The Edge of Winter

By: Ridley C. James, September 2008

Beta: Tidia

Disclaimer: Nothing Supernatural belongs to me.

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Chapter 3/9

“Forgiving does not erase the bitter past. A healed memory is not a deleted memory. Instead, forgiving what we cannont forget creates a new way to remember. We change the memory of our past into a hope for our future.” –Beverly Flanigan

The sound of screaming jolted Sam awake, his brother’s name echoing around him. It took a moment for him to recognize the collective disorganization of Bobby’s library where he had fallen asleep on the couch surrounded by his research. Caleb shouted Dean’s name again. Sam fought his way out of the sunken leather, freeing himself of the patched quilt he had mysteriously acquired sometime during the night. He stumbled over a stack of books desperate to make it to Caleb.

He could feel the older psychic’s panic and fear as if it were his own. Bobby met him in the hallway, flanked by his dogs Sampson and Lola. The mechanic was wild-eyed, shot gun in one hand, crucifix in the other. “What the hell is going on?” he demanded. The Rottweilers low growls rumbled in their throats.

Sam moved past them without a reply, making his way to the back bedroom. He opened the door but found the bed empty. The bathroom light was on and Sam heard the distinct sounds of someone being sick as he stepped inside. “Caleb?”

He got no reply and moved to the door. Bobby squeezed past him, ordering the dogs to stay. The mechanic took one look at Caleb then raised his knowing gaze to Sam. “Something you boys want to share with me?”

Sam watched as Bobby returned his eyes to Caleb, who still had his arms braced against the toilet. He was shirtless. The superficial burns from the holy water stood out vividly along with the bruises from their earlier fight pronounced more by Caleb's apparent weight loss. Bobby met Sam’s gaze again and he knew they were in trouble.

“Ain’t no damn way an elemental did that. What the hell is going on with him?” Bobby demanded. “He looks and acts strung out. Either a monkey’s hitched a ride on his back or he’s been sharing his body with an unwanted visitor. My money is on the latter.”

Caleb lifted his head and glared at the mechanic. “I’m right here. Stop browbeating Sam.”

“But you’re a better liar than he is.” Sam swallowed thickly as Bobby’s blue gaze pinned him like an insect to mat board. “You boys messing with demons?”

Caleb returned his attention to the toilet and his dry heaving, abandoning Sam to the inquisitor. “Could we maybe talk about this over a pot a coffee? Maybe an early breakfast?”

“Does this look like a fucking truck stop to you?”

Sam conjured a downtrodden look. “Please.” He gestured weakly to Caleb. “We’ll explain this. Just give us a minute.”

“Damn right you’ll explain. Bunch of idiots…” Sam recognized the weakening of the gruff exterior, breathed a sigh of relief as concern edged out over anger. “I’m not having anymore deals with the dark side on my watch. You got that? ” Bobby opened one of the sink cabinets, withdrawing a wash cloth which he wet and tossed to Sam. “Take care of him.”

Sam folded the warm rag and laid it on the back of Caleb’s neck, leaving a steadying hand there for a moment. “Hey? You okay?”

The glare wasn’t unexpected. “I’m peachy.”

The reply was so Dean-like that Sam felt the ache of longing like a punch. He didn’t believe this was a side effect of the recent possession; Caleb had been calling out for his brother. “Is this about Dean?”

Caleb pulled the washcloth from his neck, wiped it over his mouth before sitting back, his bruised body resting against the tub. “I’m going to kill that fucking bitch, Sammy. I swear to God I’m going to finish her once and for all in the most painful way possible.”

Sam’s heart quickened. “Was it a vision?”

“I don’t know what the hell it was.” Caleb threw the wet rag into the tub. “It seemed more like a nightmare, but I know I was connected with Dean. Maybe she’s toying with us.”

“Maybe it’s a Knight thing?” It frustrated Sam that so much about their positions were shrouded in mystery. Sam had read other Knight’s journals, including Maxim Madrigal's. Maxim had written of being able to ‘physically’ feel when Julian or Victor was in danger, though he had no psychic abilities. Victor, their Scholar, postulated that it was similar to the twin phenomenon that occurred when their siblings were in jeopardy; they shared the experience through some unexplainable link. In theory whatever connection Knight shared with Guardian and Scholar would be amplified by Caleb’s talents. “Was this similar to what happened when Conner took me and that psycho Peter kidnapped Dean?”

Caleb didn’t look comforted by Sam’s conjecture. “Maybe…I guess. Things concerning you and Deuce are more vivid since Wyoming.” He ran a hand through his hair. “There wasn’t anything specific.”

Sam bit his lip. “What did you see?”

“Rose is there. She’s doing things to him…he’s hurt.” Caleb met his gaze, looking nothing like the fearless, capable hunter Sam knew him to be. “He’s in pain.”

The lost helpless look was so foreign, so rare that Sam couldn’t help but to recall the few times he’d been witness to it. Each time it had concerned his brother, and each time it had scared the hell out of Sam. But none more than the morning they left Palo Alto, New Mexico bound.

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Los Angeles, November 2002

Caleb looked down at his watch, tapping the plane tickets on his thigh. He told Sam to be there at eight. It was ten after. First class was about to begin boarding. If the kid was a no show…

He stood and began to pace, needing to do something with the pent-up energy knotting his stomach, twisting his muscles. He glanced towards the gate entrance, acknowledging that lack of sleep and worry on his part could easily prove a lethal combination for the youngest Winchester if Sam caused them to miss their flight.

Caleb’s gut feeling that Dean was in trouble was bad enough, but the nightmares he’d been plagued with last night were confirmation the kid was in dire straits. It wasn't specific information, not one legitimate detail they could work from and no more humming, but it had been effective in assuring Caleb they needed to hurry, they needed to find Dean.

