Chapter Eleven: Saving People and Hunting Things
Sam was standing in front of his family home, which was odd to him because he couldn't possibly remember it. He was only a baby when it burnt to the ground. But here he was, standing on the front lawn of the house.
"This is where it all began." Sam's own voice spoke through Lucifer's lips as he stood beside him. "This is where I chose you, Sam." The words were almost soothing in their delivery; calm and alluring. "I always knew it would be you." He turned to face his vessel, watching the emotion roll over his face. "Haven't you ever wondered? Why Azazel came to your mother? Why Ruby was so invested you; feeding you demon blood, sending you after Lilith?" He smirked at the pained frown that creased Sam's brows. "Aw…you didn't think she really cared for you, did you? That she'd be there, patiently awaiting your return? She was simply a tool to prepare you for me; my loyal servant." He circled his slowly, his eyes looking him over like he was a prized horse. "All you have to do is say yes. Let me in, and together we can rule not only this world, but all others." He stated enticingly.
"I'll never do that." Sam vowed.
"You say that now…but you will. You have to. Because if you don't…I will plunge this world into chaos. And I will drag you down to Hell along with me."
.
Sam startled awake, a sheen of sweat beading along his forehead and upper lip. It had been weeks of dreams like this, and with each one, they got more real. He wiped his face with the hem of his shirt, and pushed himself to rest his back along the headboard.
Hope sat cross-legged on her bed on, glancing up from her grimoire to watch Sam curiously. "Bad dream?"
"Yeah…" He answered lowly, shaking the images clear from his head.
"Having lots of those lately. Everything alright?" She closed the book and scooted to the edge of the bed facing him.
"I'm good, thanks."
"Yeah…I don't believe that." It earned a glance in her direction. "I'm pretty good at reading people…reading their auras, and yours is zinging all over the place." She canted her head, trying to catch his gaze. "Wanna talk about it?"
"Not really." He admitted. "You mind keeping this between us? I don't want to worry my brother."
She smiled with a nod of assurance. "Yeah…yeah no problem. Secret's safe with me."
Next door, Dean was propped up on his elbow, his eyes coasting up and down the smooth caramel of her skin, from the nape of her neck to the slender sway of her back and the curve of her hip. She was spooned against his front, her hair mussed and splayed out on the white pillow. The last month and a half had really given him what a taste of life with Bonnie would be like, and he felt like he was getting the best of both worlds. While hitting the road, they would pick up a case along the way, working it together with Sam and Hope and then at the end of the day, he found home in her arms as they fell asleep. If it wasn't for the threat of what was to come, life would be perfect.
The pads of his finger tips ran down her spine affectionately, and she stirred, looking back at him with a stretch and a sleepy smile. "Hey…"
"Mornin'." He kissed her shoulder. "You sleep okay?"
"Mhm. Better than ever. Someone wore me out last night." She teased, rolling on her side to face him.
Dean smirked, placing kisses down her neck and collar bone. "Hmm…who is he? Do I need to be worried?" His mossy green eyes twinkled when he looked up at her.
"Oh yeah…he's trouble." She breathed, her eyes closing in bliss. "I have to warn you though…you have some pretty stiff competition." She giggled with a flash of her brows, pressing herself closer to him.
"You're telling me." Dean nearly growled, relishing in the squeal of surprise when he grabbed her, rolling her on top of him. "But you should know, I don't really like to share."
Bonnie's hair fell in a curtain around one side of her face, looking down at him, suddenly serious. "You don't have to." She hadn't been in many relationships; only two others that she would consider significant, but it seemed like what she had with Dean transcended what she had with Jeremy and Enzo tenfold. They seemed to catapult over all the awkward stages, uncomfortable conversations and hesitancy that usually came in the beginning and settled into a place of certainty and openness. They were on the same page.
His hand tucked the fallen locks behind her ear. The words were bubbling in his chest and he couldn't stop them; he didn't want to stop them. Dean had always been terrified of sharing his feelings, but not with her. "I love you. I always have…you know that right?" It was the first time he said them out loud, but they came out as naturally as if he said it every day.
"Of course." She smiled giddily. "I love you too." She settled so her head was resting on his chest under his chin. "And I always will. No matter what happens." She whispered, kissing his bare chest.
