The Sword and the Swindler chapter 2
It was dusk when Dean and Bela arrived in Jefferson City. The government, or what was left of it, had abandoned and quarrantined the area, focusing their limited resources elsewhere. They hid the car in the industrial park at the edge of town and walked to Bela’s contact’s store.
Dean hated being out in the open. He knew they were an easy target for any Croats. Sam had loaded Bela with enough charms to keep her warded from angels and demons alike, but nothing kept desperate humans away.
A noise behind them had Dean pulling Bela against a wall. At the far end of the alley, two things that used to be human shuffled across the street. Bela trembled. “What are those things?” she whispered.
“I don’t know. I’ve never seen anything like ‘em.” Dean surveyed the area. “Come on. Let’s get moving before more of them show up.”
They made it a few more blocks when gunfire erupted around them.
Dean kicked open a door and pushed Bela through it as he handed her a gun. He barricaded the door plunging them into a darkness Dean had only seen in his grave. The air was stale and musty and smelled of dead rodent. Their breathing the only noise other than their deafening heartbeats in their ears.
They waited, but no one or nothing approached the door from outside. Dean ignored how tightly Bela was gripping his arm and took a small flashlight from his pocket. Clicking it on to create a small circle of light. Bela held onto Dean’s coat as they crept down a hall of the abandoned office building. She kept her gun trained behind them, ready to attack unwanted followers.
At the end of the hall was an emergency exit and a door to an office. Since they couldn’t risk an alarm sounding if the building still had power, Bela picked the lock to the office. They ignored the deserted desks strewn with forgotten papers and computers and scrambled to the nearest window. After scrubbing off enough grime on the window to see through, Dean surveyed their surroundings.
The window overlooked a overgrown patch of grass and the wall of another building. He couldn’t see far enough to determine if Croats or anything else was nearby. That didn’t stop Bela from sliding the window open. With uncharacteristic lack of self-preservation, she poked her head out to look for herself. Seeing nothing dangerous, she motioned to Dean. “Give me a boost, yeah?”
Dean scowled at her carelessness but willingly hoisted her out the window. Better to let her be the bait than him. When it appeared that she was safe, Dean followed.
Andre Develin’s store was boarded up, both inside and out.
They broke in and were assaulted by the stench of death and rot. Dean was demoralized when he saw the ransacked shelves and cases. He hadn’t wanted to admit it, but he had been hoping Bela’s lead would land them a weapon.
Bela surveyed the damage but it didn’t dissuade her. She stepped over a broken case and tried to remember the layout before all the damage.
“You really think anything of value is still here?” Dean asked as he watched her move.
“Of course.” Bela stepped behind the counter where the register once stood. “All of this was just his cover,” she explained with a wave of her hand. “The real place is downstairs. If I can find the door...”
“Was Develin a tall guy?”
“About your height, why?”
“Think I found him.” Dean stepped over a corpse.
Bela joined him and recognized the long dead Andre Develin. “At least I don’t have to worry about owing him.”
Dean pulled a tarp from a nearby shelf and draped it over the man.
"He had a different room where he and I would conduct business," Bela explained. "It was never out here in the open." She walked to the back of the store. "I'd follow him back here, but the door was always open."
"I don't see a door back there," Dean said as he joined her. "He must have hid it behind these shelves."
Bela rolled her eyes ‘duh’, but didn't say it aloud.
"Is there a switch?" Dean asked, tugging on a set of shelves.
"I don't know. I'm looking."
Dean pushed the shelf and it clicked. He was then able to grip the edge and pull it forward. "And we have a winner. Ladies first."
Bela bowed her head and flicked on her flashlight.
They were greeted with a rush of frigid foul smelling air.
“Oh shit,” Dean muttered bracing himself for the imminent attack by grabbing the salt out of his bag.
The were flung backwards out of the room, hitting the floor. Dean shook it off and handed Bela an iron bar. “Here. Hold him off while I go torch his body.”
“No! Let me try to talk to him.”
Dean looked at her like she was crazy. “What? How are you going to do that?”
Bela ignored him and retrieved something from her bag. She drew a symbol on the floor, pricked her finger and bled on it. Then she yelled, “Andre! It’s me, Bela. I obtained that Vidyadhara for you, remember? And those trinkets from Kendricks.”
The spirit of Andre Develin took shape before them. “Bela, what are you doing here?”
“You have a --” Dean began but was silenced by Bela’s hand on his arm.
