Chapter 3
Brooke showered off all the blood that had been drying and making her skin itchy. Half of it black, the hell hounds, the other half red, Rufus's.
Dean was waiting in their room when the shower shut off. He pulled her into a hug, the knot of her towel digging into his chest with how hard he pulled her against him.
"Dean I'm ok." She said into his shoulder.
He kissed her, controlling their kiss with his hands on the back of her head. Brooke hummed and moaned against him, her hips searching for his. Dean grabbed her under her thighs and lifted her up to rest on his hip. Her bare legs wrapped around him.
He lowered her back to their bed and pulled at her towel, He stared down at her naked waist and shuttered. He remembered looking down at his own stomach when a hellhound clawed through him. Ribbons are the only way he can explain it, what he looked like. The thought that that could have been her tonight made him sick.
Bending his arms to lower himself, Dean kissed the unmarred skin on her belly and worked up between her breasts till he got back to her lips.
His soft plaid shirt brushed her nipples and pulled a soft intake of breath from her, while his rough jeans settled between her thighs and caused a little frown to form on her forehead. Her thigh came up to rest above his hip and her clit brushed deliciously on the raw material.
"Shit." She huffed.
Head dropping back onto the pillows, Dean's lips dropped to her neck, sucking a dark mark into her collarbone. Brooke laughed and pushed his head away, he grumbled and sucked harder trying to stay where he was but eventually gave in to her.
"Stop." She smiled.
"You don't want me there?" Dean frowned at her playfully. A glint in his eye, his warm hand slid down her stomach and between them. Brooke's hips flexed upward as his fingers found her clit. "How about here?"
She panted, eyes fluttering as Dean kissed, licked and bit his way down her body.
His hair was longer than he wore it when they first met. At least on top, he still shaved the sides. She ran her fingers through it, his mouth taking its sweet time getting to where his fingers were currently teasing her.
Dean groaned licking into her, his fingers kneeling the skin where her thighs met her ass. Holding her against his face Dean lightly nipped and flicked his tongue over her clit. When he felt her wetness gather on his chin he lowered himself and fucked his tongue inside her. This thumb talking it's sweet time circling the bundle of nerves where his mouth at just been.
Brooke turned her head into their pillows to muffle her moans as she came. She and Sam were close but she knew did would not want to hear them having sex nor would she want to hear him. It was bad enough the things that he probably did hear.
Dean held her hips down on the bed as Brooke twitched and jerked in his hold. He moved up her body once she started relaxing back into their sheets. He flicked his tongue over her nipple, smiling when she let out a loud surprised sound and she twitched.
"Want you." She muttered into their kiss, soft hand grasping his dick and pulling him into her.
Dean trusted the rest of his way in, eyes nearly glimpsing his brain as they disappeared far back into his head.
.
"You guys talk to the parent, I'm going to talk to the kid." Brooke whispered as they walked into the families home.
The wife and been dead for nearly a day now. The little girl, no more than four took Brooke's fingers as she walked her to the playroom and sat down to colour. Brooke could not hear what was being said as the Winchesters questioned the husband. It was clear the poor man had no gotten any sleep the night before. No doubt thinking about the loss of his wife and what he was going to do now that he was a single parent.
"Do you like to draw, Sara?" Brooke asked softly.
The little girl nodded, a little smile on her face like she couldn't help it. Brooke took the paper that was slid to her and picked up a crayon, she coloured quietly. After a couple minutes, Sara got to her feet and walked over to what looked like a toy bin.
She bent down reaching for something. Brooke heard the boys shouting quickly in the other room and she went to check on things, but before she could get off her knees she heard a click. Turning back to Sara Brooke froze.
"Don't move witch." The voice was manish and sent a violent chill through her.
"Who are you?" Brooke felt her magic tingle under her skin ready to deflect the bullet she was sure would be coming for her.
What she was not prepared for was to watch a four-year-old, with beautiful blue eyes and golden curls in her hair to turn the gun on herself and pull the trigger. Brooke gagged on air as the soft thud of her body, followed by the dense sound of the gun hitting the ground. Black smoke billowed out of her mouth, flying out the door.
