Time passes differently on Earth than in Hell. Thea would have shuddered to think that all the time she had spent down there was nothing more than an evening on Earth. However, that didn't stop her from going back there sometimes in her dreams. Yet, somehow, they were preferable to this unnamed longing that she felt. In her panic to distance herself from both the devil and the angel on her shoulder, she learned some rather unorthodox ways of hiding from them. Not trusting whatever power was starting to manifest, she refused to use it.
She still heard from the Winchesters now and again, but there was always the elephant in the room. She would ignore it and they would both give her the puppy dog eyes trying to get her to broach the subject. She helped them when she could. Always behind the scenes, the fallout from Eve, the opening of purgatory – Dean still had issues with her refusal to come to Castiel's aid during the rise and fall of Dick, during the year that Dean was in purgatory and and Sam was living the apple pie life she stayed out of it, then during the trials she did try to help, but refused to be fully involved.
Since kicking both Crowley and Castiel out of her life the marks had not moved, not changed. For that she was grateful.
Thea forced herself into solitude, staying on the periphery of the hunting world. Several times she had narrowly avoided meeting or being met by Crowley and Castiel. She could see the lines blurring between their extremes and feared getting lost in the mix. She gathered books like armor and knowledge like a weapon. Moving on the edges gave clarity to her perspectives, she was connected to everything and once that connection was complete everything was going to change.
"In fides, per is cruor ego operor redimio. Insquequo infractus is link vadum exsisto. May vinculum exsisto ut validus ut nex, ut fragilis ut vita, per umbra quod lux lucis, ferus ut incendia, firmus ut glacies." Thea know the words by rote. They were etched in the front of her thoughts. They were the first thing she thought about in the morning when she dragged herself from the mattress and the last thing she thought about before the scotch in her veins finally caused her to lose consciousness each night.
In trust, with this blood I do bind.
Until broken this link shall be.
May the bond be as strong as death, as fragile as life, with shadows and light, fierce as fire, solid as ice.
Translated to English, the spell was no less maddening. Thea had convinced herself long ago that the shimmer of the marks every time she chanted them was just a figment of her imagination. There was just a scant couple of inches before the mark was complete.
Busy with research Thea lost days, weeks and even months. One of both of the Winchesters would call out of the blue and she would help when she could, but they kept a distance. They had helped her when she went underground, Sam patiently waiting for her to open up and Dean already sharpening this latest perceived hurt into a weapon and a defense.
Thea was startled out of her musing by her cell phone ringing, it was an unknown number. Picking up the phone she debated a moment over answering it. Curiosity winning, she held the phone to her ear only to hear silence, then Sam's voice. "Dean is a demon."
She dearly dropped the phone. "Say again Sam?"
"You heard me. The mark has consumed him. He's run off with Crowley." At the mention, of Crowley's name, her heart sped up of its own volition.
"Shit, Sam. I have to go. Now."
"What? Did you hear me Thea?"
"Of course I did Sam. But I have to go. If Dean is with Crowley, it's only a matter of time before they show up here. Since Dean knows where I am Crowley will to. I'll call you when I'm somewhere safe." Thea hung up before Sam could object. She knew he wanted her help and she wasn't sure she wanted to rejoin the front lines. However, this time, she wasn't sure she would have a choice. The Mark of Cain was nearly as old as her markings and just as powerful.
She really should have a talk with those boys about playing in the universe's sandbox.
Putting the phone back down on the desk and running her hands through her hair, she took a deep breath. Mind racing, she nearly missed the change in the air of her room. Almost imperceptible, the air was charged with electricity. Her hand edges towards her blade, she almost always keeps one on her now.
"Don't." Thea's back stiffened. Low and rough, Dean's voice was ice cold.
Thea froze at the sound of Dean's voice, a shiver running down her spine. Slowly, she turned to face him, and what she saw made her blood run cold. His eyes, once a vibrant green, were now an inky black. The Mark of Cain glowed angrily on his forearm, pulsing with a sinister energy.
"Dean..." she started, her voice barely above a whisper.
He stalked towards her, his movements predatory, calculated. "Hello, Thea. " he purred, though there was no warmth in it. Only darkness.
She took an instinctive step back. "What's happened to you?"
He let out a hollow laugh. "I've been set free. No more chains holding me back."
"A demon," Thea said bitterly.
Dean's lip curled in a cruel smirk. "That's right." He held up his arm, displaying the Mark.
Thea's gaze drifted to the Mark against her will, its angry red glow calling to something deep inside her. To the incomplete marks on her own arm, just waiting to be finished.
Dean followed her gaze, his smirk widening. His black eyes narrowed, all hints of charm gone. He moved much faster than she anticipated, using his demonic speed as he grabbed her roughly by the throat, slamming her against the wall. She gasped, stars bursting across her vision.
"I don't want your apologies. Or your help. All I want from you..." His gaze dropped to her collarbone, to the incomplete marks etched there. "...is your power."
Thea's blood turned to ice. She renewed her struggle, trying to twist out of Dean's iron grip. He only laughed, a chilling, mirthless sound.
"Now, now, don't be like that, sweetheart," he purred. "This won't hurt...much."
The First Blade glinted as he brought it up, positioning it right over her heart. Thea squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself for the bite of the First Blade. A second passed, then another. When the killing blow didn't come, she cautiously opened one eye.
Dean stood paralyzed, his hand trembling as he held the First Blade mere inches from her heart. His face contorted in a twisted expression of agony, his eyes like pools of endless darkness flickering with indecision.
"Dean?" Thea whispered.