Dean’s pain had come through loud and clear. Caleb blamed himself. He had screwed around, getting caught up in the outside world John so often warned him about, and Dean was paying the price. Pastor Jim would be disappointed. New Mexico was supposed to be a vacation of sorts, a distraction at the most, not Dean’s demise.

The weight of his thoughts startled him. Dean couldn’t die.

“Caleb?”

Sam’s voice pulled him from his morose ruminating, and he forced a tight grin because Jessica was standing next to the kid, holding his hand. “I was wondering if you were going to make it.”

“Sorry,” Jessica replied. “I didn’t expect the morning traffic to be so heavy on a Saturday.”

Caleb shook his head at the blonde. “It’s okay. They haven’t started boarding.”

“Still, I should let you two get ready.” She gave Sam a warm smile. “Call me? I’d be glad to come and pick you up.”

“Sure. Thanks again for bringing me.”

“It wasn’t a big deal. I didn’t mind.”

Caleb refrained from rolling his eyes at the two, tempted to tell Sam to go ahead and kiss her already. Instead he pulled an envelope from his pocket and offered it to Jessica. “I’ve ridden in a car with Sam for long periods of time; I at least think we owe you something.”

Jessica eyed the envelope as one might a stray dog, not sure if it were friend or foe. “Really, it was no trouble.”

“And the two invitations were no trouble for me to get.”

She arched one delicate brow. “Invitations?”

“To the art exhibit.” Caleb gave Sam a small smile. “Sam mentioned it was by invitation only. It so happens that I know the curator of that particular gallery and she found passes for next weekend’s showing. Like your friend Pete said, if you can walk in and see a Monet, you should be able to look at this chump’s work.” Caleb cleared his throat. “Besides, I understand it’s the final one.”

“I didn’t realize it was going to end so soon.” Jessica took the envelope with a smile. “This is amazing.”

“I’ll try to have Sammy back before then. You two can make a night out of it.”

Jessica looked at Sam, an amused smile on her pretty face. “Sammy?”

Caleb grinned when the youngest Winchester groaned. “My older brother’s legacy to me.”

The mention of Dean destroyed the moment’s reprieve of levity. Caleb gestured to where he had left his bag. “I’m going to get my things. It was nice meeting you, Jessica.”

“Same here. Have a safe flight.”

Caleb stepped away, giving them privacy, although he highly doubted Sam would use it to his benefit. In the time it took for him to retrieve his carry on, Sam was standing by his side, a familiar scowl of impatience plastered on his face. “You wake up on the wrong side of the bed, Runt?”

“You hope to have me back by the weekend? What the hell happened to having me back on Monday morning? I have finals coming up. I can’t take a whole week off from school. I have to think about my scholarship. I need to back on Tuesday, at the latest.”

He gripped the handle of his bag, channeling his anger to prevent another argument they didn’t need. “I hope you are back by Monday, Tuesday at the latest. That means we’ll have found your brother.”

“But you don’t think that’s going to be the case?” Sam wouldn’t let it go. “You think they’ll be complications to the job.”

“Complications?” Caleb spat. “Dean is missing. That is the only complication.” The only thing that mattered.

“And as soon as we find him, I can come back?”

“It depends on whether Dean needs you to stay.”

“What the hell does that mean?”

“Just what it sounds like.”

“You think he’s seriously hurt, don’t you?” Sam took a step back. His voice hardened, even as Caleb sensed the kid’s fear. “This was bound to happen sooner or later.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“You’re scared. I can see it on your face. You’re worried we won’t find him in time…that maybe we’re already too late.”

It was the calm and matter-of-fact way Sam spoke the words that pissed Caleb off. It was as if Sam had expected such a visit and had prepared himself, as if Dean’s death was inevitable. “Shut up.”

“Why didn’t you tell me this last night?”

Had Sam forgotten about his lack of love greeting? “I told you everything I knew last night.”

“Did you have another vision?”

Caleb sighed, shifted his bag to his other hand. “I had a nightmare.”

“About Dean?”

Caleb pointed to their gate where they had just called for first class passengers. “We’re boarding.”

Sam caught his arm. “You showed up at my dorm out of the blue, spurring questions from my friends I wasn’t ready to answer, then you practically drag me on this insane goose chase, and now you’re going to pull Dad’s ‘need to know’ shit. I don’t think so.”

Caleb pulled away. “I know he’s hurt, damn it. Is that what you want to hear? I know he’s scared, and alone, and we’re too fucking far away to do him one damn bit of good.” He lowered his voice as a few passengers cast wary glances their way. “I’m sorry to inconvenience you, Sam, and I’m sorry that I put a hitch in your secret identity scam, but there’s a damn good chance that Dean may be dying.”

“Dying?” Sam’s voice was small, childlike. Caleb would have felt bad if it hadn’t been a reprieve from Sam’s cold clinical façade from before. “Dean’s dying?”

“Not if we can get there in time.” Caleb slung his bag over his shoulder. “Now are you ready to go, or what?”

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“Sam? Did you hear me?”

Caleb’s face came back into focus as Sam blinked a few more times. “What?”

“I said we’re going to get there in time. Dean’s not going to die.”

Sam wondered if the other psychic had gleaned his thoughts, doubted it was likely considering Caleb’s pinched and drawn features. It was more likely he read the fear on Sam’s face, sensed the sickening worry, threatening to give Sam his own turn at the porcelain throne. “But you’re sure Rose is there?”

Caleb pushed himself off the floor to sit on the edge of Bobby’s tub. “Yeah. That came through loud and clear.”

“Can you track her?”

