Redemption (5/11)

Banner By: Mara

Chapter Four

February
Lawrence, Kansas
Chapter 5



Ruby shifted against the sheets, reached out a hand and frowned when it came up empty. Her eyes fluttered open as she sat up holding a sheet against her body. The room was dark and silent, something wasn’t right. She stood slowly, grabbing her knife from the night stand.

With one hand holding the sheet, the other poised at the ready she moved around the motel room senses reaching around the surrounding area. She felt something shift behind her and turned arm lifting and coming down quickly.

A large hand stopped the blade and slammed her hard against the wall. The lights flickered on and she was startled to see Sam in front of her. The tension in her body ebbed away as she scowled at him. “Jesus Sam, what the hell are you doing?”

He smirked, hand sliding against her sheet tugging at it. “Just having a little fun Rubes…why so tense?”

The tone of his voice was wrong and she was getting the strangest feeling from him. She swallowed hard. “Come on Sammy, quite messing around. We’ve gotta get out of here and find your brothers girl. It’s the only way we can stop Azazel.”

Sam’s grip on her loosened and he stepped back, his back ridged as he gave her a once over. “You know, I’ve actually changed my mind about that.”

Ruby scrunched up her nose in confusion. “What?”

“We’re gonna stick to the part of the plan where we kill Jo, but I’ve decided that maybe Azazel has the right idea…”

Ruby’s heart sped up in her chest as she took a step away from him towards the bed, voice calm as she spoke. “Sam, listen to me. I think something’s wrong, this isn’t you. Maybe if we call Dean he’ll be able to...”

Sam sneered, voice hard as his eyes flashed with something Ruby didn’t recognize. “We’re not calling my brother. You can either get on board, or you can be replaced. Pick quickly because I don’t have time for your indecisive shit.”

Ruby had reevaluated a lot of things since she’d escaped from hell and after learning what was really going on, she’d done the unthinkable. She’d turned her back on her kind, willing to help the Winchesters defeat the bad guys for real this time.

The longer she stuck around humans and the more she invested in the fight, the more she felt. It was like something inside her exploded letting emotions slip back into her system without her permission.

And as much as she had tried not to, she was falling for the younger Winchester. She’d always had this inexplicable pull towards him and ever since she’d gotten back, it had been worse. His words hurt; they hit home causing an ache deep in her chest.

She didn’t want to overanalyze what that meant, so she straightened up and glared at Sam. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Sam shrugged and motioned to the motel room door. Ruby’s eyes shifted right as the door popped open, a medium sized brunette walking into the room smirk on her face. The color drained from Ruby’s face as she heard the other woman chuckle.

“What’s the matter honey? You didn’t think you were the only one to claw you’re way out when Lucifer made his way topside…did you?”

“Meg…”

She flashed a cruel smirk as she slammed the door shut behind her. “In the flesh…tsk tsk tsk, someone’s been a naughty girl.”

There was no way Ruby stood a chance against Meg and Sam, especially with her blood flowing through his veins; she was still weak from the amount he took. Her eyes darted to the front door being blocked by Meg before she swallowed hard and made a run for the bathroom.

She never got that far. Sam’s hand came up and she flew against the wall, head connecting with plaster as her body crumpled to the ground. She struggled to get up when she heard a soft laugh above her. Meg’s eyes blackened as she leaned down pulling Ruby up.

Ruby tightened her grip on the knife still in her hand and when she was eye level with Meg, she lashed out slicing it across her arm. Meg screamed backing away from her, Ruby turning only to slam into Sam’s hard chest.

He glared down at her eyes shifting between his natural color and darkening to black. She licked her lips and tried to reason with him. “Sam…please…this isn’t you. I need you to focus, remember why we’re here.”

Confusion flew over his face and Ruby let out a sigh of relief. She was finally getting through to him, now if only she could get him away from Meg they’d be okay. She clasped her empty hand on his arm as she pushed him toward the door.

“Come on.”

She turned and before she knew what was happening he was twisting her arm around and grabbing the knife. She turned and the jagged tip slid through her stomach. Her eyes widened as he jerked it out of her body and pushed her lightly.

Ruby’s body fell to the ground shock on her face as he looked down at her stomach. His eye’s flashed again and she finally understood. “Oh god…you’re not Sam…”

An evil smile slid across his face as Meg sidled up next to him holding her hand out. “Give me the knife I want to finish the bitch off.”

He shrugged, handed her the knife and moved back. Meg stood over Ruby’s bleeding body, lifted the knife and as her arm came down for the kill the room erupted in a bright white light knocking Sam and Meg several feet in the air.

