114: All for a Soul
When Dean had divulged his plan to them, Jane had been appalled. Sam had been against it on the grounds that after both demons and angels had said regarding his soul, there was obviously something wrong with the damn thing. When Dean had insisted he was going to do it regardless, Jane had begun panicking. After their last escapade with Crowley, and nearly dying in the process, she was ready for enough to be enough. But Dean wouldn't stop. He would never stop trying to reunite Sam with his tattered soul.
So he was planning on putting his life on the line. On dying. Just for a small chance at getting back that piece of shit soul.
Jane was tired. She was terrified of losing her husband. She was also pretty sure he had disrespected Death on a handful of occasions and Death wouldn't take kindly to this. Only Dean Winchester was ballsy enough to be a smart ass to the ultimate Reaper.
Dean Winchester was an idiot. No doubt about it.
But… so was she.
"Hey… hey!" Dean had come to this back-end office with the expectations of temporarily dying. Not finding his wife dead. "What… Jane? Jane?!" He knew better than to touch her, to touch anything but that did not stop him from kneeling beside the dingy bed she was on. He reached out a trembling hand, checking for a pulse and was not surprised when he found none. "How long?"
"Only a minute." Doctor Roberts said, looking at Dean both surprised and confused. "I was under the impression you knew she was doing this."
"No…"
"Oh, oh my…" He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, rather glad John Winchester wasn't around to kick his ass and hoping his son wouldn't do it for him. "She left… something for you." He offered lamely, glancing at the nurse who seemed to be at a loss for words. "If she didn't make it. Should I…"
"You better hope she does." Dean growled without looking up, eyes firmly fastened on his dead wife. Dead wife. How many times had Jane died over the years? This was the second. That was two times to many. "Janey… sweetheart… when you make it back to me, I'm going to kill you."
Getting the reaper Tessa to call for Death hadn't gone so well. Tessa hadn't been overly pleased when she had been pulled out of work in Sudan, less pleased at meeting Mrs. Winchester, and downright pissed when Jane had requested Tessa call for Death. She had refused. Jane had been at a loss of what to do next, not wanting to have died for nothing. In retrospect, she probably shouldn't have basically committed suicide for this.
"Please, make an exception." She begged quietly, knowing she had officially said goodbye to shame. She was begging. For her boys. And she felt nothing over it.
"I can't."
"Can't or won't?"
"Both."
"Thank you, Tessa."
Jane nearly jumped out of her body, such as it was and figured if she made it out of this she had probably just been scared out of at least a decade.
"Hello, Jane."
So this was Death. She seen the exasperated look on Tessa's face before the reaper disappeared, leaving just her and Death. Their surroundings changed and they were strolling through a grocery store, she would admit to being off balance. "Sir…"
"I'm busy, Mrs. Winchester, you need to talk fast."
Jane knew Dean had been intent on blackmailing Death into retrieving Sam's soul and after being in Death's company for only minutes Jane knew that Dean was a damn fool. "Would you be able to get Sam and Adam's souls out of the cage?"
He actually stopped in order to look down at her. He looked somewhat amused. "You're not going to try to bully me into getting your husband's way?"
"No, sir."
"Why not?"
Jane was surprised, wondering if he was serious and it probably showed on her face. "Sir, you are Death, and I'm not that big a fool."
"No, no you're not." Death studied her, running one long finger along his thin lips. "Pick one." At her confused look and she wore it quite often it seemed, he snorted. "I don't, as a rule, make exceptions let alone two. So pick one."
"Sam." She said without hesitation.
One black eyebrow slowly rose. "Are you sure?"
"His soul has been in there for… a year." Jane said slowly, knowing what she was asking was a miracle but so far God had failed them. So… Death it was. "We've heard it's… damaged."
"Damaged?" Death snorted. "Try flayed to the raw nerve."
Yeah, that sounded about right and lined up with what everyone else had told Dean already. With a sinking feeling in her stomach, she cleared her throat. "Is it… is it something you might be able to fix, sir?"
"I do enjoy your manners," Death "The soul can be damaged, it can be tortured, bludgeoned but never broken… for good or ill, it will always remain intact, such as it is. Not even I can change that."
She was gathering that was a no.
"But… maybe…" Death fell silent again, considering it. "I can't erase Sam's hell but…"
She felt hope flaring.
"But I can put it behind a wall."
"A wall?"
"In his mind," he clarified. "A dam, if you will, to hold back the tide. Those memories, nasty things. You don't want to know what they'd do to him, believe me."
