{spn/dollhouse} promises were never made to be kept 5/5
Title: Promises Were Never Made to be Kept 5/5
Author: Aaronlisa
Fandom: Supernatural/Dollhouse
Pairing/Characters: Dean Winchester, Echo, Alpha, Adelle DeWitt, Boyd Langton, Castiel, Bobby Singer, Crowley, Samuel Campbell, Meg
Rating: FR13
Disclaimer: Supernatural belongs to Eric Kripke and company, while Dollhouse belongs to Joss Whedon and company. The title comes from "Emotional Rescue" by The Rolling Stones.
Notes: The story changes POV quite a bit and at times, some characters are dealing with the same events at the same time. Written for the 2012 sncross_bigbang.
Summary: Set at the end of Supernatural Season Five, Dean becomes an active and embroiled in the plots at the LA Dollhouse while Castiel and Crowley search for purgatory.
Word Count: 3748/16207
The air is heavy and Dean can feel a sense of dread in the pit of his stomach. He's placed all of his trust in a demon and a sociopath. He's certain that the deck is stacked against him and there's no way that he's going to win this hand. Crowley has told him that Sam has somehow managed to destroy Eve with the help of Bobby and their grandfather: Samuel Campbell. Now he's just waiting for Castiel to appear to clean up the mess, since there had been a massacre in the diner.
The heavy silver stake in his hand seems ten times heavier than it should be. And he wonders if he's nothing more than just a pawn on the chessboard, if what he's doing the right thing or if he's been lead astray by the demon. When Castiel's deep voice rings out, Dean almost drops the metal stake to the ground, it's Alpha who steadies his hand and arm. For a brief moment, he's no longer Dean and instead he's Romeo, and in that miserable room again with Alpha shoving far too many people inside of his head.
It's Crowley's voice who breaks the spell that Dean has fallen under. Dean presses his ear to the door of the bathroom, intent on hearing some justification that will make sense to him.
"Was it worth it?" Crowley asks, his voice loud and clear.
This is the agreed upon cue but Dean pauses. He needs to know for certain that the Castiel he thinks he knows is no longer there.
"I do not know," Castiel finally says. "Their sacrifice might be worthwhile in the end but only if we are successful."
It's that hint of doubt along with Alpha's firm push that causes Dean to stumble out of the bathroom feeling like a Judas but Castiel needs to be stopped. It should have been easy, it should have been black and white, he should have stepped out of that tiny bathroom and driven the stake into Castiel's back as planned but the angel turns and it's not so easy after all. It was never meant to be. Memories of killing Zachariah flood his brain and Dean remembers that killing that dick hadn't been easy either. Killing Castiel is harder, even now that Dean knows his old friend has turned.
Dean trembles at the thought of destroying Castiel even now hen he's full of doubt and Crowley's words. The metal stake clatters to the ground from Dean's nerveless fingers and he knows that it isn't Castiel using his powers on him. Even now with the evidence stacked against him, Dean wants nothing more than to believe in Castiel.
"Find another way," Dean says.
"You do not understand," Castiel replies, lifting his arm up.
"No!" Dean commands.
Castiel freezes for a moment, which gives Dean an opening. He's not sure how affectively he can use this moment with his Swiss cheese memory and his sense of doubt about who he is and what's actually going on. Maybe Castiel is right, maybe he doesn't understand.
"You sound just like Zachariah did with this whole the ends justify the means attitude," Dean angrily states.
"There is a war in Heaven, I am trying to prevent tyrants like Raphael and Zachariah from taking over," Castiel explains.
"By becoming a tyrant yourself?" Dean asks. "By becoming another Zachariah? How many humans have to die for you to win this war in Heaven?"
"You do not understand, Dean, you could never understand what I am fighting for," Castiel flatly intones. "This is why I needed you somewhere safe, both out of harm's way and unable to meddle in affairs that do not concern you."
Alpha has picked up the stake but he's not fast enough to stop Castiel. This time, Castiel is quicker and when he snaps his fingers, Alpha and the stake have disappeared. Dean looks around and Crowley is also gone. It's just Dean and Castiel and the familiarity of the situation makes him both sick and long for times gone by.
"You have become a liability to me Dean," Castiel says. "I can't trust you not to meddle in this war and I can't risk other angels using you against me."
"You know that this is wrong, Cas, you know this or else you wouldn't have kept me away," Dean pleads with the angel.
"I know that you think you can convince me otherwise but Dean, you do not fully understand what the stakes are. This argument makes me weary."