Ruby’s eyes were drifting shut and as the light subsided the last thing she saw before everything went black was a pale face and fiery red hair.


______

Chuck placed a cup of tea in front of Jo and she raised an eyebrow. He shrugged. “Tea, to calm the nerves.”

“I’m not nervous; I’m irritated there’s a difference. I’m tired of that bitch of an Angel giving us half truths. I want to know what’s going on and I want to know now.”

Chuck opened his mouth to try and ease her worries when there was a loud crash from the other room. Jo looked around the kitchen and spotted her duffle bag on a chair. She pushed away from the chair, unzipped the bag and grabbed her shotgun.

She made sure it was locked and loaded before she headed towards the door leading to the living room. She glanced at Chuck and put a finger against her lips signaling him to be quiet as she moved through the doorway gun at the ready.

Dean grunted as he pulled himself off the floor glaring at Castiel who stood perfectly at ease staring at him.
“Damn it Cas! I hate when you do that. You could at least freakin warn me. Look at this shit. I love this jacket…this was my dad’s jacket man…”

Jo heard the voice and froze in her tracks. It couldn’t be…could it? She turned the corner and saw Dean standing in the middle of the room brushing dust off his jacket, a tall dark haired man in a trench coat next to him.

“Next time try for a smoother landing. This place looks deserted, you’re telling me Chuck is here?” Castiel nodded as he looked past Dean and spotted a young woman, blonde wavy hair, shot gun in hand. He straightened and raised a hand as Dean turned. His eyes widened as he yelled.

“CAS NO!” Castiel froze and glanced between Dean and the woman. His body was stiff as his eyes took in her form. Castiel could see the hesitation on Dean’s face as he spoke in a soft voice filled with awe.

“That’s Jo…”

Castiel’s hand immediately came down as he stood awkwardly next to a silent Dean. Jo swallowed hard and lowered her shotgun. He looked the same. A little worse for the wear, but it looked like he hadn’t aged a day in close to five years.

The last time she saw him was after he’d made the deal to save Sam. That had been an amazing night and now with him standing there staring she couldn’t help the emotions that bubbled inside of her. She opened her mouth, but then slammed it shut.

Dean watched her mouth shut as he attempted to get his suddenly dry mouth to form a coherent sentence. It had been close to four years since the last time he’d seen her and she looked even more beautiful now than she had then.

He wasn’t sure what to say, they don’t exactly make a greeting for this kind of thing. There was movement as Chuck slipped out from behind her, uncomfortable smile gracing his features as he cleared his throat and waved. Dean’s glance shifted to Chuck and he glared at the prophet.

Dean pointed. “You…any reason why you’re not doing your prophetly duties and warning me about all the crazy shit going down?”

“Uhh hey Dean. It’s…complicated.”

Dean shook his head. “A simple phone call would have sufficed.”

Jo rolled her eyes at Dean’s attitude. Apparently his looks weren’t the only thing that hadn’t changed since the last time she saw him. “Cut him some slack would you.”

Dean raised an eyebrow at Jo, irritation filling his voice as he finally spoke to her. “You don’t get to comment. I’m still waiting for a note or phone call of some kind letting me know why you disappeared on me.”

A startled look crossed Jo’s face. He couldn’t be serious. There was no way he could still be mad about something that happened almost four years ago. “Are you kidding me?”

A look of indignation fell over his face. “As a matter of matter of fact I’m not.”

“That was over three years ago.”

“Point? Being abandoned in a motel room in the middle of nowhere’ll make a guy hold a grudge. Especially when the woman who left him there popped out his kid and never bothered to give him a heads up.”

She glared in his direction, hand on hip. “Like you’ve never bailed after sex before!”

“Not with you!” They stared angrily at each other as Chuck glanced between them, swallowing hard. He looked toward Castiel who just looked confused as Dean and Jo sized up one another.

“Guys…maybe now isn’t the best time to have this conversation.”

Their heads whipped around facing the prophet as they spoke in unison. “SHUT UP!”

Chuck put his hands up, backed away from them and moved towards Castiel. “I mean Jesus Jo…you had a baby. I missed five years. That’s not some inconsequential amount of time.”

“You sold your soul Dean! You were dying in less than a year. What was I supposed to do? Oh yeah William here’s your daddy, but don’t get too attached cause he’ll be dead in a year?”

Dean winced it was true. That had been the situation they’d been in last time, but what about when she first found out or when he came back from hell. What were her excuses then? “You still should have told me. If not that time then you should have gotten in touch with me when you first found out or when I got back from hell. There were so many opportunities to say hey Dean by the way you knocked me up.”

