Alright, he's the wrap up to this episode. Next up we're moving into the finale and I'm super excited to work on it! I've been able to do a bunch of writing this week, but I'm going to be getting busy again for a bit so I'm hoping to get as much done as possible before that happens. I guess other than that I've got nothing else to add, so I'll let you get to it. Enjoy! Xoxo-NickyLynn
"I told you this would happen!" Luther was shouting at Kate, raking his hands through his sleep-tousled hair in frustration.
"We'll find them." Kate declared, nervous eyes following as he paced back and forth, chain still binding Ariella to him rattling with the movement. "We've got their scent now, so as soon as the sun goes down, we'll go after them."
"Maybe we should just kill her and get it over with." Bo interjected, eyes falling on Ariella as she watched them deal with the aftermath of her failed rescue attempt.
"No." Luther refused, sharp eyes landing on her as well as he came to a stop. "We do that, and they'll just come after us in revenge."
"They'll come after you either way." Ariella stated flatly, knowing that if all three Winchesters had set their sights on the nest, the vampires were as good as dead.
"How many are there?" he demanded, stepping closer until he was looming over her. "Is it just the three of them or are there others?"
"Bite me." She cast back, refusing to give him any information that would give them a vantage.
Luther moved for Ariella so quickly she hardly had a chance to register his movements before she was being tossed over his shoulder none-too-kindly. She let out a grunt of pain as his shoulder dug into her hipbone before he stormed towards the back room with her. Once they were in the private space, he threw her down on the dingy mattress he and Kate had been sleeping in just a few minutes prior, eliciting another grunt from her as the metal chains dug into her ribs painfully.
"Okay, what are you?" he demanded, hardened gaze watching as she struggled upright again.
"The hell does that mean?" she threw back at him. "I'm tired of you manhandling me, is what I am."
"I fed you my blood." he said, reaching forward to tilt her head back as he studied her. "You should be bound to me by now and this entire problem over with."
"Well maybe you're shooting blanks." She offered with a huff, not understanding herself why she was still human, just glad she was.
"I don't think it's my blood that's the problem." Luther countered with a shake of his head, letting her yank her chin free as he took a step back.
"So, you think there's something wrong with mine?" she questioned incredulously, not sure why she felt offense to the notion.
"I think there's something in your blood burning through mine." He offered in explanation. "Like I said before…I've never smelled anything like you. So, I'm going to ask again—what the hell are you?"
Ariella wasn't sure how to respond to that. By all rights, it didn't make sense that his blood hadn't turned her, but that didn't mean there was something wrong with her. "I'm just human." She insisted. "I'm normal."
Luther's eyes swept over her for another moment before releasing a frustrated sigh. "You think those friends of yours would leave us be if I were to let you go?" he questioned, sounding drained by the whole situation. "If I ordered my people to leave you be, could you convince yours to do the same?"
Ariella thought that over a moment before her eyes fell on the gun tucked into the waistband of his jeans. "Not without that."
"You really think I'm going to just hand over the only weapon made specifically to kill things like me?" he asked, eyebrow raising at the suggestion. "What's to stop you from using it on me? You've already vowed to put one of these bullets in my head, remember?"
"I wouldn't." she promised. "If you give me the Colt and let me walk away, I'd never even look back."
"And your friends?" he pressed, sounding as if he were seriously considering the idea.
"I'd convince them to leave town, too."
"And if you couldn't?" he asked. "Then I'd down a weapon and a bargaining chip."
"They're going to come back for me either way, Luther." She insisted with a shake of her head. "Letting me go is your only chance at stopping any blood from being spilled."
The muscle is Luther's jaw flexed as he processed his options. After a moment, he shook his head. "It's too risky." He sighed. "Let's just hope it's their blood that ends up spilled."
Back at the motel, Sam was doing his own pacing, walking back and forth across the small space while he and John waited for Dean to return. John had sent him out to get some dead man's blood from the local morgue, insisting they could use it to capture one of the vampires, but he had been gone hours now, and Sam was growing worried. Worried about Dean…and worried about Ariella. "It shouldn't be taking this long." He muttered after the second hour passed. "I should go help."
