Chapter 9: Life at Bobby's
It had been a few weeks since the Devils Gate had been opened in Wyoming. Sam had figured out what Dean had done to bring him back. Now his focus and drive was to get Dean out of his deal. As much as Andy understood Sam's need to try and save Dean, she knew that Dean was not going to make it easy for Sam.
Late one night a few days after things had started to settle, right before the boys left Bobby's to go hunting demons, Andy had been out on the porch with a beer. She heard the screen door creak and swing shut. She looked up and saw Dean. She smiled at him. He had a serious look on his face.
"Hey babe," she said offering him her hand. He took it and pulled her up out of the chair.
"Come for a walk with me?" Dean asked. She nodded confused. They walked out into the scrap yard. Dean led her to one of the more secluded areas of the yard.
"What's on your mind sweetheart?"
"I…" Dean hesitated. He ran a hand over his face and seemed to be trying to build himself up to something. "Andy I need you to do something for me."
"Anything Dean," Andy said. She reached out to him and took his hands. Squeezed them and brought one up to his lips and kissed it softly. She noticed then that his eyes were shining.
"Dean, you're making me nervous. Tell me what you need?"
"I…I need you to…" he was having a hard time getting the words out. "I need you to let me die…when the time comes." Andy pulled back from him shaking her head.
"No, Dean. We're going to find something. Find someway to get you out of this," Andy said firmly. Dean was shaking his head.
"Andy, you can't," he started.
"Why not? What do you have a death wish or something Dean?" Andy begged.
"It's not like that Andy,"
"Then what's it like Dean, because from where I'm sitting it sounds like you're telling me you want to die in a year," Andy's voice cracked. "You want to leave us behind." Andy was breathing hard. She was right up in Dean's face, which considering he was 9 inches taller than her was kind of impressive. Dean grabbed her shoulders and pulled her into his chest. Andy clung to him. "How can you ask me to just let you go?" Andy mumbled into his chest. Dean heaved a sigh.
"Because Andy if we do anything, trap the crossroads demon, try to welch out of the deal, Sam dies. Those were the terms," he admitted. Andy looked up at Dean. The frustration at him about the deal flared bright again.
"Damnit Dean, how could you even make a deal like that?" Andy thumped her head into his chest again.
"I couldn't live with Sam dead. Couldn't do it,"
"So what, he lives and you die?"
"That's the general idea," Dean quipped. Andy rolled her eyes.
"It's not funny Dean. I remember what you were like after John died for you," Andy said pulling away from him. "It messed you up. You think that you dying won't do the same to Sam?"
Dean looked away from her. "You know that this is going to mess him up. I know you know that. So, what were you thinking?"
Dean just shrugged and looked at her with sad eyes. She knew that look. Defeated, lost, no fight left. Andy deflated. All her anger leaving her at once.
"Well, I can't promise not to keep looking for something. But I will promise that we won't doing anything unless we are absolutely sure. Ok?" Andy asked putting a hand on Dean's cheek and forcing him to meet her eyes. He looked at her, long and hard. Then finally nodded. Andy kissed him, and then they walked hand in hand back to the house.
Andy was happy to set up home base at Bobby's place, and Bobby was more than happy to have her. Bobby had known Andy for close to 11 years. John had brought her around only a few months after she appeared. It took a bit, but over some month's worth of visits, Andy and John had told Bobby her whole story. Where Andy was from, and what she could do. Everything. Bobby had already come to care for Andy before she had told him who she really was. The truth only made him understand her more. It took him all of a day to accept her. So, he watched out for her, even though he knew she could easily take care of herself. He figured there was nothing wrong with having another hunter watching out for a person. When Andy told him that Dyson was like her, he accepted the fact readily. It took a few weeks for him to accept Dyson though. He had come back with them when Ellen left to see Jo in Duluth. Bobby was curious about Dyson and his relationship with Andy. But, being Bobby, he didn't ask out right. He observed. He kept note of how they were together. He found he liked the man, although he was serious competition for Dean. What really got Dyson into Bobby's good graces were the improvement he started making to his house. His house wasn't huge, but he had enough room that the boys had a room they could share, but if Andy was going to be staying on a bit more permanent basis, and Dyson wasn't going anywhere either, they were getting a bit cramped. Dyson helped with that. He went back and forth from a wood lot close to Bobby's place and worked for several days building an extension onto the house. He made a small room off the porch for Andy, as well as a workshop for himself. He also helped Bobby instal a second hot water heater in the basement so they wouldn't have to worry about running out of hot shower water as much. Overall, Bobby decided he liked Dyson. Although he made sure that Dyson was respectful of Andy's privacy while they were in the house together. As much as he had come to see that Dyson cared deeply for Andy, and she for him, he wasn't about to make it easy for him to steal Dean's girl.