She heard Dean yell her name from another room as she crawled across the floor to get to Sara. Hand covering the bullet hole she started to chant and pray and push all her magic into her.
The boys tried to come into the room. "Stay back!"
She did not want them to see this. What she had been forced to see first hand. As hard as Brooke pushed she could not push life back into the little girl. Her magic ebed and flowed right back into her and stung as she tried to pull for something darker.
Dean banged and threw himself against the door but couldn't beat the strength of her magic. He had seen the girls legs, knew she must have been dead, saw the way Brooke was leaning over her, heard her chanting.
After ten minutes Brooke opened the door, not a drop of blood on her and a blanket had been thrown over the little body.
Both boys rushed her out of the house, Sam cleaning their finger prints as they went. Dean dragging Brooke along.
"What did you do?" Dean demanded, pushing her against the back of his car.
Brooke shrugged, "Nothing. It shot her right through the brain. There wasn't anything for me to bring back."
Clenching his jaw, Dean heard Sam closed the front door of the house, they had to get out of here before anyone called in the gun shot. Opening the back door, Dean all but Shoved Brooke in, running around the car to get in the drivers seat.
"You can bring people back from the dead?" He demanded.
"It's dark magic I haven't done since I killed my family. I can, but I shouldn't, and to bring a gone soul back it would have taken time and essentials I don't suppose a normal household has."
Dean scoffed, "But you were going to anyway, great. Would it have killed you?"
Brooke looks down, "That is one of the optimal spells. It's the least intricate, trade a life for a life."
Sam turned around in his seat, "But it's dark magic either way."
"Yes, Sam."
"You don't do dark magic..." Sam remembered all those years ago when she had told him that people with dark magic usually repeal people, not draw them in.
"Anyone can invoke dark magic."
It was something the trio had never really talked about. Despite knowing what Brooke had done to her Coven. They probably assumed she used black magic, but the coven's power was on her side. She was killing, but she was doing it to stop their dark spells. While it did take an innocent part of her, Brooke channelled light and healing. Was big intone with emotions and could provide comfort to suffering souls.
"Have you?" Dean snapped looking at her in the rearview.
Brooke assumed that if he did not need to get them the hell out of town, he would have pulled over so he could glare at her without splitting his gaze from the road in front of them and her in the back seat.
"No." His eyes narrowed, "You think I'm lying to you?"
"I think you've been acting out for weeks." She scoffed.
Brooke felt scolded, which was demeaning. She also hated that Sam was here while it was happening. All she could do was roll her eyes and focus on not lashing out as all the magic she had summoned for that poor child was still swirling inside her. Bouncing off her skin and making her feel itchy.
"If you weren't being such a helicopter mom, I'd been hours away with Rufus and out of your hair."
"OK!" Sam interrupted. "This isn't helpful. There are demons in town and they killed that family-"
"The dad's dead too?" Brooke asked softly.
"... Yeah. My best guess is he killed his wife. We know for sure there are two of them, maybe more and we are currently running out of town. I say we get about an hour away and find a motel for tonight. Read the police reports and do more research in the morning."
"Works for me," Dean said, with one last look to her he turned up his music and picked up speed.
.
The motel was decent and as soon as they go in Dean went into the bathroom to shower off the day.
Throwing her bag onto the table Brooke turned for the door.
"Going somewhere?"
"To get way too many tacos and eat my feelings. That a problem?"
Sam ignored her attitude, "You saw a child kill themselves right in front of you tonight... Even if it had black eyes, it doesn't make that easier to take. Dean and I, we've never seen anything like that."
"Its eyes weren't black." She whispered, "I only knew she was possessed when it jumped out of her."
"Brooke." Sam got up to hug her, she hugged him back. "If you want to go out, I'll come with you. I could go for a taco salad."
"I'll bring you back one?"
Sam shifted his weight, "As mad as Dean may be right now. If he comes out of that shower and you're gone, he'll kick my ass."
Laughing Brooke gave in. It was neither of the boys she was really mad at. She'd been having dreams recently, nightmares and they were getting to her. The anniversary of her covens murder was also fast approaching. She always got a little quieter, and more moody when March rolled around.
"We don't have to talk, but I wanted to say you can, if you need to talk about anything."