“I have an offer for you of course.”
The spirit looked at her in contempt. “What could you possibly offer me now?”
“We can put you to rest and ward your treasures from the likes of Crowley,” Bela suggested.
“My rooms are already warded against demons. Crowley can’t get to them unless it’s through you.” The spirit turned to Dean. “Winchester. I knew your grandfather. He was a good man.”
Dean looked confused. Both of his grandfathers had died before he was born. “He wouldn’t want you here with her.”
A fierce wind swirled around them raising all the debris in the room. The spirit’s voice echoed, “Get out!”
“We need the hyperbolic pulse generator.,” Bela explained.
“Get out!” the ghost bellowed again.
“Screw this.” Dean pushed himself up. “I’m torching the son of a bitch.”
He fought his way through the swirling debris to Develin’s corpse. He pulled a canister of salt from his duffel and poured it on the body.
“Tell us where it is or he’s going to destroy you,” Bela pleaded.
“You’ll never find it,” it growled, grabbing Bela by the leg and dragging her to the exit.
But across the room Dean poured lighter fluid on the body and lit a match. “Bye Andre.”
The ghost howled in pain as it’s body turned to ash.
Bela stood, brushed herself off. “What the hell, Dean? How do you expect to find it now?” she coughed and covered her mouth to protect herself from the fumes.
He grabbed an extinguisher and sprayed it on the remaining fire. “Thanks for saving me from the vengeful spirit, Dean. You’re welcome, Bela.”
“I’m sure I could have reasoned with him.”
“Yeah and I’m sure he was about to impale you on that pick ax by the door.” Dean returned to the now opened secret door.
Bela glanced back at the door and shuddered at the sight of what would have been the implement of her death. She admitted to herself that Dean was right, but that didn’t make her wrong.
“So what does this hyper generator thing look like?” Dean asked as Bela followed him into a nicely appointed office
Bela decided not to correct him. “It looks like an egg. A golden egg just about the size of an ostrich’s.”
Dean whistled low. “That’s gotta be worth a fortune so I’m sure he’d keep it locked up.”
“Dean, we are in a secret room in the back of a secret shop. I think it’s pretty secure.”
“You got in. If this Devlin guy did business with the likes of you, I’m sure he kept it locked up.”
Bela was affronted but saw his meaning. “Good point. I guess we look for a safe or another hidden room in the secret room.”
“Way ahead of you. Check it out.” Dean pointed at an electric conduit that disappeared into a wall. He traced his hand along the wall. “Yahtzee.” A door slid open and lights blinked on revealing a luxury apartment.
They exchanged shocked looks. “Obviously I was undercharging him,” Bela murmured running a hand over the well appointed walnut bar.
“Let’s find our Easter eggs and then we can celebrate at the bar.” But something caught Dean’s eye and he stepped behind the bar. He perused the selection of bottles and turned to Bela with a bottle of High West Campfire Whiskey in his hand.
Her brow arched in approval. “We can certainly enjoy some of that and look for the egg at the same time. We’ve multitasked before.”
Dean opened the bottle, poured two glasses, and raised his in a toast.
It felt like days had passed when they finish searching the main room. They had found the shelf full of spell books but no magic egg. Exasperated, Dean flopped onto the leather couch. “I don’t get it. This is his secret secret room. Why does he even have to hide it?”
Bela studied the room. “You’re right. It was practically a trophy. I’m surprised it’s not on display.”
Dean turned to the impressive bar with the many bottles of pricey liquor. “This Develin guy, was he attractive?”
“I didn’t think so, but he was quite the player in the black market. Why?”
“Because that bar is impressive. If I’m bringing someone to my secret room and hoping to impress them, I’m bringing them to this bar.” Dean stood behind the bar and continued, “I’m going to want my coolest, flashiest stuff right here.”
“Of course. Have a drink and check out my trophy room.” Bela joined him, taking a seat at the bar. “Dean, do those shelves behind you move?” She pointed at what appeared to be tracks on the unit behind him.
Dean turned and tried to force the shelf to slide along the track. “It won’t budge.”
“It would have to be powered. Develin isn’t going to manually push a shelf like that.”
Together they tried every button and switch they found behind the bar and finally the entire back wall slid open. Lights flickered on to reveal a closet sized room loaded with supernatural artifacts and weapons. Dean whistled and Bela grabbed his arm “Now that’s a yahtzee.”