“I wasn’t reading her. It was all coming from Dean. I don’t think he has a clue as to where he is, just that he’s in a world of trouble.” Caleb leaned forward, resting his head in his hands. “I don’t think he even knew I was there.”

“Maybe you could track him?”

Caleb glanced up. “If I had the equivalent of a psychic GPS, then yeah.”

“You’ve done it before. You’ve connected with us across states.”

“Connecting and tracking aren’t the same.” Caleb licked his lips. “It’s like knowing the Grand Canyon is out there, somewhere in Arizona. Without a map or road signs, knowing doesn’t do you one damn bit of good.”

“Then what are we going to do?”

“It’s been my experience that where there’s one demon, there’s at least three or four skulking about.”

Sam nodded, thinking back to when Dad had been taken. The demons had worked as a skilled unit to lay a trap for them. They had encountered such tactics more often since the release of the hundreds of demons from Hell. “Rose isn’t likely to be working alone.”

“So, we call up some of her peers and nicely ask where their bitch of a sister is.”

“You mean use a summoning spell?” Sam frowned. “Or are you talking about the amulet.”

Caleb smiled. “I was thinking you could just use your cell phone. Give your girlfriend a ring. Or is texting Ruby’s thing?”

“She’s not my girlfriend.”

“Call her and tell her to meet us here.”

Sam sighed. “Bobby’s not going to like this.”

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Bobby not liking the fact they were inviting demons into his home was an understatement. Sam concentrated on his eggs as the mechanic yelled at Caleb.

“Do you know how many times I’ve actually invited a black-eyed son of a bitch into my house, Junior?”

“You let Sam in when he was possessed.”

Sam glared at Caleb. “Leave me out of this.” He had learned early that laying low during a battle of wills between the older hunters was a smart tactical maneuver. The only exception was with his father where Sam seemed unable to keep his thoughts to himself.

“That was a highly thought out plan,” Bobby defended.

Caleb snorted. “Meaning it was one of Deuce’s off the cuff, seat of the pants kind of plan.”

“It was Sam.”

“And this is for Dean.”

Bobby shook his head. “How many times have I told you boys you can’t trust demons? They lie, they manipulate, they twist everything to their advantage.”

Sam knew that was directed at him. He stopped eating and answered, “I don’t trust her either, but I’m not above using her to save Dean.” He didn't know if it satisfied Bobby, but the older hunter directed his next diatribe at Caleb tossing Noah Seaver’s tarnished amulet on the table.

“Just like you’re willing to use this?”

Caleb slammed his coffee cup down, the brown liquid sloshing over the sides. “Where’d you get that?”

“Out of your bag.”

“You’re going through my things now? You don’t trust me?”

“I don’t trust your judgment.” Bobby gestured to Caleb’s untouched plate, his unshaven face. “For good reason.”

Sam braced himself, glancing between the two older hunters as they glared at one another. This was new. Sam had no litmus test for this subject. Lies and deceit weren’t their usual way, at least not amongst their inner ranks. Dean’s deal to save his life had a snowball effect, threatening to bury them all under the mounting half-truths and dubiousness.

“You had no right. What I do or don’t do is none of your fucking business.”

“When you bring it into my house it becomes my business.”

Caleb shoved away from the table, stood. “That’s easy enough to fix.” He looked at Sam. “Get your things, Sam. We’re leaving.”

Before Sam could make a move, mutter a protest at the order, Bobby leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms over his chest and laughed. “Well, well, well, John Winchester rears his ugly head. Next thing you know, you’ll be pulling rank, roaring about how you’re The Knight of The Brotherhood and ordering me to step aside as you do something completely and totally stupid.”

“Don’t talk about him like that.”

Sam whipped his gaze to Caleb, surprised at the fierceness in his voice. He tensed as the older psychic took a threatening step towards Bobby, unsure of what might happen next. Caleb was like John Winchester in some ways, but he lacked Dad’s explosive temper unless he was backed into a corner. Sam believed Caleb was unwilling to do any damage that would jeopardize the family unit he depended on. Of course, Sam had also believed that Caleb wouldn’t hit him, but had the bruises that said differently.

Bobby shook his head. “Junior, you’re just damn set on a path of self destruction, aren’t you?”

Caleb leaned forward, bracing himself on the table in front of Singer. “The only path I’m on, old man, is the one away from you, and your self-righteous platitudes.” His hand shot out quickly, closing around the chain of Noah Seaver’s charm. He straightened and started to move away, but Bobby’s movement was just as quick.

Sam felt paralyzed by his uncertainty. He wasn’t sure if he should intercede, wary to make matters worse. He watched as Bobby sprung from his chair, his finger’s latching onto Caleb’s wrist and preventing the psychic from leaving the room.

“Not so fast.”

Caleb attempted to shake out off the older hunter’s grip but didn’t manage in time. They all watched in silence as the amulet dangling from Caleb’s grasp mutated with his touch. Grime and rust gave way to luster, jewels shed their dull skin, glowing bright and ominous in the dimly lit kitchen.

Sam hadn’t paid much attention to the necklace when he’d seen it around Caleb’s neck at Jessup’s, hadn’t noticed that it looked like it did when Rose had possessed it. His mind made the quick leap to what that meant, and when he looked at Bobby, he knew the mechanic realized it as well.

Caleb made a noise similar to that of a trapped animal, snapping Sam from his thoughts. He swallowed, trying to bring some moisture back to his throat. “Bobby, let him go," he said, softly. Sam’s chest tightened, his palms began to sweat. It was like watching his own worst nightmare come to life, only with Caleb playing the lead.

Singer didn’t seem to hear him as he stared at the demonic trinket, watched it shimmer with a blasphemous beauty. “I’ll be damned.”