Castiel raises his hand again and Dean doesn't stop him. Instead he hangs his head in defeat and the moment stretches thin between them. Dean should have known that he couldn't have stopped Castiel. Dean sighs and Castiel finally snaps his fingers. And the room finally fades away.
* * *
Romeo wakes up in the stale smelling room that Alpha has confined the pair of them in. He can't remember what he dreamt about nor can he recall when he fell asleep. Romeo feels far more tired and empty than he can recall. There's a piece of him missing and whenever he tries to determine what it is, he feels like he's hitting a solid wall that he can't penetrate. It's worse than when he would sit in Topher's chair and endure a treatment.
He looks across the small room and sees Alpha curled up on his own cot sound asleep. Romeo thinks that maybe this is the chance that he has been waiting for and that he could run if he really wanted to. But he's not certain if he could survive if he did run. There are far too many voices clamouring in his head for him to pay attention to. The voices are loud and Romeo's not sure who he should listen to or who he should ignore. Echo and Alpha make this seem easier. There's a small voice that tells him that it wasn't always this hard for him to distinguish between the voices, to decide who he should listen to or who he should ignore.
Romeo cradles his head in his hands and he tries to silence the multitude of voices in his head, he tries to focus on the nightmare that had awaken him. However the dream is lost, fractured into far too many fragments for Romeo to make sense of any of them. The voices are too loud in his head and he's not even certain who he is anymore. Alpha stirs on the cot across from his and Romeo waits for the other active to wake up.
* * *
Alpha watches Romeo for clues to see if the other active remembers anything but if the other active remembers anything about Dean Winchester, Alpha can't tell. It's the uncertainty that makes him contact the dollhouse. It's dangerous but Alpha has no where else to turn. He needs to know if Echo is deteriorating in the same way. He leaves clues as to where the bumbling security team can find them and he ensures that the dollhouse won't be able to track them to their current hiding hole. No point in giving the dollhouse everything.
* * *
When Alpha makes contact with them, Boyd silently rejoices. This is the chance that he has been waiting for. He can recapture Romeo and finally destroy Alpha for once and for all. With Ballard, Boyd makes careful plans that don't involve Echo. Instead they take a selection of actives carefully imprinted while Adelle sentences Echo, Sierra and Victor to the Attic. The trio are getting closer to what they need to find their way to the center of the maze. Boyd's certain that they won't find exactly what they need but whatever they do find, it'll be enough to focus their attention on Caroline.
Boyd doesn't really want them finding Caroline or Echo to become her again but he does need them to find their way to Rossum's headquarters. It's only there with Echo and the others, including Romeo, that his plans can finally come to fruition. However before that can happen, he needs to neutralize Alpha and recapture Romeo, his back up should Echo prove reluctant to follow through.
The imprinted actives are armed and ready, they are standing in front of him and Ballard and a surge of power washes over Boyd. Finally he's close to completing his life's work.
"If you have the opportunity, you are to take the kill shot with Alpha," Boyd announces.
Ballard hisses in surprise next to him. No doubt Adelle had had different plans for Alpha but Boyd is not taking any chances that the sociopath will escape again or somehow ruin his plans. Boyd continues with his orders.
"Under no circumstances is the active Romeo to be harmed," Boyd orders.
Ballard tries to pull him aside to question the orders but Boyd impatiently brushes him off. Boyd has neither the desire nor the time to explain his plans to Ballard and when it comes down to it, Boyd is still the head of security and Ballard is still under probation.
* * *
Romeo feels a sense of terror as if he and Alpha are walking into a trap. He doesn't voice this fear to Alpha because he's not sure of where it comes from and he doesn't think that Alpha will care. There's something reckless about Alpha's behaviour, not that Romeo would have ever have referred to Alpha's behaviour as cautious in the past. Alpha has always been flamboyant and has always acted as if he wants everyone to capture him. Romeo is well aware of how dangerous Alpha is, having had first hand experience of it. But the other active's recklessness currently worries him, it's as if Alpha doesn't care if they are caught as if he's welcoming it.
They enter the empty mansion that seems to have some sort of significance for Alpha but none for Romeo. Alpha flashes a smirk at Romeo and Romeo realizes that there's more to the picture than what Alpha has painted for him. He worries that the trap that he fears they are walking into is one of Alpha's own creation. Romeo knows that Alpha is arrogant and that the other active truly thinks he is a god but from everything that Romeo has seen, the god that is Alpha bleeds just like any other mortal does. And Romeo has the faint memory of other gods bleeding just like any other human did. He shakes his head away and tries to focus on their surroundings.