Dyson decided to go on a few hunts with the boys once he and Bobby had gotten Andy settled. Demons were his speciality after all.
"What do you mean they're 'your specialty?'" Dean asked incredulously when Dyson proposed the idea.
"I mean I dealt with…well, a specific type of demon for 1000 years in one of the other worlds. I promise I am uniquely qualified to hunt demons," Dyson shrugged. Dean looked at Andy who nodded.
"He's not lying. Honey, just show them one of your blades, it might make it easier," she said. Dyson rolled his eyes and held out a hand. A long sword suddenly appeared in Dyson's hand. It was a Japanese katana style sword. Long and single edged with a sharp point. Dean and Sam both stared at it.
"How did you do that?" Sam asked stunned.
"It's a bit hard to explain…" Dyson said.
"It's a cool sword but…how does that help us deal with demons?" Dean asked skeptically.
"Find me one and I'll show you," Dyson said with a grin. Dean gave him a look, as did Andy.
"Dyson don't be a jerk," she said. Dyson sighed.
"You don't let me have any fun," he said and dismissed the sword. Sam's eyes widened as the sword disappeared. "Basically, it is a physical manifestation of spiritual energy. I can use it to kill ghosts, demons, monsters, just about anything and then it collects their soul and purifies it and sends it on its merry way."
"I'm sorry…what?" Dean asked eyes wide. "You're telling me, we had a way to kill demons in our back pocket this whole time?"
Dyson shrugged.
"I didn't really think about it because I have to get close to things to kill them and…I figured you wanted to kill yellow eyes yourself so…I didn't mention it."
Dean gapped.
"Oh yea…sure, well I guess that'll help!" he said. He turned on his heals and walked off towards the car.
"So…do you want me to come along?" Dyson asked Sam. Sam smirked a little and nodded.
"Uh, yea…yea I think that would be a good idea," he said and clapped a hand on Dyson's shoulder.
So, Dyson started hunting with the boys. He made ghost hunts infinitely easier because all he had to do was hit a ghost with the pommel of his blade and they would dissociate as if they had been burned. He also made some stops along the way to get new materials for his jewelry. When the Roadhouse had burned down, he had lost all his stock. Which was sad because he was just starting to get some recognition. Whenever they made it back to Bobby's, which in Andy's opinion wasn't often enough, Dyson would work for hours. It got to the point after a few months, where he stopped going on hunts and just worked. Once he had rebuilt his stock he started looking into selling again. He ended up talking at length to Bobby about his ideas on how to do it. Together, over another few months, they built the business to the point that Bobby set up a shell corporation to house the cash he was bringing in. With all that was coming in Dyson let the boys take what they needed. It kept them comfortably in cash. They still hustled at pool and poker for extra lining, but the credit cards were scrapped. This turned out to be a good thing when the feds started looking into them. Bobby started calling Dyson Payday for all the cash he could rake in with one deposit of gold or silver. While all of this was going on Andy had decided to catch up on her herblore. She was happily camped out at Bobby's combing through his library for hours. It was stimulating. It had been a long time since she had had a chance to do some quality research.
One day, Bobby called her while she was on the road home from visiting the University of South Dekota library for some cross reference material.
Hey Andy
What's up Bobby?
I have, sort of a job for you if you want it.
I'm listening.
Girl I know is looking for a specific magical herb, she'll pay well.
Ok What's she looking for?
Devils Shoestring
Ok, I can get that. When does she want it by?