Her grip on the gun tightened as she tried to calm herself down. She would not do this with him. What’s done is done. She can’t change it and even if she could she wouldn’t. Jo knew for everything that had gone on at the time she’d done the right thing.

“Listen, I’m sorry you missed so much time Dean, but I won’t apologize for keeping you in the dark about William. Your life hasn’t exactly been child friendly since you got back from hell and I wasn’t about to put my son in danger. You know as well as I do they’d only use him against you.”

Dean sighed. He knew she was right, but it didn’t make it hurt any less. He opened his mouth to respond when the atmosphere around them shifted. He frowned as the shelves around the room started shaking. He pulled out his gun as Jo lifted hers.

They moved around the room trying to figure out what was going on when Castiel’s hand latched onto Dean’s arm. “We need to go. Now.”

“Cas…”

He shook his head and glanced at Chuck and Jo. “There’s no time to explain. I can only take one person at a time.”

The lights flickered and Dean grunted and he nodded towards Chuck. “Get him out of here first.”

Castiel nodded and appeared next to Chuck, before he could say anything they were gone leaving Dean and Jo to deal with whatever was coming. Dean moved to the back of the room as Jo shifted toward the side taking aim at the front door. “I still can’t believe you didn’t tell me.”

“Really Dean, we so don’t have time for this right now.”

The door shook, and then splintered before exploding, wooden shards flying everywhere. They ducked and when Dean stood again his stomach sank. Standing outside the door was Sam with a brunette in tow that he didn’t recognize. They walked over the barrier and Sam smirked at Dean. “Looks like you found her first huh?”

“Sammy…let’s talk about this.”

Sam snorted. “No Dean, no more talking. That’s not Jo. Months ago when I said she was alive…I was wrong. Azazel killed her Dean! If you don’t believe me ask her…go ahead.”

Dean shifted his eyes to Jo before moving them back on Sam who was now focused on Jo. “Tell him…do it.”

Jo winced and swallowed hard. “It’s true…but that doesn’t mean I’m not me. I was brought back.”

She rushed through the sentence and Dean’s heart sank. Could Sam have been right this whole time? Was it a trap? It couldn’t be. If it was a trap why would Jo be in that abandoned house with Chuck? Why would heaven be protecting her if she were evil?

Dean shook his head. “Sorry Sammy, no dice.”

Sam shrugged. “Oh well at least I tried.”

His hand came out and Dean ran towards Jo intercepting whatever power his brother had thrown her way. It hit him crackling around his body, throwing him several feet into the air and across the room. It felt like things were moving in slow motion as something tore at his flesh.

He heard Jo scream his name in the background as gunfire went off and when his head made contact with the ground he became disoriented. Jo watched Dean’s body fly into the air and she panicked. She lifted the shotgun and fired it in their direction as she screamed for Dean.

She knelt beside him and he grunted as he tried to sit up. Her hands covered the wound on his abdomen blood filling them, pouring through her fingers. “You’re gonna be okay. W…Why’d you do that?”

“I promised William…I promised I’d…bring you home.”

Tears pooled in her eyes and Dean tried to laugh, but pain wracked his body. Even if her words hadn’t been shaky he would have known the truth by the look in her eyes. Dean saw Castiel appear out of the corner of his eye. The Angels eyes widened as he took in the scene.

“Cas.”

His voice was weak but Castiel was by his side in seconds trying to assess the damaged as another burst of something was sent their way. Castiel deflected it as Jo spoke in a frantic voice.

“You need to get him out of here now.”

“No…Jo no. He needs to take you first.”

She glared down at the stubborn Winchester and shook her head. “No, Dean…please.”

He opened his mouth right as a bright white light filled the room knocking Sam and Meg off their feet. They looked up and Anna stood above them hair blowing lightly as she shook her head and bent down next to them. “I can’t leave you three alone for a minute can I. Cas take Jo and get out of here.”

Castiel reached out for Jo but she jerked away from him. “I’m not going anywhere without Dean.”

Anna glared at the tiny blonde. “I suggest you get out of here now unless you want your son to be an orphan.”

Jo’s face looked like she’d been slapped and when the large hand closed over her arm her eyes met Dean’s. She saw his mouth moving but everything blurred as tried to make out what he was saying.

She watched as Anna’s hand reached out closing Dean’s eyes and Jo fought tooth and nail against Castiel screaming out Dean’s name tears streaming down her face, before the fight left her body and darkness overtook her.

Chapter Six