He feels naked without any sort of weapon in his hand and he wonders if that's the point. If Alpha has decided to get rid of him because Echo hasn't materialized like he had planned. Romeo's lost in his thoughts when the muffled sounds of a bolt sliding home in a gun spur him into action. He tackles Alpha to the floor as the bullet grazes his shoulder.
Romeo's head is pounding but he doesn't stop as he half-pushes and half-drags Alpha toward cover. The other active is shaking as a hail of bullets spray over their heads. Romeo can barely hear an angry voice shouting orders over the pounding in his head and the adrenaline that's pumping through his veins. He manages to get them into a small room off of the much larger room that they were in. The larger room reminds him of another room, one that he can't quite place but it's a sent of deja vu that he doesn't like.
"What's going on?" Romeo demands.
Alpha tells him how he had contacted the dollhouse in order to return Romeo to them. It doesn't take much for Romeo to figure out that Alpha had been betrayed. It's not really a question of why for Romeo although Alpha can't seem to figure it out. A voice that's not his own resounds in his head says something snarky about how gods don't seem to realize how they have a habit of pissing off mortals.
"We need to get you out of here," Romeo finally says.
"And what about you?" Alpha asks.
"I'm pretty sure they're here for you."
There's a small window in the room and although Romeo thinks that the house is surrounded, he thinks that it's the best option they have. Alpha escapes through the window and Romeo walks through the doorway, with his hands in the air. His heart is in his mouth as he walks out, certain that he'll be greeted by another hail of bullets despite what he had said to Alpha.
He's greeted by an armed squat team and one of them starts barking orders at him. Romeo recognizes the group from the dollhouse. It's Boyd who gets them to lower their firearms and he's the one that waves Romeo forward.
"Where is Alpha?" Boyd asks.
For a moment, Romeo's not sure if he should play dumb and blank or if he should act aware. However, he's certain that no matter how he acts, he'll be wiped in the dollhouse.
"Out the window," Romeo finally says.
Boyd barks something into a walkie-talkie and waves the armed actives out towards the exit. Romeo and Boyd face one another and Romeo wonders how this will end.
"Echo is in danger, we need to get to the house immediately," Boyd finally says.
"And the others?" Romeo questions.
"They can worry about Alpha," Boyd says. "There's something much larger than Alpha at work here."
Romeo is tired of being a pawn on an elaborate chessboard where he's not aware of the game that's being played. Yet he has no choice and he follows Boyd out of the house and into the van. It's time to return to the dollhouse whether he wants to or not. There's a part of him that knows that nothing will change, that it'll be another war for him to fight, another war for him to lose.
And for a moment, he's not quite Romeo anymore. He's someone else who is much more tired and weary of the fight. Someone who's already resigned to his fate no matter how futile it is.
* * *
He's not arrogant enough to think that it all started with him and now it'll end with him but Crowley can't help but feel that it once started with him imprisoned in some sort of hell and now he's traded up for another imprisonment in his new hell. The only thing that's worse about the whole situation is that this time he's not mortal but instead he's immortal. Death won't bring him any sort of release from this hell. Nor will his acceptance of it.
The warehouse reeks of stale blood and terror and Crowley hates his base of operations even more since the stale blood and terror is his own. Castiel has imprisoned him there while he finishes collecting what he needs for his ritual to open purgatory. As far as Crowley can tell Dean has disappeared, Sam Winchester is off doing whatever it is that sociopath hunters do and Samuel Campbell has either been rewarded or destroyed. Crowley knows that if the hunter hadn't been neutralized, he'd be tracking Crowley down to ensure that his precious daughter was restored to him.
Crowley knows that even if Sam were to find out what Castiel's plan is, the younger Winchester wouldn't care enough to stop the angel. He doesn't doubt that Bobby has been threatened into submission if he has a clue as to what's happened. The only ones who might help him are currently locked in Lucifer's cage: Lucifer and Michael. Crowley can't help but wonder how long Castiel has been planning this particular plan. Everything seems to have fallen to neatly into place.
At the end of the day, what he misses the most isn't his freedom or his throne in Hell, instead he misses being clean, he misses the taste of a fine whiskey, although at this point he'd take some of Bobby's rotgut. Worse of all, Crowley misses the smug attitude of Dean and Sam Winchester. The Winchester brothers would have delighted in Crowley being trapped in a cage but he doesn't doubt that the brothers he knew would have given him the freedom of oblivion.