"Dean's got it." John told him sharply as he moved for the door, stopping him before he could leave.
Sam's eyes swept over John, sitting at the table hunched over a map of the area, letting out a scoff as he pulled away from the door in frustration. "This shouldn't even be happening right now. If you had just waited—"
"You really want to do this again?" John questioned in growing frustration, eyes flicking up to Sam. "What do you want me to say? That I should have waited for Dean? That I made a mistake?"
"Yes!" Sam shouted, throwing his hands up in the air.
"I've said it." John threw back at him flatly. "Will you stop with the cynicism now?"
Sam stared at him for a moment before letting out another huff. "You know, I don't get you. I mean, the only reason Ari's even in this situation to begin with is because you put her there and you're acting like you couldn't care less. What if it was me or Dean in that barn?"
"That's different, Sam." John told him with a shake of his head.
"How?" Sam demanded. "Make it make sense to me Dad! You refuse to have anything to do with me or Dean but can drag her into this without batting an eye?"
"Me and Ariella have an understanding." John maintained.
"What's that even mean?" Sam asked.
"I means I'm doing what I have to in order to protect my family." John responded, letting out an angry breath as he leaned back against the chair he was in, drawing his arms across his chest.
"Protect—" Sam repeated before letting out a scoff. "She's a part of this family, too, Dad! I mean, hell, she's the one who taught me to read, you know that?" he huffed, thrusting his hand towards the door. "She's the one who packed my lunches…or stayed up with me when I had a bad dream. She was practically my mom."
"She ain't your mom." Was John's gruff retort.
"No." Sam agreed before giving another shake of his head at John's standoffish attitude. "But she's still my family. And you seem more concerned with getting your hands on that gun than you do with saving her."
"We're gonna get her out of there, Sam." John vowed. "You've just got too calm down and trust me."
Before Sam could respond, the door to the motel opened behind him, pulling his attention over to find Dean slipping inside. "Man, there's some heavy security to protect a bunch of dead guys." he said as he stepped past the threshold, shutting the door behind him.
"Did you get it?" John asked, his and Sam's previous conversation quickly ending now that they could refocus on their next move.
Dean pulled a brown paper bag out of his jacket then, looking like he had picked up a bottle of liquor. The bottle of red liquid he pulled out and set on the table in from of John, however, most certainly didn't come from a convenience store.
John studied the bottle of stolen blood before tipping his head at him and Sam. "You know what to do." he said. "Let's get to work."
Ariella didn't know what the Winchesters had planned, but as night crept in just a few hours later, and Kate went out to hunt them down with a few of the other vampires, she quickly figured it out. Kate's group never returned, and by the way Luther dragged her to one of the cars soon after, face etched with fury, she assumed their plan was to make a trade. Luther had removed the chains, much to Ariella's relief, but had left her hands bound together with rope. She had been forced into the passenger seat before Luther filled the driver's, taking off with a group of the others.
They sped down the highway, Luther refusing to answer any of Ariella's questions as they went. After a few minutes, they rolled up behind the taillights of a truck, Ariella instantly recognizing the body of it even in the darkness. It was John. Luther steered them off the highway then, taking a dirt road off to the side in an effort to get ahead of him. Sure enough, Luther was able to get them a good lead on John before pulling back onto the highway, blocking it off completely with the vehicles.
"Get out." He ordered after throwing the car into park, kicking open his door before moving for hers. He was pulling her out by back of her shirt before her feet even hit the ground, yanking her along until they stood in the headlights of the cars with the others, effectively making a barricade for John. Luther's arm snaked around Ariella then, pulling her back up against his chest while keeping a firm grip around her throat. Given his strength, she knew that he could easily snap her neck with one flick of his wrist.
John's headlights came drifting around the corner a few seconds later, quickly pulling the truck off to the side of the road a few meters away. Luther's fingers tightened around Ariella's throat, cutting into her trachea the slightest bit as the driver's door kicked open. John stepped into view then, through it was hard for Ariella to get a good look at him through the bright headlights.