On the bottom shelf, directly in front of them was a wooden rack holding two egg shaped objects with room for two more. “Looks like an incomplete set. There should be four,” Bela pointed out as she turned over one ‘egg’ in her hand.
Dean pulled a cloth from his coat pocket and handed it to Bela. “Wrap it up. Let’s get going.”
“Going?” Bela repeated,stunned by the idea. “It took us the entire day to get here. You want to leave? When was the last time you had a hot shower? Or slept in a real bed with sheets of Egyptian cotton?”
“The camp has hot--”
“Not like this. He has food and plenty to drink.” Dean seemed to be waffling so Bela went on. “And you know it’s not safe to travel after dark.”
Dean opened his mouth to argue, but then said nothing. He took the hyperbolic pulse generator from Bela and wrapped both of them in his coat. “I call shower first and I’m taking these with me.”
Pleased to have gotten her way, Bela smirked. “You do that Dean.”
The hot water worked miracles on Dean’s sore stiff muscles. He felt clean and revitalized and the towel was so soft and fluffy he was taking it back to camp with him. It left him wishing he had brought clean clothes when he left camp.
An unfamiliar noise was coming from the other side of the door which separated the shower area from the rest of the bathroom. Dean cautiously opened the door to find Bela relaxing in the oversized Jacuzzi tub. She had a bottle of something chilling and a platter full of cheese and crackers.
Dean huffed a small laugh. “You look like every bit the pampered princess you are.”
“Thank you. This tub is amazing and you should really try this.” She held out a champagne flute. “I found several bottles of Gosset and it is as good as I remembered.”
Dean took the proffered glass and studied the liquid. There was a time he would never accept something Bela offered him. Yet, she had the opportunity to leave or do something while he was in the shower. She done neither and now was naked under a blanket of bubbles offering expensive champagne.
“Uh, thanks.” He toasted to her and let the cool sparkling liquid tickle his throat. “I’ll let you, um…” He waved his hand over the tub.
Bela grinned. “Or you could grab another bottle and join me.”
Dean stepped back and did a double take.
“What?” Bela asked coyly, knowing smile forming. “We are quite literally two of the last people on earth. We should definitely celebrate with champagne and sex.”
Dean’s brain took a second to regain function. “More of these bottles behind the bar?”
Bela grinned. “You can’t miss them.”
“I’ll be right back. Keep those bubbles bubbling.”
Sex with Dean Winchester had been as fun as Bela had dreamt it would be. Before the apocalypse, she had sex whenever and with whomever she pleased. It was always casual and she always left. Entanglements and emotions were not needed. But now, as she lay there with her head pillowed on Dean’s chest and his arm protectively around her, Bela’s emotions were getting the best of her. She told herself it was the wine, but she knew that was a lie. She told herself it was the orgasms (yes, more than one and yes, he was quite smug about his skill), but that was a lie, too.
She reminded herself that the world was ending or this wouldn’t have happened. Once they saved the world, she could go back to her easy ‘no strings sex’.
The next morning Dean was surprised to see Bela loading a satchel with spell books. “Thought you’d be staying here.”
“Why would I do that?”
Dean’s answer was a look around the opulent apartment.
“After we save the world, I’m planning on celebrating with another bottle or two from Andre’s collection. Until then, someone has to make sure those things get back to Sam.”
They arrived at the car just as the sun was rising. Bela studied the spell books as they drove back to camp. By the time they arrived, Bela found several pages that contained information about angels, but nothing about the hyperbolic pulse generator.
Her frustration was at the boiling point when Sam joined them in Dean’s cabin. He was turning a generator over in his hand. “So this is the magic egg?”
“Worthless if we can’t figure out how to use it,” Bela snapped and dropped the book she was reading onto the table.
Sam was stunned by her outburst, but he was more shocked to see his his brother put a comforting hand on Bela’s shoulder. He’d have to ask about that once Bela returned to the cabin she shared with Reena.
“These markings look Enochian. Cas can tell us how it works,” Sam said nonchalantly watching his brother interact with Bela.
“Yeah, good idea. Cas’ll be able to read it.” Dean gave Bela’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze then took a seat at the table across from Sam. “Then we’ll just have to come up with a plan to get all the major players in the same place at the same time.”
“Depending on what these things do,” Sam began, “I’ve got a plan I think would work.”
Cas read the Enochian etchings on the hyperbolic pulse generators and gasped. He set them on the table and edged away from them like they were fragile time bombs.“Where did you find these things?”