“No,” Caleb choked, letting go of the necklace which clattered to the table. “That would be me.”

They all gazed at the amulet as it morphed once more into its corroded state, seemingly aging centuries in seconds. Sam clenched his jaw, and willed his gaze to Bobby, anger overriding his uncertainty. Sam feared being evil almost as much as he feared losing Dean, understanding in that moment that it was a fear Caleb shared. He raised his voice this time, fueled by both the emotions he was wicking from the other psychic and his own selfish fears. “I said let him go.”

Bobby did as Sam said and Caleb took a stumbling step back. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I shouldn’t have come here after... I know how you feel. I understand what this means.”

Sam slid his chair back as Bobby faced off with Caleb. “And tell me, what do you think this means?”

“That Elkins was right. That you took the wrong side when you crossed him to stand by Jim and Dad.”

“You mean I should have helped Daniel kill an innocent kid?”

Sam looked at Bobby. He’d heard the story. Daniel Elkins, Knight of The Brotherhood at the time, had planned to kill Caleb, believing the thirteen-year-old was the last in a genetic line leading straight to the yellow-eyed demon. Sam had lived with the idea of being linked to that monster since Cold Oak and now considered what it was like for Caleb over the last twenty years. ”Bobby…” he started, but the mechanic held up a hand to cut him off.

“Stay out of this, Sam. There’re some things me and Junior need to get straight.”

“There’s nothing to straighten out. I’m not an innocent kid, never was.” He gestured to the necklace. “You saw it. I’m a demon. The thing you hate most. The thing you’ve spent your whole life hunting. The kind of monster you would never invite into your house…”

Sam swallowed hard, trying to keep down the remnants of breakfast. Caleb was voicing his thoughts, the same ones that kept Sam from telling Dean about what the Yellow-Eyed Demon had shown him in Cold Oak. He wanted to spare Caleb, to offer some kind of reassurance, but at the same time feared exposing himself.

Bobby sighed, ran a hand over his beard. “Junior, I’m more devil than you.” He picked up the necklace. “If it only took being a monster to bring out the bells and whistles on this toy, it would be lighting up like a high dollar Vegas stripper under stage lights right about now.”

Sam gave Bobby credit- the man knew how to turn a phrase. He glanced to Caleb, hoping the sentiment of the words was at least getting through. He was quick to grasp the hope they offered. Maybe absolution would be in store for both of them. “He’s right, man. We don’t know what activates its power.” There was always the possibility that neither of them were tainted. It was all a matter of perspective.

Caleb gave him an incredulous look. “I’d wager it would be a long shot to say it was good looks that powered it, Sam.”

Sam offered him a weak smile, feeling unsteady and more than a little cowardly. “Would explain why Bobby’s getting zilch.”

“You want to give it a go, Stretch?” Bobby offered Sam the necklace. “Knock yourself out.”

Sam quickly stepped back, his heart pounding against his chest at the idea. “No. I’m good. I’ve seen what that thing can do.” He feared what he might be able to make it do.

Bobby turned his gaze back to Caleb. “And what exactly does it do? Besides bring out the worst in a body.”

Caleb hesitated, ran a hand through his hair. “From my research, it seems to allow the person wearing it to summon and possess demons, or possibly leach the abilities of any number of supernatural beings. I haven’t tried to harness a spirit or poltergeist.”

Bobby’s face reddened. “You’ve just been messing with demons?”

Caleb shot Sam a quick desperate look before facing Bobby once more. “I’ve been possessing them, yeah.”

Bobby stepped forward and cuffed Caleb roughly on the head. “Have you lost your fucking mind?”

“It’s working.”

“Oh yeah,” Bobby snorted. “It’s working on putting you in an early grave, or maybe you’re hoping to be sent down to the pit, along with your best buddy, Dean.”

“I’m doing this to save Dean.”

Sam moved closer, his brother’s name bolstering his resolve. “He thinks he may be able to possess the demon that holds Dean’s contract.”

Bobby rounded on Sam. “And how the hell is that suppose to work?”

“I’ll control his abilities. Whatever power he has, I can wield,” Caleb said.

Bobby returned his gaze to Caleb. “And then what, Son? You’re going to force him to tear up the papers? Tell me all the money your daddy paid for college wasn’t a total waste. You’re not seriously thinking that literally, are you?”

“If I can’t change the deal or release Dean from it, then I can at least possess the bastard long enough for one of you to kill him.”

“What?” Sam stepped forward, not having heard this part of the plan. “What do you mean we can kill him?”

“Shoot him with the Colt. Stab him with the Dragon’s Talon. Whatever it takes to end the bastard before he ends Dean.”

“You sonofabitch.” Sam’s anger flared, thoughts of his own welfare disappearing under the weight of the familiar rhetoric. “Now you do sound like Dad! To kill the demon we’d have to kill you too.”

“No one is killing anyone!” Bobby roared, stepping between the boys. “No one is sacrificing themselves or throwing themselves down a pit. Do you hear me? Not one more person in this family is going to die. Just that damn demon.” He looked from Caleb to Sam. “Do you two chuckleheads understand me?”

Sam stuffed his hands in his pockets and hunched his shoulders. “Yes, sir.”

Caleb glanced down at the floor, but parroted Sam’s acquiescence.

Bobby reached out and wrapped his fingers in Caleb’s jacket and Sam's shirt. He gave Caleb a hard shake. “And just so we’re straight, Junior, this…” he cocked his neck towards the amulet on the table. “Doesn’t change a blasted thing between us. I made the best choice all those years ago. Jim was right about you. You’re a good man, an even better Knight. But if I catch you using this goddamn thing again, I will kick your ass so bad it will take a team of Doctor Daddy’s best men to put you back together again. Understand me, Sport?”

