash of black took over her eyes. Dean managed to make it to the altar while Ariella continued with the exorcism, flipping it over with one strong thrust, sending the entire table flying as its content dumped over.
Meg let out another angry scream, black eyes landing on Ariella as she continued chanting in Latin. Her hand shot out in her direction, and, in the next moment, Ariella went soaring through the air. She slammed into the ceiling with enough force to drive the air from her lungs before she crashed back down onto the concrete floor with a yelp. Nearly every inch of Ariella throbbed in pain as she tried regaining control of her senses again. She could vaguely hear shouting coming from either Sam or Dean before she was rising into the air again, this time from a hand wrapped around her throat.
Meg lifted her up into the air above her, fingers wound so tight around her throat, not even the slightest bit of air could manage to slip past her crushed trachea. Her feet kicked under her helplessly as she tried prying Meg's hand away, her grip only tightening in response. "You little bitch!" she screeched, irate eyes burning into Ariella's bloodshot ones.
"Hey!" Dean yelled then, pulling her attention over to where he was standing by the elevator shaft, burning flare in his hold. "Good luck trying to tame Fido without a leash!" he said before dropping the light source keeping the Daēva at bay down.
Meg let out a scream of her own as the darkness returned, being pulled off her feet as it attacked her now that it was free. Ariella fell to the floor with her, sucking in a sharp breath as Meg's grip fell away. Unfortunately, Meg managed to grab hold of Ariella's leg as she was dragged away by the Daēva, pulling her along with them towards the large wall of windows.
Ariella tried kicking Meg off of her as they were pulled across the room, but the Daēva was quick, and before she could manage to get free, it pulled them right through the glass. Meg let out a scream as she smashed through the window, the entire pane shattering outward as they were swept outside. Ariella frantically clawed at anything she could get ahold of, trying to stop herself from falling the three stories along with Meg. She managed to latch onto the ledge of the window just as she was pulled through, bringing herself to a sudden stop as she kicked herself free of Meg's grip around her ankle. The sound of blood pumping through her ears mixed alongside of Meg's screams as she watched her drop to the ground far below, the sickening thud that followed cutting the scream off completely.
Ariella's wide eyes were glued to the unmoving form below her as she dangled from the ledge. The feeling of her fingers slipping, however, had her eyes snapping back up in panic. The glass shards left littered along the floor were digging into her skin, leaving her fingers covered in a slick layer of blood. She was quickly losing her grip, but an arm reached down and latched onto her shoulder before she could fall, prying her back up.
Ariella crashed into Dean as he pulled her back up to safety, breathing labored as she realized how close she had been to ending up on the ground next to Meg. "Holy shit." She breathed out as she clung to him, eyes quickly dropping back down to the ground below, wondering how long they had before she would be getting back up.
"You think she's dead?" Dean questioned warily just as Sam joined them, leaning over the busted glass wall to see Meg's mangled body for himself.
"Doubtful." Ariella responded as she pushed herself back up onto her feet, gripping tightly onto her shoulder in an effort to alleviate the pain coursing through it. "Let's just get the hell out of here before she starts moving again."
"What was all that about anyways?" Dean asked then, turning his focus onto Ariella as she began shuffling away. "Have you been talking to my dad?" Ariella froze, eyes flicking between him and Sam nervously. Dean's face fell upon seeing her uneasiness. "That wasn't Bobby on the phone earlier, was it?" Ariella's gaze dropped to the ground, the sheer amount of disappointment lining his voice causing her guilt to well up unbearably. "Where is he?" he demanded.
"I don't know." She answered, voice barely above a whisper.
"Where is he?!" he yelled loud enough to make her flinch.
"I don't know!" she yelled back, bringing tear-filled eyes back up to him.
"Bullshit!" Dean snapped.
"I don't!" Ariella repeated in defense. "He wouldn't tell me!"
"Why?" Sam asked, sounding far less angry than Dean, but no less betrayed by the revelation. "Why didn't you tell us?"
"Because he told me not to!" Ariella told him in response, wishing she were anywhere but there at the moment.
"And since when have you ever given a damn what Dad says?" Dean scoffed.
"Since he's figured out a way to end this!" She huffed, willing them to understand her motives. "Since we found ourselves smack dab in the middle of a trap and had to play this thing smart! If we messed this up, we could have—"
"Of course." He huffed in anger, cutting her off. "Like a God damned broken record. You know, for supposedly hating the guy so much, you're sure acting a whole lot like him."
"I was only trying to protect you." She maintained with a frustrated shake of her head.
"From what? The truth?" Dean countered, taking a step closer until he was toe-to-toe with her. "You've only ever cared about one thing, and it sure as shit ain't protecting us." He accused, thrusting a finger into her chest.