He's not left alone with his thoughts for very long. Meg enters his cell with a smirk on her face soon enough. He should have known that Castiel's own little demon would show up sooner than later to torture him. She always does. Crowley is tired and he wants nothing more than to beg for her to stop but he won't give her that sort of pleasure. Instead he smirks at her in return, he's not quite broken.
"Hello Meg," Crowley calmly says. "Have you come to torture me yet again? Don't answer that with the obvious my dear, I just want to remind you that Castiel won't be able to keep me here forever."
Meg laughs, the sound brittle even to Crowley's ears, before she slices him with a blade. Thankfully it's not the blade that he fears the most. As tired as he is, Crowley isn't quite ready to die.
* * *
Bobby sighs as he downs a shot of the rotgut whiskey. He has tried to reach out to Sam Winchester but Dean's younger brother isn't interested in his brother's whereabouts. To Sam, Dean has either retired and found a bolt hole where he can be left alone or he's dead. Neither option really concerns Sam who has monsters to hunt. Bobby won't be surprised to hear of Sam's death sooner than later. Without Crowley's project, the younger Winchester has gone off the rails. And there's nothing that Bobby can do to stop him.
All of Bobby's leads on Dean Winchester have lead to one dead end after another. He doesn't want to give up on both of the boys that he has considered to be like his own sons but he's starting to feel like he has no choice but to do so. Bobby pours himself another shot of the cheap whiskey and for some reason he thinks of Crowley. And once he thinks of the demon, he's realizes he's never used all of his resources in finding Dean.
Once he starts thinking about Crowley, he can't stop thinking about the demon. Bobby doesn't know if the demon holds all of the answers but he's certain that the demon is a good place to start. He's not certain as to why he didn't think of the demon in the first place. Although there's never been any love lost between him and the former cross roads demon. Bobby's certain that Crowley would screw him over as quickly as he would help him. Still Bobby decides after he drains the second shot of whiskey, it's worth a shot.
He gathers the necessary items to summon Crowley. Before he performs the ritual he leaves the house and purchases an expensive bottle of whiskey. He decides that if he's going to ask for a favour, he might as well as sweeten the pot. And he'd rather he didn't sweeten the pot by offering his soul to Crowley again.
* * *
Crowley is almost at the point where he's about to beg Meg to end it all. And then he feels a tightening in his stomach, he bites his lower lip to avoid from laughing at Meg and at Castiel. For all of their preparedness, they hadn't prepared for someone to summon him. Even though he knows it can mean one of two things: either Dean's back in fighting form or Sam's been turned back into a real boy he can't find it in himself to care.
When he stumbles to his knees in front of Bobby Singer, Crowley is even more relieved. No doubt the old man wants the same thing as he does: Dean Winchester. And once Crowley tells him what he knows, Crowley can escape to the safety of Hell where Meg and Castiel won't be able to touch him. Unless they summon him. Crowley curses with that realization. The only way he'll be safe is for Bobby to trap him in a devil's trap. He's just exchanged one prison for another.
"What do you want?" Crowley snarls.
"I thought that we could have a discussion over a glass of whiskey."
"I wouldn't drink your rotgut if you paid me to," Crowley says with a sneer.
It doesn't matter that a short while ago, he would have killed for it. Now all that matters is that sooner than later, Castiel and Meg will summon him and he'll be tortured worse than he was before. Although there is a ritual that would bind him to Bobby, a ritual that he'd rather not use if he had another option.
"That's why I bought you a fancy bottle," Bobby replies.
Crowley appreciates the gesture but it cements the fact that Bobby wants something. Although that can be worked in his favour.
"What do you want," Crowley asks again as he pours himself a glass of the whisky.
It's not the best but it's better than what Bobby normally drinks. He drinks the alcohol savouring the burn as it goes down his raw throat.
"I want information on Dean," Bobby says.
"Say I had that information, do you expect me to give that to you for free?" Crowley asks.
"No, what do you want?"
It surprises Crowley that the older hunter is willing to work out a deal. He would have thought that Bobby would have taken advantage of Crowley's obvious weakness. Then again, the older hunter has always had a sense of playing fair. A sense that will wind up with him dead.
"There's a ritual that I need help in casting," Crowley says.
"And what does this ritual give you?" Bobby asks.
He should have known that he couldn't have just gotten away with convincing Bobby to cast the ritual.
"I'm in a spot of trouble, I need to be bound to a human in order to escape that spot."
Bobby sighs and drinks his own shot of whiskey while Crowley waits for the next question.
"What human?"
"You," Crowley replies.
"Balls!"
With that curse, Crowley knows that it'll only be a matter of time before he convinces Bobby to work with him. Crowley takes another sip of the whiskey and he smiles as it goes down.