With a guttural cry, Dean stumbled back, dropping the Blade. It clattered to the floor as he clutched his head, face contorted in a silent scream. Thea watched in astonishment as the Mark on his arm seemed to dim ever so slightly.
"Run," Dean ground out through clenched teeth, not looking at her.
Thea didn't hesitate, nor did she have to be told twice. Scrambling to her feet, she fled the room without a backward glance. She made it outside into the night air, pulse thundering in her ears.
What had just happened? It was as if Dean had been fighting for control, some flicker of humanity piercing through the demonic haze. But how was that possible?
Thea knew she couldn't stay here. Pulling out her phone with shaking hands, she rapidly punched in Sam's number. She had to warn him. Had to figure out a way to save Dean, before the Mark consumed him completely.
The phone rang once before Sam's anxious voice came on. "Thea? Are you okay?"
"Sam..." Thea glanced back at the house, lowering her voice to a whisper. "I have good news and bad news. Good news, I know where Dean is and he is fighting the mark, kind of. Bad news, he is here and currently hunting me."
Thea's words sent a chill down Sam's spine. "What?! Dean's there with you?" he exclaimed. He ran a hand through his hair, mind racing. Ever since Dean had given himself over to the Mark of Cain, becoming a demon in the process, finding and saving him had consumed Sam. He thought he was close, but now Dean had found Thea first.
"Listen to me," Sam said urgently. "Get somewhere safe, somewhere with warding. I'm on my way."
Thea cast another anxious look back at the house. "Hurry, Sam," she whispered. "I don't know how long he can fight the Mark's influence."
She slipped her phone back into her pocket and took off running, heading for the woods behind her home. As a human, Dean is a deadly hunter, as a Demon, especially one with the Mark of Cain, he would be impossibly so. However, she has some tricks of her own and knows the grounds better than any living person. She hears an inhuman roar from the house and she sprints towards the barn, careful to stay in the shadows.
Thea darted into the old barn, her breath coming in panicked gasps. She scrambled up the ladder to the hayloft, wincing as the aged wood creaked under her weight. Crouching low, she crept to a shadowed corner and pulled a concealed trapdoor open. A small smile touched her lips as she gazed down into the hidden crawlspace. Warding sigils decorated the walls, guaranteeing safety from demons, angels, and anything else she could think of.
Here, she was hidden. Here, she was safe.
For now.
"Thea..." Dean's voice was a sinister croon. "Come out, come out, wherever you are."
A sharp, sudden noise erupted, causing her heart to leap into her throat. Dean was forcefully testing the metal doors, his determined grunts reverberating through the cavernous barn. The sound of metal scraping against metal filled the air and sent chills down her spine. When the doors remained firmly shut, a low, menacing growl seeped out from between clenched teeth.
Silence. Thea hardly dares to breathe.
The barn doors erupted with a thunderous bang, shards of wood splintering and flying in all directions. Dean stood tall in the now gaping doorway, his eyes blazing with an otherworldly darkness as he gripped the First Blade tightly in his hand, its sharp edges glinting menacingly in the dim light.
Thea froze, hardly daring to breathe as Dean's ominous silhouette filled the barn's doorway. His eyes, twin voids swirling with inky darkness, methodically scanned the interior.
"Oh Thea..." he called, his voice a sinister sing-song. "No use hiding from me. I can smell your fear."
Thea shuddered, shrinking deeper into the shadows of her hiding place. She could hear Dean's heavy footsteps crossing the barn floor below, each one making the boards creak ominously.
Abruptly the footsteps halted. Thea's heart stuttered. Had he heard her?
Thea's heart pounds in her chest as she holds her breath, trying to silence any noise that might give away her position. The sound of footsteps stops abruptly, and she wonders if Dean has given up and left. With every fiber of her being, she strains to hear any sign of movement, but the silence is deafening.
After what feels like an eternity, she can no longer bear the suspense. Her fingers tremble as she cautiously peeks over the edge of the trapdoor, half expecting to see Dean waiting for her with a twisted smile. But instead, the barn below is shrouded in shadows, hiding its secrets from her prying eyes. The absence of Dean only adds to her unease, leaving her with a creeping sense of dread that something far more sinister may be lurking in the darkness below.
Thea let out a shaky breath. Maybe, just maybe, she was safe. She began to ease back down into her hiding place when -
"Gotcha." Thea ducks down, slamming the door in place a fraction of a second before Dean can grab her.
Thea's heart hammered in her chest as she crouched in the dark crawlspace, the trapdoor slammed shut just in time to stop Dean's grasping fingers. She heard him snarl in frustration above her, followed by the solid thud of his boots hitting the floorboards as he dropped down from the loft.
"Clever girl," Dean drawled, and she could imagine the sadistic grin on his face. "But you can't hide from me forever."
Thea bit her lip, mind racing. She needed a plan, and fast. As quietly as possible, she shifted towards the back wall of the crawlspace, running her hands along it until she felt the small indentation that marked the hidden exit. Taking a deep, steadying breath, she pushed gently and the wall swung open on silent hinges, revealing a narrow earthen tunnel.
Thea didn't hesitate. She slipped into the tunnel, pulling the wall closed behind her. On hands and knees she crawled through the inky blackness, trying not to imagine what Dean would do if he caught her. After what felt like an eternity, her fingers scraped a wooden ladder. She climbed quickly upwards, pushing open another trapdoor and emerging into the hazy dusk outside.
Without looking back, Thea took off running towards the woods. She glanced over her shoulder, stumbling as she saw Dean burst from the barn, murder in his eyes as he raced after her. Pushing her legs harder, Thea ran for her life, Dean's enraged roar echoing behind her...