"Thanks, Sam. I'm good."
She smiled, offering his arm for her to connect her to him as they walked down the street. There had been a Mexican looking restaurant a couple blocks away. Sam sent his brother a quick text once they got there to let him know where they were and get his order.
"I have all this power Sam, and people keep dying." Brooke licked the sour cream from her finger, "I've been thinking of going to that coven I had been working with years back. I still keep in touch, the door has been left open for me to join them or seek counsel."
Sam looked up from his salad, "Are you thinking of leaving, to join them?"
"Not for good. I think maybe a couple days or even a week or two with them would be a good idea."
"How so?"
"I haven't seen them since before Missouri died and I feel Dean would take better the news of me going to visit that coven than the one in New Orleans."
Sam snorted in agreement, "Is it because you want to get away for a few days or because something is going on?"
"A couple days of space wouldn't hurt and it's not like you need me to solve cases."
"Fair enough. You know Deans only so mad because he's worried about you?"
"I know. I just don't know what he wants from me. He's bringing me along on cases and expects me to do nothing?"
"He likes having you close, I like having you around. I think he didn't expect how deep into some of these cases you would get."
"Well if he could get over himself, that would be great." Sam smiled, Brooke sighed, "I know he's worried, I can feel it off him. I just whats the difference of him risking his life and me doing the same."
"You know he acts that way with me too right? Like I'm still a four-year-old. It's just who Dean is. He would sacrifice himself a million times over to save either of us pain and the thought of anything like that coming down on us scares the crap out of him. And you being a witch, he doesn't understand how your magic works, or what it all means. He just knows he loves you and doesn't know how to protect you from your magic."
Brooke shoves another two tacos into her mouth. Enjoying the sauce and mess it was making on her plate that she would eat up with a spoon later.
"Do you think Dean would be mad if I did go see the coven for a little while?"
"He'll miss you, but I don't think he'd be mad."
They ordered a meal for Dean to go. But when they got back to the motel Brooke pulled Dean outside to talk before he could dig in.
"I was thinking about texting Scotty about me going to visit; so I can be around a coven for a couple days."
Dean crossed his arms over his chest, "Because we're fighting?"
Stepping into his space Brooke pressed a soft hand to his cheek, "No. Because I've been without a coven for a while now and I can feel the difference. I can practice on my own as much as I want, but it doesn't compare to practicing within a coven."
"Why now?" His arms were uncrossed but his guard still remained in place.
"March is in a couple days and I can either spend their anniversary alone in the bunker, or with a coven."
Dean frowned, "I wouldn't leave you for a hunt on that day if you wanted me there."
"Which is really nice, but it's not about that. I've been having nightmares about- having nightmares that I think are coming from them, though my link to them. They've gotten more intense. Usually, I'm able to block them out, but it's hard. I would just feel better if I was with a coven when that day rolls around."
"No. You don't want to be with me on that day, why?"
"The dreams are about March 8th of this year. They've made sure I see that. I'm never able to look up, but I can smell the blood and I'm covered in it, sitting in it. It doesn't feel like a dream. More like what I saw when I first met you. Flashes of the future, visions. I've only ever had them once, in relation to you. I know it's not my blood I'm sitting in. I'm pretty sure it's yours."
"These dreams aren't warnings, they're threats," Dean growled.
"I think they're taunting me with the future." It was Brooke's turn to cross her arms over her chest in a defensive stance.
"There has been no blue house on the corner, half of the things Missouri showed me haven't happened yet."
"The future is subject to change."
"The paths we take can be different, but usually we end up at the same spot."
"I would just feel more comfortable if you and I were in different countries when the 8th rolls around, ok?"
Green eyes assessed her thoughtfully. His earlier frustration having been washed down the drain with the unscented hotel soap.
"How long do you plan to stay with them?"
"Two weeks?" A week leading up to the eighth and the week following.
Hands on hips Dean looks up to the sky letting out a big breath. The couple had been apart before, many times. Dean on a hunt with his brother, Brooke home trying to learn new spells and work on her magic that could be most helpful in the field. But two weeks was pushing it, usually they went about one, sometimes a week and a half.
"This is what you need right now?"