Next week.
Sure, sounds good. What's her name?
Bella Talbot.
Andy had quite the small adventure with Bella. First she tried to swindle Andy out of some of her rarest medicinal herbs, then she tried to brag about how she outwitted the Winchester brothers. Her biggest mistake was telling Andy about the scratch tickets she had stolen from them. Because Andy stole them back. She cashed them before heading back to Bobby's. She stashed the cash in one of Dyson's accounts that the boys had access to. When she got back to Bobby's he was fiddling around with the colt.
"Bobby, I really doubt you're going to be able to figure that thing out."
"Yea, well it's worth a try. Come and help me test it?"
Andy nodded and he led her on a short walk down to a creek that ran not far from his property. He had set up a little makeshift gun range with some sandbag targets.
They had only been there for about an hour when Andy got a sudden foreboding that curled and settled in her gut. Something akin to a vision without pictures. She looked around. She couldn't put her finger on what was freaking her out. The crack of a gunshot startled her. The sandbag bled, but not from the center of the target. Bobby frowned and did something with a small tool and the hammer of the revolver and shot again. Andy still had the feeling that something was off. She stood slowly from the rock she had been perched on.
"Bobby…" she started, looking around again. As she looked back toward the target, a woman appeared in front of them.
"Bobby!" Andy shouted. Bobby's head snapped up and he raised the gun.
"Well now, any way to treat a friend?" the woman said.
"Who are you?" Bobby asked suspiciously.
"You know that gun won't stop a demon if that's what you're after."
"How the hell would you know?"
"Oh, I don't know," the blonde lowered her head for a moment then looked up at them. Her eyes were completely black. "Call it an educated guess."
"Well, I'm in luck then," Bobby said and shot her.
"Ouch. Now that we're done posturing, do you want me to help you out with that gun or not?"
Bobby looked back at Andy who shook her head slightly. Bobby just shrugged.
"Couldn't hurt." Everything about this screamed wrong to Andy, but she kept her mouth shut. As it turned out it came in handy when Dean got himself stuck in a basement with a demon. But something about this demon chick rubbed Andy the wrong way. She was poison walking.
Eventually, Andy exhausted Bobby's supply of books and was itching for more. She decided to take a trip to New York to check out some of the Folklore museums scattered around the state. She hit one in Buffalo first. She spent about a week combing through dusty volumes. She spent a good few weeks bouncing around small town to small town devouring book after book of folklore, herblore and other fun stuff. She was keeping in touch with the boys. Dyson had turned his attention back to tracking down the demons that had gotten through the gate while it was open. He somehow felt obligated because, as he put it, "I hunt broken souls, demons are close enough." When the boys were working a vampire job in Albany, she met up with them to help. It was going smoothly, until Gordon Walker showed up and started shooting…again.
"Run! I'll daw them off," Dean said. Before either Sam or Andy could say anything Dean went sprinting off. Sam and Andy ran. They made it to the house they were hiding out in with no problem. When they got in Andy could tell that Sam was frustrated and worried.
"He'll be fine Sam." Andy said as much to reassure herself as Sam. Sam sighed heavily and shook his head.
"I don't know Andy. It's like he wants the danger."
"Yea well, he's kinda always been like that."
"This is different Andy. I don't know…I think it's his deal. He thinks he's already dead, so he has nothing to lose." Andy sighed and sat at the small table in the corner of the room.
"Not much we can do about it right now but wait." Sam nodded. Two hours later and Sam nearly pacing a hole in the floor Dean reappeared.
"There you are!" Sam said. "What the hell took you so long?"
"The other guy was hard to lose."
"Nice move you pulled back there, running right at the weapons." Dean just shrugged.
"So, I guess Gordon's out of jail."
"Looks like," said Andy standing up. "How did he know where to find you?" Dean shook his head, then got a look of understanding.
"That bitch," he said quietly as he pulled out his phone.