Author: Aaronlisa
Fandom: Supernatural/Dollhouse
Pairing/Characters: Dean Winchester, Echo, Alpha, Adelle DeWitt, Boyd Langton, Castiel, Bobby Singer, Crowley, Samuel Campbell, Meg
Rating: FR13
Disclaimer: Supernatural belongs to Eric Kripke and company, while Dollhouse belongs to Joss Whedon and company. The title comes from "Emotional Rescue" by The Rolling Stones.
Notes: The story changes POV quite a bit and at times, some characters are dealing with the same events at the same time. Written for the 2012 sncross_bigbang.
Summary: Set at the end of Supernatural Season Five, Dean becomes an active and embroiled in the plots at the LA Dollhouse while Castiel and Crowley search for purgatory.
Word Count: 3748/16207
The air is heavy and Dean can feel a sense of dread in the pit of his stomach. He's placed all of his trust in a demon and a sociopath. He's certain that the deck is stacked against him and there's no way that he's going to win this hand. Crowley has told him that Sam has somehow managed to destroy Eve with the help of Bobby and their grandfather: Samuel Campbell. Now he's just waiting for Castiel to appear to clean up the mess, since there had been a massacre in the diner.
The heavy silver stake in his hand seems ten times heavier than it should be. And he wonders if he's nothing more than just a pawn on the chessboard, if what he's doing the right thing or if he's been lead astray by the demon. When Castiel's deep voice rings out, Dean almost drops the metal stake to the ground, it's Alpha who steadies his hand and arm. For a brief moment, he's no longer Dean and instead he's Romeo, and in that miserable room again with Alpha shoving far too many people inside of his head.
It's Crowley's voice who breaks the spell that Dean has fallen under. Dean presses his ear to the door of the bathroom, intent on hearing some justification that will make sense to him.
"Was it worth it?" Crowley asks, his voice loud and clear.
This is the agreed upon cue but Dean pauses. He needs to know for certain that the Castiel he thinks he knows is no longer there.
"I do not know," Castiel finally says. "Their sacrifice might be worthwhile in the end but only if we are successful."
It's that hint of doubt along with Alpha's firm push that causes Dean to stumble out of the bathroom feeling like a Judas but Castiel needs to be stopped. It should have been easy, it should have been black and white, he should have stepped out of that tiny bathroom and driven the stake into Castiel's back as planned but the angel turns and it's not so easy after all. It was never meant to be. Memories of killing Zachariah flood his brain and Dean remembers that killing that dick hadn't been easy either. Killing Castiel is harder, even now that Dean knows his old friend has turned.
Dean trembles at the thought of destroying Castiel even now hen he's full of doubt and Crowley's words. The metal stake clatters to the ground from Dean's nerveless fingers and he knows that it isn't Castiel using his powers on him. Even now with the evidence stacked against him, Dean wants nothing more than to believe in Castiel.
"Find another way," Dean says.
"You do not understand," Castiel replies, lifting his arm up.
"No!" Dean commands.
Castiel freezes for a moment, which gives Dean an opening. He's not sure how affectively he can use this moment with his Swiss cheese memory and his sense of doubt about who he is and what's actually going on. Maybe Castiel is right, maybe he doesn't understand.
"You sound just like Zachariah did with this whole the ends justify the means attitude," Dean angrily states.
"There is a war in Heaven, I am trying to prevent tyrants like Raphael and Zachariah from taking over," Castiel explains.
"By becoming a tyrant yourself?" Dean asks. "By becoming another Zachariah? How many humans have to die for you to win this war in Heaven?"
"You do not understand, Dean, you could never understand what I am fighting for," Castiel flatly intones. "This is why I needed you somewhere safe, both out of harm's way and unable to meddle in affairs that do not concern you."
Alpha has picked up the stake but he's not fast enough to stop Castiel. This time, Castiel is quicker and when he snaps his fingers, Alpha and the stake have disappeared. Dean looks around and Crowley is also gone. It's just Dean and Castiel and the familiarity of the situation makes him both sick and long for times gone by.
"You have become a liability to me Dean," Castiel says. "I can't trust you not to meddle in this war and I can't risk other angels using you against me."
"You know that this is wrong, Cas, you know this or else you wouldn't have kept me away," Dean pleads with the angel.
"I know that you think you can convince me otherwise but Dean, you do not fully understand what the stakes are. This argument makes me weary."