“But we have to save Dean.”

Bobby patted them both on the chest. “We have to save Dean from Rose. The rest we’ll worry about when he’s back where he belongs.” To Sam’s relief Bobby slipped the amulet into his jacket pocket. He was glad to have the responsibility of keeping Caleb from doing something stupid off his shoulders. “And we’ll do it without anymore demon play,” the mechanic added.

A knock on the door interrupted any reply. Lola and Sampson’s barking came from the other room. Bobby and Caleb stared at Sam, who shrugged. “It’s been my experience that Ruby doesn’t exactly like to knock.” He waved his hands. “She just appears.”

“I’ll get it.” Bobby pointed to the table. “Finish your damn breakfast. I didn’t slave over a stove at five in the morning for nothing.”

Sam watched the mechanic go before facing Caleb. “You okay?”

Caleb took a deep breath and let it out slowly, deliberately. “We need to get that amulet back.”

Sam shook his head at the man’s single-minded stubbornness. It was like Dad with the damn Colt all over again. “And you’re always saying the Winchesters are the most obstinate men you know.”

“It may be our only chance to save Deuce.”

At least Caleb wasn’t hell bent on revenge. Sam softened his voice. “Look, man right now we need to concentrate on one rescue at a time. We have to save Dean from Rose.”

Caleb ran a hand over his mouth. “That’s what I’m talking about. Hasn’t it crossed that brilliant mind of yours?”

Sam frowned. “What?”

“That maybe Rose wants the amulet. She pulled the same thing when she took John.”

“Damn.” Sam sat heavily in his chair, remembering the phone call when Meg had informed them she had Dad and wanted to trade him for the Colt. It all made a sick sort of sense. “Dean said Mac was worried about her not giving up on her insane plan to bring back her father.” He looked up at Caleb. “He thought it was safe in The Hunter’s Tomb.”

Caleb had the decency to appear a little guilty. “It wasn’t like I was going to let it out of my sight.”

“We can’t just give it to her.” Sam recognized the look in Caleb’s eyes, not unlike the one Dean had when Meg wanted to exchange the Colt for Dad. “You know that, right?”

“Did I mention that she’s torturing Deuce?”

Sam glared at him, the insinuation that he wasn’t putting his brother first singeing his frayed nerves. “Dean wouldn’t want us to risk her getting her hands on that necklace. That’s the last thing he would want.”

“We both know Deuce is too damn noble for his own good.”

Sam shook his head, reading his own interpretation into Caleb’s words. He wanted to believe Caleb didn’t ultimately hold him responsible for the deal, but in all honesty Sam couldn’t help but to feel the other psychic’s anger would be justified “Don’t you mean he’s too willing to sacrifice himself for all the wrong reasons?”

“Don’t twist what I’m saying to throw confetti on that self-pity party you got going on, Sammy.”

Just when they seemed to be on some kind of level playing field, Sam was tripped up by the same old stumbling block. One minute he wanted to shield Caleb, the next he wanted to clobber him. It was like a fucking roller coaster ride. He opened his mouth to use one of his brother’s favorite anatomically impossible suggestions, but a familiar voice cut him off.

“Bacon. I knew I smelled bacon.” Ethan Matthews breezed into Bobby’s kitchen like a man on a mission. He passed Caleb and Sam with a nod, before heading straight for the stove.

“I have a theory he can smell burnt pork from at least a mile away.” Sam stood as Elijah Matthews entered the room, Bobby trailing behind. “You’ll have to forgive my brother’s lack of manners. He hasn’t eaten in the last hour.”

“Five hours,” Ethan mumbled around a mouthful of meat. “I tried to get you to stop at that dive in Sparta, but no, you had to make it here by dawn.”

“We appreciate the sacrifice.” Caleb folded his arms across his chest. “I’d hate to think that Dean being kidnapped deprived you a much needed meal, Columbo.”

To Sam’s surprise Ethan smiled and poured himself a cup of coffee. “You’re welcome, Reaves.” He grabbed a piece of toast and some more bacon before joining Sam at the table. “Looks like you’ve missed a few meals yourself.”

“We got here as soon as we could,” Elijah assured, casting his brother what Sam interpreted as a ‘shut your mouth and eat’ look before turning his blue gaze to him. “I’m sorry about Dean.”

Sam had exchanged a few emails with the professor, feeling the need to at least keep in touch after Gideon’s funeral. He appreciated the fact the brothers were willing to fight on their side, especially in light of what they had lost. It had been Bobby’s idea to call in the two remaining members of the second-string Triad. They had contacts with other hunters not so enamored with Mackland, and they had sworn their loyalty to Dean, after Gideon’s sacrifice. “Thanks. We’re working on an angle to get him back as soon as possible.”

“That’s a good thing.” Ethan wiped his hands on his jeans. “Hunters are getting nervous. They don’t need any more bad news with the troops spread thin.”

“I heard we lost a couple of men out in Abilene.” Bobby reclaimed his seat at the table, keeping his eyes on Ethan. “Sanderson and Dabbs?”

Ethan nodded. “Silas is sure it was demons.”

Sam had the urge to ask about Griffin, but resisted touching on the taboo. Silas had not been as adamant about his allegiance to Porter’s faction, still maintaining ties to Ethan and Elijah. They knew Porter was involved with Caleb's ordeal with Agatha Hennings, but the division in The Brotherhood was in the far reaches of his mind until Dean’s life was saved. Keeping the future Guardian alive for his own purely personal reasons was the only effort Sam could spare for his future role of The Scholar.

“They’ll be more.”

The unexpected comment caught all five hunters off guard. Ruby joined the conversation as if she had been standing among them all along. Sam wondered if she hadn’t.