Bella, Andy decided, was almost as bad as Ruby. Poison walking. She only slightly redeemed herself when she let the boys know where Gordon was later. When they got to the place, there was no Gordon, but they did find the vampire they had been looking for. But what they found out was so much worse. The vampire had turned Gordon. Dean and Andy went to check motels and other abandoned placed to see if he could find Gordon while Sam went back to their place. When Andy got back she heard raised voices coming from inside. She quietly opened the door and looked in. The boys were facing off.
"Stop trying to act like you're not afraid." Sam was in fine form.
"I'm not-" Dean's hard voice shot back.
"You're lying. And you may as well drop it 'cause I can see right through you. And so can Andy." Andy winced and wished Sam had left her out of it. He was right though.
"You have no idea what you're talking about." There was a pause.
"Yea, I do. You're scared Dean. Your year is running out and you're still going to hell. You're freaked."
"And how do you know that?"
"Because I know you Dean. I've been looking up to you since I was four Dean, studying you trying to be just like my big brother. So yea I know you. Better than anyone, except maybe Andy, and this, right here, this is how you act when you're terrified. And I can't blame you…it's just…"
"What?"
"I just wish you would drop the show and be my brother again. 'Cause…just 'cause." Dean looked at his brother. Andy could see he had taken what Sam had said to heart.
"He's not wrong Dean," Andy said making the boys both jump. Dean honest to God blushed. Andy went over to him and took his hand. "We know you're scared, because we are too. Sam is right. You don't need the act. Not for us. We need you to be you, and we will stand by you. Together." Dean looked at Andy then glanced at Sam. He brought Andy's hand to his lips and kissed it.
"Alright we'll hole up. Cover our sent and wait the night out here." That was a great plan, until Gordon threw a wrench into it.
They went into the warehouse carefully. Weaving through the corridors always on guard. They came into one section and heard a muffled cry. Sam and Dean went to the woman tied to a pipe while Andy kept an eye out for Gordon. They got her free and got going.
"Come on boys, pick it up." Andy said as they hurried back the way they had come. Dean scooped the girl up in his arms.
"Sammy, stay close." They passed through an opening, when suddenly the door fell in separating Sam and Andy from Dean.
"Sam! Andy!" Dean shouted from the other side of the door.
"Dean!" Sam kicked at the door, but it was shut tight.
"Damnit Sam! Be careful!" Dean shouted. Andy sighed as they walked away from the door, trying to figure out where to go. That was when the lights cut out. Andy and Sam both put their blades up. Ready and waiting. Andy felt Sam move away. She couldn't see a thing.
"Sam!" she hissed. "Sam, what the hell!"
"Gordon! You've got me where you want me! Might as well come out and fight!" And he's thinking Dean is the reckless one. Andy glanced at the blade in her hand, which she could barely see at all. Screw this! She dropped it and shifted. Much easier to see. And smell. She sniffed out the vampire's sickly sent and stalked it. He was so focused on Sam; Gordon never saw her coming. She growled and lunged at him, knocking him down. She went for a swipe at his head, but he managed to throw her off quickly. She twisted in the air and landed well.
"Well, well. We have a room full of monsters." Gordon's voice was cocky. Andy growled again. They circled each other. Gordon lunged first. Andy went for a strike again, but he caught her leg and twisted. White hot pain lanced all the way up to her shoulder. She roared and was forced back into human form.
"Andy!" she heard Sam yell, then she heard a crash, and saw light. She managed to stagger up and made stumbled toward the light. She found the hole in the wall just in time to see Gordon sink his teeth into Dean.
"No!" she and Sam yelled in unison. She saw Sam hit Gordon over the head, and he let go of Dean. Gordon beat on Sam until he managed to grab some razor wire and wrap it around Gordon's neck and pull until his head came off. Andy got to Dean and helped him up with her good arm. She looked at Sam.
"Kinda reckless don't you think. Charging a vamped-out Gordon?" Sam went over to them. He looked at Andy's arm.
"We should get you to a hospital," he said. Dean looked at Andy suddenly concerned.
"What happened?"
Andy tried to shrug off his question, but Sam wouldn't let her.
"Gordon broke her arm while she was a cougar."
Dean did a double take.
"Well, that's just great," he said with a sigh. Andy shrugged. They got themselves out, and to a hospital, where Andy had her arm set and casted.