Her words made him frown, thinking about what Cas had told him about Michael and the fate that was paved for him. He should tell her…he should, but he wouldn't. Not when she was so happy. Not when he'd finally had everything he wanted right here in his arms. The last thing he wanted to do was worry her, so instead he held her tighter and pressed a kiss to the crown of her head and enjoyed these moments while he still had them.
…
Damon scrolled to Bonnie's name in his phone for the seventh time that morning. It had been months without talking to her, and today he was overwhelmed with wanting to hear her voice. It was May 10th, and he was lonely. It had been years since they spent one apart; celebrating it as an anniversary of their friendship…and now he wasn't even sure if they had one anymore. Instead, he called another number.
"Um…hello?" Caroline sounded confused.
"I miss Bonnie." He admitted plainly.
She let out a long sigh as she shuffled around the kitchen for breakfast. "And you're calling me because…"
"Because you're the closest thing I can get to the real Bonnie without coming off as desperate and needy." He grumbled, pouring himself a full glass and slamming it back.
"I wouldn't say that." She mumbled back good naturedly. She could almost hear the frown on his face. "You're doing the right thing, Damon. Giving her space, letting her go…it's very noble of you." She tried to reassure closing the door of the fridge with her hip, the phone between her ear and shoulder, milk and orange juice in each hand.
"Ugh, don't say that." He exclaimed in disgust. "When have you ever known me to be noble?"
"When it comes to Bonnie, mostly. What I don't get is why it took you until finding out about Elena to finally tell her how you feel?" she made him question in an exasperated tone. It's not like this is was the first conversation she'd had with him about it. "I mean, how did you think she was going to take it, Damon? You made her feel like plan B."
"She was never plan B." He mumbled more to himself than Caroline. He remembered when he saw her – the first time. She was dressed as a witch, yet, she truly had no idea what kind of power she was capable of…but he did. And boy was she sassy; he didn't know many people, let alone a young girl who had the guts to talk back to him like that and walk away from it. From that moment, Damon was fascinated by her. But Bonnie gave him nothing; not even an inch and the circumstances only furthered the space between them. He let his obsession with Katherine cloud his judgement and it cost Bonnie so much that she could see nothing more than the monster he pretended to be. "What was I supposed to do, Care? I made a promise to Elena. What if she did wake up? How am I supposed to tell her I fell in love with her best friend?"
Caroline sighed in understanding, leaning against the island and giving the conversation her full attention. "I know…it's an impossible position to be in. Damned if you do, and damned if you don't, but I think you and I both know that Elena would understand. She didn't expect you to wait for her, and if there was anyone in the whole world that she would want to see you happy with…it would be Bonnie. She loved you both. So…stop using Elena as an excuse and tell me the real reason."
Fuck. Damon thought. Her motherly intuition seemed to weed through all his bullshit, and caught him off guard. He was silent for a long time, processing, debating on whether he should clap back with a glib sidestep of a rebuttal, or be honest. "Because I was terrified. Terrified that I'd disappoint her, or that I'd lose her the same way I lost Elena. Because let's face it Caroline, I ruin everything I touch. And Bonnie deserves better than me, I know that…" He released a heavy sigh. "All I can do is hope that one day she'll find her way back to me. I mean, I've got all the time in the world, right?" Damon added with a wry smirk.
The blonde bowed her head. She felt for him. She knew it had probably taken all his will power to let her walk away, especially into someone else's arms. Bonnie was the best thing for Damon, but he wasn't always the best thing for her. "Right." She agreed, knowing that the chances were slim.
…
They all sat a booth in a small diner in Albuquerque, New Mexico, listening as Hope and Sam filled them in on the next case. They had been doing zigzags across the country with Lucifer hot on their trail and closing in. He was burning through vessels left, right and center and Bonnie and Hope had yet to figure out a way to contain him. So, until then, they worked the cases and kept moving.
"Five days ago, a family reported their young son missing." Hope started, handing over her tablet to Dean and Bonnie across from her with the news article. "They said they put him to bed at 8pm and a few hours later they heard him scream. When they went to check on him, he was gone. No sign of forced entry, no sign of a struggle, and none of the neighbors saw anyone coming or going that night."