“Bela knew some people,” Dean explained. “But that doesn’t matter. How do they work? Can we use them against Lucifer and Micheal?”
“Yes. These weapons extract the angel’s grace and trap it inside this device.”
Sam’s eyes lit up. “No grace means no power.”
“No power means we can shove their asses right back into the cage!” Dean said matching his brother’s enthusiasm.
“Yes, though essentially they will already be trapped inside those,” Cas reiterated pointing at the devices.
Bela was pleased that the Winchesters were smiling, but she had one more concern. “How do we get Michael and Lucifer to show up at the same place and time?”
“Easy. Once we have everything in place, Cas will remove the branding that wards us from them and they’ll come to us,” Dean stated as if he wasn’t dropping a huge bombshell on her.
“Wait a minute. Are you telling me that the two of you are the vessels?!” Bela’s wide eyed shock went from one brother to the next.
The brothers shrugged their answer. Cas clarified, “It was destined to be brothers.”
“Of course,” Bela groaned at her ignorance of the obvious “It would be the two of you. Just when I think I’ve gotten myself and those people to the safest possible place on earth, it turns out to be the worst.”
Dean smirked. “Relax, what could possibly go wrong?”
Day one, as it became known, was anti-climatic. Yes, nerves wore thin in the days leading to what Dean liked to call “the royal rumble”. Their plan had so many parts, so many steps that had to work in perfect synchronicity that Bela didn’t think it work. Although she had gained a meager amount of Dean’s trust, the Winchesters weren’t about to let her handle any of the essential elements of their plan.
Instead, Bela was put in charge of the survivors. “Hey, it’s better than reciting Latin at what’s probably going to be our funeral,” Dean pointed out.
Bela rolled her eyes at her dismissal. “Those people are the most important,” Sam told her. “They are the reason we are risking our lives.”
Garth and Chuck were tasked with learning the Enochian charm on the “golden eggs” and the Latin spellwork for the horsemen’s rings. The items themselves would only be given to them on the way to the ‘rumble’.
Sam and Dean chose Stull Cemetery as the location and studied it until they knew every inch of the terrain. Then, they decided upon a date. Garth and Chuck would need time to memorize their parts and Cas would have to power up if he was going to remove the etchings on their ribs. When Sam grabbed a calendar, the brothers intuitively agreed on the day: November 2nd. The day that started it all would be the day that ended it.
The first frost of the season coated everything in white that morning.
“Come back.” Bela didn’t trust herself to say much more as she hugged Sam and Dean good bye. She wasn’t sure she could lead the survivors without them.
“Of course.” Dean’s answer was full of enough bravado that Bela felt herself smile despite her fears.
“You slept with her, didn’t you,” Sam blurted out, once they were in the Impala and driving to Stull.
“A gentleman doesn’t kiss and tell,” Dean replied.
“You’re not a gentleman,” Garth piped up from the backseat.
“Yeah,” Chuck chimed in. “You always kiss and tell. You’ve told plenty of times”
Dean conceded their points. “Well, there wasn’t that much sleeping.”
Sam scrunched up his face. “Bela?”
“What? She gave me the whole ‘we’re the last people on earth’ line and since there was wine and she was naked in a jacuzzi, I fell for it. I’m only human, Sam.”
Sam shook his head equally amused and appalled.
“Bela is a beautiful woman. Dean’d be a fool not to sleep with her,” Cas added from the back seat. “Wait, there was wine?”
“There was a working jacuzzi?!” Garth exclaimed.
“Yes, alright? We can all celebrate with wine, whiskey and woman after we save the world,” Dean growled. “Let’s stay on target. We have a lot riding on this.”
When they arrived at Stull, they set about their tasks. Once set, Cas removed the etching from the brothers’ ribs and hid himself behind a large oak tree while Sam and Dean summoned the archangels.
“Sam, Dean, how good of you to call,” Lucifer said as he strolled up to them. “To what do I owe the honor?” He flicked his finger and Dean flew back ten feet.
However, instead of crashing into the tombstones, Dean was set upright as Michael arrived. “Tsk,tsk, brother, no hurting the vessels.”
Lucifer bristled, puffed up his stance, and turned his attention to Sam. “Why, after all this time, have you summoned us here? You know this doesn’t end well for you.”
“Who cares? Stop stalling,” Michael replied for them.