"Fucking sucks. Tell me I can't ride my motorcycle for six weeks. I hate not being able to heal myself. At least I heal fast. This thing will be off in one."
Andy decided it was time she started hunting with the boys again. She was stuck anyway, not being able to ride her motorcycle now. She wasn't complaining. She watched Sam and Dean work on the Impala together, something they had never done before. She and Dean had long talks about nothing in particular, and sweet nights wrapped in each other's arms. They tried not to think about the looming date not that far away. The day that would tear apart the small amount of happiness they had found.
Six months later
Here it was. Dean had 30 hours to live, and Andy was at her wit's end. When Bobby found the ritual to track Lilith, she felt a glimmer of hope. If they could kill her, maybe Dean wouldn't die. Maybe she didn't have to watch another person she loved go down bloody. She wished she knew why Dean was so resistant. Sure, it was dangerous, and she agreed that asking Ruby for help was an option to avoid like the plague, but something was keeping Dean nervous, and Andy wanted to know what. She caught Dean alone at one point. Sitting on the couch staring off into space.
"Dean?" she said quietly. He blinked and looked up at her. His eyes said it all. Andy went over to him and knelt down in front of him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face in his chest. He stroked her hair lightly. She couldn't take it. She crawled into his lap and locked her arms around him. He chuckled softly. It was a sound thick with unshed tears.
"I'm gonna miss you too baby," he choked out. With that Andy broke down. When she had come down a bit she pulled away and kissed him.
"We have to try something. I can't just sit here waiting for you to die. Dyson's a badass he can take Lilith on," Andy mumbled into his neck. Dean sighed.
"Andy, I can't let Sam make the same mistake. I can't let him go down that road. And I can't let Dyson get hurt for me. 'Specially because of what it'll do to you."
Andy looked at him seriously.
"Then we take that bitches knife, and we go after Lilith our way."
Dean glanced up at her with the first sign of hope she'd seen in days.
"Damn straight." He kissed her, then gently pushed her off his lap and wandered out of the house. Andy could see he was planning something. She hopped it involved killing Ruby. Bitch needed to die.
Andy watched Sam as he summoned Ruby. She had known he would do it. There she was. Cocky bitch as ever, talking bullshit about Lilith being on shore leave and not giving up her knife. When she came out with this stuff about Sam having powers beyond visions. She knew right where to push. Dean. That was when Andy walked out of the shadows.
"Sam, you know he wouldn't want you to do this." They both turned to her.
"Andy we don't have a choice." Sam said frustrated.
"You always have a choice Sam." Andy returned hoping he would see reason.
"Exactly," Ruby butted in. "Sam, it's your choice, not this chicks."
"Shut up bitch. No one was talking to you." Andy shot back at her. "Sam think about this Dean would not want you to go down that road and you know it."
"But Andy this could save him."
"You're not going to teach him anything." Dean's voice came from behind them. He came walking in with a slightly satisfied smirk on his face. "Oh, I knew you would show up. But you are not teaching him anything. Over my dead body."
"Well, you got that right," Ruby said facing Dean. Andy's fists clenched, but Dean glanced at her, and she forced herself to relax.
"Now, here's the deal. You're going to give me that knife, then craw back into whatever slop hole you came from and never bother us again."
"Your brother is holding a time bomb and we would be stupid not to use it."
"She's right Dean. Maybe we should-"
"Sam don't! Are you blind, can't you see what she's doing here. She wants you to give in to this demonic anti-Christ shit."
"I want Lilith dead. That's all. You know I am so sick of proving myself. You want to live, this is how you dumb spineless dick!" Andy lunged for Ruby, but Dean beat her to it. He punched her hard across the face. Ruby swung back. Then they were kicking each other all over the barn. Well, more like she was kicking Dean. Right to where he wanted her. He stood ginning.
"Missing something," he said holding up the knife.
"I'll kill you," Ruby said taking a few steps and running into an invisible barrier.
"Like I said. I knew you'd come. Let's go Sam." The three of them walked out to Ruby's shouts.
Andy was heading to her bike to grab a few things when she overheard Dean talking to Dyson.