"Yes." She said simply, but softly.
Dean held his arms out for her to step into, which she did happily.
"I love you," Dean said into her hair
"I love you." She said into his chest, burying her nose in his shirt to smell him.
.
Brooke shed a tear at how comfortable and at peace she was to be back within a coven. Witches weren't supposed to be alone, it's why there are covens. To house magic, to share and play and connect.
Dean had been upset when he dropped her off. She told him she would drive herself or fly but he wanted that extra time with her and he and Sam drove her. They hugged and kissed and Scotty promised Dean she would look out for her.
This coven was youthful, Scotty and Lacey were her age and even though the rest of the coven were in their 40s and older, the playing kept them young. They made her an amplifier to help her magic push her family from getting into her head. Brooke had not felt them since she put the necklace on. So they casted and went out at night to drink and play with their abilities.
She had missed a couple of Dean's calls while they were apart, but she always shot him back a text once she realized. Letting him know she was safe and having fun with everyone. Brooke promised herself she would come out to the coven twice a year minimum from now on. They understood why she had kept her distance since leaving. Being back in this town, even visiting her and Missouri's home, a lot of memories came rushing back.
"You miss her." Scotty sat down next to her, their feet playing in the rushing water of the river.
"Every day. On the days I forget, I just feel guilty the next. She saved me and I feel like I never had the chance to repay her."
"You were the daughter she always wanted B. I think you probably don't know how much you really did for her by allowing her to be your mom."
Brooke leaned into her friend, Scotty wrapped her arms around her.
"I promise when I leave next week to keep in better touch. I missed you."
Pulling her tighter Scotty laughed, "You did not keep in touch at all asshole. I missed you too. I think we need to have a movie night and watch some of the classics."
Brooke nodded, that sounded nice. Tomorrow was the 8th, Scotty had been by her side all day, keeping an eye on her.
They slipped into pjs when the sunset and snuggled onto the couch. The rest of the women piling in as they arrived home, as boys confessed their love in the rain and while holding boomboxes over their heads. They got through their fourth movie but Brooke started to nod off. She snuggled deeper into Scotty's side and fell asleep to Health Ledger singing a cheesy song.
The air was thick and warm like her magic when she woke up. Brooke wanted to snuggle deeper into the feeling, but when she push all she felt was start static in the air and only she was surrounded by the warmth.
Frowning Brooke shrunk back and blinked rapidly, her vision blurred and distorted. Her knees ached like she had been kneeling for a long time and her body felt electric as magic rushed and circled her body.
She felt someone pushing into her barrier, trying to get into her space and she pushed back not liking the sharp feeling that came with it. Whipping her eyes to help clear her vision Brooke frowned at the wetness she felt now on her forehead and cheek. Dropping her hand back to her lap she looked down expecting to see she had drooled in her sleep. Instead all she saw was red.
Her heart hammered in her chest. This was just like the dreams, oh my god Dean. She had gone back to the bunker and killed him...
Unlike her dreams where she was too afraid to look up at her boyfriend's body, Brooke forced herself to look up for the pool of blood she was sitting in. Instead of one male body there were seven female ones. Scotty's blonde hair thrown out wildly, her eyes vacant and blood dripped down her face.
Brooke shattered into sobs. She had left home to come here to save the life of her boyfriend when really she had been feeding into her covens hands. They wanted her to kill her allys, wanted her alone as punishment for killing them.
She could hear their voices screaming around her, taunting her, replaying the sounds of her friend begging her to stop. Their cries of pain. As she fell into a pit of emotional turmoil the presser against her warm shield became rougher, more urgent.
A sickening realization hit her then. Her coven had placed the shield over her so Scotty and her friends would not be able to stop her. They were helpless against her. She deserved to feel it, the reminisce of their death, their fright of her, she should not be pardoned of that. Connecting back into her magic Brooke dropped the shield, the sharp pain of dark magic stung her and took hold.
"Thank fuck!" Large hands slapped down onto her wrists, the pressure was painful.
Brooke whined trying to pull away, "Jesus Christ, Hold her still while I get the med kit."
"Drop it." One of her arms was shaken slightly. "Brooke drop it!"