“Killing your kind is a sport.” Ruby moved from the kitchen entrance, scooping up Caleb’s untouched plate of food as she took the seat beside Sam like a welcomed guest. “The higher up in The Brotherhood, the more points earned.” She winked at Sam before turning her gaze to Ethan. “Mind passing me the ketchup, hon?”

“Who the hell are you?” Ethan asked.

“I’m a friend of Sam’s.”

“No she’s not.” Sam was quick to disagree. He frowned at the blonde, before giving Ethan a plausible excuse the police detective might buy. “She’s more like an informant.”

Ethan raised a brow. “A snitch?” He tilted his head, looking her up and down before tossing her the ketchup. He shrugged. “Hey, I’m not above using a prostitute for information.”

“She’s a whore alright,” Caleb said, striding to the table. “In bed with the lowest of criminal elements.”

Sam winced, knowing Ruby's reaction would be swift. He watched as Ruby went about covering her eggs with the red condiment. He hated having to reveal to the full house he was dealing with demons, but it was going to be inevitable.

“Now, now, Caleb Reaves. I came here with an open mind, willing to work with you despite your family ties.”

“I didn’t realize demons had high standards.” Caleb pulled the plate away from her.

“She’s a demon?” Elijah asked, the incredulity in his voice hard to miss. He looked from Ruby to Sam. “And you work with her?”

Sam was surprised the revelation came from Caleb. He expected Ruby to frolic her demoness in front of the other hunters to embarrass Sam or worse, have him ostracized.

“At least I was human once, unlike those that are born to the calling.” Ruby licked her fingers, cut her gaze to Caleb. “Believe it or not, there is a hierarchy.”

“Shut up, Ruby.” Sam didn’t like her taunting Caleb, but was more worried the older psychic would finish her before they could make use of her. She was casting doubt upon them, weaving a spell of her own.

“What? His kind is the reason we’re all in this mess together.”

Sam laid a hand on Caleb’s arm. “We called you here to talk about Dean. That’s it.”

Ruby looked around the room, feigning puzzlement. “I thought the place was missing a certain trashy kind of charm.”

“You know he’s been taken, bitch.” Caleb growled. “I can sense it.”

“Reading my mind?” Ruby clucked her tongue in mock disappointment. “How about now?”

Sam wasn’t sure what the demon showed Caleb, but the hunter’s face darkened and his hand was around Ruby’s throat, his knife poised above her heart before Sam could make it out of his chair.

“Do it,” Ruby gasped, a smile twisting her lips. “But kill me and lose any information I might have. Sam doesn’t want that.”

“Let her go.” Sam didn’t like it, but Ruby was right. They needed her alive for now. “She’s no good to us dead.”

Caleb released her, lowering his blade, but not surrendering it back to its sheath. “Don’t push me.”

Ruby rubbed her throat. “You have no sense of humor.”

“You think this is funny?” Sam asked. He waited for her to look at him. “My brother is missing, possibly with a demon who has shown herself to have little regard for humans in general, but happens to especially loathe Dean.”

Ruby frowned. “Someone not like Dean? Now that’s mind-boggling.”

“Shut up.”

Ruby sighed. “Look. Rose has him.” She cut her gaze to Caleb. “But I guess you already know that. I imagine keeping it a secret isn’t exactly part of her plan.”

“And what is her plan?” Bobby stepped forward, took the seat across the table from Ruby. “You seem to have all the answers.”

“If she’s taken something you want, I would wager you have something she wants.”

“Stop dangling the damn carrot.” Bobby snorted. “Contrary to popular belief a demon’s head won’t explode if they speak the truth.”

Ruby shrugged. “She wants the family jewels back.”

Ethan rested his elbows on the table. “Is that more double talk or are you talking about…”

“The amulet,” Elijah surmised. He looked at Sam. “She’s still after that amulet we found in Wyoming.”

“She’s determined to bring Daddy home.” Ruby turned her eyes on Sam. “Some people won’t realize when it’s time to let a person go, even if that person is dragging them down.”

“Where?” Caleb asked.

“I don’t know.”

“You’re lying.”

“She’s not,” Elijah said. “At least not outright.”

“She knows something," Bobby said.

“I’ve heard a few things through the grapevine. But there’s a lot going on in demon land. Rose has slipped a few rungs on the company ladder since her father’s passing. Nepotism doesn’t work when your whole family’s taken out by hunters, by one particular hunter.”

“We know she has it in for Dean. “ Sam understood all too well how Rose felt about his brother. Dean had ordered her exorcised, twice, and killed the yellow-eyed demon. The time he’d spent possessed by Meg had left an unforgettable impression. “That makes it all the more important that we find him as quickly as possible.”

“Then I guess we should split up.” Ruby stood. “I know two possible locations. Sam and I…”

Caleb shoved her back into the seat. “Sam’s not going anywhere with you, bitch.”

“Is it because you and Dean grew up without a mommy that you seem to toss that word around so easily, or are all hunters just naturally misogynistic?” She batted her heavily mascara coated eyelashes at them.

“She’ll come with us.” Elijah spoke up. Sam appreciated the rescue as it diverted Caleb’s attention.

“She will?” Ethan choked on his coffee.

Eli nodded. “Sam’s right. She could be useful.”

“So are dynamite and hand grenades, bro but you don’t see me walking around with them strapped to my ass.” Ethan put his drink down.

“Ethan’s right. I’m not sure that’s such a good idea,” Caleb said. “I think she should just tell us what she knows and crawl back under whatever rock she came from. I’m not putting anyone else in danger.”

“And if your boys find Dean and Rose?” Ruby asked. “She’s not stupid, she’ll be expecting company. Is the future Knight willing to send troops into a slaughter?”