"Will you promise me something?" Dean's voice was serious, almost pleading.
"Sure. Anything." Dyson's tone was even, but Andy knew he was nervous.
"Look after Sam for me? Just, I don't know, keep an eye on him. If this all goes south he's going to need someone." There was a pause.
"Absolutely. It's a promise."
Andy saw Dean hold out his hand which Dyson shook stoically. Then pulled Dean into a rough hug. Andy smiled through the tears she hadn't noticed. Once again, she felt that slight glimmer of hope. That night she had a vision. There was no way they could save him. Dean was going to hell. She had known it for a long time. She had seen it. When she healed Dean two years ago, she had seen him in hell. She knew now. There was nothing she could do. In spite of knowing this, Andy decided not to give up.
How Ruby made it out of the devil's trap was something Andy would always wonder at. But that didn't matter right now. It was a close thing, but they made it into the house where Lilith was possessing a little girl. Bobby pulled some sweet magic with the holy water sprinklers. Sam took the knife, Dyson had his blade, so they went looking. Ruby went with Sam, Andy with Dyson, and Dean. When Sam found the girl, Lilith had left her. They got the family down to the basement and tried to regroup.
"Alright Ruby you win. What do I have to do?" Sam said. Ruby looked at him skeptically.
"I gave you your chance. We needed time."
"Sam what are you doing?"
"There's got to be something? Some way. Whatever it is I'll do it," Sam begged.
Dean grabbed Sam, who tried to shove him off. "Dean, no. Dean! I'm not going to let you go to hell!"
"Yes you are!" Dean shouted. Andy looked up at him tears stinging her eyes. "Yes you are. I'm sorry. This is all my fault, I know that. But this is not going to save me. It's only going to kill you."
"Then what am I supposed to do?"
"Keep fighting. Take care of my wheels. Sammy, remember what Dad taught you. Remember what I taught you." That was when the clock stuck midnight and they all heard a howl. Suddenly Dyson swung at something.
"Run!" he shouted, and they did. They found a room with a door. The swung it closed and Dean laid down a line of Goofer dust.
"What about Dyson?" Sam said panicked.
"He'll be fine." Andy said. They could hear the Hell Hounds streaking as Dyson cut them down. But they just kept coming.
"Give me the knife, maybe I can fight it off." Ruby said. Andy looked at her suspiciously.
"Come on, that dust won't last forever."
"Wait," Dean shouted. "Sam, that's not Ruby. It's not Ruby it's Lilith!" Sam tried to swing the knife at her, but Lilith batted him aside. Dean she slammed against the table.
"Dyson!" Andy screamed and was thrown against a wall for her trouble. The impact knocked her dizzy. She struggled to focus. She could hear Lilith talking to Sam. Dean trying to sound cocky. Andy staggered up, only to be pinned against a wall.
"So is this your big plan huh? Drag me to hell then what, become queen bitch?" Dean was still trying to pick a fight. Probably to draw her attention away from Sam.
"I don't answer to puppy chow," Lilith said and wandered over to the double doors. "Sick 'em boys," she sing-songed. Andy screamed for Dyson again and then had to watch as Dean was dragged off the table by an invisible force. He screamed in pain. Andy was vaguely aware of Sam screaming "Stop!" but all she could take in was Dean. Blood was blooming from massive gashes on his legs, his chest, his arms. Andy felt sick, but she couldn't look away. Then there was a blinding flash of light and suddenly she was on her knees. She heard Lilith, a tremble of fear in her voice.
"Back…I said back."
She heard Dyson running in, then a scream.
Finally, her vision cleared. Sam was holding Dean, crying. Dyson was standing at the doorway looking defeated. Dean was a bloody mess. Andy scrambled up and went over to where Sam was holding Dean. She fell to her knees. It felt like her heart had been ripped out of her chest and crushed. She heard another pair of footsteps, then a soft
"Oh no," in Bobby's voice. Sam stood, quiet and fierce. He went to Andy and put a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him. He looked as dead as she felt. They stayed that way for a moment and then Sam walked out. Andy swore she heard a cry.
Somebody help me! Andy!... Sam!...SAM!