Drop what? She wanted to ask, the spell was done. Her arm once again shaken, she zeroed in on it, and saw her bloody amplifier pendent tight in her hand. The sharp metal point on the end was dripping blood. When she looked where the large hands were squeezing her she saw a long cut up the side of her forearm, bleeding heavily. Following a twin stinging on her other arm she saw a matching cut.
Both vertical but off to the side to minimize damage, or maybe prolong her suffering. Then her eyes went to the ring on the big hand, she knew that ring. Following the flesh up she found a blue plaid sleeve rolled up and broad shoulders and finally the recked face of her boyfriend.
"No." She whimpered, so he was here, she killed him.
Her head fell forward and his raced to meet her's, foreheads colliding a little roughly. "No, no Sweetheart focus on me. I've got you, you will be ok. Sam!"
Heavy boots clopped across the floor, so loud. Blood dripped from her arm as it was passed from one set of large hands to another. Brooke realized the blood she was kneeling it, it was hers, she was bleeding, a lot.
"This is deep, it should have clotted by now. Dean, I think she kept reopening the wound."
"Son of a bi- Cas! I need you, Cas! Fucking useless. Sam, is she going to be ok?"
"She lost a lot of blood but she's still awake. Where she cut, it's deep and it's not fatal, but. It's been days and she's still alive. Just keep pressure on that arm."
Brooke looked back to the arm the first man was holding. There was now a dish towel between his skin and hers. The amplifier is no longer in her hand.
"Be quiet," Brooke begged of the voices, they were so loud.
A warm hand grabbed her under her chin forcing her face up, Green eyes soul focused on her, "Don't you dare close your eyes, you aren't done fighting yet."
Dean's clenched down harder on Brooke's arm, hoping pain would force her to keep her eyes open, but he regretted it immediately when her face morphed into someone else's. The sickening smile he saw on her beautiful lips sent his stomach turning.
"We are, for now." Brooke's eyes rolled back into her head then she fell limp.
Sam had to let go of the needle he was threading through her arm to not inflict more damage to her skin.
"What was that?"
Deans shook his head at his brother, scrapping to pick Brooke back up into his arms. "Finish stitching her up so we can get her the hell out of here. Cas!?"
"He told us he would be off angel radio for a while." Sam tried to placate his brother.
"Fucking sucky time for a vacation." He growled back.
Brooke was muttering but her body was still fully sagging against him. Dean lightly slapped her cheeks hoping she would open her eyes. They fluttered for a moment but didn't open. Dean did all he could then. Watch her chest rise and fall and check for a pulse when her chest took a little too long to rise.
"Give me her other arm," Sam told him, placing her stitched one softly on her lap to avoid the blood they were now all sitting in.
"This had to have happened on the 8th" It would explain the decomposing smell coming from the witch's bodies, "Brooke told me she was having visions where she woke up and was covered in blood, thought she had killed me."
"Man just let me finish this and we can prophecies later."
Sam was trying to work fast to stop the bleeding but also do a good job. This was Brooke, he didn't not want her to have an even uglier reminder of this incident.
Brooke remained still but her muttering commenced. When Dean when to pick her up her eyes snapped open. She fought to get out of his arms and Dean almost dropped her trying to place her down on her feet.
"NO!"
Both boys flew back from the force of her magic. Landing a couple of feet away from her. She dropped to her knees. her muttering more intentional this time, louder.
Sam got back to her first, flinching away when he tried to help her back up. He frowned at his brother. The wind outside picked up and water started to beed up from the floor and pool around her.
"Sam... Get the cuffs."
"What!?" Sam asked appalled by the request.
"I think she's trying to bring them back, get the cuffs!"
"Oh my god." Sam stumbled out of the house, running for the impala.
Ruby had given them a set of cuffs a decade ago, it held symbols and were made of pure iron. They were made to null a witch, which made them powerless. He had to dig for them, and once he had them he ran in a dead sprint back into the house to see his brother yelling for Brooke to stop trying to disrupt her spell.
"Here!"
As soon as those cuffs were on everything stopped and the house was quiet. Brooke's body shook, her breathing was ragged and they both watched as her head lifted. The look of horror and utter betrayal on her face.