Castiel raises his hand again and Dean doesn't stop him. Instead he hangs his head in defeat and the moment stretches thin between them. Dean should have known that he couldn't have stopped Castiel. Dean sighs and Castiel finally snaps his fingers. And the room finally fades away.
* * *
Romeo wakes up in the stale smelling room that Alpha has confined the pair of them in. He can't remember what he dreamt about nor can he recall when he fell asleep. Romeo feels far more tired and empty than he can recall. There's a piece of him missing and whenever he tries to determine what it is, he feels like he's hitting a solid wall that he can't penetrate. It's worse than when he would sit in Topher's chair and endure a treatment.
He looks across the small room and sees Alpha curled up on his own cot sound asleep. Romeo thinks that maybe this is the chance that he has been waiting for and that he could run if he really wanted to. But he's not certain if he could survive if he did run. There are far too many voices clamouring in his head for him to pay attention to. The voices are loud and Romeo's not sure who he should listen to or who he should ignore. Echo and Alpha make this seem easier. There's a small voice that tells him that it wasn't always this hard for him to distinguish between the voices, to decide who he should listen to or who he should ignore.
Romeo cradles his head in his hands and he tries to silence the multitude of voices in his head, he tries to focus on the nightmare that had awaken him. However the dream is lost, fractured into far too many fragments for Romeo to make sense of any of them. The voices are too loud in his head and he's not even certain who he is anymore. Alpha stirs on the cot across from his and Romeo waits for the other active to wake up.
* * *
Alpha watches Romeo for clues to see if the other active remembers anything but if the other active remembers anything about Dean Winchester, Alpha can't tell. It's the uncertainty that makes him contact the dollhouse. It's dangerous but Alpha has no where else to turn. He needs to know if Echo is deteriorating in the same way. He leaves clues as to where the bumbling security team can find them and he ensures that the dollhouse won't be able to track them to their current hiding hole. No point in giving the dollhouse everything.
* * *
When Alpha makes contact with them, Boyd silently rejoices. This is the chance that he has been waiting for. He can recapture Romeo and finally destroy Alpha for once and for all. With Ballard, Boyd makes careful plans that don't involve Echo. Instead they take a selection of actives carefully imprinted while Adelle sentences Echo, Sierra and Victor to the Attic. The trio are getting closer to what they need to find their way to the center of the maze. Boyd's certain that they won't find exactly what they need but whatever they do find, it'll be enough to focus their attention on Caroline.
Boyd doesn't really want them finding Caroline or Echo to become her again but he does need them to find their way to Rossum's headquarters. It's only there with Echo and the others, including Romeo, that his plans can finally come to fruition. However before that can happen, he needs to neutralize Alpha and recapture Romeo, his back up should Echo prove reluctant to follow through.
The imprinted actives are armed and ready, they are standing in front of him and Ballard and a surge of power washes over Boyd. Finally he's close to completing his life's work.
"If you have the opportunity, you are to take the kill shot with Alpha," Boyd announces.
Ballard hisses in surprise next to him. No doubt Adelle had had different plans for Alpha but Boyd is not taking any chances that the sociopath will escape again or somehow ruin his plans. Boyd continues with his orders.
"Under no circumstances is the active Romeo to be harmed," Boyd orders.
Ballard tries to pull him aside to question the orders but Boyd impatiently brushes him off. Boyd has neither the desire nor the time to explain his plans to Ballard and when it comes down to it, Boyd is still the head of security and Ballard is still under probation.
* * *
Romeo feels a sense of terror as if he and Alpha are walking into a trap. He doesn't voice this fear to Alpha because he's not sure of where it comes from and he doesn't think that Alpha will care. There's something reckless about Alpha's behaviour, not that Romeo would have ever have referred to Alpha's behaviour as cautious in the past. Alpha has always been flamboyant and has always acted as if he wants everyone to capture him. Romeo is well aware of how dangerous Alpha is, having had first hand experience of it. But the other active's recklessness currently worries him, it's as if Alpha doesn't care if they are caught as if he's welcoming it.
They enter the empty mansion that seems to have some sort of significance for Alpha but none for Romeo. Alpha flashes a smirk at Romeo and Romeo realizes that there's more to the picture than what Alpha has painted for him. He worries that the trap that he fears they are walking into is one of Alpha's own creation. Romeo knows that Alpha is arrogant and that the other active truly thinks he is a god but from everything that Romeo has seen, the god that is Alpha bleeds just like any other mortal does. And Romeo has the faint memory of other gods bleeding just like any other human did. He shakes his head away and tries to focus on their surroundings.