"Where's Kate?" Luther barked, voice low and dangerous.
John turned back towards his truck, pulling on a rope in his hold. Kate came stumbling out of the truck then, falling into John's hold as he brought a large blade up against her throat, wrapping his arms around her much in the same way Luther had done to Ariella.
"Kate, you alright?" Luther called out worriedly, seeing her struggling to keep her feet under her as John pushed them both forward.
"Dead man's blood." She panted in response. They must have used it to capture her, Ariella realized. It was as good as poison to them.
"You son of a bitch." Luther hissed at John, sounding as if he was ready to rip the man's head off. "You want to make a trade, then let's do it! Kate for her." he offered, fingers tightening around Ariella's throat even more.
"And Elkins' gun." John countered with a shake of his head. "I want the Colt."
Luther's eyes moved from him, down to Ariella. "The way I see it, you've only got one bargaining chip." he remarked, eyes snapping back up towards the older Winchester. "And there's no way you're winning a fight against all of us." he said, motioning around the six other vampires he'd brought with. "The girl or the gun." he offered instead. "Your choice."
Ariella knew why he made the offer. He figured John would be forced into taking her and not the Colt. The only problem, however, was that he didn't know the lengths John would go to get his hands on that weapon. And she saw it. She saw the decision settle in his eyes without him ever having to say a word. His eyes connected to hers and she saw the apology forming in them.
Ariella couldn't blame him for wanting the gun over her, but, selfishly, she wanted him to choose her. Regardless of the witty remarks she had been throwing around, she didn't want to die….and if he left her again, there was nothing keeping Luther from killing her any longer. They'd drain her dry without thinking twice. "John—"
"I want the Colt." John repeated, making his choice.
Ariella felt her stomach sink with those words. "You sure about that?" Luther pressed, eyes flicking down to Ariella once more as he cut her airway off completely, leaving her clawing at his hand as she gasped for breath.
"The gun!" John shouted, pushing him and Kate forward. "Throw it on the ground and step away!"
Ariella watched Luther toss the gun onto the pavement a few feet in front of them, vision wavering as tears began pricking at the back of her eyes. Though, she wasn't sure if it was from the painful grip on her throat or John's refusal to meet her eyes as he moved for it. He bent down and scooped it up, quickly aiming it on Luther before pushing Kate to the ground in turn. "Now you let me drive on out of here and this will all be over." John said as he back peddled towards the truck.
Before he could make it more than a few steps, however, Kate struck at him with a kick of her leg, sweeping his own legs out from under him. He fell backwards onto the road, Ariella following suit with a strong shove from Luther. She collapsed onto the hard pavement, barely managing to catch herself with her bound hands as Luther stormed towards John. He drove his boot into John's chest as he struggled back onto his hands and knees, sending him crashing into the door to his truck. The window shattered from the impact, John letting out a grunt as he crumpled to the ground yet again. A yell from a couple of the vampires drew his attention off of John before he could strike again, turning to find arrows sticking out of their chests before they dropped to the ground.
Dean and Sam came rushing out from the tree line then, crossbows and machetes in hand as they ran at the group, firing off a few more arrows as they joined the fray. The glint of the Colt caught Ariella's eye, having been knocked loose from John's hold and lying not even five feet from her. She lunged for it while everyone was focused on Sam and Dean as they began taking down whatever vampires they could, grabbing hold of it between her bound hands before leveling it on Luther as she stood.
His eyes moved from Sam and Dean, over to her, quickly realizing he was losing control of the fight. "Should've kept those chains on me." she tossed at him with an arched brow as she stood off against him, watching as he lifted his hands up to either side of him. Everyone froze along with him, not daring to move as she held the alpha in her sights.
"We can still end this without any more bloodshed." He stated cautiously, eyes sweeping around the quickly unraveling mess around them. "Let my family go and we can call this even. We can both go our separate ways."
Ariella's trigger finger gave a twitch as she stared him down. "A life for a life, Luther." She spit back in response. "You tried taking my life…let's see if I can take yours."