"The police reports claim that there was nothing unusual that led up to that day besides the fact that this isn't the first missing child in the area. There have been five missing children; two of them on the same block." Sam added on. He and Hope turned out to be a good team when it came to the research side of things. She had a knack for it, and was even able to show him a thing or two.
Bonnie frowned sympathetically while she scrolled through the article. "And the parents of these other kids? What are they saying?"
Hope sighed, leaned back in her seat and crossing her arms. "Same thing, basically to a tee. Police have no suspects and no leads."
"Well, we should check it out. Maybe we can catch something the police are missing." Dean stated before biting into his pancakes.
An hour later had them pulling up to the suburban neighborhood, suited and splitting up to question different families. Bonnie and Dean went one way, and Sam and Hope the other. The girls quite enjoyed picking their aliases, and the guys watched in amusement while they modeled their FBI outfits.
Bonnie and Dean walked up to the first house, and he rang the doorbell, both waiting patiently for the door to open. The woman who answered appeared disheveled and tired, clutching her sweater tight around her. "Hannah Pavlosky?" He asked.
She nodded hesitantly. "Can I help you?"
"I'm special agent Cash, this is my partner, special agent Carter." Dean introduced, both of them flashing their badges. "We were hoping to ask you a few questions in regards to the disappearance of your son, Ryan."
"I already told the police everything we know." She frowned in confusion.
Bonnie offered a gentle and comforting smile. "Ryan's case has been escalated to the FBI. We just have some follow up questions to make sure nothing was missed. Do you have a few moments to talk?"
The woman agreed, opening the door for them and ushering them inside to the living room. "Can I offer you two something to drink?"
"A water would be great, please." Dean responded, and Bonnie shook her head. He waited until she was out of the room. "What do you think?"
"Nothing mystical in the house. If she was a witch I'd feel it." The woman wasn't gone long and when she came back, she had a glass of water. Dean found that Bonnie had a way with people that made their job ten times easier, so he let her take the lead.
"I thought the police said there have been no leads." Hannah commented setting the glass down on a coaster and sitting across from them.
"Not yet." Bonnie started as they settled into the couch. "But that's why we're here; just going over everything with a fine-tooth comb. We were hoping you could tell us about the night your son disappeared. Can you walk us through what happened that day?" she subtly placed the recorder on the table between them.
The mother took a moment to collect herself. "Um…it was just a usual day; school for the kids, work for us."
"Kids?" Dean interjected curiously. "Does Ryan have siblings?"
She nodded, a genuine motherly smile on her face. "Yes, Samuel, my youngest. He's five. We came home, had dinner…Ryan was refusing to do his homework; acting out…so my husband Mark and I, sent him to bed early." It was clear by the tone in her voice it was a decision she regretted.
"Do you remember anything unusual?" Bonnie probed, gently. "A weird smell, or sounds maybe? Changes in temperature?"
Hannah glanced up with a curious frown, and Dean offered her a reassuring smile. "Anything you can think of will help. Trust us, we've heard it all."
Her hand went to her face bashfully. "You're going to think I'm crazy but...I thought I heard a voice…through the door of his room. But it wasn't English, it didn't really sound like any language I've ever heard before. I just thought it was one of his movies." Both Bonnie and Dean leaned forward intrigued.
"What did it sound like, if you had to guess? Like a conversation…a chant?" Bonnie asked.
"A song." She answered confidently. "o-or a lullaby, maybe?"
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the little boy peeking out from behind the wall in the kitchen, before darting back to sit at the kitchen table. He drank back all his water. "Do you mind if get a refill?"
"Uh, yes of course." She moved to stand up but Dean stood up instead.
"I'm sure I can find my way." He assured before giving Bonnie a look that said 'keep her occupied'. He made his way into the kitchen, refilling his glass and smiling at the kid drawing in at the table. "Samuel, right?" He nodded demurely. "I'm Dean. My friend and I are trying to find your brother…we hope to bring him home real soon." The kid didn't answer, his focus solely on his drawing. "You know, my brother's name is Sam. But I call him Sammy…he hates it."
The little boy smirked a little to himself. "Ryan calls me Sammy sometimes." He paused and looked up at Dean. "I don't mind it though."