“We’ve killed our share of demons, sweetheart,” Ethan defended. “And didn’t need a bottom feeder sucking us off to get the job done.” He cut his eyes to Sam. “No offense, Winchester.”

Sam sighed. “None taken.” He gestured to Ruby. “But she has a point There’s no telling how many demons Rose may have working with her. Ruby’s particular skills may turn the tide.”

“And what about you all?” Ethan asked. “You could be facing the same situation.”

“We’ll be going in loaded.”

Sam didn’t miss the look Caleb gave Bobby, or the stubborn frown that crossed the mechanic’s features as he interpreted what the psychic was suggesting. “I have a plan to even the playing field,” Caleb said.

“I don’t think I want to know.” Ethan slid his chair back. “When it comes to you all, I’ve learned to embrace the don’t ask, don’t tell philosophy.”

Sam was surprised the Matthews twins didn’t turn tail and run the other way after what they had experienced while in their company. It was a testament to Jim’s decision to choose them as possible Triad members.

“Smart boy,” Bobby said. “That’s why I expect you two to stay in contact and call us before busting in with guns blazing.”

“I’ll take good care of them.” Ruby grinned. “As if they were Sam.”

Sam grimaced in reaction. He knew he was being played, and didn't know why he allowed it. It was as if he was numb, separated from reacting to Ruby and the way she treated him. He hated to think he was allowing himself to be punished by tolerating her presence and promises.

Caleb stepped forward offering The Dragon’s Talon to Ethan. “If she tries anything you take care of her as if she were any other skanky demon from the depths of Hell.”

“No problem.” Ethan stood, smiled at Sam. “I’m sure I can scrounge you up another trick if worse comes to worst.”

“Just be careful.” Sam might have been willing to work with Ruby, but he wasn’t comfortable risking anyone else. ”Dean would never forgive us if anyone else died in this mess.”

Ethan’s smile faded. “Dean will be fine. He has to be.”

Sam looked at Elijah, who was watching his twin. If something happened to Dean, then Gideon’s death would seem pointless. The idea of his best friend’s noble sacrifice was making the loss bearable for Ethan. If that was taken away…Sam turned away when Elijah looked at him, slightly ashamed he had read the professor’s thoughts. He and Caleb weren’t the only ones afraid they might lose their brother.

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“Are you alright, my boy?”

Dean looked up from the water, meeting Jim’s concerned gaze. A building pressure behind his eyes made it hard to focus. He pinched the bridge of his nose, nodding instead of offering a verbal assurance.

Jim touched his face. “You never were a very accurate gauge when it came to your state of well-being.”

Dean snorted. “Then why bother asking?” Caleb did the same thing. He would ask Dean point blank if he was okay, but then discount any assertion that Dean made about being fine.

“It’s a hard habit to break I’m afraid.” Jim leaned back giving him some space. “I suppose it is my hopeful nature that things are not as bad as they appear.”

Dean dropped his hand. “Things are bad. Aren’t they? What if she kills me?”

Jim gestured around them. “If she wanted to do that, then you would already be dead and we would not have had this time.”

“Because I’d be in Hell.”

“Yes.”

“Then what does she want?”

“You tell me.”

“I don’t remember much after leaving the bar.” Dean licked his lips. He was not unwilling to share some of the memories with Jim of moonlight reflecting on pale skin and auburn hair, the cold leather of the Impala’s seats beneath them, the smell of lavender. He ran a hand over his mouth. Dean had thought he’d hit the jackpot. Rose had taken him for one hell of a ride before revealing herself. He shrugged. “Revenge?”

Jim raised a brow. “Again. I can think of better ways of accomplishing that.”

Dean swallowed thickly. Rose knew him. As Meg she had possessed Sam, working with Ian to set them up. She’d enjoyed toying with him, using his feelings for his brother like a weapon. “She would have hurt Sam or Caleb.”

“Demons do not often see things the way we do, but they tend to follow patterns.”

Dean recalled what else he knew of Rose, and her alter ego Meg. “She kidnapped Dad when she wanted the Colt after she…” Dean hesitated.

“After she killed me.” Jim patted his knee. “It’s alright, my boy. I was there.”

He nodded. “She went on a rampage to get his attention, murdering you…making us think she’d killed Caleb.”

“Johnathan had few fears, even fewer weaknesses; but those closest to him were always a chink in his armor. I always knew that’s why he held most people at bay. In that way you are very much like your father, my boy. You are willing to do anything to protect the ones you love.”

Jim was right. “I was going to give the damn gun to her if it meant getting Dad back.”

“John was a bargaining chip.”

“Shit.” Dean rubbed at his temples.

“Dean?”

“That’s what I am.” Dean should have realized it right away. He’d put the incident in Wyoming out of his mind; let the shadows of Gideon’s death and the amulet fade into the background in light of more pressing matters such as his deal, saving Caleb and hunting the supernatural. He was trying to be normal with a death sentence hanging over his head. “She wants the amulet.”

“The amulet?”

“Noah Seaver’s amulet.” Dean growled. “That bitch is going to try and trade me for the necklace.”

The pastor grimaced. “That would explain some things.”

“She’s hurting me for a reason.”

Jim finished his thoughts. “Caleb and Sam will sense your distress.”

“Why use a telephone to reach out and touch someone when you have access to the psychic hotline.”

Jim continued with his own train of thought. “She will of course offer you in exchange for the amulet.”

Dean groaned, being swept along in the wake of Jim’s discourse. “Damien won’t think it through. He’ll give in to what she wants.”

“He’s not unlike you in that respect. His feelings tend to guide him.”

“I need to get out of here. I’ve got to do something.”

“There is nothing you can do.”