Ariella pulled the trigger then, the revolver letting out a loud bang as it expelled a bullet out of its chamber. The bullet struck Luther in the center of the forehead, sending his head jerking back. At first, she thought it didn't work, for he still stood there, traces of blood seeping out of the wound. Then, with a strange flash, he dropped to his knees.
Ariella could feel the hairs on her arms stand on end in response to a heavy static suddenly weighing down the air around them. The hole in his head released another series of bright flashes, as the energy flickered around them, before he toppled to the side completely, hollow eyes left staring at Ariella devoid of life.
"LUTHER!" Kate screamed, having gotten back onto her feet with the help of the only other vampire left standing. Ariella had the gun trained on them before she had the chance to lunge at her, receiving a look of pure animosity in return.
"Try anything and the next bullet ends up in you." Ariella threatened, finger tightening around the trigger again for emphasis.
The woman helping keep Kate on her feet urged her away, practically dragging her back to one of the cars. "Come on!" she told her, knowing this was not a fight the two of them would win. They slipped back into one of the still running cars before taking off in reverse, tires screeching against the road as they took off. Ariella kept the Colt raised until their taillights rounded back around the corner, letting her hand drop to her side as they disappeared from view completely.
"Holy shit." Dean said after they were gone, pulling Ariella's gaze over to where he was standing over Luther's unmoving form.
"It worked." John huffed in disbelief, coming to stand over the dead vampire for himself, inspecting the bullet wound closer.
Sam rushed over to Ariella while they examined his dead body, using the machete in his hold to cut through the rope around her hands. "You okay?" he asked worriedly, eyes flicking over her in concern as he sliced through the bindings.
"Were you guys showing up part of the plan?" she asked instead, voice devoid of any emotion.
"Of course not." Sam told her as he pried the rope away, letting it drop to the ground under them. "We were only supposed to clear out the nest, but we didn't listen."
Ariella took that in before letting out a huff. She stormed towards John then, slamming the Colt into his chest hard enough to make him stumble backwards. "Here's your fucking gun." she snapped bitterly.
"Whoa, hey." Dean said, moving to place himself in between the two. "We just saved your ass! How about a little gratitude huh?"
"No, he just tried to abandon my ass." she said, irate eyes refusing to leave John's. "You know, I thought I was wrong about you, but turns out I've been right all along. You never even gave a damn about me, did you?" she demanded.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Dean asked, confused eyes flicking from her over to John.
"He was given a choice between me and the gun, and he chose the gun." She told him in response, angry eyes moving onto him for a brief moment before they fell back on John.
"Dad, is that true?" Sam asked incredulously as he stepped up beside Ariella.
"Of course it's not true!" Dean quickly interjected in his dad's defense. "Dad wouldn't do that! It had to be part of the plan or something." He tried conjuring in explanation, turning his gaze back on John almost desperately. "Right?"
"How do you not get it yet?!" Ariella yelled, turning her anger onto Dean. "Why do you think he dragged me into this mess in the first place? Or why he left me at Bobby's?" she questioned, breathing uneven as her emotions boiled out of control. "God, you're so fucking jealous that he came to me for help and never stopped once to truly contemplate why, have you? I'm expendable, Dean! I always have been." Dean's jaw fused shut as he listened to her outburst, not sure how to respond. "Go ahead…" she said, turning her focus back onto a rigid John. "Tell me I'm wrong." When he remained silent, she let out a humorless laugh.
"Dad—" Sam said, taking a step forward as his voice dropped in disbelief. "Tell her she's wrong. Tell me you weren't really going to let the vampires have her in exchange for that gun."
"I did what I had to do." John eventually relented, voice low with shame.
"Oh my God." Sam huffed in response.
"Dad—" Dean said, casting him a shocked look.
Ariella drew in a stabilizing breath through her nose as she worked at stopping the rush of tears that wanted to fall. "Necessary sacrifices, right?" she spit at him, giving a shake of her head.
"Ari…" Dean said, reaching out to grab hold of her arm. She instantly shook him off.
"We know the Colt works, so let's just find this bastard and be done with this." She said, slamming her shoulder into his as she walked away. "Then you can all get back to the way things were before I got involved."