He knew he'd gotten through to him. The hunter pulled out a chair and sat beside him. "You two sound close." Samuel nodded. "You know, maybe you can help us. Do you happen to remember anything from that night? Did you hear something? See something you maybe were too afraid to tell anyone?"
He looked back down solemnly. "You wouldn't believe me."
Dean reeled back. "Why wouldn't I? You look like you're old enough to know what you're talking about. Who didn't believe you, the police? Your parents?" When he noticed the boy start to retreat back into himself, he leaned closer. "I've seen things…things that some people wouldn't believe. It's scary, right? But it doesn't mean it isn't real, and my friend Bonnie and I…we save people, just like your brother from these kinds of things all the time."
Samuel held Dean's stare for a long time before slowly going back to his drawing pad and flipping back a couple pages. "It looked like this."
Dean looked over the drawing and the horribly ugly looking beast with long claws, red eyes and a mouth full of teeth. At first glance, it wasn't like anything he'd seen before. "You saw this, Samuel?"
"Mhm. I couldn't sleep, so I went to Ryan's room and I saw it standing beside his bed. But I was too scared to do anything about it." He grumbled.
Dean squeezed his shoulder comfortingly. "Hey, it's not your fault. You didn't want it to see you."
Samuel looked back up at him with terrified eyes. "But it did. It looked right at me. But it only wanted Ryan."
Dean could hear Bonnie and Hannah coming down the hall. "Do you mind if I keep this?" The boy ripped the page out and handed it to him. "Thanks Sammy." He said with a smile, standing and meeting Bonnie in the hall. "Ready to go?" he said pointedly.
…
Hope and Sam walked up to yet another house, hoping for different results than the last few. "You really aren't going to tell Dean about your dreams?" She questioned, glancing at him out of the side of her eye as they walked up the steps. "Don't you think he'd want to know?"
He gave here a look. "Didn't I say I didn't want to talk about it?"
"Yeah, but when have I ever done what you want?" She shot him a cheeky grin.
Sam cracked a smile. "I'll think about telling Dean. But right now…right now just isn't the right time." His brother was happy. Happier than he'd ever seen him, and the last thing he wanted to do was ruin that by letting him know the terrifying truth that Lucifer wanted to possess his body.
Before he could knock, Hope stopped him. "You know…you don't have to tell him, but you can tell me." She promised seriously. "You can trust me, Sam…I think the last few months have proved that. And I know that you don't want to worry Dean, not when things are going so well between him and Bonnie, but you can't just bottle this all up. Because one day it'll break you, and I don't want to watch that happen." She stated plainly with a shrug of her shoulder.
He couldn't believe how spot on she was about him. Some days it was like she could read his mind as clearly as if he were speaking the words. He did feel close to breaking at times; there were weak moments, but there was too much to fight for, and too much he wasn't willing to lose. "You know, you're pretty insightful for your age."
She scoffed. "Like you're that much older than me."
"I'm old enough." He chuckled back.
"But I'm still stronger." She zinged back boastfully before ringing the doorbell, effectively ending the banter with her the victor, as she usually did.
He sometimes forgot that he had eight years on her; she was intellectually astute, and she didn't seem worry herself with the trivial and superficial parts of life. In fact, she reminded Sam a lot of himself, minus the attitude. It made him want to make sure she ended up with a better life than he got. What he and Dean would have killed to have more guidance through the world of demons and monsters than what they got from their father. To have friends, someone they could have confided in other than each other…someone they could rely on and trust. It could have made all the difference.
When the man answered the door, Sam slipped into his role. "Hi, Mr. Andrews? I'm special agent Bonham," he flashed his badge and gestured to Hope. "And this is my partner-"
"Monroe." She showed her badge also. "We're investigating the disappearances of a number of children in the area. We were hoping we could ask you some questions about your daughter's friend…Ryan Pavlosky?"
Lucifer watched from afar as they entered the house, and a smirk pulled on his lips when Sam stopped and glanced over his shoulder with a deep frown. He slipped further into the shadows; the connection was getting stronger…Sam could sense him now, and soon, he would say yes.
…
AN: thank you for everyone's support! I want to give a shout out to Blondie 2000 who gifted me a story which was SO sweet! It's a great Bamon smutty 😉 one-shot and you should check it out! /works/54583171
Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I look forward to hearing from you 😊 - Vanessa