“I can’t just float around out here in the pond with you while they face that bitch.” Dean squeezed his eyes shut as another sharp pain lanced through his skull, threatening to steal his breath. “This is all my fault. I don’t deserve to sit on the sidelines in some kind of self-created sanctuary.”

“My boy, you’re not hiding.” Jim’s hands found their way to his, covering his clenched fists. “Someone once said that contrary to its reputation as being a refuge, inaction is neither safe nor comfortable. When forced upon us, I’d say it is the most difficult of tasks demanded.”

Dean forced his eyes open, met the understanding gaze. “If something happens to them…”

Jim tightened his grip. “The demon won’t kill them.”

Jim’s voice held more than its typical hope and optimism. Dean pulled back. “What makes you say that?” He didn’t give the pastor time to answer. “Is it because what Ian Hastings said was true? You banking on Sammy and Caleb having some supernatural connection to the other team? Is that why you picked them as Knight and Scholar? Did you stack the deck, bring in ringers?”

The thoughts had been in his head for a while now, especially since the confrontation with Hastings and Fox in Cosby. Ian had been so smug in revealing Jim Murphy as a manipulative mastermind bent on using whatever means possible to win the game between good and evil. The idea of it went against everything Dean knew about the preacher.

He couldn’t help to recall how Gideon had seemed just as sure of his beliefs in Griffin Porter. The way Ethan and Elijah Mathews had been crushed by the revelations about the father they idolized and loved. Dean loved Jim, but all the secrets had left him scarred, unwilling to offer the same blind trust he’d given his father.

“My dear boy.” Jim released him with a sad shake of his head. “I knew Daniel Elkins theories were more than just ramblings of a paranoid hunter, and I had my suspicions as to your brother’s connection to it all after your mother’s death. It was definitely a factor in my decision to choose them for the next Triad.”

The revelation battered Dean, the betrayal adding its own form of torture to his psyche. It hurt more than the physical trauma he was having a harder and harder time fending off.

“Not for the reasons you think, Dean. It wasn’t a cold tactical ploy to stack the odds in The Brotherhood’s favor. Not completely. In the beginning, I saw the positions as brilliant cover, a shield that would protect your brother and Caleb from any recrimination their pasts might spur from either side. No hunter would try the things Elkins did against a Triad member if they valued their ring, and any demonic faction would hesitate in destroying any type of leverage they might believe in their favor.”

“Did you not ever wonder why your father, why Mackland, would so willingly turn their own children over to such service? Do you really believe them capable of watching you three be put in jeopardy, if they did not believe in the end it would protect you all in a way they never could. That I never could?”

Dean had wondered at his father’s motives, especially over the last year after finding out what had been kept from him and Sam. A part of him had worried it was a tradeoff of sorts, his father allowed to be privy to the world behind the curtain for the servitude of his children. But Jim’s explanation absolved his father of such unthinkable distrust. It reinforced what Dean knew in his heart. John would do anything for his family, for his sons.

“You didn’t know anything about us when we came to you. Why would you want to protect us?”

Jim appeared to understand his struggle. “I won’t lie and say that I did not realize the opportunity I was being granted when within a matter of months both Caleb, you and Sam were practically delivered to my door. I had yet to choose any succeeding candidates, a job Julian stressed to me upon his deathbed seeing as how his Triad had failed miserably in that area. But it was only after I watched you three grow, as your connection to one another grew that I became more and more convinced of the course of action I was being called to.” Jim gave a small smile. “And then there was the point in which I fell in love when the duty of The Guardian became blurred with the responsibilities of a family man. Emma and I had wanted children, understood because of her heart problem that natural ones would not be an option, but when you boys…” Jim eyed him, his blue gaze watery. “It seemed meant to be.”

“Destiny?” Dean finally interrupted. He licked his dry lips. “You’re saying this was Fate’s fault?”

“I’m not shifting blame, my boy. I take responsibility for guiding you, Sam and Caleb onto this path, but never once have I regretted it. Never once did I believe I had made the wrong choice. Some of my desires might have been the selfish need of an old man to protect the only grandsons he would ever have, but as luck would have it, I was also quite blessed in discovering a Triad of the likes of which had never been seen.”

Dean sighed. “You do realize your Knight is part demon, your Scholar has freaky abilities linked to the dark side, and your Guardian has a rendezvous in Hell in a few short months, right?”

Jim laughed, the sound of it chasing away the worst of Dean’s agony. “I did not say it was a full proof plan.”

“That why you have a second string team on the sidelines?”

Jim arched a brow. “It is the tradition to have a contingent strategy in place.

Dean snorted. “But you had complete faith in us that it would all work out.”

“I did. Still do, in fact.” Jim winked at him, nodding towards his fishing pole. “And it looks like I finally have a bite.” The preacher picked up his pole. “I have a way of almost always being right.”

It was the ‘almost’ that worried Dean. “But what about me?”

Jim stopped rolling in his reel. “There’s nothing to do but wait here with me and…”

“No," Dean cut him off. “I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about the Triad. I get why you picked Sammy and Caleb, but why me? Was I just an afterthought, convenient because I was Sam’s brother?”

Jim slowly put the pole down as the line ran wild. “You have never been an afterthought. There are things you won’t understand for years to come. You saved your brother and Caleb. If anyone was my ace in the hole, it was you.”

“I don’t understand.”

“You give them purpose. Caleb would die to protect you. Sam’s greatest fear is failing you.” Jim looked more worried than Dean had seen him. “Then there are the countless attributes that make you perfect for the job, much more suited than I ever was. All of those things I counted on to pick the leader of The Triad.”

“But what happens when I’m gone?”

Jim looked out at the water. “That is a very good question, my boy.” He returned his gaze to Dean. “Very good question indeed.”

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