"I believe you." She did, and she shuddered at her own thoughts of what that soul must be like. Along with those thoughts came the doubt again. "Sir… is… is it wise, putting the soul back in?"
"Mrs. Winchester, you already know the answer to that."
"Jane, please."
Tessa, who had been accompanying them silently thus far, blinked when a brief smile flit across Death's pale face. She couldn't believe the audacity of these mortals but at least this one had manners. "The wall wouldn't be permanent." She said, garnering Jane's attention.
"She's right. Nothing lasts forever. Well, I do, but…"
Not permanent. That couldn't be good. "So Sam with no soul or Sam with a soul behind a dam until it breaks and then… it's over?"
"Yes."
She already knew Dean would jump all over this. He wouldn't have even thought twice about how this would play out, what the consequences would be but she wasn't Dean. This wasn't going to lead anywhere good, she already knew it. But she also knew she was in this place on borrowed time and her hesitation was costing her. "Fine. What do I have to do?"
"I beg your pardon?"
"I'm not naive enough to believe you'll do this without some sort of favor in return."
"Very good, Jane, very good. But it's not what you can do, it's what your husband must."
"You what?!"
Jane was never going to do that again. Dean had not been happy when she had come back. Apparently she had been dead for seven minutes, which was a new record. Dean hadn't found that as amusing as she had. In fact, he had threatened to send her right back to Death unless she promised to never do something so 'stupid' again. She had promised, sort of.
She had told him about her conversation with Death and what Death had told her about the state of Sam's soul, that the wall wasn't permanent, and what Dean had to do to get Death's cooperation. She had a feeling Dean had only listened to the bit about being able to get the soul back, all the rest had gone in one ear and out the other. Now Dean was going over everything with Sam and Sam just wasn't having it. Honestly, Jane didn't blame him.
"Just hear me out, Sam."
"No, I heard Cas and Crowley. They both said it would either kill me or turn me to jello. I've had enough, I've heard enough!"
When he put it like that… "Dean, maybe this isn't a good idea." Jane said quietly.
"Shut up, sweetheart. Sam, Death said he can put up a wall."
"A wall?"
"Yes, a wall. You wouldn't remember jackshit about hell."
"Really?"
"Really." Dean ignored the sharp little elbow he suddenly got in his ribs from Jane.
Sam didn't miss that gesture and his eyes narrowed, knowing damn well Dean was withholding information. "For good?" He asked skeptically. "Like a cure?"
"No, it's not a cure. It… he said it could last a lifetime."
"Sam, it's a wall, and he did say it wasn't permanent." Jane said finally, having enough of Dean telling half-truths and bullshitting away just how serious this was. "He also said… how badly your soul is damaged, it's… well, death would be kind."
"Goddamn it, Jane." Dean growled, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her back against him. He firmly clamped a hand over her mouth.
"Yeah, great Dean. The one person to tell me how it is and you shut her up." Sam snorted. "It's my life, my soul."
After Dean had gone off to play at being Death, Sam had taken off as well. Bobby and Jane were both on high alert and when Sam had returned, everything in her was buzzing. From the way Sam was eyeballing her, it seemed he knew it too. "I'm… I'm going to go to the bathroom." She announced, pushing away from the table. They had set up with beer and poker, and it was a tense game. Bobby seemed to know something was wrong, he had been looking back and forth between them both as they had stared at each other. "Be right back, gents."
Bobby grunted something.
Jane headed upstairs, wondering why she hadn't kept her gun on her. Something was up with Sam, he hadn't just gone for a drive. They all knew that was bullshit. Once in the bedroom she shared with Dean when they were here, she went immediately for the dresser. She tended to tuck her nine under Dean's socks, it had been amusing the very first time he had seen it. He had nearly flipped out until she had started laughing. "Where the hell…"
"Looking for something?"
Jane whirled around somehow not surprised to find Sam there. Her gray eyes narrowed in on her gun, which he was holding, aimed at her. "Sam…" There was no pleading or begging with him, he didn't feel one way or another about it. Instead, he was doing what he thought was logical and necessary. Must've been nice, not having a soul. "What are you doing?"
"There's a spell."
"Spell?"
"To keep Dean from putting that thing back in me." Sam took a step forward, towards her. "Look, Jane, this doesn't have to go completely south. If you just let me restrain you, you don't have to get hurt or die."
"Wait, die? Who is going to die, Sam?"
"Don't ask questions." Sam shut the door with his foot. "Now, get me some rope, or whatever it is you and Dean use."
"Sam…" Jane flinched when he purposefully turned off the safety. "Is it Bobby?"
"Shut up."