What he had said to Sam earlier that night rang through her head with that, feeling worse than a slap to the face. "Right." She scoffed, features pulling into a scowl. "Because you just know me so well."
"Well enough, apparently." He threw back in retort.
"Look guys, why don't we just get back to the motel before Meg's up and ready for round two." Sam interjected then, moving to step up beside them, knowing they were quickly running out of time.
Dean continued glaring across the small space separating the two of them for a moment before he turned away without another word. They moved back to the cars then, no one bothering to say anything more….for the moment, at least. Dean was quick to take off once he and Sam slipped into the Impala, tires screeching against the pavement as he steered them out of the alley and back onto the main road. Ariella watched the taillights drift around the corner, but just before she went to drive herself away, she caught sight of a figure moving through the shadows towards her.
The frown that had taken over her features deepened as the passenger door swung open, not even bothering to look up as John dropped into the seat next to her. "Drive." He ordered. "That girl isn't going to be out much longer."
Ariella didn't bother responding as she pressed down on the gas, propelling them down the alley. She continued driving for a few miles, nothing but the sound of the rumbling engine filling the silence, before she pulled off once she had put enough space between them and the warehouse. Once she had the car parked on a side street, she finally swung her eyes over to John, having to fight off the urge to reach across the seat and sock him right in the eye.
"You did good back there." He said, breaking the heavy silence as his own gaze landed on her.
Ariella could only scoff in response. "What is it?" she demanded. "What do you have over yellow-eyes that has him so desperate to stop you?"
"A gun." He answered honestly. "Capable of killing supernatural beings."
Ariella wanted to accuse him of lying. Or at the very least being out of his fucking mind. The seriousness radiating from him, however, combined with the fact that the bastard seemed very concerned with whatever John's been up to, added up to him telling the truth. "Where is it?" she asked.
"I'm working on that." John said, letting out a sigh as his gaze drifted back to the windshield. "And truth be told…I could use some help doing it."
Ariella blinked in surprise before her features morphed into anger. "Yeah, you know who's been trying to help you since October?" she threw at him. "Sam and Dean. Why the hell are you sitting in my car right now and not talking this over with them? You know how pissed they are that you're in town and had me lie to them about it?"
"You did what you had to do to protect them." He responded with a grunt.
"Unfortunately, they don't see it like that." She countered. "They're your sons, John. They deserve to be a part of this."
"They can't." he said in refusal, eyes landing back on her as his lip dropped into a frown.
"They're not kid's anymore, John!" she snapped. "You can't keep—"
"They're a liability!" he nearly yelled, cutting her off. "Don't you get why he went after those two yet? He knows that if he can get his hands on them, he can use them as leverage over me. I'd end up having to hand myself over to him. He'd win."
Ariella processed that for a moment before letting out a humorless laugh. "This whole time I thought you were trying to keep them out of this in order to protect them, but you've just been trying to protect yourself."
"I've been trying to end this." He said in refute.
"You're not the only one who's lost someone." She told him with a shake of her head.
"Yeah." He agreed. "But I'm willing to make the sacrifices necessary to see this through. The question is if you are too." When Ariella didn't respond right away, he let out a sigh. "I once promised you that when the time was right, I'd help you get revenge on this bastard."
Ariella let out a deep sigh as she dropped the back of her head against the seat, eyes flicking back outside. "I made a promise, too." she said, shaking her head with the thought of betraying Sam and Dean. "If we were to go after yellow-eyes without them, they'd never forgive us."
"But they'd be safe." John pressed. "We could end this without ever having to risk them getting involved. I know they both want their own form of justice on this bastard, but you and me are the only ones who truly know how dangerous this could get. They might not forgive us for leaving them behind on this, but what you should be asking yourself right now is if you would be capable of forgiving yourself if one of them were to end up alongside everyone else we've lost."
Ariella turned her head to face him again, suddenly feeling entirely drained by it all. She wasn't sure what to do, honestly. She had made a promise to both Sam and Dean to hunt the demon down together, but the longer she thought about it, the more she began to question if that was really the right choice. She couldn't stop imagining the life flicker out of their eyes as they stared up at her…just like her mother had when he had slipped inside her head all those years ago. "They'd hate me, John." She said in a near-whisper, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Like I asked before…." John said, knowing it was an difficult choice for either of them to make. "What are you willing to sacrifice in order to bring this to an end? To keep them safe?"
Back at the motel, while Dean and Sam rushed around the room, gathering up their belongings in a panic, Dean's phone gave a vibration from the depths of his pocket. He pulled it out before reading the incoming text from Ariella with furrowed brows.
I'm sorry.