He feels naked without any sort of weapon in his hand and he wonders if that's the point. If Alpha has decided to get rid of him because Echo hasn't materialized like he had planned. Romeo's lost in his thoughts when the muffled sounds of a bolt sliding home in a gun spur him into action. He tackles Alpha to the floor as the bullet grazes his shoulder.
Romeo's head is pounding but he doesn't stop as he half-pushes and half-drags Alpha toward cover. The other active is shaking as a hail of bullets spray over their heads. Romeo can barely hear an angry voice shouting orders over the pounding in his head and the adrenaline that's pumping through his veins. He manages to get them into a small room off of the much larger room that they were in. The larger room reminds him of another room, one that he can't quite place but it's a sent of deja vu that he doesn't like.
"What's going on?" Romeo demands.
Alpha tells him how he had contacted the dollhouse in order to return Romeo to them. It doesn't take much for Romeo to figure out that Alpha had been betrayed. It's not really a question of why for Romeo although Alpha can't seem to figure it out. A voice that's not his own resounds in his head says something snarky about how gods don't seem to realize how they have a habit of pissing off mortals.
"We need to get you out of here," Romeo finally says.
"And what about you?" Alpha asks.
"I'm pretty sure they're here for you."
There's a small window in the room and although Romeo thinks that the house is surrounded, he thinks that it's the best option they have. Alpha escapes through the window and Romeo walks through the doorway, with his hands in the air. His heart is in his mouth as he walks out, certain that he'll be greeted by another hail of bullets despite what he had said to Alpha.
He's greeted by an armed squat team and one of them starts barking orders at him. Romeo recognizes the group from the dollhouse. It's Boyd who gets them to lower their firearms and he's the one that waves Romeo forward.
"Where is Alpha?" Boyd asks.
For a moment, Romeo's not sure if he should play dumb and blank or if he should act aware. However, he's certain that no matter how he acts, he'll be wiped in the dollhouse.
"Out the window," Romeo finally says.
Boyd barks something into a walkie-talkie and waves the armed actives out towards the exit. Romeo and Boyd face one another and Romeo wonders how this will end.
"Echo is in danger, we need to get to the house immediately," Boyd finally says.
"And the others?" Romeo questions.
"They can worry about Alpha," Boyd says. "There's something much larger than Alpha at work here."
Romeo is tired of being a pawn on an elaborate chessboard where he's not aware of the game that's being played. Yet he has no choice and he follows Boyd out of the house and into the van. It's time to return to the dollhouse whether he wants to or not. There's a part of him that knows that nothing will change, that it'll be another war for him to fight, another war for him to lose.
And for a moment, he's not quite Romeo anymore. He's someone else who is much more tired and weary of the fight. Someone who's already resigned to his fate no matter how futile it is.
* * *
He's not arrogant enough to think that it all started with him and now it'll end with him but Crowley can't help but feel that it once started with him imprisoned in some sort of hell and now he's traded up for another imprisonment in his new hell. The only thing that's worse about the whole situation is that this time he's not mortal but instead he's immortal. Death won't bring him any sort of release from this hell. Nor will his acceptance of it.
The warehouse reeks of stale blood and terror and Crowley hates his base of operations even more since the stale blood and terror is his own. Castiel has imprisoned him there while he finishes collecting what he needs for his ritual to open purgatory. As far as Crowley can tell Dean has disappeared, Sam Winchester is off doing whatever it is that sociopath hunters do and Samuel Campbell has either been rewarded or destroyed. Crowley knows that if the hunter hadn't been neutralized, he'd be tracking Crowley down to ensure that his precious daughter was restored to him.
Crowley knows that even if Sam were to find out what Castiel's plan is, the younger Winchester wouldn't care enough to stop the angel. He doesn't doubt that Bobby has been threatened into submission if he has a clue as to what's happened. The only ones who might help him are currently locked in Lucifer's cage: Lucifer and Michael. Crowley can't help but wonder how long Castiel has been planning this particular plan. Everything seems to have fallen to neatly into place.
At the end of the day, what he misses the most isn't his freedom or his throne in Hell, instead he misses being clean, he misses the taste of a fine whiskey, although at this point he'd take some of Bobby's rotgut. Worse of all, Crowley misses the smug attitude of Dean and Sam Winchester. The Winchester brothers would have delighted in Crowley being trapped in a cage but he doesn't doubt that the brothers he knew would have given him the freedom of oblivion.
He's not left alone with his thoughts for very long. Meg enters his cell with a smirk on her face soon enough. He should have known that Castiel's own little demon would show up sooner than later to torture him. She always does. Crowley is tired and he wants nothing more than to beg for her to stop but he won't give her that sort of pleasure. Instead he smirks at her in return, he's not quite broken.