Sam glared. “We’ve decided this needs to end. Avoiding you has brought too much destruction. Too many lives have been lost.”
“Then let’s end this,” Michael sneered. “You and your brother say “yes”, then me and my brother will finish this once and for all.”
“Yeah, about that.” Dean dropped his lighter igniting the ring of holy oil surrounding the four of them.
“You think a little holy oil is going to save you, hmm?” Michael taunted and clenched his fist making Dean and Sam crumple to the ground gasping for air.
“They can’t say ‘yes’ if they can’t breathe you idiot.” Lucifer shoved his brother and waved his hand. The Winchesters could now breath but they were clutching their stomachs in pain.
Completely unnoticed by the archangels, Chuck stood outside the fire chanting Enochian. The sigils on the hyperbolic pulse generators glowed and the rings on them spun. What had seemed like solid gold now opened.
Sam and Dean chanted the ritual with Chuck and the vessels fell to their knees.
Cas yelled, “Cover your eyes!” But neither Sam nor Dean looked away. They needed to see if the ritual worked.
The blinding grace burst from the vessels’ mouths and flowed to the hyperbolic pulse generators like they were magnetized.
Garth tossed the horseman’s rings into the ring of fire and yelled the Latin spell opening the portal to Lucifer’s cage.
When the grace of the archangels was fully contained in the hyperbolic pulse generators, Sam and Dean took them from Chuck and prepared to throw them into the portal, but Cas yelled, stopping them. He pointed to the generator holding Michael. “Lucifer should be returned to the cage, but Michael should be returned to Heaven. We have our own justice and prison. He should face justice in heaven.”
Dean grimaced. “Make sure that son of a bitch pays for the destruction he caused down here.”
Sam tossed the egg holding Lucifer’s grace into the portal and it sealed leaving only the rings behind. Cas extinguished the fire and Dean handed off Michael.
Garth bounced on the balls of his feet, beaming like a child on Christmas. “I can’t believe that worked! We just saved the world!”
The brothers smiled, both astonished and relieved, Garth’s exuberance was infectious.
“That was pretty amazing,” Chuck added. “I think it’s time for the wine, women and whiskey.”
“Hard to argue with that,” Dean said, grinning at Sam.
One Year Later
“So get this,” Sam said as Dean joined him at the booth of a tiny diner. “If we can get our hands on an artifact from the Titanic, all of this will end.”
“The Titanic?” Dean’s eyes widened in surprise. “You mean the ship not the Kate Winslet movie, right?”
Sam rolled his eyes. “Yes the ship. IHow are we going to get our hands on something like that? I’m sure it’s all in museums some place.”
Dean had a flash of memory and smiled to himself. “Give me two days, Sammy, and I’ll put the captain’s pocket watch in your hands.”
The bell on the door chimed as he entered and the salesgirl called a cheerful ‘hello’ from her spot behind the counter. “Take a look around, I’ll be right with you.”
Exotic plants and gorgeous bouquets filled the shop with color and fragrance. It was so different from Dean’s previous visit for a moment he thought he was in the wrong store.
“How can I -- well, of all the gin joints.”
“Or flower shops,” he added, smiling. “Hoped I’d find you here. Like what you’ve done with the place.”
Bela blushed at his compliment. “I thought it was time I brought beauty to this world instead of destruction.”
“I like it. It suits you,” he replied letting his eyes roam over her and making her blush deepen.
“Buying flowers for someone, then?” she asked pretending that she wasn’t hoping he was there to see her.
“Actually, I’m hoping you still have some of Andre’s things. I remember seeing a pocketwatch that would go a long way to end some trouble Sam and I are having.”
“Of course,” Bela replied keeping a neutral expression because obviously Dean was there for a case. “Let me close the shop and you can take a look in the vault.”
He followed her through the ‘secret’ door and down the stairs. When she opened the door to the apartment Dean asked, “Do you still have some of that fancy champagne?”
Bela smiled and turned to him and smoothed a hand over his shoulder. “I do. In fact, I upgraded the jacuzzi tub. I would be more than happy to show it to you.”
“I think we should celebrate your new life choices.” Dean kissed her, walking her backwards until she was pressed against the bar.
With a hand on his chest, she gently pushed him back so that she could take a bottle from the bar refrigerator. Dean took two flutes from the shelf above them.
“Let me get that stopwatch you wanted.”
Dean took her hand and led her to the bathroom. “After you show me that new tub.”
The End