"Hello Meg," Crowley calmly says. "Have you come to torture me yet again? Don't answer that with the obvious my dear, I just want to remind you that Castiel won't be able to keep me here forever."
Meg laughs, the sound brittle even to Crowley's ears, before she slices him with a blade. Thankfully it's not the blade that he fears the most. As tired as he is, Crowley isn't quite ready to die.
* * *
Bobby sighs as he downs a shot of the rotgut whiskey. He has tried to reach out to Sam Winchester but Dean's younger brother isn't interested in his brother's whereabouts. To Sam, Dean has either retired and found a bolt hole where he can be left alone or he's dead. Neither option really concerns Sam who has monsters to hunt. Bobby won't be surprised to hear of Sam's death sooner than later. Without Crowley's project, the younger Winchester has gone off the rails. And there's nothing that Bobby can do to stop him.
All of Bobby's leads on Dean Winchester have lead to one dead end after another. He doesn't want to give up on both of the boys that he has considered to be like his own sons but he's starting to feel like he has no choice but to do so. Bobby pours himself another shot of the cheap whiskey and for some reason he thinks of Crowley. And once he thinks of the demon, he's realizes he's never used all of his resources in finding Dean.
Once he starts thinking about Crowley, he can't stop thinking about the demon. Bobby doesn't know if the demon holds all of the answers but he's certain that the demon is a good place to start. He's not certain as to why he didn't think of the demon in the first place. Although there's never been any love lost between him and the former cross roads demon. Bobby's certain that Crowley would screw him over as quickly as he would help him. Still Bobby decides after he drains the second shot of whiskey, it's worth a shot.
He gathers the necessary items to summon Crowley. Before he performs the ritual he leaves the house and purchases an expensive bottle of whiskey. He decides that if he's going to ask for a favour, he might as well as sweeten the pot. And he'd rather he didn't sweeten the pot by offering his soul to Crowley again.
* * *
Crowley is almost at the point where he's about to beg Meg to end it all. And then he feels a tightening in his stomach, he bites his lower lip to avoid from laughing at Meg and at Castiel. For all of their preparedness, they hadn't prepared for someone to summon him. Even though he knows it can mean one of two things: either Dean's back in fighting form or Sam's been turned back into a real boy he can't find it in himself to care.
When he stumbles to his knees in front of Bobby Singer, Crowley is even more relieved. No doubt the old man wants the same thing as he does: Dean Winchester. And once Crowley tells him what he knows, Crowley can escape to the safety of Hell where Meg and Castiel won't be able to touch him. Unless they summon him. Crowley curses with that realization. The only way he'll be safe is for Bobby to trap him in a devil's trap. He's just exchanged one prison for another.
"What do you want?" Crowley snarls.
"I thought that we could have a discussion over a glass of whiskey."
"I wouldn't drink your rotgut if you paid me to," Crowley says with a sneer.
It doesn't matter that a short while ago, he would have killed for it. Now all that matters is that sooner than later, Castiel and Meg will summon him and he'll be tortured worse than he was before. Although there is a ritual that would bind him to Bobby, a ritual that he'd rather not use if he had another option.
"That's why I bought you a fancy bottle," Bobby replies.
Crowley appreciates the gesture but it cements the fact that Bobby wants something. Although that can be worked in his favour.
"What do you want," Crowley asks again as he pours himself a glass of the whisky.
It's not the best but it's better than what Bobby normally drinks. He drinks the alcohol savouring the burn as it goes down his raw throat.
"I want information on Dean," Bobby says.
"Say I had that information, do you expect me to give that to you for free?" Crowley asks.
"No, what do you want?"
It surprises Crowley that the older hunter is willing to work out a deal. He would have thought that Bobby would have taken advantage of Crowley's obvious weakness. Then again, the older hunter has always had a sense of playing fair. A sense that will wind up with him dead.
"There's a ritual that I need help in casting," Crowley says.
"And what does this ritual give you?" Bobby asks.
He should have known that he couldn't have just gotten away with convincing Bobby to cast the ritual.
"I'm in a spot of trouble, I need to be bound to a human in order to escape that spot."
Bobby sighs and drinks his own shot of whiskey while Crowley waits for the next question.
"What human?"
"You," Crowley replies.
"Balls!"
With that curse, Crowley knows that it'll only be a matter of time before he convinces Bobby to work with him. Crowley takes another sip of the whiskey and he smiles as it goes down.